Cubby-Blue

Cubs 5 Reds 6. Bryant and Rizzo go back to back, but Hendricks doesn't get the win.

I was on production and missed a week of so much good baseball.
Some giant home runs.
Anthony Rizzo off the "d" on the Budweiser sign in the same game that Albert Almora hit his first Grand Slam.
Yesterday Kyle Schwarber led off the Reds game with a massive long ball, and later Byrant and Rizzo would do the same.
Not enough, though. 
The Reds came back late.
Cub pitching is... you ever flown a plane?
One time a friend of my father's allowed me to take the controls of his plane for like 5 minutes flying from Butte MT to Prescott, AZ.
He's a retired fighter pilot, I'm an art guy.
He told me to "keep it pointed at that rounded peak".
Which I did, but I never stopped moving the stick.
Ever. 
The plane would point 2 degrees east, I'd move the stick and then it would be pointing a little west.
I overcorrected each time the plane moved, and it made for more of a circus ride.
Chuck could nudge the stick a little and let go, and then the plane would stop it's correction pointed right at the rounded peak.

So let's just say that overall the pitching feels like Chuck's flying and not me, but it needs a nudge.
I felt horrible for Cisheck after he gave up the homer to Eugenio Suarez in the top of the 9th. 
It seems like Cisheck is the guy coming in almost every game in a big situation.
So... Stop can't get back fast enough, and I hope all the talk of getting more help through free agency or a trade is true.
Playing the Reds is one thing, but next week the Cubs will be playing the Astros - the cream of the AL - at Minute Maid Park.
Marquee stuff.
It'll also be the last 3 games of 16 straight for the Cubs.
That is going to be tough, and if the Astros just kick sand in the faces of the 'pen it would... not sit well.

But the Cubs are on top of the Central and the Big Boys on the team are playing serious ball.
Let's see what happens one game at a time, today it's Yu Darvish, and he could not pick a better time to go deep and give the pen a little rest.

Cubs 14 Nats 6 and 3 Bryant Homers.

Kris Bryant.
(HEY THERE'S A 3 IN THE B!)
He's been sort of on a tear lately, and in last night's Cub Victory, he hit 3 homers.


Which isn't that unusual, he did it in 2016 (there was something about that year... it'll come to me), only last night he homered in 3 straight innings.
I say awesome way too much, but rarely do I say "epic".
That was epic.
So was this at bat with Schwarber vs Barraclough in the 8th: strike, ball, foul, foul, foul, ball, foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, ball, homer. it was such a long at bat, I had time to wonder what's the longest at bat in baseball history?
Oh, it happened last year.
Brandon Belt's 12 minute 45 second, 21 pitches at bat that ended with a flyout.
Sorry Brandon, your ride was nice, but the destination way better with Kyle's.
Anyway, 6 Cub homers in one game brings the Cubs up to 3rd in the NL behind the Brewers (75) and Dodgers (74).
Captain Rizzo was back from the bad back a day after Victor Caratini came back from the hamate bone thing, and each were rewarded by getting hit by a pitch.
Speaking of pitch, Cole Hamels vs Max Scherzer was a pretty amazing game itself.
Hamels went 5 innings, struck out 5, gave up 7 hits and 2 runs while Scherzer went 6, K'd 8, and gave up 6 hits (the biggie being Almora's 445 foot 2-run dinger in the 2nd) and 3 runs.
Hamels is now 4-0, Scherzer 2-5.

Tonight is special.
Jon Lester with his incredible 1.16 ERA vs Stephen Stasburg and his 3.63.
What a matchup.
It's also supposed to be 80 out, the game starts at 6:05 so you know... get the fire going, pull the steaks out, turn on the radio and grab a frosty cold one.
Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer will take you thru the action.
My garage transistor radio finally busted.
I bought it at Walgreen's in the camera section back before they started only selling blue tooth devices, and it lasted a loong time. 
So I hunted online for a new one - looking for a bigger speaker and one that plugs in - and I found the most AWESOME radio on Amazon.


$28 bucks, a Panasonic.
We live in Portage Park which is about where planes start to be noticeable as they descend into OHare. The speaker on this one is loud enough to make the plane noise a non-issue.
AND both the Brewers and Cards lost.
I'm so dang happy.

Okay, Go Cubs.

Kyle Hendricks' game: Toss Softly and Carry a Big Stick.

It started with a bunt.
2 out, nobody on, Daniel Descalso is up and the Reds have a full shift on with no one on the left side of the field.
He tried a bunt, failed, and tried again.
Single.
Tanner Roark is one of these kind of surprising Reds starters - newly acquired from the Nats, he's 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA.
This looks like nothing but an extension of the inning for one out, but then Albert Almora hits a single.
So now it's Kyle Hendricks' turn, and nobody expects anything to happen when suddenly it does.
He smacks one over the head of rookie Cinci centerfielder Nick Senzel and both Descalso and Almora score.
Ha!
What a novelty!
Only last night, it was actually just a fact: Hendricks was seeing the ball.
He went 3 for 4 with the two ribbies and the Cubs beat the Reds 3-1.
Late in the game, Kris Bryant hit a single (he went 3 for 5) which prompted Len to say that he was just trying to keep step with Hendricks.

Okay so that was SO awesome having Hendricks step up during the 2nd Cub game without Anthony Rizzo (sore back).
But on the other side of his game, Hendricks was just. So. On. The. Mound.

He gave up a serious homer to Joey Votto, who's barely hitting Mendoza and that's sure to correct itself.
He also gave up a solid smack to I can't remember who but Albert Almora appeared like a special effect, leaping about 30 feet to catch a deep fly.
But other than that, you gotta go all the way to the bottom of the 9th, when Hendricks gave up his only walk (to Senzel) to find a mistake in his game.
Nothing but soft contact.
He's brilliant.
He's the most unique.
He's like an odd looking movie star who steals every scene.
He's also looking alot like, or maybe even better than, that guy who beat Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 to clinch the NL title in 2016.

Everybody's saying this and so will I - the Cubs are 23-7 after their 2-7 start.
But if one more "expert" lectures me about being one of the people who felt some panic at the start of this season, I'm gonna punch them in the nose.
The ENTIRE off season was about how important the wins are in April.
So shut up and let's all just enjoy.

Jon Lester made Lorenzo Cain look kind of twisted.

What a weekend of awesome and important baseball!
My favorite thing to say right now is "Did you know the Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10? Guess what the Cards are? 2-8. HAHAHAHA!"
Anyway it's a crazy Monday and I've no time to write.
Just... what Jon Lester did to Lorenzo Cain comPLETEly cracked me up.
Yeah he led off with a single, but then Lester fooled him totally, made him look silly, made me smile.

Day off then the Reds.
I'm a little worried about them - their pitching was supposed to be sub par but the bats good as usual.
Turns out their pitching is doing just fine.
No. 1 ERA in the NL at 3.36, just ahead of the Cubs at 3.44.
Hoping Anthony Rizzo's stiff back doesn't become a thing, otherwise I do not have much to complain about.
Go Cubs.

So cool watching Tyler Chatwood's redemption right before our eyes.

What a performance from Tyler Chatwood.
Cold, windy, miserable Wrigley Field featuring Cubs v Brewers that began with a pitching duel between Cole Hamels and (horrible looking mustache/beard guy) Zach Davies for about 7 innings.
That was Game 1, which ended 1-1.
Then game 2, where Joe Maddon and Craig Counsell emptied their bullpens for a couple innings.
We got to see Carl Edwards Jr (brilliant, 2 Ks), Brandon Kinzler, Kyle Ryan, Steve Cishek (he's like a daily occurrence), Brad Brach, and newb Xavier Cedeno all go back to back shutting the Brewers down.
While among the next 5 relievers for the Crew we finally got to see Josh Hader.
He was a little wild, walking Zagunis, followed by 7 pitches to finally get Heyward to line into a DP, but that liner was a rocket.
So that was game 2, then came game 3 - Chatwood vs Burch Smith.
Chatwood came in with Yelich on 1st, nobody out and Jesus Aguilar up.
That guy looks like a killer robot and scares the hell out of me.
He hit into a double play then... the BEST thing happened... Ryan Braun came in and struck out.
Ha Ha Liar Liar Pants On Fire Guy.
Chatwood had a little spell of wildness, but settled down and threw scoreless, 3 BB / 7 K / no hit ball for 4 innings.
Smith gave up a walkoff home run to El Mago, only it was really a double but SO HILARIOUS watching Cain give up on it as Davies walked towards the dugout.
The actual homer came from Willson Contreras - a walkoff he smithereened onto Waveland in the bottom of the 15th.
There were way too many chances for the Cubs to score where they didn't, but whatever they pulled it out.

Anyway, Chatwood.
Another amazing performance, and all kinds of "he's got the best stuff..." from team mates.
Hamels says he's got "lightning stuff".
And I can't decide if he's the perfect trade bait or a guy who might be a super important part of a World Series team.
Either way, given the horrible start he had last year, it's just SUCH a great story to see him redeem himself right before our eyes.
I hope he just keeps getting stronger as the year goes along, and we can all forget that old "uh oh" when he comes in to pitch.

Jon Lester on the mound tonight.
Cannot wait...

Remember it's MOTHER'S DAY! And..

Last thing, a little bragging about my little brother Grog (actually Greg, that's a nickname).
He's an effects guy (works on Flame), and he worked on a little movie you may have seen this summer.
Now, there were a TON of "digital artists" who worked on this movie, but here were the ones from Lola Visual Effects in Los Angeles (click on the pic, look bottom right, 4th row up).


I asked him what part of the movie he worked on, but he's got to sign non-disclosure contracts every time he works on a movie, so I never get to find out.

What are we gonna do with Yu? Have patience.

I've explained this before.
I'm an art director, I sit across from my writer - we've been partners at work for a long time.
He tends to be on the extreme sides of things, while I try to stick more in the middle (we all know that varies, however).
We were walking out yesterday, he's looking at At Bat.
The Cubs beat the Marlins behind 4 innings of Yu Darvish and a brilliant long relief performance by Mike Montgomery, just back with the Big League club after some IR time.

Him: WHO DOES THIS?
Me: What?
Him: Who strikes out 7, but also walks six and throws 100 pitches in 4 innings?
Me: Tyler Chatwood last year?
Him: COME ON!
Me: I know, it's crazy.
Him: WHO PITCHES LIKE THAT? 
Me: If he comes around, he'll be a huge...
Him: I WISH JOE WOULD GO ALL BILLY MARTIN ON HIM, GET IN HIS FACE AND SCREAM.
Me: ...a huge part of...
Him: I CAN'T STAND TO WATCH HIM. HE'S GOT SO MUCH TALENT AND HE'S MAKING SO MUCH MONEY.
Me: Have patience.
Him: I CAN'T. Look at Taylor Davis, a triple A guy making five bucks. Did Taylor Davis freak out and panic against the Cardinals? NO! He calmly came up to bat and hit a GRAND SLAM! DARVISH CAN'T EVEN BE CALM AGAINST THE WORST TEAM IN BASEBALL HOW CAN HE PITCH IN SEPTEMBER WHEN IT'S THE BREWERS?
Me: I don't know what to tell you. Have patience. Because we can.

And that's the best advice I can give anybody.
Have patience. Because we can.
There are miles to go yet this season.
You just have to hope Darvish figures it out.
The upside is so up there.
Come August, maybe I'll be the one screaming about him, but for now... the Cubs are kicking ass.
The starters are amazing.
I'm just going to stay in the middle, watch and hope.

Okay, the First Place Cubs will take on the 2nd Place Brewers in some Real Serious Baseball starting today at 1:20.
Jose Quintana takes the mound against Yankee Reject and newly signed Brewer starter Gio Gonzalez.
The Brewers have had some trouble with their staff - their team ERA is 11th in the NL at 4.58.
Let's please keep that number as big as possible, Cubs.