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This was mentioned in the comments earlier today, but I wanted to bring it front-and-center.
Kris Bryant already has the Cubs rookie record for RBI, 95 and counting. One more home run and he'll have the team rookie home-run record.
There's one more he's very close to: total bases. The team rookie record for total bases in a season is 265, set by Billy Herman in 1932. Bryant has 257.
Bryant's current OPS is .868. The Cubs' rookie record for OPS is .899, set by Hack Miller in 1922. Bryant would have to have a hot last two weeks to break that, but since August 1 he's hitting .337/.411/.611, a 1.022 OPS, so he's got a shot at it. Bryant's OPS is currently ninth in the National League; pushing it to .900 or higher would move him up to sixth.
So not only is Bryant likely to be the runaway Rookie of the Year winner in the National League, I could conceivably see him getting some downballot MVP votes. His 2015 season is arguably the best rookie season ever for a Cubs position player (Kerry Wood gets some consideration for "best rookie season" overall for a Cub).
Keep up the good work. All the way through October.
Finally, here is your once-a-series reminder about SB Nation's partner daily fantasy game, FanDuel. If you want to participate, here's the link.
Here are today's particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Fowler CF, Schwarber LF, Bryant 3B, Rizzo 1B, Castro 2B, Coghlan RF, Montero C, Baez SS, Arrieta P
.@JArrieta34 is on the mound tonight against the #Brewers. Game preview: http://t.co/psGyjYfgfE #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/TqMKh91Wpf
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 22, 2015
Brewers lineup:
Gennett 2B, Schafer CF, Lind 1B, Davis LF, Santana RF, Segura SS, Perez 3B, Maldonado C, Cravy P
Another nice photo added to Brewers bench coach Jerry Narron's calligraphy:
Tonight's lineup against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. First pitch 7:05 CT on @fswisconsin and @620wtmj. pic.twitter.com/uF1Tlp1Xtm
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 22, 2015
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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You all know how awesome Jake Arrieta is and while you have probably heard this elsewhere, he's making his second attempt for his 20th win. Over his last nine starts he has a 0.54 ERA, which is otherworldly. Since June 21 the Cubs are 15-2 in his 17 starts and one of those was Cole Hamels' no-hitter. He has a 1.01 ERA in that span. Oddly, he doesn't have a good record against the Brewers this year, one of the few teams he hasn't dominated: 4.91 ERA in two starts. Time to rectify that tonight!
One more amazing Arrieta stat: His WHIP is currently 0.923. If he can keep it below 0.928, that would be the lowest for a Cubs qualified starter in one hundred and six years -- since Mordecai Brown posted a WHIP of 0.873 in 1909.
Tyler Cravy made a few starts earlier this year and is getting the call on a Brewers "bullpen day." One of those starts was against the Cubs, August 13 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs hit him hard, including home runs by Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber. More of that, please.
Today's game is on CSN Chicago Plus (check your cable/satellite listings for the channel).
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. If you do go there to interact with Brewers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2015 Game Thread procedure has changed a bit. Here's how it will work going forward.
You'll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream™ containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in the game's StoryStream™ as noted above.
The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.