Cubs Heroes and Goats: Games 87-90

I'm telling you, I could take those week-long vacations to Texas for the rest of my life and not grow tired of them. Even though it was close to 100 degrees every day and sunny for all of them (so, basically, your average Texas July) there were still plenty of fun times had at the two Six Flags parks in Arlington and San Antonio. Major kudos to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington for the best new ride of the two parks, that being the Riddler's Revenge. If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Arlington and have the time to stop by Six Flags, this ride is an absolute must. Here's a video to give you an idea of what the ride is like. (And no, Heroes and Goats is not being sponsored by Six Flags, the state of Texas, or the Riddler.)

And yes, I did have more waffles that were in the shape of the state of Texas. Because it's a requirement, basically.

As for the important stuff, namely the Cubs, what's happened over the past four games? Here's a quick recap of the last two games of the Pirates series and the first game of the Rangers series:

Game 87 (Saturday, July 9 - Pirates 12, Cubs 6):

• The Three Heroes - Anthony Rizzo (.239), Javier Baez (.140), Ben Zobrist (.113).
• The Three Goats - Jon Lester (-.485), Adam Warren (-.378), Addison Russell (-.147).

Game 88 (Sunday, July 10 - Cubs 6, Pirates 5):

• The Three Heroes - Kris Bryant (.315), Anthony Rizzo (.200), Hector Rondon (.177).
• The Three Goats - John Lackey (-.331), Jason Heyward (-.147), Ben Zobrist (-.072).

Game 89 (Friday, July 15 - Cubs 6, Rangers 0):

• The Three Heroes - Kyle Hendricks (.359), Addison Russell (.105), Javier Baez (.072).
• The Three Goats - Ben Zobrist (-.032), Willson Contreras (-.031), Jason Heyward (-.020).

And as for Saturday...

Graphs for Game 90 (courtesy of Fangraphs):

Stats for Game 90:

Writer's Note: The daily selections of the three Heroes and three Goats are based solely on the top three and bottom three WPA scores for the game. The selections are not based on my subjective opinion.

Before we get to the Heroes and Goats for Saturday, I've decided to make an addition to the piece called (for now) the Momentum Play of the Game, highlighting the play that had the most WPA impact in a positive manner in wins or in the most negative manner in losses. If you have an idea for a different name, feel free to leave it in the comments; I'm always up for suggestions.

The Momentum Play of Game 90: With the Cubs down 1-0 in the bottom of the third with two out and runners on first and second, Anthony Rizzo shortens up his swing on a 1-2 count and drops a double into right field that scores Miguel Montero and Tommy La Stella, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead.  WPA impact: +.240.

THE THREE HEROES:

• Superhero - Jason Hammel (.235). A very efficient outing on Saturday, striking out seven over six innings and only allowing two runners to get past first base.
• Hero - Anthony Rizzo (.173). He might have ended up at the top of the chart had it not been for a nice backhanded stop by Rougned Odor in the fifth.
• Sidekick - Matt Szczur (.109). Comes up big for the second straight game as a pinch-hitter with a run-scoring single in the sixth.

THE THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat - Ben Zobrist (-.094). He was also victimized by Odor in the fifth on a leaping grab of a liner that would have driven in a run.
• Goat - Addison Russell (-.066). One of the two Cubs to go 0-for-4 on Saturday...
• Kid - Kris Bryant (-.065). ...and the other one of the two Cubs to go 0-for-4 on Saturday.

RANKINGS THROUGH GAME 90: Hey, look who's back at the top of the chart! And look who's back at the bottom!