Cubs Heroes and Goats: Games 107-110

For those of you who are fans of board games (and not games like Clue or Monopoly) that have not been to Gen Con before, all I can say is that it is a must-go experience. There was more to do there than could possibly be done in four days and there was definitely a lot of stuff that I left off of the hit list, but it was still an absolutely great time. It was doubly fun checking in on the Cubs' scores each day and seeing the winning streak continue to grow by all kinds of circumstances, from the somewhat mundane on Friday to the completely crazy on Wednesday.

Here's the recap of the past four games:

Game 107 (Wednesday, August 3 - Cubs 5, Marlins 4):

• The Three Heroes - A.J. Ramos (-.915), Matt Szczur (.485), Ben Zobrist (.310), Anthony Rizzo (.128).
• The Three Goats - Kris Bryant (-.233), Jason Heyward (-.213), John Lackey (-.115 / .000).

Game 108 (Friday, August 5 - Cubs 7, Athletics 2):

• The Three Heroes - Jorge Soler (.231), Jon Lester (.105), Dexter Fowler (.105).
• The Three Goats - David Ross (-.011), Kris Bryant (-.006), Anthony Rizzo (-.004).

Game 109 (Saturday, August 6 - Cubs 4, Athletics 0):

• The Three Heroes - Jake Arrieta (.356), Ben Zobrist (.219), Addison Russell (.091).
• The Three Goats - Kris Bryant (-.080), Miguel Montero (-.064), Jorge Soler (-.061).

And as for Sunday...

Graphs for Game 110 (courtesy of Fangraphs):

Stats for Game 110:

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.

The Ramirez Catalyst of Game 110: With the game still scoreless going into the top of the sixth, Kris Bryant belts the first pitch of the inning into the left-field seats to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. WPA impact: +.174.

THE THREE HEROES:

• Superhero - Kyle Hendricks (.396). Only allowed three hits in over seven innings of work, and only one of those left the infield.
• Hero - Kris Bryant (.278). Breaks a slump of three consecutive Goat appearances, including yet another tough-luck podium spot on Friday with a WPA better than -.010.
• Sidekick - Jorge Soler (.140). Things have been going well since his return from the disabled list: 4-for-12 in three games including two homers and five driven in.

THE THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat - Willson Contreras (-.115). Came up empty on two chances with a runner on third, including one chance with one out. That combined with an interference call on a dropped third strike was just enough to edge out...
• Goat - Ben Zobrist (-.114). ...who took the second step thanks to the BABIP overlords' decision that it was his time to line out into a double play.
• Kid (tie) - Javier Baez and Addison Russell (-.096). Both had opportunities with a runner on third and missed; Russell almost sent one out of the park but it came up just short on the track in left. Baez did manage to get a hit but had it immediately erased when he was caught stealing second.

RANKINGS THROUGH GAME 110: The top of the chart remains unchanged as the starting rotation continues to exert its dominance with Rizzo doing his best to keep pace.