2021 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 108

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cubs weren’t able to keep up in an offensive shootout not long after they traded away three of their biggest offensive stars as well as two pretty capable supporting pieces. So when the Rockies started putting up crooked numbers early in last night’s game, it became pretty clear that the Cubs were heading for another loss.

The 13-6 loss drops the Cubs to six games under .500 for the season. That is nearly guaranteed to be a number well above the bottom of where things will end up. After this series in Colorado against a Rockies team that is surprisingly one of the best teams in baseball when playing at home, the Cubs will come home to face two of the best teams in baseball in the Brewers and White Sox. Some tough times are ahead, folks.

It wasn’t all bad. The Cubs did manage six runs. Colorado isn’t quite as prodigious an offensive park as it was a generation ago. It certainly remains an environment where an elevated number of runs are scored, but there are many fewer of these 13-6 games than many of us remember from the early days of the Rockies.

There continued to be new faces. Frank Schwindel played first last night. In his first game in a Cubs uniform he nabs the Superhero spot on the strength of an early double with a runner on base that helped set the table for an early 1-0 Cubs lead. Later, Johneshwy Fargas got into the game as a pinch hitter. Fargas has appeared earlier this year for the Mets, so this is not his first big league action, though he is most definitely a rookie. It isn’t clear how many more new names and faces will come through this year, but it feels safe to say this won’t be the last of it. Maybe one or two of these guys can provide some short term value like Rafael Ortega has been.

In the meantime, the losses pile up. These times can certainly be tough to watch. Hopefully, you are able to take some solace in the idea that better days are ahead. Though I imagine for many of you, the better days are way too close in the rear view mirror to be looking ahead to what’s on the other side of this most recent revamping of the Cubs organization.

Let’s go to the numbers from last night’s game. As you’ll recall, the Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA (Win Probability Added) and are not in any way subjective. Many days WPA will not tell the story of what happened, but often it can give at least a glimpse to who rose to the occasion in a high-leverage moment or who didn’t get the job done in that moment. And now, let’s get to the results.

Game 108, August 3: Rockies 13, Cubs 6 (51-57)

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Frank Schwindel (.064). 1-4, 2B
• Hero: Ian Happ (.038). 1-3, HR (11), BB, RBI, 3R
• Sidekick: Patrick Wisdom (.003). 1-4, 3K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Zach Davies (-.362). 4IP (20 batters faced), 6H, 2BB, 7R, K (L 6-8)
• Goat: Rafael Ortega (-.056). 1-4, R, K
• Kid: David Bote (-.054). 1-4, 2B, RBI, K

WPA Play of the Game: Elias Diaz batted with the bases loaded and no outs in the second inning, the Rockies down one. He hit a grand slam and the Rockies never looked back. (.173)

*Cubs Play of the Game: Frank Schwindel batted with a runner on first and one out in the second inning, the game was scoreless. He doubled setting up the Cubs first run of the game. (.079)

Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)

• Kris Bryant +26
• Craig Kimbrel +20
• Patrick Wisdom +15
• Rex Brothers -13.5
• Jake Arrieta -14
• Ian Happ -17

Up Next: Game two of the three-game set. Alec Mills will start this one. He is 4-4 with a 4.55 ERA. His numbers have been better as a starter. Let’s see how he fares against this challenge. Alec is always battling for something and this time around, it is for consideration as part of the 2022 starting rotation. Jon Gray starts for the Rockies. He is 7-6 with a 3.62 ERA. This definitely looks like a tough one on paper.