BCB After Dark: Is it in the Cards?

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the late-night shindig for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on and take a seat. It’s been a lovely evening and we’re so glad to spend the rest of it with you. The dress code is casual tonight. There are still a few tables available. The show will start soon. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

The Cubs were trailing 7-0 after an inning and a half tonight. I hope you didn’t go anywhere because they stormed back to beat the Mariners, 14-9. The only downside is that shortstop Dansby Swanson left the game with “lower left side tightness.” However, an update later tonight said the Cubs were hoping it was just cramping. And then there is this:

Honestly, it was undoubtedly a tough day for Dansby and he came through with four hits anyway. I don’t think anyone would hold it against him if he took tomorrow afternoon off.

And we’re praying for Mallory to get well as soon as possible.

Last night I asked you which Cub should get sent down or released when Seiya Suzuki gets activated off the injured list. With 42 percent of the vote, you felt that Miles Mastrobuoni should go down to Iowa. In second place was Luis Torrens with 29 percent.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t normally do any movie talk. But I always have time for jazz so those of you who want to skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.

I don’t think I’ve featured anything from bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding lately. This song is “Black Gold” from her 2012 album Radio Music Society. That recording was Spalding trying to be a bit more commercial than she normally is, so this track has a bit more R&B and soul character than most of her stuff, which can be quite experimental at times.

Welcome back to those who skip all that jazz.

The Cubs are off to a pretty strong start on the year, going 6-4. The Cardinals are not off to a strong start, going 4-7. The Cardinals pitching has been especially poor as they have a team ERA of 5.06, which is 11th in the National League. The Cubs, on the other hand, have a good team ERA of 3.90, even after tonight’s slugfest. That’s second-best in the NL, although that’s waaay behind the Brewers’ team ERA of 2.43.

So tonight’s question is simply an assessment of how optimistic you are so far. Will the Cubs or the Cardinals finish with a better record in 2023? The Cubs have certainly looked like the better team so far. On the other hand, St. Louis has had a rough early-season schedule of Toronto, Atlanta and Milwaukee to start the year before facing Colorado this evening. The Cubs schedule hasn’t been easy with the Brewers and Mariners, but they’ve also had Texas and Cincinnati on the schedule as well.

So is this the start of a trend and are the Cubs really a better team than St. Louis? Or is it just one of those early-season flukes? If you think they’ll finish with identical records, pick the team with the tiebreaker advantage.

Thank you so very much for stopping in this evening. We were in a good mood before you got here and now we’re feeling even better. Please get home safely. Recycle and cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.