Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Nationals Tuesday rainout threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2017-10-10T18:55:02-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/162083692017-10-10T18:55:02-05:002017-10-10T18:55:02-05:00NLDS Game 4: A few thoughts about MLB, rain and scheduling
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<figcaption>Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The handling of Tuesday’s rainout could have been done better.</p> <p id="evydcw">After Tuesday’s scheduled NLDS Game 4 between the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> and <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a> was postponed, which happened at 5:15 p.m. CT, I made a slow trudge back to my car through a pretty heavy rainfall. Traffic from the ballpark, rush-hour traffic and the heavy rain made my usual short ride home take about 45 minutes, during which time I had a chance to ruminate about how MLB and its TV partner TBS made the call to postpone the game.</p>
<p id="kKMnXX">Given the starting time and the rainfall which appears to be in town all evening, there was clearly no way the teams were going to get the proverbial “window” of three hours or so to play baseball Tuesday evening. Thus given the 4:30 p.m. CT starting time, they made the right call.</p>
<p id="zFeOmH">The question remains: Was it ever proposed to start the game at 1 p.m. CT? If that had happened, they would have had four hours before rain began a few minutes after 5.</p>
<p id="bvzh0l">Here’s a report that a 1 p.m. starting time was proposed, and nixed by TBS:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rain approaching Wrigley tonight. TBS was asked to start game at 1 PM, and refused. Huh.</p>— Chip Caray (@kapaya1234) <a href="https://twitter.com/kapaya1234/status/917839497018175488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p id="mNku6t">Here’s another:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wasn't just TBS. Not many people wanted a 1 pm playoff game on a Tuesday afternoon, but Cubs would've been good with that.</p>— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCubs/status/917864951691309056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p id="chEfVN">And another:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chip Carey tweeted Cubs asked TBS for 1 pm start and they denied it. TBS refuted report, but Hoyer insinuated as much on radio today..</p>— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) <a href="https://twitter.com/Josh_Frydman/status/917870695820025856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p id="QOh7vo">Response:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TBS: "This is not accurate. It never even came up." <a href="https://t.co/HvPIsmWtiT">https://t.co/HvPIsmWtiT</a></p>— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ourand_SBJ/status/917846292780474370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">FWIW, both MLB and TBS say a 1 pm CT start for today's Cubs-Nats game "never came up." Would have been the best option given forecast.</p>— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/917852276064219137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p id="2yLWol">Well. Someone’s not telling the truth here. I cannot imagine that this “didn’t come up” — it was an obvious thing to ask for given the forecasts for today, which turned out to be pretty accurate. I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer here — I’m just pointing out information which is clearly contradictory.</p>
<p id="BcpRrB">Look, I get it. TV money drives a big part of the business that is baseball. Obviously TBS is going to generate a higher rating for a game that starts at 4:30 p.m. CT than one that begins at 1 p.m. CT.</p>
<p id="qxKqoy">But at a certain point you do have to consider fans who, in some cases, spent a great deal of money not only for tickets but to travel to Chicago for the games. I spoke to a fair number of people who have to head back home Wednesday and who cannot stay for the rescheduled Game 4. Granted, that’s a small minority of the overall crowd. But I’m guessing there are some Chicagoans who can’t make it Wednesday either.</p>
<p id="W9szES">Further, this <em>could</em> have had a baseball impact on the series. <span>Stephen Strasburg</span>, who started Game 1 for the Nationals Friday night, could have gone on regular four-day rest Wednesday. That, apparently, is not going to happen:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Baker says Roark will start Wed for Nats vs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a></p>— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/917882679290486785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dusty says Strasburg feeling a little "under the weather." So are other members of Nats. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NLDS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NLDS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a></p>— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/917883065552252929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dusty said Strasburg threw a bullpen earlier today planning to start Game 5, which wow.</p>— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamalCollier/status/917883764524617728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Nationals say Dusty misspoke, Strasburg threw a bullpen yesterday. But he is under the weather and his endurance is down.</p>— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamalCollier/status/917897277410283520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p id="NhNsjk">There are no easy answers here and I grant that there are a number of factors involved in scheduling events like this. All I’ll say is that if there was a chance the game could have been played Tuesday at 1 p.m. Central, MLB should have done that instead of sticking to the 4:30 p.m. CT time for TV’s sake. I can’t shake the feeling that this all could have been handled better.</p>
<p id="r5C8bb">So in the end, a few people are inconvenienced, and the game will be played midafternoon, by which time all this rain is supposed to be out of the Chicago area. <a href="http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-87.65633728973984&lat=41.94857688813221">The forecast</a> is for cloudy and cool conditions with temperatures in the low 60s, which is basically how things were most of the afternoon at Wrigley Field, before it started raining. I imagine both teams will stick with the previously announced lineups for Game 4.</p>
<p id="WHdry8">#LetsGo #FlyTheW</p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2017/10/10/16456448/nlds-game-4-mlb-rain-schedulingAl Yellon2017-10-10T17:30:01-05:002017-10-10T17:30:01-05:00Overflow thread 1: NLDS Game 4, Cubs vs. Nationals, Tuesday 10/10, 4:30 CT
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<figcaption>Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="MbDyRb">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2017/10/10/16444294/overflow-thread-1-nlds-game-4-cubs-vs-nationals-tuesday-10-10-4-30-ctAl Yellon2017-10-10T17:27:25-05:002017-10-10T17:27:25-05:00Cubs, Nationals rained out
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<img alt="Divisional Round - Washington Nationals v Chicago Cubs - Game Four" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1QgaaLujK04y7iv4mruDejjGm6s=/4x0:3000x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57091317/859907126.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Game 4 of the NLDS will happen tomorrow instead. </p> <p id="LRDsah">Major League Baseball announced that today’s game 4 of the National League Division Series has been postponed because of rain. The two teams will play tomorrow at Wrigley Field in a game starting at 3:08 Central time instead. </p>
<p id="Da3Z3e">Obviously this is not good news for the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> as the <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a> will now be able to skip <span>Tanner Roark</span>’s start and start <span>Stephen Strasburg</span> tomorrow on full rest, although manager Dusty Baker has not said he will do that yet. It’s a pretty fair assumption that he will, however. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said that there will be no change and that <span>Jake Arrieta</span> will start game 4.</p>
<p id="ghets2">We’ll try to do this all over again tomorrow. Let’s just Fly The W and not worry about it. There’s no sense complaining about the weather. </p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2017/10/10/16456232/cubs-nationals-rained-out-stephen-strasburg-jake-arrieta-tanner-roarkJosh Timmers2017-10-10T16:25:01-05:002017-10-10T16:25:01-05:00First pitch thread: NLDS Game 4, Cubs vs. Nationals, Tuesday 10/10, 4:30 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="wqHC6k">Go get ‘em, Jake.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2017/10/10/16444302/first-pitch-thread-nlds-game-4-cubs-vs-nationals-tuesday-10-10-4-30-ctAl Yellon2017-10-10T14:30:02-05:002017-10-10T14:30:02-05:00NLDS Game 4 Preview: Cubs vs. Nationals, Tuesday 10/10, 4:30 CT
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<figcaption>Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs can wrap up the division series with a win today.</p> <p id="1HsbhF">You will need this today:</p>
<div id="5L7B25"><center><img src="https://radar.weather.gov/lite/NCR/LOT_loop.gif"></center></div>
<p id="rsiREx">For the amateur meteorologists out there who like to check their phone weather app and tell everyone that it’s going to rain because the hourly chance says 90 percent or 100 percent, a reminder:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Y'all. We get that your app says it's going to rain. Use that if you trust it. It's one model's raw, unfiltered data. Go for it.</p>— Cubs Sweater (@cubsweather) <a href="https://twitter.com/cubsweather/status/865933952460234755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">There is no human forecaster sitting there doing analysis and updating your favorite weather apps hourly forecast. Tread lightly.</p>— Cubs Sweater (@cubsweather) <a href="https://twitter.com/cubsweather/status/865934325409251330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2017</a>
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<p id="t15MIR">Just remember — that’s why they call them “forecasts.” Further, if you weren’t watching, Monday’s <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>/<a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> game in Boston was played through a light-to-moderate rain for much of the afternoon.</p>
<p id="9rBuC9">I believe they will play this game today to its conclusion, unless there’s lightning or a torrential downpour, neither of which is expected. If for any reason the game is postponed, it would be played Wednesday (time TBD) and the teams would thus lose their off day if they have to play Game 5 Thursday. Same thing if the game is started, there’s a delay and it can’t be continued: It would be suspended and completed Wednesday, time TBD.</p>
<p id="Nzo9O2">Bottom line, in my opinion: They’ll play.</p>
<p id="rsDU6z">One note left over from Monday’s game: The Cubs are the third team to win a postseason game after they were no-hit through six innings. Others: Dodgers over Yankees, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO194710030.shtml">1947 World Series Game 4</a> and Athletics over Orioles, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197410090.shtml">1974 ALCS Game 4</a>. In both those cases, the winning team had just one hit.</p>
<p id="IQ1Fza">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="HgB5R4"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<blockquote><p id="ELNgVD">Jay CF, Bryant 3B, Rizzo 1B, Contreras C, Zobrist RF, Schwarber LF, Russell SS, Baez 2B, Arrieta P</p></blockquote>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is today's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> starting lineup.<br><br>NLDS Game 4 preview: <a href="https://t.co/TTI24GynJN">https://t.co/TTI24GynJN</a> <a href="https://t.co/jm6PGsTYvT">pic.twitter.com/jm6PGsTYvT</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/917793021151891457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2017</a>
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<p id="eP084j"><a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a> lineup:</p>
<blockquote><p id="bZCdAA">Turner SS, Werth LF, Harper RF, Zimmerman 1B, Murphy 2B, Rendon 3B, Wieters C, Taylor CF, Roark P</p></blockquote>
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<span>Jake Arrieta</span> vs. <span>Tanner Roark</span>
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<cite>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<cite>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<p id="ZpJPxY">Jake Arrieta has pitched just twice since he hurt his hamstring in Pittsburgh September 4. The first was a pretty good five-inning outing in Milwaukee <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL201709210.shtml">September 21</a> — one run allowed, a homer by <span>Domingo Santana</span>. Then he had a rough outing in a potential clinching game in St. Louis <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201709260.shtml">September 26</a>, three innings, five runs (three earned), 67 pitches.</p>
<p id="Zpvrpp">After that one it was announced that Jake would skip his final regular-season start, which would have been the last day of the season. </p>
<p id="cRNVjC">So he hasn’t thrown in game action in 15 days. He, and the team, say that he’s 100 percent, and hopefully the two extra weeks off got his hamstring back healthy again, because Jake was on a second-half run that was excellent. July and August combined: 11 starts, 1.69 ERA, 0.952 WHIP.</p>
<p id="2wJuA6">His one start against the Nats this year? Well, you probably don’t want to look at <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS201706270.shtml">the boxscore</a>, because it was pretty ugly, his second-worst start of the year by Game Score. That was in Washington, and Jake’s been better at Wrigley this year by a fairly significant margin. Hopefully that holds up today.</p>
<p id="kXhEbL">Tanner Roark, a native of downstate Wilmington who played his college ball at the University of Illinois, shut down the Cubs pretty good in his one start against them this year, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201708040.shtml">August 4 at Wrigley Field</a>. He allowed two runs in 6⅓ innings, both of those runs scoring on a home run by <span>Javier Baez</span>.</p>
<p id="rhzsRA">He also had a good start against the Cubs last year at Wrigley, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201605080.shtml">May 8, 2016</a>, allowing just one unearned run in six innings.</p>
<p id="clgYA5">Overall against the Cubs, though, he has a 4.06 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts). And he’s been mostly mediocre this year; his ERA has not been below 4.41 since early June. Last five appearances of the year: 5.84 ERA, 1.419 WHIP in 24⅔ innings. </p>
<p id="WsQP4S">Current Cubs are hitting just. 215 (17-for-79) against Roark, but five of those hits are home runs (Baez, <span>Kris Bryant</span>, <span>Leonys Martin</span> and two by <span>Anthony Rizzo</span>).</p>
<p id="GVWPZN">Today's game is on TBS. Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling, Sam Ryan.</p>
<p id="y4SIM1"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/index.jsp?ymd=20140401#date=10/9/2017">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p id="Xe5URc"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2017_10_09_wasmlb_chnmlb_1&mode=classic">MLB.com Gameday (classic mode)</a> (Note: Going forward, I am going to link to the “classic” Gameday here because <a href="http://mlb.com/">MLB.com</a> broke the links I used to use to get to their “new” Gameday. If you click on this link, you can then click on “New Gameday” at the bottom of the page to get to the updated version. Note that the “classic” Gameday won’t load until just before game time.)</p>
<p id="FaoXoc"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2017/CHN201710090.shtml">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p id="G92wAe"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/528449/pregame">SB Nation game preview</a></p>
<p id="AScVZw">Please visit our SB Nation <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a> site <a href="http://www.federalbaseball.com/">Federal Baseball</a>. If you do go there to interact with Nationals 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.</p>
<p id="4R9cxt">The 2017 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used during 2016. Here's how it works.</p>
<p id="uNrOo7">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).</p>
<p id="Jy7Er2">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.</p>
<p id="F5ehVY">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 <a href="http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/chicago-cubs-game-threads">this section link</a>). They will also appear in the game's StoryStream as noted above.</p>
<p id="pjBR1E">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.</p>
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<p id="ct5Qhb">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
<div id="BrSljM"><div data-anthem-component="poll:696649"></div></div>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2017/10/10/16444312/nlds-game-4-preview-cubs-nationals-tuesdayAl Yellon