Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Brewers Friday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2018-04-28T10:30:02-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/170347632018-04-28T10:30:02-05:002018-04-28T10:30:02-05:002018 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 23
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<figcaption>Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>For the second straight day the Cubs win a close one.</p> <p id="2cmm27">For the first three weeks of the season, as the bats went, so went the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>. On the handful of occasions that the opposing pitcher was effective, it was an easy loss. The pitching wasn’t terrible, but they were terribly inconsistent and they definitely had a handful of terrible games. Overall they were much less than had been anticipated.</p>
<p id="kX7TzE">The last four days have been a different story. Sure, <span>Jon Lester</span> lost in Cleveland the other night. But that was at least a little fluky. Your starter isn’t often going to go seven innings, allow four hits and still your team loses 4-1. Even in that one, Lester’s seven innings of work started to ease off on some strain on the bullpen with having to throw three and four and sometimes more innings a night. </p>
<p id="H4Rmmm">These last two days, the starting pitching has been fantastic. It couldn’t have come at a better time as the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> had jumped out to a hot start and with an eight game winning streak were creating a little bit of distance from the Cubs in the standings. To be sure, April standings are worthless. But at the same time, every now and then when one team gets white hot and another team is much more tepid, a division is stolen away. Five wins in the first six games of the season series with the Brewers have kept them largely in check though despite how fantastic their record is in games where they aren’t playing the Cubs.</p>
<p id="Xu3NTu">With that, we turn our attention to yesterday’s game as we look at what WPA had to say about Heroes and Goats. As always the Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA (Win Probability Added — <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/28/17159170/cubs-heroes-and-goats-2018-season-primer">here’s a good explanation of how WPA works</a>) 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. Also note, for the purposes of Heroes and Goats, we ignore the results of pitchers while they are batting and hitters while they are pitching. With that, we get to the results.</p>
<p id="kLQIxv"><strong>Game 23, April 27 - Cubs squeak out another win over the Brewers 3-2 (13-10)</strong></p>
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<iframe src="https://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=wins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2018-04-27&team=Cubs&dh=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="450" width="450" style="border:1px solid black;"></iframe><br><span style="font-size:9pt;">Source: <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/wins.aspx?date=2018-04-27&team=Cubs&dh=0&season=2018">FanGraphs</a></span>
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<p id="2LKDH0"><strong>THE THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="XHhRw6">
<strong>Superhero - </strong><span>Yu Darvish</span> (.275). This is a welcome sight. To this point, Yu had made three podium visits, all of them were Billy Goats. Not this time, Yu threw six innings of three hit, two walk baseball. He struck out eight and only allowed one unearned run, that coming in the first inning.</li>
<li id="7VkomT">
<strong>Hero - </strong><span>Javier Baez</span> (.224). The month of Javy continues. This is the ninth consecutive appearance on the positive side for Javy dating all of the way back to April 5. He hasn’t been on any negative podium since April 1. Yesterday he had an RBI single in the first inning that extended a career best hitting streak to 10 games. Then he accounted for the game winning run when he reached on an error with runners on first and third and two outs in the bottom of the seventh. </li>
<li id="gYUMtk">
<strong>Sidekick - </strong><span>Brandon Morrow</span> (.168). Brandon had a strong ninth inning striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning. He’s six for six in save opportunities and the only blemish on his record this year was the inherited runner he allowed to score in the 17-inning second game of the season when he’d warmed up on several occasions before being used.</li>
</ul>
<p id="ZorZOZ"><strong>THE THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="P05Wvn">
<strong>Billy Goat - </strong><span>Steve Cishek</span> (-.183). Steve has been one of the more consistent Cubs relievers. He did not have a good outing yesterday. I was at work listening to the broadcast and <span>Ron Coomer</span> was adamant that in the four-pitch walk issued to <span>Eric Sogard</span> there were three strikes that weren’t called. Steve allowed a single and a second walk around a lazy fly to center before being lifted. </li>
<li id="EjgYbF">
<strong>Goat - </strong><span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> (-.126). Albert had one hit in four at bats. The one hit was a double leading off the first. He scored on Baez’ single. He too advanced a career best hitting streak to 10 games. He lands here largely in part to striking out with runners on first and third and one out in the seventh inning (-.116)</li>
<li id="e15BMN">
<strong>Kid - </strong><span>Willson Contreras</span> (-.080). Contreras had a tough day at the plate. He was hitless in four at bats and struck out twice.</li>
</ul>
<p id="vCddpM"><strong>WPA Play of the Game - </strong>In the bottom of the seventh inning, <span>Addison Russell</span> got things started for the Cubs with a single. <span>Jason Heyward</span> sacrificed him to second. <span>Victor Caratini</span> followed with a pinch hit single. After Almora’s strike out, Baez grounded one to short. With Baez busting it down the line, Eric Sogard bobbled the ball and that ended any chance of getting out of the inning. (.191)</p>
<p id="JrkNuM">*Brewers Play of the Game - After the Eric Sogard walk to start the seventh inning against Cishek, <span>Manny Pina</span> stepped to the plate. He lined a single to left advancing Sogard to third with no outs. (.166)</p>
<p id="OkaOE2"><strong>Cumulative Leaders:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="Ze7AVd">
<strong>Superhero </strong>- Javier Baez 16</li>
<li id="YYMAxa">
<strong>Hero - </strong><span>Kyle Schwarber</span> 6</li>
<li id="Xie6N5">
<strong>Sidekick - </strong><span>Kyle Hendricks</span> and Brandon Morrow 5</li>
</ul>
<p id="g3egjn"><strong>Up Next: </strong>Game three of the four-game set between these two teams. The Cubs reached a season high three games over .500 yesterday and have won four of five. The Cubs have beaten the Brewers two straight after Milwaukee had won eight in a row. The Cubs will be seeking a third straight win for the first time this year. This is the fourth time this year they’ve won consecutive games. Hopefully the fourth time will be the charm. </p>
<p id="ztYqVd"><span>Jose Quintana</span> will be the Cubs starter. He’s 2-1 with a 7.78 ERA so far in the early going. He pitched better than his line indicated last Sunday in Colorado. He lasted 5.1 innings allowing eight hits, one walk and four runs. He struck out seven. But the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> numbers were inflated by the difficulties Jason Heyward was having in right field seeing the ball in a brutal sun light. Jose has thrived against the Brewers the last two times he’s faced them, allowing no runs in either start. All together he’s made three starts against the Brewers since becoming a Cub. He’s worked 21 total innings allowing only 10 hits, six walks and two runs while striking out 22. </p>
<p id="6Klx8Y">The Brewers will start Junior Guerra. Junior has made three starts for the Brewers this year and is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA. Those starts were against the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a>, <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> and <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>. He started against the Cubs once last year and only threw three innings allowing one hit, four walks and no runs. Junior has yet to finish the sixth inning in any of his starts, so even if he’s effective, you can expect to see plenty of the Brewers bullpen in this one. Dating back to last year, the Cubs have now won eight of 10 games against the Brewers. Let’s hope that and Quintana’s dominance over that continue.</p>
<p id="2QyXxU"><strong>Poll:</strong></p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/28/17295294/2018-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-23Thomas Smith2018-04-27T17:45:02-05:002018-04-27T17:45:02-05:00Cubs 3, Brewers 2: How do Yu like Darvish now?
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<figcaption>Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs righthander put together an outstanding outing.</p> <p id="deTj88">Now, admit it, because it happened to me too.</p>
<p id="rVZrMx">When <span>Yu Darvish</span> got to two out in the fifth inning and then gave up a first-pitch single to <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> pitcher <span>Brent Suter</span>, then walked <span>Lorenzo Cain</span>, you said, “Uh oh, here we go again.” It was the exact point at which Darvish had melted down in his previous two starts. And the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> were clinging to a 2-1 lead at the time.</p>
<p id="oTxzsJ">But Darvish battled through it, getting <span>Christian Yelich</span> to hit comebacker, and for just the second time this year, Darvish completed six strong innings against the Brewers. And though the Cubs pen blew the lead, the offense came through with a seventh-inning run and <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2018_04_27_milmlb_chnmlb_1">the Cubs defeated the Brewers for the second straight day, 3-2</a>.</p>
<p id="M3aL0x">Darvish got into trouble not of his own making in the first inning. A fly to right field by Cain, leading off the game, got blown significantly away from <span>Jason Heyward</span> by a strong northeast wind and J-Hey dropped it. Cain wound up on second, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly.</p>
<p id="BFrI3i">But the Cubs came back with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> led off with a double and was singled in by Javier Baez. Javy stole second and scored on a single by <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> and it was 2-1. </p>
<p id="tSw4Jd">Darvish then settled down. He allowed just two baserunners from the second through the fourth, and he was clearly pitching differently than before. The hesitation move in the middle of his motion that had gotten him the balk call a couple of starts ago that rattled him was gone; his motion was fluid throughout. He had command of all his pitches and was mixing them up well, and relied quite a bit on his cutter and slider. And then there was this:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Curveball? Eephus? Whatever you call it, that’s nasty. <a href="https://t.co/rn3rqBj2pz">pic.twitter.com/rn3rqBj2pz</a></p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/989963924412940288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<p id="tuwYd4">Wow, that’s a nasty, nasty curveball. Friday, we saw more of Darvish’s repertoire than I think we’ve seen at any time to date.</p>
<p id="y80chy">He even added a leadoff double in the fifth:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yu should’ve gone for three. <a href="https://t.co/jpBDk3CIwk">pic.twitter.com/jpBDk3CIwk</a></p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/989960917592002560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<p id="E8ebFu">He really did have a chance to go for three bases on that hit; <span>Domingo Santana</span> let the ball rattle around in the corner for a while and Darvish likely could have had a triple, but instead he did that faceplant. And, unfortunately, he was stranded there in the bottom of the fifth.</p>
<p id="Oq99cR">In the sixth, he started getting hit a little, with the first two outs being well-struck balls to left field. Santana followed with a two-out double and I was certain Joe Maddon would come and get him, with <span>Steve Cishek</span> warming up. But Joe left Yu in to face <span>Hernan Perez</span>, and Darvish struck him out, his eighth K of the game.</p>
<p id="6eKqJO">Darvish lowered his ERA from 6.86 to 5.26 with six innings and no earned runs allowed, and this is the way I expected him to throw when the Cubs signed him. We will no doubt see more of this. You undoubtedly heard chants of “Yuuuuuuuu” after some of the strikeouts. That’s good to see. Did you like that? Maddon did:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Maddon loved hearing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> fans chant "Yuuuu" for <a href="https://twitter.com/faridyu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@faridyu</a>. ""I like the Yu. I like it. I like to see that catch on. A big strikeout situation, 'Let's go Yu.' That was Yuge."</p>— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/989996260563279872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<p id="JhrLNK">Unfortunately, Cishek came in and helped take away Darvish’s “W” for the game. Cishek walked the first batter he faced, <span>Eric Sogard</span>, then allowed a single. He got <span>Ryan Braun</span> on a fly to center that was too shallow to score Sogard, largely because Almora got a running start on it and made an excellent throw that Rizzo cut off, preventing both runners from advancing. But then Cishek walked Cain, loading the bases.</p>
<p id="IXsSl6">That brought in <span>Brian Duensing</span> to face Yelich.</p>
<p id="oeAsYe">That’s when we all became thankful for the wind, which had shifted from northeast to east and was now howling in straight from right field, because Yelich hit a ball that would have been a grand slam on almost any other day. Instead, Heyward caught the ball in deep right field. It did score a run, tying the game, but the wind gave the Cubs a huge boost there. </p>
<p id="D2RiY4"><span>Pedro Strop</span> entered and got <span>Jesus Aguilar</span> on a fly to center.</p>
<p id="OELy0Q">The Cubs went to work in the bottom of the inning to get the lead back. <span>Addison Russell</span> led off with a single and Heyward sacrificed him to second. A single by pinch-hitter <span>Victor Caratini</span> moved Russell to third, and Almora struck out.</p>
<p id="d6xWM1">That brought up Baez. His ground ball to short was booted by Sogard and Russell scored the lead run.</p>
<p id="aJuwJa">Not pretty, but the Cubs will surely take it.</p>
<p id="MPR5XC">That left it up to the two pitchers who had nailed down Thursday night’s win, <span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span> and <span>Brandon Morrow</span>. C.J. got his guys 1-2-3 in the eighth, and after the Cubs also went down in order in that inning, on came Morrow.</p>
<p id="WDFk0a">He struck out Sogard. Then <span>Manny Pina</span> sent a sinking line drive that Russell speared just an inch or two above the infield dirt for the second out.</p>
<p id="BRdTin">Braun, the man Cubs fans love to boo, was next.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brandon Morrow vs. Ryan Braun<br>98 mph<br>99 mph<br>99 mph <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> win! <a href="https://t.co/rQZzeLPR7A">pic.twitter.com/rQZzeLPR7A</a></p>— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) <a href="https://twitter.com/AldoSoto21/status/989981683855355904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<p id="0KcMg2">Absolutely textbook. Fastballs at 98 and 99 in the zone, then an elevated fastball at 99 and Braun had no chance. Morrow had his sixth save and the Cubs went to three games over .500 for the first time this season.</p>
<p id="EAQP7R">A couple of notes. First, <span>Kris Bryant</span> should be back in the lineup tomorrow. The Cubs have missed his bat — but including Sunday, they’ve won four of five without him. It was good to be careful with him, especially this early in the season in cold weather. Also:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> are 13-10 despite having both Bryant & Rizzo play together in only 11 of 23 games so far.</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/989979226265747456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<p id="N7BPoM">And this game shows you the value of the individual pitcher “win” — which is pretty much zero. Strop, who threw three pitches and retired one batter, was the “pitcher of record” when the Cubs broke the tie and took the lead for good, so he gets the “win” — and leads the Cubs with three “wins,” which makes no sense at all. </p>
<p id="Clzwvs">Perhaps MLB should reconsider how “wins” are handed out, if they want to keep using them as a number that means anything at all. I’d suggest that in a game like this — or maybe any game — throw out “pitcher of record” and allow the official scorer to give the “win” to the pitcher he feels threw best. In this case it would be Darvish; it wasn’t his fault that the lead he left with was blown. </p>
<p id="w9OLV2">Otherwise why even bother counting individual pitcher wins?</p>
<p id="KQdahv">It was chilly at Wrigley, as noted, and the wind was definitely a factor, costing the Cubs one run but perhaps saving three others. And, rain that was in the forecast held off until about an hour after the game ended, just now starting on the north side of Chicago as I write this recap. </p>
<p id="6qHcRL">I was very, very encouraged by what I saw from Darvish in this game. That makes three straight excellent outings from Cubs starting pitchers, totaling 20 innings with 11 hits and two walks allowed, four earned runs and 17 strikeouts. That’s what this rotation is capable of and what I believe they will continue to do.</p>
<p id="eKwhNA">The Cubs go for their third win in a row Saturday afternoon with <span>Jose Quintana</span> on the mound. For the Brewers it’ll be <span>Junior Guerra</span>. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and Saturday TV coverage is on ABC7 Chicago (and also on MLB Network out-of-market).</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/27/17293438/cubs-brewers-recap-yu-darvish-addison-russell-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2018-04-27T16:05:02-05:002018-04-27T16:05:02-05:00Overflow thread 3: Cubs vs. Brewers, Friday 4/27, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="7uohhq">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/27/17270682/overflow-thread-3-cubs-vs-brewers-friday-4-27-1-20-ctAl Yellon2018-04-27T15:20:02-05:002018-04-27T15:20:02-05:00Overflow thread 2: Cubs vs. Brewers, Friday 4/27, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="7uohhq">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/27/17270678/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-brewers-friday-4-27-1-20-ctAl Yellon2018-04-27T14:20:01-05:002018-04-27T14:20:01-05:00Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Brewers, Friday 4/27, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="7uohhq">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/27/17270670/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-brewers-friday-4-27-1-20-ctAl Yellon2018-04-27T13:15:02-05:002018-04-27T13:15:02-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Brewers, Friday 4/27, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>Jim Young-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="RbVq1w">Go get ‘em, <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> pitcher.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/27/17270638/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-brewers-friday-4-27-1-20-ctAl Yellon2018-04-27T11:30:02-05:002018-04-27T11:30:02-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers preview, Friday 4/27, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs go for two straight over the Brewers.</p> <p id="BjDuSF">Yu Darvish is starting today. More on him below, but I wanted to call your attention to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F332030%2F2018%2F04%2F27%2Fjoe-maddon-comes-to-yu-darvishs-defense-this-concept-that-he-doesnt-compete-is-absolutely-fabricated-and-false%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2018%2F4%2F27%2F17270556%2Fchicago-cubs-milwaukee-brewers-preview-friday" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">this article in The Athletic</a> by Patrick Mooney. In it, Joe Maddon addresses claims by some that Darvish doesn’t “compete”:</p>
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<p id="evefOS">“I think it’s approach,” Maddon said before Thursday night’s 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. “I’ve already talked to him about that. Just like I think our hitting goes back to approach, I think the same with his pitching. Just trying to get him to — how shall I say? — slow down moments.</p>
<p id="lYo4cY">“This concept that he doesn’t compete is absolutely fabricated and false. This guy is one of the best pitchers in the world. How could you ever arrive at that point — not in the United States, in the world — if you don’t compete?”</p>
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<p id="vavZeq">If there’s any manager who can help Darvish get through this kind of issue, it’s Maddon. Darvish is not off to a good start as a Cub, as you know. But as Maddon noted, Darvish is someone who’s had a tremendous amount of success, both in Japan and MLB. It should be noted that <span>Jon Lester</span>’s first month as a Cub was pretty awful, too (6.23 ERA, 1.569 WHIP in five starts), and he then followed that up with an outstanding May 2015 (1.76 ERA, 1.171 WHIP in six starts).</p>
<p id="G7hzly">Darvish will be just fine. And I believe that will start this afternoon.</p>
<p id="8cd1iK">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="Vergm4"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is this afternoon's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> lineup. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EverybodyIn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EverybodyIn</a><br><br>Stream on <a href="https://twitter.com/YouTubeTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YouTubeTV</a>: <a href="https://t.co/t4XvcdoeJc">https://t.co/t4XvcdoeJc</a> <a href="https://t.co/j8MB8SCO7l">pic.twitter.com/j8MB8SCO7l</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/989880750345506816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<p id="paTjw6"><a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> lineup:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Brewers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Brewers</a> lineup as we take on the Cubs at 1:20pm CT. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsMyCrew?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsMyCrew</a> <a href="https://t.co/sYtv0aCKjA">pic.twitter.com/sYtv0aCKjA</a></p>— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brewers/status/989880752719499264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a>
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<h2 id="hOwA3X">
<span>Yu Darvish</span>, RHP vs. <span>Brent Suter</span>, LHP</h2>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OqlH04D5RqnWFe1TUJgJJoKHOO0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10720111/usa_today_10738730.jpg">
<cite>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<cite>Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<p id="oqQCnC">Yu Darvish’s best start of 2018 was against the Brewers, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL201804070.shtml">April 7 in Miller Park</a>. He threw six innings, allowed just two hits and a run, and struck out nine.</p>
<p id="3tQ17h">That’s really good! All he has to do is replicate that and...</p>
<p id="XbRg6t">Not so easy, at least based on his other three starts, which combined have resulted in a 9.22 ERA and 2.122 WHIP in 13⅔ innings. Yikes, that’s DFA level.</p>
<p id="8V6Ygm">Obviously, the Cubs are not getting rid of Yu Darvish. He has talent. He has previous MLB success. He’ll figure it out. Let’s hope it starts today.</p>
<p id="geXswt">Brent Suter got hit pretty hard by the Cubs <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL201804050.shtml">April 5 at Miller Park</a>: eight hits, three walks and five runs (four earned) in five innings. In fact, Suter has pitched past the fifth inning just once in five starts this year. Current Cubs are hitting .297 (19-for-64) against him. <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> is 4-for-9 and <span>Addison Russell</span> 4-for-7. Small sample sizes, of course.</p>
<p id="MZM6nc">Today’s game is on NBC Sports Chicago. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Chicago and Milwaukee markets).</p>
<p id="47IVCe"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2018/04/27">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=2018_04_27_milmlb_chnmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2018/CHN201804270.shtml">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p id="AScVZw"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/537011/pregame">SB Nation game preview</a></p>
<p id="c01E3n">Please visit our SB Nation <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> site <a href="http://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brew Crew Ball</a>. If you do go there to interact with Brewers 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 2018 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used during 2017. 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>
<p id="m5zVze">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/4/27/17270556/chicago-cubs-milwaukee-brewers-preview-fridayAl Yellon