Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Dodgers Sunday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2019-06-17T10:00:00-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/184414982019-06-17T10:00:00-05:002019-06-17T10:00:00-05:002019 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 71
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<figcaption>Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs drop a close one 3-2</p> <p id="zIFGBl">It’s good to be back from a brief hiatus for a family vacation. Originally, I’d hoped to be back Sunday morning, which would have ended up perfect timing given the dramatic win on Saturday night. Unfortunately, I was at Newark Airport planning to fly home Saturday afternoon when a plane rolled off of the runway and shut down most of the airport and cancelling our flight. I’ll separately write up an overview of the games from June 4 through Saturday night. That will also include our usual complete Heroes and Goats standings, but we’ll skip the other statistics this time around. </p>
<p id="AG4YFG">Getting to the on field action, the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> and <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> played four pretty good games over the weekend in what could be a playoff preview for a couple of teams that have been regular playoff participants. Unfortunately, the Dodgers got the better end of things in three out of the four games, including last night’s game. </p>
<p id="3RIEfd">That Dodgers team is one scary team and is going to be a tough out come playoff time. That said, it doesn’t take a great deal of mental gymnastics to imagine the Cubs winning at least one and maybe two or more games in the season series (won by the Dodgers four games to three). It would be hard not to make the Dodgers the favorite if the two teams were to meet in the playoffs right now. But so much can change over time and even if things stay relatively the same, favorites certainly don’t always win. </p>
<p id="qyOXi8">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="7SiLd0"><strong>Game 71, June 16: </strong>Cubs 2 at Dodgers 3 (39-32)</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=2019-06-16&team=Dodgers&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=2019-06-16&team=Dodgers&dh=0&season=2019">FanGraphs</a></span>
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<p id="CE4fTB"><strong>THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="rbptWF">
<strong>Superhero: </strong><span>Brandon Kintzler</span> (.174). Brandon was summoned with runners on second and third and no outs in the sixth inning. The score was tied at two and the Dodgers were threatening to blow the game wide open. He essentially faced only two hitters and struck them both out. They were sandwiched around an intentional walk. If the Cubs had won this game, this would have been one of the key performances for sure.</li>
<li id="CzAdS1">
<strong>Hero: </strong><span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> (.166). Albert had three hits in four at bats, representing a third of the Cubs hits. Unfortunately, he got a terrible jump when trying to score on an infield grounder in the ninth inning and was thrown out at the plate. </li>
<li id="USBiBc">
<strong>Sidekick: </strong><span>Willson Contreras</span> (.114). Willson had two hits and an RBI in four at bats. His RBI single in the sixth was a very nice piece of hitting. </li>
</ul>
<p id="Lvqm4S"><strong>THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="PKQRpc">
<strong>Billy Goat: </strong><span>Jose Quintana</span> (-.307). Jose wasn’t all that bad, but he was touched for six hits and three walks in five innings of work. He allowed two runs. He struck out three. After a difficult first inning, Jose was mostly decent against a very potent offense.</li>
<li id="EL5pj1">
<strong>Goat: </strong><span>Victor Caratini</span> (-.285). Vic pinch hit in the ninth inning with runners on first and third. He hit a grounder back to the pitcher. Almora was thrown out at the plate. </li>
<li id="oBmrBA">
<strong>Kid: </strong><span>Steve Cishek</span> (-.197). Steve threw 1⅓ innings and allowed a hit, a walk and a run. He struck out one. Once Craig Kimbrel is on the team, one of the benefits of that addition will be that <span>Pedro Strop</span> could have been used instead of trying to get two innings out of Steve. </li>
</ul>
<p id="Al8Oep"><strong>WPA Play of the Game: </strong>The Victor Caratini pinch-hit at bat was the largest play of the game by WPA. (.285)</p>
<p id="o1QBMD">*Cubs Play of the Game: Willson Contreras singled to right with two on and one out in the sixth inning to tie the score at one. (.169) </p>
<p id="DGV7T6">*Dodgers Play of the Game: <span>Russell Martin</span>’s single with a runner on second and one out in the eighth provided the winning run. (.231) I saw this summed perfectly elsewhere. It was a terrible send by the Dodgers that was bailed out by a bad throw home. We’ve seen the Cubs do the same thing any number of times. You pressure the defense to make the play. The reason for that aggression is plays like this one. The decision was surely made even easier given that a natural third baseman was playing left field. </p>
<p id="nDj9Xy"><strong>Cumulative Standings Top/Bottom 3:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="Qn221R">
<span>Kris Bryant</span> 14</li>
<li id="LwGwhC">
<span>Anthony Rizzo</span> 13</li>
<li id="tBQ5pz">Willson Contreras 6</li>
<li id="qKBORj">
<span>Brad Brach</span> -7</li>
<li id="oGBfBf">
<span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span> -9</li>
<li id="Almtub">
<span>Jason Heyward</span> -14</li>
</ul>
<p id="uhFC8b">I’ll dive into the standings in more detail in a separate piece, but as you may notice there have been wholesale changes to the standings. </p>
<p id="HljmNj"><strong>Up Next: </strong>The Cubs’ seemingly unending stretch of games takes a brief pause today. The Cubs are off today. They won’t be off again until July 5. They were last off May 30. It gets old complaining about it, but one of the contributors to the uneven play by the Cubs this season is the scheduling. It makes literally no sense that the players and owners collectively bargained extra days off into the season. It was used largely to provide extra time off in April and early May. No strain was reduced from the heart of the season. This is probably a larger thought for a separate discussion at a different time, but so far the added time seems completely pointless. </p>
<p id="XeyUfO">Tuesday night the Cubs will meet the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> for the first time this year. The Cubs return home where they are 24-11. The Sox are just 14-19 on the road (34-36 overall). The Sox just split a four-game set with the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> and a six-game homestand. They did drop the last two games of the Yankees series and so they will be looking to avoid a three-game losing streak. </p>
<p id="3ds1RF">The Cubs will start Cole Hamels. Cole is 6-2 with a 2.98 ERA in 84⅔ innings on the season. Cole was brilliant last time out, throwing seven scoreless innings in Colorado. He picked up a win in a game in which he allowed six hits, one walk and struck out nine. Over his last seven starts, Hamels is 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 42 innings. Cole faced the White Sox once as a member of the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> last year and it didn’t go well at all. He allowed nine hits and seven runs in just five innings of work. He did strike out seven. Current White Sox have just 50 plate appearances against Hamels. Jose Abreu has nine plate appearances with a 1.444 OPS (including a triple and a homer). </p>
<p id="vhF6vg"><span>Ivan Nova</span> is the White Sox starter. I realized exactly how little attention I pay to the White Sox when I didn’t realize Nova was even on their team. Ivan is 3-5 with a 6.28 ERA on 77⅓ innings on the season. Over his last seven starts, Nova is 2-2 with a 5.54 ERA. He’s coming off of a start against the Yankees. In that one, he threw 5⅔ innings and allowed six hits, two walks and four runs. He struck out five. Nova made four starts against the Cubs in 2018 and was 2-1 in them. He allowed 11 runs, 10 earned in 23⅓ innings. Current Cubs have 172 plate appearances against Ivan. <span>Jason Heyward</span> has the most PA (22, .909 OPS). Anthony Rizzo (17, 1.004 OPS), <span>Carlos Gonzalez</span> (15, 1.183) and Willson Contreras (11, 1.000) have all hit Nova hard. (<span>Ian Happ</span> is a little sadder than usual this week. He has three homers in 20 PA against him and a 1.022 OPS). </p>
<p id="6YY4Kd">This matchup looks extremely favorable on paper. </p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/17/18681920/2019-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-71Thomas Smith2019-06-17T08:00:00-05:002019-06-17T08:00:00-05:00Dodgers 3, Cubs 2: So close
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<figcaption>Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Best news about this game: The Cubs are coming back to Chicago for a 10-game homestand.</p> <p id="Ei1wve">Before I get into the details of <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2019_06_16_chnmlb_lanmlb_1">the Cubs’ 3-2 loss to the Dodgers</a> Sunday, let me tell you something that hopefully will help you put an admittedly bad 2-5 road trip into perspective.</p>
<p id="f7q9I6">When the Cubs embarked on this road trip, they were tied for first place in the N.L. Central with the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a>. And now, after this bad trip... they are one game out of first place in the N.L. Central. In fact, the Cubs have not been more than one game ahead or behind in the division since May 26.</p>
<p id="jjsDWZ">There’s a lot of baseball left to be played, and honestly, I am not the least bit concerned about the Cubs’ play on the road against two teams that win a lot of games in their home ballparks.</p>
<p id="wclTS0">Now, on to Sunday night’s loss.</p>
<p id="iYCH5F"><span>Jose Quintana</span> began the first inning with two quick outs. Then <span>David Freese</span> singled. And then... Q completely lost the strike zone. He threw strike one to <span>Cody Bellinger</span>, then four straight balls. He walked <span>Chris Taylor</span> on four pitches, prompting a mound visit, but then he ran the count to 2-0 on <span>Max Muncy</span> before finally ending the 10-straight-balls run with strike one. Unfortunately, he then walked Muncy, forcing in a run.</p>
<p id="xUW79s">Q ran the count full on <span>Russell Martin</span> <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/16/6363fcb0-4ece8bf5-ab6a073d-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">and then struck him out [VIDEO]</a> to end the inning.</p>
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<p id="VeGFOY">Quintana followed that with four strong innings. But the Cubs could not score off <span>Hyun-Jin Ryu</span>, either. There’s no shame in that — hardly anyone has scored off Ryu this year.</p>
<p id="W4aXX2">The game went 1-0 into the sixth, and the Cubs finally broke through. <span>Javier Baez</span> reached on a throwing error and <span>Kris Bryant</span> singled him to third. After <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> hit a sharp line drive to <span>Justin Turner</span>, <span>Willson Contreras</span> <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/16/6e122e15-32bd05d3-b7385593-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">put the Cubs on the board [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
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<p id="RTCcx8">That was perfectly placed, a really nice at-bat by Willson. Baez scored and Bryant took third, where he scored the lead run on <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/16/53e025d2-70416153-504b25cf-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">a sacrifice fly by David Bote [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
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<p id="MRcta3"></p>
<p id="SEFB3W">That was actually a really good play by Bellinger to catch up with Bote’s slicing fly ball. If that ball falls in, two runs score and Bote is at least on second base. But it didn’t. And the Cubs could not score any more runs. Even scoring the two they did off Ryu was a feat few teams have accomplished this year:</p>
<div id="FtZIWz">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hyun-Jin Ryu Runs allowed by start this season:<br>1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 1, 2<br><br>For EARNED Runs, change that last 2 to 0.</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1140431750851682304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a>
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<p id="5dGRtp">The Cubs’ lead lasted about five minutes when Bellinger homered off Q leading off the bottom of the sixth.</p>
<p id="xMSjUp">Neither team scored in the seventh, but there’s something I want to talk about regarding the Cubs seventh. With two out and no one on base, Baez was called out on strikes:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Javier Baez enraged after a called third strike to end the top of the 7th. Threw bat into ground, punched the air, spiked his helmet and then had some words for home-plate umpire DJ Reyburn.<br><br>By this, that's just gorgeous placement by Ryu with a full-count fastball. <a href="https://t.co/D6JwJftsZR">pic.twitter.com/D6JwJftsZR</a></p>— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1140429852589166592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a>
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<p id="OH1oB6">Jordan Bastian is correct — Ryu put that baseball in the zone in a spot where Baez could not possibly have hit it. This, though, is something important:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">D.J. Reyburn w/ some great handling of Javier Baez at the end of that inning. The K Zone showed that Baez took Strike 3 -- Reyburn was right -- but a frustrated Baez was upset, slammed his helmet, bat. Reyburn didn't overreact, ignored his words.</p>— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1140430393134518272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a>
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<p id="QRycJF">Good for D.J. Reyburn. You can imagine what might have happened if, say, Joe West or Angel Hernandez, umpires who fancy themselves part of the show, had been the plate umpire. Javy likely would have been tossed in that situation. This is what umpires should do — realize that the player is just frustrated and, as Buster Olney tweeted, not overreact.</p>
<p id="fJUDOE">The Cubs could not score in the top of the eighth. <span>Steve Cishek</span>, who threw the bottom of the seventh, was left in the game for the eighth.</p>
<p id="t4WYcz">Was that a critical mistake? Cishek walked Taylor to lead off the inning and he advanced to third on a ground out. On a 2-2 pitch, <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/16/d2493c41-2ac0f2c2-f7e320ff-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Martin singled to left [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
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<p id="TQIcHq">A good throw to the plate probably gets Taylor, but KB did not make a good throw. Did this matter?</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This doesn't really give you a full picture at all but Kris Bryant last had an OF assist on June 20th 2016 vs Cardinals.</p>— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNChiCubs/status/1140438160763052032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a>
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<p id="xHjqp8">So it’s 3-2 heading to the ninth and <span>Kenley Jansen</span>, who blew a save Saturday, is appearing in his third straight game. Yes, I’m saying there was a chance!</p>
<p id="9P5qXm"><span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> singled and <span>Jason Heyward</span> walked, so the tying and lead runs are on base. Both runners advanced on an infield out. <span>Victor Caratini</span> hit a weak ground ball fielded by Jansen, who threw home to get Almora, who was going on contact, on a close play.</p>
<p id="TFaeia"><span>Daniel Descalso</span> replaced Caratini and took second uncontested. Since the game was a one-run affair, Descalso was credited with a stolen base. Now again the tying and lead runs are on second and third for Baez, who hit a sinking line drive on which <span>Alex Verdugo</span> made <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/16/8779f0b1-50fb9985-913eb9f3-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">a fine diving catch to end the game [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
<div id="l7dOVc"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><video controls="" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;">Your browser does not support HTML5 video.<source src="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/16/8779f0b1-50fb9985-913eb9f3-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
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<p id="2OHXWR">That’s how close things were. If Javy hits the ball just a little more softly, it falls in and the game is at least tied. If Verdugo’s dive misses the ball, both runs definitely score and Baez would have been at least on second base.</p>
<p id="M4QLIu">But... that didn’t happen. And the Cubs come home having lost three of four to the Dodgers... in their home park where they are 28-8 this year. </p>
<p id="8urCYc">And that brings me back to the beginning of this recap. The Cubs are losing tough, close games on the road against teams that are very, very good in their home parks. This sums things up:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Cubs are 4-7 in one run games on the road. Just turn that around and overall numbers look better. Probably miss La Stella in some of those moments. (Only half kidding...but not really)</p>— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNChiCubs/status/1140459672102551552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2019</a>
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<p id="piQaVN">Honestly, I am not concerned. This will turn around. And the Cubs now come home to play 10 games in <em>their</em> home park, where they are 24-11 so far this year. <span>Craig Kimbrel</span>, who begins play with Triple-A Iowa Tuesday, will be around to close games soon, and that will define other bullpen roles better. There are 91 games remaining in the 2019 season. It’ll all work out in the end, I think. And if the Cubs have any <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> dreams this year... they’ll almost certainly have to play the Dodgers again in October.</p>
<p id="ybT1RH">Fun fact: The Cubs lost the season series to L.A. four games to three and were outscored in the seven games by just one run, 26-25. The Brewers also lost their season series to the Dodges four games to three and were exactly even with L.A. in runs, 27-27.</p>
<p id="rBrad1">Regarding the ESPN broadcast, which will be the last for the Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball until August 18, I thought the announcers did a pretty good job. There was less of the giggling histrionics that are usually in the Sunday Night booth and better analysis, particularly from A-Rod. If this crew would stick to that they’d be a much better announcing team to listen to.</p>
<p id="AspP2v">The Cubs have Monday off and begin a two-game set against the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field. <span>Cole Hamels</span> will start for the Cubs and <span>Ivan Nova</span> goes for the White Sox. Game time Tuesday is 7:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via NBC Sports Chicago (or, if you want to check out the Sox broadcast, on WGN).</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/17/18681766/cubs-dodgers-recap-javier-baez-jose-quintana-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2019-06-16T20:05:00-05:002019-06-16T20:05:00-05:00Overflow thread 2: Cubs vs. Dodgers, Sunday 6/16, 6:05 CT
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<p id="tRzjH3">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/16/18677454/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-dodgers-sunday-6-16-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-06-16T19:05:00-05:002019-06-16T19:05:00-05:00Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Dodgers, Sunday 6/16, 6:05 CT
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<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="tRzjH3">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/16/18677452/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-dodgers-sunday-6-16-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-06-16T18:00:00-05:002019-06-16T18:00:00-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Dodgers, Sunday 6/16, 6:05 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="tRzjH3">Go get ‘em, Jose.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/16/18677449/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-dodgers-sunday-6-16-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-06-16T16:00:00-05:002019-06-16T16:00:00-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers preview, Sunday 6/16, 6:05 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs go for a win over the best pitcher in baseball this year.</p> <p id="9lUE6i">Happy birthday to former Cubs star <span>Kerry Wood</span>, who turns 42 today. (42? How can that be possible?)</p>
<p id="8dfk8y">Notes for Sunday:</p>
<ul>
<li id="gwEHfS">
<strong>HITLESS WONDERS:</strong> Saturday night marked the first time in franchise history that the Cubs won a game at Dodger Stadium with three hits or fewer. </li>
<li id="MOdL7a">
<strong>TONY THE SLUGGER:</strong> <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> last night hit his 19th homer, already only six short of his 2018 season total. Last year he hit his 19th homer on August 21 in the team’s 124th game. He is currently on pace for 44 homers and 118 RBI in 2019, both of which would exceed his current career highs (32 homers three times, 109 RBI twice). </li>
<li id="XgbU3c">
<strong>HANGING IN THERE:</strong> Despite setbacks in four of six games this trip, the Cubs began Sunday tied for first place in the N.L. Central. They are 8-5 (.615) in their last 13 games and are 27-19 in their last 46 games starting April 27 to go from an even 12-12 record to their current 39-31 mark.</li>
<li id="egjjGS">
<strong>HOMERS, NOT IN THE GLOAMING:</strong> On Friday, <span>Kris Bryant</span> hit his 122nd big league home run, tying Jody Davis for 18th on the franchise’s all-time home run list. And <span>Javier Baez</span> is just two homers short of becoming the 23rd player in club history to reach 100 homers. </li>
</ul>
<p id="g7Kd72">Lastly, if the Cubs win this game they will be 18-18 vs. the Dodgers since returning to contention in 2015 (not including the 2016 and 2017 NLCS).</p>
<p id="9hfso5">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="HAZTFQ"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="7DqJpU">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is tonight's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> starting lineup.<br><br>Game preview: <a href="https://t.co/zF6SS0lw0q">https://t.co/zF6SS0lw0q</a> <a href="https://t.co/OOpPXqpQAk">pic.twitter.com/OOpPXqpQAk</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1140335991682719744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a>
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<p id="6ZfO7W"><a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> lineup:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today’s Dodger lineup vs. Cubs :<br>Hernández CF<br>Turner 3B<br>Freese 1B<br>Bellinger RF<br>Taylor SS<br>Muncy 2B<br>Martin C<br>Garlick LF<br>Ryu P<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Biofreeze?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Biofreeze</a> <a href="https://t.co/qe162EFQmu">pic.twitter.com/qe162EFQmu</a></p>— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1140359574895001600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a>
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<h2 id="V5jSYv">
<span>Jose Quintana</span>, LHP vs. <span>Hyun-Jin Ryu</span>, LHP</h2>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/945uT6jY4_Pk7P8ZwqYjf_zlWlc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16011070/usa_today_12381408.jpg">
<cite>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<cite>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<p id="veyoZd">I’m going to do this pitcher preview a bit differently than usual.</p>
<p id="Ar5ZGB">Jose Quintana is having a decent season, pretty much in line with what he’s been with the Cubs since he was acquired two years ago from the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>. He’s had several pretty good starts this year, though his last four aren’t in that category (5.48 ERA, 1.313 WHIP).</p>
<p id="QeJnYA">Now how can those numbers compete with Hyun-Jin Ryu? Remember when people said it would be impossible to replicate the season <span>Jake Arrieta</span> had in 2015?</p>
<p id="UfFN1T">Ryu is doing that, <em>only his numbers are better than Jake’s were</em>. Ryu’s season ERA is 1.36 in 13 starts. He’s leading MLB in ERA, ERA+, walks/nine innings and BB/K ratio and leads the N.L. in WHIP, 0.802. His last nine starts: 0.82 ERA, six runs in 65⅔ innings, 0.746 WHIP, opponents BA .196.</p>
<p id="7vWeqh">Q is good, but defeating Ryu will be very, very difficult. Oddly enough, the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> managed to beat the Dodgers in Ryu’s last start, after he was lifted having allowed one run in six innings. The Angels beat up on the Dodgers’ bullpen. That might be the way to win tonight.</p>
<p id="lLwWKS">Today’s game is on ESPN. Since the Cubs are on Sunday Night Baseball again, Sara and Andi have created another bingo card for you!</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> are back on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and you know what that means! ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Bingo is back! Download your Cubs v. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> cards below and follow along as we call the game here tonight! <a href="https://t.co/fDUawvTlzV">pic.twitter.com/fDUawvTlzV</a></p>— Cuppa Cubbie Blue (@CuppaCubbieBlue) <a href="https://twitter.com/CuppaCubbieBlue/status/1140357204077420544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2019</a>
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<p id="cxuSIp"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2019/06/16">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=2019_06_16_chnmlb_lanmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2019/LAN201906160.shtml">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p id="AScVZw"><span>SB Nation game preview</span></p>
<p id="c01E3n">Please visit our SB Nation <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> site <a href="http://www.truebluela.com/">True Blue LA</a>. If you do go there to interact with Dodgers 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 2019 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used in previous years. 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="cWIBoH">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/16/18661330/chicago-cubs-los-angeles-dodgers-preview-sundayAl Yellon