Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Mets Sunday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2019-06-24T10:00:00-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/184553542019-06-24T10:00:00-05:002019-06-24T10:00:00-05:002019 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 77
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<p>Cubs come from behind for 5-3 win</p> <p id="K1DxxT">I’ve many times written pointing out that a game can be looked at as a half-empty or a half-full glass. I’m not even sure the come from behind win on Sunday is able to make the glass half-empty. Make no mistake of it, the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> belly-flopped the weekend portion of their series against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>. Sure, Thursday’s win ended up being pretty convincing. But after that, there was a whole lot of ugly. </p>
<p id="sidTdp">Fortunately <span>Javier Baez</span>, along with two Cubs runners who reached base ahead of him, were able to snag a win right from the jaws of defeat on Sunday. A four-game series split looks a heck of a lot better in the record books than losing three of four to a team in turmoil. The <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> remain the only team to come into Wrigley Field and win a series this year. </p>
<p id="OAdDu5">A come-from-behind victory does not erase the bad that preceded it. It of course turns a negative into a positive in the record books. But the things that lead to needing to come from behind still happened. This team continues to struggle. That 21-6 stretch the Cubs had from mid-April to mid-May seems very long ago. The Cubs started the season 3-8. They won 21 of 27 to move their record to 24-14. Since that time, the Cubs are 18-21. That’s a long stretch of time under .500. </p>
<p id="gN7bEU">To my eye, the Cubs are underperforming in every aspect of the game. The offense is good, but inconsistent and capable of more. The defense is off quite a few ticks from what we’ve seen from largely this same group in the past. The pitching has been very inconsistent. As with virtually every team, when the starters are consistently good, everything falls in line. But the pitching largely hasn’t been able to cover when a starter doesn’t have it. The whole team continues to look worn out at times. </p>
<p id="a5WoLh">Right now, being a totally realistic person and having a discerning eye, the Cubs would be a long shot to do any real damage in the playoffs. Fortunately, the playoffs aren’t played right now. At the end of the day, how you play through the month of June is meaningless. Sure, you can play yourself out of a playoff spot, but the Cubs certainly haven’t done that with a half-game divisional lead as we near the halfway point of the season. So the team has itself in position to contend.</p>
<p id="2ZajJ2">Strong second-half performances have been a hallmark of the Joe Maddon Cubs. Even last year when the Cubs actually had a better record before the break than after, they finished out the season with a 40-30 second half. In 2017, they were 49-25, 2016 50-23, and 2015 50-25. Even in 2014, before Maddon was here, the Cubs were 40-54 before the break and 33-34 after it. In investing, you here often past results don’t guarantee future performance. That said, this is a pretty strong trend. The Cubs are likely to play better in the second half than they did in the first. Of course, the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> are likely to play better in the second half as well. </p>
<p id="fpcog2">The Cubs will soon add <span>Craig Kimbrel</span> who has the potential to be a significant difference-maker and who will allow <span>Pedro Strop</span> and <span>Steve Cishek</span> to be used earlier in games (and in a way to balance the workload of all three). <span>Kyle Hendricks</span> will return to this team to help stabilize the rotation. <span>Adbert Alzolay</span> looks like he made add a different type of talent to the pitching staff. <span>Tony Barnette</span> was recently added and has a 3.50 ERA across three seasons (144 innings and 125 games). <span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span> will return and has pitched well since returning from the minor leagues. Additionally, it would be surprising if the Cubs didn’t add some pieces next month as the trade deadline approaches. This team should get better as the season progresses. Which is good, because this weekend reminds us that they definitely need to.</p>
<p id="Sm1RLg">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="IR8HVX"><strong>Game 77, June 23: </strong>Cubs 5, Mets 3 (42-35)</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=2019-06-23&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=2019-06-23&team=Cubs&dh=0&season=2019">FanGraphs</a></span>
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<p id="VvNb1K"><strong>THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="wR7kTq">
<strong>Superhero: </strong><span>Javier Baez</span> (.450). Javy had a two hit day in four at bats. The second of those hits was a booming three-run homer that rocked Wrigley Field. Over his last five games Javy is at .313/.389/.813. Obviously, that’s a minuscule sample but hopefully he’s heading into one of his hot stretches. When he gets there, he can lift the entire team up for a period of time. </li>
<li id="OfzDpI">
<strong>Hero: </strong><span>Anthony Rizzo</span> (.154). Anthony had an RBI-single and a walk in four plate appearances. He was along for the ride on Javy’s game-turning homer. </li>
<li id="f2H8Rd">
<strong>Sidekick: </strong><span>Pedro Strop</span> (.070). Pedro looked very, very good yesterday and that was a welcome sign. Pedro is still holding a 5.17 ERA (4.71 ERA) near the half way mark of the season. His results are odd. He’s at a K/9 of 10.34 which is highest since 2016. His walks are also up (4.02 per nine). But the two culprits are his HR/9 1.72 which shatters anything in his career and is up basically one homer per nine innings over his career number. This despite continuing to have a ground ball rate at 55.6 (up from 46.1% last year). He’s also down to a 62.5% strand rate which is way below both a normal rate and his career mark of 75.2%. I’m inclined to believe that he’s both pitched less well than usual due to a handful of injuries and the natural aging process and that he’s been a bit unlucky. That’s a bad combo platter.</li>
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<p id="xgNWZx"><strong>THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="ZrKepl">
<strong>Billy Goat: </strong><span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> (-.186). Albert was hitless in three at bats including an inning-ending double play in the seventh.</li>
<li id="7p0B3J">
<strong>Goat: </strong><span>Kris Bryant</span> (-.091). Kris had a double and a run scored in four at bats. </li>
<li id="UKKwSE">
<strong>Kid: </strong><span>Daniel Descalso</span> (-.071). Struck out in his only plate appearance. </li>
</ul>
<p id="eND72H"><strong>WPA Play of the Game: </strong>Javier Baez (.540). In the second biggest positive WPA at bat of the Cubs season, Javy batted with runners on first and second and a one run deficit in the eighth inning. Javy is always being knocked down for poor situational hitting. Surely, the plan calls for shooting the ball the other way, driving in a run and tying the game. Yeah, Javy launched a three-run homer instead. It would be disingenuous to say that Javy is the first choice to have up with the game on the line. However, I probably want him up at some point in the inning every time. Javy makes things happen at an elite level.</p>
<p id="rsOcHA">*Mets Play of the Game: <span>Tomas Nido</span> hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. (.145)</p>
<p id="9RJbyr"><strong>Cumulative Standings Top/Bottom 3: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="xetQAX">Anthony Rizzo 15</li>
<li id="KTzHCh">Kris Bryant 14</li>
<li id="u1G471">
<span>Cole Hamels</span>/Javier Baez 8</li>
<li id="BztYYN">
<span>Yu Darvish</span>/*Carl Edwards Jr. -9</li>
<li id="hVGuv5">
<span>Jason Heyward</span> -17</li>
</ul>
<p id="q0Xgcd"><strong>Up Next: </strong>From one National League East team to the next. The first place <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> come to town. The Braves are 46-32 on the season, the second best mark in the NL. They’ve won seven of 10, and 15 of 20 to take control of the East. Chicago is the second leg of their road trip. They just took two out of three in Washington. They’ve managed to add five games to their division lead over the last 10 days. </p>
<p id="aapdL0">The Cubs will be looking for a second straight win and they’ll turn to <span>Jon Lester</span> tonight. Jon is 6-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 76⅓ innings on the season. Over his last seven, Jon has really struggled with a 3-4 record and a 7.17 ERA covering 37⅔ innings. Last time out, Jon was ok in a start against the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>. He got a win for 5⅔ innings of work that night. He allowed seven hits, one walk and three runs while striking out six. Lester pitched in Atlanta on the trip there in early April and it was one of the few non-disastrous outings for the Cubs on that opening trip. He threw six innings and allowed six hits, three walks and two runs. He actually left that one with the lead, but <span>Steve Cishek</span> got lit up in the eighth inning on the way to a Cubs loss. </p>
<p id="tAjPCr">Current Braves have 267 plate appearances against Jon with a collective .695 OPS. A massive portion of that belongs to <span>Nick Markakis</span> who spent time in the American League with Jon and has 96 career PA against him (.586 OPS). <span>Freddie Freeman</span> is one of the guys to watch out for. Freedie has 25 PA with a .996 OPS. <span>Ozzie Albies</span> has obliterated Lester in one of the worst lines I’ve ever seen. Albies is a perfect 5-5 against Jon with a homer. He’s also drawn one walk. </p>
<p id="2WZ3Hm">The Braves will seek their third straight win and they’ll have <span>Julio Teheran</span> on the mound for hit. He was the opposing pitcher in that game in April. Julio is having his usually dependable season. He is just 5-5, but he has a 3.40 ERA in 87⅓ innings. Last time out, he got beat up by the Mets. He took a loss after allowing eight hits, three walks and six runs in four innings. Julio actually pitched relatively well himself in that April game, allowing six hits and three walks but only one run. </p>
<p id="lgd1E6">Current Cubs have 136 plate appearances against Tehran with a .619 OPS. Anthony Rizzo has the most PA (26) and a .785 OPS. <span>Carlos Gonzalez</span> has not been able to do anything with him (19 PA, .217 OPS). <span>Kyle Schwarber</span> is one Cub who has done well against Julio (10 PA, 1.056 OPS). So has Daniel Descalso (.817 in 15 PA), so don’t be shocked if he is back in the lineup tonight. Tehran is largely split neutral (.660 OPS v RHB and .654 v LHB) but does allow a bit more slugging against righties. Julio has actually been much better on the road (.603 OPS) than home (.726).</p>
<p id="Pj14Nr">This looks like a very tough matchup on paper. </p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/24/18715351/2019-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-77Thomas Smith2019-06-23T17:15:44-05:002019-06-23T17:15:44-05:00Cubs 5, Mets 3: Javier Baez’ 100th career homer saves the day
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<p>The Cubs needed a boost, and they got one.</p> <p id="aBLyVW">Just when you had your head down thinking sad thoughts — and don’t deny it, you were, I was — <span>Javier Baez</span> lifted the spirits of a sellout crowd at Wrigley Field, his teammates, and every <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> fan watching or listening Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p id="jG9E7T">Javy’s three-run homer, the 100th of his career, sent the Cubs to <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2019_06_23_nynmlb_chnmlb_1">a 5-3 win over the Mets</a> and a hard-earned split of the four-game weekend series.</p>
<p id="WgG85j">The game began on time, even with forecasts of storms in the area, and when lightning was reported not far away from the ballpark, this happened:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Players warming up. Seating area being cleared. So, ¯ \_(ツ)_/¯ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> <a href="https://t.co/vhdkLF8qSP">pic.twitter.com/vhdkLF8qSP</a></p>— Al Yellon (@bleedcubbieblue) <a href="https://twitter.com/bleedcubbieblue/status/1142854961140830209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
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<p id="IgWmLV">Note the timestamp on that tweet — just 20 minutes before the scheduled game time. But it never did rain at Wrigley, not then, anyway, and the tarp was quickly pulled up and the game started at 1:23, more or less on time.</p>
<p id="rvC4zu"><span>Cole Hamels</span> allowed hits in the first two innings, but also induced double-play balls in both innings to keep the game scoreless. And then Hamels helped himself. <span>Jason Heyward</span> and <span>David Bote</span> singled, with Heyward taking third on Bote’s hit. Hamels, who was a decent hitter (for a pitcher) while in Philadelphia, has been lousy at the plate as a Cub. Coming into this game: 5-for-49 (.102) with 18 strikeouts.</p>
<p id="VZTvCG"><a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/23/ae6a9d0b-8258379a-a83ea7e1-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">But he hit this ball quite nicely [VIDEO].</a></p>
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<p id="jOq9e9">Hamels’ RBI single — off a pretty good pitcher, <span>Jacob deGrom</span> — gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.</p>
<p id="qwIHCp">Unfortunately, Hamels gave that lead back in the fourth on a solo homer by <span>Pete Alonso</span>, who with his 27th home run broke the Mets’ rookie record set by Darryl Strawberry in 1983. With half the season left, he’s got a shot at the MLB rookie record (52) set by <span>Aaron Judge</span> two years ago. Give Alonso credit, he’s an impressive player and the likely N.L. Rookie of the Year.</p>
<p id="pLiRFs">In the fifth, <span>Tomas Nido</span> homered off Hamels and after <span>Juan Lagares</span> doubled, deGrom matched his counterpart with an RBI single to make it 3-1 Mets.</p>
<p id="f6yiIG">The Cubs sliced that deficit to one in the bottom of the inning. With two out, <span>Kris Bryant</span> doubled and <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/23/500cdfce-a0b3a983-04ccd88e-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">was the next hitter [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
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<p id="Zltdcm"></p>
<p id="Dt0cw9">Rizzo’s hit made the score 3-2, but I need to say something right here. Even though that ball got to the wall, it took an easy bounce to <span>J.D. Davis</span> and he threw Rizzo out easily trying to take second.</p>
<p id="8jhUGM">I love Anthony Rizzo for everything he’s done for this team. But he’s nearly 30 and if he had any baserunning speed, he doesn’t anymore, and I know Joe Maddon preaches aggressiveness on the basepaths. But that wasn’t the time to try that, and I think Rizzo ought to be somewhat more cautious going forward.</p>
<p id="yx9c7U">Hamels and the Cubs bullpen then shut down the Mets almost completely after the fifth inning. They retired 12 of the last 13 Mets to bat. The only baserunner was an eighth-inning walk issued by <span>Steve Cishek</span>.</p>
<p id="Ztl1xg">The Cubs, though, couldn’t do anything in the sixth or seventh. Baez ran the Cubs out of a possible run-scoring situation in the sixth by being thrown out trying to steal, and <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> hit into a double play to end the seventh.</p>
<p id="6ARUD6">It had rained, lightly, for a couple of innings in the middle of the game. A grounds crew member came out between innings in the fifth to show the umpires what appeared to be an iPad, probably with a radar screen on it. Smartphone radars showed the rain would pass quickly, which it did, and the sun returned just in time for the Cubs’ winning rally. (An omen, perhaps?)</p>
<p id="Wa8jjn"><span>Kyle Schwarber</span> led off the inning with a single and Bryant flied to center. Rizzo walked, and the Mets made a mound visit to <span>Seth Lugo</span>, who had thrown 39 pitches, the most he’d thrown in a game since April. And yet... they left him in to throw to Javy.</p>
<p id="am4jdH">You’ve likely heard the old saying, “It’s better to take a pitcher out one batter too early than one batter too late.” <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/23/ee6b1d7a-e6cea97c-b34d867b-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Thank you, Mets, for taking Lugo out one batter too late. [VIDEO].</a></p>
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<p id="t9cmI9">Javy’s 100th career homer was his 19th of the season. Fun facts!</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Career games to 100 HR<br>Kris Bryant: 487<br>Ernie Banks: 500<br>Javier Báez: 602<br>Billy Williams: 611<br>Ron Santo: 708<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a></p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1142898939420651527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Javier Báez is the 36th player whose 100th career home run came in a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> uniform.<br><br>Of those 36, he's the 6th whose 100th was a go-ahead HR in 8th or later.</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1142905540496039936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Those 6:<br>Javier Báez today (3-run HR in 8th, gave Cubs 5-3 lead)<br>Alex Gonzalez 9/9/2002 9th inning walkoff<br>Jody Davis 4/21/1987 broke 4-4 tie in top 9<br>Leon Durham 5/6/1986 9th inning walkoff<br>Ernie Banks 6/9/1957 broke 3-3 tie in top 8<br>Kiki Cuyler 8/31/1932 10th inning walkoff</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1142906562220048384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
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<p id="VcfbAj">Pretty good company there, Javy. Also, this is fun:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cubs</a> Javier Báez on his 100th career <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mlb</a> home run. Here are all of his home runs tracked by <a href="https://twitter.com/statcast?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@statcast</a> since 2015. <a href="https://t.co/5crRsUZ9Yk">pic.twitter.com/5crRsUZ9Yk</a></p>— Daren Willman (@darenw) <a href="https://twitter.com/darenw/status/1142900569289515009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
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<p id="BBWNjb">And here’s a good summary of Javy’s entire at-bat:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marley sings, "Don't worry, about a thing. Every little thing, is gonna be alright."<br><br>Baez steps up to plate and drills a three-run homer to right field. Admires, drops bat casually. Fans chant M-V-P! Does curtain call with dirt-caked jersey hanging out. Howls along with crowd.</p>— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1142898019572027399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
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<p id="7bZ2ZK">The Cubs got some more baserunners in that inning on a double by Heyward and a walk by Bote. That, incidentally, makes two straight three-hit games for J-Hey, who is now hitting .264/.356/.432. The .780 OPS is, at the moment, his best since his 2015 season in St. Louis. Even though Bote and Heyward pulled off a double steal as <span>Victor Caratini</span> struck out, the Cubs could score no further, and so <span>Pedro Strop</span> entered to protect a two-run lead.</p>
<p id="1vPsny">Strop had not pitched since giving up the game-winning homer to <span>Eloy Jimenez</span> on Tuesday, and he looked stronger in this one, with better velocity. He struck out the first two hitters he faced and then <span>Dominic Smith</span> fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches in a 10-pitch at-bat before flying to right to end it, giving Strop his ninth save.</p>
<p id="UMBrUp">Nothing is a “must-win” at this stage of the season, but it felt like the Cubs really needed that after two straight defeats at the hands of the Mets, one frustrating and one a blowout. The win kept the Cubs in first place by half a game over the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a>, who defeated the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> Sunday afternoon. The <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a>, who trailed by one game entering Sunday’s action, will be on Sunday Night Baseball against the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a>.</p>
<p id="es7NZ7">The Cubs will host the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> for a four-game series beginning Monday evening at Wrigley Field, and <a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-87.65547271817921&lat=41.948220460425915">summer weather will at last arrive</a> for these four days. <span>Jon Lester</span> will start for the Cubs Monday and <span>Julio Teheran</span> gets the call for the Braves. Game time is 7:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via NBC Sports Chicago.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/23/18714776/cubs-mets-recap-javier-baez-cole-hamels-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2019-06-23T15:20:00-05:002019-06-23T15:20:00-05:00Overflow thread 2: Cubs vs. Mets, Sunday 6/23, 1:20 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JvxvN0wnPltdOm06HP0HhYCChzk=/0x0:4004x2669/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64079228/usa_today_12941711.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="P3rqiv">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/23/18691308/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-mets-sunday-6-23-1-20-ctAl Yellon2019-06-23T14:20:00-05:002019-06-23T14:20:00-05:00Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Mets, Sunday 6/23, 1:20 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EVO_R2abg7uBv3W4AztHX07P4L4=/0x858:2304x2394/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64079090/usa_today_12940550.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="P3rqiv">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/23/18691306/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-mets-sunday-6-23-1-20-ctAl Yellon2019-06-23T13:15:00-05:002019-06-23T13:15:00-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Mets, Sunday 6/23, 1:20 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dfr8XcXagRP6M1GsJUgQNf2IEds=/0x0:2126x1417/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64078927/1156829451.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="P3rqiv">Go get ‘em, Cole.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/23/18691303/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-mets-sunday-6-23-1-20-ctAl Yellon2019-06-23T11:30:00-05:002019-06-23T11:30:00-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets preview, Sunday 6/23, 1:20 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NRFCPZ5CmX7hhBuOOi6YbWWcuys=/363x1018:1655x1879/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64078575/usa_today_12941737.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Cubs need a win for a series split.</p> <p id="nun8qU">Once upon a time there was a Cubs team.</p>
<p id="HK54lI">And it played very badly for a period of time, during which it won five games and lost 15, including three losing streaks of at least four games. It was outscored 123-88 during that stretch.</p>
<p id="EWyb5Q">Surely you are thinking that must be one of the bad Cubs teams in the first years of the Theo Epstein regime. Or a lousy team from the 1950s.</p>
<p id="1k6FCL">But you know I wouldn’t be telling you this if I didn’t have a point. That was the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> champion 2016 Cubs, from June 20 through July 9. They looked like the worst team in baseball for three weeks, yet wound up winning the N.L. Central by 17½ games — and even with that -35 run differential over that three-week period, wound up with a +252 run differential, best for the Cubs since the 1930s.</p>
<p id="OutIfY">The point is that every good team — <em>yes, every single one of them</em> — has stretches during the season where they look bad. Take the 2017 <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a>, for example. They were 91-36 (!) on August 25 and led the N.L. West by 21 games. Then they lost 16 of 17 (and the only game they won was 1-0) and lost more than half of that lead, as it went down to nine games. They still won 104 games and got to the World Series.</p>
<p id="bfJeSc">Conversely, bad teams can look good for a short time. The 2012 Cubs went 14-5 from June 25 through July 19. Did it help? Nope, that team still lost 101 games.</p>
<p id="gTU325">The point I’m trying to make here is: Don’t overreact to one or two bad losses. It’s been said many times, but I’ll repeat for emphasis: Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. More than half the 2019 season still remains. Are there places where this Cubs team needs to make improvements or acquistions? Absolutely, and they almost certainly will do both.</p>
<p id="jrhwWr">Until then, a reminder that they are still in first place in the N.L. Central as Sunday’s action begins.</p>
<p id="3Z1ThC"><a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-87.65558975455492&lat=41.94815535276828">There is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.</a> Thus, you should keep this handy:</p>
<div id="Kv6785"><center><img src="https://radar.weather.gov/lite/NCR/LOT_loop.gif"></center></div>
<p id="vVxpHL"></p>
<p id="xv4RN7">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="HAZTFQ"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="rJFAlO">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<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. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EverybodyIn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EverybodyIn</a><br><br>Game preview: <a href="https://t.co/gpUesKehhq">https://t.co/gpUesKehhq</a> <a href="https://t.co/fGRHLiffPh">pic.twitter.com/fGRHLiffPh</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1142809588347080706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="6ZfO7W"><a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="bhRtAe">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s how we closeout our series in Chicago. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LGM?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LGM</a> <a href="https://t.co/E2FQEyVveV">pic.twitter.com/E2FQEyVveV</a></p>— New York Mets (@Mets) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1142819243764932609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<h2 id="V5jSYv">
<span>Cole Hamels</span>, LHP vs. <span>Jacob deGrom</span>, RHP</h2>
<div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DAkyvxbLAL5RqPxp2JdyDpVYCB4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16011054/usa_today_12381334.jpg">
<cite>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9NT3XIFkPQqrNzDR3YmmVvrzxB4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16386198/usa_today_12381618.jpg">
<cite>Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="DIbTfl">Cole Hamels is having himself a June that could get him a Pitcher of the Month award: four starts, 0.31 ERA, 0.793 WHIP, 31 strikeouts in 29 innings. Keep it up!</p>
<p id="K36PJj">He matched up with Jacob deGrom <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201808280.shtml">August 28, 2018 at Wrigley Field</a> (interestingly, despite both these pitchers playing several years in the N.L. East, that’s the only time they have faced each other).</p>
<p id="RTGd3e">Cole threw five shutout innings, but it was a slog, as he threw 93 pitches. deGrom threw 109 in eight innings, allowing one run. (The Cubs won the game in extras after it was suspended due to heavy rain.) Current Mets have a long history against Hamels, hitting .266 (54-for-203) against him, but with 47 strikeouts.</p>
<p id="rWrCzC">For his part, Jacob deGrom has gone back from being unbelievable (as he was in 2018) to just very good. His 2019 season is more in line with what he was before 2018, and I suspect when he’s done playing that 2018 season will be seen as an outlier.</p>
<p id="lKc7L4">This isn’t to say that deGrom isn’t good, as he certainly is. Last six starts: 2.31 ERA, 0.949 WHIP, .215 opponents BA. He doesn’t walk guys — 20 in 91 innings — so the Cubs should look to put the ball in play. Current Cubs are hitting .280 (33-for-118) against him with five home runs, two of those by <span>Kris Bryant</span>.</p>
<p id="horK1V">Today’s game is on ABC7 Chicago. </p>
<p id="cxuSIp"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2019/06/23">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_23_nynmlb_chnmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2019/CHN201906230.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.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> site <a href="http://www.amazinavenue.com/">Amazin’ Avenue</a>. If you do go there to interact with Mets 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>
<p id="IznSlq"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/23/18680314/chicago-cubs-new-york-mets-preview-sundayAl Yellon