Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Braves Tuesday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2019-06-26T10:00:00-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/184772602019-06-26T10:00:00-05:002019-06-26T10:00:00-05:002019 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 79
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<figcaption>David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Cubs come up short against Braves</p> <p id="oLyc2a">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> have now won four of the first five games in the season series. That’s a little uncomfortable against a team that is the most likely first-round opponent should the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> hang on to win their third NL Central crown in four years. They are a talented young team with a really long lineup and strong starting pitching. That’s a good recipe for success. </p>
<p id="g6ych1"><span>Adbert Alzolay</span> had a decent first major league start against the long lineup. He allowed a homer to the first batter he faced, but through 8⅔ innings, he’s allowed only two hits (both homers). However, he’s also walked six hitters. To say that all of his data through his first two appearances is a mixed bag would be fair. It’s important to not read too much into the first couple of appearances, but it does appear that Adbert is capable of making contributions to this team. </p>
<p id="0I3BfI">With Craig Kimbrel likely to arrive soon and the eventual returns of <span>Kyle Hendricks</span> and <span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span> from the injured list, things are going to get crowded in the Cubs bullpen. Certainly, <span>Mike Montgomery</span> has struggled the most, but the Cubs don’t have a lot of left-handed options (ignoring that Montgomery has some pretty strong reverse splits this year after largely being split neutral). <span>Kyle Ryan</span> and Adbert Alzolay have options remaining, but both appear to have intriguing arms and strong results to date. <span>Tony Barnette</span> was the last one in, but it’s far from certain that he’d be willing to return to the minors at this point in his career. <span>Brad Brach</span> is another Cub who’s struggled on the mound. Some of his peripherals suggest that perhaps he’s gotten a bit unlucky. Brad threw two scoreless innings last night to attempt to give the Cubs a chance at a comeback. </p>
<p id="0tCyRf">This is one of those times that I’m glad I’m not the one having to make this decision. To be sure, problems like this often sort themselves out. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one does too. Right now, the moral of the story is that there is a lot of shifting to happen with the roster, even before the trade deadline which is now only a little over a month away. </p>
<p id="eNIDKg">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="ZGBmxv"><strong>Game 79, June 25: </strong>Cubs 2, Braves 3 (43-36)</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=2019-06-25&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=2019-06-25&team=Cubs&dh=0&season=2019">FanGraphs</a></span>
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<p id="5PWYRo"><strong>THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="oBLGee">
<strong>Superhero: </strong><span>Willson Contreras</span> (.227). Willson swings a hot bat for the second straight game. He accounted for both runs last night with a two-run double. He also drew a walk in four plate appearances. </li>
<li id="ukGSoI">
<strong>Hero: </strong><span>Kyle Schwarber</span> (.090). Kyle singled in the eighth inning after <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> had lead off the inning with a single. (.141). Unfortunately, <span>Kris Bryant</span> grounded into a double play. </li>
<li id="UPBBn7">
<strong>Sidekick: </strong>Brad Brach (.085). Two innings, just one walk allowed and three strikeouts. Brad needed that one, maybe it’ll launch him onto a little bit of a roll. </li>
</ul>
<p id="RkqnzX"><strong>THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="h2mqNm">
<strong>Billy Goat: </strong>Kris Bryant (-.256). As noted above, Kris grounded into a double play in the eighth inning (of a one-run game). That play alone was worth -.279. Kris had one walk in four plate appearances. </li>
<li id="MerBSP">
<strong>Goat: </strong><span>David Bote</span> (-.186). David had a rough night at the plate, striking out three times in four trips to the plate. One of those times ended the game, another had runners on first and second with no outs and a third had a runner on second with one out. The other out was a ground out leading off the inning. </li>
<li id="3jLQT6">
<strong>Kid: </strong><span>Javier Baez</span> (-.178). Javy actually had a hit, a walk and a run scored. That day might have even landed him on the hero side of things some nights. But Javy’s base-running adventure in the second inning lands him here. With the bases loaded and one out in the second inning, Adbert Alzolay was at the plate. Adbert failed to get a bunt down and Javy was caught off of third. In the resulting chaos, Willson Contreras was also out trying to advance to third, resulting in one of the weirder double plays you’ll ever see. (-.168)</li>
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<p id="taLh7V"><strong>WPA Play of the Game: </strong><span>Ozzie Albies</span> (.372). That’s some bottom of the order hitter the Braves have (Ozzie has batted seventh and eighth in the first two games of the series). Ozzie followed a one-out single by <span>Brian McCann</span> with a two-run homer to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. </p>
<p id="BzMY9R">*Cubs Play of the Game: With one out in the third inning, Willson Contreras batted with runners on first and second and the Cubs trailing 1-0. He doubled, scoring both runs. (.236)</p>
<p id="bHJeXO"><strong>Cumulative Standings Top/Bottom 3: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="puDcpt">
<span>Anthony Rizzo</span> 16</li>
<li id="PxnZCh">Kris Bryant/Willson Contreras 11</li>
<li id="ToRZxT">
<span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span>/<span>Yu Darvish</span> -9</li>
<li id="NZlWVr">
<span>Jason Heyward</span> -17</li>
</ul>
<p id="IhCyw2"><strong>Up Next: </strong>Game three of the four game set tonight. The Cubs will have <span>Yu Darvish</span> on the mound. Yu is just 2-3 on the season with a 4.75 ERA in 85⅓ innings. Over his last seven outings, Yu is 0-0 with a 4.36 ERA that remains inflated because of a start against the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> where he was sent out to go as deep as he could to rest a badly depleted bullpen and allowed six runs on 12 hits in seven plus innings of work. Last time out Yu struggled a bit, allowing four runs in six innings against the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>. He allowed four hits, two walks and two homers while striking out six. Yu did face the Braves back in April and took a loss in a game where he lasted only four innings. He allowed five hits, four walks and three runs in that one. He only struck out two. </p>
<p id="K5seKt">Current Braves have 112 plate appearances against Yu. Josh Donaldson leads the way with 26 of them (.443 OPS). <span>Brian McCann</span> has a decent sample (16 PA) with more success (.822). Yu has only three career starts against the Braves and they’ve all happened in the last two years (0-2 with a 5.68 in 12⅔ innings).</p>
<p id="JMwJzV">The Braves will start newly acquired <span>Dallas Keuchel</span>. Dallas is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA after his first start as a Brave. The Cubs have not seen the 31-year-old lefty since 2013. For his career, Keuchel has been hit harder by righthanded hitters (.714) than lefthanded ones (.612). Current Cubs have a total of just seven plate appearances against Dallas, with five of them being by Anthony Rizzo and the other two by Daniel Descalso. Rizzo does have a homer against Kuechel, but again that was a very long time ago. </p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/26/18759491/2019-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-79Thomas Smith2019-06-26T08:00:00-05:002019-06-26T08:00:00-05:00Braves 3, Cubs 2: Running on empty
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<figcaption>Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Some bad baserunning helped turn this into a loss.</p> <p id="hdgMnH">On the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> TV broadcast Tuesday night, Len Kasper said of a certain play, “We’re going to show this just once and then burn the tape.”</p>
<p id="TFnYAg">Since what Len referred to simply as “this” was an important play in the Cubs’ 3-2 loss to the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a>, I’m going to show it to you as well (and maybe they did burn it, as the video here is from the Atlanta broadcast). </p>
<p id="CxK8b5">Situation: The Cubs had the bases loaded with one out in the second inning, down 1-0, with <span>Adbert Alzolay</span> at bat. <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/25/2a8c6860-2522e228-c59faf42-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Here’s what happened [VIDEO].</a></p>
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<p id="UMlRtH"></p>
<p id="NCZiix">Alzolay missed a bunt attempt and <span>Javier Baez</span> was hung up in between third and home and tagged out. But what was <span>Willson Contreras</span> doing so far from second base once he saw Baez was going to be tagged? <a href="https://bastian.mlblogs.com/covering-the-bases-game-79-82545bb96b58">Here’s an explanation via Jordan Bastian:</a></p>
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<p id="ULnUVY">At the same time, Willson Contreras is on second base watching this whole thing unfold in front of him. Baez did a few stutter-steps before back-pedaling in the direction of third. Contreras stayed put for a moment, waiting to see what Baez was going to do.</p>
<p id="C15lQI">[Joe] Maddon said Contreras needed to make a quicker decision as that is all going on.</p>
<p id="00TQLZ">“Once Javy gets in the rundown, just go,” Maddon said. “Just go and stand on third base. If he’s out, he’s out. Or, you just stay at second base. You’ve got either decision to make.”</p>
<p id="NX3RjK">Instead, Contreras did not start booking it for third base until just before Baez was tagged out by third baseman <span>Josh Donaldson</span>, following the throw from catcher <span>Brian McCann</span>.</p>
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<p id="U68LoZ">At the time, while that ran the Cubs out of the inning, it might not have seemed that important in a 1-0 game. But <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2019_06_25_atlmlb_chnmlb_1">the Cubs went on to lose 3-2 to the Braves</a> and who knows? Staying out of that rundown, the team might have scored one or more runs and then the whole game is different. Contreras, standup guy, took responsibility:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Contreras on his part in 2nd inning DP: "That was my fault. I'll take it. I was in-between."</p>— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNChiCubs/status/1143730025386172417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2019</a>
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<p id="tnhq9M">Alzolay, as he had done in his MLB debut, threw four good innings. The only hit he allowed was <span>Ronald Acuna Jr.</span>’s leadoff home run, which helped set a major-league record Tuesday night:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">There have been five leadoff home runs in the majors today (Ronald Acuna Jr., Kike Hernandez, Scott Kingery, Tommy La Stella & DJ LeMahieu).<br><br>That ties the most on a single day in MLB history; there were also five on 8/17/2006 and 8/19/2016.</p>— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) <a href="https://twitter.com/StatsBySTATS/status/1143711286875873280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ronald Acuña Jr. now has 12 leadoff home runs in his career. Already tied for 73rd in MLB history. He's only 21!</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1143672933988098048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2019</a>
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<p id="OXaxUv">After that homer, though, Alzolay settled down and retired 12 of the next 13 hitters.</p>
<p id="vWb9R1">Meanwhile, the Cubs did take the lead in the fourth. With runners on first and second and one out, <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-06/25/bda6923e-0c1a8136-b6a78ab2-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Contreras doubled them both in [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
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<p id="pGzwnw"></p>
<p id="Dss9IG">Alzolay unraveled in the fifth, and unfortunately, it was partly thanks to more bad ball-and-strike calls. Take your bow, Lance Barksdale:</p>
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<p id="TX6dkv">Looks like pitch 4 <em>and</em> pitch 8 could have both been called strikes, and <span>Max Fried</span> should have been called out on strikes to end the inning. Instead, he walked, and Alzolay also walked Acuna, loading the bases, before Joe replaced him with <span>Mike Montgomery</span>.</p>
<p id="K91EIx">And so:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Adbert Alzolay 2 appearances into his MLB career.<br><br>8.2 IP. 2 hits allowed. Both home runs. .000 BAbip.<br><br>So 2019. <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/1143694677838880768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2019</a>
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<p id="o36CwF">Overall, despite four walks, this was a good outing for Alzolay and he certainly deserves more starts.</p>
<p id="yyWn08">Montgomery got out of that inning and also threw a 1-2-3 sixth before allowing a one-out single to Brian McCann in the seventh. <span>Ozzie Albies</span> then homered to give the Braves a 3-2 lead.</p>
<p id="Piurcm">Albies, career vs. Cubs (15 games): .483/.529/.877 (29-for-60), seven doubles, a triple, four home runs. Yikes. Almost better just to walk that guy.</p>
<p id="IqhVee">In the bottom of the eighth, <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> and <span>Kyle Schwarber</span> led off with singles, but <span>Kris Bryant</span> smacked into a double play on the first pitch he saw, and that was pretty much the end of that, as Braves closer <span>Luke Jackson</span> retired the Cubs 1-2-3 in the ninth.</p>
<p id="6mNmzR">Credit where it’s due: <span>Brad Brach</span>, who’s been mostly bad this year, threw two scoreless innings with one baserunner (a walk) and three strikeouts, keeping the game close.</p>
<p id="tESuPa">There was an intense, but brief, downpour that included hail at Wrigley just before the gates opened at 5 p.m.:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let’s play two! <a href="https://t.co/8Utrr1IPMJ">pic.twitter.com/8Utrr1IPMJ</a></p>— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1143636502846541824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a>
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<p id="IqJhvO">This literally lasted about 15 minutes and then cleared the area, and the game was played in pleasant conditions (84 degrees at game time), though with the wind blowing out at 15 miles per hour. It didn’t affect either of the Braves’ home runs, though, as both of those balls were well struck.</p>
<p id="t0agv1">Now let’s talk about this:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Adbert Alzolay out for warmups wearing the blue alt jersey. If this is the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> game jersey, that's the first time it's been worn at Wrigley in almost 10 years <a href="https://t.co/cueD1o75q2">pic.twitter.com/cueD1o75q2</a></p>— Al Yellon (@bleedcubbieblue) <a href="https://twitter.com/bleedcubbieblue/status/1143662360319709184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a>
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<p id="mQlcDM">And why did they do this?</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 indeed wearing blue jerseys tonight. Was just told it was something the players wanted to do.</p>— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceMiles2112/status/1143666104335777792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a>
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<p id="KLhM6G">Sometime in the mid-1990s (I believe after the strike ended in 1995), the Cubs began wearing these jerseys at road games. The earliest evidence I can find of the blue alt at a home game is this photo of Jon Lieber pitching against the Cardinals, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN199905300.shtml">May 30, 1999</a>:</p>
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<cite>AFP/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="Z1J7mk">Over time, the selection of jersey worn, home or road, morphed into “let the starting pitcher choose” (it’s my recollection that was begun by <span>Carlos Zambrano</span>). When the Ricketts family bought the team they announced that the blue alt wasn’t going to be worn at Wrigley Field anymore, and indeed, it was not, until Tuesday. It appears the last time before Tuesday that the blue alts were worn at Wrigley Field was September 30, 2009 in the <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200909301.shtml">second game of a split doubleheader</a>.</p>
<p id="bb7pzL">You all know how I feel about those jerseys; I don’t care for them much and prefer the pinstripes at home, gray on the road. And while the jersey the team wears has nothing to do with their performance, I will call your attention to this, from <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2017/7/16/15979228/cubs-record-standings-upcoming-schedule">the schedule/results page</a> that’s always on the front page of this site:</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="PvwWWl"><strong>Cubs 2019 regular-season record wearing various uniforms</strong></p>
<p id="oBRGMi"><strong>Home pinstripe:</strong> 28-14<br><strong>Blue alternate:</strong> 4-10<br><strong>Road gray:</strong> 11-12</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="cEI5p8">Baseball players can be superstitious sorts (or, as Maddon once said, <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/sports/joe-maddon-not-changing-socks-during-cubs-winning-streak/935663/">“I’m a little stitious”</a>). The team’s record isn’t good this year wearing the blue jersey. If it were up to me, I would have the Cubs not wear them again this year, and certainly not at Wrigley Field.</p>
<p id="8NMtaZ">Fortunately, everyone else in the N.L. Central also lost Tuesday evening, so the Cubs’ lead remains at one game over the Brewers and 2½ over the Cardinals.</p>
<p id="5o8Bbz">The Cubs will try it again Wednesday evening against the Braves. <span>Yu Darvish</span> gets the start for the Cubs and <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> makes his second Atlanta start. Game time again is 7:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via WGN (and also on MLB Network outside the Cubs and Braves market territories).</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/26/18759468/cubs-braves-recap-adbert-alzolay-willson-contreras-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2019-06-25T21:05:00-05:002019-06-25T21:05:00-05:00Overflow thread 2: Cubs vs. Braves, Tuesday 6/25, 7:05 CT
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<figcaption>David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="Jk55RA">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/25/18713217/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-braves-tuesday-6-25-7-05-ctAl Yellon2019-06-25T20:05:00-05:002019-06-25T20:05:00-05:00Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Braves, Tuesday 6/25, 7:05 CT
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<figcaption>David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="Jk55RA">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/25/18713216/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-braves-tuesday-6-25-7-05-ctAl Yellon2019-06-25T19:00:00-05:002019-06-25T19:00:00-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Braves, Tuesday 6/25, 7:05 CT
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<figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="Jk55RA">Go get ‘em, Adbert.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/25/18713215/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-braves-tuesday-6-25-7-05-ctAl Yellon2019-06-25T17:00:00-05:002019-06-25T17:00:00-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves preview, Tuesday 6/25, 7:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lWs2z2KaiMUOj98uwnxmVrUt530=/1385x0:3453x1379/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64129720/usa_today_12952946.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs go for two in a row over the visitors from Atlanta.</p> <p id="nun8qU">Notes for Tuesday:</p>
<ul>
<li id="4iZP7Y">
<strong>KNOW THE SCORE:</strong> The Cubs have scored seven or more runs in three of the first seven games of the homestand and 34 overall, averaging 4.9 runs in the seven games. That included a five-run inning, the 13th time this year the Cubs have scored at least five runs in an inning. They did so 16 times all of last year.</li>
<li id="NUScS9">
<strong>EVERYONE DIGS THE LONG BALL:</strong> The Cubs have hit 122 home runs this season, a franchise mark for home runs in the season’s first half, breaking the previous record of 120, set in 2016. The 122 home runs rank tied for third with the Braves, behind only the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> (135) and <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> (128). The 122 HR are a pace for 253, which would break the franchise record of 235 set in 2004.</li>
<li id="loFagS">
<strong>WHAT A RELIEF THEY ARE:</strong> <span>Steve Cishek</span> has posted a 1.90 ERA (five earned runs in 23⅔ innings) in his last 23 games since April 28, holding opponents to a .169 average (14-for-83) in that span. For the season, his 82.2 mph opponent exit velocity on balls in play is second-lowest in the majors behind <span>Kyle Crick</span> (79.6 mph). <span>Brandon Kintzler</span> has held opponents scoreless in his last 11⅔ innings since May 21, and has started the season with 17 straight scoreless outings (17⅔ innings) at Wrigley Field.</li>
<li id="7n74Ri">
<strong>WILLSON, HOT:</strong> <span>Willson Contreras</span> has an eight game hitting streak: .400/.438./767 (12-for-30) with two doubles, three home runs and only four strikeouts. Willson’s .388 on-base percentage leads all qualifying catchers and his .949 OPS leads N.L. catchers.</li>
<li id="iChruw">
<strong>J-HEY HEY! </strong> <span>Jason Heyward</span> is hitting .333 (29-for-87) with a .912 OPS in his last 25 games since May 28, and his 11 home runs this season are his most since he hit 13 with the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> in 2015. He’s on pace to have his most homers since he hit 27 with the Braves in 2012.</li>
</ul>
<p id="3Zcp0t">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="HAZTFQ"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="3qpZP8">
<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>Stream on <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSChicago?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCSChicago</a>: <a href="https://t.co/rGCuW1XI7C">https://t.co/rGCuW1XI7C</a> <a href="https://t.co/niDHhEHUNH">pic.twitter.com/niDHhEHUNH</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1143602397773737984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="6ZfO7W"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="60cZqA">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's how the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Braves?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Braves</a> will line up tonight in Chicago!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChopOn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChopOn</a> <a href="https://t.co/EblLo2eCAX">pic.twitter.com/EblLo2eCAX</a></p>— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1143609881204797440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<h2 id="V5jSYv">
<span>Adbert Alzolay</span>, RHP vs. <span>Max Fried</span>, LHP</h2>
<div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CT28k8qgEd5KwCWHz1iGp2J0IAA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16500158/usa_today_10738843.jpg">
<cite>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-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/OKg9YqeYkTsKSmHi9BrEF7_euvU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16500155/usa_today_12382356.jpg">
<cite>Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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</div>
<p id="ulGpT8">Adbert Alzolay had a sensational MLB debut last Thursday, throwing four shutout innings before allowing a home run to <span>Todd Frazier</span>. He mixed his pitches well and showed good velocity. Really, what more could you ask for in your first big-league game?</p>
<p id="Y7fnAi">He’s obviously never faced the Braves or anyone on their active roster. You know how this sometimes works when the Cubs face a guy like that. Hopefully it works in the Cubs’ favor tonight.</p>
<p id="tLM2WY">Max Fried retired the first 17 Cubs he faced <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL201904040.shtml">April 4 in Atlanta</a> before a single broke up his perfect-game bid.</p>
<p id="fgqt9k">I’m not going to post here who got the hit. Go click on the link and look it up. You’ll laugh.</p>
<p id="Mqw2s8">Fried’s last eight starts have not been as good: 5.85 ERA, 1.670 WHIP, five home runs in 32⅓ innings. Current Cubs, though, are 1-for-28 against him (and the one hit is not by the guy who broke up the perfect game — <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/batvspitch/_/id/32685/max-fried">again, go look it up</a>).</p>
<p id="5F1NI1">Fried has talent, but he seems to be the kind of guy the Cubs can hit, despite the previous small sample size results.</p>
<p id="DIbTfl">Today’s game is on NBC Sports Chicago Plus.</p>
<p id="cxuSIp"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2019/06/25">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_25_atlmlb_chnmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2019/CHN201906250.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.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> site <a href="http://www.talkingchop.com/">Talking Chop</a>. If you do go there to interact with Braves 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="33zDO8"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/25/18692854/chicago-cubs-atlanta-braves-preview-tuesdayAl Yellon