Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Pirates Monday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2019-07-02T10:00:00-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/196272262019-07-02T10:00:00-05:002019-07-02T10:00:00-05:002019 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 85
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<img alt="MLB: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_KvJ-WPYDsUTh2wJI5hyutN8Kz8=/966x97:3551x1820/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64659675/usa_today_12986831.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Cubs plundered by Pirates 18-5; first thoughts on trading season</p> <p id="IRiL7G">For those of you who are regular readers, you know this is usually when and where I say that everything is going to be all right. And I suspect that it will be. This team is tired and injured and not only have the wheels fallen off the bus, I think they lost an engine last night. That said, even the 2016 championship team looked like a hot mess in June. It can happen to anyone.</p>
<p id="lkQng2">That said, it’s hard right now to have any warm fuzzies. Once upon a time, the idea for this <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> organization was waves and waves of talent. So what happened? Well, there was that championship team. The Cubs traded a talented, young shortstop that season. That man, now 22 years old, has already appeared in an All-Star game. Then in the quest for a second title in 2017, the Cubs traded two more top prospects to the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>. Basically, a whole wave of talent never arrived at Wrigley Field. </p>
<p id="cVhZ6Q">Now? The Cubs lack depth. Your mileage will vary, but certainly the Cubs are good through their top four. I’m plenty happy with <span>Jason Heyward</span> and <span>Kyle Schwarber</span>. I’m fine with <span>David Bote</span> and <span>Addison Russell</span>... with my only issue with them being that they don’t complement each other really well. They are both guys who, even when they aren’t hitting, can you give you above average defense at a couple of positions. They also both hit right handed, so the same starts generally appeal to both hitters if you are going to try to optimize matchups. <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span> is a fine fourth outfielder. I don’t love him as a starter. I’d probably optimally see him play about 10 percent less, because I think he performs the best when you carefully select match-ups for his playing time. <span>Victor Caratini</span> is a good backup catcher. You want them to either hit very well or catch very well. Vic actually hits pretty well for a catcher and receives the ball well behind the plate. It’s a bit of a revolving door on the bases at times when he’s catching. A backup catcher is there to give your starter the rest he needs to be healthy at the end of the long grind. Most teams won’t play their backup catcher at all in the postseason. The 2016 Cubs were obviously a huge exception to that, actually employing three catchers who all made contributions to their playoff run. </p>
<p id="DsECjC">That’s 10 players who I’m fine with. There are some problems with diversity and makeup in that group. In Almora, Bote and Russell, all three are right handed, none of them are particularly ravaging left handed pitching, and all are probably most consistent on defense. So your depth is fairly homogeneous. The next two spots on the roster have been an abyss. At least <span>Ben Zobrist</span> when he was here was a veteran presence, who way more often than not works a good at bat. Without Ben and with the ineptitude that has been <span>Daniel Descalso</span>, this team just doesn’t have the depth to survive injuries and general wear and tear. </p>
<p id="6YZkLr">On the pitching side of things, the injuries to <span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span>, <span>Kyle Hendricks</span> and <span>Cole Hamels</span> have tested the Cubs pitching depth. There, things are a bit different. The Cubs do have a very deep group of options. But, those options are essentially back of the bullpen and sixth starter type options. At least right now. </p>
<p id="LeAt2J">All of this leads up to trading season. I have a couple of thoughts. Obviously, the team would benefit from adding another bat or two, either at second base or in center. I’d lean towards a center fielder to push Heyward to right field on a more permanent basis. But, sometimes you have to work with what is available. Every contending team benefits from adding relief arms. It could make sense to look at someone who could be another starting option in case Hamels isn’t able to come back. </p>
<p id="0KjED1">The other thoughts are these. The other front offices all have TVs, cable packages and scouts. If your idea to upgrade the team is to trade our players who are under performing for other peoples players who are performing well, that’s not really worth a lot of time commenting on. If you are going to trade someone who is under performing, you should be looking for a scenery swap with someone else’s player who is under performing. That’s really about the only time a sell low makes sense, when you are also buying on a low. I always think of the <span>Milton Bradley</span> for <span>Carlos Silva</span> trade as a template. You got rid of a guy who was a clubhouse problem and for a few months you actually got a bounce out of a pitcher who wasn’t very good anymore either. </p>
<p id="mYAdbE">My last thought is that this team is not looking even remotely like the team that steamrolled late April and through May. Of course, that team is still this team, so it’s still in there somewhere. But it is getting to the point where there is a lot more mediocre and bad than there was good. This team is clearly in contention. It clearly has a core of talented, experienced players. It clearly has a puncher’s chance. I have no problem looking to add some nominal pieces to that. I would not look to trade top prospects for rental players on a team that has somehow drifted into “not a lock” playoff positioning. The organizational talent level is just starting to rise above sea level again. If the team was dueling with the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> for best record in the league and had a cushion in the division, I’d be all in for sure. This team isn’t screaming for all-in. </p>
<p id="2Hahli">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="cT9GDH"><strong>Game 85, July 1: </strong>Cubs 5 at <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> 18 (45-40)</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=2019-07-01&team=Pirates&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=2019-07-01&team=Pirates&dh=0&season=2019">FanGraphs</a></span>
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<p id="5wnDxZ"><strong>THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="CEDJS1">
<strong>Superhero: </strong><span>Javier Baez</span> (.044). After moving out the hitting of <span>Brad Brach</span> (.060), that leaves Javy in the top spot. Javy had two hits in five at bats, including a solo homer when it was only 4-0. </li>
<li id="9gCnqe">
<strong>Hero: </strong>Kyle Schwarber (.019). Kyle had a hit and two walks in five plate appearances. June 3 to present, Kyle has 112 plate appearances and a .269/.313/.567 line (wRC+ 122). That’s not a bad line, despite Schwarber’s walk rate being way down (6.3% compared to 11.8% for the year and 13.3% for his career).</li>
<li id="FcEhuy">
<strong>Sidekick: </strong>Albert Almora Jr. (.010). Albert had one hit in three at bats before coming out of the game. </li>
</ul>
<p id="wBml21"><strong>THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="s6byfe">
<strong>Billy Goat: </strong><span>Adbert Alzolay</span> (-.425). I always wonder if a guy is tipping pitches when he gets shelled like this. He allowed 10 hits, one walk and seven runs. He did strike out three. Of course, the entire Cubs pitching staff was teed off on, they can’t have all been tipping off pitches. Suffice is to say that the Cubs should burn whatever game plan they went into last night’s game with.</li>
<li id="jPaHfT">
<strong>Goat: </strong>Brad Brach (-.092). Brad did have one of the bright spots of the night, as a hitter. But while recording four outs, he allowed four hits, a walk and three runs. Brad has thrown 35 innings across 35 games. He averages 10.54 K/9. Those are the good things. He also walks 6.43/9. His BABIP is actually really high at .391, and his strand rate is below average (70%) at 64.9%. Based on the BABIP and strand rate, one would expect some positive regression. That said, his ERA is at 5.91. His FIP is at 3.46, again suggesting some positive regression is positive. But, in an era where balls are leaving the park in droves, he has a comically low HR/FB rate of 3.7%. I’m personally ready to move on from the Brach era. Bad luck or now, it seems increasingly unlikely that he’s going to right the ship this season.</li>
<li id="tnkOix">
<strong>Kid: </strong><span>Kris Bryant</span> (-.091). Many, many words were spilled on Twitter yesterday because Bryant popped up with the bases loaded and two outs in the one meaningful inning in the whole game. As the guy writing a piece that literally focuses on how guys do in key moments, I’m keenly aware of Bryant’s struggles in those situations. I’m just going to suggest not wanting to throw out the guy does the most to try to make sure the game isn’t close in the first place. Kris had two hits and an RBI in five at bats. </li>
</ul>
<p id="22TGh6"><strong>WPA Play of the Game: </strong><span>Starling Marte</span> came to the plate with runners on first and second and no outs. Marte singled in the first run. (.122) It was increasingly downhill from there.</p>
<p id="XVQ9ua">*Cubs Play of the Game: Javy Baez’ second inning homer cut the deficit to 4-1. (.064)</p>
<p id="lX6QTV"><strong> Cumulative Standings Top/Bottom 3: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="Fgz9R6">
<span>Anthony Rizzo</span> 15</li>
<li id="gVIMks">Kris Bryant 13</li>
<li id="fXQLkE">
<span>Willson Contreras</span> 9</li>
<li id="jWcoDk">*Carl Edwards Jr. -9</li>
<li id="TrknP5">Jason Heyward -10</li>
<li id="QzVDY1">
<span>Yu Darvish</span> -12</li>
</ul>
<p id="ffblDu"><strong>Up Next: </strong>The Cubs will hope to bounce back and avoid losing for the third straight game, fourth time in five games and sixth time in eight games. <span>Kyle Hendricks</span> returns from the disabled list to take the start. Kyle is 7-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 88⅓ innings on the year. Over his last seven starts, he is 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 46 innings. Those numbers were even better before the last start when he was injured. In that one, he worked 4⅓ innings in Los Angeles against the Dodgers before leaving with shoulder discomfort. Before he left, he allowed six hits, two walks and five runs. He only struck out one and allowed two homers. </p>
<p id="1XgZth">Hendricks made three starts against the Pirates in 2018 and lost them all. He threw a total of 16 innings and allowed five runs. He hasn’t faced them though in over a year (June 10). Current Pirates have 163 plate appearances against Kyle, but the leader is the injured <span>Gregory Polanco</span> (30, 1.010). Kyle won’t miss him for sure. Starling Marte has struggled against Kyle (23, .408) and so has <span>Josh Bell</span> (20, .535). Even with Polanco’s gaudy line, the whole Pirates team only has a .637 OPS against Kyle. </p>
<p id="LgJIQE"><span>Joe Musgrove</span> gets the call for the Pirates. He is 6-7 with a 4.27 ERA in 90⅔ innings. Over his last seven starts, he is 3-3 with a 5.15 ERA in 36⅔ innings. Last time out, he had one of his best outings. In Houston, he threw six scoreless innings on the way to collecting a win. He did allow nine hits, but didn’t walk anyone. That’s quite a performance against that team. He pitched against the Cubs in April and was a tough luck loser. He allowed no earned runs in 6⅓ innings (two unearned runs). He allowed four hits, two walks and struck out six. He beat the Cubs in both starts against them last year. </p>
<p id="vHnY8Y">Musgrove, a 26-year-old right hander, has been much better against right-handed-hitters this year (.653 OPS) than left-handed (.820). He’s done worse at home (.836) than on the road (.641). Current Cubs have only 94 PA against him and they’ve struggled (.516). Anthony Rizzo has the most PA (13) and has struggled mightily (.231). Javier Baez has just one hit in 12 PA (.167). Kris Bryant (10 PA, .971 OPS) and Daniel Descalso (8, 1.071) are two guys who have had some success. Willson Contreras has two hits and a walk in six plate appearances. </p>
<p id="2APKiX">This looks like a very low scoring affair on paper. Hopefully, the Cubs can find a way to win behind Hendricks. </p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/2/20678733/2019-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-85Thomas Smith2019-07-02T08:00:00-05:002019-07-02T08:00:00-05:00Pirates 18, Cubs 5: DON’T PANIC!
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<figcaption>There is nothing that sums up this ridiculous game better than a photo of Brad Brach hitting an RBI single, his first big-league hit | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>I watched this game so you didn’t have to.</p> <p id="6Mw3nc"><a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2019_07_01_chnmlb_pitmlb_1">The Cubs’ 18-5 loss to the Pirates</a> was their worst of the year so far, most runs allowed, worst run differential, so I decided to look through club history and see when was the last time the Cubs had a game as bad as this one.</p>
<p id="stZvNo">Turns out it was less than a year ago, and by the same score: <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/7/20/17597068/cubs-cardinals-recap-tommy-la-stella-ian-happ-mlb-scores">an 18-5 loss to the Cardinals</a>, July 20, 2018 at Wrigley Field.</p>
<p id="U6vtvR">And there’s really no better way to sum this one up than the way I led that recap, so I’m reposting it here:</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="G31uNM"><a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/o'doule01.shtml">Lefty O’Doul</a> was a major-league outfielder for 11 seasons, in the 1920s and 1930s. After that he went on to a long career managing in the Pacific Coast League, then an important minor league with a degree of independence from the big leagues.</p>
<p id="9y8qNK">In 1956, at age 59, with roster rules much more casual than they are now, he put himself into a game as a pinch-hitter, and promptly boomed a triple over the heads of the outfielders. <a href="https://thetyee.ca/Sports/2004/09/30/IchiroAndLeftyODoul/">As to how he did that, he said<strong>:</strong></a></p>
<p id="3uXUAm"><em>“A triple. Fifty-nine years old. How about that?” O’Doul later enthused to baseball historian Lawrence Ritter. “Right there — 40 years too late — I learned the secret of successful hitting. It consists of two things. The first is clean living, and the second is to bat against a pitcher who’s laughing so hard that he can hardly throw the ball.”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p id="MDPK0M">That’s really all you can do about this one, laugh. I mean, I could tell you how bad <span>Adbert Alzolay</span> was, but that probably doesn’t reflect his actual abilities. <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-cubs-daniel-descalso-20190702-xsbsbgzblfd37mxbklsba4fj2e-story.html">Tipping his pitches, maybe?</a> Or I could tell you how a fly ball hit by <span>Kyle Schwarber</span> with two out in the fourth inning nearly tied the game, only it landed foul, and not by much. Schwarber eventually walked, but the Cubs scored no more runs in that inning and left it trailing 7-4, and it was all downhill from there.</p>
<p id="x2teLT">Here, you can look at <span>Brad Brach</span>’s <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-07/01/885cc918-9dd825d0-5dc665a8-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">first MLB hit [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
<div id="xdySkf"><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/2019/2019-07/01/885cc918-9dd825d0-5dc665a8-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
<p id="bMj9Tu"></p>
<p id="X2JsWm">He drove in a run with that hit, too, which is only two fewer runs than he allowed with his pitching.</p>
<p id="EyofVf">It just got silly after that. Every time I looked, another Pirate was crossing the plate. <span>Josh Bell</span> of the Pirates hit three home runs. It was the first three-homer game against the Cubs since <span>Matt Carpenter</span> of the Cardinals did it... in that 18-5 game last year. It was the 30th three-homer game against the Cubs in franchise history. If you care, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/8vkeQ">here’s the entire list</a>.</p>
<p id="SibuaZ">The Cubs pitcher who gave up the fewest runs in this game (“only” two) was... <span>Daniel Descalso</span>, which should tell you all you need to know about it. Oh, heck, here’s more on Descalso pitching:</p>
<div id="E35OlZ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the 16th position player pitcher appearance for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> under Joe Maddon.<br><br>4 Victor Caratini<br>2 Miguel Montero<br>2 David Ross<br>1 Anthony Rizzo<br>1 Ian Happ<br>1 Tommy La Stella<br>1 Chris Gimenez<br>1 Leonys Martín<br>1 Jon Jay<br>1 Chris Denorfia<br>1 Daniel Descalso (tonight)</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1145871886833741825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="Apt8bg">Who’s the next Cub position player you’d like to see pitch? Schwarber? <span>Willson Contreras</span>? Those would certainly amuse. Here’s even more:</p>
<div id="dLTq15">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> position player pitchers since 1970:<br>24 games, 7.99 ERA, 23.2 IP, 32 Hits, 9 Walks, 7 Strikeouts, 10 HR</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1145883387070169088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="p5wNO5">No, I don’t know how that compares to other teams, but it’s about what you’d probably expect. Actually, it would be a lot worse if you didn’t include the four appearances and five scoreless innings thrown by <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dascedo01.shtml">Doug Dascenzo</a> in 1990 and 1991. Take those out and the ERA jumps to 10.13. Fun times!</p>
<p id="xaTCKx">Anyway, <span>Craig Kimbrel</span> then came in to throw the eighth inning. This was a good idea on its face; Kimbrel last threw on Thursday and likely needed the work. But you know how things often go when closers come into games with a lopsided lead, or a lopsided deficit, and this game was no exception. Kimbrel allowed a double and two homers and came out of the game with a 13.50 ERA, which also doesn’t show his true ability. He struck out two, and threw 12 strikes in 19 pitches, which is good but now you’ve got to wonder about his availability for Tuesday’s game.</p>
<p id="8O7xzP">Oh, I almost forgot. <span>Javier Baez</span> <a href="https://cuts.diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2019/2019-07/01/30b79c79-ab7a076b-46307e6b-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">hit his 21st early in this game [VIDEO]</a>, when the score was “only” 4-0 Pirates.</p>
<div id="AcgPSo"><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/2019/2019-07/01/30b79c79-ab7a076b-46307e6b-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4" type="video/mp4"></source></video></div></div>
<p id="jgsA8b"></p>
<p id="AdZgem">So, yay?</p>
<p id="vg9Tmz">The <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> defeated the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> 8-6 Monday, so the Cubs fell a game out of first place. I’m not concerned, as there are still 77 games remaining, but they are going to have to, <em><strong>have to</strong></em>, play better in road games. Since May 28 the Cubs are 4-13 away from Wrigley Field and that’s not going to cut it for a team aiming for the postseason.</p>
<p id="SpbgvQ">I do have a fun announcement for you. This recap is posting at 8 a.m. CT. One hour from now, Cubs TV play-by-play announcer Len Kasper is going to stop by to answer your questions and help talk you off the ledge you might be on after Monday’s loss. He’ll stick around for an hour or so in a separate post that will go up at 9 a.m. CT for your questions and Len’s answers. Please be respectful, as Len is being generous of his time for all of us.</p>
<p id="KglkOI">The Cubs will try to even up the series Tuesday evening. <span>Kyle Hendricks</span> is expected to be activated from the injured list to start. I’d expect <span>Rowan Wick</span>, who appeared in his second straight game Monday, to head back to Iowa, or perhaps Alzolay will be sent back so he can pitch in the Futures Game and then get more work in the Triple-A rotation. <span>Joe Musgrove</span> will get the call for the Pirates. Game time again is 6:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will again be via NBC Sports Chicago.</p>
<p id="Wk3bZH">And again, remember:</p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/2/20678435/cubs-pirates-recap-adbert-alzolay-javier-baez-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2019-07-01T20:50:00-05:002019-07-01T20:50:00-05:00Overflow thread 3: Cubs vs. Pirates, Monday 7/1, 6:05 CT
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Oj_dm8FGjqFRuLAQ_Q8fNpf977M=/0x0:3006x2004/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64657649/1159273391.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="gaIDnJ">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/1/19856027/overflow-thread-3-cubs-vs-pirates-monday-7-1-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-07-01T20:05:00-05:002019-07-01T20:05:00-05:00Overflow thread 2: Cubs vs. Pirates, Monday 7/1, 6:05 CT
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IKTqzJs_oSYcZ7c7JQz8KI_ecBY=/167x397:2722x2100/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64657514/1159273407.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="gaIDnJ">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/1/19855810/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-pirates-monday-7-1-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-07-01T19:05:00-05:002019-07-01T19:05:00-05:00Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Pirates, Monday 7/1, 6:05 CT
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<figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="gaIDnJ">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/1/19855488/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-pirates-monday-7-1-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-07-01T18:00:00-05:002019-07-01T18:00:00-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Pirates, Monday 7/1, 6:05 CT
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tbVonwf8e7RYmRzyTFPWsL7Ppbg=/0x101:2940x2061/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64657050/1158683770.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="gaIDnJ">Go get ‘em, Adbert.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/1/19854696/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-pirates-monday-7-1-6-05-ctAl Yellon2019-07-01T16:00:00-05:002019-07-01T16:00:00-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates preview, Monday 7/1, 6:05 CT
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wldiWO6hMOIULDdgmRrTSp6Gw9w=/0x256:3504x2592/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64656410/1159273423.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>This has the feel of an important series.</p> <p id="nun8qU">No roster moves today, at least not at posting time. So, onward with notes for a new month:</p>
<ul>
<li id="G8LtMA">
<strong>JAVY! JAVY! JAVY!</strong> On Saturday, <span>Javier Baez</span> hit his 20th home run of the season, reaching the milestone prior to the All-Star Break for the first time in his career. Baez is the sixth player (and first middle infielder) in club history to reach 20 homers, 20 doubles and 50 RBI by the All-Star Break. The others: Billy Williams (1972), <span>Sammy Sosa</span> (2000 and 2001), <span>Derrek Lee</span> (2005), <span>Kris Bryant</span> (2016) and <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> (2016). </li>
<li id="ZtGUdT">
<strong>COMEDY CENTRAL:</strong> The N.L. Central has reached July 1 with all five teams separated by just 5½ games. The 2019 N.L. Central is the first division to enter July separated by 5½ games or less since the 2013 N.L. West was separated by four games on this date. For the N.L. Central, it’s the first time the division has reached July 1 with all five teams separated by 5½ games or fewer since 1996 when the five clubs were separated by five games.</li>
<li id="grMeSw">
<strong>HEY-HEY FOR HEYWARD:</strong> <span>Jason Heyward</span> homered in each of the first three games on the current road trip. He is hitting .330/.388/.594 (35-for-106, 982 OPS) in his last 31 games since May 28, and his full season OPS of .834 would be his best since his rookie year of 2010. And, his 14 home runs this season are already his most in a season as a Cub and most overall since hitting 14 homers with Atlanta in 2013. His current OPS+ is 114 and wRC+ is 116.</li>
<li id="j6XlaY">
<strong>KEEPING SCORE:</strong> The Cubs have +64 run differential this year, second-best in the N.L. behind the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> at +128. And, the Cubs are averaging 5.07 runs per game this season, fifth in the N.L. behind the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> (5.65), <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> (5.42), Dodgers (5.34) and <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> (5.10).</li>
</ul>
<p id="4OnPql">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="HAZTFQ"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="m3M4ds">
<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> lineup in Pittsburgh.<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/JKD20ufDjh">pic.twitter.com/JKD20ufDjh</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1145763250933510144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="6ZfO7W"><a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="iPLVzt">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's our lineup, presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/Honda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Honda</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoBucs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoBucs</a> <a href="https://t.co/swUjiRGtkG">pic.twitter.com/swUjiRGtkG</a></p>— Pirates (@Pirates) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pirates/status/1145770997443899392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 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>Trevor Williams</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/LYz2URoafmukWrLRvAXGxDbG4QY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16684825/usa_today_12954178.jpg">
<cite>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/InopFmIJRz6hZc49wD2noI8IkV0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16684826/usa_today_12382289.jpg">
<cite>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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</div>
<p id="Q4Xpvd">Adbert Alzolay has thrown 8⅔ major-league innings and allowed only two hits. That’s good! Both of those hits are home runs. That’s not good. Both of the hits are solo homers. That’s not too bad. His WHIP is 0.923, which is good... but it’s only that high because he’s walked six.</p>
<p id="SbAFND">Seriously, I have no idea what to expect from Alzolay in this start. He threw 55 pitches in the four-inning relief outing in his MLB debut. That’s good! But then he threw 87 pitches in the 4⅔-inning start, which is not optimal. He did manage to keep a pretty good Braves team off balance.</p>
<p id="4MMkHs">This will be his first MLB outing outside of Wrigley Field, for whatever that’s worth.</p>
<p id="NKTzkW">I figure one of these is needed here, so here it is: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p>
<p id="ahMdNV">Trevor Williams missed a month with what was described as a “right-side strain.” He has made two starts since his return and the results have not been good: 8.49 ERA, 1.457 WHIP, four home runs in 11⅔ innings, and that against two teams not known for offensive prowess (<a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> and <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a>). On the other hand, he hasn’t walked anyone in those innings.</p>
<p id="Eb87Qa">Williams did not face the Cubs in the series at Wrigley Field earlier this year. Last year against the Cubs he posted a 2.50 ERA and 1.222 WHIP in three starts covering 18 innings. Current Cubs are hitting .236 (21-for-89) against Williams with three home runs, two of those by <span>Kyle Schwarber</span> (5-for-15).</p>
<p id="DIbTfl">Today’s game is on NBC Sports Chicago. It’s also on ESPN (outside the Cubs and Pirates market territories). ESPN announcers: Dave Flemming, Eduardo Perez and Tim Kurkjian.</p>
<p id="cxuSIp"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2019/07/01">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_07_01_chnmlb_pitmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2019/PIT201907010.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.bucsdugout.com/">Pirates</a> site <a href="http://www.bucsdugout.com/">Bucs Dugout</a>. If you do go there to interact with Pirates 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="NQvS0n"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/7/1/19161263/chicago-cubs-pittsburgh-pirates-preview-mondayAl Yellon