Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Nationals Friday 7/30 game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2021-07-31T12:00:00-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/223657052021-07-31T12:00:00-05:002021-07-31T12:00:00-05:002021 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 105
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FE2D2GhaqKLnSmQkgo72qGE08xA=/585x84:2269x1207/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69661011/1331548076.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cubs lose 4-3 on another emotional day</p> <p id="gPp7m2">When last I wrote, I said that we were due for another wild day. The day exceeded my expectations by as much as half. I’d be surprised if a new record wasn’t set for both number of deals and number of players moved. The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> were not the only team that appeared to be trying to trade away everyone that wasn’t signed to a long term deal. The Cubs traded nine players from their active roster. That by itself is more than one third of a team. If we throw in the two players traded before the season (fuzzy math since some of the players didn’t co-exist as teammates), that was 11 players traded since the end of last season. That’s a massive turnover. And it doesn’t even get into the number of guys who were allowed to leave after last season via free agency. </p>
<p id="Y2zOzh">I saw it said elsewhere and I think it was so perfect that I’m going to steal it and write it here. People are going through all different kinds of things. Some are sad, some angry, some nostalgic, some are just ready to move on. I’m a bit of all of those things, but if you’ve been following me you know that I’m mostly ready to move on. To me, if we are honest with ourselves, we’ve known in some way that this was coming since 2017. We hoped it would be different, but this team competed a little less each year. The core players were not open to the deals that the management group were offering and so the tea leaves were always telling us that they were going to break up the band at some point. </p>
<p id="drqouM">Some of my favorite memories of this last group of Cubs weren’t in 2016 or even 2015. It was earlier than that. I saw Kyle Schwarber play in Kane County. I saw Kris Bryant at Iowa. I followed the minor leagues every single day. I think I drove our Josh Timmers and Tim Huwe up the proverbial wall asking them questions and trying to understand how the tapestry that is the minor league system works. But I learned to spend more time following the minor leagues than I did the big league team. They weren’t winning and year after year, different levels of the organization were winning championships. This organization was learning to win. In some ways, I look forward to dialing back into what Josh has to write. To reading Tim’s pieces on player development and scouting. To scouring the internet where fine writers like Bryan Smith write for Bleacher Nation, to name one of several who work the minor league beat well. To reading what Arizona Phil sees on the back diamonds in games that don’t get box scores, much less televised. </p>
<p id="d9kIW9">By most accounts, the talent level had already been rising in the Cubs system. I saw that said this year despite two very highly thought of prospects in Brailyn Marquez and Miguel Amaya more or less losing the better part of their season to injuries. Some of that increase in the talent level came from the four young men acquired in the Yu Darvish trade. At least a couple of which have made a real impact in a short time. These trades today significantly added to the upside of this organization in the long run. Of course, it gutted the on field product in the short term. </p>
<p id="9xJGlk">I had to literally laugh out loud as I was preparing for writing this piece. I keep a spreadsheet on which I track the cumulative standings for Heroes and Goats as well as some information about the top and bottom WPA total game scores for the year. To help myself eyeball updating the sheet, I highlight a row when a player is either out for the season via injury or out of the organization. At any given time, there might be as many as a half dozen guys highlighted by the end of the year. The sheer number of guys highlighted in the last couple of days is staggering. </p>
<p id="Nxxo8m">I told you yesterday that I was officially naming the season-long winner as the winner of the Rizzo. I’m telling you now that an interesting competition has arisen. Kris Bryant is the leader in the clubhouse. He’ll be frozen at +26. Craig Kimbrel will be locked in six back of him. Those two were first and second to date. Ryan Tepera and Jake Marisnick were sitting seventh and eighth respectively. Joc Pederson, Javier Baez, Andrew Chafin and even Pedro Strop way down at +1 were all in the top 20 for the season to date. Even Nico Hoerner, who sits in fourth place, is injured. And Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele, who are ninth and tenth, are presently in the minors. This is a crazy year. </p>
<p id="8VEx0k">Of course, all of this is unprecedented. This series was started in 2015. It has never been run on a sub .-500 team. With so much of the top talent traded away, this team is very likely going to continue to be a sub-.500 team. This is all uncharted territory. </p>
<p id="4480np">The Cubs gave it the old college try on Friday night. They faced another team that had been gutted by trades. They had to recall a half dozen players from the injured list and the Iowa Cubs just to fill out a team for the game. Some of those guys appeared in the game. A couple of them making their major league debut. Alas, the result was very much the same as they lost 4-3, dropping to five games under .500 for the first time this year. </p>
<p id="Kfqw02">Let’s take a look at the numbers where we’ll see there was a couple of decent performances and a couple of really ineffective ones. As you’ll recall, the Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA (Win Probability Added) 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. And now, let’s get to the results.</p>
<p id="zKDaL6"><strong>Game 105, July 30: </strong>Nationals 4, Cubs 3 (50-55)</p>
<div id="nxTfXL">
<iframe src="https://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2021-07-30&team=Nationals&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/livewins.aspx?date=2021-07-30&team=Nationals&dh=0&season=2021">FanGraphs</a></span>
</div>
<p id="h381KI"><strong>THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="s90W9f">
<strong>Superhero: </strong>Patrick Wisdom (.101). 1-3, BB, 2RBI</li>
<li id="v7mIoj">
<strong>Hero: </strong>Sergio Alcantara (.088). 2-4, 2B, R</li>
<li id="2u0kd9">
<strong>Sidekick: </strong>Rafael Ortega (.053). 2-4, 2B, RBI, R, 2K</li>
</ul>
<p id="Oqmdjp"><strong>THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="CSlheM">
<strong>Billy Goat: </strong>Matt Duffy (-.316). 0-4, K, DP</li>
<li id="m2rTPJ">
<strong>Goat: </strong>David Bote (-.169). 0-4, K</li>
<li id="fdxt1c">
<strong>Kid: </strong>Ian Happ (-.088). 1-4</li>
</ul>
<p id="uorEO4"><strong>WPA Play of the Game: </strong>Matt Duffy batted with a runner on first and no outs, the Cubs down by one in the ninth inning. He grounded into a double play. (.244)</p>
<p id="6RLyOt">*Cubs Play of the Game: Patrick Wisdom batted with runners on second and third in the eighth inning with the Cubs trailing by three. He singled, driving in two runs and cutting the lead to one (where it would stay). (.133)</p>
<div id="D8WSjX"><div data-anthem-component="poll:10678826"></div></div>
<p id="DH3CYi"><strong>Heroes and Goats Cumulative Standings: </strong>(Top 4/Bottom 4)</p>
<ul>
<li id="nkinNW">Kris Bryant +26</li>
<li id="r0ZDGI">Craig Kimbrel +20</li>
<li id="QPK0pB">Patrick Wisdom +14</li>
<li id="rvw0Gi">Nico Hoerner +12</li>
<li id="WxeXEX">PJ Higgins -9.5</li>
<li id="154BSu">Rex Brothers -10.5</li>
<li id="f1vsVd">Jake Arrieta -14</li>
<li id="eeRj4o">Ian Happ -17</li>
</ul>
<p id="7DSL0t"><strong>Up Next: </strong>Kyle Hendricks should be next up to start for the Cubs. Kyle is somehow 12-4 on this team. He has a 3.85 ERA. It appears that he may be opposed by Joe Ross who is 5-8 with a 3.80 ERA, though the Nats have not officially announced this.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/7/31/22602994/2021-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-105Thomas Smith2021-07-31T08:00:00-05:002021-07-31T08:00:00-05:00Nationals 4, Cubs 3: Who are these guys?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wdU8wWa7x6l-h_w8KAiRBFWFxZU=/0x202:2678x1987/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69660329/1331546944.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A very different Cubs team took the field in Washington Friday night.</p> <p id="8r4v1L">Before you begin reading this recap of <a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-nationals/2021/07/30/633094#game_state=final,game_tab=box,game=633094">the Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the Nationals</a> Friday night, know that this article is absolutely, positively not about any of the events that went down for our favorite baseball team in the trade market Friday. I’ll have plenty more to say about that later; for now, this is simply a story about one Chicago Cubs baseball game.</p>
<p id="mrxoEV">With all the trades, major roster moves were made, including the somewhat-surprising reactivation of Jake Arrieta from the injured list. Arrieta had last pitched July 6 before going on the IL with hamstring issues that had supposedly been bothering him since May. He didn’t go on a rehab assignment and was clearly on a pitch limit.</p>
<p id="JpuuhU">He didn’t pitch too badly, two runs in four innings, including a long home run served up to Luis Garcia. Now... I had to look up who that guy is, and in so doing I found out there are three active players with that name. This one is from the Nats farm system and is the son of ... someone else named <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/garcilu01.shtml">Luis Garcia</a> who briefly pitched for the Tigers in 1999.</p>
<p id="TX7Rc4">So there’s your Garcia Report.</p>
<p id="pCVjf7">The Cubs got on the board in the third inning. Sergio Alcántara led off with a double and one out later, <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-07/30/1dbb87ea-79dfd25a-770f3cd3-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Rafael Ortega doubled him in [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
<div id="eSU16L">
<div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com%2FFORGE%2F2021%2F2021-07%2F30%2F1dbb87ea-79dfd25a-770f3cd3-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4&key=9ef4a209439e42bc59783ba959d50197" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>
<script async="" src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="sQpFgJ"></p>
<p id="I5bZhN">The Nats plated one run in the fifth and another in the sixth. The first was off Adam Morgan, and I repeat: Do we really need more Adam Morgan? I’d like to see someone like Ben Leeper in the Cubs bullpen. Adam Morgan is not part of this team’s future.</p>
<p id="lHPKDL">The other run was off Michael Rucker, who was making his MLB debut. Rucker was the Cubs’ 11th-round pick out of BYU in 2016, was lost to the Orioles in the 2019 Rule 5 draft, then returned to the Cubs just about the time everything shut down last year. I thought he threw reasonably well, at times touching 97 miles per hour.</p>
<p id="n1t2SD">The Cubs made the game close in the eighth. With one out, Ortega singled and Willson Contreras doubled him to third. After the second out was recorded, <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-07/30/552053d8-7ebdfba2-c0b0f06d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Patrick Wisdom singled them both in [VIDEO]</a>.</p>
<div id="gPm6hE">
<div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com%2FFORGE%2F2021%2F2021-07%2F30%2F552053d8-7ebdfba2-c0b0f06d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4&key=9ef4a209439e42bc59783ba959d50197" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>
<script async="" src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="v3DraB"></p>
<p id="Jwu0p4">Manuel Rodriguez then entered to throw the bottom of the eighth for the Cubs, also making his MLB debut. I can see why the Cubs protected him on their 40-man roster for more than two years. He’s got electric stuff. A couple of times, he touched 100 miles per hour. <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2021/2021-07/30/da75191a-157f12fd-99d2f5c6-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4">Here, he strikes out Gerardo Parra on a fastball at 99 [VIDEO].</a></p>
<div id="9ndxsU">
<div><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com%2FFORGE%2F2021%2F2021-07%2F30%2Fda75191a-157f12fd-99d2f5c6-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4&key=9ef4a209439e42bc59783ba959d50197" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>
<script async="" src="https://cdn.iframe.ly/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="oWxfcT"></p>
<p id="Aiwxgk">Yeah, that stuff will play, for sure. Rodriguez turns 25 next week and if you want to see someone who will be a key part of next year’s Cubs bullpen, watch him pitch. I was impressed.</p>
<p id="jQf5KD">The Cubs could not score in the ninth despite a leadoff single by Jason Heyward and so this just went down as another depressing one-run loss. The Cubs are now 15-19 in one-run games in 2021.</p>
<p id="1cfipH">As noted above, I’ll have more to say about the deals made and the changes coming to Cubs baseball later this morning. In the meantime, there will be another Chicago Cubs game tonight. Kyle Hendricks will be the Cubs starter and at the time of this recap posting, the Nationals did not have a starting pitcher listed. Game time is again 6:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/7/31/22603214/cubs-nationals-recap-rafael-ortega-manny-rodriguez-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2021-07-30T19:35:00-05:002021-07-30T19:35:00-05:00Overflow thread: Cubs vs. Nationals, Friday 7/30, 6:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RU4iLQhbjQHFzuJufInWznZjVXg=/0x511:3093x2573/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69659359/usa_today_16476075.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="vVEZd1">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/7/30/22601662/overflow-thread-cubs-vs-nationals-friday-7-30-6-05-ctAl Yellon2021-07-30T18:00:01-05:002021-07-30T18:00:01-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Nationals, Friday 7/30, 6:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l2PgpBW4BsvBsZzKMTa_YrR91FM=/660x192:4014x2428/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69659107/usa_today_16451899.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="vVEZd1">Go get ‘em, Trevor.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/7/30/22601656/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-nationals-friday-7-30-6-05-ctAl Yellon2021-07-30T16:30:00-05:002021-07-30T16:30:00-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals preview, Friday 7/30, 6:05 CT
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E8I8aQZCE3b9uyrn8d4cHsMU9u0=/0x130:3882x2718/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69658626/usa_today_16476071.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Here’s a player who was in yesterday’s Cubs game who is still on the team | Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A new era in Cubs baseball begins.</p> <p id="RdHxK4">The trade deadline has passed and Cubs baseball games continue. Here is a preview of one of them!</p>
<p id="Pc0Qoq">This is going to be probably the weirdest game preview I’ve ever written. Earlier this afternoon, the Cubs traded the scheduled starting pitcher for tonight’s game, Trevor Williams, to the Mets in <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/7/30/22602380/cubs-trade-javier-baez-mets">the Javier Báez deal</a>. </p>
<p id="9UsTM6">As of the time of this post they hadn’t announced a replacement starter. The Nationals, who also made a whole bunch of deadline deals, had a late announcement of their starting pitcher:</p>
<div id="bTJtWF">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Paolo Espino will start tonight, a late change. Sounds like it would've been Jon Lester.</p>— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkZuckerman/status/1421216244162777092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="75eU9y">All I’ve got on Espino relevant to the Cubs is that he threw an inning of relief against the Cubs <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN202105170.shtml">May 17 at Wrigley Field</a> and allowed a run on an RBI single by Jason Heyward.</p>
<p id="x9gg3v">There aren’t any lineups either at this point, so please check <a href="http://www.twitter.com/bleedcubbieblue">the BCB Twitter feed</a> for lineups later on. </p>
<p id="psPal9">Here are the rest of today’s particulars, such as they are.</p>
<p id="1Eaqrg">Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. <a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/providers/">Here’s a list of providers currently carrying Marquee<strong>.</strong></a> The game is also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Nationals market territories).</p>
<p id="6w2xna"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2021/07/30">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=2021_07_30_chnmlb_wasmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2021/WAS202107300.shtml">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p id="7oSHCm">Please visit our SB Nation Nationals site <a href="http://www.federalbaseball.com/">Federal Baseball</a>. If you do go there to interact with Nationals 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="mRtOMf">The 2021 Game Thread procedure will be a bit different than previous years. It will be similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.</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, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.</p>
<p id="F5ehVY">You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread 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>). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.</p>
<p id="pjBR1E">The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.</p>
<p id="cWIBoH">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
<p id="XwbQDp"></p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/7/30/22601639/chicago-cubs-washington-nationals-preview-fridayAl Yellon