Schwarber Better Faster Stronger: Chicago Cubs 2017

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jake-arrieta-has-not-been-good/

schwarb just made a very nice diving catch

another player might have been camped out underneath it, but still

no outs
two runs already in
men on first and second
guy on the mound (making his first major league appearance) has just allowed four straight hits
your pitcher is up next
javier baez pops up a bunt attempt

I'm guessing that was Baez's decision, not Maddon's. It was a dumb move but it was really cold and rainy today so maybe he thought it would be easier to bunt for a hit? He can be so slick but sometimes he tries to be too slick.

i'm sure it was baez's choice, but perhaps maddon should tell certain players not to bunt without his permission

beat the giants in 2 hrs 5 minutes

jon lester complete game in 99 pitches

panic?

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/6/1/15724724/chicago-cubs-panic-standings-panic

keep panicking cubs, because i'm going to your stadium today.

the only Cubs players that i'm positive will continue to be great going forward are Kris Bryant (obv) and to a lesser extent Anthony Rizzo. I'm mostly optimistic on Russell, Baez is a solid guy to have for a number of reasons, I'm not sure on Contreras, love Schwarber but I'm worried he's our Kevin Maas. i don't trust that a single one of the current starting pitchers will be worth a damn in 2-3 seasons. I think the core is still great and has a great future, but I think they'll need to cut bait with a lot of the vets much sooner than anticipated, and with some of the young players too. But it could go all the other way, too, this could just be a bunch of slumps and growing pains happening at once or a post-championship hangover of sorts. idk.

heyward should be fine too, he's still a stud on defense and has been hitting better lately

I'm not panicking; they've been playing like crap but I don't really see anyone else in the division taking an insurmountable lead before the Cubs have time to figure things out. I worry most about the pitching bc I don't see any of the current line up suddenly getting a lot better

I don't really see anyone else in the division taking an insurmountable lead

this is the only thing that's let them avoid making a very difficult decision about whether or not to send schwarber down

Schwarber is now down to .163 with 60 k's in 176 at bats two months in to the season, they have to be a few days from hitting the reset and sending him down to get fixed.

lester picked a runner off at first base!

ycpb

You Can Put it on the Board (?)

https://twitter.com/cantpredictball

Dexter Fowler definitely exploiting some goofy Cubs base running tonight.

Zobrist currently in an 0-21 slump.

...promptly broken.

I don't want to get all mushy but Heyward driving low screamers through the right-center gap brings tears to my eyes.

not playing very inspiring baseball rn and the addison russell news is not helping

what a whiny fuck Lackey is.

Cubs v good at hitting into DPs vs deGrom.

rizzo batting leadoff seems to be working ok

hate hate hate

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/6/20/15838430/cubs-anthony-rizzo-slide-joe-maddon-defense-villainy-meter

uh huh

i do think it's interesting that maddon has this rep as the light-hearted mad scientist manager but he tends to defend these old-school baseball practices pretty frequently (e.g. when happ got called out for his slide into second a month or so ago)

yeah. obviously it's his job to protect his players, but he's kind of a dick about it

presumably rizzo would have been called out had hedges dropped the ball, but it seems like there should have been at least a token suspension -- rizzo crossed back into fair territory to hit him

schwarber getting sent down apparently

candelario called up, at least for a bit. starting a team with an average age of 24 tonight.

that's insane. youngest starting lineup ever?

Bit of a playoff feel in tonight's Nats game with it being so close and both sides pulling out the guns in the bullpen.

Great game tonight, terrific play by Baez just now.

Baez pretty much stole that second run on his own in last inning too. Definitely earned some grit points.

The french commentators lost their shit at the Baez play, the whole thing was spectacular.

geez, this game

Wow...that was a tense 9th inning. Heck of a game.

it's the 6th inning and the Nationals have stolen 7 bases vs the Cubs (4 by Turner, 2 by Taylor, 1 by Rendon)

all vs. Arrieta/Montero

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19754861/cubs-c-miguel-montero-calls-jake-arrieta-nats-7-stolen-bases

oh cool we've reached the in-fighting stage of the unexpectedly mediocre season

Rizzo on Miggy's comments:

"When you point fingers you're a selfish player. We have another catcher that throws everyone out."

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7TKAwfiJfUW85bKo/giphy.gif

montero dfa'd lol

Pop time on Miguel Montero DFA, 12.6 hours

— Daren Willman (@darenw) June 28, 2017

oof

well, i will never say anything against Miggy, that grand slam in game 1 of the NLCS and that RBI single vs Cleveland in game 7 was worth all this BS.

ugh
montero seemed a little "outspoken" but yeah he was a decent hitter for a back-up catcher
does this mean that they're going to bring schwarber back up to catch?

cubs are bringing up victor caratini

#WeAreGood
Miguel Montero

— Miguel Montero (@miggymont26) June 28, 2017

cubs are bringing up victor caratini

says a lot about Schwarber as a catcher.

I wonder if Montero found out about the dfa before or after the White House trip, and if he went.