Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

[meyer23]

Damn, Rizzo is a bad man.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

My goodness....Rizzo with another one

 

[sportsjunkie]

RIZZO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[arstyle27]

Lester was great tonight. We just blew it open in the 9th. Baez hit his first HR, Rizzo, Bryant, J. Hey, and Zobrist are getting hot. Jesus christ....theres gonna be a time when everyone is hot and itll be absurd .

 

[CP1708]

This offense is relentless. 8-1 now.

Baez

 

[CP1708]

13-4

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Reds are teeing off on us.
Guess these last 2 embarrassing home losses got to them.

 

[CP1708]

Yeah, this one was rough. Started out alright, up 3-2, then a complete collapse.

Need Hammel to pitch well tomorrow, take 3 of 4.

 

[arstyle27]

Everything was fine...then....boom. got blowed out

 

[CP1708]

Well, so far the Cubs are responding to that loss.

La Stella double off the wall
Heyward base hit up the middle
Bryant flies out to the wall (AGAIN)
Rizzo home run.

3-0 after 13 pitches.

Hammel just needs to make it hold up.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Rizzo back at it again

7 HR, 19 RBI's

Great start to the season.

 

[arstyle27]

Make that 8 for the Rizzonator!

 

[CP1708]

8-0 thru 3 innings.

With Fowler, Zobrist, Baez on the bench too.

 

[CP1708]

W. 9-0

14-5

16 of the next 19 games at Wrigley, as weather starts to warm up.
Next 6 vs Brewers/Braves

Keep grinding.

 

[sportsjunkie]

W. 9-0

14-5

16 of the next 19 games at Wrigley, as weather starts to warm up.
Next 6 vs Brewers/Braves

Keep grinding.

I hope we sweep the braves and the Brewers.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Got off to a slow start but Addison's triple got us a nice 2 run lead. Lets hope it holds.

 

[CVO_RN95]

Baez with that nice move. Let's bring him home.

 

[CP1708]

W.

15-5

Arrieta/Lester the next two nights. Then 3 against a terrible Atlanta team. Don't let up. Push the pedal even further and really start this season right.

 

[sportsjunkie]

Adam Warren looked good last night. a nice middle reliever.

We should Sweep the Brewers. especially since Arrieta and Lester on the mound the next 2 games.

 

[CP1708]

Miguel Montero to the DL with a sore back.

 

[sportsjunkie]

We jumped out on The Brewers quick. 5-0 lead. Arrieta struggled in the beginning, and now looks like we in cruse control now.

 

[CP1708]

CHICAGO -- Cubs president Theo Epstein came to the defense of Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta on Thursday regarding "accusations" of potential performance-enhancing drug use.

"I saw the clip of essentially an accusation on the ESPN morning show [First Take]," Epstein told the Kap & Co. Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. "I found it to be completely reckless. It's someone who has never met Jake, as far as I know, has never been in our clubhouse. I don't know if he's ever watched him pitch. [He] would make that type of accusation without talking to anyone who knows Jake and anyone who understands his work ethic and changes that he's made."

Epstein spoke publicly on the matter for the first time, calling it his "job" to defend his star pitcher. The controversy began after Arrieta mentioned that other "star" players in the league had questioned whether he was cheating. Arrieta said he laughed off those whispers, but a First Take segment Wednesday included commentary indicating that it was no laughing matter.

"This is not someone who used to throw 88 mph and all of sudden is throwing 95 mph," Epstein continued. "Jake's stuff is essentially exactly the same as it was when he was in Baltimore and struggling. He's tweaked his delivery, added a lot of deception, added a lot of life and commands the baseball, which he couldn't do previously. And then this TV personality started to question Jake's endurance, which is directly tied to Jake's workout regime, which is the most aggressive in baseball."

First Take revisited the topic on Thursday's show, prior to Epstein's comments. During the Thursday segment, co-commentator Stephen A. Smith said: "I was just saying it's not a laughing matter when we're talking about the history of baseball. I wasn't convicting him of anything because I don't know. I barely get to see him all the time." Smith also addressed a statistical discrepancy made during the original segment: "By the way, I made an error yesterday when I was talking about when he got traded. ... I apologize."

Since being traded to the Cubs in 2013, Arrieta has re-adjusted his delivery where it now resembles how he threw when he first was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. He also discovered Pilates, which has changed his conditioning program.

"Jake works harder than anyone in baseball," Epstein said. "That's a fact, and anyone who's around Jake understands that, so maybe he should come try to do Jake's workout for a week before he questions his integrity or questions his livelihood, essentially. I just found it to be completely reckless and an unfortunate reflection of certain elements of the media age we live in where it's more important to attract attention and attract ratings than it is be intellectually honest. I thought it was ridiculous."

Arrieta is 20-1 over his past 24 regular-season starts with a 0.86 ERA including two no-hitters.

 

[CP1708]

Cubs win 7-2, now 16-5

Arrieta gave up a run, ERA now at 1.00, 5-0 for April.


4-17 Braves comin in for 3, I would love to sweep, but have to AT LEAST get 2 of 3.

 

[Chester McFloppy]

 

[CP1708]

Mild ankle sprain for Kris Bryant. They'll rest him today as precaution, let Baez take care of 3rd. First day off for Bryant this year.

Rizzo the only one not to have a day off yet.