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

[CP1708]

Stupid, stupid, stupid send on the Bryant 2B. Woulda been 2nd&3rd with 1 out. Walk Rizz to load bases for Zobrist with the INF in.

Heyward out with ease.

 

[CP1708]

Javier Baez walk off Homer!!!!!!!

24-6.

 

[illmatic34]

WOW, hell of a game!

 

[DeadsetAce]

Javier Baez walk off Homer!!!!!!!

24-6.

C Chester McFloppy


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[Lake Shore Drive]

I don't want to wake up....

 

[CP1708]

3 at home vs SD
Off day
3 at home vs Pitt
Off day
3 at Milwaukee


This game was costly for rest, but Ramirez, Strop, Rondon should all be good for tomorrow. Need Lester to go 7-8 innings.

 

[menacin methods]

This team is so loaded.
Javier Baez FTW!

 

[arstyle27]

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[CP1708]

sickickz23 I think I remember you from the old NL Central threads, thought you might like it in here.

 

[sickickz23]

sickickz23 I think I remember you from the old NL Central threads, thought you might like it in here.

Yep I remember those days... like i posted on on a cubs group on FB, I'll post on here: I know the real season is the postseason and u just take this long regular season a game at a time, but the way it how our team is playing you can't help but get excited it feels like a different team maybe the best team we've ever seen....the way how this team plays and wins, like no other cubs team I remember. I just hope it lasts...

 

[sportsjunkie]

I been away for a lil min. I was in Miami beach all last week. Its great to us on a 7 game winning streak.


The funny thing is we walked Harper 13 times over the weekend. I guess the strategy worked.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I think yesterday was a grind it out win. Jake struggled but our bullpen pitched very well. 24-6.

 

[CP1708]

CHICAGO -- With a new hero and new narrative every game, a script recapping the Chicago Cubs' season would get turned down by Hollywood.

Sunday capped an incredible week in which the team answered any and all early season questions by beating up on two National League contenders, sweeping both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs saved their best for last as Sunday’s 4-3, 13-inning win was memorable for so many reasons -- starting with Javier Baez hitting a game-winning home run. This is the same Baez who has become so valuable that he could play three different infield positions possibly better than the current starter there. But it was his bat -- with two strikes -- that ended this game.

Still, Baez was the dessert to the main course, as this should be remembered as the Joe Maddon game. Every button the Cubs manager pushed worked to perfection.

Maddon emptied his bench long before extra innings came, but it never came back to haunt him. No pitchers were needed in the outfield and Baez didn’t have to be called upon to catch (he’s No.3 on the depth chart).

Maddon let reliever Trevor Cahill bat to lead off the seventh inning with the Cubs trailing 3-1. Cahill singled to start a two-run, game-tying rally. It was a rally in which Maddon had struggling right fielder Jayson Heyward sacrifice for just the second time in his career and first since 2013, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. Heyward laid down a perfect one to advance two runners before Kris Bryant tied the game with a single.

But Maddon’s greatest moves came in extra innings, walking MVP Bryce Harper twice with men on first and second and two outs in a tie game. Two different relievers retired Ryan Zimmerman, who followed Harper in the order. The strategy worked to perfection as Zimmerman left 14 men on base.

"Why tempt fate like that?" Maddon said after the game smiling. "If the other guy gets you, that’s fine. I have no problem with that whatsoever. ... I know he’s [Harper] not as hot as he can be coming into this series, but you don’t want to get him hot."

Harper walked six times and was hit by a pitch, setting all sorts of milestones throughout the weekend as the Cubs simply would not let him beat them. Then again, no one is beating the Cubs these days as their 24-6 record is the best after 30 games since the World Series-winning 1984 Detroit Tigers.

Maddon was asked when his team’s record might start to seem surreal.

"Hasn’t it?" he smirked. "You have to look inside of a season to see that kind of a stretch. When it occurs at the beginning of the season it really stands out."

Maddon and the Cubs have the Midas touch right now, and Sunday starter Jake Arrieta really hasn’t gotten going yet. That’s saying something considering he’s already thrown a no-hitter and is 6-0 with a 1.13 ERA. But he failed to earn the win Sunday, lasting only five innings and relying on his teammates -- relievers Cahill (3 innings pitched), Adam Warren (2 IP), Justin Grimm (2 IP) and Travis Wood (1 IP) -- to pick him up. Four relievers, eight innings and not one run scored off them.

"You have to pitch well to pull something like that off against good competition, and we have," Maddon said of the back-to-back sweeps.

But let’s not take anything away from the hitters. From Tommy La Stella to Bryant to Ryan Kalish -- yes, Ryan Kalish -- they came through this week when they needed to. Baez is just the latest Cub to take the necessary steps to become a reliable major leaguer. Maligned by injuries and crazy swings, he’s as valuable to Maddon now as anyone is.

"That had rockets on it," Maddon said of Baez's game-winning homer. "That was really well struck."

Asked over and over what the key to this whole thing has been, including the perfect week, Maddon knows his answer might not play to the cynical.

"They just come ready to play," he said. "I know that sounds way too simplistic, but they do. They’re ready to play and they complement each other so well.

"The one thing that sums it up, and I mean this ... our guys were in that [Sunday] game to the last drop. Long game like that, we’ve been playing well, you could just mail it in, but our guys were into that game to the very last drop."

Why wouldn’t they be? They’re having too much fun as they’ve won games in every way possible. Anthony Rizzo was asked if this was about the best full week of regular-season baseball he's had as a Cub (at least in an April/May kind of a sense).

"Has to be, right?" Rizzo answered. "It’s early though. ... We just played really good baseball for the week. Today was icing on top."

They’ve played good baseball since about the last week of spring training and haven’t stopped. On Sunday, the only thing to lament was Arrieta not getting his seventh win, though the Cubs won for the 20th consecutive time in the regular season when he has been on the mound -- and it was mostly due to to the genius of Maddon.

"Year 2 is easier to vibe to the same frequency as him [Maddon]," Rizzo said, using his manager’s vernacular. "We don’t really wrap our head around it [the team's record], but it is a good start."

It’s more than a good start -- it’s one of the best in major league history, with no end in sight. The Cubs got through the gauntlet of contending teams this week by a combined score of 45-21. Sunday’s finale was the icing on the cake, led by a manager willing to try it all.

“We did what we thought we had to do today, and it happened to work,” Maddon said. “To the last moment, everyone was there to win the game."

Harper can have his walks, but the Cubs have their wins.

 

[CP1708]

Tonight's lineup (if the rain stays away)

Fowler CF
Heyward RF
Bryant LF
Rizzo 1B
Zobrist 2B
Baez 3B
Russell SS
Ross C
Lester SP


Swap out Ross for Montero, and that's pretty much our set lineup for the year without Schwarber now. I think we're going to see a lot of Bryant in Left and Baez at Third with Soler struggling to get going.
And LaStella (who has been awesome) will likely get a couple starts at 3B here and there as well.

 

[CP1708]

Carrie Muskat ‏@CarrieMuskat 2m2 minutes ago
Miguel Montero among the #Cubs taking early BP Monday. Miggy is eligible to come off the DL Tuesday

 

[arstyle27]

I been away for a lil min. I was in Miami beach all last week. Its great to us on a 7 game winning streak.


The funny thing is we walked Harper 13 times over the weekend. I guess the strategy worked.

You guess it worked? We won all four games. It worked perfectly.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Game called due to weather, blessing in disguise really, the team need the extra rest after a tough hard fought series against the Nats.

What's up with this years weather??? We had a 80degree day followed by 40-50.

 

[CP1708]

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs hitters really mean no offense to their closer, Hector Rondon. They simply want to add on runs and win baseball games without a nail-biting ninth inning. In that vein, they play a game catcher David Ross brought to the team.

"When you're on the bench and you're up three runs, two runs, whatever, we have a game we call Screw the Closer," Ross explained, laughing and admitting 'screw' isn't the word the players actually use. "We want to score more so he doesn't get the save."

Of course, the game is in jest. The Cubs are perfectly fine with Rondon getting a save, but they like adding on to the huge run differential that has defined their season so far. How's the game going? Pretty good when you consider the Cubs rank second in baseball in runs scored from the seventh inning on. Rondon has been a yo-yo, warming up only to sit down again when the Cubs score too many runs late in the game.

"He gets up and down a lot," Cubs bullpen coach Lester Strode laughed of Rondon's workday. "I'd say 4-5 times he's been ready in the eighth inning and then he's not needed."

Rondon is 6-for-6 in save opportunities after converting his latest one over the weekend against the Washington Nationals. For a 24-win team, you would think he’d have had a few more chances, but that's not the case. That's because the Cubs' run differential over their first 30 games is out of this world: plus-102. It hasn’t resulted in many tight games at the end.

"I think 4-5 times already I got up [then down], but it doesn't bother me," Rondon said Sunday. "[Anthony] Rizzo and [David] Ross, they laugh all the time."

They're not the only ones. Ross says the whole dugout gets into the game, led by Jon Lester at times.

"Lester will go, 'It's a little game we like to call Screw the Closer!'" Ross said. "And then we score and everyone goes 'YEAH!'"

Rondon laughs along with them because he knows the win is all that matters, though his agent might be concerned. The pitcher is arbitration-eligible after this season, and saves are a closer's meal ticket.

"It's early May -- there's a lot of season left," Rondon's representative, Scott Pucino, said. "There'll be a lot of ammunition. It's about your contribution to the team, not just the number of saves."

True, but saves don't hurt. If the Cubs win their division, Rondon is on pace to match the fewest saves (33) by a division-winning team (Boston, 2013) going back to 1990. For perspective, the fewest saves ever for a division winner is 17, achieved by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1974. But that was a different era in baseball as the Pirates pitched 51 complete games. Rondon will get more than 17 saves, but how many more?

"Sometimes it's kind of funny what those guys are doing late in the game," Rondon said. "It's much more important we win the game.

"They come tell me they like to 'screw' me up."

Well, it is the name of the game, after all. The real challenge for manager Joe Maddon is finding work for his closer when there isn't work to be had. That's where Strode comes in. It's his job to make sure Rondon is ready no matter the situation.

"The one thing I try to get him to understand is -- whether it's one or two runs or four runs -- to pitch the same," Strode explained. "Mentally, you have to think, I'm going in to shut this game down."

That can be easier said than done, as we've seen many a closer struggle in non-save situations, and that can carry over to an outing when the score isn't so lopsided. That’s one reason Maddon doesn't like to bring in his closer in blowouts, but Strode and Rondon convinced the manager it was needed for the pitcher to remain sharp.

"Sometimes they get too relaxed with those conditions," Strode said. "It's tough to pitch in, but you have to be ready in all circumstances."

Rondon added: "When you come into the game, it's a little different mentally. In a close game the mental part is quite different."

So as he battles a lack of adrenaline when the game is out of hand, Rondon does his best to mimic a close contest. His sequences will be similar and his mindset the same. So far, so good. His 0.79 ERA and four hits allowed in 11 innings are a testament to how sharp he's stayed in the face of all his teammates conspiring against him.

"I love the game," Ross said. "We start screaming in the dugout. 'Screw the closer! C'mon!'"

Rondon gets it and believes his time will come.

"We hit well," he said.

Then a pause. And a smile.

"Especially late in the game, we hit really well."

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

^

"Screw Rondon"....he got the save tonight (7-7).

25-6

 

[sportsjunkie]

Adam Warren had an rough outing last night. whew!!!!


we in a dog fight so far with the Padres. we going to pull this one out again.

 

[CP1708]

Really it was just the set up. He came in with the bases loaded, had an 0-2 count, and just hung one. Sucks, but it happens. Just glad they were up 5 when it did.

Today tho, after that shaky start in the first inning......man.


And on another good note, Contreras, Almora, Vogelbach are crushing, EJM is raking, and Montero just went 2-3 in his rehab game. I bet he's here on Friday for the Pirates.

Also, Carl Edwards Jr called up for the doubleheader today at the 26th man.

 

[CP1708]

Strop.

Complete meltdown these last couple innings. Leaving the bases loaded, Bryant TAGGING one to the CF wall with 2 on but being caught, Hendricks cruising, gives up a bunt single, and Maddon takes him out for Strop.

Brutal, brutal game. Now we're down, 6-4.

 

[Chester McFloppy]

We'll be fine.

 

[CP1708]

Jesse Rogers
‏@ESPNChiCubs
Strop just fell apart after the E-5. Wild pitch before E then single, walk, HR, single, walk.

 

[CP1708]

Unbelievable.

Had full control, up 4-2, tons of runners on, couldn't break it open. Strop couldn't get one out. One.