NEWSLETTER
The Cubbies are coming home!
This week, the Chicago Cubs will host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field for three games over four days. I will be attending all three of those games, including the home opener tomorrow with Brett and Luis. We’ll likely be in our usual spot out in the right field bleachers, so come say hi (I’ll be the one eating a Hot Doug’s dog).
This is a three-game series, but it’s spread over four days, with an off-day on Tuesday. So soak it in tomorrow and pull for a Cubs win, because an off-day after an afternoon loss feels like a week.
We’re Going Streaking
The Chicago Cubs (5-4) won each of the last two games in Milwaukee, grabbing their first series win of the season. They come into this home series with their bullpen rocking, their starters rebounding, and their offense coming alive.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (7-2), however, are one of the hottest teams in baseball … but to be fair six of their seven wins came against the Tigers and Reds, and their seventh came against the Twins, so it’s not as though they’re playing the toughest teams. They are in first place in the NL Central, though, so the Cubs can move into first with a sweep. And then they can stay there.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
Chicago Cubs
Probable Pitchers:
Active Depth Chart:
*Anthony Rizzo has missed three straight games with a tight/sore lower back. We’ll see if he’s back for the home opener tomorrow. If not, you might expect to see more of Victor Caratini.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Probable Pitchers:
Active Depth Chart:
Keep an Eye Out For …
Cubs Pitcher: Tyler Chatwood had a good first start against the Reds results-wise, but did have some scary peripherals. For example, he walked (6) more batters than he struck out (4), and for another, he allowed a 40% fly ball rate. To be fair, he also got a 53.3% ground ball rate and 16.7% infield fly ball rate, but still. When the wind starts blowing out in the summer months at Wrigley, he’ll need to keep it on the ground. To leave it on a positive note, Chatwood allowed just a 17.7% hard-contact rate last time out with a 29.4% soft-contact rate. If he repeats that part, he should be just fine.
Cubs Player: Kris Bryant is currently one of the hottest hitters in baseball – his 210 wRC+ is 16th best in MLB – and he’s tied for the third most WAR overall (0.7). And perhaps most impressively, this:
So far this season, Kris Bryant has struck out (7) fewer times than he's walked (8). That's usually a very good sign.
Also a very good sign? His impressive 40.7% hard-hit rate and tiny 11.1% soft-hit rate.
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) April 9, 2018
BONUS: It feels wrong not to acknowledge what Ben Zobrist is doing at the plate this season: .360/.448/.520 (165 wRC+).
Pirates Pitcher: Felipe Rivero has been closing out games for the Pirates this season, and has three saves and a 41.2% strikeout rate already. HOWEVA, that strikeout rate is paired with a hefty 17.7% walk rate. That’s bordering on the sort of walk rate you cannot get by with even when you have an elite strikeout rate like Rivero. And when a patient team like the Cubs comes along, the whole system can be further stressed. Of course, to counter: Rivero has given up exactly no hard-contact yet this season, so let’s just hope the Cubs go into the late-innings with a lead.
Pirates Player: Gregory Polanco has been the Bucs hottest hitter so far, slashing .280/.441/.680, with a walk rate (22.9%) higher than his strikeout rate (17.1%). In four seasons with the Pirates, Polanco hasn’t yet broken out at the plate the way many think he can/should, so it’ll be interesting to see if this is a mirage, or his elite/career-year finally showing up.
