JUST GET IN, Lester’s Stretching, Terrible Baserunning, Johnson DFA’d, and Other Bullets

Sep 14, 2017

The iPhone X was announced yesterday with the full screen thing and the face recognition thing and … I don’t want it? I’m not sure I see the appeal of paying more for the full screen when the world of phone-related content is in squares and rectangles. Why do I need the whole thing to be a screen? I’m sure I’m wrong about this and, within a couple years, will be talking about how I couldn’t live without edge-to-edge screen … but I don’t get it, man.

Jon Lester had some excellent, spot-on thoughts after his start last night about the nature of the game, and about how many things broke right for the Cubs in 2016 (CSN). Whether that’s happening or not for the 2017 Cubs, Lester says, “All you got to do is get in. It doesn’t matter how the season looks, what everybody’s stats are. Whether you limp in or you sprint in, it doesn’t matter. You get in, anybody has a chance. I’ve always been a big believer in that. And there’s been a lot of teams over the years that have proven that.” Lester is, of course, completely correct. We as sports fans (and sports writers) are habituated to crafting narratives after a story has played out – they got hot at the right time! they were the best team all along! they needed to struggle to really figure things out! – but sometimes, it’s just the age old crapshoot thing. Get into the playoffs, see what happens. Sometimes you’ll win because you have more talent and you executed better. Sometimes you’ll lose in spite of those things. Or sometimes you lose because the other team was better. And sometimes you get the lucky bounce that swings a five-game series. Just. Get. In.

As for Lester, he once again battled his command early, and then settled in as the game went on. Against a better team, the damage done early may have been a bigger problem, so hopefully Lester can find that groove earlier and earlier as the postseason approaches. And if you’re wondering why Lester was allowed to throw 114 pitches despite the command troubles and early stressful innings, remember that the horses of a rotation have to be ready to throw 110+ pitches in their postseason starts should the situation dictate it. It’s uncommon to see those front-end types getting stretched out at this time of year, even if a game is out of hand or it feels like a guy is losing it (see Max Scherzer last night, who totally ran out of gas in the 7th inning and started walking guys as he was well over 100 pitches, but Dusty Baker left him in to get stretched out – it’s one time you can’t rip on Dusty for that!).

So, about that twin baserunning gaffe last night. You can watch the play here in the Cubs.com write-up, but the gist is: Ian Happ on first, Willson Contreras on second, two outs, base hit up the middle. Contreras should score easily, and Happ decides to go for third. That, in isolation, was probably a bad decision, and the throw beat Happ there by plenty. But Happ kind of strolled into the tag instead of stopping or sliding or really doing anything resembling a normal baseball move (it appears that he was not aware the throw was coming to third – credit Juan Lagares for a very good decision and an even better throw). Meanwhile, Contreras, who’d been told to take it easy on the bases, had taken it VERY easy, and literally turned to watch Happ get tagged at third base as he stepped toward home plate. Happ was out before Contreras scored, and the run didn’t count. Terrible baseball from both young guys, and they’ll never repeat something like that again.

Addison Russell is slowly increasing baseball activities – he ran the bases and hit in the cage yesterday – but the timetable for his return is unchanged (Cubs.com), with the hope being that he returns for the final week of the regular season.

In order to open up a 40-man roster spot for Jen-Ho Tseng today, the Cubs elected to designate Pierce Johnson for assignment, which caught some folks off guard. Johnson, 26, converted full-time to the bullpen this year at AAA, and put up good peripherals in the process, particularly his 31.6% K rate. The 11.5% walk rate is high, and command has always been a serious issue for him, but Johnson would not have been my first guess to open up a roster spot. The reality is, with roster turnover and a need to add players (like Tseng) to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft in December, it’s possible Johnson would have been a roster casualty soon enough anyway. The fact that the Cubs did not bring him up in September to join a bullpen that is trying everything right now to see what sticks probably tells you where the organization is on Johnson’s immediate future.

For now, the Cubs will likely waive Johnson and hope he makes it through. At that point they can outright him, and hope to get him to stick around in 2018 on a minor league deal. Given the raw ability, though, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see a rebuilding club claim him.

Joe Maddon wasn’t going to rip the situation after MLB, the Brewers, and the Marlins moved their upcoming series in Miami to Milwaukee because of the aftereffects of Hurricane Irma (CSN), despite the Brewers’ repeated complaints about Cubs scheduling items. Good on Maddon, because some things are bigger than baseball schedules, but let’s be really clear about this: the Brewers just got a big, freebie advantage. I’m not going to complain about it because of the circumstances, but I’m also not going to ignore the reality.

A great, fun, bizarre memory, as Carlos Zambrano no-hit the Astros in Milwaukee (and I assume the Brewers complained about it):

On this date in 2008, Carlos Zambrano became the first Cub to record a no-hitter in 36 years. #MakeHistory, presented by @JimBeam. pic.twitter.com/p9KYOFkrzK
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 14, 2017

The Indians did it, winning their 21st in a row, and tying the 1935 Cubs for the longest winning streak in baseball history (there’s a caveat that the 1916 Giants kinda won 26 in a row, but that streak had a tie in the middle (but it was a weird tie, because it was caused by rain, and nowadays that game would simply be finished later (but maybe the Giants would have lost that one!)); so we’ll say that 21 is basically the record).

Folks will have fun with these, I’m sure:

Thought you might want these pictures. pic.twitter.com/9xJzeHHMUz

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 13, 2017

Fun like this:

Clever girl:

75 million years later, we discovered a new #Cubs fan!

Thanks @FieldMuseum #JurassicWorldCHI for the visit. pic.twitter.com/KuGENoJEdV

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 13, 2017

Mike Fiers threw a pitch over Luis Valbuena’s head after this bat flip:

This magnificent bat flip got Luis Valbuena thrown at the next time up. pic.twitter.com/Zz3TFQauXx

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) September 14, 2017

Fiers admitted after the game that he felt disrespected and had to send a message, but he clearly doesn’t understand that a Luis Valbuena bat flip is a GIFT BESTOWED UPON YOU. There was no disrespect. Just love.

Can’t know for certain, but I’d agree this looks fishy:

Umps tosses starting catcher & mgr, then gets drilled with a pitch. Looks very suspect #Tigers. #Indians pic.twitter.com/37z6B2pNiq

— Geoff Conn (@geoffconn) September 14, 2017

Tons of good stuff over at TYL, with Luis breaking down the run blocking, discussing practice participants/injuries, and more in the Bullets.

Today’s the last day for the MLB Shop end of season sale, so make sure you peruse the gear there.

And over at Amazon, good Deals of the Day today, including Thermos stuff, a Soda Stream, a bluetooth speaker, and a fancy monitor.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Red-Hot Rockies, Sticky Stuff Suspension, Salvy’s Patience Paying Off, More

The longest active winning streak in baseball belongs to ... the Rockies. More on the red-hot Rox and more in today's MLB Notes. The Red-Hot Rockies? A little over a week ago, the Rockies were 8-28. Since then, they've won...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs Are Coming Home to Face the Pirates

Cubs vs Pirates — There's going to be a little deja vu here for the next week, as the Cubs play seven straight games against the Pirates and Braves after just wrapping up six games against ... the Pirates and...

Michael Cerami

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | May 16, 2024: Brennan Davis Goes Yard in Iowa Loss

Brennan Davis' fifth home run of the season was not enough for the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday as they fell to the Syracuse Mets in a rain-shortened affair. That and more in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report |...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Javier Assad is the Definition of Pitchability

Like his rotation-mate Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad has reached the point where, after every single start, you want to say the same thing: wow, that was awesome, this guy is good. It gets a little stale, in an extremely desirable...

Brett Taylor

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Joe Buck is Returning to the Booth to Call a Cubs-Cardinals Game

I know that Joe Buck is a polarizing broadcaster. Some people love him. Some people hate him. I also know that he seems to have gone through phases in his career where there were stretches I thought he was mutably...

Brett Taylor

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Pete Crow-Armstrong Put on a Show, and Continues to Make a Strong Case for Continued Playing Time

Pete Crow-Armstrong put on a show last night, which I mean in the most literal sense. It was more like a performance than a baseball game. Bases-loaded HBP while showing bunt? OK, sure. Running easily to first on a dropped...

Brett Taylor

May 16, 2024

Chicago Bears

Northwestern Returns to Wrigley Field TWICE This Fall

Northwestern will be making a return to Wrigley Field not just once this season, but twice! Due to the construction of their brand new football stadium, the Cats will be playing five of their seven home games at its temporary...

Matt Rooney

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Impressive Fill-In Guys, Bullpen Health, Roberts, Javy, and Other Cubs Bullets

The Cubs come back home from the Pittsburgh-Atlanta road trip having split it 3-3, and I gotta say, that's a pretty solid outcome when (1) you're facing Jones and Skenes, (2) you're playing three in Atlanta where they'd lost just...

Brett Taylor

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Brennen Davis Homered Again, Back-to-Back with B.J. Murray Jr. (Whom We Should Discuss)

Just about as soon as I could talk about how Brennen Davis had homered for the third time in four games, he homered AGAIN, making it four times in five games. And this time, just for fun, B.J. Murray Jr....

Brett Taylor

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Wake Up and Watch the Cubs Beat the Braves to Salvage the Series

The Chicago Cubs' bats finally came alive last night in Atlanta, albeit with a little bit of help from Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton. On the other side, Javier Assad was brilliant once again. Good win. Needed win. Enjoy the...

Brett Taylor

May 16, 2024

NFL

New England Patriots Schedule: Dates and Times for All 17 Games, Strength of Schedule, Record Prediction

The New England Patriots are coming off their worst season in over three decades and have officially turned the page on the Belichick-Brady era by hiring Jerod Mayo as their new head coach. They’ve also hit the reset button at...

Brian Twining

May 16, 2024

Chicago Bears

My Favorite 2024 NFL Schedule Release Videos

Schedule release day in the NFL is one of my favorite non-game days of the year. NFL social media teams work hard to create entertaining videos revealing their teams' schedules for the upcoming season. Here are my favorite 2024 NFL...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 16, 2024

NFL

San Francisco 49ers Schedule: Dates and Times for All 17 Games, Strength of Schedule, Record Prediction

Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to an NFC Championship and their second Super Bowl appearance in the last five years in 2023. Will they pick up where they left off and continue to dominate the NFC this season?...

Brian Twining

May 16, 2024

Chicago Bears

Ope! The Bears Also Announced Their 2024 Preseason Schedule

ESPN's Monday Night Football team will call the first game of the Caleb Williams Era when the Chicago Bears play the Houston Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. This will mark the first time the Hall of...

Luis C. Medina

May 16, 2024

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs Are Coming Home to Face the Pirates

Michael Cerami

May 16, 2024

Picks

Dodgers vs. Reds Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, May 16, 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers (29-16) are set to take on the Cincinnati Reds (18-25) Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, airing on SportsNet LA. The Dodgers are listed as -334 favorites by bookmakers, while the underdog Reds have +271 odds for...

Data Skrive

May 16, 2024

Picks

Anthony Edwards Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Nuggets – Conference Semifinals Game 6, Thursday, May 16, 2024

The Minnesota Timberwolves face the Denver Nuggets at 8:30 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and one of the 3-pointer over/unders available for this clash requires three treys from Anthony Edwards.Anthony...

Data Skrive

May 16, 2024

Picks

Nikola Jokic Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Timberwolves – Conference Semifinals Game 6, Thursday, May 16, 2024

At 8:30 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, it'll be the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Nikola Jokic needing two treys to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Nikola Jokic's Three-Pointer Prop...

Data Skrive

May 16, 2024

Picks

Michael Porter Jr. Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Timberwolves – Conference Semifinals Game 6, Thursday, May 16, 2024

At 8:30 PM ET on Thursday, in Game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, it'll be the Denver Nuggets versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Michael Porter Jr. needing three trifectas to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Michael Porter Jr.'s...

Data Skrive

May 16, 2024

Picks

Jamal Murray Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Timberwolves – Conference Semifinals Game 6, Thursday, May 16, 2024

To beat his 3-point over/under, Jamal Murray must make two from downtown on Thursday, when his Denver Nuggets face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, beginning at 8:30 PM ET.Jamal Murray's Three-Pointer...

Data Skrive

May 16, 2024

JUST GET IN, Lester’s Stretching, Terrible Baserunning, Johnson DFA’d, and Other Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular