Last year, in the week after the Trade Deadline Blogathon, I took my only five-day vacation of the year (which featured a maximum of one or two posts per day – it’s not like I can *completely* leave this place!). For reasons completely untied to the Cubs world, I decided to push my vacation back a bit this year, into September or October (a safe bet for clear skies). Turns out that was a pretty damn lucky decision, as this past week for the Cubs has been busier than even the typical week in July! I can’t imagine having missed the bulk of what’s happened this week.
Against that backdrop, you can expect a busier Saturday than usual.
Five starts do not a baseline make – especially when you haven’t been through the league two or three times – but I remain as intrigued by Tsuyoshi Wada as I was the day the Cubs signed him to a minor league deal. Increasingly, the only knocks you can lob against him are “he’s 33!” (which can be neutered by discussion of his success in Japan, his subsequent Tommy John surgery, and the cheap team control he could provide for the next several years when he’s still “young” enough to be a successful starter), and “he doesn’t throw hard!” (which can be neutered by pointing to how effective his 90/91mph fastball has been, through a combination of sequencing, location, and deception). Because one thing you can’t hold against him are the results: after dominating at AAA this year, Wada has posted a 3.25 ERA, a 3.35 FIP, and a 3.60 xFIP with sustainable peripherals (.295 BABIP, 74.5% left on base rate, 41.0% groundball rate, 7.7% HR/FB rate). Only that last one gives you pause, given how he elevates his pitches – Wada will probably give up a few more homers. But only enough to knock his numbers down to what you’d like to see from a 4/5 (he’s currently pitching like a solid 3). His 21.7% K rate and 7.8% BB rate, in tandem, are freaking excellent. The caveat, alluded to above: how will he fare when teams start seeing him for the second and third times?
(Even if you refuse to accept that the Cubs could use a quality 4/5 for the next two or three years in the form of Wada, which he could easily do at his age, seeing him pitch this well for the rest of the year should excite you just the same; given the Cubs’ depth in this 4/5 range, and plans to add impact pitching, could Wada emerge as a really interesting trade chip over the offseason?)
How dramatic was the Javier Baez attendance bump yesterday? It’s hard to say. While the 34,937 in paid attendance was a few thousand over the team average this year, it was also a Friday game in early August, which tends to get its own bump. The Cubs have been averaging around 30,000 on Fridays, so that shows a bump, too, though the last two Fridays – against the Braves on July 11 (39,544) and against the Cardinals on July 25 (41,534) – had much higher paid attendance. The opponents obviously helped there. So, maybe not much of a bump. But I’ve heard from many folks who were at the game that the energy there was definitely higher than its been in a long time (matching an Opening Day or the 100th Anniversary Game), and you can bet that the “paid” attendance was extremely close to the “actual” attendance in this one. I can’t imagine there were many no-shows.
Javier Baez was aggressive yesterday, sure – he struck out four times – but I didn’t really see too many swings at pitches obviously out of the zone. There was the one ugly strikeout on the slider low and away (and another on a low, nasty changeup), but otherwise, Baez swung through some pitches in the zone, and took some well-executed pitches in the zone.
A bit on that unfortunate check-swing strikeout that everyone except John Baker thought was ball four, leading to a run that scored off of Pedro Strop (Cubs.com).
I assume you saw this bit of art in the outfield yesterday:
News! The live streams I did as part of the Blogathon (and for Javy Baez Day) are going to become a regular thing. They will become the site’s equivalent of a “mailbag,” which will give the streams a little more structure (they’ll be podcast-like, but with my face in your face). Doing it live will preserve the whacky ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN! nature of the streams so far, which allows the event to still be interactive, but getting some of the questions in advance gives it a little more structure so that it’s just as enjoyable to watch on replay as it is to watch live. And that’s the idea there – I want this to be something you can watch later, if you can’t make the live event, and still get something out of it.
The first episode of Bleacher Nation TV – yup, that’s what it’s called – will be next week, with details on day/time to come. Send your mailbag questions to bntv AT bleachernation DOT com. You can still ask questions/make comments during the live stream, but sending them to the email address will be a much better way to ensure that it gets seen by me.
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.
When the Padres went up 6-0, I allowed myself to wonder whether maybe the Cubs could get a little shocking revenge for the huge lead they blew in San Diego in that one game. No dice. It was a solid...
CUBS LINEUP — Justin Steele is officially back, and the Padres are in town. Here's a look at Craig Counsell's lineup against our old friend Yu Darvish, whom the Cubs will face tonight for the second time this season. Chicago...
As expected, Justin Steele officially returns tonight to start for the Cubs for the first time since Opening Day, when he suffered a hamstring strain. He'll take the 26-man roster spot of Keegan Thompson, who has been optioned to Triple-A...
I hadn't had an organic opportunity to throw some love Pedro Ramirez's way, but I was very aware of his recent scorching hot streak. So I appreciate that he just got a weekly award, so I have a natural reason...
MLB Notes — Shohei Ohtani keeps slugging, and the Dodgers keep winning. But we'll start in San Diego, where the Padres and Marlins made the first notable trade of the season on Friday afternoon ... in May! Padres Land Luis...
Cade Horton made his Iowa debut this weekend but even he couldn't help the I-Cubs avoid an embarrassing five-game sweep against Omaha. That and more in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | Mat 6, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs...
Justin Steele returns TONIGHT. That makes me very happy, no matter what the outcome this evening. Maybe there will be some rust to shake off. Fine. Just get that guy back into the rotation, let him settle in - I...
How good did Daniel Palencia look yesterday? And the outing before that, when he looked a lot better than the results? And, really, the time before that now that I think of it, when he saved the bullpen for a...
Like many Cubs fans around my age, I first really started paying attention to the team when Sammy Sosa was depositing every other pitch into the Wrigley Field bleachers during the summer of 1998. But that's not when I truly...
Cubs vs Padres — Of course the Cubs are getting Yu Darvish *and* Dylan Cease again in their second matchup with the Padres (who also just added another quality hitter in Luis Arraez). That's some crap luck and timing. Because...
The Indiana Pacers are 5.5-point underdogs in Game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, beginning at 8:00 PM ET on TNT. The Knicks are up 1-0...
The Dallas Mavericks are slight 3.5-point underdogs heading into Game 1 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Tuesday, tipping off at 9:30 PM ET on TNT. The matchup's over/under...
Anytime goal-scorer odds are available below, with two Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round games on the NHL calendar Tuesday.Watch the NHL on Fubo!Today's Top Anytime Goal OddsNathan MacKinnon (Avalanche) -110 to scoreAvalanche vs. StarsGame Time: 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday,...
The Florida Panthers are pegged by oddsmakers to beat the Boston Bruins when they clash on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET, with the Panthers at -175 on the moneyline, and the visiting Bruins at +145.Watch the NHL on Fubo!Panthers vs....
The Los Angeles Dodgers (24-13), led by Mookie Betts, host Bryan De La Cruz and the Miami Marlins (10-27) on Tuesday at 10:10 PM ET.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Los Angeles square off...
Jamal Murray might have jumped headfirst into some hot water. During Monday night's Game 2 battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets point guard appeared to throw a heating pad onto the court. The object landed right under the...
Jose Urena will take the ball for the Texas Rangers (20-16) when they visit starting pitcher Ross Stripling and the Oakland Athletics (17-19) on Tuesday, with first pitch at 3:37 PM ET.Keep reading to find out how to watch the...
In the opener of a three-game series, on Tuesday, May 7 at 8:40 PM ET, the Colorado Rockies will host the San Francisco Giants.Rockies vs. Giants Series Info Giants @ Rockies Time: Tuesday, May 7 at 8:40 PM ET Rockies...
The Philadelphia Phillies (25-11), who will give the ball to Cristopher Sanchez, host the Toronto Blue Jays (16-19) with Jose Berrios on the hill, Tuesday at 6:40 PM ET.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and...
The San Francisco Giants (15-21), led by Michael Conforto, visit Ryan McMahon and the Colorado Rockies (8-26) at 8:40 PM ET on Tuesday.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options for the San Francisco-Colorado...
NEWSLETTER
Last year, in the week after the Trade Deadline Blogathon, I took my only five-day vacation of the year (which featured a maximum of one or two posts per day – it’s not like I can *completely* leave this place!). For reasons completely untied to the Cubs world, I decided to push my vacation back a bit this year, into September or October (a safe bet for clear skies). Turns out that was a pretty damn lucky decision, as this past week for the Cubs has been busier than even the typical week in July! I can’t imagine having missed the bulk of what’s happened this week.
