There’s a fine distinction between games your team should have won but for some flukey, non-predictive, unfair, and/or silly stuff, and games your team should have won but for some mistakes and/or failings of the team. The former type has always bothered me much more than the latter, in terms of my own tendency to stew and be frustrated.
Last night’s Cubs loss was the latter, so I’m not so much with the stewing. Yes, the Cubs “should” have won that game by making routine plays (assuming making those plays wouldn’t have changed certain other things that would have butterfly’d the game out of the Cubs’ hands). That’s frustrating. But it’s also earned. The Cubs should have won the game, but they made mistakes, and, thus, lost the game. That’s on them, not random chance and fate, so there’s not much about which I can shake my fist at the gods.
Tonight’s is another game.
The Cubs get another tough righty in the form of Tyson Ross, who’s likely to follow the James Shields model and throw tons of off-speed junk at the Cubs’ lineup. Hopefully they can at least make him work.
Making his season debut for the Cubs is Tsuyoshi Wada, the lefty replacing Travis Wood in the rotation. Wada was very good for the Cubs last year, though he did struggle as he got deep into games. Here’s hoping he’s efficient through six innings or so, and the bullpen successfully takes it from there.
Starlin Castro remains in the cleanup spot, which is my only mild beef heading into the game. But, hey, as I said in that post: the adjustments seem to always come with Castro. Maybe it’ll start tonight after last night’s ugliness, and we won’t really care where he hits.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (21-17) at San Diego Padres (20-20), 9:10 CT on CSN and MLB.tv.
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down there in the comments, so have fun.
The Series Preview lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Tsuyoshi Wada (3.25 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 3.96 xFIP; 3.00 K/BB (2014))
versus
Tyson Ross (3.94 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 3.28 xFIP; 2.08 K/BB)
San Diego Padres Lineup
1. Abraham Almonte, CF
2. Derek Norris, C
3. Matt Kemp, RF
4. Justin Upton, LF
5. Yangervis Solarte, 1B
6. Jedd Gyorko, 2B
7. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
8. Clint Barmes, SS
9. Tyson Ross, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Kris Bryant, 3B
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Starlin Castro, SS
5. Miguel Montero, C
6. Jorge Soler, RF
7. Chris Coghlan, LF
8. Tsuyoshi Wada, P
9. Addison Russell, 2B