Happy Highlights: Bryant, Almora, Strop, Baez
Yesterday’s 8-1 whomping of the Philadelphia Phillies gave the Cubs their fifth straight series win, dating back to the series loss against the Giants on May 20th.
On the season, the Cubs are now 14-4-1 in series decisions, including two series wins apiece against the Pirates and Cardinals.
Their run differential is more than double the second place Red Sox, they’re on pace to win 115 games, and they’re still technically underachieving. By that, of course, I mean just that their Pythagorean record (based on amount of runs scored and allowed) has them at 44 wins, while their BaseRuns record (based on their underlying performance) has them at 43 wins. This team is already the best, even though they should be better.
And like I said, yesterday’s game was just the latest example, and it provided a ton of fun highlights to check out. So, given that there’s no baseball for the Cubs today, take a look at some of the videos below to get your fix.
First up, Kris Bryant’s massive homer in the 6th inning:
That homer came on a 2-2 pitch in the top of the 6th inning, giving the Cubs a three-run lead. Those three runs wound up being all the Cubs would need. According to Statcast, the homer traveled 432 feet, had a 27 degree launch angle and left the bat nearly 107 MPH. Bryant went 2-5 on the day and his season line is now at .284/.362/.524.
But he wasn’t the only one with a nice day at the plate. In fact, having himself a day was Mr. Baez:
Javy Baez went 4-4 yesterday, which included a double and yet another game without any strikeouts. I wrote about him and his start in the bullets earlier today, as he continues to impressive on the field. Since May 27 (last 33 PAs), for example, Baez’s line is .375/.394/.625, with just an 18.2% strikeout rate.
Baez may have had the best day at the plate statistically, but I’m guessing nobody on that field was happier than Albert Almora, who made his Major League debut:
In addition to throwing out a runner at the plate, Almora also recorded his first career hit and RBI in yesterday’s contest. I love Jason Hammel calling for the ball, too, so that Almora could keep it. That’s common, of course, but special nonetheless.
But it wasn’t just the hitters having themselves a day. Aside from John Lackey’s brilliant start (again, more on that later), Pedro Strop flashed some of his vintage self:
Strop struck out the side in just 13 pitches; the first was of the looking variety, the second was of the swinging variety and the third was somewhere in between.
So it was a great day all around for the players and yet another win for the Chicago Cubs (41-17). There’s no baseball today, but starting tomorrow the Cubs will play six straight against the Braves and Nationals. There’s plenty more to go, friends.
