Friends of ours just had a baby at the same place we had The Littlest Girl, so we got to take a stroll down near-term memory lane this morning going to visit them. It’s wild how much of that process feels like a blur already, but being in the same place where we first met our third kiddo definitely put me into a happy mood.
Cubs win last night helped, too. Although it’s been a frustrating start to the season for a pre-season-heralded, World-Series-champion-defending Cubs team, I do at least take some tiny bit of extra joy from the fact that a win like last night – even in early May – can still get me really jacked up when it comes in St. Louis against a first place Cardinals team. That was a good win, folks.
Like I said last night in the EBS, what an interesting Cubs debut for Eddie Butler. The 26-year-old former top prospect held the Cardinals scoreless through six innings, allowing just two hits (one of which was a bunt), striking out five and walking three. He gave up almost exclusively weak contact, and kept Cardinals batters off balance with a combination of two-seamers, four-seamers, cutters, curveballs, and changeups. He has the diverse mix that you’d want in a starter, and the ability (it seemed) to go more to the pitches that were working for him as the night went on. I was definitely not expecting to see such an effective four-seamer up in the zone from him, and I also didn’t expect him to be hitting 97(!)mph. Some of that was assuredly his own level of excitement and a desire to make the most of his debut opportunity with the Cubs, and it did look like he had a lot of effort in his delivery (which, combined with the crossfire style (albeit from the first base side, unlike Jake Arrieta, who goes from the third base side), yielded some clear wildness). All in all, though, it was just impossible to watch and not see the bones of a very good starting pitcher there. The results he got last night were not a fluke, predicated on great defense. The Cardinals simply did not see or anticipate the ball well.
In sum: don’t get too high or too low with any one start (especially a first start, when the other team has little on which to scout the guy), but it is totally fair to say that what we saw last night was legit.
Even Willson Contreras said he didn’t know Butler could sit at 95/96mph with his fastball, and when he saw how much juice Butler was getting, he decided to ride that pitch even more (Cubs.com).
Matt Szczur led off for the Padres last night, his second start in as many games since the Cubs traded him – hey, we always said there were teams out there that would give him a shot – and he immediately took to the role:
Padres Chairman Ron Fowler also said in an interview that they tried to get Szczur from the Cubs in the spring but were rebuffed. While I have no doubts that it’s true talks occurred, I can only assume not much was being offered at the time, because you’ll recall, the Cubs were pretty clearly open to moving Szczur at that time (out of options, roster crunch, outfield depth, etc.). In other words, I’m guessing any offers on Szczur this spring were not much more (or not more at all) than the relief prospect they received in Justin Hancock (who made his debut at AA with a 2 K inning yesterday, by the way).
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.
Put your reading glasses and prospect hat on, as FanGraphs just released its 2024 Chicago Cubs top prospects list, which comes in at 47 names. Unlike other lists with a set number of names per org, FanGraphs ranks all prospects...
UPDATE: After this post was published, Brennen Davis hit ANOTHER home run, that's four in his last five games. https://twitter.com/OutOfTheVines/status/1790766851707883795 This one was an opposite field blast that left his bat at 104.4 MPH and traveled 382 feet. Original post...
Now that I'm back to doing the Cubs writer thing full-go, a serious problem has returned: the volume of tabs open at any given time on my laptop. It is currently 57 tabs. That's kind of ridiculous, isn't it? I...
It seems the Cubs bad injury luck this season extends to former Cubs, like Jorge Soler, as well. Jorge Soler Pops Himself in the Head Back on May 8, the Giants placed Jorge Soler on the Injured List due to...
Pablo Aliendo gave the Tennessee Smokies an early lead on Tuesday night. Matching up with the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Aliendo sent a ball deep into left field during the 2nd inning. The homer gave the Smokies an early 1-0...
Ron Washington must absolutely hate his new infielder, Luis Guillorme, who was acquired just five days ago. There is no other explanation for what he said after last night's game. I mean, I'm kinda tongue-in-cheek, but this is pretty extreme....
The first sticky stuff ejection of the year has arrived. Houston Astros righty Ronel Blanco, he of the surprising no-hitter earlier this year, got the boot last night. From the look of things, Blanco and his manager were trying to...
Not every game is a referendum on a team. Actually, come to think of it, a single game is NEVER a referendum on a team. Anyway, point is, a whole lot of teams are going to get stomped by these...
You know that expression, when it rains, it pours? This is like that, except instead of raining, it is pouring deluxe turds. Just an absolute monsoon of shit. Another Cubs injury issue to another key Cubs player: https://twitter.com/maddie_m_lee/status/1790522697002455532 So, Nico...
CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs were shutout in the opener against the Braves last night. And it doesn't figure to get any easier against a resurgent Chris Sale tonight. Here's how Craig Counsell will line 'em up against the 35-year-old...
Ranking the Top 25 Players at Valhalla Golf Club -The PGA Championship, the second major of the 2024 calendar, will take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. This will be the 106th edition of the...
Let's get to another 2024 MLB Mock Draft! As the college baseball season unfolds with each passing game, a select group of players are significantly improving their draft stock. Numerous mock drafts and meticulously crafted analyses of potential selections by...
Happy NFL schedule release day to those who observe. We already know the time, date, place, and opponent for *ONE* of the Chicago Bears' 17 games: https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1790709262013886544 It'll be an 8:30 a.m. CT start in Chicago for Bears fans watching...
Put your reading glasses and prospect hat on, as FanGraphs just released its 2024 Chicago Cubs top prospects list, which comes in at 47 names. Unlike other lists with a set number of names per org, FanGraphs ranks all prospects...
The favorite in this weekend's Preakness Stakes, Muth, has been scratched from the race due to a spiking fever. Muth, trained by Bob Baffert, was aiming to be the legendary trainer's eighth winner of the Preakness Stakes. Baffert says that...
Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan will dominate the offseason headlines for the Chicago Bulls. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley will presumably work every phone line in hopes that the market consensus has changed on their two-time All-Star. As for DeRozan,...
It seems the Cubs bad injury luck this season extends to former Cubs, like Jorge Soler, as well. Jorge Soler Pops Himself in the Head Back on May 8, the Giants placed Jorge Soler on the Injured List due to...
UPDATE: After this post was published, Brennen Davis hit ANOTHER home run, that's four in his last five games. https://twitter.com/OutOfTheVines/status/1790766851707883795 This one was an opposite field blast that left his bat at 104.4 MPH and traveled 382 feet. Original post...
Ron Washington must absolutely hate his new infielder, Luis Guillorme, who was acquired just five days ago. There is no other explanation for what he said after last night's game. I mean, I'm kinda tongue-in-cheek, but this is pretty extreme....
Now that I'm back to doing the Cubs writer thing full-go, a serious problem has returned: the volume of tabs open at any given time on my laptop. It is currently 57 tabs. That's kind of ridiculous, isn't it? I...
NEWSLETTER
