NEWSLETTER
The Cubs are continuing their West Coast swing with three games against the Padres, a series doubling as the final set of the nominal first half.
After this, most of the Cubs – besides Willson Contreras, Javy Baez (All-Stars), and Kyle Schwarber (HR Derby participant) – will get a nice little break from Monday to Wednesday. HOWEVA, you might recall that their first game back is not on Friday, like every other team in baseball, because the Cubs are playing a special All-Star break contest against the Cardinals, which will be the only game of the evening, on Thursday. Which is actually pretty sweet for the fans, at least. We only have one day without Cubs playing baseball. I can do that.
We’re Going Streaking
The Chicago Cubs (52-38) just dropped two of three to the Giants, despite both teams scoring just 7 runs over the series. The Cubs have one fewer loss than the Brewers, but are 1.0 game back in the standings.
The San Diego Padres (40-56) just dropped three of four to the Dodgers, split a four-gamer with the D-Backs, and were swept in two by the A’s. Before that, they dropped two of three to the Pirates, two of three to the Rangers, three of four to Giants, and were swept in two by the A’s. Before that they dropped three of four to the Braves … you know what, I think you get the picture. They lose a lot.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
Chicago Cubs
Probable Pitchers:
Active Depth Chart:
Unavailable: Anthony Bass, Brian Duensing(?), Eddie Butler, Justin Hancock, Yu Darvish
San Diego Padres
Probable Pitchers:
Active Depth Chart:
Unavailable: Jose Castillo, Jordan Lyles, Bryan Mitchell, Franchy Cordero, Dinelson Lamet
Keep An Eye Out For …
Cubs Pitcher: All eyes should be on Kyle Hendricks this weekend to see if the extreme promise of his last start actually reflects a momentous shift in his season, as expected. He claims to have figured some stuff out with his mechanics, positively affecting his command (hey, he didn’t walk anyone until he had one out in the 9th last time around), but we’ll have to see if it all sticks.
Cubs Player: Addison Russell has a five-game hitting-streak going, which includes four doubles, 2 walks, and 5 RBI. He’s been fairly hot for a good long while now (.301/.361/.431; 114 wRC+ since May 18th), but has only been hotter lately. Let’s see if he can cruise into the second-half strong, and keep this pace up the rest of the season. He’s already been worth 2.1 WAR this year, so there’s a good chance he can be a 4-win player by the end of 2018.
Padres Pitcher: Our old friend Clayton Richard is getting the ball this evening, but he’s mostly the pitcher you remember from Chicago. You might recall his bada** beginnings in San Diego (2.52 ERA over his first nine starts), but he’s since maintained an ERA over 4.50 with peripherals to support it. He’ still has good starts from time to time, but he is what he is … a beatable pitcher.
Padres Player: Former Cubs prospect Christian Villanueva made a TON of noise at the start of the 2018 season, so much so that he was lumped in with the Oh man, I can’t believe the Cubs couldn’t find a spot for him, too! crowd, but since that hot start, he’s been pretty bad. From June 1 through yesterday, Villanueva has stepped up to the plate 101 times and he has just a .200/.238/.316 slash line to show for it. He still has a great glove and a lot of promise (clearly), but he’s not quite Jeimer Candelario at the plate, let alone Gleyber Torres.
