A confession: I missed Javy Baez’s home run live last night. We all have our “things,” right? Well, here’s one of mine: when I feel myself starting to get overly frustrated by a night game, I will sometimes take a break mid-game to go shower. Sometimes I don’t even need a shower … it just soothes me. But the “thing” part of it? I feel like I really often go do that, and then I come back to something awesome having happened for the Cubs. I know. I know. It’s so irrational. I can’t help it.

So, of course, I walk out of the shower last night to my phone going nuts to the Javy bomb, and then I got myself dry and dressed and situated back at my computer just in time to see Jason Heyward match Javy. So that was pretty awesome.

Shower voodoo. It works!

• The Cubs can SWEEP the Dodgers today, a team that came into this series atop the National League in most metrics, including their record. Funny thing: the Dodgers have lost just three times in the last ten days, and two of those losses have been to the Cubs in the last two days. The series before this one? Well, get this: the Diamondbacks have lost just two times in last ten days, and both of those losses were to the Cubs.
• Cole Hamels probably wasn’t really as “wild” as his walks last night would suggest:

Hamels on 6 BBs: I was trying to get ahead of them & just couldn't really put them away. They were laying off a lot of my put-away pitches. I didn't want to give in … piping a FB just because I didn't want to walk a guy. Because these guys, they can be a little more dangerous

— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) April 25, 2019

• Hamels, perhaps, was just a little off across the board last night. He also failed twice to quickly cover first base on a grounder to Anthony Rizzo. The second led to a run, and the first led to Rizzo making an incredible, but kinda scary, play:

• At least the chums had a laugh about it:

• That’s crazy that it was over a DECADE ago:

6th inning tonight – first time #Cubs had a pair of 3+ run homers (either 3-run HR or grand slam) in the same inning since 8/6/2008, when Mark DeRosa hit a grand slam and Alfonso Soriano hit a 3-run HR.

— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) April 25, 2019

• Me:

Who else is excited to have @JLester34 back on the mound? ✋ pic.twitter.com/nlRCXeBf8u

— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) April 25, 2019

• I would be fine with seeing this more often regardless of Addison Russell:

Bote fielding grounders at third base. Interesting if he receives more time there when Russell returns with Bryant playing more in outfield.

— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) April 25, 2019

• Social media fun tonight for the I-Cubs:

https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1121439165902675968

• A deep dive on how to work the curveball, including many thoughts from the Cubs’ pitching coach on how you create, maintain, and modify spin.
• This is how you walk off, OMG:

Why “Act Like You’ve Been There,” When You Can BACKFLIP Into Home? https://t.co/jwUELCuXqu pic.twitter.com/pTMa1dBuCM

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) April 25, 2019

• Down on the farm:

Five Stars of Cub Farm, 4/24.

5. Barnette, Edwards, Happ.

4. Cristhian Adames and Robel Garcia. 💣

3. Aramis Ademan. 857 OPS!

2. Awesome starts at the top 3 levels: Oscar de la Cruz (A+), Zach Hedges (AA), Matt Swarmer (AAA).

1. Delvin Zinn. 5-for-5 raised average 89 pts.

— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) April 25, 2019

• Fancy vacuums, fancy pots and pans, and fancy knives are among your Deals of the Day at Amazon today.
• Give it up, 49ers, he hates you:

Despite the Request, the 49ers Will Reportedly Not Trade Robbie Gould https://t.co/FHSAIybhzv pic.twitter.com/ZkIqrwJzq2

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 24, 2019

• Also, the NFL Draft kicks off today, so make sure you’re checking out our Bears coverage and our hilarious jokes (I did this one!):

“With their first round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select … Khalil Mack, Certified Badass from Oakland CC.” https://t.co/JwaL8eAN13

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 25, 2019