As we slog through the off-day and away trade rumors and activity (*Bueller? is this thing on?*), there were a bunch of highlights from yesterday’s win over the Brewers that were fun and/or weird and I wanted to share.
First, the just good stuff. Anthony Rizzo making a great catch into the stands, tracking the ball well, and then Brewers fans generally being good, attentive people:
.@ARizzo44 makes friends everywhere he goes. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/IPihCKOQSR
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 29, 2019
Someday, we’re going to really, really miss Anthony Rizzo’s defense at first base.
Then there was Victor Caratini’s pinch-hit, three-run homer, that I didn’t get to yesterday but don’t want to not love:
.@VictorCaratini delivers a BIG pinch-hit! #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/7RkpQB3teN
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 28, 2019
That was Caratini’s 5th homer of the year, and he’s hitting a very solid .272/.354/.465 (114 wRC+) through 130 PAs. Mostly, it looks sustainable for the type of hitter he is (high BABIP, good discipline, low-K) with the exception of the ISO, which is up near .200 right now. In the minors, as an extreme line drive guy, he never really slugged too much. He’s still really not that guy, but his fly ball rate has creeped up a little bit (27.9%), more than last year and slightly better than in the minors. He’s another slight adjustment away from being a really good big league hitter, I suspect.
Then there was the weird stuff, like Robel Garcia taking a throw back to the mound right off the dome in his first at bat:
how was ur weekend? pic.twitter.com/9xrak7fkIS
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 28, 2019
Not cool, man.
And this was either a flyover that was way too close, or Kyle Schwarber was up to bat again:
Anthony Rizzo looking for the bomb shelter. @Cubs #everybodyin pic.twitter.com/f8OLLmjSlq
— MBDChicago (@MBDChicago) July 28, 2019