The Cubs beat the Cubs 4-0 tonight in the first televised intrasquad game of Summer Camp. I know it’s fake-fake baseball, and I know not everyone can watch yet, but for me, it was really, really comforting to watch a little baseball tonight.
Kyle Hendricks was kind of ridiculous tonight, going 6.1 innings of more or less flawless baseball. The changeup was as nasty as ever, the command was good, and the at bats told you that the hitters were as off-balance as you would hope in a Kyle Hendricks outing. Get this man to the regular season.
Yu Darvish went only 3.2 innings (60-ish pitches), and certainly looked good at times, though the fastball command wasn’t there. Obviously commanding that was the main turning point for him last year, together with some improved secondaries, so it’s not necessarily a surprise that he’s still working on it. The breaking pitches looked fantastic tonight, though.
And Craig Kimbrel pitched! So we got to see a full inning of work and read WAY TO MUCH into it! But you know, he actually looked good. The fastball was more elevated when it needed to be, and the knuckle curve was doing what he wanted it to do. He gave up a hit to Nico Hoerner on a good elevated fastball (Hoerner just slapped at it, as he does, and knocked it through the right-side hole), but struck out two and looked good in the process. He was reportedly hitting 96 mph, too, which ain’t bad for a fake game in camp.
I’ll have more thoughts soon since I actually got to watch, but some of the miscellany:
If @javy23baez home runs are your thing: pic.twitter.com/TOl1KQGIQZ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 15, 2020
Help us sort through our feelings on this. pic.twitter.com/mzSeFKQ7Cs
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 15, 2020
I know that sound! The @cubs just scored! @WatchMarquee @BleacherNation @realcubsinsider pic.twitter.com/zKk8e9J3le
— MBDChicago (@MBDChicago) July 15, 2020
Don’t tell Willson Contreras it’s only a scrimmage… pic.twitter.com/dC2OhnGbAV
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 15, 2020
Kyle Hendricks' changeup is as beautiful as ever. @WatchMarquee pic.twitter.com/5bnlBXsKEU
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) July 14, 2020
A 12-pitch third was Yu’s best frame of the evening so far, as evidenced by this bat toss by Javy Baez after striking out. pic.twitter.com/PjDY8r4O6j
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 15, 2020
The very unofficial box score of tonight’s Cubs v. Cubs intrasquad game. Contreras, Baez homered. Hendricks looked really sharp. Kimbrel gets out of a jam. pic.twitter.com/XW69urwnqC
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 15, 2020