NEWSLETTER
We had a drive-by birthday party for The Littlest Girl yesterday, and I’d say it was a success. No risks of exposure, lots of happiness and wonder for her, and help and happiness throughout from the two bigger kids. I don’t know what the birthday would’ve been in a “normal” timeline, but in a probably-backwards way, maybe I’ll look back and appreciate having had this experience even more? Like, just another part of the pandemic story where we made due, and found joy where we could? So it’s not “better” than what would have been, it’s just … its own experience? Something like that? I don’t know. We’ll be mentally reconciling this stuff for years. I guess the main point is that yesterday was really nice.
• The Cubs have had longer winning streaks. The Cubs have had more impactful winning streaks. But I’m not sure we’ve seen a “better” four-game winning streak than the one the Cubs are on. It started with an unbelievable Jason Heyward 9th inning comeback homer off of Josh Hader, then it got a no-hitter, and then it got back-to-back walk-offs. In terms of the fan experience, does a four-game winning streak get better than that? It’s not coming to my mind at the moment.
• So far, Cameron Maybin has been exactly as advertised for the Cubs: just a good, solid, fine, whatever player. He’s a guy who isn’t going to blow you away with his impact, but he just plays all right overall. He’s hitting .300/.323/.433 (101 wRC+), he’s running the bases well, he seems to be getting on well with his teammates even after just joining them in a pandemic, and he’s out there making catches like this:
Socked but caught.#CubsSocial pic.twitter.com/e0XRRbLEEt
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 17, 2020
• The Cubs Trade Deadline moves have been, by and large, absent to this point … except for Maybin. He’s been just fine, and that’s all the Cubs hoped he’d be.
• Jason Adam looked awfully wild at times last night – he’s not been a guy with pristine command, but he usually locates fairly well – but he turned it the eff on when he needed to, including a nasty strikeout of Francisco Lindor to end the 10th:
We just want to talk about these Jason Adam curveballs real quick. pic.twitter.com/zuMJ68jpET
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 17, 2020
• The sample is still smaller for Adam than the other Cubs relievers (10.1 innings), but he remains the most dominant arm in the bullpen this year by whatever metric you prefer. If he can ride this hot streak through the postseason, you’re talking about having a 40% strikeout guy available as a weapon in whatever spot. He has four plus pitches, including a baseline fastball that is 96 mph, elevated, and elite spin. And because he has the three other pitches, when he’s facing a guy like Lindor who might feast on even a good fastball? He drops in three obscene curveballs for the K.
• You are reminded that, in a lot of ways, this is new for Adam, which gives you SOME reason to hope it’s legit. The Cubs might’ve stolen an impact reliever for years to come.
• Speaking of the Cubs’ buy-low, reclamation reliever types, Ryan Tepera was looking like the best of the bunch early on, but he’s started really, really fighting his control:
Ryan Tepera was one of Ross' most trusted relievers early. He gets through a scoreless sixth, but he's not close to the same guy he looked like early on. Including tonight, last 8 outings: 7.36 ERA, 23.1% walk rate, .462 OBP allowed
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) September 17, 2020
• Again, note that I didn’t say “command” (the ability to locate each of your pitches where you’d like), I said “control” (the ability to throw your pitches for strikes). Here are Tepera’s last three outings, where he’s just all over the place:
• Sticking with the bullpen, Andrew Chafin could debut soon for the Cubs:
Chafin threw well in sim game, Ross confirmed it’s “conceivable” he could be activated for Twins series
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) September 16, 2020
• Ross told Cubs.com that Chafin, “Threw really well. Looked great. Faced hitters. I thought he looked really sharp.” Before this season, Chafin was basically always a good reliever for the Diamondbacks for a long time, and not just against fellow lefties. So if he’s healthy, you absolutely want to see him back on the mound in real games for as long as possible before the postseason. Given how increasingly reticent David Ross has been to go to Kyle Ryan or Josh Osich, I’m thinking he probably really, really wants Chafin and Jose Quintana as lefty options in the pen.
• Heads up for you sports betters in Illinois: PointsBet is doing the Bears +89 points(!) this weekend. I’m not gonna say that’s a free win, because I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that, but yeah, I’m pretty sure the Bears aren’t going to lose by 90 points.
• It really was quite a series for Javy Báez, offensively, defensively, and on the bases:
A nice little series for @javy23baez!@pepsi pic.twitter.com/wSahGPKQ8Z
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 17, 2020
Magic number to clinch NL Central?
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 17, 2020
• It’s still going to be a lost year for Báez at the plate, and there’s pretty much no turning that ship around at this point. But as he showed this week, that doesn’t mean he can’t still contribute positively to Cubs wins.
• … The same is true for Kris Bryant, with the primary difference being: David Ross has been willing to move Báez down in the order to mitigate the impact of his struggles at the plate. Bryant? He is still getting more PAs than any player on the Cubs not named Ian Happ. It has become a stubbornness, even as Bryant has posted a 117 wRC+ over the past 10 days, built ENTIRELY on a .500 BABIP. The strikeout rate is still terrible. The walk rate is still terrible. The power is still non-existent. The quality of contact is still abysmal. It makes me sad that Bryant is a shell of himself right now, and it makes me angry that Ross continues to risk games in a vain hope that Bryant will just magically fix himself in the final 10 days of the season. At this point, you just have to play with what you have, not what you wish you had.
• That’s such a down Bit to end on. Um … did I mention the Cubs have won four in a row, and their magic number to take back the NL Central is down to eight? Hooray!
