The family stuff today is LOADED so I’m way behind and sprinting to get through these Bullets.
• Before the big league team takes on the Pirates at 5:30pm CT, you can watch the Cubs’ alt site squad play a game today:
Here is today's @Cubs Triple-A lineup vs. @Tigers.
Remember you can watch all the action beginning at 1:45pm ET on the South Bend Cubs Facebook page.
First pitch scheduled for 2pm. pic.twitter.com/9kQnjFULJK— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) April 10, 2021
• Of note there, Austin Romine is catching (and his brother plays second!), so he must be getting close to returning from his knee injury. Miguel Amaya handles first base so that he can be in the lineup, and Cory Abbott gets the equivalent Triple-A start.
• I wonder if first base coach Craig Driver testing positive for COVID-19, which means, even if he’s otherwise healthy, he can’t be with the team, will impact the Cubs’ efforts to get players and other personnel to just get the dang vaccine:
Shot or no shot? Can the Cubs (and most other MLB teams) persuade enough players to get COVID-19 vaccinations to relax protocols?
"Fingers crossed."
via: @GDubCub: https://t.co/pJ8peiD0p4
— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) April 8, 2021
• According to NBC, only the Cardinals have reached the 85% threshold of vaccinations needed to relax protocols (including, for an important example, the ability to have families travel on the road with the players and staff). David Ross says the team is getting closer to the mark, but there’s still a number of guys who are resistant: “What I would say is everyone is getting educated on the vaccine, and the docs are having conversations daily. This is an individual choice, and every individual feels differently about it, for different reasons you’re finding out. These guys are kind of going back and forth. Some guys were hard-nosed early and they’ve come around, and some guys are still getting information.” Hopefully the information is coming from medical and epidemiological experts and not some yahoo with a YouTube channel.
• This is doubly great on the Cubs’ minor leaguers at spring training in Arizona:
About 60 or so players I believe. Really great numbers.
— Ivy Futures (@IvyFutures) April 10, 2021
• These Craig Kimbrel GIFs say so much:
Kimbrel’s FB has clocked in at 96.6 mph on average this month. Last time we had an April reading was 2018, when it was 96 mph en route to 98+ mph by year’s end.
Kimbrel was 98+ in final outings of 2020. So he’s right on target out of gates in ‘21.
Fastball location with Cubs⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lVorpTt8Lr
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) April 9, 2021
Since Aug. 14 of last season, Craig Kimbrel has a 55.6 K%, .073 opponents’ average and .176 wOBA.
What’s been the difference?
“Throwing strikes. That’s it.”
Here is a look at his curveball location during Cubs tenure, using Aug. 14 as the dividing point. pic.twitter.com/7OiyUQimu5
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) April 9, 2021
• Sure enough, Kolten Wong’s oblique injury sends him to the Injured List (replaced by Jace Peterson), so he’ll miss the upcoming Cubs series, at a minimum.
• Who knew the Cubs were trading the Padres a guaranteed no-hitter (in addition to Yu Darvish):
Congrats to our old friend Victor Caratini for catching MLB's LAST TWO no-hitters! pic.twitter.com/7XhT7RWmsP
— Bleacher Nation Cubs (@BleacherNation) April 10, 2021
So fun to watch @ItsbuccnJoe59 finish that thing off! No coincidence that @VictorCaratini was behind the plate. Pumped for you both!
— Alec Mills (@ATMills37) April 10, 2021
• The Dodgers got their World Series rings, and I think it looks pretty good. Maybe number two behind the Cubs:
https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1380634016009883650
• Follow BN Cubs for the FACTS:
Jake Arrieta is the MAJOR LEAGUE LEADER in quality starts this season.
I will provide no other context for this factually accurate tweet. pic.twitter.com/mCROvVef7I
— Bleacher Nation Cubs (@BleacherNation) April 10, 2021
• This is art. I want the NFT:
Johnny Cueto vs. Charles Barkley, Mechanics.
Cueto is on the left. pic.twitter.com/JpEt5Z6Rs2
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2021