Look. It’s usually a bad sign when your position players – yes, plural – are getting into the game to pitch. There have been a lot of bad signs this week for the Cubs. But it was fun. Anthony Rizzo striking out Freddie Freeman was DANG fun. So I’m gonna hold onto that for a minute rather than nod off into despair about whatever tonight’s shitshow revealed or didn’t reveal. It was literally the only time Freeman was out tonight. Bathe in that silliness!
OK. So the game. The Cubs got shut out for the second straight night, with the bats helplessly flailing away against a pretty good young pitcher and then the Braves’ decent bullpen. It’s understandable, given everything, but it’s hardly acceptable. We know they have better days in them, but we also know this is … well, this is just part of the DNA.
Kyle Hendricks got lit up again, bitten by the obligatory first inning homers, and then hit-hit-hit-hit until he was bounced early. More on him later, but he seems to be suffering from the same illness that has stricken Zach Davies: a command-control guy trying to pitch without command or control.
Time for changes in the rotation AMIRITE: