NEWSLETTER
The Cubs were able, for a little while, to avoid the worst of having traded away half their bullpen at the start of August. For a much longer time, that has ceased to be the case. Today was an example, as Adrian Sampson turned in a great start, the Cubs had a late lead, and the bullpen let it slip away.
For their part, the Cubs got some help in center field, with two of their three runs attributable to plays T.J. Friedl could have made, but didn’t (and he had some other biffs out there that did not result in runs). Dude was having a ROUGH time with that afternoon sun at Wrigley Field. I guess the Cubs needed him to screw up a few more times.
Adrian Sampson was quite solid again today, aided by some great defense, but continuing to stay in the strike zone and avoid tons of hard contact. Overall, he also continues to be just solid enough that you couldn’t justify taking him out of the rotation, or deciding – yet – that he definitely can’t be kept on the 40-man roster all offseason. Even though it’s going to be crowded.
Every reliever who came in after him walked at least one batter, which is ugly. And it wasn’t any better on the Cubs’ batters’ side of the ledger.
