The going is weird. Cub Tracks™ turned pro a long time ago. Cub Tracks™. Where the great ones run AWAY..
Any MLB team can beat you. The good teams WILL beat you.
I see the Cubs are busy signing their draft picks. That’s a good thing.
Game two is in the books and the Cubs have the meatloaf secured.
The hero was starting pitcher Shota (Mike) Imanaga who was merely himself, logging a quality start, allowing 5 hits and 0 runs in his 7 innings of work. Brad Keller came in and held serve, and Ryan Brasier
closed the game out.
Brayan Bello started for the Red Sox. Michael Busch continued to embrace the leadoff spot, going deep for a quick one - nothing lead [VIDEO]. Kyle Tucker loved that idea and dealt a jack of his own [VIDEO]. Seiya Suzuki seemingly had one too few biscuits for breakfast and only skied one to the track in center. But the damage was done.
The Cubs tacked more runs on in the bottom of the second, when Vidal Bruján delivered a sacrifice fly, scoring Dansby Swanson, and in the seventh, when Matt Shaw clobbered his third home run, his second in the pinch [VIDEO]. PCA had one in the eighth, his 26th [VIDEO]. Ian Happ thought that a good call and whacked one of his own [VIDEO].
Bello did pitch creditably, keeping the Cubs off the board for the rest of his innings. But Imanaga is ‘tsume’ 爪 (nails) and he and the bullpen kept the BoSox off the board entirely. Chris Murphy didn’t exactly lay down the law in relief, and the Cubs rolled out the barrels.
One more game in this series today, at 1:20 CST. The Cubs will be going for the sweep.
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- Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): How Jed Hoyer, Cubs view potential MLB trade deadline acquisitions. “Like always, no one’s untouchable,” the Cubs president of baseball operations said.
- Paul Niemiec (North Side Baseball*): Porter Hodge shouldn’t be counted out just yet. “... all is not lost for the Cubs’ set-up man.”
- Jeff Vorva (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago Cubs are saving runs with strong defense from multiple players: ‘Run prevention is everybody’s job’. “It’s so much fun,” Crow-Armstrong said of the team’s defense.
- Joey Pollizzi (MLB.com*): Busch’s impact in leadoff role propels Cubs to series win over Red Sox. “The Cubs kept the homers coming in the later innings...”
- Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): How Cubs view Matt Shaw, third base situation as trade deadline nears. “The Cubs have started six different players at the position this season to little avail.”
- Randy Holt (North Side Baseball?): Is Ian Happ a victim of circumstance or stuck in a mechanical spiral? “As his summer struggles continue, Craig Counsell lifted Ian Happ from the leadoff spot...”
Food for thought:
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