I had an oh-duh moment while watching this one play out. I have to go back down the rabbit hole, because I don’t see anyone keeping the full total. I know this is 10 walk-offs. I’m pretty certain the number is three for road wins in their last at bat. But I don’t recall if there were any home wins with an eighth-inning winning run. That is technically the other way to win while scoring in your last team at-bat. 10 walk-offs already is amazing. 13 last chance wins is amazing. This team finds new ways
to amaze me all the time.
I’ll probably change my opinion once or twice more, but I think I’ve decided that if the Cubs decide to only bring back one corner outfielder, it is Seiya. I love the loyalty, the longevity, the season over season consistency of Ian Happ. I love that he moved all over the field until they settled on a position for him. I love that he then won several gold gloves at that spot. Seiya is significantly improved in the field now too. He’s grown so much as a fielder and he’s quietly having a very good season there. The relationship between Seiya and Pete Crow-Armstrong feels special. I think when all of my internal ballots are counted, I’m about 53 percent in favor of Seiya. Well within the margin of error.
But yeah, the story of the game and these last three days and really this whole season is this team just finding a way to win. Just like that, they are essentially back on a 90-win pace (89.6). Will all the injuries, all of the slumps, this team somehow gets it done. Four Cub pitchers were used in this game. None of them were particularly impressive. The Cubs allowed 11 hits and two walks. It definitely felt like they were in trouble all night long. And yet, they yielded just two runs.
The Cubs couldn’t really get to Griffin Canning, finally chasing him with two runs allowed over 4.1 innings. But he’s fared so much worse lately than that. The Cubs put up 10 hits, four walks and had a batter hit. They managed three runs. Often not enough, but just enough on this night. To be fair, I’m pretty sure at least one more run would have scored had the game not ended there. I really thought that was a walk-off homer off of Seiya’s bat. It felt like he hit it pretty close to the spot where Javier Baez once reached the basket against Johnny Cueto to win a game 1-0 in the playoffs.
I said the Cubs needed to get at least one win in this series to make sure they at least split the season series with the Padres. That mission is accomplished. Now they get two shots to win this series and also the season series. Given that the two teams figure to compete for a Wild Card spot, that could matter.
This team is bonkers to cover, but I wouldn’t miss it. These three straight wins are absolutely wild. They’ve faced some really elite pitchers on good teams and countered with a bunch of scrap heap arms. And won. I’m watching potentially the ultimate collision of social media and real life. If this team wins 90 games (or more), social media will have been tap dancing all season long on Craig Counsell’s grave while he wins the NL Manager of the Year award. The Dodgers and Brewers are exactly who we thought they were. The Braves are more or less who we thought they were and the Cubs are running more of a MASH unit than a pitching staff. And every time the dust settles again, they are still standing. Still in the rear view mirror of the Brewers. Stalking like some campy 80’s horror-slasher movie villain.
This team has been so odd, winning more than half of their games either by scoring in the last inning or blowing out their opponent, that we basically haven’t nitpicked any decisions. Not at the micro level anyway. While I’m often a big fan of the aggressive fan and making the other team make a play, I hated the send of Dansby Swanson on the fly out double play in the ninth. I would have rather continued to have the bases loaded there, even though it also put PCA on third. It didn’t end up mattering, but I just wouldn’t have made that send.
What a time to be alive! Go Cubs.
Three Positives:
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, the walking man? Two more singles, two more walks. That up to the minute on-base percentage is .370. In his age 24 season, he’s going to be a two-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove (first time platinum?), and will best his ninth place MVP finish of last year.
- Shōta Imanaga. 6.1 innings, nine hits, no walks, two runs. Four strikeouts. Not his best outing, but a terrific one at that.
- Seiya Suzuki. Two hits, one a double. Two runs driven in, one run scored. He was part of all three runs that scored. That will be one of the most well struck balls off of Mason Miller this year.
Game 85, June 29: Cubs 3, Padres 2 (47-38)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
- Superhero: Seiya Suzuki (.305). 2-4, 2B, SF, 2 RBI, R, DP
- Hero: Michael Conforto (.149). 1-4, RBI
- Sidekick: Trent Thornton (.134). IP, 3 BF, H, K (W 3-2)
THREE GOATS:
- Billy Goat: Michael Busch (-.330). 0-4, BB
- Goat: Miguel Amaya (-.183). 0-4
- Kid: Ian Happ (-.144). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki’s walk-off “single” off the top of the wall. (.367)
Brewers Play of the Game: Michael Busch one play earlier, the fly out/thrown out at home double play. (.303)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 84 Winner: Bryse Wilson received 123 of 235 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong +17
- Michael Busch +15
- Ben Brown +13.5
- Trent Thornton +12.5
- Carson Kelly +11.5
- Edward Cabrera -9.5
- Phil Maton -10
- Dansby Swanson -12
- Caleb Thielbar -13
- Seiya Suzuki -14.5
Up Next: Game two of this three-game set. Matthew Boyd (2-1, 5.02) starts for the Cubs. JP Sears (1-0, 3.18) makes his second start of the season for the Padres. The 30-year-old veteran lefty made 27 starts last year for the A’s and Padres with a 5.04 ERA.
Get this win.
