This whole stretch has been such a whirlwind, there has been no time really spent on narratives. Beginning April 17, the Cubs played 13 games in 13 days. That included a trip to Los Angeles and San Diego in there as well as series again the Mets and Phillies, both with playoff aspirations. They aced that test with a 10-3 record, audaciously starting it with eight straight wins to run a winning streak to 10 games before stumbling out west. But in addition to those 13 games in 13 days, they had just
one day off and then 10 more games. They’ve now played seven of that 10 and won them all to run a winning streak to nine games.
Not just a 19-3 run, but a 19-3 run in 25 days. If it feels like this is a historic run, I do believe that is accurate. I believe the 19-3 stretch of 22 games runs all of the way back to 1935. None of us were alive for anything like this before. Even then, baseball was vastly different than what it is today. Somehow, some way this team finds itself chasing history of the best kind. Another test awaits as they set back out on the road. But the Cubs leave Wrigley riding a 15-game home winning streak that, again, none of us has ever seen. They leave with the best record in baseball (tied with the Braves and Yankees). This has been remarkable and a whole lot of fun.
Thursday, the script was a bit different. The team got a fairly dominant start from Shōta Imanaga. Imanaga was particularly sharp over the first four innings while the game was tight. He can probably be excused a little for getting out of the zone following a fourth inning that saw the Cubs bat seemingly forever. They tallied seven runs against two Reds pitchers, including a delay for an injured pitcher.
The only blemish on the game was the bullpen not being able to limp across the finish line without Daniel Palencia getting into the game to record the last out. The offense produced seven hits and drew seven walks and a hit by pitch. As was often the case in this series, the difference defensively between an elite Cub defense and a leaky Reds defense was on display. The Reds weren’t charged with any errors, but they definitely had some miscues, including one particularly absent-minded play that robbed Ke’Bryan Hayes of a nifty highlight reel (would have been) double play.
I’ve talked in years past about the Cubs getting greedy. They are playing the greediest baseball I’ve ever seen. They’ve definitely caught some teams at the right time. But they have pounced just about every time an opponent has faltered over these last 22 games. It’s breathtaking and a whole lot of fun. Soak it in, Cubs fans. It won’t always be this way. Enjoy the ride.
Three Positives:
- Michael Conforto crushed the ball all day long. Single, double, homer, walk, two runs, two runs driven in. He has just 45 plate appearances but a .361/.467/.667 line.
- Shōta Imanaga threw six innings and allowed one run on six hits and three walks while striking out 10.
- Miguel Amaya had a two-run single, drew a walk and was hit by a pitch.
Game 38, May 7: Cubs 8, Reds 3 (26-12)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
- Superhero: Shōta Imanaga (.221). 6 IP, 28 BF, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 ER, 10 K (W 4-2)
- Hero: Michael Conforto (.176). 3-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Sidekick: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.091). 1-3, BB, RBI, R, SB
THREE GOATS:
- Billy Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.094). 1-4, BB, RBI, R, DP
- Goat: Moisés Ballesteros (-.049). 0-4, BB
- Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.019). 0-3, BB, RBI, R
WPA Play of the Game: Michael Conforto’s solo homer in the second inning kicked off the scoring. (.115)
*Reds Play of the Game: With runners at first and second with no outs in the third inning and the Cubs up one, Rhett Lowder got Nico Hoerner to ground into an around the horn double play. (.089)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 37 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong received 223 of 242 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)
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.
- Michael Conforto +12
- Shōta Imanaga +10
- Michael Bsuch +9
- Dansby Swanson/Jacob Webb/Caleb Thielbar/Phil Maton -6
- Matt Shaw -9
- Seiya Suzuki -14
A reminder that Imanaga was the 2024 Rizzo Award winner (nudging out Seiya Suzuki).
Current Win Pace: 110.84
Up Next: The Cubs travel to Texas to face the Rangers (17-20). The Rangers have lost seven of 10 and are just 7-8 at home. This feels like a little bit of a trap series at the end of a very long stretch of games and a closely contested series with the Reds. Ben Brown (1-1, 2.10, 25.2 IP) makes his first start after 12 relief appearances. He’s made 23 big league starts for the Cubs, including a few spectacular ones. He threw in the opener of the Reds series, so he’ll only be on three days rest. It’s hard to see him going any more than three innings. My guess is that they hope to get once through the order and then piggyback with Javier Assad. This is essentially a bullpen game with a highly depleted bullpen. Hopefully, the offense can jump out early.
26-year-old Kumar Rocker (1-3, 4.71, 28.2 IP) makes his seventh start of the year for the Rangers. Last time out, he allowed five runs on seven hits in just two innings against the Tigers in Detroit. The 3rd overall pick by the Rangers in 2022 had made 23 career starts with a 5.25 ERA. A couple of starts ago he held the Pirates to one run in six innings and he followed that with two runs over six against the A’s. Both of those starts were in Texas.
Find a way. Keep it rolling.
Go Cubs!
