On a beautiful Saturday afternoon and with a large contingent of the 2016 championship team in the ballpark, the Cubs played a very good baseball game and won it 6-2. From the various festivities involving the champs to a myriad of interviews, there were so many ties to the championship group. The Lovable Podcast was a significant contributing factor, but the new Champions Gate at Wrigley Field was also front and center. It is a cool idea and a reminder that there is unfinished business for this
organization in the forms of more championships to be won. One of the cornerstone franchises of the league needs more than three championships. Never tell me the odds. Just get it done. Win the whole %$^& thing! Mmmkay?
While basking in the glory of better times and a relatively comfortable win, let’s nail our perspective check. Four teams have better records than the Cubs and one team has a matching record. The Cubs would be the first Wild Card by way of a tiebreaker with the Phillies, from whom they’ve won the season series. The team is on pace for 91 wins. The math is going to stop moving as much soon, but won a game, bumped up the pace by a game. That pace has stopped bouncing around so much, as happens this late in the year. That pace really feels like 90 wins, plus or minus maybe two or three. It’s going to take a prolonged slump or hot streak to make a serious move there. For what it’s worth, the Cubs have won 21 of 30, a cool .700 pace.
Taj Bradley is historically a tough pitcher to face, but the Cubs scored one in the first, two in the second and two in the third to give themselves a ton of early breathing room. Matthew Boyd was excellent, yielding just a second inning solo homer. The Twins managed just two runs all day, on a pair of solo homers. Then they had an epic baserunning blunder in the ninth to sabotage their effort to rally for a win against Jacob Webb.
The Cub offense put together 11 hits, four walks and a stolen base in eight innings and turned that into six total runs. Two doubles, a triple and a homer contributed to the scoring. The first run was a solo homer, the second and third scored on the same double. They were both aided by a walk and a stolen base. The fourth and fifth runs both reached on walks. The sixth run reached on a walk. Of the four walks, three directly scored and one was erased on a fielder’s choice, but the runner that reached base on that FC ended up scoring. You can never point out often enough that walks, extra base hits and stolen bases all influence scoring.
Meanwhile Cub pitching allowed eight hits and just one walk. The only two extra base hits were homers. So the Twins really couldn’t muster any real offensive challenge. Particular hat tip to Matthew Boyd who has been very good in his last couple of starts. My confidence with him is definitely rising.
Three Positives plus Pete:
- Boyd gets the top spot. Six innings, three hits, one walk, one run in six innings.
- Nico Hoerner starts the second half off red hot. He had four hits in this one. He drove in one and scored one.
- Pedro Ramirez had two hits, one a double and drew a walk. He drove in two and scored one.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong was hitless in five plate appearances, striking out three times. One of the worst games he’s had in a while. But he also started that wacky ninth inning double play.
Game 98, July 18: Cubs 6, Twins 2 (55-43)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
- Superhero: Miguel Amaya (.162). 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- Hero: Matthew Boyd (.147). 6 IP, 21 BF, 3 H, BB, ER, 4 K (W 6-1)
- Sidekick: Pedro Ramirez (.125). 2-3, BB, 2 RBI
THREE GOATS:
- Billy Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.064). 0-5
- Goat: Alex Bregman (-.042). 0-4
- Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.036). 1-4, 3B, R
WPA Play of the Game: Miguel Amaya’s two-run double came with two outs and the second and gave the Cubs a two run lead. (.181)
Reds Play of the Game: Kody Clemens’ solo homer in the second tied the game at one. (.108)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 97 Winner: Seiya Suzuki received 16 of 31 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 +21
- Michael Busch +17
- Carson Kelly +15.5
- Ben Brown +13.5
- Trent Thornton +12.5
- Edward Cabrera -9.5
- Phil Maton -10
- Nico Hoerner -12
- Dansby Swanson/Caleb Thielbar -14
Up Next: The third and final game of the series at Wrigley Sunday afternoon. Shōta Imanaga (5-8, 4.17) starts for the Cubs. He’s 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA over his last seven starts (38 IP), so things are trending positively. 26-year-old righty Zebby Matthews (4-6, 4.57) starts for the Twins. Matthews was the eighth round pick of the Twins (234th overall) out of Western Carolina in 2022. He’s just 2-3 with a 6.17 in six road starts. So this feels like the strongest of the three matchups this weekend for the Cubs.
