1. Well…
I mean, it was closer than it could have been with the Cubs’ sixth starter facing Kevin Gausman. But it’s still disappointing to not make it happen, and it’s never fun to lose a third straight, and it’s a bummer to drop into a tie in the division.
2. What’s the deal going to be with Joc Pederson?
The outfielder left with lower back tightness, which seems like something that would probably be ok shortly but I’m no doctor or trainer and there’s a wide range of how bad backs can hurt/be tight.
3. Kohl Stewart was fine.
Not lights out or anything, but not a bad outing from the guy, everything considered.
4. The Cory Abbott move is a small thing, but it’s telling.
The Cubs called up Abbott yesterday, scratching him from a AAA start to give the bullpen some depth. That’s a short-term prioritization. It’s not the only thing at play—they clearly think Abbott’s ready to contribute, they want to give him some big league development—but it’s telling that they didn’t keep him starting, keep him focused on developing, etc. The Cubs front office wants to win right now. There are questions whether ownership wants that, but the front office wants it.
***
Around the Division:
The Brewers won again, beating the Diamondbacks 7-5. The Reds beat the Cardinals again, 5-2.
Standings, FanGraphs division championship probabilities:
T-1. Milwaukee: 32-26, 54.5%
T-1. Cubs: 32-26, 24.1%
3. St. Louis: 31-28, 12.6%
4. Cincinnati: 27-29, 8.8%
5. Pittsburgh: 23-34, 0.0%
Corbin Burnes tries to get the Brewers a sweep against Caleb Smith today. John Gant opposes Wade Miley.
Up Next:
Trying to avoid the sweep.
***
Whom:
Cubs vs. San Francisco
When:
3:05 PM Chicago Time
Where:
Oracle Park
Weather:
60’s, wind blowing out, the normal San Francisco stuff. Wind’s maybe blowing a bit harder than usual. Not sure how impactful that is at that park.
Starting Pitchers:
Kyle Hendricks vs. Johnny Cueto
The Opponent:
Cueto’s into his second straight season of health, and things are going nicely for the 35-year-old. He’s got a 3.45 ERA backed by a wild 2.64 FIP and a more reassuring 4.16 xERA. Which, summed up, means he’s getting bad results on balls in play but they’re hit rather hard, and overall he’s pitching solidly.
Evan Longoria hurt his collarbone and/or shoulder in the collision with Brandon Crawford last night. He may be IL-bound.
The Numbers:
The Cubs are -110 favorites, with the Giants at even odds, so the Cubs are in that 52% range of win probability. The over/under’s at eight.
Cubs News:
Jason Heyward returned last night, but Jake Marisnick is having some soreness and is still day-to-day. The Cubs hit Nick Martini with the DFA, claiming Dakota Chalmers from the Twins. Chalmers is 24, has never pitched past AA, and has mostly started but never thrown that many innings per start. Not a big prospect, but the Cubs must like something about him, because he’s now on the 40-man.
I think I neglected to mention yesterday that the Rangers picked up Tyson Miller, whom the Cubs did not successfully trade.
Cubs Thoughts:
You don’t need need a win today, but winning would round out a solid week and leave the Cubs still on track for that 45-36 goal we set for the end of June entering a series in San Diego that they wouldn’t have to win to be on track for that 45-36 record at the end of June. In other words, the Cubs are in an ok place. We knew this was going to be a hard month, we knew this was going to be a hard road trip, and as we’ve said the last few days, it is humongous that they finished off that sweep of the Padres. Humongous.
But yes, please get a win today, that would feel nice.
