Maybe it’s just the romanticism attached to Wrigley Field, but it feels like the Cubs are playing an abnormal number of thrilling July games for a team that’s such a noteworthy seller. Drilling down on that thought, I suppose the ephemerality of the core and the nostalgia and grief and nerves surrounding the whole sell-off situation may have something to do with it as well. Regardless, last night was so, so fun, and I don’t know, I feel like Amir Garrett probably appreciates having someone play his game with him.
Javy Báez is in the lineup today, so we’ll see if the Reds do any retaliating for the celebration. Hopefully they don’t, but again, man, emotions are high right now.
The Andrew Chafin return is a good one. It isn’t a knockout, but it’s at the top end of expectations and it bolsters the Cubs farm system that extra little bit, which isn’t meaningless. One thing to know about the Cubs’ system right now is that it’s deep, not loaded at the top, and so far this trade season, they’ve just added new drops to the bucket. Those drops do fill it up, though, and Craig Kimbrel could net the big splasher we’re looking for.
Another trade could be imminent, so let’s move through this and avoid having to rewrite the whole thing.
***
Around the Division:
The Brewers and Cardinals were both off last night, with the biggest news being that Christian Yelich has been placed on the Covid IL, with Jace Peterson joining him due to contact tracing. Hopefully Yelich is ok—thankfully, he’s reportedly fully vaccinated.
Standings, FanGraphs division championship probabilities:
1. Milwaukee: 58-42, 91.7%
2. Cincinnati: 51-49, 4.5%
3. St. Louis: 50-50, 2.2%
4. Cubs: 50-51, 1.6%
5. Pittsburgh: 38-61, 0.0%
Adam Wainwright vs. Cal Quantrill in Cleveland this evening. Brett Anderson vs. the ghost of Tyler Anderson in Pittsburgh (Pirates traded Anderson, and the summation of Pirates trades, for those wondering, is that they’ve all been weird and they help the Pirates a little but not a lot).
Up Next:
Game 2
***
Whom:
Cubs vs. Cincinnati
When:
7:05 PM Chicago Time
Where:
Wrigley Field
Weather:
Temperatures around eighty degrees, wind blowing out towards right at five to ten miles per hour.
Starting Pitchers:
Adbert Alzolay vs. Vladimir Gutierrez
The Opponent:
Including Gutierrez’s debut on that pitcher’s day of days back in May at Wrigley, he’s got a 4.97 ERA and a 4.89 xERA but a 5.91 FIP over ten starts, which have gone a combined 54.1 innings. Hittable, and he’ll walk his fair share.
The Numbers:
The Cubs are -175 favorites, with the Reds at +160 for an implied Cubs win probability of 61% or so. Over/under’s at 10½ and leans towards the under.
Cubs News:
Keegan Thompson’s going down to AAA in exchange for a fresher arm, and Kyle Ryan and Cory Abbott are coming up to replace him and Chafin.
Cubs Thoughts:
Drag the Reds down with you, Cubbies. Sink the whole ship.
