A bit late with this one, so apologies for that. The reasons are numerous, the fault is mine. The bottom line is that a Cubs legend is back at Wrigley Field today, and in addition to Tommy La Stella, Kris Bryant is also making his return.
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The Diaspora:
Joc Pederson hit a walkoff single for Atlanta last night. Anthony Rizzo homered for the Yankees. Javy Báez doubled and homered for the Mets. Andrew Chafin got the save for the A’s, pitching a scoreless inning. Ryan Tepera struck out two in a scoreless inning of his own for the White Sox. Mike Montgomery threw a rosin bag at an umpire in Korea, and it was worse than that sentence makes it sound. Hope all parties there are ok.
Around the Division:
The Cardinals got a huge win over the Dodgers, getting themselves back to just three games behind the Padres in the playoff race (and two games behind the Reds). Not all good for St. Louis, though, as they’ve had to shut down Wade LeBlanc for the season.
Up Next:
Three with the Giants, who have the best record in baseball.
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Whom:
Cubs vs. San Francisco
When:
Right now (sorry!) – 1:20 PM Chicago Time
Where:
Wrigley Field
Weather:
Temperatures in the high 70’s, wind blowing out towards left center at about ten miles per hour.
Starting Pitchers:
Kyle Hendricks vs. Dominic Leone
The Opponent:
Leone’s unlikely to throw more than an inning, considering he hasn’t gotten more than three outs in an appearance since June. It’s a bullpen game for San Francisco, who’re missing Johnny Cueto and Alex Wood from the rotation right now with an elbow issue and the coronavirus, respectively.
Elsewhere, Wilmer Flores, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater, and Donovan Solano are all also on the Giants’ IL.
The Numbers:
It appears the Cubs closed as +120 underdogs, with the Giants at -145 for an implied Cubs win probability of about 43%. Over/under closed at 9½.
Cubs News:
Nothing too big at the moment.
Cubs Thoughts:
Hendricks already has a walk as I type this, and he’s now pitching to Kris Bryant with runners on first and third. The thought here is that I hope he gets out of this and has a good day. Still a rough year for him.
