Author Topic: Today's Game 2018  (Read 68267 times)

JeffH

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1560 on: April 21, 2018, 09:10:20 pm »
Will the Darvish signing mark the end of the Epstein era?

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1561 on: April 21, 2018, 09:10:50 pm »
Weird that Darvish falls apart in the 5th every start

I don't think he's really falling apart in the 5th inning, though. I think he just hasn't been that good, and it catches up to him the third time through the order. He is getting to two strikes consistently early in the game, then he's taking an additional 3-5 pitches to put batters away (and most of the time, they're making contact, not K'ing). By the time batters face him a third time, they're figuring him out.

craig

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1562 on: April 21, 2018, 09:11:24 pm »
Rizzo with a nice idea to try to bunt, but too weak and gets gunned easily. 

craig

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1563 on: April 21, 2018, 09:14:31 pm »
I don't think he's really falling apart in the 5th inning, though. I think he just hasn't been that good, and it catches up to him the third time through the order. He is getting to two strikes consistently early in the game, then he's taking an additional 3-5 pitches to put batters away (and most of the time, they're making contact, not K'ing). By the time batters face him a third time, they're figuring him out.

I get that.  But when he walked #7 and then walked the pitcher, he wasn't even close.  It's not that the pitcher had figured him out, he just had no control to even throw a fastball down the middle to the pitcher. 

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1564 on: April 21, 2018, 09:21:15 pm »
Yeah, the walk to the pitcher had nothing to do with figuring him out.

Still, my key point is that I don't think it's really been a collapse in the 5th inning because "collapse" implies that he's been good in innings 1-4. I don't think he has been. I think he's gotten by in the first four innings, but that's been mostly good luck that he's kept teams off the board early in the game.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1565 on: April 21, 2018, 09:35:50 pm »
The offense has gone into shut down mode since the first inning.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1566 on: April 21, 2018, 09:44:01 pm »
Wilson warming up in the bullpen as Strop walks Blackmon to lead off the 7th.

Ottavino warming up for the Rockies. He's been lights out this year: 22 strikeouts, 2 hits, and 1 walk in 10 2/3 IP. Unlikely that the Cubs are going to do much against him.

Chris27

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1567 on: April 21, 2018, 09:44:48 pm »
We're gonna end up winning the Darvish sweepstakes like we won the Heyward ones, aren't we?

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1568 on: April 21, 2018, 09:52:53 pm »
I'm willing to give Darvish the benefit of the doubt for longer since the weather was terrible last time he pitched, and no one pitches well in Colorado.

Still, it would be nice for him to show some swing-and-miss stuff really soon.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1569 on: April 21, 2018, 09:53:12 pm »
Justin Wilson walks the first batter he faces on 5 pitches. What a bust.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1570 on: April 21, 2018, 10:00:47 pm »
Almora grounds out for the first out in the 8th.

Ottavino came into tonight with a 64.7% strikeout rate. He's striking out almost two thirds of the batters who face him.

Baez with a swinging bunt. I guess it's a moral victory that he's going to have a 33% K rate at best tonight.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1571 on: April 21, 2018, 10:03:07 pm »
All three Cubs ground weakly in the 8th.

Feast or famine, this lineup just can't put together a string of good offensive performances in a row.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1572 on: April 21, 2018, 10:08:52 pm »
Wolters Ks swinging, ball in the dirt.

Wolters reaches first when Contreras throws the ball into RF, but Wolters is called out for interference.

Wolters doesn't realize he's been called out for interference, so he keeps running. Cubs throw the ball to third and tag him out. So he's "out" three times on the same play.

brjones

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1573 on: April 21, 2018, 10:17:46 pm »
Cubs go down weakly in the 9th, another dead performance after it looked like they were starting to put it together the last two days.

Rockies pitchers retired the last 14 Cubs batters they faced.

Chris27

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Re: Today's Game 2018
« Reply #1574 on: April 21, 2018, 10:18:18 pm »
1-9 w/ RISP

They had chances again.