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Run differential widened today.

Nice to get an easy win right out of the box.  Tomorrow is key game, Rea has been terrible lately but might be overdue for an OK game.  Patrick Corbin isn't that good.  Would be nice to secure the series before facing Cease on Sunday.  That will not be a favorable matchup.  But if you won tomorrow, you'd get the series and still have a shot to sweep on Sunday.  Guerrero came out with an injury today.  Perhaps because game was already pretty big differential, but Toronto without Guerrero is not as dangerous. 

In today's lineup, ex Cub minor-leaguer Yohendrick Piñango was their cleanup hitter, with 2nd-best OPS.  Ex-Cubs Tommy Nance and Brendon Little both pitched.  Another example of use-when-losing reliever usage. 

Bregman got a hit with a runner on base today.  He also hit a hard solid line-out with runners on.  And in another spot with a runner on 3rd and 1 out, he actually drove him in, groundout too soft for a DP.  Obviously those were not in leverage situations, but got to start somewhere. 

10 for 24 with RISP.

Great job.

Are you suggesting that a .417 BA with RISP is a good result?

Gausman used 44 pitches in the 1st inning.  Wow. 

Shaw with a crazy AB to hit 3-run HR.  3-0 after two, Rea two perfect innings.

Shaw took strike one, what looked like a cookie.  Corbin threw a 1-2 pitch that was almost entirely within the strike zone, but the ump whiffed the call and their catcher bizarrely failed to challenge for whatever foolish reason.  Should have been a frustrating K.  But then on full count got a pitch on the upper inside corner, right on the corner, and Shaw yanked it out.  Fun AB. 

Cubs load the bases with nobody out in the 8th.

Get one run on a grounder, then Suzuki refuses to walk and K's on a pitch that almost goes to the wall. Busch pops out to end the inning.