Yesterday's make up game had the underpinnings of a Cold War border crossing.
The Brewers were upset that they lost a precious day off for this make up game when the Cubs canceled a game in May when the bad weather never showed up.
The Brewers felt the Cubs front office (which has control of the start until the line up cards are exchanged with the home plate umpire) could have changed the day game to a night game to let the expected bad storms to pass. But the Cubs did not do so. They just canceled the game and scheduled a make up contest a day game after the Brewers played a night game.
It seems like a pretty petty thing for the Cubs to do. In May the Cubs were shuffling along. In July, the Cubs continue to shuffle along. Meanwhile, the Brewers used the clear diss to motivate themselves to pistol whip their rivals.
The blow out of the Cubs was done early. It was so bad that Joe Maddon admitted by the 5th inning he was talking to players about being the position mop-up pitcher in the late innings. A game of rock-paper-scissors between Jon Jay and Tommy LaStella allowed Jay to throw a slow pitch perfect 9th inning.
If Maddon joked about the end of the game as comic relief for a terrible performance, then the Cubs have more problems. The call up of Schwarber after 11 minor league games showed some desperation with the lack of offense. The Cubs were only averaging 4.5 R/G this year compared to 5.3 R/G in 2016. In the spring, Maddon wanted his team to average 6 R/G. Also, Mike Montgomery, who had been the most consistent pitcher since his promotion, got lit up by the Brewers.
You had the perfect storm. You had the Brewers who were mad at the Cubs for being disrespected; you have the Cubs who cannot seem to get their act together for two games in a row.
With the loss, the Cubs fall to 4.5 games behind the Brewers. Everyone keeps on talking about the Brewers not having the players to sustain a playoff run. But they continue to prove the division wrong. Everyone continues to believe that the Cubs will get a post break streak and cruise to the NL Central title. But that spark, if it was to be Schwarber's return, is fizzling (he is now hitting .168).
Writers try to pry a silver lining out of the dark cloud of the season with this stat: 70% the rest of Cubs opponents are under .500. But in reality, that stat does not matter since the Cubs are under .500 too.
At a certain point, someone will have to call this "a lost season." This Brewers game may be looked at in September as the downward fall of the Cubs championship defense.
Showing posts with label rivals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rivals. Show all posts
July 7, 2017
December 21, 2015
ST. LOUIS VILE
I
cannot recall such vile vitriol from a city and fan base after a player
leaves via free agency.
When the Cubs signed Jason Heyward, Cardinal fans went nuts on social media. The insults were harsh and stupid. The St. Louis media also jumped on this hate bandwagon, calling Heyward "disloyal," a "traitor," and a "Benedict Arnold." They could not believe Heyward turned down a "better" offer from the Cardinals to play for the hated Cubs.
Heyward only played for the Cardinals for one year! He did not come up through the St. Louis system; he was an Atlanta Brave for most of his career.
And if you break down his new deal, the Cubs actually are paying more than the Cardinals AAV deal. With the signing bonus and the op out clause, the Cubs are paying Heyward $26 million/season for the first three years.
Is this still crass bitterness that the Cubs defeated the Cardinals in the post season?
Or the impending fear and doom that the Cubs are now a championship caliber team?
But Heyward's explanation of his decision is noteworthy.
In his introductory press conference this week, Heyward explained that he was drawn to the Cubs in part because of the roster stability he expects them to have going forward.
“Knowing the core is young and those guys are going to be around for a while is very exciting,” Heyward said, according to ESPN. “I don’t want to take the highest dollar amount when my gut is telling me to go somewhere else. Being 26 years old and knowing that my contract would put me in any clubhouse for longer than most people there, you have to look at age, how fast the team is changing and how soon those changes will come about.”
When the Cubs signed Jason Heyward, Cardinal fans went nuts on social media. The insults were harsh and stupid. The St. Louis media also jumped on this hate bandwagon, calling Heyward "disloyal," a "traitor," and a "Benedict Arnold." They could not believe Heyward turned down a "better" offer from the Cardinals to play for the hated Cubs.
Heyward only played for the Cardinals for one year! He did not come up through the St. Louis system; he was an Atlanta Brave for most of his career.
And if you break down his new deal, the Cubs actually are paying more than the Cardinals AAV deal. With the signing bonus and the op out clause, the Cubs are paying Heyward $26 million/season for the first three years.
Is this still crass bitterness that the Cubs defeated the Cardinals in the post season?
Or the impending fear and doom that the Cubs are now a championship caliber team?
But Heyward's explanation of his decision is noteworthy.
In his introductory press conference this week, Heyward explained that he was drawn to the Cubs in part because of the roster stability he expects them to have going forward.
“Knowing the core is young and those guys are going to be around for a while is very exciting,” Heyward said, according to ESPN. “I don’t want to take the highest dollar amount when my gut is telling me to go somewhere else. Being 26 years old and knowing that my contract would put me in any clubhouse for longer than most people there, you have to look at age, how fast the team is changing and how soon those changes will come about.”
May 8, 2014
CROSSTOWN
There was as much sizzle for the Cubs-Sox Crosstown Classic as a sidewalk dog turd in the middle of a February blizzard.
Both teams are coming off horrible 2013 campaigns.
And this year has not been too kind. One team has lost two starting pitchers, their third baseman, their second baseman, their right fielder and center fielder to injuries. The bullpen started off in a mess. But this White Sox team is still light years ahead of the Cubs.
The Cubs front office duo of Epstein and Hoyer have been in their positions longer than White Sox GM Hahn. Yes, Hahn was an assistant under Kenny Williams, so the White Sox management "team" is still together. But from all reports, Hahn is making the baseball calls.
He pulled outfielder Moises Sierra off the waiver wire last week when Avisail Garcia went down with a season ending injury. Sierra took to Cub pitching like a fish to water: he is 5 for 9 (.556 BA). A career minor league pitcher, Scott Carroll, is called up and makes two quality starts (1-1, 0.68 ERA and 1.05 WHIP).
And the Cubs have struggling Mike Olt.
And Darwin Barney who in the field is looking like a lost little leaguer.
This is a tale of two different baseball team philosophies.
The White Sox have to win in order to draw fan support. The Sox do not have the financial resources of the Cubs, but the team does not have the time to do a "rebuild." Instead, the Sox went out and traded and signed international free agents like Jose Abreu. Some call the roster turnover as "re-tooling" than rebuilding.
On the other side of town, the Cubs allegedly had the money to "re-tool" but stubbornly want to stay bad in order to re-stock the minor league system with high draft picks and Latin American teenagers.
The White Sox, even with their player injuries, are built to compete in 2014 while the Cubs are a complete journeyman AAAA team which as settled in to the bottom.
Both teams are coming off horrible 2013 campaigns.
And this year has not been too kind. One team has lost two starting pitchers, their third baseman, their second baseman, their right fielder and center fielder to injuries. The bullpen started off in a mess. But this White Sox team is still light years ahead of the Cubs.
The Cubs front office duo of Epstein and Hoyer have been in their positions longer than White Sox GM Hahn. Yes, Hahn was an assistant under Kenny Williams, so the White Sox management "team" is still together. But from all reports, Hahn is making the baseball calls.
He pulled outfielder Moises Sierra off the waiver wire last week when Avisail Garcia went down with a season ending injury. Sierra took to Cub pitching like a fish to water: he is 5 for 9 (.556 BA). A career minor league pitcher, Scott Carroll, is called up and makes two quality starts (1-1, 0.68 ERA and 1.05 WHIP).
And the Cubs have struggling Mike Olt.
And Darwin Barney who in the field is looking like a lost little leaguer.
This is a tale of two different baseball team philosophies.
The White Sox have to win in order to draw fan support. The Sox do not have the financial resources of the Cubs, but the team does not have the time to do a "rebuild." Instead, the Sox went out and traded and signed international free agents like Jose Abreu. Some call the roster turnover as "re-tooling" than rebuilding.
On the other side of town, the Cubs allegedly had the money to "re-tool" but stubbornly want to stay bad in order to re-stock the minor league system with high draft picks and Latin American teenagers.
The White Sox, even with their player injuries, are built to compete in 2014 while the Cubs are a complete journeyman AAAA team which as settled in to the bottom.
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