Iowa wins their 4th-straight over Omaha. The Pelicans top Augusta with a big inning.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs outlasted the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 6-5 in 12 innings. The win was Iowa’s fourth-straight over Omaha.

Joe Biagini started and allowed three runs on six hits over six innings. Two of those six hits were solo home runs. Biagini struck out seven and walked no one.

Blake Whitney threw one scoreless inning before Jason Adam made his first appearance for Iowa since suffering a freak injury during batting practice back in May. Adam retired the side in order, striking out two.

Ethan Roberts threw two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. He walked one and struck out three.

Juan Gámez pitched the 11th and 12th inning and got the win. Gámez gave up two runs in the bottom of the 12th, but managed to end the game on a grounder to third with the winning run on first base. The final line on Gámez is two runs, one earned, on two hits over two innings. He struck out one, walked one and hit one batter.

Catcher Taylor Gushue hit a three-run double in the top of the 12th inning in his only at-bat of the game.

Right fielder Ian Miller went 2 for 5 with a walk and two steals. He scored one run.

Left fielder Johneshwy Fargas was 2 for 6 with one run scored. He also stole one base.

Center fielder Brennen Davis was 1 for 4 with a walk, because someone was going to ask.

Nico Hoerner played nine innings at shortstop and was 1 for 3 and he was hit by a pitch. He scored one run.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies game in Biloxi was rained out. They will try to make this one up tomorrow in a doubleheader.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were mugged by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 8-3.

Chris Clarke started and took the loss after allowing five runs on ten hits over 5.2 innings. Clarke left the game in the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2, but the bases were loaded and reliever Jose Albertos allowed all three runners to score. Clarke walked two and struck out three.

First baseman Bryce Ball went 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored two times.

DH Tyler Durna was 2 for 4.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans shredded the Augusta GreenJackets (Braves), 11-4 after scoring 11 runs in the fourth inning.

Jose Miguel Gonzalez started and gave up three runs on five hits over four innings. Two of those runs came on a home run in the top of the fourth. Gonzalez struck out three and walked no one.

Luis Angel Rodriguez got the win because Gonzalez did not pitch five innings. He allowed just one run on two hits (including a sixth-inning home run) over four innings of relief. Rodriguez struck out eight and walked three.

Catcher Ethan Hearn had an RBI single in the fourth and a two-run double. He was 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and the three RBI.

Shortstop Ed Howard led off the fourth inning with a single and he had another RBI single later in the inning. Howard finished the game at 2 for 4. He scored twice.

Third baseman Josue Huma hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning. He was 1 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Right fielder Jacob Wetzel was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored one time and had an RBI.

Center fielder Christian Franklin went 1 for 3 with two walks. He scored one run and drove one in.

Highlights:

ACL Cubs

Lost to the Reds, 6-0.

——

Go get ‘em, Zach.

Looking for Friday’s game threads? This is the place.

This is probably not gonna be fun.

Today’s roster move: Here

Friday notes...

• LOSING TO MILWAUKEE: The Cubs look tonight to snap a nine-game losing streak against Milwaukee dating to April 24. They have been outscored 78-24 during this skid and this is the franchise’s longest-ever losing streak to the Brewers Previous record: An eight-game losing streak, June 6-August 29, 2012.
• ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Cubs scored seven runs in the third inning Thursday, tied for their second-highest total in an inning this season. They scored seven in an inning two other times, and eight in the eighth inning on May 21 at St. Louis. Also, Matt Duffy has homered in consecutive games for the second time in his career (the other: June 27-28, 2015). Duffy has four home runs in his last eight games after hitting just one in his first 74 games of the season.
• SCHWINDY CITY UPDATE: Since joining the Cubs on July 30, Frank Schwindel ranks among the major league leaders in batting average (1st, .365), slugging percentage (2nd, .679), OPS (2nd, 1.094), hits (tied for 2nd, 57) and extra-base hits (tied for 7th, 24).
• RELIEF HELP: Codi Heuer has posted a 1.57 ERA (four earned runs in 23 innings) in his first 19 outings with the team, holding the opponent to a .169 BA (13-for-77) with a .244 OBP and a .517 OPS. Rowan Wick in his last five outings has three saves, thrown eight scoreless innings and walked two with 12 strikeouts and a .077 opponent BA (2-for-26).

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Brewers lineup:

Also of interest for this series (time listed is ET):

Zach Davies, RHP vs. Adrian Houser, RHP

USA TODAY Sports

USA TODAY NETWORK

Pitcher A, last 14 starts: 6.79 ERA, 1.685 WHIP, 18 HR in 62⅓ innings
Pitcher B, last 14 starts: 6.59 ERA, 1.282 WHIP, 19 HR in 71 innings

Pitcher A is Zach Davies. Pitcher B is Yu Darvish.

Feel better now?

Yeah, me neither.

The good news is that Davies has three, possibly four more starts in a Cubs uniform and then we will never have to suffer through one of his starts again.

Oddly enough, Davies has made only one start against his former Brewer teammates this year, June 29 in Milwaukee, and it was typical 2021 Davies: four innings, two runs, a bazillion pitches (okay, only 84). In 30 starts this year he’s gone six or more innings only eight times.

If tonight is better, I will be genuinely stunned.

Statcast

Adrian Houser has only been “good” this year as opposed to the rest of the Brewers rotation, which has been unbelievable.

Still, a 3.25 ERA, one complete game and 1.6 bWAR is pretty good. He has a higher walk rate than you’d like to see from a starter (4.1 per nine innings), so maybe the Cubs can be patient hitters tonight. He missed some time last month on the COVID-19 list.

Houser has not faced the Cubs this year and thus most Cubs have not seen him. Ian Happ is 3-for-7 with two doubles, for whatever that’s worth. Since July 1 he’s been really good: 10 appearances (nine starts), 1.92 ERA, 1.084 WHIP, but still a lot of walks (26 in 51⅔ innings).

Statcast

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. Here’s a list of providers currently carrying Marquee.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. If you do go there to interact with Brewers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2021 Game Thread procedure will be a bit different than previous years. It will be similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

The Cubs have another lefty available in the bullpen.

Adam Morgan, who was placed on the bereavement list last Friday, was activated by the team this afternoon and will be available for tonight’s game against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

To make room for Morgan on the 28-man active roster, Manuel Rodriguez has been placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Now we know, perhaps, why Rodriguez has been so shaky his last few outings (27.00 ERA over his last four appearances with five walks and only three strikeouts). Rodriguez will be eligible to return for the last two series of the year in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, but the reality is he’s likely done for 2021.

Morgan’s first eight appearances for the Cubs were pretty bad (8.31 ERA, 2.308 WHIP). But since the All-Star break, Morgan has been really good: 22 appearances, 2.08 ERA, 0.981 WHIP, six walks and 20 strikeouts in 17⅓ innings. He’s become one of the more reliable relievers in David Ross’ bullpen and has definitely put himself in the conversation for 2022.

This feature by Meghan Montemurro in the Tribune last month details Morgan’s comeback from elbow surgery last fall and sounds like he’s developed a good approach to the game:

“Each day, I’m very thankful to be here, that’s how I’m going about this,” Morgan said. “I don’t think that I deserve anything. I don’t think this game gives you anything, that’s for sure. If I were to retire, there wasn’t going to be a moment of silence, there wasn’t going to be a retiring of my number — the game doesn’t owe you anything.

“But for me, you want to respect the game, do the right things and see how far you can go.”

Hopefully, this and his 2021 performance will allow him to be a key contributor for the Cubs next year.

The Brewers are on the verge of clinching the NL Central. Can the Cubs stop them? (Hint: Probably not.)

The Brewers have a very good chance to clinch the NL Central title during this series. Entering today’s action their magic number is 5.

So that’s fun, right? (No, it’s not, not for the Cubs, anyway.)

For more on the Brewers, here’s Kyle Lesniewski, manager of our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball:

Their struggles against the AL Central notwithstanding, the Brewers are very close to clinching their own divisional crown.

The second half surge has continued into September as the team enters their series with the Cubs at 8-5 on the month and 89-57 on the season.

Brandon Woodruff has looked more human in his last few starts and Freddy Peralta took a bit to get going again after an IL stint, but the slack has been picked up by stellar stretches from Eric Lauer and Adrian Houser. Christian Yelich still hasn’t found his old MVP form and Willy Adames (who should be returning soon) has been on the shelf, leaving unexpected contributors like Kolten Wong, Avisail Garcia, and Luis Urias to shoulder the load offensively, and they have done so with quite a bit of success.

Fun fact

As hinted by Kyle Lesniewski, the Brewers struggled this year against AL Central teams, going just 8-12, and against the three worst teams in that division (Tigers, Royals, Twins) they were 3-11.

Probable pitching matchups

Friday: Zach Davies, RHP (6-11, 5.40 ERA, 1.546 WHIP, 5.42 FIP) vs. Adrian Houser, RHP (9-6, 3.25 ERA, 1.264 WHIP, 4.30 FIP

Saturday: Justin Steele, LHP (3-3, 4.17 ERA, 1.390 WHIP, 5.12 FIP) vs. Corbin Burnes, RHP (10-4, 2.25 ERA, 0.954 WHIP, 1.50 FIP)

Sunday: Adrian Sampson, RHP (1-2, 2.53 ERA, 1.172 WHIP, 5.98 FIP) vs. Eric Lauer, LHP (6-5, 3.10 ERA, 1.161 WHIP, 3.94 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Friday: 7:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Saturday: 6:15 p.m. CT, Fox-TV (regional — coverage map)

Sunday: 1:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

Oh, come now. This is a total mismatch and the Cubs have already lost 13 of 16 to the Brewers this year, including the last nine in a row.

Still, I suspect that somehow the Cubs will win one of these three, perhaps the Sunday game.

Up next

The Cubs have Monday off, then host the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field for a two-game series beginning Tuesday evening.

The new Cubs first baseman is hitting almost everything in sight.

Frank Schwindel has been one of the best and most enjoyable stories surrounding the post-selloff Cubs.

In 41 games and 169 plate appearances for the North Siders, he’s hitting .365/.414/.679 (57-for-156) with 11 doubles, a triple and 12 home runs. That’s already gotten him a National League Player of the Week award, and accolades from Cubs fans who have enjoyed his happy-go-lucky attitude toward playing the game. He’s an easy player to root for.

He also has the most wonderful facial expressions:

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

He’s also 29 years old (will turn 30 next June) and has never really done anything in the minor leagues that would have suggested he could do what he’s now doing for the Cubs on a sustained basis.

On the other hand, there are some players who “figure it out” at a relatively advanced age and wind up having productive seasons at the MLB level. One comparable player is Max Muncy, who hit .195/.290/.321 over 91 games with the Athletics in 2015-16, such poor production that the A’s released him after spring training 2017. You all know what Muncy has done with the Dodgers.

Can Schwindel do something like that? He never got even as much MLB time as Muncy did, just 14 games with the Royals and A’s before the Cubs got him on waivers.

There’s one thing that suggests Schwindel won’t. That’s his BABIP with the Cubs, which is currently .378. A BABIP that high is almost certainly not sustainable, though Schwindel has nearly matched that with the .365 BA. That suggests some skill is involved as well as luck. Even if his BABIP dropped to the current MLB average of .291, if Schwindel could hit around that number with power, he’d be a useful MLB player.

For his part, Schwindel seems to have a good understanding of what it takes to be a successful hitter, as he told Meghan Montemurro of the Tribune:

“When I grew up, I hated striking out and hated walking,” Schwindel told the Tribune on Wednesday. “Now there’s a lot of value in the walk and some teams have the philosophy, ‘strike out as many times you want as long as you’re hitting 30-plus homers.’ I think I’m a little mixed between where if there’s something over the plate, I’m trying to make something happen rather than being too selective and get behind. These guys are too good where you don’t want to get to their secondary stuff and their plus-out pitches.”

Schwindel doesn’t walk much, thus the OBP not much higher than his BA. On the other hand, unlike a lot of power hitters, he hasn’t struck out much, either, just 25 times in 169 PA. At one point recently he went 32 PA without striking out, which is almost unheard-of in modern baseball.

Montemurro also points out how Schwindel is taking advantage of the pitches he’s seeing:

His home run Wednesday came on a sinker down and away that he hit to right for his 12th as a Cub and first opposite-field homer this season. All but two of those home runs were hit off a fastball. Schwindel’s barrel percentage, which measures how frequently a well-struck ball features an exit velocity of at least 98 mph, is rated among the top quarter of hitters. His 7.1 barreled percentage is tied with Kris Bryant, Willy Adames, Nick Castellanos and Albert Pujols.

Pretty good company, there. Also, Schwindel appears to understand that pitchers will begin to adjust to him:

“Obviously, they’re going to game plan for me now that they’ve seen me and have more scouting reports and stuff,” he said. “So I think if I stay within the zone, I’m going to be OK.”

I’d agree with that. Could Schwindel turn into a guy who hits .269/.369/.481 with 29 home runs a season? I’d argue that maybe he can, at least for maybe 3-4 years, and that might solve the Cubs’ first-base problem for a while. He’d have to be a bit more selective to get to that OBP, but with more MLB experience, maybe he can.

I didn’t pull those numbers out of thin air, either. As of this morning they are exactly Anthony Rizzo’s career averages.

Here’s what Fangraphs says:

Schwindel absolutely obliterates fastballs but struggles against anything offspeed, so expect a steady diet of secondary pitches against him for the remainder of the season, if not his career. He also remains an overly aggressive hitter, which is frequent for high-contact types with his kind of plate coverage, so fewer strikes are likely as well. Adjustments will need to be made, but he feels like a productive everyday first baseman going forward, though with a smaller window than most due to his age and the kind of toolset that tends not to age gracefully.

That seems accurate to me.

Regardless, Schwindel is clearly having the time of his life:

“I’ve been intentionally walked twice, which I mean, I’ve had a couple but it’s nothing I’d say I’m used to, especially in the big leagues,” Schwindel said. “But just knowing that they know of me — guys get to first base, like, ‘Frank, you’re doing great, keep it going, happy to see it,’ stuff like that means a lot.

“There’s a lot of great players up here and when they take notice, it’s pretty cool.”

What Schwindel has done with the Cubs so far is definitely “pretty cool.” I wasn’t convinced at first that he belonged, but he’s certainly proved me — and other naysayers — wrong. As noted above, he’s a fun player to root for and he’s certainly put himself in the conversation for a regular spot at first base for the Chicago Cubs in 2022.

Yet another vexing loss.

On Thursday night, the Cubs jumped out to a 7-0 lead. They went on to lose 17-8. Without doing any research into it, that kind of an occurrence feels like it is something that should happen to you once every 5-10 years. Maybe I’m wrong on that and it is a little more common. But really, a seven-run lead is huge.

The Cubs have now lost three games this year in which they led by 7-0, 6-0, and 7-0. And of course, the first of those was on June 30, so we are talking basically about three times in less than three months. That feels totally insane. Clearly, pitching was one of the problems with this team. That much has been obvious.

Losing those three games by itself is totally crazy. But that isn’t even the whole statistic. After the Cubs led those games early by a total of 20-0, they lost the remainder of those games by an aggregate score of 49-8. A loss is a loss regardless if it is by one run or 100 runs. Or at least that’s what the baseball people will tell you. And certainly, by simple math a loss by a single run counts exactly as much in the standings as the largest blowout you can experience.

But that would assume that baseball games happen only on paper. Paper says the effect is the same. And certainly, in a vacuum that’s exactly right. But you and I know that it goes much deeper than that. The most practical application of the blown lead/lopsided loss game is that you generally go through a ton of pitchers in a game where you allow 15 or more runs (as they’ve done in each of these three games). Using a host of pitchers can have ripple effects beyond one game as it drastically reduces the availability of the pitching staff for the next game or two.

Beyond that effect is any possible mental effect. Certainly, losing even one of these games is demoralizing. I’ve often thought that if you show me a really good team, I’ll find the time when they came from way behind in a game at some point and won. I believe that one of the things that can really be a weapon to a team is the knowledge that you’ve been there and done that when things get tough and that you can still win and are never out of it. It’s a tough pill to swallow on the other end when the message is basically that no lead is safe and that any game can get away.

We’ve seen a lot of hitting coaches in the recent years on the north side of town. Maybe this time, a pitching-coach switch could happen, because I find myself starting to wonder if Tommy Hottovy might be looking for new employment after the season. He’s a really interesting case study. Certainly, he must have at least some role in the very large number of pitchers who had some amount of a career year this year. Many of those guys were traded at the trade deadline, but certainly not all of them. A number of pitchers put up either the best or one of the best years of their career. And yet, this team has really struggled to consistently get guys out. That is particularly true in the area of starting pitching.

Let’s get to the numbers and see how they came out in this wild game. Many days WPA will not tell the story of what happened, but often it can give at least a glimpse to who rose to the occasion in a high-leverage moment or who didn’t get the job done in that moment. And now, let’s get to the results.

Game 147, September 16: Phillies 17, Cubs 8

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Willson Contreras (.124). 2-4, HR (19), 2RBI, 2R, K
• Hero: Patrick Wisdom (.101). 1-4, BB, 2B, 2RBI, R, K, DP
• Sidekick: Ian Happ (.068). 0-2, BB, HBP, RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Manuel Rodriguez (-.332). ⅔ IP, 6 batters faced, 3H, 3R (0ER), K (L
• Goat: Kyle Hendricks (-.194). 3⅔ IP, 21 batters faced, 6H, 3BB, 7R, K, 2HBP
• Kid: Michael Rucker (-.091). 1⅓ IP, 5 batters faced, H, K (L 3-3)

WPA Play of the Game: With the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, Michael Rucker faced J.T. Realmuto with the Cubs leading by two. Rucker allowed a two-run, game-tying single. (.209)

*Cubs Play of the Game: In the top of the third inning, Patrick Wisdom batted with the bases loaded and only one out, the Cubs were leading 2-0. Wisdom doubled and two runs scored. (.110)

Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3)

• Frank Schwindel +29 (+1)
• Kris Bryant +26
• Patrick Wisdom +22 (+2)
• David Bote -13
• Jake Arrieta -19
• Zach Davies -20

Up Next: The Cubs travel to Milwaukee for a three-game weekend series. Milwaukee has been a house of horrors for the Cubs in 2021. Zach Davies (6-11, 5.40) will start the opener. The Brewers will start Adrian Houser (9-6, 3.25).

That strange feeling we sometimes get that we’ve lived through something before.

Before I begin the recap of the Cubs’ 17-8 loss to the Phillies Thursday evening, here is an important message [VIDEO].

As it says in the dek to this recap:

Déjà vu... That strange feeling we sometimes get that we’ve lived through something before.

Now you KNOW you have seen this game before. In Milwaukee, to be specific, on June 30. The Cubs took a 7-0 lead in that one, too, only to give up 15 unanswered runs and lose. Sure, great, this time they scored eight. That means, if this “pattern” holds, that it should only be around four more years until they can take a 7-0 lead and win 16-15.

Yes, that’s ridiculous. So was this game. Our friends at The Good Phight summed it all up:

I mean, I could stop this recap right there, that’s a six-word summary of this game that encompasses pretty much everything.

But you came here for a recap of a Cubs baseball game and by gum, you are going to get one, at least some of it, because I’m certainly not going to give you details of all the Phillies hits and runs.

The Cubs’ seven-run third inning was fun, for sure. The sequence of plate appearances went this way: Walk, sacrifice bunt, walk, pitching change, walk, hit by pitch, single, double, strikeout, home run, single, single, groundout.

Here are the scoring plays from that inning.

Ian Happ, bases-loaded HBP [VIDEO]

Willson Contreras, RBI single [VIDEO]

Patrick Wisdom, two-run double [VIDEO]

Matt Duffy, three-run homer [VIDEO]

Duffy, in particular, has been a hot hitter recently. Last nine games: .324/.324/.706 (11-for-34) with a double and four home runs.

7-0! What could possibly...

Yeah, I know. You’ve heard that line way too many times this year. The Phillies had a seven-run inning of their own in the fourth and I will spare you the carnage, I’ll just note that Kyle Hendricks, after throwing pretty well over the first three innings, just got pounded in the fourth. The last two runs scored after he left the game, on a two-run single by J.T. Realmuto off Michael Rucker. Rucker is someone I don’t think will be a member of the Chicago Cubs in 2022.

Three more runs scored in the sixth off Manuel Rodriguez, all unearned due to Rodriguez’ fielding error.

Willson Contreras then homered in the top of the seventh to bring the Cubs to within two runs [VIDEO].

So am I telling you there was a chance? For a couple of minutes, maybe, but then the Phillies scored five more in the bottom of the inning. Four of those runs were charged to Tommy Nance, though two of those were not his fault. Two runners were on base with one out in the inning and two runs already in when Bryce Harper came to the plate.

Now, in modern baseball no one lets a righthanded pitcher face Harper in that situation, so David Ross called on Rex Brothers.

You could have predicted the result before Brothers threw a single pitch.

Rex Brothers is yet another pitcher who will not be on this team in 2022. Frankly, he shouldn’t be on this team now — isn’t there some lefthander in the system who could do better than this? Brothers in 24 appearances since June 30: 8.74 ERA, 1.721 WHIP, six home runs in 22⅔ innings. The first game of those 24 was the 15-7 mess in Milwaukee, and that’s probably not a coincidence.

Adam Morgan should be returning from the paternity list Friday. That’d be a good time to DFA Brothers. I am sure Rex is a good person and is nice to his mom and loves animals, but I do not want to see him pitch for the Chicago Cubs anymore.

Dillon Maples, still another human being who will likely not be a Chicago Cub in 2022, gave the Phillies two more in the eighth to complete the scoring.

Really, all you can do is laugh after one of these. Go watch the Monty Python video at the top of this recap if you haven’t already, that’ll give you some humor, something we all desperately need.

One last note about this game: Frank Schwindel had two more hits. That’s the eighth time Frank the Tank has had a multi-hit game in 14 September games and this month he’s hitting .407/.453/.763 (24-for-59) with three doubles, six home runs and only five strikeouts. At one point during those 14 games he went 32 plate appearances between strikeouts. Schwindel already has a NL Player of the Week award this month; keep that up and he could be a candidate for NL Player of the Month for September.

Is this real? Likely not, his BABIP this month is .375 and that’s probably going to come down to Earth. But he has at least put himself in the conversation for a full-time slot with this team in 2022. It’s nice to see, he always has a smile on his face and appears to be having the time of his life.

The Cubs completed their 2022 schedule against NL East teams with this loss. They went 13-21 overall against East clubs.

And in case you were wondering:

I suppose that’s enough of that. Onward!

This weekend won’t be any easier for the Cubs. They are in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers. Former Brewer Zach Davies will start for the Cubs and Adrian Houser is the scheduled starter for Milwaukee. Game time is 7:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Baseball classics to kickstart your weekend

We’re going to keep it light to kick things off, because next week it’s going to be a non-stop bombardment of division-clinching and Wild Card races as experts begin to weigh in on which teams are best suited to go all the way and which postseason matches will be the most fun to watch.

So before we get into all of that... how about more ugly hats?

New Era cannot be stopped, and this time around someone was like “how about paisley, but instead of a completely paisley hat, which might make sense, let’s just put a PATCH of paisley on them?”

While certainly not the worst thing we’ve seen this year, that doesn’t mean they’re good.

Now on to the rest of today’s links!

• Eno Sarris asks a very legitimate question: craft beer is incredibly popular all over the country, so why aren’t we seeing more of it at stadiums? (The Athletic subscription required.)
• If you read only one piece from this post, let it be Peter Sagal’s wonderful spotlight piece on White Sox announcer Jason Benetti.
• Ben Clemens continues his series on the best bunts of the season, but don’t worry, if misery is more your thing, he also has the worst bunts of the season.
• The AL Wild Card race is going to be a weird one, and Nick Selbe looks at the players who might be the biggest factors in who gets to the postseason.
• Zach Buchanan goes behind the scenes with the camera operators who capture the amazing moments we witness all season long. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• The Mariners were all-in on wanting to host the 2023 All-Star Game, and...
• They will indeed be hosting the big event, shares Daniel Kramer.
• David Laurila talks to Josh Donaldson about hitting.
• Is this my new favorite team?

• Stephen J. Nesbitt looks at MLB’s plans and approach to expanding their global reach. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Bill Shea reports that it’s getting more expensive to be a baseball fan, and looks at the average cost of attending games for every team’s fans. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• In absolutely bizarro news, the Orioles ground crew was ejected from a game? Story by Nick Selbe.
• The Royals could be mulling over the idea of building a new ballpark downtown, writes SportsBusiness.
• ESPN looks at how Shohei Ohtani might be done for the season in terms of pitching.
• Jonathan Judge considers an alternative baseball salary system. (Baseball Prospectus Premium required.)
• Michael Baumann considers the unbelievable season of Max Scherzer, and its place in baseball history.
• Will Leitch has assembled a comprehensive list of the best player every season since 1969.
• I can’t stop laughing at this story.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

A thrice-weekly look at #Cubs and #MLB history. Plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along. Don’t be afraid to click the links for ‘inside baseball’ on the entries, which change from year to year as we re-examine the subjects.

September 17 was a day for historical debuts, plus a couple of no-hitters, one of which has been called the ‘greatest game ever pitched’. Check it out below!

Today in baseball history:

• 1900 - Reds SS Tommy Corcoran, coaching at third base in a game at Philadelphia, uncovers a wire in the coaching box that leads across the OF to the Phils’ locker room. There, reserve C Morgan Murphy reads the opposing catcher’s signs and relays them to the Phils third base coach by a buzzer hidden in the dirt. (1,2) Here’s more from Redlegs Nation.
• 1906 - Playing as “Sullivan,” Columbia University junior Eddie Collins makes his debut at SS with the Athletics. He gets one hit off Ed Walsh and strikes out twice. Collins will play 25 years in the majors, bat .333, and become a member of the Hall of Fame. (1,2,3)
• 1912 - Charlie—aka Casey—Stengel makes an impressive major league debut, leading seventh-place Brooklyn to a surprising 7-3 win over the streaking Pirates. The likable outfielder from Kansas City collects four hits, a walk, a pair of stolen bases and two tie-breaking RBI (the second putting Brooklyn ahead to stay and saddling 24-game winner Claude Hendrix with his ninth and final defeat of 1912). (1,2)
• 1920 - The Tigers’ Bobby Veach and the Giants’ George Burns hit for the cycle, the first time it has happened twice on the same day. It will be 88 years until the feat is duplicated by Adrián Beltre and Stephen Drew. The Giants beat Pittsburgh in 10 innings, 4-3, as Burns adds a second double to his cycle. Detroit, behind Veach’s 6 for 6, outlasts Boston in 12 innings, despite 20 BoSox batters receiving walks. Eight Tigers walk. Veach is the first Tiger to hit for the cycle. (2)
• 1939 - Ted Williams hits a home run off Thornton Lee, one of 31 homers he will hit in his rookie season. Williams will homer off Thornton’s son, Don Lee, 21 years later. (1,2)
• 1941 - In front of only 3,585 fans in St. Louis, 20-year-old Stan Musial makes his major league debut against the Braves going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Musial, who started the season in the Western Association (Class C), will hit .426 in 12 games. (1,2)
• 1947 - Jackie Robinson is named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News two weeks before the season is over. At the year’s end, he will have hit .297, led the league in stolen bases and sacrifices. He will have 14 bunt hits, and in a game against the Cubs in June, he scored from first base on a sacrifice. (1,2)
• 1953 - The Cubs’ Ernie Banks goes 0 for 3 and makes an error in his first major league game, as the Phillies win, 16-4. He becomes the first black player for the Cubs. (2)
• 1955 - Future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson goes 2 for 4 in his first game as the O’s top the Senators, 3-1. (1,2)
• 1968 - Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants pitched a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals for a 1-0 victory. (1) He beat Bob Gibson. (3)
• 1996 - Hideo Nomo pitched a no-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers and beat the Colorado Rockies in Denver, 9-0. Nomo walked four and struck out eight. (1,3)
• 2019 - The Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski makes the first appearance of his career at Fenway Park, the ballpark his grandfather Carl Yastrzemski called home for 23 seasons, and hits a homer. The game goes 15 innings and features a record-tying 24 pitchers before the Giants end up 7-6 winners over the Red Sox. (2)

Cubs birthdays: Frank Schulte, Earl Webb, Jim Woods, Thad Bosley, Dan Haren. Also notable: Orlando Cepeda HOF.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (3) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.

There is a very active baseball history community and there are many facets to their views. We strive for clarity. Please be aware that we are trying to make the historical record as represented by our main sources coherent and as accurate as is possible. No item is posted here without corroboration. Some of these items spread from site to site without being verified. That is exactly why we ask for reputable sources, so that we can address them to the originators. BBRef is very cooperative in this regard, as are SABR and the Baseball Almanac. We have removed thenationalpastime from our sourcing list, as there have been multiple complaints about their content and they do not respond to attempts to communicate.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Brennen Davis homers again as Iowa beats Omaha for the third time this week. Strong starting pitching by Ryan Jensen and DJ Herz in wins for Tennessee and South Bend

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs calmed the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 8-5.

Starter Matt Swarmer gave up three runs on five hits, including one solo home run, over five innings. Swarmer struck out eight and walked three.

Jackson McClelland relieved Swarmer in the sixth inning and he gave up a run. But he got the win after Iowa scored twice in the top of the seventh. McClelland’s final line was one run on three hits over 1.2 innings. McClelland walked two and struck out one.

Iowa scored those two runs in the seventh on back-to-back solo home runs by second baseman Abiatal Avelino and center fielder Brennen Davis.

Avelino was 2 for 5 with two runs scored. He now has six home runs this season.

Davis’s homer was his third in three games in Triple-A and his 18th overall. Davis also had an RBI single in the third inning. He went 2 for 4 with a walk. Davis had the two runs batted in and he scored two times.

First baseman Tyler Ladendorf added an insurance run with a solo home run in the eighth inning, his sixth on the campaign. He also had a two-run single in the third inning. Ladendorf was 2 for 4 with the three RBI.

Catcher Erick Castillo went 2 for 3 with a sac fly.

Here’s Davis’s home run.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies shelled the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 6-4.

Starter Ryan Jensen kept the ball down and retired seven Shuckers batters with ground outs as opposed to just one fly out to the outfield. (He did allow one solo home run.) Jensen’s final line was one run on four hits over five innings. He struck out two and walked no one as he collected his first Double-A win.

Scott Kobos pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth for the save. He struck out two.

Right fielder Nelson Velazquez hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning and the Smokies never trailed after that. Velazquez went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and the two runs batted in.

First baseman Grayson Byrd was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI single in the third inning. He also walked once.

Center fielder Christopher Morel was 2 for 5 with an RBI single in third as well.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs arrested the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 5-4.

DJ Herz made his last start of the season count, allowing just one run on four hits over five innings. Herz struck out nine and walked only one.

Bailey Reid gave up two runs in the sixth inning and Tanner Jesson-Dalton allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth. But South Bend struck back for three runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead and Jesson-Dalton struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth as he picked up the win.

Jesson-Dalton’s line on the evening was one run on one hit and one walk over two innings. He struck out five.

Right fielder Yonathan Perlaza tied the game up with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. It was Perlaza’s 14th home run of 2021.

Pinch-runner Edmond Americaan scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch.

South Bend’s other two runs came in the third inning when center fielder Alexander Canario hit his ninth Cubs home run (and 18th overall) with a man on. Canario was 2 for 4.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were blue after losing to the Augusta GreenJackets (Braves), 3-2.

Starter Manuel Espinoza was the hard-luck loser after allowing just one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked no one.

Shortstop Ed Howard was 2 for 4 and scored one run.

Center fielder Christian Franklin went 2 for 4.

Highlights:

ACL Cubs

Beat the Rangers, 13-12.

James Triantos was 4 for 4 with two doubles and two walks.

——

Go get ‘em, Kyle.

If you’re looking for Thursday’s game threads, you have found the right location.

The Cubs go for the series win in Philadelphia.

Thursday notes:

• THOSE HOME RUNS LAST NIGHT: Wednesday night marked the first time since August 24, 2018 vs. the Reds that the Cubs had two different home runs that either tied the game or gave them the lead in the eighth inning or later (Daniel Murphy and David Bote). Matt Duffy’s home run was his first ever go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later.
• SCHWINDY CITY UPDATE: Frank Schwindel has hit eight home runs in his last 15 games since August 29, and is slashing .381/.418/.810 with three doubles, 19 RBI, four walks and 13 runs to go along with the eight homers in that span. Schwindel has multiple hits in 17 of his 48 games in 2021.
• MORE FRANK THE TANK: Schwindel has 20 hits in his last 11 games since September 3. He’s the first Cub with as many hits in an 11-game stretch since Aramis Ramirez recorded 25 hits in 11 games from August 11-23, 2011.
• THE PROFESSOR: Kyle Hendricks tonight makes his 30th start of the season. In so doing, he will become just the sixth pitcher in the divisional era (since 1969) to record five 30-start campaigns with the franchise. The others: Rick Reuschel (8 times), Greg Maddux (7), Carlos Zambrano (6), Fergie Jenkins (6) and Jon Lester (5).

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Phillies lineup:

Kyle Hendricks, RHP vs. Cam Bedrosian, RHP

USA TODAY Sports

USA TODAY NETWORK

Kyle Hendricks still has a chance to redeem his 2021 season after a really bad August. He’s probably got three starts remaining, including tonight, though I suppose they could start him on regular rest on the last day of the season to give him four. Even so, he’ll likely wind up with the highest ERA of his career.

Kyle had a good outing in his last start against the Giants. Let’s hope that continues and he finishes the year on a high note. He has not faced the Phillies since September 1, 2018, and most of those Phillies are gone now. However, he has held current Phillies to a .216 (25-for-116) BA with only one home run (Bryce Harper).

Kyle notes: The Professor has a franchise record 89-consecutive starts with three or fewer walks allowed dating to June 27, 2018. And, he is is 8-3 with a 3.73 ERA (33 earned runs in 79⅔ innings) in 13 road starts this season.

Hoping for good things from Kyle tonight.

Statcast

Looks like the Phillies are going with a bullpen game as they have listed reliever Cam Bedrosian as their starter. Bedrosian began this year with the Reds, was let go by them in April and signed with the A’s, and after they let him go in July he signed with the Phillies. This will be his first MLB “start” since 2019 when he made seven, and I put “start” in quotes because clearly he’s not going to throw more than an inning or two. He threw the last out of the seventh in Tuesday’s game, retiring Willson Contreras on a popup.

That’s about all I’ve got for a bullpen game.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. Here’s a list of providers currently carrying Marquee. In some areas this game will be available on MLB Network joined in progress beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT. Check your channel guide.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Phillies site The Good Phight. If you do go there to interact with Phillies fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2021 Game Thread procedure will be a bit different than previous years. It will be similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Two Hall of Famers battle each other in this classic photo.

Wednesday was Roberto Clemente Day across baseball, and MLB will now honor the memory and legacy of the great Pirates Hall of Famer every September 15, a worthy tribute.

Cubs Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins tweeted this photo of Clemente batting against him:

That’s a great vintage Wrigley Field photo of two future Hall of Famers playing against each other.

Well, you know I like sleuthing dates of photos, and this one actually was easier than you might think, even given how long those two played against each other (every year from 1966-72).

The year is easy. The only year the Cubs wore those beltless uniforms when Clemente was a visiting player was 1972 — Clemente’s final year before he died in that tragic plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico, trying to bring aid to Nicaragua.

There were only two games Fergie started in Wrigley Field against the Pirates in 1972. We can eliminate the game of September 13, because on that date Randy Hundley (shown catching in the photo) didn’t enter the game until the eighth inning, and Clemente didn’t bat after that.

So it has to be the game of Friday, June 23, 1972. But when? Clemente went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI.

The only at-bat in that game that matches what we see here happened in the top of the fourth inning. The Pirates had runners on second and third with nobody out, and Clemente tripled in two runs.

How am I certain? Look carefully at the photo near Clemente’s legs. You’ll see a runner leading off second base. That’s Vic Davalillo, who had doubled. It was the only plate appearance Clemente made that day with a runner on base.

The other things we see here match the game conditions: Cloudy, 57 degrees (yikes, pretty chilly for late June) and Doug Harvey (No. 10) as the plate umpire.

The Cubs lost the game 4-2. They had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth when Pirates manager Bill Virdon called on Cub-killer Dave Giusti to face Ron Santo. He got Santo to ground into a double play to end the game. Seriously, Giusti absolutely dominated the Cubs his whole career — a 2.97 ERA and 15 saves in 73 games and 251⅔ innings against them, the most he pitched against anybody. The Cubs picked up Giusti five years later, mid-1977, to try to capture that magic, but he was pretty much done at age 37 (6.04 ERA and one save in two opportunities in 20 Cubs appearances).

As far as Jenkins vs. Clemente all-time, the Pirates star hit .274/.304/.526 (26-for-95) against Fergie with six home runs.

Anyway, this photo is just another little slice of Cubs history that was fun to sleuth. Thanks to BCBer The Deputy Mayor of Rush Street for calling my attention to the photo:

The former Arizona Wildcat is a potential star.

People lately have been commenting on Alfonso Rivas’ easygoing demeanor, and also his line-drive stroke. The former Arizona Wildcat is doing well for himself, I’m pleased to see. He’s a potential star, in my eyes, and I don’t think I’m alone thinking that.

I can attest that he’s had both that presence and that easy stroke at least since 2017, when I first saw him play at the U of A. Saw him play a few more times, spraying line drives all over the yard, playing left field mostly.

He hasn’t historically had a home run bat, but an easy Keith Hernandez/Bill Buckner comp comes to mind. That’s not a bad thing. His demeanor reminds me more of Rafael Palmeiro, though Palmeiro had power in college — 67 career homers at Mississippi State, as opposed to Rivas’ 15. Raffy was smooth like that, when he and Mark Grace came up. Neither had any power early.

I suspect that the young man has an MLB career ahead of him. I’d like to hit him third for the next 10 years or so and find out if that line-drive stroke becomes powerful. 14 homers in 874 minor league at-bats and a high of seven two years in a row at the U of A says maybe, maybe not, and that’s why the Athletics sent him to the Cubs. The bat is for real. He’s done nothing but hit.

Tim Stebbins called him ‘intriguing’. “It’s in my game, being a hitter first rather than just start launching balls,” Rivas said. “That’s something I take pride in and really focus on every pitch, strike zone discipline and all that stuff.”

Matt Baron of the Daily Herald called his debut ‘Grace-like.’ Rivas did whack a home run, his first MLB long ball, Tuesday night against the Phillies [VIDEO].

Rivas sure doesn’t look lost in the outfield. He doesn’t have great wheels but he can run well enough to play a corner. Assuming that David Ross manages the team next year, there’ll be matchup opportunities. I bet he’d like a better one, but Ross isn’t afraid to use his roster. And guys that can hit likes Rivas can aren’t common.

Greg Huss said Rivas was looking to fill Rizzo’s shoes, quite some time ago. I’ve seen nothing that would dissuade me from agreement. Tim Huwe wrote about him last October. He called Rivas “better than the Cubs have usually gotten from second-day bats in their first year.” Later he called him “best first base prospect since Vogelbach!” Todd Johnson is similarly enthusiastic.

Trade him for Trout, now.

Rivas came in trade for Tony Kemp, who wasn’t doing anything much for the Cubs at the time. He had a number of hard choices to make just in order to keep playing baseball. “Academically, I went down the drain,” he said. “I struggled a lot. But I figured baseball could be my way out. Baseball was something I was relying on.”

His college coach, Jay Johnson, said “if he continues to develop, I think he has a chance to be one of those special guys...” Johnson has coached a few major-leaguers (28 MLB draft picks in all). He’s at LSU now.

Cubs lose a tough one

If you follow baseball long enough, you can just feel the cliché writing about it. I’m positive that as I write this, somewhere a sportswriter, very possibly even one of the Cubs beat writers, is writing that this was a game that neither team wanted to win. But that’s not really what we saw. The Cubs certainly didn’t come from behind twice in this one because they didn’t want it enough. Give these guys credit, they are fighting all of the way down to the finish. If there are guys on this team with their eye on going home for the offseason or whatever, it isn’t readily obvious. For all of their flaws, this team has been fighting down to the bitter end.

Certainly this Phillies team wants to win. Despite their 32 blown saves, they are still very much alive for the last playoff spot. As an aside, some national sportswriter is very definitely writing right now that nobody seems to want that last playoff spot. That, of course, is why the Cardinals have battled their way back into contention and ultimately the lead for that last spot.

No, what we witnessed was not two teams that didn’t want it. It was two teams who aren’t very good. Certainly their overall roster is deeper and more talented than the Cubs’ is. But, their bullpen has been a dumpster fire for more than a season now. The Phillies have been almost impossibly bad out of the pen in recent times. Still, they did pull off the rare feat of two blown saves in a game and still winning. That’s a tough accomplishment, not one you see very often.

Instead of bad-mouthing the teams for any perceived lack of effort, I’m going to instead give the Cubs hitters credit for battling their way back into this one twice before losing. This was a game where the Cubs certainly could have rolled over and played dead but didn’t do so. They scored three runs in the final two innings of the game and five over the last five innings to keep this one competitive. In the end, they just didn’t execute when they need to and they lost.

Let’s take a look at the numbers. s you’ll recall, the Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA (Win Probability Added) and are not in any way subjective. Many days WPA will not tell the story of what happened, but often it can give at least a glimpse to who rose to the occasion in a high-leverage moment or who didn’t get the job done in that moment. And now, let’s get to the results.

Game 146, September 15: Phillies 6, Cubs 5

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Matt Duffy (.378). 3-5, HR (4), 2B, RBI, 2R
• Hero: Robinson Chirinos (.174). 1-4, HR (5), 2RBI, R, K
• Sidekick: Frank Schwindel (.147). 2-5, HR (12), 2B, 2RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Trevor Megill (-.361). ⅔ IP, 3 batters faced, H, R (0ER), L (1-2)
• Goat: Codi Heuer (-.229). IP, 4 batters faced, H, R
• Kid: Rafael Ortega (-.125). 0-2, K

WPA Play of the Game: With a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Trevor Megill crossed up Robinson Chirinos, allowing Andrew Knapp to scurry home with the winning run. (.372)

*Cubs Play of the Game: With the Phillies leading 5-4 in the ninth inning, Matt Duffy led off the inning. He’s surely just looking for a pitch he can make good contact with and get on, but Duffy did all of the work himself. He hit a game-tying homer. (.336)

Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

• Frank Schwindel +29 (+1)
• Kris Bryant +26
• Craig Kimbrel +20
• Patrick Wisdom +20
• Rafael Ortega +13 (-1)
• *PJ Higgins -9.5
• Rex Brothers -11.5
• David Bote -13
• Jake Arrieta -19
• Zach Davies -20

Up Next: Kyle Hendricks (14-6, 4.54) gets another shot at picking up his 15th win. The Phillies hadn’t announced a starter at the time I wrote this. It looks like Adonis Medina who was just recently recalled from the minors might take the start. Medina has one career MLB appearance and start, that one came last year for the Phillies. Most of his work through the minors has been as a starter.