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Even in a season like this, even after such a losing streak…the Cubs’ win still has such an impact on my mood. It’s unhealthy but I enjoyed the ride last night! And starting Keegan Thompson still has me buzzing.
- The Cubs really played the role of spoiler yesterday:
The Cubs end the Braves’ 14-game winning streak, which was the second-longest in franchise history (15 straight wins in 2000).
The only defending champions with longer streaks in MLB history are the 1953 Yankees (18 straight) and the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics (17 straight). pic.twitter.com/qPZQlOqjrJ
– ESPN Statistics and Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 17, 2022
- Oh, too? You gotta love Willson Contreras sprinting to the plate once Christopher Morel hits that flyball and then VERY AGGRESSIVELY directing Jonathan Villar where to slide.
- You can also see it in the way he treats his teammates and what he says (NBC): “I don’t want to have the cameras on me for saying it. I’m just trying to lift this team up because losing sucks. I know losing sucks, but the only thing that can change is your attitude. If you’re having a bad day but your attitude is right, you’ll end up having a good day, just like we did today. It’s not about me, it’s about the Cubs. It’s about this team and I love my team.”
- Big day for Williamson today too:
#Braves‘ 14-game winning streak and #Boys‘ The 10-game sled ended on Friday, now comes an emotional moment on Saturday when the captivating Contreras brothers face each other for the first time in pro ball https://t.co/TqVD5O9dkZ
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 18, 2022
- I wonder if we’ll get a roster move ahead of tonight’s game or if the Cubs will go on Frank Schwindel and his back day in and day out. Unlike so many other possible injury situations, this one is pretty clean when it comes to squad changes: they would just put vertigo on the IL and call Alfonso Rivas.
- Fun fact about Caleb Kilian’s cutter and slider – they’re not actually two different pitches. From Kilian’s point of view, he’s not really throwing a slider just yet:
Caleb Kilian told me his cutter & slider currently has a pitch/grip just a little different from right handed, “I can manipulate it.” #Boys
Whether he would like a DISTINCT slider with more momentum: “Sometime yes. I’m working on that right now…it’s still a work in progress.” pic.twitter.com/9kFMlP9bB4
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) June 17, 2022
- That soft cutter there sure looks like a slider, but maybe not a big one. The cutter is a really good pitch when he can handle it, which he hasn’t been able to do in two starts. Kilian is scheduled to start again next week against the Pirates.
- David Bote is back in Iowa doing the rehab thing:
- Lovely Father’s Day moment right here (shared by dad):
- Oooooof for Anthony Rendon and the Angels, again:
- A four to six month recovery for Rendon, 32, after wrist surgery and has you wondering what will happen to him in the years to come. Structural wrist injuries in hitters can be like structural shoulder injuries in pitchers: deterioration on the fringes of physical ability so you’re “able” to keep playing, but you just aren’t always the same. What a disaster that signing was. Rendon, who is owed a $35 million AAV through 2026, has done well during the pandemic season and then consistently mediocre in his 2021 and now 2022 split seasons. His ability to make really hard contact just faded in his 30s.
- These performance and injury concerns are among the risks of monster contracts for players, especially players in their 30s. You have to (1) be really careful who you choose, (2) get a little lucky, (3) understand that the best years are likely to come early, and (4) be able to let the contract not cripple you Budget when things go wrong. (The Cubs should be ticking all of those boxes this offseason as they look at the shortstop class and also at some of the top starting pitchers.)
