Today’s Reflections
Oh, it was soooo close to becoming a day of celebration Sunday. But it became a day where the Cubs had to wait until Tuesday to see whether Chicago wins or Arizona loses to clinch a playoff spot, and to hear the official results on the condition of Alex Bregman. There wouldn’t have been much of the former with the latter hanging over the team’s head.
But let’s go to the on-field review of the Cubs’ weekend. Two wins gave the team the series win after a bad loss Friday night. The two games had hitting galore, extremely good starting pitching and impressive bullpen results.
On offense, three hitters led the way with very good performances over the two days. Michael Busch went 3-for-7 with a walk, two runs scored and a solo home run, his 20th. Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-8 with a walk, two runs scored and also a solo home run, Suzuki’s 25th. And Nico Hoerner also went 3-for-8, but surprisingly, no home runs. Hoerner had a run scored, a double and two RBI.
In Saturday’s game, in addition to the contributions from the above players, Dansby Swanson showed that his was ready to be back with the team, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and another solo home run, but it was only his 19th. And Matt Shaw had an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
On Sunday, after going 0-for-5 Saturday, PCA bounced back by going 3-for-5 (ho-hum, a hit short of a cycle), with his 30th double, his 45th home run and his 38th stolen base as well as three runs scored (118) and two RBI (107).
Bregman, who went 0-for-4 with a walk Saturday, went 1-for-1 with a run scored and an RBI before leaving the game. Ian Happ, who walked while pinch-hitting and scored a run Saturday, went 2-for-5 Sunday with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Michael Conforto and Pedro Ramirez only played on Sunday. Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a RS and two RBI, while Conforto hit a solo HR, his 15th.
On the mound, Matthew Boyd looked like he was cruising for his first win in his last seven starts. He allowed only a walk over the first four innings. In the fifth, Boyd gave up two hits and a walk to turn his 2-0 lead to a 2-2 tie (one run was unearned). After Busch’s home run made it, 3-2, Boyd became the pitcher of record and improved his record to 9-5.
Daniel Palencia actually became the pitching star of Saturday, along with the rest of his bullpen mates. He took over for Boyd starting the sixth. Palencia pitched a perfect two innings with three strikeouts — by far his best outing since returning from the IL. Aaron Civale, Ryan Jeferzahn and Ryan Rolison combined to pitch a scoreless last two innings for the win.
Sunday, the starter, David Peterson, was marvelous, making his bid for the playoff rotation — he’s got the hot hand right now. With the Cubs up, 8-1, Peterson finished six innings on 83 pitches, 54 for strikes, allowed one run on three hits and a walk while having struck out seven to improve to 5-2 as a Cub. The run he allowed came on a CSPSHR*. After Peterson retired with the huge lead, Caleb Thielbar, Edward Cabrera, and Chris Rea each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the win and the series.
I appreciate your reading.
Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*
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Sunday’s Game Stories:
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Saturday’s Game Stories:
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PCA-Mania Perking Up Just In Time:
Assorted Pitching Stories:
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Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Could David Peterson Be Chicago Cubs’ Playoff Ace? “Let’s be honest with one another: the Cubs’ starting rotation doesn’t have any sure things. If you want the hottest hand holding the baseball when the postseason begins, it might be the big left paw of David Peterson.”
Assorted Hitting Stories:
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Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): The Various Hopes for the Alex Bregman Situation. “What a whipsaw the last few days have been for Alex Bregman. His continued second half dominance to his big racehorse win to taking a freak foul ball off the face and having to be rushed to the hospital.”
Assorted Stories:
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Jackson Stone (MLB.com): Who needs to step up if Cubs make a run in October? “With just six games remaining until playoff baseball, who will the Cubs need to step up in order to make a run at the World Series in a National League field filled with strong contenders?”
Food For Thought:
Friends and fans describe Granvil Poynter’s music as a blend of Texas blues with a 50’s rock and roll twist. Born and raised in a small town in Arkansas, Granvil fell in love with music at an early age. His reverence for the Blues musicians that came before him is evident in his music. His inspirations were early Blues Musicians Muddy Waters, Freddy King, Buddy Guy and later blues loving artists Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Vaughan.
However, it was his move to Texas that truly allowed him to flourish and establish himself as a standout voice in the blues genre. He has won best blues artist in the San Antonio music awards. Billy F. Gibbons has tapped him for shows with ZZ Top and for Mr. Gibbon’s solo tour. His captivating stage presence and heartfelt performances have earned him a devoted following and critical acclaim from both fellow musicians and dedicated blues enthusiasts.
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