2021-04-25: Brewers (Woodruff) at Cubs (Arrieta) [Brewers win, 6-0 -- Woodruff throws 6 scoreless innings; offense plates 5 runs in the 9th]

[Eye Black]

 

 

Brandon Woodruff: Batter (Cubs) vs Pitching Stats

 

Jake Arrieta: Batter (Brewers) vs Pitching Stats

 

 

Statcast Game Preview for Cubs-Brewers

 

Statcast Game Feed for Cubs-Brewers

[adambr2]

Reading through some Chicago sports media this morning and it's remarkable to me how much everything is about that call. Good heavens, yes, it was a bad call. We don't even know if it would have changed a single AB, much less a game. It didn't come on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, it was an 0-0 count where both men had a chance to still come back in the AB after.

 

I am absolutely not disputing that it was a bad call, it was a terrible call. It's just amazing how something like this happens to the Brewers, maybe Counsell makes a comment about it when asked after the game but it pretty much ends at that and the game is still about the game.

 

But when it happens to the precious Cubbies, heavens no. They were screwed, the umpires cost them this one, it maybe led to Happ striking out too (yes they said this), and the actual rest of the game gets nary a mention.

[Eye Black]

Through Arrieta’s first 4 starts the Brewers were the only team to score 3 runs against him (on 4 hits and 1 walk). That was his only loss this season.

[JET15]

Reading through some Chicago sports media this morning and it's remarkable to me how much everything is about that call. Good heavens, yes, it was a bad call. We don't even know if it would have changed a single AB, much less a game. It didn't come on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, it was an 0-0 count where both men had a chance to still come back in the AB after.

 

I am absolutely not disputing that it was a bad call, it was a terrible call. It's just amazing how something like this happens to the Brewers, maybe Counsell makes a comment about it when asked after the game but it pretty much ends at that and the game is still about the game.

 

But when it happens to the precious Cubbies, heavens no. They were screwed, the umpires cost them this one, it maybe led to Happ striking out too (yes they said this), and the actual rest of the game gets nary a mention.

 

Its tough being a victim while still being the 3rd largest market in the country. You gotta punch well below your weight.

[Eye Black]

Reading through some Chicago sports media this morning and it's remarkable to me how much everything is about that call. Good heavens, yes, it was a bad call. We don't even know if it would have changed a single AB, much less a game. It didn't come on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, it was an 0-0 count where both men had a chance to still come back in the AB after.

 

I am absolutely not disputing that it was a bad call, it was a terrible call. It's just amazing how something like this happens to the Brewers, maybe Counsell makes a comment about it when asked after the game but it pretty much ends at that and the game is still about the game.

 

But when it happens to the precious Cubbies, heavens no. They were screwed, the umpires cost them this one, it maybe led to Happ striking out too (yes they said this), and the actual rest of the game gets nary a mention.

It wasn’t even among the top three bad calls in terms of causing a shift in run expectancy. Cory Blaser certainly hasn’t been very good this year though, and it was a bad call at a time everyone was paying attention.

 

[BuckyBrewer61]

I hate the Cubs as much as the next guy, and can’t stand their normal whining.

 

But to be fair, that was a big call, and a pretty bad one. Bottom 9, no outs, 1 run game, and the first batter just walked. A strike there changes the dynamic of the at bat, the inning, and expands the zone up for a pitcher who makes a living getting outs by getting guys to chase high in the zone.

 

I don’t think it made or broke the game, and agree the Cubs are probably overblowing it. But it wasn’t a small thing either.

[trwi7]

Wish Taylor could get some consistent playing time. I don't know why McKinney is all of a sudden the clear choice to start in Yelich's absence.

[B-Train]

Another example of Ross adding drama and fueling the fans’ ire.

(Un) Lovable Losers.

[Eye Black]

Wish Taylor could get some consistent playing time. I don't know why McKinney is all of a sudden the clear choice to start in Yelich's absence.

I’d like to see more Tyrone Taylor as well, but I think he’ll get a start on Monday or Tuesday (or both?) when the Brewers are slated to face LHP starters both nights. Arrieta has a .114 percentage difference in his OPS splits (.736 vs .622) in favor of left-handed hitters for his career, so I certainly understand wanting McKinney’s LH bat in the lineup today.

[Jopal78]

Yesterday Cubs left 8 on men on base and went 1-8 with RISP. That’s they they lost not a missed call on a 0-0 count in the bottom of the 9th

[owbc]

The Cubs lost because their manager came out of the dugout and gave Hader a chance to compose himself.

 

That said, everyone is sick of garbage ball/strike calls so hopefully MLB rectifies that sooner rather than later

[Eye Black]

Kolten Wong has been making some great contact since returning from the IL.

[jjfanec]

Shaw with the bases loaded has not been pretty lately. Hoping he can change that here

[Sixtofan]

That worked!

[jjfanec]

Would love to get more than one here. Too bad hiura and mckinney weren't productive with their outs

[adambr2]

Man. Made Arrieta work, and giving Woodruff any lead is nice, but we really had the chance to break this one open early. Gotta be able to come up with more than one run there.

[RollieTime]

Nothing grinds my gears more than having bases loaded and nobody out and getting nothing out of it. Ground into a double play, hit a sac fly, do something to get a dang run in.

[BuckyBrewer61]

Random observation since he was the only one to actually drive in a run that inning....but interesting to note that Travis Shaw has a negative WAR this year.

 

Had a couple early big hits and everyone seemed ready to declare him back to his old self...but he actually has a lower WAR than JBJ this season.

[homer]

Gonna have to really jack one to hit a dinger today.

[willie key]

Quick questions for this year

 

1. Is the playoff format the original one. 5 teams per league

2. Did they get rid of the 40 man roster in September. Counsell dominates that

[Patrick425]

I'm so glad Bill Schroeder is not an umpire.

[adambr2]

Quick questions for this year

 

1. Is the playoff format the original one. 5 teams per league

2. Did they get rid of the 40 man roster in September. Counsell dominates that

 

Yes.

Yes there is no 40 man roster expansion in September. I think they can go up to 28.

[Eye Black]

Random observation since he was the only one to actually drive in a run that inning....but interesting to note that Travis Shaw has a negative WAR this year.

 

Had a couple early big hits and everyone seemed ready to declare him back to his old self...but he actually has a lower WAR than JBJ this season.

Now that we’re 1/8th of the way through the season it’s fun to extrapolate current WAR (using Baseball Reference) over the course of a full season (players currently “on-pace” for the following WAR totals for the season)...

 

Corbin Burnes: 12.0 WAR

 

Omar Narvaez: 9.6 WAR

 

Brandon Woodruff: 6.4 WAR

 

Josh Hader: 4.8 WAR

 

JP Feyereisen: 4.0 WAR

 

Freddy Peralta: 4.0 WAR

 

Kolten Wong: 4.0 WAR

 

Billy McKinney: 3.2 WAR

 

Tyrone Taylor: 2.4 WAR

 

Christian Yelich: 2.4 WAR

 

Avisail Garcia: 2.4 WAR

 

 

It gets considerably less fun after that (no one on pace for more than 1 WAR).

[adambr2]

I am sort of impressed when it takes Hiura 8 pitches to strike out these days.

[Eye Black]

Sort of depressing that while it took Arrieta 30 pitches to get through the first inning, he’s now through four innings on just 63 pitches.