Eye Black

The Cubs only run came off of that Munoz error in the 1st inning. Glad to see their offense went back into hibernation today.

I believe the Brewers made him an offer as well.

Via Jenifer Langosch’s Tweet... #STLCards⁠ ⁠started the week with a postseason probability of 80 percent. Since then: Tuesday: 61% Wednesday: 39% Thursday: 20% Friday: 14% Saturday: 1%

I think that is his current game score, not total pitches.

Mikolas at just 87 pitches heading into the 8th. Would love to see a quick inning so he can come back out and finish them off.

The White Sox are are the verge of setting the new MLB record for most strikeouts (offensively) in a single season, pushing aside the 2017 Brewers...

[sarcasm]I like how Martinez trolled Cubs fans by spinning in circles at the warning track before coming down with that Kris Bryant flyball.[/sarcasm]

Yeah, and it feels like the Cardinals are going to need to scratch across another run or two to get the W today.

Bader bunting with runners at the corners and two outs was a curious decision. Hamels did make a nice play, but I don’t think that is a very high percentage success rate in that situation.

Cardinals took the lead, but tough for Carpenter to get thrown out at second there. Of course immediately it is attributed to the fact no one else could have made that tag but Baez.

When Rizzo comes up on the bunt coverage to play 45 feet from home plate it has to be tempting to want to swing away right in his direction.

I will say nice things about Yadier Molina if he can get a hit here. Edit: I guess at least I’m off the hook from having to do so, sigh.

The Cardinals haven’t even had a lead in baseball game since scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning on Monday to take a 1-run lead that the Brewers quickly erased in the top of the 7th.

It’s funny how Cubs fans were whining last night about how lucky the Brewers have been this week, but I am sure the Cardinals booting the ball all over the field the past two days has been due to strategically placed hits by the Cubs hitters.

What a joke of a play by the Cardinals’ Munoz. He didn’t look like he was even trying, that is an embarrassing lack of effort.

It is curious to hear the argument that Báez should win the MVP if the Cubs win the division juxtaposed with the argument that deGrom should be the Cy Young and MVP based on his win probability added and WAR values. I think ultimately Yelich will win it because I believe there are more voters that fall into the middle ground where Yelich seems to have the strongest case by traditional standards and measures.

Random Question: Could an upcoming free agent be placed on waivers this weekend and then acquired Sunday night after the regular season is technically over, but eligible to play in a Game 163 on Monday for their new team? Obviously I realize they wouldn’t be eligible for the post-season. The odds of this actually happening are probably zero and if it was an impact player I am sure it would be universally hated by other organizations, but it would make for an interesting storyline.

I wish I knew exactly who to attribute this quote to, but on MLB Network they mentioned the best playoff teams are often the ones in which the older players are playing like they’re young guys again, and the younger players are playing like older veterans. Maybe this is silly, but I feel like that is a nice description of this Brewers team right now.

If the Brewers and Cubs finish the regular season with an identical record...

[pre]Tigers Lineup Brewers Lineup 1. Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B 1. Lorenzo Cain ® CF 2. JaCoby Jones ® CF 2. Christian Yelich (L) RF 3. Nicholas Castellanos ® RF 3. Ryan Braun ® LF 4. Niko Goodrum (S) 1B 4. Jesús Aguilar ® 1B 5. Mikie Mahtook ® LF 5. Hernán Pérez ® SS 6. Grayson Greiner ® C 6. Mike Moustakas (L) 3B 7. Dawel Lugo ® 2B 7. Jonathan Schoop ® 2B 8. Pete Kozma ® SS 8. Erik Kratz ® C 9. Daniel Norris (L) P 9. Wade Miley (L) P[/pre] Link: Brewers Game Notes

Before the season Fangraphs published the following scouting report on Kikuchi in this article written by Sung Min Kim, The Top MLB Prospects of Asia: Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Saitama Seibu Lions Kikuchi is all but guaranteed to appear in the States by 2019. Not only does he features an arsenal that would easily make him a starter in the majors, but also he has strongly expressed desire to come over to the US. Back in 2009, as a top high-school pitching prospect for Hanamashi Higashi (the same high school attended by Shohei Ohtani attended), Kikuchi attracted much MLB interest. For instance, the Rangers recruited Derek Holland to try to persuade Kikuchi to sign with Texas. However, Kikuchi decided to stay in Japan and was drafted in first round by the Seibu Lions, for whom he has pitched ever since. While Kikuchi has been above league average up to and including 2016, he truly broke out in 2017, recording a 1.97 ERA while striking out career-high 217 in 187.2 inning. Moreover, he limited the walks (49) by allowing a 2.3 BB/9, which is a big upgrade over 3.5 career rate. Prior to that, he’s put up a solid ERA but was not really efficient — putting up relatively high walk rates and frequently laboring through five innings with 120 or so pitches. In 2017, he killed two birds with one stone by improving his command and becoming efficient enough to eat more innings. Kikuchi has been known for his electric arm since his amateur days. He hit 158 kmph (98.2 mph), which is an NPB record velocity from a left-handed pitcher. He typically sits in the low-to-mid 90s and can ramp it when he needs. His main secondary pitch is a slider that has a big 10-5 break. He features an arm action that hides the ball till after the footstrike, making it tough for hitters to pick up what is coming. Here’s a fastball at 156 kmph (96.9 mph) on the inside corner: And a slider to Carlos Peguero for a swinging strikeout: It is always a bit tricky to find MLB comparisons for Asian league players. The closest I can think for Kikuchi is Patrick Corbin, another lefty starting pitcher who features a heavy fastball-slider combo. However, Kikuchi does throw a curveball around 10% of the time, whilst Corbin does not really feature it. Another good comparison could be early-career Clayton Kershaw. With power stuff and improved command, Kikuchi should be popular among ML clubs when he hits the market. The only major question mark on him is the injury history. He had not reached the qualified amount of innings pitched in a season until 2016. (He also missed two months that season due to an injury to his right side.) He also was shut down during the 2010 and 2013 seasons after experiencing shoulder pains. Whoever bids big on him is also rolling the dice for his good health in the future. If he is able to stay healthy and translate his newfound efficiency to the majors, then he’ll be a formidable rotation weapon.

At 93 wins with two games to play the Brewers are now guaranteed to finish with no worse than the second best record in the National League this season, with a chance to still tie or overtake the Cubs for the top record.

Really? Seems like they pan out quite often and on relatively cheap contracts. Yeah, not to mention can you imagine if the Brewers would have signed Miles Mikolas last off-season?