Two afternoon (local time) games in the Friendly Confines, and then a finale that has been co-opted by Peacock, which forces the Giants into a very late flight back to the Bay:
• Friday, 11:20, Robbie Ray (3-6, 4.45) vs. RHP Edward Cabrera (3-2, 4.00)
• Saturday, 11:20, Landen Roupp (5-6, 4.22) vs. RHP Ben Brown (2-2, 1.80)
• Sunday, 5:30, Trevor McDonald (2-3, 4.50) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (2-5, 5.13), Peacock
The Giants will have to play the Nationals on Monday, but at least this is their last three city road trip of the season.
The Cubs hired Craig Counsell, now in his third season on the North Side, away from the Brewers, thinking to weaken them. Ha, ha, the Brewers have been ahead of the Cubs ever since that hire! At the moment, the Cubs are 33-30, in fourth place, 5½ games behind the Brewers. Here is Counsell’s team,
✽ 1B Michael Busch (36), 2B Nico Hoerner (33), SS Dansbly Swanson (28), 3B Alex Bregman (19)
✽ RF Seiya Suzuki (20), CF Pete Crow-Armstrong (30, 9 HR), LF Ian Happ (34, 14 HR)
✽ C Carson Kelly (17), DH Moises Ballesteros (21)
✽ bench: C Miguel Amaya, IF/OF Pedro Ramirez, OF Kevin Alcantara, OF Michael Conforto
✽ rotation: Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.74), Cabrera, Brown, Taillon, Colin Rea (5-4, 4.59)
✽ closer Daniel Palencia, set ups Jacob Webb and Caleb Thielbar
That ever annoying Conforto has 13 RBI and has been in 39 games. Matthew Boyd, who injured a knee playing with his kids, will probably pitch in San Francisco next weekend. Bregman was their surprise free agent signing this winter, 5/$175M, and you’d have to say is not producing much, even with the team leading AB count. Imanaga took the qualifying offer to remain this year. Otherwise, the Cubs winter was mostly signing back end of bullpen guys, on relatively modest deals.
Zero chance anyone other than Logan Webb would win Picture of the Post! After two total routs to open the Brewer series, he took the mound on Wednesday. It didn’t matter than the batters Cained him again (only one run of support) as he took a perfect game to the 6th, and didn’t give up a hit until the 7th. With pitching like that, who needs more than Victor Bericoto’s first MLB homer to win the game?
The team got its 5th grand slam in a short spell in the final game. Eric Haase’s big blow was just enough to hanging and barely win that. Jung Hoo Lee continued the hot streak that got him the last PotP, and Bryce Eldridge has now forced himself into the everyday line up. So, there’s finally some hitting, but huge dark clouds hang over the pitchers. In the four games, 18, 12, 3, 11 hits. In the four games, 11, 7, 2, 8 walks. Leave out Webb’s gem, and that’s 41 hits and 26 walks, in 25 innings. Simple math says this is a WHIP= 2.7, which simply cannot go on. And, to boot, in the three non-Webb games the Giants added 4 fielding errors. No team’s bats can be asked to overcome that. Andrew Baggarly is hinting Carson Whisenhunt may be back with the team soon, which seems worth a try.
