Grinding for the Clinch, Cy Young Considerations, Bryants Value, and Other Cubs Bits – bleachernation.com

Ive been thinking of how I will view anything set in the Alien universe, and I basically take pleasure in all of them at some level, even the genuine stinkers. Like, I know that Alien 3 and Alien Versus Predator are horrible and silly and poorly-executed movies. And yet I simply take pleasure in that world a lot that Ill still watch em. Any film universe (besides the obvious ones!) get you like that? Also: Prometheus is simply criminally underrated.

– Anthony Rizzo– whose homer last night snapped a 60-inning homerless streak for the Cubs– on the Cubs clinching a postseason spot in a year like this, and what lies ahead:

On the whole, its been an exceptional year for Hendricks, whose 2.0 WAR over simply 11 starts would theorize out to– by far– his most important big league season. He will not be in the mix to win the award this year, however hes gon na should have some recognition for how excellent hes been.

– Although merely making the playoffs this year isnt the objective, and although the playoff field is considerably expanded, nothing at all about this year was a given back in July. So, yeah, lets smile about the clinch a bit. These Cubs made it.

Anthony Rizzo on playing through a pandemic: “I know its Game 50-whatever but it feels like its Game 150-something. Weve had great energy. Theres been days where youre feeling a little low however another person chooses you up. Weve been a constant group as far as our attitudes.”
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) September 23, 2020

Anthony Rizzo after the Cubs clinched a playoff spot: “Its a great deal of credit to us for not being in sync for practically the entire year and grinding through and getting wins. Its a complete synergy whichs what its going to require the last team standing.”
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) September 23, 2020

– Also, considering that Rizzo homered late to tie last nights video game, Im simply gon na pretend for a minute like it was his homer that clinched the playoff spot for the Cubs, as they took place nearly simultaneously last night.

– Speaking of the Cy Young award, the contention for which Yu Darvish has arguably also fallen out of (though an absurd final start might bring him back), there is a strange wrinkle this year beyond the reduced schedule:

Jacob deGrom has thrown 100% of his innings against teams that rank in the top 60% of MLB in runs scored per video game.
That number is 11% for Trevor Bauer, 10% for Yu Darvish and 7% for Corbin Burnes (theyve each faced the White Sox once).

I hope Cy Young voters consider that pitchers are essentially just facing their divisions this year. The Central has 5 of the 6 most affordable scoring offenses in the NL this year. That must matter in this kind of season.
— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) September 22, 2020

— Matthew Pouliot (@matthewpouliot) September 22, 2020

– Now, is it possible that the pitching * overall * is simply so much better in the Central departments that it drives down the offense overall, so youre in fact inventing an issue where there isnt one? Yeah, its possible. I really do think, looking around, that the pitching in the NL and AL Central is better than their East and West counterparts. I likewise dont think its unreasonable to suggest that, yeah, there are a whole lotta much better offenses out there than in the Central divisions. Then again, its like, if youre * on * among the finest offensive groups– the Mets and Dodgers are in the top 3 in baseball– are you truly facing a whole lot of offending juggernauts, because you do not get to count yourself?

Thats just bad. The Cubs, at 91 and 23rd, are just bad. The Cubs arent just in a downturn or just missing a couple guys efficiency or whatever.

– Hey, video game among the opening round of the postseason starts for the Cubs in precisely one week. Its still TBD what their seed will be, who theyll play, and where theyll play. It stays more than likely that theyll play at Wrigley Field for that series, dealing with one of the bottom 3 seeds.

– A few defenses of Kris Bryant, who is down– but not necessarily totally out– with an oblique injury, coming at the tail end of an injury-filled, disastrously-performed 2020 season:

No matter how this ends, Kris Bryants critics are missing the huge picture: https://t.co/iQygwE33SI
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) September 23, 2020

– An inauspicious, and yet HISTORIC, begin to his Cubs career:.

On the whole, its been a remarkable year for Hendricks, whose 2.0 WAR over just 11 starts would theorize out to– by far– his most important big league season. The Cubs, at 91 and 23rd, are simply bad. The Cubs arent simply in a slump or simply missing out on a couple guys performance or whatever.

The air is thin at the top. https://t.co/uO21fKKF7J.
— John Baker (@manbearwolf) September 23, 2020.

– Big things happening in the Bulls world:.

Billy Donovan Is The Next Head Coach of the Chicago Bullshttps:// t.co/ NCXxrsDCxu.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 22, 2020.

And yet I just delight in that world so much that Ill still enjoy em.: Prometheus is just criminally underrated.

( Did I lay it on thick enough for people to understand this has to do with Kris Bryant and 2021?).
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 23, 2020.

The Bulls Could Be One of the “Most Active Teams in the League” as Karnisovas Reshapes the Rosterhttps:// t.co/ I1jvBadrMQ.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) September 22, 2020.

https://t.co/wAGRFlUge6
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) September 23, 2020