This is a Game Notes blog in place of your traditional News & Notes blog and that’s because the Cubs played today at 2:35pm against the A’s.
So let’s talk game notes:
- The Cubs are 5-4 and above .500 after dropping the first two games in Tokyo
- The 5-2 domestic start is better than the 3-4 I had predicted/anticipated
- Jameson Taillon looked so sharp today. His stuff was as crisp as I’ve ever seen it leading to his first quality start of the year:
- That’s huge for Jameson because I see him like Nico Hoerner in that the pitching stiff will hinge on his success. You know Shota’s gonna be solid. You know Justin Steele’s gonna have a great year. Matt Boyd looked filthy in the 4 spot. Ben Brown will be up and down but sensational when up. The big variance is whether Jameson can recreate 2024 or possibly even be better. That would fall in the category of Overperformance that Jed Hoyer talks about so liberally.
- HOMERS
- Seiya has been en fuego
- Then we get a little oppo taste in his very next at-bat, which makes me wonder if Sacramento is just Coors Field 2.0. Somebody check the elevation please
- And while you’re at it, please check if Boog has a pulse
- I would pay good money to have him replaced in the booth and hopefully some of you guys can chip in too. He flat out stinks on the mic and the resentment from JD is palpable. And one step further, I don’t love the older brother dynamic he’s forcing on Taylor and it’s cringeworthy when he says T-MAC like they’re frat bros (probably a Delta Tau Delta).
- He pisses me off because it’s fake. He doesn’t care about the Cubs. There’s no loyalty or love or passion. It’s just a job and we have to keep higher standards for our broadcast booth. And while that’s harsh and weird, I don’t think the same goes for other booths. I think it has to be representative of the fanbase and Cubs fans are weirdos. We want one of our own in the booth and Boog is NOT that guy.
- I said in my lineup preview blog that I didn’t know about Matt Shaw yet because he doesn’t do anything extremely well and he needs more power. But then he goes out today and hits it around with runners in scoring position. He ran the positions hard. He’s shows flashes and I need to just shut up about him and buy in like everyone else.
- I hate that Marquee Network is making subplots out of his leg-kick. That was scrolling on the bottom ticker the other day. They were going to studio and wanted to weigh-in on whether they agreed with his mechanics and I think that’s a preposterous segment for the Cubs broadcast station. Leave that shit to Matt Shaw or at least let it become a problem before we start airing bad narratives. Is that too much to ask?
- I’m glad PCA got a hit and into the box score today but we need to talk about a 52.2% fly ball rate
- That’s like Major League when Willie Mays Hayes is hitting for power in spring training and then Lou Brown tells him to drop and give him 20 push ups. Somebody needs to do the same thing for PCA here because he’s quite literally the fastest player in MLB and there’s no reason to be slapping that soft serve shit when it’s not your strength.
- This could be a drastic overreaction to early season data but I’m just calling it how I see it
- I’m still soft on Craig Counsell. It’s a developing situation.
- Eli Morgan looks terrible and that’s more important than his numbers or potential. He just isn’t that good and I want to give him an opportunity but we don’t have that many. Is it time for David Robertson or is that wishful and impractical thinking?
- Overall just a remarkably solid series from the Cubs in Oakland top to bottom. That could have blown up after Sunday’s horrendous bullpen performance but it was the complete opposite. After starting 0-3 the Cubs have won 5 of 6 and now there’s momentum with an Off Day tomorrow before the home opener. That’s awesome and I’m feeling very good about the direction of the club.
- Anybody else going Friday?
Finally…
Tom Ricketts needs to extend Kyle Tucker. No questions. No debate. No breaking even. Just get the checkbook out and make him a Cubs for life already.