A full day of baseball is on tap for the Cubs with the day-night doubleheader against the Padres. The Cubs posted the 25th win of the season Tuesday night with the 8-7 victory over the Friars. The Cubs are the fourth team in the last 70 years, and one of just eight teams in the last 100 years to win at least 25 of its first 31 games.
The Cubs are 33-6 in the last 39 regular season games. According to STATS that is the best 39-game stretch since the A’s went 33-6 from Aug. 28, 2001 to April 9, 2002.
Jason Hammel ‘announced’ Tuesday that he is running for president. Hammel is looking for a VP and is taking resumes.
Hammel is the newest member of the Fresh Brewed Crew and t-shirts supporting his candidacy can be purchased through FreshBrewedTees.com.
On the field, Jason Hammel has gotten off to a good start to the season. Hammel is 4-0 in six starts with a 1.85 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 3.24 FIP. Hammel has allowed seven runs on 25 hits with 14 walks and 28 strikeouts in 34 innings.
Anthony Rizzo
Anthony Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored on Tuesday night and ran his on-base streak to a career-high 22 games. Rizzo enters play Wednesday batting .281/.423/.632 with eight doubles, a triple and 10 home runs for a 1.054 OPS. Rizzo has five more walks (23) than strikeouts (18) in 31 games, 142 plate appearances.
Rizzo actually added to his hit total before Tuesday’s game. There was a scoring change from the Pirates game on May 4 that took away the error from Andrew McCutchen on the controversial scorer’s decision and gave Rizzo a single.
Rizzo leads the Cubs in RBI this season with 28. The Cubs are the only team in the big leagues with four players that have driven in at least 20 runs … Anthony Rizzo (28), Ben Zobrist (27), Kris Bryant (22) and Addison Russell (21).
Miguel Montero
Miguel Montero reported to the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday to begin his rehab assignment.
Montero batted second for Iowa and played six innings. Montero went 0-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout. Willson Contreras hit third and was 2-for-5 filling the designated hitter’s role for the game.
The Des Moines Register reported before the game that Montero was supposed to play six or seven innings and get three at-bats on Tuesday.
Montero said he felt good after the game and would like to DH in Wednesday’s game. Part of the plan was for Montero to take Wednesday off.
Montero is expected to be activated from the disabled list either Friday or Saturday. Jake Arrieta should start Saturday against the Pirates.
- Des Moines Register – Miguel Montero ‘excited’ after first rehab game with Iowa Cubs
- Report from the Sun-Times
Shane Victorino
Shane Victorino is 5-for-17 after four games with the Iowa Cubs with two doubles and a triple (.294/.333/.529/.863), playing left and right field this week.
Victorino talked to the Des Moines Register and told Tommy Birch the plan was to have him play two-three weeks with Iowa then re-evaluate and see where he is at that point. Victorino explained, “If it’s meant to be in two or three weeks, it’s meant to be. If not, then life as a dad goes on.”
Shane Victorino said he’s having fun playing the game he loves.
News, Notes and Rumors
• Peter Gammons pointed out Javier Baez’s three-year strikeout rate, albeit small sample sizes in 2015-16 … 41.5% (2014), 30% (2015), 23.5% (2016).
• Ald. Tunney stands his ground against Cubs’ patio squeeze play according to the Sun-Times.
• Susan Slusser reported Josh Reddick’s name surfaces in trade rumors as bat heats up.
• Danny Ecker measured the return of the Cubs fan.
• MLB leaders in run differential: Cubs (+103), Cardinals (+47), Mets (+45), Nationals (+41), Red Sox (+38), White Sox (+36), Mariners (+31)
• The Cubs have the longest active streak of games with a record at or above .500.
• The Angels acquired INF Brendan Ryan from the Nationals on Tuesday for a PTBNL or cash. Ryan was hitting .263/.305/.382 in 23 games for Triple-A Syracuse.
• Hector Rondon has struck out 20 of the 41 batters he’s faced this season. Rondon lowered his season FIP to -0.15 with his performance on Tuesday night. Rondon has allowed one run on four hits with no walks and 20 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings (0.73 ERA, 0.32 WHIP).
• Jesse Rogers reported Cubs hitters are having fun robbing Hector Rondon of saves with a game called ‘Screw the Closer’ or in the dugout, ‘F— the Closer.’
• According to Mark Gonzales, Cubs batters lead majors with a .414 OBP leading off an inning.
• Cubs starting pitchers have completed at least five innings in each of the team’s first 31 games of the season, first time the franchise has done that since at least 1913.
This Day in Cubstory
2004 – Padres returned Jason Szuminski to the Cubs
2004 – Cubs signed free agents David Manning and Shawn Sedlacek
1998 – Kerry Wood struck out 13 Diamondbacks and set a Major League record for strikeouts in consecutive games/starts (33). Wood struck out a total of 33 batters in two starts, breaking the previous record held by Luis Tiant (1968), Nolan Ryan (1974), Dwight Gooden (1984) and Randy Johnson (1997).
1979 – Cubs released Gene Clines
1966 – Cubs released Wes Covington
1965 – Cubs selected Dave Dowling off waivers from the Cardinals
1964 – Trent Hubbard, born
1955 – Ernie Banks hit the first Grand Slam of his career in the first inning of a 10-8 victory over the Dodgers at Wrigley Field. Banks hit five Grand Slams during the 1955 season. Dee Fondy smacked a three-run homer in the fifth as the Cubs ended the Dodgers 11-game winning streak.
1949 – Jerry Martin, born
1939 – Milt Pappas, born
1928 – Mel Wright, born
1921 – Cubs purchased John Sullivan from the Boston Braves
1921 – Brooklyn Robins selected Sweetbread Bailey off waivers from the Cubs
1918 – Dewey Adkins, born
1891 – Colts released Elmer Foster
1863 – Jim Connor, born