Game 69 Recap: Cubs 1, Dodgers 0 (10 innings)

Nine Over

Box Score, Play Log, Game Graphs

W- Motte (5-1), fly balls to center, getting paid by the word, pitchers duels

L- Peralta (1-1) going to bed early, offense

Things to Take from This Game

 1. The Cubs "Know How to Win"?

For those who put weight in such things, this sure looked like a knowing-how-to-win/will-to-win/clutch/piss-vinegar-and-gumption sort of game.  An error-free pitcher's duel against a big-time opposing pitcher and team, won in extra innings by the supporting cast after yeoman's work from the bullpen. There's precious little to complain about with this victory.

2. Hammel outduels Greinke

Hammel looked in command of this game from the first pitch, and by both the line and the eyeball was superior to Greinke, who also was dealing.

3. Waiting to go to Jansen

0 to 0 after nine, Mattingly went to the just-off-the-DL Joel Peralta, not the unhittable Kenley Jansen.  Jansen only surfaced to clean up a bases loaded, no outs mess, and he nearly did.  If Gonzalez doesn't bobble a potential double-play ball at first, he might have made it out of the inning untouched.

4. Fan catch of the year.

Seriously. 

The gory details, below

Game Recap

Inning 1 - Top

•  Venerable Cubs fan Dorothy, who I remember being pictured singing along to the 7th inning stretch since I was a little kid, returns to her regular seat, with a complimentary chest protector.  She had been hit with a foul ball in the previous homestand.  Good to see her back.
• Hammel blows a fastball past Puig to start the game.  Puig takes another fastball looking for strike 2.  Fastball, up, and Puig again is overpowered.  Glorious three-pitch K to start the game.
• Pederson K's on a slider that got way too much of the plate.
• Kendrick hits one down the 3rd base line to Bryant's right.  He makes the pick, socks the ball into his mit only once, and fires to beat Kendrick my a step. Nice work, a nine-pitch first inning.

Inning 1 - Bottom

•  Coghlan hits a sad little chopper that Greinke fields within a foot of Coghlan as he runs to first.  Greinke opts to throw it instead of tagging him. Easy first out.
• Rizzo shows bunt on the first pitch, but pulls back.  3-1 count, Rizzo puts a nice swing on a pitch to line it into right for a single.
• Bryant works an 0-2 count back to 3-2 and gets the walk.  We have seen this before.
• Montero smites one to the warning track in right.  Looks like it just got in on his hands a bit. Rizzo goes to third while Puig throws one on a line into second base, impressive.
• Castro continues to swing from his heels on fastballs, and quickly goes down 0-2.
• Bryant takes second without a throw.  Castro flies to Puig in right, ending the threat.

Inning 2 - Top

•  Happy Birthday, J.D.
• Gonzalez bounces out 3-1.
• We get an amusing behind-the-scenes look at Len and J.D. who flubbed the taping of the opening segment several times and had to do a Bill O'Reilly "We'll do it live!!" special.  We get video of them jumping up and down celebrating after getting through the live-open without any glitches.
• Grandal with a soft bouncer to Castro.
• Ethier K's looking.  6 in a row from Hammel and it's looking easy.

Inning 2 - Bottom

•  Baxter flies to Pederson.  Wind is knocking everything down.
• Szczur pops to Kendrick, standing right next to A-gone on the infield.
• Hammel pops one down the first base line, and A-gone goes over to the tarp to stretch out for the catch.  A dad leans over the brick wall with his right hand, infant drinking from a bottle in his left hand, and one-hands the foul ball, in the field of play, catching it right before it would have landed in the web of Gonzalez's glove.  Catch of the year, and the baby is just adorbale.  Baby never stops drinking from the bottle, and now, as the play goes to review, the baby is getting a curtain call from the fans.  Hammel is called out on interference and the crowd boos.  J.D. yells "don't boo the baby!"  I suppose technically the dad should get kicked out of the game, but I can't imagine they'll do that to this Real American Hero.

Inning 3 - Top

• Callapso dunks one down the left field line for a double, as the President of SABR Board of Directors yammers on.  But eh, here's to giving SABR a platform for growth, I guess.
• Rollins pops to Bryant, just in front of the 3B bag. We continue to hear about SABR.
• Greinke pops to Montero who catches it near the screen behind home plate.
• Puig has looked pretty lost in two ABs against Hammel. Flies out softly to Szczur in center, throws down his bat. Leadoff double gets stranded.

Inning 3 - Bottom

• We get an interview from the foul ball-interfering Father of the Year.  "I've got a lot of the anti-Bartman so far" he says.  Adrian Gonzalez is on his fantasy team.  Comedy gold. Somewhere in there Russell struck out.  Nobody cared.
• And now Coghlan hits one to just about the Bartman Spot, but no play for Ethier.  Or anyone else.
• Pederson is swung around toward left and Coghlan pulls a fastball into right-center.  Pederson loses his feet as he cuts the ball off, and Coghlan's double is uncontested.
• Rizzo slices one, well-hit, into left-center, where Pederson makes a nice running catch. No advance.
• Bryant K's swinging

Inning 4 - Top

•  Pederson in a 3-2 count keeps holding his hand out asking for time, keeps not getting it. Finally the umpire walks out, and Pederson does, and no one quite seems to know what happened or why.  Back in the box, he lines one directly over Russell's head, and he makes an impressive leaping catch at the apex of the leap.  Nicely done.
• Kendrick chops a two-bouncer up the middle, which Castro fields smoothly for the out.
• Gonzalez flies out to Castro in the shallow outfield behind second.  Another very easy inning.

Inning 4 - Bottom

•  Montero lines a loopy slider over the shift into right for a single.
• Castro laces a fastball to center, just short of the warning track. Nothing is getting out in this wind.
• Baxter takes strike three looking on a fastball quite a bit low and outside. First time that pitch has been called a strike all night
• Szczur with a lazy fly out to the busy Pederson, inning over.

Inning 5 - Top

•  Grandal gets jammed and pops out to Russell in the shallow right field.
• Ethier foul-tip strikes out on a fastball up and in.
• Callaspo with a soft bouncer to Russell.  Game is moving quickly.

Inning 5 - Bottom

•  Hammel battles, but eventually strikes out swinging.
• Russell watches a 67 mph curve for strike two.  That was not fair. But fun to watch.  He eventually hits a knuckling bloop liner out to Rollins.
• Coghlan grounds sharply out to Rollins

Inning 6 - Top

•  Rollins hits a sharp one-hopper that takes a big hop into Russell's body, he does a nice job handling the awkward bounce, gets the out.
• Greinke grounds to Castro.
• Puig hits a lazy fly to right-center, and the camera focuses in on Szczur and Baxter settling under it.  JD goes "That was easy" and then there's a collective yell as the ball lands twenty feet in front of either of them.  Puig takes third and the throw nearly sails into the stands.
• Next pitch, Pederson pops to Castro. Phew.

Inning 6 - Bottom

• Greinke kind of pitchers around Rizzo.  Leading off.  In a 0-0 game.  With Bryant behind him. Greinke's pitch count nearing 100. Hammel got through 6 at just 78
• Bryant goes from 1-2 to 3-2. Pops up to shortstop, where Kendrick, shifted over, catches it.
• Rizzo steals second without a play as Montero strikes out.  Defense was shifted for Montero, and no one went to cover the base. Mattingly checks in with Greinke before he faces Castro
• Castro again swings from his ass at a fastball and falls to one knee as he foul-tips it.  Strike one. Strike 2 on the outside corner, great pitch. Takes a slider low and away. Grounds the next slider low and away out to short, inning over.

Inning 7 - Top

•  Len interviewing Run DMC's Darryl McDaniels, who will be singing the Stretch. We are now getting a rhyme about how he was going to go to St. John's U. Somewhere in there Kendrick K's swinging, but no one cares as we hear about the collaboration with Aerosmith.
• Hammel makes a nice hopping snare of a bouncer from Gonzalez for the out at first.
• We see Montero calling slider, we get slider, we get Grandal swinging over the top of it to end the inning
• Darryl McDaniels sing-yells the Stretch. This is awesome.

Inning 7 - Bottom

•  Greinke done after six and 111 pitches, in comes Nicasio. Baxter K's looking at the same fastball in the same place he K'd looking last time. It hasn't been a strike for anyone else.  Poor Baxter.
• Szczur (I'm so proud I've spelled that right each time) with a lazy fly to Pederson.
• Hammel lines one to Rollins' right; he makes a nice pick of the short-hop to get him.

Inning 8 - Top

•  Ethier works a leadoff walk.
• Callaspo with a soft bunt toward Hammel, Ethier advances.
• Rollins grounds out 3-1, and Callaspo to third as the bullpen warms.
• 3-0 on Turner, as Hammel struggles for the first time all night.  Passed 100 pitches.  Turner walks, in comes Rondon as Hammel gets a standing O.
• First pitch, Rondon gets Puig to pop into shallow left-center where Castro, Coghlan, Russell, and Szczur converge on it.  What could have been pure unadulturated cubbery is instead a Coghlan catch to end the inning.  The times, they are a-changin'

Inning 8 - Bottom

• Liberatore in to pitch. Russell K's swinging at a 95 mph fastball on the outer corner, tough pitch.
• Denorfia flies to Pederson and Rizzo pops to Rollins, a super-easy inning.

Inning 9 - Top

• Strop on.  A slider eats up Pederson, K swinging.
• Kendrick chops one just out of Strop's leaping reach. Castro makes a nice charge, catches it with both hands, and sidearms one to Rizzo who makes a nice stretch for it.  Fine play all around.
• Gonzalez promptly lines a single into center.
• A slider gets away from Montero, and Gonzalez, hesitating, doesn't advance.
• 3-0 on Grandal, 3-1, and the pitch Baxter keeps striking out looking on is now called Ball Four.  Ugh.
• 3-0 on Ethier. 3-1.  Fastball lined to Russell's right, he makes a nice backhand and tosses to Castro for the force.

Inning 9 - Bottom

• Garcia in, Bryant pops a fastball down the middle to second base.
• Montero gets called out on a 3-2 fastball on the bottom outside corner.  Montero is displeased.
• Castro gives the crowd a brief and fleeting thrill before they realize it's a harmless fly out to left

Inning 10 - Top

•  Motte in. Szczur makes a nice over the shoulder running catch on a slicing liner by Callaspo
• Rollins takes a feeble check swing at a high fastball for strike three
• Guerrero pinch hits for Garcia and softly lines to Russell.  Easy inning

Inning 10 - Bottom

• Peralta in to pitch. Baxter hits the first pitch, a sinking liner into right for a single.
• Szczur pinch-hitting, and lines one down the third base line where Callaspo is playing in, and can only knock it down.  Runners on 1 and 2.
• Peralta really slows the game down.  Len and JD note that Jansen isn't even warming up. Well, now he is.  Still....
• Fowler walks. Bases loaded, no outs, in comes Jansen, and Wood to pinch run for the gimpy Fowler. 
• Russell squirts one down to first, where Gonzalez, drawn in, bobbles it, but is just able to get the runner at home for the force.  One out, bases still loaded.
• Five-infield defense, but there's some confusion on how to align the outfield. Pederson in super-short center, Ethier at 2B basically. Left field sort of uncovered. Denorfia up.
• Denorfia hits a liner to deep center, where Pederson makes a nice over the shoulder catch, and has no hope of getting Szczur at the plate.  Game over, 1-0 cubs.

Parachat Recap

Inning 1

• Greinke's adderall count.
• Bad cereal names
• Castro's homemade(?) sign for Caleb. 
• What rhymes with Caleb?
• Someone get Kerry Wood a sandwich. 
• The methhead trucker look.
  

Inning 2

• Barney in a silly golf outfit
• No, Theriot.  Oh, dear god.
• Northern Lights, if you like that kind of thing.
• Mixing up your white short-people.
• Relationship updates.  Bad phrasing.
• The greatest foul-ball catch of the year.
• ASCII fail.

Inning 3

•  What is everyone slacking on?
• How to Sound Smart on Fangraphs User Comments
• What women want, according to Crunch: Ollies, Cereal.
• What women want, according to Mister Whipple:  Beer, Rock and roll.
• The %%%%% signs censoring our shit.
• "Parachat blows Santorum"
• Take a stand for the Ip.
• %%%% %%%%% stack  (NSFW.  Or really for anything.)
• This game needs more ____________

Inning 4

• What's for dinner?
• Experimenting with fish tacos
• Things that aren't euphemisms.
• Sketchy tacos.
• Hitting on taco trucks
• Not fucking with organ meat tacos
• Things that still aren't euphemisms.  I think.
• Appreciating how Len and J.D. have meshed this year.

Inning 5

•  Too much HD.
• Impressive visiages
• Eastwood-level wrinkling.
• Why is Joe Kelly trending on twitter?
• Grading foul ball catching degrees of difficulty

Inning 6

•  Not the person you would presume, buying Joy Division .mp3s
• Not the person you would presume, with a Joy Division song stuck in his head.
• Doom Zydeco and Hatecordian as the music hipsters get music hipstery.  I ~punch2~ the room.
• I write the Parachat Recaps before they happen.
• Removing the nostalgic lense through which we view Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
• Text rickrolling
• Never gonna give you up
• Is this game lacking pizzaz?  (No.)
• This is the type of game that______
  

Inning 7

•  Where's Jacos?
• Why Run DMC?  Why Not.
• Parachat takes over computers. We blame me.
• There's Jacos.
• Critiquing the sound guy on the Stretch.
• (Just the) (filet mignon) beef tip.
• Cooking with flu, cooking with smoked paprika
• No causal connections, just life event sequences.

Inning 8

• Old-school vs. foodie Mac and Cheese
• Biz is Back
• Food Truck Purists.
• 2008 redux. It's Andrew.
• Ron Paul vs. Rupaul
• Andrew learns the hard truth: Ip is not Ip.  Cussing is %%%%%%
• The kid from Mask?  huh?
• Bosio is rotund.
• Cubnut meets Cranston. 
• Who do we let walk in FA in 2016?
• Keeping me honest, earning my pay.  Oh my.
• flouncing out of Parachat.
• Flouncing, defined.  Thanks, whip.
• 2008 Carlos never left.
• Things that are pretty open.
• Twitter handles.
• Donald Trump and our favorite TCR trolls.
• Why Carlos unfriends people

Inning 9

• People friending and networking via Parachat.
• What we're doing (or not doing) on Twitter
• Trans the Trend Setter
• Who is Trans?  (Me.  Duh.)
• #crunchyolo
• Who is Everyone?
• Gay witchcraft beer.
• Gay witchcraft bees.
• More on Beers.
• RALLY CAPS is now Rally Caps.  This is worse than Ip not being Ip.
• What am I getting paid in?
• Andrew is distraught over Rally Caps.
• Whipple invents Rally Italics, or, as Crunch calls it, ralltalics
• The best definition of Corner Gas ever

Inning 10

•  Seriously, what am I getting paid in?
• More admiring of the foul ball catching dad.
• Not eating Jack's Links
• Mexican food.
• Parachat: Sponsored by________
• Cake farts?  Cake farts.
• Oh, dear god.
• (Oh, dear snopes)
• Fowler on dick.
• Maxim's view on Doing Kris Bryant
• Rally Quacks
• Andrew/Carlos/Crunch teach me what Df is.
• Jacos, violator of parachat rule
• Andrew dials... someone...
• Missing Mike Quade
• Who is Jon Snow?
• The historical accuracy of Game of Thrones.
• Victory

Cubs' record in games recapped in 2015:  1-0.