Willy gets the Boot, Cubs and Brewers Record Futility, Steele, Happ, Cain and other Cubs balls

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I’m sorry, but Nacho Fries at Taco Bell only lasted two weeks? I feel like they were barely there this time around and then left. I wanted Nacho Fries this weekend!

• In the 9th round last night, Willson Contreras suffered one of the fastest ejections you have ever seen:

• The point is, the pitch was a strike. You could see it on the show if you followed the pitch closely, and then Statcast’s Pitch Tracker had the pitch pretty clearly in the area as well. HOWEVA, thanks to the shape of the pitch and the receiver’s reception he looked OK on the inside, and I can see why Willson got so upset at that point. He thought he had just loaded the goals with an out in a two-point game. He probably said a magic word or two, the ump probably reacted understandably, and that’s it. Everyone did something that was understandable enough.

• Oh, and I like the way David Ross was, well, I * must * say something to the referee. “So, uh, that was a strike, eh?” Are you sure? OKAY. Bye.”

• It was a difficult night for Contreras overall, despite a crushed home circuit. He got robbed not once but TWICE by a stellar Brewers defense, with Luis Urias diving down the middle on a sure-fire single, and Lorenzo Cain doing this to steal at least a double:

• The Brewers have owned the Cubs this year almost unlike any other team:

• Does that mean that if they win today the Brewers will have had their best season against any opponent? If that happens, it is a grave disgrace to the Cubs.

• Ian Happ, still raking:

• Happ’s wRC + (103) almost matches that of his second season (106), which was followed by the surprising decision to send him to Iowa Triple-A to open next season. I don’t really mean anything by that, I just noticed. And yes, I’m very aware of the context in which Happ has gathered his numbers this year, and why that gives you pause before planning to rely on him as a guaranteed starter next year.

• Justin Steele got his first career hit last night, which was also Corbin Burnes’ first hit in a very long time (remember the split no-hit):

• It’s okay to be happy about funny things (Marquee): “It was really cool,” Steele said. “I have really enjoyed hitting my whole life. I absolutely loved growing up – high school and all that. Getting a hit in the big leagues has always been something I wanted to accomplish. If they get rid of DH next year, I can still say I got a hit. As for the pitch, as I said last night, I love the 11 puffs in 79 pitches, but overall too much savagery to really succeed as a starter. I am very confident that a healthy Steele will contribute to the Cubs next year. I still don’t know how many starts he will get.

• The Myrtle Beach Pelicans ended their win last night with this Ed Howard play, and just… the transfer and the arm are wow:

• Interview with Cubs right-handed lifter Scott Effross:

• This is indeed quite hilarious:

• Remember the difficult story of Javy Báez:

• Will win some gear:

• Training camp fight time:



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