Game of the Week: June 7: CHC @ SD

[Commissioner Erick]

Chicago Cubs (35-24) @ San Diego Padres (31-30)


CHC: Stanley Nieman (3-4, 4.35)
SD: Jake Shirey (5-3, 3.35)


Today’s contest between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres will be a fun one, as one of the league’s best offenses takes on a terrific pitching staff in the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball.

Chicago has gone a little bit under the radar, but they’ve scored the most runs in the National League. They’ve done so behind a fantastically deep and balanced lineup, as five players have driven in between 38 and 43 runs. Juan Castereno has been the headliner, hitting 15 homers and batting .317 to go with his 42 driven in. Castereno is running his highest BABIP of his career this season, but he’s also posting his best walk rate of his career. With patience to go with his power, he’s driving right-handed pitchers mad.

San Diego will throw a lefty at Castereno tonight in Jake Shirey. The command artist doesn’t hurt himself with walks, as he’s issued just six free passes in 75.1 innings this year. After long being excellent, his walk rate now is the best in the NL. Shirey’s been as strong against righties as lefties, thanks to an outstanding changeup Shirey can throw for strikes, or tantalize as an out pitch.

If San Diego could find some offense, they’d be in good shape. However, John Yancey and Jo Adell are still on the IL, and Greg Kelly is struggling mightily. In fact, San Diego only has three starters batting over .221. The Padres will need some offense to overcome Chicago’s run producing unit if they want to come away with a win.


Questions for the GMs:


For Jon Richardson, Bernie Templet, has been on rehab all month and is set to wrap that up this week. Will we see him on the big club today?

Meqran Kwada is having a nice year, hitting .290, but is dealing with a sprained knee. Will he be in the lineup today?

You didn’t have a single pick in the first five rounds of the draft that just passed. Was that by design?

For Dalton Timmerman, Travis Crombie has a strained hamstring. Will he hit the IL?

Flipper is healthy after his concussion in early May. Will he be in the lineup today, or on rehab?

You drafted a patient outfielder, Jimme Jaster, and a potential offensive masher, Joe Callison, in the first round. How do you like your draft picks?


TRIVIA: Who is the player currently on the Cubs roster who was drafted with the earliest pick by the Cubs?

[Dalton]

On Crombie, it puts us in a tough spot. The injury should only have a minimal effect on him, but at this point in the season, it's best to make sure he gets a full recovery and doesn't risk a long-term issue. He will be on the IL for an undetermined amount of time while we evaluate the injury. Ta-Heng Rui will be in the lineup today. His bat at the top of our order is such a spark to this offense, we're just gonna hope that the rust is minimal. We are very excited about the contributions Jaster will be able to make for this organization. He comes out of college fairly polished and has a plate approach made to be a career leadoff hitter for a potent offense. Callison ended up having an ask too far out of the team's budget, a mistake from a rookie GM. Thankfully, a comp pick next year will allow us more time to plan, and better knowledge of how the system works. We are very excited about all of our picks this draft, and we hope it offers a big boost to our farm system.

[Commissioner Erick]

Padres 6 - Cubs 5


WP: K. Fleishman (2-2)
LP: Y. Ziegler (4-1)


The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs obliged fans looking for a good time.

The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs by a score of 6-5. San Diego shortstop Justin Lopez deserved the lion's share of the credit. Lopez went 2 for 3 with a triple and a walk. He drove in 2 runs for the Padres. San Diego reliever Kevin Fleishman was the winner. His record is now 2-2. Yale Ziegler took the loss.

The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when San Diego left fielder Ta-heng Rui, facing Yale Ziegler, had a run-scoring sacrifice fly. It gave the Padres the 6-5 win.

"The house was rockin'," said Rui.

With the win, San Diego upped its record to 32-30.


Questions for the GMs:


For Jon Richardson, did you agree with the decision to pinch hit Francisco Lindor for Jose Arguello in the eighth?

Your team had 11 hits, but only one for extra bases. What do you make of your offensive output this game?

You hit Juan Castereno seventh against the lefty? Why did you bat him so low in the order?

For Dalton Timmerman, your bullpen really kept you in the game, pitching 4.1 shutout innings. How do you feel about your bullpen this year?

Justin Lopez only improved his average to .190, but he had two hits, including a triple. Are you happy with his production this year?

Caleb Swift has struggled in Triple-A this year, let alone the PBA, but he had a huge homer in the sixth today. Why did you give him a shot?


TRIVIA: What Padres player has the most single-season position player WAR in Padres history?

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 2: Ben correctly guessed Luis Urias

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: Jon correctly guessed Udo Yoshida