Schwarber Better Faster Stronger: Chicago Cubs 2017

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/33712.png&w=350&h=254

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/33712.png&w=350&h=254http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/33712.png&w=350&h=254http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/33712.png&w=350&h=254http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/33712.png&w=350&h=254http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/33712.png&w=350&h=254

my prediction is ... they will be good

jiggleschwarber dot gif

what is the tommy la stella situation?

unclear, but he is in spring training: http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/216538828/cubs-la-stella-glad-to-be-back/

I'm sure Maddon is going to move people around like he usually does, but who exactly is going to get the most playing time in CF?

Almora and/or Jay I believe

i'm assuming mostly Jay since Almora is still pretty green but Jon Heyman at least is expecting a platoon situation

maddon has announced that schwarber will be the lead-off batter. seems like a weird move given that he's a slow-moving slugger.

really good OBP, though. if the 2010-15 version of jason heyward returns, though, it might end up being his spot. or zobrist?

but who will hit ninth?

http://i.imgur.com/N4ZWR7i.jpg

https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/835204783422111744

David Ross will be on Dancing With the Stars

preseason Cubs projections and their unsustainable BABIP

https://theringer.com/2017-mlb-preview-chicago-cubs-babip-run-hit-prevention-projection-d64b121f4756#.xqb30qwka

https://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/cubs/will-cubs-25th-man/

everyone loves muni

@JonHeyman
sources: Kris Bryant sets record for 2nd year player, tops Trout, signs for $1.05M. cubs very fair with young players.

Cubs are still a crazy deep roster, you got to think 25th man like LaStella or Szczur would get more playing time on a bad clubs. They might start for the Padres.

otm but i feel like with maddon's fiddling the 25th man on the cubs gets more playing time than the average 25th man ... he takes advantage of the deep lineup to get the stars rest and doesn't just leave the bench players on the bench

@JonHeyman
sources: Kris Bryant sets record for 2nd year player, tops Trout, signs for $1.05M. cubs very fair with young players.

― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Thursday, March 9, 2017 3:56 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the fangraphs article on this points out that this is still less money the cubs cost bryant by holding him back by starting him in triple-a in 2016 to delay free agency

yeah it's neat how the cubs get to look magnanimous while paying him 2% of what he'll likely be worth this year

I paid the ticket premium to buy good seats to see dodgers/cubs in LA w/ my father in law. tickets that usually cost ~30 were 50+.

yeah other ppl made those Bryant points, i though "@JonHeyman" was enough of a sarcasm signal on my part.

http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productimages/_2617000/altimages/ff_2617011alt1_full.jpg&w=600

Wow. That is pretty next level weird.

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/chicago-cubs-world-series-movie-radar-pictures-1202013089/

at least it's not camo xo

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7m3U7vVsAET0XM.jpg

what a bro

well it's nice to see someone with his visibility disinclined to self-mythologize.

also Fortune = pro bullshitters

https://muskat.mlblogs.com/cubs-release-kawasaki-22e17b512ab9
kawasaki released

only real player decision left is what to do with matt sczcur and tommy la stella. sczcur is out of options and la stella didn't react well the last time they sent him to the minors.

sczcur and le stella both make opening day roster, thanks to reliever brian duensing being sent to the DL

bats looked pretty good last night (esp schwarber) but cubs pitching makes me nervous

https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/849450171477917696

Bullpen could be shaky and one injury to the rotation could be bad. The lineup is deep as any team has been in a good long time.

i'm just observing the bottom of the 11th via gameday, but with 1 out and the bases loaded, maddon just switched rizzo and schwarber - rizzo to LF, schwarber to 1B. i guess in the sac fly situation they want a better arm out in left? or maybe more range? you'd think schwarber would have the better arm as a catcher. anyway, maybe they do this frequently but it's the first i've noticed.

according to b-ref, rizzo has played all but one out of his career at 1B. that out was at 2B

bizarre. maybe it's just a matheny diss track?

if matheny had schwarber he'd play him in CF

so the bullpens down the line are gone from Wrigley? sacrilege.

@BNightengale
John Lackey gives up leadoff HR to Andrew Toles after #Cubs ring ceremony, and then yells at home-plate umpire Greg Gibson

yeah that was weird. ump made a bad call on the first pitch but it's not like that led to the home run on the third pitch

not really weird, john lackey is an enormous asshole

you'll miss him when he's gone!

well, probably not actually

bryant's first HR of the season finally. he's been struggling a bit so far.

http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/webdr03/2013/8/17/1/anigif_enhanced-buzz-3260-1376716493-12.gif

Unable to untangle his complex financial holdings to the satisfaction of the Office of Government Ethics, Cubs board member Todd Ricketts, tapped by President Donald Trump to be the Deputy Commerce Secretary, on Wednesday withdrew his nomination, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

bats looked pretty good last night (esp schwarber) but cubs pitching makes me nervous

― na (NA), Monday, April 3, 2017 9:13 AM (two weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/whats-going-on-with-the-cubs/

tldr: every cubs starting pitcher is pitching softer

Really enjoying tonight's game. (sorry mookie)

Is Heyward hitting a legit 290 or does it seem like SSS

he worked on his swings and the cubs had a whole PR thing about it. a cubs fan could be more precise about it of course, but to me it seems legit.

15 walks in this game, hope you're happy WmC

I just remember scoreboard numbers spinning like a slot machine and then Roy Hobbs knocked the lights out and then I woke up and it was time for Better Call Saul.

I think it's still too early to tell about Heyward. He started off a little slow but has been hot the past week or so.

https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/859259805785088001

note that that's all three cubs catchers in the game at the same time

urgh
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/859259805785088001

cubs would be doing a lot better if the starting pitchers stopped giving up 4-5 runs in the first inning of every single game

every time i look at a cubs box score it's the 5th inning and they're down 5-2, then they win 6-5 or 7-5. every time.

but imagine if they didn't have to score 6-7 runs to win

seems like it must be demoralizing to constantly have to dig your way out of a hole, even if you are able to do it

they finally had to dfa matt szczur, which sucks. he was a solid back-up last year

are they really pitching to bryant?

rizzo might have just fractured his ulna

Warren pretty much pitched around Schwarber to face Bryant or at least it looked that way.

maddon just wasted a challenge on an obviously disallowed takeout slide by happ

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jake-arrieta-has-not-been-good/

schwarb just made a very nice diving catch

another player might have been camped out underneath it, but still

no outs
two runs already in
men on first and second
guy on the mound (making his first major league appearance) has just allowed four straight hits
your pitcher is up next
javier baez pops up a bunt attempt

I'm guessing that was Baez's decision, not Maddon's. It was a dumb move but it was really cold and rainy today so maybe he thought it would be easier to bunt for a hit? He can be so slick but sometimes he tries to be too slick.

i'm sure it was baez's choice, but perhaps maddon should tell certain players not to bunt without his permission

beat the giants in 2 hrs 5 minutes

jon lester complete game in 99 pitches

panic?

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/6/1/15724724/chicago-cubs-panic-standings-panic

keep panicking cubs, because i'm going to your stadium today.

the only Cubs players that i'm positive will continue to be great going forward are Kris Bryant (obv) and to a lesser extent Anthony Rizzo. I'm mostly optimistic on Russell, Baez is a solid guy to have for a number of reasons, I'm not sure on Contreras, love Schwarber but I'm worried he's our Kevin Maas. i don't trust that a single one of the current starting pitchers will be worth a damn in 2-3 seasons. I think the core is still great and has a great future, but I think they'll need to cut bait with a lot of the vets much sooner than anticipated, and with some of the young players too. But it could go all the other way, too, this could just be a bunch of slumps and growing pains happening at once or a post-championship hangover of sorts. idk.

heyward should be fine too, he's still a stud on defense and has been hitting better lately

I'm not panicking; they've been playing like crap but I don't really see anyone else in the division taking an insurmountable lead before the Cubs have time to figure things out. I worry most about the pitching bc I don't see any of the current line up suddenly getting a lot better

I don't really see anyone else in the division taking an insurmountable lead

this is the only thing that's let them avoid making a very difficult decision about whether or not to send schwarber down

Schwarber is now down to .163 with 60 k's in 176 at bats two months in to the season, they have to be a few days from hitting the reset and sending him down to get fixed.

lester picked a runner off at first base!

ycpb

You Can Put it on the Board (?)

https://twitter.com/cantpredictball

Dexter Fowler definitely exploiting some goofy Cubs base running tonight.

Zobrist currently in an 0-21 slump.

...promptly broken.

I don't want to get all mushy but Heyward driving low screamers through the right-center gap brings tears to my eyes.

not playing very inspiring baseball rn and the addison russell news is not helping

what a whiny fuck Lackey is.

Cubs v good at hitting into DPs vs deGrom.

rizzo batting leadoff seems to be working ok

hate hate hate

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/6/20/15838430/cubs-anthony-rizzo-slide-joe-maddon-defense-villainy-meter

uh huh

i do think it's interesting that maddon has this rep as the light-hearted mad scientist manager but he tends to defend these old-school baseball practices pretty frequently (e.g. when happ got called out for his slide into second a month or so ago)

yeah. obviously it's his job to protect his players, but he's kind of a dick about it

presumably rizzo would have been called out had hedges dropped the ball, but it seems like there should have been at least a token suspension -- rizzo crossed back into fair territory to hit him

schwarber getting sent down apparently

candelario called up, at least for a bit. starting a team with an average age of 24 tonight.

that's insane. youngest starting lineup ever?

Bit of a playoff feel in tonight's Nats game with it being so close and both sides pulling out the guns in the bullpen.

Great game tonight, terrific play by Baez just now.

Baez pretty much stole that second run on his own in last inning too. Definitely earned some grit points.

The french commentators lost their shit at the Baez play, the whole thing was spectacular.

geez, this game

Wow...that was a tense 9th inning. Heck of a game.

it's the 6th inning and the Nationals have stolen 7 bases vs the Cubs (4 by Turner, 2 by Taylor, 1 by Rendon)

all vs. Arrieta/Montero

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19754861/cubs-c-miguel-montero-calls-jake-arrieta-nats-7-stolen-bases

oh cool we've reached the in-fighting stage of the unexpectedly mediocre season

Rizzo on Miggy's comments:

"When you point fingers you're a selfish player. We have another catcher that throws everyone out."

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7TKAwfiJfUW85bKo/giphy.gif

montero dfa'd lol

Pop time on Miguel Montero DFA, 12.6 hours

— Daren Willman (@darenw) June 28, 2017

oof

well, i will never say anything against Miggy, that grand slam in game 1 of the NLCS and that RBI single vs Cleveland in game 7 was worth all this BS.

ugh
montero seemed a little "outspoken" but yeah he was a decent hitter for a back-up catcher
does this mean that they're going to bring schwarber back up to catch?

cubs are bringing up victor caratini

#WeAreGood
Miguel Montero

— Miguel Montero (@miggymont26) June 28, 2017

cubs are bringing up victor caratini

says a lot about Schwarber as a catcher.

I wonder if Montero found out about the dfa before or after the White House trip, and if he went.

ugggggh

Caratini was hitting .343 at Iowa which looked pretty impressive when I looked him up today.

Not sure how much catcher if any Schwarber played in spring training. I'm sure he did some just to keep up as the emergency catcher.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19762356/kris-bryant-exits-chicago-cubs-game-apparent-ankle-injury

he's day-to-day, probably fine. i still think they could possibly turn things around but they need to get zobrist and heyward and russell healthy and back.

Nice comeback -- down to their last out, Cubs score 3 to win by 1. #natspen

schwarber has four homers in his last two games in triple-a

maddon needs to take everyone to a koala farm or have the team dress in patterned rompers or something

schwarber back up today. the whole gang is back together (except for lackey who got sent to the dl to make room for schwarber).

i heard the announcers say a couple of weeks ago that jon jay does much better off the bench than when he's in the lineup, and sure enough, yesterday he had a pinch-hit 3-run HR. is there an easy way to compare his stats off the bench vs. as a starter?

there might be better ways, but one way is to look at the fangraphs splits: http://www.fangraphs.com/statsplits.aspx?playerid=5227&position=OF&season=2017

scroll down to the "Position" splits. the link is for 2017, but you can also look at other years, or cumulative career.

looks like in 2017 he's hitting .393/.419/.500 with a 143 wRC+ as a pinch hitter

getting his stats as a starter (excluding pinch hitting) is a little bit more tricky because he's started lots of games at all three OF positions. but you can use the "Splits Tool" to look at stats for just those three positions. i think this link will work:

http://www.fangraphs.com/splitstool.aspx?playerid=5227&position=OF&splitArr=40,39,38&strgroup=career&type=2&startDate=all&endDate=all&filter=

looks like for his career he's .288/.353/.385 with a wRC+ of 106 over 3088 PAs as a starting outfielder, and .300/.368/.400 with a wRC+ of 112 over 142 PAs as a pinch hitter.

thanks

so this season he's been better as a pinch-hitter but with the usual sss caveat, and over his career he's marginally better as a pinch-hitter though maybe not to a statistically significant degree

i think it's tough to look at a single player's pinch hitting performance because of the SSS, but i'd guess that in general pinch hitting is more difficult than hitting as a starter, because as a pinch hitter you're coming in cold off the bench and you're more likely to be hitting against a fresh relief pitcher. especially nowadays when so many relief pitchers are gods who throw 97+ mph.

just out of curiosity, i looked up the leaguewide stats for pinch hitters.

2017:
NL: .242/.318/.374/, 84 wrC+, 1961 PAs
AL: .212/.303/.316/, 69 wrC+, 681 PAs

2016:
NL: 77 wRC+
AL: 65 wRC+

2016:
NL: 75 wRC+
AL: 70 wRC+

being cured by the pirates

glad bryant had a good game, it feels like he's been struggling

holy what

all of their starting pitching is fucking garbage. every single game they give up at least three runs in the first inning and the offense has to try to work their way out of a hole.

i think the problem has always been that lester is getting ace money but has never felt like a truly ace pitcher, he's really good but i don't trust him. arrieta had his single all-time year and last year was solid. hendricks, idk. lackey is old. i won't say anything against the moves that got them the title, but rotation-wise this team wasn't built for a long run. they need to get a totally reliable #1 and a good #2 and lester can be the #3.

easier said than done, i know. i'm not worried about the long-term ability of them to compete over the next few seasons but they need to make a few moves.

they will be able to buy their way out of the SP problem imo

i mean the offense hasn't been that hot either. rizzo, happ, and contreras have been pretty good, kb has been streaky, but no one else has done much

trade looking good so far

upper-deck hr for mike montgomery

6 straight wins since the break, which puts them 2 games behind milwaukee, who have lost three in a row

! and a day off for KB to get better! ... I'm at a Wrigley field tour tomorrow with a Jed Hoyer speech w/ Q&A - what should I ask him?

Jose Quintana took LSD into work today and said he wasn't even sure where the players' entrance was to Wrigley.

— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) July 21, 2017

lol

unfortunate use of an acronym there

the bryzzo commercial is pretty cute

contreras' nonchalant way of catching balls in the dirt has to be terrifying for pitchers

back on top, baby. they play two games (against the white sox) before the brewers play again.

http://i.imgur.com/CL4dhMl.png

bryant's third strikeout of the day came on pitch six, which he was then ejected for complaining about

such a weird game just going by the box score. lackey just hit three batters in the 5th after one in the first, rodon has struck out 11 batters in 4 innings but also allowed 4 runs

beanball wars

i'm sure joe maddon is horrified that a team would retaliate after lackey hit three guys

i wonder if baez has had one at-bat this season that he did not start 0-2

was lackey doing it on purpose? how was bryant thrown out but not him?

i'm not watching but i don't know why lackey would have been doing it on purpose, especially to load the bases

I don't think they were intentional from Lackey, he just let a lot of shit get away from him. Top 6 should be interesting.

i think he just sucks basically

wow great inning from edwards

platinum sombrero for javier baez

second day off in a row for baez after the five-strikeout game on tuesday

i'm glad they've been playing better but they've been playing a lot of bad/mediocre teams, aside from the cardinals, and they still don't seem particularly dominant. lots of guys left on base, some hitters are hot but others are very cold, etc. very curious and not especially optimistic to see how they fare against the brewers, diamondbacks, and nationals in the next couple of weeks

Chris Christie is at Wrigley! look out Chi, it can get worse than Rahm.

digging contreras' venezualan flag arm wrap

@jonmorosi
Steve Bartman has received a 2016 World Series ring, @Cubs announce. Bartman: "Words alone cannot express my heartfelt thanks." @MLB

https://s.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/9cONqo3N6mgIB4fBj.BHeA--/YXBwaWQ9eW15O3c9NjQwO3E9NzU7c209MQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/f0c3a675ce5fbcc67a9be63f83ffb7a8

Steve Bartman issued the following statement

“Although I do not consider myself worthy of such an honor, I am deeply moved and sincerely grateful to receive an official Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series Championship ring. I am fully aware of the historical significance and appreciate the symbolism the ring represents on multiple levels. My family and I will cherish it for generations. Most meaningful is the genuine outreach from the Ricketts family, on behalf of the Cubs organization and fans, signifying to me that I am welcomed back into the Cubs family and have their support going forward. I am relieved and hopeful that the saga of the 2003 foul ball incident surrounding my family and me is finally over.

I humbly receive the ring not only as a symbol of one of the most historic achievements in sports, but as an important reminder for how we should treat each other in today’s society. My hope is that we all can learn from my experience to view sports as entertainment and prevent harsh scapegoating, and to challenge the media and opportunistic profiteers to conduct business ethically by respecting personal privacy rights and not exploit any individual to advance their own self-interest or economic gain.

Moreover, I am hopeful this ring gesture will be the start of an important healing and reconciliation process for all involved. To that end, I request the media please respect my privacy, and the privacy of my family. I will not participate in interviews or further public statements at this time.

Words alone cannot express my heartfelt thanks to the Ricketts family, Crane Kenney, Theo Epstein, and the entire
Cubs organization for this extraordinary gift, and for providing the City of Chicago and Cubs fans everywhere an
unforgettable World Championship in 2016. I am happy to be reunited with the Cubs family and positively moving
forward with my life."

jon lester first career HR!

i'm at the game

2,000 career strikeouts too

now pick someone off

he actually had a pretty sloppy game, only lasted four innings
that was a fun game. i feel like usually when i go to the game it's a 2-1 pitchers duel, i'd never seen a hr-fest like that live before

bottom of the ninth, cubs are down by *two* runs

rizzo walks

willson contreras -- who was 3-for-4 with two homers in the game -- tries to bunt the first two pitches, fails, strikes out

wtf

hey you gotta get that guy in scoring position

javier baez is fun to watch

he drives me nuts

having a rooting interest makes sports difficult

huh contreras starting in lf today

if he keeps this up and the Cubs make the playoffs he's gonna get some down-ballot MVP votes.

Contreras has earned the votes, he is the rare player that has gotten even better after getting to the major leagues. It doesn't seem that long ago that he started playing as his glove was ready and Montero was hurt.

two more HR today, he has 10 since the All-Star break (to go along with 29 rbi and 15 runs scored)

Carl Edwards Jr. has been hit around pretty good his last three times out. I got to think the workload has caught up on him as he has pitched a bunch this season.

today contreras is playing ... 1b

weird lineup, zobrist is in rf and happ is at 2b

Kyle Schwarber has struck out in 7 straight plate appearances

Zonk:
Hopes were high for Jason Heyward coming into this year, but he’s turned in another poor offensive performance so far. Is there any hope, or is he broken? Will that contract prove regrettable?

Jeff Sullivan:
Any hope is tied up in the fact that he’s 28 years old, and he still makes a lot of contact. The physical abilities remain, so Heyward remains intriguing. But, obviously, there’s even less hope for him now than there was last March. The Cubs would like to back out of this if they could, I’m certain

every time i watch Heyward just the whole way he stands there and his swing, it's like he's a 6'5" 240 LB dude designed for destruction but programmed for groundouts to second.

his reduced defensive production (per fangraphs) has him on track for less fWAR than last year, even. so weird.

wowwwwww, defensive play of the week from Baez.

it was a great catch too but jesus what an arm

Kyle Schwarber's average is over .200 (at a Mendoza .204) for the first time since May 9th.

his BABIP journey this year has been bonkers

http://i.imgur.com/ReEzZ5J.png

Well everybody's talking about the working man
Nobody's talking about Rollin' BABIP

Schwarber with the beard is definitely channeling a bit of John Kruk in his look now.

Reds and Cubs have played some pretty weird beer league style softball games this year.

i just looked at their schedule and they don't face another truly intimidating team the rest of the season. they've got potentially important (but winnable) series against the brewers and cardinals, and that's about it, unless you expect the pirates to make a big late-season run.

It looks like Arrieta has gotten some of his mojo back over the last few weeks.

man quintana has not been good for the cubs since that first game

javy stole home

you guys might get to see sean rodriguez pitch tonight

quintana actually did alright after that first inning. 9 ks in 6 innings.

their fourth game with 13 or more runs this month

leonys martin made his cubs debut today ... as a pitcher (he did not do well)

so much for arrieta's comeback (FIP has been suspicious anyway)

it feels like not having one reliable bullpen pitcher could be a problem

possibility the Cubs and Yankees miss the postseason: I Live For This

it feels like you're exaggerating

The Cubs are going to make the playoffs, but outside of getting fluky hot don't seem built to win it all.

Their starting pitching is straight dumpster fire.

I'd say more hit and miss. They get some good starts, sometimes they win softball game scores.

They are perhaps reminiscent of Torre's later Yankee's clubs without The Sandman. They can win alot as against lesser clubs they can outslug them, but against good pitching they can turn into K machine and their pitching is spotty.

that was weirdly worded lol, i had to check to make sure torre left NY before mo retired

weekend of putting away the Brewers not going so well

Cubs' BP playoff odds have fallen 26% in a week, to 68%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMWap2wzBD0

Lackey is a good heel. He had a point in that one clip where both him and Contreras got tossed, as that was a strike. I'm thinking how Contreras caught the ball with a glove in motion might have thrown the ump off, but it was easily a strike.

yeah that one was honestly such a bad frame job that i wasn't sure it was a strike or not lol

good week

Next weekend at the Brew Crew is pretty much playoff baseball.

yeah i'm feeling fairly nervous about this series, particularly the cubs pitching

ugh i know why they had to pull arrieta early but i wish they hadn't

pretty huge at bat

p sick baseball game

yes in that i feel like puking

sure go to the bullpen in the sixth inning of a close game when your bullpen is garbage, why not

whoa he really looked out

call on the field was pretty much always gonna stand there, looked like an exact tie to me

crazy shift from maddon

lol huge swing from santana trying to pull the ball

wow that had to be 450 feet

Maddon surely used the 5-man infield at least once last October?

yeah obv maddon loves his crazy shifts but the 5 man infields are rare enough that they're still exciting

the injuries in this game suck :-/

who got hurt

happ kind of slid into the bottom part of the outfield wall (which is just concrete until about half a foot up) and had to leave the field. contreras also had a incident with a foul tip off the knee. and i guess i'm newly experiencing yadi's foul tips off the facemask from last night's game because i didn't hear about them or see them until this game.

almora jr, not happ, oops

sounds like almora's gonna be fine, just a bruise. contreras has been banged up a lot recently, and he hasn't shown much power since coming back from the dl. they should probably give him a lot of rest leading up to the playoffs.

i'm pretty curious/nervous about what their post-season rotation is going to be. seems like lester and arrieta are likely, though lester has been bad lately and arrieta has been hurt. i hope they don't stick lackey in there. quintana and hendricks have both looked better in the past couple of weeks.

and now it sounds like arrieta is still somewhat injured

his hamstrings are just too big and snappy

Hector Rondon's first career hit... Exit velocity of 39 MPH at a -7 degree launch angle. 🔥🔥🔥

— Daren Willman (@darenw) September 29, 2017

apparently arrieta shaves his beard every off season but I've never seen him without it

Well hello there 👋🏼🙈😍#myoffseasonboyfriend #babyface pic.twitter.com/tqzPJg7cgG

— Brittany Arrieta (@MrsArrieta49) October 22, 2017

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bae0dD3HJTukRlIc8Le8s-vlR-NtSXFxTCmqso0/

Tony once asked me what his Era would be over a full season 🚀☝🏼🌖😂🤣😂 https://t.co/FWr7m5zHhv

— Jake Arrieta (@JArrieta34) October 23, 2017

arrieta's an unfairly good looking dude