It’s another night here at BCB After Dark – the hippest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come in and sit with us for a while. There is no cover charge. We still have a few tables available or sit with a friend. Please let us know if we can do anything for you. There is a two drink minimum, but bring your own drink.
BCB After Dark is the place to talk about baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it’s within the site’s rules. Night owls are encouraged to start the party, but everyone else is invited to join in when they wake up the next morning and into the evening.
Tonight the Cubs beat the Braves 4-3 in ten innings. What’s amazing about this game is that the much-maligned Cubs bullpen pitched 5.1 innings and allowed two baserunners: a single and a hit batter. More on the bullpen later.
Last night I asked you if you thought Hector Neris would remain the Cubs’ primary closer for the rest of the year. Only 12 percent of you said “yes,” but 53 percent feel he will remain closer until the trade deadline, when the Cubs acquire a new closer. Thirty-five percent of you believe Neris will be replaced as closer before the trade deadline.
On Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, I usually don’t talk about movies. But I always have time for tunes, so those of you who skip jazz can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.
Tonight we have a performance by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders in France in 1968. Norman “Sirone” Jones is on bass, Majeed Shabazz on drums, and Lonnie Liston Smith plays piano.
Welcome back to all those who skip all that jazz.
One of the things I thought we’d do more of when I first conceived of this space was discuss that day’s game. But the opportunity hasn’t presented itself as often as I thought. I will not ask you to name a “Player of the Game” because that is the realm of Heroes and Goats.
But tonight I’m going to do a variation of this that I think is fair. We’ve talked a lot about the Cubs bullpen in this space this year. It’s natural, since it’s been a major point of contention all year. But as I mentioned tonight, the Cubs bullpen came out ahead and won this game. Javier Assad wasn’t as sharp as he normally was, but five relievers came in and shut down the Braves long enough for Nico Hoerner to hit an infield single to win the game in the 10th.
So tonight’s question is: Who was the reliever of the game? You can use any criteria you want: how good they looked, how good their results were, or even how surprised you were that they did so well.
In case you forgot, tonight’s relievers were:
Tyson Miller: He entered the game with two outs and runners on first and third in the fifth inning. He struck out Orlando Arcia to end the threat. He retired the team in order in the sixth and then let the first two runners reach in the seventh with a hit by pitch and a single before coming out for Mark Leiter Jr.
End line: 1.1 IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K 1HBP
Mark Leiter Jr.: He relieved Miller in the seventh with runners on first and second and no outs. He struck out the next three batters: Matt Olson, Travis d’Arnaud and Michael Harris II.
Hayden Wesneski: Pitched the eighth inning and retired the sides in order. He struck out Adam Duvall.
Hector Neris: Retired the team in order in the ninth, although he received defensive help from Seiya Suzuki. (Although that ball wasn’t hit hard.) He didn’t strike out anyone.
Little Lucas: He pitched the top of the tenth with the runner starting the inning at second. I returned a grounder for one out, a fielder’s choice grounder to short to retire the runner going to third, and a grounder to first base to end the inning. He earned the victory when the Cubs scored in the bottom of the inning.
So who was the Cubs reliever in the game?
Survey
Who was the reliever of the Cubs game?
0% Mark Leiter Jr. (0 votes)
0% Hayden Wesneski (0 votes)
0 total votes Vote now
Thank you very much for stopping by tonight. I hope you were able to celebrate responsibly. Please arrive home safely. He recycles cans and bottles. Tip your waiters. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
Keynote USA
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