Jake

Hey honey, remember that special night I proposed to you a few minutes after Jordan Hicks s%*# himself in front of the first Sox sellout all season?

Looking at Statcast, I notice that Hicks is throwing with quite a bit lower arm angle this year relative to his better years. Wonder whether that's something the Sox are asking him to try out or if it's happening naturally. Would explain why the pitch shapes are grading out better but seemingly every third or fourth pitch misses the zone by like 3 feet. Looking towards tomorrow, I don't have the best feeling about Davis. But that's been my feeling most of the year, so I hope I stay wrong

Starting to think Vargas may make the All-Star Game

I assume the Cubs have a Hicks-like guy who will give those runs back now, right?

Not that it matters much, but if you wanted to keep it close it was probably wrong to let Hicks pitch to those last two batters even with the platoon issue with Schweitzer. That many pitches in the inning, very unlikely that he's going to suddenly improve. Maybe worth it to just roll the dice that he would find his release

I think you could put a clause in his contract that a lost challenge voids the deal

When I visited spring training, he was someone I didn't really notice having friendly interactions with teammates. Seemed to always be going someplace by himself. I got the impression that he cared about his performance in terms of seeing him get really mad even when he threw bad bullpen pitches, but maybe that's half the problem.

I have no intel about this either way but I've had the intuition that Hicks may be a huge butthole

Jordan come on

Sandlin looking in some respects like a right-handed Hagen

Hicks will have to wear it to save the pen. The cost of not having depth is you have to roll the dice on these types when you're losing

The cheap runs will continue until morale improves

Just keep it close and give yourself a puncher's chance

Sox have basically played them even. If it's a 6-4 game in the end I'll be able to live with it

Cubs lucky hit offense kind of night

Not sure that you're getting an out there regardless. Real cheap run.

I really don't enjoy watching Peters hit at all

Rolison threw sweeper and then slider. It's an interesting mix. Mune thinks he's getting the same pitch he just got the previous pitch but it's actually a different shape, dropping a lot more. And he just barely hits the top of it.

Cabrera's not a bad pitcher. Good job to get him out of the game in the 5th with 3 runs already on the board.

FWIW, Richards has a super rise-y fastball so it's not shocking that Laz was fooled by it. But you want your catcher to know that may happen and use the challenge.

Drew needs to use that challenge

Cubs keep sticking the bat out and getting results. Sean didn't have his command today at all.

Late inning Colson, don't disrespect him!!

There goes that man again

High breaking pitches are far more successful in practice than the conventional wisdom would have you believe (largely due to what you just saw: batters give up on them thinking they will miss high)