The Chicago Bears are considered by most pundits to be NFC. Chose to finish below or near the north. Below 500. The odds of betting, by contrast, overwhelm them as an 8-8 team across the board. Me? Oh, I’m a dope and I think the defense will be good enough that they can win 9 or 10 games. I also think there’s a good chance that Mitch Trubiski is in control as Nick Falls launches 12+ games this year, which I still doubt makes him better than sticking the bear with Mitch. I’m happy to be wrong, but I think I haven’t seen anything more than 3+ years just to make it happen.
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Moment The nature of the game made it difficult to appreciate the moment, but Kyle Hendrix was brilliant last night – on the road! – and mostly dominated the Briars with the exception of Ryan Brown (who came after a false pop that should have caught Chris Bryant exactly). Hendrix:
Kyle Hendricks’ line:
7 2/3 IP, 6H, 2ER, 0BB, 7K. pic.twitter.com/xSZRLa3ahT– Chicago Cubs (2 Cubs) September 13, 2020
• Also: It’s not that you need to tell me that Pitcher Win State is useless, but last night, Jason Adam’s lone strikeout gave him a “win” over Kyle Hendrix’s 7.2 innings of work.
Speaking of Ad Adams, it was an important strike by Christian Yelich. One thing Adam does very well is to make sure his elite-spin fastball ball stays in the zone where you want it. A lot about Adam and how the watches really stole a great hand.
Last Craig Kimberly felt good again last night, this time in real saving mode, giving a couple singles to open the frame, both on good plaques. Caston Hoora got it for just one solid single, and Jade Giorgio flipped his bat to the right for a little flame (and broke). It makes things tense and tight, yes, but didn’t say anything bad about Kimbrel’s acting. Save, by the way, with the Cubs connection, was a historic milestone for Kimberly:
Craig Kimberly recorded his 348th career tonight, passing Randy Myers to 12th all-time. pic.twitter.com/jJQNibnV2w
– Marquee Sports Network (watchmarkie) September 13, 2020
With just one strikeout in the inning, Kimbrell’s record of relief with at least two strikeouts ends at 10 p.m.
• So Kimbrel is going to shut down again? I still don’t think so, and I think Jeremy Jeffres stayed down last night after pitching back-to-back games (Ditto Rowan Vic). Kimbrell is clearly back in the coming circle of confidence, though (as it should be), as this team needs a lot of late innings options.
Last night with a gastrointestinal issue scratching Cameron Maybie, COVID’s listed feature, protocols indicate that he will miss another day today when he leaves the team and receives additional tests. The Chicks haven’t announced anything like this – I’m just saying, this is how these things have progressed under protocols. So unless there’s a reason to be 100% certain that Mabin’s GI issues are something else, the Cubs could soon play the role of man today.
Friendship:
Jason Hayward said his Homer tonight is a birthday for his good friend Freddie Freeman. CC: @ MMBBoman pic.twitter.com/EeqqBvfHHx
– Jordan Bastian (@mmlbastian) September 13, 2020
This was stupid, and the message was true again last night:
Brent suitor, Bob Bunt looks like he’s facing Brent suitor. pic.twitter.com/rxpnRZUF3B
– Bleacher Nation (@ Bleacher Nation) September 12, 2020
મને I don’t know why the cubs can’t fully touch the Brent suitor, but he only owns those. I think it’s great against everyone this year, but still. That’s a long-term issue.
With last night’s win, Cubs’ odds of making playoffs in Fangraph have risen to 99.6%. Cubs are 78.6% to win the division, and 19.9% second in the division. They only have a 1.0% chance of being in the playoffs as a wild card team, which makes sense, as it requires both the Cardinals and the Brewers to pass the Cubs, and the Cubs still need to have a great record. Those things can’t happen too much.
My When my kids ask what the baseball was like during the 2020 epidemic season, I’ll show them this picture from last night:
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.bleachernation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/kb-flipping-wall-Photo-by-Dylan-BuellGetty-Images-GettyImages-1272177068.jpg?resize=618%2C412&ssl=1)