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Written by Aaron Kennelly

Created: 01 June 2016

Hits: 17251

Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Cubs have been very good at a number of things so far this season.  They are 35-14, after all.  Today we'll focus on one of the things at which they are very good, namely their proficiency in inducing weak contact.  It seems pertinent to delve into this phenomenon the day after five Cubs pitchers combined to unfurl a swift, one-hit shutout of the reigning NL West champions.

Cubs pitchers currently have a BABIP (batting average on balls in play) against of .248.  This is the lowest mark in the league by a wide margin.  No team has been that low in a full non-strike-shortened season in over 40 years.  The lowest BABIP given up in the history of baseball is .238 by the 1906 Cubs, also known as the (former?) best regular-season team in franchise history.  That was a long time ago, though.  Baseball players are different now, and teams play the game a lot differently.  It's probably best if we stick closer to the present day when examining something such as BABIP.  The lowest mark since 2000 was .260 by the 2001 Mariners.  Hey, that team was also pretty good.  What do these three teams have in common?  For one, they were really, really good.  They also were probably really lucky.

Read more: The Cubs and Weak Contact

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Written by Tim Stuart

Created: 31 May 2016

Hits: 12191

• Chicago Cubs
• Pitching
• New York Yankees
• Nate Eovaldi
• Javy Baez

The Cubs first rumor has surfaced for the summer. This article, among others, links the Chicago Cubs to pitcher Nate Eovaldi from the Yankees. Everything is pure speculation at this point, but lets take a look anyway.

Read more: First Summer Trade Rumor: Baez for Eovaldi

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Written by Tim Stuart

Created: 30 May 2016

Hits: 12202

• Jason Hammel
• Injury

It appears as though the injury to Jason Hammel is nothing more than cramps. Hammel had to leave his start today during warmups for the third inning. As he was warming up, he started to shake his leg and grab his hamstring. 

As quoted at Cubs.com, Hammel says that he felt he was fully hydrated, but began to cramp up anyway. Given how Hammel's 2015 season was derailed with a leg injury in July, the Cubs will likely continue to be very cautious with him.

Read more: Hammel Hurt Again