Author Topic: Cubs in '18  (Read 171514 times)

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3780 on: August 26, 2018, 08:42:16 am »
I wonder - could the Cubs "decline", make the Rangers pay the $6 million, and then, say, give Hamels a 1 year/$15 million contract?  Hamels comes out a mil ahead and the Cubs have $5 million less of a cap hit.

Of course the problem would be that as soon as the Cubs decline the option, Hamels is a free agent and the Cubs would have to compete with offers from any other team interested in Hamels.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3781 on: August 26, 2018, 09:43:29 am »
After today's game the Cubs get Syndegaard and Degrom then Atlanta on Thursday then Philly on the weekend but miss Nola and they have really cratered of late. Then Milwaukee Washington and Milwaukee again. All this without a day off until the last Milwaukee series. If the Cubs can survive this stretch with they're division lead intact the last 16 games should be a lot easier with Az and Stl the only two good teams they'll face.
Alec Mills will go up against Jason Vargas on Wednesday.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3782 on: August 26, 2018, 10:06:34 am »
Is there truth to the rumor that people with light eyes are more sensitive to sunlight?
Duke Health · dukehealth.org

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3783 on: August 26, 2018, 05:03:25 pm »
The more you know.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3784 on: August 26, 2018, 05:40:42 pm »
Great to see Hendricks pitch real well again on Sunday vs Reds.

Quite a contrast watching Homer Bailey's plus velocity get rocked again, while Hendricks basically sits in the mid-80s and just carves 'em up, and pile up the innings as he has the past 3+ years.

It's almost amazing watching him give up 6-10 mph to opposing starters and, then, completely outpitch them as he so often has during the Cubs' phenomenal stretch of the past going on 4 years.

Who knows what Hendricks will do from here on, but that's rather true with about any MLB pitcher. 

However, when he has his release point and timing, what Kyle does prove is this: tho' having a mid-90s FB is great, plus command, late movement and the ability to change speeds from the same arm slot are WAY more important than velocity at the MLB level!

 
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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3785 on: August 26, 2018, 05:49:46 pm »
Kyle needs to be this good if we’re going to have a shot in the postseason, probably.

Joe is certainly going to have some interesting decisions when Bryant comes back.  I wonder if maybe Heyward, Murphy and Schwarber are all on the bench vs. lefties - neither Happ or Zobrist is good from the right side but Bote gives you a good option, and he’s not going to play much vs. righties.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3786 on: August 26, 2018, 07:06:59 pm »
Zobrist actually has hit slightly better as a RH hitter over his career, and this was true as recently as 2016 (though not since).  I would write off last season due to his injury, but he has been only mediocre as a RH hitter this season.  He should start regularly vs. RHP and only sporadically vs. LHP.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3787 on: August 26, 2018, 08:47:23 pm »
100% starters vs. righties: Murphy, Zobrist, Rizzo, Contreras, Baez, Heyward, Schwarber, Bryant

100% starters vs. lefties: Bryant, Baez, Almora, Bote, Rizzo, Contreras
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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3788 on: August 26, 2018, 09:18:46 pm »
Deeg, your LH and RH lineups certainly look good to me (particularly with Bryant back in there facing both!)

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3789 on: August 27, 2018, 02:45:39 pm »
Tony Rizzo is the NL player of the week.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3791 on: August 28, 2018, 08:42:24 am »
Quote from: Bruce Miles column
The Cubs wound up using relievers Pedro Strop, Justin Wilson and Jesse Chavez in the ninth, with Chavez stranding the bases loaded and earning his second save.

"Chavez just knows what he's doing," Maddon said.

Since coming to the Cubs:
Innings - 21
ERA -  1.29
K - 25
BB - 2
WHIP - 0.76

I'd be a little more effusive than Joe Maddon when talking about Jesse Chavez.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3792 on: August 28, 2018, 09:10:37 am »
Yeah, he's been way, way better than expected.  The peripherals back it up, but the career track record doesn't - gotta think a regression is coming sooner or later.  He wasn't a bad pitcher before, but nowhere close to this good.

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3793 on: August 28, 2018, 09:58:50 am »
With the recent HR output, the Cubs have moved up into 9th place in the NL in HR's.  They've now moved up into 20th place in mlb. 

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Re: Cubs in '18
« Reply #3794 on: August 28, 2018, 10:08:36 am »
We often are aware of times the offense can't score, or gets stuck.  But man, I look at some of the other lineups, and it's striking how bad they are. 

The Cubs offense isn't good all the time; but when things are going well, it's a reminder of how difficult it is for some teams **all** the time, not just some of the time. 

Mets, it's like they don't have *anybody* who's actually very good or very scary.  Conforto killed one, and Lester nibbled around him very carefully; but the guy is hitting .230.  Reds, without Votto they had Gennett and Suarez, but a lot of vulnerable guys.  Scoring runs or even threatening to do so is really hard for so many teams.