Bleacher Bums Forum

Brewers on a pace to win 103 games. That’s the primary reason.

A difference in today’s game was the Orioles executing a perfect relay in 4th inning for an out at home and Cubs executing just an okay relay in 8th inning that failed to get an extremely slow runner at home. Typically, Cubs win these parallel defensive comps.

Cubs outhit O’s today 9-3 and lost. Cubs were outhit 14-8 on Wednesday and won. It happens sometimes.

The relay by the Cubs was terrible. If either PCA or Hoerner makes a good throw they nail the runner. Then there's the Cubs going 1-9 w/ RISP. Then there's the two hit batters before winning hit for the Orioles. Then there's Hoerner's rare SB in the 9th that he was out on for coming off the bag. Cubs could've stolen all day on Basallo. Armstrong had 2nd stolen early but Bregman--again--didn't take the pitch, then GIDP on the next one.

And Harris had no business sending Busch who was out by 5 feet. Yes two outs, but was a closer throw from left, and Busch was never making it from 1st base.

The Brewers are deeper and have the huge edge in pitching for various reasons, but they also play more sound, fundamental and, imo, smarter ball.

Guys who are smarter than me.  I'm curious about the base-stealing.  Give me some thoughts?   

Hoerner's steal was not particularly unusual for how guys go, or at least Cubs.  Go sailing in at high velocity, touch the bag with your hand.   The velocity is so high that it's really hard not to sail past, as was Hoerner case.  Stealers have three options:
1.  Hang on successfully with hand.
2.  Let hand sail by, but make contact with leg/body while hand sails off. 
3.  Dive a wee bit sooner with slightly reduced velocity so that hand doesn't sail on by. 

I think Cubs guys are routinely attempting BOTH 1 and 2, especially #2.  Hope to barely hang on, maybe; but try to swing a leg on before you sail off or get bumped off. 

In Hoerner's case, I think he argued on both counts.  #1, That the guy kept applying tag to dislodge his hand.  (Which he did, but it didn't take much tag at all; I didn't think the tag was an eggregious push.). And #2, that the guy's foot blocked the path of Hoerner's knee to contact bag before his hand sailed off.  That definitely happened.  Hoerner's mitt had a path, but then his leg was obstructed and came in outside the bag.  Guessing the umps and booth review were maybe both right; given that his hand had clear path, obstruction wasn't the call.  And the pushoff was so modest, that wasn't an obvious review overturn. 

Other note:  The risk of hand sailing off, that's pretty high frequency.  Dansby's did on immediate succeeding play, he just was able to get his leg on.  PCA often.  Pretty high risk that mitt will sail off.  I'd guess it's kinda 50-50 for successful steals, half of them the mitt itself stays on, half the trailing leg makes contact while mitt sails beyond.   

In terms of pros and cons, I wonder how much time-to-base velocity loss there would be in diving a little bit sooner?  To plan SB such that your hand will NOT sail over? 

How about an alternative deal where you'd add some spike-like things to the oven mitts?  Would need to NOT obstruct the slide into the bag.  Extending out to one side or both, where it wouldn't drag when diving in, or catch sharply on the bag and sprain your wrist.  But where you could immediately twist your hand on contact to have it catch and drag on the base in a controlled way?  Or else maybe use longer mitts, and have some pegs extending from the underside of the forearm?  No obstruction when reaching for the bag, but kinda hook on the edge of the bag, or perhaps curve hand-up-forearm down upon contact to drag on the bag?  Perhaps with enough give, not steel spikes, so that it doesn't accidentally catch and sprain your wrist.  But enough to give more drag and catch and deceleration on the bag?  Just trying to think of some practical way to make it easier to avoid sailing off the bag. 

OK, whack-o brainstorming.   

The relay by the Cubs was terrible. If either PCA or Hoerner makes a good throw they nail the runner. Then there's the Cubs going 1-9 w/ RISP. Then there's the two hit batters before winning hit for the Orioles. Then there's Hoerner's rare SB in the 9th that he was out on for coming off the bag. Cubs could've stolen all day on Basallo. Armstrong had 2nd stolen early but Bregman--again--didn't take the pitch, then GIDP on the next one.

And Harris had no business sending Busch who was out by 5 feet. Yes two outs, but was a closer throw from left, and Busch was never making it from 1st base.

The Brewers are deeper and have the huge edge in pitching for various reasons, but they also play more sound, fundamental and, imo, smarter ball.

Agree with Craig that the Busch send was the right call in context. Happ on deck is hitting .170 against lefties and chances of O’s making a non-perfect relay better than that. So, Berry sending the runner with 2 outs is okay there.

Except for hitting in RISP, thought Cubs played a good game. Cubs fundamentals are not why trailing Brewers by seven. Cubs playing very good fundamental baseball this season. Very tough to stay with a club on pace to win 103 games. Cubs have 5th best record in MLB on July 9——guessing most everybody would have taken that pre opening day.

On the Hoerner at 2B play, yeah slide hard into 2B and deter those kind of defensive shenanigans. But not how baseball played anymore, for better or worse. It’s a different game in that way.

This Woodford stiff is so bad it almost deflected from the Cubs' anemic offense.

Bregman!  2-run homer in the clutch, 5-3 Cubs win. 

Important to get the win when ace Assad was starting! 

Thornton got the save.  Rolison started the 9th, but put a couple of guys on.  Counsel used Webb in the 8th, for the tougher part of the order. 

Cubs have another base-stealer steal successfully and leave bag.  This time Busch.  He slid in feet first, but as usual couldn't stay attached and tried to connect with followup foot, but didn't connect before touch limb came off.  Very obnoxious. 

Cubs win, Cubs win, Cubs win!  Bregman with a big 3-run homer to break it open.  Webb saves it, again, man has he been on a run.  He deserves some days of rest, that's for sure.  Nice comeback after getting down 4-2 on 3-run homer from Suarez.  A key hit was Alcantara with a 2-run single.... that bounced off 2nd base.  Following that, PCA got a tie-breaking hit, only to get it recalled.  Another turn through the order, he got a tiebreaking hit for real, in front of Bregman's HR. 

Another game where opponent defense gave Cubs a break.  Cubs got two runs in the first, but what set them up was a high shallow fly by Bregman.  Somebody should have caught it, doubtless PCA would have.  Steer got his glove under it but let it pop out, and he didn't seem that fast to charge in.  I dind't think the 2B was that fast going out, either, I think Hoerner could have caught it.  And that in turn was set up by manager having the infield in with PCA on 3rd one out in the first.  Would have been an easy popout to 2B otherwise, and not even PCA could have scored had the infield not been pulled in. 

Hollowell effective.  6 batters, one hit but 3K's no runs.  I'd be kinda interested in using him a little bit more. 

Reds gifted 4 runs after that DP that our great manager didn't challenge.

Now, he challenged the first one and MLB watched the out at first and came back with a safe call.

Then MLB overturns PCA's grounder on the exact play as the first.

Combined with the Cubs' refusal to challenge at the plate I ask again, why have the system in the first place?

Nice to run into the break coming off some winning weeks.  A lot of teams bunched at the back bubble of wildcard.  6 teams are from 2.5-6 games behind the Cubs.  So if Cubs go into a slump, it will pretty likely that a couple of those teams will be playing well.  Pirates included.  Cubs win, that's the way.