Steve Trachsel is here, like it or not

[CubmanPi]

cubs.com[/url]"]Trachsel is expected to make his first start for the Cubs either Tuesday or Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Looks like the Cubs have found it fit to force a change into one of this season's more successful and healthy rotations.

 

Sean Marshall may be skipped in the rotation at least one turn, and would then be in the bullpen as a long-relief option.

I really don't know if it's more of a gamble short-term to start Trachsel or Marshall. I know that this season is all that matters, but with the two options, I think the fact that Marshall is young and has a future with this team should be enough to tip the scales in his favor. His last outing was rough, but the one before that was a more than solid outing against AZ, and he has been solid and successful all year. It may not be a bad idea to rest him a little, but it also isn't a bad gamble to stick with him.

 

"At the same time, Trachsel has been through this type of experience before, and experience at this time of year is important," Piniella said.

Sandy Koufax has experience too, and he'd probably sign for a lot cheaper.

 

If you come up with a good solution, be my guest," he said

Something about not being broken and not requiring a fix...

[A New Era]

Dodgers hit lefties much better than righties. And Trach has like an ERA near the low 2's his last 3 starts. Piniella is just being consistant. Playing with matchups and who's hot and who's not.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

cubs.com[/url]"]Trachsel is expected to make his first start for the Cubs either Tuesday or Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Looks like the Cubs have found it fit to force a change into one of this season's more successful and healthy rotations.

 

Sean Marshall may be skipped in the rotation at least one turn, and would then be in the bullpen as a long-relief option.

I really don't know if it's more of a gamble short-term to start Trachsel or Marshall. I know that this season is all that matters, but with the two options, I think the fact that Marshall is young and has a future with this team should be enough to tip the scales in his favor. His last outing was rough, but the one before that was a more than solid outing against AZ, and he has been solid and successful all year. It may not be a bad idea to rest him a little, but it also isn't a bad gamble to stick with him.

 

"At the same time, Trachsel has been through this type of experience before, and experience at this time of year is important," Piniella said.

Sandy Koufax has experience too, and he'd probably sign for a lot cheaper.

 

If you come up with a good solution, be my guest," he said

Something about not being broken and not requiring a fix...

 

Trachsel has been very good in August, and Marshall needs a break.

 

Trachsel has gone 1-1 38 innings pitched 2.37 ERA in August

Marshall has gone 2-3 27.2 innings pitched 6.18 ERA in August

 

Marshall has not pitched a full year since becoming a pro(i think), so this doesnt hurt us in the slightest. I think its a good move, and I am starting to tolerate this trade the more I look into it.

[Backtobanks]

You gotta go with who's hot and look for good matchups. If you were a manager with a soft-tossing lefty, wouldn't you try to pitch him against the Cubs?

[Electron Blue]

Trach isn't hot right now, and he didn't have a great august... ERA is sometimes a decent inidicator, but this case shows its flaws.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/psplit.cgi?n1=trachst01&year=2007

[Soul]

You gotta go with who's hot and look for good matchups. If you were a manager with a soft-tossing lefty, wouldn't you try to pitch him against the Cubs?

 

Like I said before, I'd take a freaking LOOGY and start him against the Cubs. And I'd win, too.

[KyHen]

Trach isn't hot right now, and he didn't have a great august... ERA is sometimes a decent inidicator, but this case shows its flaws.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/psplit.cgi?n1=trachst01&year=2007

45 : 69 K:BB ratio on the season! That's insane! :shock:

[Balsa]

Trachsel has been very good in August, and Marshall needs a break.

Very true. He started puttering out last year too. He's never really had a full season of pitching.

[danonwaveland]

Had the Cubs not picked him up, chances are the Brewers would have. While that may not strike fear into all of us, he would have been a handy replacement for Parra, the kid whose thumbnail got ripped off on that bunt attempt. So, maybe Trachsel helps us out on the mound and maybe he helps us by not being on Milwaukee's mound.

 

_________________________________________________

Sandberg>Mazeroski>Morgan

[Brian]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070901/capt.64934f1d44204164ace6b292cd55e01c.astros_cubs_baseball_cxc114.jpg

[A New Era]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070901/capt.64934f1d44204164ace6b292cd55e01c.astros_cubs_baseball_cxc114.jpg

 

Yay! Welcome back Steve-o.

[NCCubFan]

Had the Cubs not picked him up, chances are the Brewers would have. While that may not strike fear into all of us, he would have been a handy replacement for Parra, the kid whose thumbnail got ripped off on that bunt attempt. So, maybe Trachsel helps us out on the mound and maybe he helps us by not being on Milwaukee's mound.

Actually Parra was hurt even worse than that. He was placed on the 15-day DL with a chip fracture in his thumb.

[Illini Iceman]

Not completely on topic, but quite the welcome for Cherry and Monroe to the Orioles.

 

Moore goes 0-3 with 2 strike outs as part of an offense that is no hit by a Boston rookie.

 

Cherry goes 1/3 of an inning giving up 3 hits and 4 runs.

 

Yikes! I hope Trachsel's debut with the Cubs is better.

[Ivy Walls]

Sean Marshall has done his job quite well as a bottom of a rotation starter, albeit averaging just over 5-IP but he is 25 years old and showing wear and tear.

 

Over the next three weeks the Cubs will play 19 games in 18 days...skipping Marshall one start and having him adjust to a long relief where Piniella can pull a starter early with Gallagher also ready is a big advantage, but then setting him up for the DH in StL us huge.

 

Trachsel is a better 5th starter right now and the bet is that a 36 year old will focus in on 5 starts remaining.

[Peoriaman]

If he pitches well, I hope we can get him for next year.

[Ender]

Had the Cubs not picked him up, chances are the Brewers would have. While that may not strike fear into all of us, he would have been a handy replacement for Parra, the kid whose thumbnail got ripped off on that bunt attempt. So, maybe Trachsel helps us out on the mound and maybe he helps us by not being on Milwaukee's mound.

 

_________________________________________________

Sandberg>Mazeroski>Morgan

 

As a Brewer fan Trachsel would be the #7 best option on the team and thats with Parra and Vargas hurt. You can have him~

[CubinNY]

Had the Cubs not picked him up, chances are the Brewers would have. While that may not strike fear into all of us, he would have been a handy replacement for Parra, the kid whose thumbnail got ripped off on that bunt attempt. So, maybe Trachsel helps us out on the mound and maybe he helps us by not being on Milwaukee's mound.

 

Or maybe he helps the Cubs more if he's on Milwaukee's mound?

[Keener98]

If he pitches well, I hope we can get him for next year.

 

OMG

[Handlebar McSkullet]

Had the Cubs not picked him up, chances are the Brewers would have. While that may not strike fear into all of us, he would have been a handy replacement for Parra, the kid whose thumbnail got ripped off on that bunt attempt. So, maybe Trachsel helps us out on the mound and maybe he helps us by not being on Milwaukee's mound.

 

_________________________________________________

Sandberg>Mazeroski>Morgan

 

As a Brewer fan Trachsel would be the #7 best option on the team and thats with Parra and Vargas hurt. You can have him~

 

Really? Because your rotation is god awful. Not that Trachsel is Roger Clemens, but that is a bold statement.

[ctcf]

If he pitches well, I hope we can get him for next year.

 

lawl

[NCCubFan]

Not completely on topic, but quite the welcome for Cherry and Monroe to the Orioles.

When did we trade them Monroe? :D

[Ender]

Had the Cubs not picked him up, chances are the Brewers would have. While that may not strike fear into all of us, he would have been a handy replacement for Parra, the kid whose thumbnail got ripped off on that bunt attempt. So, maybe Trachsel helps us out on the mound and maybe he helps us by not being on Milwaukee's mound.

 

_________________________________________________

Sandberg>Mazeroski>Morgan

 

As a Brewer fan Trachsel would be the #7 best option on the team and thats with Parra and Vargas hurt. You can have him~

 

Really? Because your rotation is god awful. Not that Trachsel is Roger Clemens, but that is a bold statement.

 

no our defense is god awful which is why the teams ERA is high yet they have one of the better FIP's in the NL. If you swapped the Cubs rotation and the Brewers rotation the Cubs team would still have a better ERA, its all in the fielding. Cubs have been well above average, Brewers have been one of the worst teams in the NL. Judging a pitcher by ERA will never tell you how good they are, too many things out of his control go into it.

 

Bush

Sheets

Gallardo

Villaneuva

Suppan

Capuano

 

I'd take any of those 6 over Traschel who is sitting on a 5.71 FIP this season.

[inari]

You're blaming the poor pitching squarely on the defense? That's just not true. Suppan's been atrocious, Capuano sucked, and Dave Bush has been a little less than "okay." If you swapped our rotations, the Cubs would have the better one, because the Cubs rotation is actually good. The Crew's is terrible. We're not ahead of you in the standings because we play good defense, we're ahead because our starters are good and your's are bad.

[A New Era]

Ok I'm learning about new terms everyday stats junkies use to prove pitchers and players are good or bad.

 

But FIP? What's FIP?

 

I thought WHIP and BB/K9 were generally used to tell how good a pitcher has been.

[Guest]

Ok I'm learning about new terms everyday stats junkies use to prove pitchers and players are good or bad.

 

But FIP? What's FIP?

 

I thought WHIP and BB/K9 were generally used to tell how good a pitcher has been.

FIP = Fielding Independent Pitching

 

WHIP & K/BB are somewhat redundant as walks are already included in WHIP and K's will normally (inversely) correlate to hits quite well.

 

If you want to go with the best measures for a pitcher alone, go with:

 

K/9

(BB+HBP)/9

HR/9

LD% (line drive %)

GB/FB