R. Hill Turning the Corner ?

[abuck1220]

opponents were hitting .191 against hill this year, fyi.

[USSoccer]

opponents were hitting .191 against hill this year, fyi.

 

But how can that be? He is a headcase and only has one pitch?

[ctcf]

Is it still assumed he'll be sent up to AAA for his next start? He better be...

[Tyrant]

opponents were hitting .191 against hill this year, fyi.

 

Right. Because nothing was in the strike zone.

 

It's encouraging that he's throwing more strikes, but it's against a really low level of competition. Given his struggles this year, I think it's a bit early to go all :clapping: :yahoo: :yahoo: over his performance in Mesa.

[abuck1220]

looking back at hill's game log, it is kind of surprising how short his leash was.

 

6 ip, 4 h, 3 bb, 2 er (good)

3 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 3 er (bad)

5 ip, 3 h, 3 bb, 1 er (good)

5 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 2 er (decent)

2/3 ip, 0 h, 4 bb, 1 er (terrible)

 

now obviously things fell apart once he went down to AAA and maybe he was heading toward a collapse the whole time, but other than failing to get out of the first inning once, he certainly never killed the cubs in any of his starts. and even in that start, he only allowed one run.

 

certainly his walk rate was unacceptable, but when you consider how few hits he gave up, it wasn't a disaster or anything.

[abuck1220]

opponents were hitting .191 against hill this year, fyi.

 

Right. Because nothing was in the strike zone.

 

It's encouraging that he's throwing more strikes, but it's against a really low level of competition.

 

the level of competition is really irrelevant. whether it was albert pujols or a cardboard cutout standing at home plate, his problem was throwing strikes.

 

it'd be one thing if he couldn't throw strikes AND he was getting hit all over the place, but that clearly wasn't the case.

[Billy_Buck]

Reason to be encouarged, indeed! Though of course a healthy dose of caution and skepticism is warranted.

 

I infer that Hill remains very much in the Cubs' plans for this season, or at least Hendry's. I think his progress, modest though it may be, is one reason he was willing to assume the risk that comes with Harden. When the club says they'll give him an extra day or skip a start here and there, the wildcart could very well be Hill. (Not to mention Marshall, Gaudin, etc.; but Hendry clearly has the same visions of a lockdown rotation that this board does, and that points to Hill.)

 

Keep it up, Rich! (Or should I say, keep those curves hitting the outside corner! :wink: )

Edited July 15, 2008 by Billy_Buck

[Lefty]

When the club says they'll give RH an extra day or skip a start here and there, the wildcart could very well be Hill. (Not to mention Marshall, Gaudin, etc.; but Hendry clearly has the same visions of a lockdown rotation that this board does, and that points to Hill.)

 

Keep it up, Rich! (Or should I say, keep those curves hitting the outside corner! :wink: )

 

We have two RHs now.

[TheDude]

looking back at hill's game log, it is kind of surprising how short his leash was.

 

6 ip, 4 h, 3 bb, 2 er (good)

3 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 3 er (bad)

5 ip, 3 h, 3 bb, 1 er (good)

5 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 2 er (decent)

2/3 ip, 0 h, 4 bb, 1 er (terrible)

 

now obviously things fell apart once he went down to AAA and maybe he was heading toward a collapse the whole time, but other than failing to get out of the first inning once, he certainly never killed the cubs in any of his starts. and even in that start, he only allowed one run.

 

certainly his walk rate was unacceptable, but when you consider how few hits he gave up, it wasn't a disaster or anything.

 

You can't just look at the runs scored to determine a bottom line. The walk rate and pitch count were indicative of deeper problems. Hill seriously walked a tight rope this year despite the good BAA and OPS against.

 

You just can't go from a 2.91 K:BB ratio to a 0.83 K:BB ratio and expect to sustain success. And 4 pitches per PA with a .360 OBP against leads to 100 pitches by the 6th inning.

[Billy_Buck]

When the club says they'll give RH an extra day or skip a start here and there, the wildcart could very well be Hill. (Not to mention Marshall, Gaudin, etc.; but Hendry clearly has the same visions of a lockdown rotation that this board does, and that points to Hill.)

 

Keep it up, Rich! (Or should I say, keep those curves hitting the outside corner! :wink: )

 

We have two RHs now.

#-o Noted!

[TruffleShuffle]

i have always been one of hill's biggest supporters, and even i have to agree that hill needed to be sent down. he was sliding the wrong direction, hadn't been consistently throwing strikes since last season, and his struggles in the minors confirmed this.

 

however, the "he's a headcase, how can you pitch him in the second half?" idea is stupid. when he's throwing strikes, he's one of the best pitchers in the organization. if he reverts to wild rich, the cubs will lose, at worst, a game or two because of him. the upside is that he pitches as well as he did last year, in which case you've got yourself a significant upgrade over marquis and a guy who can start in the playoffs.

[javy knows my name]

i have always been one of hill's biggest supporters, and even i have to agree that hill needed to be sent down. he was sliding the wrong direction, hadn't been consistently throwing strikes since last season, and his struggles in the minors confirmed this.

 

however, the "he's a headcase, how can you pitch him in the second half?" idea is stupid. when he's throwing strikes, he's one of the best pitchers in the organization. if he reverts to wild rich, the cubs will lose, at worst, a game or two because of him. the upside is that he pitches as well as he did last year, in which case you've got yourself a significant upgrade over marquis and a guy who can start in the playoffs.

This. Even given the slight chance that this has anything to do with mental makeup, many on the board seem sure that his mechanics could go again at any time. Ankiel-like playoff collapses are the exception, not the rule. If the guy gets it together, he's going to keep it together as long as he stays with what's working and completely ignores Rothschild.

On a related note, does anyone know if Hill's new mechanics feature a quicker move to the plate? If not, we may not be out of the woods yet.

[abuck1220]

at this point, who cares about how quick he is to the plate? he was very slow to the plate last year and he did just fine. tinkering with his motion to speed up his delivery was probably what started this whole mess.

[javy knows my name]

at this point, who cares about how quick he is to the plate? he was very slow to the plate last year and he did just fine. tinkering with his motion to speed up his delivery was probably what started this whole mess.

Which was exactly my point. We aren't out of the woods yet because LR may still see a problem that needs fixing. I do not, I thought I made that clear.

[YearofDaCubs]

looking back at hill's game log, it is kind of surprising how short his leash was.

 

6 ip, 4 h, 3 bb, 2 er (good)

3 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 3 er (bad)

5 ip, 3 h, 3 bb, 1 er (good)

5 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 2 er (decent)

2/3 ip, 0 h, 4 bb, 1 er (terrible)

 

now obviously things fell apart once he went down to AAA and maybe he was heading toward a collapse the whole time, but other than failing to get out of the first inning once, he certainly never killed the cubs in any of his starts. and even in that start, he only allowed one run.

 

certainly his walk rate was unacceptable, but when you consider how few hits he gave up, it wasn't a disaster or anything.

Let's also not forget how bad Lilly and Marquis were at this time as well. Sure, Hill had control problems but I feel his was unfairly singled out with his performances.

[abuck1220]

looking back at hill's game log, it is kind of surprising how short his leash was.

 

6 ip, 4 h, 3 bb, 2 er (good)

3 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 3 er (bad)

5 ip, 3 h, 3 bb, 1 er (good)

5 ip, 3 h, 4 bb, 2 er (decent)

2/3 ip, 0 h, 4 bb, 1 er (terrible)

 

now obviously things fell apart once he went down to AAA and maybe he was heading toward a collapse the whole time, but other than failing to get out of the first inning once, he certainly never killed the cubs in any of his starts. and even in that start, he only allowed one run.

 

certainly his walk rate was unacceptable, but when you consider how few hits he gave up, it wasn't a disaster or anything.

 

You can't just look at the runs scored to determine a bottom line.

 

i wasn't. i was looking at the baserunners he allowed, and that number was actually pretty good in 3 out of his 5 starts.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

[Guest]

Is it still assumed he'll be sent up to AAA for his next start? He better be...

 

We're not sure he'll go up to AAA for his next start. He could easily be pitching for Mesa on Thursday.

[SouthSideRyan]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to get him to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen for this season.

[Jon]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to get him to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen for this season.

Nothing would shock me, but Piniella keeps going on and on about their need for a 2nd lefty in the rotation. Apparently Marshall is not that guy. If both Rich and Sean were to remain on the 25-man roster, I'd have to believe it would be Hill in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen.

[sporrer17]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to get him to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen for this season.

 

That's the last thing I think they have in the plans for Hill. With his inconsistencies with location, he doesn't need to be changing roles at this point. As valuable as he could be in the rotation, they can't use him out of the pen IMO. I don't see what the rush to replace Cotts is all about. He has been very good out of the pen for us. I can see if they don't think Eyre will be healthy, but with Eyre and Cotts, we have a decent duo. Actually I'd rather replace Eyre than Cotts at this point.

[CuseCubFan69]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to get him to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen for this season.

Nothing would shock me, but Piniella keeps going on and on about their need for a 2nd lefty in the rotation. Apparently Marshall is not that guy. If both Rich and Sean were to remain on the 25-man roster, I'd have to believe it would be Hill in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen.

 

Me too. I think Lou likes Marshall in the pen and would have issues with bringing in Hill from the bullpen.

[SouthSideRyan]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to get him to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen for this season.

Nothing would shock me, but Piniella keeps going on and on about their need for a 2nd lefty in the rotation. Apparently Marshall is not that guy. If both Rich and Sean were to remain on the 25-man roster, I'd have to believe it would be Hill in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen.

 

Me too. I think Lou likes Marshall in the pen and would have issues with bringing in Hill from the bullpen.

 

I think Lou has issues with Hill period. I think he'd rather only have to use him for a couple guys a game rather than 6 innings in a start.

[CuseCubFan69]

Has there been any comment by Jim Hendry or anyone else about what the plan is for Hill for the rest of the season? I mean, now that he is doing well, is there any indication of a time frame when he could be back up, or is it all just speculation at this point? I'm hoping they are looking to get Hill back into the rotation sooner rather than later (after a few games in AAA, of course), but Marquis has been given unlimited chances this season, and I have a hard time believing they will finally yank him from the rotation.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they tried to get him to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen for this season.

Nothing would shock me, but Piniella keeps going on and on about their need for a 2nd lefty in the rotation. Apparently Marshall is not that guy. If both Rich and Sean were to remain on the 25-man roster, I'd have to believe it would be Hill in the rotation and Marshall in the bullpen.

 

Me too. I think Lou likes Marshall in the pen and would have issues with bringing in Hill from the bullpen.

 

I think Lou has issues with Hill period. I think he'd rather only have to use him for a couple guys a game rather than 6 innings in a start.

 

I think he has an issue with guys that don't throw strikes consistently. I would love to see 2007 Hill back on the staff.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

That's kind of what I'm getting at. Lou has made his fair share of comments over the past two seasons indicating that Marquis was in danger of losing his spot. However, the fact that he has not lost his rotation spot after numerous strings of poor performances makes me think that Lou does not actually mean what he says about Marquis being on thin ice. He has given Hill a much shorter leash. While Hendry seems to support Hill, I'm not entirely confident that Lou would allow Hill to just step into Marquis' spot when Hill is ready to come up.