Cubs pitching quiz

[CubColtPacer]

I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I know some people like trying it so I thought I'd throw one of these up here.

 

The Cubs have had a lot of good pitchers come through Chicago the past few years. The question is..going by ERA, rank the 5 Cubs starting rotations of possible playoff teams (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009) and the 5 Cubs bullpens of those same years.

 

If you would like some more info to help you out, I'm including in spoilers the average ERA for each year in the National League.

 

          Starter      Reliever
2003        4.43         4.06
2004        4.44         4.09
2007        4.65         4.09
2008        4.43         4.08
2009        4.37         4.03

 

 

Answers to come later. I would definitely be impressed with anybody who could get either list of 5 right without looking.

[Vanilla Ice]

I'll rate it as

 

Starters

2009

2003

2008

2004

2007

 

Relievers

2008

2003

2009

2007

2004

 

I bet the starters were pretty close, but the relievers were total guesses for me

[bukie]

Starters

2008

2009

2004

2007

2003

 

Relievers

2008

2003

2007

2009

2004

[UMFan83]

I couldn't wait to see the answers so I looked them up. Answers in spoilers:

 

 

Starters:

2003 - 3.69

2004 - 3.72

2008 - 3.75

2009 - 3.82

2007 - 4.19

 

Pen:

2007 - 3.76

2009 - 3.89

2004 - 4.06

2008 - 4.10

2003 - 4.16

 

[CubColtPacer]

I couldn't wait to see the answers so I looked them up. Answers in spoilers:

 

 

Starters:

2003 - 3.69

2004 - 3.72

2008 - 3.75

2009 - 3.82

2007 - 4.19

 

Pen:

2007 - 3.76

2009 - 3.89

2004 - 4.06

2008 - 4.10

2003 - 4.16

 

Thanks UM. It's certainly not easy. The relievers especially feel wrong, although there's one or two numbers in the starters that are surprising as well. If you just asked what were the best 2 bullpens out of those 5 teams, I doubt you would get those two as answers together more than 2-3% of the time.

[Exile on Waveland]

Hmm...

 

Starters

 

2003

2004

2009

2008

2007

 

Bullpen

 

2009

2004

2008

2007

2003

 

I'm relatively confident that I'm somewhat close on the starters, not so on the bullpen.

[bhogg]

I watched the Nationals' feed for tonight's game. They said that the Cubs had a "great bullpen" and I began laughing. Then they said "they have the best percentage of runner's stranded" in the league. If that is true, I'm truly impressed.

 

Maybe the 'pen isn't as bad as I want to think.

[NCCubFan]

Maybe the 'pen isn't as bad as I want to think.

It's much improved over the first part of the season. I think the Nats' announcers went overboard, though (I also was forced to watch the Nats' feed because they're considered my local team and thus the Cubs' feed was blacked out on Extra Innings).

[JonJayCutler]

Its really a shame we didn't make the playoffs in 04.

[UMFan83]

I watched the Nationals' feed for tonight's game. They said that the Cubs had a "great bullpen" and I began laughing. Then they said "they have the best percentage of runner's stranded" in the league. If that is true, I'm truly impressed.

 

Maybe the 'pen isn't as bad as I want to think.

 

The back of the pen is pretty good. Guzman has turned into a very reliable 7th inning man, Marmol despite his control issues is still nearly unhittable and doesn't blow many games, Gregg has been much better the past 6 weeks or so, Marshall has turned into a dependable LOOGY (even if he can pitch to righties), heck even Heilman has been a lot better than April and May.

 

The problem is when you get to the Samardzija/Patton/Hart part of the pen.

[champaignchris]

The problem is when you get to the Samardzija/Patton/Hart part of the pen.

 

Is there a team in the majors that doesn't have a problem when you get to the 6th guy out of the pen?

 

The pen's ERA is 3.88. Good for 7th in the league... slightly above the league average of 4.02. Converted only 20 of 33 save opportunities, which isn't really good. But this may have as much to do as anything else with an offense that sometimes seems incapable of doing anything at all after the 6th inning - last in the NL with only 96 runs and a .657 OPS.

[Fred Hornkohl]

Look at how much better the bullpen has been over the last 7-8 weeks.

 

CUBS' bullpen since 27 May.....

 

05/27 - 07/16        IP    H    R   ER   BB    K   HR    PC    ST   ST%  P/IP   GB   FB   GB%  BB/9   K/9  HR/9  WHIP   ERA
Stevens             1.0    0    0    0    0    0    0    12     5  0.42  12.0    1    2  0.33  0.00  0.00  0.00  0.00  0.00
Marshall           15.0    7    3    2    8   10    1   210   135  0.64  14.0   26    9  0.74  4.80  6.00  0.60  1.00  1.20
Hart               10.7    7    2    2   10    4    1   177    91  0.51  16.6   16   12  0.57  8.44  3.38  0.84  1.59  1.69
Guzman             15.7   14    3    3    5    9    1   259   164  0.63  16.5   21   16  0.57  2.87  5.17  0.57  1.21  1.72
Gregg              23.3   15    7    5    7   20    3   441   284  0.64  18.9   23   26  0.47  2.70  7.71  1.16  0.94  1.93
Samardzija          6.0    5    2    2    3    3    1    93    59  0.63  15.5    8    6  0.57  4.50  4.50  1.50  1.33  3.00
Ascanio             8.7   11    3    3    9   10    0   191   109  0.57  22.0    7    8  0.47  9.35 10.38  0.00  2.31  3.12
Heilman            22.0   22    8    8   12   17    0   398   233  0.59  18.1   25   25  0.50  4.91  6.95  0.00  1.55  3.27
Marmol             23.0   12    9    9   25   24    0   473   264  0.56  20.6   19   25  0.43  9.78  9.39  0.00  1.61  3.52
Patton              9.7   10    4    4    5    8    2   159   100  0.63  16.4   13    8  0.62  4.66  7.45  1.86  1.55  3.72
Waddell             1.7    3    1    1    0    2    0    31    21  0.68  18.6    2    1  0.67  0.00 10.80  0.00  1.80  5.40

Totals            136.7  106   42   39   84  107    9  2444  1465  0.60  17.9  161  138  0.54  5.53  7.05  0.59  1.39  2.57