Dempster

[jersey cubs fan]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

[SouthSideRyan]

Of course, the Cubs led the NL in quality starts last year.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

 

 

You saw these decisions coming before the season?

[javy knows my name]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

I'd hate this post even it were accurate. Good news is, it's not.

[Bote McBoteface]

How many teams could lose their #4 and #5 pitchers on the same day and NOT have it create a mess?

[Little Slide Rooter]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

I'd hate this post even it were accurate. Good news is, it's not.

Wood is not garbage by any means. Mateo isn't a shut down guy, but he's not exactly garbage either. The rest of the dregs are pretty much the same things you see as the leftovers in pretty much any big league pen.

[jersey cubs fan]

Of course, the Cubs led the NL in quality starts last year.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

 

 

You saw these decisions coming before the season?

 

That leading the league in quality starts factoid is pointless. They still sucked. They were still one of the worst pitching staffs in the league.

 

And what does "see it coming" have to do with anything? This wasn't a well constructed team. They were very unlikely to be good. Over the course of 6 months countless unpredictable things are going to take place. But the fact is the Cubs were poorly constructed and setbacks of some sort were inevitable. You didn't have to predict the exact things to go wrong to predict the 2011 Cubs would struggle.

[Exile on Waveland]

I thought that starting pitching would be a problem, but I didn't expect it would be Dempster. I wasn't all that enamoured with Garza and I didn't like who the Cubs gave up to get him, but I didin't think he would be this bad.

 

I thought they'd suck though.

 

Huh? You thought Garza would be better than leading the league in HR/9 (0.0) and K/9 (12.0)?

[SouthSideRyan]

Of course, the Cubs led the NL in quality starts last year.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

 

 

You saw these decisions coming before the season?

 

That leading the league in quality starts factoid is pointless. They still sucked. They were still one of the worst pitching staffs in the league.

 

And what does "see it coming" have to do with anything? This wasn't a well constructed team. They were very unlikely to be good. Over the course of 6 months countless unpredictable things are going to take place. But the fact is the Cubs were poorly constructed and setbacks of some sort were inevitable. You didn't have to predict the exact things to go wrong to predict the 2011 Cubs would struggle.

 

Every starter who made more than 3 starts had above average ERA+s. The pitching staff "sucked" last year due to a historically bad bullpen that was unlikely to repeat its numbers even if they brought back the same exact pen. And by "sucked," I mean a 103 ERA+

 

***Yes, I understand ERA+ is flawed, but it's quick and dirty***

[abuck1220]

like your mom

[StarlinOnYou]

Dempster is back to Dumpster.

[illiniguy]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

You think Kerry Wood is garbage?

[jersey cubs fan]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

You think Kerry Wood is garbage?

 

I love the guy and am glad he's on the team but that has a lot more to do with his history and name than what I expect out of him on the mound. No, he's personally not garbage.

[Irrelevant Dude]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

You think Kerry Wood is garbage?

 

I love the guy and am glad he's on the team but that has a lot more to do with his history and name than what I expect out of him on the mound. No, he's personally not garbage.

Why would you not expect much out of Wood? He was good for the 2nd half of last season and has a 2.16 ERA so far this year. He may not be the overpowering flamethrower that he used to be, but he is still a very solid bullpen arm.

[Sammy Sofa]

Of course, the Cubs led the NL in quality starts last year.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

 

 

You saw these decisions coming before the season?

 

That leading the league in quality starts factoid is pointless. They still sucked. They were still one of the worst pitching staffs in the league.

 

I don't understand why you keep saying this. Are you saying it in terms of the staff on paper not being the ideal construction that one would want? Are you basing this on the bullpen? Because that's the only way I can figure out how you're ranting about the Cubs' starting rotation's performance from 2010 as being "one of the worst in the league."

[TruffleShuffle]

Mateo isn't a shut down guy, but he's not exactly garbage either.

 

he has a WHIP of 1.61 in his major league career, a FIP around 5 and gives up hard-hit balls at an alarming rate. maybe he has pretty good stuff, but his results have been terrible.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yes, his ML career of 33 innings.

[TruffleShuffle]

that's half a season for a decent middle reliever.

 

but yeah giving up a hit per inning and posting a 1.44 WHIP and 6.5 K/9 IP in AA at age 25 really suggested that we have a gem on our hands.

[Sammy Sofa]

that's half a season for a decent middle reliever.

 

but yeah giving up a hit per inning and posting a 1.44 WHIP and 6.5 K/9 IP in AA at age 25 really suggested that we have a gem on our hands.

 

Because that's what people are saying.

[TruffleShuffle]

that's half a season for a decent middle reliever.

 

but yeah giving up a hit per inning and posting a 1.44 WHIP and 6.5 K/9 IP in AA at age 25 really suggested that we have a gem on our hands.

 

Because that's what people are saying.

 

people are saying that he's solid (i believe you used that word) and not garbage, and to this point he has been not solid and garbage. maybe he will improve, but he's 27, so it's not too likely.

[Sammy Sofa]

that's half a season for a decent middle reliever.

 

but yeah giving up a hit per inning and posting a 1.44 WHIP and 6.5 K/9 IP in AA at age 25 really suggested that we have a gem on our hands.

 

Because that's what people are saying.

 

people are saying that he's solid (i believe you used that word) and not garbage, and to this point he has been not solid and garbage. maybe he will improve, but he's 27, so it's not too likely.

 

I think he easily could be solid, in a "burn what you can out of a cheap reliever already in your system who has good stuff" kind of way. If he sucks, oh well, who gives a [expletive]? He was alright last year and has sucked so far this year; maybe he'll get it together, maybe he won't.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I was under the impression that the "pitching is our strength" commentary had more to do with the uncertainty/weakness of the offense than actual strength of pitching staff. This was one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last year. They had all sorts of questions and zero depth. Their "stable" guys were not guys you rely on carrying a quality staff. They are ok, but nothing special. And the bullpen is littered with garbage outside the two studs in Marshall and Marmol.

 

And again, it doesn't help when your manager pushes that top three to throw 110+ pitches the first three to four starts in awful conditions. Not to mention deciding that a loogy is your best bet to fill in as a starter.

You think Kerry Wood is garbage?

 

I love the guy and am glad he's on the team but that has a lot more to do with his history and name than what I expect out of him on the mound. No, he's personally not garbage.

 

Have you even watched him pitch this year, because if you did, youd know that there arent many teams who wouldnt want him as their 3rd best guy out of the pen, especially for 1.5 mil. Look at some of the contracts that teams have handed out to random middle relievers who arent fit to tie Woods shoe this past oddseason.

[Sammy Sofa]

The Cubs aren't trading Wood even if they're 30 games below .500.

[Tarver]

It looked like a .500 team that needed a lot of things to break right to contend. They haven't.

 

But this offense is garbage. It's just Soto, Castro, and Ramirez with a bunch of filler. They were/are going to need bats no matter how good the pitching is/was.

[Little Slide Rooter]

It looked like a .500 team that needed a lot of things to break right to contend. They haven't.

 

But this offense is garbage. It's just Soto, Castro, and Ramirez with a bunch of filler. They were/are going to need bats no matter how good the pitching is/was.

Yeah, Kosuke, Baker, Soriano, and Barney have been some of the most worthless pieces of [expletive] in organized sports so far.

[Tarver]

It looked like a .500 team that needed a lot of things to break right to contend. They haven't.

 

But this offense is garbage. It's just Soto, Castro, and Ramirez with a bunch of filler. They were/are going to need bats no matter how good the pitching is/was.

Yeah, Kosuke, Baker, Soriano, and Barney have been some of the most worthless pieces of [expletive] in organized sports so far.

 

Soriano might be a plus if he's healthy. The rest are filler.