4/25 Cubs (Jackson) @ Marlins (Slowey) 6:10 p.m. CT, WCIU

[Sammy Sofa]

BEAST.

 

Dear Stanton:

 

I heart you. Please forgive us and choo-choo-choose us.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Never a doubt, guys.

[Schwarber Fan]

Well... turning off the game worked out.

 

You guys will never get rid of me though, sorry. :hello:

[Hairyducked Idiot]

That slider is bonerific when it works like that.

 

Seriously. We are going to rampage through this next week and suddenly feel optimistic.

[KaiserCesar]

Wow, this feels weird. I feel good after watching a baseball game!

[Sammy Sofa]

Michael Shannon and Bill Murray-power.

[Gilby]

Beautiful.

[Schwarber Fan]

Seriously though N&G, I know Valbuena isn't the second coming of Aramis, but you have to admit he's been better than you expected.

[TruffleShuffle]

i think we may have finally found a team we are better than.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Seriously though N&G, I know Valbuena isn't the second coming of Aramis, but you have to admit he's been better than you expected.

 

Sometimes guys come out of nowhere. He can be this year's Samardzija.

[Guest]

That slider is bonerific when it works like that.

 

Seriously. We are going to rampage through this next week and suddenly feel optimistic.

i read some crazy thing (and i can't remember where) where if you adjusted for shitty luck and our strength of schedule we'd actually be pretty good.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

That slider is bonerific when it works like that.

 

Seriously. We are going to rampage through this next week and suddenly feel optimistic.

i read some crazy thing (and i can't remember where) where if you adjusted for [expletive] luck and our strength of schedule we'd actually be pretty good.

 

Baseball Prospectus's 3rd Order Wins absolutely loves us. Has us like over .500 or something. I can't remember what all goes into that.

[Sammy Sofa]

Seriously though N&G, I know Valbuena isn't the second coming of Aramis, but you have to admit he's been better than you expected.

 

You think "Valbuena haters" are a thing. I don't care if it's him or Stewart at 3B for the time being so long as one of them can be not terrible.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Yeah the Cubs SRS thing on BR's front page actually has them positive. I have no idea what SRS is, but I'll take it.

 

Cubs are 0.2. For comparison, Houston is -2.4.

[coldsteel]

Wait Ian Stewart is .083 .207 .125 in AAA? I have high hopes for him to turn the CUBS' season around

[Sammy Sofa]

Wait Ian Stewart is .083 .207 .125 in AAA? I have high hopes for him to turn the CUBS' season around

 

Mmmmm, sexy.

[Smack]

Valbuena is up to an .813 OPS with a .233 BABIP.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Wait Ian Stewart is .083 .207 .125 in AAA? I have high hopes for him to turn the CUBS' season around

 

It has to be due to them having him work on one thing in particular. That's usually the case when a guy on a rehab assignment gets smoked in the low levels and is then just fine when they return to the big league club.

 

Maybe they're telling him to stand there with the bat on his shoulder and recognize pitches, and only go after in the zone off speed stuff, and don't go near anythin resembling a straight fastball, which is the bulk of what they throw there. I don't know.

 

Even if he is a complete bust, he's the type that should be annialating PCL pitching and then collapsing when called up. Brent Lillibridge has a line of .462/.533/.462 there for fucks sake.

[mul21]

Valbuena is up to an .813 OPS with a .233 BABIP.

 

Just looked up his career BABIP numbers. He couldn't have been much more unlucky than he was last year. Doesn't look like he'll ever really be more than a .260-.270 BABIP guy, but last year he was like .219 with 19% line drives. He's lowed on LD% this year, so maybe if that normalizes a bit, the BABIP will come up to .260 or so and he can hit .275 or so. Not a completely lost cause, but I'm not terribly optimistic.

 

Also, I can't imagine WSR is right about the approach thing with Stewart down in Iowa, but it would be nice if he is because he's just been terrible. Any reports from anywhere on how he looks or if he's having any issues?

[Guest]

These Iowa at bats are the first game action Stewart has had in 10 months, unless you want to count the 1 at bat in spring training when he hurt himself. He's slowly getting back into game shape.

[neely crenshaw]

slow down...

it's Miami, they look like the team from Major League 1, I was looking for the guy on the roster that was dead.

2nd- Valbuena, playing well. I hope he can do anything close to this BUT

in 1000 at bats he had 17 hrs, he has 4 in 59 this year.

he has career OPS of .645, last year was the only year he had an 0b% above .300, his career BA is ,225-he hit .250 once...

I think he will be hard pressed to continue these stats, or actually improve them especially his power stats.

I think if he can get/keep his average around .250, and ob% over .325 that would be a good year for him. Sometimes things happen but I can't see a 20 HR season from him, and he is currently on pace for 30. Posting a OPS above .700 would be outstanding for him.