7/9: Cubs (Lester) at Pirates (Kuhl), 6:15 p.m. CT; TV: FOX, Radio: 670 AM

[Agony and Ivy]

Heyward getting hot is encouraging.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Even though I'm really frustrated with how they are playing right now, I'm absolutely sold on this team. That's mainly because I don't have a raging case of recency bias. I'm able to sit back and look at the results of the season as a whole. Hell, the two articles I wrote for the front page today go through the players one by one and give me a lot of reason for my optimism.

 

This group of position players is damn good. Maybe **maybe** Boston has a better group. But that's it.

 

The pitchers have been a dumpster fire the past three weeks, yes. But that does not mean nearly as much as their track record before that. They are good pitchers, they are healthy, they will get it worked out. Except for Hammel. He's going to get worse and needs to be replaced.

 

Rondon / Strop is fine. The rest of the pen needs upgrading, even if it is just moving some guys down a slot or two.

 

There's just no reason to believe that things will always remain the way they are right now.

 

No, but there is reason to believe it continues long enough for the Pirates to get back into it and they spend the rest of the season battling it out. Like I just said, the Pirates are just getting over from sucking for an entire month; this stretch COULD very easily drag on to varying degrees for another week or two after the ASB.

 

This is the part I'm sad about. We have at least made this a race when a few weeks we were up by like 14 in the loss column. I remember thinking it wasn't that enjoyable being this far up this quickly and things during the season not mattering that much.

 

I feel stupid about that now.

[Tryptamine]

Logically, I know the Cubs are fine. We are a powerhouse that is built to win for at least the next several years.

 

Emotionally... I'm not doing so hot. Can you blame me? After everything we've been through? It's like that little OCD voice is starting to creep in saying, "this is the part where the Cubs [expletive] it all up".

 

 

The difference is that you're aware of your emotionality. People like vinestal are actually believing were awful through reasoning.

 

 

I believe they're going to need something to break this run of losing like the Bryant HR in COL did last year. I just wonder how long it's going to take for anyone to pull that off.

[tawfiqmp]

http://i.imgur.com/WOa7JCy.gif

[bcl412]

Long baseball seasons are so damn taxing. I wish we could sim the rest of the season or something to just see if this is a lull.

[badger]

Lackey is going to do it tomorrow tryptamine

[Gilby]

Our April/May and Bryzzo will probably be good enough this season for the playoffs, but now I'm with Kyle and starting to worry about the pitching beyond 2016. The age and warts of the rotation lately and just a general lack of top talent in the bullpen isn't ideal.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Lackey is going to do it tomorrow tryptamine

 

I really thought Lester v Kuehl was ours today. I really, really did.

[Wilson A2000]

Thank God Maddon skipped the best pitcher the Cubs have as of late. Who needs quality starts.

[Agony and Ivy]

Is there any time table for Soler?

[Bigloubaby]

Ups and downs I get, but going like 25-5 and then 5-25 in the same season seems insane.

 

Of all of our problems, the bullpen is far and away the worst right now.

 

Not sure how anyone can see the last 30 games and not be worried. I wish I had that gene.

[JennieGarthAlgar]

Start feeding Schwarber cortisone and HGH at all meals, get him back this year Theo, thanks

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Our April/May and Bryzzo will probably be good enough this season for the playoffs, but now I'm with Kyle and starting to worry about the pitching beyond 2016. The age and warts of the rotation lately and just a general lack of top talent in the bullpen isn't ideal.

 

Provided our front office is intact they are too good to not have a plan for that, whether with trades or signings.

[Wilson A2000]

Is there any time table for Soler?

 

Rehab games still 1-2 weeks away I think. Offense is not the problem and Jorge isn't pitching when he comes back.

[bcl412]

I always figured that when we win the World Series some weird horsefeathers will go down (though I suppose that every season has weird horsefeathers) Playing at a record setting pace and then blowing a large division lead but still sneaking into the wild card game then running through the playoffs and winning the World Series would probably be some weird horsefeathers.

[Sammys Boombox]

Maybe we're the 1919 White Sox. Just hope Bryant doesn't get kicked out of baseball for life for something he didn't do.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Our April/May and Bryzzo will probably be good enough this season for the playoffs, but now I'm with Kyle and starting to worry about the pitching beyond 2016. The age and warts of the rotation lately and just a general lack of top talent in the bullpen isn't ideal.

 

Everyone has pitching worries beyond 2016, such is the nature of pitching. The Mets are currently living through the pain of that reality right now. The Cubs will definitely have to focus improvements in that area, but they've done pretty well in building staffs so I have a lot of optimism.

[Tryptamine]

Our April/May and Bryzzo will probably be good enough this season for the playoffs, but now I'm with Kyle and starting to worry about the pitching beyond 2016. The age and warts of the rotation lately and just a general lack of top talent in the bullpen isn't ideal.

 

Provided our front office is intact they are too good to not have a plan for that, whether with trades or signings.

 

Speaking of, I hope they make their trades sooner than later. No excuse to wait until the deadline when this club needs a jumpstart so badly right now.

[Wilson A2000]

Schwarber for Chapman and Miller please

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I feel like the repeated longing for Soler is truly the best barometer for how bad things have gotten.

 

I haven't consigned Soler to oblivion like many here have. That said, The offense isn't the problem, and the rotation will probably right itself.

 

The bullpen is a different story.

 

Soler's injury has also forced guys like Szczur, Coghlan, etc to play way more and be exposed.

[Sammys Boombox]

Ups and downs I get, but going like 25-5 and then 5-25 in the same season seems insane.

 

Of all of our problems, the bullpen is far and away the worst right now.

 

Not sure how anyone can see the last 30 games and not be worried. I wish I had that gene.

 

I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but look at the 2015 Nationals. They had so many runs of crazy streaks both in the positive and the negative.

[Wilson A2000]

Our April/May and Bryzzo will probably be good enough this season for the playoffs, but now I'm with Kyle and starting to worry about the pitching beyond 2016. The age and warts of the rotation lately and just a general lack of top talent in the bullpen isn't ideal.

 

Everyone has pitching worries beyond 2016, such is the nature of pitching. The Mets are currently living through the pain of that reality right now. The Cubs will definitely have to focus improvements in that area, but they've done pretty well in building staffs so I have a lot of optimism.

 

Next year's pitching FA class is really weak though if I remember correctly

[bcl412]

It's weird, if you told anyone we'd have a 5.5 game lead going into the All-Star break (it could easily be 7.5) we'd all take it but right now I don't even wanna watch the stupid all-star game or baseball for a bit honestly. It's been so frustrating lately.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If the scores hold, we will be tied with the Nats. We are a fraction away from being the NL's worst division leader.

[Tim]

Yeah, but we have a ton of trade assets to work with.