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

[Gilby]

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

 

But now, partially thanks to the stupid Dbacks, no one trades SPs with any sort of team control for anything less than like your 3 best assets.

[Tim]

Schwarber for Chapman and Miller please

lol - no.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

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.

 

But Soler being healthy forces him to play more and that is just as bad.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Schwarber for Chapman and Miller please

 

Toss in Bryant, just in case.

[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.

 

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.

 

There is still a good chance Jake, Lester, Lackey and Hendricks is super solid for next season. I wouldn't expect any kind of real signing until the next year.

 

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

[Tim]

Grimm getting his horsefeathers together would be a positive development.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I think this is one of these cases where we kid ourselves about how predictable baseball is. Status quo bias on one end and recency bias on the other.

 

Maybe this is a pitching implosion. Maybe it is a temporary slump. All I know is my gut says maybe.

[Tim]

That was a hell of a solid inning.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Christ, the board's becoming a support group. Look, the Nationals dropped 10 in a row. But they're good, so they bounced back. The Pirates tanked to the point they were ready to sell. But they're good, so they bounced back. Now it's our turn to suck. But we're good, so we're going to bounce back. And being that we'll still have a sizable division lead, it will still be them trying to catch us.

[TMan92]

There's a positive. Way to go Grimm.

[Thusly Boned]

I've long felt that when it comes time for the FO to address the rotation beyond 2016-17, they will do it it via trade.

[NOLA]

As pissed as almost anyone, but the pitching has sucked ass for nearly a month and the Cubs have a big lead going into the ASG, assets to make a deal and a FO I trust to fix what's ailing. The nearest contenders are horribly flawed and are less able to address their issues. It's July. This team will be fine. It's why I got so upset at the run differential watch in May.

 

I think most of us would have taken the standings at the break going into the season, granted probably not how they got here. No team in baseball could be more poised to take off on a tear in the 2nd half, whether it be health, trade assets or ascending to their norm than the Cubs. This sucks but it is still early.

[bcl412]

2008 had some bad stretches. Every team have has had some bad stretches. I don't know if all the good ones have had ones like this or not but I'm sure they have. We're just in one. I'd like to keep a sizeable division lead though.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

As pissed as almost anyone, but the pitching has sucked ass for nearly a month and the Cubs have a big lead going into the ASG, assets to make a deal and a FO I trust to fix what's ailing. The nearest contenders are horribly flawed and are less able to address their issues. It's July. This team will be fine. It's why I got so upset at the run differential watch in May.

 

I think most of us would have taken the standings at the break going into the season, granted probably not how they got here. No team in baseball could be more poised to take off on a tear in the 2nd half, whether it be health, trade assets or ascending to their norm than the Cubs. This sucks but it is still early.

 

This is not at you and I acknowledge I am wrong and suck at math, but I wish people would stop saying we have a big lead. It doesn't seem that big.

[bcl412]

As pissed as almost anyone, but the pitching has sucked ass for nearly a month and the Cubs have a big lead going into the ASG, assets to make a deal and a FO I trust to fix what's ailing. The nearest contenders are horribly flawed and are less able to address their issues. It's July. This team will be fine. It's why I got so upset at the run differential watch in May.

 

I think most of us would have taken the standings at the break going into the season, granted probably not how they got here. No team in baseball could be more poised to take off on a tear in the 2nd half, whether it be health, trade assets or ascending to their norm than the Cubs. This sucks but it is still early.

 

This is not at you and I acknowledge I am wrong and suck at math, but I wish people would stop saying we have a big lead. It doesn't seem that big.

 

I feel like a 5 game lead (and it will for sure be more than 5) this late gives me the same comfort level as a 3 run lead in a game or something. Not the most analogous but that's where I'm at.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

2008 had some bad stretches. Every team have has had some bad stretches. I don't know if all the good ones have had ones like this or not but I'm sure they have. We're just in one. I'd like to keep a sizeable division lead though.

 

That's a good question. In 2008 what was like the worst stretch?

[Thusly Boned]

It's semantics, but a lead of 5+ games constitutes big in my book. 10+ games is enormous.

[tawfiqmp]

2008 had some bad stretches. Every team have has had some bad stretches. I don't know if all the good ones have had ones like this or not but I'm sure they have. We're just in one. I'd like to keep a sizeable division lead though.

This isn't a bad stretch anymore. They have the 3rd worst record in baseball in the last 30 games and have been a below .500 team in their last 60 or so. At this point, you have to wonder if the start of the season was more of a fluke than this bad stretch.

[Gilby]

Damn, our two best players have been beyond awesome during this stretch too. Strange.

[bcl412]

2008 had some bad stretches. Every team have has had some bad stretches. I don't know if all the good ones have had ones like this or not but I'm sure they have. We're just in one. I'd like to keep a sizeable division lead though.

This isn't a bad stretch anymore. They have the 3rd worst record in baseball in the last 30 games and have been a below .500 team in their last 60 or so. At this point, you have to wonder if the start of the season was more of a fluke than this bad stretch.

 

They've had a really bad three weeks. That's about it.

[NOLA]

2008 had some bad stretches. Every team have has had some bad stretches. I don't know if all the good ones have had ones like this or not but I'm sure they have. We're just in one. I'd like to keep a sizeable division lead though.

This isn't a bad stretch anymore. They have the 3rd worst record in baseball in the last 30 games and have been a below .500 team in their last 60 or so. At this point, you have to wonder if the start of the season was more of a fluke than this bad stretch.

No, we don't. Playing out of their minds, maybe.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

A 6.5-game lead is a huge lead. To put it into context: If we were to lose our next seven games and the Pirates win their next seven games, then it would still be basically a toss-up for the division. Having a 6.5 game lead is definitely settling. This is aside from, you know, other worries.

[bcl412]

2008 had some bad stretches. Every team have has had some bad stretches. I don't know if all the good ones have had ones like this or not but I'm sure they have. We're just in one. I'd like to keep a sizeable division lead though.

 

That's a good question. In 2008 what was like the worst stretch?

 

1 or 2 7 game losing streaks I think.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Damn, our two best players have been beyond awesome during this stretch too. Strange.

 

Yup. Sometimes it's hard to imagine a team with two MVP candidates in the middle of the order not just falling into a win.

 

Now if only they could pitch.

[tawfiqmp]

A 6.5-game lead is a huge lead. To put it into context: If we were to lose our next seven games and the Pirates win their next seven games, then it would still be basically a toss-up for the division. Having a 6.5 game lead is definitely settling. This is aside from, you know, other worries.

They had a 15 game lead 3 weeks ago.