Losing streak began with Contreras call up?

[scottyhop]

Hear me out. I like Contreras a lot. I like the skill, the youthful exuberance, and the attitude. But I can't help but notice that this recent run of bad baseball started around the same time he was called up. I know the pitching has been abysmal and that the lack of hitting with RISP is atrocious but can we draw any correlation between his call up and the club's recent bad play? The team seemed to gel and have a lot of fun before he got here. Is he a pain in the butt? Is it the Sosa effect? OR, are the Cubs just hitting a really rough patch that happens to coincide with Contreras' promotion?

[Tim]

There is a correlation. But there is no reason to believe there is any causation.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Hear me out. I like Contreras a lot. I like the skill, the youthful exuberance, and the attitude. But I can't help but notice that this recent run of bad baseball started around the same time he was called up. I know the pitching has been abysmal and that the lack of hitting with RISP is atrocious but can we draw any correlation between his call up and the club's recent bad play? The team seemed to gel and have a lot of fun before he got here. Is he a pain in the butt? Is it the Sosa effect? OR, are the Cubs just hitting a really rough patch that happens to coincide with Contreras' promotion?

 

what is this nonsense?

[Bobson Dugnutt]

as to the suggestion that our .982 OPS rookie catcher is an uncontrollable clubhouse monster to the point where he has caused an entire pitching staff to immediately implode due to his menacing presence? no, i don't think there's anything there.

[scottyhop]

This is a desperate attempt to find something, ANYTHING, that can explain this horrible stretch of baseball. I'm simply at a loss.

[Tim]

Hear me out. I like Contreras a lot. I like the skill, the youthful exuberance, and the attitude. But I can't help but notice that this recent run of bad baseball started around the same time he was called up. I know the pitching has been abysmal and that the lack of hitting with RISP is atrocious but can we draw any correlation between his call up and the club's recent bad play? The team seemed to gel and have a lot of fun before he got here. Is he a pain in the butt? Is it the Sosa effect? OR, are the Cubs just hitting a really rough patch that happens to coincide with Contreras' promotion?

 

what is this nonsense?

He's probably playing his salsa music so loudly during the pitching prep meetings that nobody can hear anything, amirite?

[Sammy Sofa]

This is a desperate attempt to find something, ANYTHING, that can explain this horrible stretch of baseball. I'm simply at a loss.

 

Well, you had a little stretch where the offense was struggling a bit, and a longer stretch where most of the pitchers have been pitching poorly.

[woodchip2153]

Part of me is wondering if how they handled the starters in spring training has led to dead arm period for our starters. Probably not, but I'm so confused by this bad stretch.

[weis21]

sorry, willson. scottyhop DOES have a point.

 

[weis21]

Part of me is wondering if how they handled the starters in spring training has led to dead arm period for our starters. Probably not, but I'm so confused by this bad stretch.

didn't they take an extra cautious approach to the starters in ST and limit their innings?

 

or is that your point?

[Gilby]

Arrieta has been bad and Willson hasn't caught him yet. Lester had the worst start of his career in NY with Ross catching. So no.

[woodchip2153]

Part of me is wondering if how they handled the starters in spring training has led to dead arm period for our starters. Probably not, but I'm so confused by this bad stretch.

didn't they take an extra cautious approach to the starters in ST and limit their innings?

 

or is that your point?

 

yea, my thought is that by holding them back to start spring, they may have ramped them up too quickly to start the regular season.

 

edit: I've done no research on this to compare with other teams to see how the cubs innings and pitches compared to other teams start by start to see what if any difference there is. Just throwing horsefeathers at the wall.

[weis21]

Part of me is wondering if how they handled the starters in spring training has led to dead arm period for our starters. Probably not, but I'm so confused by this bad stretch.

didn't they take an extra cautious approach to the starters in ST and limit their innings?

 

or is that your point?

 

yea, my thought is that by holding them back to start spring, they may have ramped them up too quickly to start the regular season.

 

gotcha. yeah, i'm clueless what is going on. it's beyond bizarre. i'm confident that it's an aberration and it'll be sorted out soon enough. the pen needs to be addressed (a bit, at least), but the SP is completely insane. hopefully everyone is healthy, but the peripherals don't seem to indicate that health is the issue.

 

it's baseball and nobody ever knows but i feel like sometime (hopefully soon) things will just "click" again and they'll be right back on track. i sort of hate this phrase, but i don't know any other way to say it. it seems like they've just lost their mojo.

[bcl412]

I think this streak ends with some silly wins and we will gain confidence again. The pitchers are seeming to have some annoying, contagious mental thing going on at the moment so they'll probably be some babip luck game that helps with confidence again. Of course it's tough to have said luck when every ball leaves the yard.

[Little Slide Rooter]

It's Chris Bosio. He must have asked for a raise, and they denied him, so he's gone all Pied Piper on them. He's instructing the pitchers to do the opposite of what they'd been doing. The moment he feels appreciated again, it will all be rectified.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Lackey was pitching way over his head, Hammel always does this after 75 good innings, and Arrieta's stuff requires insane athleticism to control and he can't maintain that when he's thrown like 375 innings in the last 16 months.

 

No idea what's up with Lester.

[Tim]

Lackey was pitching way over his head, Hammel always does this after 75 good innings, and Arrieta's stuff requires insane athleticism to control and he can't maintain that when he's thrown like 375 innings in the last 16 months.

 

No idea what's up with Lester.

I liked positive Kyle a lot better.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Lackey was pitching way over his head, Hammel always does this after 75 good innings, and Arrieta's stuff requires insane athleticism to control and he can't maintain that when he's thrown like 375 innings in the last 16 months.

 

No idea what's up with Lester.

I liked positive Kyle a lot better.

 

We're probably still going to win the division and who knows after that.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I feel as though we're almost better off cycling through a new set of Paul Maholms, Jason Hammls, and Scott Feldmans each year than trying to get fancy with proven pitchers.

[soccer10k]

The losing skid also started when Richard went on the DL.

[Clem Fandango]

And also after the day that Colbert filmed his bit with Bryant, Rizzo, and Arrieta.

[scottyhop]

So, about that losing streak...

 

:flythew: :flythew: :flythew: :flythew: :flythew: :flythew: :flythew: and counting

 

\:D/

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm on board with whole win streak thing, but liking your own post?

[UMFan83]

Willson's numbers from call up to the end of the losing streak: .312/.398/.982 in 22 games

Willson's numbers since the winning streak started: .211/.300/.254/.554 in 20 games

 

He has an inverse effect on the Cubs success as a team.

[BigSlick]

I want dongs from Willson again, he's got no power since that first week or so