2016 Magic Number Thread

[Cubswin11]

34

 

 

http://www.cubsmagicnumber.com/?m=1

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/as-i-see-it/files/2012/01/KerryWood_thumb_2.jpg

[CaliforniaRaisin]

It's technically 35 for the Pirates, 34 for the cardinals.

[Cubswin11]

It's technically 35 for the Pirates, 34 for the cardinals.

God damn it, i didn't realize the cardinals and pirates were that close. Hopefully the pirates lose tonight so the opening post is true

[stitchface]

34

 

 

http://www.cubsmagicnumber.com/?m=1

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/as-i-see-it/files/2012/01/KerryWood_thumb_2.jpg

 

 

Put the number in the title lazy-ass! Why? Because I'm lazy!

[gobigred]

so who are we rooting for in the wild card race?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

so who are we rooting for in the wild card race?

 

My order of preference:

 

Miami

Colorado

 

Pittsburgh

 

 

Dodgers

 

 

 

 

Mets

Cardinals

[stitchface]

so who are we rooting for in the wild card race?

 

My order of preference:

 

Miami

Colorado

 

Pittsburgh

 

 

Dodgers

 

 

 

 

Mets

Cardinals

 

 

"Just know it doesn't matter." - Jake

[gobigred]

Yeah whichever team loses the west I dont want them winning the wildcard

[David]

so who are we rooting for in the wild card race?

 

My order of preference:

 

Miami

Colorado

 

Pittsburgh

 

 

Dodgers

 

 

 

 

Mets

Cardinals

 

I'd echo this except without Colorado, because they're not going to make it.

[NOLA]

so who are we rooting for in the wild card race?

Marlins

The corpse of the Pirates

Cardinals

Mets

NL West loser

[Cubswin11]

Dodgers (either won't have Kershaw at all or will have used him in WC game when we'd face them)

Pirates

Cardinals

Marlins

Mets

Giants

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The Pirates won so the Cubs' magic number remains 35 for the Pirates and 34 for the Cardinals.

[cubsclapp]

Dodgers (either won't have Kershaw at all or will have used him in WC game when we'd face them)

Pirates

Cardinals

Marlins

Mets

Giants

 

The Dodgers are still better than at least a few of these teams even if Kershaw doesn't go until Game 4. And especially since you weaken every team when you take away the ace. They're ahead of all of these teams -- except for the Giants -- in position player fWAR. Seager is arguably the best player in the league right now (if not Bryant). Turner has a higher fWAR than everyone on these teams but Seager and Crawford.

 

The Pirates aren't near the same team without Cole until Game 4.

 

The Marlins are probably the worst team here without Fernandez until Game 4 (and keep in mind Dee Gordon can't play).

 

The Cardinals have a rotation full of hittable pitchers, are awful defensively, and their lineup is going to be without Diaz and Holliday for at least a while now.

 

The Mets' lineup right now is Braves bad and they would use Syndergaard (who has a 4.20 ERA his last 9 starts) or deGrom in the WC game, and they no longer have Harvey. But, yes, they naturally scare you because those top 3 arms can get hot and make it really tough.

 

Then the Giants would have to use Bumgarner and Cueto has allowed 4+ ER in 5 of his last 8 starts. Yes, he's better than that, and yes, he threw a CG in the World Series last year, but he's probably not as good as he looked early on in the year either. And if you can survive those two, the rest of their rotation is average to bad. Still, this is a very dangerous team and that's a really annoying ballpark to have to go win in.

 

Anyway, they're all very flawed in this scenario, but I'd probably still want to avoid the Dodgers over at least three of these teams myself (Pirates, Marlins, Cardinals), and you're really putting a lot of pressure on yourself to take care of business vs them early in the series before you have to see Kershaw (and his postseason past doesn't matter to me).

[gobigred]

I want to avoid the Dodgers mainly because I live in LA and dont want to hear anything from the "fans" out here ...As cool as it would be to see the cubs win a series in person at Doyer Stadium its equally cool to not get curb stomped because of the shirt I wear. Also dont want a 2008 scenario which with our history as a club anything is in play

[stitchface]

It's really not a given that a team will have their top pitcher available for the WC game, is it?

[David]

It's really not a given that a team will have their top pitcher available for the WC game, is it?

 

completely depends on how soon they clinch

[Transmogrified Tiger]

It's really not a given that a team will have their top pitcher available for the WC game, is it?

 

completely depends on how soon they clinch

 

And the order of the rotation. If the ace pitches Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday in the last week of the season, they can start the WC game on normal rest, and Saturday starters could go on 3 days rest. So unless the schedule changes, odds are very good(if not guaranteed) that if a team has a clear ace(Kershaw, Fernandez, Cole) they'll start.

[Tracer Bullet]

so who are we rooting for in the wild card race?

 

My order of preference:

 

Miami

Colorado

 

Pittsburgh

 

 

Dodgers

 

 

 

 

Mets

Cardinals

 

Flip the last two. Always hate the Mets.

[Careless]

Flip the last two. Always hate the Mets.

You can hate two things

[Banedon]

 

                                                                                                  Wins       Loses      PCT
If the Chicago Cubs play .500 for the rest of the season, they would finish with a record of        96         66	
The Chicago Cubs Would finish the season going                                                      23         23       0.500
The Saint Louis Cardinals would need to finish to catch the Chicago Cubs                            34         10       0.773
The Pittsburgh Pirates would need to finish to catch the Chicago Cubs                               37         10       0.787

[Tracer Bullet]

Flip the last two. Always hate the Mets.

You can hate two things

 

oh I hate a [expletive] of things. But I'll always hate the Mets more than any other baseball team.

[Omar]

 

                                                                                                  Wins       Loses      PCT
If the Chicago Cubs play .500 for the rest of the season, they would finish with a record of        96         66	
The Chicago Cubs Would finish the season going                                                      23         23       0.500
The Saint Louis Cardinals would need to finish to catch the Chicago Cubs                            34         10       0.773
The Pittsburgh Pirates would need to finish to catch the Chicago Cubs                               37         10       0.787

 

hey maybe /r/chicubs is not completely useless after all

[Banedon]

 

                                                                                                  Wins       Loses      PCT
If the Chicago Cubs play .500 for the rest of the season, they would finish with a record of        96         66	
The Chicago Cubs Would finish the season going                                                      23         23       0.500
The Saint Louis Cardinals would need to finish to catch the Chicago Cubs                            34         10       0.773
The Pittsburgh Pirates would need to finish to catch the Chicago Cubs                               37         10       0.787

 

hey maybe /r/chicubs is not completely useless after all

 

Meh, lets not get crazy.

[CubinNY]

Not saying, just saying... The Cubs haven't won since this thread was started.

[Cubswin11]

Not saying, just saying... The Cubs haven't won since this thread was started.

The Magic Number has dropped by 1 since it has been started, however, as it should've been 35 from the start of it