9/28 Cubs (Arrieta) vs Pirates (Taillon) 6:05 p.m., CSN

[ScrubMD]

Lol. They're a mid 80s win team at best for the foreseeable future with their budget and dependence on young pitching.

 

i wouldn't be at all shocked if they bounce back next year

Sure they could but it's likely what they are now is closer to what they are moving forward than anything much better. Unless their 3 young starters all with injury/other question marks stay healthy/improve and their aging superstar has a good mid-late peak career season. Which sure all are possible. I'm just not buying it.

 

I'd bet a lot more on a Mccutchen bounce-back if so much of his decline wasn't defense. They're definitely a team where everything will need to go right for them to compete.

[David]

 

i wouldn't be at all shocked if they bounce back next year

Sure they could but it's likely what they are now is closer to what they are moving forward than anything much better. Unless their 3 young starters all with injury/other question marks stay healthy/improve and their aging superstar has a good mid-late peak career season. Which sure all are possible. I'm just not buying it.

 

I'd bet a lot more on a Mccutchen bounce-back if so much of his decline wasn't defense. They're definitely a team where everything will need to go right for them to compete.

 

 

just move cutch to a corner if he's really that much of a liability and put polanco there. he came up as a highly regarded CF, iirc.

[ScrubMD]

Are the Pirates trying to move up the draft board or is the rarity of them beating the Cubs freaking them out?

[David]

yay RD saving

[UMFan83]

Flap your flippers in the air like you just don't care.

[David]

a dong would be glorious rightnow

[ScrubMD]

The bullpen is starting to freak me out.

[UMFan83]

The bullpen is starting to freak me out.

 

These are meaningless games.

[ScrubMD]

The bullpen is starting to freak me out.

 

These are meaningless games.

 

That doesn't mean they're pitching underhand. Grimm and Rondon have looked bad, Strop is coming back from an injury, and Edwards control has been a touch wobbly. Edwards and Strop are probably fine, but I'd really like to see a couple good outings from Rondon.

[Schwarber Fan]

So, Jaso just hit for the cycle?

[David]

So, Jaso just hit for the cycle?

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[Irrelevant Dude]

Mild ankle sprain for Coghlan. I'm guessing he'll be ok by next Friday if Maddon wants him on the roster.

[UMFan83]

The bullpen is starting to freak me out.

 

These are meaningless games.

 

That doesn't mean they're pitching underhand. Grimm and Rondon have looked bad, Strop is coming back from an injury, and Edwards control has been a touch wobbly. Edwards and Strop are probably fine, but I'd really like to see a couple good outings from Rondon.

 

Think of it like NFL preseason. They are going full speed but the playbook is vanilla. Chris Bosio basically said the same thing on the score today.

 

I think we just have so much idle time we are all finding things to worry about. I'm still more worried about the sluggish offensive month than anything pitching related but again it's probably just because I'm searching for things to worry about.

[shnsajax]

I still wonder if Jake is just coasting right now knowing he ran out of gas last year. A matchup with Thor or Bum in game 3 might be what he needs.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[David]

"I'll throw sides, I'll prepare, and whoever I face in the first round, they're going to be in trouble," Arrieta said boldly after losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4. "I don't like giving up seven runs. I'm pissed about that, but moving forward, everything is fine."

 

I believe him.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

"I'll throw sides, I'll prepare, and whoever I face in the first round, they're going to be in trouble," Arrieta said boldly after losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4. "I don't like giving up seven runs. I'm pissed about that, but moving forward, everything is fine."

 

I believe him.

 

Reminds me of this

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[UMFan83]

Miggy also said some critical things about Joes postseason prep

[Thed Hoyerstein]

Miggy also said some critical things about Joes postseason prep

 

Such as?

[UMFan83]

Miggy also said some critical things about Joes postseason prep

 

Such as?

 

Sorry, had a crying baby on my lap when I posted that, meant to come back and add quotes

 

http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/clubhouse-frustration-bubbling-cubs-and-jake-arrieta

 

Jake Arrieta sounded defensive while talking to reporters after Wednesday night’s 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, standing in front of his locker and second-guessing manager Joe Maddon. On the other side of the room, veteran catcher Miguel Montero questioned the way the Cubs are preparing for the playoffs with Cactus League scripts.

 

Montero went with a similar passive-aggressive tone, riffing on how the Cubs will maintain their edge almost two weeks after clinching the National League Central title and nine days before their first playoff game at Wrigley Field.

 

“Did it feel like spring training?” Montero said. “I do believe that. And that’s not a good feeling for a pitcher, for a player, to go into a game knowing that you’re going to play just four innings or five innings or whatever it is.

 

“This game is still important for all the players. It’s still important for every single guy. I don’t want to go out there not caring about winning or losing. That’s not my mentality. My mentality is going out there because I want to win, regardless.

 

“We have to trick our mind. Because if that’s how we’re going to go the rest of the way, I guess we need to trick ourselves.”

 

Unprompted, Montero brought up the Pirates scoring three runs in the ninth inning on Tuesday night before the Cubs hung on for a 6-4 victory — without using Aroldis Chapman — as Maddon tries to keep the bullpen fresh for the playoffs.

 

“We didn’t have our closer warming up,” Montero said. “That’s something I take personally because I’m catching and I want to win.

 

“It’s hard. I understand (Joe’s) point. And I understand the organization’s point. I respect it. I can only control what I can control. It is what it is.”

 

I guess critical is the wrong word, but I think he was respectfully disagreeing with it.

[Thed Hoyerstein]

Miggy also said some critical things about Joes postseason prep

 

Such as?

 

Sorry, had a crying baby on my lap when I posted that, meant to come back and add quotes

 

http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/clubhouse-frustration-bubbling-cubs-and-jake-arrieta

 

Jake Arrieta sounded defensive while talking to reporters after Wednesday night’s 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, standing in front of his locker and second-guessing manager Joe Maddon. On the other side of the room, veteran catcher Miguel Montero questioned the way the Cubs are preparing for the playoffs with Cactus League scripts.

 

Montero went with a similar passive-aggressive tone, riffing on how the Cubs will maintain their edge almost two weeks after clinching the National League Central title and nine days before their first playoff game at Wrigley Field.

 

“Did it feel like spring training?” Montero said. “I do believe that. And that’s not a good feeling for a pitcher, for a player, to go into a game knowing that you’re going to play just four innings or five innings or whatever it is.

 

“This game is still important for all the players. It’s still important for every single guy. I don’t want to go out there not caring about winning or losing. That’s not my mentality. My mentality is going out there because I want to win, regardless.

 

“We have to trick our mind. Because if that’s how we’re going to go the rest of the way, I guess we need to trick ourselves.”

 

Unprompted, Montero brought up the Pirates scoring three runs in the ninth inning on Tuesday night before the Cubs hung on for a 6-4 victory — without using Aroldis Chapman — as Maddon tries to keep the bullpen fresh for the playoffs.

 

“We didn’t have our closer warming up,” Montero said. “That’s something I take personally because I’m catching and I want to win.

 

“It’s hard. I understand (Joe’s) point. And I understand the organization’s point. I respect it. I can only control what I can control. It is what it is.”

 

I guess critical is the wrong word, but I think he was respectfully disagreeing with it.

 

Thanks for adding the quotes.

 

Pretty easy to see from a player's perspective, they're in the moment and are wired to play hard so I see the frustration. It's just a function of playing out the string and avoiding injuries and overuse.

 

My guess is that this boils over after Sunday.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

maybe some of those quotes will help put to bed the dumb idea that there's no reason to be concerned about individual player performances over the past (and next) few games

[jersey cubs fan]

My guess is that this boils over after Sunday.

 

that phrasing suggests you think this is going to get worse

[David]

maybe some of those quotes will help put to bed the dumb idea that there's no reason to be concerned about individual player performances over the past (and next) few games

 

what?

[David]

My guess is that this boils over after Sunday.

 

that phrasing suggests you think this is going to get worse

 

ha