11/1 World Series Game 6 Cubs (Arrieta) @ Cleveland (Tomlin) 7:00 CDT Fox

[UMFan83]

Here we go

 

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That's highly encouraging for Jake.

 

 

In your face, UMFan!

 

Banedon - 1

UM - 0

 

It's probably more like Banedon 37 UMFan 3 or something like that. I think I've scooped him before at least a couple of times.

[Brian]

wind blowing out against Tomlin didn't help, I'm not going to get excited over how an ump calls a game.

[BigSlick]

Apparently Joe West calls the 4th fewest strikes in the league, which, I have no idea is an advantage to either pitcher (I guess probably bad for Jake and his wildness) but if ever there was gonna be a more offensive game against Tomlin, it should be today

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Apparently Joe West calls the 4th fewest strikes in the league, which, I have no idea is an advantage to either pitcher (I guess probably bad for Jake and his wildness) but if ever there was gonna be a more offensive game against Tomlin, it should be today

you should probably jump back a couple pages in this thread. it has all of the answers you seek

[BigSlick]

I started reading back in the thread and then i was like "well, I'm the idiot" but its fine I'll keep it up for posterity

[Sammys Boombox]

If anybody wants to feel as confident as I do right now go listen to the song the Cubs use in their intro video - Warriors by Imagine Dragons like 10 straight times.

[Banedon]

If anybody wants to feel as confident as I do right now go listen to the song the Cubs use in their intro video - Warriors by Imagine Dragons like 10 straight times.

 

Pass. My son listens to that song on loop while playing on the computer. I've had my fill.

[PetermanRealityTour]

Lets play guess the lineup with that info

 

Fowler, CF

Schwarber, DH

Bryant, 3B

Rizzo, 1B

Zobrist, LF

Russell, SS

Contreras, C

Heyward, RF

Baez, 2B

 

I wouldnt be surprised if Heyward were moved up a spot or two. He has looked miles better at the plate the last two

[mul21]

Neither Arrieta or Tomlin pitched with West behind the plate this year, so not sure if there's much to take away other than that West couldn't derail SuperJake.

 

That heatmap is promising though, Arrieta is way more likely to try to bust righties inside(even though he'll only face 2-3), and if Tomlin can't get low fastballs called a strike then a diving curveball is easier to lay off. In general a tighter zone slightly favors the Cubs too, who have a more patient and powerful offense and the starter with better stuff.

 

This is what I've been thinking all day since seeing the strike zone numbers on West. The Cubs hitters are so adept at judging balls and strikes (at least the first 5-6 guys) that Tomlin being forced to throw actual strikes with average pitches puts the Cubs at a big advantage. If Jake can throw strikes, all that movement on his pitches, even if they are in the zone, makes him tough to square up.

[Billy_Buck]

Alright, had do something with my Cubs-driven nervous energy, so here's a game 6 wishcast for your fanfic burn pile:

 

Cubs score early off Tomlin; seems most positive storylines for us start here, I'm thinking a Bryant homer on a hanging curve. Then with a 2-3 run lead in the fourth, the Cubs have another rally burning: 2 on, none out. Forces Francona to choose which of his shutdown guys he wants to use to keep it close, but at risk of fatigue for potential game 7.

 

So Miller or Shaw comes in early. And then comes the twist that tilts things towards the Cubs a bit. Someone (eg Baez, Contreras) has an unexpectedly great AB--as if coached to take everything except a grooved fastball. Finally a couple of our ropes fall in, plating two more. For the first time one (or two) of the Indians' stud relievers now faces the prospect of pitching consecutive days, but the Indians don't have a lead or even a terribly close game to show for it.

 

Jake makes it through 6, effective but not dominant. Cubs add a couple more off Clevinger/Salazar types, win 7-2.

 

Headlines going into game 7: Did the Cubs change their approach against Miller in game 6? And, how effective will Chapman be on Wednesday after throwing another 30 pitches tonight?

[LeonDurham]

wind blowing out against Tomlin didn't help, I'm not going to get excited over how an ump calls a game.

 

 

Agreed. Let's see what happens. I'll believe the hype and get excited when the offense breaks out tonight.

[Ski]

This game is functionally tied with game 7 2003. Both were "win and you are 50/50 to win the WS, lose and you are 0."

 

that's just dumb. today is "win today and you can win the world series tomorrow." none of us has seen that. arguing that Game 6 of the WS is equivalent to Game 7 of an NLCS makes no sense at all. but you do you.

 

yeah, it's kind of like the argument that came up when i said i would take being 3 straight wins away from winning the WS every year, and people brought up that the pre-season odds may have been a smidge higher.

The odds of winning three straight to win the World Series is something like 15%, right? I feel like only truly elite teams are projected to have a higher World Series winning % in the preseason, so if you're an average playoff team in the 90-95 win range, you would take having to win three straight to clinch a title every time. It's just not as good of a bet for the Cubs before they're a true powerhouse.

[squally1313]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

[David]

No horsefeathering thank you.

[Banedon]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

 

I keep seeing things talking about the Cubs bullpen needing to step up, but I really don't feel like the bullpen has really been a problem. They've given up some runs in games that were already losses, but when they've needed to shut things down, they have.

 

I'm much, much more concerned about the offense than the pitching.

[Cubswin11]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

It's not a bad idea, IMO. Obviously it depends on the situation but I don't mind it.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

No problems with Lackey the reliever, I'd rather Edwards and Grimm get their shot first though. Or in other words, sell out with the true relievers to try to win the game in 9, and let Lackey be your insurance policy in extra innings instead of Rondon/Strop/Wood.

[David]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

 

I keep seeing things talking about the Cubs bullpen needing to step up, but I really don't feel like the bullpen has really been a problem. They've given up some runs in games that were already losses, but when they've needed to shut things down, they have.

 

I'm much, much more concerned about the offense than the pitching.

 

That shouldn't really make you feel better.

[BigSlick]

From the article:

 

Hector Rondon’s issues are more obvious. He faced 49 batters in August and September between battling arm issues and serving time on the DL, and those 49 batters hit .422/.469/.778 against him. In the postseason, Rondon has faced 25 more batters, and they’ve gone .333/.360/.542, which only counts as improvement because he was basically the worst pitcher in baseball the last two months of the year. Given that he hasn’t gotten hitters out regularly since July, it’s pretty unlikely we’re going to see Rondon pitching in a high leverage situation tonight.

 

Oh my god I had no idea it was *this* bad with Rondon. Holy moly.

[mul21]

My gf and I were planning on going to dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary. Originally, she suggested going early so I could watch the whole game, but I just got a text from her saying she wanted to veg on the couch and have a World Series night at home and, get this, make deluxe nachos!!!!! No prompting from me and she has no idea about the lucky game day nachos. Not all Cardinals fans are terrible people.

[minnesotacubsfan]

My gf and I were planning on going to dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary. Originally, she suggested going early so I could watch the whole game, but I just got a text from her saying she wanted to veg on the couch and have a World Series night at home and, get this, make deluxe nachos!!!!! No prompting from me and she has no idea about the lucky game day nachos. Not all Cardinals fans are terrible people.

 

 

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[Banedon]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

 

I keep seeing things talking about the Cubs bullpen needing to step up, but I really don't feel like the bullpen has really been a problem. They've given up some runs in games that were already losses, but when they've needed to shut things down, they have.

 

I'm much, much more concerned about the offense than the pitching.

 

That shouldn't really make you feel better.

 

It shouldn't make me feel better that the bullpen has been nails when it needs to be?

[mikeyt34]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

 

It's all hands on deck for an elimination game. Lester in a pinch tonight would not be a shocker either, but I'm sure Joe would rather save Lester for a game 7 appearance if at all possible. The only relievers right now I'm confident in are Montgomery, Strop, and Chapman. The others have done a decent job but with the season on the line in say the 7th inning, I would feel more confident with Lester than any of them other than Chapman.

[badger]

I'm confident in Edwards too

[UMFan83]

I know how much some of you guys dislike Cameron, but he just threw out another option I didn't see mentioned much....Lackey as reliever.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-maddons-other-relief-option-tonight/

 

Thoughts? Really a sign of how thin our pen has gotten when this doesn't seem like a terrible idea.

 

It's all hands on deck for an elimination game. Lester in a pinch tonight would not be a shocker either, but I'm sure Joe would rather save Lester for a game 7 appearance if at all possible. The only relievers right now I'm confident in are Montgomery, Strop, and Chapman. The others have done a decent job but with the season on the line in say the 7th inning, I would feel more confident with Lester than any of them other than Chapman.

 

I'm still confident in Strop pitching. The only bad playoff outing he had was in garbage time against the Dodgers. That said, the FG guys seem to be speculating Joe hasn't been using him much because he's not physically right. I would still probably trust him pitching over Lackey but not by much.