7/6/18 Reds (Mahle) @ CLUBES (Montgomery) 1:20 CST NBC Sports Chicago/MLBN

[TMan92]

Impressive inning Cobs

[Cubswin11]

I came into the season thinking I'd feel reasonably confident every game with our staff. Now I find myself bracing for the Monty-Chatwood portion of the rotation (at least since Monty turned back into a pumpkin)

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Coming into the game Hamilton is batting .269 with a .343 OBP vs the Cubs. Shockingly the Pirates have it worse than us at .295/.340 they don’t walk him nearly as much as we do.

[TMan92]

Votto’s strike zone is so stupid.

[Sammy Sofa]

I came into the season thinking I'd feel reasonably confident every game with our staff. Now I find myself bracing for the Monty-Chatwood portion of the rotation (at least since Monty turned back into a pumpkin)

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

He was the same middling guy in June that he was in April. He had a bit of a rebound in May. A bit.

[Derwood]

2018: The year the Cubs win 95 games despite going 4-15 against the Reds

[TMan92]

I came into the season thinking I'd feel reasonably confident every game with our staff. Now I find myself bracing for the Monty-Chatwood portion of the rotation (at least since Monty turned back into a pumpkin)

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

I think Q’s biggest problem will always be what it seems that we gave up for him.

[TMan92]

That was really good to see. Welcome back CJ.

[UMFan83]

I came into the season thinking I'd feel reasonably confident every game with our staff. Now I find myself bracing for the Monty-Chatwood portion of the rotation (at least since Monty turned back into a pumpkin)

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

In 12 starts since May 1:

 

1 start longer than 6 innings

3.60 ERA

.759 OPS against

.280 BABIP which is above league average by a bit

26% LD% which is really high

 

I'm not sure what his WAR is in those 12 starts, but for the year he's been worth just 0.5 wins which is 68th among the 77 starters to throw at least 90 innings this year.

 

I mean yeah 3.60 ERA for a 4th starter is fine but just on quick glance it looks like he's getting lucky and he can't pitch deep into games. He hasn't missed a start all season and yet he hasn't thrown enough innings to qualify for the ERA title. We really need someone to occasionally throw more than 6 innings because the bullpen is always throwing out Bass or Farrell or some other made up reliever because the 4 good ones are either used too much or are injured.

 

edit: Also please feel free to find stats that dispute my assertion, I just picked a couple that jumped out at me and didn't do a deep dive.

Edited July 6, 2018 by UMFan83

[Cubswin11]

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

He was the same middling guy in June that he was in April. He had a bit of a rebound in May. A bit.

He gave up 3 or less runs in every June start but 1 (4runs) And had a lower era in June than your precious Verlander.

Edited July 6, 2018 by Cubswin11

[Cubswin11]

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

I think Q’s biggest problem will always be what it seems that we gave up for him.

Yeah. And speaking of, Jorge I mean Eloy is back on the DL with a leg injury.

[Sammy Sofa]

 

Montgomery, even when he's like this, is still pitching around what I would have expected/hoped if the Cubs ended up needing him to replace someone, or if they went with a 6-man rotation. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is broken, absurdly lucky, terrible, and a couple of guys who are shooting to be average at best. If Yu can come back and finally remember who is and Lester somehow keeps it up, that's not so bad, but I still have to think that they need to go out and get another starter. Yeah, that sucks given how much is already tied up in who they have, but the rotation right now is set up to shoot the dick off of any real playoff chances outside of, "well, hey, ANYONE can happen to get hot just in time for the postseason!" Hendricks and Quintana ideally can and will turn it around, but they're really not showing any indications of doing so.

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

In 12 starts since May 1:

 

1 start longer than 6 innings

3.60 ERA

.759 OPS against

.280 BABIP which is above league average by a bit

26% LD% which is really high

 

I mean yeah 3.60 ERA for a 4th starter is fine but just on quick glance it looks like he's getting lucky and he can't pitch deep into games which we really need someone too occasionally because the bullpen is always throwing out Bass or Farrell or some other made up reliever because the 4 good ones are either used too much or are injuried.

 

Right. It's not that the guy is a disaster and he's never going to kick ass again; it's that all the issues of the starting rotation combined, the Cubs have a problem right now. Maybe over the next 3+ Weeks Quintana and/or Hendricks suddenly look fantastic again; that's hardly out of the realm of possibility. But as a whole they're really riding on the idea that everything will just somehow work itself out if they're not even taking a real look around at what starters are going to be out there.

[TMan92]

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

I think Q’s biggest problem will always be what it seems that we gave up for him.

Yeah. And speaking of, Jorge I mean Eloy is back on the DL with a leg injury.

 

Not disagreeing with you. Until Cease and Eloy flame out, it will be the narrative.

[TMan92]

For a guy that gives up a lot of fly balls we have been grounding out a ton today.

[Bertz]

I expect that they're just going to go with what they've got and assume at least 2/3s of Yu/Q/Kyle will figure it out. If not, look forward to a bunch of bullpen games this October. It almost worked for the Yankees last year, and the Indians the year before.

 

I'm not sure it's the right move (though I lean yes), but it's what I expect.

[UMFan83]

seems like whenever we get a runner on today we start peppering ground balls at their IFs

[Sammy Sofa]

Again, Q had been mostly quite good since May. I don’t get what you are seeing in him “not showing indications of being good.”

 

He was the same middling guy in June that he was in April. He had a bit of a rebound in May. A bit.

He gave up 3 or less runs in every June start but 1 (4runs) And had a lower era in June than your precious Verlander.

 

It's telling that you're hanging this all on the bold multiple times now, because that's literally all he has going for him in terms of arguing that he's figuring it out. His meh June ERA was a whopping .01 lower than Verlander's. Almost everything else has been consistently mediocre all season.

[Sammy Sofa]

If Almora gets a hit here I will never question him at the top of the order ever again.

[Bertz]

Looks like Lorenzen is their Randy Rosario. Let's hit him with the regression stick today.

[TMan92]

We have decided to have horsefeathers at bats again today.

[Sammy Sofa]

Still thinking that the CLUBES factor is gonna prevail today.

[weis21]

Still thinking that the CLUBES factor is gonna prevail today.

yep. the bottom of the 8th is going to be majestic

 

3 runs. Morrow slams the door.

[UMFan83]

We have decided to have horsefeathers at bats again today.

 

I hope its not the start of another one of our fun little funks.

[weis21]

should i like or dislike luke f.?

[TMan92]

Riggleman is a dolt with this Lorenzen thing.