4/16 Cubs (Smyly) vs Dodgers (Urias) - 3:10pm CT Marquee

[UMFan83]

Just now, PackLandVA said:

1 pitch away from a sweep in LA. Damn, but winning two is great.

Definitely could have swept, but those were 2 coinflip games, 1-1 is to be expected as disappointing as last night was.

[UMFan83]

3 minutes ago, Omar said:

That was some terrible umping in the Cubs favor. 

The funny thing is, he was terrible on calls that went against the Cubs too, just not calls that were as high leverage as the ones in the 9th.

[PackLandVA]

3 minutes ago, itisallpartoftheplan said:

One would argue 3 of 3

I'm not certain a sweep is ever the realistic expectation for any team.  Even the worst teams of all-time with 1/3 of their games.

[17 Seconds]

4 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Definitely could have swept, but those were 2 coinflip games, 1-1 is to be expected as disappointing as last night was.

yeah, this one washed away the disappointment of last night for me

plus they could have lost 2-1 last night without even getting to the bottom of he 9th if bellinger doesn't rob the homer

[Cubfanintheknow]

Nice series win. But the bullpen is still a little too shaky for my taste. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, Cubfanintheknow said:

Nice series win. But the bullpen is still a little too shaky for my taste. 

Definitely, but this felt like a given going into the season. Michael Fulmer is a good seventh inning option, a meh eighth inning option, and a rather bad "bullpen ace". There isn't nearly enough depth in the Cubs pen right now, IMO.

[UMFan83]

6 minutes ago, Cubfanintheknow said:

Nice series win. But the bullpen is still a little too shaky for my taste. 

It feels like the Cubs bullpen is shaky every April/May but they usually figure it out at some point.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

20 minutes ago, PackLandVA said:

I'm not certain a sweep is ever the realistic expectation for any team.  Even the worst teams of all-time with 1/3 of their games.

I know, just being greedy!

[Bertz]

8 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Definitely, but this felt like a given going into the season. Michael Fulmer is a good seventh inning option, a meh eighth inning option, and a rather bad "bullpen ace". There isn't nearly enough depth in the Cubs pen right now, IMO.

I think it's quite the opposite honestly.  The Cubs' pen at the moment has the 2nd lowest FIP in the league and are tied for the best xFIP.  The problem is a distinct lack of a lockdown option.  Fulmer and Alzolay have each shown signs of being that guy, and Estrada's probably the favorite to end up that guy by mid-season, but right it's depth over impact.

Put another way, I'd trust any of the Cubs relievers with a 3 run save, but I don't trust any of them in a one-run deal.

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I think it's quite the opposite honestly.  The Cubs' pen at the moment has the 2nd lowest FIP in the league and are tied for the best xFIP.  The problem is a distinct lack of a lockdown option.  Fulmer and Alzolay have each shown signs of being that guy, and Estrada's probably the favorite to end up that guy by mid-season, but right it's depth over impact.

Put another way, I'd trust any of the Cubs relievers with a 3 run save, but I don't trust any of them in a one-run deal.

That's fair, I suppose. They're missing that elite arm that gets the team out of 30-40 late and close innings a season.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

For perspective, this weekend the bullpen went 9 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 16/3 K/BB, and only 5 batted balls over 95 mph EV.

[Irrelevant Dude]

12 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Fulmer and Alzolay have each shown signs of being that guy, and Estrada's probably the favorite to end up that guy by mid-season,

Don't sleep on Codi Heuer, assuming he comes back healthy.  He might not be able to go back to back days for awhile, but it is possible he could emerge as another late inning option.

[Omar]

Edited April 17, 2023 by Omar

[Bertz]

Not actually that bad from a run standpoint, but hilarious that basically every call against the Dodgers happened in the bottom of the 9th