9/11 - Cubs (Wicks) vs Rockies (Freeland): 7:40pm, Marquee

[abuck1220]

now to just easily and calmly drift off the sleep with my heart rate at a completely normal and healthy level 

[squally1313]

36 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

They have been getting a major helping of sinkers lately and they have a voracious appetite to swing. 

 

This is a loss. Call me a ninny all you want. The offense is just a freaking mess right now.

 

32 minutes ago, PJCubfan said:

The manager is the biggest mess.  You would think he could manage the bullpen after almost 4 years.  The hitting isn't there, but having the lead in the 7th should have worked out, but no!

This won't be the worst loss, that was the two ninth inning Ross losses against the Reds a couple weeks ago.  Of course they're all bad now!

 

9 minutes ago, PJCubfan said:

Looks like another Ross loss!

 

7 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

There’s no way the Cubs get out of the 9th with the lead

 

7 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Cool now we get to watch Fulmer blow the game..

Fun times

Last annoying post of the night, probably. 

Go score 14 runs tomorrow, idiots. 

[Irrelevant Dude]

Tune in tomorrow night to see which bullpen arms are cobbled together for the final 4 innings.

Will Luke Little ever be allowed to pitch again? Probably not! Does Brad Boxberger actually exist? Maybe! Will the Cubs put Fulmer right back out there for back to back days directly off the IL? It's likely!

[Irrelevant Dude]

2 minutes ago, abuck1220 said:

now to just easily and calmly drift off the sleep with my heart rate at a completely normal and healthy level 

Flashback to 2016 and not being able to fall asleep until 2am every night.

[PackLandVA]

Ross certainly seems to pull pitchers too early or leave 'em in too late.  But it doesn't really help that it seems every night the reliever(s) on the mound gets himself in trouble. Tonight's a perfect example. Cuas is rolling, gets two easy out and then can't find the strike zone. I mean, this is a night in/night out occurrence for just about everyone in the pen.

Edited September 12, 2023 by PackLandVA
.

[UMFan83]

1 minute ago, squally1313 said:

 

 

 

 

Last annoying post of the night, probably. 

Go score 14 runs tomorrow, idiots. 

I JUST said to ignore all my posts. That absolves me of everything. 

i don’t even care, I’m literally not the same person in the middle of these moments, I can’t be held responsible for my actions

but good on you for figuring out multi-quote on the new board. Wish I could figure that out

[abuck1220]

just remembered the only reason they won was because the LF biffed swanson’s ball in the 9th

[abuck1220]

2 minutes ago, abuck1220 said:

just remembered the only reason they won was because the LF biffed swanson’s ball in the 9th

and also the double steal the Rockies gave them 

[UMFan83]

6 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

Tune in tomorrow night to see which bullpen arms are cobbled together for the final 4 innings.

Will Luke Little ever be allowed to pitch again? Probably not! Does Brad Boxberger actually exist? Maybe! Will the Cubs put Fulmer right back out there for back to back days directly off the IL? It's likely!

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with a girl who saw Boxberger pass-out at 31 Flavors last night. 

[soccer10k]

13 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

3 feet outside. "That's a great pitch."

LOL. It was literally an entire strike zone outside.

[Irrelevant Dude]

And my excitement has been tempered after I just realized I actually bet the -1.5 when I thought I had bet the money line.

I'm on quite a (negative) roll. Who do we really need to lose tomorrow, because I'm pretty sure I can make that happen.

[UMFan83]

6 minutes ago, abuck1220 said:

just remembered the only reason they won was because the LF biffed swanson’s ball in the 9th

That LF is in on the tank. 
 

reminds me of Towles in the NLCS 

[UMFan83]

Cubs now 3.5 game playoff cushion, 0.5 games behind their peak of 4 GA. Guardians tied up giants so looking at something Iike

Phillies 1.5 GA

Cubs —

DBags 2 GB

———-

Marlins 3.5 GB

Giants either 3.5 GB or 4 GB

Reds 4 GB

 

[mfcubs22]

Can we get a nice comfortable blow out win tomorrow? Their starting pitcher is absolutely horrible. 

[Irrelevant Dude]

For those of you keeping track, that's win number 11 for Smyly.

[UMFan83]

4 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

For those of you keeping track, that's win number 11 for Smyly.

David Ross increasing his trade value so they can pick up his option and trade him to avoid the buyout. 

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Nolan Jones grew up a Cubs fan.

Only person that Jordan Wicks can’t beat is Jose Cuas.

[CubUgly]

8 hours ago, squally1313 said:

We've hit 12 balls over 95 mph today. Big picture it's been a little discouraging, today it's a lot of hard hit balls not ending up as hits. Yes, I know I'm contradicting myself from like 4 minutes ago. Oh well. 

Boog keeps saying MLB average on balls hit over 95 is .500.   Not saying I question that - but I ain't seeing it with the Cubs. 

[Brian707]

I only watched the 9th inning  but does Rick Sutcliffe have brain damage? Holy hell, I'm sure it was mentioned here probably 10x, but he is horrible 

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Brian707 said:

I only watched the 9th inning  but does Rick Sutcliffe have brain damage? Holy hell, I'm sure it was mentioned here probably 10x, but he is horrible 

Yeah, he's certainly my least favorite of the fill-ins in the booth. He never shuts up. 

[champaignchris]

17 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Yeah, he's certainly my least favorite of the fill-ins in the booth. He never shuts up. 

Especially when Pat Hughes is the other guy in the booth. Maybe shut up and let the literal Hall of Fame announcer get a few words in. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

So what do we make of Wicks' 6 K's in 17.2 IP since his debut? Good thing he's keeping the ball in the yard and getting GBs. To me it looks like hitters are differentiating his pitches quickly and the tunneling isn't right yet. But then again, his Oswing - pardon the SSS - is 38%, the league average is 28, and Strider is the league leader at 37. 

 

 

[Derwood]

51 minutes ago, Brian707 said:

I only watched the 9th inning  but does Rick Sutcliffe have brain damage? Holy hell, I'm sure it was mentioned here probably 10x, but he is horrible 

I just always assume he's drinking scotch all game

[Jason Ross]

33 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

So what do we make of Wicks' 6 K's in 17.2 IP since his debut? Good thing he's keeping the ball in the yard and getting GBs. To me it looks like hitters are differentiating his pitches quickly and the tunneling isn't right yet. But then again, his Oswing - pardon the SSS - is 38%, the league average is 28, and Strider is the league leader at 37. 

 

 

For me, I'd categorize it as a "polish" and not a "worry".  The good news is that regardless of the current K numbers, Wicks is doing two things that are incredibly important:

1. He's not walking hitters.

2. He's got a 48.5% GB% 

What's really great is that he's showing that command we all had known he had. I'm not convinced he's going to keep a >2.00 BB/9, but a ~2.5 BB/9 is probably on the table as a best-case-outcome. The GB% should be expected. Fangraphs did a study in 2019 looking at what metrics correlate most to MLB data, and GB% was one of the highest for pitchers. That should make sense as a pitcher's pitch mix doesn't magically change when they jump a level. Wicks, a very strong change up, a good cut fastball, and a decent curve, all of which should induce GB's. So far, he's been a GB machine, printing GBs and he's consistently shown the ability to get 45-47% ground ball rates in the MiLB. For comparison, a 47% GB% would be 13th best of any qualified SP in the MLB today. 

If we start to see the O-swing% turn into more K's, then I think Jordan Wicks is going to be a very good pitcher, and likely a traditional "FIP beater" profile. If some of the above changes, I'd be a bit more worried about the strikeouts, but for now, it's just a place to polish up. Even as is, Wicks is carrying himself far more than just a rookie on the mound. I think part of it might be tunneling, I think part of it is just Wicks settling in. As you stated, the o-swing% is really good right now, so he's doing something right. It could just be a sequencing thing, or just something that will round into form with a larger sample.

Edited September 12, 2023 by 1908_Cubs

[Outshined_One]

Plus it's worth remembering that Wicks is well past his career high in IP and likely is in uncharted waters in terms of stamina/fatigue, especially given that he's being thrown into high pressure situations. It's going to make for an interesting conversation if the Cubs find themselves in a multi-game playoff series and Stro isn't back to 100%.

Also also, seeing Wicks and Assad perform like this has me feeling so, so, so much better about the rotation in 2024.