Cubs (Wicks) vs Diamondbacks (Pfaadt): 4/17/24, 2:40pm, Marquee

[Cubs420psd]

Pretty damn good road trip considering the competition and the amount of injuries on this team currently.

 

 

Edited April 17, 2024 by Cubs420psd

[LBiittner]

Seems like cubs always pull a boner when playing teams they're expected to man-handle. So I'd be thrilled if they go 4-3 or better this homestand.

[UMFan83]

I’m confused as to why Wesneski was even down to begin with. Didn’t make the team out of spring training but also wasn’t the first choice when Steele went down and wasn’t the first choice when Merryweather went down. Not that Wesneski isn’t without his issues and I’m sure there are matchup considerations but he seems like a guy who should be on the MLB roster at this point. 

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, JHBulls said:

Next 7 games after this one are against the 4-15 Marlins and 6-14 Astros. Good opportunity to bank some wins. 

Astros are going to wake up soon. Hopefully in May. 

[Crusader]

37 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

I’m confused as to why Wesneski was even down to begin with. Didn’t make the team out of spring training but also wasn’t the first choice when Steele went down and wasn’t the first choice when Merryweather went down. Not that Wesneski isn’t without his issues and I’m sure there are matchup considerations but he seems like a guy who should be on the MLB roster at this point. 

They were trying to keep him and Brown stretched out in case there were any injuries (given the injuries to Steele, Taillon, and Hendericks just being trash so far), it’s probably for the best. Now that we signed Teheran, they must feel like they have still enough starting depth in the minors to make a move. Wesneski definitely feels like a big upgrade from Palencia..

Edited April 18, 2024 by Crusader

[Irrelevant Dude]

It would have been great if the Cubs had swept, but it is encouraging how they have bounced back on multiple occasions from what could have been demoralizing losses.

[chibears55]

Funny how the 2 late games goes 3 plus hours and the day game only goes 2.5 hours 😅

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

It would have been great if the Cubs had swept, but it is encouraging how they have bounced back on multiple occasions from what could have been demoralizing losses.

It is actually kind of amazing the Cubs are 11-7 with a rough early schedule when you consider they have several injuries to the pitching staff, starting pitchers not averaging 5 innings a start a very shaky bullpen, most of the offense slumping, and fielding poorly. On top of that they now are without Suzuki for a month, at least. All of the above and they are in a 99 win pace! 

[JHBulls]

How it started for us when the bullpen was getting used for 5+ innings of relief tonight

 

Hayden Wesneski:

 

 

Can we keep him forever?

 

[PackLandVA]

Not counting the games against the Cubs:

Rangers 8-8

Rockies 4-12

Dodgers 11-7

Padres 9-9

Mariners 8-8

DBacks 8-8

 

I think the 5-4 road trip is pretty solid, as is the start to the season being 11-7. But it's not like the teams they've played teams that have had really good starts to their seasons.  They're all .500 ('cept the Rocks) and then LA. And LA just lost 2 of 3 to the Nats. In LA. I think the Cubs have been winning despite many of their issues, which is good.  If they can fix the middle of the lineup, the starting pitching, and the bullpen even just a little, they should be one of the top teams in baseball.

[soccer10k]

Hey Fangraphs, any idea which team might win either Central division?

I'd specify which division is which but if you can't figure that one out on your own, well, I'm not sure what to tell you.

[spaincubsfan]

Just saw the highlights, great & gritty win. The Snakes just won't go away but tonight Wesneski shut the door. The offense scored enough, getting key hits from Belli & Busch. Morel's D at 3rd is starting to even out, with some pretty solid plays recently.

All in all not a bad road trip but we really should be 13-5 if it were not for the 2 BP implosions.

[NorthsideAvenger]

3 hours ago, soccer10k said:

Hey Fangraphs, any idea which team might win either Central division?

I'd specify which division is which but if you can't figure that one out on your own, well, I'm not sure what to tell you.

The White Sox at 0.0%? That is still too high for them.

[Jason Ross]

9 hours ago, PackLandVA said:

Not counting the games against the Cubs:

Rangers 8-8

Rockies 4-12

Dodgers 11-7

Padres 9-9

Mariners 8-8

DBacks 8-8

 

I think the 5-4 road trip is pretty solid, as is the start to the season being 11-7. But it's not like the teams they've played teams that have had really good starts to their seasons.  They're all .500 ('cept the Rocks) and then LA. And LA just lost 2 of 3 to the Nats. In LA. I think the Cubs have been winning despite many of their issues, which is good.  If they can fix the middle of the lineup, the starting pitching, and the bullpen even just a little, they should be one of the top teams in baseball.

I'm less worried about their current record, and more considered about their current talent level. Every team (except one) on that list is a playoff contending team, and I bet when we look back at the end of the year, at least three (and really, could be five) of them make the playoffs. Sure, they might not be off and running on 100+ game win levels, but part of that is because the Dodgers, Mariners and Diamondbacks all lost two of three to the Cubs to begin with. There's a world where the Mariners and the D'Backs are 9-7 and the Dodgers are 12-6 and we're saying the Cubs (8-9) had a really tough start because we played four team 3 of 4 teams in a row with over .500 records. 

[BigbadB]

I was pretty annoyed they brought in Smyly in the 9th. Wesneski was doing just fine and he was exactly what they needed to rest the ENTIRE remaining bullpen. 

[Outshined_One]

Considering this road trip showed us that: (1) Ben Brown is legit; (2) Keegan Thompson is still somehow useful(?); and (3) Wesneski should never see Iowa again, I'll call it a success.

It was discussed a bit this past offseason, but remember, going into 2023 there were a ton of questions about pitching depth that caught up with the team in August/September. Today, I feel much better about about this team's pitching depth.

[squally1313]

11 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

It is actually kind of amazing the Cubs are 11-7 with a rough early schedule when you consider they have several injuries to the pitching staff, starting pitchers not averaging 5 innings a start a very shaky bullpen, most of the offense slumping, and fielding poorly. On top of that they now are without Suzuki for a month, at least. All of the above and they are in a 99 win pace! 

I'm very much team 'managers don't matter', and feel like all of us paying close attention to the team could point to multiple instances of questionable decisions. But I also feel like an outside observer would see the Steele/Taillon/Seiya injuries, the slow Cody start, the 13th in team offense/23rd in team pitching....and then their 11-7 record and be like 'man, Counsell is doing it again'. 

Think ultimately it's too small a sample size to make any conclusions, but even with multiple collapses we're finding ways to keep ourselves in a really good spot through a tough stretch. Would be nice to bank a few low stress victories this weekend.