Pirates (Jones, 2-4, 2.68 ERA) vs. Cubs (Steele, 0-0, 4.73 ERA) 6:40 CDT

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Just now, UMFan83 said:

I'm gonna guess the money

He's made over 110 million as a player and took 2.5 million to play for the Pirates!  At 35 and as a catcher, and after he was supposedly one of the primary guys who just gave up on the White Sox locker room.

[JHBulls]

2 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Every time I watch Grandal play he does a different thing that makes me think he's completely cooked.  Why did he even keep playing

He could play another 5 years and make another $10 million. With money like that, you have to wonder why any MLB player would ever think of retiring before 40.

[UMFan83]

damn normally I'd be ok with at least getting 1 there given the 2nd and 3rd 0 out situation but damn we're running out of outs and we scored that run via a HBP, error and sac fly

[chibears55]

Damn, needed one hit out of 4 opportunities to tie the game up. 🙄

[Rcal10]

18 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Cubs basically have 5 guys in their lineup that are outs in 8 of every 10 ABs they have.

Hard to have a consistent offense with that

Considering the major league average is .239, I would say what you said about the Cubs is probably true about most teams in baseball. 

[chibears55]

Mastrobuoni,  Amaya, Tauchman 

Need 1 or two to reach to give Suzuki and Bellinger a chance 

[chibears55]

1 minute ago, Rcal10 said:

Considering the major league average is .239, I would say what you said about the Cubs is probably true about most teams in baseball. 

Not the good teams

[squally1313]

1 minute ago, chibears55 said:

Mastrobuoni,  Amaya, Tauchman 

Need 1 or two to reach to give Suzuki and Bellinger a chance 

PCA for mastro? Ian can play 2nd if it ends up working. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

2 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

PCA for mastro? Ian can play 2nd if it ends up working. 

Mastrobuoni is at SS

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Tyson Miller is the Cuas that was promised

[UMFan83]

There was a point last year when Madrigal actually looked like he was an asset at the plate.  He reached a .713 OPS for the season at that point but injured his hammy and then was really bad when he returned and really bad this year.  I know he's probably not going anywhere because of his positional value but I desperately hope he finds some sort of form at the plate.  Doesn't have to have an .800 OPS... is asking for .675 too much?

2023 First 37 games - .235/.284/.292/.576

2023 17 games prior to injury - .377/.441/.547/.988

2023 Post Hammy Injury - .235/.273/.322/.594

2024 So Far (not inc today) - .234/.300/.281/.581

 

OK so maybe it was just a hot 17 game stretch and hes really a high .500's OPS hitter.  Just have no idea why he fell off a cliff when coming to the Cubs.  324 PAs isn't a ton but its definitely a decent enough sample size.  He had a .317/.358/.406/.764 batting line in those 324 PAs with the White Sox.

Edited May 17, 2024 by UMFan83

[Rcal10]

Calling it now. Suzuki walk off.

[squally1313]

4 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Mastrobuoni is at SS

Madrigal at short, whatever. It’s a bad idea but it’s all we got and mastro doing his 4-3 thing lets me do the thing where I can pretend that would have been the game changing move. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

The horsefeathers Seiya error man. Huge.

[JHBulls]

There’s always tomorrow. 
 

* checks notes *

Kyle Hendricks is starting.

horsefeathers sake. 

[UMFan83]

Well that was disappointing and anti-climatic. 

Given the schedule and the starters we've faced the last 3 weeks or so plus the injuries, its understandable to be treading water right now.  Just hope they can get it going soon once the schedule gets lighter and the injured guys come back.

[Illiterate Scholar]

Steele getting crushed by the Pirates offense is a bit disappointing 

[UMFan83]

In related news Zaidman is still absolutely terrible at his job

 

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

The horsefeathers Seiya error man. Huge.

Does he throw out the runner at home if he catches the ball? I am not sure he does. The bigger non play to me was the perfect double play ball that wasn’t turned in the first inning. That has to be a double play. Instead the next guy homers. 

[Irrelevant Dude]

44 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

In related news Zaidman is still absolutely terrible at his job

 

"Forget about it, this may go" is the new "It might be, it could be"

[Transmogrified Tiger]

29 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Does he throw out the runner at home if he catches the ball? I am not sure he does.

Let's put it this way, Seiya had 3 chances at that runner, a very good throw gets him at 2nd(his was poor), a good throw gets him at 3rd(his was off line), and a good throw gets him at the plate(he whiffed).  An above average RF probably should not let that run score in the aggregate.

[PackLandVA]

3 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

In related news Zaidman is still absolutely terrible at his job

 

Too bad he didn’t follow that non-HR call with - “I don’t know if I’m gonna be putting on this headset again.”

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Alright @squally1313, you're up for today's game thread!

[Andy]

10 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Does he throw out the runner at home if he catches the ball? I am not sure he does. The bigger non play to me was the perfect double play ball that wasn’t turned in the first inning. That has to be a double play. Instead the next guy homers. 

I was only listening on the radio but Coomer made it sound like the runner wasn't ready to tag up on the line drive and he wouldn't have been able to score.

That's something like the 4th time Seiya has flat out whiffed a play in RF in the last few months of games he's played, which is annoying.

[Bull]

14 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

What’s with the PBP? lol

Fred would approve.