Cardinals (Gibson) vs Cubs (Wicks): 6/14/24, 1:20pm

[Brock Beauchamp]

Now would be a really nice time to right the ship and win a series.

[CubinNY]

Regression to the mean is a well established principle, right?

Right? 

[Irrelevant Dude]

6 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

Regression to the mean is a well established principle, right?

Right? 

Perhaps it has already occurred and the beginning of the season was the outlier.

[We Got The Whole 9]

The failure to develop hitting at the MLB level and to get the relievers to harness control and command are the reasons Jed should be fired if they ever decide to go that route. Every team tries the same strategy with their bullpen just about. Develop a few of your own anchors. dissect and reinvent a few arms and hope for good health. They obviously really lack guys that can throw power stuff for strikes. I do not believe that they should have paid more money to fix the pen, though. You can name a couple guys who got big contracts that have worked out so far but there are a lot more that simply have not. or have been no better than replacement level. The best pens are loaded with reclaimed guys if you took at the situation honestly. Two years ago we could have traded a guy in our 20-30 rank for a Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman package and now they are 1/2 in fg RP war.

This is not the Cubs being cheap: this is the way it is done these days. and unfortunately. Hottovy has not worked much magic with the pen. If you're not noticing that the dice-up-the-pitch-mix-and-set-em-free approach is being utilized by every organization then you're not paying attention. Go look at the top 30 leaderboard for RP and see how many of them you would have reasonably expected to be among the best this year. Probably 5, maybe 10. Look at what Breslow has done in Boston with a bunch of nobodies.

The Cubs are falling behind because of their development system. Just when it felt like they may be catching up on the pitching side. the league took another jump. and they stagnated on the offensive side and now both ends took pretty mediocre. I'm nervous about the guys anchoring our farm these days because we don't seem to have much of a system in place to help them excel at the MLB level.

Edited June 14, 2024 by We Got The Whole 9

[Transmogrified Tiger]

21 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

The failure to develop hitting at the MLB level and to get the relievers to harness control and command are the reasons Jed should be fired if they ever decide to go that route. Every team tries the same strategy with their bullpen just about. Develop a few of your own anchors. dissect and reinvent a few arms and hope for good health. They obviously really lack guys that can throw power stuff for strikes.

I don't say this as a refutation of the entire point you're making, but I think can also argue they had 3 of these guys and they all got hurt by May(or came pre-hurt in the case of Alzolay).

[Soul]

1 hour ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

Perhaps it has already occurred and the beginning of the season was the outlier.

Every day that goes by convinces me this is the case.

[Max Power]

The Cubs, quite frankly, strange, decade long infatuation with pitchers that don’t miss bats shortened the championship window and keeps them chasing mediocrity during the Jed era. It needs to end.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

4 minutes ago, Max Power said:

The Cubs, quite frankly, strange, decade long infatuation with pitchers that don’t miss bats shortened the championship window and keeps them chasing mediocrity during the Jed era. It needs to end.

The Cubs are 10th in K%, and 8th in reliever K%

[JBears79]

Ive got Wesneski blowing the game today in our daily family bet of "which reliever will blow the game today"

[chibears55]

And PCA sits today

???????

 

Edited June 14, 2024 by chibears55

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The team has had a big problem scoring runs recently, and PCA is the worst hitter on the roster at the moment, catcher(s) excluded.  Makes sense.

[Soul]

29 minutes ago, JBears79 said:

Ive got Wesneski blowing the game today in our daily family bet of "which reliever will blow the game today"

Pretty good bet......for every game.

[mul21]

3 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Wicks is back? Heck yeah I smell the winds of change or however winds are detected 

That's the whole team shitting their pants you're smelling.

[LBiittner]

1 hour ago, chibears55 said:

And PCA sits today

??????

Evidently, bunting isn't allowed on Fridays?

[We Got The Whole 9]

18 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Wicks is back? Heck yeah I smell the winds of change or however winds are detected 

He came back on 6/8 actually

[chibears55]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

The team has had a big problem scoring runs recently, and PCA is the worst hitter on the roster at the moment, catcher(s) excluded.  Makes sense.

Ehhh. They can't score with or without him in the lineup,  let the kid play.

He went 3 for 11 in Tampa, that should earn him to continue to start.

Tauchman has been garbage lately in a 6 for 35 slump, we don't really need to see him play all the time now, he is what he is a 4th OFer.

Let the kid play even if he doesn't hit, his defense, speed, and even bunting ability could help win games. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 minute ago, chibears55 said:

Ehhh. They can't score with or without him in the lineup,  let the kid play.

He went 3 for 11 in Tampa, that should earn him to continue to start.

Tauchman has been garbage lately in a 6 for 35 slump, we don't really need to see him play all the time now, he is what he is a 4th OFer.

Let the kid play even if he doesn't hit, his defense, speed, and even bunting ability could help win games. 

3 for 11 is worse than his season line because he didn't walk or hit any XBH.

Or said another way..

Nick 'get this useless slap hitter out of my face' Madrigal: 94 PA, .247 wOBA, 59 wRC+, 3 XBH

Pete 'let the kid play' Crow-Armstrong: 98 PA, .248 wOBA, 59 wRC+, 4 XBH

[squally1313]

17 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

3 for 11 is worse than his season line because he didn't walk or hit any XBH.

Or said another way..

Nick 'get this useless slap hitter out of my face' Madrigal: 94 PA, .247 wOBA, 59 wRC+, 3 XBH

Pete 'let the kid play' Crow-Armstrong: 98 PA, .248 wOBA, 59 wRC+, 4 XBH

But yeah, if PCA is going to run a wRC in the 30s over the last month, he doesn't need to be penciled in every day. (Personally, neither should Tauchman, but, alas). Hopefully there's a spot for him to bunt a guy from second and then rob one out of the basket in a couple hours. 

[JHBulls]

Spoiler alert:

St Louis will win 2-1, 3-2 and 1-0 this series. 

[Tryptamine]

On the plus side of things, Busch is putting up a 157 wRC+ in June. On the not as bright side of things, he's doing it on the back of a .500 babip and showing very little pop.

[mul21]

1 minute ago, Tryptamine said:

On the plus side of things, Busch is putting up a 157 wRC+ in June. On the not as bright side of things, he's doing it on the back of a .500 babip and showing very little pop.

Just watching him, it feels like he's hitting the ball hard and laying off the high FB more frequently, so I'll take those things as a developmental win.  

[chibears55]

26 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

3 for 11 is worse than his season line because he didn't walk or hit any XBH.

Or said another way..

Nick 'get this useless slap hitter out of my face' Madrigal: 94 PA, .247 wOBA, 59 wRC+, 3 XBH

Pete 'let the kid play' Crow-Armstrong: 98 PA, .248 wOBA, 59 wRC+, 4 XBH

One is 22 and possibly the CFer of the future and the other is a 27 yo utility player.

[Chicago Al]

Jose Abreu was released by the Astros and is still owed 30 mil. Not sure at his age why they even signed him for that much.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 minute ago, chibears55 said:

One is 22 and possibly the CFer of the future and the other is a 27 yo utility player.

A CF having high potential does not entitle them to playing every day when they're hitting like a backup catcher and the team's biggest problem is scoring runs.  The point is not that they are equivalent players, but that if you're getting so repulsed by one's productivity we need to be consistent and not campaign for the other when they don't start one game, especially when he's started 4 straight previously.

[Tryptamine]

A lead off single and they can't even get him to 2B.