Tigers (TBD) vs Cubs (Assad): 8/20/24, 7:05pm

[WhyCantWeWin]

Thats gotta be rough for Baez

[mfcubs22]

Relatively easy. Not used to that. 

[profisme]

I like Hodge.

[WhyCantWeWin]

Also Paredes sucks

[Tank]

Oof! Javy with the golden sombrero.

[chibears55]

W.. 

Edited August 21, 2024 by chibears55

[Irrelevant Dude]

Maybe don't start the light show while there is still a play to be made at first base.

[profisme]

With the bullpen of Miller, Lopez, Hodge, and we'll see what Neely looks like at this level, it could be a fun group of arms.

[mfcubs22]

Just now, chibears55 said:

W.. let get back to 500 tomorrow 

If we can get credited for 2 wins for every game we win, we’ll be back in the wildcard in no time! 😁

[chibears55]

Just now, mfcubs22 said:

If we can get credited for 2 wins for every game we win, we’ll be back in the wildcard in no time! 😁

Lol, I forgot that sweep knocked them 4 under 🤦‍♂️

[chibears55]

...

[mfcubs22]

Just now, chibears55 said:

Lol, I forgot that sweep knocked them 4 under 🤦‍♂️

I try not to think about that Cleveland series too. Damnit. 

[UMFan83]

Javy is so done and it’s damn sad. Tigers are gonna bite the bullet and cut him after this year. He’s not even playing above replacement level defensively. Lots of money and years left but that roster spot can be used more effectively. 

[LBiittner]

1 minute ago, UMFan83 said:

Javy is so done and it’s damn sad. Tigers are gonna bite the bullet and cut him after this year. He’s not even playing above replacement level defensively. Lots of money and years left but that roster spot can be used more effectively. 

I'm wondering if javy sits either tomorrow or Wednesday? He's pressing big time tonight

[Irrelevant Dude]

2 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Javy is so done and it’s damn sad. 

Javy was the guy who had all the red flags that his game wasn't going to age well.  Even with that said, nobody could have expected his downfall to happen this quickly and this severely.  I feel bad for the guy.

[Rex Buckingham]

I still want the Cubs to bring him in at the league minimum if the Tigers cut him. I'm convinced he would feed off the Wrigley crowd again and make stuff happen. 

[Tank]

1 hour ago, profisme said:

Delicious and without onions I trust.  Don't forget, he was the Cubs minor league pitcher of the year one year.  

Dude, you got me looking at the Kuma's menu now. Thanks for the inspiration! 

[We Got The Whole 9]

They have to get Dansby back to being at least a league-average hitter. 10 homers is pitiful. 

[Crusader]

2nd place in the central and 5.5 games back now.

[Stratos]

3 hours ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

Maybe don't start the light show while there is still a play to be made at first base.

Nothing says Wrigley like an LED light show.

[squally1313]

9 hours ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

They have to get Dansby back to being at least a league-average hitter. 10 homers is pitiful. 

There's a few things here, and I'll lean a little optimistic because that's typically where I fall out here so bake that into all this:

1. 'At least a league average hitter' is probably optimistic at this point. He's a career 95 wRC hitter in his age 30 season and his expected numbers are down in addition to his actual numbers being definitely down. 90-95 wRC is a reasonable hope for the next few years.

2. That's still plenty valuable. 4th best defensive player in baseball this year even with the early weird mishaps. Everyone of the ROS projection systems has him comfortably over 3 fWAR for the year. At roughly $8m/WAR and with a little under 5 coming in last year, we are still far off from this contract being some disaster and it's still coming in at least even, if not ahead of, the other SS contracts handed out last offseason. 

3. In terms of home runs specifically, while there's nothing to say he's been very unlucky specifically on the HR front, he's got the 7th biggest gap between his slug and his expected slug. Even the expected slug still isn't 'good' (.428), and put whatever stock you want into those numbers now that we're into late August, but it's above his career average and higher than his actual slugging last year, so probably fair to say the hard hit skill is still in there. As an aside, hilariously, Juan Soto is 2nd on the biggest slug/xslug gap, with his .603 underperforming his xslug by 81 points.  Please go get him.

[Bertz]

Dansby Swanson for his career has a .317 wOBA and a .326 xwOBA.  So his true talent is to underperform his Stacast numbers by a modest amount.

This year, Dansby Swanson has a .326 xwOBA exactly in line with his career numbers (despite a pretty crappy run environment) and yet us running a .289 actual.  That is 4x the typical gap he runs.  A .317 like his career suggests he should be around would coincidentally tie him with Mike Tauchman offensively (a 105 wRC+ for those like me who prefer that measure).

Dansby's main problem is run of the mill bad luck.  From a process standpoint though he has been hitting the ball on the ground too much.  That's the difference between a luck neutral 105 wRC+ and something more like 115 or 120 like he's run when he's at his best.  His contact, patience, and exit velo numbers are all totally fine.

[BKHoo]

Maybe this guy is the bullpen whisperer? The BP has been pretty marvelous lately. 

[Brian707]

11 hours ago, Crusader said:

2nd place in the central and 5.5 games back now.

87 wins should be enough to leapfrog three teams. 25-11 record will accomplish that

 

[chibears55]

6 hours ago, Brian707 said:

87 wins should be enough to leapfrog three teams. 25-11 record will accomplish that

 

Not sure if they can play at a almost 700 clip to close out season, I'll take just getting and staying over 500 to close out August and then see where they're at come the last 2 weeks of season before I start thinking and hoping for playoffs.