Red Sox (Crochet) vs Cubs (Horton): 7/20/25, 1:20pm

[Hot Sauce]

3 minutes ago, Derwood said:

Tucker hit into a DP? DFA! DFA! DFA!

Current DFA list:

Ryan Pressly
Kyle Tucker
Drew Pomeranz (pending)

[Illiterate Scholar]

6 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

That great and all but just something about him that I just dont like seeing him pitch late in close games, kinda like Turner situation. 

🤷‍♂️

Aren't you the Results Guy

[UMFan83]

Just now, Rcal10 said:

They shouldn’t dfa him, but you are exaggerating his effectiveness. He has dodged a lot of bullets when he pitches. I have no idea why CC doesn’t use Brasier more. Pressley shouldn’t be dfa but he isn’t nails either 

Actually I've wanted the people who are smarter and less lazy than me to look at Pressly's performance and if he's actually pitching well or getting a bit fortunate with his results.  I know his FIP is 2 runs higher than his ERA over that stretch, so maybe that tells us something (but a 2.77 FIP is fine too).

[Rcal10]

Just now, PeanutPunch33 said:

Pressly's entire body of work is just okay as a Cub.  Some good, some bad.  But not someone I want to see in a 1 run game in the 7th inning, just IMO.  They have better options.  

This I agree with. I would have rather seen Brasier or Pomoranz, or just leave Thielbar in. He threw 3 pitches. 

[Derwood]

Are we DFA'ing Pomeranz now?

[Andy]

I was barely finished saying aloud that if this were a playoff game there's no way in hell Counsell would let Drew face Bregman 

[Andy]

Double post 

Edited July 20, 2025 by Andy

[We Got The Whole 9]

horsefeathers. Felt something big coming. 

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Oh well. Back to back series wins against playoff teams.

[gflore34]

2 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

For like a month straight you've been trying to speak this into existence. 

 

The lineup is not that bad. They have about 6 regular above average hitters. 

Today?  I'd say 6 is generous, probably closer 4.

[JHBulls]

Just one of those sucky days that happens over 162. Lineup probably should have scored more runs to make it a close one. 
 

Won a couple of games so that’s a big positive if we don’t come right back in this one. 

[chibears55]

Ball game..

Wasted opportunities with the bats and well not a good day for a couple pen guys. 

 

[We Got The Whole 9]

The leadoff walks each of the last 4 innings was a pretty enormous harbinger

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Maybe the Dodgers can salvage 1 of 6

[UMFan83]

Well everyone thought this was the one we were going to lose this weekend.  Just sucks to waste 5.2 SO innings and not taking advantage of 10 baserunners against Crochet.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

2 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Don't need to DFA him, just stop pitching him late in close games is all.

He's a 5th-6th inning guy now or when games aren't close late.

Keller is down, Palencia is saved to close, and Pomeranz is a better fit(theoretically apparently) for all the lefties at the top of the order.  That means your alternatives are Flexen, Kriske, Roberts, and Brasier.  The only one you can remotely say are preferable to Pressly is Brasier, who pitched yesterday and might not be as sharp.

[CubinNY]

1 minute ago, muntjack said:

 

I don't know what any of that means. Pressley doesn't miss bats. When you don't miss bats, it makes it more likely that these things happen. They can't not use him, so whatever. 

It doesn't matter because Pamernace shat the bed too. 

[PeanutPunch33]

2 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

This I agree with. I would have rather seen Brasier or Pomoranz, or just leave Thielbar in. He threw 3 pitches. 

Same, Brasier is under utilized 

[squally1313]

2 minutes ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

But when I suggest that the Cubs are a bottom 10 team vs LHP since end of May I'm told these sample sizes don't matter and we should look at the entire body of work. 

Pressly's entire body of work is just okay as a Cub.  Some good, some bad.  But not someone I want to see in a 1 run game in the 7th inning, just IMO.  They have better options.  

The biggest issue I have, candidly, is you seemingly deciding which sample sizes are appropriate based on what makes the cubs look bad. Have they been bad against LHP? Recently yes, YTD no. And you go option one and say they suck against LHP. Has Pressly been bad? Recently no, YTD…sure. And you go option two and say he sucks. 

[Derwood]

Just one of those days

[Rcal10]

1 minute ago, squally1313 said:

The biggest issue I have, candidly, is you seemingly deciding which sample sizes are appropriate based on what makes the cubs look bad. Have they been bad against LHP? Recently yes, YTD no. And you go option one and say they suck against LHP. Has Pressly been bad? Recently no, YTD…sure. And you go option two and say he sucks. 

Also, tbf, Cubs were one hit or one less baserunning mistake away from scoring 3 or 4 on Crochet. They didn’t do a bad job against him. 8 hits and a few walks. Just didn’t get the big hit. Stuff happens. Move on. 

[PeanutPunch33]

3 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

The biggest issue I have, candidly, is you seemingly deciding which sample sizes are appropriate based on what makes the cubs look bad. Have they been bad against LHP? Recently yes, YTD no. And you go option one and say they suck against LHP. Has Pressly been bad? Recently no, YTD…sure. And you go option two and say he sucks. 

That's fair. 

The last one was just an emotional comment in the heat of the moment.  I'm sure Pressly will be a valuable piece down the line. 

[muntjack]

4 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

He hadnt allowed an earned run in literally a month. I understand we all saw him do a few bad things at some point this year, but if we can shrink sample sizes to call out peoples slumps, we should be consistent and say he’s been (‘consistently’) fine for a good stretch here. 

We have to stop using earned runs to evaluate relievers.  I'm not sure why that's been happening around here like it's 2004.  5 of Pressly's last 23 appearances have been clean.  He has a 15%K rate and a 50% hard- hit rate. Does that mean he's done and should be dfa'd? Not necessarily.  But in no way should we be surprised when he gives up some runs.  

[Hot Sauce]

Ethan Roberts… DFA’d! 

[UMFan83]

7 minutes ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

But when I suggest that the Cubs are a bottom 10 team vs LHP since end of May I'm told these sample sizes don't matter and we should look at the entire body of work. 

I'm so confused about where you got this from?  

Since May 25th (just picked that date because it was the "end of May" and the last Sunday of the month) they are 13th in baseball against LHP by wRC+.  Over the last 30 days they've been 9th (109 wRC+).  There are teams competing for the playoffs like the Giants who are much worse (55 wRC+ vs LHP over last 30 days)