Reds (Lodolo) vs Cubs (Soroka): 8/4/25, 7:05pm

[Cubs420psd]

Kyle Tucker last 30 games:

.238/.367/.343 

 

 

His 18 HR's put him in a 9 way tie for 47th in the league.

 

Not good enough.

Edited August 5, 2025 by Cubs420psd

[UMFan83]

3 minutes ago, Cubs420psd said:

Kyle Tucker last 30 games.

 

.238/.367/.343

 

Not good enough.

I mean it’s not I agree. Just kind of crazy that his horrific slump is still a .710 OPS for him. Meanwhile Seiya is somewhere around .480 over a similar time frame

[PeanutPunch33]

You get what you pay for and the Cubs didn't pay for much at the deadline.  This might end up being one of those seasons we reflect on and say "what if" 

[LaGuardia Cub]

46 minutes ago, Randall Simon said:

Exactly! Can we find out who's actually behind their success and pay them top dollar to leave? 

Pat Murphy?

[Stratos]

Over the last month the Brewers have scored the most runs in the MLB and also allowed the fewest runs.

[Stratos]

Counsell in the post-game presser below taking all the questions we'd want asked about Soroka.  Will be an IL stint.  Cubs knew his velo had taken a step backwards lately, and since the trade Soroka has been looking forward to the Cubs being able to try to help him get back on track with the velo.

Seems maybe a little cagey about any pre-trade injuries.

 

[Stratos]

Here's Soroka yesterday (before the start) specifically being asked about the cause of the velo drop.  He's also vague, and sounds like he says he's "been going through some stuff with internal med" and sounds like a couple of issues and he expected it to be fixable in the short-term.   That could mean anything.   Cubs knew about the issues pre-trade.

 

Edited August 5, 2025 by Stratos

[Stratos]

 

[Proven Veteran]

25 minutes ago, Stratos said:

 

You can't let him be the only starter you get if you know he's injured. That's a massive failure.

[Geographyhater8888]

6 hours ago, Jason Ross said:

In a way, the Reds got a bit of a break with Lodolo going down with a blister. Don't get me wrong, great pitcher, but the Cubs lineup was geared to hit against a LHP not a barrage of RHP. 

It's just one of those nights where all of the little things have worked against the Cubs. 

With all due respect, Would you have said that the Tigers caught a break if Skubal had left the game after recording 5 outs back in June and the offense was held to 3 hits off of their bullpen, because of lineup construction geared towards hitting left handed pitchers in an alternate outcome? I know Lodolo isn’t Skubal but neither is Mackenzie Gote or any of the other all star caliber left handed starters that the Cubs have struggled to score off of.

If the Cubs could slug then the game wouldn’t have came down to weak contact and Swanson missing the bag with how they’re constructed to score runs. Bad breaks or not,, once again they’ve failed to pass the eye test and haven’t since the all star break which is reflected in their run differential. 3 hits off their bullpen? 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Jason Ross]

2 hours ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

With all due respect, Would you have said that the Tigers caught a break if Skubal had left the game after recording 5 outs back in June and the offense was held to 3 hits off of their bullpen, because of lineup construction geared towards hitting left handed pitchers in an alternate outcome? I know Lodolo isn’t Skubal but neither is Mackenzie Gote or any of the other all star caliber left handed starters that the Cubs have struggled to score off of.

If the Cubs could slug then the game wouldn’t have came down to weak contact and Swanson missing the bag with how they’re constructed to score runs. Bad breaks or not,, once again they’ve failed to pass the eye test and haven’t since the all star break which is reflected in their run differential. 3 hits off their bullpen? 

 

 

So, first, there is no reason to compare Lodolo with Skubal. Lodolo is a good pitcher, Skubal is the *best* pitcher. It doesn’t help your point, it does the opposite. 

Secondly, I have about four other posts here in which I said that while there was certainly bad luck and things that went against their way, thay you cannot expect to win scoring twice. I think it's very clear I understand they also struggled in their own right. 

What I was doing was pointing out a reality that the Cubs lineup was not maximized to face RHP but a lefty and that also is a factor. People here become so emotional and ride the second by second roller coaster that they miss details and context. People completely ignore lots when it comes to splits and agency from the pitcher. Had the Cubs known theyd have faced a RHP for seven innings their lineup would have looked very different. Yes, that matters. I never said it was an excuse, I pointed out a reality. Do you think they would have rolled out this lineup had they known they would face a RHP in seven innings tonight? 

Bummer they lost. There are like 50 more to go. There is no reason to ignore context because they had a frustrating outcome tonight. Guess what? Probably a few more of those to come regardless of how well the next 50 go. It's baseball.

[NorthsideAvenger]

The pitching is not good enough to carry this team to the playoffs, so if the offense does not get going I am having trouble seeing a path to the playoffs. Boy, oh, boy I would not want to be Ricketts. Hoyer or Counsell if the Cubs missed the playoffs after the start to the season they had.

[Geographyhater8888]

2 hours ago, Jason Ross said:

So, first, there is no reason to compare Lodolo with Skubal. Lodolo is a good pitcher, Skubal is the *best* pitcher. It doesn’t help your point, it does the opposite. 

Secondly, I have about four other posts here in which I said that while there was certainly bad luck and things that went against their way, thay you cannot expect to win scoring twice. I think it's very clear I understand they also struggled in their own right. 

What I was doing was pointing out a reality that the Cubs lineup was not maximized to face RHP but a lefty and that also is a factor. People here become so emotional and ride the second by second roller coaster that they miss details and context. People completely ignore lots when it comes to splits and agency from the pitcher. Had the Cubs known theyd have faced a RHP for seven innings their lineup would have looked very different. Yes, that matters. I never said it was an excuse, I pointed out a reality. Do you think they would have rolled out this lineup had they known they would face a RHP in seven innings tonight? 

Bummer they lost. There are like 50 more to go. There is no reason to ignore context because they had a frustrating outcome tonight. Guess what? Probably a few more of those to come regardless of how well the next 50 go. It's baseball.

I made it clear he’s not the caliber of pitcher Skubal is, the net effect, positive or negative of lineup construction vs Nick Martinez and the other 4+ ERA Reds I would think is neutral at best, especially with the way they’ve been hitting of late. To say they caught a break I didn’t expect to read, I understand your point. CC tried to counter it with plugging in Busch and PCA after Turner and Shaw took at bats. I’m not here to win a debate. Just asking for clarification.

 

Either way the top of the lineup needs to wake up badly, and I hope Tuckers jammed finger from 2 months ago is simply speculation for his drop in slug and not a lingering injury that’s effecting him at the plate because he’s the engine that makes this offense run. Good thing the lineup is deep enough to tread water with all 4 struggling in unison and Suzuki having fits against pitches on the outside corner.

Edited August 5, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Jason Ross]

1 hour ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

I made it clear he’s not the caliber of pitcher Skubal is, the net effect, positive or negative of lineup construction vs Nick Martinez and the other 4+ ERA Reds I would think is neutral at best, especially with the way they’ve been hitting of late. To say they caught a break I didn’t expect to read, I understand your point. CC tried to counter it with plugging in Busch and PCA after Turner and Shaw took at bats. I’m not here to win a debate. Just asking for clarification.

 

Either way the top of the lineup needs to wake up badly, and I hope Tuckers jammed finger from 2 months ago is simply speculation for his drop in slug and not a lingering injury that’s effecting him at the plate because he’s the engine that makes this offense run. Good thing the lineup is deep enough to tread water with all 4 struggling in unison and Suzuki having fits against pitches on the outside corner.

They did get pinch hits in, but that was never the optimal lineup. The team lost their best defensive 3b, got stuck with Castro (who is an alright hitter against RHP but far excells against LHP) and then tanked their bench the rest of the way which nuked any flexibility the Cubs had. Im sure Counsell would have used those players regardless but I doubt the plan was to entirely reshuffle their lineup come the fifth inning. The Cubs were forced into a sub optimal lineup. Was it *the* factor? No! Was it *a* factor, one of many that lead to the loss? Pretty unquestionably. 

When we diagnose a loss, many times there is not a critical failure point but many small leaks and cracks. Last night had many small paper cuts that lead to a frustrating 3-2. 

[CubUgly]

9 hours ago, chibears55 said:

Im waiting for whomever supposed to be the leaders of this team to go off in the clubhouse, maybe im wrong but it feels like these guys just accept these losses and nobody speaking up in the clubhouse or am I just too old school and that stuff dont happen anymore.

 

Yeah, that sense of urgency that Boog insists just isn't a thing in a big league clubhouse....well I agree with you I think it needs to become a thing.  The Reds score the tying and go ahead runs after swinging bunts, the go ahead run on an end of the bat blooper with a 70 mph exit velocity.....all because all the good hitters on our team have all decided to quit hitting all at once and when they do hit it ain't homers anymore.   No way in hell they should win that game with 3 runs....now WAY!!

 

[Geographyhater8888]

35 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

They did get pinch hits in, but that was never the optimal lineup. The team lost their best defensive 3b, got stuck with Castro (who is an alright hitter against RHP but far excells against LHP) and then tanked their bench the rest of the way which nuked any flexibility the Cubs had. Im sure Counsell would have used those players regardless but I doubt the plan was to entirely reshuffle their lineup come the fifth inning. The Cubs were forced into a sub optimal lineup. Was it *the* factor? No! Was it *a* factor, one of many that lead to the loss? Pretty unquestionably. 

When we diagnose a loss, many times there is not a critical failure point but many small leaks and cracks. Last night had many small paper cuts that lead to a frustrating 3-2. 

Paper cuts like Willy Mayes KeBryan Hayes swinging bunt single, Hoerners line drive double play and Swanson missing the bag was the difference. The results sucked, the process has sucked too. Because improper lineup construction wasn’t enough to offset the difference between Lodolo and generic reds right handed bullpen arms. 
I hope the wind blowing in isn’t getting to their heads. It knocked down at least 2 on Friday and many over the course of the season.

Edited August 5, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Frisbee Slider]

8 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

The worst thing is we know a ton of posters at Brewerfanatic read this forum since Brock owns them both and they have to be reading these threads nightly and enjoying the hell out of it.

I am one such member of Brewer Fanatic with positive intentions.

My perception is that nearly all Brewer fans are rightfully afraid of a Cubs lineup filled with five hitters above .800 OPS. The bullpen probably has over performed this season. I otherwise think of the Cubs bullpen as being a clown show.

Cubs are expecting a lot from Shota and Boyd…

[JD94]

Annoying 2 months of baseball. 27-25 over the last 2 months. Don’t really care why we are losing specific games as much as it’s happening too often. 
 

You would think that all your big bats wouldn’t slump at the same time and for such an expanded period of time. I know Kyle’s slump is better than most people’s slumps, but like come on… it’s time to start turning it around at some point. PCA has taken some atrocious AB’s lately. Seiya is in a major funk. So on and so forth. 
 

Then the whole Soroka fiasco. Your big deadline deal for a SP is an average guy when healthy that is already experiencing a velo dip and now he’s out after 2 innings for no telling how long. 
 

I still believe we will be fine. Still one of the best records. Milwaukee just continues to win over and over and over. I’m not saying it’s the end of the world. It’s just frustrating. I guess it’s just a part of the ebbs and flows of a baseball season. This one just feels bigger and more annoying than most all things considered (the way Milwaukee is playing, the failure of the TDL, subpar baseball for 2 straight months, big bats with a prolonged slump, etc). Lot of baseball left though. 

[gflore34]

Keep waiting for this horsefeathers team to get hot, just don't believe it's going to happen.  It's been 2+ months and the big hitters are showing no signs of coming out of their slumps.   I know I've alluded to having patience, there's patience and realizing something is an exercise in futility.  I've just about had with this horsefeathers team, bring on football.  Speaking of which, I wish the Illini weren't so highly ranked or ranked at all, never seem to do well when the spotlight is on them.  It's better to toil away in anonymity.

Edited August 5, 2025 by gflore34

[gflore34]

I will note the Brewers got 3, yes 3 hits, off the corpse of Erik Fedde yesterday.  Still insist they're no offensive juggernaut, not that it really matters with the way the Cubs continue to not hit.

[Rcal10]

I really think we all should just stop worrying about the Brewers. They are going to do what they do. We just need the Cubs to play better ball. What is strange about this is that even playing poorly for 2 months they are 27-25 or something like that. Never really  long winning or losing streak. Because of a good start, even playing to that pace the rest of the year will get them in the playoffs. Probably won’t win the division, but still in the playoffs. And still a 90-92 win team. Which I am pretty sure we would have all been happy with at the start of the season. The problem is that now they have to have Boyd and Horton pitch all year. If they can I still think our top 3 pitchers (Horton being one of them) can compete with any other teams. The issue is, I don’t know how Boyd and Horton can hold all season. I think if the Cubs are several games up in the WC and only a few out of the division lead late in the season, you still might see Boyd and Horton skipped or pushed back to lessen their load. I think the Cubs might need to start focusing on who can pitch in the playoffs rather than worry about winning the division. They need to thread the needle between health of their pitchers and winning enough games to make the playoffs. 

[CubUgly]

42 minutes ago, JD94 said:

 

Then the whole Soroka fiasco. Your big deadline deal for a SP is an average guy when healthy that is already experiencing a velo dip and now he’s out after 2 innings for no telling how long. 
 

 

I mean, I'm not the guy who is constantly complaining about Jed, but that 3 mile an hour dip the 3 games prior to getting him, was that just summarily dismissed?

[Geographyhater8888]

7 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I really think we all should just stop worrying about the Brewers. They are going to do what they do. We just need the Cubs to play better ball. What is strange about this is that even playing poorly for 2 months they are 27-25 or something like that. Never really  long winning or losing streak. Because of a good start, even playing to that pace the rest of the year will get them in the playoffs. Probably won’t win the division, but still in the playoffs. And still a 90-92 win team. Which I am pretty sure we would have all been happy with at the start of the season. The problem is that now they have to have Boyd and Horton pitch all year. If they can I still think our top 3 pitchers (Horton being one of them) can compete with any other teams. The issue is, I don’t know how Boyd and Horton can hold all season. I think if the Cubs are several games up in the WC and only a few out of the division lead late in the season, you still might see Boyd and Horton skipped or pushed back to lessen their load. I think the Cubs might need to start focusing on who can pitch in the playoffs rather than worry about winning the division. They need to thread the needle between health of their pitchers and winning enough games to make the playoffs. 

That’s exactly how I feel. If Horton can handle the increase in work load he’s the only number 4 starter I have any confidence in to hold a playoff lineup in check. It’s gotten to the point we’ll be score board watching the Reds.

[gflore34]

16 minutes ago, CubUgly said:

I mean, I'm not the guy who is constantly complaining about Jed, but that 3 mile an hour dip the 3 games prior to getting him, was that just summarily dismissed?

I'm guessing he access to all the data including medical reports and, after consultation, deemed Soroka a risk worth taking?  Or, is this another Neris and Pressly for Jed?  Any word on the injury, is it the injury of the year oblique?

Edited August 5, 2025 by gflore34

[gflore34]

20 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I really think we all should just stop worrying about the Brewers. They are going to do what they do. We just need the Cubs to play better ball. What is strange about this is that even playing poorly for 2 months they are 27-25 or something like that. Never really  long winning or losing streak. Because of a good start, even playing to that pace the rest of the year will get them in the playoffs. Probably won’t win the division, but still in the playoffs. And still a 90-92 win team. Which I am pretty sure we would have all been happy with at the start of the season. The problem is that now they have to have Boyd and Horton pitch all year. If they can I still think our top 3 pitchers (Horton being one of them) can compete with any other teams. The issue is, I don’t know how Boyd and Horton can hold all season. I think if the Cubs are several games up in the WC and only a few out of the division lead late in the season, you still might see Boyd and Horton skipped or pushed back to lessen their load. I think the Cubs might need to start focusing on who can pitch in the playoffs rather than worry about winning the division. They need to thread the needle between health of their pitchers and winning enough games to make the playoffs. 

I know it's a possibility, it's baseball almost anything is possible.  This team is in such a deep funk I'm really questioning whether they're capable of better baseball at this point.