Pirates (Ashcraft) vs Cubs (Rea): 8/15/25, 1:20pm

[Brandon Glick]

Nothing like a Friday afternoon game at Wrigley to turn this ship around, right?

[We Got The Whole 9]

Cade got a fg writeup

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/history-repeats-itself-for-cade-horton/

[CUBDOM4life]

Cade’s a dawg

[I owned a Suzuki]

Hope the wind is really blowing out. I dont care if the Cubs lose 18-15. Just build some confidence back in the offense.

[WhyCantWeWin]

Caissie riding the bench today

[cl smooth]

watching the cubs offense the past 6 weeks or so: 

[BigSlick]

it would be awesome if they started a series with a win, as opposed to going loss-win-loss, which it feels like 37 of the last series have gone 

[Geographyhater8888]

The rational thing to do is root for Brewers instead of the Reds because it helps the Cubs playoff picture, but I choose not to. horsefeathers Milwaukee. 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Shaw passed Happ and Suzuki in rWAR. Baseball is funny.

[Chicago Al]

Shaw and Happ should switch places in the lineup. 

Edited August 15, 2025 by Chicago Al

[soccer10k]

3 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

The rational thing to do is root for Brewers instead of the Reds because it helps the Cubs playoff picture, but I choose not to. horsefeathers Milwaukee. 

I think we mainly root for neither team to sweep and them hope we can take care of business against the Pirates.

Im not super worried about the Reds. They play Pitt and Oak (and the Brewers to end the year so that might be an easy series for them) but other than that, every team they play is right around .500 or better. So the Reds would have to get hot against good teams or the Cubs would really have to tank.

[Geographyhater8888]

2 minutes ago, soccer10k said:

I think we mainly root for neither team to sweep and them hope we can take care of business against the Pirates.

Im not super worried about the Reds. They play Pitt and Oak (and the Brewers to end the year so that might be an easy series for them) but other than that, every team they play is right around .500 or better. So the Reds would have to get hot against good teams or the Cubs would really have to tank.

It might not matter anyways if the Mets keep on losing. 

[squally1313]

I find it really hard to imagine a scenario where the cubs play 500 ball the rest of the way (or even whatever 11-13 ball is) and don’t make the playoffs. The reds just aren’t that good and the math gets tough quick. 
 

Which is another way of saying that if the cubs somehow miss the playoffs, and I (obviously) trust the math on their odds, it will be entirely their fault and so worrying about other teams just doesn’t really do anything for me. 

[Lagartijo]

Awful starting lineup for today’s game. What the hell is Happ doing in the 4th spot? 

[chibears55]

1 hour ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

The rational thing to do is root for Brewers instead of the Reds because it helps the Cubs playoff picture, but I choose not to. horsefeathers Milwaukee. 

I think we'll have some sort of idea which way to go as far as not caring about the Brewers anymore and focusing on the Reds after the Brewers series.

[Soul]

1 hour ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

The rational thing to do is root for Brewers instead of the Reds because it helps the Cubs playoff picture, but I choose not to. horsefeathers Milwaukee. 

Screw that.  I’m a big Brewers fan today.  A restaurant down the street is giving away burgers if they win today.  Their burgers are no joke. 

[chibears55]

22 minutes ago, Lagartijo said:

Awful starting lineup for today’s game. What the hell is Happ doing in the 4th spot? 

Yea, cant figure out why Counsell just keeps the same 4 struggling bats on top instead of mixing thembup a bit.

Sometimes a different look for these guys in the order helps 

[Derwood]

Just now, chibears55 said:

Yea, cant figure out why Counsell just keeps the same 4 struggling bats on top instead of mixing thembup a bit.

Sometimes a different look for these guys in the order helps 

Because Counsell's entire personality is just a giant shoulder shrug

[Derwood]

Anyone have a stream link for this one? bila sport is down and I'm blacked out for Pittsburgh games

EDIT: found one

Edited August 15, 2025 by Derwood

[UMFan83]

Apparently the Brewers are pushing Peralta to the Cubs series and using a bullpen game vs the Reds.  This is a double whammy for the Cubs, 1) giving the Reds an easier game to potentially win in the Brewers series (though lol at the thought of the Brewers losing a baseball game) and 2) pitting Peralta vs the Cubs when he was scheduled to miss the series (though the Cubs handled him pretty well last time).  

On the positive side, a bullpen game the day before a doubleheader vs the Cubs seems like a good thing.

[PackLandVA]

Counsell insists on the L/R/L/R/L at the top and middle of the batting order.

[Derwood]

1 minute ago, PackLandVA said:

Counsell insists on the L/R/L/R/L at the top and middle of the batting order.

Hoerner
PCA
Shaw
Caissie
Kelly
Tucker
Seiya
Happ
Dansby

 

 

[Derwood]

Don't know what Busch is complaining about. Clear strike

[PackLandVA]

Keep batting Buschy at leadoff.  Been so successful for 20 games or so.

[PackLandVA]

EIGHT straight outs recorded via the K going back to yesterday's game. Pathetic.