Brewers (Priester) vs Cubs (Imanaga): 8/21/25, 1:20pm

[Bertz]

1 minute ago, Dfan25 said:

Looks like Counsell is  prioritizing small sample results over Priester ‘s splits by starting Suzuki over Cassie .

???

[CubUgly]

4 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Yeah Brasier is the only guy you'd assume is fully fresh (Brown too, though I suspect he is going to start Friday or Saturday unless things go sideways today), and even that's pending how warm he got in the 9th last night.  I'm hoping for a blowout one way or the other.

Brasier had a really rough stretch after a really, really good stretch when he came back from the injury.  But he did o.k. last outing, hoping he can stabilize, we need him to. 

[Dfan25]

5 minutes ago, Bertz said:

???

Suzuki is 3 for 8 againts Priester with a HR . Good numbers in small sample  Someone already talked about why Castro is starting over Shaw due to Priester ‘s  splits .  
 

Considering Priesters overall splits , perhaps it would have been a good time to play Cassie in LF . He is going with the small sample results . Hopefully it works .

[PackLandVA]

Current Cubs roster is 17 for 52 (.327 avg) against Priester with 4 HRs and 12 RBI.

Current Cubs lineup is 16 for 46 (.348 avg) against Priester with the same 4 HRs and 12 RBI.

 

Priester was pretty bad in his first start against the Cubs in Wrigley. Came back with a nice performance against the Cubs in Milwaukee.

 

Current Brewers roster is 16 for 52 (.308 avg) against Shota with 4 HRs and 7 RBI.

Current Brewers lineup is 13 for 48 (.3271 avg) against Shota with 3 HRs and 5 RBI.

 

Shota got pounded in his first start career against the Brewers, last year in Milwaukee.  He faced them twice this season, also in Milwaukee, and has pitched 10.2 innings and 5 ER. 

[BigSlick]

It would be cool to win this game, IMO 

[Brian707]

42 minutes ago, Hot Sauce said:

NSBB happy.

[We Got The Whole 9]

They've done a pretty good job of dictating ABs against Shota and not chasing. Be careful of Contreras. He was all over him last time out. Shota cant afford walks; needs to pound the zone.

[Longhorn20]

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

I believe he has done pretty poorly against RHP sinkers. Priester is a sinker merchant. Probably a good rest day for him all things considered. 

what rest? they run hard in spurts a few times over 3 hours and then get 18 hours to rest.

[squally1313]

12 minutes ago, Dfan25 said:

Suzuki is 3 for 8 againts Priester with a HR . Good numbers in small sample  Someone already talked about why Castro is starting over Shaw due to Priester ‘s  splits .  
 

Considering Priesters overall splits , perhaps it would have been a good time to play Cassie in LF . He is going with the small sample results . Hopefully it works .

I think the large sample results say Seiya Suzuki is a clearly superior hitter

[Jason Ross]

9 minutes ago, Longhorn20 said:

what rest? they run hard in spurts a few times over 3 hours and then get 18 hours to rest.

Matt Shaw has just played four baseball games in three days. The Cubs are about to take a cross country flight tonight to the West Coast and then play three more games. Today is a game less than 24 hours since the last one. It is fair to need a day off. Players do not play their best when they are exhausted. As well, the Cubs only off day between August 12th and September 3rd is this upcoming Monday, the 25th. It's illogical to think Shaw will play every day.

Beyond that, Priester is much better against RHH. He is a pitcher who throws 43% of his pitches as sinkers - a pitch that excels against same-side hitting players. Matt Shaw is RHH. Willi Castro will hit LHH, which forces Quinn Priester (who's xFIP jumps half a full point against LHH) to either throw his best pitch in non-exceptional situations or completely off his best pitch. It is a good day for the Cubs to give their player a day off. 

Just this week the Cubs have found off days for many of their starters. That Matt Shaw got a day off isn't surprising, the team does need him fresh. I know that it's more fun when Matt Shaw plays, but the Cubs have to balance their best lineup and keeping players in the best physical state to play. So while it's easy to want to see Shaw, we have to be intelligent enough to look at the big picture as fans to understand the purpose behind it. 

[WhyCantWeWin]

They were 3-0 during Tuckers reset right? 

[DYMNO]

14 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

Matt Shaw has just played four baseball games in three days. The Cubs are about to take a cross country flight tonight to the West Coast and then play three more games. Today is a game less than 24 hours since the last one. It is fair to need a day off. Players do not play their best when they are exhausted. As well, the Cubs only off day between August 12th and September 3rd is this upcoming Monday, the 25th. It's illogical to think Shaw will play every day.

Beyond that, Priester is much better against RHH. He is a pitcher who throws 43% of his pitches as sinkers - a pitch that excels against same-side hitting players. Matt Shaw is RHH. Willi Castro will hit LHH, which forces Quinn Priester (who's xFIP jumps half a full point against LHH) to either throw his best pitch in non-exceptional situations or completely off his best pitch. It is a good day for the Cubs to give their player a day off. 

Just this week the Cubs have found off days for many of their starters. That Matt Shaw got a day off isn't surprising, the team does need him fresh. I know that it's more fun when Matt Shaw plays, but the Cubs have to balance their best lineup and keeping players in the best physical state to play. So while it's easy to want to see Shaw, we have to be intelligent enough to look at the big picture as fans to understand the purpose behind it. 

I don’t know if I’ve told you lately, but in the least creepy manner I can muster I have to say, I love you, 1908.

[UMFan83]

8 minutes ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

They were 3-0 during Tuckers reset right? 

Yes.  If they lose today its clear that Tucker is a blight on the 2025 Chicago Cubs and must be exiled.

[UMFan83]

6 pitch leadoff single is sub optimal

edit: 1 pitch double play afterwards is more optimal

Edited August 21, 2025 by UMFan83

[UMFan83]

Can't say I love at the 3 batted balls that inning had xBAs of .910, .390 and .410 with the last 2 being over 100 mph but no harm no foul

[UMFan83]

nice work Seiya....

[mul21]

Wouldn't have hated seeing Caissie in for Seiya today.  Especially in light of the sinker analysis from Jason.

[Geographyhater8888]

Seiya’s OPS will be under 800 by Saturday at the latest..

[squally1313]

1 minute ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

Seiya’s OPS will be under 800 by Saturday at the latest..

This isn't so much directed at you but him hypothetically falling to 800 would mean he still has 68 more points to go to get to Caissie's OPS. 

[mul21]

3 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

This isn't so much directed at you but him hypothetically falling to 800 would mean he still has 68 more points to go to get to Caissie's OPS. 

Oh, come on.  You're better than using that small of a sample size even if he's being ridiculous.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Damn that was smoked

[Cubbies1996]

Of course they hit it out to right field 😑😑😑

[squally1313]

2 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Oh, come on.  You're better than using that small of a sample size even if he's being ridiculous.

I mean, I think Suzuki is a much better hitter than Caissie. The small sample size stat backing up just happens to align with that thought. 

[Geographyhater8888]

4 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Oh, come on.  You're better than using that small of a sample size even if he's being ridiculous.

Who’s ridiculous? He’s sitting at 567 since the all star break in 122 PAs. I’m pointing out how he’s been awful over the last month+. Is that a ridiculous observation or are you referring to something else?

Edited August 21, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[mul21]

The inordinate number of ground balls to first base lately by every lefty in the lineup is really weird.