Cubs (Boyd) vs Giants (Verlander): 8/26/25, 8:45pm

[Caesar]

2 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

The point is that the Cubs need to, on a nigutly basis determine who is likely to give them the best chance to win. I understand everyone loves the shiny new toy, but Owen Caissie is a rookie. Seiya Suzuki has been an excellent hitter for 3.5 years. Yes, he is in a bit of a slump. But who do we expect to be better on a nightly basis? The guy who has been 30% (roughly) better than league average for 3.5 years or the kid who has 20 appearances ever at the MLB level? 

It is not a waste for Caissie to be up. He provides a LHH power swing off the bench. He has 1,000 appearances in Iowa, a few weeks more will provide little. 

But on a nightly basis, Suzuki, not Caissie, provides the best chance to hit currently. There is zero reason to believe he is broken. They had an off day yesterday as a team, he doesn't need a day off, he literally just had one. 

Owen Caissie is no different than the backup QB right now. He is exciting because he is an unknown. But that unknown is also why he is a worse bet. Craig Counsell's job is to make that determination. He is a good coach. He is also correct in his assumption that Suzuki is the correct choice. 

Who gives you the better chance to win tonight and the answer is Cassie based on the previous 2 weeks. Every game counts now. I know history tells you Suzuki is a good hitter but sitting him a couple of games wil probably help. Seemed to work with Tucker. Suzuki has had 2 months to get out of slump! How much longer due you give him before you sit him for a few days? Tucker sat for 3 days and he’s considered a better hitter. What’s the difference?

[chibears55]

Yea, outside of a day off here and there, Counsell going to go with his main guys in this final stretch to get them to either a division win or that no.1 WC spot.

 

[Cubbies1996]

So tired of Busch swinging first pitch every game

[Jason Ross]

2 minutes ago, Caesar said:

Who gives you the better chance to win tonight and the answer is Cassie based on the previous 2 weeks. Every game counts now. I know history tells you Suzuki is a good hitter but sitting him a couple of games wil probably help. Seemed to work with Tucker. Suzuki has had 2 months to get out of slump! How much longer due you give him before you sit him for a few days? Tucker sat for 3 days and he’s considered a better hitter. What’s the difference?

Making every decision based on the last two weeks is what fickle fans do because fans think the last two weeks somehow override the long vision and history of a player. 

There is a reason MLB teams don't operate in two-week sample sizes.

Why does sitting on Tuesday somehow make Seiya Suzuki more likely to get a hit Wednesday when he already had Monday off? Can you explain that?

Instead of grasping at straws, just admit that you'd rather watch Owen Caissie right now because he's an unknown. These justifications are flimsy. I'd rather be honest than try to hide our biases. 

[Jason Ross]

Whoops. Suzuki got a hit.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 minute ago, Caesar said:

Who gives you the better chance to win tonight and the answer is Cassie based on the previous 2 weeks. 

No, this is not a thing.  The last 2 weeks do not become predictive just because they have gone differently than expected.

1 minute ago, Caesar said:

 I know history tells you Suzuki is a good hitter but sitting him a couple of games will probably help.

No, this is not at all probable.

1 minute ago, Caesar said:

How much longer due you give him before you sit him for a few days? Tucker sat for 3 days and he’s considered a better hitter. What’s the difference?

 

These are players playing at the highest level and not an appliance we are turning off and turning on again, the reasons for their slump and the way they snap out one will not be identical.  For one objective thing, when Tucker was scuffling he was not hitting the ball hard, Seiya has hit the bejeezus out of the ball with little to show for it this month.

And on cue, Seiya hits a single.

[Cubbies1996]

And Kelly goes down looking again. So glad he’s hitting 5th

[Eeyore]

The ump is a Verlander fan

[Wilson A2000]

1 minute ago, Cubbies1996 said:

And Kelly goes down looking again. So glad he’s hitting 5th

It was a terrible called third strike

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Cubbies1996 said:

And Kelly goes down looking again. So glad he’s hitting 5th

He watched ball-three and the umpire called it a strike anyways. That's not on Kelly, he correctly diagnosed the pitch. You don't have to "protect the plate" on a pitch outside of the zone, the expectation should be that the umpire makes the correct call.

[Cubbies1996]

Just now, Wilson A2000 said:

It was a terrible called third strike

It was close enough to take a hack at it. Not egregious at all. 

[Hortonhearsawho]

Nice hustle Devers. 

[JHBulls]

Devers trying to change the perception that he’s lazy. 

[Cubbies1996]

4 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

He watched ball-three and the umpire called it a strike anyways. That's not on Kelly, he correctly diagnosed the pitch. You don't have to "protect the plate" on a pitch outside of the zone, the expectation should be that the umpire makes the correct call.

Yes I agree that it was outside according to K zone,but it wasn’t egregious and 6” outside. It was a borderline call that Kelly too often takes in these situations. Foul it off and get to the next pitch. He’s way too passive to be hitting 5th. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, JHBulls said:

Devers trying to change the perception that he’s lazy. 

Lol, he never made it close to 1st on that? he's either slow af or lazy af

[Jason Ross]

3 minutes ago, Cubbies1996 said:

Yes I agree that it was outside according to K zone,but it wasn’t egregious and 6” outside. It was a borderline call that Kelly too often takes in these situations. Foul it off and get to the next pitch. He’s way too passive to be hitting 5th. 

It's not just K-zone, that is MLB's official strike zone. The umpire missed it. The expectation should not be that the hitter correctly assesses the pitch while also correctly guessing whether or not the umpire makes the right call.

He watched ball three. The error is squarely on the official. Being upset at Kelly for understanding the strike zone seems silly. 

[Derwood]

1 minute ago, Jason Ross said:

It's not just K-zone, that is MLB's official strike zone. The umpire missed it. The expectation should not be that the hitter correctly assesses the pitch while also correctly guessing whether or not the umpire makes the right call.

He watched ball three. The error is squarely on the official. 

And unfortunately, the bad call was a rally killer

[Neuby]

Castro not being used to give Happ or Swanson a day off is dumb, 

[Cubbies1996]

2 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

It's not just K-zone, that is MLB's official strike zone. The umpire missed it. The expectation should not be that the hitter correctly assesses the pitch while also correctly guessing whether or not the umpire makes the right call.

He watched ball three. The error is squarely on the official. 

Well until the ABS system is implemented there will always be human error. Have to be ready to protect. And Kelly has consistently not been ready to protect and work a count

[Guest]

The strike 3 call on Kelly was def not a strike. When you got 2 guys in scoring position to boot it's aggravating as hell

[Eeyore]

1 minute ago, Neuby said:

Castro not being used to give Happ or Swanson a day off is dumb, 

Didn't we just read a page and a half about how using bench players to start doesn't give you the best chance to win and about how they had a day off yesterday?

[Wilson A2000]

3 minutes ago, Neuby said:

Caissie not being used to give Happ a day off is dumb, 

 

[Jason Ross]

6 minutes ago, Cubbies1996 said:

Well until the ABS system is implemented there will always be human error. Have to be ready to protect. And Kelly has consistently not been ready to protect and work a count

Carson Kelly is in the 91st percentile of chase% (meaning he rarely chases pitches out of the zone), has a 71st percentile K% (meaning he strikes out well below average), a 77% whiff rate (meaning he rarely swings and misses) and an 81st percentile walk rate (meaning he walks far more than the average hitter). To recap: he swings almost exclusely at strikes, and when he does makes contact with them. He also doesnt strike out and takes well more than his fair share of walks. That is exactly a hitter who understands how to work a count. 

[BigSlick]

can we please not scuffle against the desiccated corpse of Justin Verlander? PLEASE? 

[Eeyore]

This umpire's favorite meal is a single slice of bologna on white bread with ketchup on both sides.