Cubs (Horton) vs Rockies (Márquez): 8/29/25, 7:40pm

[DYMNO]

1 minute ago, Papa Cub said:

I won’t argue that with you - solid points. What I’m simply asking is this: would you trust him in a tight game? I’m quite certain the answer is hell no. So - to my point…..he is only good for garbage innings against terrible lineups, and even then he’s a liability.

Oh, and the Paul Skenes comparison to Ben Brown is……let’s just say, ludicrous. Cade Horton is a rookie and learned those “ropes” pretty quick, oh and this guy from Milwaukee (also a rookie) also learned those proverbial ropes quite well too. I could go on. Brown has had enough chances to show that he’s not an MLB pitcher. So we can agree to disagree

 

If you think I was comparing Ben Brown to Paul Skenes, I can’t really help you. 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

3 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

If the Cubs win this, a 13-14 finish would require the Reds to go 22-5 to reach us

Reds are in a tailspin, they're not gonna happen.

[Papa Cub]

6 minutes ago, DYMNO said:

If you think I was comparing Ben Brown to Paul Skenes, I can’t really help you. 

Good talk 👍

[Hortonhearsawho]

We should have just left Keller in. 

[DYMNO]

Kittredge has been so frustrating. Stuff looks good, but he doesn’t throw enough strikes.

[chibears55]

Let not do this...

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Kitt is throwing meatball after meatball.

Successful reverse jinx.

Edited August 30, 2025 by Tangled Up in Plaid

[Papa Cub]

1 minute ago, Hortonhearsawho said:

We should have just left Keller in. 

Counsell is an idiot - any reasonable coach just goes with a guy, but he likes to try and be the smartest guy in the room. 

[BKHoo]

Matt MFer Shaw

[Papa Cub]

1 minute ago, chibears55 said:

Let not do this...

Counsell does this - why not just roll with Keller and finish this to go home. Incompetence 

[chibears55]

W...

[cl smooth]

never in doubt. 

[JHBulls]

Can’t break up Boog and JD. They are fantastic together (definitely wasn’t saying that early in the year).

Edited August 30, 2025 by JHBulls

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Just now, Papa Cub said:

Counsell does this - why not just roll with Keller and finish this to go home. Incompetence 

How many times has Keller gone back to back innings this year if at all? You can't run these guys into the ground at the end of the season. I can't think of a single high-leverage reliever in baseball that is allowed to pitch back-to-back innings. It just isn't done anymore.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Did what they needed to do.. do it 2 more times.

[Hortonhearsawho]

A win is a win I suppose. This looked like the games we played a lot earlier in the season.

[Hortonhearsawho]

12 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Reds are in a tailspin, they're not gonna happen.

Yeah the only question left is which wild card spot are we getting. 

[Papa Cub]

13 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

How many times has Keller gone back to back innings this year if at all? You can't run these guys into the ground at the end of the season. I can't think of a single high-leverage reliever in baseball that is allowed to pitch back-to-back innings. It just isn't done anymore.

He pitched 1/3 inning. Running into the ground - another inning wouldn’t set him back. Where was thielbar? I get the fact it was a cozy lead but man it was getting ugly quick. I do hear you though. Don’t want to burn them out. 

Edited August 30, 2025 by Papa Cub

[We Got The Whole 9]

3 hours ago, squally1313 said:

Think we’re good here 

They need to start stringing these games together again. I just get bored  when the offense sucks.

[17 Seconds]

i checked swanson's numbers for the first time in months and i'm surprised how decent they are

Edited August 30, 2025 by 17 Seconds

[Jason Ross]

30 minutes ago, 17 Seconds said:

i checked swanson's numbers for the first time in months and i'm surprised how decent they are

Yep! 97 wRC+ isn't great but is enough (he was a 98 wRC+ last year) and he has 2.5 fWAR on the year. His batted ball data suggests he's been unlucky offensively (.305 wOBA vs .355 xwOBA). His defense is a little down and we'll have to see if this falls into post-30 defensive decline or "just unlucky data blip" next year, but even so, he's been worth 2.5 fWAR and will probably lock in another 3 win season this year (or so - probably fractionally off). 

[Backtobanks]

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

Yep! 97 wRC+ isn't great but is enough (he was a 98 wRC+ last year) and he has 2.5 fWAR on the year. His batted ball data suggests he's been unlucky offensively (.305 wOBA vs .355 xwOBA). His defense is a little down and we'll have to see if this falls into post-30 defensive decline or "just unlucky data blip" next year, but even so, he's been worth 2.5 fWAR and will probably lock in another 3 win season this year (or so - probably fractionally off). 

To me the biggest complaint about Swanson has always been his contract.  

[Backtobanks]

8 hours ago, Papa Cub said:

This inning? lol how about 95% of the times he’s pitched this year. What favor do they owe that guy? Or maybe it’s nepotism of sorts. I just don’t get it - they keep “hoping” but he keeps showing them he’s not an MLB pitcher. 

An example of not cashing in on his trade value as a "highly touted prospect".  I worry that the same is going to happen with many of our "highly touted prospects."

[Jason Ross]

13 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

To me the biggest complaint about Swanson has always been his contract.  

That feels silly at this point. He's already been worth 12 wins over his first three seasons. Wins have been valued between $8m to $9m or so the last few years. At $8m a win he's already reached over 1/2 of his contract value, as $177m at $8m a win requires him to get to 22 wins to break even. Over his next four he simply needs to be better than 2 wins per season, something he's done, essentially, every season since 2018 (he has a 1.9 and a 1.7 in under 130 games twice, that's basically two at that point).

If we bump it to $8.5m per win, that lowers the remaining wins needed to break even to 8 and at $9m drops it another win down to 7. 

He's going to be a perfectly fine contract unless he just entirely cliff dives, which we don't see anything in his game right now to suggest it. Even if he dumps the last couple of seasons, big market teams can afford to be a little market inefficient in the end of his contract. That's what being the Cubs entails. His contract is a non-issue. 

What you may have an issue with is the way the Cubs operate and how they spend, but neither of that is to do with the contract given to Swanson or Swanson himself. That's a Ricketts issue first and foremost.

[Bull]

23 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

An example of not cashing in on his trade value as a "highly touted prospect".  I worry that the same is going to happen with many of our "highly touted prospects."

Of course it is. But is Brown becomes a pumpkin and Cade becomes a Cy Young winner are you going to complain that we didn't both of trade them?

And while you're at it talk about Cam Smiths 86 OPS+ and Wesneskis 4.50 ERA.

The cubs seem to be doing a slightly above average job of keeping the right prospects. I for one am glad we still have Jaxon and Cade. If that means Brown fading into oblivion and netting us nothing, I'm ok with that.