Cubs (Boyd) vs Rockies (Gordon): 8/31/25, 2:10pm

[Stratos]

9 hours ago, Derwood said:

Palencia isn't fooling anyone recently

He definitely wasn't sharp today.  FB right over the heart of the plate and a hanging slider down the middle.

The velo seems fine but i've noticed the command being spotty the last while.

[Stratos]

They're not playing remotely like a 90 win team right now,  The only thing that matters is if they do in Oct.

Each of the last 3 seasons their offense has been extremely streaky.  Most of the guys seem to hit or not hit at the same time, which is very weird, and frustrating as a fan when they're cold.  Not sure i've ever seen anything like it on a Cubs team.

[Rcal10]

3 hours ago, Stratos said:

They're not playing remotely like a 90 win team right now,  The only thing that matters is if they do in Oct.

Each of the last 3 seasons their offense has been extremely streaky.  Most of the guys seem to hit or not hit at the same time, which is very weird, and frustrating as a fan when they're cold.  Not sure i've ever seen anything like it on a Cubs team.

How is this different than most years with the Cubs? My guess is it is no different than any team, most years, but I don’t follow other teams. Hasn’t this been the complaint about the Cubs the last decade, at least. Isn’t all guys not hitting all at once what causes slumps almost every year for almost every baseball team. It definitely was an issue the last few years. So I have no idea how you could have never seen it before.

[Papa Cub]

12 hours ago, Derwood said:

T-Mac working the sideline of the Notre Dame v Miami game. Marquee is going to lose her

I saw that - honestly I had to do a double take. I hope she stays with Marquee - I do like the commentary with her and the guys. 

[Derwood]

7 minutes ago, Papa Cub said:

I saw that - honestly I had to do a double take. I hope she stays with Marquee - I do like the commentary with her and the guys. 

I like her too, but if she has an Erin Andrews/Holly Rowe/Pam Oliver career path ahead of her, it would be silly to stick with a local sports network

Edited September 1, 2025 by Derwood

[Papa Cub]

11 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

But what about the handful of other playoff teams doing the exact same thing? Are they more a team who wins 84 games or are they more like their start? Why are the Cubs strictly an average team who got lucky to be 16 games over .500 after 80 games, but the Phillies are good because they were also 16 games over .500 and no better than a little over 500 since. Or the Dodgers who weee 24 games over 500 and since then played under 500 ball. Cubs are what their record says they are They are a good team with flaws that will win 90 games. They could win in the playoffs just as easy as any other team who is in the playoffs. Will they win it? Probably not. But I would say that about every team who will be in the playoffs and be right 11 of the 12 times I say it. 

I agree with you on the fact that baseball is one of the most unpredictable sports; therefore, you’re correct - any of those twelve that make the postseason could win it all (including the Cubs). 
 

Personally, I just see something off with the team MORE than some of the others you mentioned (Phillies, Dodgers and Padres just to name a few). Records do reflect a team’s overall performance of the season - no argument there. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but the Cubs’ inconsistency is what concerns me as a fan is all. 🤷‍♂️

[Geographyhater8888]

4 hours ago, Stratos said:

They're not playing remotely like a 90 win team right now,  The only thing that matters is if they do in Oct.

Each of the last 3 seasons their offense has been extremely streaky.  Most of the guys seem to hit or not hit at the same time, which is very weird, and frustrating as a fan when they're cold.  Not sure i've ever seen anything like it on a Cubs team.

They’ve swapped May with August. Seiya will heat back up, Tucker has found his swing and Busch is still grinding. What I don’t see is Kelly and PCA stabilizing back to his 1.3K OPS in April adding probably 3 wins and PCA homering every 3 games for half a season, shattering his 2025 projections. 
 

Really Boyd no longer beating his xFIP is a worrying trend, our game 1 starter.  Anyone can win of course and the 12 playoff seeds where you create a much high buyers market, extra draft picks awarded to small market teams and balanced schedule has made the league less top heavy.

Edited September 1, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Papa Cub]

2 minutes ago, Derwood said:

I like her too, but if she has an Erin Andrews/Holly Rowe/Pam Oliver career path ahead of her, it would be silly to stick with a local sports network

Totally agree! She has to advance her career when able. Just selfishly, hope she sticks around 👍

[Papa Cub]

Happy Labor Day to all of my friends and foes on the NSBB forum! Regardless of some of our differences or what have you, one thing I can say is this - you are all passionate about your Cubbies! I enjoy the banter and discussions. 
 

No matter what else and how the team plays (and I vent and complain like some), We all can agree on this - GO CUBS GO! Maybe they can do what we are all hoping …….go on a terror and (to quote the movie Major League) “win the whole f***in thing!”

have a great day folks 💪👍

[Geographyhater8888]

51 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

How is this different than most years with the Cubs? My guess is it is no different than any team, most years, but I don’t follow other teams. Hasn’t this been the complaint about the Cubs the last decade, at least. Isn’t all guys not hitting all at once what causes slumps almost every year for almost every baseball team. It definitely was an issue the last few years. So I have no idea how you could have never seen it before.

The difference here is Kelly adding likely 2-3 wins alone posting a 1.3K OPS in April and PCA homering 1/3 games for half a season. All wins that I’m not sure are anything other than an aberration and not your typical ebs and flows over the course of a season and if any stabilization occurs it’ll be from PCA and not Kelly.

Andrew Vaughn on Milwaukee is the only other NL player on a contender who you can say this about. Hopefully. That’s why.

Bats will heat up and I can’t imagine Seiya will end the season like he started after the ASB. Boyd no longer beating his xFIP is worrying as our game 1 starter.

Edited September 1, 2025 by Geographyhater8888

[Rcal10]

2 hours ago, Papa Cub said:

I agree with you on the fact that baseball is one of the most unpredictable sports; therefore, you’re correct - any of those twelve that make the postseason could win it all (including the Cubs). 
 

Personally, I just see something off with the team MORE than some of the others you mentioned (Phillies, Dodgers and Padres just to name a few). Records do reflect a team’s overall performance of the season - no argument there. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but the Cubs’ inconsistency is what concerns me as a fan is all. 🤷‍♂️

With all due respect, how can you say anything about the Dodgers, Phillies and Padres? Have you watched them all year? If you have you will see that the Cubs record since their hot start is pretty similar to the Dodgers(better, actually) and the Phillies. Padres have done better than the Cubs since July, but overall are not better. Mets are another playoff team who has stayed pretty close to 500 since the beginning of July. All teams are inconsistent. I am sure your concerns about the Cubs are similar concerns of each fan base for their team. For the record, I have the same concerns as you do. Cubs are a flawed good team, just like every other team in the playoffs. Our concerns may come back to bite the Cubs. Boyd and Horton might be done by the playoffs. They offense might struggle. Most likely they won’t win the WS and it will be a result of one of those issues or the pen will blow a series. And then we can all say they just were not good enough. When in reality, they are. They just will not have played well at a bad time. Happy Labor Day and Go Cubs! 

[cubfansince77]

7 hours ago, Stratos said:

They're not playing remotely like a 90 win team right now,  The only thing that matters is if they do in Oct.

Each of the last 3 seasons their offense has been extremely streaky.  Most of the guys seem to hit or not hit at the same time, which is very weird, and frustrating as a fan when they're cold.  Not sure i've ever seen anything like it on a Cubs team.

Nice post and so true. Hot, cold, hot, cold....it's been a roller coaster and since we kinda know we aren't catching Milwaukee I'm just mentally ready for the playoffs to start. There is obviously no guarantee how that will go but maybe a fresh start (mentally) will do them good. I watched college football this weekend and just took a break from them. A re-set is needed sometimes and that's the situation I think this team is in as well. 

As I've said before, the best team doesn't always win in October. It's often times the hottest team that catches fire. Hope springs eternal that will be us this time around. 

[Ding Dong Johnson]

3 hours ago, Derwood said:

I like her too, but if she has an Erin Andrews/Holly Rowe/Pam Oliver career path ahead of her, it would be silly to stick with a local sports network

I’m not saying she won’t move on, because she absolutely will, but she’s been doing sideline gigs for ESPN for several years now. I’m not sure why anyone is still surprised when she disappears for chunks of time every fall.

[Andy]

28 minutes ago, Ding Dong Johnson said:

I’m not saying she won’t move on, because she absolutely will, but she’s been doing sideline gigs for ESPN for several years now. I’m not sure why anyone is still surprised when she disappears for chunks of time every fall.

Correct. There are only so many Erin Andrews and Maria Taylor type gigs out there, and there's no imminent sign T Mac is about to get one. 

[Stratos]

5 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

How is this different than most years with the Cubs? My guess is it is no different than any team, most years, but I don’t follow other teams. Hasn’t this been the complaint about the Cubs the last decade, at least. Isn’t all guys not hitting all at once what causes slumps almost every year for almost every baseball team. It definitely was an issue the last few years. So I have no idea how you could have never seen it before.

3 years in a row the same thing happening is the odd part.   Feast or famine offense, rarely in between.