Cubs (Horton) vs Braves (Strider): 9/9/25, 6:15pm

[We Got The Whole 9]

I.... think I'm comfortable

[JHBulls]

Don’t mess this up and it’s a winning season. Yay.

[Soul]

FINALLY 

[squally1313]

To calm fears, over the last 10 games the cubs increased their lead on the padres, Mets, and reds. In those ten games, the giants made up 2 games on us. For them to pass us, they would need to make up 8 games in the final 18 games (and San Diego and NYM, again, playing worse than us, would also need to pass us)

[We Got The Whole 9]

10 minutes ago, Xuperman said:

I am new here, but far from new to Cubs Baseball... going on 5 decades as a hard core fan of the "loveable losers".

In all that time, I can not recall a more impotent offense that what we have seen in this 2nd half.

Just stating the embarrassing obvious.

Across 2012-2013 they had an OPS of 670. They're at 690 in the 2nd half of 2025. 

 

I'm sure there's plenty more but that is a 2 season span.

[Soul]

Suzuki is so broken 😞 

[mk49]

Ben Brown?  I guess Ben won't give up 5 runs.

[mk49]

2 minutes ago, Soul said:

Suzuki is so broken 😞 

So is Busch.  He's like 1 for 23 this month.  Worse than Seiya.

[sweetpeteman]

6 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Across 2012-2013 they had an OPS of 670. They're at 690 in the 2nd half of 2025. 

 

I'm sure there's plenty more but that is a 2 season span.

Fun with arbitrary end points: If you go from August 1st the Cubs have had a .669 OPS (not counting tonight). 

 

 

[Derwood]

Brown gonna pitch us into a save situation?

[Soul]

Ben Brown in high leverage situations?  Let’s not get carried away here.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Fun with arbitrary endpoints: The Cubs own Albies. He has an OPS of .000 since the beginning of play today.

[chibears55]

14 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

To calm fears, over the last 10 games the cubs increased their lead on the padres, Mets, and reds. In those ten games, the giants made up 2 games on us. For them to pass us, they would need to make up 8 games in the final 18 games (and San Diego and NYM, again, playing worse than us, would also need to pass us)

I dont think anyone really fears that they'll miss the playoffs at this point, theyre not "collapsing", theyre just playing 500 ball over the last 2 months and not looking like a team that could seriously make some noise in the playoffs. 

I get outside of the Brewers that the other playoff teams haven't been playing all that great themselves but we fans mainly see what our guys are doing every game against so so pitching and it frustrating to feel like they'll just lay an egg when they actually face a team top 2 starters and best pen guys in a series.

Edited September 10, 2025 by chibears55

[PackLandVA]

This is exactly the situation we want Ben Brown pitching.

[UMFan83]

9 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Across 2012-2013 they had an OPS of 670. They're at 690 in the 2nd half of 2025. 

 

I'm sure there's plenty more but that is a 2 season span.

Wasn’t the run scoring environment worse in that era than it is now?

[mk49]

Ben was good for the first time in a while.

Edited September 10, 2025 by mk49

[chibears55]

Brown the new closer 😅

W

And still haven't loss 4 in a row

[PackLandVA]

I feel like Craig is gonna grind it out with his slumping players until the playoffs are secured. He's hoping any/all of them break the slump naturally. Once post season is clinched, he will give big mental rests, even if just for a few days.

[chibears55]

Magic Number to clinch a playoff birth 

10 Giants

[We Got The Whole 9]

Just now, UMFan83 said:

Wasn’t the run scoring environment worse in that era than it is now?

That worked out to an 84 wRC+. They were at 95 coming into today. Those teams were basically 90% AAAA players. 

[sweetpeteman]

2 minutes ago, mk49 said:

Ben was good, first time in a while.

He was decent in the first inning in his last outing (3K, 1BB). It was the second inning where things went wrong.

 

Also, this is Brown's first outing since May 31st where he didn't give up a run.

 

[squally1313]

8 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

I dont think anyone really fears that they'll miss the playoffs at this point, theyre not "collapsing", theyre just playing 500 ball over the last 2 months and not looking like a team that could seriously make some noise in the playoffs. 

I get outside of the Brewers that the other playoff teams haven't been playing all that great themselves but we fans mainly see what our guys are doing every game against so so pitching and it frustrating to feel like they'll just lay an egg when they actually face a team top 2 starters and best pen guys in a series.

I mean, I had someone asking what their playoff odds were in this game thread. 

[PackLandVA]

Well, going 4 and 5 against the Braves and Nats is less than ideal.  But at least neither series losses were sweeps.

[chibears55]

4 minutes ago, PackLandVA said:

I feel like Craig is gonna grind it out with his slumping players until the playoffs are secured. He's hoping any/all of them break the slump naturally. Once post season is clinched, he will give big mental rests, even if just for a few days.

Might as well, Mets are the only playoff team they have on schedule now with 17 left.  

Keep Tucker out til that final homestand and then get him in a couple games there to get his timing back, and give the others a couple days off the last week of season. 

 

[Derwood]

clinched a winning record