Cardinals (Liberatore) vs Cubs (Assad): 7/5/26, 1:30pm

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

13 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Marlins about to take a guy out with a perfect game after 7 innings. 92 pitches

Bullpen comes in and promptly gives up 5 runs. Justice

[Irrelevant Dude]

4 hours ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Marlins about to take a guy out with a perfect game after 7 innings. 92 pitches

I will never not hate this.  Pitching is so fragile now that a possible 115-120 pitch perfect game is off limits.  And maybe it's still the "right" thing to do, but it is also another symptom of the baseball disease that has no cure.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

8 minutes ago, Irrelevant Dude said:

I will never not hate this.  Pitching is so fragile now that a possible 115-120 pitch perfect game is off limits.  And maybe it's still the "right" thing to do, but it is also another symptom of the baseball disease that has no cure.

Agreed 100% I can understand it if it's just a no-hitter, but there is almost no chance he gets this close to a perfect game ever again. So he throws 120 pitches, given him some extra rest before his next start or just skip it entirely.

[Stratos]

10 hours ago, Derwood said:

Is Alcantara slow? He looked like he was lumbering

That's a good question.  He might take a while to get going.  Not enough MLB data yet to conclude anything.

[Geographyhater8888]

I know they had a day off on Thursday but I’ll just stick with playing 10 games in 9 days including 3 with a heat index over 100 effected them this weekend.

Edited 17 hours ago by Geographyhater8888

[Geographyhater8888]

Pete Crow-A has amassed 2.7 fWAR in his last 17 games at Wrigley.

[Stratos]

14 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

I know they had a day off on Thursday but I’ll just stick with playing 10 games in 9 days including 3 with a heat index over 100 effected them this weekend.

Must also suck being an ump in that stretch of weather.  They might get a couple of mins break between innings.

[Stratos]

4 minutes ago, Geographyhater8888 said:

Pete Crow-A has amassed 2.7 fWAR in his last 17 games at Wrigley.

Yesterday he passed his fWAR total from last season.

[Geographyhater8888]

4 minutes ago, Stratos said:

Yesterday he passed his fWAR total from last season.

It’s probably nothing but after taking one to the forearm it seemed like it affected his swing. Hopefully it’s my imagination 

[Rcal10]

9 hours ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Agreed 100% I can understand it if it's just a no-hitter, but there is almost no chance he gets this close to a perfect game ever again. So he throws 120 pitches, given him some extra rest before his next start or just skip it entirely.

No chance. Not with a kid pitcher. One game, even a perfect game, isn’t worth risking a career. Just think back to Dusty and the arms he ruined. If it was a veteran and a guy without the huge upside of Perez, maybe you let him keep going. The managers job is to win as many games as possible and do whatever they can to keep players healthy. Letting him go 120 pitchers increases the risk of him getting injured, which would also decrease the amount of future wins the team can have. I know the game got really close, but winning 8-0, as the manager, you take that pitcher out and let the pen complete the game. 

[mul21]

14 hours ago, Andy said:

I had the Brewers game on for about 3 minutes in the 9th, long enough to hear that Arizona had had the 6 hardest hit balls of the game and they were all outs. This is just the world we live in now, huh? 

What you missed the previous inning, which happened less than 30 seconds after I flipped the game on, was Pavin Smith hitting an absolute rope at 107 mph that the 2B caught and proceeded to double off the runner on second to end the 8th inning.  Absolutely ridiculous.

[Rcal10]

15 minutes ago, mul21 said:

What you missed the previous inning, which happened less than 30 seconds after I flipped the game on, was Pavin Smith hitting an absolute rope at 107 mph that the 2B caught and proceeded to double off the runner on second to end the 8th inning.  Absolutely ridiculous.

Add that to the luck they got on Tuesday. Reds had 2nd and 3rd and no outs in a 2-2 game in the 6th. The batter hit a ground ball to the first baseman, where the guy on third didn’t break for home. Wasn’t the contact play. First baseman stepped in first. Problem was, the guy on second did break break for third. So the guy on third had to come home and ran into an easy out. Went from 2nd and 3rd with no outs to a man in second and 2 outs very quickly. And they didn’t score. 

[Rcal10]

I think we should all actually be pretty happy to be sitting at 50-40 right now. Of course, none of us likes how they got here but, this is a 90 win pace. Considering they have had an entire rotation on injured for a good part of this year, only have one player playing to an all star level and many players underperforming, I think 50-40 is damn good. If guys ever start producing like they should, we get some pitchers back from injuries and make a few trades to add a few pitchers, there is no reason this team can’t still finish with wins in the low 90’s and be a serious playoff team. Maybe they even catch the Brewers. 

[macarthur31]

9 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I think we should all actually be pretty happy to be sitting at 50-40 right now. Of course, none of us likes how they got here but, this is a 90 win pace. Considering they have had an entire rotation on injured for a good part of this year, only have one player playing to an all star level and many players underperforming, I think 50-40 is damn good. If guys ever start producing like they should, we get some pitchers back from injuries and make a few trades to add a few pitchers, there is no reason this team can’t still finish with wins in the low 90’s and be a serious playoff team. Maybe they even catch the Brewers. 

I join you in feeling somewhat optimistic.  I was elated when Jed swooped in and signed Counsell, as since I've lived here in Milwaukee for the past 15 years (and live about half mile south of Craig Counsell Park, no less) and witnessed how his steady management helped contribute to closing the Cubs' championship window so abruptly.  I'd offer that that's been a significant factor in keeping the Cubs' in the mix, and perhaps in striking distance down the stretch when (fingers crossed) the majority of our hitters can be playing closer to the back of their baseball card.

 

[CubinNY]

All you Assad haters can suck it! 

[Rcal10]

Just now, CubinNY said:

All you Assad haters can suck it! 

Who is this referencing? 

[CubinNY]

Just now, Rcal10 said:

Who is this referencing? 

The Assad haters. 

[CubUgly]

3 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

I think we should all actually be pretty happy to be sitting at 50-40 right now. Of course, none of us likes how they got here but, this is a 90 win pace. Considering they have had an entire rotation on injured for a good part of this year, only have one player playing to an all star level and many players underperforming, I think 50-40 is damn good. If guys ever start producing like they should, we get some pitchers back from injuries and make a few trades to add a few pitchers, there is no reason this team can’t still finish with wins in the low 90’s and be a serious playoff team. Maybe they even catch the Brewers. 

Considering the decimation of the pitching staff and Bregman not really contributing much and a horrific 5 week offensive stretch by the whole offense - yes I have to say I'm happy at 50-40.  We'll have to get help before the deadline though to get where we all want to be. 

The only time I can remember such a rash of injuries on the Cubs staff was the 1985 team where all 5 starters spent time on the IL.  The Cubs started that year out pretty well coming of that great 84 season, I think they may been 35-24 and first in the division at one point?  But those injuries derailed the year and the Cubs ended 77-85.   I don't think that will happen this year. 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I was curious how bad the Cubs hitters have actually been at challenging because of how bad it's seemed. They're at 43% overturn rate, 36/84. So the eye test definitely checked out. League average for batters is 48%. Also, Fangraphs has a stat that measures the run value of batter challenges and Cubs are 23rd.

[We Got The Whole 9]

48 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

I was curious how bad the Cubs hitters have actually been at challenging because of how bad it's seemed. They're at 43% overturn rate, 36/84. So the eye test definitely checked out. League average for batters is 48%. Also, Fangraphs has a stat that measures the run value of batter challenges and Cubs are 23rd.

FO took notice and said leave them to the pitchers. The hitters were really good in April IIRC.

[Rcal10]

33 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

FO took notice and said leave them to the pitchers. The hitters were really good in April IIRC.

You mean leave them to the catchers? Pitchers seldom challenge. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

2 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

You mean leave them to the catchers? Pitchers seldom challenge. 

Yeah thats what I meant. Brain fart.

[mk49]

9 hours ago, CubinNY said:

The Assad haters. 

I didn't know there're Assad haters.  My brother loves him, and I don't dislike him, either.😁

[We Got The Whole 9]

Brewers won, of course. Scored 4 in the 7th, highlighted by Turang taking a 99 mph splitter a few inches above the zone 100 mph to left. 

 

I just hate them so much. 

[Stratos]

11 hours ago, CubinNY said:

All you Assad haters can suck it! 

Best sucky pitcher in Cubs history?