Marlins (Junk) vs Cubs (TBD): 09/22/26, 6:40 PM

[UMFan83]

Let's say they play Friday's game, but Saturday and Sunday get washed out.  The Cubs enter a Monday doubleheader either 1 GB or tied for the 1st WC spot.  I'm sure HFA is important, and if the other contender is San Diego, you'd like to avoid playing a DH in Boston and flying cross country for a game the next day.  But do you really burn your pitching staff down trying to win HFA?  It's really a no win situation for the Cubs.  So they should probably just sweep the next 4 games and hope SD loses once or twice to make the weekend games less important.

[CubinNY]

2 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Let's say they play Friday's game, but Saturday and Sunday get washed out.  The Cubs enter a Monday doubleheader either 1 GB or tied for the 1st WC spot.  I'm sure HFA is important, and if the other contender is San Diego, you'd like to avoid playing a DH in Boston and flying cross country for a game the next day.  But do you really burn your pitching staff down trying to win HFA?  It's really a no win situation for the Cubs.  So they should probably just sweep the next 4 games and hope SD loses once or twice to make the weekend games less important.

I think Counsel will roll the dice and just want to get into the playoffs. But I would play for the home game. 

[ILMindState]

22 minutes ago, Bertz said:

 

We're officially on daily eye watch with Bregman

[Bertz]

8 minutes ago, Rex Buckingham said:

I would assume this based solely on him being a bit of a psycho (complementary) when it comes to being a competitor. I think that is something a lot of the guys on this team have in common (PCA, Steele, Bregman, Dansby, Nico)

I love "a bit of a psycho (complementary)", what a great way to put it.

But yeah like if you have a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is Anthony Rendon or Kyle Tucker, and 10 is Max Scherzer, all of those guys are at least an 8.

[macarthur31]

25 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Yeah I'd be surprised if he's not playing next week.  He'll have some hideous contraption on his head but he'll be playing.

I'd imagine that whether or not he's on the Injured List would be a significant tell.  If Bregman/Cubs were feeling optimistic, I would've expected at least a 7-day concussion symptoms IL list stay (which I imagine they could make a compelling case).  If they go with the 10-day, does that cut it way too close to make WC series?

 

I don't think there has been an announcement yet, but I'd be very surprised that the Cubs would be willing to be down a man on the bench with homefield advantage still in play.   

[Bertz]

9 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Let's say they play Friday's game, but Saturday and Sunday get washed out.  The Cubs enter a Monday doubleheader either 1 GB or tied for the 1st WC spot.  I'm sure HFA is important, and if the other contender is San Diego, you'd like to avoid playing a DH in Boston and flying cross country for a game the next day.  But do you really burn your pitching staff down trying to win HFA?  It's really a no win situation for the Cubs.  So they should probably just sweep the next 4 games and hope SD loses once or twice to make the weekend games less important.

I think you do like I think it was the Mets a few years ago and sort of try in one game and punt the other.

It's not the worst thing in the world to have Shota (assuming he's the #4) pitch Monday instead of Sunday.  That still lines him up just fine for a Saturday G1 LDS start

And then we have a bunch of bulk guys, and inherently only 1-2 of them can go in the WC round.  So something like

G1: Shota + Assad

G2: Steele, Rea, Thielbar, Cabrera...maybe Wicks?

I think you still feel good about the staff for the WC round after that.  Honestly the biggest issue is like you said if you fail and have to fly out west after a DH, though in that case we'd at least be playing in the late window.

[Rcal10]

1 minute ago, macarthur31 said:

I'd imagine that whether or not he's on the Injured List would be a significant tell.  If Bregman/Cubs were feeling optimistic, I would've expected at least a 7-day concussion symptoms IL list stay (which I imagine they could make a compelling case).  If they go with the 10-day, does that cut it way too close to make WC series?

 

I don't think there has been an announcement yet, but I'd be very surprised that the Cubs would be willing to be down a man on the bench with homefield advantage still in play.   

They would be a man down, but they also have an extra guy because of the call up. I wouldn’t be shocked if they didn’t IL Bregman if they think there is a better than a 40% chance he can play on Tuesday. The chances that not having the 14th guy cost the Cubs a game is far less than the chance of not having Bregman for the playoffs hurts them. If there is a fair chance he can go in the WC round they will play a man down, IMO. 

[Jason Ross]

Bregman is literally in the batting cages right now. Absolute mad man. 

Put the garbage can/Astros thing aside (as someone else told me, the 2016 team had Chapman and Russell and they are objectively worse people). How can you not love Bregman as a player? What a nut.

[cl smooth]

3 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

Bregman is literally in the batting cages right now. Absolute mad man. 

Put the garbage can/Astros thing aside (as someone else told me, the 2016 team had Chapman and Russell and they are objectively worse people). How can you not love Bregman as a player? What a nut.

 

[Jason Ross]

Just now, cl smooth said:

 

This guy just oozes ball. 

[Rcal10]

6 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I think you do like I think it was the Mets a few years ago and sort of try in one game and punt the other.

It's not the worst thing in the world to have Shota (assuming he's the #4) pitch Monday instead of Sunday.  That still lines him up just fine for a Saturday G1 LDS start

And then we have a bunch of bulk guys, and inherently only 1-2 of them can go in the WC round.  So something like

G1: Shota + Assad

G2: Steele, Rea, Thielbar, Cabrera...maybe Wicks?

I think you still feel good about the staff for the WC round after that.  Honestly the biggest issue is like you said if you fail and have to fly out west after a DH, though in that case we'd at least be playing in the late window.

If the Cubs get past their WC round and the Brewers have the best record in the NL, I don’t see Shota starting against them. Hasn’t he been terrible against them in his career? I am fine with Shota pitching in the playoffs, but maybe not against the Brewers. I also don’t see why they need to go with guys like Assad, Rea, Steele(who probably won’t even be on the team), Wicks, Cabrera. Doesn’t the NLDS start Saturday? Even if they use Gausman, Holmes and Boyd and don’t want to use Shota against Milwaukee, why couldn’t Peterson start Saturday and then Gausman/Holmes(whoever started game one of the WC round)

[ILMindState]

 

[Rcal10]

1 minute ago, ILMindState said:

 

WOW! That would be amazing. He may be my new favorite Cub. How can you not love this guy? 

[Wilson A2000]

19 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

Bregman is literally in the batting cages right now. Absolute mad man. 

Put the garbage can/Astros thing aside (as someone else told me, the 2016 team had Chapman and Russell and they are objectively worse people). How can you not love Bregman as a player? What a nut.

He’s just not going to miss any playoff games, but I don‘t know why he’s hitting today unless he’s trying out a mask in the cage

[squally1313]

lol I don’t think this is really a Bregman thing as much as it’s a ‘maybe we overestimated how long it would take for his vision to clear up’ thing. Hes great, happy it doesn’t seem as bad as feared, but…hitting balls in the cage is probably the bare minimum I would expect for someone who can see again?

[squally1313]

And it goes without saying that if his vision is impaired, he shouldn’t like, grit his way into the lineup 

[Stratos]

1 hour ago, ILMindState said:

We're officially on daily eye watch with Bregman

Inject his face with crazy glue and morphine and shove him out there.  He's a gamer he'd do it.

[Bertz]

I suspect Steele is going to start game 162 if the standings are set by then.  Only two or three innings of course.

[Stratos]

33 minutes ago, cl smooth said:

 

This guy is a gangster i love it.

[Rcal10]

3 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I suspect Steele is going to start game 162 if the standings are set by then.  Only two or three innings of course.

This makes sense for game 162 if the game doesn’t matter. Use all guys who won’t be on the playoff roster for the WC round. Plus reward Steele for working all year to get back. He deserves it. 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

1 hour ago, cl smooth said:

 

I didn't know that little creep Paul Sullivan still covered the team 

[ILMindState]

 

 

[BKHoo]

Bregman will play in Boston and Caleb will play on Monday night.  Book them. 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Someone asked Counsell about a mask and he made it seem like it wouldn't be necessary.

[cl smooth]

9 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Someone asked Counsell about a mask and he made it seem like it wouldn't be necessary.

Dude’s gonna raw dog facial fractures. horsefeathers legend.