Great series guys

[Jimy is a misspell]

You guys absolutely outplayed us in the last two games and deserved to win. Still think Lane should have pinch hit that last AB but that doesn't change the fact that you outplayed us.

 

Bravo. Now I am going to go get much more drunk.

[rawaction]

Why isn't Lane on the field everyday? What is gained by putting Palmeiro and Lamb out there so often? I understand they are decent players, but Lane has a future with the team unlike the other 2 who will be bench players for the rest of their lives.

[illiniguy]

Were they playing them because they always seem to do very well against us? That is what I was thinking. That and they are left handed so easier matchups for them with Z.

[mhuber92211]

Interesting that we lost to Wandy but beat Pettite & Oswalt. Pretty good series all around actually.

[CubsHawks25]

Interesting that we lost to Wandy but beat Pettite & Oswalt.

 

No its not. That's the usual MO for this Cubs team.

[CubsFan4Life]

Interesting that we lost to Wandy but beat Pettite & Oswalt. Pretty good series all around actually.

 

That's been the cubs the past few years, getting beat by young unknown pitchers and then somehow picking up some wins against very good experienced pitchers like Pettite and Roy.

[otis89]

Actually, we scored 4 runs in each game this series. Wandy only beat us because he got excellent run support that game becuase our pitching sucked. We did pretty much equally good against all 3 pitchers.

[abuck1220]

the cubs won the games i thought they'd lose and lost the game i thought they'd win.

 

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

[William142]

Interesting that we lost to Wandy but beat Pettite & Oswalt.

 

Kind of like how we beat the Astros and St. Louis yet get beat by the Reds and other terrible teams.

[CubsHawks25]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

[abuck1220]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

 

at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three.

 

but i agree...they're playing better of late.

[Exile on Waveland]

Why isn't Lane on the field everyday?

 

He doesn't get paid enough?

[cbbryan]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

 

at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three.

 

but i agree...they're playing better of late.

 

I think they have to sweep Colorado next though. They can't just win series anymore.............they have to go on a roll.

[Derwood]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

 

at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three.

 

but i agree...they're playing better of late.

 

I think they have to sweep Colorado next though. They can't just win series anymore.............they have to go on a roll.

 

The weekend series for Wildcard teams:

 

CHC @ COL (3 games)

WSH @ PHI (Doubleheader Thursday)

WSH @ NYM (3 games)

PIT @ NYM (1 game)

PIT @ PHI (3 games)

MIL @ HOU (4 games)

LAD @ FLA (3 games)

 

Looks like the Cubs and Phillies have the easiest go at it. You would root hard for Milwaukee if the Cubs weren't neck and neck with them.

[gus_dog]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

 

at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three.

 

but i agree...they're playing better of late.

 

Yes..., I guess so. At least they're pitching better, and scoring more than two runs per game. That defence is still atrocious. I counted three missed DP's last night. Two in the ninth inning alone. Neifi WAS off the bag, and then he made an awfully tough throw to Dempster, in a really difficult area to handle. Earlier, Nomar's bad throw not only cost the DP, but allowed two runs to score.

 

It was a good thing Zambrano had it going on, because if it was Williams pitching, I think the Astros might have gotten to him. Zambrano's mettle has toughened even more this year.

 

Zambrano has easily been the Cubs best, most consistent starter the past three years combined. IMO, this man is our ace.

[bukie]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

 

at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three.

 

but i agree...they're playing better of late.

 

I think they have to sweep Colorado next though. They can't just win series anymore.............they have to go on a roll.

 

The weekend series for Wildcard teams:

 

CHC @ COL (3 games)

WSH @ PHI (Doubleheader Thursday)

WSH @ NYM (3 games)

PIT @ NYM (1 game)

PIT @ PHI (3 games)

MIL @ HOU (4 games)

LAD @ FLA (3 games)

 

Looks like the Cubs and Phillies have the easiest go at it. You would root hard for Milwaukee if the Cubs weren't neck and neck with them.

 

Here's the way I look at it:

 

There are so many teams ahead of the Cubs, it's hard to root for or against any one team.

 

Essentially, when the Cubs win, they net a half game on the league (gain 1 game on half the league, keep up with half the league), and when the Cubs lose, they lose a net half game on the league (lose 1 game to half the league, stay even with half the league).

 

Basically, in order to have a realistic shot at the playoffs, they need to make up a total of about 11.5 games on the league, meaning they'd have to play 23 games over .500 for the rest of the season. With 41 games remaining, that entails going 32-9 here on out, which would result in a 91-71 record. That's basically a bare minimum.

 

So I'm not expecting a whole lot, just hoping the team can play well here on out.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

a sweep would have gotten me half way on the bandwagon, but for all the hard work that went into a 2-1 series win, it only gained the cubs a game. that hurts.

 

 

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too.

 

at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three.

 

but i agree...they're playing better of late.

 

I think they have to sweep Colorado next though. They can't just win series anymore.............they have to go on a roll.

 

The weekend series for Wildcard teams:

 

CHC @ COL (3 games)

WSH @ PHI (Doubleheader Thursday)

WSH @ NYM (3 games)

PIT @ NYM (1 game)

PIT @ PHI (3 games)

MIL @ HOU (4 games)

LAD @ FLA (3 games)

 

Looks like the Cubs and Phillies have the easiest go at it. You would root hard for Milwaukee if the Cubs weren't neck and neck with them.

 

Here's the way I look at it:

 

There are so many teams ahead of the Cubs, it's hard to root for or against any one team.

 

Essentially, when the Cubs win, they net a half game on the league (gain 1 game on half the league, keep up with half the league), and when the Cubs lose, they lose a net half game on the league (lose 1 game to half the league, stay even with half the league).

 

Basically, in order to have a realistic shot at the playoffs, they need to make up a total of about 11.5 games on the league, meaning they'd have to play 23 games over .500 for the rest of the season. With 41 games remaining, that entails going 32-9 here on out, which would result in a 91-71 record. That's basically a bare minimum.

 

So I'm not expecting a whole lot, just hoping the team can play well here on out.

 

I don't understand how 90 or 91 wins is a bare minimum. In order for either of the wild card leaders to make it to 91 wins, they have to play .643 baseball for the rest of the year, which is a better percentage than any major league team this year. And that's if one of the leaders takes it. The Cubs need to get hot, but 90 wins would put them in very good shape, considering they play 7 more with Houston and the NL east teams face each other so many times.

[biittner77]

Did anyone notice how cubs-like the Astros looked in this series?

-Blowout win in game one then struggle to score runs

-rarely took more than a coupls pitches per AB

-made bad defensive plays

-wasted decent outings by their good pitchers

-struggled with men on base

 

I wonder if seeing another team with the same horrible approach could make an impression, ie. make the Cubs reconsider their free swinging ways?

[bukie]

I don't understand how 90 or 91 wins is a bare minimum. In order for either of the wild card leaders to make it to 91 wins, they have to play .643 baseball for the rest of the year, which is a better percentage than any major league team this year. And that's if one of the leaders takes it. The Cubs need to get hot, but 90 wins would put them in very good shape, considering they play 7 more with Houston and the NL east teams face each other so many times.

 

I am less worried about Houston hitting 91 wins than I am one of 4 NL East teams getting to 90+ wins playing mostly against each other. Hoping each team plays .500 ball and all teams beat each other up equally (aside from the Braves) isn't out of the realm of possibility, but the likelihood that one team simply plays better than the others is high. The statistical average wins of the NL Wild Card team is 89.4 wins according to Baseball Prospectus (in their 1-million season simulation), so I felt that 91 is a bare minimum to feel safe about being enough wins to get to the playoffs.

 

As to where I got the "Cubs need to gain about 11.5 games on the league", they need to gain 3 on the Mets, 4 on the Marlins, 5 on the Nats, 5.5 on the Phillies. Totalling 23 games. However, each game contains a winner and loser, so it's essentially split in half (rather simplistic model). Saying the Cubs gain a half game on the league on average when they win (which is accurate), 32-9 is a reasonable record to expect playoff competition. Which is daunting, but not impossible.

 

Maybe if the Cubs run off 20 in a row, the outlook will change. :)

[UMFan83]

Man, the Cubs could be back to 6.5 behind after todays double header