Fro

The goal ought to be a group like the 2016 team where you have a leadoff hitter with OBP/speed who can get on base and give us options to small ball runs across the plate in these pitching duel games or when the wind is howling in at Wrigley. I think a healthy version of this team is probably 1 player away from that. We don't have the core to always do Epstein-era Red Sox offense and grind out runs every game by racking up the pitch count. That's been a flaw of this group since 2015. Some games they'll explode and do that but you need the flexibility to play long & small ball to win in the NL in October/November, especially with the monstrous bullpens some of these teams have.

I really like Maddon outside of his bullpen management at times. That should be something the front office can fix a couple different ways. Probably something you shouldn't mess with unless you have someone you can get who is clearly a better candidate. The offense being feast or famine has been an issue with this group for the last 4 years. Some of that this year was obviously due to guys being hurt and not being themselves like Bryant.

Lester getting strike calls now

This crew always likes doing things the hard way.

At least there's 2 tiebreakers tomorrow so if we would lose this game or lose tomorrow we're not playing a team Tuesday with an off day on Monday. Ideally we take care of business.

Schwarber would have hit about 30 if the derby was at Wrigley

There was a especially dumb caller on WLW's postgame show (Reds Radio station) on the way back from the game talking about how "nobody wants to play the Reds now!" and how the Cubs suck, "they've only won one World Series in 108 years, let me know when they've won TWO IN A ROW LIKE THE BIG RED MACHINE... I don't think they'll ever be able to do it!" Hopefully we drop about 30 runs on the Reds

It'll be rained out unless they feel the need to start the game after midnight. Next line of storms will be in Cincy in about an hour.

According to gameday he is right on top of the plate and white. Also according to Gameday the hot new video game MLB the Show 17 is out and on billboards in the stadium.

let's see if Chili is worth his salary

There goes the perfect season and the team batting around until they break all of Barroids' home run records this inning.

Runs like the Flash now [tweet] [/tweet] [tweet] [/tweet]

Schwarber to weigh 97 lbs by the time the season starts at this rate.

Starting to feel like we've got a legit chance here. We're probably set up to be the most competitive of any of the other teams (sans the Dodgers arguably) during his time here and he wouldn't have to compete with Kershaw as the "ace" or deal with comparisons to other Japanese players with the Cubs. Think if he goes to the Mariners/Padres/Angels/Giants/Rangers that's not enough to make those teams great or playoff contenders every year. Clearly there doesn't seem to a bias to an AL team and while it seems like he's interested in West Coast teams that's not a deal-breaker since we made the cut.

Bench coach is a job with a bit of prestige, I'd be surprised if they moved Ross straight to it given he hasn't done any coaching before. If we're talking about outcomes that get Ross on the MLB staff, Borzello to bench coach and Ross to catching instructor makes the most sense to me. I dunno, the league has players being hired as managers now as their first coaching jobs...Ventura, Counsell, Ausmus.... Being a bench coach as your first coaching gig seems conservative in comparison. Yeah, a good number of catchers who were "leaders and good clubhouse guys" as players get hired directly as MLB managers or go straight to being bench coaches. They already are involved in all the managing stuff to some extent as players. It's your other position players who generally go up through the minor league managing system first.