Sammy Sofa

You're a braver person than I am. Dude is still giving essentially a dong a game. Today has all the makings of a '18 Hendricks Special: go 5-6 innings, giving up 3 runs and netting a half dozen k's so that at first glance it looks like a plain ol' QS and that he's not That Bad, despite having put his team down right away yet again and basically pitching from back on his heels the entire time. Like, it's not bad, but it's really not good, either, especially when that's really what he's showing is his realistic best case scenario. Oh I agree. It’s far from ideal but I can live with it and think we can still win games and he still can shut teams down as he’s shown a few times recently. My hope is Chavez, Monty, Smyly, Hamels (whoever is in the pen as longish guys in playoffs) are ready to come in right away and these SP have short leashes so like right now I’d hope one of those guys are ready to go come the 4/5th inning here if Hendricks allows a guy or two (maybe someone like Kintzler or Strop come in, in the inning then you go to a long guy for ~2ish innings). Again, I'd feel better if this was the anticipated plan for Hendricks and maybe one other starter instead of seemingly all of them. And the starers' propensity to give up runs from the jump really undercuts being able to swing to the bullpen to avoid them running into real trouble; the Cubs' starters are seemingly in some degree of trouble right from the beginning of the game far too often.

His point still stands: Hendricks has been just OK since then and he's now the anchor by default. That's not good. If post-SF Hendricks was expected to be, say, the 3rd best starter the Cubs have? Great! Eh, I’m fine with him being our game 1 starter/best playoff option. Hopefully some of Lester, Q, Hamels, Yu rise above him though. You're a braver person than I am. Dude is still giving essentially a dong a game. Today has all the makings of a '18 Hendricks Special: go 5-6 innings, giving up 3 runs and netting a half dozen k's so that at first glance it looks like a plain ol' QS and that he's not That Bad, despite having put his team down right away yet again and basically pitching from back on his heels the entire time. Like, it's not bad, but it's really not good, either, especially when that's really what he's showing is his realistic best case scenario.

Since that start in San Franciso where he claimed he found something he’s been mostly quite good His point still stands: Hendricks has been just OK since then and he's now the anchor by default. That's not good. If post-SF Hendricks was expected to be, say, the 3rd best starter the Cubs have? Great!

Yeah, every starter they began the year with is some varying level of disappointing to disaster to dead right now.

"Spencer Kieboom?" That totally sounds like a poorly made up on the spot name.

I get that it's my simple lizard brain that wants the Cubs to be sitting better than 21st in horsefeathering dongs in all of baseball, but I really think it would be more enjoyable if it didn't feel like SUCH an uphill battle to score a leadoff baserunner.

horsefeathers, I like that. Make this hump feel the burn of the Cubs' Starters' 1st Inning Curse, too.

*Sigh*

According to BR he's had an OBP of .352 or much better over the last 28 days, and a BA of .272 or better. If Drinky Joe is going for some kind of second leadoff guy or whatever since the 2018 Cubs have obliterated the idea of a "normal" 3-4 setup, I guess it makes sense.

I'm kinda surprised there's not a wonky conspiracy theory out there about Kato and the OJ murders just based on those tweets alone.

He has not subsequently done a whole lot to warrant comparison to Rizzo or Harper. This kind of analysis is the modern version of "But he hits .312 in day games on Tuesdays." There are so many peripherals now that if you keep digging, you can find one that you like about the guy. Maybe it's exit velocity, maybe it's LD%, maybe he's due some BABIP luck, maybe you like the K/BB ratio, maybe he's got an above-average Z-swing% (RIP alcantara 2beautiful4thisworld), maybe his contact rate is too big leagues to ignore. There's always something. Maaaaybe David Bote is the next Ryan Theriot, and granted offensive output is so low these days that you basically just have to be not Rey Ordonez to be useful in the middle infield, but there was a time that stat-savvy fans knew what to make out of the guy with OK but not great numbers in AA and AAA who comes up and hits well for 82 plate appearances.

HE WILL WEATHER THE STORM OF ADJUSTMENTS.

The Yankees one just looks like some kind of lazy bootleg.

I tainted those results talking about something else entirely.

And Schwarb- ... Nevermind.

The Cubs are not good pizza. They are bug pizza. This was established.

It's a good thing he's satisfied, because the Bears sure as horsefeathers aren't winning a damn thing for the rest of his life.

Back in the day this would have been the kind of thing everyone laughed and laughed at West Side Rooter/Little Lord Fontenot for. Now everyone is inexplicably desperate to have a Jake Fox of their very own.

Damn right. This blockhead somehow manages to screw up and lie because of PIZZA. The best/worst part about the whole Cubs 'n' Trump love affair is that Papa Joe Ricketts was so visibly an anti-Trump Republican, to the point that Trump was calling him out while running. Then Trump wins and Joe and his boys, of course, OF COURSE, like the melty-face bad cheese golems that they are, immediately reverse course and become the most craven of boot lickers.

Hey, I can't help actually having a soul.

If barfing over the Cubs slobbering on Trump is weird, then I hope I'm the weirdest horsefeathers on the planet.

Oh, I'm pretty sure the Cubs winning it all is somehow partially responsible for President Trump...and that they're damned to not go back to the WS until he's out of office. (I kinda don't want them to win it until he's gone, too) [expletive], THIS WILL NEVER STOP PISSING ME OFF. WHY DID THEY horsefeathering GO BACK.

I could see it being a Clinton/Trump-type scenario. So, what, approx. 75% or so? So that’s why you won’t get too confident in the Cubs. The ole’ reverse jinx from the Clinton election certainty Oh, I'm pretty sure the Cubs winning it all is somehow partially responsible for President Trump...and that they're damned to not go back to the WS until he's out of office. (I kinda don't want them to win it until he's gone, too)

I talk cocky horsefeathers whether they win or lose. The target just varies depending on the result.