Aaron_Kennelly

Also, I think we definitely got in on the action last year. KB was driving the ball harder and getting more in the air and it won him an MVP. Dexter started hitting for more power after he came here and has continued to do so after leaving. Willson, as I mentioned in the previous post, got a lot of help. David Ross certainly benefited. And Addison Russell really dipped into that well in the second-half last year.

If things continue like they have in the second-half, though, and guys aren't World Series Hungover or Duke Cursed, then the juiced ball should be very good for us. We've got a lot of guys in that upper middle class of power that swing for the fences and should see a big boost from a juiced ball.

I feel like the juiced ball craze somehow missed the Cubs. Other than Happ and maybe Contreras, everyone's power production is about where I would have expected it this season. Now show a bunch of stats that make me look very wrong. I, generally, agree very much with this. I think a lot of Cubs have missed out on it so far. Even a guy like Rizzo, who is getting ready to surpass his career high in HR. He's at 18.1% HR/FB, which is above his career average. The year before the juiced ball entered the equation, though, he had a 18.8% HR/FB, in 2014. It was also 18.1% in 2012. His HR/FB dropped off big time in 2015, though. And it has went up in each of the next two years. So I might just be off here. It's possible he's simply traded power for contact. And he's definitely doing that with 2 strikes, so I'm willing to admit that I might be way off here. But Rizzo is in the juicy upper middle class of raw power (exit velocity). And that's the group that stands to benefit the most from the juiced ball. He isn't hitting a bunch of 480-feet bombs that don't need any help, like Judge. But he hits a ton of balls really hard and far that have a chance of leaving the park. And he puts the ball in play a lot. I really think he's got a home run explosion coming one of these years if the ball stays juiced. More than this, though... KB has had a weird year and isn't hitting for power like he should. And Schwarber's year has been all fucked up. As has Addison Russell's, who is also in that middle class of power, like Rizzo, that should see a homer spike. It's just been a bad year for a bunch of guys. And we started off so slow that it's hard for us to get our overall numbers back in line. I think we've definitely seen the benefits of the juiced ball effect in the second half, though -- perhaps more than any team in the second-half. On the plus side, there is Happ, who is basically the poster boy for the juiced ball era. He, like several I've mentioned, is in that upper middle class of power. And he's definitely seen the effect. He hits a lot of fly balls. And he gets the ball up in the air with that elevated swing path. And he hits a lot of them far. And he's had a number that have just gotten out. He's thriving in this era. I think Willson was seeing some benefits, like you mention. But that was before he got super hot and started hitting 450-foot shots every other day. He's a little different, in that I think he definitely benefited a ton last year and early on this year. Then he turned a corner and turned into a legit, dong-mashing superstar.

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Sweep these sucky sucks.

Cubs have regained the lead from the Dodgers for most wins since the start of 2015. 277 to their 275. Nats are in third with 264.

Still time to go 0-for-2 and match Jim Hendry's 3-for-8. Eh, there's a slight difference in those 3-8's, even if it happens. Which it won't. Yeah, there was an extra team in our division. Hendry's was more impressive.

Kershaw's velo was down tonight, too. He's definitely not quite right -- at least not yet.

Or, you know, the Dodgers just might be kind of okay. There is nothing to flip, whatever they had shown was likely fraudulent and they are more like the well above average but still flawed team they've been the last 2-4 years. Cubs are still better.

Come on, Padres.

Joe passed out half and hour ago.

Just end this game.

Holy horsefeathers! Schwarber Fan thinks we're going to make the playoffs!

I think you're alone on #2. horsefeathers them. Yes, I am bitter. But I am relishing every minute of this after all the stupid articles about them being the best team ever. I hope they win 102 games, have a lower RD than the 2016 Cubs and then lose in the NLDS.

lol even Kershaw sucks.

Much better the last 2 innings. Just do that for the whole game next time.

Lester's pitching a complete game now.

The real question is if Jon can stay in long enough so that we can get him another AB.

Hell yea. Get them bats going.

That was a pretty nice throw, too. A little off line, but strong.

Nice tag. Didn't think he was going to be able to get him.

Yeah. Lackey, Monty, and Hendricks are starting this weekend.

Stanton's hit one on the birthday of every one of Addison Russell's children this year.

Have we talked about this yet? [tweet] [/tweet] Olbermann has been complaining on twitter for three days now about baseball players eating sunflower seeds when they are in the field. Does anyone else have a problem with this? And am I correct to think he is crazy for caring about it this much?

Imagine winning the division by 8 games. We've gone on a losing stretch and Cards have gone on a winning stretch and we're still up 4. Last time this happened they tied the division and then dropped all the way to 7 back. Our losing stretch involved an injury to a starter than things going haywire and a reliever blowing a late 1 run lead. I don't really see the need to sound the alarms. Definitely not time to sound the alarms. I already said it earlier in this thread, but the Cardinals being back in the race definitely sucks -- mainly because they are the Cardinals and they deserve nothing but misery. But we're still 4 up. We haven't blown anything yet. That's nice that they've made up a few games and once again became our toughest competition. But we've been between 2 and 4.5 games up every day since August 19. Our outlook really hasn't changed at all. We spent 1 day 4.5 up over this past weekend. But this 4 game lead is the largest we've had all year outside of that day. The teams behind us have changed order -- and one has dropped off the radar completely -- but we've just been cruising along with a steady cushion for a month-and-a-half now (outside of that one time you mention that they tied us). The recent losses stink because we couldn't expand that lead. And the Cardinals hopes have been revived. But we're still 4 up with not much time left. I'll start to worry if they get within 2 of us, I guess.