Transmogrified Tiger

I think this is a hate crime

Bailey Clark doing some good work as a multi-inning reliever: 14.1 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 19/3 K/BB, 1 HR As a 23 year old with 5th round pedigree, wonder how long til he goes to Myrtle Beach if that keeps up.

Kinda surprised that this hasn’t happened to Kapler yet.

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I think he might’ve gotten him? Doesn’t look like enough to overturn. Either way, Davis made it a close play with a bad path and worse slide. Conditions don’t help, but that was not good.

Always good when a pitcher fields a bunt and your immediate reaction is “I hope he knows where this throw is going” Also good when the answer is emphatically “he doesn’t”

#Mekkeswatch 1 perfect IP, 2 K For the season: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 10/5 K/BB

wow bryant hit a curveball for a home run what are the odds

I don't know if that's why, but the Cavs are playing across the street Tuesday night. Their game starts at 7:00 Eastern.

The best current example is Mike Trout, no? i would say mookie betts is closer but neither has quite the SB totals and both have more power (trout much moreso) correct, both would technically qualify, but what I was getting at is the aesthetics of the player I have in mind, which is more of a leadoff hitter than a middle of the order powerhouse. If you're hitting more home runs than say, Dexter Fowler, you're a power hitter that happens to run fast. It's an arbitrary distinction, but I'm talking about the aesthetics of players I like so I'll draw the lines where I like. Lofton is a near-perfect avatar of that player.

I don't have an opinion on the hall of fame but I wish there were more players in his mold in this era, high OBP speedy OFs. I can even take or leave the stolen base aspect but it seems like anyone who's fast also happens to suck at getting on base. The best current example is Altuve, but he's in his own class. Outside of that...Brett Gardner? Benintendi? The good versions of Starling Marte or Odubel Herrera? It's a disappointingly small group.

The Cubs lead the NL in wRC and are 1 run off from the lead in runs. They've also been HBP a weird number of times, their 21 leads MLB by a fair amount(the White Sox are 2nd with 16). The heart of the order(Bryant 7, Rizzo 5, Contreras 4) have been HBP as many times in 225 PA as any other combined team(which range from 700-825 PA).

He could also gain velocity.

I can’t believe they ended the game on that overturn They absolutely should have, but I would’ve put money on them chickening out like that Javy play a year or two ago

To be clear, the point I’m making is not ‘ah yes this is all going according to plan’, but rather that it’s more likely a combination of factors(a dash of building up endurance, finding the right pitch mix with a new team, April weather, etc) that are not likely to be an ongoing problem. The Arrieta-esque lack of pitch economy is probably here to stay though, I’d guess.

ALBERT DON’T DIE

That is some really good hitting by Willson, once he got to 2 strikes he was looking for that frisbee slider and just fighting off anything hard/inside

sometimes with guys scouted favorably that's enough to portend semi-stardom: Lindor, DiDi, Albies... Those guys have much louder tools than Gleyber though. Torres has jumped up lists due to an absence of glaring weaknesses and extreme youth for his level, not because he has any particular future strength.

For a point of reference, Lester gave up 15 ER in his first 21.2 IP as a Cub. I’m not really worried, two of those starts very much seemed like running out of steam which I expect will improve as the year progresses. I was happy to see him get rid of the hesitation too. Doing that every pitch doesn’t make much sense to me, you want to vary your pace at random for it to be effective, like Cueto is good at doing.

Even amazing MLB teams will lose 2+ months’ worth of games. Many of them will be very dumb and frustrating losses. Baseball is so great because you don’t have to retreat to the angrydome after every frustrating thing that happens because these things largely come out in the wash. The Cubs aren’t even going through a terrible stretch either, assuming no comeback they’ll be 9-9 with only 7 games at home and most of the games played in weather that’s barely football weather. Baseball gives you freedom from fearing doom around every corner, be liberated by it! OK? Again, it's like you and Cubswin act like you have to lecture the rest of us as to how baseball works when we're venting in the game threads over the course of a pretty mundane start to the season. We get it; almost everyone here thinks the Cubs have an awesome team. With that comes elevated hopes and expectations that make starts like this, while obviously likely not disastrous, really horsefeathering annoying. Like 17 pointed out, that everything comes out in the wash doesn't make actually following/watching long stretches of mediocre baseball any more enjoyable. Again, if you’re co-signing a sentiment that treats following the 2017 Cubs as a disappointment or exercise in frustration, I just can’t relate to it. Think how narrow that makes your window for enjoying following a team.

Full stop. You guys keep trying to make it sound like everyone who isn't on the same page as you is like that r_mack or whatever the horsefeathers guy and just think they're terrible and destined to fail. Most of us are just annoyed that a team that SHOULD be a lot better keeps finding so many different ways to have these long stretches of not being consistently awesome (or worse). We all know the Cubs easily could and should be better, but some of us would rather vent than acting like it's not frustrating as hell when they rack up too many dumb losses, or things stack up like the starting rotation looking like complete butt. Even amazing MLB teams will lose 2+ months’ worth of games. Many of them will be very dumb and frustrating losses. Baseball is so great because you don’t have to retreat to the angrydome after every frustrating thing that happens because these things largely come out in the wash. The Cubs aren’t even going through a terrible stretch either, assuming no comeback they’ll be 9-9 with only 7 games at home and most of the games played in weather that’s barely football weather. Baseball gives you freedom from fearing doom around every corner, be liberated by it!

I just cannot relate to the mindset that is so vocally worried about doom 10% into a baseball season. Especially a team with the talent the Cubs have, and one that has seen the Cubs run roughshod over the league in the second half every year of Maddon’s tenure. There isn’t even a team in the division getting off to an incredible start that we can start having mathematical worries about either.

You all won’t believe this, but Underwood got smacked around.

I’ve been beating this drum for years. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to have next-gen Placido Polanco on my team, but that is not a thing that I will have an ounce of regret about losing.