CubFaninPA

When Thielbar started to warm up in the 7th, I prayed that Assad would get through he inning somehow. He wasn't as sharp as usual last night but Assad did enough to keep Thielbar off the field. Plus, he saved the bullpen for today.

Well, he seems to have broken his slump in a big way this weekend. Let's hope he keeps it up and only faces right handers.

We'll see soon enough if his homer marks the end of a slump or is just a blip.

He is literally 0 for August. He would make a good late inning defensive replacement but he isn't hitting a lick now from either side of the plate.

I meant emergency catcher not a third catcher. He would have replaced the pinch runner had he not scored. But if he was already in the game at another position, he would have been shifted to catcher.

Kelly is the last person we want as ghost runner. If the Cubs had an emergency catcher, Kelly would have been replaced by someone who would have beat the throw home and the game would have been over.

My hope when Theilbar came in was that he'd only give up one run. Thanks to Bregman, that didn't happen.

With all the talent the Cubs just acquired why is Thielbar still being put into games the Cubs hope to win? If they're forced to use him, he should go in as early as possible to give the Cubs more time to make up the runs he will surely give away.

There's no doubt pitching upgrades are needed, especially in the bullpen but pitching didn't lose this series to the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers scored exactly two runs in each game and won two of them. The Cubs were shut out in the first and only scored once in the last game. Since trading for hitters doesn't seem to be in the cards, perhaps some internal moves could be made. When Shaw comes off the injured list, he could platoon with Happ in left field against left handers. Ayers could be brought up and given some at bats as DH to see if he can hit major league pitching. If he can, he could be tested behind the plate. Are the Cubs leading the league in hitting into double plays? It sure seems like it. Are some hitters getting bonuses for staring at third strikes that are clearly in the strike zone? It happens so often with certain hitters I wonder about that.

Based on what they have done so far, I don't think the front office is convinced this team is worth spending more to improve it. Recent additions cost little more than some bats and balls.

It will be interesting to see how Peterson does away from Wrigley without a gale force wind blowing in.

Happ should definitely lead off because he will hit into fewer double plays in that spot. Lately, defenses have given him a break by only getting the runner out at second some of the time.

After blowing a five-run lead last night for their fifth straight loss, it's time for the front office to get to work on a line-up for next year. What happened before the All-Star Game was an aberration. What we've seen since is what we have going into the playoffs. Losing two straight and going home looks like a distinct possibility. PCA, Shaw, and Swanson (assuming their under contract for next year) need to spend the off-season learning how to reliably bunt for base hits. Right now, I hate to see any of them come up to bat with runners in scoring position.

He only needs 188 now. I missed seeing it happen but saw it on on a replay. Bunting with two strikes is gutsy, less so when the likely alternative is striking out. He should do this more, especially when they're giving him everything along the third base line.

Bunts put pressure on the defense. Strike outs, weak ground balls, and lazy flies don't. With his speed, he could get on base some of the time and some of those times errant throws could land him on second or third base. With practice, he could get good at it. He can't steal second if he doesn't get on base.