Chicago Cubs 2019 Season

#753      

mattcoldagelli

The Transfer Portal
Totaling 0 runs against this Brewers team this weekend? This team richly deserves its imminent WC game loss.
 
#755      
Yeah. Last couple years this team’s put up good offensive numbers in the aggregate, but seemingly comes up small in the biggest games over and over.

I wouldn't even say they have been good offensively this year. I mean, they're runs/game is nearly at league average. They're in the bottom 1/3 for hits (though top 1/3 for OBP). And while they're 8th in HR's, their OPS+ is nearly league average. I'd call some of it lack of situational hitting, but they're nearly in the bottom 1/3 for LOB throughout the year.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
#756      

Hoppy2105

Little Rock, Arkansas
Honest question:

Has the window closed?

I know we built an awesome young corps of hitters and have been trying to piece together good (if not great) pitching staffs year after year...but what would it take to be a true contender again next year?

Having said all that, I hope we get hot and win it all from the WC play in game.
 
#757      
Honest question:

Has the window closed?

I know we built an awesome young corps of hitters and have been trying to piece together good (if not great) pitching staffs year after year...but what would it take to be a true contender again next year?

Having said all that, I hope we get hot and win it all from the WC play in game.

The young corps may have over achieved early on it seems.
 
#759      

mattcoldagelli

The Transfer Portal
Has the window closed?

I really don’t think so. I mean, keep things in perspective- I think everyone views this year as an in-progress underachievement, and if the postseason started today, they would be in it. While there will be work to do in this and future off seasons, this team still has more strengths than holes, IMO.
 
#760      

Hoppy2105

Little Rock, Arkansas
I really don’t think so. I mean, keep things in perspective- I think everyone views this year as an in-progress underachievement, and if the postseason started today, they would be in it. While there will be work to do in this and future off seasons, this team still has more strengths than holes, IMO.

I hope so. Gotta make some changes for the positive in the off season. One in-particular may be JM.
 
#761      
Honest question:

Has the window closed?

I know we built an awesome young corps of hitters and have been trying to piece together good (if not great) pitching staffs year after year...but what would it take to be a true contender again next year?

Having said all that, I hope we get hot and win it all from the WC play in game.

Honest answer,
When you have Rizzo, Bryant and Baez as the core along with a very solid second tier of players the window is not closed.
Pitching is fickle. The 20 game winner one year is ineffective the next 2 years. The Fireman closer suddenly can't blow out a match but there's always a bunch of young arms waiting in the wings somewhere.
KB isn't eligible for free agency until 2022. He'll get a contract extension this off season.
Rizzo is a FA in 22 as well. He'll be 32. I don't think he will look for a 10 year $150+ deal but you never know. If he accepts a 6 year deal he will stay too.
Same for Baez. FA in 22. I anticipate he too will get a new deal.
If ownership/management so desire the window will be open for a long time.
 
#764      
[ W ] #75

Welcome back Zo' & Willy.

P.S. Zo, you may want to change your walk-up song now that you're back.
 
#765      
Cubs are 11-5 in their last 16 and during that time have lost a game in the wild card standings to the Nats and 2 games in the division standings to the Cardinals.

Such is baseball.
 
#769      
Cubs are 11-5 in their last 16 and during that time have lost a game in the wild card standings to the Nats and 2 games in the division standings to the Cardinals.

Such is baseball.
Cards have the feel of the 2018 Brewers... They're playing about 800 ball in the past month or so. It's probably gonna take beating them 4 or 5 times to win the division.
 
#770      
Cards have the feel of the 2018 Brewers... They're playing about 800 ball in the past month or so. It's probably gonna take beating them 4 or 5 times to win the division.

Yeah. The 20-5 (.800) run the Cards have been on is very similar to the 23-7 (.7367) run the Brewers went on to end the season last year. The Cards don't have a Yelich suddenly becoming Barry Bonds, but they do have a bullpen that has been amazing, and Flaherty is putting up a 2015 Jake Arrieta-esque 2nd half.

The Cubs are responding very similarly to their competitor's big run. They've gone 12-11 during the Cardinals' run and went 17-14 during the Brewers' run last year. Not outright blowing it, so much as failing to step up to the challenge.
 
#771      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
That Mariners team is one heaping pile of garbage. One disadvantage the NL Central teams have is they don't have a Baltimore, Toronto, Detroit, Kansas City, Seattle, or Miami to beat up on nineteen times a season. If you're the Twins or Indians, almost one out of every four games is against either the Tigers or Royals.
 
#772      

mattcoldagelli

The Transfer Portal
They've gone 12-11 during the Cardinals' run and went 17-14 during the Brewers' run last year. Not outright blowing it, so much as failing to step up to the challenge.

They also went 2-4 against Milwaukee in September (not counting game 163). Gonna need to do better than that for the 7 they have against STL this month.
 
#773      
The Cardinal run has been on the backs of some pretty weak competition. Other than the Brewers no one else was over .500 and the Brewers were struggle at that time. Many of the wins were late innings come from behind. Is that sustainable? Sometimes. IIRC, the Cubs did that pretty often a few years ago. I don't remember is it was in 16 or after that.

Their next 8 games (6 on the road) will finish the easiest part of the schedule. Their last 16 games are all teams over .500.

It will be interesting to watch the last 2 weeks of the season to see if the Cards and Cubs are both playing just above .500 or if one of them pushes .600.