Chicago Cubs 2016 Season

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#1,251      
South Farms
IanKEvans2 said:
Prediction for game one's lineup:

1. Fowler, CF
2. Bryant, 3B
3. Rizzo, 1B
4. Zobrist, LF
5. Baez, 2B
6. Schwarber, DH
7. Russell, SS
8. Ross, C
9. Heyward, RF
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I would maybe put Schwarber at 4 or 5, isn't that where he hit last year ? edit : just checked, he hit #2 in the 2015 wildcard game

opening day lineup from 4/2/16 in Anaheim
1. Dexter Fowler - CF
2. Jason Heyward - RF
3. Ben Zobrist - 2B
4. Anthony Rizzo - 1B
5. Kris Bryant - 3B
6. Kyle Schwarber - LF
7. Jorge Soler - DH
8. Miguel Montero - C
9. Addison Russell - SS

I had completely forgotten Heyward batted 2nd for a long time .
 
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#1,252      
IanKEvans2
South Farms said:
I would maybe put Schwarber at 4 or 5, isn't that where he hit last year ? edit : just checked, he hit #2 in the 2015 wildcard game
Click to expand...

Schwarber in the 2015 playoffs:
-Wild Card: 2nd.
-NLDS: 2nd, did not start (PH), 6th, 6th.
-NLCS: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 6th.

I'll stick with 6th as my guess. Takes a lot of pressure off from being thrust into the 4th or 5th spot in the order.
 
#1,253      
champaignchris
IanKEvans2 said:
Via 670 The Score, Maddon confirms Schwarber starting tonight as the DH, along with one other lineup surprise.

Contreras in the OF for Heyward perhaps?
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Heyward would be the only one from that lineup that you could really pull and feel good about. Kluber doesn't have extreme R/L splits. Contreras also does about as well against righties as he does lefties. So that would make sense.
 
#1,254      
IanKEvans2
champaignchris said:
Heyward would be the only one from that lineup that you could really pull and feel good about. Kluber doesn't have extreme R/L splits. Contreras also does about as well against righties as he does lefties. So that would make sense.
Click to expand...

Here's our answer:

1. Fowler, CF
2. Bryant, 3B
3. Rizzo, 1B
4. Zobrist, LF
5. Schwarber, DH
6. Baez, 2B
7. Coghlan, RF
8. Russell, SS
9. Ross, C
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/790992495073198080
 
#1,256      
Deleted member 16340
Hoppy2105 said:
I think this is the biggest thing (even if not by much) among all the reasons to bring him back. Joe now has the ability to get in the minds of the Indians and affect their strategy. He is trying to infiltrate their OODA Loop. (strategic decision cycle created for the military by John Boyd)

Now, the only kicker here is that Kyle has to become an actual threat. If he looks lost out there in game 1 and 2 (when we see him) he will no longer have any bearing on the game or how they strategize.

Maybe a first at bat double/HR could help. :D
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OODA Loop..haven't see that in almost15 years. Boyd was good
 
#1,258      
ChiCityHoops34
Schwarber absolutely spanking the ball in BP.

I just have a really good feeling about him tonight. He is 40/1 odds hitting the first home run of the series, there have definitely been worse looking bets.
 
#1,259      
IanKEvans2
champaignchris said:
Cubs had one former Indian play for them this year. Joe Smith was quite good as a reliever for them for 5 years. He had a bumpy time with the Cubs and is not on the active roster for the Series.

The Indians do not currently have any former Cubs. Marlon Byrd began the year with the Indians before being suspended for the rest of the year for steroids. (Possibly the least shocking steroid suspension of all time.) Tommy Hunter and Tom Gorzelanny were both on the Indians a bit before both being released. Oddly, both players were then picked up by Baltimore. Hunter played well and was on the O's playoff roster.
Click to expand...

Batting 7th and playing LF tonight for Cleveland is former Cubs' draft pick (5th round, 2007), Brandon Guyer.

He was included in the Chris Archer trade for Matt Garza with Tampa Bay and was traded this season from Tampa Bay to Cleveland for prospects.
 
#1,260      
champaignchris
IanKEvans2 said:
Batting 7th and playing LF tonight for Cleveland is former Cubs' draft pick (5th round, 2007), Brandon Guyer.

He was included in the Chris Archer trade for Matt Garza with Tampa Bay and was traded this season from Tampa Bay to Cleveland for prospects.
Click to expand...

Ah yes!! Good catch.
 
#1,262      
Illiniaaron
Not a good first inning for Lester. Hopefully he can recover but the Cubs might have to go to the pen early.
 
#1,264      
Illiniaaron
The only positive is that Kluber is having to throw a lot of pitches to strike out everyone.
 
#1,265      
Hoppy2105
Lester has sometimes given up early runs and then locked things down after that. Let's hope that is the case tonight and that our batters can stop striking out.
 
#1,268      
bdutts
Illiniaaron said:
If he's pitching like this through five and the Indians pull him they will be doing the Cubs a favor even if it's Miller
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Pretty much more of the same IMO. I'd guess Kluber will go 6 max so he can be used in games 4 and 7.
 
#1,273      
IanKEvans2
Oy. The triumphant return to the World Series didn't go quite as everyone had hoped.

However, being the annoying eternal optimist I am, here are some positives I saw:
1. Zobrist with 3 solid hits.
2. Schwarber looked confident at the plate and put in several strong at bats.
3. Cubs made Andrew Miller look human (and throw 46 pitches). Execution will be crucial in game 2. I think they will see Miller again tomorrow night.
4. Baez and Contreras keep their bats going.

Room for Improvement:
1. 5 of 6 Cleveland runs scored after the first 2 batters of the inning were retired, 4 of which off the bat of of a defensive specialist catcher.
2. 1-3 in the lineup went hitless. Tough to win games when that happens.
3. Rondon hasn't pitched well in a long time. Hard to trust in high leverage situations.
4. So many pop-up outs. 3 to the catcher? That can't happen.

Tough to Control:
1. Kluber was dominant. Not much you can do but hope he makes a mistake.

Tomorrow is a new day. Arrieta on the bump, get the bats going early versus Bauer, even it out, and bring it back home to Wrigley.
 
#1,274      
danielb927
Tough loss, but nobody got injured, Schwarber looks like he's still a legitimate hitter, and we won't see Kluber again until at least game 4, even if he goes on short rest. Thought the strike zone was pretty inconsistent early on, and we just couldn't dig out of that hole on the road. IMO we looked ok and if we take this back to Wrigley tied 1-1 I'll be more than happy.
 
#1,275      
Illiniaaron
I think it was important to make Miller work hard tonight to ge through two innings. He's not going to be able to pitch every day, especially once the Cubs get a couple wins, which will disrupt Cleveland's recipe for winning (starter-Miller-closer).
 
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