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*****Official Cubs 2019 thread*****

When does Theo pull the plug on the Carlos Gonzalez experiment.
He is awful. Descalso and Gonzalez both need to go to strengthen the bench as the trade deadline approaches. I’d dump Gonzalez now and pull up Zagunis as a stop gap move, or see if Robel Garcia can replicate any of his AAA power in the majors. He at least can play two positions passably versus Descalso’s limited abilities at 2nd.

You would think they would give Garcia a chance here shortly. What more does he have to do in the minors? Plus, he can't be worse that Descalso is right now, can he?
 
See, no credit. He didn’t fold. He just kept grinding away. That’s a real competitor.

I've been seeing a lot more of this across the league lately. In today's game, where bullpens generally average 3 innings per game - and with some teams a LOT more - you simply cannot always pull an ineffective starter after 3-4 innings.

That bridge to the 6th inning - those extra +/- 2 innings are huge down the road. And if you're starter has pitches left in them, you use them. Every out is an out the bullpen doesn't have to get.

Playoffs is the time for a quick starter hook. Any more, the regular season isn't.
 
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I've been seeing a lot more of this across the league lately. In today's game, where bullpens generally average 3 innings per game - and with some teams a LOT more - you simply cannot always pull an ineffective starter after 3-4 innings.

That bridge to the 6th inning - those extra +/- 2 innings are huge down the road. And if you're starter has pitches left in them, you use them. Every out is an out the bullpen doesn't have to get.

Playoffs is the time for a quick starter hook. Any more, the regular season isn't.
Yep. You'll kill your bullpen. Need those starters to gut it out and eat innings when they are having a bad day. Bad start for Chatwood but at least he gutted it out and battled to eat innings.
 
I've been seeing a lot more of this across the league lately. In today's game, where bullpens generally average 3 innings per game - and with some teams a LOT more - you simply cannot always pull an ineffective starter after 3-4 innings.

That bridge to the 6th inning - those extra +/- 2 innings are huge down the road. And if you're starter has pitches left in them, you use them. Every out is an out the bullpen doesn't have to get.

Playoffs is the time for a quick starter hook. Any more, the regular season isn't.

Except for the Rays, of course. :) Check out the box score from yesterday's Rays-Twins game (18 innings).

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=401075948

 
When does Theo pull the plug on the Carlos Gonzalez experiment.
He is awful. Descalso and Gonzalez both need to go to strengthen the bench as the trade deadline approaches. I’d dump Gonzalez now and pull up Zagunis as a stop gap move, or see if Robel Garcia can replicate any of his AAA power in the majors. He at least can play two positions passably versus Descalso’s limited abilities at 2nd.
I haven’t been following the Iowa Cubs that closely, but is Happ an option at this point? Gonzalez and Descalso are terrible and both need to be shown the door. No way in hell they should be in the lineup on the same day; especially hitting back to back.
 
I haven’t been following the Iowa Cubs that closely, but is Happ an option at this point? Gonzalez and Descalso are terrible and both need to be shown the door. No way in hell they should be in the lineup on the same day; especially hitting back to back.

 
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I haven’t been following the Iowa Cubs that closely, but is Happ an option at this point? Gonzalez and Descalso are terrible and both need to be shown the door. No way in hell they should be in the lineup on the same day; especially hitting back to back.
Every report I have seen is that Happ is being given specific, incremental goals, and he is progressing. However, I really do not expect him to come up until September.
There hasn't been one word about Zobrist coming back. At this point he'd need 3-4 weeks to get ready to play. The last I heard was that he isn't participating in much that could be considered baseball related activities. Just light conditioning. At his age he'll take longer to get ready to go, otherwise his odds of an injury skyrocket. The positional flexibility of Zobrist is what this team could use.
 
Random minor league notes, but it is very encouraging that two of the prospects in the system have rehabbed from injuries and are back on the field. Nico Hoerner is in Arizona, and should get bumped back up to AA, and Cole Roederer is back with South Bend. I'm also fascinated with early appearances by the draft signees for this year, and the first appearances stateside of the latest IFA class. Supposedly the Cubs have reached agreements or signed their top 10 picks. I am intrigued by getting catching prospect Ethan Hearn down to Arizona. His defense will need a lot of work, but his bat projects very well.
 
Don’t mind me, I’m about to light my hair on fire over Cole Hammels arm falling off.
For those of you who are interested, The Bif Lebowski is on HBO 7 or something. He just met up with Maude.
 
Don’t mind me, I’m about to light my hair on fire over Cole Hammels arm falling off.
For those of you who are interested, The Bif Lebowski is on HBO 7 or something. He just met up with Maude.

I got to the game late. What happened with Hamels?
 
Injuries to starting pitchers are part of the game.
You need to have depth in your Class AAA team
to weather the storm. Cubs might make a trade
if they think it would help them this season. Joe
Maddon can not control injuries or the marital status
of Zobrist.
 
Looks like Alzolay will stay up, then. He and Chatwood in the rotation until Hendricks comes back.
 
It's starting to look like a very real possibility the NL Central winner may not get to 81 wins in the regular season.

What a shit show!

Sonny Gray... :p:p:p:p
 
It's starting to look like a very real possibility the NL Central winner may not get to 81 wins in the regular season.

What a shit show!

Sonny Gray... :p:p:p:p

Cards lost Ozuna last night too. Injured a couple fingers reaching back to the bag on a pickoff attempt. Ran immediately to the clubhouse after. Whatever happened, it evidently was visually obvious.

He's going to the IL, they should know more today. Big time loss in a lineup that simply is not scoring runs at all this month.

The division certainly seems to be a race to the bottom the past couple weeks. A team will win 81 (most likely will win near 90)...but right now no team is playing well, injuries or not. The season is right around the midway point for all teams...LONG way to go.
 
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Then why did he not rest and not go out with a limb dick arm?
35 year old vet who has dealt with discomfort. One of the beat writers said Hammels said he's had a couple of twinges this year, and before the game last night, but he went out anyway.
 
Cards lost Ozuna last night too. Injured a couple fingers reaching back to the bag on a pickoff attempt. Ran immediately to the clubhouse after. Whatever happened, it evidently was visually obvious.

He's going to the IL, they should know more today. Big time loss in a lineup that simply is not scoring runs at all this month.

The division certainly seems to be a race to the bottom the past couple weeks. A team will win 81 (most likely will win near 90)...but right now no team is playing well, injuries or not. The season is right around the midway point for all teams...LONG way to go.

Are you concerned about Goldy at all? Surely he will be better than he has been this first half. However, he is about to turn 32 so if he is like most, his career will start trending downward.
 
Are you concerned about Goldy at all? Surely he will be better than he has been this first half. However, he is about to turn 32 so if he is like most, his career will start trending downward.

Oh hell yeah. But I tend to believe that the new hitting coach is ultimately at the root of everything with StL's bad offense.

Pretty difficult for an entire offense to go bad...but it has. I suspect Albert's way of operating is in one specific methodology instead of figuring out what each individual player does best.

If you're a pitcher that can locate a fastball and offspeed pitch, you'll get Cardinals batters out. The whole lineup simply appears not to be able to cope with that. And there's too many hitters with past success to simply believe they've all simultaneously regressed from age.
 
I'm glad the CarGo experiment is over. Yeah, I know, low risk. Maybe you catch lighting in a bottle. My thoughts all along were he hasn't been good for a few years, and the Indians had just cut him for being bad. The chances of a good reward were very low.
 
Wick and Maples have rejoined the Cubs, giving them a 14 man pitching corps, again.
 
Kris Bryant is now a GIDP machine and after some clutch home runs in May, has gone back to his career norms with a .200 BA with RISP.

Hopefully Q can get them to the 8th with the lead, and Strop/Kimbrel can shut the door.
 
Kris Bryant is now a GIDP machine and after some clutch home runs in May, has gone back to his career norms with a .200 BA with RISP.

Hopefully Q can get them to the 8th with the lead, and Strop/Kimbrel can shut the door.
Probably no need. Bryant hit a key double to set up Javy’s slam.
 
Javy continues to mature as a hitter. When I first saw him in the Midwest League he attempted to drive everything to left. He isn’t an all fields guy, but pushing that grand slam to right showed how he has matured.
 
Javy continues to mature as a hitter. When I first saw him in the Midwest League he attempted to drive everything to left. He isn’t an all fields guy, but pushing that grand slam to right showed how he has matured.
I'm pretty sure half his home runs this year have been to right. People pitch him away so that he doesn't hit it 450 feet to left center. So he has just decided he's okay with 360 feet to right instead.
 
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Kris Bryant is now a GIDP machine and after some clutch home runs in May, has gone back to his career norms with a .200 BA with RISP.

Hopefully Q can get them to the 8th with the lead, and Strop/Kimbrel can shut the door.
Who hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the 5th?

Kyle fvcking Schwarber. He had one job! DON’T hit into s double play!!
 
I'm glad the CarGo experiment is over. Yeah, I know, low risk. Maybe you catch lighting in a bottle. My thoughts all along were he hasn't been good for a few years, and the Indians had just cut him for being bad. The chances of a good reward were very low.

I thought maybe the fact that they grabbed him meant that they thought they saw something they could fix. Oh well, it didn't work, but that happens on these kinds of moves. At least they had the pragmatism to move him out.
 
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