He has a history of muscle strains. Some guys are just all wiry and prone to strains. He looks like that guy.
*****Official Cubs 2023 thread*****
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Good stuff in the minor league bullets on BN today. 2022 top pick Cade Horton is getting a rapid bump to South Bend. He probably started in Myrtle Beach to keep him out of the crappy Midwest weather for a few starts, and make sure he got his work in. It's noted that Horton will probably spend the season here due to the strength of the staff at AA. There just isn't room to move him up unless 2021 top pick Jordan Wicks gets bumped to Des Moines.
DJ Herz and Luke Little go to AA. Both have promise as relievers, although the Cubs have done everything possible to bring them to the majors as starters.
James Triantos got an assignment out of EXT to South Bend, which for a 20 year old coming off knee surgery is a good landing spot for the season. If he shows he can transition to show some pop, and holds down two positions defensively he's a real prospect.
Side note, I've really got to start digging into Arizona Phil's stuff. A lot of insight from him.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs...returns-horton-triantos-herz-little-pca-more/
DJ Herz and Luke Little go to AA. Both have promise as relievers, although the Cubs have done everything possible to bring them to the majors as starters.
James Triantos got an assignment out of EXT to South Bend, which for a 20 year old coming off knee surgery is a good landing spot for the season. If he shows he can transition to show some pop, and holds down two positions defensively he's a real prospect.
Side note, I've really got to start digging into Arizona Phil's stuff. A lot of insight from him.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs...returns-horton-triantos-herz-little-pca-more/
Slight bump on my previous post, there is some interesting, in the weeds stuff about PCA's swing post surgery, and potential holes in his plate coverage, and when he is good/bad at putting the ball in play successfully. Also, he needs to walk more. He's dynamic when he gets on the bases, he needs to be able to get there to keep that dynamic glove in the line up if/when he makes it to the majors.
2B Nico Hoerner day to day with 'mild' left hamstring strain
Hoerner underwent imaging on his left hamstring on Tuesday morning, and the results were encouraging. He called Monday night's setback a "mild strain" and said he did not think a stint on the injured list would be necessary. Cubs manager David Ross said Hoerner was potentially available off the bench. With an off-day on Thursday, there is a chance Chicago could take a cautious approach to Hoerner's return over the next couple of games.
Hoerner said it was the right decision to exit Monday's game in the fifth inning after he felt tightness in his left leg while running from first to third.
https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-injuries-and-roster-moves
Hoerner underwent imaging on his left hamstring on Tuesday morning, and the results were encouraging. He called Monday night's setback a "mild strain" and said he did not think a stint on the injured list would be necessary. Cubs manager David Ross said Hoerner was potentially available off the bench. With an off-day on Thursday, there is a chance Chicago could take a cautious approach to Hoerner's return over the next couple of games.
Hoerner said it was the right decision to exit Monday's game in the fifth inning after he felt tightness in his left leg while running from first to third.
https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/cubs-injuries-and-roster-moves
I just hope they read this correctly and don’t try to do too much too soon and turn this into some lingering injury for 3 months.
**** this bullpen, and **** Ross. We have blown too many games…..
Just be grateful the Cubs are in a division where pretty much everyone sux.
No team will run away in the NL Central.
Boy howdy! I was listening to Sunday's pregame (yes today is Wednesday) and at that point they said the NL Central was 1-27 in the previous 28 games.
A team COULD runaway, but it's going to take an amazing run. The balanced schedule will hurt, no more beating up on bad Centrl teams.
Lost close and late in games, bullpen sucks
Yeah, the huge number of 1-run losses have been maddening. Bullpen numbers have been okay overall, and not a lot of blown saves, but they seem to really give up the big hits during tied games. And, of course, everyone knows how the offense has been sputtering during big scoring opportunities.
What those numbers tell me is that this team has what it takes to win but still has to figure out how to do it consistently. I think the second part will come, and that's a lot easier to fix than having a bare cupboard, which has been the problem for a few years.
Close games is definitely the culprit and I’m going toi dive into that this week. Cubs are 9-2 in blowouts (margin of 5+), but 2-8 in 1-run games and 2-4 in 2-run games. When you’re losing games like that, you have to look at the whole team. The bullpen has had some struggles, but they’ve lost SEVEN games already where they held the other team to 4 or fewer runs. When the Cubs lose 2-1 (twice), I have a hard time giving everything else a pass because it was the bullpen that gave up a losing run late. In fact, on the whole, the Cubs have a high-performing bullpen. The Cubs are top third or better in a number of metrics.
What the Cubs really have is a 9th inning problem in the bullpen and a timely hitting problem on offense. Combine the two and you get these kinds of results. That’s SUPER frustrating to watch everyday, especially as the Cubs are 7-13 in their last 20 and in that stretch are 1-9 in games decided by 2 runs or less. It’s also, however, easier to fix than last year when they were much more consistently getting blown out. The Cubs continue to make roster changes on offense and are still settling on bullpen roles.
Run differential will be an interesting thing to watch. Over the last 10 seasons (I left 2020 out), 95% of teams with run differentials north of 100 have made the playoffs. The Cubs are currently (small sample size alert) projected for a run differential of 210. Going back to the 2012 season, the team with the highest run differential to miss the playoffs was the 2021 Blue Jays - run diff of 183 and missed the playoffs by a game. That team wasn’t awful in close games, but they were merely 15-15 in 1-run games and missed the playoffs by a game (AL East took both WC spots that year and Jays came in 4th in the division).
The Cubs need to get better in the margins, but that improvement could come in a couple different areas.
I pick on the bullpen because it’s where I’ve seen the let downs while I watch
And I get it, and it doesn’t mean they’re free from blame, but when the bullpen blows a 1-0 lead in the 9th to lose 2-1, it’s a bullpen failure, but it’s not JUST a bullpen failure. You’re not going to win many games scoring 1-2 runs.
Hitting with RISP has been abysmal lately, but Ross hung Assad out in that game. He gave you 5 innings. He gave all he could, and shouldn't have gone back out to the mound.
With Gomes being activated, Amaya goes to AAA to work on his craft. Pablo Aliendo will now be the primary catcher at Tennessee. He's a very interesting prospect with good catch skills who has put on muscle to his frame, which is showing at the plate. A little slow on throwing the ball, but I'm not sure if that is a flaw that can be worked on, or purely an arm strength issue.
Tennessee is on Marquee tonight, by the way.
Tennessee is on Marquee tonight, by the way.
I was ok with rolling Assad back out there after a quick 8th, but Ross had to have someone else ready. That was a fail.
Jim Bullinger hit a home run at his first major league at bat.
I don’t miss the ‘roid era…but sometimes I do…
