Cubs vs. Nats

[SilenceS]

I like Joe but that lineup was awful today. No fault of his but I knew if we didn't win 2-1 or shut them out. We were done.

 

[chibears55]

That is Joe in a nutshell. Wacky.

Losing to Max Scherzer is not a disgrace, and as bad as you think the line-up was, the Cubs left 17 men on base and couldn't put a runner across the plate.

It happens.

Looks as if the Cubs will go against KC with Volquez/Arrieta, Ventura/Hammel, and Guthrie/Wada.

Hopefully KC is in a little bit of a funk right now. The Cubs need to get back on track as they should have some decent matchups, and KC also has to use the pitcher with no DH in which, I hope helps out.

9 LOB

Ross shouldn't be on this team anymore ( .160 Avg.), let alone starting every 5th game..

Cogs .200, needs to be benched not leading off..

 

[brett05]

So who eliminates manager mistakes?

The players

 

[TC in Mississippi]

The players

Correct. Say what you want about Maddon's weird line up, I didn't like it much either, the players were the ones that left all those runners on base. If the players had performed they wouldn't have wasted a very good start from Lester.

 

[brett05]

Correct. Say what you want about Maddon's weird line up, I didn't like it much either, the players were the ones that left all those runners on base. If the players had performed they wouldn't have wasted a very good start from Lester.

Agreed, it's the players that win/lose the game even when the deck is stacked against them as it was yesterday with that lineup.

 

[brett05]

Just checked. In fairness Washington left 10 on base

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Just checked. In fairness Washington left 10 on base

Fewer than the Cubs, and they won the game.

The takeaway from this series for me is that this team is not quite there yet. They went up against one of the best teams in their league and held their own but lost the series. The Cubs can play sloppy and you can get away with that over lesser clubs sometimes, obviously not against Arizona, but a team as good as Washington will take advantage. They have to cut down on the errors and the bullpen has to pitch better. Those are two things in their control. I think they're a starting pitcher, maybe a reliever and likely a bat short of having the talent to overcome occasional sloppiness, in other words that would increase their margin of error, but so much of what's happening right now can be improved by the players. Castro has to get his game going, Russell needs to continue to improve his focus and I already mentioned the bullpen. It would help if Maddon didn't try crazy line ups like last night but he's Maddon and he's going to do that, other things he does with the team likely make up for it. This a player's game and they have to perform. Period.

 

[CSF77]

Max was dominate. He is proving that he was worth that 200 mil. Still that line up was not helping matters. Regardless I doubt Adding Montero and Soler would have changed much. If Max shut down Bryant and Rizzo (basically) Soler and Montero both would have had the same results.

That said they need to address LF. Coghlan 0 for 3 3 SO's. 2015: 25% SO rate. 10% BB rate. His knock this year is he has been all extra bases and little hits in general. His ISO is at .216. Which is unheard of. 1B: 14, 2B: 6, 3B: 1, HR: 7. 14 BB His OBA is .284. It gets to a point that he is not helping the team by being in the starting line up.

Cog's is another scrub in a long line of scrubs that have been brough in by Jed to play a filler role. Sweeney, Schierholtz and Coghlan all had 1 solid year that got them a 1 year deal in return. All 3 have proved that that year was a fluke.

It is time to make a permanent LF solution. My vote is to push up Schwarber to AAA and move him to LF Then push up Baez to LF to show case his bat for the deadline.

It is time to make the right decisions that push this team into a winning product. They can't afford to play games with the line up or run scrubs out there in starter roles.

On Ross: I do not like the catering to Lester. It is babying him. He even said in ST that he was willing to work with Montero and it will happen eventually anyways. What makes sense to me is just platooning them. Montero sux vs LH pitching anyways so you are going to want Ross in there to give him those days off. But when you want his bat in there vs a tough RH pitcher that runs are going to be scarce this whole catering crap is counter productive.

Sure you want a longer term solution at back up catcher. I don't want to see Schwarber as a back up. Maybe as a LF and catching as a emergency catcher until Montero's contract is up. By then he should be accumulated with the league and it becomes a easier decision to make that change with a vet back up to help him.

Regardless Nats at this point are a better team. This just proved that. Cubs need to mature more. The errors hurt the team but it wouldn't have changed the outcome. That is the biggest thing right now. This year is a bunch of talent in adjustment. By this time next year I believe the results will be different.

 

[brett05]

Fewer than the Cubs, and they won the game.

Uhm, The Cubs only had 9 LOB, so the Nats had more by one.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Uhm, The Cubs only had 9 LOB, so the Nats had more by one.

I see that now. They reported 17 on the radio and I ran with that. They might have meant for the series.

 

[brett05]

I see that now. They reported 17 on the radio and I ran with that. They might have meant for the series.

FYI 20 for the series for the Cubs.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Offense hides a lot of sins.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Offense hides a lot of sins.

It does and if three of your top 4 players weren't rookies the record would look a little better right now. They are learning though. I actually think this Washington series had a lot of positives. They were in every game, the starting pitching was more than adequate and Washington is objectively a better team. You learn from that. The defense needs to tighten up. I think Russell ultimately is a better fielder than he's shown but he's a kid. Castro has no excuse, and I'm a defender of his. The losses hurt, not saying they don't, but this is fun to watch a team learn and grow with some great play along the way. The wins will come.

 

[TL1961]

I hope to see one more rookie soon.

It is a little funny that we have three rookies in the starting lineup, and the first two prospects up ladt year are not among them.

I guess I am not counting junior lake.... Nobody is

 

[Parade_Rain]

I hope to see one more rookie soon.

It is a little funny that we have three rookies in the starting lineup, and the first two prospects up ladt year are not among them.

I guess I am not counting junior lake.... Nobody is

And Junior is hitting the ball hard with not a lot to show for it, IMHO. With a little patience, he could be a decent backup OF/Util.

 

[TL1961]

And Junior is hitting the ball hard with not a lot to show for it, IMHO. With a little patience, he could be a decent backup OF/Util.

Junior Lake as a full time player doesn't work due to his weaknesses - inconsistent at the plate, poor plate discipline, etc.

But I have contended - and he simply can't seem to prove me right - that as a bench player, he offers both speed and power. So he should be valuable.

But since he wants to hit the ball 600 feet instead of taking a walk - even when down two in the 9th - he has little value. If he just got on base in late innings, where his speed can be utilized, he is a threat. Billy Hamilton is no threat to hit a HR, but he is certainly a threat in late innings. Lake could offer something like that if he concentrates on speed instead of power.

He came up last year, bunted for a hit, hit a 400 ft HR, then bunted the other way for a hit. THAT is a guy we could use. But that guy wants the HR's instead of the bunts. He would actually have more value if he had one less tool.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Junior Lake as a full time player doesn't work due to his weaknesses - inconsistent at the plate, poor plate discipline, etc.

But I have contended - and he simply can't seem to prove me right - that as a bench player, he offers both speed and power. So he should be valuable.

But since he wants to hit the ball 600 feet instead of taking a walk - even when down two in the 9th - he has little value. If he just got on base in late innings, where his speed can be utilized, he is a threat. Billy Hamilton is no threat to hit a HR, but he is certainly a threat in late innings. Lake could offer something like that if he concentrates on speed instead of power.

He came up last year, bunted for a hit, hit a 400 ft HR, then bunted the other way for a hit. THAT is a guy we could use. But that guy wants the HR's instead of the bunts. He would actually have more value if he had one less tool.

I get what you're saying, but I don't see him swinging for the fences in the 9th. Last night he got anxious. He took a breaking ball and the next one was off the plate and he swung at it. HoF MLBers do that at the end of the game some times. He is a better player this year and I hope they are patient with him. Like you, I don't see him as a position player. I think he can become that solid guy off the bench who can fill some spots when needed.

 

[CSF77]

I would rather have Szczur out there. Just saying

 

[Parade_Rain]

Szczur can make a backup OF. He might even be able to be a backup corner, but Lake has more versatility. Unfortunately both bat RH. Otherwise one could make a case that both are your bench players. Need a S or LH, too.

 

[TL1961]

I've been noticing the same thing. I mean if he's not a defensive dynamo...then he's completely useless.

Some of the same people saying this about Ross think Castro is an AllStar