IST Cubs at Pirates

[PickSix]

Time for Lester to bring something to the table when we need it.

He's done plenty of just that with the bull pen effing him over. Let's hope everyone does their job tonight.

 

[CSF77]

Trevor Cahill has been great as a Cub (albeit in fairly low leverage)

8.1 innings
2 hits
2 BB
2 ER
11 SO

I'm not going to sit here and say that Cahill has fixed anything long term but I'd love to read more/see about what Basio has been working on with Cahill because sometimes a guy can go from terrible to good with a slight change. I don't forsee a role for him this year besides what he's doing but I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him back next year to compete for a spot at the back of rotation/long guy out of the bullpen.

Trevor Cahill rhp
5 years/$30.5M (2011-15), plus 2016-17 options

5 years/$30.5M (2011-15), plus 2016-17 club options
signed extension with Oakland 4/11/11, replacing 1 year/$0.44M deal signed 3/11
$1M signing bonus
11:$0.5M, 12:$3.5M, 13:$5.5M, 14:$7.7M, 15:$12M, 16:$13M club option ($0.3M buyout), 17:$13.5M club option ($0.5M buyout)
2017 option increases by $0.5M to $14M with top 2 finish in Cy Young vote any year 2011-16
Cahill may void 2016-17 options if he is traded and finishes in top 2 in Cy Young vote any year 2011-16

So they have control over him and he can't opt out. Still if they use those club options you have to start him. 13 mil then 13.5 mil.

I don't know. It would depend if he is back to where he was back in Oak.

Scouting report[edit]
Cahill's best pitch is his sinker, which features excellent downward movement and ranges from 88–92 mph. His sinker is his most frequent offering and is the main reason why he gets so many ground balls. Cahill also has a changeup in the 81–83 mph range, which like his fastball also features excellent downward movement. This is a pitch that he uses frequently against left-handers to get strikeouts. Starting in the 2010 season, Cahill began featuring a 12–6 curveball as well. His curve, which ranges in the 76–80 mph range, has become his main strikeout weapon, and he can get hitters to chase it out of the zone as well as freezing hitters with it in the zone. Cahill also features a rare mid-80s slider against righties, though it is a below average pitch.[citation needed]

In 2012, Cahill added a cutter to his repertoire. Since 2012, he has thrown fewer fastballs and gone with more of a sinker/cutter combo.[19]

 

[Mr. Cub]

I hope Arrieta can pitch a complete game shutout in the WC game or we will lose it...... If we even make it to that game...

 

[DanTown]

Trevor Cahill rhp
5 years/$30.5M (2011-15), plus 2016-17 options

5 years/$30.5M (2011-15), plus 2016-17 club options
signed extension with Oakland 4/11/11, replacing 1 year/$0.44M deal signed 3/11
$1M signing bonus
11:$0.5M, 12:$3.5M, 13:$5.5M, 14:$7.7M, 15:$12M, 16:$13M club option ($0.3M buyout), 17:$13.5M club option ($0.5M buyout)
2017 option increases by $0.5M to $14M with top 2 finish in Cy Young vote any year 2011-16
Cahill may void 2016-17 options if he is traded and finishes in top 2 in Cy Young vote any year 2011-16

So they have control over him and he can't opt out. Still if they use those club options you have to start him. 13 mil then 13.5 mil.

I don't know. It would depend if he is back to where he was back in Oak.

Scouting report[edit]
Cahill's best pitch is his sinker, which features excellent downward movement and ranges from 88–92 mph. His sinker is his most frequent offering and is the main reason why he gets so many ground balls. Cahill also has a changeup in the 81–83 mph range, which like his fastball also features excellent downward movement. This is a pitch that he uses frequently against left-handers to get strikeouts. Starting in the 2010 season, Cahill began featuring a 12–6 curveball as well. His curve, which ranges in the 76–80 mph range, has become his main strikeout weapon, and he can get hitters to chase it out of the zone as well as freezing hitters with it in the zone. Cahill also features a rare mid-80s slider against righties, though it is a below average pitch.[citation needed]

In 2012, Cahill added a cutter to his repertoire. Since 2012, he has thrown fewer fastballs and gone with more of a sinker/cutter combo.[19]

The Cubs aren't tied to the terms of that deal. Cahill was DFA thus the Braves paid to buy out the remaining guaranteed money on his deal (the end of the year plus the 300K buyout).

 

[FrankieLyrical]

WTF is wrong with our fucking bullpen?!!

 

[FrankieLyrical]

If we don't take the next three against PITT, I will just accept that we will settle for the second wild card. I really, REALLY want the one gamer to be in Wrigley

 

[CSF77]

The Cubs aren't tied to the terms of that deal. Cahill was DFA thus the Braves paid to buy out the remaining guaranteed money on his deal (the end of the year plus the 300K buyout).

I'd rather have the Cubs pay for a real answer. If Cahill was starting right now and was helping push this team to the play offs then yes I would want him around. IMO he holds the same weight as Turner did last year and what Richard or even Haren does. Just cheap answers to waste time. They did not want to pay the talent needed to gain a answer that was needed.

 

[beckdawg]

I was curious how Castro had been playing lately. From july 22-sept 13 he is hitting .301/.323/.447(.321 BABIP, 3.1%/11.0% bb/k rate over 127 PAs). He was benched around august 7th by a quick google search. From that point forward he is hitting .360/.368/.560 over 76 PAs. His walk rate is horrid at 1.3% but his K rate has been great at 9.2%. His BABIP is a little high at .369 but his career marks are .320 so it's not that far off. I was getting that off baseball refs game logs thing which lets you select a subset. Unfortunately they don't have ISO on that which I wanted to see. Fangraphs does and luckily they have monthly splits. In August he had a ISO of .141. In Sept he has an ISO of .304. Castro's career marks for ISO is .120 he's definitely coming back in a big way. For some more perspective last season his ISO was .146

To me the most interesting aspect of that is his contact rate. At an 86% contact rate for the first subset it's pretty good really. The second subset of around 10% is even more absurd. His non-contact rate is basically half of what it's been over his career at about 20%. As a reference point, only about 30 hitters in the majors this season have a contact% of 85% or above. His K rate in particular is very very low over that span. Only 24 players have a k rate under 12% this year and if that second split is legit, only 8 players have a k rate under 10%.

I'm not entirely sure what to make out of all that but it seems to me that there's a change in approach for him. He's playing much more similar to 2010 Castro(86.1% contact%) than the Castro over the past several years(12-14 he was a range of 80.4% last year to 83% in 12 declining each year). Sort of makes me wonder if they've essentially told him to go back to what he is comfortable with rather than the more walk oriented approach he struggled with in 2013. For what it's worth, his BABIP in his first two years was around .345

 

[willycat]

Hopefully other teams will see his new approach and the Cubs will get something back when he's traded. He again didn't have his thinking cap on when he let the bat throw from Montero get by him and let the tying run go to 3rd base and score on a SF, Admittingly it was a horrible throw but as Ron Cumnor(sp?) stated he didn't even try to block the ball and keep the play in the IF. Just doesn't have baseball smarts.

 

[SilenceS]

Maddon batting Lester 9th.

Fowler
Jackson
Bryant
Rizzo
Castro
Baez
Russell
Ross
Lester

 

[SilenceS]

Hopefully other teams will see his new approach and the Cubs will get something back when he's traded. He again didn't have his thinking cap on when he let the bat throw from Montero get by him and let the tying run go to 3rd base and score on a SF, Admittingly it was a horrible throw but as Ron Cumnor(sp?) stated he didn't even try to block the ball and keep the play in the IF. Just doesn't have baseball smarts.

Ron Coomer isn't exactly known for his baseball smarts either. I didn't see the play so I won't comment, but do love to blame him for everything that goes wrong.

 

[CSF77]

I was curious how Castro had been playing lately. From july 22-sept 13 he is hitting .301/.323/.447(.321 BABIP, 3.1%/11.0% bb/k rate over 127 PAs). He was benched around august 7th by a quick google search. From that point forward he is hitting .360/.368/.560 over 76 PAs. His walk rate is horrid at 1.3% but his K rate has been great at 9.2%. His BABIP is a little high at .369 but his career marks are .320 so it's not that far off. I was getting that off baseball refs game logs thing which lets you select a subset. Unfortunately they don't have ISO on that which I wanted to see. Fangraphs does and luckily they have monthly splits. In August he had a ISO of .141. In Sept he has an ISO of .304. Castro's career marks for ISO is .120 he's definitely coming back in a big way. For some more perspective last season his ISO was .146

To me the most interesting aspect of that is his contact rate. At an 86% contact rate for the first subset it's pretty good really. The second subset of around 10% is even more absurd. His non-contact rate is basically half of what it's been over his career at about 20%. As a reference point, only about 30 hitters in the majors this season have a contact% of 85% or above. His K rate in particular is very very low over that span. Only 24 players have a k rate under 12% this year and if that second split is legit, only 8 players have a k rate under 10%.

I'm not entirely sure what to make out of all that but it seems to me that there's a change in approach for him. He's playing much more similar to 2010 Castro(86.1% contact%) than the Castro over the past several years(12-14 he was a range of 80.4% last year to 83% in 12 declining each year). Sort of makes me wonder if they've essentially told him to go back to what he is comfortable with rather than the more walk oriented approach he struggled with in 2013. For what it's worth, his BABIP in his first two years was around .345

All I heard is they moved him up on the plate.

 

[SilenceS]

1-0 Cubs.

I will say Castro has hit the ball with a ton more authority since been moving up. Castro stance isn't the same from when he came in the league. I never did like his change. It was done for power but anything outer 1/3 he couldn't hit with authority.

 

[SilenceS]

I would have to say I did not expect Russell to be the slowest out of him Baez, and Bryant.

 

[SilenceS]

Boy, Baez out on a bang bang. Russell just didn't get one through the hole. Ross peppers one that is snagged by Ramirez. That inning could have went completely different.

 

[Bear Pride]

He's done plenty of just that with the bull pen effing him over. Let's hope everyone does their job tonight.

I definitely agree. There's a few games where the cubs just didn't score any runs for Lester, and a few more where the bullpen blew nice games for him. Lester could easily have at least 5 more wins, imo. I like how he's never complained, however. I just meant we need him to step up, be a veteran, and get us a win against the Bucs tonight.

 

[FrankieLyrical]

Boy, Baez out on a bang bang. Russell just didn't get one through the hole. Ross peppers one that is snagged by Ramirez. That inning could have went completely different.

If my aunt had balls

 

[SilenceS]

Russell got thrown one strike that whole at bat. He has been struggling at the plate.

 

[Bear Pride]

Wow! Fantastic play by Javi!

 

[FrankieLyrical]

Starlin is about to clear the bases with a gapper