IST: Cubs @ Pirates

[TC in Mississippi]

Check again after the reds tigers and mets, bet ot wont be as easy

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The 2nd easiest schedule is based on records of opponents so there's nothing to check it simply is. Plus there aren't any series that scare me. Atlanta, Philly, Milwaukee and Arizona will be challenges but this is a better team than all of them. I think they go 24-15 the rest of the way.

 

[brett05]

The 2nd easiest schedule is based on records of opponents so there's nothing to check it simply is. Plus there aren't any series that scare me. Atlanta, Philly, Milwaukee and Arizona will be challenges but this is a better team than all of them. I think they go 24-15 the rest of the way.

You best be shaking about those White Sox. Especially with HOFer Michael Kopech looking to use you all as a footnote on his resume So this is what you all felt like when waiting for the studs to come up.

 

[chibears55]

1) The Tigers are an NL team?
2) Second easiest just behind ahead of the Dodgers https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/extras/strength_of_schedule.php

They play the tigers the next 2 games...
you take away the record of the tigers reds and mets after their done playing them this week , the schedule gets tougher..

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[chibears55]

The 2nd easiest schedule is based on records of opponents so there's nothing to check it simply is. Plus there aren't any series that scare me. Atlanta, Philly, Milwaukee and Arizona will be challenges but this is a better team than all of them. I think they go 24-15 the rest of the way.

Exactly, so if he waits til next week after their done playing 3 bad teams tigers reds mets, then check the strength of schedule for remainder of season, itll be alot stronger...

As far as how they finish, pretty tough one to guess when the pitching and hitting is unpredictable...



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[beckdawg]

I never want to see LaStella play the field. You think of them having LaStella to pinch hit instead of Caratini or Almora yesterday.

Getting Bryant back healthy is going to be a big boost to this team. Just seems like at the rate they are going, the Cardinals will be in first place by the first week of september. The question is, do you put KB back in the 3 hole when he comes back and let Rizzo hit 4th or Bryant 2 and Rizzo 3? That is why I would much rather leave Javy leading off instead of hitting him 4th or 5th. The RBI's will come, but right now, it looks like Javy has to move in a good 6 inches to consistently hit that outside pitch he is hammered on. When the pitcher hits the inside corner, Javy is stepping back like the ball is going to hit him., even when its straight and on the corner, so he wont move in. He will hit a ball a foot off the plate if he got closer.

that is the whole deal with this team. You need to make the pitchers change. Look at the Kansas city series. All they were doing was pitching Javy regular in and he was crushing the ball. Milwaukee and Pittsburg were making him chase outside and down again.

Where does Bryant go back in this lineup?

I doubt the cards stay this hot. For one thing they have a 6 game road trip vs LA and COL. The rockies are a half game back in the west and the dodgers are 2 games back so they need those wins. Should be a tough set. After that it's not much easier. It's also important to note they are 5 back in the loss column. So they have 2 fewer games to play than the cubs do. Milwalkee is in the same boat but they have 3 fewer. It's harder to make up ground in fewer games. Fangraphs is projecting the 25th percentile for cubs wins at 93. That means they need to go 25-12(.675). Milwaukee needs to go 24-12(.667) to tie. The cubs would need to go 22-17(.564). In other words, the cubs playing at a worse clip than they have all year(currently .577) would have to have one of those two teams play substantially better ball than either has all season(.544 for cards .548 for mil) just to tie.

As for KB, I tend to think Joe is going to go with the best hitters at the top. By that I mean if both are playing i think you go with Heyward/Zobrist in the top 2 spots. They put in the highest quality ABs. Given his habit of going R/L match ups you'd expect Bryant 3rd and Rizzo 4th. That likely means Baez 5th and Schwarber 6th with Contreras 7th and either the pitcher 8th and Russell 9th or vice versa.

 

[fatbeard]

I like how before the Pirates series everyone was tying nooses over the starting pitching. Then the Cubs go out and give up 5 runs in 4 games and now it's time to jump off the cliff because of the offense. Don't ever change, CCS.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Exactly, so if he waits til next week after their done playing 3 bad teams tigers reds mets, then check the strength of schedule for remainder of season, itll be alot stronger...

As far as how they finish, pretty tough one to guess when the pitching and hitting is unpredictable...



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So take the easy teams out of the rest of the schedule and the schedule is tougher? That's like taking bad AB away from a hitter and say he has a higher batting average. That's not how math works. The fact that both the pitching and hitting have been inconsistent to this point and the record being as good as it is makes it easier to predict how they'll finish, not less. Those things have not hurt them significantly so the easy predictor is that they continue on the same pace. Their Pythagorean record is equal to their actual record so there is no smoke an mirrors here. I think they get fat on some of these weaker teams and then continue onto about what they've been doing. Right now they're on pace for just under 94 wins, I think they'll win 95. It's actually one of the easier races to predict.

 

[chibears55]

So take the easy teams out of the rest of the schedule and the schedule is tougher? That's like taking bad AB away from a hitter and say he has a higher batting average. That's not how math works. The fact that both the pitching and hitting have been inconsistent to this point and the record being as good as it is makes it easier to predict how they'll finish, not less. Those things have not hurt them significantly so the easy predictor is that they continue on the same pace. Their Pythagorean record is equal to their actual record so there is no smoke an mirrors here. I think they get fat on some of these weaker teams and then continue onto about what they've been doing. Right now they're on pace for just under 94 wins, I think they'll win 95. It's actually one of the easier races to predict.

Not even close to what i said...lmao

My original post stated that after this next week, the schedule gets tougher when they play Braves and then 6 of 9 series against teams that are playoff contenders now..

Brett responded with, they have 2nd easiest schedule...

Ok... im not arguing that, if that what it is..

But, my response to him with that was basically, wait til after this week when their done playing tigers reds and mets, then see what their strength of schedule is..
Math has nothing to do with saying to wait a week, or picking out the bad teams..
Did you look at the schedule before you responded to see what i was talking about?
CSF apparently did because he knew what I was talking about..


Im not gonna argue your opinion or prediction for how they finish..
It tough to predict wins and losses in baseball games..
I mean did you look at the August schedule and predict 10 and 7 so far for the month ?

I hope they win 30 of 39..lol
They gotta play the games






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[Diehardfan]

Good Lord....this idiocy started all the way back in Miami in April. Gotta take 3 here, gotta sweep the Reds, can't possibly let the Padres beat you. DUMB. FUCKING. SHIT. You play the next game...then the next...you take no one for granted because any team can beat you on any day. When the schedule ends, if you are good enough, you play more in October....if not, you go home. It's not brain surgery.

Oh, and BTW....should they win, it will never be as good as 2016. I've seen this before with the Hawks and Bulls...it's definitely cool but more relief than exhilaration. The first one is the one you always remember....the following ones tend to meld together.

 

[CSF77]

You best be shaking about those White Sox. Especially with HOFer Michael Kopech looking to use you all as a footnote on his resume So this is what you all felt like when waiting for the studs to come up.

You mean your tightwad GM going let loose the strings?

 

[CSF77]

Good Lord....this idiocy started all the way back in Miami in April. Gotta take 3 here, gotta sweep the Reds, can't possibly let the Padres beat you. DUMB. FUCKING. SHIT. You play the next game...then the next...you take no one for granted because any team can beat you on any day. When the schedule ends, if you are good enough, you play more in October....if not, you go home. It's not brain surgery.

Oh, and BTW....should they win, it will never be as good as 2016. I've seen this before with the Hawks and Bulls...it's definitely cool but more relief than exhilaration. The first one is the one you always remember....the following ones tend to meld together.

Pretty sure the team is day at a time.

 

[brett05]

They play the tigers the next 2 games...
you take away the record of the tigers reds and mets after their done playing them this week , the schedule gets tougher..

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Ya don't say?

 

[brett05]

You mean your tightwad GM going let loose the strings?

Living under a rock recently? Kopech got the call Sunday and pitches today.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Living under a rock recently? Kopech got the call Sunday and pitches today.

Calling up Kopech is a smart move. Give the fans a cookie without bringing up Eloy who you'll really want that extra year of control out of. If Eloy is up any earlier than the third week of April next year it would border on malfeasance.

 

[chibears55]

Calling up Kopech is a smart move. Give the fans a cookie without bringing up Eloy who you'll really want that extra year of control out of. If Eloy is up any earlier than the third week of April next year it would border on malfeasance.

Who from this cureent sox roster will be core players in 2 - 3 years and outside of Jiminez and Kopech, who in the system that has that core potential in a couple seasons?

Unless im just totally missing it because i don't pay much attention to the sox , i dont see a core group building up from what they currently have...




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[brett05]

Calling up Kopech is a smart move. Give the fans a cookie without bringing up Eloy who you'll really want that extra year of control out of. If Eloy is up any earlier than the third week of April next year it would border on malfeasance.

Quite frankly if it puts us where the Cubs are (relevant year after year) I'll be ok with it.

 

[brett05]

Who from this cureent sox roster will be core players in 2 - 3 years and outside of Jiminez and Kopech, who in the system that has that core potential in a couple seasons?

Unless im just totally missing it because i don't pay much attention to the sox , i dont see a core group building up from what they currently have...




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Moncada is a core piece. Abreu is a core piece. Lopez is a core piece. Giolito could be assuming he rights the ship in the offseason. Tim Anderson is on the fence.

Coming up though, we have a lot of potential after Kopech and Jimenez.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Moncada is a core piece. Abreu is a core piece. Lopez is a core piece. Giolito could be assuming he rights the ship in the offseason. Tim Anderson is on the fence.

Coming up though, we have a lot of potential after Kopech and Jimenez.

Abreu? Really? Not saying you're wrong just surprised to hear it. I've been pretty surprised he hasn't been traded tbh. He'll be going into his age 33 season in his first year of a new contract. I would think the White Sox could do better with a younger player. Completely agree on Moncada though, I think people are selling him short.

 

[brett05]

Abreu? Really? Not saying you're wrong just surprised to hear it. I've been pretty surprised he hasn't been traded tbh. He'll be going into his age 33 season in his first year of a new contract. I would think the White Sox could do better with a younger player. Completely agree on Moncada though, I think people are selling him short.

So Abreu can go either way. If they want to move him they can and will gain a reasonable offer for him. If they keep him, he's giving a few years of production and a lot of years of solid mentoring. He's the vet to bind the youth and help them mature.

 

[CSF77]

Living under a rock recently? Kopech got the call Sunday and pitches today.

Sorry live in San Diego and really don’t follow minor Chi-Town news or the Bears. Bulls I’ve moved on. Cubs are still a nagging injury that I can’t shake.