Official Cubs Game Thread!

[CSF77]

5-7 in June. Which is amazing considering how bad this team has been playing.

I can think of 2 games that the pen just gave away.

By no means that they deserve to add right now. I felt that they would need a strong June to even consider retention.

Looking at Iowa. Canario is coming into his own. .281/.372/600. Leads the team with 13 HR. How he is not the starting LF in Chi is beyond me.

Caissie .282/.405/.455. again another player that you have to ask why is he not on the team right now?

Losing might open the door to move Happ for a bag of balls and eating some contract.

Bellinger doesn't have a NTC in his deal. That opens up playing time. He would have some callers at the deadline.

I do believe it would force Tom to axe Jed. Just to keep the fan base in tact. Someone will have to be the sacrifice and Jed looks like that guy

 

[CSF77]

Interesting part on Caissie has been he has hoovered around 15-20% on BB and 30% SO.

He would see a regression early but you can expect those number to be locked in after he adjusts to the talent of MLB.

I would bring him up to add a spark to the line up. Finding a spot is really not a issue as production normally resolves those concerns.

If anything it allows Jed to Shop Tauchman around as he has some value going on as a 4th OF.

 

[SilenceS]

Hoerner is a surprise. He looks completely lost. He is guessing.

He is a contact hitter and his AB.

Breaking ball right down the middle. Cookie. Takes it
Breaking pitch 6 inches off the plate. Swings and fouls.
Fastball with a good bit of the plate. Takes it for strike 3.

This has been occurring with him.

 

[CSF77]

Hoerner is a surprise. He looks completely lost. He is guessing.

He is a contact hitter and his AB.

Breaking ball right down the middle. Cookie. Takes it
Breaking pitch 6 inches off the plate. Swings and fouls.
Fastball with a good bit of the plate. Takes it for strike 3.

This has been occurring with him.

That was a pitchers pitch not much he could have done with it

He was looking to go the other way to drive in a run and got busted inner.

The wind is a.factor as it is cutting from 1B to 3B so anything to RF will be held up. Might have been a factor on Swanson. Gave the CF a chance to get under it.

 

[CSF77]

Good news.

Kilian, Almonte and Merryweather are throwing again. Almonte should be doing a rehab next. Other two are doing bullpen work at Arizona.

That should be a boost for a shit show pen. I expect around the ASG the pen reworked.

 

[CSF77]

Morel is fucking useless....

 

[CSF77]

Oops. Happ did just something useful.

 

[TL1961]

Statcast Catcher Framing Leaderboard

Baseball Savant

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2024

Statcast Catcher Framing Leaderboard

Baseball Savant

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2023

Last year they had the #9 staff in MLB.
This year #16.

So not sure on why you feel that this is strange?

It is a clear downgrade in all regards even with Imanaga pitching his ass off.

So when there is a clear downgrade then you have to look at the reasoning.

I had issues with Ross but I also felt that he made his catchers better thus they made the pitchers better.

The facts back this.

So don't get me wrong. Jed needs to get a top ended catcher. Craig lacks that skill set so they need a catcher that excells in making his pitching staff better

The starting staff is better and they have had 5 starters on the IL. And relievers.

The relief has been poor, but you criticized Counsell's use of starters.

 

[TL1961]

Morel is fucking useless....

As is Yan Gomes. And I thought he was pretty good last year. I guess after Willson, anyone looks good handling pitchers. But at the plate he's an automatic out - or two.

 

[CSF77]

The starting staff is better and they have had 5 starters on the IL. And relievers.

The relief has been poor, but you criticized Counsell's use of starters.

I think that was you bitching about the 4 1/3 pull job.


My issue has been with

Morel: wtf is a ground ball to SS hitting #2. Inning killer.

Not DHing Suzuki. His D metric is negative. His O production is at the top of the team. Hitting behind Bellinger today just went and proved it.

Hoerner at the bottom. Nico has been by far more productive leading off over the last 2 years. Craig has dissed him for the most part all year. Saying his best hitters should be at the top and stuffing Hoerner down with the scrubs except on lefty day.

Borderline disrespectful to him

This year and yes there is a bias on lefties:

2024 Cubs Player Hitting Stat Leaders

The official source for Chicago Cubs player hitting stats, MLB home run leaders, batting average, OPS and stat leaders

www.mlb.com

Last year was not close and his production was stable with it this year.

2024 Cubs Player Hitting Stat Leaders

The official source for Chicago Cubs player hitting stats, MLB home run leaders, batting average, OPS and stat leaders

www.mlb.com

Some guys just function better in roles that they excell at. Craig has taken a strong lead off and shoved him to f+u land.

The pen has been a train wreck. We all agree on that. Seeing Shota struggling in the 7th and Miller getting a 2nd inning really puts a exclamation on that. It is a train wreck.

That is why I got the good vibes with hearing Merryweather, Kilian and Almonte are all on the road back. 2 are proven. One has a 98 MPH top end and nasty breaking stuff.

TBH if you go inhouse closer development Kilian is a strong option to develop.

 

[CSF77]

I think there is still a tweek to today's line up

Tauchman
Hoerner
Bellinger
Suzuki
Happ


Also I think it is time to have Busch start taking some 3B IF drills. There should be no reason to rotate PCA and Busch. Bellinger needs to play pretty much every day and have DH if he is burnt.

Morel is simply not good enough to play every day. He swings hard. It is a uncontrolled swing and leads to a BABIP around .210. thus his BA sucking. Thus he is a walk, SO, HR or a ground ball to SS.

If he was a gold glove 3B then I would be less concerned. But seeing how he is basically a hack that won't swing at bad pitches but can not do anything other than swing as hard as he can with out any control.

The best hitters pull inside and drive outside to oppi. Morel can not even do that.

It was a wasted effort to even entertain the idea of this wonderlick being a starting 3B.

 

[PickSix]

Seriously, how is a guy hitting .198 and a defensive liability on a mlb roster, let alone starting and hitting in the meat of the order. wtf am I missing?

 

[CSF77]

Seriously, how is a guy hitting .198 and a defensive liability on a mlb roster, let alone starting and hitting in the meat of the order. wtf am I missing?

Right?

Jed says underlining numbers. Luck etc. after 3 months it has nothing to do with luck. It is about who he is.

 

[CSF77]

Last game

Tauchman. 115 wRC+. -2.9 Def
Morel. 97 wRC+ -8.1 Def
Bellinger. 116 wRC+ -2.8 Def
Suzuki 127 wRC+ -5.1 Def
Happ. 106 wRC+ -3.9 Def
Hoerner 98 wRC+ 1.5 Def
Swanson 84 wRC+ 3.7 Def
PCA 57 wRC+ 5.1 Def
Gomes 17 wRC+ -2.4 Def

Busch. 126 wRC+ -1.1 Def
Amaya 57 wRC+.8 Def


That is where this team is right now

 

[TL1961]

Game was on Roku today so most couldn’t see it.

That’s a community service.

 

[TL1961]

Two outs, bases loaded, late in a close game and Amaya bats. WTF?

 

[PickSix]

At one point today the Cubbie line up had 4 legit 9 hole hitters in the game ( PCA, Morel, Swanson and Amaya) and could easily make a case for 5 with Nico hitting the skids and providing nada for quite a while now. And their big thunder late inning pinch hitter Wisdom makes the opponents closer just giggle with relief.
It’s just not a viable roster that can win. It is what it is.
And dang it was hot at Wrigley today.

 

[CSF77]

Not moving Busch to 3B this spring will end up as the biggest mistake made this year. They crowned him as a 1B and crowned Morel as the 3B of the future when neither had a track record going in.

It should have been in the plans after Bellinger returned that PCA will be the CF of the future and had a plan on how to fit Bellinger, PCA and Busch

We are seeing a seat of the pants mode while letting Morel play 3B at a all time low.

If you sacrifice O it should be for exceptional D and vice versa. Morel brings dislike value on both sides.

It has turned into a ill fated plan and should have never been made.

The fact that they keep tossing him up there and expecting success when has had proven to be incompetent and to boot give him more PA's hitting #2 is plain moronic.

 

[Szlachcic]

For about two month now it seems the Cubs hitters are facing HOF type pitching daily. WTF?..

 

[SilenceS]

Couple of things, Morel might as well see playing. All his behind the scene numbers show improvement. It hasn't translated but that usually fixes it self. I rather see if it come together then a known mediocre player. Hoerner is lost. That guy is a hitter and he is in his head. Injuries to the staff keep hurting but sill what a game or two out the wildcard. Cubs have played a ton of one run games and have been getting beat. That usually a luck factor. Wisdom 111 mph ball. Wind kills it. No ball hit at that trajectory has been under 396 feet until Wisdom. 354 because of a 26 MPH wind. Today, Happ out by the call on the field. Morel gets a played made on him. Bellinger stings the ball twice both outs. Luck usually fixes itself.

Its frustrating, but baseball long long season.