Sullivan says Bullpen is Cubs' strength this year

[ZAN]

Just to solidify my argument (and further explain why I refuse to argue the majority of my baseball here):

Question: What's the most important part of the bullpen?
Answer: Your 7th/8th/9th inning guys. Marshall/Wood/Marmol is a hell of a lot better than Eyre/Howry/Dempster

That bullpen you claimed to be 6th in ERA in the league....well the 7th inning guy (Eyre/Novoa) had an ERA of 3.9 combined. Howry had an ERA of 3.17...respectable (but still giving up a run every 3rd outing)...and our CLOSER (Dempster) had an ERA of 4.8! Those guy's combined WHIP was in the abysmal range of 1.4-1.5.

IF THAT BULLPEN WAS 6TH IN THE LEAGUE IN ERA, THAT TELLS ME THAT THE 2006 CUBS WERE GETTING INTO THE BULLPEN A LOT MORE QUICKLY THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE. NAMELY IN THE 5TH/6TH INNINGS TO BALANCE OUT THAT TERRIBLE BACK 3.

But hey, you keep that '06 pen....Scott Williamson, Les Walrond, Les Walrond, and Jae Kuk Ryu musta been something special for you to want that back over what we have now.

 

[nwfisch]

I am honestly not sure what year we are talking about 2006.

That year we had the 6th best ERA among NL relievers with that group of misfits? losers? jokers? Not sure what you want to call them.

In 2010 with Marmol and Marshall in the pen we ranked 15th, and despite the league average ERA getting loser by .22 points the Cubs bullpen was .68 runs worse. Who is going to make that up?

Wood? Maybe some of it

Lets compare the rosters:

Marmol is definitely better than Dempster was.

Wood and Howry is pretty close but Howry probably gets a slight edge. Wood has never put up a 147 ERA+ since becoming a reliever.

Marshall and Eyre probably goes to Marshall but again pretty slim margin.

Grabow versus Ohman is a close tossup I suppose, but it pisses me off because Ohman was great just never used right. Southsiders are going to be happy they have Ohman.

Wuertz vs does it matter? 176 ERA+.... just talking about these relievers makes me angry.

Novoa vs again does it matter? Great pitch? No, but still probably better than anyone we are going to throw out there. Stevens? Shark? Berg? Maybe Stevens could be better.

Scott Williamson, alright he was a bust, but I think he was hurt at some point and we caught him at the tail end of his short career, but this was a 66 win team.

Still can you all really tell me you would take 2011's bullpen over 2006? Yes the back end 3 are solid, very solid, but that's not the entire bullpen. Overall I think the bullpen is still below average, and definitely not as good as the 2006 one, who had to bail out an awful starting rotation as well.

The Cubs lost nearly 100 games in 06, right?

This is a terrible argument.

 

[poodski]

The Cubs lost nearly 100 games in 06, right?

This is a terrible argument.

So the 562 inning's they pitched were the reason the team lost 96 games?

This was a horrible response.

 

[poodski]

Just to solidify my argument (and further explain why I refuse to argue the majority of my baseball here):

Question: What's the most important part of the bullpen?
Answer: Your 7th/8th/9th inning guys. Marshall/Wood/Marmol is a hell of a lot better than Eyre/Howry/Dempster

That bullpen you claimed to be 6th in ERA in the league....well the 7th inning guy (Eyre/Novoa) had an ERA of 3.9 combined. Howry had an ERA of 3.17...respectable (but still giving up a run every 3rd outing)...and our CLOSER (Dempster) had an ERA of 4.8! Those guy's combined WHIP was in the abysmal range of 1.4-1.5.

IF THAT BULLPEN WAS 6TH IN THE LEAGUE IN ERA, THAT TELLS ME THAT THE 2006 CUBS WERE GETTING INTO THE BULLPEN A LOT MORE QUICKLY THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE. NAMELY IN THE 5TH/6TH INNINGS TO BALANCE OUT THAT TERRIBLE BACK 3.

But hey, you keep that '06 pen....Scott Williamson, Les Walrond, Les Walrond, and Jae Kuk Ryu musta been something special for you to want that back over what we have now.

What the hell is this? Is the 7th 8th and 9th guys the most important? Yes.

Does it make the entire bullpen? No.

2006 bullpen was better than this bullpen.

 

[ZAN]

No...it wasn't...

Even the long relief in that pen was terrible...Glendon Rusch had a 7.08 ERA between starting and being your 5th and 6th inning guy...cmon man....you didn't do your research...just admit it.

 

[nwfisch]

So the 562 inning's they pitched were the reason the team lost 96 games?

This was a horrible response.

It didn't help them to a winning season, did it?

 

[poodski]

No...it wasn't...

Even the long relief in that pen was terrible...Glendon Rusch had a 7.08 ERA between starting and being your 5th and 6th inning guy...cmon man....you didn't do your research...just admit it.

I have done my research didn't you see it.

How much money you want to put on the Cubs 2011 bullpen ERA+ vs the Cubs 2006 ERA+?

Care to put your money where your mouth is?

It didn't help them to a winning season, did it?

You are right, so therefore every part of the 2006 team was awful right?

 

[nwfisch]

I have done my research didn't you see it.

How much money you want to put on the Cubs 2011 bullpen ERA+ vs the Cubs 2006 ERA+?

Care to put your money where your mouth is?



You are right, so therefore every part of the 2006 team was awful right?

Yes every part was awful. They turned it around in 07 and 08.