World Series IGT: Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Indians Game 5

[KingDarude7]

Watching Space Jam currently damn I love this movie.

 

[beckdawg]

Maybe cleveland closes out in game 6 or maybe game 7 but would their really be any more perfect way for the cubs to finally win a world series than to come back down 3-1 and win a game 7 on the road? If it is going to happen I'm glad they have the chance to do it this way.

 

[wklink]

Winning two more is a tall order but it is doable. We really needed to take 2 of 3 at home to have a better than average chance of taking the series but we still have two outstanding pitchers coming up and we could pull this out.

 

[FatBabiesHaveNoPride]

Good win. Not a great win, but a good win.

The game winning RBI was a bases loaded 1 out fly ball from a 100 year old situational catcher. Take what you can get.

That said, the hitting was still atrocious. Outside of the HR, Bryant looked terrible with two called looking strike outs (regardless of what you think of the ump)

Hayward was abysmal before the base hit.

And Baez, oh, glorious Baez. I really can't recall any MLB player showing that much lack of discipline at the plate. Smoltz's analysis of his was perfect. You get one strike one and then throw all garbage. The scouting report is in - throw all balls (most well low and away/in the dirt) - and he'll do your job for you. He's hat multiple opportunities to get a hit when men on base or RISP. Fail every time. He's a critical at bat in the bottom of that lineup with what's coming (Ross/Contreras and Pitcher). His performance at the plate has been abysmal.

Hipster Maddon took a huge gamble - a gamble many are saying was the WRONG decision - and it paid off. It easily could have cost them the WS. Lifting the guy you paid a lot of money for to pinch in precisely these situations. Pulls him (and it wasn't too pinch hit in a rally) for Carl Edwards and then asks a 9th inning closer (who can thrown wild pitches with the best of them) to pitch almost 8 innings to a rookie catcher who has shown a propensity for irking his veteran pitchers with mound walks. It worked out, but if it didn't, Maddon would be destroyed for that decision. Many of the analysts on various channels all thought the decision was baffling.

And right handed pitcher up - pinch hitting Ross for the double switch. Uses the only hot bat on the team - Schwarber? Nope, bats Montero who strikes out. A team that can't hit and the guy seeing the ball the best who you HAVE to get at the the plate somehow each game, is left on the bench.

And the refusal to play small ball. Russell with leadoff hit with the scrubs coming up - doesn't send him. Hayward, who had been brutal all game, and has great speed - left handed bat, no drag bunt?

I'd say the Cubs won that game not because of the manager decisions, but in spite of them.

The game ended 3-2. It shouldn't have been that close. The Cubs bats must do something more than 3 runs if they are going to face clobber for the 3rd time in game 7.

 

[SilenceS]

Good win. Not a great win, but a good win.

The game winning RBI was a bases loaded 1 out fly ball from a 100 year old situational catcher. Take what you can get.

That said, the hitting was still atrocious. Outside of the HR, Bryant looked terrible with two called looking strike outs (regardless of what you think of the ump)

Hayward was abysmal before the base hit.

And Baez, oh, glorious Baez. I really can't recall any MLB player showing that much lack of discipline at the plate. Smoltz's analysis of his was perfect. You get one strike one and then throw all garbage. The scouting report is in - throw all balls (most well low and away/in the dirt) - and he'll do your job for you. He's hat multiple opportunities to get a hit when men on base or RISP. Fail every time. He's a critical at bat in the bottom of that lineup with what's coming (Ross/Contreras and Pitcher). His performance at the plate has been abysmal.

Hipster Maddon took a huge gamble - a gamble many are saying was the WRONG decision - and it paid off. It easily could have cost them the WS. Lifting the guy you paid a lot of money for to pinch in precisely these situations. Pulls him (and it wasn't too pinch hit in a rally) for Carl Edwards and then asks a 9th inning closer (who can thrown wild pitches with the best of them) to pitch almost 8 innings to a rookie catcher who has shown a propensity for irking his veteran pitchers with mound walks. It worked out, but if it didn't, Maddon would be destroyed for that decision. Many of the analysts on various channels all thought the decision was baffling.

And right handed pitcher up - pinch hitting Ross for the double switch. Uses the only hot bat on the team - Schwarber? Nope, bats Montero who strikes out. A team that can't hit and the guy seeing the ball the best who you HAVE to get at the the plate somehow each game, is left on the bench.

And the refusal to play small ball. Russell with leadoff hit with the scrubs coming up - doesn't send him. Hayward, who had been brutal all game, and has great speed - left handed bat, no drag bunt?

I'd say the Cubs won that game not because of the manager decisions, but in spite of them.

The game ended 3-2. It shouldn't have been that close. The Cubs bats must do something more than 3 runs if they are going to face clobber for the 3rd time in game 7.

Im positive you didnt even play little league baseball.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Good win. Not a great win, but a good win.

The game winning RBI was a bases loaded 1 out fly ball from a 100 year old situational catcher. Take what you can get.

That said, the hitting was still atrocious. Outside of the HR, Bryant looked terrible with two called looking strike outs (regardless of what you think of the ump)

Hayward was abysmal before the base hit.

And Baez, oh, glorious Baez. I really can't recall any MLB player showing that much lack of discipline at the plate. Smoltz's analysis of his was perfect. You get one strike one and then throw all garbage. The scouting report is in - throw all balls (most well low and away/in the dirt) - and he'll do your job for you. He's hat multiple opportunities to get a hit when men on base or RISP. Fail every time. He's a critical at bat in the bottom of that lineup with what's coming (Ross/Contreras and Pitcher). His performance at the plate has been abysmal.

Hipster Maddon took a huge gamble - a gamble many are saying was the WRONG decision - and it paid off. It easily could have cost them the WS. Lifting the guy you paid a lot of money for to pinch in precisely these situations. Pulls him (and it wasn't too pinch hit in a rally) for Carl Edwards and then asks a 9th inning closer (who can thrown wild pitches with the best of them) to pitch almost 8 innings to a rookie catcher who has shown a propensity for irking his veteran pitchers with mound walks. It worked out, but if it didn't, Maddon would be destroyed for that decision. Many of the analysts on various channels all thought the decision was baffling.

And right handed pitcher up - pinch hitting Ross for the double switch. Uses the only hot bat on the team - Schwarber? Nope, bats Montero who strikes out. A team that can't hit and the guy seeing the ball the best who you HAVE to get at the the plate somehow each game, is left on the bench.

And the refusal to play small ball. Russell with leadoff hit with the scrubs coming up - doesn't send him. Hayward, who had been brutal all game, and has great speed - left handed bat, no drag bunt?

I'd say the Cubs won that game not because of the manager decisions, but in spite of them.

The game ended 3-2. It shouldn't have been that close. The Cubs bats must do something more than 3 runs if they are going to face clobber for the 3rd time in game 7.

Stay in the football forum. Thanks.

 

[fatbeard]

Hipster Maddon took a huge gamble - a gamble many are saying was the WRONG decision - and it paid off. It easily could have cost them the WS. Lifting the guy you paid a lot of money for to pinch in precisely these situations. Pulls him (and it wasn't too pinch hit in a rally) for Carl Edwards and then asks a 9th inning closer (who can thrown wild pitches with the best of them) to pitch almost 8 innings to a rookie catcher who has shown a propensity for irking his veteran pitchers with mound walks. It worked out, but if it didn't, Maddon would be destroyed for that decision. Many of the analysts on various channels all thought the decision was baffling.

What an incredibly awful analysis. Your argument is literally, "Jon Lester gets paid a lot so he should stay in the game." You're embarrassing yourself. Pulling Lester was the correct decision: Aroldis Chapman on his first time through the order is an objectively more effective pitcher than Jon Lester on his third time through the order. And by leaving Lester in, you run the risk of the tying run getting into scoring position on a stolen base or a fielding miscue. And, since they didn't throw Lester's arm off last night, he should be available out of the bullpen in the event of game seven. Chapman gets a day of rest and should be fine for Tuesday night.

 

[anotheridiot]

I liked how Maddon showed balls with Lester. I missed the double switch when Montero batted for Rossy. The three Indians coming up were all guys that had good looks, and first base meant a triple. I would have rather seen Montgomery or Strop try to finish the 7th and let Chappy start clean, but it worked this time.

The bigger issue is chapman throwing alot of pitches and seemingly falling in love with the slider.

 

[ijustposthere]

I think Maddon misused Schwarbs at home (think he should've batted over Montero in both games 3 & 5) but overall, he's done pretty much everything he can. Can't blame the manager when players aren't executing.

Sent from my bathroom using toilet talk

 

[FatBabiesHaveNoPride]

Im positive you didnt even play little league baseball.

Actually played quite a bit. As well as high school. Was kinda boring.

I'm certain you have no friends or family as evidenced by the abundance of posts that you offer during games.

But you're like about 17,894 posters on this forum - bunch of wannabe class clowns who get excited about being able to type '****' on an internet forum. Unfunny and uninteresting. Any discussion of anything sports related devolves into nonsense. It's like listening to my 6 yard and fart jokes.

 

[SilenceS]

Actually played quite a bit. As well as high school. Was kinda boring.

I'm certain you have no friends or family as evidenced by the abundance of posts that you offer during games.

But you're like about 17,894 posters on this forum - bunch of wannabe class clowns who get excited about being able to type '****' on an internet forum. Unfunny and uninteresting. Any discussion of anything sports related devolves into nonsense. It's like listening to my 6 yard and fart jokes.

Somebody cranky this morning. Is it because you are baseball stupid or just stupid in general?

 

[FatBabiesHaveNoPride]

What an incredibly awful analysis. Your argument is literally, "Jon Lester gets paid a lot so he should stay in the game." You're embarrassing yourself. Pulling Lester was the correct decision: Aroldis Chapman on his first time through the order is an objectively more effective pitcher than Jon Lester on his third time through the order. And by leaving Lester in, you run the risk of the tying run getting into scoring position on a stolen base or a fielding miscue. And, since they didn't throw Lester's arm off last night, he should be available out of the bullpen in the event of game seven. Chapman gets a day of rest and should be fine for Tuesday night.

Yes, I'll admit I'm wrong. Maybe we can get all of the baseball analysts who shared that opinion to agree with you guys.

You and every other class clown on this forum knows damn well that Chapman doesn't pitch 3 innings. His pitch count last night was the highest of his career. That could have easily backfired. Madden, the team and the fans are fortunate it didn't.

Let's say Chapman gives up a run or two. He gets pulled. Who comes in next? Strope? Rondon? Arrieta since it's elimination?

It was an incredibly risky move and many on this very forum acknowledged as such.

But that won't stop the 11 year old class clowns on the forum from doing the Monday morning QB thing saying it wasn't.

 

[FatBabiesHaveNoPride]

Somebody cranky this morning. Is it because you are baseball stupid or just stupid in general?

No. I don't suffer fools wisely. This place is teaming with them. Unfunny ones at that.

 

[SilenceS]

Yes, I'll admit I'm wrong. Maybe we can get all of the baseball analysts who shared that opinion to agree with you guys.

You and every other class clown on this forum knows damn well that Chapman doesn't pitch 3 innings. His pitch count last night was the highest of his career. That could have easily backfired. Madden, the team and the fans are fortunate it didn't.

Let's say Chapman gives up a run or two. He gets pulled. Who comes in next? Strope? Rondon? Arrieta since it's elimination?

It was an incredibly risky move and many on this very forum acknowledged as such.

But that won't stop the 11 year old class clowns on the forum from doing the Monday morning QB thing saying it wasn't.

So, you are mad that Maddon took his best pitcher and played him in the biggest spot of the series because of conjecture. Got it. Who says you arent stupid? Also, Chapman was a starter in the minors. He has thrown more than 40 something pitches many times in his life. I know, I know. This is the first time you ever heard of him.

 

[Diehardfan]

No. I don't suffer fools wisely. This place is teaming with them. Unfunny ones at that.

Then why are you here? Why would anyone continue to return to a place where everyone there finds him to be distasteful? Masochist?

On a side note...it's only a bad move when it doesn't work.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Good win. Not a great win, but a good win.

The game winning RBI was a bases loaded 1 out fly ball from a 100 year old situational catcher. Take what you can get.

That said, the hitting was still atrocious. Outside of the HR, Bryant looked terrible with two called looking strike outs (regardless of what you think of the ump)

Hayward was abysmal before the base hit.

And Baez, oh, glorious Baez. I really can't recall any MLB player showing that much lack of discipline at the plate. Smoltz's analysis of his was perfect. You get one strike one and then throw all garbage. The scouting report is in - throw all balls (most well low and away/in the dirt) - and he'll do your job for you. He's hat multiple opportunities to get a hit when men on base or RISP. Fail every time. He's a critical at bat in the bottom of that lineup with what's coming (Ross/Contreras and Pitcher). His performance at the plate has been abysmal.

Hipster Maddon took a huge gamble - a gamble many are saying was the WRONG decision - and it paid off. It easily could have cost them the WS. Lifting the guy you paid a lot of money for to pinch in precisely these situations. Pulls him (and it wasn't too pinch hit in a rally) for Carl Edwards and then asks a 9th inning closer (who can thrown wild pitches with the best of them) to pitch almost 8 innings to a rookie catcher who has shown a propensity for irking his veteran pitchers with mound walks. It worked out, but if it didn't, Maddon would be destroyed for that decision. Many of the analysts on various channels all thought the decision was baffling.

And right handed pitcher up - pinch hitting Ross for the double switch. Uses the only hot bat on the team - Schwarber? Nope, bats Montero who strikes out. A team that can't hit and the guy seeing the ball the best who you HAVE to get at the the plate somehow each game, is left on the bench.

And the refusal to play small ball. Russell with leadoff hit with the scrubs coming up - doesn't send him. Hayward, who had been brutal all game, and has great speed - left handed bat, no drag bunt?

I'd say the Cubs won that game not because of the manager decisions, but in spite of them.

The game ended 3-2. It shouldn't have been that close. The Cubs bats must do something more than 3 runs if they are going to face clobber for the 3rd time in game 7.

There's a whole lot of bad baseball thought here but let me address some of it

1) Have you watched this team all year? This isn't a small ball team and this idea that teams get to the World Series and suddenly play a different style of baseball than what got them there is ludicrous. Now, if you've got a team that runs the bases well and have played a run-creation type of game all year relying on bunts and the like you're probably going to amp that up a bit in the playoffs. Cleveland has been doing just that to great affect. That's not what the Cubs do. They get men on base and let the game play itself for want of a simple explanation. They might bunt occasionally if they've struggled getting men on, they might even as a change of pace try to create a run with that style as a surprise move, but they going to alter what they do. That gets in your head and the next thing you know you're no longer playing your game. No, Cubs put men on,move them over and try to get the big hit, not necessarily a homerun. This isn't the boom or bust style of play but it isn't dink and dunk and create runs either. You stick to the process that got you there.

2) Baez is a very young player. If you've never seen a hitter struggle like he has this series your baseball viewing has been sadly limited. Yes he's expanding the zone and has seen a steady diet of breaking balls away because of it, but it's neither the first time a young player will go through times like this nor the last.

3) Baseball decisions are often the wrong decision when they fail or brilliant when they do. In the case of Lester I don't know how that's the wrong call. He was still pitching well but there were sings of cracking. If he got into a jam it's likely the ballgame. So you go with a fresh young power arm and then your best relief arm. Make perfect sense.

4) The Cubs bats have struggled but I actually thought Bryant has some great AB and Rizzo is really seeing the ball well. There are signs that Russell is too. This is the ebb and flow of an order. The bats could suddenly wake up tomorrow as they did in game 2. Get guys on, the runs will come if you start to hit.

5) I think that game last night was won by Lester Chapman and Maddon. Dude had his team looser and he never allowed anything to get out of control.

Bottom line is you seem to have some preconceived notions of how baseball should be played and Maddon Doesn't give a damn about those things. Terry Francona is the same way. Decisions work or they don't but you trust your guys.

 

[SilenceS]

Eh, Fatbabies is known for his stupidity. He gets wrecked on the Bears board constantly. So, he came here to try to troll.

 

[czman]

I still don't like the Chapman move or the double switch. I know it "worked" because they won. Bad moves are bad moves, even when they work.

The Cubs were leading off with the 9 spot. So instead of double switching to start the inning they should have just brought Edwards in. If he struggles you can double switch at that point if you feel is really needed. They could have just thrown Stoup, Edwards, Montgomery, and Wood in that inning if they needed too.

At that point you can lead off with Schwarber. If he gets on pinch run with Almora. If Zobrist makes the last out double switch so Almora stays in bats 9th and plays left and Chapman to the the 5 hole. If Zobrist does not make the last out leave Chapman in the 9 spot, much less likely to come up.

I don't like the closer having to pitch to the entire lineup. Even if he gets through it, it means everyone has seen him. One of the benefits of being a closer is guys don't see you that often. In a long series having multiple looks at the same pitcher helps the hitter--generally.

Even if you had to bring go to chapman in the 7th, he basically tied his hands with the double switch. He locked himself into a spot where it made no sense to get Schwarber into the game until the 9th or the Cubs would have had to string a bunch of hits together.

They won so many will be ok with it. I think it was poorly managed. Schwarber was not used very well at home.

 

[Novak]

You guys are still watching these games? This series is over. It was over when the Cubs lost game 1.

 

[TL1961]

Good win. Not a great win, but a good win.

The game winning RBI was a bases loaded 1 out fly ball from a 100 year old situational catcher. Take what you can get.

That said, the hitting was still atrocious. Outside of the HR, Bryant looked terrible with two called looking strike outs (regardless of what you think of the ump)

Hayward was abysmal before the base hit.

And Baez, oh, glorious Baez. I really can't recall any MLB player showing that much lack of discipline at the plate. Smoltz's analysis of his was perfect. You get one strike one and then throw all garbage. The scouting report is in - throw all balls (most well low and away/in the dirt) - and he'll do your job for you. He's hat multiple opportunities to get a hit when men on base or RISP. Fail every time. He's a critical at bat in the bottom of that lineup with what's coming (Ross/Contreras and Pitcher). His performance at the plate has been abysmal.

Hipster Maddon took a huge gamble - a gamble many are saying was the WRONG decision - and it paid off. It easily could have cost them the WS. Lifting the guy you paid a lot of money for to pinch in precisely these situations. Pulls him (and it wasn't too pinch hit in a rally) for Carl Edwards and then asks a 9th inning closer (who can thrown wild pitches with the best of them) to pitch almost 8 innings to a rookie catcher who has shown a propensity for irking his veteran pitchers with mound walks. It worked out, but if it didn't, Maddon would be destroyed for that decision. Many of the analysts on various channels all thought the decision was baffling.

And right handed pitcher up - pinch hitting Ross for the double switch. Uses the only hot bat on the team - Schwarber? Nope, bats Montero who strikes out. A team that can't hit and the guy seeing the ball the best who you HAVE to get at the the plate somehow each game, is left on the bench.

And the refusal to play small ball. Russell with leadoff hit with the scrubs coming up - doesn't send him. Hayward, who had been brutal all game, and has great speed - left handed bat, no drag bunt?

I'd say the Cubs won that game not because of the manager decisions, but in spite of them.

The game ended 3-2. It shouldn't have been that close. The Cubs bats must do something more than 3 runs if they are going to face clobber for the 3rd time in game 7.

Bryant is frustrated trying to figure out what a strilke is. Bad enough the curveballers get a wide plate, but his frustration last night was due to getting called out on a ball below the knee, and one above the belt.