Cubs 3, Pirates 4 (9/5/2017)

In Uncategorized by myles294 Comments

OSS: That fucking 8th inning.

Three Up

1. Kyle Hendricks was pretty solid today. He didn't walk a single batter (only 2 strikeouts, so lots of balls in play). He made one bad mistake to David Freese, but allowed no other runs on the day.

2. Ian Happ had a 2-run single that would give the Cubs a 3-2 lead they took all the way to the 8th inning.

3. Nice to see Baez back in action after a short injury. Two hard hit balls today, but only one found grass.

Three Down

1. Carl Edwards Jr. had a WPA of -.505 today. That tells you pretty much all you need to know. He allowed 5 baserunners and secured 4 outs, a ratio more suited to Donald Trump's tweets than good pitching.

2. Jon Jay failed to score with 2 on and 2 out, and also struck out in the 9th inning in a particularly bad AB.

3. Carl Edwards Jr. was so bad today, that I decided to give him this spot too.

Tomorrow's Game

6:05 pm CST

Jose "And we go to the Top of the 2nd. Pirates 3, Cubs nothing." Quintana vs. Gerrit "I don't even think the Golden State Warriors are the best team in their division" Cole

Will the Cubs Win?

Does a bear shit in the international space station?

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  2. dmick89

    Jose “And we go to the Top of the 2nd. Pirates 3, Cubs nothing.” Quintana vs. Gerrit “I don’t even think the Golden State Warriors are the best team in their division” Cole

    (dying laughing)

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  5. Rizzo the Rat

    dmick89,

    He came into a bit of a jam, but he left him in after the offense put the game away. Which, again, reminds me of some game I’ve seen before.

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  7. Rizzo the Rat

    In other news, the Padres are learning the hard way why the Cubs took Travis Wood out of their rotation a couple years ago (despite his hitting ability).

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  8. berselius

    Rizzo the Rat:
    In other news, the Padres are learning the hard way why the Cubs took 2013 Cubs WAR leader Travis Wood out of their rotation a couple years ago (despite his hitting ability).

    /still incredulous

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  9. cerulean

    If the Dbags win tonight—currently tied 1–1 in the top of the eighth—they will have gained 10 games on the Dodderingers in the last 12 games. Only 11.5 more games to go.

    How great would it be if the Dodgers were the first wildcard team. (dying laughing)

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  12. dmick89

    Myles,

    I wish the season ended today. I’m afraid the longer they play the less likely it is the Cubs will reach the playoffs. It seems like they can’t win unless they score a dozen runs. I know it’s not true, but the bullpen for this team is a joke. It seems impossible that the Cubs don’t have one starter from the minor leagues who can come up and get guys out consistently in the bullpen late in the season other than Rob fucking Zastryzny. I knew the team’s pitching prospects were shit, but that’s just hard to believe.

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  15. Edwin

    Looking back though, I’d think that if there was evidence of a deity interferring with the outcome of sporting events that the league would suspend that team due to cheating. Using Apple watches to steal signs is one thing, but God sending angels to fly a defender to catch a ball seems like it’s crossing a line. Sosa was suspended for corking his bat, I can only imagine the suspension that would be involved for a player receiving assistance in the batters box from angelic forces.

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  16. Smokestack Lightning

    dmick89,

    I’d be fine with ending the season now and cancelling the playoffs on top of that. Waiting around another month for the Cubs to stagger in and get rightfully thrashed by the Nats/any other NL playoff team doesn’t sound like much of a better option.

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  17. cerulean

    Edwin,

    It’s been a year and a half since the investigation began, so I think maybe the game is rigged, but kudos for NCAA for even appearing to stand up for something—sticking to their guns on gifts—even if the overall policy is misguided and only serves to line their pockets.

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  22. Edwin

    I don’t care about Apple Watch Thing. Cheating is against the rules, and should be punished and discouraged as much as possible. That being said, cheating in sports has existed since the times of Greeks, so the fact that teams are still trying to cheat today isn’t exactly news.

    I guess there could be a debate as to whether “stealing signs” is actually cheating, although I think a line gets crossed when teams start to use technology in order to help steal signs.

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  23. dmick89

    Edwin,

    I suppose, but I still think it’s on the team giving the signs to make sure they can’t be stolen. I realize pitchers and catchers get lazy and use the same signs and same indicators, but that’s their fault. As long as the sign is visible, teams will try every imaginable way to steal them.

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  26. dmick89

    So Arrieta has a grade one strain. I’d think that would be at least two starts. If the Cubs have a 4-5 game lead at that point he’ll probably miss a third start. IMO

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  28. Edwin

    dmick89,

    I had a Cubs garden flag flying in my front yard until the All-Star break, when I replaced it with a Brewers flag. The Cubs proceeded to go 8-0 or something, while the Brewers lost 6 straight. I’m considering flying a Packers flag this fall.

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  29. EnricoPallazzo

    dmick89:
    Edwin,

    I suppose, but I still think it’s on the team giving the signs to make sure they can’t be stolen. I realize pitchers and catchers get lazy and use the same signs and same indicators, but that’s their fault. As long as the sign is visible, teams will try every imaginable way to steal them.

    yeah i mean you can steal bases. i don’t see much difference with stealing signs. you’re taking every advantage you can get. as long as you’re not breaking the law or specific rules of the game, i don’t see the issue.

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  30. Myles

    So the Cardinals are likely to be closer to the Cubs than the Brewers are after tonight. Tonight isn’t a must win, but I’ll feel a LOT better should we not lose three in a row to these bums.

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  31. dmick89

    Myles,

    The Cardinals are as streaky as the Cubs. So are the Brewers for that matter. I am getting a little tired of how the Cubs losing streaks happen at the same time as the Cardinals winning streaks.

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  32. Myles

    The Cubs play 7 games each against Milwaukee and St. Louis, including 8 consecutive games on the road against those teams. It’s pretty important to get 5 games up on them before the last 10 games of the year.

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  34. Rizzo the Rat

    I’m not outraged about the Red Sox thing, but they broke the rules to gain an advantage over their opponents (i.e., cheated) and I hope this ordeal and subsequent punishment discourage other teams from doing the same.

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  35. Berselius is too lazy to login

    To-day’s base ball squadron

    LF Jay
    2B La Stella
    3B Bryant
    1B Rizzo
    CF Happ
    C Avila
    RF Heyward
    SS Baez
    P “And we go to the Top of the 2nd. Pirates 3, Cubs nothing”

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  36. Rizzo the Rat

    EnricoPallazzo: yeah i mean you can steal bases. i don’t see much difference with stealing signs. you’re taking every advantage you can get. as long as you’re not breaking the law or specific rules of the game, i don’t see the issue.

    They were breaking the specific rules of the game, which prohibit using technology to steal signs.

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  38. Rizzo the Rat

    Looking into the sign-stealing issue more, I guess there’s no rule against using technology, but there was a directive issued in 2001 against it.

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  41. dmick89

    I have a bigger issue with what the Pirates did last night with their closer. If you don’t take the field with the defense, the other team should start with a runner on 2nd.

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  64. Perkins

    Seeing Dave Roberts remind reporters that the Dodgers will still win the division makes me hope they don’t, just because it would be hilarious.

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  65. Myles

    Perkins:
    Seeing Dave Roberts remind reporters that the Dodgers will still win the division makes me hope they don’t, just because it would be hilarious.

    The Dodgers have the “defending champion” stink on them that makes everyone hate them…despite the fact that they didn’t win the World Series last year (the Cubs won the World Series in 7 games).

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  70. Perkins

    dmick89,

    I’m there as well. I thought I remembered reading something about how teams with poor run differentials in September do poorly in the playoffs. In either case, the Dodgers seem a whole lot more beatable in a playoff series than they did a couple weeks ago.

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  71. cerulean

    Myles,

    That was just a fever dream. Everyone knows the Dodgers won in 5. (Next thing you’ll be trying to convince us that some reality TV blowhard con-job is the POTUS because of Russian meddling and white supremacy.)

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  72. Myles

    Perkins:
    dmick89,

    I’m there as well. I thought I remembered reading something about how teams with poor run differentials in September do poorly in the playoffs. In either case, the Dodgers seem a whole lot more beatable in a playoff series than they did a couple weeks ago.

    Have to get past Washington first.

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  73. Perkins

    Myles,

    Yeah they look pretty fearsome. Their rotation and lineup are both very good, especially in a short series. I’m counting on fluky luck and Dusty Baker’s relative incompetence in that series. It occurs to me that the Nationals have never won a postseason series, but that obviously doesn’t mean a whole lot.

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  75. dmick89

    Myles,

    The Cubs will be lucky to beat any team they play in the playoffs. If I was betting, I’d take Nationals in four. If the Cubs do somehow get past them and play the Dodgers, Dodgers_in_5 and if they end up playing the Dbacks I’d take them in 5 or 6. The Indians will sweep them because they no longer lose baseball games.

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  77. EnricoPallazzo

    dmick89: The Indians will sweep them because they no longer lose baseball games.

    holy shit, i had no idea that they’ve won 13 straight! crazy that it’s happening alongside the d-backs. i wonder when was the last time that 2 different teams had simultaneous 13-game win streaks.

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  81. Rizzo the Rat

    What happens if it’s the Indians and the Diamondbacks in the World Series? The rules dictate one of them would have to lose, right?

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  82. dmick89

    A few weeks ago I remember saying on here that the Dodgers could lose 20 in a row and they’d still have the second highest winning percentage in baseball. They must read every word.

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  84. dmick89

    The Indians might run into the Astros. The Astros saw the Indians had a 7 game winning streak so decided to win all their games. That’s three teams that finally figured out the best strategy. Only took 150 years.

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  85. Rizzo the Rat

    dmick89,

    The point is, they were compared to the 1927 Yankees for a couple months. Then June happened. This year, it was the Astros before it was the Dodgers.

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  86. dmick89

    Rizzo the Rat: This year, it was the Astros before it was the Dodgers.

    I forgot some people thought the Astros were the best team early in the season. I’ve thought Dodgers since well before the season even started. Still do. I don’t even think it’s close, but I would still enjoy watching them blow a 20 game lead, or whatever it was they had.

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  98. Rizzo the Rat

    I hate when hitters take strike three with a runner on third and one out. Patience is good, but sometimes you need contact.

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  137. BVS

    Feliz Pena in mop up again, and allowing baserunners again. Reminds me that I’ve never seen a scouting report for him.

    Over/under for MLB appearances next year? I assume 0.

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  143. dmick89

    Just got back from taking the dog for a walk. Expect it to be 8-6 or worse so I’m going to give Pena a +1 for the night. I didn’t even look at the line and don’t care. He didn’t give up a run, which these days for these guys in the pen is a fucking miracle.

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  162. dmick89

    Perkins,

    Lackey has been better in the 2nd and his problems with the home run ball that he’s had all season might be helped by the fact that the wind has been blowing in a lot more lately. I don’t have high expectations for Lackey, but I don’t think he’s as bad as he’s pitched this year. I’ll bet his HR/FB rate is about 25%. It seems like it’s about 100%.

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  164. dmick89

    To be honest, I’m more worried about Lester at this point. I’m not expecting Lackey to be all that good, but the Cubs kind of need Lester to be good and he hasn’t been all season. He’s looked like shit for awhile. Despite the decent line last night, I’d not consider it a good start. It was a terrible start followed by three pretty good innings. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.

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  165. Perkins

    He’s been better lately; he was just the first to come to mind. If the Cubs just go .500 in those 14 games, it should be basically impossible for them to lose the division.

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  166. Perkins

    Lester is especially concerning if Arrieta is more hurt than he looks at this point. A postseason rotation of Quintana, Hendricks, and an ineffective Lester is probably worse than what the Indians had last year.

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  167. dmick89

    Perkins,

    I’m hoping for better than .500, but even they go 5-9, it’s going to be rather difficult for either of the other two to win it. The Brewers and Cardinals have three games left against one another and the Brewers play the Reds, who they can’t seem to beat.

    The way I see it, one of the teams the Cubs are playing is going to have almost win out. I think one of them would have to win 15 or so games that they have left.

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  171. Perkins

    dmick89,

    It does seem unlikely that either of the Cardinals or Brewers will do that, and the Cubs will probably play better than .500 overall the rest of the way anyway. They’re in a pretty good position, at least for the division.

    The postseason is a different conversation altogether.

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  186. BVS

    Wow. Between Hurricane Katia and the 8.1 earthquake, I think Mexico is probably not going to able to pay for a border wall.

    #offtopic. Too soon?

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  195. Berselius is too lazy to log in

    I hit the cell dead zone on my commute just as the game was starting, and was sad to discover that my guess that the Cubs would be down 2-0 when I re-emerged was true.

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  207. North Side Pat

    The ABs from KB and Zobrist there were…not optimal. Close pitches but you can’t get called out there. Or I guess you can.

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  209. Rizzo the Rat

    So… Caratini came in, but was pinch-hit for when his spot in the lineup came up, meaning he came in for defense, I guess? Isn’t that Rivera’s job?

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  220. Berselius is too lazy to log in

    Torn labrum from diving back to a base yesterday for Jimmy Nelson. That’s some shitty luck for the Brewers.

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  246. Rizzo the Rat

    On the pregame show, Maddon says the offense needs to score some points. Maybe that’s the problem; he doesn’t know what sport they’re playing.

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  248. mcalis2

    I was expecting to see contreras back behind the plate following his activation. Any idea why hes on the bench and Rivera is getting the start?

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  249. dmick89

    mcalis2,

    No idea why Rivera is getting the start, but I’m not sure we’ll see Contreras start for a few days. He didn’t get in as much rehab work as the Cubs hoped due to the hurricane so their option was to send him to Eugene or activate him.

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  251. cerulean

    I have a strong suspicion that the Venn diagram of those criticizing Kaepernick for protesting the national anthem thereby “disgracing” the flag and those who want rebel flags and monuments to stick around is very close to a single circle.

    You think I am pointing out hypocrisy, but there is a big difference between symbolic gestures against the flag’s exclusionary meaning in practice and symbolic artifacts against the union’s inclusionary aspirations.

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  262. uncle dave

    While we’re picking nits on the lineup, why is Bryant in the OF with Happ at 2B? This alignment has cost two baserunners so far.

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  266. dmick89

    Perkins:
    Stupid useless Cubs.

    They don’t have anyone to blame other than themselves if they blow a 5 game lead or a 7 game lead to the Cardinals. That should not happen, but if the Cubs lose today I think it becomes very likely that it does.

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  267. dmick89

    Other than about six weeks, this season has sucked and now that they don’t have shit in the minors the Cubs will have to start spending more if they want to contend.

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  277. Rizzo the Rat

    When you have expanded roster, you don’t let a guy like Rivera hit late in the game when you’re trailing. Especially with the platoon disadvantage and leading off the inning.

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  289. North Side Pat

    Do you guys understand why Schwarber has been sitting recently? Seems like you’d want some potential Schwarbombs in a lineup that is struggling to score.

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