It’s a Cubs off day, so that’s about time to check in on our favorite squadron’s slim chances of making a difference this season…
- Currently, the Cubs stand at 61-64, in third place in the NL Central, 11.5 games back of Milwaukee for the division (kiss that goodbye), and 5.5 games back of Atlanta for that final wild card spot.
- To get that wild card, the Cubs will have to leapfrog the Cardinals, the Giants, the Mets, and the aforementioned Atlanta squadron.
- Fangraphs odds give the Cubs virtually no chance (0.4%) of winning the division, no chance whatsoever of clinching a first round bye (dying laughing), and only a 3.1% overall chance of making the postseason by any means (cue Dumb and Dumber gif).
Given all this, I guess we continue to be thankful that most of the National League still blows and the Cubs haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, unlike certain neighbors to the south. The road to the end of the season gets decidedly easier, though that won’t mean much if the Cubs can’t muster up a run, let alone many runs, in the games that remain. Here’s the schedule going forward for those curious…
- Off day (that’s today!)
- 3x Tigers at home
- 3x @ Marlins
- 3x @ Pirates (maybe they’ll miss Skenes or he’ll have been shut down because they’re cheap)
- Off day
- 3x @ Nats
- 3x Pirates at home
- Off day
- 3x Yankees at home
- 3x @ Dodgers (eww travel)
- Off days
- 3x @ Rockies (gross, Coors)
- 3x A’s at home
- 4x Nats at home
- 3x @ Phillies (hope they clinched a bye or tops in the league by then so they can coast)
- Off day
- 3x Reds at home to close the season
Napkin math says they need at least 85 wins to even have a chance, which is two more than they got all last year. With 37 games remaining, that’s a 24-13 record. They should probably aim to do better than this, with some red-hot prospects in Iowa that might yet get the call in September, but as berselius says, play better and things might happen.
Comments
Bah, there are only like 4 Marlins who got into the HOF, plus Jay Buhner was a landmine
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Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Scratch that, five Marlins!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Avoided all the landmines but that HoF column was tough on rarity.
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PerkinsQuote Reply
On the one, hand, let there be jokes, but on the other hand, maybe this should be the way to go?
You gotta skip the video and scroll down a bit but there are some details…
https://marlinsenrollment.com/familia
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Obi-Wan “that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time” dot wav
Rice CubeQuote Reply
8/9 Cubs today and the ninth at least has a connection to the other Chicago base ball squadron.
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PerkinsQuote Reply
Our season-long nightmare is over
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rogers suggests the option disappears now that Neris has been let go.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Bah, stupid 2Bs
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Rice CubeQuote Reply
dafuq, did TMZ get video of him putting ketchup on a chicago dog?
berseliusQuote Reply
Shame Neris was so bad this year since by all accounts heβs a leader and a great dude.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Neris was maybe miscast as a closer but he has a solid career as a well above average reliever. Ricketts cheap FTL
berseliusQuote Reply
I hope the MLBPA sues their asses and win handily
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Might not be easy, Hector kinda sucked sporadically and also they had a pretty fun prospect taking his spot.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Plenty of ammo for his side out there – if nothing else he still has an above average ERA
berseliusQuote Reply
BN is trying to horn in on the star wars rambling here.
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2024/08/20/unflattering-comp-standings-compression-pearson-roberts-ballesteros-pitcher-development-and-other-cubs-bullets/
If they start discussing cast iron pans in the bullets we might need to call up GBTS for legal representation (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Yeah it does look bad in some sense, but they did release him in time for him to latch on with someone else and still get paid, and be postseason eligible if he actually gets lucky. It might not be the strongest case but I wouldn’t say they didn’t have one hehe.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Gotta disagree with Brettβs Star Wars opinions there. TLJ was a pretty good movie that came out less than 8 years ago, and both The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi were good shows (the latter more of a limited series). Iβd say those and Acolyte are all superior to Mandalorian, which is mostly an overhyped Glup Shitto parade.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I can’t argue with you today about TLJ (dying laughing). I’d go to bat for the Mandalorian for being more like the old adventure serials that Star Wars / Indiana Jones grew out of, but I can’t really plug it when I never really finished the series.
berseliusQuote Reply
The Star Wars LEGOs are pretty fun though
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berselius,
Mandalorian would have been pretty good if theyβd ended at two seasons. Book of Boba Fett and Mando S3 were absolute trash that immediately undid all its narrative stakes.
The show has an identity crisis: it tries to be a heavy-of-the-week Spaghetti Western, a prestige TV drama, and a narrative bridge to make sense of the sequels and get people to like them. It only succeeds at the first and reinforces my belief that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are basically kids playing with action figures when they try to do live-action Star Wars.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
Ah, this is the Dark Helmet with dolls scene then!
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I have the UCS Venator and a few other less intense sets. Canβt wait for the midi-scale Home One next year.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I have the reasonably sized models of the Millenium Falcon, X-Wing, Boba Fett’s ship, and an AT-AT and that’s it, mostly I just collect sets for the minifigs now
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Perkins,
I got the big interceptor a few months ago, and it looks amazing. The designers have stepped up their game over the past few years. It’s a big price tag but it feels much more like you’re getting your money’s worth than it was back in the day.
berseliusQuote Reply
I’m still kicking myself for not buying the Executor when I saw it in a lego store in Austin back in 2011. Not that $400 was super in my budget at the time.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Probably more reasonably than dropping $900 on the big Millenium Falcon or AT-AT (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I do find myself tempted to buy Mos Eisley every time I see it but nah
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berselius,
That UCS Executor is even longer than the Venator – I think itβs over four feet. I have the recent midi-scale Executor on my desk at home and it looks pretty sharp.
Given space constraints, the main UCS sets that would get me to open the wallet at this point would be a Jedi Interceptor and maybe a Neb B Frigate (though the latter would probably be very large). A new B-Wing would be cool too.
Of the stuff thatβs been leaked for next year, Iβm already planning to get the midi Home One and Acclamator and the play scale ARC-170 and Ahsokaβs Jedi Interceptor.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I do have one of the relatively affordable Millenium falcon versions – I think this one https://brickset.com/sets/7965-1/Millennium-Falcon
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
My wife got me the one with Rey and Finn and Old Han
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Oof Javy batting ninth for this bad tigers team, and it’s probably justified π
berseliusQuote Reply
<3 to a Javy chant breaking out at Wrigley.
Followed by him striking out on a pitch six inches out of the zone, for old time's sake (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
Assad going 5 is helpful, probably has enough in the tank to at least start the 6th but the Cubs should probably try to score
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Thanks Cubs
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Maybe without the TOOTBLAN next time
Rice CubeQuote Reply
π¦’π
berseliusQuote Reply
Alas, poor Javy, but Cubs win
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Nice. All Cubs today.
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PerkinsQuote Reply
AAAAAAH everyone remembered Girardi
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Rice CubeQuote Reply
Fun
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Guess Detroit is still doing bullpen games, Cubs running back the same lineup other than swapping out the catcher.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Mets won
Pirates lost
Giants just lost to the White Sox
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Two out of three ainβt half bad, I guess.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Votto –> retired
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Taillon needs to stop serving meatballs for dinner IMO
Rice CubeQuote Reply
This one isnβt looking promising for the Cubs.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Woo bethancourt
berseliusQuote Reply
I kinda wish CC would stop pinch hitting Wisdom for the teamβs best hitter, handedness be damned.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
We are unfortunately getting to that point in the season where wins won’t matter and they let him just stay in and try
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Save Neris.
andcountingQuote Reply
Damn.
andcountingQuote Reply
Alas
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Neris ββββββ-> Houston
andcountingQuote Reply
Neris –> Astros
Rice CubeQuote Reply
andcounting,
What he said, I don’t read every post
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Fun one today, probably another bullpen game for Detroit because they kick puppies though…
LF Happ
3B Paredes
RF Bellinger
DH Suzuki
1B Busch
2B Hoerner
SS Swanson
CF PCA
C Amaya
Actual SP who should go more than two innings –> Steele
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Trying to avoid Jack Morris everywhere (dying laughing)
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Rice CubeQuote Reply
Pathetic (dying laughing)
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PerkinsQuote Reply
Dex boldly wearing a Tan Suit in the Cubs pregame show.
berseliusQuote Reply
Iβm hearing the Dodgers DFAβd J-Hey. Didnβt he just hit a walkoff a few days ago?
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
The perils of at-will employment
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Cubs OOBL
berseliusQuote Reply
Amaya!
berseliusQuote Reply
I’ll take a few more of those please
Rice CubeQuote Reply
You unironically love to see it
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Maeda mess of that ERA
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Amaya not being dreadful really does make things look so much more hopeful looking forward.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Amaya-lone in thinking that was awesome?
andcountingQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
andcounting,
You have been banned from Obstructed View. You may browse but can’t participate. Please send acknowledgement by fax.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Good BΓ‘ez too good a word. Iβll just say βFare thee well.β
andcountingQuote Reply
tigErs
berseliusQuote Reply
It’s amazing how the BABIP gods regress to the mean like dropping a hammer
Rice CubeQuote Reply
NOBLETIGER slain at least
berseliusQuote Reply
See this is how bullpen games should go
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
Quality start with an outside shot at a Maddux
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Still technically a QS (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
No CG (and obviously no CGSO) but fun start by Steele
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Pete Chaos-Armstrong
Rice CubeQuote Reply
PCA has looked like a cromulent hitter for the past month.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
berseliusQuote Reply
Unfortunate RBI-TOOTBLAN
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Good W
Rice CubeQuote Reply
M —> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
New grand slammy shit –> https://www.obstructedview.net/miggy-slam/
Rice CubeQuote Reply