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2019 MLB Thread

Discussion in 'Other Sports Forum' started by Unlucky 13, Nov 2, 2018.

  1. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    The Cubs have now scored at least 10 runs in half of their games this season.

    Lets not talk about the pitching staff.....
     
  2. Nappy Roots

    Nappy Roots Well-Known Member

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    Will happen even less when Duffy comes off the injured list. We are just too deep. With good RH options on the infield off the bench. I am not a big Lowe fan truthfully. Not a super fan of that signing, but whatevs.
     
  3. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Well my Marlins currently have a better win % than the Red Sox. lol
     
  4. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    The Cubs are currently outscoring their opponents 72-71, but have a 3-7 record. They've scored 51 more runs than the Reds, and allowed 51 more than the Rays.
     
  5. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    The entire staff sans Lester has been brutal. The Darvish contract ... yikes. And what the hell happened to Quintana? He was a borderline ace on the WSox, but turned into a pumpkin almost immediately. That trade is gonna be a killer. If they don't make the postseason, Maddon has to be gone.

    That said, the Rickett's claim of having no money and thus handicapping Theo is a crusher.
     
  6. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I think that this will be Maddon's last year regardless. He was the right hire, he got the job done, but I wasn't sure that he'd make it five years when the contract was signed. A lot of Cubs fans think that we'll hire Joe Girardi after this season.

    Darvish just hasn't been healthy, and he's also been the victim of some terrible luck. He was pitching extremely well last night, and other than two liner HRs, shut down the Pirates through five. It was encouraging. But yeah, that contract was always a huge risk. Quintana has been up and down. Excellent some days, lousy others. He was excellent the second half of 2017, but inconsistent since.

    At the end of the day, the Cubs total failures to be able to develop pitching are killing them. Other than trading for Hendricks while he was at AA, they haven't developed a single starter who's belonged in the majors since Jeff Samardzija. And before him, it was Rich Hill, who came up in 2005!
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2019
  7. Nappy Roots

    Nappy Roots Well-Known Member

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    Cubs getting rid of Maddon for Girardi is so foolish lol
     
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  8. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    No doubt Maddon was a great hire, just that his style behooves itself to shorter stints than a long term sustainability. There are some fundamental issues with the team that a good staff should be working out I think. Girardi would be interesting.

    As for Darvish ... man I was a Rangers follower for most of his career and while he had some crazy highs, the dude is super volatile. "Bad luck" follows him way too much. He will have days where he looks to be among the best, then fall apart in the next game after he gives up a walk early. He lets stuff get to him easily, quick to rattle and very bad at digging himself out of holes and funks. Hopefully he can at least be healthy a good #3-4 in the rotation for the rest of his contract.

    The failure to develop - or maintain - pitching is one of those big underlying issues I mentioned earlier. While that blame obviously is spread around some, hard not to take a look at what Maddon is doing to see big drop-offs and lack of consistency.
     
  9. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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  10. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Cubs finally win a game where they score fewer than ten runs, so they've got that going for them. :001_rolleyes:
     
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  11. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I think that this was the first time I've seen one pitch hit the batter, catcher and ump. The Marlins OF had to leave the game afterwards, and the ump was hurting.
     
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  12. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    He has absolutely killed them so far. And the Marlins just gave him away.



    Overall, sac flys seem to be way down from where they were in the past.

     
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  13. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Not to have a single one though is crazy in that span of time.
     
  14. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Its is, but Gallo is a really weird, limited player. His current .217 average would be his career high, his career averages against both right and left handers are right around .200, he has about as much chance of getting on base with two strikes as you or I do......but saying all of that, his averages and performance with a man on third are much, much higher, when most players are lower. In fact, having a man on third and two outs is one of his most likely situations to get a hit! So while you'd think that with a man on third and less than two outs, he'd just be going BP and trying to hit one deep, it seems like those kind of situations are the only time he's not, lol.
     
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  15. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Man, did I see a video of Kershaw in the offseason that was pathetic, this dude does not take care of himself in the offseason, at least this past year he didn’t.

    Give a 31 year old pitcher a 3 -100 deal who doesn’t go Tom Brady in the offseason seems like the wrong move..
     
  16. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Hes excellent, but huge Injuries too. I expect him to really fall off before long.
     
  17. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Its weird but being a little hefty in baseball really helps pitchers. There have been studies that link the pitchers weight and length to health and even effectiveness. Guys like CC Sabathia (who ive jokingly called Fatbathia) and even David Wells back in the day never had serious elbow/Tommy John issues in part because their weight helped them bear the brunt of the strain of pitching 200+ innings a year. Kershaw isnt as big as those guy but his decreasing velocity, not the excess weight is the reason hes likely to fall off quick. His velocity has been on a slow decline since 2016 and a few miles per hour vs pro hitters matters a lot.
     
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  18. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    How can you talk about hefty pitchers and not mention Big Sexy Colon!

    Velo loss on a few pitchers this year that's raising some eyebrows - Sale in Boston is another who is down, and he's a beanpole. Kershaw I feel might be able to stay really good even with a velo dip though, he throws some nasty off speed stuff like the curve. His back problems are scary though, and I don't know if putting on weight will help that.

    Cubbies staff finally starting to rebound a bit, though ofc the Marlins can make anyone look good right now. Seattle coming back to earth as well now that they are facing some real teams.
     
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  19. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Yeah, the Marlins bats are AAA level, but hey I'll take getting healthy! Two runs allowed in three games, including 24 straight scoreless innings. Given that the Cubs had the NL's worst ERA coming into the series, they needed that. Got the team ERA down to 4.85 now. Pending health, they should be alright.

    As far as Bartolo, its funny because he's just been around so long, but when he came up with Cleveland, he was a fit guy. 6'0", 185. But he started to put on weight before he left Cleveland, and by age 30 he was hefty the rest of the way. I love that he's now on his 13th different team, including 9 in the AL. He hasn't pitched for Tampa or Arizona, but he's been around longer than both franchises!
     
  20. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    The Cubs and Diamondbacks have both gone 8-2 over their last 10 games, and both teams now sit in second place in their division, and in the top 4 in the NL in run differential. Arizona's only two losses during that stretch were in Chicago.

    After starting the year 2-7 in their first three series, all on the road, the Cubs have since gone 10-3 and not lost a series since. They'll go for the sweep vs LA tomorrow afternoon with John Lester back from the DL.

    I'm thinking that the Mets might be a fun watch all season. They're in first place but have allowed the most runs in the NL, and the third most in all of MLB
     
  21. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Thats mainly cause of 4 horrific starts, 1 by matz (gave up 6 or 7 runs without an out...like 6 runs in his other 4 starts combined), degrom, wheeler and vargas and inconsistency from Noah. Also their bullpen era is fire when leading and trash when trailing. A few things will straighten themselves out such as noah and jake..wheeler and matz mostly have already.
     
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  22. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    Anytime the Mets have a good season they dominate the First half of the season and are sittting in first place at the all star break. Then August and September happen and they give the lead away in epic fashion and fall out of the playoffs altogether. They are cursed that MLB uses a 162 game schedule. If it was 100 game season the Mets might have ten World Series titles by now
     
  23. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    If they weren't in the NL Central, I'd feel bad for the Pirates.

    12-6 and in first place on April 20th.

    12-14 and in 4th place, 4.5 games back in April 28th.

    Meanwhile, the Brewers were also 12-6 at one point, and are now 15-14.
     
  24. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    This is basically how I pitch with Kyle in MLB The Show on the PS4. :chuckle:
     
  25. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    The Cubs have the third most wins in their division, but are alone in first place.

    Baseball! :knucks:
     
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  26. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    My fantasy team would like to know when i can plan on having Kris Bryants power back? Thanks.
     
  27. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Grand slam last night is a good start. But hes still not right and fully healthy. Effected him in the field last night too. At the moment, hes about the Cubs fifth best hitter. Lots of Cubs fans are really worried.
     
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  28. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    He's definitely off, but at least Rizzo is starting to rake again. Heyward still performing above expectation is a boon as well, and the pitching has finally come along. That Hendricks game was crazy.
     
  29. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Well, I'd say Bryant is healthy and back. After one HR in the first three weeks of the season along with a poor batting average, he's hit six homers in the last two weeks and is getting on base at a .423 clip over that span.
     
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  30. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Things were really, really grim early. They've been rocked by injuries to their most important relievers all season, but they're working through it.
     
  31. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Next 2 weeks the Mets play all under 500 teams. This will go a l9ng way if the Mets go 12-3 or so over the these next 15 (including today vs the Nats). Philly has been playing all trash teams while the mets and braves have had much harder schedules.
     
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  32. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Good for you guys that the Phillies have slowed down and have the worst record of any division leader in MLB right now.
     
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  33. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Fact of the matter is all 3 teams. The mets braves and phillies have extreme strengths and weaknesses. For the mets we know SP is their strength but until the last 4-5 games it really hasnt been good. Matz and Wheeler were basically the 2 best starters through the first month + save for 1 awful outing for each (wheeler vs ATL and Matz laid a deuce vs philly). And their hitting which should be based on balance and moving away from Alderson era dependency on homers hasnt neen there partially because 3 of their most important pieces either havent performed (Cano. Nimmo) at a level that helps or have been hurt (Lowrie). And their fielding has been bottom 1/3rd of the NL still in part because Rosario has had too many mental lapses. Dont even get me started on what a mistake it was to bring back Familia for 3 years. Id rather have kept Swarzak. Shoot, id rather have Armando Benitez and Braden Loopers straight fastballs back. He cannot handle pressure or NY. If BVW has a pair he will realize his mistake asap and get him out of here and sign Kimbrel and move Diaz to the 8th.
     
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  34. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    So, things have been good in Wrigleyville lately.









    After the first full week of the season, the Cubs have been on a pace that would equate to 125 wins over a full year. They haven't lost a series since dropping two of three in Milwaukee April 5-7.
     
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  35. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    Yeah they have rebounded nicely. Yu's work will be important though - they just can't leave that kind of production on the mound, but they don't really have much of a choice with that contract. His mentality imo is not built for relief work either, even if his stuff might be.

    They will probably need to add a piece or two to the bullpen as well, though it has been better this stretch.
     
  36. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    If Yu can't get through five innings without throwing 100 pitches and walking seven guys, they're going to have to do something. Mike Montgomery or even Tyler Chatwood might be better options as the fifth starter right now. The Cubs moved Ryan Dempster to closer for three years, then back to the starting rotation. And when he couldn't start anymore, they got a couple of really effective seasons out of Kerry Wood in the bullpen too. You do what you need to do. They have four more years and about 80 million bucks tied up in Darvish, so he needs to be out there doing something productive.
     
  37. texanphinatic

    texanphinatic Senior Member

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    That was my point though, I don't know if his mental makeup is suitable for relief work. It may come to it eventually, but I think he would struggle as bad or worse in that role.

    He's having an OK day right now at least. I watched him a lot on the Rangers, and he's got electric stuff. Just needs to get himself right in the head.
     
  38. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    The Cubs have four players with 10+ HRs before the end of May for the first time in team history, and there's plenty of month left to add to those totals. At the moment, Bryant, Rizzo, Baez and Contrares are all on pace for about 40 HRs on the season.

    No MLB team has ever had more than two 40 HR players in any one season, but it would be cool to see if they can tie the team and MLB record of four 30+ HR players. The 2004 Cubs did it with Sosa, Lee, Alou and A. Ramirez, and the most recent team to accomplish that was the 2009 Phillies with Howard, Utley, Werth and Ibanez.
     
  39. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Mets need to fire mickey. This team cant hit or field and when they do they dont pitch. The roster needs a shakeup in a significant way. But lets start with step 1 and get a manager who can at least inspire, lead and teach fundamentals.
     
  40. Bumrush

    Bumrush Stable Genius Club Member

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    RIP Bill Buckner. As a rabid Mets fan and small kid in 86 I'll never forget that playoff run.. Buckner got a raw deal and I always felt terrible for the blame placed on him, even though it was a series of bad moves by McNamara that led to the game being tied, before the infamous Buckner error. He shouldn't have been on the field with those hobbled legs.

    In honor of an all time MLB great

     
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