Daily MLB Banter

[NashvilleHoosier]

13 hours ago, LamarCheeks said:

Sooner or later, you're reduced to what your are, and I think that's going to show over these final games. You simply cannot go into a hotly contested playoff race without the likes of Baez, Rizzo, Kimbrel and Russell and expect to keep pace. Not making injury excuses, just keeping it real. And we've never gone on a tear this season, and instead have been up and down. And our next trend is down. 

I've been thinking the same thing about the Cards. I had high hopes for this season, especially when we traded for Goldy. But we showed overwhelming evidence that we are just an average team....who happened to get hot for a month. So, sooner or later, we are who we are. Big win last night to boost confidence a bit but it still doesn't change my prediction. The interesting thing is how well things have lined up for the Cards with the key injuries both the Cubs and Brewers have had. Though you can remove Russell from your list of "key" players you've lost :-), and Kimbrel hasn't exactly been lights out. Regardless, point taken, and losing Baez and Rizzo is devastating. Yet those are also situations teams rally around, which both the Brewers and Cubs seem to be doing. 

I sincerely hope that I'm wrong in my prediction. To be honest, the sports fan in me says it would be incredible to go into this weekend series tied for the central. At the same time, the Brewers have by far the easiest schedule left. We could just beat up on each other while the Brewers cruise on past. It should be fun, excruciatingly painful, exciting, and stomach churning all at the same time. Yay sports. 

[HinnyHoosier]

They had some unexpectedly good production from fill ins like Gio Urshela.  The record alone doesn't tell the whole story.
Two SPs on DL all season along with a key reliever, starting SS missed early part of the year, Judge missed time, Sanchez missed time twice, Voit missed time, Stanton only played 9 games, lost goes on and on.  They have been hit hard with injuries this year, deep roster and unexpected performances saved the record.

But he also implied the Yankees have lost an insurmountable amount of games due to those injuries. Yes, they have obviously had injuries. But with that backup production and that record to show for it one can hardly blame injuries for too much of anything.


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[pappy1865]

I disagree with pulling Lester last night. Should have let him ride. Not blaming injuries on the Cubs record. The bullpen has done that to themselves. Sounds like Javy is to be evaluated by the end of the week so he could be back, as well as Russell. Rizzo is the one that kills right now. 

 

Have to sweep the Cards this weekend. Have to!

[mdn82]

I disagree with pulling Lester last night. Should have let him ride. Not blaming injuries on the Cubs record. The bullpen has done that to themselves. Sounds like Javy is to be evaluated by the end of the week so he could be back, as well as Russell. Rizzo is the one that kills right now. 
 
Have to sweep the Cards this weekend. Have to!

Agreed. He was pissed last night. Winning 5 of 7 is a tall task. We have to at least win 3 at home which I don’t see happening. Hoping we go to St Louis with a meaningful series toward the division, but our inability to consistently beat the Reds probably has cost Joe Madden his job.


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[NashvilleHoosier]

I honestly am in shock with how these series played out. It doesn't yet change my prediction as I still think the Cards are ripe for folding up like cheap lawn chair. Fascinating matchup tonight. Flaherty has been the best pitcher in baseball (I don't know if this is actually true but it has to be damn close) in the 2nd half but its hard to expect these results every time out. We tend to make Hendricks look like a perennial lock for the Cy Young. What a pivotal game to start the series. I love it and I hate it so much.  

[Brass Cannon]

17 minutes ago, NashvilleHoosier said:

I honestly am in shock with how these series played out. It doesn't yet change my prediction as I still think the Cards are ripe for folding up like cheap lawn chair. Fascinating matchup tonight. Flaherty has been the best pitcher in baseball (I don't know if this is actually true but it has to be damn close) in the 2nd half but its hard to expect these results every time out. We tend to make Hendricks look like a perennial lock for the Cy Young. What a pivotal game to start the series. I love it and I hate it so much.  

I think the Cards will eek out enough wins to keep the Cubs at bay. 5-5 at worst from the Cards perspective leaves the Cards and Cubs tied. And the assumes the Cubs win out their other series in this stretch  

I do think they need to do at least 6-4 Brewers could possibly go 9-1. 

6-4 means the Cubs can’t catch them and the Brewers have to go 9-1 to force a tie breaker and 10-0 to win outright. 

But honestly I’m shocked I’m saying this. The last series surprised me all around. If they were going into Wrigley tied I’d say it was over. 

[LamarCheeks]

20 minutes ago, NashvilleHoosier said:

I honestly am in shock with how these series played out. It doesn't yet change my prediction as I still think the Cards are ripe for folding up like cheap lawn chair. Fascinating matchup tonight. Flaherty has been the best pitcher in baseball (I don't know if this is actually true but it has to be damn close) in the 2nd half but its hard to expect these results every time out. We tend to make Hendricks look like a perennial lock for the Cy Young. What a pivotal game to start the series. I love it and I hate it so much.  

How can you be shocked? I said it would happen -- the Cubs would drop two of three to the Reds and the Redbirds would win two of three from the Nats! How can that be shocking when it was right here on this thread??? LOL! 

[pappy1865]

10 hours ago, mdn82 said:

Agreed. He was pissed last night. Winning 5 of 7 is a tall task. We have to at least win 3 at home which I don’t see happening. Hoping we go to St Louis with a meaningful series toward the division, but our inability to consistently beat the Reds probably has cost Joe Madden his job.


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Getting Rizzo back tonight was a pleasant surprise, and they said Javy has been cleared for "light baseball work." Still though. Have to get more hits! Brewers already won today, so we have to keep pace.

[mdn82]

Getting Rizzo back tonight was a pleasant surprise, and they said Javy has been cleared for "light baseball work." Still though. Have to get more hits! Brewers already won today, so we have to keep pace.

Yeah man losing tonight kills us. Down 3-1.


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[Hardwood83]

Discouraging. Cubs fading for the second year in a row will cost Maddon his job. I'm not happy about that, but being as objective as possible the Cubs have really underperformed. Should have won the Division by 5+ games. Cards & Brewers are solid teams, but nothing special. Sure the Cubs have injuries, but still are so inconsistent, when they get solid pitching they wilt offensively. Biggest games of the year and they barely scratch out a couple runs against the Reds staff? 

I suspect there will be a major overhaul this off-season.  

[Brass Cannon]

There’s the cardinals I expected about to blow this 

[WayneFleekHoosier]

There’s the cardinals I expected about to blow this 

And as a Cubs fan, this game has been the Cubs season in a nutshell. Almost but not quite. Hitting great in stints and spurts. Pitching meiodcre to solid in spurts. Rarely clicking together.

A really frustrating and under performing team.


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[pappy1865]

Pitiful. Just pitiful. Love Maddon, and he's not pitching, fielding, hitting, but damn it man. He should have been tossed early with the strike zone. It was shitty. Needs to fight for the guys.

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[JaybobHoosier]

Ah..... suck it Cubbies :)


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[NashvilleHoosier]

3 minutes ago, pappy1865 said:

Pitiful. Just pitiful. Love Maddon, and he's not pitching, fielding, hitting, but damn it man. He should have been tossed early with the strike zone. It was shitty. Needs to fight for the guys.

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It was a bad strike zone....for both sides. Weird game. Almost reinforced my feelings that the brewers will just scoot on past while the cubs and cards beat each other a few times. Carlos was due for a WTF outing. Hopefully he got it out of his system. 

[Brass Cannon]

Like neither team wanted it. 

[LamarCheeks]

59 minutes ago, JaybobHoosier said:

Ah..... suck it Cubbies :)


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Ah .... swallow it, Dredbirds :)

[mdn82]

It was a bad strike zone....for both sides. Weird game. Almost reinforced my feelings that the brewers will just scoot on past while the cubs and cards beat each other a few times. Carlos was due for a WTF outing. Hopefully he got it out of his system. 

Yeah I worry about us splitting the 7 game and the Brewers with their easy @$$ schedule skating on by. I would much rather the Cards take it since they would legit earn the division. Brewers played nobody down the stretch and it shows.


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[Naturalhoosier]

Go Astros!    #takeitback 

[NashvilleHoosier]

How about those Redbirds!!!!!! This has played out exactly as I predicted right?