Special thanks to our good friend ernie for bringing this to my attention, via Justin Grimm’s BRILLIANT quote:
“In the big picture of things, I think it’s the long ball this year that makes [my ERA] look worse than it really is,” Grimm said.
Uh…ok. But last time I checked, your ERA “is what-it-is”.
http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/45101/who-can-joe-maddon-trust-in-the-cubs-bullpen
One-two-three…go!
Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Matt Eberflus 
July 25, 2017 at 10:00 am
Ernie…I read what yo posted in the previous thread. It’s not wise to throw me beach balls right across the plate.
Maddon needs to tell Justin FUCKING Grimm that.
July 26, 2017 at 11:22 am
Uh oh …
“After Lackey gave up a two-out, two-run double to White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon in a frustrating second inning, he could be seen bumping Rizzo as he passed him in the dugout. Rizzo and Lackey then engaged in a brief, animated discussion that for a moment looked heated.”
Lackey on the way out?
July 26, 2017 at 12:40 pm
I thought he was retiring at the end of the year.
Or was that just wishful thinking?
July 26, 2017 at 11:33 pm
If Lackey can’t keep his head together, dump him. He’s not good enough to justify a shitty attitude.
July 26, 2017 at 11:59 pm
Right on Genre! Cubs made another excellent decision in DFAing Brett Anderson. Who promptly decided to tweet out Trump for not allowing transgenders in the military. SMH Where do these guys come from?
July 27, 2017 at 6:15 am
It’s funny that all the veterans are the ones who are losing their cools and getting into drama.
July 29, 2017 at 11:04 am
Anderson…good riddance!
Pie, interesting point. Maybe the absence of David Ross has changed the dynamic (?).
July 29, 2017 at 4:31 pm
I believe ernie is right when he says that the Cubs’ true test will come against Arizona (3 H and 3 A) and Washington (3 H) next month. The Cubs also have Frisco, Philly, Toronto and Pissburgh on the docket for August. The last four teams I mentioned are all well below .500 and in the butt end of their divisions.
IMHO, the Cubs need to win the division to make the playoffs. Wild Card? See y’all next spring.
The Cubs need to meet or exceed whatever Milwaukee and St Louis are doing, which means at least breaking even against the D-Backs and 2 of 3 against DC. When they say good0bye to the Nats, the rest of Augsut has the above mentioned bottom-feeders, and the Cubs need to be no less that 2 of 3 against all of them (and seriously thinking SWEEP).
Playtime is over, Cubs…get yo’ asses to work!
July 29, 2017 at 10:46 pm
I agree with ernie, too…and good post, DVX.
I was happy to see them win tonite. I hope Davis doesn’t burn out, he’s been so reliable, even when it’s gotten “interesting” a few times.
July 30, 2017 at 11:08 am
Thanks genre.
Btw, the Cubs don’t see the Brew Crew or the Dead Birds until mid-September, meaning they need to bone up on that 24th in MLB hitting and 24th in MLB pitching.
Step it up gents! It’s not like we’re gonna have football to talk about for the next two months (unless it’s maybe the Fire and Passion, who will make it to the playoffs long before the bears or Illini).
July 30, 2017 at 4:44 pm
I will give credit where credit is due; Cubs won today 4-2. The pen was simply outstanding!
They will need to maintain that consistently for the next 12 games. Washington for 3, Arizona for 6, and S.F. for 3 on the road.
If they can come out of that stretch 7-5, or better, then I think they will win the division. 6-6 or worse won’t get it done.
I said the Cubs would finish second in the division because of their horrible middle relief. Now, however, that has become a strength. But again, that all depends on them maintaining the level of excellence.they had today. We will soon find out after these next 12 games.
July 30, 2017 at 4:52 pm
One more thing, the problem with the Cubs all year has been inconsistent baseball. Either their offense goes to sleep, or their defense and pitching goes to sleep. It has been rare for them to be awake both offensively and defensively.
Right now their pitching and relief have been carrying the load. Hitting is still not holding up their end of things; especially Rizzo and Zobrist. I agree with you Genre, losing Ross has been a huge loss to this team! His veteran leadership has been sorely missed!
They’ve got a legitimate shot at this thing, but they still have a long way to go to prove it.
July 30, 2017 at 5:05 pm
ernie…to be honest, they are performing better than I’d expected since the break. I agree that tyey have to have winning road trips and homestands here on out to make the playoffs; really, they must win the majority of series against the teams they play.
Regardless, the Dodgers are on fire.
Re: the hitting, our former adversary Carrie Muskat wrote this earlier today, worthwhile read IMOP:
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | @CarrieMuskat | 2:07 PM ET + 0
MILWAUKEE — Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ combined for eight of the Cubs’ 17 strikeouts on Saturday night and the trio was not in the Cubs lineup on Sunday, but manager Joe Maddon said that was not a punitive move. However, Maddon is not pleased with what he’s seen lately as far as the Cubs’ approach at the plate.
“I was upset,” Maddon said Sunday about his comments following Saturday’s 2-1, 11-inning win over the Brewers. “We can’t expect to win the World Series again this year and have those kind of at-bats. That’s a bad method.
“I know it’s just one game but it’s happened a couple times recently,” he said. “I want us to get away from that method now. The second half has been good and I don’t want us to fall backward. That’s my biggest concern.”
On Saturday, the Cubs became the first team in the last 100 years to record two wins while striking out at least 17 times in each within a five-game span. They also struck out 17 times last Tuesday against the White Sox, but still won.
The Cubs stranded 11 baserunners on Saturday and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They had done better in situational hitting since the All-Star break.
“I thought we were making great strides in regard to opposite-field, situational hitting, moving the baseball, putting pressure on the defense,” Maddon said. “When you get to the playoffs, you’re facing good pitching all the time. You’ve got to go out there prepared for that. You’ve got to force pitchers to get us out in the strike zone, not outside of the strike zone. That’s the championship-caliber offense mentality.”
Maddon, who does not like team meetings, said he talked to players individually and also expected the coaches to get his message across. Baez, though, is one of the more frustrating players on the Cubs. He’s batting .302 since the All-Star break but also had a game in which he struck out five times.
“He’s been there before and then he hits the ball in the upper deck,” Maddon said of Baez. “I know he has so much ability in right-center also, and I want him to utilize that. The same with Happ — you’ve seen the ball go to left-center a lot and hard. I want us to continue to nurture utilizing the whole field and make the pitcher get us out in the strike zone and not expanding so much.”
August 1, 2017 at 10:10 am
Thanks Genre. It’s encouraging that Maddon isn’t going to sit still for their approaches at the plate. But, will they listen. Schwarber, in particular, has been a mess all year long.
August 1, 2017 at 11:28 pm
Indeed, ernie…Schwarber still hasn’t “locked in”.
The bats sure came alive tonite, hoping they can keep the momentum up.
August 2, 2017 at 11:44 pm
Dodgers got Darvish and are on pace to win 114 games. They are the team to beat, IMOP.