And they’re off…with a PATHETIC whimper!
Where the fuck is the pitching?
I know the season has just begun and there is much baseball to be played…but I don’t see the Cubs competing with ANYBODY if they don’t right the ship immediately.
What are the odds that Darvish becomes the biggest Cubs bust ever?
PATHETIC.
(thx to Fro for the photo)
Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Matt Eberflus 
April 6, 2019 at 3:21 pm
Here is why I can’t fully step aboard the Fire Joe Maddon bandwagon. He knows how to make players relax. Theo and Jed have basically neutered his ability to do that. Relaxed ball players win games. We have seen it the last 4 years. Right now the pressure is on them, perhaps even heavier than even 2016. At least the offense seems to be clicking, they just need to score 20 runs to cover the atrocious pitching, which also isn’t relaxed. Anyway, the bullpen pitchers with the biggest issues are off the roster for now. Montgomery to the injured list, and CJ Edwards to Iowa. In come some promising new relievers from AAA. Let’s see if they can stop the bleeding.
April 6, 2019 at 4:07 pm
I have a few thoughts on the Cubs recent slide. I’m with Dave here. I’m not completely on board to dump him asap. There has been a mass exodus from the coaching staff since 2016. Overall, the talent from 2016 has mostly remained. But lets look at the coaching staff since then.
2016: Mgr. Joe Maddon. Pitching coach: Chris Bosio. Hitting coach: John Mallee Bench coach: Dave Martinez Season record: 103-58 Won World Series
2017: No change from 2016 Season record: 92-70 Lost to the LA Dodgers in NCLS
2018: Mgr. Joe Maddon. Pitching coach: Jim Hickey. Hitting coach: Chili Davis. Bench coach: Brandon Hyde. Season record: 95-68. Lost division title tie breaker to Milwaukee. Lost Wild card game to Colorado. Both games at Wrigley, by the way.
2019: Mgr. Joe Maddon. Pitching coach: Tommy Hottovy. Hitting coach: Anthony Iapoce. Season record to date 1-6. From all indications they’ll finish in last place this year.
I wouldn’t have expected them to win 100+ again in 2017, but they still lost 11 games from the previous year. 2018 saw new hitting and pitching coaches. Jim Hickey was OK, but Chili FUCKING Davis killed any chance they might have had. Hitting went right into the goddamn toilet, and I blame Davis completely. Game #163, and the Wild game they scored a grand total of 1 run per game. Fuck you Chili FUCKING Davis.
So far this season the hitting has turned around, but now the pitching has gone to hell. Some of the blame does go to the bullpen, but what the fuck is Tommy Hottovy, and what the fuck has he done? And then I place a lot of blame on the sainted Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Bring in shit talent, and you get shit results. Simple as that. Someone said that Maddon putting guys like Chatwood and Cishek and Rosario, and starting Darvish is a big middle finger to Epstein and Hoyer. I don’t know. I just know that the fucking bullshit I’ve been watching is beyond unwatchable.
April 6, 2019 at 11:00 pm
I’m not letting Maddon off the hook by a long shot. His goofiness in leading the team (pajama day; relief pitchers dancing in the bullpen, etc.) tells me he’s more a “players guy” than a good manager.
But, this is the guy who deserves all the blame for this mess of a pitching staff:
The bad that Epstein was referring to is mostly on the mound, where last offseason he sunk $126 million into Yu Darvish, $38 million into Tyler Chatwood and $21 million into Brandon Morrow. None has come close to paying off.
Look at those numbers! All that money for aging, injury prone, and walk machine pitchers who can’t cut it in the majors. If anybody needs to be fired it’s Epstein! Under better management the Cubs should have been able to win one more WS out of this bunch. But it sure looks like one is all we’re going to get. I really thought Epstein had a better eye for talent than that. Boy was I wrong!
April 8, 2019 at 10:06 am
Good on Epstein to take the blame on the slow start to the season. At least there’s some accountability at the top.
April 10, 2019 at 11:02 pm
Cubs lose another game. If this team isn’t at .500 by the middle of June, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye. And, hopefully, Joe Maddon with it! This team needs Joe Girardi now!
April 11, 2019 at 10:38 pm
I’m with chucky and dave. Too early to fire Maddon…I really don’t think he’s the problem.
Girardi Shmirardi 😉 …just kidding, Ernie!