um... errrr.... ahhh... I hope he is not thinking of me during your gays outing.

Bullpens are more important now than ever. It used to be like 80% rotation/20% bullpen. Its now closer to 60/40 (which makes sense since that's the percentage of innings covered by both)


This years Cubs are not as good as what the Royals ended up becoming in October. They are probably not far off from what most of us thought KC was at the end of last year (just a run of the mill WC team who will probably lose the WC game or 1st round)

The best tool for a bullpen is starters who get into the 7th inning. Every bullpen gets exposed if they regularly come in before then

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

This guy gets it.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

...gets that the Cubs are going to play in the 2015 World Series?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

The Nationals looking to get Papelbon certainly backs that statement.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

4 1/3 shutout innings tonight from the Royals' pen, and a game winning homer from Hosmer.

I couldn't have written a better script.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

In my world winning the wild card isn't winning shit. they make the playoffs and get bounced in first round. That's winning nothing. They will get there, but not this season.

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I'll be very surprised if they catch the Giants.

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Why? If the Rangers' bullpen didn't shit themselves tonight the Cubs would have this thing tied.

I don't think they are good are as good as the Giants. They've got seven games against them down the stretch. I guess we'll find out.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

I agree on both.
Cubs are getting much closer....but not yet.

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The revenue streams aren't big enough yet. Ricketts has TheoandJed on a tight budget. Wait 'til next year.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

HUGE week.

3 at Buc
4 home vs Giant

Can really do some damage. I'm looking for 4 of 7. If the offense keeps on humming (relatively speaking) then 5 of 7 doable!

Even before this week starts, Baseball Prospectus likes the Cubs' postseason chances (62%) more than the Giants (49%), and has pretty much decided that the Nats' and Mets' only postseason chance is the NL East crown.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

since they're past the trading deadline and did what they should have done (traded no high prospects, continued to view making the playoffs this season as an unexpected bonus) I'd love to see 'em sneak in and take the lid off their first playoff experience.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

AJ!

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I think the Mets win the East. Washington n S.F. are decent ..86 wins might do it 89 for sure .

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if you would have told me that on August 4 Lester would be under.500 ( I know w/l is not the be all end all ) Bryant will have hit .168 in July and Catsro was under.240 for the year and told me the Cubs would currently occupy a playoff spot I would have said no chance

I'm going to enjoy this ride

But if I told you that Rizzo would be an MVP candidate through the first three months, Arrieta further proved himself a bonafide ace, Hammel is just as good as his 2014 self, Bryant and Addison Russell would be full time players three weeks into the season?

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

It's pretty amazing what the Cubs are doing, considering a lot of their lineup is struggling and underachieving. The starting pitching really has carried them, with a few relievers being solid here and there.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

And think back to how shaky the bullpen was early on in the season. Schlitter and the boys were really struggling and I for one though it was going to take a miracle for that pen to turn things around. Somehow they figured it out, at least up to now.

Actually, the bullpen had NL leading statistics through the first 2 months of the season. Schlitter and Coke were the only two real negatives, and they didn't get enough appearances to cause severe issues. The bullpen has actually regressed overall...but some of that is due to Soriano now.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Are you referring to March/April as the first two months?

They were the worst in the league in May in WAR and 13th out of 15th in the league on June 1st

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=nl&qual=0&type=8&season=2015&month=5&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

Even using ERA, they were 8th (Mar/Apri) and 13th (May) in the NL

Surely.

How is your tough August schedule for the Cubs going?

First month then.
#3 in FIP, #4 in xFIP, #8 in ERA and LB%, #6 in WAR

Not as good as I thought I remembered, but not bad.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Mike Leake will miss today's start and Vogelsong will go instead. Good news for the Coob.

So game 1 of the NLCS series would be Oct 8...they even stated this is done so you play that game as part of your normal rotation. I like it.

if the Cubs make it and see Cole, so be it....at least it isnt a setup scenario...this is why they need to keep pressure on them.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

If they miss by one game Cub fans should be outraged at the early season cost-cutting by keeping Bryant in the minors. One of his big swings could have made the difference. This was predicted.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don