He no longer sucks!

bumslayer

when Motte gives up a gopher in the 9th it will be another non winning day for him

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

You're a real sweetheart GD.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

As I had expected (and posted) they gave Motte the day off and let Rondon close, which was the right thing to do. I will not be surprised if Motte gets another day or two off and Rondon gets more/ most of the chances to close as long as he continues to convert his opportunities. But Motte will get more opportunities in high leverage situations. The bullpen has been abused by all the short starts this season by starters all too often. If the Cubs are to have any chance to make the playoffs, Motte, Rondon and Strop will all need to pitch well and guys like Soriano, Russell and Grimm may make the difference between a postseason berth or not. One thing I will predict will be a big advantage for the Cubs....I think Maddon's ability to use the additional players given to him when rosters expand in September may be a real advantage for the Cubs.

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Go Cubs!!!!

August 2nd, as many wins as noted stud John Danks. Must be all that run support Danks has received.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Is that a joke?

Run Support
Danks: 4.09

Lester: 2.61

8-10 3.59 ERA with one month left in the season. Definitely what Theo had in mind when he signed him. Lets roll those metrics that tell us how great he's been though.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

LLLLLLLL

Impressed with Dodger coaching in crunch time, sit on Lester Curve ball and take it oppo.

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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.’”

LOSS

there's A STAT FOR you.

His career era is 3.58 so if Theo (you) thought it was going to be much different thats kinda weird


Hes not having a great year but its not nearly as bad as some make it out to be

need a new stat for pitchers. Continuous hits allowed or OB. Lester seems to lose it at some point. Might even be the first, he lets up a walk and 2 or 3 hits in bunches. Much different from scattering 6 hits over 7 innings.

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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.’”

Lester proves why you shouldn't give a 30+ year old pitcher a $155 million contract, $25.8 million per year, & a $30 million signing bonus.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

All part of the plan.

Do the Sux have a plan?

I expect an A.L. pitcher with a career ERA @ 3.59 to drop below 3 in the N.L.

He can make this all go away with a strong post season ..his career postseason numbers are outstanding.

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I agree .. BUT its kind of the going rate..Greinke is going to get a 10 year 300 million deal this off season.

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I said they overpaid for him when they signed Lester. That said, he gives them a legitimate #2 and a chance to win more often than not. But the last couple years of that contract are likely to be tough to swallow. Even tougher than an 8-10 record is now. But if he performs especially well in the playoffs, much will be forgotten by most Cubs fans.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Expecting a drop makes sense but not that much. Especially in this division. (better than AL)

Stone said something similar regarding Samardzija...horrible 1st inning and then usually gets better. His theory is that guys who throw sinkers tend to come out of the starting gate with too much adrenaline and therefore the ball doesn't sink.

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$150 Mill for Lester could seem like a Bargain after this offseason

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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.’”

Helluva game!

Stepped up big time!!

Sorry, I don't care what Price, Greinke (if he opts out) Zimmerman, or anyone else signs for, 150 million is a huge amount and especially when you consider the ages of these pitchers. Price is in his prime and barring injury should remain a top starter for the next 6 years or more. The last couple years on Lester's contract are likely to be nothing but a reminder of Reinsdorf's comments years ago about signing pitchers to long-term deals. I doubt we will be looking at it as a bargain the last 2-3 years and quite frankly it has been no bargain this year. He pitched very well tonight, but his overall season has been underwhelming.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Trust me. Later on the Cub fans will be calling and hanging Theo as they did Soriano on this. No one recalls ALL the Cub fans screaming WE MUST HAVE SORIANO.

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Elections have consequences.

Did.Not.Happen.

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Bullshit.

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Elections have consequences.

I wanted Alfonso Soriano. I was happy when the Cubs signed him.

And he was a very good player for the Cubs. We've had this conversation on this board multiple times. Look at his first 5 years...hell, look at his 162 game averages. He was good.

There was far more to be upset about on those teams than Soriano.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Well, I was one of those who did not want Soriano, because I thought the contract was too long and for too much money for an incomplete player. Incomplete, because he could not play a defensive position with even average competence. That said, Soriano (to his credit) did a good job improving his skills in the outfield and though I still considered signing him a mistake, it was softened by his improved skills in the field. I said when the Cubs signed Lester that it was more than I would have paid him. He's too old for that kind of deal to make sense. That, without anticipating that he might struggle as much as he has at times this season. This is likely on the high end of what they will get from him. The last 2-3 years, it could get ugly. I'm glad they have another pitcher (besides Arrieta) who is capable of shutting down the other team. But you can't count on him consistently and the contract is one I never would have offered him were I the GM.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Yes, he was a productive hitter and pretty darn consistent. Even when the Cubs had some lousy teams he still produced and never bitched.

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Go Cubs!!!!