Wouldn't Contreras be the best option? You still have 2 catchers available in case of injury.

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I had assumed it would be Contreras, Soler, Coghlan or Lastella. No glorious dramatic storybook homers but better odds for hits and RBI for me anyway.

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Elections have consequences.

The only one of those poor souls who has any right to be "pissed "is Contreras and that's because he should be starting catcher. Id play Coughlan before Heyward for sure 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.

LaStella isn't on the roster. Coghlan?!

Putting Contreras risks losing the benefit of the DH. If he is switched to catcher there is no longer a DH.

while he was NL rookie of the year in 09, Coghlan has contributed very little to this roster and only came here on June 9. I don't consider him an everyday player.

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

I thought that was the conversation. Who to put on the WS roster. I didn't realize the Contreras angle.

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Elections have consequences.

For a game or 2, couldn't they get by with Ross/Montero as the late game catching replacement, if that was even necessary, just to have Contreras' bat in the lineup? 3-4 at bats of that seems more important than "just in case they need him to catch". Plus, in an AL ballpark, there is no real need for double switches, etc.

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I agree. That's how it should work if every pitcher on the Cubs wasn't such a goddamn diva needing their assigned cabana boy. Then Contreras would be starting everyday and the seniors citizens are emergency replacements.

But diva-ville needs their own with 2/3 of them being a year away from collecting social security. one wrong move on a 50 degree night and they're icing the groin for 3 weeks.

I didn't realize it's 325 feet down the left and right field lines at Progressive.

And left field has the 19 foot wall...

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I don't think the folk hero has anything to do with it. Now, getting him some AB to show that he is healthy enough to trade in December for another top starter, yeah that I can see if I'm being cynical.

He'll play game 1. If he sucks, he'll sit game 2 and they'll claim the knee acted up. If he really sucks, they'll tell him to pull up limping and they'll DL him for the rest of the series and stick LaStella's sorry ass out there.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

When was the last time a WS roster had 4 guys on it who had all caught a game for that team in the last season and a half? Ever?

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

If they sell out for offense, it has to be Contreras in Left, Zobrist right and Schwarber DH. That leaves the DH intact when they go to the bullpen and move Contreras behind the plate. Then you shift Zobrist to left and bring in Heyward to anchor the defense if you have a lead.

If you are trailing leave Zobrist in right and put Soler in Left and pray for a strikeout. They got this.

I thought once you make the roster for a series it is permanent regardless of what happens.

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Elections have consequences.

I'm pretty sure there are injury exemptions...


edit: upon further research, it's up to the Commissioner's office if an injured player can be swapped out once the series has started.

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Schwarber is going to dominate

Here's the rule on eligibility

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They'll be able to tell in about 3 ABs if he's on it or not.

I predict by Friday the debate will be that he's hitting so well whether they should try him out in LF to keep him in the lineup. I love this move.

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You know me like that.

I read that doctors have not cleared him to play in the field.

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Have they ever cleared him to play the field?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

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You can't just junk a guy like that when you're on the hook for all that cash. The most you can do is platoon him and unfortunately Cleveland has no lefties.

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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

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That's not really an issue since they're carrying three catchers. There should never be a need to move him behind the plate if he is the DH.

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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

It sounded great that he hit a double yesterday but if you saw it, it was basically a 3-hopper down the line that the 1B played pretty poorly.

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You know me like that.

Isn't the AFL the basic equivalent to low A ball that nobody except Keyser gives a shit about?

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Making solid contact between the foul lines was probably all the Cubs were hoping for from those AFL games. And having the knee remain intact.

I'm not really sure going 5-8 off of AFL pitchers would have had me any more confident going into Game 1. But maybe he has taken a lot more live pitching BP than the Cubs have let on... maybe they're far more comfortable with his level of readiness.

But either way...Zastryzny was not even used during the NLCS...AND this series has 4 games with AL rules. The Cubs didn't really even lose anyone off the roster. AL games are ridiculously simple.

edit: AFL are primarily top prospects that are usually only one or two seasons away, at most. Some teams also use it to give reps to players that may have missed time due to injury.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

No. You actually have to make a call on what your pitcher has left rather than just letting the circumstances dictate pinch-hitting.

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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