Rays will honor Joe Maddon in the first game of the series.

Probable pitchers :

First game
Montgomery vs Archer

Second Game
Lester Vs Snell


Not sure why Monty is starting again. I thought he went back to the pen after his last start.

Arietta not ready to go most likely. Don't want Jen Ho to pitch again. Not a lot of choices.

Hoping for a split.

Arrieta is pitching Sunday?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I didn't hear how his second time throwing off mound went but I would assume if there were no set backs he pitches in Milwaukee. Whether that's a good idea or not who knows.

GREAT idea.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

It would not stun me to see him pitch Thursday as that lines him up for a cardinals game too.

Would be nice to wrap this thing up possibly this weekend, or in the 1st or 2nd Cardinal game.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

He is listed on ESPN as starting Sunday.

MLB.com still has the entire series as TBD. He slots into Sunday though in Monty's place.

The Cardinals are done. Lester was moved so that he doesn't have to deal with the Brewers running game and so that he pitches against the Cardinals, which he does very well again.

But outside of that, I don't see the need for the Cubs to make any moves in order to "counter" the Cardinals. If the Cardinals are in play for the division by the time they see the Cubs, it means that the Brewers swept the Cubs this weekend. The Cubs simply splitting the next 2 series would all but lock up the division in my eyes.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

If they lose tonight to Archer and MIL wins, lead will be down to 2.5 games.

This division is still very much up in the air...

No one is arguing that, as long as you mean in the air between the Cubs and the Brewers.

But if the Cubs split with TB and MIL, the magic number for the Cubs with Milwaukee is at worst 5 with both the Brewers and the Cardinals. And the Cubs then have 7 games left with the Cardinals (let's call that a split) and the Reds (should be a series win for the Cubs.) That last series also has the Brewers playing the Cardinals. The Cubs are firmly in the driver seat.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

No Bryant tonight

Yea, I think to simplify it more. The Cards are 6 back with 13 to play. 4 of those 13 days they cant gain anything (either Brewers or Cubs will win)

So they essentially have 9 days to make up 6 games.

MVP needs to play every day until the division is won. C'mon, Joe!

Cards are toast. My concern is MIL who play the Cubs tough. Gonna be a tense 2 weeks. Hopefully they rise to the occasion.

Also, why are we so worried about Chris Archer? If Quintana is looked down upon, then Archer is worse. Worse career record, worse career ERA.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Archer is tough and can easily spin 7 shutout innings...

Why are the honoring Joe?

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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

Wait a minute .... Javy @ 3B?

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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

Addy has essentially replaced Bryant in the lineup.

Thanks Joe.

What are the Rays honoring him for? Throwing two games?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I prefer my manager NOT rest the defending MVP the day after an off-day, as we approach the finish line of a fairly tight division race. Call me crazy.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Apparently Javy's started 45 career games @ 3rd ... didn't recall that ... 468 2/3 innings in total (including non-starts).

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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

Last year he was the starting 3B when Bryant played the outfield. That was the whole joke about Baez should have won 3 GG's last year.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Sure, as he did once this year. In his only start where he didn't give up a single earned run.

ALSO, last year Archer only had 4 starts where he gave up 0 ER, and only one of those was 7+ innings.

So in two full seasons and 34 starts, Archer has given up 0 ER and gone 7+ twice.

John Lackey has done that four times in the past two seasons, and had two other starts of 0 ER and 6.2 IP.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Yea, dont think he goes 7. They've been easing him back since the injury. 3 and 4 inning starts in his last 2.

Lots of pitches in both. That plays right into the Cubs hands but its baseball so ya know...who knows.

Hope this proves prophetic and we get to him. It just seems everyone thinks this division title is a given and IMO it's not.

Of course it's not.

A 4 game lead with 4 games left with the team chasing you at their home park. Under no circumstances would anyone with a brain call this locked up.

Exactly ... point us towards the folks that are saying it's over, it's all over, '77.

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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