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Chicago Cubs Thread - Playoff Push Pending

Glad they were able to get the home opener in today before it turned gross. I've got my first set of tickets on Wednesday and it's supposed to snow - April baseball!
 
Good start to the season. Offensively, the Cubs lead the bigs in walks and have the fewest strikeouts. Good combination.

They held the Dodgers to eight runs in today's win. If not for some outstanding defensive plays it would have been much worse. Betts, Ohtani and Freeman at the top of the Dodger line up are simply a terror to face.
 
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Hopefully Hendy isn't toast, need him with Steele on the shelf
 
Nico Hoerner decided not to let the Cubs be the Diamondbacks punching bag this evening. He scored the tying run in the top of the ninth from second base on a wild pitch. Never broke stride and took Arizona by surprise. In the 11th he drove in the winning run with a single to right. MVP tonight.

Ben Brown had his third straight strong appearance. He looked like the dominatingpower pitcher the Cubs are hoping for. Jameson Taillon is ready to return, but I'm keeping Brown in the rotation behind Imanaga and Assad. Those three have been very effective in starting roles and there is no sense changing what they have provided. Wicks has been shaky and Hendricks has been terrible. Wicks has options but it Kyle would be gone if he wasn't the resident ace. The Cubs have focused on developing their own pitching. It may be time to commit to them.

Keegan Thompson got the win with his second scoreless appearance. If he has returned to his previous form of 2022-23 he would be that quality long relief every team needs.
 
BlackjackMc said:
Nico Hoerner decided not to let the Cubs be the Diamondbacks punching bag this evening. He scored the tying run in the top of the ninth from second base on a wild pitch. Never broke stride and took Arizona by surprise. In the 11th he drove in the winning run with a single to right. MVP tonight.

Ben Brown had his third straight strong appearance. He looked like the dominatingpower pitcher the Cubs are hoping for. Jameson Taillon is ready to return, but I'm keeping Brown in the rotation behind Imanaga and Assad. Those three have been very effective in starting roles and there is no sense changing what they have provided. Wicks has been shaky and Hendricks has been terrible. Wicks has options but it Kyle would be gone if he wasn't the resident ace. The Cubs have focused on developing their own pitching. It may be time to commit to them.

Keegan Thompson got the win with his second scoreless appearance. If he has returned to his previous form of 2022-23 he would be that quality long relief every team needs.
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Steele is the ace (on the DL), but Hendricks was to be the #2. It will be interesting indeed to see how they handle Taillon when he returns. Paying him a shit ton of $, but you need some lefty starters. The Assman has been very good too. I'm with you though - go with the hot hand in Brown for awhile.
 
Taillon will get a start within a week. Someone on the staff will be displaced via option or injury. The starters will be reshuffled. The move won't be made until Taillon starts.

Wisdom is ready to return to Chicago. His return is delayed until a decision can be made on who will go to Iowa. With Suzuki injured, outfield depth may require Canario to stay and an infielder optioned. Mid April and the road to Iowa has begun.

Buttermaker, I chuckled when you mentioned LHP. This is the best collection of lefties the Cubs have had in years yet they are still a concern.
 
Cubs with an afternoon win to end the west coast trip with a 5-4 record. Good bounce back after the nightmare last night.

Hayden Wesneski with four innings of one hit, no run relief gets the win and allows the bullpen to get two days off. A great performance with no sleep on short notice will buy some time in Chicago. Colten Brewer joined Wesneski on the trip. They replace Palencia and Little. Taillon will be activated and start on Friday, so more changes to come.

I expect Wisdom to return and Mastrobuoni to Iowa.
 
BlackjackMc said:
Taillon will get a start within a week. Someone on the staff will be displaced via option or injury. The starters will be reshuffled. The move won't be made until Taillon starts.

Wisdom is ready to return to Chicago. His return is delayed until a decision can be made on who will go to Iowa. With Suzuki injured, outfield depth may require Canario to stay and an infielder optioned. Mid April and the road to Iowa has begun.

Buttermaker, I chuckled when you mentioned LHP. This is the best collection of lefties the Cubs have had in years yet they are still a concern.
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I don't disagree, but whom other than Wicks has starter potential?
 
Shota Imanaga. Justin Steele. Jordan Wicks. Drew Smyly. All have started over the past two years.

Luke Little. Brad Wieck. Drew Smyly. Relievers. You may have forgotten Wieck. He is at Iowa after two years of illness/injury. He finished 2021 by pitching 18 innings of scoreless relief for the Cubs. 6'8" and 255 pounds. He's in Iowa and pitching well.

That's six LHP, three starters and three relievers. They have all made good contributions in the past and all could concievably be on the active roster this season. Tell me the last time that happened.

It's one of the reasons I am optimistic this season.
 
BlackjackMc said:
Shota Imanaga. Justin Steele. Jordan Wicks. Drew Smyly. All have started over the past two years.

Luke Little. Brad Wieck. Drew Smyly. Relievers. You may have forgotten Wieck. He is at Iowa after two years of illness/injury. He finished 2021 by pitching 18 innings of scoreless relief for the Cubs. 6'8" and 255 pounds. He's in Iowa and pitching well.

That's six LHP, three starters and three relievers. They have all made good contributions in the past and all could concievably be on the active roster this season. Tell me the last time that happened.

It's one of the reasons I am optimistic this season.
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Wow how did I forget Imanaga. Steele - on the DL, hopefully returning soon. Wicks has been a bit inconsistent, which prompted the discussion. Smyly - no confidence in him being any kind of long term starter based on his performance the past couple of years. But I agree with you - there are a lot more lefty arms who appear capable of contributing at the major league level than recent Cubs teams. My point was limited to starters in Steele's absence with Taillon returning - Imanaga I forgot.
 
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Imanaga was a brain fart. They come with increasing frequency as you age.

Wick has 11 starts since his call up last year. He has given up 3 earned runs or less in 9 of those starts. He's pitched 4 to six innings in 10 of his starts. He has a 4.70 ERA. He keeps the team in the game but he only has 3 quality starts to show for it. OK, but he puts stress on the bullpen. He's a rookie.

Counsel needs to sit Morel for a couple of days. He's 1 for 29 the last eight games. Ross learned the bench works wonders when Chris slumps. Let him play around, energize the bench and forget about his problems. I'm surprised the coaching staff hasn't said something.
 
Never feel comfortable with Albert out there in a close one
 
Alzolay with a decent inning and Hector Neris with a save as the closer. Hector has the experience but there is plenty of wear on that arm.

I wonder how long Counsell will go before removing Hendricks from the rotation? Brown pitching relief for Kyle was aggravating. I imagine Kyle gets one more start and is removed from the rotation when Steele returns. It gives Counsell some cover. Replacing the best starter over the past ten years with the best starter at present. Tough move, especially for a new manager. It comes with the big $$$.
 
Yeah from a personnel/personality standpoint it's hard, but from a bottom line wins picture, it's pretty easy.
 
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