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Chicago Cubs Thread - Playoff Push Pending

Since the tenth game of the season Ben Zobrist has slashed .381/.483/.593 with a 16.4% walk rate that is more than double his 7.5% strikeout rate. Those numbers are good for a .458 wOBA and a 191 wRC+ over that stretch.

Crazy.

I literally just looked these numbers up. Absolutely ridiculous.
 
Soler hits a shot off the LF sign to open the fourth. Russell walks. Baez with a line drive single to left. He owed Lester. Ross hits one everyone knows is gone the moment it hits the bat onto Waveland Ave. OWG even admires #100 for a moment. Dugout, bullpen and stands erupt. Ross gives fans a tip of the cap. Party on for Grandpa tonight. Fowler hits a triple to atone for his E. Cubs lead 5-1. Everybody is happy and off the hook.
 
Bombs away. Bryant onto Waveland with a moonshot. Philly manager calls to the pen with Soler coming to the plate. His single left the bat at 104. His HR left the bat at 108 and traveled 461 feet. Mercy.
 
Im bored, more rando stuff I found on the tweeters.

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Kyle Hendricks threw a 104 pitch complete game gem. 76 strikes and 28 balls.

What happened in the ninth?
 
Kyle Hendricks threw a 104 pitch complete game gem. 76 strikes and 28 balls.

What happened in the ninth?

Pop fly dropped between two players in the outfield. Dropped strike out led to only run.
 
Thanks. I guess Hendricks had to experience something negative. He hasn't received any run support this year. Have a complete game shut out...nah, not today.

Edit. The Cubs are averaging 5.7 runs/game. Run support per 9 innings for Cub starters entering today's game. Arrieta 9.53, Hammel 7.17, Lackey 5.87, Lester 4.09 and Hendricks at 2.33. Hendricks is next to last for all NL starters.
 
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Fowler with a day off to rest a sore heel. Expected back tomorrow. Hammel leaves the game after two innings with right hamstring muscle spasms. Wood (4 IP), Grimm (1 IP), Strop (1 IP), and Rondon (1 IP) pitch perfect baseball over the last seven innings to complete a one hit shutout for a 2-0 Cub win.
 
I read it on the Brewers SBNation site.

Would be interesting to see who we would part with. Maybe Soler+a big minor leaguer+some other minor assets.

I'm down with that if it means we get Braun.

They are not going to trade for Braun unless the Brewers eat a ton of that contract. And given all the teams that will be looking for a stick I really doubt the Cubs will pull the trigger to make it happen as the price will be pretty high. He's a really good player when healthy. The when healthy part scares me because it seems he has a nagging injury every other week. Soler has enormous trade value because of his contract. He's inked under club control for a long time. That also makes him very valuable to the Cubs.

I think the more likely move is the Cubs move to pick up a back of the rotation starter who can serve in the pen. Insurance plus bullpen depth. Unless you are comfortable with Braun's health, there probably isn't really an obvious trade for them to make in the field that would make a sea change improvement to the team in the field. Maybe spot of insurance would be a guy who can play CF as backup.

Keep in mind the minors are not bare either. CJ Edwards is just tearing it up right now at AAA - finally able to locate his pitches. He has 18K's in his last 12 innings of work. Contreras is going to get a September call up and may make a post-season roster because of his bat. Almora is also making really good strides offensively and his defense is already more than good enough for the majors. Almora wouldn't have to hit his weight to have some value in the playoffs as a defensive sub. And Contreras by all accounts will be a good ML hitter.
 
They are not going to trade for Braun unless the Brewers eat a ton of that contract. And given all the teams that will be looking for a stick I really doubt the Cubs will pull the trigger to make it happen as the price will be pretty high. He's a really good player when healthy. The when healthy part scares me because it seems he has a nagging injury every other week. Soler has enormous trade value because of his contract. He's inked under club control for a long time. That also makes him very valuable to the Cubs.

I think the more likely move is the Cubs move to pick up a back of the rotation starter who can serve in the pen. Insurance plus bullpen depth. Unless you are comfortable with Braun's health, there probably isn't really an obvious trade for them to make in the field that would make a sea change improvement to the team in the field. Maybe spot of insurance would be a guy who can play CF as backup.

Keep in mind the minors are not bare either. CJ Edwards is just tearing it up right now at AAA - finally able to locate his pitches. He has 18K's in his last 12 innings of work. Contreras is going to get a September call up and may make a post-season roster because of his bat. Almora is also making really good strides offensively and his defense is already more than good enough for the majors. Almora wouldn't have to hit his weight to have some value in the playoffs as a defensive sub. And Contreras by all accounts will be a good ML hitter.

I think pen help is possible, but with Warren, Cahill and Wood already filling in as the reserve starter/pen role, I would more guess its a power arm to help with Grimm/Strop/Rondon - CJ and Concepcion are options down in AAA if there aren't good options.

They will get another bat, just a matter of what kind - for now they are carrying 3 catchers because Fed has the best bat for a 25th man, but Maddon needs flexibility help, and Murton nor Kawasaki are playing well right now. Hoping they get someone that can replace Soler or at least platoon with him - Josh Reddick is still my favorite option - if the price tag does not include Almora, Torres, Contreras, I'm ok with it. Something with Vogelbach, Pierce Johnson or zastryzny and take Billy McKinney back?
 
2016 Chicago Cubs Thread: 35-14

Wind blowing way in tonight

0-0 in the 7th. Arrieta at 101 pitches and looking a little gassed
 
They are not going to trade for Braun unless the Brewers eat a ton of that contract. And given all the teams that will be looking for a stick I really doubt the Cubs will pull the trigger to make it happen as the price will be pretty high. He's a really good player when healthy. The when healthy part scares me because it seems he has a nagging injury every other week. Soler has enormous trade value because of his contract. He's inked under club control for a long time. That also makes him very valuable to the Cubs.

I think the more likely move is the Cubs move to pick up a back of the rotation starter who can serve in the pen. Insurance plus bullpen depth. Unless you are comfortable with Braun's health, there probably isn't really an obvious trade for them to make in the field that would make a sea change improvement to the team in the field. Maybe spot of insurance would be a guy who can play CF as backup.

Keep in mind the minors are not bare either. CJ Edwards is just tearing it up right now at AAA - finally able to locate his pitches. He has 18K's in his last 12 innings of work. Contreras is going to get a September call up and may make a post-season roster because of his bat. Almora is also making really good strides offensively and his defense is already more than good enough for the majors. Almora wouldn't have to hit his weight to have some value in the playoffs as a defensive sub. And Contreras by all accounts will be a good ML hitter.

And Braun has a bunch years left on his contract. And Shwarber will be back next year too. I think we go bullpen and more bullpen. Maybe another bat, but nothing all-star level. Soler for Andrew Miller would be fantastic, but Szczur would have to step up, put bryant in left and baez to 3rd or trade for another utility OF.

Montero is struggling defensively tonight.
 
And Braun has a bunch years left on his contract. And Shwarber will be back next year too. I think we go bullpen and more bullpen. Maybe another bat, but nothing all-star level. Soler for Andrew Miller would be fantastic, but Szczur would have to step up, put bryant in left and baez to 3rd or trade for another utility OF.

Montero is struggling defensively tonight.

Schwarber could be a solid trade target - he has a lot of value to AL teams - and with Contreras on the way up, he is likely looking at LF as his main option. I still don't think we trade for Braun, though. But, an expiring contract bat is definitely an option.

Andrew Miller would be good, he has 2/$18 left after this, and Richard is likely gone soon and we will need another lefty in the pen - and not sure they are ready to call up Concepcion yet. Guessing we stick with RIchard a little longer until there is a better option from AAA.
 
We also need to move vogelbach before he gets injured again - he is showing well in AAA.

Also, there are a few pieces about Eloy Jimenez out there - looks like he is catching up with Torres. 19 years old and starting to rake in A ball - hes 6'4" with a solid OF arm. In 2-3 years, could see him and Torres in the bigs at 21.
 
Montero may have had the worst defensive game for a catcher ever last night. Back to back errors, multiple balls past him where it didn't even look it he was trying to block the ball with any urgency, got called out multiple times for it by the broadcasters.

The second error he made of the back to back was just awful. Nobody was covering second and the guy on first wasn't running and he just randomly throws the ball out into centerfield after a pitch. It was little league style.
 
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