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Milwaukee Brewers (57-53) @ Chicago Cubs (57-51)

Game 111: Friday, August 2 at 1:20PM CST

Zach Davies (RHP, 8-4 with a 3.56 ERA) versus Jose Quintana (8-7 with a 4.47 ERA)

Game 112: Saturday, August 3 at 1:20PM CST

Gio Gonzalez (LHP, 2-1 with a 3.48 ERA) versus Cole Hamels (LHP, 6-3 with a 2.98 ERA)

Game 113: Sunday, August 4 at 1:20PM CST

Adrian Houser (RHP, 4-4 with a 3.99 ERA) versus Yu Darvish (RHP, 3-5 with a 4.46 ERA)

Really quite a shock that Quintana's dominance of the Brewers when it was Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart when he played for the White Sox actually has nothing to do with current results/dominance as most thought. Suddenly we've teed off on him the last handful of times to even out some 2017/early 2018 dominance.

Hopefully we keep it up.

Zach Davis doing his thing.

Whatever your feelings on Braun, that guy loves to play the Cubs.

I keep going back-and-forth watching this one.

If tied/leading: "I know we suck but whatever, a win of the series means a chance to make a push and that's fun."
When losing: "OK just sweep the Brewers so we can pack this thing in for the year."

I'm on the "just shut it down" feeling right now.

Also of note, if you had the choice:

Cubs win division
Cards win the division

Which do you go with? Don't say "meteor" because that's the obvious answer given.

Probably has to do with recent success but with a tamer Yadi, no Larussa, Poo Holes, Carpenter it is a no-brainer that I guess I'd live with the Cards winning it.

Davies has completely lost the plot lately. Great timing for that will the other injuries.

Hiura really **** blows in the field

Ryan5UW wrote:Hiura really **** blows in the field

2 more errors.

It confuses me why Ray Jackson is on the 40 man roster.

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WeekapaugGroove wrote:It confuses me why Ray Jackson is on the 40 man roster.

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I'm sure this board could come up with a dozen more names to add to that list....

Oscar71 wrote:

WeekapaugGroove wrote:It confuses me why Ray Jackson is on the 40 man roster.

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I'm sure this board could come up with a dozen more names to add to that list....

Wilkerson is on that list for me. Not sure why they keep giving him chances.

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I think you guys are answering your own question.

Via injury, bust, and bad moves the pitching system has thinned out.

Barnes, Wilkerson, Jackson, etc. need to be “given a chance” because we don’t have many other options.

Last year we were able to use those guys 90% of the time in extreme emergency spot starts or when the game is 8-1 and cycle them up and down. This year, they’ve been counted on more.

We’ll stop giving most of them chances when guys like Wilkerson no longer have minor league options left. Hopefully Knebel’s return + some FA moves + Burnes will get the staff back to reasonable depth next year.

It's hilarious how the end of the game thread on bf.net today basically sounds like me the last couple of years.

The worst thing that could've happened to this team is finish ten games above .500 in 2017, the second year of a five year rebuilding process.

A gutted farm system and a mediocre MLB team. We are back to 2012-15 just as fast as we got out of it. What was the point of ushering Melvin out when the approach hasn't changed at all?

tRuSt In StEaRnS!

I believe that DS, much like us, believed deep down that this team isn't going anywhere but didn't want to look like he was giving up on the season so he acquired ho hum players, but that is going to come back and bite him what with giving away our only true high end prospect. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what's best for the future. Unfortunately I don't see much of one in the short term. It's not easy being a fan of a small market team.

Is there any chance a team would claim Cain if he were waived? Letting him walk for nothing in August might not be a bad idea if a contender wanted to make that claim now.

I mean, I'm not saying it would have really changed deadline outlook - I am guessing it wouldn't have - but the previous series against the Cubs right before the deadline just seems like it gave people too much false hope. It made it impossible for Stearns to sell because the casuals would have revolted having just won a series against the presumed division champs. Yes, I get it, I LIKE BEATING THE CUBS TOO, so blah blah blah.

Should have sold as much as possible outside of Yelich, Hiura, Woodruff. Hader, Moose, and Grandal could have really helped boost the dead-last farm system.

Outside of another stars-aligning season like we just experienced last season (which was great, mind you), we're going to waste Yelich's prime. And it sucks. I'm not a doom-and-gloomer, either - that's just legitimately what I read of this team. And it sucks.

I tried to temper my overt negativity on this squad (well MD banned me for 24 hrs awhile back ) in recent weeks. And, they could still obviously go on a mini run. But, man, this season has been a colossal downer. Major regressions from Aguilar and Shaw. Cain playing like he’s 38 at the plate. The relief staff just being utter garbage for the most part. I mean Jeffress has conceded runs in 10 of 19 outings since June 19th! The Starters, as average as they collectively are, are far far far from the biggest problem (unless, of course, you factor in Chacin and his stalwart performance...I don’t even consider Burnes or Peralta) and I would say they by and large have given the team a chance on many many nights. This Brewers organization better not try and use the ‘Well, Knebel was injured early on, and Jimmy didn’t bounce back like we thought he would...” mantra when they’re just shuffling such mediocre players in and out of the pitching staff day in and day out. They don’t have the horses at the Big Club. The minors are now pretty devoid of talent. This future is not bright at present.

The one highlight of this season so far for me: Jacob Barnes was scooped up by the Royals. Now if we could just get the Orioles to somehow swing a waiver claim on Williams...

MikeIsGood wrote:I mean, I'm not saying it would have really changed deadline outlook - I am guessing it wouldn't have - but the previous series against the Cubs right before the deadline just seems like it gave people too much false hope. It made it impossible for Stearns to sell because the casuals would have revolted having just won a series against the presumed division champs. Yes, I get it, I LIKE BEATING THE CUBS TOO, so blah blah blah.

Should have sold as much as possible outside of Yelich, Hiura, Woodruff. Hader, Moose, and Grandal could have really helped boost the dead-last farm system.

Outside of another stars-aligning season like we just experienced last season (which was great, mind you), we're going to waste Yelich's prime. And it sucks. I'm not a doom-and-gloomer, either - that's just legitimately what I read of this team. And it sucks.

Absolutely could have benefited from jettisoning Moose and Grandal. They were primed assets to sell high on with as many issues as this club has. Hader would have been a tough sell to Brewer diehards BUT it’s the right tough call to make. Am I surprised they went thru the deadline like they did? Not in the least. Stearns has been a real disappointment for the majority of this season.

Can we please just DFA Shaw?