OT: What the hell is wrong with the Cubs?

johnnyvann840 · Post #81 » by **johnnyvann840** » Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:58 pm

Michael Jackson wrote:I’m headed out to today’s game for work. I hope to see a team that has looked good the past few!

W. ... 5 straight. Great time to get on a roll. Hendricks looked great.

Betta Bulleavit · Post #82 » by **Betta Bulleavit** » Thu Aug 22, 2019 11:37 pm

johnnyvann840 wrote:
Michael Jackson wrote:I’m headed out to today’s game for work. I hope to see a team that has looked good the past few!

W. ... 5 straight. Great time to get on a roll. Hendricks looked great.

I swear. At times it really does feel like all of the elements are there for us to seriously contend again. But the consistency (or lack thereof) worries the hell out of me. But these last five have felt good.

Post #83 » by **Michael Jackson** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:00 am

johnnyvann840 wrote:
Michael Jackson wrote:I’m headed out to today’s game for work. I hope to see a team that has looked good the past few!

W. ... 5 straight. Great time to get on a roll. Hendricks looked great.

Yeah they looked great. We were right in front of Bryant and that diving play was great to see and a solid throw. The Joe tweaks were mostly good even the double switch in the ninth. Not often these Cubs are winning a 1-0 game on 2 hits. They looked like a contender this week.

johnnyvann840 · Post #84 » by **johnnyvann840** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 4:30 am

Michael Jackson wrote:
johnnyvann840 wrote:
Michael Jackson wrote:I’m headed out to today’s game for work. I hope to see a team that has looked good the past few!

W. ... 5 straight. Great time to get on a roll. Hendricks looked great.

Yeah they looked great. We were right in front of Bryant and that diving play was great to see and a solid throw. The Joe tweaks were mostly good even the double switch in the ninth. Not often these Cubs are winning a 1-0 game on 2 hits. They looked like a contender this week.

They've looked like contenders all season at home. It's when they hit the road the problems show up. I think the pick ups of Castellanos and Kimbrel were huge and are going to pay even bigger dividends down the stretch. Right now, the starters are looking good. Darvish has been great his last five starts (outside of the other night but we still won), Hendricks looks like he's back in World Series season form, Lester had one of his best outings in a long time last time out and got the win in a shut out, Hamels has had a couple of really good outings in a row, now. Same with Q.. he looked great in Pittsburgh. The bullpen has been questionable all season but I like the way Wick looks and Kimbrel can be the closer we need if he can stay healthy. So, yeah, all the components are there. Everything just has to come together at the right time. 5 in a row feels good but the Cards have been hot too so still only a half game separating the two. Brewers are close being out of the picture though.

It's just nice having a pennant race to watch and get into. With no Bulls or Hawks and preseason football being completely unwatchable I'm just happy having the Cubs in a good race again.

jacoby1us · Post #85 » by **jacoby1us** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 6:08 am

Hopefully they can finish up strong, next couple of series will definitely have a playoff feel for them. I believe the Nationals are up shortly.

MalagaBulls · Post #86 » by **MalagaBulls** » Mon Aug 26, 2019 12:02 am

Another loss, and now 2.5 games out of 1st with a strong Mets staff waiting for us.
As unthinkable as this was just 2 years ago the team's core together is probably seeing it's final days IMO.

Jeffster81 · Post #87 » by **Jeffster81** » Mon Aug 26, 2019 12:41 am

MalagaBulls wrote:Another loss, and now 2.5 games out of 1st with a strong Mets staff waiting for us.
As unthinkable as this was just 2 years ago the team's core together is probably seeing it's final days IMO.

Most definitely. I'm tired of waiting on this team to play consistent ball. I am very interested in seeing in what kind of manager Theo and company will seek.

dice · Post #88 » by **dice** » Mon Aug 26, 2019 3:26 am

Jeffster81 wrote:
MalagaBulls wrote:Another loss, and now 2.5 games out of 1st with a strong Mets staff waiting for us.
As unthinkable as this was just 2 years ago the team's core together is probably seeing it's final days IMO.

Most definitely. I'm tired of waiting on this team to play consistent ball. I am very interested in seeing in what kind of manager Theo and company will seek.

you should be interested in seeing how he will improve the roster. 'cause a manager change ain't likely to change much

jacoby1us · Post #89 » by **jacoby1us** » Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:35 am

This roster definitely requires upgrading.
Sad to see this season going down the drain

Mbrahv0528 · Post #90 » by **Mbrahv0528** » Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:46 pm

dice wrote:
Jeffster81 wrote:
MalagaBulls wrote:Another loss, and now 2.5 games out of 1st with a strong Mets staff waiting for us.
As unthinkable as this was just 2 years ago the team's core together is probably seeing it's final days IMO.

Most definitely. I'm tired of waiting on this team to play consistent ball. I am very interested in seeing in what kind of manager Theo and company will seek.

you should be interested in seeing how he will improve the roster. 'cause a manager change ain't likely to change much

I was about to say.. that's a meatball take for sure. The roster is the issue and that blame rests squarely on Hoyer and Theo.

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kyrv · Post #91 » by **kyrv** » Mon Aug 26, 2019 10:35 pm

johnnyvann840 wrote:
Michael Jackson wrote:
johnnyvann840 wrote:W. ... 5 straight. Great time to get on a roll. Hendricks looked great.

Yeah they looked great. We were right in front of Bryant and that diving play was great to see and a solid throw. The Joe tweaks were mostly good even the double switch in the ninth. Not often these Cubs are winning a 1-0 game on 2 hits. They looked like a contender this week.

They've looked like contenders all season at home. It's when they hit the road the problems show up. I think the pick ups of Castellanos and Kimbrel were huge and are going to pay even bigger dividends down the stretch. Right now, the starters are looking good. Darvish has been great his last five starts (outside of the other night but we still won), Hendricks looks like he's back in World Series season form, Lester had one of his best outings in a long time last time out and got the win in a shut out, Hamels has had a couple of really good outings in a row, now. Same with Q.. he looked great in Pittsburgh. The bullpen has been questionable all season but I like the way Wick looks and Kimbrel can be the closer we need if he can stay healthy. So, yeah, all the components are there. Everything just has to come together at the right time. 5 in a row feels good but the Cards have been hot too so still only a half game separating the two. Brewers are close being out of the picture though.

It's just nice having a pennant race to watch and get into. With no Bulls or Hawks and preseason football being completely unwatchable I'm just happy having the Cubs in a good race again.

The home/road split is just bizarre. Seems rare to have a playoff team be that bad on the road.

-----------

Also agree with others, the FO should be getting most of the blame and Madden, not much of it.

bearadonisdna · Post #92 » by **bearadonisdna** » Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

The front office and manager seem equally to blame.

Theo may be washed. You can't go 3 years with the same lineup without any upgrades. Also I think his strength is building through the farm system. It's tapped out right now. He may need another tear down to become an effective GM again.

Post #93 » by **Michael Jackson** » Tue Aug 27, 2019 12:09 pm

bearadonisdna wrote:The front office and manager seem equally to blame.

Theo may be washed. You can't go 3 years with the same lineup without any upgrades. Also I think his strength is building through the farm system. It's tapped out right now. He may need another tear down to become an effective GM again.

I don’t think Theo is washed he just spent all he could to win a World Series. Now he doesn’t have anything to work with he needs to flip Bryant ASAP and get some value to reload the system because Bryant wants Harper money let’s see what he can do from here.

TheFinishSniper · Post #94 » by **TheFinishSniper** » Tue Aug 27, 2019 12:27 pm

Cubs sucks just like Bulls. Nothing wrong with that. But Cubs got recent title for sucking now and Bulls still getting middle finger for 20 years of nothing

kyrv · Post #95 » by **kyrv** » Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:22 pm

bearadonisdna wrote:The front office and manager seem equally to blame.

Theo may be washed. You can't go 3 years with the same lineup without any upgrades. Also I think his strength is building through the farm system. It's tapped out right now. He may need another tear down to become an effective GM again.

Tear it down? They have made the playoffs several years in a row and are currently in a wildcard position. Making a perennial playoff team, that's not an older team, suck, isn't the sign of an effective GM.

Post #96 » by **Michael Jackson** » Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:40 pm

kyrv wrote:
bearadonisdna wrote:The front office and manager seem equally to blame.

Theo may be washed. You can't go 3 years with the same lineup without any upgrades. Also I think his strength is building through the farm system. It's tapped out right now. He may need another tear down to become an effective GM again.

Tear it down? They have made the playoffs several years in a row and are currently in a wildcard position. Making a perennial playoff team, that's not an older team, suck, isn't the sign of an effective GM.

Not tear it down but reposition some pieces. I am in the trade Bryant for a good haul group. The cubs are still a top team in the league.

Post #97 » by **Michael Jackson** » Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:42 pm

TheFinishSniper wrote:Cubs sucks just like Bulls. Nothing wrong with that. But Cubs got recent title for sucking now and Bulls still getting middle finger for 20 years of nothing

Cubs suck like the blackhawks not the Bulls. As in they don’t suck but are not in the pole position to win a championship but still are a talented team like the hawks they have used assets and painted themselves into a corner. The Bulls have swung and missed and been deceased by injuries etc... different type of suck.

johnnyvann840 · Post #98 » by **johnnyvann840** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 2:01 am

TheFinishSniper wrote:Cubs sucks just like Bulls. Nothing wrong with that. But Cubs got recent title for sucking now and Bulls still getting middle finger for 20 years of nothing

The Cubs don't really "suck just like the Bulls". They won a World Series a few years ago, they have made the postseason four years in a row and they are currently in a pennant race. They have enjoyed a fair amount of recent success. They also have some assets that could yield good returns if they decide to go the route of another tear down. The Cubs are a well run organization, well managed and well coached. Cubs just had their best half decade if success in 100 years, while the Bulls last half decade has been one of the worst in franchise history.

People are down on the Cubs right now because this season had high expectations. They are 1.5 games back in the division and 2.5 games up in the Wild Card. Who would have thought they would sweep the Mets on the road but they just did. If the season ended today they would make the postseason for the 5th season in a row. But, at least they will be playing meaningful games in September which is all you can really ask for in baseball. The inconsistency is frustrating and right now they just don't feel like a team that is going to have any success in the postseason but they still have 30 games to right the ship. Something is definitely missing but all you can ask for is a seat at the table when the postseason comes. It's more likely than not that they will have that.

nomorezorro · Post #99 » by **nomorezorro** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 4:04 am

yeah i think it’s funny that people have been riding a roller coaster with this team when i think it’s been clear what they are for some time: talented, inconsistent, not a powerhouse but have a plausible shot at making noise in the playoffs if everything happens to click at the same time

the bullpen might prove to be a fatal flaw but beyond that it just seems like it’s genuinely random chance how they end up playing. might as well chill out and watch how it plays out

johnnyvann840 · Post #100 » by **johnnyvann840** » Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:54 am

nomorezorro wrote:yeah i think it’s funny that people have been riding a roller coaster with this team when i think it’s been clear what they are for some time: talented, inconsistent, not a powerhouse but have a plausible shot at making noise in the playoffs if everything happens to click at the same time

the bullpen might prove to be a fatal flaw but beyond that it just seems like it’s genuinely random chance how they end up playing. might as well chill out and watch how it plays out

Yeah, the bullpen has lost so many games for this ball club this season. I thought getting Kimbrel would solve a lot of problems- and when he is on his game, he looks like the answer. Offensively, Nick CasteIlanos has been a huge pick up, too. People are knocking Theo and Jed but it looks like they made two great moves there.

Biggest job of the manager is to get the team to peak at the right time and Maddon has been a master of that. Interesting stat is that over the last five season, Cubs have won more games in September than any team in all of baseball. Anything can happen once the playoffs start they just have to get there.

Like you just said... everything has to click at the same time and the bullpen really has to get their ish together. As frustrating as this team can be, I'm just happy to have meaningful baseball for the month of September. Exciting time right now for Cubs fans (and Cardinal fans). Every game seems like a playoff game from here on out.

The Cardinals have been on fire, though, and have a soft schedule coming up. Cubs have 7 of their next 9 games against the Brewers. They have to go 6-3, IMO, and then take care of business against Seattle and the Padres, they have the Pirates 6 more times and the Cards 6 more times with a series against Cincinnati in there. Then, those 6 against the Cardinals in their last 9 games will decide this season. Should be fun.