Chicago Cubs 2016 Thread

KB with an epic night last night against the Reds. Only player since 1900, and maybe ever, to have three HR's and two doubles in one game.

Unfortunately, it was coupled with Arrieta's continued return to earth. I think we all knew he couldn't continue on the ridiculous streak he was on, but his last handful of starts have been pretty average.

The brain trust have to do something about the bullpen. With the exception of Travis Wood, they have all been unpredictable and some of them have been downright awful.

I not in agreement with Maddon on playing Montero over Contreras at catcher. Yes, he is a veteran presence behind the plate, but he is not hitting and every opponent single turns into a double (at least) because he can't throw out base stealers. If Contreras is the catcher of the future, put him back there now. You can still let Ross catch Lester and give him other random starts.

Cubs have been in a bit of a rough stretch, but they are still ten games up and it's been a fun summer.
 
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KB was wicked good with the 3 HR and the 2 doubles! I agree with you about letting Contreras have the catching duty. Montero is down to like 194 batting and he's not blocking balls behind the plate either. My pet peeve with JH has slowed just a little and it remains to be seen if he can improve, The game to night with Cincy was a marathon to say the least but I found it quite interesting with Joe's substitutions. Crazy like a fox! 3 different pitchers Woods, Patton and I think it was Strop all played left field. Patton would pitch and Wood would play left field then they would trade places! Best of all Baez hit a grand slam in the 15 inning and the Cubs win 7-2. What a game!
 
Did anyone else notice the sound of the bat when Javy hit that slam last night? Sounded like an explosion, wow crazy power. We'll still be fine. Fowler was a huge key to our offense the way he was playing and he's been out. LaStella was a key contributor off the bench, Soler just starting to heat up, obviously Schwarber out. Just gotta get healthy. I expect them to make at least one key trade too.
 
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Who gets shoved out when they have the full complement of Schwarber, Soler, Fowler and LaStella? It's a nice problem to have....too many good players. I suspect Couglan will depart and perhaps Szczur, but, who knows? You'd like to keep Baez in the infield but that pushes Bryant to the outfield where it will be awfully crowded. I doubt that will have Schwarber catching in the future what with the knee injury and with Contreras on the roster, so where does he play? Zobrist is signed through 2019. Is Russell untouchable as tradebait? It's going to be quite the merry-go-round.
 
MisterLucky said:
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Who gets shoved out when they have the full complement of Schwarber, Soler, Fowler and LaStella? It's a nice problem to have....too many good players. I suspect Couglan will depart and perhaps Szczur, but, who knows? You'd like to keep Baez in the infield but that pushes Bryant to the outfield where it will be awfully crowded. I doubt that will have Schwarber catching in the future what with the knee injury and with Contreras on the roster, so where does he play? Zobrist is signed through 2019. Is Russell untouchable as tradebait? It's going to be quite the merry-go-round.
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You've got my head spinning! That's a nice problem to have and I'm glad I don't have anything to do with it! Trading Russell would be my bet.
 
They all seem to be getting playing time though and Joe is keeping them happy. Many are under contractual control so they'll just have to accept this method. My guess is Soler ends up trading if I had to guess, but with Fowler only on a 1 year deal he's probably gone too and Almora will take his spot.
 
bogeyman said:
They all seem to be getting playing time though and Joe is keeping them happy. Many are under contractual control so they'll just have to accept this method. My guess is Soler ends up trading if I had to guess, but with Fowler only on a 1 year deal he's probably gone too and Almora will take his spot.
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I was hoping they would keep Fowler. He is fantastic in the lead off spot and we've missed him terribly! I would rather give up Soler!
 
Soler gone would not be a bad thing. I like Fowler as well. Can Joe and Theo strike a deal that puts Chicago nicely in the driver's seat? Chicago's offense is sick beyond words, so relief pitching is where I see a move.
 
spliff45 said:
10 HRs given up by the starters in this series. To a team that struggles to score.
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This is totally unreal! I know it has nothing to do with the way this team has been playing but ever since Coughlin showed up we've been awful! Not to mention Fowler being gone but that doesn't explain the pitching! Coughlin I hope you're not a voodoo doll sent by the cards! Just kidding. Our bats have been atrocious. So many half swings for strike outs.
 
The season is only half over, but this prolonged "slump" is concerning. The rotation, which was arguably the Cubs' biggest strength, has been awful over the past month. The bullpen continues to be awful (minus Rondon). The offense continues to be wildly inconsistent. They are still a very young team, and there is plenty of time to turn things around, but they won't get far in the playoffs with inconsistent pitching AND hitting.
 
Joe has played a lot of rookies at a lot of various places to try them out to see how they work out. After the break I believe he'll get more serious with the lineup. Fowler will be back and that'll be a big boost. As far as pitching goes we sure do need some different relievers. At least another really good one. The starting rotation I think will get it's mojo back and we should be good to go there. I wish JH would bat in the 7 spot for the rest of the season. Overall we just need to get into the playoffs and kick a$$ there. I get ticked and then I remember how the cards won a ton of games and got tossed early. Go Cubs Go!
 
They will be fine.....I get pi $$ed also, but, surprising enough, we've managed to stay in front......Kids are looking forward to the break, regroup, and come out hot.....end of July is the trade deadline and that's where Theo/Joe make a move.....I'm hoping this is the year.....We've all waited a very long time for excitement like this.....damn glad to be a part of it.....
 
NEIChawk said:
They will be fine.....I get pi $$ed also, but, surprising enough, we've managed to stay in front......Kids are looking forward to the break, regroup, and come out hot.....end of July is the trade deadline and that's where Theo/Joe make a move.....I'm hoping this is the year.....We've all waited a very long time for excitement like this.....damn glad to be a part of it.....
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It seems like the team, especially the starters have run out of gas. This concerns me for the end of the year. Got to get bullpen help at the deadline.
 
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