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Redbird Rundown X

Started by McKdaddy, February 19, 2016, 11:21:29 am

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pigture perfect

Man! We came alive in the 9th. Batted around.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

clutch

Good to see the bats explode this weekend.

 

jbell96

Great way to finish our last series at Turner Field, but man Atlanta is bad. That said it was nice to see our offense come alive and give our guys some confidence after such a dismal start in Pittsburgh.

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

Quote from: jbell96 on April 08, 2016, 09:24:14 am
I love all of you arm chair GM's criticizing Mo and his decision making. He's made mistakes, and frustrated me the past few years by not being more aggressive, but he offered huge money to Price & Heyward, however they decided to go elsewhere. Stuff like that happens from time to time.

To be honest, we are due for a down year, and this year is probably that year. To look on the bright side, a lot of talented young position players are going to get valuable experience at the big league level.

I understand singing Luhnow's praises a little, and I will admit he does a great mind for baseball, but that said, the guy isn't without fault. He is the same guy that wasted a 1st round draft pick on PETE KOZMA in 2007 when guys like Todd Frazier & Rick Porcello were taken not long after Kozma.
Wouldn't call myself an armchair GM at all. Just made a casual observation about a possible correlation. I'm not sure what Mo could do differently given the market, just an observation. Didn't mean to come across as having a holier-than-thou take.

I just am of the opinion that it's concerning to look at our farm now. We obviously drafted very well while Luhnow was here with similar number picks than we've had lately. It'll take time to really see, though. It's still fresh with guys like Weaver, Flahrety, Plummer, etc. still in low ball. It'll take some real development, though, IMO, to keep the train moving when the current crop of guys hang up the cleats.

That being said, nice rebound in the ATL series. Still have some real concerns about the middle of our lineup. Hopefully Grichuk snaps out of his mental funk, I think once he turns it around our lineup gets 100x more potent. Does Holliday get another contract? It has me concerned. At age 36, he hasn't hit .300 but once since 2011, and only topped 100 RBI's once since then too. Really would like better numbers out of the heart of the lineup. We'll be in a similar situation with a couple players like this pretty soon too. Will be interesting to monitor.

Here's to a good series vs. the Brew Crew! I'd say a series win is well within reach.
ched come back pls

clutch

Another big day at the plate. I'm really liking what I see from Hazelbaker.

popcornhog

Quote from: clutch on April 11, 2016, 06:12:50 pm
Another big day at the plate. I'm really liking what I see from Hazelbaker.

Yeah, unbelievable stuff so far. Same for Diaz.

And how bout Michael Wacha?!
WPS

Ray Piggers

I think I'm getting Hazel Fever!

This dude is on fire right now
I'm basically Darkwing Duck

clutch

Quote from: popcornhog on April 11, 2016, 09:24:53 pm
Yeah, unbelievable stuff so far. Same for Diaz.

And how bout Michael Wacha?!


Both definitely unexpected surprises.

Wacha looked great today.

jrulz83

You guys are too excited, remember a lot of you have said this is likely going to be "a down year." Can you tell me why you believe this will be a down year? All the Cubs hype?

Last year this team lost an ace pitcher, likely Hall of Fame catcher, and the 3 and 4 in their lineup for significant amounts of time. Most teams don't easily overcome those injuries, the Cardinals didn't only overcome them, they thrived, winning 100 games. If they overcame all that, why can't they overcome the perceived deficiencies of this year?

Early this season I have seen causes for concern, but it is very early. The first week magnifies everything. Here are the issues I have seen that worry me somewhat:

1) The infield defense has been atrocious, there's simply no other word for it.

2) Wainwright has not been sharp at all, I hope it's not a lingering health issue from the achilles, he needs to turn it around.

3) Grichuk's little slump to start the season is concerning, but things seem to be trending up for him with all the walks he has been taking (I want to say 5 of his last 8 at bats have ended with walks?).

4) The injuries to Tim Cooney and Marco Gonzales, if they're out for a while pitching depth is a major concern for me. You know somebody on the ML staff is going to get hurt, but just to mess with pigture, I'm sure Mozeliak has several plan B's  ;D
Lenin is cautiously optimistic.

jrulz83

Quote from: Ray Piggers on April 11, 2016, 10:11:16 pm
I think I'm getting Hazel Fever!

This dude is on fire right now

You got a fever! And the only prescription is more Hazelbaker.
Lenin is cautiously optimistic.

clutch

Quote from: jrulz83 on April 12, 2016, 08:51:09 am
You guys are too excited, remember a lot of you have said this is likely going to be "a down year." Can you tell me why you believe this will be a down year? All the Cubs hype?

Last year this team lost an ace pitcher, likely Hall of Fame catcher, and the 3 and 4 in their lineup for significant amounts of time. Most teams don't easily overcome those injuries, the Cardinals didn't only overcome them, they thrived, winning 100 games. If they overcame all that, why can't they overcome the perceived deficiencies of this year?

Early this season I have seen causes for concern, but it is very early. The first week magnifies everything. Here are the issues I have seen that worry me somewhat:

1) The infield defense has been atrocious, there's simply no other word for it.

2) Wainwright has not been sharp at all, I hope it's not a lingering health issue from the achilles, he needs to turn it around.

3) Grichuk's little slump to start the season is concerning, but things seem to be trending up for him with all the walks he has been taking (I want to say 5 of his last 8 at bats have ended with walks?).

4) The injuries to Tim Cooney and Marco Gonzales, if they're out for a while pitching depth is a major concern for me. You know somebody on the ML staff is going to get hurt, but just to mess with pigture, I'm sure Mozeliak has several plan B's  ;D

I still feel this will be a down year. I don't look for the offense to sustain the success they are having right now. We've got a lot of young guys playing in crucial positions. The future looks bright, but the only way we have that kind of success again is if they pitching staff as a whole performs the way they did last year again. I think they will still be good, but not near as good as they were last year. What they were able to accomplish last season was unreal.

McKdaddy

Don't buy upgrades, ride up grades.

"You are everything that is wrong with this place . . . Ban me"

"CPI, ex-food and energy, is only good for an anorexic pedestrian"--Art Cashin

jrulz83

Quote from: clutch on April 12, 2016, 09:14:47 am
I still feel this will be a down year. I don't look for the offense to sustain the success they are having right now. We've got a lot of young guys playing in crucial positions. The future looks bright, but the only way we have that kind of success again is if they pitching staff as a whole performs the way they did last year again. I think they will still be good, but not near as good as they were last year. What they were able to accomplish last season was unreal.

Okay, so it's regression to the mean for the pitching staff that you believe will be the cause of a down year. Fair enough.
Lenin is cautiously optimistic.

 

clutch

Quote from: jrulz83 on April 12, 2016, 11:00:58 am
Okay, so it's regression to the mean for the pitching staff that you believe will be the cause of a down year. Fair enough.

Yes. I still don't think the offense is going to be world beaters. They've looked good the past few games, but they've been known to be very streaky these past few years. I believe pitching will be good, but not as good as last season. Not having Lynn is one reason. Lackey pitched out of his mind for what we expected of him last season, don't think we would have gotten that again had he returned. I'm worried about the long term stability of Martinez arm. Not sure what to expect out of Leake yet. Wacha should be good. Waino may take a little bit to get going after such a long layoff.

jrulz83

Quote from: clutch on April 12, 2016, 11:25:05 am
Yes. I still don't think the offense is going to be world beaters. They've looked good the past few games, but they've been known to be very streaky these past few years. I believe pitching will be good, but not as good as last season. Not having Lynn is one reason. Lackey pitched out of his mind for what we expected of him last season, don't think we would have gotten that again had he returned. I'm worried about the long term stability of Martinez arm. Not sure what to expect out of Leake yet. Wacha should be good. Waino may take a little bit to get going after such a long layoff.

How do you define a down year, missing the playoffs?
Lenin is cautiously optimistic.

clutch

Quote from: jrulz83 on April 12, 2016, 08:12:29 pm
How do you define a down year, missing the playoffs?

Yeah I guess that's how I'd define it. I'm not necessarily saying that I think this is going to be a bad team. I'm just saying that I don't expect them to have as much success this year as they have been. I think it's still going to be a really good team, however they are stuck in a great division and really good might not cut it. 

hogcard1964

Quote from: Ray Piggers on April 11, 2016, 10:11:16 pm
I think I'm getting Hazel Fever!

This dude is on fire right now

+1000

I just hope he's more than the flash in the pan that Duncan was from a few years back.

jbell96

Quote from: hogcard1964 on April 13, 2016, 01:08:43 pm
+1000

I just hope he's more than the flash in the pan that Duncan was from a few years back.

Well he's not just a one trick pony like Duncan was. The kid has speed & is much better defensively than Duncan ever thought of being.

pigture perfect

Hazelbaker is making a great case to keep Pham on the Pharm.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

pigture perfect

Look who just quietly slipped into 2nd in the division.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

Ray Piggers

If Waino continues to struggle, do you think we keep him as our number one or do we slide him down? Still early, so I hope he figures it out, but he's struggling.
I'm basically Darkwing Duck

jbell96

It's way too early to worry about Waino and we won't slide him down in the rotation. Have to remember he missed most of last year and is still trying to get a feel for his stuff.

pigture perfect

I don't think you change the rotation except for injury or trade. And we ain't trading Waino. I don't think he will be opening day starter for us next year though. I'm thinking Car-Mart will be the man.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

I expected to lose last night, given the pitching match up, but I like our chances the next two games with Jaime & Carlos, who have been our best starters this year, against the Cubs 4/5 starters.

While Diaz has a great bat, his defense has at SS has been a bit of an issue. Big error last night let the Cubs break open a close game in the 7th.

 

jrulz83

Quote from: jbell96 on April 19, 2016, 09:29:23 am
I expected to lose last night, given the pitching match up, but I like our chances the next two games with Jaime & Carlos, who have been our best starters this year, against the Cubs 4/5 starters.

While Diaz has a great bat, his defense has at SS has been a bit of an issue. Big error last night let the Cubs break open a close game in the 7th.

Leake went toe to toe with Lackey. For the most part, he pitched well. Leake just couldn't limit the damage when he needed to. Overall I was happy with his performance.

The offense went into a hole last night. Piscotty is bothering me, he couldn't lay off of the off speed stuff last night (in all fairness nobody could, Lackey was good), and Lackey made him look foolish. Piscotty needs to recalibrate something; I think I heard that he was something like 4 for his last 24. Unless this offense figures out how to, even just a little bit, hit the mid to upper tier starters it's going to be another offensively frustrating season.
Lenin is cautiously optimistic.

pigture perfect

Those Scrubbies look good. Hope they hit a huge slump soon.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

Last night was beyond frustrating. Adams getting picked off cost us a big inning, Wong doing a poor job of situational hitting with Yadi on 3rd and one out, 2nd & 3rd nobody out in another inning and we got nothing out of it. Not to mention the numerous times we were ahead in the count and swung at bad pitches to bail Hammel out.

Hope we can salvage game 3 today.

pigture perfect

It is frustrating. Baseball is funny though. Hopfully we get hot sooner than later.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

Happy to see us win 2 of 3 in SD when not playing our best. Hopefully we can at least split in Arizona.

pigture perfect

Well we at least split. Our bats have been fun to watch and without a 1 inning hiccup by our pen, we would have a pretty good streak going.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

I'll take a 4-3 west coast road trip no matter who we play. Got a nice long home stand coming up. Need to take advantage of it.

pigture perfect

5 big flies for us tonight. What a fun game to watch. Waino starting to get back into the groove.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

Random thought, I think we'll win 85 games and miss the playoffs, but I think it will be a fun season to watch our young players develop. Last night was fun & Waino's homer was an absolute bomb just to the left of Big Mac Land.

pigture perfect

A couple of those shots were just to the left of BML.

Wacha pitched a great game tonight. 1 mistake that the other pitcher didn't do.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

I was there last night, outside of a few hard hit balls, we just couldn't figure Nola out. I was encouraged by how well Wacha pitched so there is a silver lining.

pigture perfect

I think the Cubs are us from last year. If they can stay healthy, they will go deep into the playoffs. I do believe they have the best manager in baseball.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

hogcard1964

Quote from: pigture perfect on May 06, 2016, 06:45:42 pm
I think the Cubs are us from last year. If they can stay healthy, they will go deep into the playoffs. I do believe they have the best manager in baseball.

I don't.  The best manager is still Hurdle or Bochy.

Dropkick

Quote from: hogcard1964 on May 09, 2016, 04:05:58 pm
I don't.  The best manager is still Hurdle or Bochy.
It's definitely not Matheny. Hard to argue with Bochy but Not Hurdle, imho.

clutch

Quote from: hogcard1964 on May 09, 2016, 04:05:58 pm
I don't.  The best manager is still Hurdle or Bochy.

I'd take Maddon over anyone. I was hoping the Cards would get him when they hired Matheny.

pigture perfect

The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jbell96

Quote from: clutch on May 09, 2016, 08:03:32 pm
I'd take Maddon over anyone. I was hoping the Cards would get him when they hired Matheny.

I really like Maddon a lot, he's one of the best 5 managers in baseball, but I'd take the guy that has won 3 world series in in the past 5 years, Bochy, over him.

hogcard1964

Quote from: Dropkick on May 09, 2016, 07:15:21 pm
It's definitely not Matheny. Hard to argue with Bochy but Not Hurdle, imho.

Matheny will be in the mix if he wins a series soon.

southarkhog06

I would go Bochy slightly ahead of Maddon b/c of the 3 WS, then everyone else (that's not a knock on Hurdle or Matheny).

However, for this Cubs roster Maddon is the best fit.

jbell96

Quote from: hogcard1964 on May 10, 2016, 08:59:56 am
Matheny will be in the mix if he wins a series soon.


Sorry, but a guy that hits the NL's leading hitter 8th, and a struggling Matt Adams 4th, should not be considered as one of the best managers in baseball. Matheny is slightly above average as a manager.

clutch

Quote from: jbell96 on May 11, 2016, 09:16:43 am
Sorry, but a guy that hits the NL's leading hitter 8th, and a struggling Matt Adams 4th, should not be considered as one of the best managers in baseball. Matheny is slightly above average as a manager.

At this point can you even consider Adams as "struggling" anymore? I think I call it just not being very good.

pigture perfect

Cubs have the first losing streak for them. We need them to have many more.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

pigture perfect

Rosenhausen made it spooky again, but we have taken the series from the Halo's. Let's get the road sweep.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

jrulz83

Questions to ponder:

What happens when Peralta comes back? Does he play 3b and Carpenter shift to 1b?

Could Diaz move to 2b and displace Wong as the primary starter when Peralta returns?

What about Holliday, is the 1b experiment over or has Pham's absence had an impact?

What needs to happen with Matt Adams?

Does Hazelbaker get squeezed out by Pham upon his return?
Lenin is cautiously optimistic.

pigture perfect

A lot of good questions to ponder. I'm thinking Pham gets squeezed.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

pigture perfect

Waino still is not back to form. I think we also miss Lynn more than we think.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"