Introducing your NL Central leading Chicago Cubs
- Thread starter Barkman Turner Overdrive
- Start date
Might get to the postseason, but then fold like a lawn chair. <span style="font-weight: bold;">C</span>ome <span style="font-weight: bold;">U</span>seless <span style="font-weight: bold;">B</span>y <span style="font-weight: bold;">S</span>eptember. Cards have a stronger lineup than before, Gonna be a great race, but it's anyone's game.
about the All-Star break being just what the Cubs needed. He pointing out that two of their first three opponents were the Nationals and Reds. Still with us?
And what are you excited about? I thought you had left this team for dead?
And what are you excited about? I thought you had left this team for dead?
excrementoccurs said:
And that's the key. Despite picking up Holiday, the Cards are going to be on the outside looking in this year. That's why I think that move was questionable at best. Unless they can re-sign Holiday to a longer deal after this year, they just gave up two of their top prospects from their system for a rent-a-player that won't even get them to the playoffs. As a Cubs fan, I love that deal.
The Cubs have had the pitching all year. The bats have just been atrocious. Ramirez missed most of the first half. Lee, Soriano, Soto, and Bradley all simultaneously went through slumps that were longer and deeper than normal. Even Fontenot was underachieving at the plate. Point being, despite all the big bats in the line up being basically non-existent, they were still within striking distance. Lee has come out of it. Ramirez is healthy. Soriano has come out of his slump. Bradley is looking a little better too. It was only a matter of time before the bats came around, which is why they're making a move right now.
The Cubs still have the core of the line up that led the NL in runs scored last year, and they were near the bottom of the league in that category during the first half. That won't continue, and when it changes, which appears to be now, the Cubs will be tough to catch.
Stat of the day: The Cubs are now 48-14 (0.774) when scoring 3 or more runs in a game. The fact that they have had 32 games scoring fewer than 3 runs shows how bad the offense has been. However, with the big hitters coming out of their slumps, you have to think they'll be scoring 3 or more runs a whole lot more down the stretch, and with that pitching, it's their division to lose.
but Soriano starting to hit is making a huge difference. The new hitting coach even has him cutting his swing down and hitting the ball to RF. Miracles do happen.
Now when Bradley walks, Soriano is starting to get some hits. We'll see if that translates to more runs against good teams.
Now when Bradley walks, Soriano is starting to get some hits. We'll see if that translates to more runs against good teams.
Being a State fan and a Cubs fan: talk about setting yourself up for disappointment. I sincerely hope that those of you that follow both State and the Cubs don't also follow the Saints.
The Cardinals have to play the Dodgers so the Cubs could actually open up some space at the top if they take care of the Astros.
It won't be hard to make up .5 games when Holiday, Pujols, Ankiel, and DeRosa all catch fire. The Cards have the hitters to reel off long win streaks.
It's going to be a great race for the division (hell, as a D-Back fan the good division battles are all I have to keep me interested in MLB this year) that comes down to the end. I wouldn't write the Cards off yet.</p>
It's going to be a great race for the division (hell, as a D-Back fan the good division battles are all I have to keep me interested in MLB this year) that comes down to the end. I wouldn't write the Cards off yet.</p>
I'm not writing off the Cards. I just think the Cubs have a better team when their players are playing the way they are capable of playing. I don't care what kind of slumps a team have gone through, the Cubs have had the worst team-wide slump I've seen in a while, when you consider the players on their roster. That's why I think they win the division. I think it'll be a 3 or 4 game difference at the end of the season, and it'll still be a decent race, but I think it is the Cubs's division to lose, and I was saying that before the break when they were still 3 or 4 games out.
He is the the posterboy for streaky hitting..........and doing the little hop to catch fly balls. How cute.
Think about that. He's gonna be nearly 40, making 18 million in 2014. And he is already declining from his peak years.
Every player they have traded for has already been on fire and they've lost something like 3 games in the standings. Holliday, DeRosa, and Lugo are batting like a combined .800 since they were traded to the Cardinals. When is Pujols not on fire? The question is what is going to happen when they regress back to the norm. The fact that Wellenmeyer is still in their rotation is pathetic and outside of Franklin their bullpen blows. And Ankiel? Really? Not only does he suck *** anyway but he's incapable of catching fire because Rasmus is going to take all of his at bats thanks to the Holliday trade.
this corresponds to Rasmus' heel being injured and the Duncan trade. So don't count Ankiel out. The consistent playing time is paying off. Also, Pujols is struggling, batting about .220 since the All-Star break. He will get hot again real soon. That's when you'll start seeing The Cardinals get on a roll.