He's gradually becoming one of my favorites. Plays with that fire that he just wants to win and destroy the other team.
He’s probably my second favorite player on the team behind Rizzo just ahead of Bryant. Love everything about the guy and the way he plays the game.
We’re looking at 6-7 with our soft ass schedule so far. So much for coming out of the gates hot ala 2016.
And Darvish has been trash 2 starts out of 3. Hopefully he figures it out soon. Frustrating start to the year.
Is it too early to start calling for Jim Hickey to be fired? We’re fucking awful. The pen has been good but the starting pitching is a joke.
I was saying about that the Braves were about to put the full count pitch in the dirt and how Baez was going to swing and strike out. Nope. Braves groove the pitch in and pay for it. Idiots.
We’re averafing 8.7 runs in our victories and 1.6 runs in losses. Our offense is bipolar as fuck. The starting pitching getting their shit together would be helpful.
His control has been miserable. I don’t think he has any idea where his ball is going. The stuff is nasty he just can’t control it. He’s a #5 so I’m not going to panic. Would also point out that the long delays between a Games is not helping this staff out at all.
Don’t let Truman hear this. He’s certain Chatwood was throwing at the Cards after Rizzo got his with a curveball.
He cries more than anyone about his guys getting hit, then the very first batter gets the only pitch that was high and tight all night. Wild coincidence. I dont really care to argue with you, but it's ok to just admit it was a shitty move, and be done with. Or you can continue to cry about what some dude on the internet said. No skin off my nose. Have a good night bud.
I know man I still can’t believe the guy who walked 7 guys in less than 5 innings threw a pitch inside. Now back to our previously scheduled crying on the internet.
Cubs fans - have a bachelor party the 1st weekend of May in Chicago so trying to figure out some activities. Didn't see another thread to ask in and figured you guys would have some recs or resources for suggestions?
"Here's absolutely no information about us or what we like, what should we do in the third biggest city in the country?" I don't know dude.
thanks I remembered a thread and searched a few times for Chicago thread titles etc. but wasn't pulling anything up. Was more implying was there a resource already for recs like ^
It would be easier if you gave information like the age range of attendees, number of attendees, what you’re looking for, etc. I will say that strip clubs in chicago are pretty terrible. You need to go outside the city for a half decent one.
Javy is scorching. No doubt Shaw was trying to hit him on that first pitch up and in with runners on second and third.
Did anyone else see the Rondon article on the Athletic? The dude is just shitting on the Cubs and I'm triggered. Spoiler: Here Héctor Rondón speaks 'the truth': the Astros are better than the Cubs (No kidding) In the visiting clubhouse of Guaranteed Rate Field, I threw Héctor Rondón a softball and like a hitter teeing off on him when his fastball was at its straightest, he connected. How does the talent on his new team, the Houston Astros, compare with the talent on his old team, the Cubs? “These guys are way better,” he said. “Not because I’m now here. But the way they play, the way they focus, the way they prepare is the difference between those guys and here. I think they’re better than the other guys.” Of course, what else could he say? He’s not on the Cubs anymore. He's speaking in the Astros clubhouse. But don't call Héctor Rondón a bullshitter, my friends. “No,” he said. “I said the truth. I don’t have to be fake. I say what I see. And I think those guys prepare really good too. But it is what it is.” He's not the first Astro to say that, of course. A year ago, this argument, Cubs vs. Astros, wouldn’t have qualified as controversial, but since the Cubs had just won a World Series and the Astros had not, it would've been a fun barroom argument. Two teams that bottomed out only rise up as baseball's new darlings. Now? Outside of true Cubs zealots, no one is saying the Cubs are the better team, especially given how they’re playing right now. Maybe the Cubs, 8-8 going into their road series in Colorado on Friday, are nursing Houston’s World Series hangover? The difference between the Astros, who are currently defying the Cubs' problems of yesteryear with a 13-7 record, a plus-33 run differential and an AL-best 2.45 ERA, is the depth on the roster and the amount of multi-skilled players on the team, Rondón said. While Houston’s offense is middle-of-the-pack right now, a top three of George Springer, José Altuve and Carlos Correa is pretty tough to contend with, as Los Angeles learned last October. (Every summer Cubs fans should send flowers to Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow for drafting Mark Appel instead of Kris Bryant. Otherwise, yikes.) “Yeah, we have everything,” Rondón said. “We have power, we have speed, we have infield [defense], pitching. It’s more about preparation, what we believe in here we can do. That is what we have in here. They show me that and I see it.” Former Cubs relief pitcher Héctor Rondón was downcast in his third-inning appearances against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS. It was his last appearance as a Cub. (Jim Young/USA TODAY Sports) Rondón was one of the cheap finds the Cubs were able to turn into a major contributor during their rebuilding process, going from Rule 5 guy in 2013 to closer in 2014. From 2014-15, he saved 59 games, giving up 30 earned runs in 133 1/3 innings as a very reliable ninth-inning guy. For that performance alone, he'll always be remembered fondly by Cubs fans. It was that kind of low-risk, high-reward transaction that helped the Cubs beat the odds in their rebuild. You can't do it on amateur draft picks and free agents alone. The White Sox can only hope some of their similar moves pay off as well in the coming years. It’s too bad Rondón didn’t get a starring role in the World Series, but at least he got to be a part of the ride. Four of his five appearances in the 2015 postseason were clean, notching two saves in the NLDS series win over the Cardinals. He lost his closing job in 2016 when the Cubs traded Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Chapman and didn’t complain. (Who could grouse about losing a job to Chapman?) After a mid-August stint on the DL with a triceps issue, he threw six innings over seven games in the postseason, but only appeared in a mop-up role in two World Series losses, Games 1 and 4. In last year’s NLCS, after going through late-season elbow discomfort and some control problems that made him imminently hittable, he was barely a factor, giving up two runs in three innings. He wasn't on the roster in the divisional round. So it wasn’t a surprise the Cubs non-tendered him in the offseason and he said he doesn’t harbor any ill will. It doesn’t hurt that he landed on his feet with the best team in baseball two weeks later on a two-year, $8.5 million deal. He said it was difficult to lose his closer job in 2016 — and then again before 2017 when the Cubs signed Wade Davis — but not to leave Chicago. He still keeps in touch with bullpen coach Lester Strode, Pedro Strop and Javy Báez, among others. When asked about pitching coach Chris Bosio’s departure, well, Rondón isn’t blind and deaf. He knew there was friction with Bosio and his bosses. But like any player who has to revisit his past with the media when he comes back to town, he wasn’t super excited to dwell on it. As one reporter noted, he didn’t call them “the Cubs,” but rather “those guys.” “I don’t care about them,” he said. “I just worry about me.” As for him, he’s given up two runs on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings this season, striking out 10 and walking none. With Ken Giles closing for Houston, Rondón has come in four times in the seventh, twice in the eighth and once in the sixth and 10th innings. “Just coming here to throw whatever inning they ask,” he said. “Sometimes they put me in a tie game, big game, shit like that. I’m coming here just to compete with my team.” Will Rondón see his old team again in October? Both teams would certainly be happy for that reunion.
I think what irks me the most is that the Cubs haven't had a good start, granted. But the matter of fact way they're just like... "Yea the Stros are way better" backed up with the Rondon quotes. Cubs have started like shit but still have a +25 run diff compared to +43 for Stros in 4 less games. You can't just state definitively that the Stros have been, are, and will be better. "a top three of George Springer, José Altuve and Carlos Correa is pretty tough to contend with, as Los Angeles learned last October. " Yea... I like my top 3, 4, and 5 more.
I'd be surprised if it's still "we" come playoff time, Hector. And the "it's too bad Hector didn't get to be a part of the world series" line? Please. He was a liability. Mention that. Don't act like he was sidelined with an injury.
I don't have any problem with him saying what he did. Like the article mentions what else do you expect him to say. It's an odd narrative around the Astros to be talking so much about us. They seem to be borderline obsessed with us
I don't, because it implies that's the only route he could have taken when it's actually commonplace in pro sports to give the most boring, uncontroversial statement possible.
Yankees are expected to call up Torres. We'll finally get to see what we missed out on. I'll take the WS over having him but I'm still interested.
He’s absolutley crushing it. If he could keep the average around even .250 against righties and take a few more walks I’d have no isusss with him in center field every day. It’s baseball though so eventually he’s going to cool off and hopefully Happ will figure things out. edit: Just looked up his splits and he hit .271 against righties last year. Had no idea it was that good. At .333 against righties this year which is actually better than he’s hitting lefties going into tonight. Small sample of course. He definitely hasn’t played his way out of the job over these last two years.
Darvish is pissing me off. Stop walking guys, especially the fucking opposing pitcher. Just like that a 2-0 lead becomes a 3-2 deficit.
Can’t even get through 5. Again. Fuck this guy. I honestly thought he was going to be better than Jake. John Lackey could at least eat up innings.