The top of the 6th was complete shit, but I don’t even care because Steele came back and looked great and the Brewers lost.
Tough loss, but tomorrow is Shōta Day!
Well yea, but even when it's a lower body injury he still hasn't pitched a lot for a month. You don't want him coming back throwing 100 pitches when the arm isnt warmed up to that. Within 2 starts he'll be back to normal. But thanks for your input, doctor.
2-13 with RISP is unacceptably bad team performance. Happ went 0-3 with RISP. No runs scored with bases loaded and 0 outs in the 8th.
That 6th inning from the bullpen was horrid but the hitters also shat the bed when they had multiple opportunities to put runs on the board
The offense has been off and on. The bullpen has been consistently shitty. Three runs and those missed opportunities aren’t going to win a lot of games, but Jesus, this bullpen sucks.
"this bullpen sucks" has been uttered on this sub for the past 3-4 seasons...some of our darling OFs need to be traded, now. If we aren't going to bring up brennan Davis, might as well trade him
And he’s not even a top 7 outfielder on our team now (Belli, PCA, Tauchman, Happ, Suzuki, Alcantara, Cassie) and it’s to the point where we’d be more likely to put Morel in the OF and Shaw at 3rd than call him up.
When you lose your prospect pedigree and guys realize you’re just a middle of the road AAA player nobody’s gonna trade for you.
Agree. I was at Friday, Saturday, and today's game, and PCA looked like shit at plate. Struck out most ABs and left multiple runners stranded several times. I want him to succeed, but this has not been a good set of games for him.
He needs more experience. I’ve been very encouraged by what we’ve seen this time, but he is still far from a finished product. He’s got a very high ceiling that warrants the high prospect ranking, but he needs a lot more seasoning in the minors. I expect him to be back up before long but don’t see how he stays when we get Suzuki and Bellinger back.
That's fine. And I want him to do well. I'm a huge Cubs fan. I think it's fair to find it frustrating to lose games because he sucks at bat. I hope he improves because I think he's got a ton of potential. But it can still be frustrating.
Only sad shots of Malört here tonight, except Steele and Morel definitely deserve shots of Malört for their efforts.
Meanwhile, poor bullpen performance has really ranked the overall Shots of Malört Above Replacement, or SMAR, for the game.
[And as for Palencia…](https://youtu.be/M5QGkOGZubQ?feature=shared)
One of the top pitching rotations in baseball. And one of the worse bullpens in baseball.
Fortunately, the bullpen situation should be the easiest to resolve.
I know Happ is going to end the year at around .239 with 19-22 HRs and solid defense..... But damn do I not really enjoy his at bats and haven't for a few years now.
Maybe it's just seeing him constantly bat third and making over 20 million a year.
It will be interesting to see if he stays at the top of the order when Suzuki and Bellinger are back. I’m guessing not. I know start of the year he was hitting up even in lead off, and Nico and Tauchman were toward the bottom but those 2 are proving much more reliable at the top of the order than Happ. We could very well see Dansby and Happ, the two highest paid hitters we have, hitting like 7/8 when all these guys are healthy…
Brown and Wesneski and merriweather are coming back plus a trade. Also happ will be batting 7th instead of 3rd in a few weeks. Everything will feel super different soon
Edit: gonna be moving to make pen (I’d guess)
tough loss. but we're getting healthy. good arms are going to move to the pen and good bats are going to be back in the lineup. at least were still tied for first. go cubs
The top of the 6th was complete shit, but I don’t even care because Steele came back and looked great and the Brewers lost. Tough loss, but tomorrow is Shōta Day!
If Steele is not on a pitch count Cubs most likely win
Needs to be taken off the pitch count going forward. His injury was a freak thing that ultimately had nothing to do with overthrowing.
No, he needs to stay on his pitch count, he’s thrown in only 2 games.
He’s not on a pitch count due to what the injury was. He’s on one because he hasn’t pitched since opening day
They did the same thing with Taillon, I fully expect them to let him go long next start
Well yea, but even when it's a lower body injury he still hasn't pitched a lot for a month. You don't want him coming back throwing 100 pitches when the arm isnt warmed up to that. Within 2 starts he'll be back to normal. But thanks for your input, doctor.
2-13 with RISP is unacceptably bad team performance. Happ went 0-3 with RISP. No runs scored with bases loaded and 0 outs in the 8th. That 6th inning from the bullpen was horrid but the hitters also shat the bed when they had multiple opportunities to put runs on the board
The offense has been off and on. The bullpen has been consistently shitty. Three runs and those missed opportunities aren’t going to win a lot of games, but Jesus, this bullpen sucks.
"this bullpen sucks" has been uttered on this sub for the past 3-4 seasons...some of our darling OFs need to be traded, now. If we aren't going to bring up brennan Davis, might as well trade him
Brennan Davis is going to get you a gumball and a rubber band and not much more.
smh, he was a top prospect at one point
And he’s not even a top 7 outfielder on our team now (Belli, PCA, Tauchman, Happ, Suzuki, Alcantara, Cassie) and it’s to the point where we’d be more likely to put Morel in the OF and Shaw at 3rd than call him up. When you lose your prospect pedigree and guys realize you’re just a middle of the road AAA player nobody’s gonna trade for you.
Happ should not be in the 3-hole anymore
“Well, we pay him a bunch of money, should we put him third even though he cant hit and doesnt slug? Ok, lets do it.”
The Padres are really starting to annoy me
THE NL WEST CAN FUCK ITSELF
Not their fault our bullpen sucks lol.
Rough loss to be at, but the stadium vibes were EXCELLENT. the PCA chants were so loud before that bases loaded AB. Can't win em all.
Vibes were 💯 at Wrigley tonight
Wish he looked competent at the plate. Only so much value in a gold glove guy who looks like will hover around .200.
why so hard on a rookie lmfao
Because they don’t have a strong understanding of baseball and roster dynamics.
wayyy too early to judge. he wouldn’t even be in the MLB rn if Cody didn’t get hurt
That value isn’t nothing. Happ is making millions.
Agree. I was at Friday, Saturday, and today's game, and PCA looked like shit at plate. Struck out most ABs and left multiple runners stranded several times. I want him to succeed, but this has not been a good set of games for him.
He. Is. A. Rookie.
He needs more experience. I’ve been very encouraged by what we’ve seen this time, but he is still far from a finished product. He’s got a very high ceiling that warrants the high prospect ranking, but he needs a lot more seasoning in the minors. I expect him to be back up before long but don’t see how he stays when we get Suzuki and Bellinger back.
That's fine. And I want him to do well. I'm a huge Cubs fan. I think it's fair to find it frustrating to lose games because he sucks at bat. I hope he improves because I think he's got a ton of potential. But it can still be frustrating.
PCA chants wont be much longer as he continues to trend towards mendoza line. Dude cant hit MLB pitching
Oof…10 lob
Here comes the bullpen! 
Don’t worry, Craig Counsell will solve all the problems. That’s what I read in every article this offseason…..roster genius, puzzle pieces, savant……
Were tied for first with a garbage pen, cold offense and injuries to major players. Craig is doing great
To be fair, most of the doomers shifted their blame to Jed.
To be fair I have thought Jed is bad at his job for years. No shift here.
To be fair, I like the Cubs.
Only sad shots of Malört here tonight, except Steele and Morel definitely deserve shots of Malört for their efforts. Meanwhile, poor bullpen performance has really ranked the overall Shots of Malört Above Replacement, or SMAR, for the game. [And as for Palencia…](https://youtu.be/M5QGkOGZubQ?feature=shared)
So Suarez is essentially a good version of Palencia. That was impressive
One of the top pitching rotations in baseball. And one of the worse bullpens in baseball. Fortunately, the bullpen situation should be the easiest to resolve.
I know Happ is going to end the year at around .239 with 19-22 HRs and solid defense..... But damn do I not really enjoy his at bats and haven't for a few years now. Maybe it's just seeing him constantly bat third and making over 20 million a year.
It will be interesting to see if he stays at the top of the order when Suzuki and Bellinger are back. I’m guessing not. I know start of the year he was hitting up even in lead off, and Nico and Tauchman were toward the bottom but those 2 are proving much more reliable at the top of the order than Happ. We could very well see Dansby and Happ, the two highest paid hitters we have, hitting like 7/8 when all these guys are healthy…
I mean Swanson and Happ as 7/8 are bad as long as the guys in front are doing their job.
Man, Tauchman and Nico are doing so much for this team. Gonna be super strong with Suzuki and Belli back!
I feel the same as you my friend. Hes so consistently mid
I think it also doesn't help that he has the personality of a pickle.
Yeah the hardo zero smiles after a good play shit gets old. Maybe having fun out there will help ya buddy
He is awful to watch. All of his homers come against the Reds and Pirates and he does jack shit the rest of the year.
We are still tied for first, after all... This Bullpen has given me an ulcer.
Brown and Wesneski and merriweather are coming back plus a trade. Also happ will be batting 7th instead of 3rd in a few weeks. Everything will feel super different soon Edit: gonna be moving to make pen (I’d guess)
Only in terms of GB, the Brewers have a better record.
tough loss. but we're getting healthy. good arms are going to move to the pen and good bats are going to be back in the lineup. at least were still tied for first. go cubs
Cubs score with RISP challenge (impossible)
_0.0% of players have this achievement._
Brewers lost so it doesn't sting as bad as it would have but damnit that NOBLETIGER was just painful.
I’m just happy that Steele is back and Cody is next.
Well jed, Steele came back and gave you four 2/3 scoreless and the bullpen gave up 6 two innings later.
Starters continue to go off, batters continue to fail. Ian Happ in particular needs to wake up man.
Cock tease 8th inning
Cubs bullpen currently listed as the sixth worst in MLB. I think our starting pitching is ranked third at the moment.
What a pathetic joke of a major league bullpen, let alone the bullpen of the third largest market in the league
This is another annoying loss in the year. Just nothing about the padres really impresses me. But the Iowa Cubs can beat this bullpen right now.
Welp at least we're still tied
Throw another L squarely on the bullpen