2018-07-15: Brewers (Chacín) at Pirates (Musgrove) 12:35 PM CDT [Brewers lose, 7-6 in 10 innings]

[adambr2]

You guys excusing Counsell realize that Jennings is NOT a LOOGY, right? He is an even split guy for his career. If he had pulled Williams for Josh Hader, I don't think anyone would be blaming Counsell.

 

Dan Jennings isn't a good reliever. Taylor Williams is. There was one out left to get. In the absence of any certainty, which there wasn't, ride the better arm. That was an atrocious joke of a meatball that Jennings left right over the heart of the plate.

 

Not sure if it was you, but I know some had a topic about William's having "Roogy" type stats. I would've kept Williams in there too, but I don't see this as a black and white situation.

 

At the time I posted that, he did. But he's actually been quite dominant against lefties since then.

 

The problem with the move wasn't the next guy, it was the fact that if you didn't retire him, you couldn't get Williams back in and were stuck with Jennings against Bell, which is a horrible matchup, Bell has much more success as a righty and Jennings gets destroyed by righties.

 

It would actually have been as good of a time as any to stick Taylor out in a corner OF spot for a batter, but Counsell doesn't venture that far outside of the box.

[LouisEly]

I wonder what Cubs fans were saying two weeks ago when they got swept in four games at Cincinnati?

[TURBO]

A lot of factors lead to this week...

 

They just didn't get it done, and all we can do now is look towards the 2nd half.

 

I don't know about you guys, but I need the break too.

 

lol

[bucks2281]

The schedule out of the break is just brutal. The Nats and an 8 game West Coast Trip, plus no off days until August 6. Thank God we get a week away from this team.

[PinaMadness]

I wonder what Cubs fans were saying two weeks ago when they got swept in four games at Cincinnati?

Probably that they knew they were still a good team and that the Brewers would eventually hit their second half swoon like they always do.

[LouisEly]

The schedule out of the break is just brutal. The Nats and an 8 game West Coast Trip, plus no off days until August 6. Thank God we get a week away from this team.

Cubs have no days off from Aug 20 through Sept 12th with 13 of those 23 on the road including 11 in a row over four cities - ATL, PHI, MIL, WAS.

[BruisedCrew]

Until you look at the upcoming schedule that includes 17 games in 17 days against all playoff contenders, including an 8 game trip to LA and SF. The second half schedule is much tougher than the first half. No Marlins, no Royals, no Twins, no White Sox, no Mets, and the Reds are now a better team than they were in April (and probably better than the Brewers). They do have 3 against the Padres and 3 against the Tigers the last weekend (if those games matter) but there are a lot fewer games against bottom feeders than there were in April and May when they built up their record. Maybe they’ll get lucky and catch some good teams in the midst of big slumps like they did with the DBacks, but I seriously doubt the Brewers can play above .500 the rest of the way, (and I would have said that last week) unless they can fill some of the many holes.

It's not like they haven't beaten good teams. Most good teams pad their record against bad teams.

 

They have beaten some (but not many) good teams, but the bigger point is that they don’t have many games against bad teams to pad their record against after the break. And if they just play .500 ball the rest of the way (which won’t be easy) that won’t be good enough for a wild card spot.

[brewerswinNLcentral]

Why are we calling the nats a very team.they are barely.500

[82brewcrew82]

Until you look at the upcoming schedule that includes 17 games in 17 days against all playoff contenders, including an 8 game trip to LA and SF. The second half schedule is much tougher than the first half. No Marlins, no Royals, no Twins, no White Sox, no Mets, and the Reds are now a better team than they were in April (and probably better than the Brewers). They do have 3 against the Padres and 3 against the Tigers the last weekend (if those games matter) but there are a lot fewer games against bottom feeders than there were in April and May when they built up their record. Maybe they’ll get lucky and catch some good teams in the midst of big slumps like they did with the DBacks, but I seriously doubt the Brewers can play above .500 the rest of the way, (and I would have said that last week) unless they can fill some of the many holes.

It's not like they haven't beaten good teams. Most good teams pad their record against bad teams.

 

They have beaten some (but not many) good teams, but the bigger point is that they don’t have many games against bad teams to pad their record against after the break. And if they just play .500 ball the rest of the way (which won’t be easy) that won’t be good enough for a wild card spot.

It depends on how you define a "good" team. I define it as teams currently above .500. St. Luis (x3), Colorado, Arizona (x2), Phillies, Cubs and Atlanta are series they have won against "good" teams. Cubs (x2), Cleveland and Phillies are series they have lost to "good" teams. They split a series with Cleveland as well. They are 7-3 against the Reds. That's 8-4-1 in series against "good" teams. I thank that qualifies as wins against more than "some".

[MrTPlush]

Yah and we were a really good team going into series against MIA and PIT...how did that work?

 

They might be the worst teams in the NL the next two weeks for all we know.

[brewmann04]

The issue is not to worry about the cubs and worry what up with the brewers

[brewmann04]

Tough loss but CC needs to do better he blew it on not taking out Knebel and then pulling out williams after he got two outs.

[lowblow]

As a Cubs fan, I can tell you that they were unhappy! Due to their recent success (three years in a row in the NLCS), however. most Cubs fans cut them quite a bit of slack. That is reinforced by an incredible confidence in the Front Office being able to pick up a player to fill a hole if that is necessary.

[adambr2]

One thing that got kind of overlooked on the last play because we were all pretty much defeated by then anyway:

 

Kratz had a gift Eddie Sedar windmill out at home and he just kicked the crap out of it. Yes, the rain obviously didnt help but the relay was on line and that's a play a pro catcher needs to make which unfortunately reinforces the notion that Kratz brings absolutely nothing to the table.

 

Wouldn't have won us the game but would have bought us one more chance with the top of the order coming up or at least kept us out of the loss column on a suspended game.

[titletownking]

As a Cubs fan, I can tell you that they were unhappy! Due to their recent success (three years in a row in the NLCS), however. most Cubs fans cut them quite a bit of slack. That is reinforced by an incredible confidence in the Front Office being able to pick up a player to fill a hole if that is necessary.

Why are you here? Seriously.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Good to have a Cubs fan here, especially one that acknowledges the inherent inequality in the two teams' situations.

 

I think we will have reached peak Cub after this year. I do not see those pitchers aging well, and the minors are barren. That team will still hit, but 19 and 20 figure to be better for the Crew on paper. Last year and this year are a team growing into itself.

[Chicago Here]

Tough loss but CC needs to do better he blew it on not taking out Knebel and then pulling out williams after he got two outs.

CC did the right thing. I felt he managed the game well. This one is on the BP. They choked. It happens.

[Chicago Here]

The issue is not to worry about the cubs and worry what up with the brewers

 

true

[superfly]

Tough loss but CC needs to do better he blew it on not taking out Knebel and then pulling out williams after he got two outs.

CC did the right thing. I felt he managed the game well. This one is on the BP. They choked. It happens.

 

Overthinking. Williams was just fine, Josh bell isn't a worldbeater David Ortiz type of hitter.

[lowblow]

Good to have a Cubs fan here, especially one that acknowledges the inherent inequality in the two teams' situations.

 

I think we will have reached peak Cub after this year. I do not see those pitchers aging well, and the minors are barren. That team will still hit, but 19 and 20 figure to be better for the Crew on paper. Last year and this year are a team growing into itself.

 

I realize that you would like to believe that the Cubs have "reached peak", but that is kind of an exercise in wishful thinking. Rizzo and Heyward are 28. Bryant and Contreras are 26. Baez and Schwarber are 25. Russell and Almora are 24 and Happ is 23.

 

Their lower minors are far from "barren", but they certainly don't have any "elite" prospects close to the majors. Unfortunately for the Brewers, they aren't in urgent need of them because their everyday lineup is still quite young.

 

And if you think the financial situation is unequal now, just wait until 2019 and the Cubs new TV deal. They are likely to add an additional 60 and 80 million dollars a year to what they earn now.

[lowblow]

As a Cubs fan, I can tell you that they were unhappy! Due to their recent success (three years in a row in the NLCS), however. most Cubs fans cut them quite a bit of slack. That is reinforced by an incredible confidence in the Front Office being able to pick up a player to fill a hole if that is necessary.

Why are you here? Seriously.

 

Because I like to talk baseball. I am a Cubs fan, but I've been an avid baseball fan since I was six and that's 65 years ago. I went to my first game at Wrigley Field in August of 1953 (a week or two before Ernie Banks joined the Cubs).

[Bobafett89]

Tough loss but CC needs to do better he blew it on not taking out Knebel and then pulling out williams after he got two outs.

CC did the right thing. I felt he managed the game well. This one is on the BP. They choked. It happens.

 

Overthinking. Williams was just fine, Josh bell isn't a worldbeater David Ortiz type of hitter.[/quote

Agreed Sfly. Williams woulda got it dun. I also think he over-thought it in the 6th. Chacin only had 73 pc. 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 ER.

[Pugger]

You guys excusing Counsell realize that Jennings is NOT a LOOGY, right? He is an even split guy for his career. If he had pulled Williams for Josh Hader, I don't think anyone would be blaming Counsell.

 

Dan Jennings isn't a good reliever. Taylor Williams is. There was one out left to get. In the absence of any certainty, which there wasn't, ride the better arm. That was an atrocious joke of a meatball that Jennings left right over the heart of the plate.

 

Counsell has been driving me crazy all season. Everyone could see Knebel didn't have it yesterday but he sends him out again in the 9th and Pitt ties it up. We regain the lead in the 10th and CC does the right thing and brings in Williams. Williams is pitching fine but CC decides to pull him anyway with only one out to go and puts in Jennings, who is uneven to be charitable. This last loss is gonna sting for a while. Perhaps having a few days off will be the elixor to turn this mess around before we end up with a worse record than the Pirates when it is all said and done.

[Chicago Here]

Everyone is constantlmy wiping their hands off, need a new ball every pitch, batter calling time to wipe his bat off and bring of helmet.

 

I mean seriously? Why were we rushing to play and why did the umpire not call it? After that near wild pitch it should have been stopped. Clearly his pitches was being effected to the point he couldn’t even pitch anymore. Yet, play on?

 

Had there been no pitching change, maybe the rains don't factor?

 

lol

 

This is fun, but it's true. Had Counsell left Williams to finish it off, the delay of getting the new pitcher in the game might have allowed it to end, by Willaims, before the rains came that hard.

Sometimes CC is a bonehead....but very few times. This last few losses are the result of players not doing the job they are being paid to do. If any coach was to be blamed then blame or fire the batting coach.