2019 MLB Season Thread

CSF77

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He plays 1B, so I'm gonna guess they preferred Rizzo at 1B over Vogelbach when they made that trade..

It taken him 4 yrs since that trade to have a good first couple weeks of season..
So, I think they made the right move

There is that. I would guess that he could stand in left like Schwarber did also.

Just a muse. I kinda questioned them avoiding pitching that year and taking the 14 ranked pick 4.

Basically Vogelbach was the same hitter.
 

chibears55

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Wow.. Yankees losing another big player to the IL..
Aaron Judge
 

CSF77

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Cubs QA:

Tyler Chatwood looked great against the D-backs on Sunday. Will he make another start with Jon Lester still out?
-- Jack S., Chicago

Chatwood was efficient and impressive against Arizona, but a lot of the decision to have him pitch was due to the D-backs' struggles against right-handed pitching. For now, expect Chatwood to move back to the bullpen and be on call for another spot start, if needed. At least the Cubs can now be confident that Chatwood is a viable option if another matchup situation comes up like it did with the D-backs. As for Lester, I wouldn't expect him to be on the injured list much longer.

Brandon Morrow had another setback and now we don't know when he will be available for the Cubs. I've got three words to solve this problem: Get Craig Kimbrel.
-- Kyle R., Chicago

I agree that going after Kimbrel would make a lot of sense for the Cubs, but there has been nothing new to indicate that Chicago will suddenly be able to make room in the player budget for that kind of move. Here's some good bullpen news: the Cubs' relief corps has a 2.85 ERA in 41 innings dating back to April 6. I picked that day because that's when the bullpen had its first real transaction shakeup. Part of that improvement is due to better numbers from the rotation, but the relief arms have been sorting themselves out, too.
 

CSF77

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Cubs QA:

Tyler Chatwood looked great against the D-backs on Sunday. Will he make another start with Jon Lester still out?
-- Jack S., Chicago

Chatwood was efficient and impressive against Arizona, but a lot of the decision to have him pitch was due to the D-backs' struggles against right-handed pitching. For now, expect Chatwood to move back to the bullpen and be on call for another spot start, if needed. At least the Cubs can now be confident that Chatwood is a viable option if another matchup situation comes up like it did with the D-backs. As for Lester, I wouldn't expect him to be on the injured list much longer.

Brandon Morrow had another setback and now we don't know when he will be available for the Cubs. I've got three words to solve this problem: Get Craig Kimbrel.
-- Kyle R., Chicago

I agree that going after Kimbrel would make a lot of sense for the Cubs, but there has been nothing new to indicate that Chicago will suddenly be able to make room in the player budget for that kind of move. Here's some good bullpen news: the Cubs' relief corps has a 2.85 ERA in 41 innings dating back to April 6. I picked that day because that's when the bullpen had its first real transaction shakeup. Part of that improvement is due to better numbers from the rotation, but the relief arms have been sorting themselves out, too.

Removal of the two weakest links solved the problem.
 

CubsFaninMN

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After 2018's scheduling difficulties, where the Cubs lost pretty much every off day for the final two months of the season to make-up games, I would have thought this would have been observed and addressed. It hasn't been.

I think the Cubs are tied with like four teams for the fewest games played through April 30th. And I bet that, if you looked at the total number of games scheduled to have been played as of September 1st, the Cubs will still be tied with like four or five teams with the fewest games. And while the rest of the league gets three or four off days in September, the Cubs get to play that month with only one or two. If they run into any rain in August, that shrinks to none.

That seems to be a built-in scheduling bias against certain teams, the Cubs included. I get that the Cubs play home games in an open-air stadium, that they tend to start the year on the road against teams who always schedule a home opener and then an off day, etc. But you know, there are enough stadia with roofs that you could actually schedule a full series, with no off day after the home opener, in a lot of them. And have northern city open-air stadium teams like the Cubs play them in early April.

If I were Theo or the Ricketts, with two straight years of a schedule whose off day scheme is provably biased against them, I would consider making official complaint to the League office. And maybe think about legal action. It's not a level playing field, and while some things, like juicing baseballs going to specific ballparks, could be happening behind the scenes with no way to prove it, this bias is out there for all to see. It's not just provable, it's just plain fact. And needs to be addressed.

-Doug
 

TL1961

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After 2018's scheduling difficulties, where the Cubs lost pretty much every off day for the final two months of the season to make-up games, I would have thought this would have been observed and addressed. It hasn't been.

I think the Cubs are tied with like four teams for the fewest games played through April 30th. And I bet that, if you looked at the total number of games scheduled to have been played as of September 1st, the Cubs will still be tied with like four or five teams with the fewest games. And while the rest of the league gets three or four off days in September, the Cubs get to play that month with only one or two. If they run into any rain in August, that shrinks to none.

That seems to be a built-in scheduling bias against certain teams, the Cubs included. I get that the Cubs play home games in an open-air stadium, that they tend to start the year on the road against teams who always schedule a home opener and then an off day, etc. But you know, there are enough stadia with roofs that you could actually schedule a full series, with no off day after the home opener, in a lot of them. And have northern city open-air stadium teams like the Cubs play them in early April.

If I were Theo or the Ricketts, with two straight years of a schedule whose off day scheme is provably biased against them, I would consider making official complaint to the League office. And maybe think about legal action. It's not a level playing field, and while some things, like juicing baseballs going to specific ballparks, could be happening behind the scenes with no way to prove it, this bias is out there for all to see. It's not just provable, it's just plain fact. And needs to be addressed.

-Doug

The Cubs have ONE day off in June.
Including the 4 star All Star break, the Cubs have NINE off days in July - including a Friday!
Once they reach September, they have TWO days off - until those are needed for makeup games.

I guess the only good news, so far, is that they do not yet have any rain outs to make up later.
 

zack54attack

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Milwaukee already up 4-0.
 

Chief Walking Stick

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Was at Red Sox vs Twins game last night in the longest game ever at Target Field.

17 innings... game didn't end until 1:07am.
 

CubsFaninMN

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Finally decided I needed to see another Cub game live at Wrigley while I still can manage it. Got tickets for the July 17 afternoon game against the Reds. I'll try and take a few pictures at the game, let y'all see how the park looks these days from aspects you don't see on TV.

It's been 24 years since I've been to a game at Wrigley. I really want to re-connect with the place physically. It'll help me put myself on the scene in my mind as I watch the games.
 

SilenceS

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I have never seen so many strikes threes called right down the middle. The NL just refusing to swing.
 

zack54attack

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Finally decided I needed to see another Cub game live at Wrigley while I still can manage it. Got tickets for the July 17 afternoon game against the Reds. I'll try and take a few pictures at the game, let y'all see how the park looks these days from aspects you don't see on TV.

It's been 24 years since I've been to a game at Wrigley. I really want to re-connect with the place physically. It'll help me put myself on the scene in my mind as I watch the games.


24? Holy smokes. You're in for a shocker. A TON of changes inside and out.
 

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