Official 2017 STL Cardinals Thread

[BigRedChief]

My as well get it started. Here's my "Matheny" lineup.....

Fowler CF
Diaz SS
Carpenter 1B
Piscotty RF
Grichuk LF
Molina C
Peralta 3B
Wong 2B
Pitcher

My "Matheny" Starting rotation

Martinez
Reyes
Wainwright
Lynn
Leake

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by BDj23

Pirates hung 10 on the Cubs in the top of the 1st.

Jesus Christ.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by BDj23

Pirates hung 10 on the Cubs in the top of the 1st.

Been awhile since I've watched a game. It's absolutely amazing to me how the **** this team is even close to .500.

With those 10 1st inning runs I believe that puts them at 80 for the season. And they've trailed in all but like 20 games this season. It's beyond pathetic.

Pretty amazing what losing David Ross, a backup catcher, and Dexter Fowler can do to a team.

Worst part about it is that the FO sounds like they are going to ****ing panic and grab a rental catcher in Alex Avila. How much is it going to cost to get 2 months of a catcher hitting for .900 OPS? And for what? This team needs about 3 playoff caliber pitchers and a leadoff man that possesses the ability to steal bases and create offense outside of homeruns. There's zero chance that a ****ing part time catcher is going to elevate the team and put them in a position to compete with the Dodgers or Nationals.

I would rather them sell Davis to the Nationals. He's the Cubs only player for the AS game and he's been perfect in save opportunities. The Nationals have a god awful bullpen and Davis would easily be the best closer available on the market. I doubt they could get an offer like the Yankees go for both Chapman and Miller, but even if they could get Fedde and Soto that would be amazing.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Been awhile since I've watched a game. It's absolutely amazing to me how the **** this team is even close to .500.

With those 10 1st inning runs I believe that puts them at 80 for the season. And they've trailed in all but like 20 games this season. It's beyond pathetic.

Pretty amazing what losing David Ross, a backup catcher, and Dexter Fowler can do to a team.

Worst part about it is that the FO sounds like they are going to ****ing panic and grab a rental catcher in Alex Avila. How much is it going to cost to get 2 months of a catcher hitting for .900 OPS? And for what? This team needs about 3 playoff caliber pitchers and a leadoff man that possesses the ability to steal bases and create offense outside of homeruns. There's zero chance that a ****ing part time catcher is going to elevate the team and put them in a position to compete with the Dodgers or Nationals.

I would rather them sell Davis to the Nationals. He's the Cubs only player for the AS game and he's been perfect in save opportunities. The Nationals have a god awful bullpen and Davis would easily be the best closer available on the market. I doubt they could get an offer like the Yankees go for both Chapman and Miller, but even if they could get Fedde and Soto that would be amazing.

No, seriously, y'all want Fowler back?

Sure, fine, hit hits on occasion. Whatever. I CANNOT HANDLE WATCHING HIM COAST IN THE OUTFIELD ANYMORE!!!!!

Dexter...they don't get to the gap as easily if you actually ****ING RUN AFTER THE BALL! Oh, and when you actually get to it, try THROWING it back, not this lollygagging Jon Jay looper crap.

The guy just doesn't give a good god damn on defense at all and it drives me insane.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Been awhile since I've watched a game. It's absolutely amazing to me how the **** this team is even close to .500.

With those 10 1st inning runs I believe that puts them at 80 for the season. And they've trailed in all but like 20 games this season. It's beyond pathetic.

Pretty amazing what losing David Ross, a backup catcher, and Dexter Fowler can do to a team.

Worst part about it is that the FO sounds like they are going to ****ing panic and grab a rental catcher in Alex Avila. How much is it going to cost to get 2 months of a catcher hitting for .900 OPS? And for what? This team needs about 3 playoff caliber pitchers and a leadoff man that possesses the ability to steal bases and create offense outside of homeruns. There's zero chance that a ****ing part time catcher is going to elevate the team and put them in a position to compete with the Dodgers or Nationals.

I would rather them sell Davis to the Nationals. He's the Cubs only player for the AS game and he's been perfect in save opportunities. The Nationals have a god awful bullpen and Davis would easily be the best closer available on the market. I doubt they could get an offer like the Yankees go for both Chapman and Miller, but even if they could get Fedde and Soto that would be amazing.

I wouldn't bitch too much. If the Indians didn't implode in the WS, you're still staring at that century-plus long streak of ineptitude. Theo brought in some great hitters and got extremely fortunate that Arrieta un****ed himself and pitched out of his skull for about a year and a half while Kyle Hendricks simultaneously rode unbelievable batted ball luck when he's really just a #3 starter with marginal stuff.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

No, seriously, y'all want Fowler back?

Sure, fine, hit hits on occasion. Whatever. I CANNOT HANDLE WATCHING HIM COAST IN THE OUTFIELD ANYMORE!!!!!

Dexter...they don't get to the gap as easily if you actually ****ING RUN AFTER THE BALL! Oh, and when you actually get to it, try THROWING it back, not this lollygagging Jon Jay looper crap.

The guy just doesn't give a good god damn on defense at all and it drives me insane.

Nope.

I've always thought Fowler was overrated. His defense has never been good, he just managed to look serviceable in one of the smallest CF's in MLB. And I've never really understood the "speed threat" label he gets either. With how often he got on base last year, you would think a speed threat would steal more than 13 ****ing bases.

Cardinals overpaid for an outlier offensive year and a belief that he turned a corner defensively but didn't take into account the area he was asked to cover.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I wouldn't bitch too much. If the Indians didn't implode in the WS, you're still staring at that century-plus long streak of ineptitude. Theo brought in some great hitters and got extremely fortunate that Arrieta un****ed himself and pitched out of his skull for about a year and a half while Kyle Hendricks simultaneously rode unbelievable batted ball luck when he's really just a #3 starter with marginal stuff.

Indians didn't implode. They lost to a better team. The Cubs saved themselves embarrassment and thankfully the AS game still decided homefield advantage because if they had to play 4 games in Chicago they would have lost. Putting Schwarber in the lineup forced Maddon to not be a ****ing reerun with the lineup and using Bryant as a table setter, like he is using him again this season, and Rizzo 3rd.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Indians didn't implode. They lost to a better team. The Cubs saved themselves embarrassment and thankfully the AS game still decided homefield advantage because if they had to play 4 games in Chicago they would have lost. Putting Schwarber in the lineup forced Maddon to not be a ****ing reerun with the lineup and using Bryant as a table setter, like he is using him again this season, and Rizzo 3rd.

The Cubs weren't actually as good as you claim, though. Have Arrieta and Hendricks pitch to their true talent levels and the Cubs are a lot closer to a 90 win team than a 105 win juggernaut.

A lot of teams (2013 Red Sox) look a lot better than what they are when seven or eight guys stack career years simultaneously.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

The Cubs weren't actually as good as you claim, though. Have Arrieta and Hendricks pitch to their true talent levels and the Cubs are a lot closer to a 90 win team than a 105 win juggernaut.

A lot of teams (2013 Red Sox) look a lot better than what they are when seven or eight guys stack career years simultaneously.

Ya you're right. They were just the best team in baseball from the first game to the last game. They had historically good defense. The best pitching staff in baseball. And an entire infield of All-Stars.

Kluber and Miller were the only things the Indians had going for them in the playoffs and if it weren't for the Cubs going full reerun against Tomlin, the series would have been over in 6 and Kluber would have never had the chance to pitch a 3rd game.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Ya you're right. They were just the best team in baseball from the first game to the last game. They had historically good defense. The best pitching staff in baseball. And an entire infield of All-Stars.

Kluber and Miller were the only things the Indians had going for them in the playoffs and if it weren't for the Cubs going full reerun against Tomlin, the series would have been over in 6 and Kluber would have never had the chance to pitch a 3rd game.

It wasn't actually the best staff in baseball. It was a staff of guys stacking aberrational years on top of one another. They had the lowest BABIP in baseball by 30 points. That's not all attributable to defense, nor is the fact that they had the highest strand rate in the game.

They're on pace to save 50 fewer defensive runs than last year despite returning everyone but a backup catcher and a subpar defensive CF, and their 2017 numbers would be in line with their 2015 numbers.

The Cubs have and have had very good defense and pitching, but it is not elite as you suggest, even if the numbers masqueraded as such last year. It's no different than the Cardinals' fluke years with RISP in 2013 or ERA in 2015.

[jd1020]

Whatever you have to tell yourself. A bunch of pre-arbitration players had career years last season.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Whatever you have to tell yourself. A bunch of pre-arbitration players had career years last season.

Lester and Hendricks did. Arrieta continued pitching above his talent level before slowly returning back to Earth near the season's end. That's 60% of your starts. That, combined with aberrational defense makes a big difference.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Lester and Hendricks did. Arrieta continued pitching above his talent level before slowly returning back to Earth near the season's end. That's 60% of your starts. That, combined with aberrational defense makes a big difference.

Jon Lester has just been one of the best pitchers in baseball his entire career.

Arrieta wasn't even Arrieta last year, just a FYI.

Kyle Hendricks came back down to earth yet he holds a career ERA of just over 3 with a career WHIP of just over 1. And out dueled Clayton Kershaw in the deciding NLCS game and shouldn't have been taken out in game 7 of the WS as early as he was. His BABIP is literally just .009 points higher this year. The difference is not his ****ing BABIP. The difference is he's throwing 85mph fastballs, he was touching 91 last year, and he's lost that off balance change of speeds on his changeup because of it and his strikeouts are down and HR's are up.

You literally dont have a clue about anything related to the Cubs.

I mean... I'm talking to a guy who thinks a bunch of 1st and 2nd year players had career defining seasons.

[Frazod]

[VAChief]

That was one of the better A/S games even without the "now it counts" no longer a factor.

It had some of that old 70's and 80's old school feel to it. It will never be like that totally anymore with inter-league play.

I know it will never happen, but I think it would actually help to go back to only regular season games in your league. It makes the Series feel more authentic in my opinion. I hate the DH rule, but I would trade that for getting rid of inter-league play.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by VAChief

That was one of the better A/S games even without the "now it counts" no longer a factor.

It had some of that old 70's and 80's old school feel to it. It will never be like that totally anymore with inter-league play.

I know it will never happen, but I think it would actually help to go back to only regular season games in your league. It makes the Series feel more authentic in my opinion. I hate the DH rule, but I would trade that for getting rid of inter-league play.

So in exchange for not having the NL play the AL anymore, you'd essentially eliminate the NL?

Because I would make literally every possible concession imaginable up to and including making them play in ****ing skirts with advertising all over them in order to ensure that the DH doesn't come to the National League.

If you'd accept the DH into the NL in order to avoid interleague play, you don't really 'hate the DH rule'. Because interleague is, at worst, a passing annoyance for what, 20 games/season? The DH, OTOH, would goddamn ruin the national league.

****ing stupid softball rule.