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#Post#: 237626--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: Dihard Date: August 17, 2015, 6:44 pm
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Curt - I keep waiting for that as well, but we're gettin' pretty
late in the game. I would LOVE to see them start to slip and
fall into a wild card spot (to us, preferably, of course) and
then be done after one post-season game. (If we can't win the
division, taking them out in a one-game wild card playoff would
be pretty sweet, too.) Obviously those scenarios come with some
horrible risk (losing to them in a one-game playoff would be
unbearably painful), but such is life. I do feel like the luck
(and stats) will bite them eventually. But they are the effing
Cardinals, so if anyone can defy statistics and laws of
averages...
#Post#: 237628--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: Chris27 Date: August 17, 2015, 6:54 pm
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The Cardinals continue to thrive without Wainwright, Adams,
Holliday, and others, plus Molina's hitting .220. Why anyone
would think they would falter at this point is a mystery.
#Post#: 237630--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: CurtOne Date: August 17, 2015, 7:24 pm
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It never fails
#Post#: 237631--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: craig Date: August 17, 2015, 7:48 pm
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If you really wanted a historic season, it would be best to face
a do-or-die wildcard matchup with the mighty Pirates. And win.
Then face the really really good Cardinals in a full series, and
beat them in a full, long, well-played series. The drama of
playing a close, tight, well-played series with the great
Cardinals, and then beating them, that would be really a season
to remember. But, let's get that shot at the wildcard game.
These last couple of weeks have been perhaps as fun a stretch of
Cubs baseball as I can remember, or we might almost ever
experience. How often does any team, no matter how good, win 15
out of 16 games? While hitting almost every game, and getting
variably consistent pitching and relief pitching? That was a
super fun run of baseball. We might have a run of very good
seasons, and reach the playoffs in several/many of them. But
will we ever go on a 15-1 binge again? I don't really expect to
ever have a run like that again in my life. (I was surprised
that they'd had a 14-1 in my past memory.)
Part of the fun also the setting. We had a winning record, but
entering that run I thought we were unlikely to make the
playoffs, and that we just really didn't have enough hitting to
to be a good team or to take seriously. But with all of these
run-scoring games, suddenly this run opened new thoughts: this
team really is good, it's not just an average .500 team who
happened to win a bunch of 1-run and extra-inning games. This
actually is a really good team, and it's got a chance this year
and beyond. Kind of the fun of the underdog, unexpected, fun
surprise. 1984 was like that; nobody expected anything, and for
a while it was just a not-that-good team overachieving big; but
then with Eckersley and Sutcliffe it turned into a team that
actually was really good. That was such a fun season; this one
feels kind of like that. (1989 was also a super fun unexpected
successful season.)
And certainly part of the fun is the realization that some of
the guys really are pretty good. Russell has emerged as a
pretty good player. Don't know how good he'll be, but he's
going to stick. Schwarber will have his slumps, but I think
he's probably going to be a hitter. Soler was down for quite a
while, but he's been contributing a lot lately, and having gone
through the downs and doing better again, I'm much more
confident that he's going to make it as a big-league bat.
Bryant don't know how good he'll be, but he's probably going to
survive as a variably good offensive guy, too. It's fun to see
those guys kind of emerging as guys who can be variably capable
guys on a 90+ team. Likewise fun to see Arrieta showing such
consistency of quality. NO pitcher last forever, but for now
he's for real and he's very good. Lester is a long-term guy,
and his stuff doesn't seem that great, and he's hardly
overwhelming, but man that guy is a tough battler, and a great
reminder of what a valuable pitch a good cutter is.
Did I ever mention that I really like the cutter and wish Cub
pitchers used it more and more effectively? Lester's use of the
cutter has been exemplary.
It's been fun.
#Post#: 237632--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: Dihard Date: August 17, 2015, 7:55 pm
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Fun post and perspective to get us through an off-day. Thanks,
Craig.
#Post#: 237636--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: PRCubFan Date: August 17, 2015, 9:05 pm
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Heyward left the Cards game early with a hamstring injury. The
Cards tried to play him in CF. They already have Grichuck and
Holliday on the DL. At some point the injuries have to be too
much for them right?
Hopefully not this series though as we need them to beat the
Giants.
#Post#: 237637--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: ben Date: August 17, 2015, 9:27 pm
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Speaking of the freaking Cardinals, I still can't believe the
got Randall Grichuk (and Bourjos) for David Freese and Fernando
Salas.
I'm afraid Grichuk is going to be a monster...he certainly has
been so far this season when on the field. The kid can really
hit! And appears fast/solid fielder.
I'd love to see them go on a losing streak of about 12 years,
but sure seems lots more likely they're going to continue to be
a great organization that produces consistently strong teams.
#Post#: 237638--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: Chris27 Date: August 17, 2015, 9:44 pm
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Tie game in the 8th, Cardinals get a triple from new star Steven
Piscotty. After an IBB, Reynolds somehow fights off several
2-strike pitches and hits a grounder to the best SS in the game.
Instead of flipping the ball to 2nd for the DP, Crawford spins
around, runs to the bag for the force, and then throws the ball
away to give the Cardinals the lead.
#Post#: 237639--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: ben Date: August 17, 2015, 9:46 pm
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Dbacks beat Pirates/Cole tonight and Cards lead Giants, 2-1, in
the 9th.
Hopefully, we can gain a bit of ground on the other key WC
contenders (at least as of now).
#Post#: 237640--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around Baseball
By: Playtwo Date: August 17, 2015, 10:05 pm
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Cards beat the Giants. That's for the best, I would say.
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