
Cubs (1-2) @ Braves (0-3), 4/1/2019, 6:10CST
Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for the first time in 2019.
Kyle Hendricks takes the mound for the first time in 2019.
Welcome to the end of the void and the beginning of the baseball season!
Remember that, in addition to your brilliant and insightful comments, you are also welcome to join the MeWe chat--on your computer or the great app.
Go Cubs!
The Free Agents Contest has not been determined, but it's already time to reveal your "genius" in a new way: the 2019 TCR Predictions Contest. It's the second or third most wholesome thing you can do on the web.
Make your guesses by the first pitch of opening day. Thoughts and prayers are useless, but bribes can be sent using PayPal, Venmo, or EBT.
Good luck!
While I’m weighing multiple $300m+ offers, I wanted to take a moment to announce a change to the site: I will no longer be making regular daily game thread posts.
If anyone is interested in stepping up to fill that void, let me know. (Perhaps a once-a week rotation could work.)
The good news is that I will still be lurking in the background to keep the site running and making the occasional snide comment. I’ll keep the contests running, too.
It's Game Two of the World Series, so what better time to start thinking of the off-season and who goes where. Yes, yes--it's time for the TCR Free Agents Predictions Contest! http://bit.ly/tcr1819
Congrats again to Anthony, last year's winner, who had a whopping 12 points. See the final results here: http://bit.ly/tcr1718
COL (0-0): LHP Kyle Freeland (0-0, —-)
CHC (0-0): LHP Jon Lester (0-0, —-)
First pitch: 7:00pmCST
We started yesterday morning tied for the best record in the League. Now we're looking down the barrel of an elimination game. Yay, baseball! Of course, if we lose both of these games, we deserve to be eliminated. (I seem to recall saying the same thing about a couple of games in 2003.)
MIL (95-67): RHP Jhoulys Chacin (15-8, 3.56)
CHC (95-67): LHP José Quintana (13-11, 4.09)
First pitch: 12:05pmCST
Quintana gave up 2 ER in 5 innings and had a no-decision against the Pirates on Friday. He's 4-1 with a 2.17 in six starts against the Brewers this season, including 6.2 scoreless innings on September 11 at Wrigley. The Brewers are 63-310 (.203) against him. Moustakas is 12-46 with 3 HR, and Yelich is 1-11.
As the Cubs prepare for the dreaded Game 163 (against the flippin' Brewers?), here are some things to chew on.
Starter: Quintana has great numbers against the Brewers, and I don't like TBD's body language. Advantage Cubs.
Offense: The Cubs have scored 10 more runs on the season, but the Brewers have done better in the second half. Advantage Brewers.
The Bullpen: The Cubs are used up and banged up; the Brewers are rested. Advantage Brewers.
Defense: The Brewers have committed 4 more errors and are playing in someone else's park. Advantage Cubs.
STL (88-73): RHP Jack Flaherty (8-8, 3.16)
CHC (94-67): LHP Mike Montgomery (5-6, 3.99)
First pitch: 2:20pmCST
Montgomery gave up 5 ER in 4 innings and lost to the Pirates on Tuesday. In four games (two starts) against the Cardinals this season, he's 0-1 with a 3.60. Overall, they are 22-77 (.286) against him.
STL (87-73): RHP Miles Mikolas (17-4, 2.94)
CHC (94-66): LHP Cole Hamels (9-11, 3.87)
First pitch: 12:05pmCST
Hamels gave up 2 ER in 6 innings and lost against the Pirates on Monday. The Cardinals are 22-86 (.258) against him. Ozuna is 8-29 with 3 HR.
Mikolas beat the Giants (7 IP, 1 ER) his last time out. In three games against the Cubs this season, he's 2-0 with a 2.00. For their careers, these Cubs are 19-76 (.250) against him. Happ is 3-5.
Tomorrow it's Montgomery and Flaherty at 2:20pmCST to end the regular season.
STL (87-72): RHP Adam Wainwright (2-3, 4.08)
CHC (93-66): RHP Kyle Hendricks (13-11, 3.49)
First pitch: 1:20pmCST
Hendricks gave up 1 ER in 7.2 innings and won on the Southside on Sunday. He's 2-0 with a 4.08 in three games against the Cards this season. Overall, they are 41-168 (.244) against him. Ozuna is 7-19 with 2 HR.
PIT (80-77): RHP Trevor Williams (14-9, 3.04)
CHC (92-66): LHP Jon Lester (17-6, 3.43)
First pitch: 7:05pmCST
Lester won on the Southside on Saturday (5 IP, 2 ER). After an inconsistent couple of months, he's 3-1 with a 1.90 in September. He's 3-1 with a 3.72 in 5 starts against the Pirates this season. Overall, they are 51-208 (.245) against him. Bell is 5-16 with a HR.
PIT (80-76): RHP Ivan Nova (9-9, 4.01)
CHC (91-66): LHP José Quintana (13-11, 4.11)
First pitch: 7:05pmCST
Quintana gave up 5 ER in as many innings and lost to the White Sox on Friday. He had a no-decision in Pittsburgh (5 IP, 1 ER) on August 19. Overall, the Pirates are 11-52 (.212) against him. Dickerson is 4-9
Nova, who had a no-decision against the Brewers his last time out (4.1 IP, 1 ER), is 2-1 with a 2.33 in three starts against the Cubs this season. For their careers, these Cubs are 41-176 (.233) against him. Happ is 4-17 with 3 HR, and Contreras is 5-11.
PIT (79-76): RHP Chris Archer (5-8, 4.49)
CHC (91-65): LHP Mike Montgomery (5-5, 3.75)
First pitch: 7:05pmCST
Montgomery won in Arizona his last time out (6 IP, 1 ER). He's 2-0 with a 2.63 in two starts (and three games) against the Pirates. Overall, they are 17-70 (.243) against him. Mercer is 4-9 with a HR.
Archer gave up 1 ER in 7 innings and beat KC his last time out. The Cubs are 15-47 (.319) against him for their careers. Baez is 3-6.
Quintana and Nova tomorrow at the same time.
Go Cubs!
PIT (78-76): RHP Jameson Taillon (13-9, 3.24)
CHC (91-64): LHP Cole Hamels (9-10, 3.90)
First pitch: 7:05pmCST
Hamels didn't have it on Wednesday in Arizona—to say the least, giving up 7 ER in 6 innings. That was probably bound to happen. He has two wins and twelve scoreless innings against the Pirates this season—and a nice chance to right the ship. Overall, they are 20-78 (.256) against him. Marte is 10-20 with a HR.
Recent comments
crunch 09/24/2023 - 09:52 pm (view)
cubs win...so do MIA and CIN,. ARZ is close to winning (up by 6 in the 8th). total wash of a day.
off day tomorrow then it's the last week of baseball...not an easy one vs MIL and ATL. last-week drama...
crunch 09/24/2023 - 09:47 pm (view)
merryweather puts the first couple guys on with 0 outs...and smyly is up in the pen. back end of the pen situation is a mess.
crunch 09/24/2023 - 09:31 pm (view)
"Coming into the game, they were 0-819 when trailing by nine runs or more." damn.
Charlie 09/24/2023 - 09:48 am (view)
I wonder how many pitchers have missed this much time in a relatively short span with recurring forearm issues and not had it lead to surgery.
Cubster 09/24/2023 - 09:34 am (view)
Historic win for Pirates...
https://www.mlb.com/news/pirates-mount-historic-rally-to-beat-reds?part…
Arizona Phil 09/23/2023 - 09:02 pm (view)
The deadline for trading players on an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) and players who were outrighted to the minors after signing a 2023 MLB contract was August 1st, but trades involving players on a minor league reserve list are prohibited beginning at 12 PM (Eastern) on the 7th day prior to the originally-scheduled conclusion of the 2023 MLB regular season (Sunday 9/24) through the last day of the MLB regular season (including a day on which a regular season game is played after the originally-scheduled conclusion of the MLB regular season).
Arizona Phil 09/24/2023 - 09:41 am (view)
jdrnym:
As you know, the abbreviation "DFA" stands for "Designated for Assignment."
There are three types of assignments:
1. Trade Assignment (when a player is traded from one MLB club to another)
2. Outright Assignment (when a player is sent to the club's minor league Domestic Reserve List after Outright Assignment Waivers have been secured).
3. Optional Assignment (when a player is optioned to the minors, subject to being recalled at a later time).
So when a player is Designated for Assignment, the player can either be traded, outrighted to the minors, or optioned to the minors.
Normally a player is not Designated for Assignment and then optioned to the minors, because the club could just option the player to the minors immediately without a DFA.
Back in the day It was not that unusual for a player to be Designated for Assignment so that Optional Assignment Waivers could be secured (Optional Assignment Waivers were required before certain players could be optioned to the minors, and just like the old Trade Assignment Waivers, Optional Assignment Waivers were revocable if a player was claimed).
https://www.thecubreporter.com/why-player-designated-assignment-and-the…
Optional Assignment Waivers were eliminated in 2016 and Trade Assignment Waivers were eliminated in 2021, so all revocable waivers have been eliminated. What's left are Outright Assignment Waivers and Outright Release Waivers, and both are irrevocable (cannot be withdrawn) once requested.
With the new five option limit whereby a player can be optioned to the minors no more than five times in a given season before Outright Assignment Waivers must be secured (and it - IS - Outright Assignment Waivers that must be secured, even though it is for the purpose of an Optional Assignment), it now might be necessary for a club to DFA a player to clear a spot on the MLB 26-man roster (MLB 28-man roster in September) for another player and to allow for the two days (actually 47 hours) required to run a player through waivers. After the two day "Waiver Claiming Period" concludes (and presuming the player isn't claimed), the player can be returned to the MLB 40-man roster and optioned to the minors (even after being Designated for Assignment). But for that to happen, the player can - NOT - be replaced on the MLB 40-man roster by another player after being Designated for Assignment.
However, in the case of Jordan Luplow, he had - NOT - been optioned to the minors five times in the 2023 season prior to be optioned to AAA St. Paul on 9/18, so the Twins did not need to DFA Luplow in order to secure Outright Assignment Waivers so that he could be optioned to the minors a sixth time. But because he was Designated for Assignment and not replaced on the 40 by another player after the DFA, the Twins could return him to the 40 and option him to the minors even after he was Designated for Assignment, because an Optional Assignment is one of the three types of assignments.
So Luplow was Designated for Assignment even though he didn't need to be, and then the Twins returned him to their MLB 40-man roster and optioned him to the minors a couple of days later (which they can do, since Luplow wasn't replaced on the 40 by another player after he was Designated for Assignment). What the Twins did (DFA Luplow and then return him to the 40 and option him to the minors a couple of days later) was within the rules. It's just very odd and doesn't make a lot of sense.
So I will offer what I believe is the most logical reason the Twins did this:
The Twins DFA'd Luplow because they intended to reinstate Chris Paddack from the 60-day IL, but then Carlos Correa suddenly needed to go on the 10-day IL and they recalled Trevor Larnach to replace Correa, but then they probably decided they should keep Luplow on the 40-man roster, too (and on Optional Assignment to AAA), and didn't want to risk losing him off waivers or by him electing free-agency after being outrighted. Luplow has Article XX-D rights (he has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career, so he would had the right to elect free-agency after he was outrighted). Clearly the Twins felt they might need Luplow's RH bat after losing Correa and with Royce Lewis having left a game with a hamstring injury that led to an IL assignment. And that meant that Paddack would remain on his minor league rehab assignment a few extra days, but the Twins will need him in the post-season, not now.
Also, if Luplow was outrighted instead of being optioned, he would no longer be automatically eligible to play in the post-season (except as a possible injury replacement).
Not only did Carlos Correa go on the IL, Royce Lewis went on the IL, too, two days after Correa went on the IL and two days after Luplow was optioned to AAA, so the Twins did in fact end up needing Luplow after all, and recalled him just a couple of days after he was optioned to replace Lewis on the MLB 28-man roster. (So both Larnach and Luplow were recalled within a couple of days of each other, replacing Correa and Lewis on the Twins MLB 28-man roster).
So that's all I've got. That is the only thing that makes sense. The Twins DFA'd Luplow because they had intended to replace him on the 40 with another player (probably Paddack) and hoped that they would be able to run him through waivers and that he wouldn't get claimed and that he would accept an Outright Assignment, but then they suddenly changed their minds because of the injury to Correa and the possibility that Lewis might also have to go on the IL (which did, in fact, happen the next day). Also, with the injuries to Correa and Lewis, the Twins wanted Luplow to remain automatically post-season eligible, which would not be the case if he was outrighted.
Again, the Twins were able to return Luplow to the 40 and option him to AAA because he hadn't been replaced on the 40 by another player after he was Designated for Assignment.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:00 pm (view)
CIN out here blowing a 9-0 lead they built through 3 innings. 9-9 tie in the 7th.
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:05 pm (view)
boxburger 10d IL, k.thompson back up. it's his right forearm (again).
crunch 09/23/2023 - 09:12 pm (view)
merryweather got out of it, but he loaded the bases with 1 out. of course ross got cuas up in the pen...thankfully he didn't need to come in.
looks like cuas gets the 9th.