Post by Commissioner Erick on Dec 13, 2023 13:39:53 GMT -5
Pittsburgh Pirates (65-84) @ Chicago Cubs (83-67)
PIT: Nelson Hernandez (9-9, 4.85)
CHC: Tillmam Corriga (13-8, 4.72)
Pirates 3 Key Stats
10: Number of losses against the top three teams in the NL Central: The Pirates have already lost 10 games to the Brewers and Cubs, and 11 to the Cardinals. That’s tough news for Pittsburgh, because they still have three to play against the Brewers and six against the Cubs. Pittsburgh was respectable against St. Louis, but Chicago has really had their way, winning 10 of their 13 contests. If the Pirates can’t turn that around, the Cubs can be one of the NL’s Wild Card participants.
.672: Sam McGreer’s OPS: Always needing to find cheap talent because of their budget limitations, Pittsburgh has landed on Sam McGreer as their DH. A 24-year-old rookie, McGreer can get a base hit, but doesn’t do much else. The Pirates are finding that out as the rookie is hitting .274, but has only one walk in 86 plate appearances and five extra base hits. With no defensive aptitude to speak of, McGreer will need to hit .300 to provide value. Pittsburgh is finding out if he can do just that over the final month.
101: Justin Winstead’s RBI total: Getting Winstead was a big success for Mike McAvoy as the former Ray was able to top the century mark in RBIs this year. Winstead has 30 doubles, and his next home run will give him 30 homers. A .279 average is strong and Winstead held his own defensively as well. A Rule-V pick, Winstead should be able to provide production for the Pirates for years to come.
Cubs 3 Key Stats
9: Losses in their last 17 games: The Cubs have played a brutal schedule the last three weeks, and they’re limping through it. After an extra inning homer from Ronald Buckby gave the Cubs a series win in Miami, they got shut down by David Jacobsen in the finale. They took a series against the Mets, then dropped a key one against the Giants. They took series from the Reds and Rockies, but a one-run loss in Colorado and an extra inning loss to the Reds prevented them from securing sweeps, then over the weekend, they lost three of four in St. Louis. Chicago has three series coming up against losing teams, and their final series may be against a Cardinals team with nothing to play for. The Cubs are tied with the Giants for the final Wild Card spot and can’t screw it up by dropping series to losing teams the next week and a half. They’ll look to start going on a run today versus Pittsburgh.
.315: Francisco Lindor’s average: Nagging arm injuries have limited Lindor to an .820 OPS, which would be the lowest of his career. With only 91 games, he’ll also play in the second fewest games of his career. A terrible final two weeks could see him commit the most errors of his career, and whereas last year, he was still an exceptional defender, his zone rating grades out well in the negative for easily the worst mark of his career. In other words, Francisco Lindor is 37-years-old and his body is starting to gradually erode. Despite that, his quick bat hasn’t eroded at all. Lindor is batting .315, and barring disaster, that will be his seventh straight year hitting over .300. If he qualified, he’d easily lead NL Shortstops and he’d be fourth in the league. Even among non-qualified shortstops, he's still third in the position with eight homers. He’s no longer an MVP candidate, but he’s still a force, and hopefully he can push back father time a little bit longer.
10: RBI’s in 11 Games for Chad Antoine: The Cubs have been searching for a ninth player with Basket Case Benoit on the shelf, and may have landed on Antoine. The rookie outfielder runs well and can handle Center Field and is good on the bases. He doesn’t hit for a high average, but he does have power cracking 24 homers and 22 doubles across two minor league levels this year. He’s only played in 11 games, and his .289 average will come down, but he already has five doubles and a pair of homers. He’s a real weapon against righties and should serve the Cubs well until Benoit is healed up.
Questions for the GMs:
For Mike McAvoy, have any rookies caught your eye as players worth keeping around next season?
Tyler Freeman, Chris Myers, Jim Boehme, D’Mond, LaFond, and Luis Tapia are all veterans with expiring contracts. Will you bring any of them back next year?
With Francisco Lindor aging and banged up, will you try to hit a bunch of balls on the ground today?
For Jon Richardson, Lindor is banged up and has a bad elbow. I assume he won’t go on the IL, but will you give him any rest down the stretch?
Why did you take a look at Antoine instead of going with Charlie Connolly, who has been on your roster all year?
Much more of a bit story, but how do you feel about Zion Gones’ experimental eye surgery?
TRIVIA: Francisco Lindor leads all shortstops in virtually all career offensive categories. In most major counting stat categories, Caros Correa or Dansby Swanson round out the top three. However, for triples, Lindor is first, Swanson is second, and Corra s 10th. Who has the third most triples all time among PBA shortstops?
PIT: Nelson Hernandez (9-9, 4.85)
CHC: Tillmam Corriga (13-8, 4.72)
Pirates 3 Key Stats
10: Number of losses against the top three teams in the NL Central: The Pirates have already lost 10 games to the Brewers and Cubs, and 11 to the Cardinals. That’s tough news for Pittsburgh, because they still have three to play against the Brewers and six against the Cubs. Pittsburgh was respectable against St. Louis, but Chicago has really had their way, winning 10 of their 13 contests. If the Pirates can’t turn that around, the Cubs can be one of the NL’s Wild Card participants.
.672: Sam McGreer’s OPS: Always needing to find cheap talent because of their budget limitations, Pittsburgh has landed on Sam McGreer as their DH. A 24-year-old rookie, McGreer can get a base hit, but doesn’t do much else. The Pirates are finding that out as the rookie is hitting .274, but has only one walk in 86 plate appearances and five extra base hits. With no defensive aptitude to speak of, McGreer will need to hit .300 to provide value. Pittsburgh is finding out if he can do just that over the final month.
101: Justin Winstead’s RBI total: Getting Winstead was a big success for Mike McAvoy as the former Ray was able to top the century mark in RBIs this year. Winstead has 30 doubles, and his next home run will give him 30 homers. A .279 average is strong and Winstead held his own defensively as well. A Rule-V pick, Winstead should be able to provide production for the Pirates for years to come.
Cubs 3 Key Stats
9: Losses in their last 17 games: The Cubs have played a brutal schedule the last three weeks, and they’re limping through it. After an extra inning homer from Ronald Buckby gave the Cubs a series win in Miami, they got shut down by David Jacobsen in the finale. They took a series against the Mets, then dropped a key one against the Giants. They took series from the Reds and Rockies, but a one-run loss in Colorado and an extra inning loss to the Reds prevented them from securing sweeps, then over the weekend, they lost three of four in St. Louis. Chicago has three series coming up against losing teams, and their final series may be against a Cardinals team with nothing to play for. The Cubs are tied with the Giants for the final Wild Card spot and can’t screw it up by dropping series to losing teams the next week and a half. They’ll look to start going on a run today versus Pittsburgh.
.315: Francisco Lindor’s average: Nagging arm injuries have limited Lindor to an .820 OPS, which would be the lowest of his career. With only 91 games, he’ll also play in the second fewest games of his career. A terrible final two weeks could see him commit the most errors of his career, and whereas last year, he was still an exceptional defender, his zone rating grades out well in the negative for easily the worst mark of his career. In other words, Francisco Lindor is 37-years-old and his body is starting to gradually erode. Despite that, his quick bat hasn’t eroded at all. Lindor is batting .315, and barring disaster, that will be his seventh straight year hitting over .300. If he qualified, he’d easily lead NL Shortstops and he’d be fourth in the league. Even among non-qualified shortstops, he's still third in the position with eight homers. He’s no longer an MVP candidate, but he’s still a force, and hopefully he can push back father time a little bit longer.
10: RBI’s in 11 Games for Chad Antoine: The Cubs have been searching for a ninth player with Basket Case Benoit on the shelf, and may have landed on Antoine. The rookie outfielder runs well and can handle Center Field and is good on the bases. He doesn’t hit for a high average, but he does have power cracking 24 homers and 22 doubles across two minor league levels this year. He’s only played in 11 games, and his .289 average will come down, but he already has five doubles and a pair of homers. He’s a real weapon against righties and should serve the Cubs well until Benoit is healed up.
Questions for the GMs:
For Mike McAvoy, have any rookies caught your eye as players worth keeping around next season?
Tyler Freeman, Chris Myers, Jim Boehme, D’Mond, LaFond, and Luis Tapia are all veterans with expiring contracts. Will you bring any of them back next year?
With Francisco Lindor aging and banged up, will you try to hit a bunch of balls on the ground today?
For Jon Richardson, Lindor is banged up and has a bad elbow. I assume he won’t go on the IL, but will you give him any rest down the stretch?
Why did you take a look at Antoine instead of going with Charlie Connolly, who has been on your roster all year?
Much more of a bit story, but how do you feel about Zion Gones’ experimental eye surgery?
TRIVIA: Francisco Lindor leads all shortstops in virtually all career offensive categories. In most major counting stat categories, Caros Correa or Dansby Swanson round out the top three. However, for triples, Lindor is first, Swanson is second, and Corra s 10th. Who has the third most triples all time among PBA shortstops?
