Post by Commissioner Erick on Jan 11, 2018 9:43:40 GMT -5
St. Louis Cardinals (6-6) @ Chicago Cubs (6-6)
STL: Carson Fulmer (1-1, 3.55)
CHC: Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 2.08)
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals face off for the first time in 2018 at 6-6. Both teams thought their records would be better. Statistically, Chicago's record should be better.
According to noted baseball fan Pythagoras, as well as Base Runs' formula, the Chicago Cubs should have a record of 9-3. They're scoring over five runs a game and allowing just over three. They hit, they field, and they play good defense. However, there are two ways you can slice it.
One, the Cubs are 1-6 in games decided by two runs or fewer. That's profoundly unlucky as the team hasn't been able to have the coin flip their way in close games. Those numbers generally even out, especially with a good bullpen like the Cubs possess. On the other hand, so much of their run differential is fueled by a 17-1 shellacking they put on San Diego that may not be representative. Games against good teams like St. Louis will go a long way in learning who the Cubs are this year.
What we know they are is deep. Their offense is fourth, and that's with superstar Kris Bryant on the shelf with an injury. The Cubs plugged in young Jeimer Candelario at third and veteran Ben Zobrist in left to fill in for Bryant. Candelario has a .333 average with three home runs, and Zobrist is hitting .385 with five doubles and five walks to just one strikeout. Only the Cubs are able to to remove a superstar from their lineup and not miss a beat.
In this game, they'll have to contend with the loss of a defensive superstar. Gold Glover Jason Heyward has a herniated disk which will take him out of action for a couple of weeks. With Bryant and Ian Happ banged up, the Cubs are running out of outfielders on their major league roster. Nelson Cruz is an outfielder in name only, Kyle Schwarber was a disaster both in the field and at the plate last year, and Mark Zagunis is still developing as a hitter. That being said, Zagunis did hit .275 with a ton of walks and a ton of doubles last year, so he may be able to hold his own in a pinch.
The Cubs are taking on a Cardinals team that has played a lot of close games this year, with half their contests turning into one-run affairs. Like the Cubs, St. Louis is dealing with some injuries to its outfield. Dexter Fowler has been on the shelf for a week, and now Stephen Piscotty will join him after spraining his elbow.
Those injuries will provide an opportunity for Kuo-Hui Kao, affectionately known as the "logo" of Taiwanese baseball. Kao went 2-20 for Taiwan in the WBC, which is why they were nowhere close to earning a medal.
Kao had a good year for St. Louis last year, putting up a .795 OPS in 82 games. He's got a weird approach as he's very patient and has no qualms hitting the ball all over the ground making him shift-proof. He's not super speedy though, and has had success racking up extra base hits, both on grounders down the lines, and on the occasional laced hit to the outfield.
The Cardinals best hitters' are relatively unexpected. Jedd Gyorko off the bench has a .406 average with three home runs and nine driven in. He bashed 30 home runs last year, but Michael Reilly mostly has him play backup infield and DH some.
The other surprise is Mauricio Dubon. Not thought of as a hitter at this juncture, Dubon hit .372 with two home runs to begin the year. The two home runs are half of what he compiled in all of 2017 across three levels. Dubon's ability to produce with Aledmys Diaz out for the year has been a huge reason why the Cardinals have stayed steady at 6-6.
Questions for the GMs:
For Michael Reilly, Jedd Gyorko has been a prolific power hitter for you, yet he's barely playing. What's the reasoning behind that?
Kuo-Hui Kao had a rough go of it during the World Baseball Classic, but he's had a decent start to his American career. Will he get the start tonight?
you've made a controversial decision to essentially turn Yadier Molina into a backup. What factors went into that decision?
For Brandon Hillebrand, an injury to Kris Bryant would cripple a lot of teams. for example, the Nationals are really struggling without Bryce Harper. How has your team been able to weather his injury?
With Jason Heyward going down, you'll have a pair of options to put in left field tonight in Kyle Schwarber or Mark Zagunis. Who gets the nod and why?
The String Bean Slinger, Carl Edwards Jr. has had a rough go of it so far. Small blip or something to monitor?
STL: Carson Fulmer (1-1, 3.55)
CHC: Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 2.08)
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals face off for the first time in 2018 at 6-6. Both teams thought their records would be better. Statistically, Chicago's record should be better.
According to noted baseball fan Pythagoras, as well as Base Runs' formula, the Chicago Cubs should have a record of 9-3. They're scoring over five runs a game and allowing just over three. They hit, they field, and they play good defense. However, there are two ways you can slice it.
One, the Cubs are 1-6 in games decided by two runs or fewer. That's profoundly unlucky as the team hasn't been able to have the coin flip their way in close games. Those numbers generally even out, especially with a good bullpen like the Cubs possess. On the other hand, so much of their run differential is fueled by a 17-1 shellacking they put on San Diego that may not be representative. Games against good teams like St. Louis will go a long way in learning who the Cubs are this year.
What we know they are is deep. Their offense is fourth, and that's with superstar Kris Bryant on the shelf with an injury. The Cubs plugged in young Jeimer Candelario at third and veteran Ben Zobrist in left to fill in for Bryant. Candelario has a .333 average with three home runs, and Zobrist is hitting .385 with five doubles and five walks to just one strikeout. Only the Cubs are able to to remove a superstar from their lineup and not miss a beat.
In this game, they'll have to contend with the loss of a defensive superstar. Gold Glover Jason Heyward has a herniated disk which will take him out of action for a couple of weeks. With Bryant and Ian Happ banged up, the Cubs are running out of outfielders on their major league roster. Nelson Cruz is an outfielder in name only, Kyle Schwarber was a disaster both in the field and at the plate last year, and Mark Zagunis is still developing as a hitter. That being said, Zagunis did hit .275 with a ton of walks and a ton of doubles last year, so he may be able to hold his own in a pinch.
The Cubs are taking on a Cardinals team that has played a lot of close games this year, with half their contests turning into one-run affairs. Like the Cubs, St. Louis is dealing with some injuries to its outfield. Dexter Fowler has been on the shelf for a week, and now Stephen Piscotty will join him after spraining his elbow.
Those injuries will provide an opportunity for Kuo-Hui Kao, affectionately known as the "logo" of Taiwanese baseball. Kao went 2-20 for Taiwan in the WBC, which is why they were nowhere close to earning a medal.
Kao had a good year for St. Louis last year, putting up a .795 OPS in 82 games. He's got a weird approach as he's very patient and has no qualms hitting the ball all over the ground making him shift-proof. He's not super speedy though, and has had success racking up extra base hits, both on grounders down the lines, and on the occasional laced hit to the outfield.
The Cardinals best hitters' are relatively unexpected. Jedd Gyorko off the bench has a .406 average with three home runs and nine driven in. He bashed 30 home runs last year, but Michael Reilly mostly has him play backup infield and DH some.
The other surprise is Mauricio Dubon. Not thought of as a hitter at this juncture, Dubon hit .372 with two home runs to begin the year. The two home runs are half of what he compiled in all of 2017 across three levels. Dubon's ability to produce with Aledmys Diaz out for the year has been a huge reason why the Cardinals have stayed steady at 6-6.
Questions for the GMs:
For Michael Reilly, Jedd Gyorko has been a prolific power hitter for you, yet he's barely playing. What's the reasoning behind that?
Kuo-Hui Kao had a rough go of it during the World Baseball Classic, but he's had a decent start to his American career. Will he get the start tonight?
you've made a controversial decision to essentially turn Yadier Molina into a backup. What factors went into that decision?
For Brandon Hillebrand, an injury to Kris Bryant would cripple a lot of teams. for example, the Nationals are really struggling without Bryce Harper. How has your team been able to weather his injury?
With Jason Heyward going down, you'll have a pair of options to put in left field tonight in Kyle Schwarber or Mark Zagunis. Who gets the nod and why?
The String Bean Slinger, Carl Edwards Jr. has had a rough go of it so far. Small blip or something to monitor?
