Never a bad day when you can feel a few Cubs fans fretting and hear the Cards fans fuming.

Ah, the simple pleasures in life.

Now don't be lettin' the readers here jam these mild comments up my wrinkled bum by gacking against the Metropolitans.

Hard to fret 10 games up on a playoff spot.

The NL Central is going to come down the 6 games between the 2. A split should lock it for the Cubs. 4 out of 6 for the Brew makes it intersting, 5 of 6 for Milwaukee and we're effed.

SSR:

I did write a few.

Though most Cubs fans are not as numerically inclined as yourself. Ha!

Be nice if Prince got his head out of his #ss......

I'm going to be interested to see how each team approaches the stretch run, with the Cubs pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot(Magic # 16 with 25 to go.) and the Brewers looking pretty safe as well.(21 with 26 to go.)

Will each be satisfied with the playoff spots, or are they going to go to the wire for the division? Home field advantage seems to matter more this year than year's past(greenies?) The Cubs seem to already be tipping their hand that they're satisfied to coast and set things up for the postseason, pushing back both Z and Harden this week. I'm thinking Ned might not do the same.

SSR:

Correct. Barring Melvin ordering him to back off Ned is going to crack the whip.

With the recent off-days, the Brewers rotation is pretty rested going into September, because they haven't been skipping guys.

For example, Sabathia was pitching on six days' rest this time, after five days' rest last time.

Escobar and Salome are getting called up, too? They weren't on yesterday's list in the MIL J-S.

The list of 10 players the Brewers are calling up today from the minors for September includes third baseman Mat Gamel, shortstop Alcides Escobar and catcher Angel Salome.
...
Another player getting his first taste of the majors is first baseman Brad Nelson...

The other players coming up from Nashville have played for the Brewers at some point, either this season or in the past: pitchers Mitch Stetter, Tim Dillard and Mark DiFelice, infielder Joe Dillon, outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. and catcher Vinny Rottino.

MIL J-S blog
Given that Mike Rivera has about 3 ABs all year as Kendall's backup, I doubt Salome would see much time behind the plate.

You think Cubs fans are fretting, Harvey? Ha. Sounds like your confidence is this team has grown and is almost as big as CC's waistline.

Did they call up the janitor too??

Cubs are calling up Hoffpauir, Pie, K. Hill, Guzman, Weurtz and Hart. Everyone in their rotation is getting at least one extra day off (Z is getting 2 days and Harden's just being skipped) so their starters will be plenty rested as well.

Sounds like your confidence is this team has grown and is almost as big as CC's waistline.

Let's not be exchanging fat pitcher jokes; you could use Zambrano to pick up a 7-10 split, you know.

Moses:

Did you read the word "few"? Or is reading a second language that taxing?

And if you are going to write with a straight face that there are not Cubs fans amongst you not fussing over two losses then you live in a cave.....

As long as he's hitting >.350 and can pick his position (he would have made that play today that CC botched), I have no complaints about his weight. And besides, it's not even a comparison. CC's had pre-games snacks that weigh more than Z.

CC's tall enough to play forward; Z would be a point guard at best, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

CC did make a barehanded catch of a liner for a DP earlier in the game.

And if you are going to write with a straight face that there are not Cubs fans amongst you not fussing over two losses then you live in a cave.....

Hey, I don't know a single Cubs fan that's been half as worried about 2 (2!) losses as you were about the Brewers the majority of the season. That's all I'm getting at...

But, man, it's a great day when 2 straight home losses can cause some concern.

I don't know their actual heights, but CC is listed at 6'7" 290 and Z is listed at 6'5" 255. Neither of those seem 100% accurate though.

Moses:

I had/have reason to be concerned. The Brewers have a well established track record and little of it good.

My concern is always based in fact. And if anyone wants to claim its standard irrational fan fussing we can dance that dance.

I welcome that challenge. As it will be a softball as big as CC's #ss for me to smack out of the ballpark.

CC gets weighed on the same scale that has Prince at 260.

I'm guessing this thread isn't going to be having many Cardinal fans on here. :(

Cfb:

What the h#ll happened in Houston? Ty Wiggington? Ty Wigginton!??

Not looking to rub it in. Just surprised....

The Cubs could lose 5 out of 6 against the Brewers and still have a relatively easy time winning the division.

So they go 1-5 in those 6 games leaving 19 more games to play. If they go 12 and 7 they finish with 98 wins. So for the Brewers to get 99 wins they would need to go 14-6 and in their 20 remaining games besides the games they win against the Cubs. So the Brewers to win the division would need to go 19-7 in their last 26 games to win the division while the Cubs would have to go 13 and 12 to lose it by one. The Brewers are currently 24 games above .500, it took them 136 games to get there and they would need to go 12 games above .500 in just 26 games to win it.

It isn't going to happen.

Don't disagree with the math.

Just don't expect Mets fans to agree.

There's a thin person inside of Z trying to get out. There's an offensive tackle inside of CC trying to get out. That said, CC's combined WSs would have him tied for first in the AL with Lee and second in the NL with Webb, two behind Lincecum. Had he spent the entire season in either league, he would be a viable candidate. Not that I am advocating that WSs should be used to award Cys, it's just an easily available metric which validates what I have seen with my lying eyes.

And if you are going to write with a straight face that there are not Cubs fans amongst you not fussing over two losses then you live in a cave.....

OMG! Two straight home losses to a potential playoff team! The Cubs must win every home series against good teams! Home series must all be won this year! The sky, it is falling! Must retreat to basement to avoid fallout! Besides, the TiVO in the basement has grabbed the Tour of Ireland for me.

I am going to ask the three diehard Cubs fans, all in their 60's or older, who have contacted me this evening about the "race" and see if I can quote them.

Whatever some may think I do not imagine this stuff.

LOL, and I was castigated in a game chatter during the sweep to the Brewers by Cards fans for being a troll when I said the Cards would finish 15 games out in the division.

Damn, I love being this smart.

all in their 60's or older

They aren't fretting about the Cubs, they are just fretting. If they didn't have the Cubs to fret over, they'd be fretting about something else, like the color of grass...

As much fun as the your pitcher is fatter than ours argument is, I want to correct Moses(unfortunately) on our callups.

It'll be Hoff, Koyie, Mcgehee(WHY????), Wuertz, GOOZ(~!), and Lieber.

I have no ####### clue why Casey McGehee is being rostered. He's OPSing ~750 in AAA. Dubois, Jake Fox(who Lou hates), and Matt Craig(who's apparently injured) would all be better options as a righty off the bench. I'd rather have Josh Kroeger facing lefties than McGehee, it just makes no sense to me. I honestly think the reason he's up is as a 4th catcher because Lou is going to start pinch hitting Heinrich Weiss a lot more often vs. lefties. I am not happy.

What the h#ll happened in Houston? Ty Wiggington? Ty Wigginton!??

Not looking to rub it in. Just surprised....

no clue, the "blow out" game the Astros had every scrub hit in the world fall in. I think they hit one ball decently and neither of them were the homeruns. Outside of Albert it seems the team is just done. I think the fact that it doesn't matter what the score is, when it comes to the 7th inning or later the other team is in automatically in it.

It'll be Hoff, Koyie, Mcgehee(WHY????), Wuertz, GOOZ(~!), and Lieber.

Not Pie? Why the hell not? He doesn't have to bat, just put him in CF for the last inning or two of every close game.

Cubs are calling up Hoffpauir, Pie, K. Hill, Guzman, Weurtz and Hart. Everyone in their rotation is getting at least one extra day off (Z is getting 2 days and Harden's just being skipped) so their starters will be plenty rested as well.

Someone seems to be forgetting that the Cubs ALWAYS choke in October. It's ok Moses, you have one more month to be cocky- enjoy it.

And that's some thoughtful analysis.

Will each be satisfied with the playoff spots, or are they going to go to the wire for the division?

What's the head-to-head for these teams? I'd guess the Cubs are ahead based on the four-game sweep in Brewtown. If so then they have the edge in the tiebreaker and therefore a game in hand, as they used to say in hockey.

Cubs are up 6-4, with six head-to-head games remaining

What's the head-to-head for these teams? I'd guess the Cubs are ahead based on the four-game sweep in Brewtown. If so then they have the edge in the tiebreaker and therefore a game in hand, as they used to say in hockey.

It's 6-4 Cubs, though in all likelihood Milwaukee would have to win the season series for the tiebreaker to come into play. What's the second tiebreaker, by the way, in the event of an 8-8 split?

The Brewers have a well established track record and little of it good.

And the Cubs have a well-established 1,200-month track record. So what?

What the h#ll happened in Houston? Ty Wiggington? Ty Wigginton!??

Nobody's noticed, but Wigginton's having a phenomenal year. After today's game, he's hitting .303/.369/.567, good for a 143 OPS+.

The last two Cub games were aggravating to sit through (both were boring and not very well played by the Cubs), but I choose not to fret about them. I choose to note that they are the Cubs' first consecutive losses in about 6 weeks. I choose to note that they managed a split against a playoff-caliber team despite not having their offense show up all series (the 8th inning of game 1 excepted), and with substandard starting pitching (other than Lilly's good start Saturday).

We are and will be just fine.

Retro, I "enjoyed" the day a the ballpark today. Our tickets were freaking scary, though. Jill wasn't phased at all, but my sense of vertigo was in full tilt. As I said we were in 403 row 11 seats 111 and 112. I could have thrown Jill over the side at any point to her death in a three story fall. Its a very interesting perspective to the field, and obviously a million miles from the plate. They aren't horrible, but the site lines were odd. I did make a much greater note of the defensive positioning of outfielders. Anyhoo, we are back, I've got a martini, and yeah, I'm a little frustrated with the offense this weekend, especially the LOB issue. I'm fine with it. They split against a playoff caliber team, one game started by someone who probably won't figure heavily in game in the playoffs.

Oh, and there is the Yost factor. He'll #### it up somehow if need be.

Albert is MVP - otherwise, Cards are out of it. It's ok - both the Cubs and Crew are better this year. The Cards will be back next year with a stronger lineup and actual ML pitching.

By ERA+ the Cards have above average pitching at 101.

They just happened to be in the best division in the NL. I'd have to think at this point the Cubs and Brewers have to be projected to be 2 of the 3 best teams(with somebody from the East) in the NL next year as well.

I wrote 2 months ago the Brewers should sign Lowe for 2 years at some silly number (why not-it's two years) to eat innings while Yovani and Manny get stronger. I will grit my teeth during more Dave Bush seasons.

Though really, if Milwaukee offered CC 25 per year over four I wouldn't bat an eye nor do I think would his teammates.

They won't. But if they did a top four of CC, Yovani, Manny, Dave and then Jeffress in 2010 would be pretty d#mn fun to watch.

Well, except Bush.

And I need to cut Suppan some slack. Guy went 5-0 in August.

But what has to be mentioned is that CC has raised the whole staff. Everyone is working to go deeper in games. Part of that was the team's plan coming into the season but CC's arrival has been a real motivator. First, there is no pressure because there are no real losing streaks. Second, they know the bullpen is rested and ready (granted most of it stinks). Third, he inspires them to go deeper in games. That may read as silly but they have all mentioned it. Manny in particular gets visibly mad at himself if he's not getting to at least the 7th. Finally, CC is SMART. As in pitcher smart. Jeff Suppan defines guile getting by in this league with an 87 mph fastball and cheesy breaking stuff and JS has discussed CC's insight on pitching.

The only guy who has struggled with CC around is Ben who just cannot defeat his second half demons. He has pitched "ok" but he ain't no "ace". Can't finish. He's Mr. May. Cruel but true.

CC is worth whatever salary he receives and then some. He makes his teammates better.

Side note:

Ty Wigginton has 12 homers in August!! Wow!

Harvey, I'll be 53 any day now & I worry about the Cubs losing 2 straight.

Someone seems to be forgetting that the Cubs ALWAYS choke in October. It's ok Moses, you have one more month to be cocky- enjoy it.

I seem to remember a lot of people saying the exact same thing about a certain Boston team in 2004.

The only guy who has struggled with CC around is Ben who just cannot defeat his second half demons. He has pitched "ok" but he ain't no "ace". Can't finish. He's Mr. May. Cruel but true.

CC is worth whatever salary he receives and then some. He makes his teammates better.

His teammates that aren't Ben Sheets, I conclude.

Nobody's noticed, but Wigginton's having a phenomenal year. After today's game, he's hitting .303/.369/.567, good for a 143 OPS+.

Ed Wade actually won a trade with the new Devil Rays management team?!? (Wigginton and cash for Dan Wheeler)

Of course, the Astros don't really need good players now, so maybe they didn't win after all. If Matt Morris had been 15-5 with a 3.00 ERA for the Pirates this season, it still made no sense to trade for him.

Someone seems to be forgetting that the Cubs ALWAYS choke in October. It's ok Moses, you have one more month to be cocky- enjoy it

Baseball-Reference should have a franchise split page, two of them actually. One for the years he has PBP data for and one for all of the years.

Cirillo pointed out Tuesday night that Sheets's curveball has looked more 11-5 than 12-6 lately. As a result, hitters are picking it up more easily and Ben hasn't gotten the checked swings that are so prevalent when he is pitching well.

He seems to know it too, as he referred to "falling into bad habits" in his post-game interview with Trenni. He wasn't specific, so I guess we'll see how he does today.

Post 47:

I have pointed out in Chatters that Ben hasn't consistently thrown his curveball in six weeks. He has gone entire games throwing almost all fastballs with a few offspeed pitches. He's annoyed, Kendall's about ready to slap somebody and Maddux stands around with his thumb up his #ss.

Nobody asked me but knowing tharlt Ben's primary goal this season was to pitch the WHOLE season he began to cut down using his curve against lesser teams (for fear of injury), lost the "feel" and now can't find it.

From a Cardinals blog:

the standings as of this morning are just, and i am at peace: st louis stands 3d in the nl central, which is where they belong. good team, but not good enough in this division in this particular year.

The Cardinals had a lot of things go right this season. I saw Ryan Ludwick play in the minors a dozen times and I STILL cannot reconcile the hitter today with the guy I saw most recently in Toledo. Glaus' back held up. Miles and Kennedy were used wonderfully. Ankiel's pixie dust finally wore off so he's about where he should be. Chris Duncan drove off a cliff but if one position guy has a bad year while everyone else excels as a fan you can't complain.

I have heard fussing about the Cardinals bullpen which struggled. But isn't that a tradeoff relative to all the good work by the position guys? Only the very best teams have no weaknesses. Even the Brewers at 24 games over have multiple relievers who I wouldn't trust to carry my lunch much less a lead. My grandkids have dubbed Eric Gagne "Sir S*cksalot".

Glad to see that some Redbird fans recognize what was accomplished this season. Tony did some great work.

I have pointed out in Chatters that Ben hasn't consistently thrown his curveball in six weeks. He has gone entire games throwing almost all fastballs with a few offspeed pitches. He's annoyed, Kendall's about ready to slap somebody and Maddux stands around with his thumb up his #ss.

Nobody asked me but knowing tharlt Ben's primary goal this season was to pitch the WHOLE season he began to cut down using his curve against lesser teams (for fear of injury), lost the "feel" and now can't find it.

Sheets had a very good August.

2.67 ERA, 33.2 IP, 10ER, 26H, 1HR, 8BB, 25K. 1.01 WHIP.

There has been a lot of worrying over Sheets all month. People need to pull their heads out of the sand. He is no CC, but Sheets is pitching very well right now.

Post 50:

Who did he face?

Atlanta, Washington, San Diego, Houston and St. Louis.