stating the obvious about this week

by jds2 on Aug 13, 2007 5:22 PM CDT Comment 3 comments

Very big week coming up. With the cardinals playing milwalkee the cubs aren't left with room for error because with the cardinals latest surge they are in the picture of the NLC race. Every game we win means we are either gaining on the cardinals or catching up with the brewers, but with a loss we either let the cardinals creep up on us or fall further back of the brewers.

Furthermore with the state of our big 3 (aram, Lee, and fonzie) being shakey at best it is time to see who can step up out of our 2nd teir players. I see this going a couple of different ways.
worse case: everybody pushes to hard and then we struggle like last year.

Middle case: everyone steps it up a little bit and we play good team baseball and we scrap together a few wins and basically tread water.

Best case: Like fontenot/theriot did earlier a young guy gets hot and catalizes the team. Hopefully we can have one or more of the following: Ronny C, Murton, Pie, EPatt, Soto(if he gets called up), can use the oportunity they have to play well enough that lou has no choice but to play them when Fonzie comes back and then continue to contribute into the playoffs.

Hopefully we can win both series and take the NLC lead...or at least hold ground one more week.

Go Cubs

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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45 games left...

There is the cold math and the emotional momentum.

Cubs are playing tired, they could have peaked early when they were playing .650 coming back from the dead, the punishment of playing .300 ball for almost two months of the season outside one stretch of 9-2.

The comes down to this: .667 equates to 30 wins (90-72), .650 ball equates to 29 wins (89-73),
.600 ball equates to 27 wins (87-75),

while .550 equates to 25 wins, (85-77), .511 equates to 23 wins (83-79).

The Cardinals are on the pressure heap right now they are five games below .500 and unless they can go 4-2 on this swing or better (3-3) leaves them in place and with 39 games remaining.

Cubs need to regroup, find their legs get Ramy back on the field, put DeRosa in RF and hope Murton gets hot for a week or two. Best thing would be for the Cards to take 2 of 3 in Milwaukee and then lose 2 of 3 to the Cubs after the Cubs take 2 of 3 from Cinci, where Cinci takes 2 of 3 from Milwaukee.

This would leave the Cubs 1/2 game up and push the Cards back a game from them.

Milw-09-24-98--Brown in for defense--bases loaded--flyball--HE DROPPED THE BALL!!!NO NO NO, cubs lose 8-7

by Ivy Walls on Aug 13, 2007 7:14 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Um the Cards series is FOUR games

Got to shoot for 3 of 4 but it is tough because Hill & Marshall start games 1 and 2.

"It's the Cubbies. There's always a vibe. It's the greatest vibe in baseball." Greg Maddux on Cub fan's optimism even after the 06 debacle.

by jessica on Aug 14, 2007 5:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

They can't worry

about what is going on between Milwaukee and St. Louis right now. They just have to win the games they are playing. Losing last night wasn't exactly a great way to start the homestand. They need to win the next two vs Cincy and take three of four from the Cardinals in my opinion. Quite frankly, with the way they have been playing recently (lost 3 in a row and 9 of the last 12) I'm not very confident that they can do this. I do believe that 85-77 could win this division, so they're not out of it yet, but they need to turn it around right now. The way the Cardinals have creeped back into the race is making me very uncomfortable.

by qccub on Aug 15, 2007 7:59 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs