This is exactly why I’m going to be real disappointed if the Cubs blow this thing. The National League, with exception of the top three in the Central, are completely awful. Every pitcher should be able to pad their stats when not facing the Cardinals and Brewers or Cubs. Even supposedly strong offensive teams like Philadelphia are inconsistent as hell.

This is poorly written.

-You say, take out the Brewers and Cardinals. I assume you meant the Cubs instead of the team that he’s on, and you didn’t even list the Cardinals.
- You’re going to disparage 14 wins because you don’t like the competition? Is that CC’s fault?
- Sabathia pitched reasonably well against the Cubs. They scored an unearned run when Weeks threw a DP ball away — and neither run would have scored had Johnson not taken Weeks out with a slide.
- Sabathia’s WHIP with the Brewers is just a shade over 1 with the Brewers. That isn’t bad.

Why all the angst? If he were a Cub, you’d probably be pretty hyped about this. So he plays for the other team – big deal. He’s still been good, and taking shots like this would be like taking shots at Pujols for not running more often.
 
The last two sentences are pretty snarky — and how do you know he’ll lose to the good teams? I hope he does, because his team his chasing the Cubs, but objectivity says he’s been damn good so far.

Fortunately, his manager is a world class chowder head as evidenced by last night’s criminal decision to leave him in to pitch the 9th in a 9-2 game. I think he ended up at around 130 pitches. To his credit he was still throwing 94 mph in the 9th.

Is it possible that CC has a bonus clause for complete games and he’s the one who wants to stay in these games? Melvin is a REAL good GM and to think he’d have given the keys to someone who makes the moves Yost makes really puzzles me.

I understand what you guys are saying. That this seems like a hate fest. I am not saying that by any means he hasn’t been great but there are too many people talking about CC being an MVP or being the CY Young. I know it isn’t his fault on who he faces. It just seems like the love he is getting is exaggerated when considering who he has faced.

Again, has CC been good. He has been damn good. But the overload of love needs to stop because of who he has faced. Thats what baseball is, a numbers game and the numbers prove that he hasn’t face the best of the best.

Despite him going on this sick run. There is also a certain team that CC hasn’t ever proved that he can beat. They play on the North Side of Chicago.

I agree this can very easily come off as hate because I am a Cubs fan. And again, for the record let me state. He is doing great with the competition in front of him. But this talk of a CY Young and MVP is ridiculous. That’s where this angst comes from. It’s all you seem to hear every time he pitches. He is an MVP after 9 starts. Not in my world. A guy like Brandon Webb and even Ryan Dempster have done it over the course of the season. Yes both of them have had rough spots but it’s been a whole season of work.

I guess I have a question in terms of if you guys feel a pitcher is like a hitter. After he makes his rounds in a league can he be had much easier the second time through? Kind of like Kosuke on a less extreme level.

right….

The Cubs for sure have the inside track. Not only is it 5 games on the Division but 7.5 on the wildcard and we have played 3 less games than the Cards. Nice to control your own destiny in a sense. I always like when the team I root for can have a few games in it’s back pocket.

….and is doing exactly what the Brewers wanted when they acquired him.

I hate the Brewers but you’ve got to give the man his due. No matter what teams he’s faced, he’s been pretty dominant.

…and how many complete games do they have?

CC has been an outstanding pitcher.

We don’t have any because were busy preserving our front line starters for the playoffs. When the Cubs lead by 6 in the 8th and 9th inning, we don’t pitch our guys. Look it up, CC has 3 Complete Games when the game was in hand by the end of the 5th or 6th inning.

the only other comparison to what CC has done that I can think of was when Randy Johnson went to the Astros in ’98 and went 10-1 with a 1.28 in 11 GS….That was sick…

CC is a horse, and he is doing exactly what the Brewers hoped he would do, in the BEST case scenario. Give him some props.

I think the competition point is valid. I like CC and he is one of a few consistent winning pithers in MLB over the last 5 years, but he SHOULD be winning the majority of these games. It is not like he was on fire in the AL this year, and when I look around and see Kyle Loshe and Todd Wellmeyer and God knows who winning consistently in the NL it proves the point, that there just isn’t much competition. All that being said, if CC continues doing what he is doing he deserves to be mentioned for the Cy Young.

Ned Yost. It makes little to no sense to have him throw complete games in blowouts. I know the guy is a horse but seriously, everyone has a limit and the more he pitches now the earlier he breaksdown.

and C C gets a strain or some ailment that forces him to miss a start or two, I wonder how the Brewers’ fans and sportswriters react?

Your methodology doesn’t work without a stat that’s controlled, such as ERA+. There are more advanced stats out there for pitchers, but ERA+ is the easiest to understand.

Since joining the Brewers, statistically speaking, CC’s been the best pitcher in baseball. Those familiar with the stat ERA+, would be floored by his 270 ERA+ rating. For those unfamiliar, here’s a refersher. It’s basically the same thing as ERA, except it’s defense and ballpark neutral.

270 ERA+. Simply unreal.

As a reference, Mordecai Brown had a 253 ERA+ in 1906 for the Cubs, in one of the best years from a pitcher in history. CC’s having a better season than that.

I still think it’s stupid for Yost to leave CC out there for 130 pitches. I don’t care how much of a workhorse he thinks he is, this doesn’t bode well for them down the stretch.

Sounds harsh, I know, but — they are not going to re-sign him. If I were Yost, knowing it’s now-or-never, I’d pitch him until his arm falls off.

Next year is somebody else’s problem. Yost wants to stay employed.

It’s win NOW, or else.

Shades of Rick Sutcliffe in 1984, though Sutcliffe was acquired in June. But very hard to argue against Sabathia being the best and most dominant pitcher in the National League. He keeps going at this rate and he may very well be the guy to beat in the Cy Young voting despite spending only 2 months in the league.

If you go back and look at the stats of Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson they sometimes pitched over 300 innings a year and get close to 40 starts. Now days they act like pitching over 200 innings will kill a pitcher. I’ve always wondered if it started when they lowered the mound after the ’68 season.

I agree that Ned Yost should have pulled after the 8th (if not sooner), but 40 years ago we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

This is the whole point as to why I wrote it. The quality of teams he played isn’t good enough for him to win the Cy Young. If we are gonna look at things like ERA+ we should consider the competition. We should consider that the brewers have lost a game on the cubs since the trade. We should consider that he doesn’t have but 2 tough games left to pitch (Both Against the Cubs). He is pitching great against poor competition.

And Here Here to Ned Yoast. He has to be the worst manager of a contending team I have seen in my 15 years (Except the Grady Little Shoulder Shrug with Pedro and the Toothpick Chomping of Dusty, all in 03 ironically enough) of watching baseball (I’m 23 and really started watching when I was 8)

It isnt CC’s fault that he has faced shitty teams… most pitchers in the NL are facing below average ball clubs. Has he not proven it to you throughout his career that he is amongst the best in baseball. AND YES IT IS BECAUSE HE IS WEARING A BREWERS UNIFORM, because everyone was hoping to God he came to the Cubs before he was traded to MIL, and if he was beating all the teams you mentioned above, but in a Cubs uniform, you and everyone else would be singing their praises to him… so does a W count as 2 W’s when you beat a good team and a half of a W when you beat a bad team? Im sorry, but this pitcher is sick, and he deserves much respect in this league because he has shown that he has been consistently great throughout his career

pitcher however I just hope when I’m in Milwaukee next month and if he is pitching he can’t find the plate to save his ass.

it’s because he’s only with the team half a season!

Extend those numbers (and with Milw’s decent offence) and he’s in serious contention for either/both.

Which is exactly why I’d like to see the Cubs consider him for 2009.