Running 2017 MLB regular season thread

That's because you refuse to be honest. That is why you can't win. You are right that our responses to one another are not equivalent. Mine are honest and yours are not. You know I have you on this one. This all started with Arrieta and your trolling on the topic. Your defense was that you are interested in the Cubs, yet time and again, you ignore significant stories about the Cubs to focus on an argument. It was never just about Lester. He was just one example of you ignoring significant stories while prattling on and on about Arrieta. The Quintana deal was far more significant than the latest round of your weak defense regarding Lester. You have proven my point yet again. Thank you for that.

The bottom lines are clear. Your Arrieta stuff was about trolling. Lester is a part of the Cubs' problem during the first half of the season in spite of your claims to the contrary. And you were wrong in posting that Andrew McCutchen sucks now.

Cue DW with another rambling defense that does not hold up.

 

What is "weak" about my defense of Lester?

 

This is the funniest thought of the entire episode.

 

Is he pitching worse than he did last year? Without question, yes. Was he part of the Cubs' problems in the first half? Without question, yes. Were you wrong to say there is no reason for concern? Without question, yes.

The weakness was in the failure. Maybe Lester turns it around in the second half. The other stats you presented show it is possible, but so far, you've been wrong. The disaster right before the break was just the latest bit of evidence that you are failing to cover up despite your best efforts.

 

You just now noticed something that has been a point of discussion for weeks? Man, JC really will like anything that he perceives as a shot at me.

 

I don't disagree. This is a matter of degree. You think he is pitching much worse than last year. The underlying data say he is not.

Again, matter of degree. Jon Lester is so far down the list of Cubs problems that he barely bears mentioning, in my book. No Dexter Fowler. Ben Zobrist got really old overnight. Five-inning Jake. The defense. Hendricks being hurt. Russell not taking the next step. Schwarber being awful, awful, awful. Lackey being awful, awful, awful. Lots before you get to Lester and his slight diminishment.

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets Box Score, July 3, 2016 | Baseball-Reference.com

 

I have followed the entire circle jerk since its first strokes.

I just think your adamance about Dick's "trolling" is rich.

 

@outofplace, I don't understand why you make it such a point of emphasis whether a poster is "being dishonest" or "refusing to admit" something or "failing to cover up" or "trolling" or any of the other 1,000 accusatory phrases in your toolbox of character assassination that you roll out again and again and again and again and again until everyone is just exhausted by it.

God, who gives a fuck?

 

If that were all eliminated this thread would be 25 pages

 

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As far as Quintana goes, I think the Cubs are getting a really good pitcher, and a healthy one, year after year. Jeff Passan compared him to Mark Buehrle, "but better." That seems about right.

He has a 4.49 ERA this year. Who knows why? Maybe the trade talk really did get to him. More likely he had some mechanical issue going on. He has a 9.0 percent walk rate after being at 6 percent or better most previous years. His HR/FB percentage has gone up a few ticks, too, as has everyone's, seemingly, now that they are playing with a golf ball.

SIERA and xFIP say he should have around a 4.15 ERA. So he's been a little better than that 4.49, most likely. For the record, his SIERA and xFIP were right around 4.00 last year, when he was pitching to a 3.20 ERA. So some regression was expected. He's been outperforming his peripherals for a while now.

He had a run of three quality starts in a row and looked like he was really turning things around this year, but kind of regressed his last two times out. (He did strike out 10 the other day.)

I don't think this is just a 2017 move for the Cubs. He's under team control on a silly contract through 2020. The White Sox got this guy off the Yankees minor-league scrap heap a few years ago.