Joe Maddon: The Man Behind the Glasses

[SKO]

So thanks to Coghlan's recent turn around and Jorge and Addison both surging...the Cubs have 7/8 position players with an OPS+ of 100 or better in their lineup. The guy with the 75 OPS+ is batting cleanup.

[Saul Goodman]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

[SKO]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

This is the right answer, Joe.

[SKO]

My Maddon boner deflates a touch every day that he bats Castro cleanup

RE-INFLATING

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

This is the right answer, Joe.

L-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-R

[ChuckD]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

This is the right answer, Joe.

S-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-R

Fixed.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

This is the right answer, Joe.

SR-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-R

Fixed.

I know Fowler's a switch-hitter but I assumed he'd be batting lefty tonight.  However, I see that tonight's starter, Brad Hand, is a southpaw, which raises the question as to why Rizzo isn't in the 2-hole as has been Maddon's practice vs. left-handed starters.

[SKO]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

This is the right answer, Joe.

SR-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-R

Fixed.

I know Fowler's a switch-hitter but I assumed he'd be batting lefty tonight.  However, I see that tonight's starter, Brad Hand, is a southpaw, which raises the question as to why Rizzo isn't in the 2-hole as has been Maddon's practice vs. left-handed starters.

Maybe he realized Anthony is slugging .636 vs. lefties this year and wants Bryant on base for the 7 homers he's hitting tonight.

[Eli]

Today's line-up.  Hey look who's hitting cleanup, and who isn't.  I'll take it.

1. Fowler
2. Bryant
3. Rizzo
4. Soler
5. Montero
6. Castro
7. Coghlan
8. Hammel
9. Russell

This is the right answer, Joe.

L-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-R

Maddon seems really fixated on this and it's weird.

[PenFoe]

Whole lot going on here:

Fowler
Bryant
Rizzo
Lake
Castro
Russell
Ross
Hendricks
Herrera

Wonder if we've seen the last of Addison Russell in the 9 hole.  
Sure hope we won't see much more of Junior Lake at cleanup or Herrera on this team.  

But the oddest part for me is the catcher situation.

After 2 great starts in a row with Montero, Hendricks throwing to Ross today.  It's a lefty on the mound for the Marlins, but Montero has been much better versus lefties (.903 OPS) than righties this year (.763) despite a minuscule sample size (only 11 ABs versus lefties.)  

Even if Joe wanted to go righty-heavy against the lefty pitcher (obviously) it seems odd that he'd break-up the Hendricks/Montero combo to achieve that.  

Ross' career OPS versus lefties (.766) is a lot better than Montero's (.654), but that still doesn't make me ever want to see Ross unless Lester is pitching. 

[SKO]

Whole lot going on here:

Fowler
Bryant
Rizzo
Lake
Castro
Russell
Ross
Hendricks
Herrera

Wonder if we've seen the last of Addison Russell in the 9 hole.  
Sure hope we won't see much more of Junior Lake at cleanup or Herrera on this team.  

But the oddest part for me is the catcher situation.

After 2 great starts in a row with Montero, Hendricks throwing to Ross today.  It's a lefty on the mound for the Marlins, but Montero has been much better versus lefties (.903 OPS) than righties this year (.763) despite a minuscule sample size (only 11 ABs versus lefties.)  

Even if Joe wanted to go righty-heavy against the lefty pitcher (obviously) it seems odd that he'd break-up the Hendricks/Montero combo to achieve that.  

David Ross has a .347 OPS against lefties this year, which feels basically impossible even in only 8 ABs.  

Weird stuff, Joe.  

Apparently Jorge has a sore ankle, (plz get well soon), so playing Lake is forgiveable, but the cleanup spot? Why wouldn't you put Addison there? Hope Hendricks has one of them complete game shutouts in him again.

Also I find myself hoping Chuck is right and that Javy's just being held down for service time because then he'll be here a week from today the Cubs might actually start to put together an actual freaking bench.

[Eli]

Whole lot going on here:

Fowler
Bryant
Rizzo
Lake
Castro
Russell
Ross
Hendricks
Herrera

Wonder if we've seen the last of Addison Russell in the 9 hole.  
Sure hope we won't see much more of Junior Lake at cleanup or Herrera on this team.  

But the oddest part for me is the catcher situation.

After 2 great starts in a row with Montero, Hendricks throwing to Ross today.  It's a lefty on the mound for the Marlins, but Montero has been much better versus lefties (.903 OPS) than righties this year (.763) despite a minuscule sample size (only 11 ABs versus lefties.)  

Even if Joe wanted to go righty-heavy against the lefty pitcher (obviously) it seems odd that he'd break-up the Hendricks/Montero combo to achieve that.  

Ross' career OPS versus lefties (.766) is a lot better than Montero's (.654), but that still doesn't make me ever want to see Ross unless Lester is pitching. 

Bryant out in left, too.

[PenFoe]

Whole lot going on here:

Fowler
Bryant
Rizzo
Lake
Castro
Russell
Ross
Hendricks
Herrera

Wonder if we've seen the last of Addison Russell in the 9 hole.  
Sure hope we won't see much more of Junior Lake at cleanup or Herrera on this team.  

But the oddest part for me is the catcher situation.

After 2 great starts in a row with Montero, Hendricks throwing to Ross today.  It's a lefty on the mound for the Marlins, but Montero has been much better versus lefties (.903 OPS) than righties this year (.763) despite a minuscule sample size (only 11 ABs versus lefties.)  

Even if Joe wanted to go righty-heavy against the lefty pitcher (obviously) it seems odd that he'd break-up the Hendricks/Montero combo to achieve that.  

David Ross has a .347 OPS against lefties this year, which feels basically impossible even in only 8 ABs.  

Weird stuff, Joe.  

Apparently Jorge has a sore ankle, (plz get well soon), so playing Lake is forgiveable, but the cleanup spot? Why wouldn't you put Addison there? Hope Hendricks has one of them complete game shutouts in him again.

I amended my original post with some larger sample size stats, but I wonder if Joe is planning to go Ross against lefties regardless of pitchers moving forward to give Montero a little more time off.  

Let's hope not.  

[PenFoe]

Whole lot going on here:

Fowler
Bryant
Rizzo
Lake
Castro
Russell
Ross
Hendricks
Herrera

Wonder if we've seen the last of Addison Russell in the 9 hole.  
Sure hope we won't see much more of Junior Lake at cleanup or Herrera on this team.  

But the oddest part for me is the catcher situation.

After 2 great starts in a row with Montero, Hendricks throwing to Ross today.  It's a lefty on the mound for the Marlins, but Montero has been much better versus lefties (.903 OPS) than righties this year (.763) despite a minuscule sample size (only 11 ABs versus lefties.)  

Even if Joe wanted to go righty-heavy against the lefty pitcher (obviously) it seems odd that he'd break-up the Hendricks/Montero combo to achieve that.  

Ross' career OPS versus lefties (.766) is a lot better than Montero's (.654), but that still doesn't make me ever want to see Ross unless Lester is pitching. 

Bryant out in left, too.

It's all coming together for Vogelbach to take over third.

[PenFoe]

TPD, but I don't see why you wouldn't put Russell second and move down Bryant and Rizzo to 3-4 in this situation.  

I know none of this really matters in the grand scheme of things, but this is a crazy lineup.