The 2016 Cubs: SPLOOGE SPLOOGE SPLOOGE

[WTB...A RING FFS!!]

So I'm breaking my stance on not watching much of a Cubs game until I know they're in the World Series. The rents got me an early b-day present of 3 tickets for my son, wife and myself in the 2nd row up from the Cubs bullpen in right at Miller Park tonight. If they lose I'll have to go back to my original stance. Hopefully they win since the Brewer starter is 1-5 with a 6+ ERA.

[SKO]

This one's really good, CT.

[Saul Goodman]

This one's really good, CT.

Inspired.

[SKO]

That was dumb. Also FIP and fWAR and all that but my inner meatball will never stop bitching that Kyle Hendricks needs to sack up and throw 6 innings without shitting the tub

[Andy]

Test.

Bruce Levine test .

[Quality Start Machine]

It took a 2-4 stretch in mid-May for this team to lose their tenth game.

Is that good? It seems good.

[Saul Goodman]

If mediocrity against bad teams (Atlanta, Milwaukee) means more winning streaks against good teams (Pirates/Nationals, Giants/Cardinals), I say let the Brewers' 500 fans have their fun.

[Yeti]

Splooge

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

It seems to me that the cycles of the season are such right now that the Cubs might be playing Philadelphia at a pretty sweet time this weekend, and I won't be surprised or shocked if some normalization occurs--the Cubs hopefully cycling out of their recent 6-8 "funk" (wherein they still managed to out-score their opponents by 15 runs in that time), and Philadelphia coming back to earth at least a little after a 6-week start to their season that stands out as the most surprising story in baseball thus far (in a positive way).

What I'm trying to say here--and don't tell my dad I'm about to say this --is I feel like the Cubs are about to send the Phillies to the moon.  Woof.

[SKO]

It seems to me that the cycles of the season are such right now that the Cubs might be playing Philadelphia at a pretty sweet time this weekend, and I won't be surprised or shocked if some normalization occurs--the Cubs hopefully cycling out of their recent 6-8 "funk" (wherein they still managed to out-score their opponents by 15 runs in that time), and Philadelphia coming back to earth at least a little after a 6-week start to their season that stands out as the most surprising story in baseball thus far (in a positive way).

What I'm trying to say here--and don't tell my dad I'm about to say this --is I feel like the Cubs are about to send the Phillies to the moon.  Woof.

I am neither supporting your hunch or condemning it, I just want to say that the Phillies (26-21) being 5 over with a -31 run differential is really something and I want ChuckD or someone to give me a list of the "best" teams with negative run differentials throughout history to see how unusual their start is.

[Slaky]

It seems to me that the cycles of the season are such right now that the Cubs might be playing Philadelphia at a pretty sweet time this weekend, and I won't be surprised or shocked if some normalization occurs--the Cubs hopefully cycling out of their recent 6-8 "funk" (wherein they still managed to out-score their opponents by 15 runs in that time), and Philadelphia coming back to earth at least a little after a 6-week start to their season that stands out as the most surprising story in baseball thus far (in a positive way).

What I'm trying to say here--and don't tell my dad I'm about to say this --is I feel like the Cubs are about to send the Phillies to the moon.  Woof.

I am neither supporting your hunch or condemning it, I just want to say that the Phillies (26-21) being 5 over with a -31 run differential is really something and I want ChuckD or someone to give me a list of the "best" teams with negative run differentials throughout history to see how unusual their start is.

I remember when the Cubs were like 10 games under and were only a couple runs below even and it felt like the structure was being put into place. With the Phillies this just feels like bizarre early season hoodoo.

That said, the Cubs played like shit against the Phillies last year so I'm very cautious about this series.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

It seems to me that the cycles of the season are such right now that the Cubs might be playing Philadelphia at a pretty sweet time this weekend, and I won't be surprised or shocked if some normalization occurs--the Cubs hopefully cycling out of their recent 6-8 "funk" (wherein they still managed to out-score their opponents by 15 runs in that time), and Philadelphia coming back to earth at least a little after a 6-week start to their season that stands out as the most surprising story in baseball thus far (in a positive way).

What I'm trying to say here--and don't tell my dad I'm about to say this --is I feel like the Cubs are about to send the Phillies to the moon.  Woof.

I am neither supporting your hunch or condemning it, I just want to say that the Phillies (26-21) being 5 over with a -31 run differential is really something and I want ChuckD or someone to give me a list of the "best" teams with negative run differentials throughout history to see how unusual their start is.

I remember when the Cubs were like 10 games under and were only a couple runs below even and it felt like the structure was being put into place. With the Phillies this just feels like bizarre early season hoodoo.

That said, the Cubs played like shit against the Phillies last year so I'm very cautious about this series.

See, I'll acknowledge that the Phillies--the freaking 2015 Phillies-- took 5 of 7 from the 97-win Cubs and actually use that to bolster my hunch.  Just another one to file under "normalization".  I just can't accept that they'd have taken at least 6 of the most recent 10 games that they'll have played against each other.  The same hoodoo that has propelled them to their 2016 start is the same hoodoo that allowed them to handle the Cubs last year and in both cases, that shit's about to cool off.

[Canadouche]

The Cubs have gone 6-8 in their last 14. They still have the best record in baseball by 3 in the loss column, and their run differential still remains +40 better than the second best team in baseball.

[SKO]

The Cubs have gone 6-8 in their last 14. They still have the best record in baseball by 3 in the loss column, and their run differential still remains +40 better than the second best team in baseball.

Their run differential is +119. If the NL playoffs started today the Cubs would have a higher run differential than the other 4 playoff teams (WSN/SF/NYM/PIT) combined (+116).

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

It seems to me that the cycles of the season are such right now that the Cubs might be playing Philadelphia at a pretty sweet time this weekend, and I won't be surprised or shocked if some normalization occurs--the Cubs hopefully cycling out of their recent 6-8 "funk" (wherein they still managed to out-score their opponents by 15 runs in that time), and Philadelphia coming back to earth at least a little after a 6-week start to their season that stands out as the most surprising story in baseball thus far (in a positive way).

What I'm trying to say here--and don't tell my dad I'm about to say this --is I feel like the Cubs are about to send the Phillies to the moon.  Woof.