[Chi_archie]

Books are still slow to adapt

1.02 ERA over last 7 starts
1.64 ERA over last 10 starts

[TheMoneyShot]

We should just give the world title to the Cubs right now.

[Mr KLC]

So does that make Arrieta the old Hendricks?

[Chi_archie]

So does that make Arrieta the old Hendricks?

right this minute?

no, Hendricks has always been very good

over the past month Jake is the old Baltimore Jake, but with facial hair and a better downward dog

[stealthyburrito]

Could arrieta be left out of nlds rotation? Hendricks, Lester, lackey

[Chi_archie]

123 pitches tonight

im not sure about that one, Joe

[Chi_archie]

Could arrieta be left out of nlds rotation? Hendricks, Lester, lackey

Very interetng question

[d2bets]

Could arrieta be left out of nlds rotation? Hendricks, Lester, lackey

[d2bets]

Well, obviously they are completely different pitchers. Hendricks though is a rare breed in this day and age. Way back when there were some guys that had success with a max fastball in the upper 80's, but not too many anymore. You don't ever want to compare anyone to Greg Maddux, but if you did the only guy that could be mentioned these days is Kyle Hendricks. Changeup, location and intelligence. Hendricks' best asset is his brain. And while he's having a breakout season, it's not like he came from nowhere. He's had success everywhere. His first two seasons with the Cubs were underrated. 2.22 ERA probably a stretch, but I can see him as a ~ 3.0 ERA guy for a long time.

[Chi_archie]

Hendricks for Cy Young award?

[No coincidences]

Hendricks for Cy Young award?

I watch him pitch and I just don't get it.

He's good, but WTF is going on? Unhittable?

A scout said the other day that in all his years of working in baseball, he's never been more baffled by a pitcher's rise to superstardom.

[Chi_archie]

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/roa...ct-management/

[d2bets]

I watch him pitch and I just don't get it.

He's good, but WTF is going on? Unhittable?

A scout said the other day that in all his years of working in baseball, he's never been more baffled by a pitcher's rise to superstardom.

They said the same things about Greg Maddux early on.

http://deadspin.com/the-scouting-rep...bee-1612202873

[Ghenghis Kahn]

lester is still rated higher than hendricks. he has 135 strikeouts in 152 innings.

some of you are comparing him to maddox. didn't maddox have way more strikeouts than this guy?

[d2bets]

lester is still rated higher than hendricks. he has 135 strikeouts in 152 innings.

some of you are comparing him to maddox. didn't maddox have way more strikeouts than this guy?

Nope. Just the opposite.

Maddux's very highest season of K/9 was 7.8 and his next best was 7.0. Career 6.1.

Hendricks at 8.0 this season and 8.4 last season.

Odd thing is Hendicks' FIP this season is almost exactly the same as last season, but his ERA went from 3.95 to 2.15. So there may be a little luck in play and his ERA maybe not sustainable. But he was also good as a rookie and always had numbers in the minors. He just has success. But Maddux had crazy low ERA in many straight seasons. That's gonna be tough. I suspect Hendricks last season 3.95 was bad luck and 2.15 this season is good luck. 3 is probably more realistic.

[Chi_archie]

Cy Young folks?

[d2bets]

Cy Young folks?

He's got it practically locked down, unless he implodes the last few starts.

Would he be the mot surprising Cy Young winner ever?

[habitualwinning]

Arrieta isn't even the 2nd best pitcher on his own team. I remember all you guys back in April trying to give him a reach around, saying just give him the Cy already.

Maddon isn't a dummy so he better set up playoff rotation as 1. Lester 2. Hendricks 3. Arrieta 4. Doesn't really matter Hammel or Lackey. Anything else is just stupid. You want the proven multiple WS winner Ace Lester game 1. You want Hendricks pitching twice @ home on full rest. Arrieta is a wild card at this point but I'd take my chances with him as a #3. Hammel or Lackey game 4 doesn't really matter, only pitching one game in series, innings eater, throw away game on road. He better stop batting Zobrist cleanup too and get the lineup ready for a bunch of lefties. Heyward doesn't need to play with his Mendoza line bat against a bunch of lefties in playoffs. The likely draws will be SF NLDS, so MadBum and Moore, then LA in NLCS, so basically every starter will be lefty, Kershaw, Hill, Urias, Kazmir? if healthy and then WS will likely be Boston, Price twice or Texas, Hamels twice or Houston, Keuchel twice. Lefty after Lefty after Lefty.

[cankid]

Great performance today

[d2bets]

Arrieta isn't even the 2nd best pitcher on his own team. I remember all you guys back in April trying to give him a reach around, saying just give him the Cy already.

Maddon isn't a dummy so he better set up playoff rotation as 1. Lester 2. Hendricks 3. Arrieta 4. Doesn't really matter Hammel or Lackey. Anything else is just stupid. You want the proven multiple WS winner Ace Lester game 1. You want Hendricks pitching twice @ home on full rest. Arrieta is a wild card at this point but I'd take my chances with him as a #3. Hammel or Lackey game 4 doesn't really matter, only pitching one game in series, innings eater, throw away game on road. He better stop batting Zobrist cleanup too and get the lineup ready for a bunch of lefties. Heyward doesn't need to play with his Mendoza line bat against a bunch of lefties in playoffs. The likely draws will be SF NLDS, so MadBum and Moore, then LA in NLCS, so basically every starter will be lefty, Kershaw, Hill, Urias, Kazmir? if healthy and then WS will likely be Boston, Price twice or Texas, Hamels twice or Houston, Keuchel twice. Lefty after Lefty after Lefty.

Good post. Lester/Hendricks/Arrieta is exactly how they are lining up. And Maddon can throw Jake a bone by saying he wants Jake in a tough road game against the (wild card winner) opponent's ace (who pitches the WC game).

As for Heyward, he will sit against lefties and play against righties.

I don't know about the 4 hole. He's really settled into Bryant/Rizzo at 2,3 so there really isn't an obvious #4 and Zobrist has hit there the most so I'm not sure he messes with that. I'd like Zobrist in the 2 hole followed by Bryant/ Rizzo, but that hasn't been the lineup and I doubt he changes what has gotten them there. The question is Soler vs. Baez against righties. With the defense that Baez provides, it's hard to have him on the bench. Defense is so important in the playoffs and Baez is the best fielder at multiple positions. Soler is a butcher out there. And Baez is basically Lester's personal 3rd baseman. And Game 4 would be Lackey for sure, not Hammel. I think Lackey's head would explode if he wasn't in that 4-man. Cubs hit lefties just fine, so I don't think that's a concern. I wish Cubs had a speedster for the 25th man, but they don't.

[El Nino]

Hendricks must have dipped into Arrieta's leafy greens. Let's hope he doesn't come out with a homo fashion line. That was obviously Arrieta's demise as so correctly called by poster Chi_archie.

[d2bets]

Hendricks must have dipped into Arrieta's leafy greens. Let's hope he doesn't come out with a homo fashion line. That was obviously Arrieta's demise as so correctly called by poster Chi_archie.

He must have gotten the bad stuff because he still can't reach 90mph. Hendricks' biggest weapon is his brain.

As for Arrieta's demise, he leads the NL in wins, so....

[jjgold]

Cubs seem loaded

Losing means huge failure in World Series

[habitualwinning]

If the Cubs beat Madbum, Kershaw twice, possibly 3 times and Hamels twice, then they've earned the WS title. Obviously we don't know the matchups yet but I'm just going based off of opposing pitchers. Hell even the Mets would be a tough matchup for Cubs in NLDS if they sneak into the WC. Mets have done very well against Cubs last two seasons and have a deeper lineup this season. I think the easiest draw for Cubs would be Nats but I don't see them making NLCS without Strasburg.

Quick trivia question nobody will get without looking up. Of the 5 Cubs starters with the most innings pitched this season where does Arrieta rank in WHIP? 4th. Lester, Hendricks and Lackey are all better in that category. Only bipolar Hammel is worse than Jake.

[d2bets]

The NL playoffs will be stacked with great pitching. Anything can happen. But I can tell you that no team will have a better 1 thru 4 than the Cubs.

[jtoler]

I like Hendricks alot, he almost looks like a replica of Greg Maddux. I was a big Maddux fan.

[d2bets]

I like Hendricks alot, he almost looks like a replica of Greg Maddux. I was a big Maddux fan.

That's a lot of praise to heap, but the weird thing is that Hendricks actually throws much softer than Maddux in his prime and yet Hendricks also has a much higher strikeout rate. But the similarity is their smarts. Hendricks is The Professor like Maddux.

[jtoler]

That's a lot of praise to heap, but the weird thing is that Hendricks actually throws much softer than Maddux in his prime and yet Hendricks also has a much higher strikeout rate. But the similarity is their smarts. Hendricks is The Professor like Maddux.

Yea replica might be too strong a word Im only going by how some of his pitches look. When I used to watch Maddux nobody pitched like him, painting the strike zone, the late movement on his pitches, he worked in the zone so much and guys had a heck of a time still hitting him. I watched mostly when he was with Braves so he was probably getting close to 30 then.

[stealthyburrito]

Should def have Lester and lackey as they both have a lot of postseason experience. Hendricks in there too since he is the best pitcher in the league.

arrieta a mop up guy. Maybe considered as 4th starter in a 7 gm series if they get there

[d2bets]

Should def have Lester and lackey as they both have a lot of postseason experience. Hendricks in there too since he is the best pitcher in the league.

arrieta a mop up guy. Maybe considered as 4th starter in a 7 gm series if they get there

Come on now.

[stealthyburrito]

Come on now.

Ok, I exaggerated a little. He's probably #2 or #3 starter, and lackey is there for emergency relief if a starter blows up early in an nlds.

[UncleChael]

There's only one Jake Arrieta buddy and there's only one fukking Kyle Hendricks!@

[Chi_archie]

1.99 ERA now

[BaseballChaser]

Lester been just as good. Last 8 games he's given up 1 run or fewer.

In the NLDS it's definitely possible they face the opposing pitchers ace twice. As the ace might have to pitch the last game of the regular season just to get to the wild card game and wouldn't be able to pitch in it.

[Chi_archie]

lester will get rocked by bucs

hand kyle the cy young trophy