NLDS Game 1: Cubs @ Nationals

In Game Threads by dmick89230 Comments

Time: 6:30 PM CT
TV: TBS
Series Preview
Gameday

LINEUPS

Cubs logo
(92-70, 0-0)

Ben Zobrist, RF
Kris Bryant, 3B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Willson Contreras, C
Kyle Schwarber, LF
Addison Russell, SS
Jason Heyward, CF
Javier Baez, 2B
Kyle Hendricks, P


(97-65, 0-0)

Trea Turner, SS
Bryce Harper, RF
Anthony Rendon, 3B
Daniel Murphy, 2B
Ryan Zimmerman, 1B
Jayson Werth, LF
Matt Wieters, C
Michael Taylor, CF
Stephen Strasburg, P

Will the Cubs win? No, but it could go either way.

538 Forecast: 44% chance of winning

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Comments

  1. TheVan

    I would prefer Jon Jay’s bat over Zobrist’s against Strasburg. But that’s why I’m an accountant and not a baseball manager.

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  2. Edwin

    Is Zobrist still good at defense? Other than being a veteran presence, he seems an odd choice to leadoff, considering his bat has struggled this season.

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  3. TheVan

    Edwin,

    He’s still a serviceable utility player, but I don’t think he fits into that “super utility” label he had earlier in his career. Without looking at numbers I would guess he’s slightly below average at all positions he plays.

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  4. cerulean

    TheVan:
    I would prefer Jon Jay’s bat over Zobrist’s against Strasburg. But that’s why I’m an accountant and not a baseball manager.

    Who knows, you might be a better baseball manager than accountant. Have you stopped cooking your clients’ books yet?

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  5. TheVan

    cerulean: Who knows, you might be a better baseball manager than accountant. Have you stopped cooking your clients’ books yet?

    I have not. I still need to make a living.

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  6. cerulean

    TheVan,

    Aging curves seem to track the inability to heal quickly, not necessarily a big loss in ability when healthy (which I would say is a much smaller part of the aggregated aging curve). Zobrist was injured, and he tried to play through his injury, but he is no longer as resilient as he was when he was younger—so he wasn’t healing. But if he feels better now, there is very little reason to think that can’t be an above average player like he was last year. It’s also not crazy to think that he will go off in these playoffs. Because baseball.

    (He says he feels the best he has all year. I would have been more inclined to agree if his September matched his August. But whatever.)

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  7. Author
    dmick89

    “How valuable can a player be if his team is never a factor in the race–especially these days, when there are extra spots for wild-card entries?

    I can’t believe this is still a question. It’s 2017.

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  8. North Side Pat

    Heyward 15-37 in his career vs Strasburg. That’s hard to believe based on what we’ve seen the past 2 years.

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  9. Author
    dmick89

    The Cubs have looked like shit in the first couple innings lately. They’ve made up for letting pitchers get through three innings on 25 pitches by scoring a bunch in the middle innings.

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  10. SK

    dmick89,

    Yeah, so if you think about it, I guess it makes sense. Just as a Cubs fan it’s weird to think that one team, let alone one player, could have that many playoff games in a decade or so.

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  11. Author
    dmick89

    SK,

    This is the Cubs 28th playoff game since 2015. They add up, but yeah, until now it’s been difficult as Cubs fans to imagine players playing in that many playoff games.

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  12. Berselius is too lazy to log in

    dmick89:
    Here’s hoping Hendricks and the bullpen can get through 20 scoreless. Maybe they have a chance then.

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  13. TheVan

    SK:
    I’m gonna move from the chair to the couch.

    I’m gonna move from beer to whiskey. One of our strategies is bound to work out. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton.

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  14. Myles

    dmick89:
    Myles,

    If he was 24 maybe.

    He is older than I always think, but he’s already the best postseason pitcher we’ve ever had, he’s been a Cy candidate last year and firmly top-10 this year. Honestly, the bar isn’t that high.

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  15. TheVan

    91 pitches. He’s got one inning left unless his spot comes up in the batting order this inning. This bullpen scares me.

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  16. Author
    dmick89

    Myles: He is older than I always think, but he’s already the best postseason pitcher we’ve ever had, he’s been a Cy candidate last year and firmly top-10 this year. Honestly, the bar isn’t that high.

    Yeah, I can agree he’s easily in the conversation for best playoff pitcher in Cubs history.

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  17. TheVan

    WaLi,

    I thought immediately that he had done it intentionally because he was in the grass, but the replay shows him immediately regretting his throw.

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  18. Rizzo the Rat

    The Dodgers have a four-run lead with a runner in scoring position, and they still haven’t made an out yet.

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  19. Rizzo the Rat

    Willson Contreras on Kyle Hendricks: “He didn’t miss a spot. He didn’t miss a pitch. We did everything that we wanted to."

    — Patrick Mooney (@MooneyNBCS) October 7, 2017

    So… he admits they hit Matt Wieters on purpose?

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  20. Perkins

    538 still gives the Dodgers higher odds of reaching the World Series than the Cubs and they haven’t won tonight yet.

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  21. Author
    dmick89

    Perkins,

    That’s because the Dodgers would have home field throughout. The Cubs will probably be the road team in every series. That’s a pretty big advantage for the Dodgers over the Cubs.

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