Key to WS is a balanced lineup according to Jerry Crasnick’s writeup on the Chicago Cubs.
Five months after a painful loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, Piniella is brimming with ideas on how to remedy the team’s 0-6 postseason record in 2007 and 2008. He’s already vowing to rest his regulars more frequently as an antidote to those long, debilitating summers at Wrigley Field.
Game 1: Dodgers walked 8 times, Cubs walked 2 times. Cubs threw 43 more pitches.
Game 2: Dodgers walked 3 times, Cubs walked 2 times. Cubs threw 16 more pitches.
Game 3: Dodgers walked 3 times, Cubs walked 2 times. Cubs threw 11 fewer pitches.
Total: Dodgers walked 14 times, Cubs walked 6 times. Cubs threw 48 more pitches than the Dodgers.
“Our club won 97 ballgames last year and played awfully well,” Piniella said. “But when you get into the playoffs and guys can pitch, they can throw breaking balls when they’re behind in the count. They can pitch to the outside part of the plate. They get comfortable. We played the Dodgers last year, and we didn’t see one pitch by a lefty. Nothing. That says a lot.”
Yup. The Cubs won the most games in a season since 1945 but got killed by RHP. The Cubs walking 6 times vs. 24 strikeouts had nothing to do with it.
If you find the timing of the team’s latest mini-remake perplexing, join the club. The Cubs ranked second in the majors to Texas with 855 runs scored last season. Among National League teams, Chicago ranked second behind St. Louis with a .796 OPS against right-handed pitching and trailed only Florida with 145 home runs against righties.
So why is this suddenly a priority?
The one-word answer: October.
October makes people morons, trying to find that one quick fix that cures all ills for a team that struggles in the playoffs.
Piniella and the Cubs’ front office are convinced the team’s lack of balance had become a major impediment in the postseason, when exhaustive scouting reports and preparation tend to magnify weaknesses.
Your team averaged 1 BB every 17 AB in 2008. In 2007, they averaged 1 BB every 7 AB and scored 6 runs in all 3 games because the hitters didn’t make contact. 2007 OPS: .562 and 2008 OPS: .628.
In comparison, your opponents walked 14 in 104 AB and 13 in 94 AB. The Diamondbacks hit .266 as a team but still scored 16 runs over 3 games because they had an OPS of .890. The Dodgers hit .250 as a team but still scored 20 runs over 3 games because they had an OPS of .767.
“We’ve been so right-handed that when a pitcher gets in a groove, he can pitch to one side of the plate and really not have to mix it up,” Lee said. “Guys start working the outside corner and throwing that slider off the plate, and they never have to go to a different pitch to get a lefty out. I’m not a pitcher, but I would think it would be a little easier that way.”
vs. RHP in 2008 as a team: .274/.350/.443 in 4688 PA
vs. LHP in 2008 as a team: .288/.366/.442 in 1696 PA
They hit BETTER against LHP with a much higher .339 BABIP compared to .314 against RHP. Could partly be the reason why they didn’t face any LHP.
Switch-hitter Koyie Hill and lefty bat Paul Bako are competing for the backup job behind Soto, and Miles will give Theriot periodic breathers at short.
The Cubs’ fifth outfielder probably will be Joey Gathright, a lefty slap hitter whose strengths are his speed and ability to cover ground in the gaps.
Koyie Hill: Career .538 OPS
Paul Bako: Career .622 OPS
Joey Gathright: Career .632 OPS
