Cleveland Sports Forum

One other thing that struck me yesterday.

As they show pics of the guts of the Cubs team - Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Wilson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo - these kids all look about 12 years old.

And these kids (with Rizzo the possible exception) are still works in progress. Unlike the main 2 kids on the Tribe (Ramirez and Lindor) they still haven't learned to be hitters who hit in a more disciplined manner. Put the bat on the ball, put it in play.

Cubs will be dangerous for years to come, but right now perhaps the Tribe pitching is taking advantage of their youth. Then again they did the same to the Red Sox and Blue Jays.

All 3 teams looked overanxious, and didn't get the fastball diet they were used to in the regular season.

To add on, the relative "mature" hitting style of Lindor made me remember an interview I saw with him where he heaped praise on Brantley for all his help this season. Even said he looks at him in the dugout while hitting sometimes.

Hmm, Lindor's style of hitting...Brantley....I think we have a match.

I dunno about that, TFIR. Even great hitting veteran lineups can be pitched to. Look at Boston and Toronto. Tribe pitchers and coaches found their weaknesses and exploited them too.

David Ortiz may be the only guy we've faced this postseason that didn't have an obvious weakness to exploit...?

Looking forward to tonight, I want to wrap it up. Cubbies are certainly capable of winning 3 straight. Kind of scary, just in time for Halloween.

This is the game that Bauer has been waiting for his whole life, deciding game of the World Series. It cannot be a bigger stage than that.

We have been extremely fortunate with the pitching management of Tito, could it hold up over 3 more games?

Yikes, this is why we play the games.

Joe was right about how Lackey would react to calls against him on close pitches. He started losing his composure early on and it took him off his game.

I agree with Rusty on how Francona will approach tonight's game. Don't take your foot off the gas with a rest day coming up.

Who would have thought one could find something to agree with with both Joe and Rusty in the same post?! The Tribe is playing like a panacea so far.

Who would have thought that I would be agreeing with Hillbilly AND TFIR in the same post, but here goes:

And these kids (with Rizzo the possible exception) are still works in progress. Unlike the main 2 kids on the Tribe (Ramirez and Lindor) they still haven't learned to be hitters who hit in a more disciplined manner. Put the bat on the ball, put it in play. [TFIR]

Cubs can be pitched to. As long as you aren't grooving fastballs over the plate their lineup can be pitched to. And Callaway and the pitching staff are proving it. Hopefully we have one more in us.[HILLBILLY]

[HILLBILLY]: I think we only have to go back to the 90's with those super star lineups we had and the pitching of the Atlanta Braves. Five one run ball games out of the six played. Maddux, Glavine, and Avery painting the corners, nothing down the middle.

[TFIR]: It's not that we have the better hitting lineup in this series but we have a smarter hitting line up. The biggest difference between the two teams is our ability to make contact, put the ball in play, taking advantage of what Cub pitchers give us, TEAM baseball. The Cubs lineup remains intent on trying to win the ball games with one swing of the bat. Too many hitters trying to be THE guy that wins the game. They haven't learned how to play team baseball. They should know by now that they will not be hitting 3 or 4 home runs a ball game. I think they need a slogan in the dugout that reads "There is no 'I' in TEAM"

I agree with Hillbilly in that the Red Sox and Blue Jays had the same problem with the Tribe pitchers.

And yes HB it remains to be seen if the Cubs hitters will mature.

The way I see it, if a pitching staff can throw a steady diet of breaking balls for strikes, big league hitters will get frustrated. They'll fall behind in counts then flail at 2 strike pitches.

The postseason seems to be filled with fastball hitting teams. Kluber and Tomlin exploit it then Miller/Allen have lights out stuff.

As has been mentioned, the Cubs are a young team. And they have been continually expected to end the curse. The weight of 108 years has to be ramping up the pressure on them.

Something tells me the Cubs will be in post season for plenty of seasons ahead. These will be the kids that will end the curse. I just hope it's not this year

That's another thing that bugs me about coverage. How young the Cubs are and how they're gonna be better.

Well hey, we'll have Brantley, Carrasco, and Salazar back next year. Lindor and Naquin will only get better.

We have a few really good lookin young'ans on the farm.

The Tribe should be good for the foreseeable future. We ain't going anywhere either.

I could give 2 shits less about the Cubs, their youth, whether they are gonna be good for a long time. They may all be having career years and fade into non existence, or injury.

I could give half a rats ass about Schwarber. If he were on the Tribe we'd be calling him a bum.

I could give even less than 2 shits about them ending their curse.

They are an obstacle in our way. That is all.

I'm already sick of hearing about "What the Cubs Need To Do To win tonight." I want to hear about what the Tribe has to do to put them away.

I just want to win tonight and make them Cubbies cry in their Deep Dish Pizza's and Hot Dogs with too much crap on them to eat properly.

I don't think I can stay awake until midnight again. Work tomorrow ...

Not our night tonight.
Looks like we will be playing in Cleveland on Tuesday.

It's only the 5th inning and we're only down by 2.

But it's hard to tell the guys to be patient and take walks when they are getting called strike three six inches off the plate.

Only down by one now, but the Cubs seem to be getting all the breaks.

Now Chapman is on for a 3 inning save