Anything short of making the NLDS, and he's out. Make the World Series, and he's in. Anywhere in between? I'm fine with Maddon (oddly my biggest complaints about his managing were in the 2016 postseason), but I also think that baseball managers get too much credit when teams win and too much blame when they lose.
Actually, I think it's more that the AL is very top and bottom heavy. They've got four teams with winning percentages below .400 (including Detroit at .297), while the NL only has one. The NL is a bit more balanced (Dodgers excepted). Move some of the stronger AL teams to the NL and they'd likely have fewer wins due to fewer bottom feeders. Given that the NL has actually had winning records for interleague play the last couple of years, I'm not sure it's fair to say the AL is clearly better.Lorini wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:18 amNaw the NL GM's are just stupider than the AL ones, and tank at the first hint of hard times.
The Cubs' series was fun this weekend - weekends like this (nice weather with the wind blowing out) are what gives Wrigley its reputation, but even this was extreme.
The Cubs are going to have to earn it if they make it back to the playoffs for the fifth straight year. They're currently two games behind the Cardinals for the NL Central and one ahead of the Brewers for the last Wild Card. Baez is likely out for the balance of the regular season with a broken thumb, and preliminary x-rays on Rizzo's ankle didn't show a break, but it looked like a nasty sprain. Not sure how long he'll be out. Kimbrel may be done for the year, too. Time for the most beautiful man in baseball to put the team on his back! (#FreeKrisBryant)