Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

Not over yet, but we need shutout innings. Our bats can pick us up.

Come on Soler, get it started right now.
 
Arrieta needs to stop the bleeding tonight vs Atlanta, give the bullpen the night off.

Our bats need to stay strong tho. Scoring 8 back to back nights and losing. :smh:
 
You can point out any number of players and attribute the Cubs’ second half surge to their performance.

However, would it be possible if it wasn’t for Dexter Fowler putting up the kind of numbers one would expect out of a top-10 player in all of baseball?

Fowler has been the best Cubs player over the last 30 days. His 1.7 fWAR is the eighth highest in baseball during that span. Nelson Cruz, Joey Votto and Chris Davis sit at the top of the top, with each collecting 2.3 fWAR. The only other players ahead of Fowler are Josh Donaldson, A.J. Pollock, David Ortiz and Eric Hosmer. Fowler is in pretty good company with these names.

You can play around with Fangraphs’ leaderboard here.

As for Fowler, his slash line during this stretch: .316/.443/.602 with a .440 wOBA, .286(!) ISO and 185 wRC+ to go along with a 18.0 percent walk rate and 21.3 percent strikeout rate.

Thanks to this run of good fortune, Fowler has seen his slash line go from .235/.321/.368 to a much better .254/.350/.418.

The Cubs’ record during Fowler’s resurgence: 18-9. The offense has averaged 4.9 runs per game — a full run higher than the team’s average prior to July 22.

As a team, the Cubs haven’t seen this kind of production from its center fielder since Jim Edmonds in 2008. Or if we dare think back further, Cubs fans probably haven’t seen this kind of second-half spark from a lead-off man since Kenny Lofton was acquired from the Pirates in July 2003.

(Aside: Lofton was a 2.1 fWAR player for the Cubs after the trade, posting a .327/.381/.471 slash, .367 wOBA and 121 wRC+. He was good. And yet, Fowler is blowing those slash numbers out of the water and is on pace to surpassing Lofton’s fWAR total if he keeps this pace up.)

While Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber knock the ball around the field, Fowler has oftentimes been along for the ride, circling the basepaths.

Fowler’s progression seems to have begun since the team returned from the All-Star Break. His slash since then: .316/.453/.556 with a .431 wOBA, 178 wRC+ and more walks (29) than strikeouts (28).

Fowler’s 1.9 fWAR is tied for seventh best in all of baseball since the All-Star Break.

As a team, the Cubs are 20-11 in the second half. Their 20 wins are but one fewer than the Royals, Cardinals and Blue Jays.

Overall, Fowler has amassed a 2.7 fWAR, which puts him third on the team behind Anthony Rizzo (4.8) and Kris Bryant (4.2) and 10th among MLB center fielders.

Back in early July, Cubs manager Joe Maddon suggested that the Cubs offense would go only as far lead-off man Dexter Fowler would carry them.

As it turns out, Maddon’s assessment has been spot on as Fowler has taken his game — and the Cubs offense — to another level in the second half of the season.
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Instead, what you should know is that Arrieta’s 2.30 ERA is 4th lowest in baseball, his 2.62 FIP is 5th lowest, his 2.83 xFIP is 6th lowest, and his 4.5 WAR is 8th highest. Those are the numbers – if you have to boil it down to numbers at all – that demonstrate he is a complete and total stud.

Right there with Arrieta in most of those stats is Corey Kluber, whose win/loss record is 8-13. Meanwhile, the Rangers’ Colby Lewis is 13-5 with a 4.49 ERA, a 4.11 FIP, a 4.41 xFIP (all well below average), and has been worth just 1.9 WAR.
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That come back on Saturday was clutch. down 7-3 and won 9-7. BLESS YOU BOYS!!!!!!! we only 6 games out for the division.
 
Andrew Green ‏@andruwgreen 3m3 minutes ago
Pierce Johnson over his last 21 starts for the Smokies going back to 2014:
9-1, 1.83 ERA (24 ER/118.1 IP), 106 strikeouts & .203 avg against
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South Bend Cubs ‏@SBCubs 3m3 minutes ago
Gleyber Torres has been named the Midwest League Prospect of the Year.
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