NL Central thread

[tomcat1]

I meant to say 4th instead of 3rd. My bad.
Most of us figured the division would beat each other up this season.

The way our division is going this season .500 might win it.

 

[tomcat1]

As long as STL stays w/in striking distance, there is always a chance.

That's what I'm talking about with both hope and a touch of confidence!

 

[jwolt92]

The Central is plus against the rest of the league and plus in interleague. We just don't have any weak team in the division to boost records. We are just as good overall as any division

Easily the most balanced division and no bad teams, but I also don't see any very strong teams right now either. The Cubs should be blowing this division away but their staff has been mediocre, bullpen bad and very average hitting overall. Brewers pitching staff is too inconsistent and the Cards have just been bad.

 

[kburjr]

Easily the most balanced division and no bad teams, but I also don't see any very strong teams right now either. The Cubs should be blowing this division away but their staff has been mediocre, bullpen bad and very average hitting overall. Brewers pitching staff is too inconsistent and the Cards have just been bad.

Yep Also, I think that the Cards are the only team in the division that doesn't have the potential to put a extended hot streak together. Seems they blew their load in April

 

[tomcat1]

Those 2 teams have done a good job against the Central, but just goes to show how the entire Central compares to the rest of the teams.


1. Dodgers
2. Braves
3. Cubs
4. Brewers


Cards, Pirates and Reds would take 3 of the next 5 spots

Thanks for those stats. I knew the NL Central had played well overall against other divisions. It's those teams at the top of the other divisions (Dodgers and Braves) that look superior to any team from the NL Central right now. I guess we'll know in the last week of September how we'll feel about the winner our division being able to compete with the big boys in the playoffs.

 

[Tidergirl]

Fans of any NL Central team, let's discuss this:

Many have said the NL Central is a very tough division so my question is:

Is the NL Central really a very tough division or are all the teams in this division just average?

Competitive, bw the top 3. Throw in the pesky Pirates, who i enjoy watching for some reason, and you dont have 3 bottom feeders battling it out. You have above average teams going at it. The cubs and brewers have a chance to be elite, but both have deficiencies holding them back. Just my 2cents

 

[jwolt92]

Fun fact: in June the Cardinals had the 4th best team ERA in the NL. They also had the worst team slugging percentage of any team in baseball with a Slugging % somewhere around .357 (Read an article in the athletic last night but can't remember the exact number) which I 100% believe it justifies this..

Cards are the only team in the division that doesn't have the potential to put a extended hot streak together

 

[tomcat1]

Easily the most balanced division and no bad teams, but I also don't see any very strong teams right now either. The Cubs should be blowing this division away but their staff has been mediocre, bullpen bad and very average hitting overall. Brewers pitching staff is too inconsistent and the Cards have just been bad.

You nailed it with no very strong teams in the NL Central right now.

 

[Tidergirl]

That's what I'm talking about with both hope and a touch of confidence!

The older i get the more i realize being a pessimist doesnt do any goid why not hope for the best

 

[kburjr]

The older i get the more i realize being a pessimist doesnt do any goid why not hope for the best

The beauty of baseball. 162 chances to feel optimistic.

 

[tomcat1]

Yep Also, I think that the Cards are the only team in the division that doesn't have the potential to put a extended hot streak together. Seems they blew their load in April

I don't see any team in the NL Central with the potential to put an extended hot streak together. I'm not saying it won't happen but I sure don't see which team is capable of doing it.

 

[tomcat1]

The older i get the more i realize being a pessimist doesnt do any goid why not hope for the best

There you go! My hope will continue until the numbers say we are mathematically eliminated.

 

[Tidergirl]

The beauty of baseball. 162 chances to feel optimistic.

Yep, not a sprint at all. Totallt off the subject thats what made the braves streal in the 90's-00 so amazing. Sure only 1 ring, but nothing but respect for the Braves organazation during that stretch.

 

[tomcat1]

The beauty of baseball. 162 chances to feel optimistic.

Well, for some of us the optimism will be gone after about 150 chances I guess.

 

[kburjr]

Well, for some of us the optimism will be gone after about 150 chances I guess.

I know winning the pennant is the season long goal, but the true beauty is that every game most teams have a decent shot at winning. Even the last place team wins 4 out of 10

 

[tomcat1]

Yep, not a sprint at all. Totallt off the subject thats what made the braves streal in the 90's-00 so amazing. Sure only 1 ring, but nothing but respect for the Braves organazation during that stretch.

I'll trade our entire pitching staff for Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, and Avery RIGHT NOW!

 

[tomcat1]

I know winning the pennant is the season long goal, but the true beauty is that every game most teams have a decent shot at winning. Even the last place team wins 4 out of 10

This is true but you wouldn't want to see your Packers, Badgers, and Brewers win just 4 out of every 10 would you? I do get your point though.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

@Myles I think the point made by bks proves a lot more how bad the division is.

And I thought that was crazy that they would be in 3rd place in most other divisions, but that would be incorrect. They would be in 4th place in every other division and only a half game behind... the White Sox in the AL Central for 3rd.

Spin it any way, the division is BAD right now

I would have to say we are a average division, as the records for this division against teams with a .500 record or better is as follows:

Chicago 51 games 25-26
Milwaukee 47 games 23-24
St. Louis 47 games 22-25
Pittsburgh 52 games 21-31
Cincinnati 57 games 26-31

In relation to this, only the Braves with a 22-19 record, and the Dodgers with a 25-17 record have winning records against teams with a .500 or better record. Everyone else in the NL has a losing record.

The Reds and the Mets lead the league in wins against teams with a .500 or better record, with 26 wins a piece. However, it took Cincinnati 57 games to do it, Mets 63 games. The Mets have had one hell of a tough schedule to this point though, because 63 of their 87 games have been against teams with .500 or better records.

I think whoever the NL Central team is that makes the playoffs, possibly two make it, could get hot and win it all, or at least go to the WS. This division has got used to playing ball against tough competition, right in line with them. 4 other teams in the division battle to the last out, for a win. It can only make them better come playoff time because teams like the Dodgers and Braves haven't gone through that kind of adversity every single time they face a division opponent.

I don't know, but I have to think this is a competitive division that is playing overall good ball, but not consistent enough from any of the teams to really stand out. All have major threat potential, but will it show up when it matters most? *shrug*

 

[kburjr]

This is true but you wouldn't want to see your Packers, Badgers, and Brewers win just 4 out of every 10 would you? I do get your point though.

The difference is that in baseball you have a 1 or 2 day wait, not all week. You can let the losses go because you know that you have another chance tomorrow

 

[tomcat1]

I would have to say we are a average division, as the records for this division against teams with a .500 record or better is as follows:

Chicago 51 games 25-26
Milwaukee 47 games 23-24
St. Louis 47 games 22-25
Pittsburgh 52 games 21-31
Cincinnati 57 games 26-31

In relation to this, only the Braves with a 22-19 record, and the Dodgers with a 25-17 record have winning records against teams with a .500 or better record. Everyone else in the NL has a losing record.

The Reds and the Mets lead the league in wins against teams with a .500 or better record, with 26 wins a piece. However, it took Cincinnati 57 games to do it, Mets 63 games. The Mets have had one hell of a tough schedule to this point though, because 63 of their 87 games have been against teams with .500 or better records.

I think whoever the NL Central team is that makes the playoffs, possibly two make it, could get hot and win it all, or at least go to the WS. This division has got used to playing ball against tough competition, right in line with them. 4 other teams in the division battle to the last out, for a win. It can only make them better come playoff time because teams like the Dodgers and Braves haven't gone through that kind of adversity every single time they face a division opponent.

I don't know, but I have to think this is a competitive division that is playing overall good ball, but not consistent enough from any of the teams to really stand out. All have major threat potential, but will it show up when it matters most? *shrug*

You make some great points. Teams that clinch early have the tendency to get lazy in many cases as they just go through the motions to finish the regular season and in many cases they are not sharp when the playoffs begin. On the other hand teams that don't clinch a playoff spot until the last week or the last day of the regular season don't have time to get lazy before the playoffs begin. Entering the playoffs hot and staying hot is critical in a short series in my opinion.