OnlyBucs

It's probably a bad team. Had a really bad stretch vs some decent to good teams, came home and got 2-3 vs Reds and first game vs Brewers. We may level off here, but probably will continue downward as the season goes on.



We generally tank 2nd half under hurdle

5E6C60607446656C61646B6C0D0 wrote: Yeah, we're not that bad, but we're also not that good.  I bet most teams can play the "what if" game with a few games to get their team into a playoff spot. 


true

Still, nothing wrong with going and getting some Pen help. #10 and 11 prospects for a guy that leaves at the end of the year might not be worth it for us though

767F776668120 wrote: It's probably a bad team.  Had a really bad stretch vs some decent to good teams, came home and got 2-3 vs Reds and first game vs Brewers.   We may level off here, but probably will continue downward as the season goes on.



We generally tank 2nd half under hurdle
The hitting is adequate. They are 4th in the NL in runs, BA, OBP and SLG. The pitching will restrict them however. A rotation of a mediocre veteran and 4 young, still learning guys. Understandably inconsistent and too soon to even know what their ceilings are. A largely inexperienced BP. Team ERA is 12th in NL. And for a team loaded with hard throwers, they are only 10th in Ks. The pitching can range from good to awful and there are too many instances of awful to make any kind of run.

I think the sky is falling sentiment is a bit over the top.



They are out of that disgusting stretch, and one that included too many games that were blown late by the bullpen. While I clearly see them behind the top class of NL teams, I think they fit in with that 2nd tier of WC contenders.



One of the biggest risk factors going into the season has been minimized with the emergence of Elias Diaz so a Cervelli injury is no longer a back breaker.



Polanco has put together a nice string of at bats recently, but if he goes dormant again, Meadows can easily fill an everyday role.



Musgrove, Taillon and Kuhl look like competent starters, and if Nova or Williams were to falter, Kingham is ready.



Glasnow and Brault are settling into everyday BP roles and could see their responsibilities increased and they could be huge assets in those roles.



If Bell continues to struggle, they could also move Osuna into a larger role.



I guess I can that they hit their floor already, and shouldn't see a stretch like that again this season,

I would like to see a Bell/Osuna platoon. Osuna seems to have the power they wish Bell had. And he's a better fielder at 1B. He may turn out to be the better option despite Bell's hype. Bell has the advantage of switch hitting but is batting the same .246 from each side.

I think the biggest concern at the moment is Moran completely flopping in the #4 spot.



If we go back to the beginning of the season, there were a lot of question marks, and I think that even though it's still very much been an up and down year, getting at least some clarity has been helpful.



- Is Moran an everyday 3B? Yes.

- Can Kuhl and Williams repeat their 2017? Yes, so far they've contributed 150 innings of sub 4 ERA.

- Can we count on Cervelli? Yes and Diaz is a legit MLB catcher behind him.

- Is post-roids Marte still a major factor? Yes, he's slumping a bit now, but has been one of the most consistent players for them this season.

- Can Bell and Polanco be leaders on this team? No, definitely not in 2018.Their inability to fill key roles was pivotal to that recent ugly stretch. Meadows' presence helps with Polanco, but 1B is an open issue.

- Do they have a back end of the bullpen? No, state of flux, I'm hoping Rodriguez comes back strong, but right now they have a lot of open questions. A lot of guys have shown flashes and I think they have the pieces in place to eventually mold the right group of guys.

4C616C7D7A6B7C3C3F0E0 wrote: I would like to see a Bell/Osuna platoon. Osuna seems to have the power they wish Bell had. And he's a better fielder at 1B. He may turn out to be the better option despite Bell's hype. Bell has the advantage of switch hitting but is batting the same .246 from each side. 


I've been really critical of Bell, but I just don't see Osuna as a major league starter. He really doesn't field well either and he's got a career OPS+ of 81. He hasn't had a ton of plate appearances, but the results thus far are pretty terrible.

The offense will be the culprit.   The rotation looks young and fairly solid.  I believe we are 8th in the NL in starter ERA.   Our defense pretty much sucks.  FIP isolates yes.



I'm hoping for Kang soon