Mi Casa, Mi Casa
We here at Hire Jim Essian! don’t really do much by way of in-depth statistical analysis. You can, of course, find that type of stuff here and here, two fine sites that we heartily endorse. But we’re here mostly for the dick jokes.
Nevertheless, I have spent a good deal of time pondering the Cubs home and road records and wanted to dive in with something a little more analytical.
It has been established that Major League teams in 2008 are winning at home at a historically unusual rate. Combined, home teams have an 812-614 record, a .569 percentage. Should this rate keep up, it will represent the highest percentage since the twenty-six big league clubs combined for a .573 winning percentage in 1978–which is the highest clip since divisional play began in 1969.
Leading the pack are the Cubs and Red Sox, who coincidentally play in the two ballparks that, after this season, will be the only ones having been built prior to 1960. I can’t speak to the Red Sox, as I’ve long been ignorant of the goings-on of the American League, but this is a pleasant turn of events for the Cubs, who have long treated their ballpark as if they were the rich kid on the block who wanted everyone to like him–you know what I’m talking about. The kid whose parents would let him have expensive birthday parties and he would gladly let you come over and trash his toys? As I pointed out a little over a month ago, the Cubs have never benefitted much from playing their home games at Wrigley, owning a 7-18 home record in the postseason (2-11 in the World Series).
At 37-12, the 2008 Cubs have used their ballpark to catapault them to the best record in baseball at the All-Star break. Since the Midsummer Classic debuted in 1933, the only other time that this was the case was 1945.
When you break it down further, this home dominance would seem to bode well for the postseason, asuming the Cubs don’t tank in the second half (knock on wood). While their own divisional opponents have battled the Cubs, leaving them with a pedestrian 13-8 record–indeed, Milwaukee is the only National League team to come into the yard at Clark & Addison and take a series from the Cubs, and they’ve actually done it twice. Assholes–the same has decidedly not been true for teams in the other NL divisions.
Prior to their most recent game, a home loss to the Giants, the Cubs had been 15-1 against the National League West. Against the East, they’re a perfect 5-0, having swept both the Mets and Braves. The only other team to beat the Cubs in Wrigley is, strange as it sounds, interleague opponent Baltimore, who came in to town when the Cubs were scuffling and took a three-game series. Congratulations, Andy MacPhail You will always do nothing but hurt the Cubs, you worthless twat.
Obviously, the Cubs will play host to a number of NL East teams in the second half. They are, in fact, done playing the patsies from the West and only need to make one more trip to Arizona before they’re done playing West teams entirely.
Considering that the Cubs have the best record in baseball while having been without their starting left fielder and leadoff hitter for half the season, and having absorbed a DL stint for their ace starting pitcher, and with a tandem of scrap-heap pickups patrolling center field, you have to feel pretty good about this club. When you also consider that contending teams like St. Louis and Philadelphia still have to come to Chicago to play the Cubs (St. Louis twice), you have to feel even better. Of course, it is important that the Cubs continue to kneel on teams’ chests and stuff branches and leaves in their mouth while at home. Just like their ability to take advantage of a heavy home schedule in April and May helped set them up when they hit the road in June (and will continue to in July–only 4 of their final 14 games this month after the break will be at home), they are going to need to lay waste to a home-heavy August schedule. When one looks at what the final week of the season has in store for the Cubs–a 7-game trip to New York and Milwaukee to play two teams that will likely be fighting for the postseason themselves–they can make things a lot easier for themselves by having the division wrapped up by then. One way to esnure that would be to continue to dominate at the Friendly Confines. It’d be nice to see the Cubs play spoiler, for once, rather than take things down to the end.
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CT
StPatrick
PenFoe
BigFlax
Bocaj
We heartily endorse that Other Fifteen site? I hadn’t even heard of it until yesterday.
I explained this to the rest of the Idiots a couple weeks back. June, July, and Sept would be tough. August is when we have to make a push.
If we can pull off a series win in Milwaukee at the end of the month (I would settle for a split) we would be set up nicely to put some distance between us and the competition in August. Would be nice to have a cushion in Sept.
BTW – Looking forward to the series in AZ. The rest of the Idiots and I will be in attendance and hoping for the first Cubs series win in AZ….since I have been here (2003).
Ha.
I was using Deadspin’s royal “we”. D’UR.
That Cubs fx one seems cool. Now if I can only understand it.
There are three things that have me worried for the second half:
(1) One of the hardest schedules in the NL down the stretch, compared to the Brewers, who have one of the easiest.
(2) The somewhat scuffling bullpen (hopefully Gaudin shores it up a bit, but still, Marmol needs to be consistent or the pen is in trouble)
(3) The possibility that guys who had great first halves will tail off (Theriot, DeRosa, Soto, Fukudome, Dempster)
As long as those three things can be survived/avoided, it’s all good.
I was at the series last year (my sister just moved to Phoenix); it is so weird to see a baseball game indoors. I was also astounded for AZ to be not only humid as hell, but for it to rain all Saturday morning…in the DESERT!
Anyway, hope you bring them better luck this year
However, D Lee’s inside-the-park homer last year was great.