GDT 9/8/15-Cubs (Hammel) @ Cardinals (Wacha) 7:15 CDT

[sighyoung]

You try it. I think one of the great leaps for fans and media alike would be to recognize the bruising schedule that baseball puts people through. Think about doing your job 202 out of 225 days, some times 60 days in a row. Add in travel. Add in time changes and fastballs and injuries ... Look, they are highly paid --- far more so than the coaches, support staff, and media that also make the same trips -- and compensated for the work they do, but let's not pretend that baseball isn't a bruising, mind-grind of a career. You want to know what fatigue looks like in baseball and how real it is? Check out how the Pirates and Cardinals played Monday.
by Derrick Goold 11:13 AM

Fatigue? Every team plays 162 games. WAAAAAAHHHH
by Double D 11:10 AM

You should start buying it. Fatigue is real, Bean.
by Derrick Goold 11:02 AM

What's with Wong's less than stellar recent play? Please don't tell me fatigue, I don't buy that excuse. If he's tired and needs time off, (choke, choke), there are more than adequate replacements riding the pine.
by Bean 11:02 AM

Speaking of fatigue. Here come the Jay questions. Like the swallows from Capistrano. Oh boy.
by Derrick Goold 11:15 AM

I remember the sociologist and former Olympian Harry Edwards discussing this (fatigue). Professional athletes, he said, are paid to abuse their bodies. He said that even though we idolize pro athletes as models of health--and they are certainly capable of amazing physical accomplishments--he emphasized how often they are playing through injuries and wear-and-tear, unlike your average weekend warrior or neighborhood jogger.

[Fat Strat]

It seems like the best solution right now in CF is Heyward. Stick Heyward in CF and leave him there the rest of the year, including playoffs. Then, pick your 1b, RF & LF based on who is hitting, who is healthy, etc. Moss, Grichuk, Piscotty, Jay, Holliday, Adams ... none of them are CF exclusive. So, take CF out of the equation by sticking your best hitter there and let whoever is the next best fill up the other spots.

[Jocephus]

Bean, I'm there with you. And I do need a better training regimen. This year I changed my diet.
by Derrick Goold 11:51 AM

Wake up Derrick. There are hundreds of thousands of us who work far harder, travel through airport security instead of taking those cushy charter flights and bus rides that those "overworked" pro athletes do. We have to produce 24/7, sometimes getting awakened during the night and having a real problem dropped in our lap. And you know what, we are on call 365, and are expected to produce at the best of our ability. So if fatigue is such a big issue, perhaps a better training regimen and diet are needed. Face it, these guys have too much time on their hands. Fatigue? Get a life. Fans know better.

[pioneer98]

The margin between a good player and a bad player is so thin that it would not take much fatigue or much of an injury to make a good player crappy. See: Carpenter, Matt.

I think for hitters the reason the margin is so thin is because the pitching is so good today. We give pitchers a pass on injuries because throwing is an "unnatural motion". Swinging a bat is also not a natural motion. Luckily it causes fewer ligament tears but it's still not a thing the body was really designed to do.

Are these extended slumps like Carpenter went through becoming more common? Wong seems to be in one (hit .202 in August). Kris Bryant hit .167 the month of July. Anecdotally I remember a lot of slumps lasting 20-30 at bats. Now it seems like slumps of 20-30 games aren't that rare.

[Vidor]

I can't figure out the depth chart at center field. It seemed to be Heyward/Jay/Pham. Over the past few days it's been Jay/Jay/Jay/Bourjos. Jay is getting the chance to get his swing going while there's a pennant race going on. Pham isn't getting the chance to continue the good streak he had going. The calculus gets even trickier when Holliday returns and Piscotty doesn't have a spot if Heyward doesn't play center, so the team has to choose between the rookie who is hitting well (Piscotty) and the power swing that has been surging (Moss) at first base. Oh, and Adams is there. The easiest way would be the pick the batters producing the most and find them positions. I'm not sure that's the way they'll go.
by Derrick Goold 11:40 AM

pham seemed to be hitting a good spot, then got moved to the bench. any chance we see some more Pham?
by scottyj 11:38 AM

People are really upset because Pham isn't getting starts? Pham, he of the .232 batting average? Pham, who cost us a chance to sweep the Nationals when he watched a center-cut fastball whiz by him for strike three with the tying run on third and one out? Really? People are surprised that Jay has his job back over Pham?

[TheTimeIsNow]

While we are busy getting swept by the bottom feeders of the NL Central, the least you guys could do is beat the Cubs... please.

[Hoot45]

Bean, I'm there with you. And I do need a better training regimen. This year I changed my diet.
by Derrick Goold 11:51 AM

Wake up Derrick. There are hundreds of thousands of us who work far harder, travel through airport security instead of taking those cushy charter flights and bus rides that those "overworked" pro athletes do. We have to produce 24/7, sometimes getting awakened during the night and having a real problem dropped in our lap. And you know what, we are on call 365, and are expected to produce at the best of our ability. So if fatigue is such a big issue, perhaps a better training regimen and diet are needed. Face it, these guys have too much time on their hands. Fatigue? Get a life. Fans know better.

This is priceless. #BFIB

[Maclowery]

I wonder if Bean is out of shape.

[Cronos]

People are really upset because Pham isn't getting starts? Pham, he of the .232 batting average? Pham, who cost us a chance to sweep the Nationals when he watched a center-cut fastball whiz by him for strike three with the tying run on third and one out? Really? People are surprised that Jay has his job back over Pham?

He's the shiny new toy. Never mind his miserable game the other day against the Nats.

And that chat member "bean" couldn't represent CT better if he tried.

[Jocephus]

Bean, I'm there with you. And I do need a better training regimen. This year I changed my diet.
by Derrick Goold 11:51 AM

Wake up Derrick. There are hundreds of thousands of us who work far harder, travel through airport security instead of taking those cushy charter flights and bus rides that those "overworked" pro athletes do. We have to produce 24/7, sometimes getting awakened during the night and having a real problem dropped in our lap. And you know what, we are on call 365, and are expected to produce at the best of our ability. So if fatigue is such a big issue, perhaps a better training regimen and diet are needed. Face it, these guys have too much time on their hands. Fatigue? Get a life. Fans know better.

This is priceless. #BFIB

ya, its so weird over there. as much as we bicker and go back and forth on things, i feel like GRB discussion is still way above (intelligence) cardstalk