NL Central Discussion 2026

[markedman5]

14 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Regression monster finally coming for the Cubs bullpen? They had so many guys performing way over their underlying numbers. Like Thornton coming into today had a 2.32 ERA, 4.26 xERA, 4.26 FIP. I get they have a historically good defense but guys should not be overperforming their peripherals to that degree.

They just said on the stream that the Cubs are on pace to give up the highest pct of runs via the home run since the 70s…….great defense doesn’t help much when the ball is flying over the wall …….

[cragi]

just feel this has been the cubs for a while now and have to wonder about the manager at some point. counsell seems like a high stress individual and the team doesnt play loose. They come out like gangbusters with all the hype at each phase and then come crashing down 

[wiguy94]

22 minutes ago, markedman5 said:

They just said on the stream that the Cubs are on pace to give up the highest pct of runs via the home run since the 70s…….great defense doesn’t help much when the ball is flying over the wall …….

I mean it definitely does still help. 2, 3, 4 run HR hurt a lot more than a solo HR does. Coming into today they were over performing their FIP by .57 runs which was most in MLB.

[markedman5]

Reds bullpen trying to give this one back

[markedman5]

Cubbies have now given up 202 homers this year…….second most to the As……15 more than the Nationals!

[nate82]

At this rate the Cubs will have to sweep the remaining 7 games against the Brewers just to have a chance.  It’s not over yet but the Cubs haven’t really taken advantage of their easier schedule compared to the Brewers in August.  They are basically where they were at the end of July.  

[dlk9s]

6 hours ago, nate82 said:

 It’s not over yet 

It's over

[Brian]

7 hours ago, cragi said:

just feel this has been the cubs for a while now and have to wonder about the manager at some point. counsell seems like a high stress individual and the team doesnt play loose. They come out like gangbusters with all the hype at each phase and then come crashing down 

LOL, Counsell looks like he is ageing rapidly or has Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome

[MrTPlush]

The Cubs are nearly twice as close to missing the postseason entirely than they are to us in the division. Fangraphs gives us 4x betters odds to win the WS than the Cubs winning the division.

 

let me know if they get within 4 games. Till then, there is no race.

[AdvantageSchneider]

DId anyone watch the Reds Cubs game.  Did one of the announcers quote counsel as saying essentially there's no shame in losing the division to a 100 win team?  I only caught the last three innings so it would have been said in the 7-9th.  Wasn't sure if I heard that correctly or if I was just imagining it.  

[LouisEly]

I heard it as well.  
 

[Playing Catch]

Sounds like a self-affirmation he says into the mirror every night before bed.

[Brian]

On 8/29/2026 at 9:21 AM, MrTPlush said:

The Cubs are nearly twice as close to missing the postseason entirely than they are to us in the division. Fangraphs gives us 4x betters odds to win the WS than the Cubs winning the division.

 

let me know if they get within 4 games. Till then, there is no race.

Hard to believe only 25 games left in the season as of today for the Brewers.  Obviously not counting the playoffs. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

18 minutes ago, Playing Catch said:

Sounds like a self-affirmation he says into the mirror every night before bed.

I gotta say, most of the time I see grudges washing over. I knew Favre would be fine in GB. I knew Rodgers would be. I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where Craig is welcomed back to American Family. 

[dlk9s]

12 hours ago, AdvantageSchneider said:

DId anyone watch the Reds Cubs game.  Did one of the announcers quote counsel as saying essentially there's no shame in losing the division to a 100 win team?  I only caught the last three innings so it would have been said in the 7-9th.  Wasn't sure if I heard that correctly or if I was just imagining it.  

He's not wrong. The Cubs are having a really good season. The Brewers are just having a better one. And, as we very well know, having a great regular season doesn't automatically put a team into the World Series.

[Stealofhome]

19 minutes ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I gotta say, most of the time I see grudges washing over. I knew Favre would be fine in GB. I knew Rodgers would be. I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where Craig is welcomed back to American Family. 

Favre and Rodgers both won rings. Maybe if Counsell was manager in 2008, he would have a better chance and anything is possible in the future as time passes, but he doesn't have that ultimate win in his pocket and seemingly left town to the rival to chase it instead of sticking it out to get one.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

16 minutes ago, dlk9s said:

He's not wrong. The Cubs are having a really good season. The Brewers are just having a better one. And, as we very well know, having a great regular season doesn't automatically put a team into the World Series.

The statement itself isn't a big deal. It's that he's saying it on August 31 with 7 head-to-head games left. Even if you put little stock in these types of interviews, like I do, it's a weird thing for a coach to say out loud.

[Playing Catch]

My guess is that he was indirectly telling his team to relax and not put the playoff chase cart in front of the horse. Nothing more to read into it, and as Snapper says above, the statement isn't exactly breaking news. No team should feel like they failed because they didn't win 100 games.

[Frisbee Slider]

What Counsell did is meaningfully different than Favre/Rodgers.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

19 minutes ago, Frisbee Slider said:

What Counsell did is meaningfully different than Favre/Rodgers.

Yes, that's why I have a harder time seeing it blow over. I hated Favre at the end, but came around to indifference. Notably because he never won it in Minnesota, and we won it shortly after. 

Most of the time when a revered figure bails from anywhere, people come around. LeBron is fine in Cleveland etc. Giannis will be fine in MKE. Counsell bailed when everything was pretty good, things were trending upward, and he went to the #1 rival.

I just have a hard time seeing people give Craig a standing O at some ceremony 15 years from now. I think...maybe...if the Brewers do win a WS, and Craig never does with the Cubs...that tends to soften people's stance.

[LouisEly]

5 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

The statement itself isn't a big deal. It's that he's saying it on August 31 with 7 head-to-head games left. Even if you put little stock in these types of interviews, like I do, it's a weird thing for a coach to say out loud.

I think it was in response to a question asked by the media about catching the Brewers.

[Jopal78]

17 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Yes, that's why I have a harder time seeing it blow over. I hated Favre at the end, but came around to indifference. Notably because he never won it in Minnesota, and we won it shortly after. 

Most of the time when a revered figure bails from anywhere, people come around. LeBron is fine in Cleveland etc. Giannis will be fine in MKE. Counsell bailed when everything was pretty good, things were trending upward, and he went to the #1 rival.

I just have a hard time seeing people give Craig a standing O at some ceremony 15 years from now. I think...maybe...if the Brewers do win a WS, and Craig never does with the Cubs...that tends to soften people's stance.

The bigger point is why would he come back to Milwaukee in the first place other than as an opposing manager? He didn’t win anything to commemorate in Milwaukee. He spent most of his playing career with other teams and wasn’t  a particularly memorable player the few seasons he was with the Brewers.

There is no basis to retire his number like Favre or Rodgers. Even the alumni weekends the Brewers hostes have not included the likes of Roenicke, Sveum, Yost etc.

I think you’re right, Brewer fans hated Gary Sheffield after he left Milwaukee. Years after his career when the dust has settled most fans would range from indifference to “who?”. Probably the same future for Counsell 

[AdvantageSchneider]

16 hours ago, Jopal78 said:

The bigger point is why would he come back to Milwaukee in the first place other than as an opposing manager? He didn’t win anything to commemorate in Milwaukee. He spent most of his playing career with other teams and wasn’t  a particularly memorable player the few seasons he was with the Brewers.

There is no basis to retire his number like Favre or Rodgers. Even the alumni weekends the Brewers hostes have not included the likes of Roenicke, Sveum, Yost etc.

I think you’re right, Brewer fans hated Gary Sheffield after he left Milwaukee. Years after his career when the dust has settled most fans would range from indifference to “who?”. Probably the same future for Counsell 

It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out.  I get the impression that the Brewers organization does not view council with the same benedict arnold colored glasses that the fan base does.  Probably because being in the industry they have a slightly more mercenary view of moves between organizations.   

[MrTPlush]

I think people would have embraced Counsell back a little bit had we not just dominated after he left and have an even brighter future without him. At the end of the day he never made a World Series here and his success isn’t that impressive when we don’t miss a beat when he leaves.

The fact fans said ‘F you’ and then he proceeded to be lil bro in 2nd place year after year really cemented in the ‘F you’ as being deserved.

Counsell’s odd comments now and then just come off as bitter. Funny thing is, he probably is. Gave up his hometown hero legacy to sell his soul to a large market thinking he was doing something. Now he looks dumb always having to look up to see his former team in the standings trying to avoid another double digit deficit.

 

 

[wiguy94]

Brewers up to 99.6% odds to win the division according to the Fangraphs overlords