Locked On Cubs - Daily Podcast On The Chicago Cubs

The Cubs split with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend, and really that's the good news. The offense mustered just one run in each game, and the Cubs won the first two games of the series 1-0. Sean Sears and I talked about the series and we previewed tomorrow's game against the Detroit Tigers in the first segment. In the second segment, we went over the bad news on Yu Darvish and talked about what options the Cubs may have remaining.

Later, we discussed Addison Russell's injury and why the Cubs are so reluctant to use the 10-day DL. In the final segment, we did a rundown of the NL Central and talked briefly about how the Cubs will fill Mike Montgomery's shoes in his next rotation turn now that he's on the disabled list.

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The Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 on Thursday night, thanks to an Ian Happ home run and an excellent performance from Jon Lester. To be honest, he really needed that. Maybe we really needed to see it too. I went solo for this podcast, since Sean Sears disappeared on me. I previewed tonight's game in segment one, followed by a question from a listener on Cole Hamels. Should the Cubs pick up his option for 2019?

In the second segment, I discussed Lester's start and decided which teams I think would be bad for the Cubs to face in either the NLDS or the wild card game. In the final segment, I recapped the action of the NL Central yesterday and updated the standings. If you're interested in my story on Bryce Harper and the Cubs for Bet Chicago, you can click here. 

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The Cubs beat the Brewers 8-4 on Wednesday, splitting their two-game set and keeping Milwaukee at three games back. But they're not the only team in the NL Central that the Cubs have to worry about these days. Sean Sears and I recapped the game, looked ahead to tonight's game in Pittsburgh, and chatted a little about Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester going in opposite directions.

In the second segment, we talked about Steve Cishek and how he is the MVP of the bullpen. Might he be the guy Joe Maddon uses to go multiple innings in the postseason this year? In the final segment, we recapped the NL Central and updated the standings. 

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Can we get a do-over? Jose Quintana gave up a homer to Lorenzo Cain on pitch No. 2 of the ballgame yesterday, and that was it. He allowed a couple more home runs to Ryan Braun for good measure, and the Cubs lost 7-0. But first, Sean Sears and I talked about Anthony Rizzo and moving back down in the lineup. Then we looked at Quintana and some of his pitch usage changes and gave another update on Yu Darvish.

In the final segment, we looked around the NL Central and chatted more about those pesky St. Louis Cardinals. We have a contest winner! Be sure to listen to the end to find out details.

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Since the Cubs were off again yesterday, Sean Sears and I fielded a few more questions from the listeners on today's podcast. But first, we looked ahead to today's pitching matchup between the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Who has the advantage? After that, we looked at how the Cubs might be able to rest in September.

In the second segment, we took questions regarding bat flips and Kris Bryant's return from the DL. Last, we looked at yesterday's games in the NL Central, discussed the suddenly dangerous Cardinals, and learned a little about architecture. 

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The Cubs beat the Washington Nationals on Sunday night, winning 4-3 with a dramatic, walk-off grand slam from superstar third baseman David Bote (audio courtesy of WSCR and Randall Sanders on Twitter). Max Scherzer and Cole Hamels were the big story of this game, going pitch-for-pitch against each other and treating fans to an outstanding duel. Sean Sears and I discussed Hamels in the first segment.

In our second segment, we looked at Bote and his historic slam. With Kris Bryant still without a timetable for his return, could Bote be pushing his way into the everyday lineup? What could that mean for the struggling Addison Russell right now, and then again when Bryant does return? In the final segment, we looked at the NL Central and talked about the suddenly red-hot Cardinals.

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With the Cubs off on Thursday, Kelly Wallace of Expanded Roster sat in for Sean Sears on this Friday podcast to help me with the mailbag. First, we looked ahead at today's game with the Washington Nationals and discussed a roster move. Does Jorge De La Rosa have anything left to offer?

In the second segment, we went head-first into questions about Jim Hickey, pitching development, and more. In the final segment, we looked around the NL Central -- including a satisfying Brewers loss -- before answering a question about Addison Russell's power. We finished with a question about hot dog condiments, and Kelly shared an awful pizza opinion.

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The Cubs finished out their series with the Royals on Wednesday night, and the good news is that they took 2-of-3. The bad news, however, is that they lost 9-0 last night and got outscored 10-8 in the three-game series after being outscored 24-17 by the Padres in that four-game set. This team is not trending in the right direction heading into their next five games against the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers. Sean Sears and I broke it all down in the first segment.

In our second segment, however, Sean and I discussed some positive news on Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow. They still have no timeline on either pitcher, but it's easy to set up in your mind how Darvish is back on the mound for the Cubs at the beginning of September. On the downside, there's no news on Kris Bryant. Also, we struggled to find nice things to say about Addison Russell other than his range at shortstop. Listen to the end, because I gave details on how you can win Cubs tickets!

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The Cubs won another game in Kansas City, beating the Royals 5-0 in the second game of the series behind a strong effort from Mike Montgomery and another great day at the plate by David Bote. In the first segment, however, we talked about tonight's starter, Jose Quintana, and his importance to the team going forward. In the second segment, we got back to Bote and his unexpected rise to prominence. It even reminds me of another successful NL Central team that is known for pulling quality players from the late rounds of the draft.

In the final segment, Sean Sears and I quickly took a look at the NL Central standings before discussing a pair of videos I found after looking back on our Angel Hernandez conversation. The first is related to that famous 2001 game featuring Steve McMichael's ejection, while the second, well ... just check it out on your own.

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The Cubs beat the Royals on Monday night, gaining a half-game in the standings over the idle Brewers. That's the good news, but the bad news is that they weren't able to get much going offensively against Jakob Junis. A home run in the sixth inning by Javy Báez broke a tie, and a strong effort from Cole Hamels allowed the Cubs to cruise to a 3-1 win. Sean Sears and I discussed the inconsistent offense in our first segment.

In the second segment, we looked at how the guys who have been carrying the team recently are the ones on the wrong side of 30. In our final segment, we chatted about the NL Central, updated the standings, and discussed some of our dream World Series matchups.

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