Locked On Cubs - Daily Podcast On The Chicago Cubs

Today is a mailbag episode, and oh boy was it necessary. Podcasting through a cold, I powered through the fact that the Cubs -- and the rest of the NL Central -- were off on Thursday. In the first segment, I previewed the weekend set with the St. Louis Cardinals that begins tonight. Jon Lester will face Michael Wacha. Later, I answered questions that included talk about MLB expansion, the backup catcher, and whether the Aroldis Chapman trade was worth it.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email any questions or comments to [email protected]. I appreciate all the interaction, and if you sent along a question or topic idea that I didn't cover it's almost certainly because it's a topic I've hit on expans

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The Cubs lost the finale of their series in Milwaukee, dropping 2-of-3 to the Brewers. It was a 1-0 shutout, their second day in a row not scoring any runs. Mike Montgomery was excellent, but the offense just didn't pick him up against Jhoulys Chacin and the Milwaukee bullpen. The Cubs will go to St. Louis to begin a series with the Cardinals on Friday.

In the second segment, I tried to be fair to Joe Maddon while examining some of his decisions in that 1-0 loss. There were two key moments: Pulling Monty at 78 pitches, and not pinch-hitting Kris Bryant in the ninth inning. In the final segment, I looked around the NL Central and updated the standings.

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The Cubs lost the middle game of their three-game set in Milwaukee, 4-0. Chase Anderson was brilliant for the Brewers, throwing seven innings and allowing just one hit to the Cubs in the shutout. Tyler Chatwood only walked two batters, but he made a few other mistakes and was generally erratic. He allowed four runs in five innings, throwing 97 pitches in the loss. The Cubs will try to take the finale of the series today with Mike Montgomery on the mound.

For the second segment, I took suggestions from the fans on what I should discuss. I touched on those topics, plus a look at how some former Cubs are doing. In the final segment, I did my usual "Around the NL Central" and updated the standings. 

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I'm back after missing out on Monday due to some power problems at home. But the good news is that the Cubs keep winning, taking 2-of-3 with the Pirates and winning Game 1 of a three-game set in Milwaukee. The latter victory vaults the Cubs into first place for the first time by themselves since 4/30. Jose Quintana was solid, while the offense did just enough to get it into extra innings. They pushed across five runs to win 7-2 in 11 innings, including an Anthony Rizzo home run.

What has happened to Kris Bryant lately? I'll talk about that briefly, as well as why the Cubs' latest surge in the standings is coming at just the right time. They can't afford to let the Brewers get away from them like they did last season. Also, how fun would a Cubs-Brewers or Cubs-Cardinals postseason series be in 2018? I finished out by updating the standings and noting which team currently has the best record in the National League.

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Jake Arrieta returned to Wrigley Field this week, but that didn't stop the Cubs from taking two out of three games with the Philadelphia Phillies. Thanks to Jason Heyward's walk-off grand slam on Wednesday, the Cubs were in position to win the series with Tyler Chatwood on the mound on Thursday. Chatwood was wild once again, walking seven batters in 4 2/3 innings. But the Cubs pulled out a narrow 4-3 win.

In the second segment, I did some fun with numbers. Anthony Rizzo has been hot, Kris Bryant's power has been turned off, and Ben Zobrist has been really good all year. Some of what the bullpen has done has been smoke and mirrors, however, and there are questions about whether the Cubs can continue to squeeze such great work out of their 'pen. 

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Things were looking dire for the Cubs on Wednesday, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 5-3. But notable late-inning hero Jason Heyward unloaded on left-handed reliever Adam Morgan, sending the fans home happy with a walk-off grand slam and a 7-3 win.

Heyward has been really good since coming off the DL, and in the second segment I brought some key stats to note why he's a changed man in 2018. Can you imagine how good this offense could be if Heyward could even just be league-average at the plate? In the final segment, I brought up a very interesting stat in which the Cubs are now the very best in the National League. 

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Nothing was going on with the Cubs on the diamond on Monday, but things were going on behind the scenes. It was the beginning of the MLB draft, and with the 26th pick the Cubs selected Stanford shortstop Nico Hoerner. I talked to a talent evaluator about what fans can expect from Hoerner as a prospect, and I passed on that knowledge in the first segment.

In the second segment, I welcomed Kelly Wallace back to the podcast to help me answer a few questions from the fans. That ranged from the whereabouts of Eddie Butler to a little early trade deadline discussion. In the final segment, Kelly teased her new venture with Expanded Roster (click here for more info!) and I went into a little greater detail about my own thing with The Cloud City Chronicle. 

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The Cubs really have it rolling right now, winning four straight games in a road sweep over the New York Mets. They're now 17-8 since those two embarrassing back-to-back walk-off losses in St. Louis. I took a look back over the last three games and how the Cubs got it done. They won't play on Monday, but Jake Arrieta and the Philadelphia Phillies come to town on Tuesday.

In the second segment, I looked at how important the pitching depth has been at Triple-A this year. Can the Cubs avoid taxing their bullpen in the second half? They couldn't in 2017, and we all saw what that meant in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the final segment, I looked around the NL Central and updated the standings.

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I have returned for a Friday episode of Locked On Cubs. The Cubs lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the finale of their three-game set on Wednesday (link to Kelly Wallace's article on illegal slides here), but bounced back on Thursday to take the first of a four-game series with the New York Mets. The final score of the game was 5-1, with Jose Quintana pitching well and taking the victory. Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward combined to go 5-for-10 with a homer and three RBI.

In the second segment, I tackled Chris Gimenez's recent comments about Yu Darvish and took David Haugh to task for his disgusting, pandering, borderline irresponsible hot takes. In the final segment, I recapped the last two days for the NL Central and updated the standings heading into Friday's games. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email any questions or comments to [email protected].

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Good news, everyone! The Cubs won in Pittsburgh last night, making it two straight over the Pirates and four of their last five. But that's not even the best news for the Cubs on Wednesday. The MRI results came back on Yu Darvish, and there is no structural damage. What does this mean for the rotation in the coming weeks? I broke it down in segment two, including a brief look at what Adbert Alzolay has going on at Triple-A these days.

In the final segment, I looked around the NL Central and updated the standings. Be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us questions and comments to [email protected]. We appreciate when you guys interact!

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