Locked On Cubs

On today’s show, we’ll quickly go over the weekend games and highlight the excellent pitching from Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, and Jose Quintana this weekend. In the second segment, we’ll preview this week’s series with the Brewers and talk a little about Javier Baez's season and why it’s so special.And finally, we’ll wrap the show taking a look at the NL Central and I have a few notes on new Cubs catcher Bobby Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs had a short layover in Atlanta on their way to Philadelphia, and they picked up a win against the Braves. Mike Montgomery was excellent for the first few innings but ran out of gas in the fifth, giving up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. The Cubs' bullpen -- even Brandon Kintzler! -- combined to shut the Braves down the rest of the way, and Chicago pulled off a 5-4 victory. Sean Sears and I talked about that in the first segment, then looked ahead at tonight's game against the Phillies.In the second segment, we talked about a variety of little topics: The Bobby Wilson trade, Kris Bryant, Terrence Gore, and Jason Heyward's hamstring injury. To finish things out, we talked about the NL Central and updated the standings. I even did some math to explain just how hot the Cardinals would have to finish the 2018 season to win the division. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs finished out a win in their suspended game from Tuesday, but lost the highly anticipated Jason Vargas and Alec Mills matchup. The Mets jumped on Mills early with a first inning grand slam and won the game, 10-3. Sean Sears and I talked about that, plus whether or not Mills might get another start. We also gave a quick Kris Bryant update in the first segment and reminisced about a special Cubs anniversary.In the second segment, we talked about Brandon Kintzler. Wow. He is pretty, pretty, pretty bad. But in addition, could there be one open bullpen spot for a potential postseason run? In the final segment, we updated the NL Central standings and talked about Josh Donaldson going on waivers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs played the Mets last night, and the pitching matchup of Cole Hamels and Jacob deGrom did not disappoint. Unfortunately, rained washed out the 1-1 tie in the top of the 10th and caused the game to be suspended. The two teams will finish out the game today at 12:00 pm CST, with today's game to follow at 1:20 pm (or 45 minutes later). Sean Sears and I previewed the pitching matchup.In the second segment, we talked about Kris Bryant's rehab at Triple-A and pulled a few interesting quotes from Bryant via the Des Moines Register's Tommy Birch. In the final segment, we updated the standings (for now) and looked at the Brewers' woeful pitching situation. I finished things out by unfairly quizzing Sean about games from before he hit puberty.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 On episode 134 of Locked On Cubs, Sean Sears brings on fellow NBC Sports Chicago writer Tony Andracki to the show to get his thoughts on the Cubs 7-4 win over the Mets. The two preview tonight's match-up featuring Cole Hamels for the Cubs and potential NL Cy Young candidate Jacob deGrom for the Mets. Later, Tony and Sean preview what the Cubs postseason could potentially look like and take a look at how Kris Bryant finds his way back to the Cubs roster. Finally, we wrap up the show by taking a look at the NL Central standings.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs swept the Reds in a four-game series at home for the first time since 1945. That seems noteworthy. Sean Sears and I discussed what went well in their last few games, including a lot about the pitching. Alec Mills was outstanding in his first big league start, and the Cubs are going to give him another shot in the rotation. In the second segment, we gave some injury updates on Kris Bryant, Brandon Morrow, and others. The Cubs could be in really good shape once September starts, if all goes as planned.Later in the second segment, we talked about a handful of pitching prospects that have really stepped up and played well this year in the minors. So much so, that dare I say the Cubs have more pitching prospect depth than positional depth? In the final segment, we updated the standings and issued a minor correction from a previous podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs got a complete game performance from Cole Hamels in their 7-1 win over the Reds on Thursday night. I went solo on this episode of Locked On Cubs to talk about that, Javy Báez's big homer, and much more. I recapped the game in the first segment before looking ahead to today's matchup and reminiscing about great Cubs mid-season deals of the past.In the second segment, I looked at that great Báez homer and had some fun with audio of great and memorable home runs of Wrigley Field history. In the final segment, I briefly looked at the NL Central standings and the important games Friday night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's mostly good news for today's episode of Locked On Cubs! The Cubs won 8-2 over the Tigers on Wednesday night, getting a solid start from Jon Lester and three home runs from the offense -- two of which happened with runners on base. Sean Sears and I talked about that before previewing tonight's game against the Cincinnati Reds. After the Reds the Cubs will play the Mets next week, but could this stretch be tougher than it appears?In the second segment, we discussed a few items of note from Jed Hoyer's recent appearance on 670 The Score in Chicago, a little about Duane Underwood, and answered a question from a listener. In the final segment we discussed the NL Central, Brandon Morrow falling into the Springfield Myster Spot, and just about anything else that popped into our heads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First things first, the Cubs lost again on Tuesday night -- their third in a row. The offense hit a solo homer, as per usual, and Kyle Hendricks tossed a solid seven innings in the 2-1 Tigers win. Sean Sears and I talked about that in the first segment before breaking down the big news: Daniel Murphy is now a Cub. For baseball reasons, there is a lot to be happy about with this trade. For other reasons, there is a lot to be unhappy about. We went in depth on both.In the second segment, we talked about the expected but still disappointing news on Yu Darvish being shut down for the rest of the year. In addition, we pontificated on who may be starting in Mike Montgomery's spot on Friday against the Reds -- maybe Montgomery, himself? In the final segment, we looked at the NL Central standings and expressed our inherent fear of the Cardinals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Monday was the Cubs' last off-day for a while, so today's podcast is another question and answer type of thing. Sean Sears took this one on his own, first looking at tonight's pitching matchup with the Tigers. Kyle Hendricks is on the mound for the Cubs against veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann.From there, Sean fielded questions about Yu Darvish and what a miracle return might look like, the trade value of Addison Russell, and what the team's Achilles heel might be in the postseason (should they qualify). Thanks for the great questions, everyone! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices