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Speaker 1: You have lots of you know, talent coming in the

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Speaker 1: system that can fill pieces, and you have a manager

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Speaker 1: now who's really good at like playing matchups, but like

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Speaker 1: where's the star.

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Speaker 2: Welcome into north Side Territory, your new Cubs podcast. This

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Speaker 2: is Sahadev Sharma with my co host Patrick Mooney. We

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Speaker 2: have joined the foul Territory team. We're very excited. You've

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Speaker 2: may you may have been listening to us in the past.

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Speaker 3: We both write for The Athletic.

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Speaker 2: Our podcast was on The Athletic with our good friend

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Speaker 2: Brett Taylor, and we have we have changed locations and

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Speaker 2: we are with the foul Territory family. Really excited to

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Speaker 2: be back talking Cubs baseball. Uh, it's you know, it's

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Speaker 2: really fun for both of us to do. And that

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Speaker 2: foul Territory was willing to host us and give us

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Speaker 2: a platform to talk Cubs baseball with our fans is

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Speaker 2: a really exciting opportunity for us. We're excited to get

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Speaker 2: back at it after a few months off and obviously

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Speaker 2: there is a lot of comes baseball to talk about.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean just great, great people at the foul

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Speaker 1: Territory Network, and I think what they have done really

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Speaker 1: well in a short amount of time, is established themselves

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Speaker 1: as a voice of authority and talking about the game

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Speaker 1: in a meaningful way, in a substantial way that takes

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Speaker 1: you know, listeners or readers behind the scenes. And that's

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Speaker 1: what we always try to do at Wrigley Field, and

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Speaker 1: that's what we're gonna do here on North Side Territory.

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Speaker 1: Have some guests, we'll do some interactive things once we

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Speaker 1: get this up and running. Lots of airing of grievances.

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Speaker 1: And I don't know, man, did we like pick like

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Speaker 1: perfect time to launch this podcast, like right after losing

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Speaker 1: a four game series of the Pirates and like, you

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Speaker 1: know they're getting no hit, you know, needing a you know,

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Speaker 1: a replay confirmation. Uh, you know, could get a one

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Speaker 1: nothing walk off win to avoid a sweep. Like, I

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Speaker 1: don't know, A lot going on?

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Speaker 2: Man?

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Speaker 1: What what what jumps out at you?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: I mean this is you're right.

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Speaker 2: When when things aren't going well and things are expected

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Speaker 2: to go well, even when they're not expected to go well,

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Speaker 2: when they're not going well, Cubs fans, all fans, right,

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Speaker 2: that's when they get riled up and they want to

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Speaker 2: hear what is going on?

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Speaker 3: You know, it's easy to say.

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Speaker 2: It's one hundred and sixty two games and I and

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Speaker 2: I do believe things will get better for the Cubs

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Speaker 2: in general.

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Speaker 3: I I do like how this team is built.

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Speaker 2: I think right now it's hard to look at anything

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Speaker 2: else there there are there are other flaws, but the

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Speaker 2: way the offense is playing right now is costing this

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Speaker 2: team wins. There's there, Yes, there are injuries. There have

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Speaker 2: been injuries. This team is not been healthy and that's

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Speaker 2: going to lead to bad play right There's there's sloppy defense.

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Speaker 2: That's that's really cost them. But when you're scoring one

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Speaker 2: two runs a game, it's really hard to win win games.

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Speaker 2: And right now what we're seeing, you know, it's easy

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Speaker 2: to point fingers, but I think it's hard to ignore

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Speaker 2: what Ian Happ has done. He is he's a better

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Speaker 2: player than this right He takes a lot of heat

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Speaker 2: in general, but right now, with when Cody Bellinger was down,

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Speaker 2: when Saya Suzuki was down, he didn't step up and

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Speaker 2: rarely perform at a higher level. Uh and he hasn't.

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Speaker 2: He hasn't looked any more comfortable at the plate since

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Speaker 2: they've returned. You would think, you know, maybe there's less

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Speaker 2: focus on Ian Hap by the pitchers.

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Speaker 3: That hasn't happened. Uh Hap.

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Speaker 1: I know.

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Speaker 2: I saw him take one right down the middle. Uh

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Speaker 2: today he had that first home run in this series.

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Speaker 2: And that's that's about it. Like there have been some quality,

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Speaker 2: quality contact. It hasn't all been terrible at bats, but

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Speaker 2: clearly when you take a sinker like that down the middle,

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Speaker 2: that's that's not that's what he and Happ should be attacking, right,

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Speaker 2: So he's off nothing else and everything else just feels

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Speaker 2: like where where are the big hits?

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Speaker 3: Right?

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Speaker 2: I know, Christopher Morell in a different day, we're probably

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Speaker 2: talking about a different game, right because that ball that

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Speaker 2: he hit probably goes out instead of being a sack fly.

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Speaker 2: So little things like that aren't going their way. But

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Speaker 2: that those are few and far between from what I've observed.

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Speaker 2: I don't feel like this is like, oh, they're having

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Speaker 2: great at bats and things aren't falling.

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Speaker 3: It's just not enough is happening.

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Speaker 2: When they do have people on, they're not getting the

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Speaker 2: big hit, sackflies here and there, groundfielder's choice, scoring a

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Speaker 2: run here and there, things like that.

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Speaker 3: But where where the big hits?

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Speaker 1: I get it. You're pointing the finger at Ean half.

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Speaker 1: That was kind of that's all I heard from that. No,

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Speaker 1: I mean, certainly he bears his share of the blame here,

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Speaker 1: but I don't know. This weekend to me, you know,

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Speaker 1: leaving the clubhouse Sunday late Sunday afternoon felt like, I

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Speaker 1: don't know of the first times, you know, of the

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Speaker 1: you know, Craig Council era in which the Cubs were

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Speaker 1: kind of like, yeah, we're not playing our best baseball

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Speaker 1: right now, Like this has been kind of sloppy. This

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Speaker 1: has not been crisped or organized, and you can see

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Speaker 1: just the injuries have piled up. And I think Counsel

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Speaker 1: was pretty real in terms of, like, yeah, I hope

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Speaker 1: Dan's being Nico are back in the lineup on Tuesday.

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Speaker 1: I'll be happy that they're playing, but that's no guarantee

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Speaker 1: that we're going to score start scoring runs again, because

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Speaker 1: I think they might be facing Max Freed on Tuesday night.

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Speaker 1: But I mean, whoever it is, you know, you got

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Speaker 1: to give the Pirates credit, right, I mean, Paul Skins

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Speaker 1: look nasty. They have some real nice young pitching coming

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Speaker 1: if it can stay healthy. But the lineup to Cubs

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Speaker 1: rolled out the last couple of days were once you

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Speaker 1: kind of got past a certain point. I think it

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Speaker 1: was pretty easy to navigate and look, I guess that's

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Speaker 1: why you bank those wins early, because you know it's

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Speaker 1: not going to last forever. But uh, you know, it

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Speaker 1: does make you wonder, like, where's this coming from. It

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Speaker 1: wasn't like sayah and Bellinger got healthy and activated and

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Speaker 1: the offense took off. I think in reading you know,

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Speaker 1: our colleague, you know here and at the Athletic Ken

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Speaker 1: Rosenthollow his story on the massive gap between Triple A

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Speaker 1: and the majors, bigger than ever, and that's something where

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Speaker 1: I think we can't be pinning this on you know, Oh,

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Speaker 1: maybe Matt Shaw comes up, like no, it's like these

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Speaker 1: guys have to get right. And our understanding at this

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Speaker 1: moment is that Louis Fasquez is coming up, as ESPN

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Speaker 1: first reported. However, that is not tied to Dansby Swanson's injury,

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Speaker 1: which the full expectations that he will be activated Tuesday.

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Speaker 1: There's been this weird lingering Nico Horner hamstring issue. I

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Speaker 1: think it's been six games where he set out. The

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Speaker 1: Cubs are still optimistic about Nico playing on Tuesday, so

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Speaker 1: we'll see what mister Vasquez can bring. But it's it's

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Speaker 1: been a weird stretch, and I'm sure there's got to

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Speaker 1: be listeners who are like, really, you're starting this podcast

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Speaker 1: right after they're losing. You can have done it. You

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Speaker 1: know we're rolling.

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Speaker 2: You know, well, okay, here's like I do think there

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Speaker 2: are if you're just angry to be angry and you

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Speaker 2: don't you don't want to hear excuses. I think that's okay.

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Speaker 2: I think the way they played that they should they

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Speaker 2: should be playing better. But I do I do agree

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Speaker 2: with when you're talking about Master Bony and Madri Girl

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Speaker 2: playing every day. That's just I mean, it's it's hard

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Speaker 2: to do that. They're they're fine bench players. Are they

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Speaker 2: great bench players?

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Speaker 3: No?

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Speaker 2: I expect both of them to be better at the plate.

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Speaker 2: Like my Master Bony, I I expect him to be better.

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Speaker 2: He I think he expects himself to be better offensively

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Speaker 2: putting him at short for that many games, like eventually

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Speaker 2: it was going to catch up to them, Like that's

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Speaker 2: too much exposure for him at shortstop. Madrigal is I

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Speaker 2: think what he's turned into is like a contact guy

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Speaker 2: off the bench that can play a good third base

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Speaker 2: and he should not like unless you know, he just

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Speaker 2: had he had these flashes when he was healthy, but

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Speaker 2: that's what that's what he is now. I don't I

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Speaker 2: just don't think he's ever going to be that player.

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Speaker 2: And I think most fans would strongly agree with that.

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Speaker 2: Those are the excuses, right, and and then I mean

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Speaker 2: this team should just be I have higher expectations for

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Speaker 2: them on offense. Right, Eventually they're going to get going.

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Speaker 2: I do believe that, But you can't the other excuses.

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Speaker 2: Look at the pitching that they've gone up against. I

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Speaker 2: know you hear Pittsburgh Pirates, but they faced three really

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Speaker 2: good pitchers. They should have done better against Bailey Falter.

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Speaker 2: But I do think there's and I've talked to coaches

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Speaker 2: about this in the past over the years. You face

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Speaker 2: a run of good pitchers and then you get in

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Speaker 2: your head and then you don't. You can't hit the

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Speaker 2: hit pitchers that you should hit, right, And they struggled

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Speaker 2: against Chris Sale, they struggled against Rinaldo Lopez, like all

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Speaker 2: these guys have been pitching.

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Speaker 3: Well.

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Speaker 2: I was looking at some numbers since since they were

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Speaker 2: in Boston. That game in Boston the Friday, they were there, good,

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Speaker 2: good game, right, seven runs? They they played really well.

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Speaker 2: That's probably one of their best offensive performances. But since

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Speaker 2: that game, which is about twenty one games, No, it doesn't,

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Speaker 2: it doesn't count Sunday Sunday's game, so twenty two games.

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Speaker 2: But the twenty one games before Sunday two to eleven

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Speaker 2: bad average, which is third worst in baseball eighty seven

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Speaker 2: weighted runs created plus, so like about thirteen percent below

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Speaker 2: average overall offense. That it's just not good enough. Like

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Speaker 2: Saya and Bellinger are back, they need to be hitting.

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Speaker 2: I get it. It's good pitching Garry Jones and Paul Skins.

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Speaker 2: They're gonna be thorning the cub side for a while,

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Speaker 2: I believe, and I do believe. What's funny, And when

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Speaker 2: I say that, I think their best offensive performance has

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Speaker 2: been in the past ten days. It was against Garry

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Speaker 2: Jones in Pittsburgh, r Like, that was one of their

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Speaker 2: best games, and it was one of those things where

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Speaker 2: it's like, huh, are they going to turn it around?

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Speaker 2: It just has been consistent. They're not grinding pitchers down,

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Speaker 2: they're not hitting for power, and sometimes you need bounces

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Speaker 2: to go your way. When when you're not when you're

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Speaker 2: not really swinging the hottest bats and they're not even

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Speaker 2: getting that, so nothing's really working and out like the

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Speaker 2: defense looks sloppy, and we know the issues with the bullpen.

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Speaker 3: We'll talk about that, but.

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Speaker 2: There is one thing that looks great, right the starting pitching.

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Speaker 2: And you were there Saturday, and every single time we

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Speaker 2: cover this guy, it's at least I start to have

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Speaker 2: this feeling. It's like, wait a second, what are we

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Speaker 2: watching here? Like how special is this?

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Speaker 1: Sure?

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Speaker 2: And then you look up the numbers and you're like, okay,

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Speaker 2: so nineteen eighty one Fernando Vealezuela, Like I wasn't. Neither

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Speaker 2: of us were old enough to remember that, but we've

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Speaker 2: all heard of it, right, we know it was like

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Speaker 2: a sensation and it was a thing. It was like

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Speaker 2: took over La. They ended up winning the World Series.

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Speaker 2: It was it was a whole season of Fernando Mania.

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Speaker 2: But nine games in ten, nine starts in, we're starting

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Speaker 2: to see something which showed it that we just haven't

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Speaker 2: seen before.

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Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you and I talk well every day,

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Speaker 1: but then with our editors and co workers of okay,

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Speaker 1: what do we got? What are we doing? And I

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Speaker 1: don't know showed us in that territory now where it's

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Speaker 1: like he's kind of a headline no matter what. It

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Speaker 1: started out as, Okay, it's his debut, and then all

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Speaker 1: he's facing the and it's like, oh wow, like look

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Speaker 1: at his where he's at, you know, four starts into

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Speaker 1: his career, and it's like, oh, well, he's probably going

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Speaker 1: to get lit up one of these nights, right, and

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Speaker 1: like that'll be a story of Okay, the leagues figure

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Speaker 1: something out. He's making adjustment and the seeing where he

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Speaker 1: is now is just amazing because that's not how the

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Speaker 1: cups talked about him. That is not how showed Up

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Speaker 1: presented himself. I think he was very much aware of

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Speaker 1: how hard this could be, and to me sitting in

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Speaker 1: the press box taking it in on Saturday, it was

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Speaker 1: just like, oh, okay, like this this could be like

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Speaker 1: you know, Fernando Valanzuella Bellinger had heard of that, was

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Speaker 1: aware of it. Obviously didn't know the full dimensions of it,

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Speaker 1: but I don't know, Like Jay Garriott is a young season,

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Speaker 1: right and even you know what Dustin Steel did for

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Speaker 1: a long stretch last year, elevated that team into playoff contention.

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Speaker 1: And when did they fall out of it? When he

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Speaker 1: like he had two so so starts when they absolutely

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Speaker 1: needed to win, and like this team and you've been

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Speaker 1: on this for a long time side of it, you

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Speaker 1: know the idea of like where are the stars? That's great,

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Speaker 1: you have depth, you have lots of you know, talent

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Speaker 1: coming in the system that can fill pieces, and you

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Speaker 1: have a manager now who's really good at like playing matchups.

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Speaker 1: But like where's the star? And I don't know, what

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Speaker 1: do you think do they have one? In Showdom?

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Speaker 2: It's starting to feel that way. I'll say this, I

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Speaker 2: know he can be that type of presence, right he

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Speaker 2: Sometimes you feel like, well, oh what about the language barrier?

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Speaker 2: I mean, I guess Sotani has blown that out the

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Speaker 2: water and shown that that doesn't matter. You just perform

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Speaker 2: and do amazing things on the field. People will will

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Speaker 2: take notice. But with him there's also a personality and

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Speaker 2: I feel like I want to hear his post games

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Speaker 2: because he's got a sense of huge. He seems to

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Speaker 2: he likes the moment, like when he's on the mound

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Speaker 2: and he gets pumped up. Come on, fans love that,

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Speaker 2: like fans eat that up. We eat that up. As

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Speaker 2: media because it's easy to write about. And then and

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Speaker 2: his teammates. I heard someone on the radio the other

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Speaker 2: day They're like, you know, I like the stoic guy too,

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Speaker 2: but there's something about playing behind that that guy that

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Speaker 2: gets really pumped up and fired up. I think it

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Speaker 2: was Nico Horner was talking about this. You know, it's

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Speaker 2: one thing like to be there's certain guys you play.

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Speaker 2: Maybe it was happy because he played behind all these guys.

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Speaker 2: It's like Lackey and Lester get fired up. Arieta was

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Speaker 2: more stoic, showeda like he's he shows all the energy

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Speaker 2: in the world. Like he like he gets a big out.

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Speaker 2: He is pumped up, he's fired up. He's flexing on

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Speaker 2: the mound. That's exciting, and he like he comes up

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Speaker 2: big right now. He has all the recipe, like every

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Speaker 2: all the ingredients to lead to Yeah, this guy's a

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Speaker 2: superstar type at like type player. It's I don't want

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Speaker 2: to go overboard because it's not even two months into

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Speaker 2: his career, but it's leading up to that.

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Speaker 3: It has that feeling.

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Speaker 2: He has those abilities and and the charisma and everything

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Speaker 2: that you want.

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Speaker 3: Uh for a guy that you know, it.

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Speaker 2: Makes it easy to root for and and fun to

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Speaker 2: cover and fun to watch for. The fans and the

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Speaker 2: teammates love him. So he's got everything there, and let's

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Speaker 2: see if he can do it for another four months

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Speaker 2: and then into the playoffs too, and then do it

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Speaker 2: again next year, right, Like, that's that's kind of like

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Speaker 2: what what we're waiting for with Justin Steele. Don't want

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Speaker 2: to take too much away from a couple of rough

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Speaker 2: starts for him, but you know that's you want to

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Speaker 2: see him keep doing it. You want to see these

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Speaker 2: guys keep doing it. But Showa Shoda has has everything

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Speaker 2: you want to see. The fastball is where it's at, though, right, Like,

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Speaker 2: what what's that going to do? As as it gets

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Speaker 2: warmer it's blowing out? Does the rise stay? How how

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Speaker 2: it is? Do the metrics stay? Specially if they do,

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Speaker 2: even if they drop a little bit. I think I

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Speaker 2: think he can handle it. Like that's what. I love

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Speaker 2: his mound presence, Like I like how he takes charge

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Speaker 2: on the mound. I like when he goes to get

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Speaker 2: a grounder. He's telling Michael Bush get back to first

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Speaker 2: base because I'm going to talk to this dude. Don't

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Speaker 2: come come over here. I got this stuff like that,

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Speaker 2: he knows how to pitch. The splitter is a really

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Speaker 2: nasty pitch and he confounds hitters right now like that.

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Speaker 2: There's a lot of chase. But it's not like he

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Speaker 2: walks people. So when you can combine that, like that's

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Speaker 2: that's pitching. You know, it's hard to see a guy

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Speaker 2: that doesn't. It's not like he's in the zone all

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Speaker 2: the time, but if he needs to be, he will.

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Speaker 1: He doesn't get recognized much at Duncan Donuts though he

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Speaker 1: gets a smaller medium ice latte and as large. You know,

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Speaker 1: he says he goes from his house to the field,

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Speaker 1: no house, Duncan Donuts, field, goes back home, does it

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Speaker 1: over again? But yeah, it is just I think the Cubs,

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Speaker 1: while they didn't necessarily, like I don't know, put the

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Speaker 1: full court press on Shoda, they were very aware of him.

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Speaker 1: They had scouted him for a long time. They remained

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Speaker 1: engaged in the entire negotiations. And you know, did other

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Speaker 1: teams miss on showda? I mean probably right. I mean

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Speaker 1: there's a lot of teams that would want that in

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Speaker 1: that contract right now, but you know, I don't. And

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Speaker 1: this is not taking anything away from Shoda. I don't

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Speaker 1: know if this success would have come like so quickly

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Speaker 1: in another place. I do think the Cubs, and you've

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Speaker 1: written about this, a lot of the Hubs are good

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Speaker 1: at kind of emphasizing pictures strengths and you Darvish said

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Speaker 1: the same thing the other day when he was at

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Speaker 1: Wrigley Field when when I asked him, and that having

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Speaker 1: say a Suzuki there helps, and having staffers with you

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Speaker 1: a Japanese background and ability to kind of help him

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Speaker 1: with the assimilation process. Some really encouraging teammates as well,

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Speaker 1: a very thoughtful progressive manager. Like all these elements, a

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Speaker 1: city that you know, he stayed in for a long

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Speaker 1: time this offseason, waiting for an offer from the Cubs.

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Speaker 1: So like all these things I think have really helped him.

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Speaker 1: And you know, we'll see, we'll see where Showdomania goes.

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Speaker 1: But like he is the difference between this team like

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Speaker 1: you know, maybe like five under and us being like

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Speaker 1: what's going on here? To like all right, that had

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Speaker 1: a bad bad weeking against the Pirates. Like wherever they're

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Speaker 1: they're in pretty good shape.

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Speaker 3: You know, I keep thinking about this.

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Speaker 2: Right last year around this time, the Cubs were not terrible.

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Speaker 2: Right that they were OK, and it was Miami and Washington, right,

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Speaker 2: those two series, here's what like and I and I

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Speaker 2: kept coming back to that felt like it was I

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Speaker 2: think it was like a one in five trip against

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Speaker 2: two bad teams or who we thought the Cubs were

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Speaker 2: better than Miami turned out to be a playoff team, right,

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Speaker 2: but we like the Cubs should have won more of

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Speaker 2: those games. Here's what I've been I've been thinking about this,

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Speaker 2: and I'm like, is this a missed opportunity what we've

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Speaker 2: been watching? No, I don't think so. What's happening right

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Speaker 2: now is they're not playing well. They were playing well

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Speaker 2: at that time. They weren't getting the big hit in

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Speaker 2: that moment. That was what was going on in that moment.

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Speaker 2: They weren't getting the big hit. There are no there

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Speaker 2: are barely any big hits to come up with right now.

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Speaker 2: Nobody's getting like, they're not putting up much of a threat.

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Speaker 2: They're playing sloppy defense. All they're getting is good starting pitching, right,

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Speaker 2: which you don't want to waste that. Sure, I get

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Speaker 2: that it's still bad to waste that, but it's not

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Speaker 2: like this is like, oh no, there you gotta bank

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Speaker 2: these wins when you're when you're playing well, they're banking

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Speaker 2: wins and not playing that well. They're four games under

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Speaker 2: or over five hundred, right, there are four games over

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Speaker 2: five hundred, yes, yes, and and they're and they're playing

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Speaker 2: bad baseball. The bullpen is every day. I'm wondering, who

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Speaker 2: does Craig Council go to if Mark Lighter isn't the

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Speaker 2: guy you're calling out of the bullpen. Like there's a

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Speaker 2: little bit of concern. Listen, Ben Brown looks great. Ben

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Speaker 2: Ben Brown looks great. But our buddy Jesse Rogers brought

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Speaker 2: brought up a great stat the other day. Uh he

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Speaker 2: said he has the highest exit velocity of like an

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Speaker 2: x number of balls in play. And Ben Brown does

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Speaker 2: yeah yeah, so he's oh yeah, so so And I

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Speaker 2: think we kind of saw it today. He wiggled, he

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Speaker 2: wriggled out of a jam today, but he got hit hard.

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Speaker 2: There were some balls that you know, on a different day,

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Speaker 2: something different happens there. So and I like, this isn't

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Speaker 2: ripping Ben Brown at all. I think Ben Brown is

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Speaker 2: actually like their best chance to have like a show

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Speaker 2: down reliever in that bullpen.

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Speaker 3: I'm just saying, like it's it's like, you know, you

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Speaker 3: if he can.

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Speaker 2: Figure out, like I'm just a little worried about that fastball,

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Speaker 2: but the curve ball does keep guys off of it.

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Speaker 2: Nara has had that nice outing the other day. Maybe

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Speaker 2: that's a step forward, But man, is he walking a

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Speaker 2: fine line? You know, I know we all see it.

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Speaker 2: I don't need to explain it much further. What I

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Speaker 2: like about him is he's he's he's been there. He

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Speaker 2: doesn't get rattled in that moment, right, So so you

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Speaker 2: hope that this is if he can make it through

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Speaker 2: this hiccup. If this is the hiccup and it's like

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Speaker 2: a two five era in the bad time where he's

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Speaker 2: not getting the good peripherals, let's let's hope he can

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Speaker 2: figure out the peripherals and and kind of solidify some

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Speaker 2: of that.

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Speaker 3: But you're starting to put a guy like.

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Speaker 2: Wes Nesky in in situations that he's unfamiliar with. He's

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Speaker 2: got to get used to that, right, He's used to

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Speaker 2: starting and now he's coming in with two men on

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Speaker 2: and two outs, and and.

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Speaker 3: He's got it. He's got to attack right away. Right.

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Speaker 2: It's not like he it was non competitive and he

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Speaker 2: just walked a guy in four pitches, But that's that

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Speaker 2: the those are situations that he's unfamiliar with that he's.

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Speaker 3: Got to learn.

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Speaker 2: Uh, you have to lean on guys that just haven't

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Speaker 2: really been around. I mean, Tyson Miller feels like he's

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Speaker 2: one of the more trusted guys right now. I don't

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Speaker 2: like when I'm saying something like that, like I just

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Speaker 2: feel like I don't know where this bullpen is with

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Speaker 2: the combination of injuries, in effectiveness and just like kind

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Speaker 2: of like nobody none of the young guys really like

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Speaker 2: taking over just yet and stepping up. And the biggest

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Speaker 2: issue I think when we talk about Ben Brown, Hayden

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Speaker 2: wass Nesky is I don't think Greig Council is at

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Speaker 2: a point where he can say they're in my bullpen.

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Speaker 2: I'm good with that. I don't need to keep him

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Speaker 2: stretched out. I don't need to worry about Martation. He's

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Speaker 2: not in that position. So it makes it it makes

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Speaker 2: it more difficult to how he wants to use them.

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Speaker 1: But he explicitly said over the weekend he was asked

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Speaker 1: and not for the first time, about you know what

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Speaker 1: about Ben Brown as your closer, and he's like, we

431
00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:59,879
Speaker 1: can't you'd say he's never gonna start again. And he

432
00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,639
Speaker 1: also thinks he gets better by pitching more. And this

433
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:06,280
Speaker 1: is kind of the council factor. And we talked a

434
00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,040
Speaker 1: lot about David Ross. We will not linger on that

435
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:15,040
Speaker 1: during this podcast. I think David Ross did a lot

436
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,200
Speaker 1: of good things for the Cubs. I think he did

437
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,160
Speaker 1: what he was hired to do. But this is one

438
00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,960
Speaker 1: area where council comes in with a lot of authority

439
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:27,840
Speaker 1: and credibility and an ability to I don't even know

440
00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,240
Speaker 1: if you'd say managing up considering his contract, but to

441
00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,320
Speaker 1: say this is what I want, this is what we need,

442
00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 1: this is what we should be doing. And so I

443
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,119
Speaker 1: think it's gonna be fascinating to see how they handle

444
00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,479
Speaker 1: Kyle Hendricks. I mean, we've gone twenty plus minutes here

445
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,639
Speaker 1: have not mentioned how the last guy standing from the

446
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:52,639
Speaker 1: twenty sixteen team has been probably what the worst starting

447
00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:58,119
Speaker 1: pitcher in baseball this year. And it's not easy to say,

448
00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:02,200
Speaker 1: because everyone who's encounteredle Hendrix during his time in Chicago

449
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:06,680
Speaker 1: has been impressed with his grace, his class, his professionalism,

450
00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,200
Speaker 1: all those things, and he's delivered in the biggest moments

451
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,840
Speaker 1: in franchise history, but like right now, if your Creig

452
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,520
Speaker 1: Council as much as you respected him across the way,

453
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,720
Speaker 1: like what does he do for you right now? And

454
00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,440
Speaker 1: then if your Craig counsel, you're also a little paranoid, right,

455
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,919
Speaker 1: that's the word easy use side of like how are

456
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,560
Speaker 1: we going to get these innings? What happens if someone

457
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,080
Speaker 1: else gets hurt? And then you look at his salary,

458
00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:31,520
Speaker 1: his status, like there's a lot of moving parts here.

459
00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:36,240
Speaker 1: So I think my read coming off this Pirate series

460
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:43,119
Speaker 1: was Kyle will get another chance, or maybe he skipped

461
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:44,960
Speaker 1: or maybe his bolt moved to the bull, But I

462
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:50,560
Speaker 1: don't think he's getting defaded immediately. Maybe I'll be proven wrong,

463
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:55,600
Speaker 1: but it seems like they're going to try a little more,

464
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:58,439
Speaker 1: a little longer, to see if they could salvage it

465
00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,480
Speaker 1: or just like to have him as kind of an

466
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,480
Speaker 1: insurance policy. But I mean credit counsel's tone of we

467
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,440
Speaker 1: need to be better, this isn't working, that's not gonna work,

468
00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,600
Speaker 1: Like there was no uh spinning that one, Like he

469
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,879
Speaker 1: was very clear how he felt coming off of that start,

470
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,840
Speaker 1: and it's you know, hard to see where he fits.

471
00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,520
Speaker 1: If all these guys get healthy, because that's happening too.

472
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,800
Speaker 1: You have Smile juw Smiley going out to pitch Tuesday

473
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,480
Speaker 1: at South then Jordan Wicks should be following out a

474
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:34,480
Speaker 1: minor like affiliate not far from then after that, you know,

475
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:36,560
Speaker 1: I don't know if he'd immediately go back on the

476
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,960
Speaker 1: major league roster. But Valencia is out with Iowa, Daniel Palencia,

477
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,560
Speaker 1: that is, You've got Julian Merriweather on Monday starting a

478
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:52,800
Speaker 1: throwing progression for basically another spin training almost and then

479
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,159
Speaker 1: out Yen c Almonte, the hope being maybe by the

480
00:25:57,280 --> 00:25:59,960
Speaker 1: end of this week he could start throwing again after

481
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,080
Speaker 1: a relatively short layoff. But I go back to side

482
00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:04,920
Speaker 1: of something you said to me at rig the other day,

483
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:09,920
Speaker 1: of something that was told to you of like what

484
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,439
Speaker 1: do you expect when you have this many injuries? Like

485
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:16,480
Speaker 1: do you think you know? Like who's still left at Iowa,

486
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:21,480
Speaker 1: Like except for Kata Horton, who's not ready yet have

487
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:22,840
Speaker 1: already been called up, right.

488
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 2: Right, I think they're all Like the the other names

489
00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:30,360
Speaker 2: I hear about were in double A, you know, Zach Lee,

490
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 2: Michael Arrius, uh Eduardy, Old Nunez who just got bumped

491
00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:39,640
Speaker 2: up to triple a like they're they're not ready yet. Yeah,

492
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:41,960
Speaker 2: they they could be close. Maybe we'll hear them in

493
00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,480
Speaker 2: June or July. If they still need to keep calling

494
00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:48,639
Speaker 2: guys up. Uh, but yeah, it's no, no, And like

495
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,880
Speaker 2: that's not a knock on the system, Like not many

496
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,560
Speaker 2: teams can have this many injuries and then be like, Okay,

497
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,240
Speaker 2: let's keep calling pictures up that can be effective. You

498
00:26:57,320 --> 00:26:59,000
Speaker 2: have to like that's why they had to trade for

499
00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,680
Speaker 2: Tyson Miller. That's why I like whenever someone is dfaide,

500
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,480
Speaker 2: now you have to wonder. It's like, can the Cubs

501
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,879
Speaker 2: get in on that guy? Like okay, like like the

502
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,920
Speaker 2: guy the Orioles just dfade Mike Bowman. It's like, Okay,

503
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,199
Speaker 2: that guy's got stuff. Can he help the Cubs? Like

504
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:16,800
Speaker 2: I'm not saying that the Cubs are in on them,

505
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:19,000
Speaker 2: but you just have to think about that every single

506
00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:22,639
Speaker 2: time that someone hits the waiver wire, because that's the

507
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,080
Speaker 2: situation there. And uh, when it comes to Hendrix, when

508
00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,800
Speaker 2: I this always happens, right, it's the fans are out first, right,

509
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,520
Speaker 2: the fans like it goes, the fans are like they're done,

510
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,000
Speaker 2: and then if it continues.

511
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,879
Speaker 3: It's like media is like I don't know, like what

512
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:39,600
Speaker 3: are they gonna do here? Then the team.

513
00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:41,800
Speaker 2: Finally is like, yeah, it's time, and the player is

514
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,720
Speaker 2: the last to kind of like accept like this isn't.

515
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,920
Speaker 3: Working right, And I think that's the hardest.

516
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:50,320
Speaker 2: When when I saw the I was in the Pirates

517
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:54,080
Speaker 2: clubhouse after that game because it was a Paul Skeens game,

518
00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:56,880
Speaker 2: And when I saw the videos, like the the difference

519
00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 2: between like the complete like one to eighty between the

520
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:04,760
Speaker 2: hender In council was like it, you know, because nobody

521
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,679
Speaker 2: wants to see Kyle Hendricks fail, right, Like nobody, not

522
00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,480
Speaker 2: even like his opponents, like he's he's a he's a

523
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,920
Speaker 2: good dude who like he never should have been this good.

524
00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,800
Speaker 2: He just never should have been this good, and that

525
00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 2: he was ever as good as he was is a

526
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,400
Speaker 2: huge win. So like and you're always you've always been

527
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:23,280
Speaker 2: like is it done?

528
00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:23,920
Speaker 3: Is it over?

529
00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:25,639
Speaker 2: And like when he came back last year and he

530
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:27,919
Speaker 2: was good, I think it gave people a little bit

531
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,520
Speaker 2: more optimism that it's like, oh, wow, he can still

532
00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:34,480
Speaker 2: do this great Okay, let's let's let's let's keep it

533
00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,639
Speaker 2: rolling and maybe maybe he's got a few more years

534
00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,320
Speaker 2: and maybe he does, maybe he comes back like it happens.

535
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:42,560
Speaker 2: I'm not sure if we're ever gonna see it again

536
00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,120
Speaker 2: With the Cubs though, I think he's had like and

537
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 2: that's not saying I think he's done now.

538
00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:48,080
Speaker 3: I agree with you.

539
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:50,000
Speaker 2: I think I think they're in a situation where they're

540
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,360
Speaker 2: gonna have to give him a start.

541
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:54,320
Speaker 3: Is it gonna be against Atlanta?

542
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,480
Speaker 2: I hope not, just for his sake and for the

543
00:28:57,480 --> 00:28:59,520
Speaker 2: Cub's sake, Like that's a tough that was a brutal

544
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:03,240
Speaker 2: matchup last year when he was feeling good and when

545
00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:04,680
Speaker 2: he was getting results.

546
00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:11,720
Speaker 1: Facing the Cardinals, uh Bustadium more day weekend would be

547
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,640
Speaker 1: a pretty but facing the Pirates twice in six days.

548
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,800
Speaker 3: All right, right, you would think that would that would work.

549
00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:21,320
Speaker 2: But yeah, and I think the bottom line is what

550
00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,480
Speaker 2: how you explained it? They they don't have They need

551
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,920
Speaker 2: depth right now, and maybe it's just until they're absolutely sure. Yeah,

552
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:33,120
Speaker 2: Jordan Wick's is good, he's healthy, he's coming back, and

553
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,360
Speaker 2: and that's why they have these guys like Dan Stralia

554
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:37,000
Speaker 2: and Julio Terhran right.

555
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:38,480
Speaker 3: Like in Triple A.

556
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,360
Speaker 2: If if there are more injuries and they have to

557
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:44,720
Speaker 2: get rid of Hendricks to make room for like, say,

558
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:46,240
Speaker 2: they have to get rid of Hendricks and then the

559
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,880
Speaker 2: injuries come again, Like, you just have to do what

560
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,480
Speaker 2: you have to do, right. I don't like, it's not

561
00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,800
Speaker 2: it's not what anybody wants. But I think we're getting

562
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,719
Speaker 2: close to that point. He like, it's every start by

563
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,479
Speaker 2: start now I think he has I agree, he has

564
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:04,520
Speaker 2: one more start, but every single start you're like, Okay,

565
00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:06,440
Speaker 2: what does he have? What can he do? Can he

566
00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,520
Speaker 2: get through it? And when you're when you're living like that,

567
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,400
Speaker 2: it's hard. It's hard to say, like feel comfortable that

568
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,440
Speaker 2: that's a railway to succeed and thrive.

569
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:21,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's really been the awkward part about this season.

570
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:25,920
Speaker 1: And in our episodes to come, we'll get into like

571
00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:32,320
Speaker 1: what Craig Council is really like, you know, our interactions

572
00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,880
Speaker 1: with him. It is really hard to talk about the

573
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:41,520
Speaker 1: Cubs right now without having like Council's kind of monotone

574
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,560
Speaker 1: voice in your head of Okay, what is he thinking?

575
00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 1: We have covering a pharm system that is interesting and

576
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:58,040
Speaker 1: we'll show a lot this summer, right like will any

577
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:02,800
Speaker 1: of these guys bring a spark way that a Schwarber

578
00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:09,240
Speaker 1: did or you know, hap came up and contributed Wilson

579
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:16,200
Speaker 1: Cantreras when wires like and not talking about like, you know,

580
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,520
Speaker 1: Schwarmer's comeback in the World Series, just like like that

581
00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,800
Speaker 1: basic jolt of like, oh, this guy's up and you

582
00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:22,640
Speaker 1: know he's he's on a heater, like let him go,

583
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:26,680
Speaker 1: Like I don't know if I see that, we'll have

584
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:32,880
Speaker 1: the cad horton watch or countdown be interesting. And then

585
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,040
Speaker 1: this is all really kind of geared up towards the

586
00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:39,560
Speaker 1: trade deadline, and to me watching showed to the other

587
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,160
Speaker 1: day was kind of like, all right, like if if

588
00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:45,640
Speaker 1: they have this guy at the front of their rotation

589
00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:48,720
Speaker 1: and they can clean up some other areas and and

590
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:53,960
Speaker 1: get healthy, does that make you pushing a little more?

591
00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:59,000
Speaker 1: And I have a hard time seeing this team just

592
00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:04,080
Speaker 1: totally bottoming out. And so I think this year will

593
00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:09,040
Speaker 1: be dramatic. It always is, right, I.

594
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,080
Speaker 3: Mean, yes, it's always something.

595
00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,560
Speaker 1: This is a podcast about a circus, and we know

596
00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 1: that the Cubs will deliver the drama and it'll be

597
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:22,120
Speaker 1: stuff that we couldn't even like dream up when we

598
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:26,880
Speaker 1: were first talking to our people here that fount like

599
00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:29,800
Speaker 1: there's crazy stuff is going to happen all season and

600
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,440
Speaker 1: we can't wait to discuss it with you guys.

601
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's see if they get a little spark on Tuesday,

602
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,040
Speaker 2: if Nico and Dan's may come back, that that should

603
00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:44,120
Speaker 2: at least solidify something, at least defensively, I'd like to hope.

604
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:47,280
Speaker 2: Other than that, they obviously need to wake up offensively

605
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,640
Speaker 2: and get going and make things more interesting at least

606
00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:52,120
Speaker 2: for us to watch on a daily basis.

607
00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:54,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm really.

608
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,800
Speaker 2: Excited to have a podcast back talking with my buddy

609
00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:57,560
Speaker 2: Patrick Mooney.

610
00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,480
Speaker 3: We are going to be on top of everything.

611
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:03,320
Speaker 2: Cubs for you guys, So stick with us, keep listening, subscribe,

612
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,240
Speaker 2: do all that good stuff you do with podcasts.

613
00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,640
Speaker 3: We're excited to be a part of Foul Territory. Keep listening.

614
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,960
Speaker 2: We're gonna have multiple podcasts for you this week, three

615
00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:13,920
Speaker 2: podcasts a week during the season, so so be ready

616
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:17,160
Speaker 2: for that. Plenty of Cubs talk coming from us. Thanks

617
00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:20,200
Speaker 2: so much for listening. This is Sahata Sharma and Patrick

618
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:21,760
Speaker 2: Mooney with North Side Territory.

619
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:22,160
Speaker 3: Take care