WEBVTT - Three X-factors for the Cubs after the All-Star break 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:09.600 Welcome into Northside Territory File Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm 0:00:09.600 --> 0:00:12.319 Sahadev Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We are your 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:16.720 Cubs beat writers over at the Athletic Patrick, we are 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:19.880 going to talk about three names that need to step 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:23.680 up post All Star breaker. I mean, some of them 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:27.360 have already started to perform really well. We've seen flashes 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:32.040 of what they can be and how important they are 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:35.640 to this team. But the first name we're going to 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:39.080 get to. We've talked a lot about pitching in recent episodes. 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:42.400 We know how important it is to get any sort 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:45.600 of even average performance right now out of a reliever 0:00:45.720 --> 0:00:49.600 or starter. They just need decent innings to get through 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:53.000 games because you know, outside of you know, facing Hunter 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:56.520 Green when he's locked in. This offense has looked pretty 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:59.640 strong of late. We know what they're capable of, and 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:04.640 that's a strength of the team. And we saw Matthew 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:08.399 Boyd look like his best self in his last start. 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:12.399 The Cubs need that so much more often. They need 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:15.960 to see that, Like essentially, what they need in this 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.880 second half is what he was in the first half 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.880 last year, or I should say more than the first half. 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:27.440 It was much of the season. Uh, but it seemed 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.840 like we saw it. He was he felt, looked like himself, 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.680 looked like the best version of Matthew Boyd. And just 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.520 you know, getting six plus innings right now feels like 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:39.760 such a big deal for a starter. And he did 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:44.920 that and racked up some quality strikeouts, limited the walks. 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:49.240 Just looked like a really good Matthew Boyd. Yeah it was. 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:53.200 He gets the weather permitting. We'll see how we're recording 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:56.320 on Saturday. I'm in Cincinnati. But he schedules to get 0:01:56.320 --> 0:02:01.040 that last start before the All Star break, and after 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:05.400 his last outing in Baltimore, he you know, tried to 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:08.160 find the you know, silver lining in this of you know, 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:12.080 maybe maybe he saved some some bullets for for later. 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:21.120 You know that his arms should be relatively fresh down 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:27.360 the stretch here, we'll see. I mean, Craig Council, you know, 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:32.880 rarely likes putting it on one player. He always talks 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.720 about the group. He doesn't like separating out. Oh do 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:38.519 you need like the bullpen to be better or the 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:40.960 rotation to be better, or is the offensive concerned. It's like, 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:43.119 you know, one of the other won't be good enough. 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.359 But He's Boyd is one of those sort of exceptions 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:49.080 where it's like, yeah, he's supposed to be a huge 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:52.799 stabilizing force for this group. We saw it at at 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:56.600 Camden Yards of just having all this pitch is working, 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:04.079 having great you know, touch and feel. 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:03.079 With all of his offerings. 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.760 You know, his point was, you know, you when you're healthy, 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:11.000 you have to sorry if you're healthy. That's one thing, 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:15.920 but it's also getting reacclimated at game speed and having 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:20.440 you know, all of that at your disposal, and that 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.320 was a big step in the right direction for him. 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:26.480 And it's it's crazy. I mean, this is a guy 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:29.800 who started their first playoff game last year, he started 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:33.520 Opening Day, went to the All Star Game, selected for 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:37.480 Team USA and the WBC like, this is a major 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:41.280 talent when when things are right, and he just hasn't 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:43.840 given them a whole lot this year, and you know 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:49.119 it's clearly due uh, you know to injuries and that 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:53.960 you know, if he's able in the second or after 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:57.880 the All Star break too, be that guy. You know, 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:01.760 that really kind of changes the calculus. It doesn't mean 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:04.920 they Cubs just sit out the trade deadline, but if 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:08.200 you have a guy that you feel comfortable starting a 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:09.000 playoff game. 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:09.720 That's huge. 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.360 Yeah. I'm looking at his game log here, and it's 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:15.880 been a lot of start and stop for him. Obviously 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:21.160 this year. It was a really good start his second start. 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:23.640 The first start, the peripherals were good. He gave up 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:25.880 far too many runs, six innings in three and two thirds, 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:28.159 and then he went out and struck out ten in 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:31.920 five and two thirds. And that's when I believe what 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:36.240 was a tricep for him? Bicep There spent so many injuries, 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.400 spent so many injuries, I can't keep track of them all. 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:43.599 And basically they just they were being extra cautious right 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:46.479 and shut him down for a little bit. He came 0:04:46.520 --> 0:04:50.320 back in three weeks and then that freak injury happened. 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:53.560 He's outside of that second start. He just hasn't had 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:56.400 a start where you're like, yep, that looked really good 0:04:57.200 --> 0:05:00.840 until the Baltimore start, and it kind of went just 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:03.320 as you know, I think you were asking or the 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:07.040 group was asking counsel about him, and and council said 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.480 what he needed or what what what he was hoping 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:12.159 would happen, I think is how he was putting it 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:15.480 out there and it went and happened. Uh, it was 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.240 kind of like that progression that you just said it was. 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:21.159 It was. It did look great in those first two 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:25.240 starts after the knee injury. He was fine. They needed innings. Obviously. 0:05:25.320 --> 0:05:28.320 The state of this team is they'll take any type 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.719 of you know, qut decent pitching right now. And that's 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.640 what it was, and now it looks a lot better 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:38.159 and build off that, do that that that's what the 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:43.200 Cubs need, uh, Sunday, and then for the following two months, 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:45.880 two plus months, two and a half months after that, 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:50.240 and in October, they need him to be you know, 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.040 the twenty twenty five version of Matthew Boyd. We we 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:57.200 know he wants that. We know he kind of he's 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:02.480 a he's a really out talked about this. He's extremely friendly, 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:07.640 kind person, seems like a really good guy. But when 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.120 he's on the mound and like even in post game, 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:12.960 like when you ask him, like, he has high expectations 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:17.560 for himself and he also and he's never surprised when 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:21.680 he's great, Yeah, because that is what he believes he 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:25.640 is supposed to do. So he he puts the he 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:28.400 has the same expectations that we're putting out there right now. 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:31.320 So now he's got to go out there and deliver. 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:35.000 Let's take a quick break, come back and talk about 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.000 a bat I think everyone knows, but we're going to 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:40.240 talk more about this bat that has to step up 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:45.200 in the second half cap. 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:47.200 I've been looking for the best deals for the All 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:49.440 Star Game tickets in Philly. Where are you going to 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:50.360 get some tickets from? 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.680 I'm going straight out to Rife Field. 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I think the first 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.160 game in bult More, Uh kind of capped off a 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:04.720 nice stretch and and he he talked a little bit 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:08.520 about that and and how the breaks, the break's not 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:13.600 coming in an ideal time. He's the last whatever three games. 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:17.200 We're like you said, we're recording on a on a 0:08:17.280 --> 0:08:22.240 on Saturday before Saturday's game. Uh. He is in a 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:26.360 three game hitless stretch. Uh. And and it didn't look 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:28.960 great against Hunter Green. Nobody looked great against Hunter Green. 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:35.559 Uh last night, Uh, Friday night. But what what was 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:38.960 Where's where's Bregman's head at? What? What was he talking about? 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.520 And how does he kind of view his second half? 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:48.120 Bely as Tuesday night in Baltimore, and he had a 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:51.640 nice game and you know, there are a bunch of questions. 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:56.280 And you know sometimes. 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:00.880 Bregmans, you know, a good talker and he sees the 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:02.880 whole game, so you can ask him about all sorts 0:09:02.920 --> 0:09:06.160 of different things. But I, you know, it's the time 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.920 of the year where it's like, what about your performance? 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.080 You know, and I just said, is it you know, 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.040 it seems like you're kind of picking it up, getting 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:17.880 a little bit of rhythm. You know, it's All Star 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:21.040 break coming. Had a bad time here and he sort 0:09:21.040 --> 0:09:24.760 of laughed and said he, you know, spoke with Pete 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:28.080 Alonzo at first base and the way Bregman recalled it 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:30.080 was Alonzo says something. 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:36.440 Like you're feeling better. He's like yeah, and. 0:09:35.160 --> 0:09:38.680 So goes and you get the All Star break in 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:41.560 five days and was like, oh perfect. 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:42.719 And so on. 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.680 You can look at these things a lot of different ways. 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:51.160 If you're kind of grinding through it, does it make 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:53.880 sense to take a break and step back for four days? 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:57.640 Or if you're going off feel if you feel like 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:02.800 you're making progress, do you not want to interrupt that for. 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:03.640 An All Star break? 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:08.400 And so CUB sitting coach Dustin Kelly said, basically they 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:12.360 had looked at these last two weeks before the All 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.400 Star breaks, so leaving Milwaukee, have a home stand at Wrigley, 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:20.680 and you know, this trip to Baltimore and Cincinnati and 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:23.640 really kind of viewing that as hoping that's a building 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:26.440 block of really kind of honing in on a couple 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:29.120 of things. And you know, to be honest, like Bregman 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:32.400 is so obsessed with this that it's hard to kind 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:36.880 of like like if this guy's constantly sending you know, 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:41.040 coaches videos anyway, and you know if every swing he 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:45.760 ever takes is recorded in the in the cage, out 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:49.840 on the field and VP. Obviously during games there's all 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:53.480 this tracking technology as well, like well, what's the. 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.160 You know, like now it's really the focus, but just 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:57.199 it just you know, this is such a. 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:02.840 You know, weird sport to try and figure out and 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:06.080 that you know, he did have his thumbs down home 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:11.760 run during that homestand he's been getting on base, collecting 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:18.480 hits during this stretch. His game Wednesday in Baltimore, i mean, 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:22.439 first at bat, you know, the left fielder makes this 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:26.600 crash crashing catch at the wall. His last at bat, 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:30.760 it's just a bullet right at the third baseman. You know, 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:33.240 had a deep fly ball that scored a run and 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:41.760 advanced to other runners. There are signs he hasn't been 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:44.679 in that zero because he gets on base, because he 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:50.959 uh he plays gold Glove caliber defense. But like he 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.240 knows it, like he has not performed up to expectations, 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:59.079 Like he wants more. You know, he knows he has 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.880 to deliver more. He knows, you know, why he was 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:08.360 signed here, and just the home run power has not come. Uh, 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:10.880 you know, I don't really know if it will or not, 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:15.280 but he's certainly from the moment he signed, we knew 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:17.640 he was gonna be kind of the main characters in 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:20.840 the story of the season. And you know, he's still 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:24.120 got some more time to rewrite that. 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:28.599 Yeah. I mentioned that it was you know, hitless in 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:32.319 the in the last three games, and you actually look 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:34.880 at two of those games and the quality of contact 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:38.040 was was really nice. It was really the Hunter Green game. 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:42.559 Like I said that, everybody struggled against him. There are signs, 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:47.160 and if you want to believe, you absolutely should. I 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:53.120 always I always feel like guys like Bregman, guys who 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.320 have proven it, Guys who you know, when they start 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:59.240 showing signs, it's like, Okay, this is going to work 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:03.400 at some point. It may not be perfect. You know, 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:05.760 I don't know if he ends with the numbers that 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.320 you want him to have. It's it's kind of like 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.600 what you were saying a few episodes ago. It's like, 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:16.199 just just get you know, be great for whatever is left. 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:19.440 And if the if the numbers aren't the numbers that 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:21.560 you wanted at the beginning of the season, who cares? 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:23.320 Is a team where it needs to be? Are you 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:25.080 impacting the team down the stretch? 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:25.640 Uh? 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:29.319 That may be what the Cubs. That's really all the 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:32.360 Cubs care about. Now what he's done doesn't really matter anymore. 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:37.800 Just go out there and perform. I think the biggest 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:42.520 concern whatever three weeks ago, when when this was really reaching, 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:45.800 it's the dear Hopefully it's in the deer for the Cubs, 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:51.280 and the Cubs certainly hope is has time caught up 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:53.679 with them. You know. Is the bat just not as 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:59.120 good as it once was? I don't think that's the case. 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:04.319 I mean it we can talk about any so many players, 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.040 but we just saw this with Dan sby Swanson and 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:10.360 and like these things turn quickly, this has not been 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:12.280 This has been a little bit more of a slow burn, 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:16.160 and and it seems like it's turning, So it'd be 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:19.880 huge if it is. Because last episode we just talked 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:24.160 about Pete or Armstrong. We know how good this offense 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:28.320 can be. Saya Suzuki's really in a good spot second half. 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:31.320 It's like Bregman and and if Bush gets a power 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.160 surge and starts hitting for the power we know he 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:38.400 can hit for uh, this offense could could level up 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:41.480 even more. It's it's a really good offense, but you 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:44.760 need you need different guys to step up at different 0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:47.640 moments because other people are gonna slump Pete. Pete isn't 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:50.200 going to be this hot for the rest of the season. 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:52.000 Maybe he will be. Maybe he's just that type of 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.760 guy now, I don't know, but you have to kind 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:59.600 of assume like he he at least slows slightly h 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.000 But I think there's just no doubt that he's the 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:05.800 most important of the bats in the second half, as 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:08.560 far as guys that we haven't really seen perform at 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.360 the highest level. If he can perform at a high level, 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:16.120 it alters just how good this team can be. We 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.400 know how good their offense is, but if they can 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:22.160 be even better. Especially with all the injuries on the 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:25.640 pitching side, it becomes really important. Let's take a break 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:29.080 and talk about one more pitcher that is healthy right now, 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.400 has been healthy for most of the year, and is 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:32.600 incredibly important. 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.000 This episode is brought to you by fan Duel Baseball Fans. 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.920 The MLB season is in full swing and fan Duel 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:42.120 is giving you a chance to call your shot with 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.320 Daily Dingers. Joining the action is easy. 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Bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:26.160 Restrictions apply, including any token expiration and max wager amount. 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:30.360 See terms at Sportsbook Dot FanDuel dot Com gambling problem 0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:33.760 call or text one eight hundred gambler. 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:40.640 Patrick shouldau Minaga had a pretty rough stretch, and if 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.200 you talk to Craig Counsel, he'll say it's only two 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:46.320 games because that at the third game that Athletics start, 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.080 just all of a sudden at the very end, he 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:54.480 gave up some home runs and otherwise he had been 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.200 looking really good. I can't remember exactly what that day 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:01.200 was like, if it was a windblown home run night 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.280 or not, but either way, I remember, like Craig Council 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.200 is pretty adamant that it's only two bad starts, not three. 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.080 I know the box score looks different. He was really 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:13.639 impressed with Shoda that night, and he's been since that 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:16.680 Athletics start. It is six starts with a two eighty 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:19.200 one era. He looks like a great pitcher. I think 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:24.680 I think we could go different directions with this third person. 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:27.720 We could focus on the bullpen, but we talked about 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:30.199 this before, and I think the reason we decided not to, 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:33.879 and it's a good reason, is because it's not about 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.280 one pitcher in the bullpen. It's going to be a 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.639 group effort and it's going to be name that we 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:42.960 probably don't know that it impacts this team, so we 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:46.000 can't say, like Daniel Palencia, Yeah, he's going to be important, 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.600 but it if he stayed, like if he never gets 0:17:48.640 --> 0:17:51.960 back to his best self, Like, there's going to be 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:54.439 moves made. There's going to be trades that like the 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.480 bullpen is just like this moving you know, ever changing 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:01.959 unit right now with the way it's it's set up 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.959 due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Showed him Anaga just like 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:08.679 Matthew Boyd. We know what their ceilings are, we know 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:13.720 how good they can be. Showed is important for this group. 0:18:13.800 --> 0:18:16.679 Like he's he's been pretty damn good alls he's in 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:22.400 long The overall numbers don't really indicate that because the 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:26.000 the the bad outings were so bad. Uh, there's an 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:28.320 eight run game, there's a seven run game, there's a 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:32.520 five run game, there's a six run game. It's that 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:36.080 that really skews the numbers. He's been really good and 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:38.520 he needs to continue it in the second half. 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:42.359 A council said, Friday ends and snay like before and 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:47.120 after that stretch, however you want to frame it. He's 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:51.399 been really good and he thinks he's in a good spot. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:54.240 I mean to show to credit he leads the team 0:18:54.680 --> 0:19:00.920 in starts, end innings pitched, and no one's really close 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:06.880 in either category, and you need look, yeah, it would 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:11.040 be great if you know tomorrow the Cubs acquired no 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:12.879 doubt number one starter. 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:15.440 But you know, you do the Asist project. 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:17.240 There are very few of those guys available, and you 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:20.800 need pitchers who can help get you to October. And 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:25.359 Shoda has been you know, if you look at those 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:28.000 other segments of the seasons, he's been excellent. 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:31.560 He's been not far off from his twenty twenty four version, 0:19:31.640 --> 0:19:32.160 which was. 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:38.240 An All Star and you know, a cy Young Award 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:39.680 caliber performance. 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:40.960 And so. 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:48.840 I think Showda's bad moments are you know, he just 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:53.040 gives up so many home runs that some of the 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:55.720 online discourse I don't quite understand. It's just like, oh, 0:19:55.760 --> 0:20:00.520 he's not he's not usable, he's unplayable. And I don't know, 0:20:00.560 --> 0:20:03.479 if you watch the totality of his work with the Cubs, 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.080 it's been it's been very good. Now, obviously he's sort 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:12.520 of spoiled everyone by how excellent it was as a rookie, 0:20:13.119 --> 0:20:16.760 and you know, you just hope they can make some 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:20.080 faster adjustments in August and September. 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:25.760 If he does go through another rough patch and. 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:27.879 You know, the way last season ended and all of 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:31.200 the contract back and forth, you know, it wasn't a great. 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:32.920 Look. 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:40.240 You know, it wasn't kind of the smoothest transition there, 0:20:40.280 --> 0:20:46.240 but showeda went right to work last off season. You know, 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:51.000 he doesn't really like reflecting on that or saying like, oh, 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:53.560 I'm I'm back, or that he's you know, proved people wrong. 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:55.520 But you know he does take a lot of pride 0:20:55.680 --> 0:21:01.320 in what he's done. And you know, again, like is 0:21:01.400 --> 0:21:02.960 he a guy you could trust to go through a 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:04.520 lineup twice in a playoff game? 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:06.960 You know, maybe maybe not. 0:21:06.920 --> 0:21:11.840 Your first choice, but not unrealistic to think that he 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:13.960 can help get you to the playoffs and then be 0:21:14.040 --> 0:21:15.359 a factor in the postseason. 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:20.480 Absolutely. The home runs, Look, there's a there's a four 0:21:20.560 --> 0:21:22.800 game stretcher where he gave up twelve home runs. He's 0:21:22.800 --> 0:21:25.520 given up twenty two home runs on the season, and like, 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:28.560 twelve of them, over half of them came in a 0:21:28.600 --> 0:21:32.920 four game stretch. He was not you know, he wasn't 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:35.360 as effective as he needed to be during that stretch. 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:39.919 I remember talking to Tommy Howneby during that stretch, what's 0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:41.960 going on? Like, what are you working on? And he's like, 0:21:42.480 --> 0:21:45.680 the problem is is that it's not the same thing, 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:48.760 Like different things were happening. So it's a when it's 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:52.240 not something where they were overly concerned, and it's also 0:21:52.280 --> 0:21:55.000 not something like where they were like, just do this. 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:58.560 This is the correction. There were some different things going 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:02.240 on over those starts, and they seem to largely have 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:06.600 been corrected over the last six I believe it's five 0:22:06.680 --> 0:22:08.720 home runs and three of them coming in one game 0:22:08.760 --> 0:22:12.360 against the Mets, So he's going to have those moments. 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:15.600 I know it's annoying for fans to hear this, but 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:18.960 if he limits them to solo shots, even if it's 0:22:19.040 --> 0:22:21.400 three of them, the Cubs should be able to win 0:22:21.440 --> 0:22:24.480 those games because their offense is good enough. It's not 0:22:24.520 --> 0:22:26.880 gonna work every single time. He's gonna have a bad 0:22:26.920 --> 0:22:31.360 outing here or there. I think the hope going forward 0:22:31.600 --> 0:22:35.640 is they're two things. The hope going forward is those 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:39.080 games don't comment in the playoffs the really bad ones. 0:22:39.520 --> 0:22:43.280 And then I think the reason for optimism is and 0:22:43.400 --> 0:22:45.800 why you don't really look at it like last season 0:22:45.880 --> 0:22:48.800 is because the stuff's completely different than last season. It's 0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:51.640 back to the twenty twenty five or twenty twenty four 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:56.680 version stuff wise, the results aren't exactly like twenty twenty four. 0:22:57.960 --> 0:23:00.159 The home run is biting him a little bit, it 0:23:00.240 --> 0:23:04.320 more often, and it's sometimes in the tougher situations. But 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:08.320 it absolutely that Velo being back to where it was 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:15.040 completely changes where I view him. I like it. Just 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:17.960 he was not the same picture in this once after 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:21.840 that hamsterring injury last year. Uh and and he's you know, 0:23:21.920 --> 0:23:23.640 like you said, he's he doesn't love to get into 0:23:23.640 --> 0:23:25.480 depth about it, but he put in the work to 0:23:25.520 --> 0:23:28.120 get back to where he was. He's healthy now, he 0:23:28.200 --> 0:23:32.359