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Speaker 1: Guys will get hot, Guys will get injured. You know,

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Speaker 1: guys will fall in and out of favor, in and

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Speaker 1: out of the.

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Speaker 2: Circle of trust. Like that's just what bullpens are.

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Speaker 3: Welcome into Northside Territory. Foul Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm

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Speaker 3: your host, Sahadev Sharma with you with my co host

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Speaker 3: Patrick Mooney, we're your Cubs beat writers at the Athletic,

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Speaker 3: covering all things Cubs for you on this podcast and

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Speaker 3: over at the Athletic. And there's not much positive going

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Speaker 3: on with the Cubs right now. They have some good

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Speaker 3: starting pitchers. I mean, listen, we didn't even talk about

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Speaker 3: this before we started recording, Patrick, but Kyle Hendricks is

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Speaker 3: a great story right now.

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Speaker 4: If if the Cubs could win some games, we'd be.

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Speaker 3: Talking much more about this bounce back, and it'd be

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Speaker 3: a really nice fun story because it's just another reminder

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Speaker 3: of how baseball is so hard to predict. I think

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Speaker 3: you and I were patient as as patient as could

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Speaker 3: be with Hendrix, and and even both of us were like, Okay,

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Speaker 3: I think it's time like this. He's just not he

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Speaker 3: doesn't have it anymore. He's he's figured some things out

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Speaker 3: using the curveball more. It's it's been really nice to

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Speaker 3: watch that in fun to watch a bounce back.

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Speaker 4: You didn't.

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Speaker 3: You never want a guy like him to be going

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Speaker 3: out in some ugly fashion, so it's good that he's

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Speaker 3: still showing that he's got something left. The rest of

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Speaker 3: it is just it's hard to watch. Beyond the starting pitching.

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Speaker 4: We keep saying it. You're out there in San Francisco.

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Speaker 3: Patrick, another loss, this one two to one for most

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Speaker 3: of the game. Bullpen comes in, gives up three runs,

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Speaker 3: Colton Brewer and and it becomes you know, non competitive

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Speaker 3: very late. But it was it was typical stuff. It

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Speaker 3: looked like it was lining up to be a one run,

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Speaker 3: brutal loss. It just ended up a five to one loss.

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Speaker 3: But yet again, same story, not even any You can't

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Speaker 3: even complain about runners in coring position. They barely had anything.

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Speaker 3: What was your view from the press box and then

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Speaker 3: in the clubhouse.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think Monday night was such a gut punch

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Speaker 1: loss that.

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Speaker 2: Kind of overanalyze another what was lining.

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Speaker 1: Up as another one run loss until a bullpen blow up.

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Speaker 2: Just seemed unnecessary.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you know, there's another game Wednesday night, and

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Speaker 1: if this pattern follows, it'll be another one, one run loss, right.

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's like kind of over analysis some of

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Speaker 1: this stuff. I do think your take on the current

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Speaker 1: events is accurate. I think Kyle Hendricks is a nice

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Speaker 1: comeback story.

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Speaker 2: Today Wednesday, he reaches ten years of major league service time,

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Speaker 2: which is just a huge milestone, particularly amongst players, of

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Speaker 2: just recognizing, you know, how hard it is to keep

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Speaker 2: your spot for that long. It's kind of astounding.

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Speaker 1: And we've both covered the entirety of Kyle Hendrick's career.

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Speaker 1: The person you see on the mound on the camera

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Speaker 1: is the exact same person he is away from the

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Speaker 1: camera when the microphones are off. It's just very genuine, consistent,

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Speaker 1: stable personality.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, the team he is currently on is just

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Speaker 2: not performing. And Wednesday night in San Francisco is Game

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Speaker 2: one eighty one. Is Game eighty one.

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Speaker 1: The halfway point of the season, So I think Sahadev

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Speaker 1: will take that as a jumping off point an assessment

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Speaker 1: of where the Cubs are at. I think we could

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Speaker 1: start with the offense, and you were kind of bullish

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Speaker 1: on the offense, and yeah, I think no one saw

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Speaker 1: like a worst in baseball offense for such a long

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Speaker 1: stretcher period.

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Speaker 2: What how do you grade this group? What are you seeing?

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Speaker 4: Yeah? I mean I think.

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Speaker 3: I guess i'd have to be if I'm being generous,

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Speaker 3: then i'd probably go a D. Right Like, I don't

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Speaker 3: like I feel like I'm being generous by not saying

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Speaker 3: F like. I just don't know how how you can

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Speaker 3: look at what it like. Jed Hoyer sits in front

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Speaker 3: of us and tells us over and over again. Six

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Speaker 3: in runs scored last year.

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Speaker 4: I mean, it's not.

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Speaker 3: Like I, I like, have been contradicting him and saying, no,

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Speaker 3: he's wrong, you're right. I was bullish on this offense

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Speaker 3: Game one in Texas. I was telling other writers, like,

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Speaker 3: I really like this lineup one through nine. I think

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Speaker 3: they're pretty deep. They have a lot of talent. There's

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Speaker 3: no like obvious weak spot. I did not think Yeah

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Speaker 3: Games would drop off as much as he did. Obviously

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Speaker 3: Young Games is no longer here. I did not think

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Speaker 3: Miguel Amaya would struggle as much. They're not the main problems.

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Speaker 3: You know, they're that's an issue. They're not the main problems.

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Speaker 3: Nico Horner struggled everybody. I don't even need to go

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Speaker 3: through it. Sorry, Like you know, everybody has struggled at

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Speaker 3: some point. Some guys are doing okay. Now nobody's coming

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Speaker 3: up with a big hit on a regular basis. It's

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Speaker 3: been very up and down. Nobody has carried the offense.

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Speaker 3: That's that's the big thing. Like even guys that they've

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Speaker 3: done fine. I mean overall, I believe they have a

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Speaker 3: ninety five way to runs great at plus, like twenty

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Speaker 3: eighth in baseball. They're at eighty seven since April twenty seventh.

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Speaker 3: I like, that's that's bad. That's I mean, that's abysmal.

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Speaker 3: They they don't they had that hot stretch up until

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Speaker 3: April twenty sixth, and that was you know, they were

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Speaker 3: one ten way to runs great A plus up to

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Speaker 3: that point. Uh, that's that's good. It was sixth in

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Speaker 3: baseball up to that point. Uh, it's not like red hot.

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Speaker 3: They kind of overperformed with runners in scoring position up

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Speaker 3: to that point. They've been dreadful, like even worse. I

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Speaker 3: don't even need to look it up, but it's it's

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Speaker 3: it's it's really bad.

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Speaker 4: I just don't know.

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Speaker 3: I think, like what this season is like every season

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Speaker 3: I try and learn something. I try and reassess how

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Speaker 3: I analyze the game. I just think you can have

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Speaker 3: a good season offensive season without a superstar. It makes

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Speaker 3: it a lot easier to avoid those slumps. It makes

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Speaker 3: it a lot easier to feel like, hey, we can

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Speaker 3: we can repeat last year's success. We have this rock

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Speaker 3: in our lineup, and we've said it. I'm not saying

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Speaker 3: anything new. I just think I feel more convinced. It's

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Speaker 3: not like I never wrote that they needed to superstar.

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Speaker 3: I thought maybe say I could be that superstar. It'd've

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Speaker 3: We've talked about this, right, Patrick, this is something you

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Speaker 3: and I have written and hammered for years.

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Speaker 4: Now.

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Speaker 3: That guy didn't emerge and they never added him, and

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Speaker 3: now it's it's just sticks out like a sore thumb.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I mean, Sayah clearly has been a disappointment. He hasn't

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Speaker 1: been like bad, but look it's it's the year three

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Speaker 1: of his contract. He clearly has talent, but it's not

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Speaker 1: it's not the difference maker that the Cubs thought he

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Speaker 1: would be. I mean, a fine, fine player, but looks

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Speaker 1: like someone who should probably.

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Speaker 2: Be a d h Right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and then come to have a third baseman who

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Speaker 1: maybe should be a dhlough Morel made a couple of

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Speaker 1: nice plays here in San Francisco and is weirdly on

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Speaker 1: pace for thirty homers and like ninety RBIs, but hasn't

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Speaker 1: been that dynamic offensive presence. And he's another guy, right,

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Speaker 1: I mean, year three in the majors. You know, these

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Speaker 1: guys who you think would be kind of reaching their

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Speaker 1: prime just aren't at this current moment. And you know,

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Speaker 1: Cody Bellinger, I know that we wouldn't go up and down,

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Speaker 1: but like, these are the guys that are supposed.

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Speaker 2: To be kind of anchoring the middle of this lineup.

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Speaker 1: And once again, Bellinger solidly above average player, a really

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Speaker 1: nice fit in terms of being able to.

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Speaker 2: Move them around between center fields and first base, but

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Speaker 2: hasn't gone on one of those pairs yet. And he

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Speaker 2: was a he hasn't dragged into spring training, but he's

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Speaker 2: a signature off season target and acquisition and hasn't delivered

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Speaker 2: that bumb that they just desperately need. And so.

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Speaker 1: Just this feeling that the Cubs are sort of stuck

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Speaker 1: with this group, which I think adds to the frustration.

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Speaker 2: And I asked Craig Council off to the side, yester about.

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Speaker 1: This idea of being flat, and you know, he just

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Speaker 1: kind of shrugged it off and said that is like

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Speaker 1: a timeless element of baseball.

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Speaker 2: When you don't score runs, you look flat. But he

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Speaker 2: would absolutely agree that the Cubs have not scored enough runs.

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Speaker 2: That is true that a lot of these things fall

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Speaker 2: back on the offense.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's a way to segue into the

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Speaker 1: bullpen of like, yeah, if the bullpen has had held

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Speaker 1: a couple leads.

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Speaker 2: You know, one lead a month, you take away one

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Speaker 2: blown save a month, it looks a little a little different.

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Speaker 1: The Cubs don't look at at the this is like

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Speaker 1: kind of the failure that it's been. But you know,

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Speaker 1: at the same time, the offense could have broken a

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Speaker 1: lot of games open and given this bullpen some breathing room.

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Speaker 2: And honestly, if.

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Speaker 1: Everyone had stayed healthy since opening day, like the bullpen

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Speaker 1: still wouldn't have been viewed as.

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Speaker 2: Like the strength of the team, right.

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Speaker 1: I mean, that still was an area where they sort of,

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Speaker 1: you know, kind of crossed their fingers and cut corners.

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Speaker 5: Aircrats here from FT, I'm a former athlete that really

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Speaker 5: pays attention to his routine and AG one every morning

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Speaker 3: I am not the type that says you have to

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Speaker 3: go out and sign a closer, you have to go

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Speaker 3: out and sign this big name reliever. I don't think

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Speaker 3: that solves a lot of problems. I'm not going to

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Speaker 3: go back and look at all the free agents. But

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Speaker 3: my guess is there would have been a lot of

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Speaker 3: mistakes made if you have big in free agency on relievers.

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Speaker 3: This team needs to develop pitching and they also, I

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Speaker 3: mean develop relief pitching. They've done a really good job

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Speaker 3: of developing starting pitching and we'll get to that, but

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Speaker 3: the relief pictures haven't stayed healthy. I think it would

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Speaker 3: be a I don't think we would be talking as

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Speaker 3: much about the bullpen if if they'd stayed healthy, just

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Speaker 3: because I think Craig Counsel would have more pictures to

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Speaker 3: go to and and it would just you'd start to

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Speaker 3: see how, oh, okay, I get why Craig Council is

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Speaker 3: so valuable. He understands how to rest guys, how to

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Speaker 3: maneuver guys, how to kind of find ways to like, okay,

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Speaker 3: not over use them. And one thing I heard about

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Speaker 3: when he was in Milwaukee was sometimes there be there'd

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Speaker 3: be moments where you'd think the move was obvious, the

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Speaker 3: bullpen move was obvious, and he'd go to someone and

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Speaker 3: it would work. Someone else and it would work because

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Speaker 3: he he just understands his bullpen's really well, his pictures

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Speaker 3: really well. I don't like it he just doesn't have

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Speaker 3: the horses right now. Like I think Colton Brewer has

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Speaker 3: come up and and been forced into a situation.

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Speaker 4: It's just not his role. Uh.

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Speaker 3: And he's he's been fine, and but he's also been

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Speaker 3: used in situations he probably shouldn't be used in. Uh

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Speaker 3: if you had a healthy bullpen and and he's been exposed.

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Speaker 3: There's there's just not enough depth here.

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Speaker 4: There wasn't that. There's some.

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Speaker 3: Developmental hiccups. I guess, you know, Daniel Palencia didn't turn

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Speaker 3: into a guy. Porter Hodge is still a little too young.

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Speaker 3: He's probably you know, you hope that he can learn

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Speaker 3: from this year. Hayden Wisnsky is a guy that just

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Speaker 3: hasn't performed consistently enough. Like he shows these flashes of like, ah,

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Speaker 3: there it is, that's a dominant reliever, and then it

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Speaker 3: just it goes away and he either walks guys or

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Speaker 3: gives up the long ball. Luke Little can't lock it

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Speaker 3: in and have consistent command. H you know, we can

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Speaker 3: just go up and down. Jose quass I mean, that's

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Speaker 3: that's a really bad miss right there, right Like you

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Speaker 3: can't nobody's lamenting the Nelson Velasquez but just the reality

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Speaker 3: of Jose quass is not impact is gone. He's on

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Speaker 3: the Toronto Blue Jays and he didn't impact this team

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Speaker 3: in a positive way. And then there's the injuries, right,

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Speaker 3: I mean now nears of course the big free agency signing.

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Speaker 3: I get all the intangibles. I agree with all the intangibles.

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Speaker 3: I do believe he has an impact that we can't

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Speaker 3: measure on this group. It just it's not enough when

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Speaker 3: he's struggling and you don't have the talent in the

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Speaker 3: group to overcome it. I do think there's ways that

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Speaker 3: this turns around, but they need to get healthy there,

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Speaker 3: and they need some young guys. I said it in

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Speaker 3: the last podcast. I'd like to see some guys called up.

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Speaker 3: I don't know. I guess it's a bullpen day Wednesday evening.

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Speaker 3: We'll see how that goes. I just I'd like to

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Speaker 3: see a little bit of some changes with regards to

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Speaker 3: the bullpen, because it is the area where I think

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Speaker 3: it can be most most acted by random relievers getting

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Speaker 3: hot and random young guys. I don't believe that's as

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Speaker 3: true with an offense unless it's an impact like you

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Speaker 3: call it. Kyle Schwarber in the middle of the season.

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Speaker 3: A guy that can just thump forty home runs with

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Speaker 3: his eyes closed. That's different than you know, the guys

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Speaker 3: that they'd be calling up right now as far as

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Speaker 3: bats go.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I don't really know what it is

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Speaker 1: or when it's happening, but you gotta think there's gotta

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Speaker 1: be some sort of like shake up moves coming here

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Speaker 1: pretty soon when you're at the halfway point, when the

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Speaker 1: team is underperforming to this degree. I asked Counsel yesterday

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Speaker 1: just about kind of ninth inning and how he views it,

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Speaker 1: and it is pretty much a read and react type situation.

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Speaker 2: At this point.

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Speaker 1: He'd like to get to a place where it is

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Speaker 1: just one guy that you're leaning on in the ninth inning.

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Speaker 1: I do think Norris will get some of those opportunities

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Speaker 1: here and there, but for now, and it doesn't help

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Speaker 1: having a bullpen game.

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Speaker 2: Thrown it in the middle of that.

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Speaker 1: But certainly, yeah, you look at the game score, the

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Speaker 1: game situation, you know, the lineup, whatever pocket I'm using

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Speaker 1: the air quotes there too, matchup relievers to put him

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Speaker 1: in a position to be successful. So you know, Mark

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Speaker 1: later Junior believes it'll be a minimum stint on the

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Speaker 1: IL Cubs are press pause with Yancy Almontes rehab Julian Merriwether.

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Speaker 2: I believe through either a bullpen or what he is,

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Speaker 2: he is progressing, you know.

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Speaker 1: And then that kind of around the All Star break

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Speaker 1: sounds like, you know, a realistic target it.

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Speaker 2: But I mean it's not like we're talking.

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Speaker 1: About you know, uh, you know, Mariano Rivera getting healthy

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Speaker 1: here right. I mean these are like, you know, like

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Speaker 1: you know, guys will you guys will, Guys will get hot,

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Speaker 1: guys will get injured, you know, guys will fall in

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Speaker 1: and out of favor, in and out of the circle

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Speaker 1: of trust.

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Speaker 2: Like that's just what bullpens are. And then I think we.

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Speaker 1: Can transition into what has been, uh what should be

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Speaker 1: an enormous bright spot, the rotation, but it has just

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Speaker 1: been absolutely you know, squandered here.

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Speaker 2: This this great run by the rotation.

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Speaker 3: I mean it's remarkable how good the rotation has been,

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Speaker 3: especially when you consider what happened on opening day with

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Speaker 3: Justin Steele. That was a moment where you thought, uh,

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Speaker 3: oh this is going to do rail things like they

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Speaker 3: have a good offense. They have you know, Craig Council

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Speaker 3: knows how to manage a bullpen. Just give him enough

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Speaker 3: arms and now your ace from last year, your cy

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Speaker 3: young contender who looked great for however, it was almost

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Speaker 3: five innings if I'm remember incorrectly, is out for an

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Speaker 3: extended period of time. How do they survive this? And

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Speaker 3: it's been really impressive. Everyone has pretty much stepped up.

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Speaker 3: Kyle Hendricks, who we've talked about already struggled and has

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Speaker 3: bounced back. I mean everyone at some point has impressed,

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Speaker 3: and jameson Taian huge bounce back season. It's really I

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Speaker 3: think it's really important to have a veteran like that

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Speaker 3: in your rotation that kind of stabilizes things. He's been

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Speaker 3: that when Kyle Hendricks hasn't showed him anaga. We've talked

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Speaker 3: so much about him, I don't know what else to

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Speaker 3: say other than a brilliant start to his career. They're

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Speaker 3: giving him this six days rest. This is because of

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Speaker 3: this bullpen game.

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Speaker 4: We'll see. I'm very curure.

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Speaker 3: I think Thursday is is worth kind of circling and

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Speaker 3: watching and paying attention to. I've seen some people talk

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Speaker 3: about you know, you just hope that they didn't. You

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Speaker 3: just said it, but you hope they didn't. Squander it

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Speaker 3: in the sense that is the starting pitching going to regress? Yes, yeah,

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Speaker 3: you know, like that's a I think we all kind

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Speaker 3: of feel like it probably will, right, It's hard to

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Speaker 3: it's hard to be this all of those guys be

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Speaker 3: that good. We didn't even mention Ben Brown as far

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Speaker 3: as the bullpen because he has been starting and when

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Speaker 3: he returns, whatever happens with him, I think will be

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Speaker 3: really interesting to watch because he can impact either area.

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Speaker 3: And I think that if you want to talk about

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Speaker 3: like kind of like a big developmental win a young

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Speaker 3: player that you're like, Okay, yep, this guy has an

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Speaker 3: impactful role. Whatever it's going to be, right, he's going

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Speaker 3: to be impactful and in a positive manner. You know,

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Speaker 3: you want to talk about closer of the future, I

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Speaker 3: think that's a guy you can kind of be like,

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Speaker 3: hmm maybe or is he just too good at starting?

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Speaker 4: Did you just say, like, yeah, I.

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Speaker 1: Think he's too good to like it's maybe because of

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Speaker 1: the inning's limits and circumstances in the second half that

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Speaker 1: you know, Assumi's neck.

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Speaker 2: Condition doesn't worsen and he can manage that. I mean, yeah, but.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, the pitching development there have been a lot of

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Speaker 1: Javier Asade you, Oh yeah, I't talked about him.

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Speaker 2: But has been outstanding. And I think that's an area where.

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Speaker 1: You know, the front office council staff can kind of

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Speaker 1: hang her hat on as not we evaluate things, but

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Speaker 1: as ownership looks at where this is going. And I

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Speaker 1: think that's kind of another kind of concluding section here

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Speaker 1: that we can kind of look at of like if

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Speaker 1: you're owning this team, like how do you evaluate.

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Speaker 2: The front office?

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Speaker 1: The manager higher that you just signed off on, the

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Speaker 1: highest paid manager in the game, you know, front office

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Speaker 1: that underwent a very extensive, multi year rebuild. I think

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Speaker 1: it's hard to look at this first half as anything

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Speaker 1: other than the failure.

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Speaker 3: Say we were too positive or or there was I

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Speaker 3: was probably too positive with what I came out. As

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Speaker 3: far as projections for this team, I thought they could

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Speaker 3: win ninety plus games because mainly because I thought they'd

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Speaker 3: be in it at the deadline and they'd go hard

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Speaker 3: to add some impactful players to kind of push them

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Speaker 3: to that ninety ninety two range for wins. But as

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Speaker 3: far as regular projections go, what they were like an

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Speaker 3: eighty three eighty four win team maybe like probably little

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Speaker 3: less than that. A lot of projections. My guess is

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Speaker 3: their internal projections weren't too far off that just they

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Speaker 3: had different things going well, right, They probably had the

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Speaker 3: start of pitching lower, bullpen maybe slightly better, and offense

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Speaker 3: significantly better, and that's how they got to eighty three wins.

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Speaker 3: They're below that projection right now, obviously, right six games

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Speaker 3: under five hundred, so they're like like halfway through. Like

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Speaker 3: I think Tom Rikints has to be from just from

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Speaker 3: watching last year. I think he knows he has to

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Speaker 3: assess this over the course of one hundred and sixty two, right,

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Speaker 3: So if they end the season eighty two wins and

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Speaker 3: and the offense kind of turns it around, I'm not

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Speaker 3: sure if he's like jumping, like ready to fire Jed Hoyer,

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Speaker 3: because my guess is they kind of knew what they

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Speaker 3: had in a sense. They were hoping to get a

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Speaker 3: few more wins out of things and push a little further,

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Speaker 3: maybe add at the deadline, things like that, get a

390
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Speaker 3: couple more wins then the projections suggested. But I don't

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Speaker 3: think they're that far away from what they kind of expected.

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Speaker 3: It just hasn't gone right offensively, So I'm not I

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Speaker 3: know We've talked a lot about like to change, Like

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Speaker 3: there's a lot of talk about Jed horror being on

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Speaker 3: the hot seat. I think it begins in the winter, right,

396
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Speaker 3: like he has to nail this winter. I just I

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Speaker 3: don't know if he's moving on from him at the

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Speaker 3: end of this year. That's just my general guess. We

399
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Speaker 3: haven't had a chance to really dig into this and

400
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Speaker 3: see what's going on. I do get questions from people

401
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Speaker 3: around the game, like, Hey, do you think Jed's on

402
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Speaker 3: the hot seat? I don't see that, just because I

403
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Speaker 3: think they kind of unfortunately.

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Speaker 4: I do think like maybe this was you.

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Speaker 3: Know, they're trying to take incremental steps instead of huge

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Speaker 3: steps forward. So if they kind of even if it's static,

407
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Speaker 3: if they end up at like eighty three wins, now,

408
00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,280
Speaker 3: if they end up at seventy two wins, I mean,

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Speaker 3: then does conversation change.

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Speaker 1: I think the conversation is always changing or maybe evolving,

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Speaker 1: and that it's really hard to withstand a year like

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Speaker 1: this or just kind of gloss over it. I still

413
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Speaker 1: think I largely agree with what you're saying in that

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Speaker 1: whatever move that moves the Cubs have made, it has

415
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Speaker 1: not jeopardized their medium to long term future. Their books

416
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Speaker 1: are relatively clean, They have a lot of flexibility, even

417
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Speaker 1: though I think the prospects are largely overrated in the

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Speaker 1: Cup system and the industry as a whole, the Cubs

419
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Speaker 1: have a group that's pretty well regarded or at least

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Speaker 1: there's you know, depth and balance and different areas that

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Speaker 1: you can point to. I think the pitching development is

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Speaker 1: is big. Is something that you know, pitchers always get injured,

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Speaker 1: but you look at this group and.

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Speaker 2: How they've kind of managed it and structured it. I

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Speaker 2: think that's working.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's something that is much different than

427
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Speaker 1: their previous window that you can point to as Okay,

428
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Speaker 1: this system here is up and running. Craig Council, I

429
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Speaker 1: believe in the long run will prove to be a

430
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Speaker 1: pretty good hire, someone who can really be an impactful

431
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Speaker 1: presence in the organization. But I mean, if this is

432
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Speaker 1: a last place team when we're doing like our end

433
00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,760
Speaker 1: of season podcasts, I mean that's going to be a

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Speaker 1: massive failure. And part of this like you know, losing

435
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,680
Speaker 1: one run games or being kind of right there giving

436
00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,960
Speaker 1: ourselves a chance, like where are the difference makers?

437
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,640
Speaker 2: And we know that the Udarvis trade was made under.

438
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:13,480
Speaker 1: Financial conditions imposed upon baseball operations. But you know, own case,

439
00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:16,320
Speaker 1: he isn't here yet, and whenever he does arrive, it's

440
00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:17,960
Speaker 1: going to take a while for him to figure out

441
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,359
Speaker 1: how to hit in the majors. I think that twenty

442
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:27,200
Speaker 1: twenty one trade deadline was They're just it has not

443
00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:30,400
Speaker 1: come to fruition yet in terms of, like the impact

444
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:31,280
Speaker 1: at the major league level.

445
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:32,399
Speaker 2: Pca is a nice player.

446
00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 1: I think he will be a long term solution in center,

447
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 1: just because he is so good on defense, and that

448
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,800
Speaker 1: Jed and Counsel both really seem to be high on him,

449
00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,760
Speaker 1: Like doesn't really matter what you or I think right

450
00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,680
Speaker 1: or like what scouts are or like what the offensive

451
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,560
Speaker 1: numbers look like right now. Like that is a guy

452
00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,960
Speaker 1: that both of the primary decision makers really seem to

453
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:56,439
Speaker 1: believe in.

454
00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:00,560
Speaker 2: So he's going to get a super long runway.

455
00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:07,800
Speaker 1: But otherwise, you know, trading Craig Kimberrel, I mean a

456
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:11,200
Speaker 1: all star level closer, you know, the guy that every

457
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:15,120
Speaker 1: contending team wants for October, has not.

458
00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:17,640
Speaker 2: Given the Cubs much if anything.

459
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:23,280
Speaker 1: You know, obviously, Chris Bryant, Anthony Rizon, hobby Bias are

460
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:29,120
Speaker 1: at very down moments, if not the.

461
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:29,520
Speaker 2: Tail ends of their careers.

462
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:33,600
Speaker 1: Like was the right move to not invest big money

463
00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,240
Speaker 1: in those guys, but you still have to like.

464
00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:38,160
Speaker 2: Replace those guys.

465
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,520
Speaker 1: And Mike Michael Bush looks like a good option at

466
00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:47,160
Speaker 1: first base, Morell's kind of a question mark at third.

467
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,800
Speaker 1: I think I think Dansby, on balance, you know, was

468
00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:54,520
Speaker 1: a good signing. I get why they did that. I mean,

469
00:27:54,560 --> 00:28:01,679
Speaker 1: he's been a Gold Glove defender and but he, like

470
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,040
Speaker 1: most of the other all the other guys on the officer,

471
00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,320
Speaker 1: needs more complimentary pieces. You know, this is a guy

472
00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:10,440
Speaker 1: who is more of like a you know, ideally would

473
00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:14,480
Speaker 1: be that seven hitter in a really good lineup, not

474
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,600
Speaker 1: like the eighth hitter in a bad lineup, right like

475
00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,000
Speaker 1: thins have been. So when you like put all this together,

476
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,119
Speaker 1: it's it's gonna be awkward.

477
00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:27,800
Speaker 2: You know. I was talking to someone and here in.

478
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,640
Speaker 1: San Francisco who was kind of observing the dugout, and

479
00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:37,400
Speaker 1: that individual just sensed it was Hence and like that's

480
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:42,560
Speaker 1: a difference than flat. I think, you know, we're not

481
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:48,800
Speaker 1: going to do the whole clubhouse chemistry stuff, but you know,

482
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:55,000
Speaker 1: I don't totally believe it when they say, like you

483
00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:57,000
Speaker 1: know this will make us better.

484
00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:58,920
Speaker 2: In the end, or like you know, we're we're gonna

485
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,240
Speaker 2: grow from this, Like you know, a lot of bad

486
00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:05,480
Speaker 2: teams just don't grow from it. You know, there seasons.

487
00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:11,719
Speaker 1: In September, everyone scatters, they go golfing, hunting, fishing, and

488
00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:16,360
Speaker 1: like big changes happen. And this was not how I

489
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,880
Speaker 1: thought the halfway point of the season would feel like

490
00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:23,640
Speaker 1: us kind of on alert for like what are they

491
00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:26,400
Speaker 1: going to do to shake things up? But it's it's

492
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:30,160
Speaker 1: hard to like take too many options off the table at.

493
00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:34,240
Speaker 3: This point, right, And I just think there's a lot

494
00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:38,320
Speaker 3: of there's some pieces that just aren't fitting the way

495
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,520
Speaker 3: you'd want them to, especially in terms of defense, which

496
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:46,680
Speaker 3: we didn't really break down but has been disappointing. Third

497
00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,800
Speaker 3: base and right field in particular, Like you said, they

498
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,720
Speaker 3: both kind of seemed like dhs at the moment, and

499
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,880
Speaker 3: you want to give them some credit, especially Morale, who

500
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,560
Speaker 3: needs to who has made strides there.

501
00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,800
Speaker 4: But yeah, but.

502
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:04,640
Speaker 3: It it's just like, is this team like put together

503
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:09,280
Speaker 3: properly when you look at like the deals given to

504
00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,400
Speaker 3: happen Suzuki and where Morel is playing, like you're you're

505
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,240
Speaker 3: not getting plus plus defense at those spots. I think

506
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,080
Speaker 3: halp is obviously you know, he's won two goal gloves.

507
00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,000
Speaker 3: I just don't see him as like this elite defender

508
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,080
Speaker 3: out there on a regular basis.

509
00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:25,080
Speaker 4: Uh.

510
00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:29,400
Speaker 3: So it's yeah, they're they're you have to question the

511
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,360
Speaker 3: way it's put together at times too, and the evaluation

512
00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:32,920
Speaker 3: of it all.

513
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:33,800
Speaker 4: Uh.

514
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,520
Speaker 3: And I do think something needs to change. I don't

515
00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 3: know how you make it happen. I don't know how

516
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,680
Speaker 3: it changes, but something needs to change.

517
00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:42,560
Speaker 4: Uh.

518
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:46,600
Speaker 3: There needs to be some sort of adjustment made here.

519
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:49,520
Speaker 3: Uh And when I say that, I mean in terms

520
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,400
Speaker 3: of personnel. I don't know what exactly that move is.

521
00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:55,120
Speaker 3: But that's up to Jed and Carter and and and

522
00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:56,840
Speaker 3: the rest of the front office to kind of figure

523
00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,200
Speaker 3: that out.

524
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 4: Uh yeah, sorry.

525
00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,760
Speaker 2: No, something no I was gonna say about.

526
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:08,000
Speaker 1: You know, just bottom line, are heading into Game eighty one,

527
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:11,880
Speaker 1: Cubs are thirty seven and forty three in last place

528
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,959
Speaker 1: in the National League Central and only four games out

529
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:23,520
Speaker 1: of a wild card spot. It's bizarre, it is uninspiring,

530
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:28,200
Speaker 1: just kind of the state of the National League. But yeah,

531
00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:30,520
Speaker 1: the Cubs are wrapping up what was supposed to be

532
00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:34,600
Speaker 1: this soft spot in their schedule. Here in San Francisco.

533
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,480
Speaker 2: It's gonna get harder over the next couple of weeks.

534
00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:43,040
Speaker 2: I think the stretch before the All Star break it

535
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:47,719
Speaker 2: could be defining here what they still have left in

536
00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:52,160
Speaker 2: them And yeah, I mean hopefully they give us something

537
00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:54,760
Speaker 2: new or different to talk about.

538
00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,800
Speaker 3: Soon, right, Yeah, And I mean in that stretch, there's

539
00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:01,200
Speaker 3: a couple of bad teams, but Milwaukee, Phillip Elfie and Baltimore,

540
00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:03,800
Speaker 3: you know, three of the best teams in baseball and

541
00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:05,640
Speaker 3: some of the teams that you kind of look to

542
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,360
Speaker 3: and say, like, yeah, that that's what you want to be, right,

543
00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:12,760
Speaker 3: It's just like how they're built, how everything's going. Like yeah,

544
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:14,880
Speaker 3: it's easy to say that when you look at their records,

545
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:16,600
Speaker 3: but just the way those teams have been built, each

546
00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:20,360
Speaker 3: a little differently, and you can say like, Okay, there's

547
00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:22,440
Speaker 3: something you can take away and learn from that, like

548
00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:23,880
Speaker 3: what what are the Cubs missing?

549
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,600
Speaker 4: You know, we'll our next show.

550
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,440
Speaker 3: We will take comments from you guys, comments and questions

551
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,040
Speaker 3: from the fans. Will make sure to send out tweets

552
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,680
Speaker 3: to to get your reactions and get your thoughts and

553
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,120
Speaker 3: we can address them. It may not be too dissimilar

554
00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 3: from what we've been talking about. Hey, if it's what

555
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:44,959
Speaker 3: you guys want to talk about, we'll talk about it.

556
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:48,800
Speaker 3: We'll try and go through this together and be your therapy,

557
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:54,600
Speaker 3: because this this team requires everyone who covers and is

558
00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:56,320
Speaker 3: a fan of it and probably is a part of

559
00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:57,880
Speaker 3: it to go to go through a little bit of

560
00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:01,880
Speaker 3: therapy and and figure these things out. Thanks so much

561
00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:07,200
Speaker 3: for listening everyone, This is Northside Territory. Make sure to rate, review, subscribe,

562
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,400
Speaker 3: all those good things you do with podcasts, Read Patrick

563
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,960
Speaker 3: and my work over at the Athletic. We'll be coming

564
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,000
Speaker 3: at you daily. Patrick's out in San Francisco. I'll be

565
00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,240
Speaker 3: out there in Milwaukee for the first two and Patrick

566
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,280
Speaker 3: will wrap up that series and then it comes you're

567
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:23,480
Speaker 3: back home for some tough games.

568
00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,400
Speaker 4: We'll talk to you soon. Take care everyone. Thanks man,