Locked On Cubs - Daily Podcast On The Chicago Cubs

The Cubs really have it rolling right now, winning four straight games in a road sweep over the New York Mets. They're now 17-8 since those two embarrassing back-to-back walk-off losses in St. Louis. I took a look back over the last three games and how the Cubs got it done. They won't play on Monday, but Jake Arrieta and the Philadelphia Phillies come to town on Tuesday. In the second segment, I looked at how important the pitching depth has been at Triple-A this year. Can the Cubs avoid taxing their bullpen in the second half? They couldn't in 2017, and we all saw what that meant in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the final segment, I looked around the NL Central and updated the standings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I have returned for a Friday episode of Locked On Cubs. The Cubs lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the finale of their three-game set on Wednesday (link to Kelly Wallace's article on illegal slides here), but bounced back on Thursday to take the first of a four-game series with the New York Mets. The final score of the game was 5-1, with Jose Quintana pitching well and taking the victory. Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward combined to go 5-for-10 with a homer and three RBI. In the second segment, I tackled Chris Gimenez's recent comments about Yu Darvish and took David Haugh to task for his disgusting, pandering, borderline irresponsible hot takes. In the final segment, I recapped the last two days for the NL Central and updated the standings heading into Friday's games. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Good news, everyone! The Cubs won in Pittsburgh last night, making it two straight over the Pirates and four of their last five. But that's not even the best news for the Cubs on Wednesday. The MRI results came back on Yu Darvish, and there is no structural damage. What does this mean for the rotation in the coming weeks? I broke it down in segment two, including a brief look at what Adbert Alzolay has going on at Triple-A these days. In the final segment, I looked around the NL Central and updated the standings. Be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us questions and comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. We appreciate when you guys interact! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs took three out of four games over the long weekend, beating the San Francisco Giants twice at home and taking a Memorial Day matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates. There are a few things to go over here, including Tyler Chatwood's latest rough outing and Mike Montgomery's case for more starts. The Cubs play the Pirates again on Tuesday night, with Jon Lester taking the ball at 6:05 pm CST. In the second segment, I talked about those two things, the Anthony Rizzo slide at home plate, and the unsustainable bullpen usage. In the final segment, I did my typical around the NL Central and updated the standings. Through 50 games this season, the Cubs are on pace for about 91 wins. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us any questions or comments at lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I have returned to the podcast for Episode 78! Since the Cubs did not play on Thursday, I took a chance to do another look at the events of the seventh inning on Wednesday in my opening segment. There is one big thing that I had a problem with, and it's not new: Joe Maddon's refusal to bring in Albert Almora Jr. as a pinch-hitter for Jason Heyward. I brought out some numbers, plus a key example from 2017. In the second segment, I answered a question on the topic of potential trade targets. Spoiler Alert: They are scarce. Finally, I did my usual rundown of the NL Central. The Cubs are now 3.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and send any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Also, keep a lookout for @BetChicago1, which will be launching on June 1. I'll be contributing there as the lead on the Cubs and White Sox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Corey Freedman of Cubs Insider and the Cubs Related podcast sat down in the hosting chair for Episode 77 of Locked On Cubs. He first recapped a frustrating 1-0 loss against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, and in the second segment Corey looked at Jon Lester's performance in that loss. Lester went seven innings, allowing one earned run while striking out four batters. In the final segment, Corey spent some time diving into the seventh inning of the game ... mistakes were made. How much of a pass should Joe Maddon get? After all, flags fly forever. To finish things out, Corey updated the standings and discussed a little of what's going on with the other teams in the NL Central. You can follow him on Twitter @CFCubsRelated, and you can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs. Be sure to email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs lost the opener of the short two-game set with the Cleveland Indians by a score of 10-1. Trevor Bauer was excellent for the Indians, while Tyler Chatwood couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a baseball. No, really. Chatwood wasn't just missing with his pitches, but often missing by several feet. He walked six batters in the game, and it finally got the best of him. I went into further detail about my Chatwood concerns in my second segment. In my final segment, I looked around the NL Central and updated the standings. The Cubs are now three games back of the first place Milwaukee Brewers, tied in third place with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They're playing their final game of the season against the Indians tonight, with Jon Lester facing Adam Plutko. I'll be back with a podcast on Friday, and it follows yet another off day for the Cubs. So send me your questions for the mailbag! You can follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs or email questions and comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs will welcome the Cleveland Indians to Wrigley Field for two games, and it's the first time the Indians will pay a visit since Game 5 of the 2016 World Series. That game was started by Trevor Bauer, and Bauer will start again for the Indians on Tuesday night against Tyler Chatwood. That game will start at 6:05 pm CST, and I'll be at Wrigley on Wednesday doing a story for the Sporting News. In the second segment, I took more questions from the listeners since the Cubs didn't play on Monday. That includes a question about games that we know by a certain player's name and the two cities I would pick to place expansion teams for Major League Baseball. In the final segment, I updated the NL Central standings. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and send us your questions and comments at lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs took three out of four games in Cincinnati over the weekend, which is excellent news. But probably the best news is that both Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish pitched well, combining over the final two victories to pitch 13 innings with three hits allowed and one earned run. Just imagine how good the Cubs could be if Quintana and Darvish are pitching up to their potential! In segment two, I brought on Jeremy Deimer and Pat Nagle from the Wrigleyville Nation podcast to chat a bit more about what's going on with the Cubs. That includes a little chat about Albert Almora Jr. and his outstanding projections for the rest of the season. Finishing out, I did my quick rundown of the NL Central and updated the standings. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The final game of the Cubs and Braves' series in Atlanta was rained out, so the Cubs got the day off on Thursday. It's good that they're rested going into the series against the Cincinnati Reds, but the long-term effects are not so good. I looked at the upcoming schedule, and how this is going to change things in the second half for the Cubs. In the second segment, I took a handful of questions from the listeners. That includes some mascot chat, the most annoying habit of Cubs fans, and which starting pitcher I am most concerned with going forward. Be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and send us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Also be sure to follow my new writing venture, @BetChicago1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs suffered yet another frustrating loss on Wednesday night, which is their third such loss in their last four games. The Braves won the game by a score of 4-1, putting up three runs in the bottom of the eighth on Carl Edwards Jr. What has happened to C.J.? Has he really turned a corner this season, or is he still going to go through stretches where he dominates and stretches where teams light him up? I brought out some stats in the second segment to compare the 2018 offense with the 2016 offense, and there are some surprises in there. What's not surprising? The Cubs have been extremely inconsistent on offense this season. As usual, I looked at the entire NL Central in the final segment, and I'm sorry to say that the Cubs were the only team that lost yesterday. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cubs broke their two-game losing streak last night against the Atlanta Braves, thanks to a two-run rally in the ninth inning. Brandon Morrow closed out a 3-2 Cubs victory. Yu Darvish had to leave after four innings in his return from the disabled list, but is it a big deal? I'll attempt to speak calmly about the early issues with Darvish. Tonight's game in Atlanta will be started by Tyler Chatwood, and in the second segment I have plenty to say about his performance thus far. I did a quick rundown of some Statcast numbers that I found pretty interesting, and then in the final segment I did the usual rundown of the NL Central and updated the standings. You can follow us on Twitter @LockedOnCubs or send us emails with comments and questions to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Please go leave us a nice review on iTunes if you already haven't, it really helps the podcast quite a bit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 Sean Sears (@seanrsears) of FanSided -- and now a writing contributor for Locked On Cubs -- once again stepped up to the plate to help out with Episode 70 of Locked On Cubs. He looks back at a frustrating loss to the Atlanta Braves on a hot day in which the wind was blowing out. It's easy to look back on the Jose Quintana trade in retrospect, but what is the Cubs left-hander doing wrong in 2018? Why has he been so much worse than his stellar career numbers? Looking ahead, the Cubs now travel to Cobb County for three more games with the Braves. In the final segment, Sean looked at the National League standings and where the Cubs sit in the NL Central. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us at lockedoncubs@gmail.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Episode 69, I wanted to give the fans a nice treat. Evan Altman of Cubs Insider joined me for my second segment to chat a bit about the Cubs, Triple-A depth, and the overall perception of Addison Russell. To close out the discussion, we teased an article I wrote for Cubs Insider that compared Cubs players with Marvel superheroes from Avengers: Infinity War. It's just for fun, but if you're a Marvel fan it's a must-read. Otherwise, the Cubs took two-of-three from the White Sox this weekend, and I spent the first segment looking back on that. In the final segment, I did my usual rundown of the NL Central and updated the standings. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and email us any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Cubs having an off-day on Thursday, I took the opportunity to field more of your questions for Episode 68. There were some good ones! In the first segment, I talked a little about some hypothetical lead-off options and a recent hot-take about whether or not Kris Bryant is a superstar. Yeah, you can't make this up. A national baseball guy really did start this conversation. In the second segment, I took more questions. First, I blathered on and on about writing and why not to try to get into the sports writing industry. Later, I recalled my favorite player to interview and ranked the best Cubs playoff victories. Needless to say, they're all from this century. Be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter @LockedOnCubs and don't be afraid to email any questions or comments to lockedoncubs@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices