Latest / North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast / What we’re hearing about the Cubs after a big series win in Milwaukee

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What we’re hearing about the Cubs after a big series win in Milwaukee · North Side Territory: A Chicago Cubs Podcast

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Welcome into Northside Territory File Territory Networks Cubs Podcast. I'm
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Sahadev Sharma with my partner Patrick Mooney. We are your
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Cubs beat writers over at the Athletic. Patrick. It has
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: been a while since I feel like I've been able
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: to say this, but that was a great series for
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: the Cubs, a great week for the Cubs. They went
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: it was six and one on the road, including just
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: I mean, we were wrapping up the Metts series kind
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: of it was before they finished off the sweep when
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: we were talking and recording, but I was looking at
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: those pitchers and wondering, how are the Cubs going to
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: get through this? We know, the injuries that have happened
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: for the Cubs are just kind of mind blowing. How
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: rough it's gotten for their pitching staff, both both the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: bullpen and the starting rotation. And you see Miserowski, Harrison
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: and Woodruff waiting for you in Milwaukee, a team that
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: had kind of outclassed you when they came to Wrigley Field.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: That first game was close until the very end. The
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Brewers kind of put it out of out of play there.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: They kind of blew them out in the end, but
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: it was closer. It was a good game, and those
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: last two the Cubs won the second one in impressive fashion.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: That third game, what a game like That's one of
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: those you know, I was watching at home, you were
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: out there. Don't see Craig Council reacting that often like
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: the way he did. He was pumped up after that win,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: and and it was you know, it was exciting. It
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: was like, you know, clench clenching type victory. You didn't
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: know what was going to happen, but they somehow pulled
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: that off. They're going to have to pull it off
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: like that for a while, I guess, but you know,
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: you'll take that weekend. What a what a huge boost
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: for this team, I think, both in the standings and
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: just mentally too. I think taking that series.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: As you know, Council uses every minute of that cooling
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: off period, win or lose after a game. The Cubs
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: usually seem to stretch it a little longer than most
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: and you know, postgame because yeah, that was fun and
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: basically saying it in a total montone and you know,
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: or well onto the next one.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: But I think that was truly a total team effort.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: It wasn't always pretty, but leaving that stadium. You just
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: got the overall press. These are two evenly matched teams.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: I know there is still a significant gap in the standings.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: There is still a long way to go. I think organizationally,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: the Brewers have outclassed.
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: The Cubs over the years.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: But you certainly did not watch those three games and
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: think that they're you know, in two different stratospheres.
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: Like you have to credit.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: Counsel and his coaching staff for piecing things together individually.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: A lot of pitchers uh stepped up, and you know,
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: we when the Cubs are struggling, we try to, you know,
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: play psychologists on you know, the vibes or the personalities
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: and are they missing something?
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: And you know, you if you're.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Gonna do that, then you have to give credit for
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: the steadiness of the position player group. That doesn't mean
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: they're That doesn't eliminate the streakiness offensively.
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: Or mean they're not.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: It's not frustrating at times, it can be, but just
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: the defense, the experience, uh, just an ability to keep
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: pushing forward. You saw all of those things, and you know, deficit,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: it's not gonna be easy to make up five and
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: a half games on the Brewers. But it's starting to
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: become a little more manageable. And they definitely, you know,
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: they surged their playoff odds with that six to one week.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Like we've talked about, wait for you need to start
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: not only stacking series wins. You need that one streak
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: to create a buffer period. They still have to avoid
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: the down periods. And when you look at the twelve
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: pitchers on the injured list, you know, I wrote in
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: the Athletic it's it's roughly what they probably would have
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: hoped a playoff roster would have looked like on a
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: thirteen man staff before we got all this information that
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: the season brings up, a half season brings us, And
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: so I think that's why it was a little I
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: wouldn't say muted. It was more like, you know, they
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: came away from that series, you know, certainly satisfied with
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: the effort and the outcome, but they are literally Jacob
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: Webb said this like taking it one day at a time.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: It's like who's who's available to pitch, who's healthy, and
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: who can get the job done.
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: In the moment.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, this it's about two weeks I think where it's
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: going to be really difficult to piece it together. Pitching wise,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: We'll see if everyone can get healthy how much the
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: All Star break helps. But I you know, this bullpen,
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: and I've been saying it for a little while, like
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: I'm I just don't know how they're going to get
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: through day in and day out that they can because
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: bullpens sometimes you don't you don't know, like who's going
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: to be good all of a sudden, like someone steps
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: up in the middle of a season, and that that's
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: how bullpens are kind of put together sometimes. Uh, and
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: especially when there are injuries like there have been. Uh,
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: I just I guess less. I don't know how they're
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: going to get through. But what I do know is
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: every game that is maybe not even close, even ones
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: where they have bigger leads, you are going to feel
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: some stress as a fan watching this bullpen. It's not
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: going to be easy to get through games that four
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: to one lead in the tenth inning should be a
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: little bit easier, and it just wasn't. And I get it.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Look Ethan Roberts has been solid, but when you watch
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: him every day, you're like, this is you know, too
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: much contact. Eventually it's going to get to him, right
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Trent Thornton I feel the same way, Like these guys
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: got to miss a little bit more bats to feel
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: really good. Although I got to give Ethan Roberts credit.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: He does usually get ground balls. He he had a
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: bad day. He had a bad day. Give Jordan Wicks
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: some credit. I I just I got to give credit
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: to the coaching staff.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: You did there.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: You know, Craig Council took a lot of heat when
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: things were going bad, and like there were there was
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: some pretty outlandish suggestions when they were losing ten in
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: a row, he's lost the clubhouse? Maybe, does you know,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: does he need to be fired? You know, you hear
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: like crazy things. I don't know how much of that
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: was mainstream and just angry fans on the internet. Not
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: always good to judge things off off social media. Uh,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: but that that clearly isn't the case. He's not lost
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: this clubhouse. He is not. He does not deserved to
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: be fired. If anything, he's he's part of the reason
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: they're they're keeping this group together.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: Uh.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Don't want to give Jed Hoyer credit just yet. Uh,
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: but some early moves, uh you know early as far
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: as you know, trade deadline goes, some some like he's
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: he's been scouring the waiver wire. He has found some
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: pictures to kind of put things together. We'll see how
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: long that lasts. Let's let's take a quick break and
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: then talk about some of these guys that you know.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: I don't think a week ago we were expecting to
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: be talking about with regards to the Cubs.
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• 8:54
  Speaker 1: There are plenty of reasons to criticize the off season
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: that Jed Hoy in his front off his head. Uh,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: you know whatever, we're in three months into the season,
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: but the last the last few weeks have been kind
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: of crazy, and to put together to kind of get
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: through this, you have to just grab whatever you can. Uh.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: It's one outing for for David Peterson, one outing for
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: Bryce Wilson. But right now, you know they help them
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: get two wins, you know, each help them get a win.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Ched Hoyer kind of shouted out Tyler Ferguson, I believe
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: when we were in New York. Uh and and yeah,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: like Ferguson has looked good, especially against right handed hitters.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: He looks like a solid, like a solid pickup right now,
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: one off season, huge win, Ryan Rollinson started, did he start?
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: He started yesterday's game, and he's he's got like a
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: does he have a sub two? E? R A? Am
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: I remembering this right? I'm going off the top of
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: my head. But I think like he's been great, has
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: been good. Yeah, so you know, yes, have the big
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: names have Edward Cabrera, Alex Bregman and uh and who
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: in Phil Maton? Those are probably the three big signings.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: They haven't been they haven't been as good as as
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: you need them to be. But like some of these
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: smaller moves are saving the cub season right now and
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: keeping them afloat. We'll see they have a lot more
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: to do. You can't just say like, oh, David Peterson's
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: a win now, great for a start. Looks a lot
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: better with the Cubs defense obviously. Uh, but so far,
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: so good. And this is kind of what you need.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: Like guys nobody expects to do well or to perform.
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: You need.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: You need some of those to kind of get through
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: whatever this madness is with all these injuries.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: I know you said wait to give Jedi Hoyer credit.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I will wait all of one segment. I think you
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: gotta recognize some of the urgency he showed there of
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: getting Peterson in.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: I'm sure they obviously were comfortable with kind of the costs.
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: But I do think.
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: We think of Jed as very deliberate and patient and
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: data driven. But I think his group is working really hard,
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: really focused. They understand, they acknowledge there's a problem, and
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: they're doing something.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: About it.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: You know, Peterson, I think he's made a really nice
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: impression just in talking to him and you know, getting
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: you know, a couple of scouting reports on him, just
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: like a we're spending ten seasons in the Mets organization.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: I think gives you an amazing amount of perspective and
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: you can just tell that he's a bright guy, you know, very.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: Just professional.
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: I mean, it was just hilarious about how Cubs officials
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: spent days talking about his ground ball rate and the
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: very first pitch he throws in it comes uniform, the
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: trio just smokes it off the top.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: Of the center field wall for a home run.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: But he he settled in and I think that uh,
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: you know, shows a lot and the defense will show
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: up behind him after, you know, leaving what was kind
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: of a you know, I mean, people be talking about
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: that Mets defense for a long time. I mean that
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: was just such a you know, the Mets are one
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: of those franchises where, you know, people remember, history follows them,
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: and just the the six error performance leading into Carlos
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: Mendez's firing just really.
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: An all time Mets moment.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: And the change of the change of scenery angle like
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: councils talked about it, Peterson acknowledged they there's something to it,
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: not saying he was looking to leave, but that he's
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: seen it before. Guys getting ruts, Guys get kind of
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: stuck in their routine and you know, or maybe they
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: need to go to be more receptive to different ideas
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: and new voices. I think you're seeing that it comes
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: pitching dep This is almost essentially gone. They will admit it,
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: but I think they will also point to, you know,
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: a game planning system that's been pretty strong over the
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: last what twelve years, even going before that, basically since
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: THEO got here, And there's a lot of people that
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: went into that. When you look at you know, the
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: players they traded twenty twelve, twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen, a
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: lot of that was building up Starter's values and then
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: trading him out to get key pieces what turned.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: Out to be a championship team.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: That's the Chris Bosio, Mike Borsello, see Tommy Hotteve has
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: been there a really long time and in a couple
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: of different roles now and I think you see that.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: I think Counsel certainly helps in that regard. You'd appreciate
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: this quote. It was like Friday night when they lost
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: to the miz he was like, that was not the
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: game to chase, meaning he just saw how it was unfolding.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: He knew what he had at his disposable disposal this weekend,
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: So you have to make choices in the moment to that.
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: Just take a broader view, And that's not a great tweet,
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: but it Council is certainly not the only manager who
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: does that. I think he's just more comfortable doing it
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: and can explain it and can communicate with his players in.
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: A way where they get it.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: But yeah, I miss I must have missed that from
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: Friday night and that I like that. You know you
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: it's playing the long game. I guess not even that long.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: It's just the rest of the week weekend really, But
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: I don't think fans in the moment would love that love.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: Hearing that they were like talking heads would freak out.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: It's an easy thing to pick apart. I do think
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: it's what smart managers do. You have that ultra competitive
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: gene inside you and to somehow be able to like
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: pull back a little bit on it and say like
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: I have like and Council is very good with that.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: There there's a reason why he starts a game and
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: these guys are untouchable in my bullpen. This guy I
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: cannot go to this guy, he is down. There are
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: managers that'll be like I. I know I said this,
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: but I'm changing my mind. Council isn't one of them.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: He will stick to what he's decided and what his
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: coaching staff has decided, what he's communicated with his pitchers.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: And yes, Friday was not the game to chase.
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: He was right.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: Just really impressive that they were able to take the
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: next two. As far as the Peterson acquisition, I was
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: a little hesitant on it, just because you don't know
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: what a guy's like like. Had he mentally been like
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: kind of dinged enough that it was going to be
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: hard to get him right? Was it going to take
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: a few starts to get him back to He seems fine,
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: he seems like his himself, and now, like all the
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: things you just explained make a lot of sense. It's like, yeah,
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: get get out of that situation. Not that you're like
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: begging to get out of it, but maybe a little
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: change of scenery helps. Definitely, a different defense helps. This
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: is a guy that is not that far removed from
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: being a really good pitcher in the big leagues. So
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: it's not I think I overlooked it a little bit
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: as far as the more time I've had to kind
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: of look at the deal and and look at everything
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: that he can do. This isn't like a Bryce Wilson
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: is a DFA pickup, right like you're picking up a
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: guy that was and hoping that he can just give
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: you some innings. I think there's more here with David Peterson,
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: and he could be a positive impact to this rotation
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: even when they start to get healthy. Like he's a
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: he can be a quality piece. Patrick, let's get some
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: updates from you on guys. Let's make this our fan
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: duel Daily Dingers segment.
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: Well, I do want to one quick thing on Peterson.
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: I love to I saw him the other day before
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: his first start as a cub with an old school
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: yellow legal pad and a electronic tablet at one of
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: those small circular tables inside the visiting clubhouse in American family feel.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: So it's definitely like prepared, thoughtful, organized, And these are
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: type of the pictures the Cubs like if you're looking
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: ahead of like, you know, does this guy? Can this
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: guy be a contributor?
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: I guess as long as he stays healthy. He's legit,
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Like he's six foot six. I don't know, between his beard,
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: his size, his demeanor. He kind of reminds me a
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: little bit of Chris Bryant, just the way he's sort
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: of just kind of this easiness about him. First round pick,
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: pitched in the NLCS two years ago, pitched in the
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: All Star Game last year. You know, not saying he's
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: gonna win the Syang Award this year, but I think
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: it's reasonable to expect like him to hit the ground
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: running here. In terms of who else they're waiting on,
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: it's kind of a long list here. Justin Steele still
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: thinks he can build up towards a starter's workload, you know,
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: particularly if they make the postseason vance deeper in the postseason.
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: That's not like a guarantee. The Cubs have been you know, hopeful,
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: cautiously optimistic, while also being realistic like it's going to
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: be hard when you look at the calendar of what
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: he's trying to do. But like him, there has not
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: been a setback with Justin Steele. I think that was
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: important to clarify. It's just I think you can look
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: at this sort of situation and you can be either.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: If you're a player, you're going to be very optimistic
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: and you're going to keep pushing and you want that
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: carried out there of being a starting a major league
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: starting pitcher, and then if you're a coach, a manager,
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: a front office official, you have to prepare for the
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: worst and be more conservative and think on a longer
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: term horizon for a player who you'll be counting on
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: next year, assuming there's baseball. A couple other guys. It's
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: kind of what we're hearing sort of segment. Jackson Wiggins,
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: who you wrote about, is back on a minor league
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: we have assignment. Is thought of as a factor potentially
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: at some point this season, but he is not on
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: the radar for this segment. That council has been talking
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: about this two week window before the All Star Break,
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: a time when their pitching resources are almost completely expended.
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: Wiggins is just not there yet. He hasn't pitched enough.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: I don't think he's quite refined enough yet, but he
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: could get there later this summer. Daniel Plancia supposed to
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: start throwing this week, but the Cub's closer will not
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: be activated before the All Star break. He is definitely
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: kind of at some point after that. Jamison Tyne has
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: made enough progress to where I believe he's throwing live
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: batting practice Tuesday at Wrigley Field, and that's looking at
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: a scenario where where he could make an abbreviated start
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: maybe just before or just after the All Star breaks.
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: So that is a bit of good news.
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: And Edward Cabrera I did not get. There's not much
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: there there yet in terms of like what his time
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: frame would be. And I mean, we'll have this in
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: the next segment, but there was a very we had
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: a very revealing ish conversation with Ben Brown on his
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: it's been for him kind of a confusing medical situation,
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: but he feels like he's gotten some answers.
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's let's quickly take a break and then talk
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: more about Ben Brown. Northside Territory is brought to you
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• 22:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so I was reading the updates on Ben Brown
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: not in osteoma like he thought he shared I believe
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: with me in the spring of twenty twenty five is
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: when I wrote that story.
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: That's a you know, like.
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: A bone, like a benign bone tumor on a bone
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: that gradually dissipates. It actually was the original the I think.
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: I think originally they said it was like a stress
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: reaction or a stress fracture and then changed it because
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: they just couldn't get a good diagnosis. What's going on here?
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: Patrick?
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: Would this? You know, the fans get frustrated by some
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: of these, you know things. I don't know if there's
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: if this is a legitimate complaint or just like sometimes
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: how the medical process works.
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: Yes, so he feels worse physically, but feels better about
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: the situation, if that makes sense. And yes, the.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: I don't even know if it could be called the
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: original diagnosis because to your point, they seemed to canvas
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: you know, several experts and really tried to get multiple
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: opinions and that, you know, That's what I had to
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: kind of ask man. I was like, is this in
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: the same spot? And he said yes, And there was
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: a group of us, but it was just kind of
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: Ben's are really good talker. He's very thoughtful, and there
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: was a bunch of us asking questions, so I was
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: just trying to like excuse to me. It was like,
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: is it the same spot? He's the exact same spot.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: I was like, but it's not that Osteoma said that
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: was just a wrong diagnosis. He said, that's not the
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: case that they thought that maybe that was the wrong answer.
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: I'm sure when he told you that was his understanding.
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: But I guess maybe the oh, the more we do this,
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: the more I realize there's kind of sometimes more art
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: than science to this, and that he is essentially now
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: just waiting for it to heal. But he feels better
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: because he feels there's just more of a path or
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: a plan to deal with this. And kind of another
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: layer of this is like he's sort of thinking, you know,
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: four to six weeks is roughly the time for a
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: bone to heal, and you can kind of do the
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: math on that of how much season is left. And
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: then he's also talking about, you know, what are the
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: next five years of my career look like? And when
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: I presented it that way to council, he's like, he's like,
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: I think Ben is sort of talking about two different
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: things here. That yes, if you're starting pitcher and you're
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: past the halfway point of the season and you're taking
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: out a big chunk of that, obviously you know you're
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: going to lose you know, a lot of innings you know,
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: during that process. But the idea is like, first, he
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: has to get healthy, But there are also ideas that
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: they have about you know, his delivery, his mechanics and
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: ways to maybe reduce some of that stress on his
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: neck and to if not outright prevent that from happening again,
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: to significantly reduce the possibility of it. That they believe
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: it's something in that chain is causing this you know,
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: stress reaction, and so that does bring up a whole
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: another set of concerns of like if you change who
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: you are as a pitcher. I mean, this guy is
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: clearly the cobs most valuable pitchers so far in this
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: half season as a high leverage reliever, as the top
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: of the rotation starter, I mean, an absolute all star
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: caliber performance. But you know, right now he has to
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: you know, shut it down. And again he he's he
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: believes he's going to pitch again this year. You know,
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: he's like, I like my neck and heel, I can
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: come back and I can pitch for this awesome team
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: that I think is going to go a long way.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: That is essentially what he said. He's like, but like,
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: how do we stay on top of this? How do
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: we get ahead of the curve? Like, how can we
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: you know, minimize the risk of this happening again and
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: also you know, put him in a better position to
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: have a long, productive career. He gave an example of
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: you know, he underwent Tommy Johnson surgery earlier. He's like,
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: He's like, I changed the way I threw He's like,
• 28:04
  Speaker 2: I felt better, not just because the issue had healed,
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: but because I the way I went about it, you know,
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: gave me just more durability, uh and kind of flexibility.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: And so he's like, if I came back from came back,
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: didn't change the thing out a second TJ Like that would.
• 28:22
  Speaker 3: Be insane, right, So what he it for a I
• 28:29
  Speaker 3: don't know, eight or nine minute group interview.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: There was a lot of territory covered, but I think
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: it's sort of addressed something that you know, has been
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: confusing just for us like trying to follow and explain
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: what's going on. And like he said, a lot I
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: don't think it was as encouraging as some of the stuff.
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: There's one way, look at hey, you Ben feels good
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: about this. Like I didn't really walk away that way,
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: but I think you know, there is at least a
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: lot more clarity and that maybe you can not strength
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: recovery timeline, but you can at least direct your energy
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: in a more focused manner. Because that seemed to weigh
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: on him in twenty four.
• 29:19
  Speaker 3: Like yeah, this is what's going on.
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah. When that type of stuff, when you don't know
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: what's going on, it reminds me of twenty I always
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: get the year wrong. Twenty nineteen. You Darvish elbow, remember
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: how Yeah, people were wondering if like like what's going
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: on here, Like like the original imaging wasn't showing anything,
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: and then they had to do a different type of
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: imaging that showed what the actual issue was. And you know,
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: Darvish had a real injury. But people were like, what,
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: like there's nothing showing up on scans. Now that you
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: know what it is, I think it's peace of mind
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: for the player getting like the sketchy diagnosis and not
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: knowing what to do how to treat it. One thing
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: I wanted to clarify four to six weeks for the
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: bone to heal, four to six weeks, no throwing. Is
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: that the Is that the initial plan right here?
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: I think it. Don't quote me on this one. I
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: realize I'm on the podcast. I believe it was like
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: there are certain throws that he will not be able
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: to make. Now, I think there are things they can
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: do around some movement, some sort of delivery workshopping maybe okay,
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: but but it's going I mean, it's going to be
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: a significant amount of downtime, like the idea. And also
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: I feel like we went through this with justin steel
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: of like maybe he could throw at some point and
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: then they just wind up like they're not pushing him.
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: And I think Ben is being again he expects to
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: pitch again this year, but he's also thinking long term,
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: long term, and I think the Cubs are too, of like,
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: if this guy is as good as we think he
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: could be, you know, we've got to get this thing
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: right first.
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so right now, I think we just need to
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: like a timeline and if and when he can help,
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: this season needs to kind of be put on the
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: back burner. The way I am reading this and understanding this,
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: it would be foolish to say, like, oh, two months,
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: maybe that's the best case scenario I think right now,
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: So putting a timeline feels unfair. You hope he can
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: be back because I think he proved just how good
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: he can be. The future is bright for Ben Brown.
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: But this team did something this weekend that makes you
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: feel a little bit more optimistic about what they can
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: do overall, and you don't want to kind of flush
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: the twenty twenty six season. So you hope he can
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: help because I think, you know, he kind of changes
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: the trajectory of things. If he can be back and
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: effective in September and help this team in October, it
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: really does change the way you look at this team.
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: We'll see what they do at the deadline. We'll see
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: what David Peterson can be consistently, who else gets healthy,
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: how they put this bullpend together. But I know there's
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: been a lot of injuries, and I know a lot
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: of fans want to just kind of poo poo what
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: this season is now because of these injuries. There are
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: ways you can kind of like, yes, to replicate this
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: weekend is going to be hard, you know, over and
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: over again.
• 32:39
  Speaker 3: But if you can.
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: Make the playoffs and get healthy, weird things happen. Kate
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: Horton's not coming back, Justin Steele may not be a
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: six inning starter. Ben Brown is obviously down for a while.
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: But guys get healthy, weird things happen. I would not
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: just dismiss this season just yet. It's been weird. I'm
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: impressed like the tenor and the feeling of this team
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: changed in just three games, to be honest, it really
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: did for me, Like I saw something this weekend that
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: was like, these guys are tough, These guys that they've
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: got a way of figuring things out. They may not
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: have a like the the most talented roster that they
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: like can put together as far as what they want
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: out there, but.
• 33:23
  Speaker 3: It worked for a weekend.
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: Let's see what else they can do and how they
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: can really, you know, string things together here and maybe
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: maybe hang in this race and hang in the division
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: and see where it goes. All right, Patrick, we got
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: a lot more to talk about the rest of this
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: week and the rest of you know, next month, really,
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: because there's gonna be a lot to talk about with
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: this team. We'll see what type of moves they make.
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: I don't think they're done making moves. We're gonna have
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: a lot to talk about there, so let's wrap this
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: one up. This is Northside Territory. Make sure to rate, review, subscribe,
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: subscribe to the YouTube channel, and subscribe to The Athletic
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: where Patrick and I are on top of all things cubs.
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and watching. Everyone take care and he
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: agrees that everything be able to read and do. Day
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: Lea