Monday Morning Cubs Show

A Vegas Hotel Room Rant After The Cubs Get Swept Again

Seven straight losses can make a season feel like it’s slipping through your fingers, and that’s exactly where our heads are as we record solo from a Las Vegas hotel room on Memorial Day weekend. The Cubs just took another beating, and we’re not pretending it’s fine because the calendar says May. We’re talking like fans who’ve watched this pattern before: hot streak, cold streak, repeat, and somehow the same problems keep showing up when the pressure rises. We dig into why this skid feels worse than “bad luck,” from the lifeless at-bats to the lack of urgency that shows up in approach and execution. We get into lineup decisions like PCA hitting leadoff, what his current profile suggests, and why “walk rate” doesn’t fix an offense that can’t slug. Then we go straight at the leadership questions Cubs fans are asking out loud now: what Craig Counsell should be delivering at a top-of-market salary, what accountability looks like during a collapse, and why the fan base is running out of patience with the same explanations. We also connect the meltdown to bigger roster-building issues: pitching injuries, thin depth, and the uneasy feeling that the farm system and front office plan aren’t producing enough quick answers. Finally, we look ahead to the only kind of hope that feels tangible right now: a real stretch of decent baseball and a trade deadline that actually changes the shape of the roster. If you’re feeling angry, exhausted, or weirdly curious about how bad it can get, you’re not alone. Subscribe, share this with a Cubs fan who’s suffering too, and leave us a rating and review so more people can find the show. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

How The Cubs Hit Rock Bottom And What Comes Next

The Cubs just went 2-9 over their last 11, and if you feel like you’re bouncing between rage and denial, you’re not alone. We sit down on the off day and get honest about what’s happening, why it feels so bad, and how to stop spiraling before the weekend. This is a fan’s-eye view of a team that can look talented on paper while still getting embarrassed in the moments that matter. The biggest storyline is the Cubs starting pitching injuries and the chain reaction they trigger. When the rotation thins out, the bullpen turns into a revolving door, call-ups feel interchangeable, and the margin for error disappears. We also talk about trust, transparency, and why fans get so cynical when injury news feels vague. From there, we dig into the deeper fear: if the organization can’t keep arms healthy or develop enough impact pitching, how do you build a team that survives October? We also hit the stuff everyone argues about: PCA’s trash talk and why it lands differently when the team is playing sloppy, plus the Cubs runners in scoring position problem and what “clutch” really looks like when you break it down into mechanics and approach. Then we take a hard look at Cubs trade deadline reality in late May, when there are barely any sellers and every phone call comes with a tax. We end by turning the page toward the Astros series and a 25-game plan to stay afloat until the calendar, the standings, and the market finally loosen up. Subscribe, share the show with a Cubs fan who’s losing it, and leave a five-star review on Spotify or Apple so we can keep building this community. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

Cubs Lose Crosstown Classic + Heavy Brewers Mailbag

Two 10-game win streaks can make you feel invincible. A 2-6 skid can make you question everything. We’re sitting right in that uncomfortable middle ground where the Chicago Cubs are still in first place, but the cracks are showing, and fans are (fairly) loud about it. We talk through the Crosstown Classic fallout, the Atlanta frustration, and why a single late homer can swing the mood of an entire week. Our big question is simple: are we actually panicking, or just finally seeing the flaws that winning hid? We go ball or strike on the “panic button,” debate whether burnout is real, and then zero in on what matters most with the Milwaukee Brewers coming to Wrigley. Shota Imanaga has to set a tone, Ben Brown’s matchup has real theater, and Eddie Cabrera needs a step forward, because the Cubs can’t afford short starts with this bullpen. Then we hit the mailbag: runners in scoring position, whether Craig Counsell should mix up the top of the lineup, what to do with Pete Crow-Armstrong’s spot in the order, and why “spark” changes don’t always fix the underlying problem. We also get blunt about bullpen trust, Phil Maton’s missing breaking ball, the lack of homegrown power arms, and how injuries are pushing the front office toward trade deadline moves that might come earlier than anyone wants. Subscribe for the Friday follow-up, share this with a Cubs fan who’s spiraling, and please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so more maniacs can find the show. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

1st Place Cubs + The Official 2026 White Sox Scouting Report

A five-game cold streak can make even a first-place team feel like it’s falling apart, so we start with something Cubs fans actually need: a mindset that survives variance. Carl uses a blackjack analogy to explain why you can play “the right way” and still lose for a week, why that’s baked into Major League Baseball, and how to spot the difference between real warning signs and normal turbulence in mid-May. From there, we get specific without getting hysterical. We talk about the Cubs’ recent offensive drought, why slicing stats by tiny date ranges can melt your brain, and why context matters when you’re running into elite pitching. We also zoom out to schedule fatigue, strength of schedule, and why a long home stretch changes the daily grind more than fans realize. On the pitching side, we hit Ben Brown’s upside and the case for patience with his workload, plus a blunt mailbag answer on whether this rotation is built to survive October as-is. Then it’s Crosstown Classic time. We debate whether Cubs vs White Sox is a real rivalry, share the personal Chicago roots that make it feel real, and roll into a detailed White Sox scouting report: probable starters, matchup edges, and lineup notes you can use while you watch. We close with rapid-fire mailbag questions on Alex Bregman’s contract value, Ian Happ’s future, and a clear explanation of pronation vs supination and why modern velocity trends change pitch shapes and injury risk. If you’re fired up for the weekend, hit play, share this with your group chat, and please subscribe and leave a five-star review so more Cubs fans can find the show. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

Cubs 1st Place Momentum Check

Back to back shutouts can mess with your head, but we’re not letting two quiet nights rewrite what the Chicago Cubs have built so far. We zoom out on a 5-2 week, the end of a brutal stretch without an off day, and what it really means when you run into a fully healthy Jacob deGrom throwing a masterpiece. Baseball does this to everyone, and the point is how you respond, not how you feel in the moment. From there, we get into the stuff that actually holds up across a long MLB season: roster depth, a real “next man up” mentality, and the small leadership moments that show a young core growing up fast. We also talk about Craig Counsell’s approach and why the best teams don’t need a manager to police them every day, they carry the standard themselves. Along the way, we hit the broadcast side too, because organizational depth shows up in the booth as much as it does on the field. Then it’s time for the Atlanta Braves series preview, the kind of matchup that tells you where your edges are. We lay out what makes Atlanta dangerous, why seeing arms like Chris Sale matters, and why Ben Brown’s development plan can’t get sacrificed for one extra inning in May. We close with realistic trade deadline talk: names like Logan Webb, Freddie Peralta, and Joe Ryan are fun, but you can’t skip the part where you figure out who the sellers even are. If you’re enjoying the show, subscribe, share it with a Cubs fan who needs to calm down, and leave a five-star review so more maniacs can find us. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney