THE CUBS ARE BACK

THE CUBS ARE BACK

A road series in Milwaukee can either expose you or announce you, and the Cubs just delivered the kind of weekend that makes the division race feel alive again. We walk through how this team climbed out of a rough start to that soft stretch of the schedule, why the last 15 games matter more than any single headline, and how a gritty extra-inning win can change the whole tone of a clubhouse. If you’re tracking the NL Central standings and asking whether the Cubs are real contenders, this conversation is built for you.  Then we get into the stuff fans actually argue about: effort and leadership. We go all-in on the Alex Bregman baseline jog and why it hits a nerve when you’re paid like a centerpiece. It’s not about sprinting like you’re chasing a record, it’s about setting a standard in games decided by one bobble, one extra 90 feet, one moment of pressure.  From there it’s pure Cubs baseball analysis. We give Seiya Suzuki his flowers for the weekend’s biggest swings, break down what the Cubs offense seems built to do, and talk pitching realities. David Peterson’s debut leads into a wider trade-deadline lesson on why June deals take time, plus how a ground-ball starter fits better behind a top-tier Cubs defense. We also face the bullpen injury carousel head-on, shout out Jordan Wicks for a season-shifting moment, and preview the Padres and Cardinals at Wrigley as the first half closes.  If this gave you hope or fired you up, subscribe, share the show with a fellow Cubs fan, and leave a review so more Monday morning maniacs can find us. What’s your biggest takeaway from the Brewers series win? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

Brewers Scouting Report + David Peterson Trade Breakdown

The Cubs finally feel fun again, and the timing could not be more intense: three games in Milwaukee against a Brewers team that plays ruthless, disciplined baseball and runs out the kind of pitching that can erase your best plans by the second inning. We’re coming off a 10 and 4 stretch, the offense is cooking, and the fan base is right back on that knife edge between realism and belief. That’s exactly where a good season lives.  We talk through why this Brewers series matters so much, starting with what has actually changed for Chicago. Pete Crow Armstrong has turned the leadoff spot into gasoline, getting on base, creating pressure and looking more and more like a real superstar. At the same time, the Cubs rotation is in crisis: Justin Steele is not coming back, the injuries keep stacking, and the front office cannot afford to wish its way to innings. That context is why the David Peterson trade is worth a deeper look, including advanced pitching metrics like FIP, the role of ground balls, and why moving from the Mets defense to an elite Cubs defense could change his results fast.  Then we pivot to the opponent and the problem: Milwaukee wins without homers, scores a ton of runs anyway, and prevents runs with pitching, strikeouts and clean execution. We dig into what makes Pat Murphy’s group a machine, why Jacob Mizorowski’s triple digit fastball changes how you have to approach at bats, and what the Cubs must do to survive this weekend. If you like smart Cubs talk with real edge, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

The 2026 Cubs Can't Waste Pete Crow-Armonstrong

A cycle can be a party trick, or it can be a signal flare. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s cycle at Wrigley Field sparks a bigger question for us: are the Chicago Cubs treating PCA like the engine of the team, or are they sleepwalking through the clearest franchise player moment they’ve had in years? We start with the emotional reality of being a Cubs fan right now. One night you see 16 runs and think the offense is turning a corner. The next night the bullpen melts down and the whole week feels fragile. That swing is why we dig into the Cubs’ identity struggle, why “just add another bat” can be a distraction, and why the pitching staff, especially the late innings, decides the team’s ceiling. We also talk about the value of raw postgame honesty, but why quotes do not save you when the same leaks keep happening. From there we get practical: Matt Shaw’s case for everyday reps, the roster math that makes Moises Ballesteros getting optioned make sense, and why a player like Justin Dean can matter when you only have a few bench spots to work with. We also put guardrails around the hope of injured arms returning, including Matthew Boyd, and explain why smaller moves like the Jaden Murray trade can quietly reveal how thin pitching depth really is. Finally, we preview the Mets series with a simple mindset: play clean, avoid late-inning disasters, and stack wins before Milwaukee. Subscribe for more Cubs talk, share the show with a fellow fan, and leave a rating and review if you want us to keep building these Monday mornings. What’s your biggest priority right now: bullpen help, a starter, or lineup stability? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

Cody Delmendo Interview + Are The 2026 Cubs Buyers Or Sellers?

Pete Crow-Armstrong is forcing a different conversation about the Chicago Cubs. When a center fielder is playing like an MVP and leading the league in WAR, you stop treating the season like a slow drift and start asking harder questions: are we buying at the MLB trade deadline, or are we wasting a rare window? We bring on Cody Delmendo from the Off The Ivy podcast and get brutally specific about what’s broken and what’s still real. We argue through the deadline “sell vs buy” debate, then put the blame where it belongs when a roster built to contend plays like it’s stuck in neutral. Alex Bregman’s struggles come up for a reason: money, expectations, and the way Matt Shaw’s rise makes every quiet Bregman night feel like a spotlight. We also talk Dansby Swanson, why defense still matters, and why fans lose sleep when league-average offense disappears. On the pitching side, we dig into Ben Brown’s growth, what it means when he can survive without his best stuff, and why the Cubs can’t treat injuries as background noise anymore. We also map out what “smart buying” looks like: add pitching without lighting the farm system on fire unless the Cubs actually look like a World Series team. If you’re a Cubs fan trying to balance rage with hope, this one is for you. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify, share it with your group chat, and leave a review if you want to help the show grow. What would you do at the deadline: buy, hold, or sell? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

Sweep The Rockies Or We Riot Politely

The Cubs just did something that changes the whole feel of a season: they won a series on the road, then shrugged off a Sunday loss like a team that expects to bounce back. We’re still honest about the flaws, but the tone is different because the baseball is different. Logan Webb shuts the door, sure, but taking the first two games in San Francisco is exactly how you survive ace-day and stack momentum. We dig into the mindset piece through Alex Bregman, because the most convincing part of his recent stretch isn’t a box score. It’s accountability. We connect that to real life work habits, then bring it back to Chicago Cubs baseball: who sets the standard, who drags the room upward, and why “back to basics” is more than a cliché when the offense needs to wake up. From there it’s Ball Or Strike time, with a big focus on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout, the walk rate jump, and why his ceiling might be higher than we even know. On the pitching side, we talk Ben Brown’s All Star resume, Javier Assad’s value as a plug-and-play weapon, and what “competitive pitches” actually look like when you’re watching closely. Then we look ahead to the Colorado Rockies series and the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field, including the atmosphere, the urgency, and the uncomfortable roster questions like whether Dansby Swanson needs a reset on the bench and why Matt Shaw’s usage still doesn’t add up. If you’re feeling the Cubs turning a corner, hit subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more Cubs fans can find the show. What’s the one move you’d make this week to keep the momentum going? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney