Cubs trail Phillies for top NL wild-card spot — is that reason for worry?

0:00This hour on the score is brought to you by Menards. Save big money at Menards. Speagle at home. Okay, here we go, sports fans. Afternoons on the score. There was a moment at the beginning of the show when I expressed that I had had a very busy morning. I had no chat and had a chance to eat anything and I wasn't sure when the wildfire food was going to be available. And Connoordonnell said, I have a banana if you'd like a banana. And between the first and second segments yesterday, I had a banana and transformed the quality of my radio show and the quality of the listeners' lives. If that's my reputation, I love it. The bananas are awesome. So I want to shout out Connoordonnell, not just a video god, but a quality, quality human who will give you the banana off his back. Is that the phrase? No, I'd like that you accepted his banana. What's up, baby? Take me out there. Hey, yo. That is nice, because that's a very personal thing. Awesome. Yeah. I did accept his banana at my personal service. But I kind of mean that. When you offer somebody, I'll just say fruit.

1:00Like, do I want somebody else's fruit? I don't know that I would accept somebody's apple or just not working out. This is a working out. Sorry. She can never eat fruit. Oh, she can eat fruit. Fruit, yeah. Any kind of fruit? Mangal, pineapple. It isn't like they're saying fruits and then it's not saying fruit. No, no, no. What about French fries? We do something like that? Are you okay? The apple at marionos that you picked up and put in your bag has been touched by 300. That's kind of what I was going for. You idiot. You picked the massage. Nope, I'll throw that one. We don't wash that. You're right. Why did we not wash apples? Who doesn't wash them? I wash all my produce. What are you talking about? This price. Take it easy. We're not even engaged yet. When you're married, you'll understand the importance of fresh produce. Oh, but I mean, somebody hands me an apple or I pick up an apple at a. Yeah, I know. I can't remember. I'm so scared. I walked by with an apple. I'd take it and say thank you. And you need it? Yeah, what the hell? Wow. You like apples? Yeah. Well, I got a number. I like their maps.

2:00The dept of the rums. Conor O'Donnell. They all push your adventures out. Speagle at home. Afternoons 2 to 6 on sports radio. 104 3 the score. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. And also welcome to the Spiegel and home show. It's Matt Spiegel. It's Gabe Ramirez. He's on vacation. He'll be back, coach. God, he's going to ask again. He's going to ask again today at five o'clock. He's at Larts's on vacation and joining himself on Tuesday of next week. After Labor Day, he and I will begin a long and uninterrupted run together. We're deep into the football season. Six days. Eight days, guys. What's the overrunner? Overrunner. 12 and a half. When did you were a holiday? No, man. When is, uh, when is jump Kipper? It's coming up, actually. Uh, Russia Shana. That's right. Come on first.

3:00You're not a keys guy. I forgot. I am not. I got keys right here. I am a keys guy. Right here. It's exactly right. That's what you got keys. That's good. Oh, okay. I'm going to go. I'm going to go. I'm going to go. That's good. Oh, call me speak a little. I've never been that before. Hold on. You have a Spanish wife and she doesn't call you speak a little. She does not call me speak a little. But she calls me. I cannot repeat. And I would not repeat. But I'll tell you later off the air. Kind of, but no. Russia breaking down. Pause. But yes. So Larsa, I'll be back together on Tuesday. But until then, I get to, I get to work her. You know, with other people, with other humans. I had a great time with Ryan McGuffie yesterday. And tomorrow, be Caitlin Sharkey coming in here. Love the shark. And yeah, I mean, everybody enjoys her. Everybody. Her and I did a show together for a couple years on Fox 32. Bears on Lees. Oh, there you go. Yeah. Look at that. See? And so I look forward very much to working with Caitlin. And today, it's you and me. Gabe. That's right. Gabe, good to see you. You're wearing that socks jersey. You got thoughts on last night's socks game that we'll get to.

4:01But we might have to add thoughts on today's socks game, which we'll get to, which is not going particularly well. But we figured the most socks fans are watching that game. Yeah. And so we got plenty of bears. As I mentioned with Dave Wandsett and with Toronto Armsted. So we ought to start with the Cubs. And we will because they are now sitting nine games back in the National League Central. And I think you got to say that they are toast in that division. And I haven't wanted to admit it. I didn't want to admit it going into the series Sunday morning. I got laughed at on hit and run for not admitting it. Guys, like speaks, they have a 2% chance. So you're saying there's a, and there still is the theoretically, but you know, having now lost two of the first three of a seven game set, we had to go five and two at the very worst. Yeah, I think they're toast and their playoff pictures kind of coming into focus. It seems that way it's unfortunate. I was trying to get anyone that was a Cubs fan to somewhat admit that the Cubs will be able to take over the Milwaukee Brewers at some point. I thought it was inevitable. I thought they would. I thought the good vibes would take over at some point.

5:03I thought that they had a great trade deadline. And I still think they did. Even the Ryan Zepherjohn does not appear to be up for pitching and this atmosphere. If you, listen, let's be very clear. Speaks, you love baseball more than most. How often do you see a team trade further, starting three pictures in a playoff series? And then it go well, right? It just doesn't happen. So when you're saying you're talking about, in terms of how well their trade deadline went. Like all of their top three pitches. Well, if you're, if right now, if you're telling me it's going to be Galsman, it's going to be Clay Holmes. And I know you're not going to say it after yesterday, Peter, since performance. It wouldn't have been. But I'm just saying, Matthew, boy, do it. Two to three. I bet it's happened. Now you're making me want to look. I love to see that over the past decade. Certainly not your one and two. No. I think what I'm trying to say now, really, what I really, really want you to get on board with is the fact that that is what is making it be a such a successful trade deadline. The fact that you winning got arms and those are the guys that you're anticipating playing in the first three games of a playoff series.

6:03Well, but you thought those guys were going to be Kate Horton and Justin Steele. And the fact that when it happens during the year that neither of those guys are available, you shouldn't just sit on your hands and give it to whoever the next guy up is. You got to go out and go get some more. And they did, they did do that. And I respect that. But either way, I thought that was going to translate. And I thought maybe the brewers would come back to life. And that's not how it. Yeah, not the case. The fact that they've been the best team in baseball for the last two years just says more so about, you know, not just the players and the managers, but the organization as a whole. They thought it was a custom. And we pissed right thinking that you have this team with $78 million in payroll, somehow some way they lose their starters, they lose their closures, they lose their manager. And they're still sitting atop the end of central. They've made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years. They are about to win the division for the fourth consecutive year, the fifth out of six years. They are the standard bearer in the national league central. And there's lots of reasons and lots to discuss with them.

7:03But I find myself looking down now and right now the Cubs are one game behind the Phillies for the top wild card spot. And I'm here to tell you that going into Philadelphia and playing a three game series against that team with that atmosphere and those arms of Christopher Sanchez and Zach Wheeler, probably in number one in number two and Jesus Lazardo looming in number three, maybe Aaron Nolas, your long reliever. And he's founded of late and Jaren Durran as your closer. My friends, that scares the Bajezas out of me. There's a scare you more than the Milwaukee Brewers because I'm I would tell you this speaks. Well, but that would be the second round. Not saying in general. I'm talking about teams in general. Like in terms of who you're fearful of in the playoffs because you're already scared of the Dodgers. If you're telling me that. But they're specific entities. The Brewers would be a five gamer or a seven gamer. I'm saying the Phillies in a three gamer with their starters at that place.

8:03This specific matchup where it's sitting right now. I don't like it. I can see where you don't. Chris Tattles laughing. Well, yeah, well, yeah, I do sorry, Gabe. I've got a quick follow up. I thought you said they were going to the world series. So why would you be why would you be fearful of any match up? Are you are you afraid of anything that you have guaranteed ever in your life? Well, I don't make predictions. Smart man. Speak exactly all my radio heroes never did. And Bernstein Lawrence homes don't make predictions. So why would I? Why would I want to live with them? They don't want to do that. Speaks, you should feel good about the Cubs. We would. What about the trumpet though? If you don't make predictions, you don't get a lot of the trumpet. I only do it. I only do it for the trumpet. Proclamation. I only do proclamation for the trumpet. That's the only reason to be there. But you're telling me I shouldn't be afraid. You should not be afraid. Tell me why. Well, first of all, I'm going to tell you right now. Yeah. I think the Cubs have a better chance of winning that series on the road than they do actually at Riggly. Do you know Phillies have a worse record at home than they do on the road? They have a worse home record. A worse home record.

9:03Not no about that. Then they do on the road. Okay. The Cubs already have won two out of three at Citizen Bank Park this year. Yeah. In those victories, they put up 21 runs. Are they like six and one against the Phillies? They are 61 in this year in 2026 against the Phillies. Okay. I think the important parts to remember and I go to psyche. Couch swarber and Harper, they don't care about the aura of Riggly field. When you're talking about other teams coming in here, they feel it. They sense it. And I think those two individuals, they wouldn't care about the crowd won't affect their play. The picture is the same thing. I also think about this team. All right. So hold on. Let's pause on that. Okay. I think the Phillies, if it was here, but wouldn't it, it helps the Cubs. I think home field helped dramatically last year against the Padres and that. So here's my counter-argument against it. And I think it helped in the home games against the Brewers last year. Here's my counter-argument against that. I think this team isn't as good as your team was last year pitching as a whole.

10:06And so I think we also know that it doesn't go well. You think this Cubs team is not as good as last year's Cubs team? I don't. Oh boy. That's a problem. We could debate that. We could debate that. We could debate that, right? But my bigger point is that I think you forget sometimes, not you. We forget. We forget sometimes. I forget some things. How much pressure 40,000 Cubs fans put on you in the event that the first inning, an out, an error, doesn't go your way. And with this team, the way that it's built, I think I don't want them to feel that pressure. And so if you put them in Philadelphia, let me tell you guys who don't care about the Philadelphia fans. Pete, Carl Armstrong, Nico Horner, the guys that are on this Cubs team, they don't care. And when you're looking at their record on the road, the Cubs themselves, you know, they're playing some pretty good baseball on the road. 38 and 31. They're actually averaging more runs per game on the road slightly, but enough to make it a dent there. And then when you're talking about these pictures, I don't want Clay Holmes, who's just coming back and pitching well to feel the pressure of playoff rigging.

11:14That's not a guy you worry about. Okay, that's you don't worry about it. I do. I don't worry, but I'm telling you not to. Okay, telling you not to worry about Clay Holmes or Gosman, either home or away. And I'm not worried about them. Gosman, the guy that just gave a five runs? When, which game? You want to pull it up? When he gave a five runs? Yeah, but I mean, but, but, but, but, but, which speaks, those are two of your three guys in the three game series. Yeah. And you say you're not worried about them. So why would you worry about the series? Because the Phillies' pictures can hold you to two runs or less over like seven innings or freaking eight innings. You know where the best offense of baseball is? One of the best offenses in baseball? Yeah, no, I know. I mean, I'm trying, I feel like speaks every time we do a show together, I convince you to love the cubs more than you do in the present. I feel like that's what I'm constantly doing. It's like, why are you, why are you going down supposed to be the one that we're switching seats in these moments? See? Well, you know, yeah, I mean, the thing is like, I think they're going to lose either location in Chicago or or Philly. No, I'd feel better about them at home and look, that first little three gamer with three home games and no road swap.

12:18It's a big deal. So Gabe, if I'm hearing this right, you're saying you got two teams that are in like World Series or bus situations and that whoever's the home team is going to feel more pressure in a three game series. I'm saying yes and when I look at this cubs team, I'm not fearful of them going on the road to face the Philly. All right, well, that's good. And I probably will find myself, will find my way to that thought process if that's what it needs to be. But right now, like, I've been wanting them to catch the brewers and then I've been wanting them to hold off the Philly's and here we sit today and they've got to go there. And here's the thing, the Philly's, since they fired, they fired their manager when they were nine in nineteen. They have gone 70 and 42 since firing their manager. They're now 79 and 61. They have figured it out. The starters are healthy. There's, there's several absolute beasts in that lineup. There's vets. To your point though, Gabe, they have not reached the World Series since they did reach the World Series several years ago.

13:24And they feel that pressure. So it's possible if the cubs were to take game one in Philly, then the pressure could be swapped. We'll have time to discuss if that indeed is the matchup. I appreciate the positivity. That's for damn sure. He's Gabe Ramirez. I'm at Spiegel. It is Spiegel and Holmes right here on the score. And we come back the World's saddest chant last night at Riggly. And Tommy Ottavi spoke on a key bullpen piece that is struggling next on the score. Bears fans, trust Layla where he made me a Margrodi in the mid days. To get you ready for the season opener against the Peppers. The Bears' defensive line. It's the most suspect part of this Bears team this year. It can't be much worse. People say, oh well, they could afford to lose to Von Daxter. He still could stop the ride better than relative other defensive linemen on the Bears. Related to the rest of the league, do you like his production? Not necessarily. Listen to Rahimi and Grody. Midday's tend to two. Talking Bears with a regular season closing in fast. This is where Chicago comes to talk Bears. Sportsman.