What are your Cubs concerns? (Hour 2)

Faces empty two down and two strikes the pitch. Swag and a nice strike three in the ball

game is over. The Cubs win here in San Diego.

Colby Milner strikes out the pinch batter Lloriano. Then Brown did a magnificent job in set

up relief. And the bullpen really did a tremendous job. And Jamison Tyone was brilliant, but

a well-pitched game for the Cubs from start to finish today.

Molly and Ha, 104-3 the score the Cubs are back home. They play this afternoon and things

are going pretty well for the Cubs. That was a nice trip out to LA. They obviously won their

10th straight game against the Dodgers. Lost a couple. Came back and one two of three in

San Diego. So they went three and three. And now you want to get back to your winning

ways. You want to get back. I think the reds are a half game ahead of you. Is that right

in the division? Yeah. Is it one game now?

Cubs in 19 and 12. Will they be ahead of them come their squaring home for one day?

Well, I think Cubs can take reasonably two out of three from the diamond backs. They

should look at it that way. They should look at every series at home one they should win.

And you don't get caught up in the standings right now. You're as a Cubs team feeling pretty

good about the fact that you started a little sluggishly, like a lot of teams do. Then

you went on your 10 game win streak, hit your stride. And now you end the month and

begin May 19 and 12 feeling very good about several different things about your baseball

team. You don't feel great about your pitching because you have been racked with injuries.

The injured list is just way too long. And it has been way too disappointing, almost

devastating this first month because you lost Cade Horton and then the news on Justin

Steele. And you've done a lot of this without Daniel Polensia. If you had listed three reasons

why you believed in the Cubs would be a World Series contender this year or 10 reasons

they'd be in the top 10. And now all three of those guys have been compromised. Two of

them won't be here for this season. Polensia maybe returns today. So Mully, they have

had to rely on an offense that believe it or not. And I had to look twice that the Cubs

have the Cubs have the third most productive offense in baseball. They're third in runs per

game with 5.6. Now that is what right now you can count on scoring some runs. They need

to you know when they like many teams that lose when they lose it is because they don't

hit with runners in scoring position. Remember that the other day they lost all for 20 with

runners on bait. It was not it was not good. But they're getting PCA getting hot at the

right time after a slow start. You see Braggman heating up a little bit and maybe Michael

Bush catching up because Nico Horner has been the best player on this team.

Yes he has. And Nico was in the news yesterday he or the I guess recently because he commented

on what happened out in Los Angeles with the Dodgers catcher Dalton rushing apparently

cursing out and insulting Miguel Amaya. And I saw that on you know they do the thing where

the guy reads the voices and all this stuff. It was it was wild because I think the reason

that Horner kind of spoke out about it was that he was so shocked by it. He in retrospect

wishes he had said something to Dalton rushing. He he was too surprised to say something.

Now we're not we don't believe in body shaming on this show. But Dalton rushing was so

myth that seeing a base go to Miguel Amaya that he apparently cursed him out called him a name.

Yeah and it didn't go over very well. Nico said a couple days ago. That's when yeah and he

would have handled it differently. What's wild? It's just wild that that he would talk about how

he wished he'd handled it differently you know like I don't know what you're supposed to do. I

you're supposed to cast a guy out you're supposed to say something I think it's kind of wild and

don't rush it. What are you doing? Nuts you know what why would you yell something like that at a guy?

Hard to know what motivates these guys in the heat of the battle. He Miguel Amaya took second base

and you know Amaya is a guy that's able to do that. I don't know I don't know what was behind that.

Who is your favorite catcher in the cups? I don't really have a favor. I think that Craig

Council is using them wisely. He's splitting time in a way that makes sense. Almost perfectly.

Almost down the minute. I mean I think it's 23 19 something like that but but Carson Kelly's

getting a few more games but the two of them are playing you know and doing a great job with

that pitching stuff. Yeah they really are and that this was the plan all along and and what

they've been able to do. Amaya's caught 19 games. Carson Kelly 23 and that's probably the way it's

going to go if both guys can stay healthy. What happened last year was that Amaya didn't stay healthy

and then they were in a position where maybe too much was asked out of Kelly and reached McGuire.

Remember him. He had to come and help and they had to add him to the roster. These kinds of

things could happen throughout the course of this season but the way the season has started

whether it's catching whether it's the pitching staff catcher usage pinch hitting which has been

really tremendous. To me the first the story of the first month of the season has been Craig

Council pushing all of the right buttons in a way that make it has been noticeable has been

impactful. I don't know the metrics of how many games a manager has affected by winning them but

I do think that his moves have been more noticeable this year early than maybe previous seasons.

I remember at least statistically the data was telling you I remember when Joe Madden came here

that a manager meant no more than two or three games a year which was crazy because Joe it felt

like meant a lot more than that especially when his first year here but but having said that

I think that the data holds up that it's just a couple three games however I would say with Craig

Council especially this year he seems to be pushing all the right buttons on pinch hitting and

on the use of the DH like there are a lot of things he's done well. I can think of like three

pinch hit situations up the top of my head in the first month. Bregman came in against the

Padres I believe and got a hit that might have been an insurance run they needed. You look at Michael

Bush I believe had a pinch hit that against the pirates and that was maybe an extras that's another

meaningful bat from a starter who got the day off until he pinch hit and then the biggest one

biggest one was Carson Kelly when he was on the bench brought into the game pinch hit three run

Homer that was huge and that's in the first month there are three meaningful pinch hit opportunities

that Cubs have taken advantage of that's my manager knowing when to play the percentages

and he is Mr. Lefty righty lefty righty lefty and he's going to do that and this year it's hard

to argue with that logic because it has so far paid off. Yeah no doubt about it now he has had a

a spectacular start to this season I don't doubt that even Dustin you don't criticize him any

more at all you seem happy with that at all would be a stretch but you know again when you're

you're the highest paid guy you should you know be more than two or three as you had mentioned

earlier and the reputation for knowing how to manage a bullpen knowing when to get guys up and

knowing how to just work the margins you're seeing that I think because this bullpen as we said

that that's that's the if the story about the Cubs on the field has been their offensive

production being better than we think with being third in the in the majors and runs per game

off the field has been the bullpen that's been ravaged with injuries and how they've been able

to navigate that and use guys in certain situations like breaking in Milner for one batter

after Ben Brown was so good just to get that one out to win the game. It's a great example of the

righty lefty thing that it likes to do and yeah no doubt about it let's let's get to the

phone lines 312 644 67 67 will start with Dan Dan is in payless hey Dan. Morning guys what's going

on thanks for taking my call yeah just wanted to echo your points that you just made right at the

end there I think council's been great with everything with the lineup but to me what really

stands out is totally on the bullpen side right these are a lot of guys no disrespect to them but

wouldn't be able to pick them out of a crowd a lot of names I've never really recognized before

and he's able to totally max out their potential and gotten some really good results so for everything

that you guys are saying in terms of how to use the catchers and everything like that I think it's

been great but really I think it's you know he can really tip his head to him on the bullpen side

of things it's been unbelievable go Cubs thank you guys for taking my call sure when you are learning

about Ryan Rollison in the first month of the season you never you would have thought you'd hear

Craig council talk about somebody whose name you have to google as a cub fan that tells you where

the cubs are in terms of their bullpen and yet he has now been in a position rollison to be counted

on and other guys have fit the same sort of category and guys have come in and they're the Martin

brothers Corbin and Riley with Riley Martin now he's hurt now you're going to miss Riley Martin

for two months and you're going to miss him because he contributed in a meaningful way before

the injury it's just something that the Cubs are 19 and 12 and yeah there are games maybe that

they let slip away but just also feel could have been worse based on the injuries they've suffered

let's try Daryl he's in Aurora hey Daryl

hey gentlemen thanks for taking my call happy happy friday and happy may we get a new month started so

you know you can say a lot of thing about council but you know he's there's a reason why he's

the Cubs manager you know management victims I'd like to see what you guys think is there any

any starters in the bull in the in the farm teams they could pull up or would you be opposed to

maybe the Cubs trading for a pitcher I'll shut up and let you talk well I think that the Iowa

has been pretty much picked over in terms of merchandise if you talk about the pitching rack

they're now I you're looking at what we have the Jordan wicks comes to mind don't know what he has left

don't know what they maybe dust and think they have something against him I don't know I have to

look at his last outing might have been decent Jackson Wiggins is hurt Jackson Wiggins is hurt so that

was your young that was the guy you're counting on almost yeah you wonder where he would have been

had he stayed healthy he might have been in a bend brown like roll because of how hard he throws

and you know we we haven't really mentioned that brown but to me he's been he's been as good

as he's needed to be he hasn't been great all the time but he reminded you in the outings like

the other night when he got out of that bases loaded nobody out jam yeah how how dangerous he can

be in high leverage situations he he is too important in the bullpen right now to be in option as a

starter I agree with that I definitely agree that there's really not a lot you can do about that

because you're you're just so low on the number of people you have coming out of the bullpen yeah

but you know as far as I think the question was more about like kind of starter answers in the minor

leagues I think we've seen pretty much all the answers they have at this point and you've been

without a lot of players for a very long time and certainly with the bullpen that's really the

bullpen yeah it's really going to be tested continue to be tested their bench as Bruce would tell

you and we've talked about this a lot intentionally improved they've really made an effort when you

look at Michael Conforto the role that he has played yeah you look at the way that they have really

prioritized certain things about their bench the bench is better than it was even I know

Nikki Lopez res replaced has come up now and but they've gotten good use out of specific roles

guys have played as reserves let's let's keep it going we'll go to Quentin he's on the west side

hey Quentin hey Molly hey how both teams are doing pretty good cousin socks already got me a

PCA Jersey also 235 dollars at the one-hour place get beat that but I think we have all day

my concern is it's pitching and their bullpen Quentin Quentin did you say 235 dollars

no I said no I said PCA Jersey 135 135 135 you stopped me cold I thought if someone charged

it 235 they got an extra C-note from yeah okay 135's about right I am a PCA fan but my concern is

the pitching staff call somebody up for the miners because we got our pitching staff got us

quick also too they do but I'm not sure who's left good call Quentin and I think a lot of people

be wearing PCA jerseys around weekly today a little more proudly his second his first 15 games

in his second 15 games they played 31 big difference looks like he might be getting hot at the

right time like he did a year ago he's now homeward at two homers in the Padre series and you wonder

if he's going to come home and keep that hot streak a lot there I ask you the obvious question

about the world baseball classic interfering with or hindering his development in the early

part of the season in other words he was not necessarily a fixture on that team he played a lot

but did he would he have been better off in training camp with the cubs getting ready for the season

in retrospect if what you're asking me is that if you were a college senior and you're putting

together a thesis or maybe a paper about how the world baseball classic has harm Chicago baseball

in April you could use PCA as a supporting paragraph right after the Matthew Boyd paragraph

right after the Kyle Teal paragraph right after the Daniel Plenty of paragraphs with yeah and all

tight altogether yeah and yes the world baseball classic supplied great drama and tremendous fun

it also hurt your baseball teams yes I I don't think you could hurt PCA I think it could have yeah

the intensity of those moments and yeah how about Alex Breggman you don't know about that either

that's a good one too he's a guy that started slow he has yet to get it together Molly I had

thought about it really that way but I do wonder PCA's first 15 games yeah he's chasing it was

ugly his numbers reflect that and he has been better but he I mean he wasn't with the cubs he was

off with team USA he wasn't with the same people that he's with all the time I know wasn't getting

prepared for the season in the same way you know and you're right about Breggman I hadn't thought

about that but that's another guy that that was sort of in the same boat and certainly we saw

Matthew Boyd suffer through a dead arm we saw Palencia go out he was overuse or at least they

believed he may have been overuse it's just the it's not just the interruption of your routine it's

the exposure to that such early intensity it's a come down it's gotta be it's human nature yeah

you're going to appear you're you're at a fever pitch you're playing an international on an

international stage that created tremendous drama but then all of a sudden it's like all right

then we'll go back to Sam and Tanachi may be the example that proves the point he's he's outside of

that he's different because he wasn't nothing was really expected of him and yet he got a little

bit of a jump start but I I think that's the exception in that way I think you're right because he

used that as a as a platform to prove himself yeah or to gain confidence yes the guys who already

had proven themselves and had confidence maybe suffered letdowns also as a texture points out yes

I got hurt too that's easy to get that that's that's right he got hurt in the tournament oh my gosh wow

boy that's plenty of examples that is really interesting all right we've got David Samson we're

going to bring in our our guy David Samson we'll get a chance to talk to him about some of the

big issues in sports in baseball we'll do that next it is mullion haw one oh four three the score

there's some scouts that say you know what they like the Georgia Tech catcher even better

mom lackey you know it could be a short stop if you wanted to but tremendous athlete

there's you know the high school kid to Cody Emerson from Texas you know works two ways too

he's got to want to be in the white socks and he's got to you know they have to agree to a the

right signing bonus too you know if he has some team saying oh what we'll give you four million

dollars more than slot well he can tell the white socks I'm not coming I'm waiting for another team

that mullion haw that Bob Knight and Gale on with us 104 three the score we are delighted to

welcome in our guy David Samson the former sports executive was the president the Marlins and

does a great job helping us understand various baseball issue issues and he joins us now

and the plumbers 9-1-1 hotline plumbing emergency call 1833 plum 9-1-1 local 130 plumbers get the job

done right the first time David good morning how are you good morning how are you doing well we're

doing well I mean that that I got to tell you every socks fan was delighted when they won the lottery

and that would be the gift that is rock chalousky and you just kind of wow isn't this going to be

fantastic and it's well often and hopefully things work out but Bob started writing ah you know

maybe the socks aren't sold on him which makes zero sense maybe he's not sold on the socks and so

nobody is kind of speaking about it or saying anything about it and my god the the signing bonus

for the number one pick this year would be probably in the 11 million range it's a lot of money

but I don't know why you would sour on a guy before you even get into the real draft process

oh I think it's way more complicated than that though because you've got an entire pool to use

in your draft and the draft is not going to be judged based on a pick you really need good drafts

all the way through in order to improve your system there are many examples where the number

one one pick either doesn't make it or is taken and is not the highest bonus that's given to

someone in the first round most teams try to go under slot so they can reallocate to go over slot

later in another round so I would be careful being too critical at the moment there's nothing

more difficult than the major league baseball draft and trying to guarantee who's going to make

it and who's not it's not like the NFL in any way well David that's why we wanted to talk to you

because of your past history in dealing with such matters and navigating through this very

complicated obstacle course if you will because it would seem it's obvious

rock Trolowski's a consensus number one overall pick the slot is what it is and the white socks would

be you know everyone wants them to pay the bonus that fits the slot what might prevent them from

doing that and and what are what are the kinds of conversations going on now if they are any

between rock Trolowski's representative or agent and either the white socks or his own family

well let's be clear it's against the rules but everyone does pre draft deals so the negotiations

are happening right now and what happens in the draft room with your GM your president

base of operations with your head of scouting you are working through your entire draft board

and you're looking at players in different rounds according to the picks you have and then you're

looking at players in the first round so for example if we were looking at a player represented

by Scott Boris we're not going to waste too much time because we don't want to draft them

because we're not going to be able to come to an agreement and it's sort of a waste of a pick

because we don't want the extra pick the following year we want a player right now

and so we're going to just be aware of what the demand is but keep in mind if a player says

I don't want to play for the white socks I don't know I would ignore that I'm not even sure

that that's a thing the way that sometimes it happens in the NFL it really isn't it's just about

the money and if you do not want to give over slot to a player because you don't believe that

player is worth it then you just don't draft that player and you move on and you end up most times

I would say doing better so what the white socks are doing is they're negotiating not just

externally with agents of players in the draft they're also negotiating internally between

area scouts and cross checkers as they are deciding where to put what players on the board and

how the money should be spent across the whole draft. I'm curious you know we know that

that the the the ishp of family the Justin ishp has bought a share of stock in the white socks and

that he's going to be the next owner of the team at least that's what we've been told could be

as soon as 2029 but that that is also not known information I'm just wondering when you see

the price tag that the that the Padres went for I believe it was it was thought to be they were

worth like 1.7 1.9 they went for $3.9 billion how does that impact sale of other teams ishp was

it was ready to buy Minnesota and then talked to Jerry and apparently decided to invest and then

eventually take over the white socks that will be for a lot more money now than maybe initially he

thought and then the other question would be does that mean that when baseball sits down and starts

trying to explain to the players union that you got to get a cap in here and we can't we got to

have a limit to the amount of money the players make does the amount of money these franchises are

franchises are worth now change that conversation well I'll start with the second one first you're

going to hear the players union so much rhetoric is going to come right now with the rumored sale

at $3.9 billion when you've got Manny Machado saying look I told you so these teams are worth so much

therefore we should get more money well the fact of the matter is that when you look at average

salary in Major League Baseball when you look at the top end and the guaranteed nature of what the

players are getting take a look at the NFL and the guaranteed money salary cap that exists the

valuation of the franchises and you get an understanding of why Major League Baseball would say

that looks like a good system but what makes the NFL franchises worth so much is that they share

their broadcast revenue completely not the fact that there's a salary cap so the players are

scared that a salary cap will only help the owners and not the players and we can leave that aside

for now what we can pinpoint is 3.9 for the Padres does not change the value of the angels or

the twins or the nationals these transactions are not based on oh seven times revenue like you would

if you were buying a widget company where you can do an actual industry calculation sports doesn't

work that way there's huge ego premiums that are baked into every transaction this billionaire

guy wanted to own the Padres so he had a competitive situation with three other bidders and he bought

the Padres much like when the Marlins were sold competitive situation there was an overpay

because of a competitive situation in terms of the white socks does ish bs say oh I got such a great

deal I screwed you Jerry now give me the team at a lower number because your teams worth more

when you agree to a transaction do sell a team at a point in the future that's it you've agreed

on a number you can try to fight it the way Minnesota timber wolves don't forget they just had

that big win last night do remember the lawsuit Alex Rodriguez bought the team at a low number

and the owners said wait a minute I don't want to sell that that number anymore because teams

are going for more and the judge was like yeah but you said you would and that was the end of

that it's called a contract so there's a contract between Jerry and ish bia and that's how it's

going to work David let's move to the NFL before we let you go because the bears are in the midst of

picking which site to build their next stadium on obviously Indiana has approved what they have

didn't invited them to Hammond and to offer them a rent to own scenario where they would

obviously be financial financially advantageous then you have the Arlington Heights option

down in Springfield the Illinois House passed legislation for the mega projects bill it's called

here and now it's in the Senate and awaiting approval there because that was the more likely

scenario the NFL stadium committee met with the bears and want them to pick a lane and they want

them to do it rather quickly they met Wednesday they're meeting again in two weeks how are you

viewing what's going on here with the bears from from your vantage point I am so grateful so

grateful because I might show nothing personal you guys give me content almost every day because

they're going here they're going there and they're negotiating this they've got a property tax

issue with that it's like Mana from heaven your team over there so thank you for that in terms of

the issue I get it when you're negotiating the stadium because I did it you're trying to get the

last dollar and you don't really care about location I'm sorry but no matter what Kevin Warren says

it's not about Arlington Heights or Springfield or Indiana or a Kvelt it's about where do I get the

best deal for our ownership group with the most opportunity for development with the most public

money fastest to open that's all it is and you have to have more than a group negotiating

and the irony is that you've got state negotiating against state which is a great benefit that I

could never have we could only get county v county state v state is like a dream so you're going to

drag it out as long as possible don't let the NFL fool you they would like this to be taken care of

but really if the if the owner of the bear says we're going to need another year the NFL is going

to say great whatever you need we'd like it to get it done but as long as you have a place to play

and it's suitable to the union and the players which it is then get the best deal you can that's

what other owners in the sport care about get the best deal that you can so we can get the best

deal we can when it's arts what what if the owner of the bear is George McCaskin he cares about legacy

God that that that's such a nice thing to say because it feels good like our owner cares about

legacy doesn't he I mean but that's like impugning someone who moves the team and like from Brooklyn

to I don't want to say this because it makes me old but any team art Madel I guess he doesn't

care about legacy because he moved to team well there's one city who loves him one city that's

sort of my view of legacy if you're loved by everyone have you actually done anything

oh that's so much fun hey I just one last question David on the on the baseball on the amount of

money that the white socks will have to spend they I think they have like several different

fairly high picks so can they afford I mean it like I said if they if they're giving 11 million

out or something like that for the number one pick can they afford then to get the rest of those

picks or it do some of them have to come under slot and when do you figure that out it's happening

right now but you're asking if the team budgets for its entire pool there's a bonus pool that you

get a signing bonus pool for the rule for draft which is the amateur players and every team no

matter what budgets for the entire pool amount because no matter what your revenue is the fact is

that's the cheapest way to get talent is through the draft way more efficient than free agency

and so what you're trying to do is listen finishing with the worst record and getting the top

pick it's not great because you have to spend so much money in the amateur draft but on the other

hand it you know that it's money that's worth spending given a choice I'd always put it in the

major league team because I want to win at the major league level now I always felt like buying

green bananas was a mistake and I think that cost me over the years and why we only had one world

series I think that putting money into the draft makes sense and so I would tell you that the

white socks certainly have budgeted the entire pool but they may allocate it differently than the way

you would like by spreading it around more players than just the number one guy what was it trickiest

negotiation or deal you ever had to make with a draft pick well I'll take it back to one of my

first ones a guy named Justin Wayne because he wanted like he was from Hawaii and he wanted

plane tickets for his family and I was new to the game and I was like what I'm not giving you

spend your own money on plane tickets and he wanted all these different things I think he ended

up in prison he certainly didn't help us good enough guy I guess but man I screwed up the draft

more times and I had so many great successes whether you know stand and yell it's Fernandez

Ozuna JT there's so many stories but every team has that every team has hit and every team has missed

but what fan bases do is they say hey my guy stinks they can't draft but go to every one of the

30 cities and the truth is there's a very small difference in the voting record if you will

of draft people scouts etc it's very hard to do David you're the best thanks a ton really

appreciate thanks David great stuff have a great weekend thank you that's David Samson he does a

great job always very interesting and he thanked us for all the material that's the bear

we're supplying him he's the best all right we we will be right back Molly and Haw one of four

three the score

I'm not saying any somebody didn't tell Bob the story sure they did Bob probably talked to people on

both sides I've talked to people on at least one side and they've told me they haven't heard

from anybody that that any unclear would not want to be with what starts

Molly and Haw one oh four three the score that is our guy Bruce Levine kind of refuting

the idea that that they're not going to sign Rock Chalowski I mean listen there's so much time

and there's so much that can go back and forth but it is very interesting that was two months

he's writing that it's two months and it was a surprise this week to see that alluded to already

reported if you will and the white socks as David Samson just told us likely are navigating

this already behind the scenes preparing for this nothing that nothing that you have heard I don't

believe would lead you to believe that it's not going to happen it just makes too much sense it

keeps the momentum going too and we'll continue to monitor it certainly but I think David Samson

made suggested that in his experience this kind of rhetoric is not all uncommon and he sounded

pretty confident that you have to be smart in terms of budgeting your pool but there's nothing

that looks like you know this this can't be something that is as obvious as as we think it is

and it's going to happen and Rock Chalowski could end up being the number one overall pick still

and whoever the number one overall pick I guess the record is 9.3 million is it going to

shatter that yeah I think so there's no way around it would be it would be wise to

not make history that way yeah or you don't want to make the wrong kind of history with the draft

so you got the socks with that you got the socks with their minor league system is producing talent

or at least some really interesting headlines so far Caleb Bonimer has been high at high A

Braden Montgomery is one of the hotter players in all of the minor leagues and Hagen Smith is

somebody that is likely to be on the Major League team maybe as early as the All-Star break you

have guys who are on the way and for the first time I think you don't want to get you know the socks

played 500 baseball in April as we said but they've got not just one prospect that they're

eyeing in the minors they're not just two prospects but it seems like there's a wave

they have a wave of prospects up right now performing yeah they've got another wave kind of ready

to come and then we'll find out what's next but I think this looks like it's promising for the

future because of the kind of success that these prospects are having now yeah I am not kind of

monitoring all the socks prospects but I do know that with Hagen Smith it would appear that he

has been sort of the last couple of times out it seems like he's only gone like four innings and I

just wonder about bringing a guy like that up to the Major League's like wouldn't that put more

stress on your bullpen if he's like don't they have to kind of wait until they feel like they're

getting a good solid five plus from him in order to bring him up I believe that's probably the

traditional way to look at it and in the past I would say absolutely until he can go five plus

you don't want to bring him up that's happening so seldom you know I think it was one of the metrics

websites maybe codify had a stat yesterday about had a had a post of the percentage of games

or Major League pitchers went seven or more innings since every year since like the 80s

nine percent of pitchers this year are doing that and I think what that represents is that

pitchers now you know for if Noah Schultz goes four innings tonight four and a third

and he gives up one run and two hits and strikes up five wow Bruce and I are going to say in the

morning wow that was a great start by Noah Schultz and he didn't get out of the fifth so I guess

what I'm saying is that it wouldn't shock me if they bring up Hagen Smith despite that reality

just to give him some experience and also help you get out yeah I you know I think did I did we

not talk about this that the Cubs have had three pitchers thus far that have gone seven innings in a

game so that is the higher end of what you're talking about and they've they've done it with three

different guys which is pretty impressive it's also very veteran staff Shoda Cabrera and James

and Tyon I think of the three and those guys Cabrera's a workhorse even though it's coming off

he's youngish by 26 pairs and yeah Shoda workhorse James and Tyon he'll he innings he's he's

the consummate innings eater so the Cubs I think can do that in a way that maybe the socks don't have

to or don't but the Cubs also kind of have to do it given the bolt punish that's exactly right

you know when you have 11 guys on your injured lists and they're all pitchers that's a problem

and that's that's something that that's down from 14 by the way I mean at one point wasn't it 14

that it's now at 11 things are looking up I suppose that's one way to look at it it still seems

fairly bleak you know who's not bleak but is on next a great man it is Ron Kumar you bring

smile your face uh talk to Ron about what's going on and what he's seeing and uh and we'll do that

next Ron Kumar joins us mulley in hall 104 three the score