Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Are the Cubs going to have a Shota Imanaga problem again? (Hour 1)
30 Mar 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What happened in the Cubs' loss to the Nationals?
This hour is brought to you by Vasectomy Clinics of Chicago. Rahimi Harrison-Grody, 10-2 on 104.3 The Score.
The man who just got the deal done, Pete Crow Armstrong. Is there anything that comes to your head that you didn't say in the press conference that you actually want people to know here? Just something that's top of mind?
What the f***?
Oh, sorry, but... Watch your profanity. Right, I'm sorry. I'm so ready to keep showing up for these fans that do the same for us, and I'm just excited to show up for my boys every day and just kind of dive into everybody else's success.
Are you excited? Definitely, yeah, I'm fired up. Yeah!
I'm fired up. We're going...
We love that, and our internet listeners love that, but unfortunately on the FCC, in the public airwaves, everybody who listened online got a present.
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Chapter 2: What are the details of Nico Hoerner's contract extension?
In the meantime, we had to dump it, as we say, and cut out the cuss word. But Pete, I'm glad you're fired up. That was great.
We've got a bit of an issue with Phoebe's behavior. She's been swearing a lot. How bad is it? Today she called one of her classmates an apathetic c***.
Uncle Roy, can we get ice cream?
No. Sorry.
F no. You said pop of the mind. No, no.
You know what? You got to let it flow.
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Chapter 3: How did the Illini perform in the South Regional final?
And I feel like that's exactly what happened. Just whatever comes to mind, shout it out.
Who the hell is this guy?
I am the guy who roused that crowd, got them on their feet. They were so happy down there. Our poor producer, Ray, spilled his coffee. So thanks for christening our studio over here.
No, no, it's okay. Sorry, Ray. I'm so sorry. Well, don't let it happen again. You think that I would let this happen again?
No way, Jose! It's okay. For your birthday, we'll let you cuss on the air and spill coffee.
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Chapter 4: What challenges does Shota Imanaga face as a pitcher?
How's that? Thanks. That's a great gift.
Today is my B-Day, and people around here just go crazy for it. I don't know why.
Layla Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody. Middays 10 a.m. to 2 on Chicago Sports Radio 104.3 The Score.
In the words of Pete Crow Armstrong, let's go. I think you skipped a word there. Yeah, I did, because I don't want to get fired to start my week. That would kind of stink. Positive. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. We are happy to have you on this Monday.
Chapter 5: How do the Cubs' early season struggles impact fan expectations?
That should be a lovely day outside. There it is. Hopefully we can get outside if we can. In the words of PCA, let's blink and go. Great interview, guys. I listened to that in real time. Great questions. And PCA was awesome, too. So very good stuff. Hopefully he'll be a regular on Rahimi Harris and Grody. That is the voice of Mark Grody. You heard Marshall Harris earlier.
This is Rahimi Harris and Grody on 104.3 The Score. And the vibes were high, in the words of Matt Spiegel, after that Piqua Armstrong interview, making it official. We saw the news about Nico being made officially official before the game.
Chapter 6: What are the implications of the Cubs' roster decisions?
on Sunday and I thought for sure, you know, Cubs and Nationals, great way to ease everybody in, great way to start the season. You know, you're not facing the Dodgers in Japan, for example, to begin the year. You're not facing the buzzsaw that is the NL West this time around.
Good way to really gauge some things and not a good way to begin when you're dropping a series like this to the Nationals to start. Mark's face says it all. You're in consternation right now. Look, I said it when we did the remote from Sluggers the other day, that you have to take advantage of the early average schedule to this season with the Angels incoming.
I'm looking forward to seeing Edward Cabrera get his first start in a Cubs uniform tonight in the first night game out at Wrigley Field. And I guess this is also my annual reminder to people that you can watch
and take seriously whatever you want to take seriously early in a baseball season because there's too many people pointing their fingers and telling everybody, it's too early to be taking this stuff seriously. It doesn't matter. Don't take it so seriously. You can watch baseball how you want to watch baseball.
If you don't take the first 30 games of the season seriously, then why do we even cover baseball for the first 30 games of the season? We should just wait until then and just talk Bears for the first 30 days if nobody cares about the start of a baseball season.
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Chapter 7: How did the Cubs' offense perform against the Nationals?
So watch baseball how you want. Take seriously what you want, and you don't have to listen to the finger waggers tell you that you're not allowed to take seriously what happened in the first series of the season where the Cubs lost two out of three to a team that they shouldn't have lost two out of three to. The last thing you said is the most important thing you said.
They lost two of three to a team they should not have. As far as you policing the fans and their fandom, let me police your policing and say, do whatever you want. That's what I just said? Yeah, yeah. No, no, I'm saying... I just don't like the people telling me or telling anybody, telling one, that, oh, don't take this so seriously. It's early in the season.
Things are going to change, which they probably will, but you are allowed to take it seriously game to game, or what are we doing? Do you know who took it seriously? Joey Weimer. Why am I talking about Joey Weimer's performance making history, going eight for eight, reaching the plate?
You can make the argument that the Cubs are lucky that Joey Weimer was held out of Saturday's lineup by the way that Joey Weimer performed in the series.
Chapter 8: What does the future hold for the Cubs this season?
The first player in Nationals slash Expos. You had to roll out the Expos to reach base in each of his first eight played appearances with the team. I'm watching this game yesterday. And I'm seeing what's happening. And I confess, okay? I confess. I did not think that was a... In the world of pitches Shota Imanaga has thrown to give up home runs, I didn't think that was a bad one.
It was at least low. He had to go down and get it. But the problem is he went down and he got it. Three-run jack. And when I consider the body of work and I ask myself at the end of the game what I'm watching, I'm going, why the hell do I have to talk about Joey Weimer? Like... Like, why is this man taking up space in my brain?
So I go back and I think about some of the series where we talked last year about what went on at Wrigley. And I think for everybody who said, well, you know, Seattle also played in that hot weather. And they didn't seem to have trouble with you. The Nationals also played in the same weather this weekend.
You've got to point the finger sometimes or the thumb if necessary in dropping two or three to the Nationals, even though, yes, it is early. And I'm sorry you're fatigued by this, but you know who's not fatigued about talking about the series they just had this weekend? The Milwaukee Brewers. And that's where I'm at right now. Or do you say White Sox? Well, I say Brewers and White Sox.
Both teams played a big dividend in what happened in Milwaukee over the weekend. But look, I know people are going to point the finger at Shodan Managa, but let's be realistic. Shota Managa, on a day where the wind was blowing out, was going to give up a home run. If you really thought Shota Managa wasn't going to give up a home run, I got some land to sell you. I don't even know where it is.
I don't know if it exists, but I'm going to sell it to you because you believe in miracles. Just tell people it's too early, and then they'll be like, oh, yes, you don't want to talk about baseball early, so you must be my guy to buy land from. No, but seriously, with Shota Minaga specifically, he's going to give up home runs. He knows it. I know it. You know it. Craig Council certainly knows it.
You just prefer them to be the solo type. And if you give up a solo home run, it's not a big deal. But if you strike out two batters and then you give up two singles and then give up a home run, it's problematic. All that being said, I have much less issue with Shota, who gave up four runs over five-plus innings. That's fine. You're in the ballgame.
I have a much, much bigger problem with the Cubs' offense yesterday. They managed four hits. They walked twice. Now, three of those four hits did leave the yard. Alex Bregman, home runs number one and two as a Cub. He went back-to-back with Ian Happ early to try to get it to come close.
But when you're facing a guy like Jake Irvin, and if you didn't know the book on Jake Irvin coming into the game... Last year, he gave up 114 earned runs. That's more than anybody in baseball. Last year, he gave up 38 home runs. That's more than anybody in baseball. If you can't get it going against a guy like that and put up, I don't know, five, six runs, what are we really doing here?
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