Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What recent achievements have the Cubs accomplished?
as there is Bruce Levine on the hotline. Bruce, how are you this afternoon, my man? Good, Rami. Another exciting day here at Wrigley Field. Another exciting series. I can't remember two sweeps of seven-game series in a row, but nonetheless, that's what's happened at Wrigley, nine in a row.
It's just, you know, it's an amazing streak that they're on, and it's all predicated, as you pointed out, by... The hitting has come along. There's been games where they had to catch up, but it's all predicated on really good starting pitching all the way through. The Cubs deserve an awful lot of credit for that.
Chapter 2: How has Shota Imanaga exceeded expectations this season?
So with that said, where would you like to go?
Is what Shota is doing, is that surpassing any expectation that you had for him after the way that his season ended last year?
Well, I don't know about that. I mean, you know, if you think back to 2024, he was 15-4. He finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting. He was an All-Star that year. This is pretty much the same pitcher that we saw then. I don't think it's a revelation of who he is rather than getting back to what he was before he injured his hamstring last year.
And that version of Shota certainly was not helpful for him to be able to go out there and compete and for the Cubs to be able to win. You remember the very last game of the season for the Cubs in 2025, he was rested and
Chapter 3: What factors have contributed to the success of the Cubs' pitching staff?
They were going to an elimination game, and they had a pass because they had lost the confidence in his ability to get out. So he has come a long way back to being the pitcher he was in 2024, and he's on his way to another All-Star game at this point.
So with that being said, what has been the most surprising or impressive part, specifically with the pitching staff, whether it's in the rotation or the bullpen? What has raised the eyebrow of Bruce Levine most from this pitching staff over this stretch?
Well, Remy, I think in a day of velocity, other than Cabrera, who throws the ball 97, this pitching staff gets it done with pitchability. They have outstanding breaking pitches. They have outstanding command and control. The difference in command and control is control is being able to throw in the zone. Command is pinpointing where you want to throw it.
This is a different type of pitching staff than we know in Major League Baseball right now.
Chapter 4: What impact has Ian Happ had on the Cubs' performance this season?
None of these guys are seeking velocity or 97 or 100. They're seeking getting outs, and it's really a throwback-type rotation for the Chicago Cubs. We exclude Cabrera, who's 97 with a changeup that's 95. The front office went out and did a great job of picking him up for ā Casey in the offseason.
But the reality is that each guy, and Boyd's going to be out for anywhere from four, most likely six weeks with this meniscus repair that he had today. But you look at all of them and you go, they just... They just give you six innings every time, sometimes seven, and they're at 100 pitches, and the team's in a position to win the game.
So the bullpen load, even though there's been injuries to the bullpen, hasn't been as severe because of the fact that these guys have gone deep into games, deep being the 2026 version of deep, six innings, sometimes seven.
And as I said to start the show, and I'm not breaking any news, nine-game win streak now on the heels of a 10-game win streak.
Chapter 5: How has Craig Council managed the team through injuries?
They've won 15 in a row at Wrigley Field. And as you pointed out in a tweet earlier today, the last time they had two streaks of 10 or more in a season was in 1935. And you thanked Cubs Media Relations for that little tidbit. I heard Ron Coomer on the call today said that he can't remember a run or a stretch this impressive.
And Ron's been around this team for a long time, including the 2016 World Series. Bruce, you've been around this team for a long time. Can you remember a stretch in your run covering this team as impressive as what we've seen here in the last 22 where they won 19 of those games?
No, I don't think so. I mean, the 2008 team was superior, and they had a couple of streaks that were long. But as you mentioned about the earlier tweet, it's been since 1935 that they won 11 in a row and then 18 in a row in that season.
Chapter 6: What strategies are in place to address the Cubs' pitching injuries?
Or, I'm sorry, 21 in a row. 11 and 21. 21 is the all-time Cub record for wins in a row. During a baseball season. So it is unique. And I don't know if the players are surprised. I think that council and the coaching staff front office are surprised that they've been able to do so much.
with so many injuries, so many pitching injuries along the way, losing Horton, losing Boyd now twice, the news on Steele that he won't be back, if at all, until late in the summer now. So many things that could have devastated them, and it hasn't. It's made him stronger.
Chapter 7: What is the significance of the Cubs' upcoming World Series anniversary celebration?
Guys have come up and replaced the injured pitchers like Theobar and Hunter Harvey. They've they've stepped in and done a great job. So, you know, and I, I left out that Palencia was out for three weeks now back in there and having to come in and a blowout game and save that today.
So, um, a lot of, just a lot of great things have happened and council was asked if he expected this type of play to continue. And he basically said, no, you know, it's just like, it's not going to be like this all year. Uh, very few teams have ever done that. Even the, uh, 1906 Cubs probably had a streak of some losses when they won 116 games.
And that's the record along with the Seattle Mariners of 2001.
Chapter 8: How is the Cubs' management planning for the trade deadline?
But, you know, it's still May. So there's an awful lot of things going on. And they've just started to play in their division. They played one series with Pittsburgh. Now they've made a nice early season statement against Cincinnati and
Sweeping them four in a row and putting them back and making them think a little bit about who they are after they lost their closer to injury for the next two months. This has been a really devastating series, I think, for the Reds.
Rami Makhlouf in for Spiegel and Holmes here on The Score this afternoon. Bruce Levine, my guest, who of course covers the Cubs for us here at The Score. Another thing I saw on your timeline today, Ian Happ's on Bay Street now at 28 games.
Has he told you or anybody in the media if or what he's doing differently this year that's taken his offense to yet even a higher level than what we've seen previously? And what's been a pretty good career for Ian Happ?
Well, he is a free agent, you know, Rami. That helps. I mean, I don't think Ian can turn it on and off like that. He's just been a really good player for a long time. But there's a significance to the type of player he's been. And you look at this team, and it's more now more about Ian, you know, with on-base percentage players. being at the top right now.
Walks, the Cubs are first or second in baseball. It's a very patient team, so when they're not hitting, they're setting up innings early by taking walks and being patient, making the pitcher throw a lot of pitches. I think that's more Ian Happ-like. That's what his career has been about. The early power numbers have been surprising. With nine home runs, he's on pace to probably hit 40 home runs.
I don't know if that's going to continue, but I think Ian Hap's been a really underrated good player for the Cubs during his career. He's never been a... quote-unquote superstar player, but he's made himself into a gold glove left fielder. He made himself into an outfielder after being an infielder during his college career. He's shown patience from both sides of the plate.
He's made himself into a better right-handed hitter when he was pretty much an automatic out the first couple of years right-handed in his swing. So He's subtly just made himself into an outstanding player and going to be remembered as one of the best players of the Cubs, even though he's not a superstar.
Bruce, you brought up Craig Council a few times already here in this interview. You just talked about how underrated Ian Happ has been. I think the job that Craig Council is doing this year has been underrated or flown under the radar a little bit. When you talk about all the injuries,
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