Cubs face a tough test in Milwaukee against NL Central-leading Brewers

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Rahimi & Grote Show 14 min 2 speakers 8 chapters transcribed 2 months ago

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What pivotal series are the Cubs facing against the Brewers?

Vinny Rotino 0:00

welcome to rahimi harris and grody on this friday it is a brewer's edition because the cubs are in milwaukee and spiegel and holmes are going to be at the brat stop later this afternoon by the way we are all getting ready for a very pivotal series but the good news is marshall harris that the cubs did the thing they had to do get the money in the bank You sweep the Mets for the season series. Thanks to that 10th inning win last night, where again, the Cubs show perseverance. You hit your way out of this. And that makes me breathe a little easier going into Milwaukee to face the buzzsaw that is Jacob Mizorowski and company.

Marshall Harris 0:38

It was supposed to be a 22-game stretch. 22 straight games against teams with losing records. It ended up being 21 because one of those games got postponed. But the Cubs, they made it through. They have a winning record.

How did the Cubs perform in their recent series against the Mets?

Marshall Harris 0:51

Maybe not as impressive as a record as you would have hoped. But given all the injuries... to the pitching staff. And given where they are now compared to where they were when they started the month of June, you can understand why being seven games over .500 is doable. They're still in playoff position. They still have... A chance to catch the Brewers. And I say a chance. It's not a likely chance. It's not a favorable chance.

What challenges do the Cubs face with their pitching staff injuries?

Marshall Harris 1:19

But it is a chance. They're six and a half games out. And for them to finally, over the last three series, just do what you're supposed to do, which is beat bad teams, punctuate it with a four-game sweep over the Mets. I have to say, if you're a Cubs fan, you've got to be okay with how this series in particular turned out.

Vinny Rotino 1:37

Well, I'm okay with it because they did what they had to do. When they were asked to hit their way out of this, when they were asked to have more run support for their pitching staff, which is decimated. At this point, decimated truly is the best word. By injuries, they did that. They've hit enough to win these games. Dansby Swanson doubleheader goes without saying.

Who is Jacob Mizorowski and why is he a tough opponent for the Cubs?

Vinny Rotino 1:59

That was an incredible offensive performance from everybody. Dansby over three games. And then they hit enough to get the win here. You know, it's a 4-3 ball game. They get six hits total. Mets had nine, but they couldn't plate anybody. They got a guy fired. Carlos Mendoza no longer the manager. And in the meantime, we see the Cubs get the series sweep against a team where I don't know if I would have said Mets are a very different group than I thought that they would be at the beginning of the season. But I will still take 13-1 combined over the Mets and the Phillies for the season series.

What offensive strategies should the Cubs consider against Mizorowski?

Marshall Harris 2:31

One of the reasons why I had this game in particular circled more than the previous three games, Juan Soto was back in the lineup. And you remember how scary Juan Soto is because he comes up in a bases loaded situation where they get him out. But things could have gone off the rails very quickly because he's Juan Soto.

Vinny Rotino 2:47

I mean, he's still got his. Yeah, he was able to do so. You could tell he was putting some good swings on the bat for sure.

Marshall Harris 2:54

One for three with two walks, you'll take that because he didn't drive anybody in. He didn't score any runs. And honestly, to see the Cubs win a one-run game where they didn't score six, seven, eight runs, that to me is like, okay, you can do it in more than one way also. They got the timely hitting when you got to the 10th inning.

How does the Cubs' recent performance affect their playoff chances?

Marshall Harris 3:13

Of course, who else? Pete Crow Armstrong, the big double, two for five. So his June keeps rolling, if you will. He's rolling straight towards NL Player of the Month. That's what he's doing right now.

Vinny Rotino 3:23

Well, and keep in mind, I mentioned Dan Spieswanson earlier. This is not a trend that started with the Mets series. It's probably the best where we saw his offensive output. There's no doubt about that. But this is something that goes back to the Colorado series.

What are the implications of the Cubs' bullpen performance going into the Brewers series?

Vinny Rotino 3:36

And that's what we talked about yesterday. So all importantly, can you keep the hitting going against arguably the best pitcher in the National League? I say that knowing what Shohei Otani is doing, but what Jacob Mizorowski is doing is even more impressive.