Mark Sweeney previews Cubs-Cardinals series
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What are the recent performance highlights of the Cubs and Cardinals?
Layla Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody, Rahimi, Harrison, Grody on 104.3 The Score. Swing and a miss.
And you talk about a heartbreaking loss. This one is tough as they come. outs away from a no-hitter and a win. The Cardinals see the Brewers score two in the eighth. They win it 2-1. They sweep the series, and the Cardinals now four and a half back in the Central.
That call is courtesy of Cardinals Television, and goodness knows we know what that's like. The Brewers just sweeping the rivals, both the Cubs and the Cardinals recently. We go to our hotline, and that is where we are joined by a friend of the show and somebody who taught me a lot about baseball. He's a young sideline reporter, 14-year Major League veteran.
How does Mark Sweeney assess the Cubs' recent struggles?
He is pre- and post-game analyst for Cardinals TV, Mark Sweeney. Mark, how are you?
I'm doing great, Layla. Good to hear from you, and thanks for having me on.
And I am to understand that that Gavin is graduating from something today. He's not that old.
We're not that old. No, it's only eighth grade, but we still have to make it a big deal. Yes, he's going to high school and I'm sorry, but we have to get dressed up and it's an occasion, I guess.
Well, congratulations to Gavin. And I refuse to believe he's that old because that means we're older and I'm not OK with it.
I know. I agree. It doesn't make it easier on us, for sure.
Just so you know, I have been to back-to-back Wednesday 8th grade graduations, and you're right. You've got to do the little song and dance. Everybody's wearing their gowns. We've got to go out to dinner. We've got to watch them walk across the stage. Everybody gets a trophy.
Mark, it's amazing. It's a different world out there, and yes, we have to get dressed up. We call it a promotion out here in California, not
I love that. I love that.
I feel like that's come up as well. Yeah, promotion is the new thing. So congrats on Gavin and you all to get the promotion.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
So, Mark, we're thankful that Cubs and Cardinals is coming at a time where the Cubs were able to get off the 10-game slide, split the series with Pittsburgh, take two, happy flight as they go to St. Louis. Cardinals with a very respectable record, almost identical to the Cubs, get swept by the Brewers. We know it well. How do you evaluate these two teams at this juncture in time for what should be a really fun rivalry weekend?
Well, Layla, it's interesting that they're playing now. It's taken so long. Typically, you see this matchup earlier in the season. But listen, we all know what the Chicago Cubs have done. They have had 10-game win streaks, two of those a 10-game losing streak. It's an oddity of that because I really think it's a very good team. They've dealt with a lot of injuries, as you guys have talked about. From the Cardinals' standpoint, It's been a surprise. We've had some really nice performances. I think Jordan Walker has been the biggest surprise. You look across the offensive categories, and I don't think anyone had on their bingo card that Jordan Walker was going to be their number one star offensively, and that's been a really nice revelation.
J.J. Weatherholtz, the leadoff hitter, the rookie, he has not left that leadoff spot, and we know how hard that is in the game of baseball to find a leadoff guy, and he is. Even though the numbers aren't ridiculous, he's scoring runs. He gives good at-bats. And I think the top four hitters in the Cardinal lineup have done a very good job. You look at Alec Burleson, also Yvonne Herrera. I think offensively, it's been a nice surprise. They need to find some production at the end of the lineup. But if you look at the baseball landscape, Layla, I think there's a lot of people, a lot of teams that are looking for that, and they're not getting it done well. And if they do, they're a dangerous team. They've made themselves into a position where they feel like they can win the series.
And I think that's a good thing that this young team has done.
Wow. You know, it's funny because you started off your answer with the Cardinals have been a surprise.
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Chapters
3 chaptersSpeakers
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