Chicago Cubs HAVE TO take advantage of their second half schedule

the Cubs have to take advantage of their second half schedule let's roll you are locked on Cubs your daily Chicago Cubs podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day you are locked on Cubs part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day I'm Matt cozy and I'm a lifelong and taking my passion into discussion with you on all things Cubs thank you for being part of the show and making lock on Cubs your first listen in today and the best way you can help us grow the show is to listen every day like the video and comment anything below today's episode is presented by booking.com booking yeah the right stay can make you a fan of any City even your Rivals check out booking.com for your stay today Sam olberg will be back Monday as he prepares for his trip up to Michigan for Nick Cozy's wedding this weekend my cousin Nick if you are a first or longtime listener is the reason Sam and I know each other Nick and Sam have been best friends since elementary school it's going to be a great weekend uh up there and I'm excited to uh be there for that great event as well we also need to do a roll call on this episode have not done this in a while shout out to all the everydays out there including Nick cozy if he's listening amongst his busyness uh right now shout out to all the people especially who are listening outside uh to us right now thought about that when I was going for a walk the other day I'm always listening to podcast or radio and I thought hey I wonder how many people listen to Sam and I when they go for a walk or a run um but we're doing a roll call everybody okay wherever you listen whenever you may be listening um and wherever you are please hit us up by commenting on YouTube that you are an everyday and where you're listening from okay so post a comment with the word every day plus where you're listening from okay if you are an audio peep Apple Spotify everywhere you get your podcast uh quite frankly I I I wish I there was a um more ways to engage as an audio uh listener I I've had that thought for a while but you could find us on on Twitter uh send me a tweet _ cozy or lockon Cubs and we will repost that uh comment that you're an every day or and where you're listening from always great to hear from our great listeners well the Cubs sit at 47 and 51 here at the allstar break with 64 games to go in the 2024 season and what a roller coaster it has been the Cubs began the season 17-9 before going 2 2 and 39 over their next 61 games they went into the break on a roll though winning eight of their last 11 games they open the second half with the six-game home stand hosting the Diamondbacks and the Brewers and there are 10 games until the trade deadline on Tuesday July 30th make no mistake about it the Cub's goal is to go four and two these first six games I would say six and four over these first 10 uh that puts that at 53 and 55 at the deadline there's so much we can talk about in terms of buy decisions at that stage especially in the bullpen which seems like a realistic landing spot but we'll get uh to that in the later show and as we set up this episode and take both shortterm and long-term views this is really going to be a deep dive breakdown on the whole second half schedule right now they are three and a half games out of the third wild card spot and four games out of the second wild card spot with seven teams sitting between the Cubs and a playoff spot right now okay that's a lot of teams seven all the way from the Cardinals down to the Cubs right now the Cardinals and Mets hold those two and three Wild Card spots Braves seemed like a a Sure Fire bet for that first one and we're at a point where we're starting to get some Deja Vu if we haven't already okay last year around this time the Cubs began their turnaround the All-Star break was a little bit later this year um or was a little bit earlier I don't remember which one but the Cubs again face the pressure of needing a great second half okay when the playoff hopes crashed and burn last September please don't forget that the players vowed to us that this season wouldn't unfold the same way they said that and it's been a rough first half again and actually in in in probably a more discouraging uh fashion than than in 2023 okay the 2023 Cubs did not have a 61 game stretch of absolute absurdity like this one did and the goal even even despite crashing in birning last fall was to make the playoffs this year 100% Jed Hoyer hinted at it Craig Council the players the goal was to make the playoffs the Cubs haven't been to the playoffs in a full 162 since 2018 that's a long time now and they're going to need a total team effort in order to push to the playoffs and perhaps that eight and3 run since July 4th is the start of something like that and one thing in the Cub's favor in the second half is their schedule which is one of the easiest in all of baseball and the Cubs have to take advantage of the second half schedule and I'm going to explain why uh with with a breakdown right here it's an easy schedule there are really only four series the rest of the year that you go oh my gosh this team okay four series the whole year which comes down to 12 games okay they're all three gamers Guardian Yankees Dodgers and Phillies that's the only time where there's a little bit of a a Fear Factor okay I would I would yield that to those four clubs the Cubs have two multi-game stretches that I don't know any other way to put this it's just easy on paper and of course we know the game isn't played on paper we've had issues with this already this season a multitude of times but if you look at the Long View of the schedule there's 28 total games that are just downright easy and if the Cubs are going to take one of these spots in the playoffs they will win a lot in those 28 games okay 28 of the last 64 of the year that's over 40% of the schedule left okay listen to these opponents okay from August 16th to September 4th the 18 game stretch includes the Blue Jays Tigers Marlins Pirates Nationals and Pirates and I like the Pirates more than most uh do okay did you see Paul skines in the All-Star game Tuesday night they have some Lynch pins offensively with Brian Reynolds and others um they have when they're at on their top of their game they have two closers with Chapman and Bednar um so you have six games with the pirates in that 18 game Run I give them more credit more respect than probably most do but regardless it's an easy stretch they also have this 10 game stretch shortly thereafter September 13th to September 22nd and those games are against the Rockies A's and Nationals I mean that's just straight up a light stretch of the schedule and again the next 10 games are crucial and shoot you can even narrow it down to just winning this upcoming Diamondback series just taking two out of three and we'll talk more about that for the last episode of the week that will be published Thursday evening into Friday but right now we're going on this deep dive of the second half schedule and the Cubs have to take advantage of this uh and again the 8 and3 run since July 4th hopefully it's the start of that hopefully they can keep it going uh this weekend against the snakes and you know during these 11 games they're second in all of baseball and batting average they're sixth in on base percentage fourth in slugging the starting pitching continues to be excellent the bullpen has been solid and the defense has really improved and so the pieces are starting to come together you always have the 22 and 39 looming and wonder what could have been um but the fact is is that their second half schedule just purely on a game by game basis bis which is what the Cubs are going to need to do moving forward um it is pretty soft and so if you're talking about competitiveness and taking advantage of of who's on the other side of the field um that exists for the Cubs the second half they could do something about that and that would be winning and hopefully they they continue their winning Trends uh on Friday into the weekend against the Diamondbacks one who's done a lot of winning for the Cubs already this season sha imaga who made his All-Star debut on Tuesday we break that down coming up next today's episode is presented by eBay Motors passion driving patience what brings home the winning trophy is also what keeps your car alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle level it up to Peak Performance from superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you're into speed power style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one car you always find exactly what you're looking for with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you're burning rubber not cash all the parts you need at the prices you want it's easy to turn your car into the MVP and bring home that win keep your car alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusion Supply eBay guarantee fit only available to us customers and this episode is also brought to you by game time now an authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball which makes getting tickets even faster and easier prices on the game time app actually go down the closer it gets to the first pitch with killer last minute deals all in prices views from your seat and their lowest price guarantee game time takes the guest work out of buying MLB tickets the experience of searching for and then buying tickets on game time is simple Plus game time is the only ticketing app that gives you complete peace of mind with your purchase see the view from your seat before you buy so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive download the game time app printed account and use code locked on MLB for $20 off for your first purchase terms do apply again create an account redeem code lock on MLB for $20 off download the game time app today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed with game time we're back here on lock on Cubs and the Cubs play the Diamondbacks at 1:20 pm Central Friday and you can hear every pitch of the Cubs Hometown broadcast on SiriusXM by searching Cubs on the sxm app sh imaga went three up three down in the fourth inning on Tuesday night for the national league as the Cubs Lefty made his All-Star debut and impressed as he has most of the 2024 campaign and managa 11 strikes on 15 pitches and what was at the time the first clean inning for the NL the broadcast on Fox didn't really discuss IM managa other than one or two sentences to say the Cubs would be lost without him and I'm paraphrasing what they actually said Joe Davis and John Smoltz but they're right it's true the Cubs are 13 and4 in the minaga 17 starts 2.97 ER for the left hand ER in 97 Innings this year uh quite a high win percentage there in 17 outings 13 wins and you don't want to think about where they would be with without him and who would be eating up those innings in his absence that has proven to be a solid addition by Jed Hoyer and Company to this rotation to this team the vibe was good from the outset in the Cubs convention in January and it is really snowballed into something really positive on the baseball field as well my guess is imaga makes his next start Sunday or Monday manager Craig Council said Jameson tyion is going to get the most rest since he pitch that final game of the first half so the Cubs might go Justin Steele Kyle Hendricks IM managa Javier Assad and tone to open up which also would mean steel would pitch the finale of the Brewers series which is nice uh but that's my best guess right now the probables of recording time here on a Wednesday night have not been announced I'm hoping those get announced before I record again which is going to be a quick turnaround here I record again uh Thursday morning for our last episode of the week but I hope we can get those probables out to you because uh they're important and Zack Gallen pitched the final game of the Diamondback series not sure what Tory lello is planning for his Club but if he does similar to his counterpart and Council then gallon won't pitch in this series which would be a nice break for the Cubs um but then again I have a quote that I'm goingon to share for next episode from Tory lllo basically saying hey we already have our eye on the Cub Series this is a quote from him after Sunday's first half finale uh in their in their game that basically said when we get to Chicago we don't want to sleepwalk through those first three games and we want to come out of the break strong and so maybe that plan includes Zack Allen pitching we'll see um but steel Hendrick in managa is my guest for this weekend and and we'll see one player not mentioned there was Hayden wisneski who would either get moved then to the bullpen or demoted to Triple A and uh that's something to keep an eye on I do think that there's going to be at least one roster move on Friday and we're going to discuss what those could be right after this today's episode is brought to you by booking.com booking.cm travel heating up especially travel for baseball games it's time to explore there's US cities you always secretly wanted to learn more about yes we're talking about your rival cities with hotels bed and breakfast vacation rentals Resorts and so much more on booking.com you might just find your perfect stay even in your baseball Rivals City from hotels that look over stadiums to familyfriendly Resorts booking.com has so many choices across the US for your summer travel this MLB season the right State can make you a fan of any US city even your Rivals book today on booking.com on the site or in the booking.com app today's episode is also brought to you by prize picks America's number one fantasy sports app it's the easiest and most exciting way to get in on the action while you watch your favorite sports and players pick more or less and two or more player stats and then watch the winnings roll in baseball season is well underway so don't miss your chance to add your favorite players from the diamond in your prize picks entries whether it's strikeouts RBI or first inning runs take your pick of more or less and add them to your prize picks entry prize picks is really simple to play with your entries taking less than 60 seconds to submit turning 10 bucks into 1,000 with just a few Taps of your screen download the priz picks app today and use code lockin MLB for a first deposit match up to $100 that's a first deposit match up to $100 by using Code locked on MLB pick more pick less it's that easy with prize picks America's number one fantasy sports app Daniel Palencia was set down earlier this week and raise your hand if you even realize fencia was back on the active roster recently but I want to preview a couple roster moves to begin the second half before we close out this episode Palencia back to Triple A means the Cubs will add a pcture on Friday and that pitcher is likely going to be the much welcome return of Julian Merryweather who had a breakout season in 2023 and before getting hurt and his fourth appearance in April was pitching well already this season eventually uh his absence calendar got longer and longer so he eventually hit the 60-day iil and because Merryweather is on the 60-day iil the Cubs also need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster so they cleared the spot in the act of 26-man by sending Palencia down now to open up a 40-man spot because Merryweather is being activated from the longer iil they need to they a 40-man spot but I think that is unfortunately going to be rather easy because the Cubs have four candidates to then place on the 60-day uh 60-day iil um with someone new and uh I could list those four names Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks have already been on the iil for about 40 days already and there's no indication that they will be back in the next 20 days um so I think it's going to be one of them but Keegan Thompson we haven't heard about in a while and then Luke little got hurt badly last Friday so he's on this list too um so that should be actually a fairly easy swap although that's a kind of an odd way to describe it I do think there's an outside chance Mike talkman is activated from the iil as well on Friday with Alexander Canario going back down to Triple A talkman is currently getting time at the Cubs facility in Mesa but they might want want him to go to an affiliate before returning to the active roster like triaa Iowa or dou a Tennessee um if they want to keep him close maybe even high South Bend if they're home this weekend so I think we see talkman more likely next week sometime but uh the Cubs are going to be getting some reinforcements now with Merryweather with talkman maybe Caleb Killian is not too far behind uh and and hopefully Brown and Wix you know recuperate at some at some point because they would be just real pluses to this club as well U but that's some roster move uh teases for for Friday uh we might even get those Thursday but I don't think before I press record for the last episode uh the last episode of this week will be released Thursday evening again we've been publishing episodes more on a Sunday to Thursday evening schedule since the beginning of this season um I had a very what I would call admittedly a very Matt Coy idea for this last episode of the week um we can't replace Sam with one host we have to replace him with four and I had this idea and I actually reached out to all four of these gentlemen uh there's four locked on hosts that I know at least of there might be more but there's four locked on hosts who are Cubs fans and that is uh SE from locked on Broncos Jack from locked on Blackhawk Sunny from locked on Ali which just recently launched and then Adam the bow uh from the ultimate Cleveland sports show and the middle segment I'm GNA preview Cubs and Diamond Backs for that last episode um but this first segment I was hoping to get all these dudes in the same room and I just thought that's a little bit too much even for me so Adam the B is graciously going to join me he's really well known for his radio runs at 923 the fan in Cleveland and WFAN in New York Adam is a DieHard Cubs fan despite growing up in Brooklyn so we'll definitely ask him about that in addition to the Cub so far and then previewing the the Diamondback series and then the third segment um planning on hopefully having a nice surprise and uh finally having Megan monturo from the Chicago Tribune on I say finally just because I've been in touch with her um off and on you know this season and we originally even sketched out a plan for her to be on uh more frequently this year but it's going to be a pleasure to have her on if we're able to to do that um I've known Megan for a long time I I shadowed her as a reporter when I interned at the Northwest Herald over 10 years ago and I I covered a Cubs game in the Wrigley Press Box uh Megan's had a great career she covered the Cubs she covered the Phillies and then came back to the area to sign with the Tribune and cover the Cubs um shoot I think that was probably longer ago than I realized I think it probably was a few years ago at this point so I think we're going to get Adam the bowl a middle segment so and then Megan so there's a lot of moving Parts but uh should be a good one thank you so much for checking out this edition of locked on Cubs you give us 20 to 30 minutes we'll give you all things Cubs with a laugh or two along the way be sure to hit subscribe on YouTube smash the like button for the algorithm and leave a festar review on Apple Spotify and everywhere you get your podcasts I'm Matt cozy and this is lockdown Cubs