Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Russ Dorsey talks Cubs' perplexing offensive slump (Hour 4)

Episode Date: May 27, 2026

In the final hour, Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote were joined by Yahoo Sports MLB insider Russ Dorsey to discuss the Cubs’ offensive woes during their 10-game losing streak. After that, the crew wondered where the Cubs will sit in the standings a month from now.

This hour is brought to your bike cars for kids. Russell Dorsey, National MLB Insider for Yahoo Sports. Oh, he's fine. He doesn't need the attention. Russell will be fine. You're probably right. We're going to have a conversation about some mediums when he gets in here. I tell you that. Host of the Relay with Russ Dorsey podcast. Because of the way the rest of the American League has been,

because of the way the season has kind of gone with injuries for different teams, the White Sox have put themselves in a really good position here at, as we go into the middle of May. Insider and analysts for MLB Network and Friday night baseball on Apple TV. My eye is on which version of Pete do you get in 26? Because if you can get, we'll call it 65%, even 70% of the first half,

Pete Coral Armstrong offensively, with that same high-quality defense that we saw from him since he's gotten to the big leagues, to be honest. Then you still have a high-quality player. Russell Dorsey, I'm running. On 104 3, the score. The score.

Russ Dorsey joins us every week, and he is here today on Rahimi Harrison-Rody. He is the Major League Baseball Insider for Yahoo Sports, Major League Baseball Network, and Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV. He is the host of the shirt he's wearing the Relay with Russ Dorsey podcast. Available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast. The merch is out now. The merch is slowly rolling out. We have the athletic tease.

we're finalizing what we're going to put out to the public, but very soon people will be able to buy all their relay with the Russ and Dorsey merch. Oh my God, the Take the North has work to do. We don't have dry fit. Wow. And you guys have been a pod for a while. Exactly. I got a wristband once.

We did have Take the North wristbands. And not like an athletic wristband, like a little, you know, bracelet. You guys are saturating the wristband market. We're going to do bobbleheads next. Hey, I'm down with that. What's up, guys? How are you? I'm doing well.

So we just started our show super annoyed. Okay. Obviously because the Cubs have lost 10 in a row. Yes, they have. And I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that the entire lineup acts like the same person. Usually on a team of veterans, somebody's in there breaking up a slump because theirs doesn't last as long as somebody else's. And, you know, people are different. And when there's nine of them hitting, you tend to think that somebody would break through.

But that's not been the case. And then poor Jordan Wicks got out there and unfortunately uncorked five runs in the first inning. Got better after that, but it hasn't been ideal. No, not ideal at all. It's so interesting that you ask that, Layla, because I was thinking about it after the game yesterday. Like, you think of the offensive profiles of a lot of guys in that Cubs lineup. And outside of PCA and Dansby that is, you know, big swing and miss, you know, when you, you know, they have power. Like there's some swing and miss that comes with that.

When you talk about Bregman, you talk about Nico, you talk about Michael Bush for the most part. Like those guys' offensive profiles aren't necessarily conducive to long offensive slumps. You know, especially Nico, right? Because that's a guy that almost has this slump-proof offensive approach. And I feel like this is the first time in a really, really long time. we've seen even him go through a long stretch where offensively it's just not there. And I don't know how they get out of it without just getting out of it, if that makes sense, right? It seems it's a very unsatisfying answer, but it's like I don't know what they can do outside of starting to hit.

It's the most baseball answer that can be given. Hey, man, we're going to get out of it. And at some point, nobody knows what that point is. Like you're just going to hear that for a while. Well, then maybe you've answered my question. Yeah. And that is what I've been asking, and I don't expect necessarily a great answer, is it chronic? Is, should we be talking about offensive players the Cubs should add instead of starting pitchers?

Oh, great. You know what I mean? No, I hear you. Like, is somebody that need to be replaced on the Cubs diamond? I just don't know if that solves their problem. And I don't, like, there's no trade that you're. going to make on May 27th to bring somebody in because one, no team is going to trade you somebody worth value to plug in the middle of your lineup on May 27th.

Shooter shoot. I think the other part is, I know what usually happens when you have a long stretch offensively like this, and it usually leads to somebody getting fired. And it's usually the hitting coach in baseball, and it's never usually the hitting coach's problem. I don't know if that's going to happen. I don't think that's going to happen with the Cubs because I think when you hear everything that they say internally, whether it's Jed Hoyer, whether it's Craig Counsel, it's, hey, the guys in the lineup have to swing the bats like we expect them to. And I think at the end of the day, like they have guys in that lineup that they

expected way more out of, not a little bit, like a lot more. And so until those guys start swinging the bat. We're just going to be looking at each other. They're like, oh, one run and five, six hits, yeah? That's what it's been. They're averaging two point five runs a game since May 9th. That's not some small sample size. And you know up until that point, I was reminding our audience of this, the Cubs had had 10 comeback wins where it felt like if they were down three to one or some sort of man, like they were going to come back and overcome it. They also had four or five walk-off wins. Things were really good.

Things were really potent. Now you feel unstoppable. Two runs. We were saying that. We were saying, but they were down one-and-nothing and what the fifth inning on Monday. And it felt like I had to ask the question. I'm like,

I can't even get out of this right now. And the other part of this is, it's, I get it. Players are always going to say you're going to find, water find its level. You're going to play to the back of your baseball card. But what it doesn't measure is, your back of the baseball card when a team is struggling and doesn't have a good bullpen

and you've already gotten the lead. There are so many variables to how those hits come. And weighted runs creative plus does a good job with trying to at least identify that part of it. But that part of it is not happening right now for this team. Runners in scoring position numbers. Nico was out of his mind last year with hits with runners in scoring position. He was also in a different spot of the lineup. and partially because you had a certified bopper batting cleanup in Kyle Tucker.

I think the because the runners in scoring position numbers are ugly. I think the one thing with hitting with runners in scoring position, it's always a, how do I describe it? It's not necessarily something that you can quantify from year to year. Like you could see a team that's the best at doing it one year, and then next year they are horrible at it. Like, there's no necessarily rhyme or reason for it all the time. It's like one run ball games.

Right. Like one run ball. That's exactly it. And so when I look at this Cubs team, it's kind of everything that can go wrong has gone wrong offensively. And I think the thing that I'm, I would be concerned about if I'm them, you are in this stretch where you're not getting anything offensively. You're lucky lately if you can score two runs. And now your pitching staff. that had pitched pretty well over the first,

we'll call it six weeks of the season, and maybe pitching above what they actually were, starting to come back to Earth a little bit at a point where you really can't afford that because you're not scoring runs. And now you have another situation on your hand. So it is not great right now, and I can understand why Craig's kind of like scratching his head.

And I think the other thing, and Cubs fans can tell me if I'm wrong in the text line, I think the one thing that doesn't make it satisfying is you talk about a lot of the players having a similar kind of offensive profile. They also have a similar way of responding to how they've played. It's very even keeled. And their manager, very even keeled, even when things are going good. And usually when you have a 10-game losing streak, you want somebody to be fired up and give somebody the kick in the pants that, you know, light a fire, all the sports.

sports cliches that we like to say. That's just not them. And so I don't know if doing that would necessarily change anything. I think they feel like doing it the way they have, eventually it has to turn. But nobody wants to hear that when you've lost 10th straight. Because it's not an answer. You're leaving it up to chance and time is the answer. And frankly, time is the answer for all of us in some way, shape, or form.

And that's why when we were talking about this earlier, Russ, Carson Kelly talked to Mark and Bruce Levine on Saturday and discuss the perilous nature of a game of inches in baseball where you're inches away from a home runner or a foul ball. And while I get that, players still have to have defined approaches to fastballs. Players still have to have hitting approaches. Your hitter should have to have approaches. Carson Kelly got two hits yesterday.

I don't necessarily know that he's falling into my category of you don't have an approach. But it just makes me wonder when he says it, what our team approaches and do the individuals define their approaches enough to matter in cases like these? Ian Hap talked about it a little bit, but he's a veteran who's been at this a long time and he's had different managers. I do think the one thing with them, because I've thought about that too, while watching them, is they are a team that usually goes up there with a plan. Like they're not just up there free swinging. No.

You see teams that are just up there. All right. Three. But that's, yes, but that's just his offense profile. The defined approach for center field would be a really good thing right now. I just don't think, I think there are a lot of issues in that lineup, so we got to go one at a time. And for me, that's the, you know what he is. I think when it comes to like Nico, Ian Hap, Bregman, Michael Bush, like those guys are up there trying to see as many pitches as possible.

They usually have a decent walk rate when they're going good. That's not a team that doesn't have an offensive plan when you're going to a plate. So usually with teams like that, they don't have the issues that the Cubs are having. I do just think like earlier in the season, everybody was hitting except Michael Bush. Now Michael Bush is the only guy hitting and nobody else is. And so I think they have gotten caught in this storm, if you want to call it that, where everybody's kind of trying to swing their way out of this thing now. And there is some pressure building because you go from being the best team in the National League Central

one of the best teams in all in Major League Baseball to now you are in the seller in L Central in 14 days. Three games over 500 all of a sudden too if you care about those kinds of things, 29 and 26 with the L10 that has occurred. Outside of the lineup, I hate asking this question

because he was a first round pick, but is that going to do it for Jordan Wicks? Like, is he done? Because he can't, he's not good in relief. Had a horrible start last night and maybe he was amped up and maybe it's not fair, but is that it? I don't think it can be it with all the injuries the Cubs have had. You know what I mean?

It's probably not it as long as Matthew Boyd isn't in the starting rotation. Yeah, I think as long as they have as many injuries as they have to their pitching, he's going to at least get an opportunity. Does that somebody else? I guess they just did scrape the bottom of the barrel. It feels like every guy that they brought up from Iowa has either gotten DFA or gotten hurt. So, like, you kind of need somebody to throw the baseball.

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, he did give him four to third. Hey, he did. He did. He did. You know, he wore it. That was 80 pitches. Second time through the order was a little different.

Yeah. Hey, second, third, and fourth, I don't think he gave up zero runs in those innings. Hey, Gross. Did you say that the Cubs won the division at some point? I did. This was last year in. It's my greatest score sin. I've had many score sins through the years, and I've gone to confession for all them.

there was a point last year, Russ, before the Brewers had their 12-game winning streak or whatever it was. It was in June. It was June. And the Cubs were just cruising, looking like they did during their 10-game winning streaks this year. And I said, I said, that's it. The Cubs won the division. Appreciate the nice try, Brewers. It's all over.

Yes, I did. And I've been, I, there's two or three texts a day about that. Then Pat Murphy clip that up and. And they had no rebate, basically. And the Brewers Clubhouse. And the Brewers kind of. Yeah. Yes, I did do that, Russ.

You have to say Abner, because Juan is a totally different ballgame. You know what my defense is this year, though, Russ? Everybody picked the Cubs to win the division this year. That's like, that's why I think when I was on with Lawrence last week, we would always, anytime you talk about the NL Central, there's always this, well, the Cubs are still the most talented team. I don't think you can say that anymore. I remember that conversation.

You have to stop saying that. How would I answer that? Like, you're right. You're right. You can talk about the. known name brewers as all shucks Pat Murphy does as Layla would say. I do call him All Shucks, Pat Murphy.

When he said that we didn't know their names. Get out of here. We know who Bryce Terang is now, okay? You think I don't know who Christian Yellages? Please. You think that I wasn't watching Orlando Arcia pinch hit yesterday for the Twainz? William Contreras.

Don't get out. Get out of here with that mess. Go on. Get Pat Murphy. Go on. Get Pat. I don't want to hear it from you. Yes, 815.

Please search and find the date that Groh said that. I think we can. We know it. Didn't I sign you guys to do that? Of all people, I'm the one who asked our producers. Hey, when did I make that stupid prediction last year? You keep guiltily talking about it. June, was it 8th?

See, I thought it was May, but I guess it was June. No, it was definitely June. I'm glad to hear I had a little bit of discipline and restraint. Oh, you had the decency to hold off until June to say it. You said that before Memorial Day, that's wild. After June 1, you kind of get whatever off. I felt like I was in the clear. You're right.

after Memorial Day were all in the clear. June 18th was the date. 18th. Well, well, June 18th. There it is. That is around the time that the brewers got red hot and never. Textor's actually offering to search the Odyssey app to find the date, just so they can stick it in my face. It's beautiful.

Cubs are 4 and 16 in the past 2608 says, yeah, it's not good. This is more than just the 10-game losing streak. I mean, that's it. This is not just about that. And that's why we're talking about this. That's why we're talking about this with the, I think, proper amount of urgency. Yeah. Like, this is not, this is something that we knew this lineup was capable of.

And I'm mad about it. I guess I'll say it. 815 also says. It just always makes me mad about Kyle Schwerver because he makes all of this damn thing make sense. I'm sorry I did not mean to make you spit out your coffee mark. I was going to do a spit take there. But it's just, Duh, tell me what it, like, it just, that every, he would make the entire thing make sense right now.

That can't be the only fix, though. It was an obvious one. It ages like five years every year, though. That's it. Like, for every hour you spend talking about. I know I do that thing where I'm like, guys, we have to. But I, no. There are guys in this lineup that are supposed to hit.

But no super stars, though. Every major leagueer is supposed to hit. No superstars. Well, they thought, they thought that they had the right lineup to score runs. You got the run prevention. And maybe they do. Do that? Well, that's it.

Is it chronic? We don't know. Nobody knows. Here's the issue is that, number one, Alex Bregman had a half of a good season last year, and you know that it was the first half. You knew you were taking a little bit of a risk. I don't think you realized.

I don't give him the injury because he was putting together a really, really good season if he didn't injure his hamstring. Did I think that it was going to linger like this the next year? No. You're also midway through a Dansby-Swan contract where I don't know that I can expect him to bat over. 225 in a season. Yeah, he's the new Alfonso Soriano,

always three years left on his contract, always here. But you know what I'm saying? Like there's that piece of it. So those are your two money guys. That's your money team, as I like to say. PCA, you're still trying to figure out who he has as a hitter. And I am not ready to just accept that that's who he's going to be. This strikeout heavy, like, you can't just say, well, this is who he is as a hitter and then just hope he makes

contact on some. Like, I don't think it's that simple with him. I think when you've committed to somebody, you're saying, yes, you are hoping that they continue to improve as a player. But I think when you look at this lineup holistically, you build it knowing what he is today on May 27th or whenever the season started. And then you go from there because him playing, him having this offensive profile is fine if the lineup, the way you built it does what they're supposed to do. So they're just not doing that. Well, say Suzuki also, don't forget that he led the league in RBI at the All-Star break. And that's not happening now either. His numbers were scoring position were great in the first half, and he had production in the lineup,

and I feel like he was his best self. And that's also been a point of contention is just what he is supposed to be to this team. Yeah. Over three last night, Biosteros, O for four. I was going to say, Moises, by Astero's, is really fighting it. That's a wild card for me. And that was the guy that was supposed to, they said he is going to be our Kyle Tucker replacement against right-handed hitters. Moises-byesteros was going to be their Kyle Tucker replacement.

We'll talk about it. Can we come back to that after the break? Oh, yeah, we can. It's, yeah. I think we need to. We also want to go over some audio clips that we got from Jed Hoyer. So we'll do all of that with Russ Dorsey of the Relay with Russ Dorsey podcast in studio next on Rahimi Harris and Grody. on the score.

Rahimi Harrison Grody. Oh, sorry, but. Watch your profanity. You said pop of the mind. No, no. You know what? You've got to let it flow. Our poor producer Ray spilled his coffee.

So thanks for christening our studio over here. No, no. It's okay. Middays 10 to 2 on 1043, the score. This is Rahimi Harrison Grody on 1043, the score. And watch your profanity also may have come up again, which, which, That inspired the famous Russ Dorsey line, invite you to somebody's private.

Watch your profamity. Yeah, that was said. Yes. Last week. Did you see Abner your rebale last night? I did see Abner. Give the old DX chop to the Carlin's bench. Yeah.

I'm sorry. Pat Murphy was not happy. The triple. Pat is his boss and I understand why he has to keep a buttoned up operation. But I keep the opposite of a buttoned up operation. And I thought he had funny points. Yeah, it's not okay because you put somebody's health at risk because the likelihood that you get thrown at the next day is very high.

And everybody would understand. I think from that aspect, it's selfish because you're not the dude that's going to get thrown at. It's going to be Jackson Churio or Christian Yelich that has to wear William Concheris, and that's not fair to your teammates. Eye for an eye. Throw it William and see what happens. I'm not saying that's okay. I'm just saying that's what usually happens and that's unfair as a team.

You know, it's also wild. We were just, Lately, we were just talking about this, Russ and I during the break. It was on May 6th, Russ. It was May 6th. Russ and I were doing the afternoon show filling in for Stiegel and Holmes. Yeah, it wasn't that long ago. The Cubs were riding so high that we were doing the Russ Dorsey game, which was, Grody, I'm going to name teams.

You stop me when you hear a team better than the Cubs. Right, and there was only two. Dodgers and Yankees, right? That was it. Oh, your World Series pick? And the Braves. The Braves. Yes.

My very unique and creative. Because that legit was my World Series pick this year. Why wouldn't you just pick the Dodgers and Yankees every year in this era? Sometimes the Yankees are not fail safe. But they're about as fail safe. They're fail safer than other teams in the American League. But yeah, that was, that's sad. Yes, and this was the music that we used.

Oh, my God. What is this song? This is the, do you want to be a millionaire? Oh, yeah, yeah. Who wants to be a millionaire? That's right. That's what it was. Oh.

phone a friend and all that. Yeah, all that. The pressure's on. Are you ready for this? The Cubs are trying to phone a friend right now. Oh, my God. Who would you phone? Yordan Alvarez?

I'm obsessed. Sorry. You are obsessed with him. I thought he's really good. Can I ask a question? Because any time I hear people like, hey, trade for Yordaun Alvarez. Couple things. You have to have a...

It takes two to tango when it comes to trades. Number two. You think you would be the only team in major league baseball that want Yorda. Don Alvarez, one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. Number three. To be fair, Kyle Tucker was up for grabs. Yes, I do think.

I only think the Cubs would be interested. Yes, Russ. That's what I think people think sometimes. Only the Cubs are in. No, Don Alvarez for Moises by Esteron. Straight up. I'll throw in Mets Shaw. I'll show it up.

Is that good enough? Is that good enough? Okay. Okay, let's do this. People would like to say Shaw plus name whatever past. Kevin Alconjohn. Trump.

On somebody else's team. Jordan Wicks. Yes. Like people put together packages like that. And I'm like, I promise you, that doesn't get it done. If it took your best prospect to get Edward Cabrera, you think Shaw plus pick a prospect is going to get you, Yordon Alvarez? Jackson Wiggins, the pitcher. Is that the name, Wiggins?

So you think somebody's going to trade for an injured pitcher who hasn't made his debut yet for Yuron Albreth. Like, see, this is what people will do. But you know what? The holes you're poking, man. As much as we like to hold on to certain prospects or try to trade them, I always think of the prospects that are, oh, you can't trade that guy. That guy's untradable and blah, blah, blah.

And it's always, you know, I think all comes to mind. I'm trying to think of who it was. He's been DFA'd here twice for Austin Jackson. Michael. Michael was like untradable in the Texas Rangers organization. He was a cub and a white sock. And DFA'd each time for Austin Jackson. I'm not even making it off.

It's a trivia question because he was the Cubs starting third baseman in the year 2015 before he was holding the place for KB and once he got his service time, he was out of there. But the point is like the guy you think is untradable. You know, there's no way. Part of the reason you think that is because he's been kept in the minor leagues for a reason. And it is to keep his value up because the unknown plus that prospect is worth more in a package of some sort of deal like this. You can't do that as much now. But I still think about that.

I just, we sometimes like to put value on prospects because you see them and you can find their names on a prospect list. And sometimes when it comes to how other teams see those prospects, they are not the same, right? Like you would like to assume that a team looks at, let's say, Kevin Alcantra and says, oh, this is a valuable piece. They might not, though. They might see a guy that was hitting 240 at AAA. Well, yes, 15 homers, but struck out almost 40. percent of the time in the month of April. So you never know.

Also, the thing with the Cubs, I'm going to ask you guys a question because you guys ask me questions. I'm going to ask y'all a question. It's May 27th. June 27th, where are the Chicago Cubs? That was the date I predicted they would catch the White Sox in the standings, that the two would be even. But I can't really...

Oh, the socks would catch the Cubs. Correct. But I can't confidently say that because the socks have a brutal June schedule. It is pretty. rough. But I think there's still probably, in theory, if this mercifully ends, the problem is two games could separate one through three in the central. I think they're still in the playoff picture, believe it or not. But it's really a good and legit, difficult question again, because of the skittishness, the bipolarism of the Cubs this year, where they can have the

two 10-game winning streaks and now a 10-game losing streak. So how do you predict? what their next streak is going to be. For the sake of the question, I will say, yes, the Cubs are still going to be at that point, seven to ten games over 500 and in the playoff picture and in the division race still. Okay. What do you think?

Yeah, I mean, even if you're third in the Central, you're still in the playoffs. So I feel confident about that. These are the Cubs opponents. So they got the last one, or today and tomorrow are against Pittsburgh, and they have St. Louis for three. I've been playing really well.

They have the A's that have been playing well for their division in the AAL West. Then they have the San Francisco Giants have not been playing well, the Rockies, who haven't been playing well, then they have the Giants again in San Francisco, then the Rockies again at Wrigley. So that might be your two-week reprieve where, like, you got to get fat again,

and you have some opponents to do it. Then you have Toronto, the New York Mets, Milwaukee, in Milwaukee, and then three against the San Diego Padres. If there was ever a time to get yourself going again, it would be the month of June. I also thought that they'd get themselves right against the Houston Astros.

That's the other thing, Grotes, about this whole thing. The White Sox took two and three. All right. Sox were playing really well going into that series. Then the Brewers swept you. Great starting pitching, and they had been playing really well. And then the Astros come in with the fourth worst record in the American League. They were 11 games under 500.

Fourth worst record in a bad American League, too. Yeah. And not a fundamentally sound team or any of that. You're not Alvarez. Everybody works. Hey, number 44. Was her. But that's the other point.

And injured. Altuva is on the injured list. Correa's out for the year. Yeah. And they came in here and swept you. And then they threw no hitter. They were the get right. They got the Cubs to get right series.

They were the Astros get right series. The Cubs were. Disturbing. So, yeah, I ask you guys that because I look at the month of June and there are some opponents on there. Now, we thought the Cubs would play better and they haven't. Maybe they play better against those opponents. like the Giants and the Rockies that you get for two different series back-to-back weeks.

Giants look pretty good. The Mets. The Mets. They had against the socks, I will say. But they're not that good. But they're not good. And they were at home. No, but.

But yeah, and so it's hard because it's a season. It's hard to figure out because they're in such a good division, too. I don't think that's why the Giants are bad. I think the Giants are bad because they're a bad, poorly constructed baseball team. I thought they were going to be good. I don't think they're, and their manager has never managed, and their president. in a baseball operations. Has never president.

And I think he kind of gets to slit pass because he's a hall of him. I don't understand how they go from Andrew Friedman to this. Or Farhan's idea. Farhan didn't have a ton of success even. But Farhan, he did enough to help the Dodgers create the Juggerna. There were a lot. There are other things to that. But they've added.

What are the other things? They've added a lot of players in the last couple of years, right? Financially. You look at their payroll, like Willie Adams, Raphael Devers. They just gave Matt Chapman new money. It's a big market team. I liked the Matt Chapman signing. I'm cool with them being aggressive, but none of their moves have worked.

They've been booing in San Fran, man. But they won three World Series titles in six years. Exactly, Leila. They know what good baseball looks like, and what San Francisco is playing is not. good baseball. But it's so, the game is so different now compared to them. Like that's what makes us hard. And again, you have the juggernaut down south on the five in L.A.

who lets everybody know that if you're available, they're going to get you. Yeah, they'll get, by the way, they'll get Yorda and all for us. 7.08 says, come on, everyone. You're talking like it's the end of the season. There's over 100 games left. I realize that. But at some point, these aren't just today issues. These are issues that have lingered now.

If you don't want to look at your credit card balance, it's not my business, but I look at mine. I look at every game as if it is a game that is of consequence. Not the most consequence, but when you see patterns, we would be naive and in denial to not acknowledge them. That's it. As the other text are said, 4 and 20 or 14-16 over the last 20. You know, that's not, 4 and 16 over the last 20 is more indicative of what you're seeing.

That's not a small sample. Also, I'm not a big half-faith person. You know how people be like, have faith in Jed? I don't do that. Like, people make decisions. The decisions are what they are. We talk about the decisions. I don't have faith in any one individual.

Also, I just don't even know how many good teams there are in major league baseball this year. Do we want to play the game? Let's play that game. How many good teams are there? The problem is baseball doesn't know how many good teams there are in baseball, and that's what makes the trade deadline even more confusing. Rattle off some names and we'll just go yes or no. MLB.com slash.

The outstanding. 27th. All right. The Atlanta Braves is the first name. Very good baseball team. Yes. That would be a yes. That's one.

The Washington Nationals. I don't necessarily think the Nats are a baseball team. Their economy is based on Joey Weamer. They've played well. They've played well. And surprisingly, the best offensive major league baseball. I don't know how that's happening. And James Wood is the dude and C.J. Abrams has been playing great.

I don't necessarily think they're good. These last three are. Actually, this one I think is one of the best ones. The Philadelphia Phillies. Oh, man. Are they good? They've been playing a lot better. They've been playing a lot better under Donnie baseball.

I'm going to say, yes. I do think the Phillies are a good baseball team. Okay, I'm going to bounce around a little bit here. And I'm going to get out of the east here because Miami and the Mets, they're not great. Maybe Miami. I think the Barlins are a good baseball team. They do this every seven years. People don't like saying it, but they're a good baseball team.

How good? Like better than the Cubs good? They're going to be in the playoff pitch. When we get to September, the Marlins are going to be in the conversation. They have two of the best offensive players in Major League Baseball in and Xavier Edwards. They are a good baseball team. Otto Lopez is batting 3.30.

He leads Major League Baseball and hits and batting average. He's batting 3.30. The Marlins are a good team. All right. The St. Louis Cardinals, 29 and 24, second place in the Central of the National League. Three and a half games back. They've lost three in a row right now. I feel like you can't put the Cardinals in the.

because we still, they're playing with some found money of sorts. I mean, we're about to be in June and they've, they're, yes. Okay. Um, how about the Arizona Diamondbacks? I don't know. 30 and 24? No. We talk about San Francisco.

No. Colorado. No. San Diego and the Dodgers. So here's the thing with the Padres. Yeah. I know what their record is. Uh-huh.

If you look at their lineup. 31 and 23. They have like five dudes hidden below 200. Fernando Tatez Jr. still doesn't have a homer. Mani Machado's hit the under, still. He did a whole YouTube video about this. And TikTok. Manny Machado's hitting under 200.

Jackson Meryl's hitting under 200. I just, I don't know how the Padres are winning games, but they are. Gavin Cheats. That's crazy. I know we got a break, but really quick, I'm just going to go through some in the American League. Yankees. Yes. Toronto.

No, not right now. And obviously Baltimore and Boston get out of it. Okay, here Cleveland. Yes. The Cleveland is good. I think Cleveland is a good team. Minnesota. to KC, Detroit, blah, right?

And then, God, the West is ridiculous. Do you realize that every team in the West right now is under 500? Exactly. Athletics, Seattle, Texas, Houston, and the Angels. Any of those teams good? The best of those, to me right now is the A's. Maybe. A's are to the American League. Save Louis Severino, for the love of God.

Get him out of there. He doesn't deserve this. We said like seven teams. Yeah. Yeah. So that keeps hope alive for everybody, including the Chicago Cubs. That is the moral of the story. You know who you didn't mention?

The White Sox? He didn't say the White Sox. Are the White Sox... You know, the White Sox question is, and I really understand we have to break, are they what they are right now? And that is a... What is their exact record, right? The White Sox are 27 and 27.

Are they better than that? Are they a 500 team or are they 10 games over 500? They are exactly what their record is. They think they're about 500 by the time the season ends. Probably. Okay. Yeah. You guys look at that.

I don't think it's a really good season. Oh, it's tremendous, actually. season if they finish 500. Look at the month of June and that will be the truth tell. I know they got the Yankees in there. It's not just sad. For the Sokos? Not just that. Like they play the Yankees and they play the Dodgers and Braves at home. Like it's at their home, not at the, not at the Dodgers and Braves home. But it's, it's bad. It's a bear. It's a bear for any team, not just the White Sox. Bears. Coming up next year on Rahimi Harrison Grotie, it is time to observe an anniversary. And Russ was there. What? Yes. In the meantime, and we want to remind you this Saturday, join the score White Eagle Auto Body and Oswego.

Gabe Ramirez will broadcast live from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. White Eagle Auto Body won the score big for your business contest. Brought to you by People's Bank. That is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Gabe Ramirez at White Eagle Auto Body in Oswego. The anniversary of something where Russ was there. Next. Rahimi Harrison Grody. AJ, how are you? Good. I can't believe how fancy y'all are now.

I mean, it used to just be a radio calling show. Now I got to put clothes on to do this thing. I can't peek too early. I got to kind of try to control my peeking. So it's a little early to already put a shirt and a hat on. Middays 10 to 2 on 1043, the score. Happy anniversary to something some of you just call the play. The Javi Baez base running play.

It was on May 27th, 2021. and a five to three Cubs win over the Pittsburgh Pirates where Javi Baez basically broke a guy. Poor Will Craig, the Pirates first basement, ends up playing in Korea that year after that. Now he's a coach. He was a first-round pick. I was still on the Cubs beat when that play happened.

And I remember watching it in real time thinking, what the blank is going on. And you see Javi get in a rundown between the plate and first base, which is in and of itself hilarious. Because it's like, where are you going, Hobby? And then the pirates are just like, no, we have to run this guy down, not realizing the run is scoring. And then you see Javi motion safe when he sees the run score. In front of him.

And as he realizes, nobody's covering first base. The ball gets thrown away. He ends up on second base. And then the other thing I remember vividly is Justin Steele and Anthony Rizzo. Laughing. Dying laughing. Like, Justin Steele is clapping. People, I remember sitting in the Pirates press box saying,

I can't believe this. What did we just see? And so then we're trying to watch the replay to see where things went wrong for Pittsburgh. And after that, you're just like, this dude is one of a kind. Because it just goes on the long-ass list we have of Javi Bias plays where you're like, I don't know if I've ever seen this before. Right. That was like the 10th or 11th.

like El Mago moment, but it was the quintessential. Like, oh, that, that, nothing could be better than that moment. And I remember asking Kyle Hendricks after, because he started in that game, what did he see? And he was just like, we'll never see that again. He's right. And we never have. So let's take you back.

Is this our call? This is Pat and Ron on the score? Let's do it. See what happens. Byas bounces one to third. picked by Gonzalez. The long toss it pulls the man off the bag and Bayez trying to stay in a

rundown long enough. And now sliding in the plate is safe. I don't believe this. The Cubs just got a run on an amazing play by Javier Baez. Bayez is going to go to second base now as the throw gets away. He slides at second. He's safe. The ball bounces away again.

The Cubs have scored an unbelievable run on a play by Baez. He struck out He ran to first. The ball was in the dirt. They had to either tag him or tag the bag. The first baseman Craig just started chasing Bayez back toward the plate.

Meanwhile, the runner from second Wilson-Contreras, rounded third and headed for the plate, and he scores. I can't believe that. Yeah, it's just a routine out. It's a ground ball of the third, and Javi stops short of the bag because the throw takes Craig up the line. all Craig has to do is turn around and just walk over to first base and touch the bad. Instead, he keeps thinking I'm going to tag him and literally almost walks him all the way to home plate.

And then it just gets ugly from there because the flip to the catcher Perez behind the plate, Contreras dives in safe. Now, Bayez sprints the first and they start throwing the ball all over the place. This is one of the craziest little league type plays you'll ever see in Major League. League Baseball. I get what Coom is saying, but that ain't Little League because Baez knew what he was doing the whole time. He was directing traffic and waiting for guys to come around and then taking second base when it was his.

Mike, microphone. There you go. Bear. You good? Yes. Now I hear you. Think about how he never ran out of the base path either. Yeah.

Yes. Presence of mind. Among all of this never got ruled running out of the base path somehow, magically. Yeah. It's his. Baseball IQ is unlike any player I've ever seen or we've ever seen. And to get to see him at his peak in the city, he was the, he was must see TV from 2017 to 2021.

Yeah. It's about right. It was about as good as it got. Like the 2018 season where he finishes second for MVP behind Yelich that year, the defense every night, you just didn't know what you were going to see. the monster swings where he made contact were like that ball's going 700 feet. Now that that was, that's probably the craziest play I saw on the Cubs beat.

Well, what's, or the craziest thing. No, there's not a doubt. And then Will Craig, who was a part of that play, he was the first basement in question, former first round pick of the Pirates, ends up in the KBO that year after making his debut in 2020.

You know what, we've seen enough, Will, We appreciate your time. I feel for him, though. I'm like, did that break you? And now he's a coach at Belmont for their baseball team. Imagine him having to talk about that. That's like you brought up Goren Dragich earlier.

That's like when Dragich got Dragich by Derek Rose and that became his legacy, basically. But Dragich made jokes about it afterwards. Like, Dragich came here and laughed at it. After how many years, though? I mean, it probably took a lot of a lot. For the craziest thing I saw on the beat. Alec Mills throwing a no-hitter in Milwaukee. Yes.

and nobody was in attendance. And nobody, yeah, it was the weirdest no-hitter of all time. In fact, I was the only, I was the only reporter from Chicago that was in the ballpark in Milwaukee because it was like still during COVID where not a lot of people were going places. Oh, yeah. And it was on like some random Sunday and guy throws a no-hitter. And he was random himself. I have to make notice.

Very unassuming. I don't know. One of you texters on the text line alluded to this already happening. And this is a few days ago. but it is Bob Nightingale who reported at first that Aaron Bummer has agreed to a what I believe to be a minor league deal with the Cubs. So I don't know which one of you, because he was released by Atlanta. I don't know which one of you somehow knew that that was going to happen, but one of you did.

Former White Sox, I thought he, I thought he was going to be a star. I thought he was going to be like, he was really good for a moment in time. He pitched for the socks in the playoffs in 2021. Yeah, the socks were in the playoffs in 2020, kids. That happened. He didn't pitch well in the playoffs, but he did pitch in the playoffs. That breaking news is sponsored by IDOT, speeding in a work zone is a no win. Mind the signs, avoid the fines.

Russ, as usual, a lovely time. Thank you, Russ. Thank you, friends. The relay. Go watch the relay. Listen to the relay. Out now. It's on TikTok, too.

Russ does great clips. That's how you would know about Fernando Tatis. He had a very informative clip about him. Deal the home runs. It's okay. together we are a team Spiegel and Holmes are next