Buster & Jerry Crasnick discuss Ben Zobrist's ump critique, Derek Jeter's first season on the job & much more (1:28). Plus, "Hembo Knows" (25:02), the Power 10 (31:52) and Paul Hoynes with some "Inside Heat" on the Indians (35:04).
Instead of kicking into high gear to end the NL Central race early, the Cubs are riding a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows.
Watch Ben Zobrist talk about the conversation he had with umpire Phil Cuzzi about a bad strike 3 call before getting kicked out on Tuesday. Eventually, he told Cuzzi "that's why we want an electronic zone" which got him tossed.
A discussion of plate umpire Phil Cuzzi's strike zone led to Cubs veteran Ben Zobrist's first career ejection on Tuesday after he remarked that players would prefer an electronic strike zone.
Brewers skipper Craig Counsell discusses the outstanding outing of Jhoulys Chacin, who in a 7-0 win over the Cubs on Tuesday had his best outing yet for Milwaukee in the Brew Crew's biggest game of the year.
Ryan Braun hit two of Milwaukee's four homers, Jhoulys Chacin struck out 10 in seven innings and the Brewers cut into Chicago's NL Central lead with a 7-0 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday.
Ben Zobrist was kicked out of the game between the bottom of the 8th and top of the 9th innings as he engaged home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi after Zobrist was being replaced in the lineup anyway. The two seemed to have a calm discussion but Zobrist was ejected anyway. He was on the end of a seemingly bad strike 3 call in the bottom of the 6th inning, where his manager was thrown out during the ensuing argument. Cuzzi also called a similar outside strike 3 pitch on Kyle Schwarber in the 7th.
Joe Maddon was kicked out of the game by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi after coming to the defense of Ben Zobrist who was upset with a strike 3 call in the 6th inning. Maddon got his money's worth after Zobrist threw his bat down as the pitch by Jhoulys Chacin looked outside. Zobrist survived the argument but Maddon did not. It was Maddon's third ejection this season.
Cubs' right-hander Yu Darvish, who hasn't pitched since May 20 due to an elbow injury, is close to beginning a minor league rehab assignment, according to team president Theo Epstein.
Theo Epstein on David Bote's grand slam: "Everyone of us, at some point, has said (to ourselves) 'down 3, 2 outs, ninth inning, bases loaded, 2 strikes, here we go.' I always roll over and hit a ground ball to short but Bote put a ridiculous swing on the ball. That would have been a noteworthy HR if that was a spring training game as far as that ball went."
Theo Epstein, on Sunday's improbable win where rookie David Bote hit a walk off grand slam with 2 outs and 2 strikes and the Cubs down 3-0: "That struck a chord with everyone. I probably got more texts after that game then some of our World Series games. There must have been nothing else on (tv) but that was one of my favorite regular season games."
Theo Epstein says if all checks out with Yu Darvish after his sim game he'll be ready for a rehab stint in the minors as he recovers from an elbow injury.
David Kaplan talks with Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo about David Bote, the Milwaukee Brewers series and batting leadoff.
Watch Yu Darvish (elbow) throw a couple pitches in his sim game on Tuesday. He faced David Bote and Victor Caratini.
There's more to winning baseball games than meets the eye, so we took a deeper look for hidden reasons the best teams are so good.
Chicago and Milwaukee seem to be headed for another showdown in the NL Central. We asked three experts who has the edge.
David Kaplan and Eddie Olczyk talk with Cubs third baseman David Bote after his big night following his walk-off grand slam against the Nationals.
Before hearing from Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo (32:14), Karl Ravech & Tim Kurkjian discuss the five biggest developments from the weekend, weigh in on Willie Mays' plea and more (:35). Plus, Todd Radom unveils the most notable uniform in Cardinals' history and moderates the latest uniform & logo trivia question (34:49).
John Brickley breaks down a busy Sunday that featured Chris Sale's return and David Bote's big moment.
With two out in the bottom of the ninth and facing a two-strike count, Cubs pinch hitter David Bote delivered a walk-off grand slam to stun the Nationals on Sunday night at Wrigley.
Watch David Bote discuss his game winning grand slam on Sunday night in the Cubs 4-3 win over the Nationals.
Pinch-hitter David Bote smashed a grand slam against Ryan Madson with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday night.
Rookie David Bote hit a walk off grand slam to beat the Nationals 4-3 in dramatic fashion. Bote has been a find for the Cubs as a 25 year old rookie, getting extra playing time with the injury to Kris Bryant. He has not been "afraid" since coming up, according to his manager. He showed that again tonight.
Cole Hamels pitched 7 innings in his home debut, giving up just one run on one hit while striking out 9. He retired the last 18 batters he faced, the most since July 1, 2017 when he retired 19 in a row. His ERA as a Cub is now 1.00 after three starts while lowering his career ERA at Wrigley Field to 1.69.
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 68 | 50 | .576 | - | L1 |
| Milwaukee | 68 | 54 | .557 | 2 | W1 |
| St. Louis | 65 | 55 | .542 | 4 | W7 |
| Pittsburgh | 61 | 59 | .508 | 8 | L2 |
| Cincinnati | 52 | 68 | .433 | 17 | L3 |
