Cubs Cards Cast

As MLB nears the All-Star break, only 3.5 games separate the first and last place teams in the NL Central. In other words, nobody's in and nobody's out at mid-season. This creates more excitement in more places but anxiety is rampant in Chicago and St. Louis, where fans were expecting better results by now.

Dan and John talk about the dramatic changes in the bullpens of their respective teams -- the Cubs add Craig Kimbrel just as the Cardinals lose Jordan Hicks to season-ending surgery. Certainly looks more optimistic at the moment in Chicago than St. Louis, but the season is only half over and many more twists and turns remain.

Dan and John talk about the continued stalemate in the NL Central, with the Cubs, Cards and Brewers within 3 games of each other. John, however, believes the Cubs are about to take off with the addition of pitcher Adbert Alzolay. Dan has some proposed roster moves for the Cardinals to shake them out of their mediocrity. 

Dan and John talk about the Cubs sweep of the Cardinals at Wrigley Field and the Cardinals' continued struggles. Both agree now that the hockey season is over, STL fans are about to turn up the heat on the Cardinals' struggling front office.

Dan and John preview the third Cubs-Cards series this year -- a three gamer at Wrigley. Both previous series were swept by the home team, including last weekend's Cards' sweep at Busch Stadium. For the record, Cards fan Dan is predicting a Cubs sweep. The "trip" reference is Stanley Cup related, as St. Louis is more interested in hockey than baseball at the moment.

Dan and John talk about the Cardinals' continued struggles, particularly with starting pitching. Dan says he'd rather watch hockey right now. John is happy with the Cubs pitching and says he doesn't want the team to sign Craig Kimbrel. Both co-hosts express their admiration of Manny Trillo.

Dan and John discuss the Cubs relatively good stretch and the Cardinals slump while weighing in (negatively) on the news that the Cubs-Cards will be playing 3 games next year in London in July. What is the point of depriving Illinois and Missouri of three games of the best rivalry in baseball?

Dan and John discuss an eventful week: Cubs sweep Cardinals and Addison Russell returns to the fold. Also, the resurgent Milwaukee Brewers head to Wrigley for another NL Central showdown. 

Dan and John talk about the first head-to-head meeting of the Cubs and Cardinals -- a three-game set at Wrigley Field starting today. Both teams are red-hot and occupy first and second places in the NL Central. The anticipation level is high and so is the pre-game trash talk. 

Dan and John talk about the shifting NL Central, where the Cardinals and Cubs have reasserted themselves for now at the top while the Brewers take a step back. Is this the new realignment or just a temporary situation?

Dan and John talk about the Cubs sweep of Miami this week and the Cardinals' Yelich problem. The upshot is that the NL Central race is tightening up, with all except the Reds within shouting distance of first place.

Dan and John talk about the big news of the week -- the Cardinals improbable 4-game sweep of the 8-2 Dodgers, who looked going in to be the best team in baseball. Does this mean the Cardinals are the new favorites to win the NL Central. Not so fast say the hosts. The Cubs, meanwhile, treaded water with a 3-3 week.

Dan and John talk about the first week of the season -- the Cardinals 3-3 start and the stunning 1-5 early record of the Cubs. Those losses were mainly attributable to a bullpen that was epically horrible. The Cubs have a chance to redeem themselves this weekend as they travel to Milwaukee to take on the red-hot first place Brewers.

Dan and John open the fifth season of Cubs Cards Cast vowing to not brag about their teams' pasts and instead focus on 2019. Quite a battle is expected in the NL Central. National experts are split whether the Cardinals, Cubs or Brewers will win the division and so are the co-hosts, as you might expect. Also, each host gives their predictions on surprise players this year.

Dan and John talk about a bizarre off-season in which star players remain unsigned, the Cubs had one off-field issue after another and the Cardinals refused to flex their payroll muscle. As spring training begins, it looks like the most balanced and competitive NL Central from top to bottom in years.

Dan and John rejoin the baseball conversation with a discussion on the strange off-season, where both the Cubs and Cardinals are making fewer moves than expected, and Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still unsigned. All this portends a tighter and more exciting 2019 in the NL Central. The co-hosts will return on a regular schedule in a few weeks once spring training is underway.

Dan and John talk about the bold trade the Cardinals made for Diamondbacks superstar 1B Paul Goldschmidt and how it tightens the talent level in the NL Central. They also talk about the Cubs' puzzling off-season so far, where disarray abounds. They also agree that neither team is likely to acquire Bryce Harper.

Dan and John zero in on the Cardinals off-season. Dan concludes that both the Cardinals and Cubs need Bryce Harper and that the Cubs' FO led by Theo Epstein is likely to prevail over the Cardinals' FO led by John Mozeliak. Dan and John also talk about other moves the Cardinals should or might make.

Dan and John talk about the Cubs off-season in some depth. John believes it's almost certain the Cubs will set their sights on FA Bryce Harper and note that Theo Epstein almost always gets his man. In an increasingly competitive NL Central, that would certainly rearrange the balance of power more in the Cubs favor.    

Dan and John talk about the shocking end of the 2018 season, especially for the Cubs, who led the division on Saturday and went home on Tuesday. The Cardinals also saw their playoff possibilities evaporate with a horrible final week. Already, the co-hosts are talking about moves each team needs to make for 2019.