00:00We're starting with the Cubs and the Padres, and I figure we might as well not mess around with this.
00:06First of a three-game set, best of three, is going to be Matthew Boyd and Nick Pavetta.
00:11This series happens at Wrigley.
00:13Obviously, Chicago secured the first wild-card spot.
00:16San Diego secured the second.
00:18It was a fight for the third.
00:19Cincinnati's going to L.A.
00:21Aram, I want to start with you.
00:22When you look at Cubs-Padres at Wrigley, starting on Tuesday, what jumps out to you most?
00:31I don't know if there's something in particular other than the fact that I wish I could be more bullish and excited about the Cubs.
00:40We talk about momentum, and we're going to get into that in terms of how performance correlates to momentum and maybe how it doesn't.
00:46But I do think that health and just team sentiment on that side of things could definitely make an impact.
00:55And I'm just a little bit worried about, okay, Kyle Tucker's back.
00:58That is a big jolt.
01:00That's exciting.
01:00Has he had enough runway to really get into a rhythm again to make an impact?
01:05Also, we knew he was going to play no matter what, essentially.
01:08How healthy is he?
01:10How hard is he pushing it?
01:13Because, yes, the bat's the ultimate value, but he's a good defender, and he gives you value with his legs, too.
01:20So I'm just fascinated by that.
01:21And then the Cade Horton thing, I think, just creates a whole other wrinkle as well.
01:25So I just feel like there's – and Padres have variables as well, but I just feel like the Cubs are in a really unique spot that I just don't quite know how to feel about them.
01:34But a couple good games could totally change that.
01:36Peter, what jumps out to you immediately about this series?
01:40A lot of what Arm said, you know, Kyle Tucker, he's back.
01:44It's a great thing.
01:45The Cubs need him in the lineup.
01:47But he hasn't proven that he's a consistent postseason performer.
01:52He's got a 685 OPS in 64 postseason games.
01:57Now, does that mean that he's going to immediately crumble in the postseason like he has in the past?
02:01Absolutely not.
02:02He's Kyle Tucker.
02:03The regular season has proven that he's one of the best players in baseball.
02:07But knowing that and knowing that he's coming back from an injury, I can't just say Kyle Tucker is going to explode in the playoffs, right?
02:16Cade Horton, that injury stinks for this Cubs rotation, especially since Matthew Boyd has taken a little bit of a step back
02:23and Shota Ibenaga has proven thus far, especially in the second half, that home runs can be an issue.
02:29And then last thing, what is PCA going to provide?
02:33MVP candidate in the first half, a borderline liability in the second half?
02:39And then on the Padres side, I'm really excited to see Fernando Tatis Jr. posted a 1.328 OPS in 13 games in the playoffs.
02:51Not a huge sample, but in those 13 games, he's been unbelievable.
02:56Brother, let me shout you out.
02:58You absolutely crushed that.
03:001.328 is 1,300.
03:02That's a 1,328 OPS.
03:04Great job.
03:05Well, it's a little bit higher.
03:06I don't want to do him a disservice.
03:07I understand.
03:08The big thing that jumps out to me here, and I can appreciate what you guys are saying on the bat front,
03:15and I want to give PCA bonus points because he wrote an article in the Players' Tribune.
03:20I haven't read it, but if you write an article in the Players' Tribune, chances are you get 10 brownie points,
03:24and you'll be 10 ticks better in the postseason.
03:27Listen, the Cubs would be a heck of a lot better if they had this Jeremiah Estrada guy in their bullpen.
03:34There was an article in The Athletic about Jeremiah Estrada getting DFA'd by the Cubs on his 25th birthday,
03:39and this guy has blossomed into one of the bullpen aces of the many that San Diego has.
03:45I look at this matchup, and I go kind of unit by unit, right?
03:50And you look lineup.
03:51You look bench.
03:51You look rotation.
03:52You look bullpen.
03:52The most glaring difference for me is the bullpen advantage that San Diego has.
03:59Shortleash.
04:00Boyd goes game one.
04:01How do the Cubs mix and match game two and game three if there is one?
04:05I have no idea.
04:07But I will tell you, we are getting into the bullpens very quickly in each of these games.
04:13Pavetta, how long does Pavetta go?
04:15Does he go five?
04:16Give me four innings of the Padre bullpen over four innings of the Cub bullpen any day of the week.
04:21That is the stark advantage to me, and bullpens win, man.
04:26I mean, how often do we talk about the night shift for Atlanta or that Royal bullpen in 2015?
04:32Every team that goes deep in this thing has a formidable trio in their bullpen.
04:38I don't know if the Cubs have that.
04:40And listen, if Andrew Kittredge or Drew Pomerantz has an out-of-body experience for an entire month,
04:46bless them, I'm wrong.
04:48But I trust the high-octane stuff in San Diego's pen.
04:50I just do.
Comments