Monday Morning Cubs Show

Carl + Mahoney
  • 5.0 (180)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

A show every Monday morning about the Chicago Cubs from Carl and Mahoney.

  1. 3d ago

    Dansby Swanson’s Surge And The Cubs’ Second-Half Blueprint

    A perfect Cubs week doesn’t exist, but this one comes close to capturing the whole experience: a monster win, a brutal loss, a Cardinals series that swings your mood every inning, and just enough momentum to make you believe again. We’re back on the Monday Morning Cubs Show after a July 4th break and a real-life disaster at home, then we get right into what actually matters for the second half: how good can this team be when the best version of its core shows up at the same time? Dansby Swanson is the heartbeat of the conversation. We break down the hottest two-week run you’ll see from any hitter, and the stat that makes it even stranger: eight home runs and 26 RBI over 51 plate appearances with zero walks. That turns into a deeper Cubs hitting discussion about approach, timing, and how pitchers were stealing easy early-count strikes against him earlier in the season. We also talk John Mallee, what “it clicked” can really mean for a veteran, and why Swanson’s high-end outcomes change the ceiling for the entire lineup. Then we zoom out to the standings, the All-Star break, and the trade deadline. We make the case for Pete Crow-Armstrong as the lone Cubs All-Star, why we love that he’s skipping the Home Run Derby, and what “Wild Card team” actually means when your starting pitching is hanging on. Finally, we wrestle with the big one: would you trade Matt Shaw to land an ace like Tarik Skubal if the goal is October baseball, not just chasing the Brewers? If you’re riding with the Cubs right now, subscribe, share the show with a fellow fan, and leave us a review so we can keep building this Monday routine together. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    1h 1m

  2. Jun 29

    THE CUBS ARE BACK

    A road series in Milwaukee can either expose you or announce you, and the Cubs just delivered the kind of weekend that makes the division race feel alive again. We walk through how this team climbed out of a rough start to that soft stretch of the schedule, why the last 15 games matter more than any single headline, and how a gritty extra-inning win can change the whole tone of a clubhouse. If you’re tracking the NL Central standings and asking whether the Cubs are real contenders, this conversation is built for you.  Then we get into the stuff fans actually argue about: effort and leadership. We go all-in on the Alex Bregman baseline jog and why it hits a nerve when you’re paid like a centerpiece. It’s not about sprinting like you’re chasing a record, it’s about setting a standard in games decided by one bobble, one extra 90 feet, one moment of pressure.  From there it’s pure Cubs baseball analysis. We give Seiya Suzuki his flowers for the weekend’s biggest swings, break down what the Cubs offense seems built to do, and talk pitching realities. David Peterson’s debut leads into a wider trade-deadline lesson on why June deals take time, plus how a ground-ball starter fits better behind a top-tier Cubs defense. We also face the bullpen injury carousel head-on, shout out Jordan Wicks for a season-shifting moment, and preview the Padres and Cardinals at Wrigley as the first half closes.  If this gave you hope or fired you up, subscribe, share the show with a fellow Cubs fan, and leave a review so more Monday morning maniacs can find us. What’s your biggest takeaway from the Brewers series win? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    50 min

  3. Jun 26

    Brewers Scouting Report + David Peterson Trade Breakdown

    The Cubs finally feel fun again, and the timing could not be more intense: three games in Milwaukee against a Brewers team that plays ruthless, disciplined baseball and runs out the kind of pitching that can erase your best plans by the second inning. We’re coming off a 10 and 4 stretch, the offense is cooking, and the fan base is right back on that knife edge between realism and belief. That’s exactly where a good season lives.  We talk through why this Brewers series matters so much, starting with what has actually changed for Chicago. Pete Crow Armstrong has turned the leadoff spot into gasoline, getting on base, creating pressure and looking more and more like a real superstar. At the same time, the Cubs rotation is in crisis: Justin Steele is not coming back, the injuries keep stacking, and the front office cannot afford to wish its way to innings. That context is why the David Peterson trade is worth a deeper look, including advanced pitching metrics like FIP, the role of ground balls, and why moving from the Mets defense to an elite Cubs defense could change his results fast.  Then we pivot to the opponent and the problem: Milwaukee wins without homers, scores a ton of runs anyway, and prevents runs with pitching, strikeouts and clean execution. We dig into what makes Pat Murphy’s group a machine, why Jacob Mizorowski’s triple digit fastball changes how you have to approach at bats, and what the Cubs must do to survive this weekend. If you like smart Cubs talk with real edge, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    1 hr

  4. Jun 22

    The 2026 Cubs Can't Waste Pete Crow-Armonstrong

    A cycle can be a party trick, or it can be a signal flare. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s cycle at Wrigley Field sparks a bigger question for us: are the Chicago Cubs treating PCA like the engine of the team, or are they sleepwalking through the clearest franchise player moment they’ve had in years? We start with the emotional reality of being a Cubs fan right now. One night you see 16 runs and think the offense is turning a corner. The next night the bullpen melts down and the whole week feels fragile. That swing is why we dig into the Cubs’ identity struggle, why “just add another bat” can be a distraction, and why the pitching staff, especially the late innings, decides the team’s ceiling. We also talk about the value of raw postgame honesty, but why quotes do not save you when the same leaks keep happening. From there we get practical: Matt Shaw’s case for everyday reps, the roster math that makes Moises Ballesteros getting optioned make sense, and why a player like Justin Dean can matter when you only have a few bench spots to work with. We also put guardrails around the hope of injured arms returning, including Matthew Boyd, and explain why smaller moves like the Jaden Murray trade can quietly reveal how thin pitching depth really is. Finally, we preview the Mets series with a simple mindset: play clean, avoid late-inning disasters, and stack wins before Milwaukee. Subscribe for more Cubs talk, share the show with a fellow fan, and leave a rating and review if you want us to keep building these Monday mornings. What’s your biggest priority right now: bullpen help, a starter, or lineup stability? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    58 min

  5. Jun 19

    Cody Delmendo Interview + Are The 2026 Cubs Buyers Or Sellers?

    Pete Crow-Armstrong is forcing a different conversation about the Chicago Cubs. When a center fielder is playing like an MVP and leading the league in WAR, you stop treating the season like a slow drift and start asking harder questions: are we buying at the MLB trade deadline, or are we wasting a rare window? We bring on Cody Delmendo from the Off The Ivy podcast and get brutally specific about what’s broken and what’s still real. We argue through the deadline “sell vs buy” debate, then put the blame where it belongs when a roster built to contend plays like it’s stuck in neutral. Alex Bregman’s struggles come up for a reason: money, expectations, and the way Matt Shaw’s rise makes every quiet Bregman night feel like a spotlight. We also talk Dansby Swanson, why defense still matters, and why fans lose sleep when league-average offense disappears. On the pitching side, we dig into Ben Brown’s growth, what it means when he can survive without his best stuff, and why the Cubs can’t treat injuries as background noise anymore. We also map out what “smart buying” looks like: add pitching without lighting the farm system on fire unless the Cubs actually look like a World Series team. If you’re a Cubs fan trying to balance rage with hope, this one is for you. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify, share it with your group chat, and leave a review if you want to help the show grow. What would you do at the deadline: buy, hold, or sell? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    1h 32m

  6. Jun 15

    Sweep The Rockies Or We Riot Politely

    The Cubs just did something that changes the whole feel of a season: they won a series on the road, then shrugged off a Sunday loss like a team that expects to bounce back. We’re still honest about the flaws, but the tone is different because the baseball is different. Logan Webb shuts the door, sure, but taking the first two games in San Francisco is exactly how you survive ace-day and stack momentum. We dig into the mindset piece through Alex Bregman, because the most convincing part of his recent stretch isn’t a box score. It’s accountability. We connect that to real life work habits, then bring it back to Chicago Cubs baseball: who sets the standard, who drags the room upward, and why “back to basics” is more than a cliché when the offense needs to wake up. From there it’s Ball Or Strike time, with a big focus on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout, the walk rate jump, and why his ceiling might be higher than we even know. On the pitching side, we talk Ben Brown’s All Star resume, Javier Assad’s value as a plug-and-play weapon, and what “competitive pitches” actually look like when you’re watching closely. Then we look ahead to the Colorado Rockies series and the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field, including the atmosphere, the urgency, and the uncomfortable roster questions like whether Dansby Swanson needs a reset on the bench and why Matt Shaw’s usage still doesn’t add up. If you’re feeling the Cubs turning a corner, hit subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more Cubs fans can find the show. What’s the one move you’d make this week to keep the momentum going? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    1h 1m

  7. Jun 12

    Reasons to Believe: The Cubs Turn It Around Right Now

    Playoff odds don’t drop from 99% to the mid-30s without taking your mood with them, and Cubs fans have felt every inch of that fall. We’re coming off a stretch that’s been flat-out miserable, but I’m making a decision on purpose: I’m done watching this team like the worst outcome is guaranteed. We’re still here, we’re still watching, and we can demand better without drowning in it. The turning point I can’t shake is Craig Counsell getting ejected over the Moises Ballesteros foul-ball mess. It wasn’t just arguing a call, it was a rare flash of fight that made me think the clubhouse isn’t as broken as the box scores look. Then Alex Bregman steps up postgame with a cold, honest assessment: the offense has been bad, and it’s going to take real mechanical changes and real work. That’s the kind of accountability I need when the vibes are awful and the standings are worse. We also get specific about the on-field problem: MLB pitchers are attacking the Cubs with breaking balls in the zone, especially after they get ahead 0-1, because we haven’t slugged enough to punish mistakes. We talk approach, “loud bat, quiet body,” and what an actual adjustment arc can look like for a hitter like Bregman. Add Pete Crow-Armstrong catching fire, the reality of pitching injuries, and a schedule with 13 straight games against under .500 teams, and you’ve got a real window to build momentum into July. If you’re riding with the Maniacs, hit subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review on Spotify so more Cubs fans can find us. What’s the one change you need to see this weekend to believe again? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    1h 12m

  8. Jun 8

    Another Melancholy Monday For The Cubs

    A bad week at Wrigley can make you want to burn the whole thing down, but we’re not doing a rage podcast today. We’re coming in on a melancholy Monday, paying respect to Stacey King and what he meant to Chicago sports, and admitting something a lot of fans don’t want to say out loud: the emotional weight of following teams is real, and perspective matters when bigger life stuff is on the table. Then we turn back to the Cubs, because the baseball is still the baseball. The rotation is beat up, the offense keeps failing in the eighth, ninth, and tenth, and the gap between payroll expectations and on-field execution is getting harder to ignore. We dig into the Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson spotlight, how pressure changes a player’s at-bats, and why “just be patient and take walks” can turn into a rigid approach that collapses with runners in scoring position. The bright spot is PCA. We talk about the adjustments, the swagger, and why we want Pete Crow-Armstrong locked into the leadoff role as more than a hot-streak reward. The mailbag gets into Craig Counsell blame, trade deadline vibes, Taylor McGregor love, and even a Mark Grace versus Anthony Rizzo debate that ends up circling back to what this lineup is missing most: situational feel. If you’re riding this season with us, subscribe, share the show with a fellow Cub fan, and leave a review so more maniacs can find the community. What’s your one change you’d make before first pitch in Colorado? Thanks for tuning in!  - Carl & Mahoney

    1h 2m
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5
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About

A show every Monday morning about the Chicago Cubs from Carl and Mahoney.

Information

  • Creator
    Carl + Mahoney
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    120
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Monday Morning Cubs Show
  • Show Website
    Monday Morning Cubs Show

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