0-2 the account on hold. 0 for 2 in the game against darvish. ground ball, should be two. baez, double play, 6-3. two big outs picked up by casey sadler. >> john: that's definitely the wrong guy to hit it to. backdoor curveball from brock just hit it -- tailor-made double play. >> joe: and back to the top of the order in sogard. >> john: there is the breaking ball back door and he just goes with it, but he knows right now that's trouble. best hands really have a lot of players. >> joe: frustration there.

2 for 21 start for brock holt. and just when you think the brewers could get something working here in the eighth, double play ball to the left side of the infield, sogard takes a ball. >> john: you know, joe, the other thing that's going to play out, when we get closer to the playoffs, it's going to be interesting to see without the crowd what certain players do and how much less pressure there might be, you know, in situations like this where a reliever coming in on the road, it's not going to be as bad as it would be if you're in a hostile environment, the crowd is going nuts. >> joe: there's a pop-up, left side. bote out of room. >> john: that's why i'm fascinated to see when we get to the highest pressure of that last week or even the first three-game series, even though that first three-game series is going to be in the better record's home-field, will it

truly be the home-field experience that it normally would be with man's? saw a lot of players, their own emotion, their own personality are going to find out a lot about this year without fans, what they can or can't do or what they have to feed off of arnott feed off of themselves. >> joe: that's outside, 2-2. you have some fancier, but they have to be allowed. have you ever been over there? >> john: i haven't. no, i haven't. >> joe: it's awesome. done such a great job. in and around wrigley field. ground ball, slowly hit, right side, play made. hoerner. and in the end, casey sadler faces only three. bottom of the eighth, 4-1 chicago. award-winning customer satisfaction... or insanely great value.

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is sponsored by subway. do you want to clap or cheer for your favorite team, even when you're not a at the ballpark? now you can with mlb's chair at the ballpark. visit mlb.com/cheer for a full list of games and let your team here your excitement from home. ian happ is working on a perfect night. he's been on base all three times, single, walk, an rbi double, one runs scored. his average up to .333. very few healthy averages really on either team tonight. that's strike two. >> john: he's done something different because he was feast or famine for a long time, trying to figure out if they're getting a single or hitting a home run, but his ability to switch it will go a long ways for his own career, but confidence now, whatever he's done different mechanically is starting to click more.

>> joe: well, mentioned earlier he turned 26 yesterday, the number nine overall pick back in 2015. switch-hitter, 24 home runs as a rookie. three seasons ago. but up and down, up and down and trying to find a place to play every day ever since. he's really done a lot of work. it's got a manager that believes in him. he's also taken over this year, john, as a player rep, which if there was ever a year where the player rep was really put to work with all of these regulations that teams are given and trying to maneuver through this pandemic, i'm sure it's been a lot of conversations he has had to have. maybe growing up a bit too on top of all the work is done at the plate. >> john: absolutely. part of that pitcher just fouled off, those of the other two pitchers who would have swung at. going back, he swings at those

pitchers. the most pitchers he had really good takes. that's the process that a hitter matures and starts recognizing the strike zone. doesn't just lift, clean, and separate every time he sees a pitch buried >> joe: a pitch down and income a good one from burnes. one away. >> john: that was nasty, you just tip your hat right there. >> joe: if you haven't checked it out yet, the brand-new fox sports app and website are up and running and fans are loving it. modern and sleek, the ultimate app for today's sports man is here. download it now. here is last pitch, john. >> john: this was just flat out nasty. it looks like it was going to stay in the zone and have late break cutting action >> joe: that's down and in for ball one to david bote. talking about player reps, has there ever been across-the-board

more emphasis on veteran leadership in clubhouses across major league baseball than there has been or should be here in 2020 with what these guys are trying to navigate both at the ballpark and away from the park? >> john: absolutely. a lot of those conversations -- i thought the team that was going to win this year, most people say if the team with the best roster and the most talent. not necessarily. if the team that can communicate, stay together, and make the biggest adjustments you have to make to go through a season like this. personalities don't always work when you have all these restrictions, when you have the things you're used to doing you can't do. i will be blatantly honest. i would struggle in this environment. as a player. because i enjoy being around teammates. i enjoy playing cards, i enjoy doing things that right now or put on hold because of the

rules. i would be adhering to the rules, but my personality would be kind of scrapped a little bit based on the way that you know baseball players get used to playing. >> joe: i give a lot of credit this week to adam plutko of the cleveland indians. they had to go players, zach plesac and mike clevinger break team rules, their code of conduct, going out with friends when the team was playing in chicago. ironically enough, against the white sox. both have been sent away from the ball club and adam plutko, who had to be the emergency starter because of those two guys not being available came out after the game and really called out his teammates and said they're going to have to earn our trust back, your trust back. this whole program and season is only as good as the players adhering to the protocols that are put in place.

guys aren't going to pay any attention to it and they're going to go out anyway. this house of cards so to speak will collapse. >> john: that's exec with what i'm talking about, because you get into a situation like this, 60 games and personalities, concentration. all the things you have to do, you very easily could have some guys going what's the difference, and that's all it takes to mess up everybody else's hard work and as a teammate, that's the number one thing that you feel violated when you've been doing all those things, so is calling out a teammate and those guys apologizing, having to come back, it's going to be a big thing moving forward. you talk about two really good pitchers, the cleveland indians don't have now. >> joe: that's coming to me, called being a leader and in today's world, with the coverage and the social media, and oh, my gosh, did you hear what adam plutko said, he said exactly what he should have said. exactly what he should have said

and my hats off to him. 2-2 pitch. grounded foul. ken rosenthal, chime in if you will on this conversation. >> what's interesting about the cleveland situation, if you had your name may be the top five cultures in the game, that would be one of them. they have leadership. they have a strong inner circle there and get all it takes is one guy, as you said, to break the protocol and cause a problem. as far as we know, no problem has surfaced with the indians, those players were quarantined, but these players now consider it a competition almost. was going to stay the healthiest and the cubs, one or two in particular have yet to have a player test positive. >> joe: that comes from upper management to the field manager to the coaching staff to the veteran leadership on the ball club. that doesn't just happen.

3-2 pitch. ripped and caught by holt and the inning is over. this is a three-run ball game. hiura, yelich, garcia coming up. big bats at wrigley, 4-1 chicago. ♪ don't just think about where you're headed this summer. think about how you'll get there. and now that you can lease or buy a new lincoln

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♪ five dollar, ♪ five dollar footlong. now, only in the subway® app or online, any footlong is a five dollar footlong when you buy 2. even the new bbq rib. subway®. eat fresh. ♪ i can do baseball. me too. if we can play baseball, i'm in. ♪ oh, we're doing baseball? yup. hang on. ♪ >> joe: major league baseball is back, make sure you stay up-to-date this season by following mlb on instagram, twitter, facebook, and youtube. ninth inning rolls in, so does rowan wick. wic deals and hiura, strike one.

it will be hiura, yelich, garcia, two, three, and four hitters, three-run ball game, 4-1. rowan wick in place of the struggling craig kimbrel. good fastball writing from the right-hander, strike two. >> john: they found somebody, the cubs, in this young man. basically what you see is what you get buried coming right at you, downhill. hard to pick up and he's got a chance to shut it down for the cubs. whether it be in a set up role or a closer's role like tonight, until craig kimbrel gets locked in. >> joe: came up originally with san diego. last year with the cubs went 2-0, had a couple of saves. era under 2. 2.5 in 31 games. breaking ball is hit down towards the end of the bat and easy into left field. for happ. one down.

and hiura 0 for 4. that means that yelich bats with the bases empty. yelich 0 for 2, hit a rock it out to right, caught by susa back in the fourth inning. fly dissenter in the sixth, hit by a pitch and stole a base in the first. that was against yu darvish, who was playing with the brewers tonight. struck out 11 through seven, allowed one run on just the one hit. good breaking ball, strike one. pretty darn good top three in the rotation, john, for the cubs. >> john: they've got -- >> joe: they've got darvish pitching like this, and jon less still doing it. that is left side. what a play, and got him! that was bote who went to his

right. he was the only guy over there, john smoltz, and when his momentum carrying him towards the dog out, threw a strike. >> john: outstanding play, the shift, right off balance, but right on target. and yelich can run, so big out. now one out away from the cubs extending the best record in baseball. you mentioned about that starting rotation, it's a good blend too. strikeout machine, then you've got the guys that know how to pitch in jon lester and kyle hendricks, so it's a good mix up of stuff that no-hitter can really have a lot to handle. >> joe: garcia takes a strike. the cubs are one out away from adding two major league baseball's best record going to 13-3. that is hit hard and into left field, down towards the

corner by garcia. happ a good play to cut it off and garcia with a two-out sing single. any reference to defense being tighter and better for the cubs. that defense has been on display here tonight. >> john: even with guys typically not in the position they are accustomed to. >> joe: the guy that broke up the no-hitter and the shot out, justin smoak, stands in. the brewers need one more base wanted to a chance. ball one in the dirt. baez on deck.

smoak 1 for 3, the home run back in the seventh his second. they are heading just over .200 last year in toronto. that's outside. >> john: sells out for the fastball. most of the powers coming off of the fastball and the swing and miss stuff is like the curveball in the slider, starting him off with a curveball and now he's fallen behind 2-0. >> joe: late on that swing, 2-1. taking second is garcia. at this point when you're trying to close games, you do the math in your head, you know the tying run is on deck. you don't even mind if he hits his way on. what you don't want to do is put him on via the walk. >> joe: now taking third because nobody's over there is garcia. two down in the 2-1 count on the

only person that rowan wick and the cops care about, that's justin smoak. breaking ball is hammered into the corner. that is a fair ball. and will bounce out of play and then back into play for a double, and rbi double. and now the milwaukee brewers are one swing away from potentially tying this ball ga ball game. the pitching coach coming out to talk. >> john: this might be more about his breaking ball usage, rolling a little bit, get back to his fastball. his fastball is pop and his breaking ball is just rolling, they've gotten a couple hits off of it. so that's what this conversation is about. >> joe: so while they talk on the mound, the tying run will dig in at the plate. we will step aside for a quick

second. >> joe: omar narvaez is, the tying run of the plate, takes inside, ball one. mentioned earlier hit 22 home runs last year with seattle, first year with the brewers and they are trying to get justin smoak hot and they would love to see the same happen for omar. 2-0.

here's one popped up, left side, happ is there. narvaez breaks another bat and the cubs win this ball game a final of 4-2. so the frustration continues for narvaez and the cubs win this ball game, they are 13-3 and, john, they are doing it with some big hitters in their lineup not even getting hot yet. they are dangerous, scary team in the national league. >> john: you've got to feel good if you're a cubs fan knowing that those guys will get hot. the timely hitting has been enough in their starting pitching has really been the

bulk of the season so far. you increase your chances with the expanded playoffs. just keep winning series. >> joe: best start since 1907. another great year for the chicago cubs. the world champs from 2016 are 13-3. baseball's best record and its wick getting saved number three. darvish, his first three-game win streak as a chicago cub. he earned this victory tonight. and as we go to break, we will come back on the other side. at the night belonged to that man, number 11. struck out 11. pitched seven. gets his third victory of the season. the cubs absolutely red-hot. take a break.

chicago wins at 4-2. ♪

♪

>> joe: well, the chicago cubs just keep on rolling, 4-2 the final. yu darvish gets the win buried he had a no-hitter through 6 1/3. is now 3-1. brett anderson gets the loss. wick the save in a game that was tidy, three hours, 6 minutes long. we look ahead to this week on fox saturday baseball. aaron judge and the yankees take on their arrival, the boston red sox. or another regional action the a's take on the giants. saturday at 7:00 eastern, 4:00 pacific on fox and the fox sports app. check local listings for the game in your area. well, it was an impressive night for that man, who was off to his best start as a chicago cub. here's three of the six year deal, he was provided four runs. that was 20. the cubs are having fun. for john and ken and pete, our

producer, and mitch, our director, joe buck, good night. 4-2, cubs win it.