Signing Alex Bregman and trading for Edward Cabrera were well-received moves by Chicago’s front office, designed to level up the Cubs from a wild-card team to a World Series contender. It hasn’t worked out that way, at least not yet. How does Bregman get out of this slump? What is Cabrera working on with the team’s pitching coaches? Where do the Cubs go from here? The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney share what they’re hearing.

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It's a crossover! Patrick Mooney joins Splash Hit Territory host FP Santangelo to preview the weekend series with the San Francisco Giants. The guys discuss perspectives on both clubs, the incredible Giants comeback against the Nationals and how Pete Crow-Armstrong plays with fire.

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There’s no sugarcoating it. The big-name free agent signed to a five-year, $175 million contract hasn’t lived up to expectations, and his underperformance is dragging down the entire team. Bregman’s offense isn’t the only issue for the Cubs right now, but the All-Star third baseman stood at his Wrigley Field locker late Sunday night and blamed himself for the team-wide slump that could ruin the entire season. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney share their reporting from the clubhouse.

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After the giddiness during the Cubs’ two 10-games winning streaks, the entire tone of this campaign has changed dramatically. It’s reflected in the latest batch of questions for Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney, Chicago-based writers for The Athletic. At a time when the Brewers are a small-market machine, Cubs fans want answers on the organization’s process, the team’s identity and the chemistry in the Wrigley Field clubhouse. Listen for a balanced perspective as well as those behind-the-scenes observations.

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It’s not a great marketing slogan for Wrigley Field, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell perfectly summed up the experience of watching this offense fail to deliver in clutch situations: “It makes you sit in discomfort.” With Cubs fans getting restless, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney open their notebooks to share information on why Counsell is mostly sticking with his guys, when the rotation should get some reinforcements and how this prolonged slump could impact the front office’s approach to the trade deadline.

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After expectations soared with two separate 10-game winning streaks early in the season, the Cubs crashed in May, falling out of first place and erasing nearly all of their cushion with a 10-game losing streak. June represents a new opportunity with a softer stretch in the schedule and starting pitchers potentially getting healthy. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney break down the month ahead, with a particular focus on Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, based on conversations with those players. For insights and information directly from the clubhouse, listen to “North Side Territory” all year round.

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It’s a long season, but one-third of the way through a 162-game schedule is a good time to reassess, especially given the extremes of the club’s performance. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney give their takes, based on information from their travels, and conversations on the field and in the clubhouse. What’s the secret to the Brewers’ success? How will Craig Counsell adjust to the circumstances? And which direction will Jed Hoyer’s front office go at the trade deadline?

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The 10-game losing streak is finally over. To put these wild swings of the season into context, listen to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney, who share field-level insights and clubhouse observations from their reporting. How are the Cubs reacting to these ups and downs? At this point, when should the club be counting on Steele to return? (Because the latest update did not sound promising.) Plus, an explainer of why Ben Brown appears to be a different pitcher right now.

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