EPISODE: Cade Horton Is BACK, Happ Goes BOOM & the Cubs Bounce Back 10-2! HOST: Brandon “Tracks” Hiatt CO-HOST: Alex Patt — ChiCitySports / Bill Swerski’s Sports Talk Chicago RECORDED: March 28, 2026 GAME: Chicago Cubs 10, Washington Nationals 2 — Game 2 of the 2026 Season

After a rough Opening Day loss — the Cubs got blown out 10-4 at Wrigley Field on Thursday in front of their home fans — the question was simple: how would this team respond? The answer came on Saturday in the form of a complete, dominant, ten to two demolition of the Washington Nationals. Cade Horton walked out to the mound and was locked in from pitch one, retiring the first nine batters he faced before finishing with six and a third innings pitched, four hits allowed, two runs, and four strikeouts. Three Chicago relievers followed him and did not allow a single hit the rest of the way. Ian Happ broke the game open in the sixth inning with a three-run home run off Ken Waldichuk. Miguel Amaya homered and drove in two runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw and Carson Kelly all contributed at the plate. This was exactly the kind of statement game a team with World Series aspirations needed to make. On this episode of Bleav in Cubs, Brandon “Tracks” Hiatt — owner and host of both Bleav in Cubs and Bleav in Bears on the CHI Sports Network and the Bleav Network — welcomes his brand-new co-host for the 2026 season: Alex Patt. Alex is a writer for ChiCitySports, a Chicagoland native and lifelong Cubs fan who has been covering this team since 2017. He is the co-host of Bill Swerski’s Sports Talk Chicago — one of Chicago’s longest-running sports podcasts with over 500 episodes — and brings years of real, passionate, in-depth Cubs analysis to every conversation. WHAT WE COVER THIS EPISODE: — Alex Patt’s official co-host debut and his history covering the Cubs — Opening Day post-mortem: what went wrong Thursday in the 10-4 loss — Matthew Boyd, unearned runs and the self-inflicted damage that cost Chicago — Seiya Suzuki’s knee injury from the World Baseball Classic and his IL timeline — Full Game 2 recap: inning by inning breakdown of the 10-2 victory — Cade Horton’s complete backstory: 2025 rookie season stats, the cracked rib that ended his year, how the Cubs protected him this spring and what his ceiling looks like in 2026 — Is Cade Horton a legitimate NL Cy Young contender? His competition with Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes — Ian Happ’s three-run homer and why he is one of the most underrated players in the National League — Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki all hitting free agency after 2026 — who does Jed Hoyer prioritize? — Alex Bregman’s impact on the infield, the culture and the lineup’s run production potential — The case for this being the best defensive Cubs team since 2016 — potentially six Gold Glove winners on the same roster — Miguel Amaya breakdown — who is he and why should Cubs fans be excited? — Moises Ballesteros and the embarrassing depth at the catcher position — Michael Conforto and Dylan Carlson stepping up while Suzuki is out — Pete Crow-Armstrong’s $115 million six-year extension and what it means for the franchise long-term — Sunday series finale preview: Shota Imanaga vs. Jake Irvin — 2026 season outlook: is this a World Series team? — Three bold predictions for the Chicago Cubs in 2026 ABOUT THE HOSTS: Brandon “Tracks” Hiatt is the owner and host of Bleav in Cubs and Bleav in Bears on the CHI Sports Network and the Bleav Network. A lifelong Chicago sports fan, Brandon brings high energy, real passion and an entertainment-first approach to every episode. Alex Patt is a writer for ChiCitySports covering all six Chicago sports teams and co-host of Bill Swerski’s Sports Talk Chicago, a weekly Chicago sports podcast running since 2016 with over 500 episodes. He has covered the Chicago Cubs for FanSided’s Cubbies Crib since 2017 and is one of the most dedicated Cubs media voices in the Chicagoland area. FOLLOW ALEX PATT: ChiCitySports: chicitysports.com Bill Swerski’s Sports Talk Chicago: Available on all podcast platforms Twitter/X: @AlexPatt SUBSCRIBE TO BLEAV IN CUBS: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | CHI Sports Network | Bleav Network and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts — it takes two minutes and helps us grow so we can keep bringing you the best Cubs content all season! GO CUBS GO! #ChicagoCubs #GoCubsGo #BleavInCubs #CadeHorton #IanHapp #MiguelAmaya #PeteCrowArmstrong #AlexBregman #SeiyaSuzuki #ShotaImanaga #Cubs2026 #NLCentral #WrigleyField #CHISportsNetwork #BleavNetwork #AlexPatt #ChiCitySports #BillSwerskiSports #MLBPodcast #CubsBaseball

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