Spencer Strider, Jesse Chavez Retires, and A New Trade Deadline Reality

00:00:20
Speaker 1: Welcome one and all to the Here Territory Podcast. My name is Sean Coleman. Hope, wherever you are and wherever you are listening, you're having a great week so far listen to Braves may have the day off. We have some days off here in the week as well, but not tonight, as we're back with you once again the Coleman and Coleman Wall Firm. Glad to join you for a second straight time. And Scott, I'm getting familiar with you.

00:00:43
Speaker 2: Man.

00:00:43
Speaker 1: I don't know what's gonna happen when Stephen comes back, but it good as always to talk with you, sir. I hope you're doing well.

00:00:49
Speaker 3: Hey, Sean, nice to do another episode with you, my friend, and you know, I just wanted to ask. I don't know if anybody else is feeling this, but as we're recording this here Thursday night, not long ago, a pretty good sized trade went down with the Diamondbacks and the Mariners, and when I got the push alert from Jeff Passing, it kind of made me sad. And it was maybe my first not realization that the Braves weren't gonna be buying this deadline because obviously we've known for weeks now that they're basically out of it. But it's the first time since twenty seventeen that the Braves are not actively trying to buy and to win and to give themselves a chance to make a run in the playoffs. I don't know, man, It just I don't know why. A trade between the Mariners and the Diamondbacks kind of hit me, but it did that. You know, for the next week, when we're usually so excited about the trade deadline, what are the Braves going to do? It's more of okay, maybe they're going to sell Iglesias or Ozuna or you know, at a mediocre piece for next season. I don't know, man, It's just kind of where I'm at.

00:01:50
Speaker 1: No, I absolutely agree. And the problem is is because of the fact that at this dead l at the deadline, you get those immediate benefits, right like, not only you get not only are you getting someone that you immediately will get to see how they contribute to your team. It's you're wanting to do it in a way to where they're going to help you win. And that's what's so exciting about it. And the other thing about it is is that we've been so used to it. You know, when we talk about things that this Braves team is doing this year, it's literally been nearly a decade since twenty seventeen twenty sixteen since they were this bad, since they had stretches of losing as long as they have had this season. So yes, it's one thing to prepare yourself for it, to know that it's going to come at some point. It's another thing when the realization actually settles in. And I'm sure the Braves will make a move or two, but at the the most immediate timeframe that that move may help us out is next year, which is.

00:02:48
Speaker 2: A good thing.

00:02:48
Speaker 1: You want for that to be the case. If they're making moves, you want for their assets to that are coming back to be here to benefit us in twenty twenty six and beyond. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it really is a disappointment.

00:03:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, and even going back to like twenty fifteen, sixteen seventeen, sure the Braves weren't necessarily buying, but in a way they were like they.

00:03:09
Speaker 2: Were selling pieces to then have a future.

00:03:12
Speaker 3: And right now the Braves are obviously still in the middle of a contention window. Even if it doesn't feel like it. This team has a lot of talent signed for next season, so we'll see what they ultimately decide to do. And I guess this, at least for the next couple of months, Sean will be watching from the sidelines, and of course we'll always do a podcast, especially if they sell I mean, obviously, then it's like, Okay, who are we getting back? Who?

00:03:35
Speaker 2: Who could this?

00:03:35
Speaker 3: What does this player mean for this year next year beyond whether it's a you know, advanced minor leaguer who's probably more major league ready, or if they take a chance on an eighteen year old lottery ticket who's in a ball who we may never see or could end up being something special. One day, we'll see what the braves in the front office are doing. I guess we should timestamp this episode. It's a little bit after ten pm Eastern Time on Thursday, Lie twenty fourth, so inevitably, when a trade goes down, I don't know, at one or one am Eastern time tonight, Sean, we'll we'll have to round the horses and get another show up.

00:04:11
Speaker 1: I was about to be like, we're gonna be recording here in two hours anyway, when when something big goes down, but you know, it's gonna be very interesting to see. But of course I also think that, you know, trade deadlines of the past, I think that it may be hard to approach that level of excitement again, you know, not only because you know we're buying, but with the introduction of the third wild card, you just have less sellers, you have less teams that are selling, so you're likely going to have a smaller pool of quality players that are going to be out there. That makes sense, which gives me actually a little bit of excitement when it comes to this trade deadline. Scott, I'm gonna get your thoughts on this. I know that the Braves have positioned themselves as sellers. I know that the Braves have positioned themselves to where they're likely going to sell only free agents, but they could potentially buy as well. And I really do think that Alex and Thopless is probably looking at the opportunity to see if there is some underperforming reliever orm especially that he could go get. Could you see that potentially be in the headline of this deadline for the Braves, No pun intended.

00:05:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I think one thing we've learned with Alex and Thoplss over the years, is that he is an outside the box thinker. Nobody had Chris Sale on the Bingo card a year and a half ago, trades for Sale. So I think Alex does a really good job of maybe thinking, like every offseason there's obvious targets, but I feel like he doesn't generally go get the obvious.

00:05:45
Speaker 2: Target for better or for worse.

00:05:47
Speaker 3: And because of that, while I think we can all say with a straight face that this is not a year where the Braves can win and they have pieces to sell off, I don't think he would be a huge shock to anybody if Alex went out and traded for you know, player X who could be part of the team next year. A controllable starter, a controllable reliever would be of interest, especially with Ryce e Iglesias said to become a free agent or well, frankly, Rice El's probably in his last week of being with the Braves anyway. You know, the one thing I will say about a long term asset on the offensive side of the ball, there's really nowhere to put them outside of maybe shortstop. I mean, I know ozsy Alby's is not having a good year, but I mean, you're not going to trade for a second basement and bench Ozzy Alby's for the second half like that. That's just you're not going to do that to a veteran like him. I guess if by some chance there's a shortstop out there that we are thinking of and Alex goes out and acquires, then I'm sure Nick Allen then becomes a really good backup infielder defensively, But I think if we're going to see a more of a controllable asset added, I do think it would be on the pitching side, maybe a reliever, maybe a starter, just because frankly, this team is going to need it both immediately just to kind of bridge the gap to the end of the year, but then also obviously in twenty twenty six, you can never have enough good quality, dependable pitching.

00:07:06
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:07:07
Speaker 1: And the idea of player profiles that I think that we would potentially see Alex and thoughtless look to target are maybe there is an intriguing middle infield bat profile that's blocked in an organization that that specific player is in the minor leagues they're doing well. He kind of did that with Nick Allen, you know, and because he loved his fielding, and I know that they would need to be a strong fielder, but maybe the Braves could go out and get that type of player in a deal. Another thing that stands out to me are pitchers who may be underperforming this year, but their metrics seem to encourage plenty of opportunity for growth. We know that He's gone out and looked at those type of players before, you know, acquiring such players like Pierce Johnson from Colorado and Aaron Bummer from the Chicago White Sox. A name that I like that I've consistently liked, though I think that he's, you know, kind of struggled to live up to his potential that he showed a few years ago. I believe maybe his first name is near a inner canoe from the Baltimore Orioles. He's got a really, really intriguing relief profile. He's controllable. I know that the Orioles have every reason to keep him just as much as we want to have him. But I think that that's the type of player that Alex and Popless can go get because that's the type of player he's had success going to get in the past.

00:08:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. And you mentioned like Bummer and Pierce Johnson. When the Braves traded for those guys, neither of them had good standard stats, like era was awful. I think I think Pierce Johnson's era was in the sixes when they traded for him and everyone looked around like, oh my god, what on earth are they doing? This guy's terrible, And then you dug in a little bit more and you saw Pierce Johnson's splits or Aaron Bummer was really unlucky this season before they traded for him. So yes, I mean, I think in general, you don't want to overpay for those kind of stats that maybe aren't as sticky, like they're not necessarily predictive of future performance. So yeah, I mean, if there's a player who is either blocked in the organization somewhere, if there's a pitcher who's maybe having an unlucky or down season but you feel like you can fix something with his mechanics or build them back up to once promising level, why not try to buy low. I mean, this team could use all of the lottery tickets that can take and if you strike gold, great, And if you're buying a player who's not having a good season, You're probably not having to give up a whole lot.

00:09:26
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and you could take some of the returns that you get from selling off players to go buy these players, because you're likely only going to get lottery tickets for the players that you're selling off. So it makes sense. And the other part of it is that, especially when it comes to those type of relief arms, you know, we've been so used to Alex and Thoughtless really being okay having an expensive bullpen will if those purse strings are going to be a little bit tighter moving forward, which the past twelve to fifteen months have indicated that could be the case. Getting those controllable relievers you can get good value of but they're cheap. That could be a really good get for Atlanta. So if that type of profile, that type of player is out there, I could see Alex and Thopless easy going to make that move.

00:10:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, And I think you know we've said this on the show a couple of times now, but all cards are on the table, like there's no dumb ideas, Like it's when you have a failing business, Like no idea is a bad idea necessarily whenever you're kind of up against it. Clearly, this is a kind of a year of transition for Atlanta, a new manager very likely coming in next season. They could have significant money and roster flexibility depending on what they do in the next week at the deadline. We'll see what the payroll is next season. That is anybody's guests. But yes, it feels like we're at a moment of hey, what if we think about this, or maybe this is an unconventional player, but is there something we can do to tap into him If a team is looking to sell low, sometimes teams are looking to unload a contract, like behind the scenes, the team might be in a bad shape financially and they it's like Derice e Iglesias trade a couple of years ago. Now, obviously were contending when they traded for Isel four years ago, but he's he was under control. He had three and a half years and fifty million dollars left on his deal. So if that player is available, and if they really like a player, then sure go out get them add for the future if you feel like they can be a core piece moving on. You could always trade from now, and you could always kind of lay some foundation for a trade this offseason. If the two sides aren't like desperate to get a deal done, you could always wait until early November and swing a deal that first or second.

00:11:31
Speaker 2: Week of the offseason.

00:11:32
Speaker 1: That's an excellent point. You see that happen a lot of times in the NBA, where the players will be discussed at the NBA trade deadline and then four months later said player goes to said team. That's a great point, Scott, and I think that's one thing that definitely could occur if we're hearing rumors about certain players right now, but it doesn't happen. Maybe that changes as we go into the offseason. But we talk about relievers, We talk about pitchers who maybe elsewhere did not you know, live up to the potendial or add a lot of value, and then they came to Atlanta and wound up being awesome here. That is kind of being a staple of the Alex and Thopless era. And it's hard to find any relievers who have been more beloved in Braves Country than when Jesse chob is more on him in just a moment after a word from our partners.

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00:13:19
Speaker 1: So Scott I don't know if I've ever mentioned to you, but you know, not to reveal our age or anything, but I think we're probably around the same age, and you know, I'm probably a little bit older, you know, to make you feel better. But the point that I'm lisening is is that one of the shows that I grew up with, one of my favorite shows of all time, is Full House. And of course there was Uncle Jesse, who is one of the more Jessic Cassopolis, one of the more beloved sitcom characters over the past half century, if you will, And I never thought that there would ever be another Uncle Jesse that I would care for. But then along comes Jesse Chavez. He came again, and he was a part of the team again, and he once again became a part of the team. All joking aside, just see Chabz today on the flagship show of Foul Territory. Foul Territory itself actually announced his retirement from baseball, and of course many a Brave's country A fell in love with Jesse Chabez. I know, it's been kind of a running source of you know, humor, how many times he's left, the team joined, the team left, the team joined, the team, but he's added value in so many ways. First, let's look at the clip that he had with vou Territory where he announced his retirement, and Scott myself will discuss just how much much Jesse has and does mean to this Brace franchise.

00:14:34
Speaker 7: All honesty, I haven't picked up a baseball since my last pitch in Saint Louis. As of now, I don't think we're gonna keep going. I think this is it time to turn the page, focus on the next chapter in life and go help all the young kids all the stuff that I did, so they don't have to take two steps.

00:14:50
Speaker 6: Backwards, they can take those three steps forward.

00:14:53
Speaker 8: Well, you've that's incredible for you to come on here and basically, you know, say you're retirement. I'm not going to say you're fully retired because all of a sudden somebody might give you a call for an injury. But again, you know, your career has been absolutely spectacular. Every time I look, I'm like, how's my boy still playing here? How the heck is he doing it? Because guess what, one determination too pure athleticism as a pitcher, and you're a healthy man. You're healthy as can be, and you threw strikes and you got after vibe. I appreciate everything you've done for me. Even though we played for a little bit in Texas. We had such a good time being with the boys. And I'm going to say, not congratulations. If this is the end, well deserved, right off in the sunset and your new cars, those old school cars you got, and just skate yourself away baby in California. Let's go.

00:15:43
Speaker 6: Thank you. I appreciate it, man, that means a lot.

00:15:45
Speaker 7: I mean, yeah, this has been a great ride, you know, way more than I expected to from a forty second round draft pick.

00:15:51
Speaker 2: You know.

00:15:54
Speaker 7: The thing was is I was giving a gift early on. I understood it, but it was how am I going to make it last? How can I keep it going for this long? And I always said I want to go out the way I came in, being able to roll out of bed and throw baseball.

00:16:07
Speaker 6: And fortunately I'm still able to do that.

00:16:09
Speaker 7: And like I said, I had a conversation with my college coach. He's one of the biggest mentors in my life. Then you go to the background of my family, you know, my wife and kids being there the entire time from day one, you know, and then allowing me to go through this being a knucklehead and just being stubborn with this, you know, trying to get what we wanted to get accomplished, you know, to where we're at today. And then the people that I came across, you guys you tune the booth, you know, those conversations we had, the talks, you know, watching you guys go about your business as professionals, the guys I had my first year in pro ball, all the way up through till my last day, you know, all the conversations we had.

00:16:44
Speaker 6: I still took that and tried to learn.

00:16:46
Speaker 7: And you know, this game's still about adapting, right, So I felt like I went from you know, throwing ninety one ninety two, and I came in to throwing a hundred and then now throwing you know, eighty nine ninety. So I knew how to. I always has understood how to. You know, if I wanted to stick around, you had to make make moves, make adjustments, whether it was you know, moving on the rubber, throwing a different pitch, coming into one, you know, banging one so it doesn't work because it doesn't work anymore.

00:17:15
Speaker 6: You know.

00:17:16
Speaker 7: It was all about that and the conversations I had early on. You know, I think that's all boys it.

00:17:20
Speaker 2: Down to, man.

00:17:24
Speaker 3: I mean, first of all, doesn't Jesse Chov has just seemed like such a good human being, just absolutely just so insightful. I think, so genuinely appreciative that a guy who was taken so late in the draft, and I looked it up. I mean, Jesse Chaves' debut was the summer of two thousand and eight. Sean two thousand and eight. It's a lifetime ago, man, I mean, that's that's crazy. Jesse also has the famous claim that he is the most traded player in baseball history. It's been traded a million times and has pitched all over the country. And I mean, what a just what a career, what a beloved figure in Atlanta. You know that anytime Jesse comes back for a game as a you know, as a fan, and they show him on the big board, he's gonna get a huge ovation. A guy who did anything. It feels like the Braves asked him to. He'd go out there and pitch four innings in a blowout, and he'd go out there and pitch in a tie game, Especially earlier in his tenure when he was better and really performing with the Braves. And I think just maybe my favorite Jesse Chavas thing is he'd be with the Braves and he'd be awesome, and then he would go somewhere else and he'd be terrible, and then he'd come back to the Braves and he'd be great, and then he'd leave and he'd be terrible and he'd come back. And it wasn't just a thing like you and I are Braves fans knew like it was a thing around Major League Baseball where if Chavas was with Atlanta, he was awesome, and if he was anywhere else quiet really anywhere else for like the last seven or eight years, he was terrible. And it's just special player was Jesse. Wish Jesse all the best, and I mean, I'm sure man he has. I mean talk about someone who could write a book. I mean that that would be such an insightful read to just hear about all of his memories in the league.

00:19:17
Speaker 6: Well, and to.

00:19:18
Speaker 1: Your point, you know, he is. There's there's just so much to like about Jesse Chobs. Number One, he's a genuinely good person. Number Two, he far exceeded I'm sure the expectations that anybody had for him. I think there was one year where he kind of came out of nowhere as a pretty good starter. I think for the Athletics. It was here for the Athletics or the Blue Jays, I believe, I can't remember what year it was. But then after that, you know, a career kind of you know, fell off to the wayside of it, but then came back. He reinvented himself, you know, kind of like with that cutter, you know, not not doing Marian Marian or rivera cutter, but I think with the Braves he threw that cutter like seventy five percent of the time. The point that I'm getting at is is that Jesse chab Is just has is a wealth of information, not only in terms a being successful with other teams, but how to reinvent himself, how to be able to show versatility as a starter or as a reliever. So many of those things stand out, and that's why I think, and he's also a baseball lifer like that stands out as well. He's a baseball lifer who wants to coach. And I would not be surprised Scott if we find him again in the Braves organization. We know Alex dopplss has loyalty to his former players, we know how much he loves Jesse chobb is. I would not be surprised at all if in a year from hours so we find him having a role with the Braves.

00:20:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, they call him coach and coach for a reason.

00:20:34
Speaker 3: And not only does he have a wealth of baseball knowledge, but clearly people like the guy. I was just looking at his career stats and he had a good year you mentioned with Oakland about a decade ago, made thirty starts and was good.

00:20:47
Speaker 2: But other than that one season, this is a.

00:20:50
Speaker 3: Guy who has a career era of four point twenty seven. So the fact that Jesse was able to stick around for almost two full decades, there's a reason and that this guy stuck around. And yeah, if you're telling me, then in a year or two it gets announced that Jesse as a you know, special advisor to the pitching coach or an assistant pitching coach or something like that. I could totally see it, and something tells me he'd be pretty darn good at it.

00:21:15
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and we wish him the best in retirement. Career well worth so many stories. Again, if he wants to write a book, if he wants to have a snicker like presence in baseball for so many years, I don't think anybody's going to get in the way of that. Baseball is just better when you have people like Jesse chab is involved with it for decades. So wish him all the best, and hey, you know, if it includes being with the Braves once again, certainly look forward to it. Scott. I also wanted to you know, transition to you know, we're talking about, you know, players that you just love and personalities that you just love, and one that clearly stands out for this Brave's team is Spencer Strider. Wanted to take a few minutes to speak with him. Spencer, you know, yesterday, you know, was on the mound against the Giants once again. You know, okay, kind of struggled on the mound. You know, I think that you know, we see glimpses of his old stuff being there. The fastball velosity isn't where it once was, but it's pretty above average to elite at times. But there is also a bit of concern. I don't necessarily think that it's just long term concern. But clearly something that's going to have to work through. And that's the fact. It's a couple of things. When you look at Baseball savonn Spencer Strider is in the one percentile when it comes to exitvelocity, meaning that he is one of the hardest hit pitchers in the league. And it's his foreseen fastball. Two thousand and two, two thousand and three, two thousand and four, hitters were hitting that ball off of their bat at about ninety miles proud. This year, they're doing it at ninety three point three miles per hour. That is a huge jump, and I feel like that we're to the point to where fifty percent of the runs he's given up this year have come off home runs. It just seems like that more home runs are being hit off of him as will pay. Hitters are certainly having more success against his fastball than in the past. The lower velocity could have something to do with that. But what are your thoughts on Strider now about ten to fifteen starts into his return.

00:23:17
Speaker 3: So it's a great question, and I think the first thing that comes to my mind is just I'm really happy and relieved that Spencer was able to come back from this elbow surgery and be effective because his numbers are good.

00:23:30
Speaker 2: Now are they prime Spencer Strider good? No, and we'll see.

00:23:35
Speaker 3: But I'm really relieved that Spencer was able to come back from this brace surgery, which has some mixed results I think you could say among major leaguers compared to the Tommy John but the fact Spencer was able to come back.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: He did have the hiccup with the.

00:23:50
Speaker 3: Hamstring strain, which was really unfortunate with the timing. But you know, for me, I think the fastball is clearly something that Spencer needs to continue to work on. I think the slider looks good, and he still also throws that curveball on occasion. But for me, I think if we're going to get to see Spencer fully establish himself and be back to the legitimate ace, top ten pitcher in baseball that we know and love so much, I do think the fastball is something he's gonna have to work on, and hopefully fingers crossed Spencer pitches well maybe for the next month, month and a half, and then I do think they're gonna limit his innings and not have him go up until the very final day, and then you have a full off season of six months for Spencer to have like a normal off season of routine building strength, building a throwing program. I think that's only going to help him moving forward next year. And I mean, let me ask you, Sean, I mean, this time in a year, do you think Spencer will be better than what he's shown? Do you think he'll be about the same, do you think he'll be worse?

00:24:51
Speaker 2: Kind of what do you see for that?

00:24:52
Speaker 1: I think he'll be better. And the reason why that he is has actually less to do with the talent that he is and more to do with the person, the mental aspect, and the approach that he has. The reason why I say that I'm a bit concerned is because it seems as if hitters, with Spencer now being in his third or fourth round around the majors, hitters are starting to figure him out a bit, and that coinciding with a bit lower tick fastball. That's not necessarily a good thing. But his fastball still is good enough to be a weapon. Obviously, it's still good enough to support him being at an all star level, even at a cy young level. And the reason that I say that is because even if Spencer may not have fastball velocity where it once was. There's no doubt in my mind he is fully capable of reinventing his approach, reinventing his overall you know, the way that he works through hitters. I think Spencer Strider's got the mentality that anybody would want in their ace in a pitcher. That's there. And I also think he's someone that wants to be on the big stage of winning World Series and be a big reason why the Braves winning World Series. So I think there's no doubt he's going to be better. Will it be to the point that we once saw It could be in time, or it may not be, but I definitely think that he's going to continue to be an asset for his Braves team. Just wanted to point out that there's some things that still need to be worked through and hopefully they'll we figured out sooner rather than later.

00:26:15
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:26:15
Speaker 3: I loved the comments that Spencer made after the game. Obviously, the Braves got their butts beat on Wednesday afternoon, and Spencer was very candid in a way that he just about always is. I think so many athletes are media trained and don't say anything ever, and Spencer is very forthcoming and he will say what is on his mind, and not just about himself, but the team is the whole and the fact that this season has just been anything but what they were expecting. So yeah, I'm curious to see what the next month entails for Spencer. He was not very good coming off the hamstring strain, and then he had a stretch of maybe six or seven starts where he was legitimately good and then that giant start. Man, it just was never pretty. The first inning, I think he threw thirty pitches, did give up an unlucky home run to Raphael Devers, who is just ridiculously talented and just kills the braves in the wheels kind of fell off the third time through for Spencer, and obviously the offense did basically nothing.

00:27:11
Speaker 2: But yeah, I think that's one.

00:27:13
Speaker 3: Of the real storylines that I have my eye on is among many, what does Spencer Strider look like down the stretch and is there anything to give us concern moving forward or do we think with the normal offseason he'll be even better come twenty twenty six.

00:27:28
Speaker 1: There's no doubt in my mind that he is going to certainly make sure that he is affected once again for a winner. But hey, part of the process through covering the team is looking at content in so many different ways. It's always fun to see Spencer Strider on the mound. You just hope that can elite consistency gets there once again. And I would be if I was a Betty Man, I would put more money on the fact that I think that that will be the case rather than it not. More to come in just a moment after another word from our partners.

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00:28:56
Speaker 2: So Scott.

00:28:56
Speaker 1: Of course, the Braves will be back on the road tomorrow. Actually, the braz will not be back home at Truis Park until after the trade deadline. So it's very realistic that some players could have thrown their last pitch or had their last bat, maybe for this season, maybe forever in a Braves uniform. This past week, the Braves that will be traveling to Global Life Park. They'll be planning another team in the Texas Rangers, who kind of like the Braves, after they won a World Series, fell off a bit more than people may have thought. I think that Texas is definitely still in the mix this year for the playoffs. Their pitching has been outstanding. But the thing that strikes me is that the first picture that that we're going to be facing is nearly old friend Nathan Eovaldi. And the reason that I say that is because he may have been the most prominent name that the Braves were connected to early in the offseason, and there's no doubt that there was likely legitimate interest, but he wound up re upping with the Rangers. I'll give Alex in the thoughtless credit Scott, because Eobaldi is once agaven incredible this year when it comes to old pitchers who were remained effective in their mid thirties or later, and Bobus does well and identifying them more like, say he does well doing that?

00:30:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, he does.

00:30:09
Speaker 3: Alex has a type with his pitchers, And I mean, okay, would it be the difference in the Braves being good or not this season if they would have come to terms with Nathany Evaldi, Probably not, But the guy has been awesome, one of the best.

00:30:22
Speaker 2: Pitchers in the American League.

00:30:23
Speaker 3: The Braves will see Euvalde on Friday night, it'll be Joey Wentz starting for Atlanta, so that's interesting. Joey pitched well in his two appearances so far with the team and then we have Grant Holmes and then we have Bryce Elder, So say a prayer. The Rangers are really hot right now. Think they've won something like eight out of ten and ten out of fourteen or something going back. So Texas playing goodball. They're a fringe playoff team. And then I mean you mentioned it, man, this is a long road trip. Now you have the Rangers. They won't see any great teams, but they see the Rangers. Then they go to Kansas City to see a Royals team that's hanging around, and then they go play the Cincinnati Reds. Who I mean, the Reds might be the quietest above five hundred team in the majors right now. So yeah, I mean, it's not that we're.

00:31:10
Speaker 6: Goad Classic Speedway Classic.

00:31:12
Speaker 2: That's right.

00:31:13
Speaker 3: Did you see those hats for that was the flame hats? Did the jokes about those? They said, every small town in America has that same Braves hat at a at a mechanic shop, at a dairy queen. Like it's they knew what audience they were targeting.

00:31:29
Speaker 1: Grant Holmes look absolutely immaculate in that hat.

00:31:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's great. If folks missed it, The.

00:31:37
Speaker 3: Braves are playing a game at a speedway, and they have special jerseys for them that actually looked pretty cool.

00:31:43
Speaker 2: So it'll be Braves and Reds.

00:31:45
Speaker 3: That'll be I mean, aren't they trying to sell like seventy thousand tickets or something crazy like that.

00:31:50
Speaker 1: Absolutely, And the thing is is that it needs to be said. It's in Bristol, Tennessee. I didn't mean to kind of derail the conversation, Scott, but it's in Bristol, Tennessee. The last big event sporting event that occurred there was Tennessee versus Virginia Tech back in twenty sixteen. We're talking about a place that can hold up to one hundred and fifty plus thousand fans. I'm surprised for a baseball game. They're not able to sit there and get one hundred thousand in there. But yes, I think that they may be even going for seventy five thousand plus.

00:32:17
Speaker 2: Wow, that'll be cool.

00:32:18
Speaker 3: I mean, it's it's unique, it's I mean, it makes sense for two teams from the general region to play there. So yeah, so we'll see obviously, wins and losses.

00:32:27
Speaker 2: Right now, what are you gonna do a win?

00:32:30
Speaker 3: Sure, you're happy the Braves won and a loss, it makes you one game closer to better odds than the lottery and maybe getting the number one, number two pick next summer.

00:32:38
Speaker 1: Well, Scott will in with this because there's one other interesting dynamic to all of this is that we've talked about the fact that the Braves offense over the past ten games or so has been a bit better, has seemed to click a bit more, and that coincides with two things we've talked at length about the Murphy and Baldwin Murphy being in the lineup together as the catcher DH, but also no small fact Ronald being in the third spot is something that has definitely been a change in the lineup as well. Now, I'm not yet convinced that is the best spot for Ronald. I just think at the end of the day, all that he offers you want that in the lead off spot number one is being the bat that comes up most often for you and sets the table for everybody. But there's no denying that he also has been pretty successful and he does get pitches consistently for Matt Olson. What are your thoughts on that experiment so far, something we're likely to continue to see going into the second half.

00:33:35
Speaker 3: You know, up until the last two games of the Giant series, the lineup looked really good. It was putting up crooked numbers and it was working. Of course, then they scored three runs in garbage time and then got shut out the other night, So what are you gonna do?

00:33:49
Speaker 2: But you know, I'm.

00:33:50
Speaker 3: Curious, and we didn't say this earlier, but Austin Riley is believed to be returning this weekend. We don't know that, but with Riley back, I am interested to see what kind of lineup Brian Snitker runs out there. I agree with obviously Acunya batting leadoff.

00:34:06
Speaker 2: He's so dynamic.

00:34:07
Speaker 3: It means he gets the most at bats. But as we saw for three months this season, the lineup just wasn't working, so I was fine with changing it up. I love Acunyan Olsen batting back to back because those are your two best hitters. I love Baldwin batting fourth because then you have a really good two three four with Olsen, Acunya and Baldwin Murphy fifth. He can run into a homer And I don't know. I mean, so far, jerks and Profar hasn't set the world on fire in the leadoff spot.

00:34:36
Speaker 2: But he's been fine.

00:34:37
Speaker 3: I think he has like a one oh five ish WRC plus, which is a far cry from what he was last year. But you know, I think you'd probably take it, especially for a guy who missed half of the season. So I'm curious to see what kind of lineup they run.

00:34:50
Speaker 2: Out there, and if this is more of the norm, or if Snith.

00:34:53
Speaker 3: Says, Okay, that's enough, let's get Ronald back to the first spot.

00:34:58
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:34:59
Speaker 1: Absolutely, And I don't necessarily think anything that we see this year. I enjoy the creativity trying something new. I don't necessarily think it means it's going to work into next year. But we'll wait and see, so obviously, and you hope, obviously you know there's no lingering effects from you know, Acunya. You know, I know that he got a little banged up on Tuesday, was out of the lineup on Wednesday. That's perfectly fine if they want to hold him out of the lineup every now and then, But just hope, you know, he's certainly in the light of more fun when he obviously is. By the way, Scott, I looked it up within point two five point two five, What is Jesse Chabbs his career era at Truest Park or or earlier first.

00:35:40
Speaker 3: Part, great question at Truest Park.

00:35:43
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go with three point four two point four eight.

00:35:48
Speaker 1: Two point four eight is his ra the best ra of any park that he's throwing thirty career innings at. He's thrown ninety eight innings at Truest Park, so legitimately just how good he is. So again, congratulations Jujitsy on an excellent career. Best of luck to him in his future endeavors. And you know what, for all of you listening, I hope that you have a wonderful night yourself, have a great start to your weekend. If it includes the Braves, absolutely hope they win for you. If it doesn't, heck, I don't blame you. But the thing is, we're going to have you covered no matter what as we lead up through the trade deadline, past the trade deadline, and going forward. Almost every single day, you can find Hammer Territory across all forms social media, part of the Foul Territory family of podcasts. Make sure you check out the show. You never know what content is going to be on the show. Scott Coleman at Scott Coleman fifty five on next Slash Twitter. My name is Sean Coleman at stats SAC. Make sure you check out all the great content that's come recently, including some draft thoughts from a girl of dd IT friend of the show who was with Brad Rowan the last time where or just earlier this week discussing the draft. So much more to come content wise with the trade deadline and many other things to enjoy. Until next time, Go Braze. We'll talk to you Cansume here on the Hammer Territory podcast