Biggest problem for each contender, Yordan is back! Mets promote Tong, Rangers lose Eovaldi

00:00:00
Speaker 1: M nice day to talk baseball in Alabama. Look at at video bombing right at the top of the show on national television. Guys, yeah, on national television.

00:00:16
Speaker 2: There you go. So your wife goes where you're at. Hope your wife knows where you're at. She knows.

00:00:22
Speaker 1: Now, some good fair harbor on you, Bron Persinski krats with you. We're excited for some good guests later today, so we look forward to that. We'll hit some good stuff at the top. I want to do my shoutouts again because we're not going to have time for all of these. I was telling aj about Bryce terrang Kratz. Do you know how many home runs he has this month? You probably heard me already eleven maybe not nine. Do you know how many home runs he had entering this month, three six, and the prior two years it was six and seven homers. So he's done more damage this month basically than his entire career. That's cool.

00:01:03
Speaker 2: I meantimes it just click Scott.

00:01:05
Speaker 1: He does a lot of other things. Well, if he's got pomp.

00:01:07
Speaker 2: Now he's leading the charge for the brewker that's where they got the best record in baseball. One of many reasons they pitch they played defense, and they can swing a little better than people give them credit for. And they have a little more pop I think than people. How many homers is Christian? Christianlis always has thirty, doesn't he twenty eight or twenty nine?

00:01:23
Speaker 1: Contraras has really picked it picked it up. That's why when you look at that King Vaughan, Yeah, when you look at the home run number for the year, I mean, you're probably better off looking at it, say in the second half or over a shorter period of time, to see what that looks like. So props to Bryce best trade pick up so far. I've got a name for.

00:01:43
Speaker 2: You, Bryce Best. I mean Andrew Vaughn's got to be high in the list.

00:01:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, around the deadline. I wasn't thinking about that, but you're right. Ramon Lariano, Oh yeah, he's Grand Slam yesterday.

00:01:57
Speaker 2: Kratz.

00:01:58
Speaker 1: He's been insane for them. He's got I think almost a seven hundred slugging percentage in the last few weeks since he joined them. That's good.

00:02:04
Speaker 2: He's gonna play and.

00:02:06
Speaker 3: Now he's gonna screw around and get at bats against righties. They're not pinch hitting for him when they bring a righty in like somehow they have romanely around up and Gavin Sheets in the same lineup, and they're mixing in O'Hearn at bats like it was a huge pickup. That's clam glam yesterday.

00:02:23
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, Slam Diego, Slam diego. It was a good game. We'll get to it later on and then one more. This is going to lead into our first topic. Do you know who returned yesterday and looked really good starting pitcher was badly needed for this team that year. Yeah, Kyle Bradish.

00:02:42
Speaker 2: But I mean it's too little, too late.

00:02:44
Speaker 1: I know. I'm just saying good to see him back.

00:02:46
Speaker 2: Level on an individual Thursday, and he was you saw, Yeah, he was in the locker and he was excited to be able to pitch this year.

00:02:55
Speaker 1: Bradish. Trevor Rodgers, your won two punch. Maybe Grace come comes back. I'd still pick up a starter or two in the off season. But anyway, walking back to him, Chicano will be a free agent again. He gone, yeah, we'll see, they'll have some Hopefully they take it seriously this time around, and someone else is back. Let's charge them ount charge. It had been one hundred games. You're down. Alparez returns for the Astros. Over two, a couple of walks walked in his first trip to the plate. That doesn't matter. He's back and he was raking for his several games in the minor leagues the way up, how big this is for them?

00:03:43
Speaker 3: Here?

00:03:43
Speaker 2: Do you know? You don't need the fact that it's our opening salvo on the show is tells you how big it is for the Astros. Then when they give Jake Myers back, I don't think Parades is probably coming back this year because his hamstring tear poll was a lot worse than they mentioned, like Shaun case style, But it doesn't really matter. It's his presence in that lineup. His presence in the lineup changes a lot of things. Yes, I know they lost yesterday. It was one game, but it's just a different lineup because they don't have that lefty thumper when he's not in there, and they're very right hand heavy. Now he's back, they have the lefty dumper to break up the right He's what you need.

00:04:22
Speaker 1: By the way, Kratz Parates is still hinting how to comeback because he chose not to go with surgery and to rehabit to give that outside chance of returning, So I'm just throwing that out there. He's apparently been putting stuff out on socials. On Monday, a couple of days ago, he reposted a friend's photo of the news of his season ending injury on his Instagram story, with the caption coming soon Stronger Pradies.

00:04:53
Speaker 3: That's great. I mean, it's great for the Astros, but I don't know. I mean, you gotta you gotta make sure you're back. Is eighty percent of Eastcoc parades better than one hundred percent of whoever else they're gonna put out there. I don't know, probably maybe, maybe big pinch. We're gonna Kirk Gibson at bat off the bench EASTOC Parades pull hooks one into the Crawford boxes and the playoffs. He has the ability to They gotta make it first. They gotta make it, and they really need They're not gonna get that buy, but they really need to be able to have their ducks in a row because of the fact that their bullpen is much shorter. But we're not talking about playoff chances. We're talking about your Don Alvarez.

00:05:44
Speaker 1: Okay, so your lineup Bangrafts against Righty's Jeremy Pan, you're leading off great year. Carlos kra in.

00:05:52
Speaker 2: The two spot hot since he got to Houston.

00:05:54
Speaker 1: Yep, Jose al two Bay in the spot. DH, you're down Alvarez or you're done d H and Jose in the outfield whatever they're doing there by the way, I mean you're done. You're pretty much going to h right, Yeah, more than likely. Yeah, or you would hope he mostly DHS, Christian Walker, nop he's been better. He has been better. Heyzus Sanchez after the.

00:06:16
Speaker 2: Opra, Now you got five hits I did last week?

00:06:19
Speaker 1: Ye, Ninds good hitting catching.

00:06:23
Speaker 2: Him and Karatini, Kartini.

00:06:25
Speaker 1: And Kartini, Yeah, kind of a wash. And then Dubon and Meltain. It's a pretty good lineup.

00:06:30
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:06:30
Speaker 2: When's Jake Myers come back? I don't know his timetable because he's having a great year.

00:06:36
Speaker 1: He was Rake Myers and then I know they lost yesterday to the Rockies six to one. But you've got Hunter Brown, Franbervaldez if you catch him in a good time period, which which is usually the case up until recently. How do we feel about this team with jord On?

00:06:56
Speaker 2: I think they're better, They're still in first place, which is the crazy thing. They're They're just hanging on to first place. It's like everyone's like, oh, the Mariners are just gonna blow past them. It hasn't happened. So yeah, every it's like every time the askers answers are two up in the lost column.

00:07:13
Speaker 1: Still they keep losing at the same time.

00:07:15
Speaker 2: That's it's funny they win the same time, they lose at the same time. Right, So how do I feel about it? I mean, I think that they're gonna get in now. The question is if they win the division, then they got to play some other teams. Uh, they lose that by They're pitching is a little short with a bullpen especially, I don't know. But Houston, I'm not counting, ever counting out Houston until someone buries them. That's it.

00:07:37
Speaker 3: They're not variable. They're not gonna be variable, especially with with or done. That's a that's a great lineup on paper, but you take Jordan out of that lineup. Why was this team in such a funk offensively? Were they trying to do too much? Is it something that all you know, this is their this is their window. They have to win here and they're just not able to get it done is too much pressure because they don't have who knows, teams go through slides during the year. But when you talk about that lineup compared to other lineups in the American League, it's got to be one of the better ones. That's why they're in the position that they're in. But this team is going to They're going to go as far as their lineup takes them. So this last month of the season, month and a half, they're gonna have to really show what they have and win a lot of seven to six ball games.

00:08:34
Speaker 1: You right on, Albres is by far their best bat, their most clutch bat, such a danger in the playoffs. They didn't have him for one hundred games.

00:08:41
Speaker 2: I know. But here I disagree with what Crusher said. Their lineup doesn't this team will go as far as their bullpen carries them to because of the way with Hater out and the way their bullpen of Brady is being used now. So to me, it's not as far their lineup takes them, it's how far their bullpen and how many outs can joe a spot of steal from the starters to save the bullpen at some point.

00:09:01
Speaker 3: Okay, but I think the bullpen's gonna need to be gonna need to be in there, and there's gonna be some runs that have to be scored to back those guys up. They have to be able to tack on those extra runs. I'm not saying other teams don't, but the Padres. The Padres have they have two bullpen nights, they have three to four guys that then they can roll out the next night and run three to four guys out there. Obviously, we're talking about extremes. A team that just lost one of the best closers in the game and hater and now their bullpen is shrunk to the team that has all bullpen in the Padres. So that's the extremes. But this offense has to be able to keep a whoever the long relief guy, I'm not sure who's getting the bulk innings, the long relief innings out of that pen. They're gonna need to be able to keep the lead to the point where a spot of feels like I can keep that guy out there.

00:09:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, bullpen's problem, That's what I'm saying to me. It's more important and the lineup can break all you want, but if you can't hold leads.

00:10:04
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter, especially in the playoffs. Bennetts Us is hurt and shut down for a couple of weeks. I think he's a week into that right now too.

00:10:10
Speaker 2: If use those guys, they've heard those guys pretty hard.

00:10:12
Speaker 1: Yeah all right, so we'll see. But Houston still there at the top and they get their big boy backpack, then might have to slug their way to some wins. FT fam, Welcome to the World's most comfortable swimwear For a moment, we are talking about Fair Harbor. We actually have some show and tell today. This is the liner that you're working with inside of the shorts and the bathing suits.

00:10:41
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00:11:24
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00:11:27
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00:11:28
Speaker 1: I stand by that Fair Harbor shirt smell fantastic. I'm serious. They just they smell different like the SEC. It's just different. Clayton Kershaw looking like he might be a postseason starter for the Dodgers. He might mess around and start a playoff game for them, right guys? I mean aj sub two era in August five innings, one run against Cincinnati, three oh six ERA on the season.

00:11:48
Speaker 2: Is he starting a playoff game right now? He is? But let me let me explain something.

00:11:50
Speaker 3: You.

00:11:51
Speaker 2: We had a whole talk with multiple people on the Dodgers about Clayton Kershaw on Saturday. You know what the city does. It's kind of like when I kept talking about Jason Alexander. He kind of throws under the hitting speed. But he knows. It's like a Maddox when we've talked to Maddox earlier, and when he comes on when he's running his ye, his whole thing about like I knew where to put the ball and I knew how to pitch. That's what Kershaw does know. He knows how to throw that big curveball. He can backdoor the slider, he can backfoot the slider and then he runs ninety up there at the top of the zone and people swing and miss at it because they're not ready for it. But he knows how to pitch. He's just good at what he does. He's one of the best of all time for a reason. I don't care how already throws. He's Clayton freaking Kershaw. He's good.

00:12:30
Speaker 1: You have to kratz when you've got the stuff like that.

00:12:33
Speaker 3: These days, can we can we stop having the surprised voice that Scott had when he was like Clayton Kershaw. He did good. I mean, is he a playoff? No, I don't think he's starting for them right now in a game, because you have you want to have Snell Glass now and Yamamoto, So I don't think the time starting unless they get to a game seven. I think he started not starting before those three guys fourney. If they need a fourth guy, he's the guy. But let's stop being surprised. Clayton Kershall does this every year. He's on the mount.

00:13:10
Speaker 1: Hot corner time. One of the best pitchers in baseball this year is Nathan e. Baldi, a one to seven, three ERA, one hundred and thirty innings and now likely done for the season with the rotator cuff strain. He said he was a little surprised when he saw the results, but it is not looking good for him to return. It is also very much not looking like the Rangers are going to make the playoffs this year, a team that many picks to do some damage.

00:13:33
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, well, you see the list right there. They've lost to Valdi, Carter, Sumi, and Gray for the season are close to it, so it makes it really hard. They haven't hit all year. They pitched really well. I don't know if they still do, but at one point they had the best dra in the league, so I don't know if they still do. I haven't checked the stats lately, but they're they're four and a half back. They're five in the loss look at the losses. Forget the wild card games back like, look at the you gotta look at the losses because you can't make those losses up. So, yeah, they're five hundred team. That's what they've been all year. They're just a They're a five hundred team with a lot of stars that just aren't doing what they do they should be doing offensively, especially.

00:14:10
Speaker 3: Dang it, dang it. When you've seen Nathan EVOLDI get hurt. That's all I say. Like, people need to look into the numbers that he was putting up this year under two era. He's thirty, I forget thirty five years old. Thirty five years old, and this is a guy that, to me, I think he changes teams because of the fact that if you're in the playoffs, you can trust him to come into big spots. There's he's on a short list of big time playoff pitchers. And they're not gonna make it this year. I think they've been out. They've been on the outside looking in for a while now, but the numbers got close. There are a few games out. They're making a run, but the run happened when they were when their offense was going. There has to be an adjustment there, and I don't know that that adjustment can be made this year. It has to it has to be made next year, unfortunately, and hopefully all these guys come back healthy from their various injuries.

00:15:13
Speaker 1: I remember at some point early in the season, or it might have even been before the season, we were like, how many starts from Jacob de gram for this team to be a division winner or a rid everyone has right if I told you Jacob de Graham, at thirty seven years old, has made twenty five starts with a sub three ERA this year. Like, damn, the Rangers are good.

00:15:33
Speaker 2: That's what you saying. They haven't hit for two years now. They haven't hit for two years now, the way that we think they're cable, Maybe this is what they are. Maybe twenty three was a fluke.

00:15:43
Speaker 1: Sometimes hangovers can last a really long time.

00:15:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've heard watch one of those movies. I don't drink, so I don't know.

00:15:49
Speaker 1: All right, but if you did, it could last years. It's lasting two years in Arlington right now.

00:15:57
Speaker 2: I will say when you say something.

00:16:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the Rangers are stacking cups, they're stacking strikeouts, They're they're not scoring runs, crats.

00:16:08
Speaker 3: I think this. I think the stadium changed. I think that's the big thing. Like I don't even know what they're calling the stadium now, but the new stadium is playing so tough for these hitters. It is playing twenty three.

00:16:24
Speaker 2: They won it there in twenty three, and I'm about the same stadium, globe life.

00:16:30
Speaker 3: And what did what did we all change? There's no they didn't like renovate the new stadium. What did we change? I think they got the Human Door too. I think something about that change made a huge difference there and another team that had a really, really good offense that now their offense is kind of gone down a little bit. I think it changed more than people want to.

00:16:52
Speaker 2: Look at the other team. What's the other Atlanta?

00:16:55
Speaker 3: Atlanta? Atlanta's the second highest elevation in baseball.

00:17:01
Speaker 2: Yes, we know this is it. The Human Door has been in play for more than two years.

00:17:06
Speaker 1: Actually, theories. I get really excited about them. Crowd at least one a week and it's.

00:17:13
Speaker 2: So do you tell me the reason they can't hit on at home or on the road is because of the humid door. I mean they can't hit four sing fastballs because the balls are more humid. So therefore they stay straighter. Just but every if every team's using the human humid door, every ball should move the same, right they.

00:17:29
Speaker 3: So they just stopped hitting forcing fastballs. Dolly's gonna say it, just stopped stopped hitting forty homers.

00:17:36
Speaker 2: Age has up to you.

00:17:39
Speaker 3: They all got they all got older, They all got a year older. Every team got a year older. Corey Seeger is still in his prime.

00:17:48
Speaker 2: Okay, he's doing fine. He's doing fine. Marcus Simons a little bit older now.

00:17:54
Speaker 3: All of a sudden, All of a sudden, Jonah got hurt.

00:17:56
Speaker 2: He can't. Jonahan got hurt. He's not as good anymore.

00:17:58
Speaker 1: We have to bring Brett Boone back on and find out what he has observed over the last few months.

00:18:04
Speaker 2: I mean, Evan Carter has been hurt pretty much since the World Series. Listen, they called lightning in a bottle. I was on a team that did done in two thousand and five. We callt lightning in a bottle, and everything went right, we won right.

00:18:13
Speaker 1: Evan Carter was ridiculous.

00:18:14
Speaker 2: Evan Carter was ridiculous, but the whole Rangers team that year was unbelievable. That's what I'm saying. For two years now a Dullis hasn't been the same guy. Simeon has really fallen off the shwayat Langford. Hasn't been what they thought he'd be. He's a good player, but they thought he was going to be a superstar. No, he's still got plenty of time.

00:18:30
Speaker 1: To get there, time to spend some money in the off season for some bats.

00:18:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, but they've they've you know, they've brought Yeah, not that so Josh Young hasn't been what they thought he was gonna be.

00:18:42
Speaker 1: What Cedar and Semi and it was four years.

00:18:45
Speaker 3: Ago, Okay, but yes, but I'm saying they brought in guys that were doing exactly what you guys said. Their issue is they can't hit the four same fastball. Who are we going to go get four same fastball hitters all of a sudden they can't hit a four same fastball either.

00:19:00
Speaker 2: Yeah, Josh Peterson is older. Jake Berger was in Triple A this year.

00:19:06
Speaker 3: I'm saying it didn't work. I'm saying it didn't work. Something is not working there and the stadium has to be affecting these guys in some way or else. Hey, you know what, maybe we just need to look at twenty twenty three as an aberration and this is a five hundred two.

00:19:25
Speaker 2: Well that's more of what it is. They just summed it up right there.

00:19:28
Speaker 1: We said it about the Blue Jays, Oh they can't hit. Suddenly with the renovations, now they can hit this year. We said it about the Mariners, Oh they can't hit there. Now they can hit this year.

00:19:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, well they went and got some dudes that can hit.

00:19:39
Speaker 1: That's my point.

00:19:39
Speaker 2: I mean, cal rawling, he's got fifty home runs in a place where you're not supposed to be able to hit home runs.

00:19:44
Speaker 1: Randy Roseraina looks damn good too.

00:19:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, So listen, gldlife is big. It is large, and you have to hit it to get homers out of there. It is a big part. It is a large part. And trust me, when you go in there and you see it and you hear the hitters talk about it, they're like, oh, man, you got a crush and you get it out of here. But both teams have to do that, and the other kids are scoring runs there against them enough to not help them come in. And they also play anyone games on the road. They're pitching anyone games on the road.

00:20:11
Speaker 3: You do, but their pitching staff is one of them. Has the best era, had the best era in baseball? Watch how de gram is pitching? Is it? And you of all these pitching two dudes that would routinely sit ninety eight to one hundred. Are they getting older? Yes, I agree they're getting older, but maybe make Mike Maddox's help them understand that, dude, balls are not coming out going out of this ballpark. Let's pitch a little bit. And it's starting to work. Teams might have to change how they how they go after their offseason acquisitions. A team that spent over a billion dollar, over half a billion dollars on two guys in Seeger and Simeon to increase their offense, and maybe they're going to go just all pitching from now on.

00:20:56
Speaker 2: It works. They won the World Series. You always say it doesn't matter if you win the World Series. It worked. They won a World Series. Boom, move on. I mean, maybe they just had a great year and everything came together. Great, that happens. Stuff happens every once in a while. That happened.

00:21:08
Speaker 1: Hard to create a dynasty in baseball. How many back to back jamps since the Yankees a quarter century ago? None? Oh?

00:21:17
Speaker 3: Game.

00:21:17
Speaker 1: That's why it's fun to cover.

00:21:19
Speaker 3: Oh wait, no, we don't we have it.

00:21:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, Mallar was just on he said thriving right, yeah, yeah, krats. If you need to pay rent for your apartment and you're not getting anything for it, then you probably haven't heard of Built.

00:21:39
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00:21:50
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00:22:42
Speaker 2: Is, if Rob's got ten, why did he only get six? Because it doesn't make sense.

00:22:48
Speaker 1: And he's appealing, so it'll probably go to five.

00:22:51
Speaker 2: But if Roblay's got ten for chucking about, why did controls only get six?

00:22:56
Speaker 1: He was attempting physical harm on it ump twice they held him back. He looked like he was ready to punch the guy.

00:23:03
Speaker 2: He had those eyes that you don't want to mess with when you see certain looks and certain when you see looks and eyes, there are just times where you're like, somebody, let's grab him and just gonna take a whole lot of us to find him.

00:23:13
Speaker 1: But so now the president is sent craft. If you throw a bat at an umpire and it doesn't hit him, it's six games.

00:23:20
Speaker 3: Maybe they deemed it wasn't thrown at the umpire. Maybe he was trying to throw it at Brent Brown's face. I don't yeah, right, but like I said, like I said yesterday, maybe it's maybe it was the malicious intent of it, Like this was just kind of like a like a backhand flip kind of John.

00:23:38
Speaker 2: But I mean, you can't justify this. Quit trying to justify you can't. He threw his bat in the direction of the umpire. Everyone's trying to justify it. He didn't throw it as hard as Rodblaze. He also hit his hitting coach in the face with a bat.

00:23:53
Speaker 3: It's so dangerous when you throw a bat, and I think in.

00:23:56
Speaker 1: The middle of a scrum, you throw a bat soft like it was this same thing with the Roblay stuff. Because I've gone back and forth all week with fans who are like, well, did you see the background with the pitcher and whatever else? And I'm like, totally get it. What was going on there with him getting hit was wrong. He should have charged the mound and slubbed him in the face with his hands. Hey, busy day on the waiver wire yesterday six veterans placed on outright right, Bob Nightingale reporting on it. The name that stands out for most, Carlos Santana didn't work out for the Cleveland Guardians.

00:24:29
Speaker 2: No, And you know what, they're not probably gonna make the playoffs. So if they have a young guy in Triple A, they can bring up and let him have it, let him have a little run here.

00:24:34
Speaker 1: Well, he already lost playing time, comments Arter and tjkfis sir grabbing all the playing time?

00:24:39
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:24:39
Speaker 1: And for Santana Kratz, I mean he still can take a walk, but at no pop, this is nothing on him in his careers at a great run. But when they made this little switcheroo in the off season, Carlos Santana is not Josh Naylor Cleveland. Was it worth the pick and slay CHACONI? I don't think so. I'm my mind. If you were trying to compete this year.

00:25:02
Speaker 3: Not Yeah, that's the biggest part. Not this year. I don't think it was worth it this year. Is it later? You know they weren't gonna they weren't gonna bring Naylor back after this season. Did they feel like this year was the year? They always feel like this year is the year, But they make decisions for the next year, which is the year. And this is why a team like the Guardians, you are gonna have some up and down times. Man, I didn't I didn't see Santana dropping off this much, but he did. And you see what Naylor's doing, especially now he's going to gone to Seattle. I mean he made adjustments, lowered his strikeout rate up to his walk raid, He's stealing bases stuff. It'll be nice to have because the Guardians have been in it for a little minute, for a minute here, and every little bit counts.

00:25:53
Speaker 2: Can we show that tweet again? I just no, okay, sorry, I was confused.

00:25:57
Speaker 1: Sorry, And they can't hit the Guardians can't. And in the off season I was like, so same price, Naylor replaced by Santana. No thanks, mistake.

00:26:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you're right, but they wanted to make that trade and it didn't work out. Sometimes trades will work out. Teams try to go and cheaper, and they should have just kept her.

00:26:23
Speaker 1: And he was his heart and soul.

00:26:25
Speaker 2: Guys, Naylor was the heart and soul big. They messed up huge presence in the room.

00:26:30
Speaker 1: I know they weren't his term, but like, did that trade mean enough to you long term that it was worth not having him for a season when you are contending in a down al that you just made it to the Alcs in make it makes sense.

00:26:43
Speaker 2: I can't exactly.

00:26:45
Speaker 1: So Santana can get claimed. You'd have to pick up the two million left for him this year. He probably won't, but a team might pick him up for the league minimum.

00:26:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was my question. How many of these guys get picked up?

00:26:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, better than box scores. We go live to our reporter on the scene in Pennsylvania for the latest on the Phillies and the Mets series, Sarah Kratz. Have the Phillies figured out City Field yet?

00:27:12
Speaker 3: Yeah? They took down the speaker in center field, so it should have worked, I mean the microphone in center field, so they figured it out right, came up on a losing end again. The concerning part. The concerning part I think for Phillies fans, which is probably the weakest part of this team, is the bullpen. And they lost another lead again. Yes, I get it Lozardo. Those are Lozardo's runs, but the bullpen in City Field has had struggles, back to Jeff Hoffman giving up the Grand Slam last year to Lindor, to last night Johan Duran giving up four hits, four singles, which I think is a little bit easier to swallow than walks. Some closers. They give you the tight rope and it's the walks. But this is I hear the Phillies fans. They are like, we can't beat the Mets and the players. We have to face the Mets. We're not gonna win. There's no way we can't face the Mets in the playoffs.

00:28:17
Speaker 1: It's concerning. There's no Wheeler uh, Diz out pitched, Daran Diaz was great in the eighth and Duran gives.

00:28:25
Speaker 2: Poor Kylee cover cannot of d If you look at those numbers, you want to see some good numbers. Look at that number.

00:28:31
Speaker 1: Can't hit at City Field?

00:28:32
Speaker 2: And now because they take the microphone down, you know what they're.

00:28:34
Speaker 1: Calling it the bone mic, like a boom mic. They're like the bone mic.

00:28:38
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh. You know when he said I effing don't like this places. Yeah, I should have said that about City Field and the mic. Yeah.

00:28:45
Speaker 1: But in all seriousness, should Phillies fans be concerned or is it more of a Mets fans excited that this team's turning things around.

00:28:51
Speaker 2: Oh, the Met's gonna win. Are the Mets gonna win the division?

00:28:54
Speaker 1: They're five games back. I think they're on I think they need maybe one or two more to win the season series, still tall task they play each other again, though.

00:29:03
Speaker 3: Yeah, one more to win the series.

00:29:07
Speaker 1: For the Mets, right, So then if you do level up, then you get the advantage. I mean, still krats five games with a few weeks to go.

00:29:17
Speaker 3: I don't think. I don't think there's concern about the division. Look, if they lose the division, the Phillies have some serious issues. Their offense will go in the tank, all their starting pitchers will have gone in the tank. Like, I don't I don't think they're losing the division. Do you want to beat a team that then goes into another city and plays lackluster. Yes, But the Mets clearly are getting up for the Phillies. Vento's Mark Ventos is hitting the ball to the opposite field now and driving runs in like he was at the end of last season. At lengthens their lineup out, they're taking their walks, they're taking pitches like to me yesterday, Lozardo had great stuff. He was ninety nine nine to one hundred, and in some of the at bats his velocity kind of dipped a little bit and then ray at the end when he got into some trouble. He tried to bring it back up. But you know the Mets. The Mets weren't just all or nothing. They put together good at bats. They're figuring out ways to beat this team. Even after Bader comes up with a huge swing. I still think some of the underbelly issues of the Mets are gonna be their biggest issues. And Hellsley showed that last night. They're starting pitching isn't going past five and they don't need that in the playoffs, but you need it to get to the playoffs to make your bullpen healthy.

00:30:39
Speaker 1: Fourteen runs, ten and runs in ten appearances for Ryan Helsley Right now with the Mets.

00:30:43
Speaker 2: It hasn't been good. I mean he's been a closer and now he's asked to pitch the eighth inning. It hasn't been good. It hasn't been good, especially for a free agent year. He wanted to go in there and do well, and you know he listened. They brought him in there to get bridge the gap to Diaz. He has been great all year. He has been unbelieve well, won five ERA, one six ERA or something like that. So yeah, they brought him in. He he just hasn't been able to do it. And by the way, Schwarber's oh for ten with eight punches off of Edwin Diaz in the regular season and the playoffs. Theers more and some guy in the chat said, he almost hit a home run last night. Yeah, Well, I almost did a lot of things in my life and they didn't work out and I stuck out.

00:31:21
Speaker 1: Hey, one more X factor here, in addition to the fact that the Phillies have lost twenty three of twenty nine at City and the Mets have really turned things around on offense. By the way, the most run scored since August twelfth. That's a solid two and a half week stretch. They couldn't hit with a run scoring position all year. Now their second best in the month of August, right, So the offense is finding it lately. They decided Kratz that they did not do everything right in the offseason with picking winners pitching wise, so they actually have done a really nice job of developing high end pitching prospects. They go, you know what, we're thinking Nolan McLain next year. Let's call him up this year and give him a shot. Two good starts join a tongue. The best stuff in the minor leagues right now, dominating in the upper levels all year, twenty something starts, I think like a one something era strikeout to walk ratio elite. They did not think at the beginning of the season he was going to be a part of the mix for them in twenty twenty five. He's starting on Friday, so you might have a new looking rotation for the New York Mets.

00:32:22
Speaker 3: I mean, if he does what McLean's done in his short stint in the big leagues, and supposedly everybody's saying his stuff is better from a command and a stuff standpoint, I don't know whatever it's called stuff. Plus it's yep, it's impressive. He's an athletic. They're both athletic pitchers. The starting rotation needs this jolt. And now it's going to be up to Mendy to be like, Okay, you normally call up a rookie and you go, hey, we're not gonna push it. We're not going to push him past five. Well, that's their issue. They only they need dudes to start and do well. Yes, but they need to do the start and go past the fifth inning, go past their ninety pitches. So if Mendy can figure out a way to get these guys to throw six innings, God forbid seven innings. This is this is huge. I mean there they want to win. So if you've done well in this organization, they're gonna bring me up.

00:33:20
Speaker 2: The Mets are in. By the way, all you saying, oh the Reds res mes in four up.

00:33:24
Speaker 1: Four up, and the lost get them, I just said they're no in the mix.

00:33:28
Speaker 2: I mean not longer. They're one. Now they're four back in the loss. They're done. Okay, sorry, I'm sorry, I'll say no pretty much, pretty much. Both leagues just said.

00:33:38
Speaker 1: We're gonna start doing porst mortem for teams.

00:33:39
Speaker 2: So you want to old Rockies, Pirates, White Sox, twins, a lot more than that, we can get going Cardinals.

00:33:48
Speaker 1: Hey, let's get Carlos Mendez, a Mets manager, on Jonah Tom Carlos.

00:33:52
Speaker 2: Have you guys decided to go with Tom? Yes, that'll be on Friday, on Friday? Yes? What what led you guys to make that decision after such little time for him in the in the miners.

00:34:04
Speaker 4: Or yeah, I mean I think it's all about him dominating the minor leagues. Uh, you know, you can make a case, or he's double A, you want to give him a better look at the triple A level. But man, you know, a couple of outings and you know, I think he's just he's hard to keep him there, you know. So here he is now. You know we we knew we were gonna need a six starter, and he put himself in the conversation and.

00:34:30
Speaker 2: Here he is.

00:34:30
Speaker 4: Now, I'm gonna get an opportunity for us.

00:34:33
Speaker 1: I am all about this. Don't waste bullets in the minor leagues. And what's the worst that happens He comes up and start Okay, you know what.

00:34:40
Speaker 2: They should do. Make him a bulk reliever at the end of the game, so you can come in and pitch four in the pirates, the.

00:34:48
Speaker 1: Fake I don't know.

00:34:49
Speaker 2: Throw them out there and let's see what happens.

00:34:52
Speaker 1: See what happens.

00:34:53
Speaker 2: Why not you got a little cushion, You got four game cushion in the standings to make the last wild card. If he's been this good in the throw him out there and see what happened.

00:35:01
Speaker 1: They just did this ten days ago. It worked, and it's worked. Even think about this for a team that has had to pick up some dubs down the stretch here. As much as you say the Reds are out like stuff to pick up those wins, Nolan McLean comes in helps them win games. John and Tong might do the same thing. Some of the offseason moves this year for the Mets for pitching didn't work out like they did a year ago. They have pitching prospects. Yep, that's the beauty of it.

00:35:25
Speaker 3: You know.

00:35:25
Speaker 1: Sometimes scratch, you'll say, with a big market team, Oh, they spend their way out of the problems. Actually that this time they kind of did the reverse. They made mistakes on the spending side. But they've done a nice job of getting a farm system together, which is something they didn't have even four or five years ago. They did not have this type of option. Even twenty twenty three, our first year right where they had the massive team payroll, and they missed and it was one of the most disappointing years. They didn't have this in the can when Berlander got hurt, right remember Berlander got hurt the beginning year for them all that they didn't have this. Now they have this that they can bring in at the end of the season, and if these guys deal, they'll be starting playoff games.

00:36:04
Speaker 3: That is, that's a lot bill start playoff games in this in the big city for this team as rookie. You have two rookies starting playoff games. I don't know. This is also something Mendy said it. He said, you know, because we're going to six man rotation, you need more pitching depth in an organization when you have to keep guys on a six man rotation. Yes, that's an awesome, awesome luxury to have that you have six man rotation, all that stuff, but now you have to have more guys to be able to fill in that depth. It'll be interesting. Is this kid's fresh into his twenty second year of life like he's twenty two. I don't think you need more time and triple A to me the numbers he put up in double A. He had a one to five e r A and double A. Go get it, you throw strikes. It's the same game, just the lights are a little brighter.

00:36:56
Speaker 1: Yep. I'm excited. It's gonna be a fun dayview on Friday. Prospect This is cool, it's fun to watch.

00:37:01
Speaker 2: Let's see, let'see what these kids got. I mean, so scared to throw the prospects and see what they got. Man, if you think they're special, then they'll be specially when they get to the big leagues.

00:37:11
Speaker 1: And worst case, he doesn't have a great start.

00:37:13
Speaker 2: But if you go, okay, if you look at the Mets rotation right now and they get they get to the wild card round, Peterson's got to start game one? Maybe probably, Yeah, you're not going to be at home. They're going to be on the road. So do you go Sanga on the road? You go Peterson? Because right now the who would they play? The three the three seed? Who is the could be a bet right now the Dodgers. Do you go Senga on the road against I mean in Dodger Stadium? Peterson?

00:37:45
Speaker 1: Until you got game three? Said and also he's not looking as good lately. I'm Peterston. Game one?

00:37:52
Speaker 2: Then who.

00:37:54
Speaker 1: Man? Game two?

00:37:55
Speaker 2: Want to go left left? Okay, I don't know. It's an interesting and you split those two, you split those two up.

00:38:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, so maybe it's.

00:38:04
Speaker 2: Three games series. By the way, it's three games. I'm going got three games.

00:38:07
Speaker 1: Peterson, maybe one of the youngsters and.

00:38:10
Speaker 2: Then man I at home or mini game three? All three games will be on the road.

00:38:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know. We got to.

00:38:17
Speaker 3: If it starts today. If it starts today, they're not putting one of the youngsters in. To me, you're gonna get to see five more starts if I have my math right, because they have thirty games left, you see five more starts of both of them. They could prove it. But I have a tough I have a tough time saying they're gonna throw one of those guys out there.

00:38:39
Speaker 1: Maybe both, Maybe just go with both lefties. Aren't the Dodgers? I mean, what are their show? I gotta look at the splits show.

00:38:46
Speaker 2: Hey, Mookie, will Smith, Freddy Monty Oscar left left. You don't get to go home though all three games are on the road, aren't they. Oh, three games are in l A. You don't get to go home. So I would think you would go Peterson saying Anaya slash kid, you don't get to go home. You played three in a row, and that's the advantage.

00:39:06
Speaker 1: All right, We've got time, We've got time.

00:39:08
Speaker 2: You know. It's just it's an interesting thought to start thinking of your Carlos Mendoza.

00:39:11
Speaker 1: That would be a banger wildcard series.

00:39:14
Speaker 2: What about the other one? The jump?

00:39:16
Speaker 1: The other one is going to be Padres, Cubs Cubs.

00:39:22
Speaker 2: Another banger.

00:39:23
Speaker 1: Nationally, it's like SEC right now, it's just different.

00:39:25
Speaker 2: Although the Dodgers are only one game behind the Phillies. Can you imagine if it's Mets Phillies Mets Wildcard round and I was there for the Ds, it was crazy. Can you imagine Phillies Mets Wildcard Round?

00:39:35
Speaker 1: Phillies don't want that oh Man at home.

00:39:38
Speaker 2: Padres would be at home.

00:39:39
Speaker 3: They at least have a chance in city field. They don't have a no chance a poppy.

00:39:46
Speaker 1: Hey, this is a Philly guy saying Phillies have no chance in Queens if they're playing all the games there. You heard it here first.

00:39:55
Speaker 2: Don't want to hear that.

00:39:57
Speaker 3: Just read the numbers. Raid the numbers. I'm talking stack cast oh and eight. In their last eight games, nine of ten, nine of their last ten, they've lost in city field twenty three of twenty nine. It's not good.

00:40:13
Speaker 1: This is a good team for years. There's six and twenty three at city field the last few years.

00:40:17
Speaker 2: Pause Horse, everyone has it, twins have the Yankees. Phillies have city field?

00:40:22
Speaker 1: There you go, all right, if you're catching this afterward, let us know your thoughts on these two teams and what's gonna happen the rest of the way. Mets fans, if you want to lay out your rotation for us for the postseason as of right now, we'll take it. OKKP. This is your first arena club experience. We're gonna open a slab pack together. So first off, we're gonna buy one of those twenty five dollars slab packs and we get to see what is in the pack. There. It is the Grail, which is the best card in the pack and worth the most. There are some other cards that we're chasing, and you can see the entire lineup so that you know what you're in the running for. There's the Yamamoto signed card. Now let's open up our pack and see how we do. We have ourselves a really cool graphic and then a show. Hey, O Tani, fifty to fifty card from last year. What do you want to do? Should we sell it right back to them for sixteen or should we keep it?

00:41:18
Speaker 3: You should give it to me, I'll.

00:41:20
Speaker 1: Keep good answer, fine, I will give it to you. Since the Blue Jays didn't GETO Tani, you can get this fifty to fifty card instead. Use the code foul foul to get yourself twenty percent off your first slab pack or card purchase. Yes, you get to keep that card if you want it, they send it to you. Foul at Arena club dot com slash foul. Should we be talking about Colson Montgomery more?

00:41:42
Speaker 2: Who did I tell you to make your home run pick yesterday?

00:41:44
Speaker 1: He's got homer in four straight, fourteen homers in his first forty three games in the big leagues. He's on the White Sox, by the way, if you haven't been paying attention, so he homered in every game against the Twins, and Byron Buckson asked him for assigned card. He says, sure if I get assigned bat in return, and there's a pick. Sure, if you're watching right now, and if you're listening, we'll explain it. Sign bat nice photo?

00:42:06
Speaker 2: Cool? What big Leakers do?

00:42:08
Speaker 1: What do you got on Montgomery? Is this a future star?

00:42:11
Speaker 2: He hits homers?

00:42:13
Speaker 1: That's good.

00:42:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's rocking the one too in Chicago too, So you got to be good if you wear that number.

00:42:18
Speaker 1: All. I look at him, I'm like, WHOA, But.

00:42:21
Speaker 2: Listen, these guys got a chance to be good at first round pick. Been a big prospect kind of the last couple of years has kind of fallen off a little bit. They made some swing adjustments. He's doing better. He's got pop. The biggest thing for him is he's just got pop and he keeps hitting homers. Yeah, but yeah, he's got a chance. The White Sox are much in a much better place at this time last this year than they were last year because they have hope and they have energy, and they have guys that are actually pretty good ball players instead of some of the guys that are running out there that you're like, ah, why not just bring up the young kids and let them roll. And they've done that and they've provided a little bit of spark and some energy, which is great.

00:42:54
Speaker 1: It calls some Montgomery's rating really well defensively too. Kratz's top top reading.

00:43:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, I was gonna talk about his hitting. It's crazy. You rarely see a dude struggle in the minor leagues and hit better in the big league. So hopefully the big league is easier for him, because so far he's making it look like it is. And he played in Charlotte where dingers were super easy to hit or are super easy to hit.

00:43:20
Speaker 1: During the game in Saint Louis last night. Wow, welcome back to the seventies. This is what he used to look like. I was there pre whity Herzog buying shag carpet asap, a major rebuilt and proster and trust better becoming. One can only hope it's coming right when I swear to AKA good luck, Hi am Bloom reading for you. Seventeen thousand ish.

00:43:39
Speaker 2: Walls crowd ever, Yeah, smallest crowd ever at the new Bush Walls crowd ever.

00:43:45
Speaker 3: They're regular sized people, but not a lot of them. The crowd, the people in the crowd weren't small. How many there was just to clarify.

00:43:52
Speaker 1: It, yes, bad though.

00:43:55
Speaker 2: But for Joe Buck, a guy who's Saint Louis born and bred, like yeah this is this has got a crush Joe Buck to have to send this tweet out and have it come and fans get it. He goes back to the small I just I'll say the smallest crowd ever because.

00:44:11
Speaker 1: They're new protesting is they don't like the product on the field, right, Oh yeah, it's a very good and the fans. He got a lot of fan replies like hey, it's not us, and he's like, no, I'm with you. He's like, you guys are awesome. You guys, I see the messager sending to the franchise right now. It's not good enough, but.

00:44:27
Speaker 2: It's gonna take three or four years unless they spend money, which the Dewett family has not been willing to do so. Unless they spend money for heine Bloom, it's not gonna matter. It's still going to take three to four years for them to get back. Because listen, say what you want about heine Bloom, but in Boston, hein Bloom did everything that he was supposed to do. Trade the first thing they told him, trade Mookie Betts. Okay, I gotta get whatever I can get. Connor Wong is the one player that came back in the deal. It's been decent for the Red Sox, right yep. And then they're like, rebuild the farm system. Guess who Roman, Anthony, Marcelo Meyer, all those guys are drafted by hein Bloom. Heinm Bloom did what he was told to do. Cut the payroll, get the team, get prospects. We have prospects coming up, keep the keep the organization sustainable. And guess what they did. Sorry him, you're not good enough. See you what.

00:45:12
Speaker 1: Cardinals fans might be really happy about that coming up, because if they're not going they got to look forward to spend with the big boys. Then you need to be able to do more with your farm system. And that's something that the Cardinals did really well for a long time. And remember, Katie we were wrote a great story about how they dumbed things down with their player development and the time and the effort and the money that they were putting into that.

00:45:34
Speaker 2: Well what what they were what they were told is that the development every year Mosaalic was given a certain number and that number was for the whole organization. And so then he had to try to build a big league team without upping the payroll. But he also had to try to So what they did is they cut they cut back on the minor league people in order to try to put more money into the big league team.

00:45:55
Speaker 3: Right.

00:45:55
Speaker 2: So they I mean, I heard they don't have a catching coordinatory don't have they don't have They have like the fewest coaches in them of any team, which is crazy, and they're working on fixing that.

00:46:10
Speaker 1: We found an article that we're going to read to AJ. It's from our Buddy, Jim Boden and the Athletic the biggest concern for each MLB contending team down the stretch. I will present options to you in the National League. Then later we'll get to the American League, but we'll start with the NL. You'll have your options on the board. I'll read them out for everyone and you'll choose one. Okay, are you ready to play? No, that's more of an off season thing. It's cold and lonely in the winter, but right now it's the summertime and we're going over those contending teams. So let's throw it up there. I'm going to read the National League for you and give you your options. The Brewers, here's one concern, lack of home run power. Phillies life after Wheeler, Dodgers, Bullpens cubbed Kyle Tucker's summer slump, Padres, the rotation, Mets, the bridge to Edwin Diaz, and the Reds haven't played in clean pick one. That means something to you.

00:47:05
Speaker 2: Uh, Phillies, I'm gonna go Phillies life without Zach Bieler. I'm a stee cratz is thunder because I get to go first.

00:47:12
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:47:12
Speaker 2: They still have Sanchez they still have Ranger Suarez, who's performed. Nola's gonna come back and have a great last month, be pumped for the playoffs. And I think they're bullpen with Duran, They're gonna keep Romano out of it, and they're gonna have the bullpen lined up nicely with Rob Thompson. They're gonna slug their way. So I don't this. Yes, is this a huge loss, Yes, but I think they have enough depth in the rotation out they lose another guy, I'm worried. But if they keep Sanchez Lozardo Suarez and Nola, and if Taiwan Walker keeps going, which is a lot of ifs, I know, But I like the Phillies and I don't. I think this is a big deal, but it's not the end of the season blow that people think it might be.

00:47:51
Speaker 3: That's fair. I like that, except it's just the same question I said to Kevin Lallar. Would the Red Sox be better with Raphael Devers in their line? Would the Phillies be better with Zach Wheeler in their rotation? Absolutely? But you can't do anything about it. Grat's your pick, Brewers, What is the exact wording lack of home runs, lack of home run power. I would kind of disagree with that because they have Yelly with twenty six Cheerio be healthy soon seventeen fifteen for William Contreres, who has hit thirteen of those since I think June thirtieth, I think that was the date. Then you have Bryce Terrang who has hit, like we said earlier in the show, nine of them in the last month, and Rhys Hoskins hasn't been playing for the last two months. When he comes back, it's gonna be another added boost to that lineup. And all that to me, they don't have as much power as say the Yankees, who have the most home runs, but the Yankees don't have as many stone bases as the Brewers do. The combination of both, they have enough power. I would say they have enough power.

00:49:15
Speaker 1: But is it enough? When I mentioned and I heard you mentioned it the other day too, last five World Series winners have finished in the top four in home runs.

00:49:27
Speaker 3: It's enough. It's enough because the question is if that's not gonna happen, then we should just eliminate the Blue Jays, we should eliminate the Padres, and we should eliminate the Brewers. I think it's enough. In my opinion, I think it's enough for the Brewers. I think they're built enough to overcome.

00:49:52
Speaker 2: Can they get over the whole? Can they get up? The biggest question for the Bruis? Can they get over the hull?

00:49:56
Speaker 3: Hey?

00:49:56
Speaker 2: How are we doing? Poe? Hey, we got a surprise, guest? How we claim most commission about being the commissioner?

00:50:04
Speaker 1: Just the commissioner.

00:50:05
Speaker 2: Don't play and be the commissioner commission Keagan didn't pick himself.

00:50:10
Speaker 1: It's exactly the right decision.

00:50:13
Speaker 3: I'm shocked, exhausted.

00:50:17
Speaker 1: You know, there used to be player coaches in baseball.

00:50:20
Speaker 2: The Brewers. Can the Brewers get over the hump with with power?

00:50:25
Speaker 1: Because the last you work with Tom Berducci, the last five winners are top four in homers.

00:50:31
Speaker 2: Give him your mic, play speed, no strikeouts. They absolutely can get over the hump because they make it a nightmare on fishers. They do.

00:50:41
Speaker 3: They make it a nightmare, and if they get the right matchup, they can get over the hump.

00:50:46
Speaker 2: I'm gonna burdy this last hole. Who's winning your group? Close? It's the worst golf I played in a long time, But I'm so happy you guys are here.

00:50:54
Speaker 1: We are pumped to be here. But we're gonna have a good conversation tomorrow about this whole commissioner while playing situation.

00:51:02
Speaker 2: Hey, get your rest, Get your rest, Okay, get your rest.

00:51:05
Speaker 1: Been as strong for a SMULTI that's the commissioner of the pro live on ft John Smoltz. That's fine. Hey, it's not his best round of golf. It's not his best week of golf. He is definitely working hard here to run the whole tournament, but he still has time to stop by. Where's the ball for him?

00:51:26
Speaker 2: I think it's a close one up there, the one that's not marked on the green. It's about twelve to fifteen ft It's hard to tell because it's a hill, but twelve ish fifteen ish feet away short.

00:51:36
Speaker 1: Does he get a burst of energy from a conversation with us?

00:51:40
Speaker 2: You know what I love about Smoltzy. He said, I'm gonna burdy this last hole and get ready for tomorrow. So he believes that he can make this putt.

00:51:47
Speaker 1: And he probably needs it to stay in the mix. Joe Pavelski's leading this thing. Sorry, we got distracted for a moment, but.

00:51:53
Speaker 2: It is already cool.

00:51:54
Speaker 1: I mean We've got eighty very significant names out here.

00:51:59
Speaker 2: Wait, you don't know what happened a win, wit chump must have chunked his second shot.

00:52:03
Speaker 1: There's a lot of baseball on the top ten, but not all baseball. Joe Pavelski, Marty Fish.

00:52:11
Speaker 2: Oh that is a good shot by wit. Look at him, he's running. Oh no, that's not a good shot. Never mind, never mind, just kidding. We'll try and get the multi rolled way past, way past. Let's back.

00:52:23
Speaker 1: I got more minutes.

00:52:26
Speaker 3: I had a live drone were drum so I'm watching the whole tournament.

00:52:31
Speaker 2: What are we talking about?

00:52:33
Speaker 3: We're talking about now?

00:52:37
Speaker 1: Hmm and cue the American League.

00:52:40
Speaker 2: We said it's smolt stay tomorrow, by the way, Rangers out.

00:52:44
Speaker 1: Okay, but let me just read the lists, travel schedules. Hold up there, there's people that listen to this on the podcast. I want to lay out what we're working with here. Biggest concern for each American League contending team, Tigers not getting ahead of themselves despite their lead. Blue Jays bullpen depth, Jeff hoffmany A right, by the way, it's close to five, had another rough day yesterday, Astro staying healthy. Red Sox backup the rotation, Yankees lack of defensive stability, Mariners travel schedule, Hey, East Coast trip is roight for them, Royals run production from the bottom of the lineup, and the Rangers.

00:53:20
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:53:21
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna read it.

00:53:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, you don't have to.

00:53:23
Speaker 1: It's actually the first or one of the segments earlier in our show.

00:53:27
Speaker 2: True, I'm going Mariners travel schedule, What the heck we talking about? When they fly private jets, everyone says they also travel way more than everyone else. So that's been always been a thing for the for the Mariners, is the travel they have to travel. Their closest competition is Oakland. Oh wait, they're not there anymore. So it's no Sacramento. It's still a two and a half hour flight. It's not like it's right up. People think, ah, Sacramento and Seattle right next to each other. It's still a two and a half hour flight. It's kind of like Boston Boston thinking, Oh, Boston and New York are so close to each other, it's still paint in the butt to get there.

00:53:59
Speaker 1: Who set up the Ironers crats with the East Coast swing? They just did right, and I think they went too and eight or something. Now they got another one coming up this weekend eleven Day three City.

00:54:13
Speaker 3: I saw them at the end of that ten game road trip in Philly, and obviously I don't watch them all year, so maybe I'm just making a face to face judgment. But it was the second to last game of that series in Philly, and it was a close game. Watching the guys come off the field, they just looked exhausted. Maybe I'm over maybe I'm over dramatizing it, but that's what it looked like face value in the moment, and I was like, man, why these guys so tired?

00:54:45
Speaker 2: And I want to get your ass kicked. When you get your ass kick, you don't have a lot of energy and you look draggy.

00:54:49
Speaker 1: It's an.

00:54:52
Speaker 2: It doesn't matter, does matter? Doesn't matter when you're losing, losing, losing, it's like hitting. Everyone's like, oh, this team has no energy. Well they've also got three hits in four games, so yeah, no, no one has energy when they're not hitting it scoring runs. You lose, You had to go to the East coast, you got a six hour flight back. Guess what you do. You're like, we lost again.

00:55:14
Speaker 1: That's what happened. So from April twelfth through the twentieth, they lost two to three to Baltimore, two of three to the Mets, and they were swept by the Phillies. Now, starting this weekend, they hit the road. Three at Cleveland, three at Tampa Bay Tampa, and three in Atlanta. Now those are teams that are not eight years, so.

00:55:38
Speaker 2: They should win those series.

00:55:39
Speaker 1: None of those series are push off pushover series. Cleveland can still pitch and play.

00:55:45
Speaker 2: Tampa still got some parts, Atlanta still got some pieces. It all depends on who you get starting pitching wise for both those teams too.

00:55:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, those can be spoiler teams. That's not fun. They do have four Angels and three Rockies left in their schedule, which is nice.

00:56:01
Speaker 2: But it's good the end of the year.

00:56:04
Speaker 1: Two mm hmm, damn it. I just clicked out. But Astros are on their Dodgers are on there, so we'll see. Okay, that's your pick.

00:56:11
Speaker 3: My pick is the Red Sox. It's the back of the rotation we're talking about for the playoffs. The back of the rotation. Who cares? Who cares? If you can find by the end of the season three good starters. I'll keep saying that. I get it. You need a fourth starter, and that's what it's gonna come down to. But to me, Gilito's throwing well, Beyo's solidified himself as the number two in that rotation, and Crochet I don't really care who the fourth and fifth guys are, because your fourth guy in Game four of the World Series NLCS is gonna throw two or three innings, especially with a bullpen that has Chapman at the end of it, that has Whitlock, that has the third best era in baseball. To me, I think that's the least biggest concern on the American League list.

00:57:06
Speaker 1: It does to make and give you a few innings.

00:57:09
Speaker 2: A really good playoff Bueller might step up and give them a big, big innings along the way.

00:57:13
Speaker 1: Playoff Bueller is different. True, we have two minutes left, so I actually want to point out the Blue Jays. I mentioned the relief pitching.

00:57:21
Speaker 2: You don't get to pick Scott.

00:57:22
Speaker 1: I just want to point it out and see if any of you will bite.

00:57:26
Speaker 2: It's an issue. It's an issue.

00:57:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, Hoffman has I think seven or eight blown saves.

00:57:31
Speaker 2: Their starters are great, can they score enough and can they get Yeah? I mean it is an issue we've we've talked about it all year, the Blue Jays bullpen. Can they solidify that bullpen somehow? Someway? And that's a big that's a big thing. Still, it's not going away. It's all like they didn't do a whole lot of the trade deadline to solidify it.

00:57:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, but were they big enough?

00:57:49
Speaker 2: I mean they went Bieber, They went and got Bieber. Right now, do they bounce it lour or someone into the bullpen to try to help out? Maybe?

00:57:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean Louis Barland hasn't pitched well, but he might turn it around right year up until the last couple of weeks.

00:58:02
Speaker 2: I'm telling you sometimes when people get traded to a new team, it's just everything is new, and when you get traded, you're like, I have to do so much better because you don't just do the same, do the same.

00:58:18
Speaker 1: Any others that we missed let us know. Obviously we included all the contenders on here, but if there's something we overlooked from a storyline perspective, drop your thoughts. Nicer mean in the comments coming up next, not mean, no mean, and last slappands you can be mean to means. We're here having a good time.

00:58:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm drinking ginger ale one was water, Yeah, chairs.

00:58:39
Speaker 1: Good for your stomach. Ginger all right, kratz hat, especially.

00:58:42
Speaker 2: After that dinner Mark took us to last night.

00:58:44
Speaker 3: Oh it wasn't I know. It wasn't seafood, Mark.

00:58:51
Speaker 2: It was seafood. It was seafood exactly. Mark got a burger.

00:58:57
Speaker 3: You thought my you thought my hat was a giant. It's you're way off. It's the Astros, the leading al team in the West. Get it right. It's an easy thing to say, just like Kershaw pitches, well, the Astros win the West.

00:59:13
Speaker 2: There you go, there you have it.

00:59:15
Speaker 1: Hey, I wanted to give a shout out to Lucas Giulito. There's a story inside the story here. So he was like, yeah, I was going for the note hitter, hell yeah, and eventually gave up four. But when eight innings he's been dominant for the Red Sox lately, shut down the Orioles. But there's a story inside the story. But as he gets to one hundred and forty innings, he's a free agent. If he doesn't, I mean yeah, no, he needs twenty and two thirds with one month to go and probably five starts.

00:59:44
Speaker 2: He gets her, Well, what if he has one bad one, doesn't matter.

00:59:47
Speaker 1: He's getting removed in the second innings.

00:59:49
Speaker 2: Then he goes eight. The next time, he'll tell bro I'll throw three hundred pitches. Just leave me out there.

00:59:56
Speaker 1: Gets weird. If you got heat, good way to prep for the playoffs, krats.

01:00:02
Speaker 3: Good way to prep for the playoffs. Pushing your innings limit coming off of Tommy John your first season, so that you're ready for the playoffs. Let's put it this way. I'm not trying to write a storyline. Well, Lucas Giolito is needed for the playoffs. If he doesn't do well and they find out he pushed his innings innings a little bit, not gonna be too happy in being town just saying Jeremy Meyer.

01:00:26
Speaker 1: Yeah, but if he if he's five starts, let's say it's five, which it should be at least five.

01:00:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, fine, that's four innings to start. Basically, I don't know if I'm assuming. I'm assuming Alex kra is one of the managers too, because I played for managers that didn't care about incentives, and then I played for managers that totally were all about like can I get my guys to get the incentives, and those are the guys you want to play for.

01:00:48
Speaker 1: No fan, he should get them.

01:00:49
Speaker 2: Yeah. By the way, Happy birthday Jim Tomy, Jim Tomey's birth day to day. Yeah, Jim Tomy Happy birthday. Old he's old though it's old Oran, you little, he's older than me. Six hundred homers.

01:01:02
Speaker 1: Happy birthday, Jam one of the nicest dudes. Did you know that the Dodgers lost Alex Bessia obleak strain?

01:01:09
Speaker 2: No, I did not know that that guy was pitching last night. That's what happens when you pitched one hundred and thirty five games out of one hundred and thirty two.

01:01:15
Speaker 1: He's a workhorse.

01:01:17
Speaker 2: Oh, Tomy's fifty five, of course, I was told plus tax, plus tax.

01:01:26
Speaker 1: Fifty. Yes.

01:01:29
Speaker 3: Vessio was one of the guys that I think was hurt by the fact that they've kind of been holding other guys back. Not saying that he wouldn't want to pitch, but if you're not even at the end of August yet and you have sixty appearances, that is a lot of appearances, and he was. He was one of their guys out of the pen. I think he even had like four or five saves at this point in the season, like he was getting meaningful innings because Trinan's been out, because Tanner Scott's been out, because Kope's been out. So this this sucks. This is why they have such depth to try to keep guys healthy. It's a big loss right now, but he could probably five weeks of the playoffs. I'm thinking two to four weeks hopefully, and he can be back.

01:02:15
Speaker 1: I hope.

01:02:15
Speaker 3: So.

01:02:16
Speaker 2: I like him.

01:02:16
Speaker 1: He's he brings, he's really fun.

01:02:19
Speaker 2: He can be really good, but he can also be really bad, and when he's really bad, he kind of melts down, which is also fun to watch.

01:02:24
Speaker 1: He is I don't.

01:02:26
Speaker 2: Yes, awesome, He's cool, all right.

01:02:29
Speaker 1: Greg Maddox on the show tomorrow. John Smoltz on the show tomorrow. Maybe Phil Nevin Dev's in the pro in Alabama with Cody Ross as well. Maybe we'll see you.

01:02:41
Speaker 3: Then, Tody. You can swing big on your next MLB parlay. Use the mL use the parlay Boost token to score a bigger payout. If your baseball parlay hits gambling problem or concerned, call one eight hundred gambler