The MLB Clubhouse with The Jimmies
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The MLB Clubhouse with The Jimmies
Opening Weekend 2026!
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The Jimmies discuss the best and worst performances of MLB's Opening Weekend of the 2026 season.
The Phillies, Cubs, and Orioles are still throwing out bags of money.
Have some of the big questions of this season already been answered?
Baseball fans and baseball lovers, good day. It was such a great weekend for baseball, guys. Um, I'm so glad to be talking about it again and doing our recaps and our standings. It is it is that time of year, boys. So I am very excited. I'm here with the Slay dude, Justin Slay, Wendell Pops Patterson. I'm Josh Patterson. Thank y'all for joining us for another episode of the MLB Clubhouse with the Jimmies. Let's get into a little AL recap. Um, starting us off, the almost World Series champions, uh, the runner-up from last year, Toronto Blue Jays, um, go out there and pump the uh not Sacramento Athletics for a three-game sweep. Then we've got Minnesota and Baltimore. Baltimore takes two out of three in that one. We've got the Astros and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim split a four-game set. Mike Trout is back, fellas, playing center field, hitting homers that I think broke the dome. Uh, also stealing bases. Go get it. Let the boys play. Uh, we've got the Cleveland Guard Dogs and the Seattle Mariners. Um, although Cal Raleigh really started off with a pretty rough season so far. Um, it's only one series in, uh, but he was he's like over 17 um with 12 strikeouts his his first series of the year. So uh, but the guardians and the mariners ended up splitting that four-game set. So, pops for the first time in 2026. Please give us the AL standings. AL, I thought I was doing AL. Are you so uh I don't know. You're doing the AL. I love how you always read our notes. Yes, you're doing the AL, Pops.
SPEAKER_00Well, in that case, I got a I gotta I need a timeout.
SPEAKER_03No, so um because it's not on the exact same page.
SPEAKER_00Oh, there it is. Right next to so um obviously in the east, you know, the Yankees got up to a great start. Um sweeping the Giants, held holding them to one run. It's three and one. Uh the Blue Jays uh swept the A's, striking out everybody in every game. Yep. For all 27 innings. So um, you know, Orioles and Tampa Bay kind of split. Uh I think the one big surprise was obviously it's only four games, but you know, the red the Red Sox uh bring up their rear. Uh, and and then you know everything's kind of in the uh in the central. You know, you got the Guardians on top. Um Detroit got off to a pretty decent start and then lost their first couple. Kansas City did the opposite, lost their first couple and then won their last. Uh the White Sox, you know, they're getting thought they were gonna have some more offense. You know, they got uh three home runs out of Nagasaki. Uh so he's been doing well for them. And then the twins are got their manager ejected in an ABS environment. So replay of that.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I guess the manager said he felt the picture didn't signal to his head fast enough. It looked pretty immediate. It was pretty immediate.
SPEAKER_00It was pretty pretty much, yeah. I I thought so too.
SPEAKER_03Um so that's gonna be the new, yeah, that's gonna be the new umpire ejecting. I saw the pirates manager get ejected tonight, Don Kelly watching the game because Eugenio Suarez swung at a pitch that it was a Czech swing, but it was uh Eugenio Suarez started walking back towards the dugout, and the first base umpire didn't call it, neither did the home plate umpire. So then Gino turns around and walks back, and Don Kelly is yelling from the dugout, and he never even comes out of the dugout and got ended up getting tossed. So then he really made it worth his while and went out there and did the whole uh you know dog and pony show. Um but you know it's just there's I think I guess there's always gonna be something to argue with with umpires about if you really want to get into it, right? If you really want to fire up your team or or do whatever you need to do um to let your voice be heard. But I think the the twins manager, that's uh Shelty, right? The former Pirates manager. Yes. Um, yeah, I mean he's he's gonna have a frustrating season. We may see him get ejected more than anybody else this year.
SPEAKER_00And then I think, you know, obviously, again, early, early yet, but uh out in the western division, uh big big surprise. Uh your Texas Rangers uh after tonight's action, they are now four and one. And uh, you know, they had some some timely hitting. You know, we talked a little bit about uh they're they're taking the uh they have the highest number of pitches per bat out of in the major leagues at a little over four. So uh, you know, all the all the one pitch uh crap we used to see with Adolis and Simeon, you know, all those guys are out there just one one hack and popping out to second out the left field. Not the second base, yeah. So you know they're they're taking some pitches, they're working the pitchers, and you know, you can definitely see it pay some dividends over the last couple of nights in Baltimore.
SPEAKER_01I think the Oriol threw like 181 total pitches last night. Crazy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I I saw a stat, and that was like the third most out of third or fourth most that would have been the third or fourth most out of any game last year. Wow.
SPEAKER_03I mean, that's how they're gonna have to do it, right? I mean, you got you're gonna have to wear down the pitchers.
SPEAKER_00Um, I mean, like we talked about, I think they you know they got had some hit, they're having some hits fall in that that you know last year, even when they did hit something on the button, it was right at somebody. I just seem to remember feeling like it was just always anytime they hit something that didn't go over the fence, it was right at somebody. I mean, like how many, I mean, like Langford was the one that really stuck sticks out in my memory. I mean, he really barreled up some balls, and they were just always right at right at somebody's head. So um, but uh good, good, good for the Rangers. Uh the A's uh got their win tonight, so nobody will go undefeated and nobody will go winless. So then uh, you know, five five games, every everybody just all all divisions just kind of um within a couple of games just kind of piled up in the close to one another. But uh we'll see how this next week's action goes and if anybody kind of takes takes the ball and runs with it.
SPEAKER_03All right, yeah, good stuff. Um while we're on the American League, I do want to shout out a couple of good performances. I already did my my Mike Trout, um, but uh Emerson Hancock for the Seattle Mariners ended up throwing six hit lists um the other day. Um, also it makes me want to give a shout out to our very own Hancock, Kyle Hancock, or as we affectionately call him foot wiener. Um, but uh yeah, he throws six perfect innings for the Seattle Mariners trying to win him a spot. Um, so well done there, young man. Chase DeLauder hitting four homers in three games. Did I don't think any of us picked him for rookie of the year this year, did we? No, not yet. Yeah, we may change it if you savage can't get off the I had I had you savage.
SPEAKER_00You guys all took McGonagall, right? No, Slade took you savage too, I think. Right?
SPEAKER_01No, I took the dude from Toronto.
SPEAKER_03The oh that's Agriakamoto, and I took Nagasaki, uh-huh, and I took Chicago's Canadian Japanese guy. Yeah, I took Murakami. That was my pick. None of us beat McGonagall.
SPEAKER_00Um, but obviously, uh kind of like that Dominion Dominican Canadian. They have one of those up there, too.
SPEAKER_01They do, they're all kinds of diverse up there, aren't they?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, Pete Alonzo got his first rib. He still hasn't homered yet, unless he did it uh today.
SPEAKER_01He certainly did. He got a solo shot off the ground tonight.
SPEAKER_03I had a boy, number 25. Go get him. Um, and Toronto just, I mean, they did exactly what they were doing at the end of the season last year. They just they hit and hit and hit, and that lineup was non-stop. Um they just they give pitchers hell. And I'm uh keeping, I know it's the athletics pitching, right? That's not lost on me, but um, you go out there and you battle and you get two walk-off wins in your first three games. Um and the pitching was also just completely lights out. Um, and you can um you can say that the A's just weren't hitting, but guys, we know the names in that lineup. So rather than the it's kind of like with the Giants with playing the Yankees, uh, which we'll get into when we go to the National League because they played it in San Francisco. But I don't know that the A's and the Giants bats haven't woken up yet so much as the Blue Jays and the Yankees pitching was just that damn good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think you know that's kind of the natural progression of everything, too, is it seems like these pitchers can kind of get heated up a little bit quicker than these bats can as well. But yeah, like you said, no disservice to the pitching of those two clubs. I mean, we'll go through, like you said, Josh Nan L standings and a couple surprises, but not surprising when you find out the teams they were playing. But uh, no, not to take anything away. I mean, it's always good that the bats will heat up a little bit, but what they usually say, right? Good pitching beats good hitting, and that that's stood for him in week one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's only the second inning, but Max Fried Rice has got another shutout cooking. Let's go.
SPEAKER_03And uh speaking of the Japanese players, I would like to remind everybody Max Freed was my Cy Young pick. Just saying, he's making me look pretty good right now. Uh he's got about three innings before he goes back on the I. L. So there you go. Not Freed. Freed doesn't go on the I. Freed's a dog, dude. He posts every five days. It's the rest of their rest of their rotation that gets hurt all the time. Um, all right, let's see. Houston, uh, the only thing I'll say is Jordan looks weird in left field, um, but not as weird as Altuve. Um, and then Tatsuya MI um did not have a good first outing uh coming over from the NPB. He got pulled in the third inning, couldn't get out of the third um against the Halos. Uh I love that. I love to hear that. Yeah. Um and the Halo swang the ball around first two games. Who's the aging for Houston?
SPEAKER_00Uh let me see. You would think that's where they would have put Yord on.
SPEAKER_01I for sure thought that's why that's why I thought when sounded it. Not only does it look weird, it sounded weird when you said that he's playing left field.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean they should put him in second, maybe they should put him at second and put Altuve in left. Let's see.
SPEAKER_01So the biggest guy in the field at second, the smallest guy in the left.
SPEAKER_03Let me see.
SPEAKER_00We've got obviously I think first base is his position, but they're not gonna put him in there defensively over Christian Walker, obviously.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so alright. So Friday's game. He was left field. Saturday's game, he was DH. Sunday's game, he was left field, and DH'ing on his left field days was Al Tuve. I only had East Isok Perettes at second base instead of third base.
SPEAKER_00Is Altuve just that horrible defensively now? I wouldn't have no range in second base.
SPEAKER_03Um, but I would imagine Isok Perettis is kind of a funny looking dude over there at the old two-bag. Kind of like Muncie-ish when Muncie used to play second base every once in a while. Um yeah, I guess maybe it's a left, left, right thing. I don't know. But yeah. Oh, and Correa. Yeah, they got Carlos Correa over at third. Um, other than those two positions, uh like I'd be a little scared pitching in front of that defense. Yeah, but I mean, when you got Peña and Correa, he doesn't have to be great over there. He's probably not even scooping all that many balls. But yeah, Christian Walker is a good defensive first baseman. Um, maybe looks like Nick Allen came in defensively for Paredes. So he's he's pretty solid defensively. He just got no bat, but um, but yeah, I'm I'm happy. We had we had some old dogs really getting it done this weekend, and we had some young guys really breaking out. Um anybody that uh well, I guess we can get into that later on if when we talk about answered questions, but um is there anybody that's that really stuck out to you guys in that from the AL this weekend?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean his his his you know kind of a homer here, and his his stats didn't jump off the page, but you know, just what Nemo did for the Rangers, kind of setting things up, solar base, solid defense out there in right field, um you know, some base hits, some walks, you know. He played every day, you know, battled off, battled through a couple of tough lefties, but you know, especially uh except you know, Sanchez you know struck everybody out, but um he liked what uh what he did to set the table.
SPEAKER_03Right? I'm sorry, didn't he hit a bomb off Jesus Lizard? Jesus Lazardo.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he did.
SPEAKER_03And Nimmo is a guy, what's what's really good is he's a guy who's kind of split-proof, even though he's bats from the left side of the plate. He you don't lose a lot when there's a lefty on the mound with him.
SPEAKER_00So that's I forget the exact graphics. I'm not gonna, but he he is one of the best left-handed hitters against left-handed pitchers in the in the big leagues right now. Yeah, and it's been that way for a minute.
SPEAKER_03So yeah. Professional at bat. That's and that's what the Rangers lacked so hard last year. So now you've got Nemo and you've got Kutch. Um, in addition to Seager, who I wouldn't say Seeger's uh gives a real professional at bat because he just he goes up there hacking, he's just a stud.
SPEAKER_00No, it's it's hit hit seatball hit ball, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um does good ball at C ball, hit ball when it's but he's pretty good at it. Yeah, he proved that he has two RBIs tonight. Yeah, he proved that in the top of the ninth tonight. Turned out to be a big run, didn't think it was. Fastball down the middle, hit about 430 feet in a ride center.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Um, all right, so let's uh let's move on to the National League then. Um, starting it off, we have hold on the Wednesday opener. Did we have three opening days? Does it feel like that this year?
SPEAKER_00Three that three days, like there were three days for teams to have their opening day.
SPEAKER_03Yes. So we'll start it off with the first opening day. We talked about it a little bit already. Uh the New York Yankees um go to Oracle Park, um, and basically um the Giants didn't even really show up. Um, they ended up not scoring a run for the first two games, only scored one in the third game. Uh, we talked about it a little bit, but I that's probably more so um attributed to Yankees pitching, other than you know, San Francisco hitting. So um, but well done on the Yankees there. They went out and got it done. Everybody was talking trash about Judge after the first game because he got the golden sombrero and won 0 for five. But uh, you know, just kind of ridiculous. The first get first game of the season, how how people were acting. Um, this one might excite you a little bit, Pops. Tampa Bay and St. Louis. St. Louis came out bopping. Yeah, um, you got JJ Weatherholt, seems to look like the real deal. He had a couple homers and a walk-off in the first series. Um, the pitching might be a little scary, but McGreevy was another guy who went uh six innings without giving up a hit. Or I think it was five innings without giving up a hit. Jordan Walker, who we talked a little bit about uh during the offseason, uh, was a question mark, and he really, really hit the ball well. Um, Alec Burleson dropping bombs. So, you know, good for the St. Louis Cardinals. Um, and Tampa Bay, it's not like their pitching staff is is a huge slouch. So um we'll see how it goes, but I think eventually the pitching in in St. Louis is gonna be there. Demise. Uh Washington and the Chicago Cubs, who we were all very high on. Uh the Nationals bring out the whooping sticks and end up taking two out of three from the Cubbies. Matthew Boyd gets blown up. Uh Shodan Managa gives up a three-run. Jimmy Jack in the first inning. Um, good news is Cade Horton looked to be um in his young award winner. I predicted him to be. He looked uh he looked very good in his start. Um, Joey Weimer, y'all heard about that guy? 10 for 10, he started the season. First time that that's happened since Carlos Delgado did it 24 years ago.
SPEAKER_00The Cubs are about to lose again tonight. They're I believe they're getting shut out by the Angels. So it'll be interesting to see. Why are the Angels shutting people out, guys? What is going on?
SPEAKER_03I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Is it the it's their Nagasaki, their head coach, you know? They like those catchers as head coaches. Catchers make good.
SPEAKER_03They only signed to a one-year deal. Yeah. Uh is it Dominican Republic Severino pitching again? I'm not sure who's he's he's the ace. I'm thinking of Jose Soriano. Sorry. Soriano, not Severino. Um, but uh yeah, so the Cubbies not starting off great, but with that lineup and that pitching staff, not terribly worried about it, and Cubs fans probably aren't either. Um, our boys in the Philadelphia Phillies, our boys taking two out of three from one of the favorites to go all the way this year in the National League. Um, Avaldi got roughed up a little bit, but then Jacob Latt stepped in for de Grom, and I believe he threw four scoreless. Is that right? With no hits, yeah, four no hits lots of no hits, not to not like five or six no hits.
SPEAKER_00Unfortunately, they only the pirates had one too on on game day day two, didn't they? And then they wound up losing.
SPEAKER_03Bubba Chandler, yeah. Bubba Chandler had one, McGreevy, um, Lats. Uh, who did I bring up earlier?
SPEAKER_00Wasn't Jose Serano the guy that walked everybody last year for the Angels?
SPEAKER_03I mean, he he definitely had a terrible year, but that's just every he just shut out the Cubs two to nothing years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he had six innings pitched tonight. Nice. Um, second one of the year. He hadn't given up a run because he shut out Houston Astros first game of the season.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Um, but uh yeah, our boys took it to Philadelphia. A couple of great performances, I think. Uh, we talked about Nemo a little bit already. We talked about Kutch. I think those guys are gonna be huge, not just for the lineup, but I think also for the clubhouse, because it sounds right. There was some there was some crazy stuff going on between Simeon and Seeger and all that. Who knows how much of that is true? Um, but I mean it wouldn't surprise me the way the way everything went down last year with our Rangers.
SPEAKER_00So I mean, I don't know if there was anything bad, but bad, any bad blood between them, but there certain certainly wasn't any positive energy. You can you know, now you can see it, and it looks a little bit like 23 again. But uh, you know, the guys are out there whooping and hollering and giving each other you know, like uh you know, they've got this lasso thing when they get a hit. Linkford didn't do it right. So they're Evan Carter's out there booing him, and they're all you know giving him giving him a hard time because he didn't do the lasso right. And so uh, you know, and cutz is just you know, I think him and Nemo are gonna be really good for this clubhouse. Yeah, they may not win a win a damn thing when it's all said and done, but uh I really like the way they're they're built, they they put this team together.
SPEAKER_03Hey, press on and I can't say hi to everybody.
SPEAKER_02Hey, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, I love seeing Kutch in uh in a Rangers uniform. Um, I've always been a huge fan of Andrew McCutcheon in those in that great run that he had with the Pittsburgh Pirates and you know being on the hundred win team from what was it, twenty fifteen. Um uh just always been a huge fan of him. Every team he's been on, you know, Giants, Phillies, whoever it was, every player's had great things to say about him and um always has that real good energy and a smile on his face. Um, I love the fact that he's in a Rangers uniform. So Hopefully he can keep the offensive stuff going. Alright, brother. Go ahead and go lay down. Say bye to everybody.
SPEAKER_02I have two my loose teeth.
SPEAKER_00There you go. All right. Well, don't misbehave and your daddy'll slap you and knock him out and you get another couple of bucks. Yeah, there you go.
SPEAKER_03Have the toothberry bringing you some dollars.
SPEAKER_00You know, I think uh if I had a worry about Schumacher right now, five games in, bye-bye, it would be does he follow the analytics too much? I I think he kind of, you know, when you got into that uh second game, you know, he had his pit ridicue pictures, one inning, one inning, one inning, and then he had this and then he almost blew it with Garcia coming in in the ninth.
SPEAKER_03And uh and then uh that's one thing with the scary pops is that is that back end of that bullpen. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, for sure. But you know, the front end, I don't I'm not sure that they let I mean you know, when walked the first guy tonight, but him and Junas and Jackis and Moses and all those other guys that they strike everybody out. It's like boom, boom. I mean, they are all in the zone all the time. So yeah, but who who who shuts them down is a good question.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. All right. Um, moving on to Boston and Cincinnati. Um, another good series there. Garrett Crochet looked just absolutely ridiculous. Uh, Boston ended up taking two out of three. Also, Connolly Early, another great pitcher that showed up kind of right at the end of the season last year. None of us ended up taking him, but uh, he looked really good against Cincinnati as well. Um, Rhett Louder for the for the Reds in the middle game. Uh, believe he was another guy that threw some no-hit innings. Um, but he looked really good. He just needs to cut his hair for the love of God. Um, but uh also got to see some good stuff out of Cincinnati. Uh Gino Suarez. I don't know if y'all saw the home run that that guy hit the other day up on the very upper deck up there in Cincinnati. I mean, just absolutely pissed on that thing. I mean, it was it was unbelievable that home run that he hit. Um, and they had the Reds showed up with the bats a little bit. So that's kind of their one of their big question marks going into this this season. Um, unfortunately, uh Hunter Green is gonna be out until what July. So that's that's a big headache for them. Andrew Abbott looked great. He he almost matched Garrett Crochet, so um, you know, you still have that guy, but um it'll be it might get a little tough to watch come come until July. Um Miami and Colorado. This was I found myself watching these games fairly regularly, um, just because I think they have a lot of good young players and I want to see what those guys can do. Um, but Miami, first 3-0 start since 2009. Um, Owen Casey, his first home run as a Marlin is a walk-off, and uh he's been hitting the ball really well so far. Um but yeah, Miami 3-0. Yes, it's against Colorado, um, but you still got to go out there and hit the ball.
SPEAKER_01You're really you're really taking away a lot of my talking points National League standings coming up here, Josh.
SPEAKER_03I'm sorry, dude. I'm sorry. Um, the New York Mets put it to my Pirates. Um, and and honestly, the Pirates looked okay. I'm I'm worried about their defense a little bit. Paul Schienes has the shortest outing of his career, ends up getting, doesn't even get out of the first and gives up five runs. Um, couple of O'Neill played those balls so badly they didn't even give him an error. Right, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so Skees gets third runs.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was ugly. Same thing happened to Adoles, by the way, in Philadelphia. Um, he did not get called in error on that, even though it dropped right next to him.
SPEAKER_01Um, he was just doing his Jake Berger impression from the day before.
SPEAKER_03Right, yeah. Uh I'm not gonna lie to you guys. I did see a lot of really shoddy defense, not just from the Pirates, but I saw some shoddy defense this weekend. Um but the teams that you see winning it are the ones that play defense really well. A la Toronto Blue Jays. They pitch and they play defense. Um uh Milwaukee and the White Sox. Um Milwaukee ended up sweeping them, but the White Sox did get a couple of their questions answered. Mizorowski um for the Milwaukee looked absolutely disgusting. He gave uh he gave up a leadoff home run to my drawth that went a country mile. Um, and then I don't think gave up another hit for the next four innings.
SPEAKER_00Uh got 11 and five innings, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Just just struck at striking out everybody, um, which he's capable of doing as long as he's in the strike zone, right? That's always been kind of his Achilles heel is how much is the plate moving around on him. KC in Atlanta, I'd watched a little bit of this one. Also a very fun series to watch. Atlanta, excuse me, takes two out, two out of three, but uh Kansas City did not make it easy. Uh ended up with a walk-off grand slam from former giant great Dom Smith. Uh, that's a pretty cool story. I don't know if y'all heard anything about that, but I guess a couple weeks ago his mom passed away with cancer. Um, so he uh ended up leaving spring training. You know, he he wasn't sure he had a job with the Braves, but he said, listen, I gotta go be with my mom. They let him go. Um he said a lot of really good things about Atlanta, like that, yeah, they're gonna, they told me they were gonna take real good care of me and stuff like that. They let me go be with my mom. Then jerks and Profar gets the steroid thing, and now all of a sudden Dom Smith has an opening, you know. Um, and he went out there and had a couple really good bats, and then a walk-off grand salami that he just, I mean, he he pissed on that thing to right field. So it was an absolute, uh, absolute bomb. I was watching it live when when I saw the grand salami. So um good for Dom Smith. Pretty cool story there with with him and his mom, and you know how the Braves were just just kind of a classy organization with him, you know. Um the Detroit Tigers, Scoobyl looked like Scoobyl. They did pull him a little early because they had, you know, like a five or six run lead. Um, but Detroit ends up taking two out of three from San Diego. Arizona got steamrolled by uh the LA Dodgers. Um, not a whole lot to cover there. The Dodgers were the Dodgers, and the Diamondbacks just couldn't stop the hitting.
SPEAKER_00Well, they had a lead uh early in every game, and then when they turned it over to their bullpen, they went yeah, that's because nobody knows who anybody in their bullpen is.
SPEAKER_03Um they just they don't, and that's not anything about name value or anything, it's just it's about the quality of the bullpen that they have out there in Arizona. Um, they're even like after about the fourth in their lineup, it gets a little scary, Pops. I mean, I guess you got um obviously Catel Marte, best second baseman in the game, in my opinion. Um, and then you got um Corbin Carroll and Perdomo. Those are honestly, those are three legitimate MVP candidates every year. Um but after that, you're looking at Gabby Moreno, Nolan Arenado. It gets it gets a little shaky. Um, but I mean the top three, you could almost match them up with any top three in baseball. Um, but the Dodgers just, I mean, they're pitching, they're hitting. I love the gold on the unis. Did y'all see those? The gold bills and the gold trim around the letters and stuff like that. Did y'all see all that?
SPEAKER_01She probably made her real gold knowing the Dodgers payroll.
SPEAKER_00So well, it's probably I think you get to do that opening day if you're the World Series champion. I think the rate, that's you know, the Rangers in 24th, you know, they had those gold gold hats. So I think that was an homage to the World Series. I don't think they'll be wearing them a ton.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, but that's all I got for the National League boys. Um, Slay dude, you got some standings?
SPEAKER_01We do, all right, in the east. So surprise, not big surprise, I guess. It's early, so these standings are always fun. First couple weeks of the season. But uh the shit cloud over Atlanta didn't look so bad right now as they're a game over 500, as is, you know, four or three of the teams in there, along with our favorites, New York and the very non-favorite in Washington. But Miami, like I said, you know, don't take anything away. They're winning major league games, but they did sweep the White Sox and uh excuse me, sweep the Rockies, and now they are playing the White Sox. So MLB's giving them a little bit of a break to start the season. They sweep the Rockies, then proceed to lose their game four against the White Sox 9-4, but then smoke them tonight nine to two. Uh, Mets off to a good start, Josh. I think you kind of talked about, we talked about multiple places in the MLB where fans were booing. One is in uh New York with the with the Mets, and you know, the Mets are a three-and-two team. We're already booing out there. I guess there's high expectations for Pops.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, and they got shut out tonight by the St. Louis Cardinals.
SPEAKER_01They did, and I'm sure Pops will get into one of the reasons they're getting booed, a big player. We all know who his name is, but I'm not going to take away Pops' thunder. But Philly at two and three, you know, Rangers and Pops. What did you say? You said that stat out it was the what the I saw this on Jared Sanders' Twitter.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I saw this on Jared Sanders Twitter feed, so hopefully it's correct. But he said they hadn't lost a regular season series since July of last year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's good to go up there to Philly, take care of business. It's funny. So you know on Facebook I'm a fan of MLB, and so that on the MLB page on Facebook, it said Rangers, you know, win series in Philadelphia. And dude, these Philly fans are so brutal. And it was like some of what we were talking about. They do have a great team. They had a great team last year. Everyone's good until you run into the Dodgers, anyways. But they're like, oh, great formula, it's just bring everybody back and think the same thing's gonna happen or something different's gonna happen, right? And they're just brutalized. I'm like, y'all shut up, y'all have it so good up there. But, anyways, fans will be fanning. Pop, I think you sent out the the podcast for the Musers and they were talking about you said it was a great episode, how we all think that our rival fans are just the worst fans in the world, right? So we're gonna have naturally animosity towards Philadelphia, not so much because of baseball, but because of the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles and the city of brotherly shove. I mean, they proved it by booing their guys that you know it's it's it's ridiculous. But, anyways, that's gonna happen to New York, Philly. We know all that stuff. Central. So I didn't even pick Milwaukee, the team that had the best record in all of baseball, to make the playoffs, and they're off to a four-and-one start, matching our Rangers for the best five game record so far. But let's just all calm down real quick as they swept the White Sox to start it, and they're playing the Rays right now. They currently have a split going on with the Rays. Uh St. Louis, three and two. That like Pop said, they officially did uh did get a shutout tonight, so super early, but that makes it fun. That GM better hope that they do something, or he's gonna look like a total ass for everything that he didn't. Not that he wouldn't, anyways, because I think if they even come out close to a 500 record, it's gonna be similar to hey, Mavericks trade Luca, and somehow you'll have a 1.8% chance to get the number one overall pick, and you did. So if that happens in St. Louis, that's just a big ball of luck there. But we'll see. Cubby's struggling, but five games in, what can we say? Dodgers are doing what they do. They went out and you know, they Josh said they go out and they whoop up on Arizona. Surprising to us, San Francisco scoring one runs in their first three games. Josh, is it good pitching? Is it their bats aren't waking up? I think we talked about it. It's a little bit of both there.
SPEAKER_00It's super early in the season, but do they have a crappy college manager?
SPEAKER_01Yes, that that's a big thing. That yeah, it's a little bit different when you don't play a weekend series in a mid-game week against some no-name team, right? When you're playing major league teams six days a week, it's gonna get a little bit tougher. Not a good sign for the AL West if we are four or five games in this and LA's already got a two-game lead. So that's gonna be tough to overcome at any point in the season. So but again, it's been good. There's been some there's been some big surprises. Uh, but again, at the beginning of the year, I like I like the first probably six weeks of these standings because they're gonna wish, they're gonna wash. We're gonna have teams that we ride off and we're gonna have teams that surprise us. So we'll kind of see what happens. But Colorado doing what they do, Josh. I think you alluded to it saying you just don't think San Diego is gonna be a very good team. They're off to a one and three start. So eight ball corner pockets so far there, buddy. But everything else, early, fun. No, it's not the American League, but uh Rangers off to a great start. Everything we could ask for, like you said, Nemo, good professional hitter up there, beating a really, really good team in Philadelphia. So we'll see what happens.
SPEAKER_03But that's what I got for the National League. Absolutely, just a lot of really good baseball this weekend. American League, National League, just great stuff. We had walk-offs, we had uh not full no-hitters, but at least no hitters going, you know, five, six innings. Um, and we had some young guns and some old dogs getting it done, man. That's uh I'm telling you, it's good to see the Mike Trouts and the Andrew McCutcheons just going out there and saying, put me in, coach, I'm ready to play, and just getting it done. Um, so thank you for the standings there, Slay Dude. Um, let's talk about our first little thing here. Uh the Phillies um extend uh Christopher Sanchez and Jesus Lizard, Jesus Lazardo. Sanchez got six year, 104 million. Uh Jesus Lazardo got five years, 135. Um they were, I guess, I don't want to say sweetheart deals. They're they're good for both the team and the player, but they're things that did not necessarily have to happen right now because they already had the no had them under contract. Um, so I guess maybe just trying to take care of their boys. Um, but they end up locking in a really good core. So for the next five years, you've got Sanchez, Lazardo, Nola. Um, you've got Wheeler for this season and next, and then you've got Andrew Painter, who's their their young starter. Um that hopefully will have his breakout season this season, uh, who's you know, it's his rookie year. So, and then you've also locked up Real Muto for three years, uh Worber for five. Um, how many more years do they have, Bryce? Is it through 2030?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he's still got at least four years left on that. I want to say at least four years left. And then they got their Duran, their closer. He's he's locked up for a couple of years.
SPEAKER_01So one of one of the comments I saw on that the Rangers take the series in Philly. I mean, it's like there was a bunch, hey, let's just run it back. You guys are idiots, and there was one guy that just said Bryce Harper is not elite.
SPEAKER_00So, you know, the funny thing about uh that opening day, right? Duran so Duran got the save. So this 57 chances, right? The save has been an official statistic since 1969. That was the first ever save on opening day by a Philadelphia Philly pitcher.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I'd have lost that bet. Wow.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're how could that happen at least a dozen times, right? Just right in the look of luck of the odds, but first first ever opening day save for a Philadelphia Philly pitcher.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, you're welcome, Philadelphia, from our Texas Rangers.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and we helped. I mean, we helped not that he needed much, we'd helped uh was it Christopher Sanchez get that big fat deal. Gosh, he looked great against us on opening day. It was disgusting, dude. Yeah, it was. They talked to Schumacher even after, you know, obviously his first game as a Ranger. It turns out he's only lost so far, but he was like, look, it was evident from the first pitch that we were gonna have a tough time. It was just everything we could do to get the bullpen, and I mean it was a windy, shitty weekend up there, anyways. And you have a guy who had left you with some of the best stuff in the game throwing 96 with just a disgusting change up. Yeah, he looked amazing.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, he's definitely up there um in the upper echelon after certainly after last season. Um the cubbies extend PCA and Nico Horner. Uh PCA gets five years 115. Nico Horner got five years 141. Um, so they locked up a nice little core for the next five years. Um, I think Ian Haps, I think he's a um uh a free agent after this season. So we'll see how that goes. He it might be next season, but you know, PCA, Nico Horner, um Dansby, I think they have a long-term contract with. So um, you got Kate Horton for several years since he was just a rookie last season. Um, so another one locking up a couple of young guys, and then the Baltimore Orioles extend Shane Boz uh five years, 68 million. His his interview was kind of funny. He was like, well, uh, because he got it right before his first start, I think, is when they announced it. And he was like, Well, the Baltimore people probably don't know me very well, but I'm gonna be here for a while and I'm gonna go out there and do my best, you know. It's kind of funny. That he's he's an odd-looking duck, anyway, dude. He's got like that bleach blonde hair and uh like super pasty white. Um, he reminds me of those like ghost-looking guys from the Matrix Revolution. Oh yeah, the two Matrix Matrix Reloaded, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so half is a free agent after this year. Okay, and then uh they've got Swanson through 29.
SPEAKER_03Okay, yeah. So they got they got a nice little core locked up. Um, and it seems to be um, you know, they talked a lot about Connor Griffin and extending him um you know several weeks ago after fangrafts came out with their you know big scouting report on Connor Griffin. Um you know, last year remember it was Crochet and it was Christian Campbell. Um, and I think the Red Sox extended somebody else early last year, right? Or was it just those two? But um I don't know, it just seems to be I don't know if this is new or just because I'm like deep in the world now, but it feels like this is like the new way to do things. I feel like they haven't been doing these these extensions pre-arb years and stuff like that for very long, right?
SPEAKER_00Not to the degree that they've been doing them. I mean, I I could I couldn't have imagined five years ago that Christian Campbell would have gotten signed to the deal that he did, right? I mean, didn't let him set. Of course, they're they're they're regretting it now, and that's why people like Christian Campbell shouldn't get signed to Yeah, but I mean, wasn't it well? Yeah, it was like stupid. He had one good month, and they're like, all right, this guy's gonna be our second baseman for the rest of the year.
SPEAKER_01Eight years, 11 million a year. Yeah, I think the reason they're doing it. Was that what it was? Yeah, I think the reason they're doing it is you know, they see how how to control these contracts are, and these teams that have these young guys and have a couple more years of control over them are waving more money in front of their face than they've ever seen, which is all still an assload of money, but it's not Otani or Yord on Alvarez type money. And so it's like, hey, if we can lock them up in their low 20s and throw a hundred million dollar contract in front of their face, we're getting them way cheaper than if we wait until they're two years, one year, God forbid, out from being able to be an unrestricted free agent.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, and I mean, and so so take PCA. I mean, he's still gonna be a free agent at age third, like 30 or 31. Right? I mean, he's still and he'll he could be.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he'll be a they they're signed. I mean, it's not a lot of money. Seven and a half million dollars a year. For who? For Campbell, Campbell, but he's signed to 32.
SPEAKER_03Right, yeah. I thought I was thinking, I was like, I think it's eight years, but I think it's only like 60 million.
SPEAKER_00It was 64. No, it was it's I'm I'm looking at it, it was 60, so 7.5 million dollars a year. Yeah, so I mean that's I would love seven and a half million dollars a year, but yeah.
SPEAKER_01For a guy that for a guy that played a month in major league and was making a minor league check, he probably saw that and was like, I don't even need to call my agent, just tell me where to sign.
SPEAKER_03Right. Well, I mean, all these guys, right? I mean, yes, Sanchez already had uh a contract, but man, like PCA, like uh yes, if he was a free agent, he would demand probably a lot more than 115 million dollars, but he's not a free agent for how many more years? I think that bought out I want to say it bought out two of two R beers or three R beers and then two years of free agency, right? So you miss out on a couple years of free agency, but those two years of his contract, he's making, I think, 30 million.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, then you gotta go have the have the the entrenched battle like what the Tigers and Scuba had, right? Or yeah, nothing. Nothing good comes out of that other than the fact everybody's pissed off. Yeah, but you're or you sign them to, you know, like you say, $30 million anyway.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah. So uh I I think it's I think it's good for both the teams and the players. The players can get their, even though it's not free agency money, it's at least getting a nice big bag of money before you hit the free agent, several years before you hit the free agent market, right? You you can set up routes somewhere, you can help out your family, you can take care of your family, you know what I mean. They're getting their legacy money before, you know, before they have to hit free agency.
SPEAKER_00So I think and then you know, and at the end of the day, like hey, Christian Campbell, like so if if he blows up over the next two years, it's not like they're not going to renegotiate, right? Right. Or or he'll he'll force his way out to a team that will renegotiate. So he'll get renegotiated one way or the other if he if he blows up. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03All right. Um, next discussion I wanted to talk about um is which teams do y'all think checked a few boxes this weekend. We can start with uh with you, Slay Dude, if you want. Is there um are there any teams or specific players out there that we thought were question marks going into the season that you noticed um played well and and answered the questions that we had?
SPEAKER_01I think besides the last two games that the Rangers have beat Baltimore, Baltimore getting to that two and one start, they're gonna need to do that. I think that hopefully they're getting back to their mid. But was their pitcher tonight, Efflin? He went out early back in first thing, right? So but I think Baltimore uh kind of, you know, Alonzo getting his first home run. I'll take it. I want him to hit a bunch. And if he's gonna hit one against the Rangers, I'll take a solo shot and then they five win. So I think and Gunnar Henderson, you know, Ward tonight had a big night. I think a lot of those guys are stepping up. So good for Baltimore, see if they can bounce back after a tough year. Cleveland being Cleveland, we hadn't said anything about those guys, but they're leading the position right now just because they do it every year. Kwan Ramirez and their friends are just doing what they do. So we'll see. Uh Chicago, one and four. We all think that they're gonna be better. Let's see if they are A's charge like you're talking about with their uh, you know, again, who's pitching for the A's, but a one and four start with that offense as well. So that kind of stuck out Miami, not so much. I tell you, St. Louis, three and two, you know, and having a shutout, shutout win tonight. CJ Weatherhole. Yep, I think he's doing great. Uh Crawford, yeah, Justin Crawford, I think, right? Had a pretty big Carl Crawford son, I think, did really well. So uh LA, no surprise there. San Francisco, we all have them as a playoff team. So uh a couple surprises, a couple things that checked, and you know, the homer side of me is is the Rangers. I mean, our two best starters, our number one and number two, arguably had the two worst starts out of our five people, including Lats that had to fill in for deGrom. They're still four and one team, this no-name bullpen while they were shaky Saturday, and we had to have Chris Martin come in again tonight and still give up two runs in the ninth. But, you know, seeing a lot of pitches, like Pops was saying, not a lot of these one-two pitch at bats, working counts, throwing strikes on that end. So I think that's a good start, kind of a surprising start for the Rangers. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03All right, how about you, Pops?
SPEAKER_00So I think uh, you know, my uh surprise for me were the Yankees a little bit because I think we were um of the opinion that that they didn't do much and they were waiting for the pitching, they were betting on the pitching, right? And uh that seems to be a bet that they've won at this point, right? Still waiting for you know, Cole's not even back yet. Rodon's not obviously obviously the the bullpen is going to be the question, especially as you get into May and June when you've got a bullpen killer boner as your manager. You know, these guys are. Three, you know, but yet he's still employed and has oh yeah, yeah, handsome when he goes out there and throws three and four and you know, guys three and four days in a row, and it's just an overmanages that bullpen like crazy. Um, yeah, I think that one stuck out. I think the red the Red Sox, although it's you know it's not it's one and three, right? Four games, but you know, I think that team can be pretty volatile uh sometimes, and you a little bit can go a long way. So I I think it'll be interesting. I I think they I'm not sure, I think they lost again tonight.
SPEAKER_03Oh, it was Roman Anthony, right? Pops. That was the other extinction last season. It was Roman Empire, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they lost they lost to Houston tonight, Pop, so they're one of the one. So they're and it was like nine to two, right? So you know they put a lot of money in it, uh, put a lot of money into into that team. And you know, here you are starting off. You know, there's gonna be a lot of a lot of people. I I believe they started out on the road, they're getting they're gonna go home for the weekend, they're gonna have their home opener this weekend. So it's gonna get pretty rowdy out there uh if they don't start putting some things together, and then that puts pressure. You know, Cor was already under some pressure last year, the way the first half of the season went. Um, anyway, but you know, I picked them to win the division, so uh hopefully they they get out of their funk at some point. But uh those were the two. Do you feel stupid right now or what? Not as stupid as not picking the Brewers to make the playoffs at all. Oh dang it, I was hoping that you missed out on that stat. But you know, I think those were the two teams that stuck out. Obviously, the the Barry, we talked about it earlier, uh, the Lauder in uh in Cleveland, you know, made equaling a major league record of four home runs in his first three games was was very cool. And then you know, we'll get into you know, we'll give away the boner boner pill, but Tyler Ward had a tough start. Uncle Oscar had a tough start, um Nick Castellanos had a tough start, Matt Chapman's had a tough start. So anybody in the Giants lineups had a tough yeah, and you know, I I re I saw and you know it's kind of you you never know what you what what you see on social media, but I guess there was a guy that used to play for the Giants that called into one of the radio stations in San Francisco talking about uh what's his name? I don't know what his what his title is, but Posey? Posey's the GM, but he was talking about his name's Bear. How he is like one of the most hated people uh executives in all of baseball. Posey or the other guy? The other guy. Oh, okay. And you know how you know he he he brought this guy from college in, and you know, it it's he sort of like an insult to all the other to other managers and to all the other coaches that are trying to work their way up to bring this guy back from college, and uh just talking about how much he hated him. But like I said, I just I I was never not familiar with that guy. Posey always seems to be the guy that's the face of that franchise right now. Yeah. And you know, he's the one that was out front saying that was their decision. So it was kind of an interesting. I thought it was Posey that brought him in.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I I you know, I would I would have thought so too, but it's just kind of an interesting tape by the from this guy. So yeah. Um but they better start winning, or it's gonna get it could get nasty there too, pretty quickly.
SPEAKER_03I mean, yeah, I mean, he's already having to answer questions. We'll talk about it when we talk about questions that haven't been answered yet. Um, but uh yeah, he had a pretty weird uh press conference after that, after game number two. Um so uh for me, some ones that uh really got their their questions answered, um, just kind of going through quickly. Kevin McGonagall uh for Detroit, his very first game, he goes four for four. Um he looks like he looks like a ball player, he looks like he's ready. And if Detroit can get a guy like him to perform like that in the middle of their lineup, then they're they may be on their way to the best record in the American League. Um you put him in there with Riley Green and Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson. Um then Javi Baez has his great first half, and Gleber Torres has his great second half, and you know, it's kind of seems like it could be a very much a winning recipe. Uh JJ Weatherhold also checked the box. A lot of the young boys uh really got it done. Um a couple of the additions for the Pirates. Um Brandon Lowe, sorry, Brandon Lau uh hit three home runs in his opening series with the with the Bucks. Uh Ryan O'Hearn ended up dropping a dropping a bomb. So the guys that you bring in to you know boost your offense got the job done. Um let's see, Murakami and Okamoto both going yard in the opening series. Murakami doing it three, he was three for ten or three for nine. Um all three of his hits were home runs, and he also walked walked four times and struck out four times. So um, but that tells you, I mean, he's it's not like he's hitting hanging changeups out of the park. He's he's knocking the the heaters out of the park. So I think he answered a lot of questions this weekend. Umoto, I don't think there were as many questions about him, other than they like they knew he'd be able to do the bat-to-ball thing. Um, but that home run that he hit um to right center field going up otaco um at the Rogers Center was pretty sweet home run. Um, so I think he answered some questions. And Toronto, I think, in general, um, came out. Dylan Sees um struck out 12, I think, in his start on Saturday. Um they they had two walk-off wins, played great defense. The lineup seemed to just never end, which is exactly how they got so deep in the playoffs last year. Um, so I think they answered the question like if they mean business this year, or the last year was just kind of a a magical lightning in a bottle season. It so far it doesn't look like it, right? Um so uh Chris Sale had a great start, so that hopefully will continue for him and he can stay off the I. L. Um, obviously, Spencer Strider's out, Schwellenbach's out, Hurston Waldrips out, the injury bug and the PED bug bit Atlanta again. Um but the guys that did not perform as well last year, on top of all that, like Austin Riley, um, Michael Harris the second, um they went out there and and got the job done. And Drake Baldwin hit a couple homers in the series. That guy looks like he's gonna be even better in his sophomore year than he was last year. So um I think I think the Braves checked a couple of boxes that maybe some fans would have been scared about. And something that I thought about where I was like, well, here we go again. This looks like an exact repeat of what happened last season. So um, but yeah, a lot of a lot of boxes got checked. Um Owen Casey, I think, is one of those. Um, a lot of the lot of the young players um getting out there and just just getting it done. Um what were some teams that you guys or players that you guys thought still have significant question marks, Slade?
SPEAKER_01Two of them on the Rangers, Josh Young being one of them. Kind of his show me year started at Oprah 17, got a day off tonight for Ezekiel Durant, who ended up hitting a solo home run for us.
SPEAKER_03I don't know that I've ever seen Zeke Duran hit a home run. He hit 14. First one since 24.
SPEAKER_01He hit 14 in 1943. But he was a big part. Seager was hurt for about 50 games, and he filled in him's a big part why why they made the playoffs that year. So uh Josh Young, you know, everyone's saying if this is show me year, we know he's got it in him. You know, he wasn't a rookie in 23, uh, or maybe he was considered one. That wasn't his first, you know, MLB action, but obviously an extremely tough two years and a horrendous start. I think Pop said what was the O for his last 15 in the spring training before this O for 17 start 12 or something, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It was 0 for 12 in spring and 0 for 17 to start the season. So why would he only use 12 at bats in spring? He was hurt, he was hurt most of the time. Um back one is a back one, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh so another another Josh Young is issue, though, right, is being able to stay off the IL.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01Uh Josh, everybody that bats that uh has a bat and physically bats for the San Francisco Giants, I think that's surprising. And and everybody that uh that's there now, they did run into a buzz off the Yankee pitching. We'll see how how that pitching holds up, and if we were right about bad offense or good defense here in a couple weeks with them. I think on the flip side didn't say it. I think you said earlier Mike Trout on the on the good side, you know, hitting some bombs, got his team at 500 right now. So um Paul Skeens, I guess we can say it. You know, the box score looked extremely bad. He had a really good two outings in the WBC. And, you know, when you're pitching for the Pirates that aren't going to score you any runs, you can't have guys misplaying balls so badly that yes, they are heirs, but like Wendell said, that when you don't even come close to getting a glove on them and they give you five earned runs and two and a two and a third inning on that, which shouldn't have been the case of Skeens, but we'll see how you buy it.
SPEAKER_03Last year Skeens had, I think, the third lowest run support of any starter in baseball. They scored seven runs that day that he started. Yeah, well, he gave up five and two thirds.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, when you're when you're down five-nothing and your starter, you're the reigning Cy Young winner in your league gets pulled after not even pitching a one full inning on opening day, that doesn't help at all. So I think I think uh I think a couple of those things, right? So we'll see what happens. But those are a couple guys, a couple of the teams, I guess, that kind of stand out on the bad side for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, how about you, Pops? I you know, I I think we'll get into some of it with the blue blue pill, but you know, I talked about it a little bit, you know, the entire Giants lineup, and then uh Day Oscar did not get off to a great start. And really at the end of the day, although they won all of their games, the Dodgers did not really hit all that well. I believe their team batting was 222. Um, I think Cal Raleigh just made his first error in like two years, throwing the ball in the center field to allow a run to score. But but um, yeah, I I think uh talked about the the uh the Red Sox and the Cubs. You know, I I think they'll both be fine, but you know, they're people are gonna start asking questions. And those two baseball crazy talents, right? I mean, they were doing it last year when when Boston got off to a bad start against a bad Ranger team, what turned into a bad Ranger team, right? Endeavors went oh for April. But uh but uh yeah, I I I think that's that's it for me. That's what I got.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, yeah, I would say um Boston and and Chicago, you gotta figure they're gonna turn it around. How how could you not with those with those uh lineups and those pitching rotations, but at the same time, the division, I mean the Cubbies are in division with um with the Brewers who won more games than any other team in in baseball last year. Um they're also in a division with the Pirates who got a lot better, with the Reds who went to the playoffs last year, um, and the Cardinals, who, well, you know what they're gonna do this year. But we'll see. I mean, they have they have feisty hitters up there, they're hitting the ball. Um but the and then I mean the ALB, Boston, you can't they cannot have a bad start before they're done, right? Like get get it out of your system, first series is out of the way, but it's time to play ball now, boys. Um, so I agree with you there, Pops. They yes, it's early, but they also need to light a fire like now, um, because you can't you can't get off to a bad start in either one of those divisions. Um big question mark for me. Uh the Pirates, yes, their big hitters came through. Cruz had a couple home runs over the weekend. Uh Ryan O'Hearn, Brandon Lau. Um, but man, after watching a couple of games from these guys, there's balls in the outfield. And I'm not just talking about the I don't even know what you call it with O'Neal Cruz in center field.
SPEAKER_00I mean, just first of all it's a guy that's not paying attention, right? I mean, that's that's all you it's a guy that's not he's practicing practicing his golf swing or something. He's just not engaged in the game. Yeah, that's all you can say from somebody who plays who's that has that much athletic ability and plays like that.
SPEAKER_03Right, yeah. It's like it's like when I'm coaching the boys' team and I look over at the kid in right field and he's literally sitting in the grass, doesn't even have his glove on his hand.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, 100%. Yeah, that's exactly what it is.
SPEAKER_03And and Pittsburgh's in trouble because, like I told y'all before, Marcelo Zun is clogging up that DH spot. Now he's a good hitter, but now you have and center field is not a position where you can have that kind of stuff going on. He may be talented athletically. Um, he may have a cannon where he can throw at 107 miles an hour to home plate. Um, but if you can't catch routine fly balls and Skeens is on the mound, eventually Skeens is gonna get in your ass and say, hey, dude, we're here to win. Or somebody will. Um somebody better. Right. Uh, but then you got O'Hearn over and right, does not have a lot of range, guys. There were a couple balls that were hit in in right field this weekend where I was like, ooh, a lot of right fielders would have caught that ball, you know. And then you've got Horowitz, ends up playing first base, and Reynolds is over and left. It's just not, it is not great. I will say tonight they had Mangum in right field, and that could work. Uh, but just a big question, Marcus. He's gonna be more of a platoon guy. Um Bo Bachet, I think we all know that he's going to hit because that's just what he does. But uh he he got booed um by the New York fans this weekend. Adoles Garcia got booed by the Phillies fans. Uh, I don't know if that's because they just don't like it when their players make mistakes, or if it's because Adolis was facing his old team and he completely botched a fly ball. But um yeah, there were I would say over the weekend there were definitely more questions answered than questions left open. I think the biggest one is in San Francisco with uh what's his name, Tori Vitello? Um, or Tony Vitello. Uh he seems he seems very awkward. Um, he had, I don't know if y'all got to see the game that was aired on Netflix when Ken Rosenthal interviewed him. Um, but you know, just kind of hey, how is it different managing the major leagues versus college? You know, it's just like what kind of question is that generic softball bull crap.
SPEAKER_01Right, yeah, not softball, but like, you know, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03My daughter plays softball, it's cool. Yeah, but um, you know, he was like, Well, it's a lot more managing than than coaching, and I like being a coach, and you know, I like getting in there and getting in the cage with the guys and showing them this and showing them that, and like I don't know, some somebody needs to help the guy because that is not what you're there to do, man. You know, and you may enjoy it, but that's not what you're there to do. You are there to manage a clubhouse and manage a team.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you are not an an instructor or anything, and so just kind of not to go backwards a little bit, but O'Neill Cruz, uh, I don't know what he's got nothing. He's two two hits this year, no RBIs, no home runs, eight strikeouts, and a 143 batting average on top of just some really horrible. He's bringing nothing, nothing to the table. O'Neill Cruz? Yes. He got nothing. No, again, this is according to baseball preference for 2026 15 played appearances.
SPEAKER_03He hit he hit two bombs tonight.
SPEAKER_00But okay, so so so it wouldn't have updated for tonight.
SPEAKER_03So um, but yeah, I mean, same thing. He wasn't even in the lineup all three games against uh New York. Um so yeah, I mean that it's it's almost uh Ellie de la Cruz conversation where it like at what point does potential um stop outweighing the outcome, right?
SPEAKER_00Um so I guess he's got three more three more years before he's 26, 27, 28. These are are his arbitration years, and he's a free agent in 29. So it'll be interesting to see what they do.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. All right. Um but yeah, for for the guy in San Francisco, I just think uh somebody needs to help him. He got behind the mic another time after game two, and he was like, Yeah, it was, you know, beers with the boys, and you know, they they got a little bit of the try-to hards right now, and just I don't know. Just a couple of weird interviews in the first weekend. Now, I also don't think it's fair to him that he should be answering questions like, Oh, do you think that the Giants aren't hitting because you've never played or coached in the major leagues before? It's the first series of the weekend, and they they went up against Max Fried and Cam Schlitler. So I think that has everything to do with why they didn't hit, but uh but yeah, so that's that's definitely gonna be something to watch. So um let's move on to some boner factories, Slade. Haven't gotten to do this in a while. Who do you got for your boner factories this week?
SPEAKER_01All right, so who the MLB picked for the American League player of the week was Chase DeLoder, Cleveland Alpha had a good one, okay? But I'm not gonna get to him because he went six for 21, four home runs, obviously great five RBIs. But who I'm gonna have to pick, don't go wrong, great week, four home runs, opening week, absolutely amazing. Maybe a little ranger disease there in Cleveland from last year, four home runs, five RBIs. So, and Seagur's bomb was solo tonight, too. But anyways, blah, blah, blah. But just judging by the overall body of work, I'm gonna give it to Yandi Diaz because he went 11 for 20 this week as opposed to six for 21 for DeLoder. So, but he had uh four runs scored. He did have a home run, he had six RBIs. So good for Yandi. For the National League player of the week, the MLB chose Sal Stewart since it's first basement. And I'm telling you, yes, but man, I'm looking through what the site that Wendell and I look at for these, and it took me a long time to get some National League players. I'll tell you that. It seemed like everybody who had good weeks offensively was in the American League. But I'm gonna give it to a team that is what at 500 or above 500 barely, and that we all think could maybe be the worst team in baseball in Washington this year. Joey is it Weimer? Yeah, Joey Weimer, dude. Yeah, so he had an eight for 10 week. Uh quick math there, guys. That's batting 800 in a week. You go eight for ten and slow pitchmen softball, and you're doing something right, okay? He's doing that in major leagues. Five hits, two home runs, four RBIs. So that's who I'm gonna pick for my National League player of the week. I think more deserving than who the I think toss-up on the American League, between my opinion and what the MLB says, but I think that I don't know how you don't give it to this guy, you know, after after the week he had for Washington, but good for him, maybe a good sign for that team. Pitchers of the week, surprise, surprise against our Rangers, Christopher Sanchez or Philly, six innings pitch, 10 strikeouts, uh, no walks. So that's gonna be an ERA of zero starting off for him. And congratulations for his big extension. And Josh, you mentioned this guy earlier. I don't like it because he's in our division, and they're probably one of the favorites to make it to the World Series. Emerson Hancock out there in Seattle. Very identical line, six innings pitch, no earn runs, nine strikeouts, and only one walk. So that's who I got for our players of the week and pitchers of the week in the ML and ALNL this year, or this year, this week. Let's see if we have earlier repeat weeks than we did last year.
SPEAKER_03Let's see. Let's see. Thank you for that, Slay dude. Pops, what do you got for the Blue Pills? Who needs to who needs a little help getting it up this week?
SPEAKER_00So uh, you know, a couple of different um choices here. Uh, you know, Nick Castellano's 0 for 6 with the with the uh wherever he wound up playing going.
SPEAKER_01Yes. He just needs his old announcer back so he can screw up and he can start hitting bombs again, right?
SPEAKER_00So uh yeah, you know, I thought mentioned a handful of them. Uh here um Jonah Heim 0 for 5. Obviously, he's in contention, but he just not enough at bats. But yeah, obviously the biggest the biggest name on this on this list and the one is uh Bobo Chet, right? So one for 14, struck out eight times, one one RBI. Um lots of boos. Getting getting booed by the Met fans already. But you know, to his his credit, when asked about, hey, what do you think about getting booed so quickly by the Mets fans? He said, I'm surprised it wasn't quicker. Yeah. So you know, he's got the you know, the MOV, you know, he's he's he's got that D DNA, right? He's not gonna say anything stupid. He he knows how much he's stocked and he knows how much they're they're counting on him. Uh obviously. Yeah, right. He he did okay. Um well, I think he had an RBI last night, but you know, they lost they got shut out tonight, so he didn't he didn't do anything to contribute tonight. So um, yeah, I mean obviously his third his defense is already coming into question uh with his arm. You know, he's got some range and whatever, but you know, he's just he's never really had the arm to play third base. So uh it'll be interesting to see how this plays out for him and if he spends the rest of the year, do they do something with Simeon or do they or does he become the the DH?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it'll be interesting to watch. I think we all know that Bo's gonna end up hitting. Um, but uh the Mets fans not being too patient. Hey, you know who did do great for the New York Mets? Who answered some questions? Uh fucking Juanson. Oh, Monsota's not a question mark. I think everybody knows what that guy's gonna do. But Lewis Weber Jr. had a walk-off homer, or maybe it's yeah, um, had a real good week. I think he batted over 400 opening weekends, so we'll see. Maybe he'll be. I I don't think it would surprise me if he went 30-30 this year. You know, he had the year, was it 22 or 23 when he hit the 38 bombs and got the huge contract from Chicago? I think it was 22. But maybe we have a little repeat. We'll see how it goes. Um, all right. Are y'all ready for a little trivia? Of course. Not a little bit. All right. So we've been talking a lot of mess about the St. Louis Cardinals um in the offseason. So uh the last time, so last season they won 78 games, okay? Um we have said that they may be the worst team in the National League or the Major League several times um since they gave away all their talent and paid other teams to take them. So when was the last time that the St. Louis Cardinals had a sub-500 record in consecutive seasons?
SPEAKER_00Hint hint, it's not recent. So it's probably gonna have to go back into the seventies further. They did not have the seventies was one of the decades where they didn't win a single division championship. I guess it could have been sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty two, sixty three, something in there.
SPEAKER_03A few years earlier. Last time they had consecutive losing seasons.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. Right? It's pretty crazy, yeah. And here we are. I was gonna say 24-25, but the Rangers were 81 and 81 last year, so technically not consecutive losing seasons. But let's just go back to 21-22. How about that?
SPEAKER_00All right, you know, and then you think about last year with the Cardinals, you know, they they really they got really bad the last four to six weeks of this season, but they were surprised. They were they were in the hot. Yeah. Right into August, anyway.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So the all-star break they were they were in. Well, maybe even because remember, it only took what 83 wins in the NL.
SPEAKER_01I think it was a lot further because we were looking last couple weeks of the season, maybe last month, they were 500.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, thank you, baby. Okay, okay. Max fried rice.
SPEAKER_03He's got still working on that shadow. Um, so uh last question for trivia, because the Seattle Mariners are getting a lot of uh hype, especially with uh with them Seattle winning the Super Bowl. Uh so a lot of people are saying this is the Mariners year, so they're gonna have Super Bowl champ and World Series champ in the same season. So can you name, let's see, one, two, three, four, five. There's been six times where the uh the team has won, the city has won the World Series and the Super Bowl in the same year. Can y'all name them?
SPEAKER_01Giants and the Yankees.
SPEAKER_03Let's see.
SPEAKER_00Giants and the Yankees. No, the Giants never won the Super Bowl when the Yankees were right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um in our lifetime seven and eleven Yankees.
SPEAKER_00So it was um most recently it would have um the had to be one of the Red Sox, Red Sox and Patriots years. 2008 maybe 2008. Yeah, that no, 2018. 18?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Did they do it uh one more one other time, or is that yeah, I thought so.
SPEAKER_032007, 2004. 2004. Oh, that's two of two of the six. That is two of the six, yeah. Boston. Uh Super Bowl and and Worlds and Giants. No, San Francisco is not one.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I don't know. So probably I think 1969, the Mets and the Jets.
SPEAKER_01Probably Joe. And no one Ryan year.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. 69 is one, you got three in between.
SPEAKER_01Three in between. Well, we definitely know it's not the Rangers and the Cowboys.
SPEAKER_03Who who won the year after that, Pops? After 69.
SPEAKER_00Um 70, that would have been uh, I believe that was Baltimore. Yeah, so yeah, Baltimore and Baltimore. Colts.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Colts.
SPEAKER_03Colts and old Leals.
SPEAKER_00And this this the Steelers and the Pirates in 79. Nice. Yeah. Well the Baltimore Colts are the only team to have played in the Super Bowl for both the American Conference and the National Conference. Baltimore.
SPEAKER_03And the next one is is in our lifetime, Slady. We were very young.
SPEAKER_01So late 80s.
SPEAKER_03Mid 80s.
SPEAKER_01Can't be the rules and the chiefs because Chiefs didn't win it until Mahomes got there.
SPEAKER_00Oh, it was the Giants and the Mets. That is 86.
SPEAKER_03That's correct. All right, now. Name the only player to play in both the World Series and the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_01Deion Sanders.
SPEAKER_03Nice dude. Very nice. And that's all I got for trivia.
SPEAKER_01Dion Sanders.
SPEAKER_03D John Sanders.
SPEAKER_01Isn't his boy a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns?
SPEAKER_00Cleveland Browns.
SPEAKER_03But didn't they grow up here?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they went to Dion Dion school. When they graduated, Dion went to coaching college and they followed him.
SPEAKER_01Went to one of his three high schools that he started and got defuncted after in four years of high school.
SPEAKER_03All right. Well, that's all I got for tonight, boys. Y'all got anything you want to add for opening weekend?
SPEAKER_00Uh no, it's just glad to be talking, good to be talking about some some real real baseball. Can't wait to get 30 30 30 games in and kind of see how this stuff starts to start to shake out. And uh let's go, Rangers.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, let's go Rangers. And guys, I mean, like I said, I've I've I watch a little bit, I've watched a little bit of just about every game from the weekend. And I I don't know. I feel like baseball's riding a high.
SPEAKER_00Like after the WBC and how exciting all those games were, and then you've got opening weekend, and you've got guys throwing no-hit five innings and walk-off homers and walk-off singles, and uh guys coming off on one of the most exciting World Series in a long time with a very big global outreach between with Shohei and all those guys. Yeah, and Yoshi.
SPEAKER_03In the American League, I feel like every series, the division series, championship series, and world series, I feel like the American League was like deep, like extra any games and and going five games or seven games, like going the full thing, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Detroit Cleveland went five. Um Detroit Seattle went the full the full Monty thing. Yep.
SPEAKER_03And you know, even uh unfortunately the Dodgers didn't make it very interesting in the National League. Right.
SPEAKER_00You know, even although you know, Seattle and holy cow, Seattle and uh um Toronto was I mean it wasn't competitive from a game standpoint, but the games were competitive in most cases, if that makes any sense. Yeah, I think Toronto still won like four to two, but you know, they're just was that one six or seven?
SPEAKER_03Did that one go six or seven? I don't remember.
SPEAKER_00The ALCS, I thought it was six. I could be wrong. Yeah, I think so.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but yeah, I I don't know. Baseball's been really great for the last several months, so hopefully we can keep it going. And hopefully we can uh on the Netflix. The Netflix thing was kind of cool because they I guess you know they're trying to bring other faces and other fans and stuff like that to the game. They had some wrestling guys on there and stuff like that. So um I think the only thing Netflix has after this is the home run derby and then the uh uh Field of Dreams series later on this year. Um, but yeah, baseball's baseball's on a nice little run right now, so hopefully we don't do something stupid next year, like have missed games or a lockout or anything like that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they need to fix that crap.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but all right. Well, thank you everybody for joining us for another episode. We really appreciate you guys listening. Check us out on Facebook, Instagram. Um X. If you like what we're doing, give us a like, give us a comment, give us a subscription. Uh for the Slay dude, Justin Slay, Wendell Pops Patterson. I'm Josh Patterson. Thank you, and we'll talk to you next week.
