Episode 64: Rangers Are in 1st Place/Mets Fired Carlos Mendoza

The Jimmies favorite team is now in 1st place in their division.  Will it last or will we be disappointed yet again?

The Mets fire manager Carlos Mendoza.  Will this save their season or will their woes continue?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Baseball fans and baseball lovers, good day. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the MLB Clubhouse with the Jimmies. I am here with the Slay dude, Justin Slay, Wendell Pops Patterson, and I am Josh Patterson. And today we are going to talk about our Texas Ranger being in first place, having uh above 500 record for the first time since what did you say, Slay dude? April 13th. April 13th. Okay, pretty crazy. Long time. But here we are, one game over. And the Metropolitans continue their epic disaster and end up firing Carlos Mendoza. But a lot of the media is talking about it being David Stern's fault. Some people, maybe people who think in the real world, think it might just be that the players are playing badly this year. And it's not Stern's or Mendoza's fault. But someone's got to be the blame. We'll talk about who we think that should be here in a little bit. Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Slay Dude, give us some standees, will you please? Let's do it. So, unlike last week, boys, we have had some movement. Hate to report for the first time in three weeks, the Pops is wrong about the Yankees being in first place. So they are a game and a half behind Tampa Bay. Boys, that's going to happen when Tampa Bay wins five in a row and the Yankees lose five in a row. So uh just you know, kind of crazy times right now. They won, they're not off, they're not playing again until uh Tuesday, the Rays. Hey, Sophia. Hey, you had a volleyball game tonight, they won. Nice, did good. It's like those volleyball poles we got installed in the backyard are finally starting to pay off. So it's only been a week and a half, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Sophia, have you been swimming or just been out in the sun? You look darker than last week.

SPEAKER_04 2:04

Yeah, we really both.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

When when I saw Annalise when I got home from work today, and I I know she hasn't really been out in the sun today because she doesn't do that. Um, I was like, wow, you just you just wake up and you look more Mexican. That's what she did. She just dark, dark, dark.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

And all she does is they make sense because we both have uh half Mexican children. Yeah, yeah. I think mine are a little bit more than half. Yeah, I forgot that you had some real Mexican in you, so good for you. Yeah, I just look like it, but I'm called a couple of things.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

The weirdest part.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah, the weirdest part is that all my boys look white like me, and my girls both look Hispanic like their mama, so I don't know. It's weird.

SPEAKER_04 2:52

I'm everything because I'm the only one, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Good night. All right, before we're rudely interrupted, as we were saying, you're my comment. Hey, don't hit me. Take off your dad's head. Oh, okay. So, yes, the Rays are coming off of a five-game heater. They are off tonight, but they just swept the Rays. Surprise, surprise, they took two out of three from the worst team in the American League, the Kansas City Royals. Maybe we need to talk about them because I think we had a little more higher hopes for that. But man, New York on that five-game losing streak. But to add insult to injury, it started in Boston against their rivals, against a team that is 10 and a half games behind them. Well, I guess at the beginning of that series, they were 14 and a half games behind them because Boston swept them.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

So pretty ugly.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Those just shows you with these rivalry games, right? It just uh who knows, right? But Tampa Bay, it's still a tight race, it's still a two-team race. We were kind of giving Toronto their props a little bit last week. They were one game under 500 kind of creeping up. I think they even had a wild card spot at one time because of the awesome American League, Josh. We're gonna talk about in a little bit. But how about our Texas Rangers going into Toronto?

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Yeah, look at this shirt, dude.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

It's a World Series shirt. The perfect time to be wearing that right now, Preston, because you got a first place football team right now. Yeah, the Rangers are in first place right now.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Good night, buddy. Cool, huh? See, you see this white child right here? So all the boys look like.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Um, me and Sophia are pretty white. We just tan really nicely, so there you go.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Yeah. The boy, it's weird, the boys do too. Like they never burn. Oh, I burn, but the boys don't. They just get they it's slower than the girls, but they just steadily get darker as the day goes on if we're out in the sun.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Like a Ron Burgundy. Oh, it's a deep burn. I don't know if you heard me, I did over a thousand. Milk was a bad choice. Well, yeah. So uh two-team race there in the East, both teams, playoff teams, two of the five teams, I guess, now with our Rangers that are over 500 in the American League, but that's better than it was just a couple weeks ago. I think we only had three. So, how about that? So, you got Chicago boys. We talked about it, they are the real deal as far as in their division. They won tonight eight to two over the Orioles, and coupled with a Cleveland loss, they're either going to be a game or a game and a half, the loss at the hands of our Texas Rangers. So they are in first all by themselves, guys. And then that's pretty much everything that's going on. Minnesota, five games under 500. Josh, I think you're wrong before Detroit is not in last in their division because it's Kansas City. They got them by one game, all right.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Yeah, just trying to make Hank mad for whatever reason he likes the Tigers.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

I don't really think he comprehended it, but that's okay. So just tell him, hey, I got good news for you, they're not in dead last, all right? Yeah, but what he did say in response to that is ranges suck. Okay. Well, good thing that we didn't have him on camera with that because I'd have just torn him a new one. I know he's not my kid, but sometimes you gotta discipline other people's kids, Josh. You know what I mean? Live in my house and say and hey, real movement in the West for the first time in a while, and a team that's not Houston, a team that's not Oakland, not Sacramento, not Vegas, whatever. Your Texas Rangers are 43 and 42, guys.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

And yeah, line it up for me, Slay dude. What does it look like in the West, top to bottom?

SPEAKER_00 6:31

I you know, I crap on them a lot and I get really mad because we've just had some really horrible games, and it seems like that happens a lot right before we hop on a podcast, i.e., a no combined no-hitter against the Houston Astros. But, anyways, we do have Texas, who is now a game up. Uh, we have just won our fifth in a row, just like I said, went to Toronto, took down the American League champions who aren't having the best season, but right before we hopped on, I don't care if you take four in Colorado from the Colorado Rocky, they're all major league baseball teams. And the fact we went on the road and did it in Canadia and against the defending American League champs is pretty awesome. Seattle is only half a game behind us. They are currently losing. It's only top of the third to the LA Angels 1-0. And then watch out, they always seem to do this. But Houston's only a game and a half behind the Rangers right now, and I think they were in dead last behind the Angels just a couple weeks ago. So they are 7-3 in their last 10. Hopefully they will come down to earth. They're getting beat five to one by Minnesota right now. So maybe they're like us and are really bad against shitty teams because we got swept by Minnesota at home. So that was cool.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Or the Angels, do the Angels still have the worst record in the American League? Or they are tied with no, no, they're tied with Detroit, but Kansas City has them by a game. Kansas City's 35 and 50 right now, so they are not the worst. Bobby, Bob.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

And Boston had them all until uh the Yankees came out.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Well, yeah, Boston owned every category. But listen to this, dude. So the Rangers, what'd we win? 6'3 tonight. So we're in first place, a game over 500, five in a row. And we're still five game, or excuse me, five runs, a negative five run differential. Yeah. Austin is 37 and 46, and they have a plus eight run differential. Now that probably happened this weekend, Wendell, dear point. Yeah, but still uh Seattle's the only only team in our division, guys, that is with positive run differential, only at a plus four. Houston's at a minus 42, which is just completely crazy.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

Tells you how bad their pitching's been because they put some runs on the board.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Yeah. Yeah. Well, let's hope witnessed it a few minutes.

SPEAKER_03 8:41

Let's hope they're they're bad against us because the Red Sox have the fewest home runs in the in uh uh for sure the American League, if not the major leagues right now.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Yeah, don't see that game last night too. Sonny Gray, I think, was perfect through seven and two-thirds, or not perfect, but had a no-hitter, yeah, the no-hitter, and then of course they take him out, and Chapman, who doesn't do this, gives up two runs in the ninth. I mean, so that guy went from uh inning in a third of a no-hitter against the Yankees in Boston to getting a no decision at four bastard. Keep his attention.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

He didn't get his 2000th strikeout, though, I believe, didn't he? Okay, I believe, I believe.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

And kudos to the Cardinals for paying most of his salary this year.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

So yeah, well done, St. Louis. Um look, Sonny Gray's had a pretty pretty solid major league career. What's he been in the league? 14 years or something like that? Something like that. Yeah, because he's been a long time. He started with the A's, didn't he? I think so, yeah. But he's he's bounced around.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

He's been a one or two-year contract guy, but always able to find like, you know, if you can run out there and have a four ERA, you know, and he's he's actually a guy that can give you some actual innings, not just be four and done, um, because he's out there blowing everybody away and and max velo and max effort and all that. Um, yeah, Sonny Grace had a real solid career. Well, where did he go to school, Slade? I think he was a big time college kid, remember? Yeah. I don't believe you. Arizona. We'll have to look it up.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

It's like it was Arizona or LSD or something like North Garland High School, I think.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

So yeah, straight to the big no, you he uh he's the Lakeview Centennial guy.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Oh, that's right, my bad. What was I thinking? Yeah, but right now, guys, I mean New York, Cleveland, New York six and a half game lead. Like I said, they're going back and forth. Pops are still, you know, if you're gonna have these slogs in the season, good time for the Yankees to have it. Sucks they lost four against Boston, but that doesn't really bother me. I don't really like either one of those teams. But since Boston's doing so crappy and it looks so good, I'm happy about that. Cleveland does have a uh two-game lead over Seattle. Houston's only half a game out. The A's are only one and a half out, boys. So we're looking at four of the five teams in the West. Now, not bragging about any of the records that are all within a game and a half of the playoffs. And right now, our Texas Rangers are in the playoffs, and just to give them, you know, some props, and here we are, you know, a little bit over halfway through the season. So what are we now? Uh what are we doing 83, 85 games into the season? All right. But I mean, if we can keep a little momentum, I think y'all, after we play two more in Cleveland, I think we have a nine-game homestand going into the all-star break. And we need to start playing better at at home. We are well, I guess technically we are playing better at home. We're one game over at home. So what's that tell you if we we are on the road if we're one game over 500? Okay. But we played 48 games on the road as compared to 35 at home. So we're gonna have a lot more home games. Hopefully, the fans get excited and show up. Wendell, you send out the lineup tonight. And I know all of us, I don't think all of us were just like, What is this lineup?

unknown 11:57

Right.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

I mean, are we just scared? You know, and I don't, yeah, I'm the one that craps on Peterson more than anybody in this podcast combined, but dude's been hidden. Nimmo has been, you know, most he's there.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

He he had an MRI, you know. He the last album game last night he crashed into the wall. Was he okay?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Did you hear? I'm sure he don't know.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

They're they're sending through an MRI just to see if it's there's something structurally wrong or if it's just sore. But he wasn't he wasn't able to go tonight.

SPEAKER_00 12:24

Badass catch to end the game, though, right? And then yeah, I mean, it was I forgot who was it said was it Wendell, or was it even the the fifth muser, or like I said, or the fifth Jimmy here? Adam that said, So what is Seager not playing against lefties now? What are we doing?

SPEAKER_03 12:38

Yeah, I think that was me, but yeah, it was Wendell.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

So I figured because you know the other two guys don't really know the game, you know.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

What's crazy is Brandon Nimmo's getting an MRI on his shoulder?

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Kidding, guys.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Brandon Nimmo's getting an MRI on his shoulder after crashing into a wall, and I think I need one after sleeping on a pillow last night. Woke up this morning.

SPEAKER_00 12:59

I was like, what is going on over here? Yeah, well, funny, we don't get paid near as much as they do to be that athletic. I uh my heels hurt pretty bad after pickleball this morning, but I think I'm gonna make it through. So but yeah, I mean, give props to the Rangers. You get that young kid, uh Macaulay Calkin, I think, right? Or Macaulay. Macaulay Cauley has a really weird-looking swing, but he he hit the ball, and I thought, okay, for sure a double. And then he gets a triple just fast as hell. Carter with two hits against two lefties tonight. Foskey coming through. I mean, it's nice when you can plug these guys in, and when you know Langford comes back, I think he's our real last everyday starter from a from a position player standpoint that is on the I. But you know, if we have to make some decisions, it's good. And Duran's continuing to play. I like, dude, Duran's in right field tonight. What more can you ask from that guy? That guy plays everywhere. Keep his back lineup, let him keep playing ball. But as much as I've crapped on them, and it's early, and guys, we might be on a five-game losing streak next Monday when we get on this. I don't know because it is our Rangers. So, but again, first time in two and a half months that we're above 500. Luckily, we're in the division in the league that we're in because we're in first place. So, props to the Rangers, props to Tampa Bay, props to Chicago there for um being in first place right now, guys.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

So, right now it says with those three up top, and then uh New York, Cleveland, and Seattle.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Seattle or Toronto, Seattle, Seattle, Seattle. Seattle's one game under 500. Again, they're losing 1-0, but it's only the third inning in LA tonight. So it's gonna, as long as we stay around here, boys, we have a chance to be in the playoffs. Who knows about the division? Who knows if it's the Seattle team's gonna get hot? We we all kind of thought they were, and then they've cooled down tremendously since then. We know they got a great team. You know, they have uh, again, they're the only team in our division with the positive run differential. Amazingly, we scored more runs than them, but they've given up 13 less than we have. So that's kind of Seattle's M over the past couple years. Let's see if if Raleigh can, you know, come back and do Raleigh things. One of us, I think, predicted him to be a dark horse MVP. It's not looking too good right now. But we'll no, I don't know who that was. Maybe it was TJ or Josh, wasn't one of us, but anyways, uh yeah, just a crazy American league. Pops will get in national league here in a little bit, and it's just a completely different story over there. So yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Um, so uh Slate, dude, what are the records? The do you have it there where they're interdivision records?

SPEAKER_03 15:38

I don't have any pulled up, yeah. So while while he efforts on that, Sonny Gray went to the college baseball powerhouse of Vanderbilt.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Oh, so Josh, you were not wrong.

SPEAKER_03 15:51

He started as an athletic. Yeah, he is 134 in 103 lifetime, basically a strikeout and inning. Yeah, 2,000 strikeouts and 2001 innings pitched.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Probably a career ERA of right around four.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

Three and a half. Oh, three and a half, that's most even better than that.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

All right, so who do you want to know? So right now, Josh, yeah, I mean the center, the uh the West is killing us. The Rangers, we're nine and fourteen against the West. So LA, what would they be doing without playing the West? They're 14 and 10 against us. So uh Seattle's 14 and 9, age 15 and 15, Houston's 12 and 16. And that's you know, uh so Houston can't beat anybody but the Rangers. That's well, I mean, yeah, we saw it. I mean, at least we got to see us actually beat them the one game we're at, even though we tried to blow an eight-run first inning lead. That was cool, right? So and if it wasn't for the AL East, Tampa Bay would be in big trouble as they are 17 and 6. New York is 14 and 14 against their own division right now.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Well, okay. Um all right, so we all love our Rangers, but what do you guys think? I mean, I I love giving them their props. I love the fact that they're in first place. Um, and honestly, I I can honestly say I'm not terribly worried about if they get into the playoffs or not because the American League is just that bad. So if they hover around 500, like most of the teams are that are in the American League, if they hover around 500, they're going to be in it the last week of the season, right? Um, so the question is I know we all want to see the Rangers in the playoffs, but do y'all think they they are able to hang on to it, or do they just get by you know the skin of their teeth because they're excuse me, right around 500 or what?

SPEAKER_00 18:04

I think we have to do what we've been doing the past five games. Easy for me to say when we win five in a row, but they've had some timely hitting with runners in scoring position, and that's something that we haven't seen all year. And a lot of things that we're gonna need to do too is it's unfortunately the Grom has flashes, okay? But the dude's our age, Josh. I think he's 38 or 39 years old. So really he's younger than us. So Valdi is younger, younger than us, but old in the sense of baseball. And he's has a lot of innings on his arms. Yeah, on his arms. Well, both of them, but especially his right one. So and McKenzie Gore, who knows? That guy's a Jekyll and Hyde. That's our top, our top three. We got Leiter who shown flashes of of some great things, but he's out until August. And we don't have an established fifth starter right now. I sent y'all that stat, even though it was a guy from Cleveland, but Alexander is the first pitcher in Major League history to have saves on back-to-back days and then pitch the first inning of a game the next day. So we're we're definitely doing this bullpen by committee. Quantrell was it on Saturday? Looked really good. Now, maybe I mean the Blue Jays record tells us they're not good. Okay. But I think we've got to establish that pitching. Our big three have to give us give us five, six innings. Yeah. Four times a month. Three, three out of the five starts, four out of five starts a month for those guys. And and it just got to be this this these guys coming up and hitting. Now, the season has told us they're not gonna do that because they haven't done it, right? But you know, as we saw in 23 getting the show, who knows? I put our top three of the rotation against just about anybody, and that's what matters in in these playoff series. But I can't give a definitive answer. I'm not too much of a homer. I'm the only one who chose them to be in the playoffs, but as a wild card team. So but they they've just got to, we're not having problems getting guys on base. But I mean, even that ninth inning tonight, y'all, we got two big runs, and it was a two-out double by Fosquew and an error by Kwan. Reason we got that second run because he overplayed that ball. But Nikki Lopez, and I've really been impressed with what he's done since we acquired him. But first and second, nobody out. He's our nine-hole hitter, fails to fails to lay a button down twice. That's stuff that we can't do. You know what I mean? And yeah, it just depends. And you know, when Seeger and you know plays every day, hopefully, when White Langford, it's are these guys gonna choke up on the bat and move some runners over instead of just trying to hit over the fence every time. I it's been such a weird season. I've come on here and crapped and told y'all one of the first 10 minutes to talk about how bad I they are and how much they piss me off. And again, that might happen again here on seven days from now. But um I don't know, dude. Uh, if the American League stays like this, yes, we have a chance. Easy to say, but there's still you know 75 games left to go in the season.

unknown 21:02

So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

What do you think, Pops? What are what are the differences that you've seen over this last little stretch where we're actually winning ball games? And is it sustainable? Is it young guys getting their shot and hustling hard, but the league's gonna figure them out? What do you think?

SPEAKER_03 21:18

I yeah, I think uh they have a chance to stay in the playoff race just because it's so bad. I the the AL uh West winner's probably gonna be three games over 500. Um, I like what I've seen out of Lopez. I like what I've seen out of Osuna. Uh I hope he stays at the big league level for for a while. Um, you know, uh we'll see what uh Crawford does, uh Kali, whatever the hell his name is. Um, you know, tonight was his di debut. Uh he certainly contributed. Um you know, I Jig Jig Berger, you know, I sent you guys the other day. You know, the guy hustles, his head's always in the game, he knows. What's going on, you know, unlike Petto, who, you know, I'm not sure what whether he walks slower to first base when he hits a ground ball or hits a home run.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah, because he thinks every home run's a no-doubter, right?

SPEAKER_03 22:15

And you know, you just you hate you hate that crap. You know, you saw it the other day with Soto, you saw it the other day with Bregman. Um, but uh, you know, I I like the uh I like the addition of Nemo. I mean they're they're playing hard, they're playing with energy. Um you know, hopefully at some point Seeger starts to be to be Seeger, and he's not this you know, platoon left-handed, left-handed platoon guy that you're paying 37 million or 32 million dollars a year for.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Yeah, what kind of season stats are we looking at for Seeger?

SPEAKER_03 22:48

The average is a buck 84 or something like that. Yeah, it's OPS in the sixes. Um he's double-digit home runs. Um, and so you know, he's he's shown some pop, but um, you know, 30 some odd RBIs, give or take. But Pop's knows his stuff.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

182 uh OPS uh 667, but he does have a war of 0.9.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Yeah, and that's based on 10 10 home runs and you know whatever whatever, but yeah, I just uh you hope he can get back to I mean, even if you get 260, 270 out of him, and where he's just not this this black hole in the in the lineup, because I mean the last really it's probably been a full season's worth of games now where he's just he's looked lost. I I don't really know any other way to put it. He's look he's looked lost and overmatched.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

Yeah. And Pops, you said something that just reminded me, like Josh, you were talking about is it sustainable or not? When we went up by one in like the eighth or ninth tonight, I think it was the eighth, yeah, because we won it by one. We got two more of the nine. And I guess they said the Rangers have won their last six or eight one-run games. That's not sustainable, okay? Luckily, we didn't have to do that tonight. But I think the last time we had a season like that and went to the playoffs was 2016, and then that's when we got swept by Toronto and we didn't sniff the playoffs until we won the World Series in 2023. So we've got to, you know, pitching has been very good for us this year. I most of the time, at times it's been horrible.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Uh Rocker actually had really good outing and he started the first inning. Pop said at his last start whenever we brought the opener in. If Skip ever lets him start the first inning ever again, he should be fired tomorrow. I don't disagree. But he did okay. You know, his first two batters of the game got on, but somehow he got out of it. But what's not going to be sustainable, in my opinion, Josh, is uh these close games. You know, you can't you can't depend, especially when we're gonna have a very, very tired bullpen unless we can really figure out how to get a true fifth starter in there with with light or with lighter being out.

unknown 25:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:03

You know, the thing about them too, right, is that you know, I don't know if you saw the stat on the game tonight. Uh when they score first, they have the second best record of baseball. I would thought it's even the first, yeah. When they uh don't score first, they're like the third worst record at baseball. But the problem is when the other team scores first, it's not like a solo home run. It's like a it's it's a freaking crooked number.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

It's a five or a it's a grand slowing. Yeah. Funny enough, when that happens against us, we come back and win the game.

SPEAKER_03 25:34

Let's assume that's never that we won't actually won that game, but you know, that's that's one of the four wins we've had when the other team scores first all year long. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Um yeah, I think there's definitely something to that. Uh with with our bullpen, um, I I do think you have to give a little bit of separation. Like, and what you were talking about tonight, Slay dude being able to get a couple of insurance runs. Um, you know, was it the top of the ninth? Yeah, I mean that and and those are the kinds of things that winning teams do, right? They don't let you breathe, they don't let the pitchers uh get away with mistakes like walking a leadoff batter or or loading up the bases with one out or no outs. They don't let winning teams don't let pitchers get away with that stuff. Um and winning teams, frankly, we maybe we beat it over the head a little too much. Winning teams don't half ass it to first base.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

I don't think we beat on the head enough. I could talk about that every week.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

You know, and they've been aggressive on the base pass too, right? So, you know, when Osuna got thrown out at the plate, I thought that was a bad decision to send him, right? Because Kwan was playing, he doesn't have Quan doesn't have a great arm, so that was part of it. But he was playing shallow. But I will also tell you, in my opinion, that the reason he made that error on the next batter was because he thought that they were gonna go. Yep, yeah, right. And they it it and he rushed, he rushed to get over there.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

And he was like, I gotta keep him in here. You're exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

Yeah, putting pressure on the defense, yeah. Um, and that and that's what we talked about with the you know, give it five or six good hard steps out of the box, you know. But don't give it the last five steps, right? Or uh Breckman or Soda, right? Like, don't don't hustle the last five steps after you're like, oh shit, this guy's bobbled it three times. It was hit to the second baseman, and the short stops got in now, and he's gonna throw me out. Like, that's that's the crazy stuff. Like, give it go hard first.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

Don't assume when you're on second and a ball hit hard to the outfield, you're not gonna get sent home.

SPEAKER_03 27:52

Yeah, that's that's how Segar wound up with concussion protocol, concussion, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:56

And he's not batting against lefties all of a sudden. Apparently, that's a side effect of concussions.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

So um, but I think, and and maybe, guys, maybe we're seeing with with I mean, on any other team, you would not see your $30 million man getting platooned. Um, but at the same time, maybe Skip Shoemaker is just he's the guy we've been needing. Like, listen, we gotta win ball games, no matter whose name is in the lineup. If Steavers batting 180 and it's 120 against lefties, and I've got Foskew over here, or whoever the hell, Macaulay Culkin playing shortstop run.

SPEAKER_00 28:40

Who didn't he play a good defensive shortstop, too?

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Yeah, uh, and got a couple hits, right? So a hit and a walk, scored two runs.

SPEAKER_02 28:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Maybe Skipps just he's ready to win ball games. Yeah, you know. I don't I don't want to see Seeker sit out the rest of the season because his his history proves that the hitter, the results that we're getting now is not the hitter that Corey Seeker is. But I'm okay giving him a little bit of time to figure it out, sure. And you know, let these guys that are fighting for a job get up there and hustle and play hard and um help win us some ballgames. You if y'all remember that I I want to say the best stretch that the Rangers had last season, they had one really good stretch right before the All-Star game, and then they had one about like August.

SPEAKER_00 29:31

Yeah. And we were calling calling them little rascals. We didn't know who we didn't who was out there playing.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

You had you had a Freeman came up and Osuna came up.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Yep. Yeah. And they were winning ball games. Um, I guess that was the biggest part of the question is of is it sustainable? Because we know it only happened for a couple weeks last year, right? When you have young players like that, after a couple weeks, they may be up here hustling and fighting hard for a job and um you know, giving you really good at bats and be really locked in, but these are major league pitchers with the major league teams that we're talking about, you know.

SPEAKER_03 30:07

Do they get at this point, right? I mean, the the two that are kind of early in time, right? Are FOS Q and uh and then and Macaulay Caukin, right? Well, as soon as 300 major league at bats now, right? I mean, yeah, they figured him out, and then he's he's seems to have adjusted a little bit, right? Nikki Lopez has you know a lot of major league at bats built prior to this. So eight to ten years or something like that in the so so you know he acts like he's a rookie the way he hustles. Yeah, but from the from the young guy's standpoint, really, it's uh it's Fosque and uh and and Crawford McCauley, whatever the hell. One of these days I'm gonna I'll he'll he'll make me remember his name.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

All you're saying is first and last name, just maybe in different orders, so I'll give you that. You got you got you're getting it right, is what I'm trying to say.

SPEAKER_03 31:01

I hear yeah. So he's only the uh he's the fourth ranger ever to triple in his first ranger at bat.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

You said fourth ranger ever? Yeah, I think so. Okay, was one Otis Nixon?

SPEAKER_03 31:13

No, it was uh one was Hensar Alberto or Alberto Hensar. Oh, okay, yeah. Uh Pete O'Brien of all people.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

Don't know it.

SPEAKER_03 31:22

And uh that was probably maybe his only major league triple. His first at bat with the Rangers.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

OB McDowell.

SPEAKER_03 31:29

Uh no, it wasn't. I'll have to look at it. I don't I don't remember off the top of my hand.

SPEAKER_01 31:33

Oh, well, that's that's four, right? He gave us three or not? Hanser Alberto, Pete O'Brien, Macaulay Calkin.

unknown 31:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:45

CJ Wilson. No, that's not him. Oh, he actually, yes, it is.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

He got a triple.

SPEAKER_03 31:53

No, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

Maybe he got a triple first pitch ever with us, yeah. CJ Wilson had a pretty good career, dude. He was when he dude 2010, 2011, he was pretty he's a weird dude, but he's yeah. Commercials, then when he was talking about eating healthy, he's like, instead of getting the bright chicken, try some baked chicken. Like, all right, dude, whatever, just throw the ball.

SPEAKER_03 32:17

So these may not have all been in the with with the Rangers, but some of them are more like tri. So Travis Hapner. Oh, half. Wow. Jeff Fry. I I remember him, but that was in '92.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Mason back in the day.

SPEAKER_03 32:32

His dad was an umpire. Oh, really? Yeah. Um, Pete O'Brien and somebody Navarre. I don't know. Hans are Alberto. So I don't know. His last name is Navarre, 2003. Long time ago.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

He has a good year, Josh. Remember that? He was, I do, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:50

So I guess it's uh looks like seven, seven, seven Rangers whose first career hit was a triple, but kind of cool.

SPEAKER_01 32:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:58

Unique. It's like having your 3000th hit as a home run.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Right. Big career was a lot longer and better if you got the 3,000 hits.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

Yeah. Yeah. Macaulay Calkins at one right now. Right. He's getting there. He's climbing. He's getting there.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

He's only $29.99 a week.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Right.

unknown 33:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

All right. Um, let's get into a little uh National League pops. You got some standings?

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Uh so yeah, so um, you know, not not a lot of movement at the top of each division, but there was some shuffling of the deck in the middle of one of the divisions. You know, I I think um the biggest thing is the the Braves, right? So a couple of weeks ago we were talking about uh their 680 winning winning percentage. Uh it is now less than 600. Um the um they're three and a half games behind. Do it? Right? They're they're three well, you know, they're three, they're only three and a half games ahead of the the Phillies now. Uh the Phillies are seven and three. The Marlins, they're only uh the Marlins are six games back, Marlins the hottest team in baseball, and actually the Nationals uh are as close in fourth place, they're as close as the Phillies were just a week ago. Eight games out. So uh Braves got a lot of injuries. Uh they get some folks uh that people are starting to wonder are they is it time? Um uh so uh we've got to get our cuna back. Um and then they've just stopped hitting. And we'll we'll get into that a little bit later in the in the losers of the week. But uh the Braves, uh, it may be um you know, next it's highly likely, it's possible, not like not highly likely, but we're talking next week that the Braves are maybe not in first place. They start a series tomorrow against the Cardinals, they have the day off. Um, and then the Phillies got beaten by the Pirates today. So, but we'll see how how they uh the A uh NL East uh shakes out from here. You know, two weeks ago we were basically uh um it was a coronation for the Braves. There's no way that they were gonna be nine, the Phillies were gonna be nine nine games better than the Braves, but um as they say, that's why they play the game.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:24

Um I think the big the big uh shuffle in the deck was uh in the NL Central. Uh the Brewers uh continue to hold on to a five-game lead there, five and a half game lead. Uh the Cubs jumped the Cardinals because the Cardinals had probably one of their worst uh 10-game stretches of the year at three and seven.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

CTJ we're talking about about the Cubs, so just show up.

SPEAKER_03 35:45

Yeah. So uh the Cardinals actually uh dropped out of the playoffs, but uh after spending basically the entire year as the first wild card, but they uh snuck back in to the last wild card um round, so they're they're they're hanging on by a thread. Um and then in the West, you know, it's still the Dodgers, you know, seven seven and three. Um they took two out of three from the Padres. They start a four-game set against the Padres on uh Thursday in in Dodger Stadium. Uh they're already at a double-digit lead, so they could they could they could conceivably just kind of sock this division away.

SPEAKER_00 36:28

A plus 152 run division.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

With a plus 152. Yeah. They lead uh they lead the major leagues uh in runs scored and and fewest runs allowed.

SPEAKER_00 36:42

So is that any good?

SPEAKER_03 36:43

So that's a that's a good that definitely that math, definitely, definitely maths.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

Um what by five or six games now, five games, the best record in the league.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

Yep, yeah. Uh four four four wins better than the Brewers, five wins better than the uh Braves, and uh nobody in the American League is close. So uh at the playoffs ended today, Dodgers, Brewers, Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals. So uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 37:15

Cardinals might be a little scared if you get if you meet them in a three-game set.

SPEAKER_03 37:19

Not necessarily because of the names, but uh all those young boys on the end of the couple of the top end front-end rotation guys that have done pretty well for them. Yeah. So uh we'll we'll we'll see what weather weather holds is continuing to do well. Jordan Walker's finally kind of starting to cool off as they started to try to ballot stuff his ballot to get him onto the uh all-star team. But uh he's but he's kind of cooled off. Um but yeah, we were talking about him before the end of before the season started. That going going into this year, he was he was for his career, he was a negative warf player.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

Oh, yeah. And uh just never lived up to it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:01

Yeah, obviously not not at this point anymore, but uh you know who he reminds me of?

SPEAKER_01 38:06

He's a big, big dude. Um, but you know who he reminds me of? They that played back, he was a big time name when me and Slay dude were kind of growing up in our baseball prime, Jermaine Dye.

SPEAKER_03 38:17

Yeah, I remember him. He reminds me of uh who's that guy that guy he played, he played for the Cubs, might have been on their World Series team in 16, and then they traded him to the Cardinals where he signed with the Cardinals and he didn't like it, and he went back. Hayward? Yes, Jason Hayward. Yeah, you guys reminds me uh him of him a lot.

SPEAKER_01 38:38

Yeah, I was gonna say Jabba Chamberlain, but it's cool. Yeah, they do that. Is a good comp. Yeah, very, very similar.

SPEAKER_03 38:47

He's both job jobba likes to eat bugs, and you know what?

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Hayward uh retired. Was it earlier this season that he retired? I think so. Or was it the end of last season, maybe?

SPEAKER_03 39:02

Maybe the end of last season.

SPEAKER_01 39:04

Yeah, yeah. He's a big boy though, yeah. Yeah, oh yeah. Hayward was like, I think like 6'6, dude. I remember when he came up with the Braves, right? Wasn't it the Braves that he started with?

SPEAKER_03 39:15

I I think so.

SPEAKER_01 39:16

That's correct. I could be wrong, but I I think he hit a home rune's first at bat, but he was one of one of those guys that just like everybody talked about and talked about and talked about. He lived up to the hype, I think. So yeah, so he played like I want to say 16 years, maybe something like that. He's good, good good career. But uh, yeah, um, Jermaine die is the one that Jordan Walker reminds me of, like big, big guy and really stands upright in the box quite a bit, kind of a long swing. Um, but yeah, Cardinals to me are kind of we talked a lot of trash, but to me the Cardinals are a little bit scary in a short series.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Yeah, only thing is we kind of talk about the the Rangers and you know, last year catching lightning in a bottle a couple times. Obviously, didn't make it on a fight game here right now with a bunch of young guys. It's like, man, those playoff series just experience matters, man. You know, not saying not saying that they can't get there, not saying they won't do well, but you got you know, you're playing against the Milwaukee, you're in Atlanta, and you're St. Louis, and seven of your nine everyday starters or first-time playoff appearances, and the Braves have seven other nine that have you know been to won a World Series. It's a little different, but yeah, but everyone's gotta start somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

Yeah. And and I and I think there's two ways that really really make it work. You like you're talking about where you just have a bunch of veteran guys that have been to the playoffs over and over and over throughout their career, the like the Dodgers, right? All those guys have played tons of playoff games in their careers. Um, so and cooler heads typically prevail. Um, but I think there's also something to be said for playing with a bit of a chip on your shoulder and oh, ever, you know, kind of the underdog fight where everybody was talking trash like we were about the Cardinals, about these young guys, nobody knows their names and this and that, and now they got something to prove. Um, I think that could be beneficial too. Usually the cooler heads will overcome something like that.

SPEAKER_00 41:26

But but yeah, it's uh but there is something to be said about these young guys. You don't know what you don't know. They don't know what it's like, all right. Whatever playoff series, who cares? I never been here before. What Keith Brown, C Ball Hitball, let's go.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

All right, so um let's get into a team that does not scare anybody at all from who are Metropolitans. Um, so they fired manager Carlos Mendoza, um, and it kind of some funny stuff going on in the in the media. But remember a couple months back when Topper and um uh who is the first one that got fired? Uh Topper? No, no, no, Topper was the second one.

SPEAKER_03 42:20

Who else got fired?

SPEAKER_01 42:22

Huh? Who else got fired? That's what I'm trying to remember.

SPEAKER_03 42:27

Oh, um the Red the Red Sox.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Yes, Cora. Yes, thank you. Okay, yeah, so Cora, then Topper, and then we thought Ventusa's gotta be next, which turns out I think we were right, except for the third base coast coach of the uh the Giants. The Giants. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:46

He was the reason that Deverett wouldn't go out for a pinch runner.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:50

Agreed.

SPEAKER_00 42:51

Yeah, I don't I don't know his name, but he messed up their stuff. And we're giving up all those runs and not scoring very much. It's got to be a third base coach's fault. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

The reason Matt Chapman's batten 080 with runners in scoring position is all third base coach. Um so so, anyways, uh Carlos Mendoza gets fired. Um, a lot of people in the media are talking about, oh, they don't trust David Stearns. But remember when all that stuff happened, Stearns was like, Mendoza's our guy, and you know, we're not we're not gonna fire him. We're gonna let the let the guys play. And I think those of us again who live in the real world understand that he was just trying to get his coach and his players to focus on baseball and not go to work fearing for their job every day. Excuse me. Um especially when it comes to the media in New York, you know, they were just trying to um make sure the focus was on baseball and not who was keeping their job, right? I think all of us kind of understood that. Um, but I think maybe and Pops, you might have heard some other some more stuff than I did. Um, you know, how do you how can you trust David Stearns and and all this other kind of stuff? Well, um, I'm gonna be honest with you. Carlos Mendoza's a manager, you know, and and other than a few, not even a few, I would say, you know, a couple of couple of bullpen decisions a week, and maybe a couple pinch hitting decisions a week. I the managers just truthfully don't have a whole lot of out um whole lot of control um or a whole lot of influence, I guess I should say, on the outcome of the game.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

I don't think.

SPEAKER_01 44:35

Um the players got to play. Um obviously the GM doesn't have any outcome as far as the the games go, win-loss record. Um, they're just the guys who build the roster. And if you ask me, David Stearns did a pretty damn good job of building a roster that should be able to win ballgames. I think we all bought that, judging by our opinions at the beginning of the season. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all picked him to win uh the NL East. And uh we we had some, you know, Simeon for Nemo, probably not good for the Mets, great for the Rangers. Um, letting Alonzo go, probably not good for the Mets. So far, it hasn't been great for the Orioles, um, because he has not had a great year since coming over. But um ultimately, you know, when you've got a lineup with Lindor, Bachet, and Soto is your top three, man, it's hard to it's hard to say, oh, David Stearns didn't do a good job building a lineup, you know.

SPEAKER_03 45:40

Then you go then you go pick up Luis Robert, and then you go pick up uh Peralta for the pitching staff.

SPEAKER_01 45:46

So yeah. Um, so I guess my question is, Pops, who do you think I who who's really to blame here? The players, the coach, the GM? What what's going on?

SPEAKER_03 45:59

Well, I think you know, I I think it's uh obviously obviously it's it's it's the players that aren't aren't performing. Um I think uh certain amount of defense, a lot of these games Lindor's been hurt a lot of the year so far. Um Soto's missed time. Uh certainly Bo Bachet um kind of shrunk under the New York spotlight, although he's kind of finally starting to get, and I think he was still hurt a little bit too from last year. He he was not still he was not fully healthy yet either. Uh so there's that. But I you know I I can't help but wonder if there's something broken in that clubhouse, you know, because you got guys like Soto and Lindor that kind of have always had a little bit of reputations of being kind of hard to hard to live with to a certain degree. Um but you know, I think without question, you can't um you can't fault the owner. I mean the uh the GM. He's put together a pretty good group of people out there, and then you know, I I think the owner, whatever his name is, he's uh Steve something, you know, he's thrown out millions, uh hundreds of millions of dollars. And Steve Cohen Steve Cohen, yeah. So you know, somebody's somebody had to pay the pay the price, and it's never the players, even though it's usually their fault. Yeah, yeah. Right. The contact it's usually the manager, right? It's almost always the manager.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

Almost they will be on the field tomorrow because they're contracts guaranteed. So um, yeah, good point there, Pops. Um, so yeah, the players, I mean, you know, Soto, Lindor, yeah, they've had their struggle struggles in clubhouses and whatnot. Um on the Bachette thing, like he he in the in the at bats and the in the highlights and stuff that I've seen. And maybe he was kind of always like this, and I just didn't see it as much uh because I wasn't paying as close attention. He's he looks to me like he is really just trying to not this is bad, you know. We we talk about just putting the bat on the ball a lot on this podcast because we're kind of the old school ballers, but um I mean he really just looks like he's getting up there trying to flick it into right center every time. Um, he doesn't look like he's trying to hit with any kind of you know exit velo or anything like that, but a lot of times he's getting jammed real, real hard um and just not not putting good good swings on the baseball. It's more than just trying to flick something out into the right field, it just doesn't look like he's putting good swings, he's not on anything, and um, you know, he's not Tony Gwen, right? That's just gonna go up there and already knows what the pitcher's throwing before the pitcher knows, and um, you know, he's gonna go out there and get 3,000 hits with his eyes closed. So we're not talking about that guy. Tony Tony Gwen has a has a job on any team, but Bachet is meant to produce, produce and not just hit, you know, Texas Leaguers over the second baseman's head. So um, Slater, who do you think's to blame here in the in the New York cosmos?

SPEAKER_00 49:27

I mean, year and a half into it, y'all know what I'm gonna say. I'm gonna agree with Pops. It's the players. I mean, he always gets it. But I I I really think that this is just mean in saying that, you know, Bachet, yeah, he's starting to come around now. You know, he is, you know, shoot, he's batting 251, which you know, we take that. He's leading the team in RBIs, he's got 46 RBIs. Yeah, you know, uh, but I when you're losing like that, you're pressing. So it's definitely the players, and like you said, they're gonna be out there every day. But you know, to your point, Josh, to pop's point, you're putting together a team full of all-stars, and yeah, you do have to have someone that that's what a manager does. A manager's not a really a coach, like it is in high school, like it is in college. I think that our friend out in San Francisco is finding that out right now. You're managing these personalities, and and it's it's too little, too late. They're 15 and a half games out, but I don't know if Cohen and the GM have just said, hey, look, look what it did to Philly when they fired their manager and we're in their same division. So is there any way that this is gonna pump these guys up to get some new blood, just to hear a new voice in that clubhouse? Now, in saying that, I don't know if that's if that's gonna be the case at all, you know. But uh they're playing, you know, Blue Jays beat them tonight, so hadn't worked out yet. They scored one run, they lost two to one, you know, after the Rangers just beat them four in a row. But I think it's more of GM and the owner saying, hey, let's get some new blood in here. Who knows? Maybe set this thing up for next year. You've got those guys, you know, Bachet, Soto, Lindor, who aren't going anywhere for a long time. And maybe I don't know. I don't think the teams do this, but maybe with all-stars like that, they they sit down and say, hey, who's the guy for us? Who's the one that's gonna be able to come through to these players? But it's it's definitely a player issue. They've got all the talent in the entire world to think that they are uh tied with the Royals. I mean, and barely ahead of Colorado for the worst record in the entire league, not just the National League, but major league. It's yeah, it's dumbfounding. I would have never thought it with what they've added, is not from a lack of spending, not from a lack of trying from managerial management and not managerial management standpoint. So, but I think it's at the end of the day, man, it's got to fall on the players, but maybe a new voice will will help them out. And I think that's what the GM and what the ownership has to think is you know, it hadn't worked out in Boston, obviously, but it's worked out tremendously in Philly since that happened. And maybe they're thinking we got almost half a season left for 85 games into this. Let's let's see if a new voice is gonna help out. But yeah, ultimately, it's a player, it's a non-producing issue, is what it is.

SPEAKER_01 52:19

Yeah, I I like that take on it. Uh, you know, they they kind of Stearns tried to do that in the offseason, right? Where he was getting rid of the old dogs, McNeil and and Nemo and Alonzo, um, and bringing in some new faces to try to you know change whatever ick was in that clubhouse. Obviously, it didn't work because the players are still playing like shit. But maybe, okay, the the we tried it with the players. Maybe now we need a a different kind of leadership in the clubhouse, and and maybe he can kind of turn the vibe around a little bit. I will say I don't know that I necessarily agree. Well, not agree. I don't know that I like the Mets roster as much as I do the Phillies, if you really dig into it, but that might also just be a little bit of recency bias because their players aren't hitting for anything. Um but uh I would say more so on the Mets side, it's the the pitching that I wouldn't trust as much as I would trust Philadelphia's pitching. The hitting, you get I mean, you have to assume that eventually Bachet is gonna be getting close to leading the league in hits, right? Soto's gonna be the hardest guy to keep off base in baseball, like he has been for several years in a row now. And you know, Lindor's gonna go out there and he's he's missed a good chunk of the season, so he's not gonna be 30-30 again. But you know, he may give you 20-20 and play a really solid shortstop when he gets back out there. Um, so you know, I I do really like the the Mets lineup, but the pitching scares me a little bit more than Philadelphia's pitching. So I don't know that I'm on board with a new phase. Have they announced who's is it just an interim GM like the bench coach got brought up? Or have y'all seen that?

SPEAKER_03 54:11

I think that's what they've got so far. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 54:14

Okay. Um, so we'll see how that goes. Maybe Alex Corr will be in a Mets uniform. Wouldn't that be something? Yeah. But but so I mean, surely his contract is guaranteed, right? As what as a manager for the Red Sox. So he's probably sitting on a beach just collecting eight mil, not having to worry about anything. So man, I'm so happy you don't have to deal with the Red Sox anymore. Yeah, he's he's probably just having fun with his kids, right? There was a big stink about him going to his daughter's graduation or something last year. Stupid stuff, but uh yeah, baseball's not important because my kid graduated and I wanted to be there, it's dumb stuff. But um, so uh I mean I I I think I know y'all's answer, but do the Mets make any kind of comeback whatsoever with you know if they bring in they're they're they're one and nine in their last ten, they're a game and a half ahead of their game and a half ahead of their uh Colorado Rocky.

SPEAKER_03 55:20

So uh no. All right.

SPEAKER_00 55:23

They bring their answer, and mine's no as well. So I don't think I need to elaborate on it.

SPEAKER_01 55:28

Yeah, they could bring in Tony LaRussa and Sparky Anderson in their prime, and I think they're still a last place team.

SPEAKER_00 55:34

What about Tony LaRussa falling asleep on the bench, though?

SPEAKER_01 55:37

Yeah, that that's the team that you get right now. They stay the course. They got they got that guy. Yeah, he's already been hired, right? Yeah. Um, yeah, pretty, I don't know. Pretty crazy. Mets team, pretty crazy. I mean, almost a full calendar year of craziness for the Mets. Almost like the Tigers, you know, that kind of epic collapse at the end, except the Mets actually didn't make the playoffs. That once Detroit got in, they played really well. Didn't they go to the CS and took Seattle to seven?

SPEAKER_03 56:12

Took Seattle to seven games and like 17 innings or 15 innings or something.

SPEAKER_00 56:17

It's so long that I fell asleep during that game seven, I'll tell you that much.

SPEAKER_03 56:20

I did not. I watched that whole mother. I watched that whole thing. Well, I'd like to not bad for an old man. I'd like to blame Hill or Light on that one.

SPEAKER_01 56:28

So she is a Friday night.

SPEAKER_03 56:34

That was the 17 inning World Series game. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 56:40

Yeah, good times. Uh, we should we should record some of that footage and just give it to our our listeners or something like that as a as an extra thing. Yeah, for five bucks a month, dude. We'll give them whatever they want. Right, pre-game and post-game conversation. They they get a little wild though.

SPEAKER_00 56:58

Oh yeah. If not for the uh reign of heart, there might be some things that could get us canceled in this uh cancel culture that we're living in today.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

So right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:09

Uh all right. Um okay, well, good stuff, guys. Uh let's get into our uh worst of the week pops.

SPEAKER_03 57:17

All right. So as we were talking about um the Yankees and their struggles, and the Braves and their struggles. You don't have to look any further than no, not that one. Not that that one. I gotta keep looking further.

SPEAKER_01 57:35

Um we don't, but you do.

SPEAKER_03 57:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're we're doing all right over here. Drake Baldwin, who's the defending rookie of the year. Well, I guess you can't call him defending because it's not like you can win it again, right?

SPEAKER_02 57:52

Yeah, that's true. Raining, maybe raining.

SPEAKER_03 57:56

And I like defending, though.

SPEAKER_00 57:58

Maybe he'll maybe that's my title.

SPEAKER_03 58:02

Earlier this year as an MVP can candidate, and rightfully so, as the Braves go uh two and eight, I think I said their last 10. Oh for 21. Yikes, nine strikeouts, and he scored. He's at least at least the one time he got on base, he scored. So good for him. So he has a 1,000 scoring percentage.

SPEAKER_00 58:26

How can you give him the worst player of the week with that?

SPEAKER_03 58:30

Uh, but uh full-on oh oh for oh for 21 week. Uh and then the New York Yankees, who also went through a two and eight week, uh they're they're Cody Bellinger.

SPEAKER_01 58:45

Belly.

SPEAKER_03 58:46

Two for 23, 087. Uh, he did get pick up five walks. Uh he had a zero scoring percentage. He did not score on the anytime he got off got on base. So he did not six six Ks. But so this site that I'm on, it ranked 408 players. Uh the bottom 10 were basically Braves and Yankees. Ben Ben Rice, Heysong Kim, uh, Mikey Strymski, uh, just on and on on and on and on. So uh that's how you go uh combined four four and sixteen in your last in your last 10. So um and then uh as the for the uh Cubs loser of the week, he is an offensive player. Here we go. Uh it is it's an easy, easy one, and he won't get too upset about this douche. Um, but it is our own Alex Trash Can Bregman. Yeah. Um an 091, uh couple of couple of hits, four walks, six strikeouts. Uh he did score three runs, but an 091 batting average, two for 23, and a 250 uh on on base.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:06

Um he runs out a couple of those grounders and he's at the Mendoza line.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:10

Yeah, I hear you. I hear you. Um from a pitching standpoint, you know, I again um it's a Yankee. You got uh Garrett Cole. Um, we obviously hasn't been off the DL that long, or IL. Um but um oh 0-2, 9.2 innings uh for and two starts. Um he did get 10Ks, strike out an inning, but 8.38 ERA and 1.86, um, nine earned runs, 16 hits in nine innings. So very un-Garrett Cole-like numbers there, three home runs. So, you know, they're trying to figure out um that Boston lineup, dude, it's a killer. Yeah, it it did. Uh and you know uh everything everything on the bottom end of the pitching staff were were national um national leaguers. So um I took it for the NL side, I you know our our favorite, Merrill Kelly, um from the uh Diamondbacks, two starts, 12 innings pitched, five K's. Um ERA, 1.67 uh whip 15 hits in those 12 innings, uh, five walks, three home runs. So um, you know, the uh the diamondbacks were on the verge of 500, and if they had any kind of week at all, probably would have been able to almost pass the the Padres they had sucked. So, but uh Merrill Merrill Kelly contributed to them not being able to do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:49

So good thing we didn't re-sign that guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:01

That's what I've got. Thank you, Pops. Thank you. You got the the pitchers and the players of the week for us.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:06

Yeah, players right now, guys. It was easy, but I'm not gonna crap on the Cubs. But I will say it was very easy. I do agree with the major league baseball's picks. So for American League Player of the Week, you got your first place, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, Junior Caminheiro. Guy went 11 for 26, eight runs scored, seven home runs and 15 RBIs. Is that a is that any good? I guess so. That's a better week than half of that all means.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:38

That's a good season, let alone a good week.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:42

So uh MLB did pick him as player of the week. Honorable mention, I'm gonna go ahead and say, in the National League. Just so you know, can't have TJ not listening to us anymore. How about Danby Swanson? You know, he only hit 250 for the week, seven for 28. The guy had five runs scored, three runs, or excuse me, three home runs. He had 15 RBIs. So that's a pretty good week for uh a team that is not behind the St. Louis Cardinals anymore.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:07

So yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:09

I mean, that he helped them jump the Cardinals this week. That's right, that's right. But my NL player of the week is for the surprisingly 500 Washington Nationals, a little Luis Garcia. That's who uh the MLB picked as well. 10 for 19, eight runs scored, six home runs, nine RBIs. What I like is one strikeout and three walks. So hey, that's a good week. You don't see that a lot anymore in this league. Pitchers of the week. How about those guys out in San Francisco? Mr. Robbie Ray against not Oakland and against Atlanta. Eight innings pitched against both of them. No earned runs, two wins. He did have five blocks, but he had eight K's. That's a great week. I told you they fired the third base coach. Dude, and I heard a quote from Robbie Ray saying, watch me now, dude. That's what he told me. Thanks for getting rid of that a-hole. I'm gonna throw two almost complete games here, and we're gonna be in next to last place, but I'm gonna get us a couple wins. And surprise, surprise, American League. We talked about him, I think, earlier here, unless we talked about it pregame, but it is Sonny Gray. And one was against Colorado, but seven innings pitched, one unrun, 11Ks, and that poor bastard on Sunday night baseball last night. 7.1, 7 hitless, but 7 in a third. He gave up no runs, had 9Ks, one walk, deserved every bit to be a part of that win. And then just very rarely uh Chapman comes in and gives up two runs in the ninth. But the ageless Sonny Gray is who I will pick for the the American League pitcher of the week. Had a great week, should have had two wins, but give up one run between 14 innings and had about 12Ks. So I think that's pretty good. I'll give it to them. And coming off a sweep of their biggest rival. I mean, if you're gonna have a shitty season, you might as well sweep New York at home, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:08

Right, yeah. If you're Boston, at least we beat New York. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:13

So yeah, I mean, it'll be interesting. I mean, that was kind of what's what they used as a springboard last year, is about this time of year. They had a big, big, big four-game sweep against the Yankees, although I believe that one was in in Yankee Stadium, although I could be misremembering, but uh we'll see if this uh ignites them or not, because I think we all think that they're a lot of talent on that team.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:36

Yeah, yeah. Um, I want to say they beat the Yankees a lot last year. Yep. Big difference is they were a winning ball team last year.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:46

So they beat them a lot until they lost three out of five against them, or two out of three against them in the wild cards.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:53

Yeah, right, yeah. Um so uh all right, I'm gonna suggest two things. Before we get going, okay. Well, no, just one thing. I'm gonna suggest one thing that we have a Cubs segment, Cubs Loser of the Week, for the National League every week. I like it, pops.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:15

PJ might never come on here. That's okay. Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:18

And the second is to have an Astros Loser of the Week. I would love to do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:23

Yes. Oh man, I can I can definitely handle the latter of that, all right? That's no problem.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:28

And it's only it's only because we're Rangers fans and Cardinals fans here. So, you know, we're just hating on our rivals a little bit, a little bit of fun, you know. But we do love our TJ. So maybe maybe we'll give him a break every once in a while.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:42

Manipulate a number one listener here.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:44

So yeah. His cubbies are beating our Cardinals now.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:49

That's the trivia question of the week. All right, guys. All right. Let's let's see. How many games is St. Louis ahead of Chicago right now?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:59

Question, Hotshot. That was a game and a half behind. Negative one and a half.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:09

Very good uh speed reference there, though, Wendell. I got you.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:12

There you go. All right. So uh Jason Hayward, not only did he hit a home run on his first at bat, he had a home run on the first pitch he ever saw in the major leagues three-run home run for the Atlanta Braves.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:27

It's pretty good, I guess. He was uh was it off against the Cubs? I don't know why.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:35

Uh I'd go I don't know, I didn't pay that much attention. But um but yeah, you're saying a bunch of other stuff. I don't know. I didn't really listen that much.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:44

Yeah, come on, you're focusing on that. We just told you pretty historic thing this guy did, all right?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:49

But uh, you know, uh he spent uh I think five years with Atlanta, one one with St. Louis and seven with the Cubs. But by far his productive years, most productive years were with Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:01

I can't believe he was with the Cubs that long. I don't even remember him being there that long a while.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:05

Well, you know, he was on that 16 team, and really by then, with injured, I think it was injuries and whatever, he'd really kind of started to slow down. He he was never really as good with the Cubs as he was with the with the Braves. He was just kind of a spiritual leader, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:23

Yeah. How many years did you say he played with the Braves?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:28

Five.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:29

Five, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:31

Seven with the Cubs, one with the Cardinals, uh, one with the or three or four other teams, sixteen years total.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:38

Oh, yeah. Astros, Padres. Yep, padres were his last. He was, he was an Astro not last two years ago, I think.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:51

Yep, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:53

They got maybe they got beat by or they beat Kansas City. I think he was on that team. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:00

But yeah, Carlos Zambrano, he sure did. It was against the Cubs, dude. Wild ass.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:06

I even said did I I don't know if I got it out, but in my head I'm like, he hit it off Zambrano.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:11

Okay, you definitely didn't, but you got okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:16

I don't know why that stuck in my head. His his first home run at dude, the weirdest stuff we remember.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:23

Yeah, yeah. Two years with the Dodgers, too. I know what I do remember those.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:30

I don't remember that.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:32

But five five-year war with Atlanta was 23.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:36

That's pretty good. Hell yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, that's all I got, fellas. Y'all got anything else? Are we calling it a night?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:51

That is it.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:52

That's it, buddy. All right. Well, thank everybody for joining us for another episode. We appreciate y'all tuning in. If you like what we're doing, check us out on all the socials Instagram, Facebook, X, uh, give us a like, give us a subscription. Um, and just uh let us know why you love the show or why you don't, what you want us to talk about that we don't ever mention. Like Otto Rocky.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:19

I'll tell you why TJ didn't love part of the show, but anyways, but yeah, segment that we're talking about doing every week. TJ's gonna say I hate the Cubs loser every week. He's gonna give us a five star rating on on all the platforms, Sam. But there's one segment that really blows.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:38

All right. Uh, for the Slay dude, Justin Slay and Wendell Pops Patterson. I'm Josh Patterson. Thank y'all, and we will talk to you again next week.