Mark Zinno Analyzes MLB, NFL Trends on Newswire Show
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00We're going to have Mark Zinnow back in the house as we're getting ready for some college
00:07football pro football and Mark does a great job covering all that but happy to chop it
00:11up with some baseball today as he joins us here on the show as Mark gets ready to handicap
00:15all the games coming up this weekend and you know certainly in the future and Mark very
00:19familiar with the National League East and the Braves and so we thought that's a good
00:23place to start.
00:24Mark thanks for coming on Newswire here and how's everything going great to catch up with
00:28you.
00:29Thanks Greg.
00:30Great to be with you.
00:31Always happy to be on.
00:32The things are better with me than they are with the Braves offense.
00:34So yesterday finally busted it out.
00:35But still that was a game yesterday where they only scored two runs in the first six
00:39innings so that nine runs a little misleading on their way to a to a win over the Chicago
00:44Cubs.
00:45Yeah.
00:46I mean who would have thought between Acuna and Olsen and even Riley who's been out it's
00:51really been Marcel Ozuna has been their guy this year.
00:54We'll get to the Braves.
00:55We'll get to them.
00:56Let's talk about the Phillies here.
00:58It's an unprecedented start for that organization through 50 games.
01:02We have seen the Phillies play very well over the last few years.
01:06It generally hasn't happened until after Memorial Day.
01:10But why this year has it happened before Memorial Day where the Phillies have been this successful.
01:17I mean look it's crazy to say but it really only boils down to one man and that's Ranger
01:23Suarez.
01:24I mean objectively he's not to know they're 10 and 0 in games he starts if they are six
01:29and four Craig their record then goes to 30 and 26 or 30 30 and 20 rather and they're
01:39only two games in front of the Braves at that point in time and they don't look like the
01:41juggernaut that they are right now.
01:44Like that's really what it boils down to.
01:46One guy can change your entire outlook when he's been this dominant when every fifth day
01:52it's an automatic W for you.
01:54That's what it's been for the Phillies and you know I don't know if Ranger Suarez is
01:58going to hit some regression and things are going to start to normalize for him or not.
02:02But literally that's the reason why this team is on a record setting pace because they have
02:06a single starter who hasn't lost a game yet and they haven't lost a game when he's been
02:09on the mound 10 times you know one third of the way through the season.
02:13So that's enough to inflate the record to where it is.
02:15I'm not taking anything away from the Phillies offense or the rest of their pitches.
02:19Well by the way Zach Wheeler and and you know other guys are Aaron know is still pretty
02:23good right.
02:24Like those are all good starting pitchers but Suarez ultimately from a guy who's been
02:28around a 500 pitchers entire career now going 9 and 0 with a record and 10 and 0 when he's
02:32on the mound certainly changes the overall picture of things.
02:35Yeah and listen it's a fair point.
02:37The contrarian to that would be wait a second Harper didn't play in the first half last
02:41year April and May and Boehm didn't do what he did now.
02:43But the bottom line is Suarez ZRA is like sub two.
02:46So like regardless of what the hitting has been it has been Suarez is pitching that has
02:51kept them afloat in addition to the other two pitchers that you mentioned.
02:55As far as the MVP market I don't know if there really is a market at this point.
03:00I think the American League is a little bit more up in the air than the National League.
03:04You know Mark Mookie Betts as long as he just keeps playing the infield I think it just
03:08gives him a huge advantage over Otani who's plus 750 I'm sorry plus 350.
03:13You just generally don't see a DH win the MVP but I suppose a what 55 home run season
03:18and something like that could change people's opinion.
03:20William Contreras has been fantastic for Milwaukee.
03:23I still leave the light on for Harper.
03:26So I think it's kind of for me at least I don't know I'll get your opinion but for me
03:29at least it's Mookie it's Shohei or Harper.
03:32It's one of those three.
03:33How do you see it.
03:34It's way it's very early.
03:37I mean look this you know one Mookie has to stay healthy right.
03:40I think that's going to be the determining factor for us sitting here as we approach
03:44Memorial Day weekend.
03:46You know obviously the numbers are going to be there for him if he's healthy and he plays
03:50are we really going to count out you know Ronald Lacuna again at this point in time
03:54to turn it on.
03:55I wouldn't.
03:56Are we really going to count out you know Tati said to continue to surge on the way
04:00the Padres offense has been as late.
04:02I wouldn't you know these these at this point are sort of flyer bets that you're taking
04:06Craig on somebody you really feel can get hot.
04:09I mean obviously there's next to no real reason to jump on bets at plus 150 other than
04:16the fact that he's likely going to win it.
04:17So it's a nice little hedge if you wanted to add you know if you're going to take a
04:21unit play but half on bets and take a flyer on somebody else and hope it comes down to
04:25both of them down the end of the stretch there you know you're going to be in good position.
04:28But yeah I mean look it's bets is a word to lose at this point but we just we have so
04:34much summer left before we can really start having these conversations.
04:37The injury factor is just huge in this.
04:39So let me put this one to you this way as we take a look at the National League Cy Young.
04:44If there was no rookie of the year voting if it didn't exist would Imanaga be the favorite
04:50to win the Cy Young because I just and you know me I follow baseball closely.
04:54I just don't understand this early into the season.
04:57Why is Imanaga not the favorite.
05:00I don't get it.
05:02He has been the best pitcher in baseball this season statistically yet he's not even the
05:08favorite to win the Cy Young.
05:11Yeah and look at the snub as well.
05:14Tyler Glass now is getting here Craig.
05:16I mean outside of his start last night where he finally you know got kind of got beat up
05:20a little bit but he's been next on hit a ball the entire year on a team that's likely going
05:24to win their division have the best record in the National League when it's all said
05:27and done and he's going to be the ace of the staff with 20 wins.
05:30I mean that's the guy I would look at right now we talked about as being very early but
05:34still glass now stuff translates right.
05:36We've seen him pitch an entire season in an area like Tampa that didn't have the lineup
05:40that the Dodgers have and you know there's going to be a whole lot of W's stacking up
05:44for him and as much as we don't need don't focus on pitchers wins anymore as the main
05:48determinant of the Cy Young when a guy wins 22 23 games in a season it's always going
05:52to draw voters attention and glass now is trending that way.
05:56So between him and Suarez it almost feels like you're getting a little bit of value
05:59on both those guys.
06:01I think Imanaga you know once we get more tape on him once you know hitters are getting
06:06more more film on him and able to digest a little more and he's starting to see some
06:10of these teams a second and third time around then maybe you'll start to see the numbers
06:14start to change a little bit with Imanaga at this point Greg yeah I mean year two is
06:19usually when that definitely starts to happen with some of those pitchers real quick with
06:23the NFL they're going to this digital system on first downs like a long time coming I don't
06:27know why it took so long any downside to this when you heard this story people will
06:33sit there and say maybe it might take longer to figure out and you know get all the you
06:38know ins and outs of whether it's a first down or not I mean you know at some point
06:43if you're going to do this you're going to have to put some sort of electronic chip in
06:46the football to know where it is right like that's you have the electronic system because
06:52really right now it's where the rest spots the ball is somewhat still arbitrary there's
06:56no exact nature to it and if you're going to act on the change you probably need to
06:59be exact on where the football is yeah we'll agree all right mark thanks for taking some
07:04time out of your day to join me here on news why I really appreciate it have a great Memorial
07:07Day weekend you too Craig thanks