00:00It was a gray day in St. Louis.
00:02I actually don't know if there was a ton of cloud coverage,
00:04but Sonny Gray was on the bump for the Redbirds.
00:07Who D.R.S. entered this week, dropping five of their last six,
00:11and they have been one of the pleasant surprises this year,
00:13that being St. Louis in Major League Baseball,
00:16well on their way to skying over a win total of 75 and a half,
00:20but they have cooled down ever so slightly,
00:23needing a win to start off their midweek set against the Nationals.
00:26They got that, despite Sonny Gray giving up a couple of earned runs early,
00:31but in the third, Brendan Donovan, a two-run home run,
00:34RBI double out of Alec Burleson.
00:36St. Louis takes the lead.
00:37They never look back.
00:38They knock off the Nats 4-2.
00:41Yeah, ninth win of the season there for Sonny Gray.
00:43He improves to 9-3, and also still had a quality start.
00:45Five innings pitched, two earned runs.
00:47Used to seeing him be maybe a little bit more dominant,
00:49but hey, it is what it is.
00:50Got pulled after 70 pitches and six strikeouts here.
00:53Were able to win because the bullpen held it down,
00:55but it's one of those teams, again, we didn't exit.
00:57The anticipation that coming into the season,
00:59a lot of places picked the St. Louis Cardinals to be dead last in that division.
01:03To be games above .500, hovering there right around the All-Star break
01:08is pretty impressive for them.
01:09The Nationals on the other side, they just floundering around.
01:11They have a lot of good players in that one through nine.
01:13They're trying to figure out what their starting staff is going to be in the future.
01:16Sort of that team and like, you know, are we trying to win?
01:19Are we not trying to win?
01:20Let's get some young players in here, mix in some veterans.
01:22I like the future of Washington, but granted,
01:24it's not going to include their general manager and their manager.
01:27They were both fired this past week,
01:28and now you're just seeing them as a rudderless ship
01:30entering through the, what, the months of August and September.
01:33They'll be fun on the day-to-day.
01:35The team totals can hit at times,
01:36but also the pitching staff can give up runs.
01:38So don't give up on the Nationals, even if they're 37-54.
01:42There's still some meat left on the bone to make some money with them.
01:45They've lost four straight.
01:46They are in the basement of the National League East,
01:48as DRS mentioned, but they are not all that far back of the Atlanta Braves.
01:53We'll talk about Atlanta in just a moment.
01:55How about the other team in the show-me state in MLB?
01:58That would be the Kansas City Royals.
02:00Yesterday at Kauffman, have yourself a day, Nick Lofton.
02:05He tied up the game with a two-run shot.
02:07The Pirates then, or he took the lead, I should say,
02:09for Kansas City with a two-run shot in the home half of the seventh.
02:13The Pirates then tie up the game in the top of the eighth.
02:16So in the home half of the ninth, Lofton at the dish,
02:19a couple of runners on for KC.
02:21He delivers the walk-off RBI single,
02:24as the Royals beat the Pirates yesterday 4-3.
02:27Yeah, Keller, a decent pitcher here, right?
02:29Six and two-thirds innings, two earned runs.
02:31It wasn't good enough, because why?
02:33The Pittsburgh Pirates, that explosion on offense.
02:36You can't ask for much more if you're a Pirate starter.
02:38They get three runs here.
02:39You better be able to hold the other team down,
02:40because you're not going to get very much more.
02:42And by the way, Kansas City today,
02:43they're going to win comfortably again here,
02:45as the Pirates will struggle to score once more.
02:4838-55, the Pirates.
02:50They're the most insignificant team in Major League Baseball.
02:53You might say, hey, the White Sox stink.
02:54We understand that.
02:55The Rockies stink.
02:56Right.
02:56But Pittsburgh just lets it known.
02:58Like, if we win, if we lose, we don't even care.
03:02At least maybe the other organizations get embarrassed and care,
03:04not the Pittsburgh Pirates.
03:05DRS, I would say those two teams in the cellar of their respective divisions
03:10in the National League, the Pirates in the NL Central,
03:12the Nats who we just discussed in the NL East because of the changes
03:15Washington made over the weekend, dismissing the GM and manager Davey Martinez.
03:20We expect them to be the big sellers at the deadline.
03:23And, of course, if you're talking the Buccos and trades,
03:26you're looking at some young pieces and talent.
03:29Looking at you, Paul Skeens, we shall see.
03:32For the Royals, they win, but still three games south of 545 and 48.
03:39It is why the Detroit Tigers have a 14-game lead in that American League Central.
03:45How about the Miami Marlins?
03:46They had won eight straight games in a row last week.
03:50Their first eight-game win streak in nearly two decades.
03:52They continue to win on the road, make it 11 consecutive victories
03:57as they hammer the Reds in the great American ballpark 12-2.
04:0111 consecutive road wins for the Fish DRS.
04:05They are adding on, extending that franchise record.
04:10You don't really see this too much here.
04:12Nick Martinez gave up 10 earned runs in a game.
04:15Sometimes you approach that, like if they just try to let you get out of the first inning,
04:18give up six or seven runs.
04:20It's very rare that a pitcher gives up 10 earned runs in a game
04:23before he's pulled out of it.
04:2412 runs scored by the Marlins here.
04:26Double did that.
04:2712-2, man.
04:28That's a 10-run margin for them.
04:30It's an interesting team.
04:31The Marlins, not really going anywhere, but from time to time, man,
04:33over the past month, those bats have been absolutely red hot.
04:36By the way, quick point on like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Paul Skeens.
04:40Yeah, go ahead.
04:40Is it actually better for Major League Baseball?
04:43And I'm not talking about the actual fan part of it, but if you are like the Dodgers would,
04:49the Yankees would get him, right?
04:50And he would just be an absolute hammer for both of those teams.
04:53And I think the most of Major League Baseball goes, just keep him in Pittsburgh.
04:56He'll never make the playoffs.
04:58He'll never be able to knock us out of a run because here's what you say, like trade him
05:02to a championship contender.
05:03All right.
05:04That's the Dodgers.
05:04Everybody would be absolutely furious at that move because I'll tell you one place
05:09not going Milwaukee, right?
05:11It's not going to Tampa Bay.
05:13He's not going to the Marlins.
05:14So I think the rest of Major League Baseball, general manager, like,
05:17just keep that guy in Pittsburgh here as long as you can.
05:19We'll enjoy that.
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