00:00Jared Sandler joins you now here on your Home of the Rangers, 105.3 The Fan as they get the
00:04suite.
00:04Buddy, how we doing?
00:06What's up, guys? Just heading to the airport.
00:09Already?
00:11Yeah, well, I mean, what do you – we fly out right after the game.
00:14Okay, all right.
00:15You got off day in L.A. tomorrow?
00:16Off day in L.A., baby.
00:18Off day in L.A., yeah, back to the old stomping grounds.
00:21I'm going to go, guys.
00:22We're staying not too terribly far from a place called Lucky Boy.
00:27It's kind of like a hole-in-the-wall walk up.
00:30You walk up and you order.
00:31They've got breakfast burritos the size of your head,
00:34and I plan on having a breakfast burrito tonight.
00:37They're open until midnight.
00:39I plan on having one tomorrow, the next day, and the next day.
00:44That is the thing that I maybe miss the most, being out, like, from a food standpoint,
00:49is Lucky Boy's breakfast burritos.
00:51They are so good.
00:52Is this the Lendale White spot that you told us about?
00:54No, no.
00:55So that – yeah, no, that's great.
00:57I do miss that.
00:58The Lendale, it was Armando's food truck on campus back before food trucks were, like, a big thing.
01:04Like, it was like, wow, like, there's this truck, and they're serving food.
01:08That's pretty cool.
01:09Like, it wasn't – you know, it wasn't so prevalent as it is now.
01:13The Lendale was named after Lendale White because you customize a sandwich.
01:17The ingredients are not going to shock you when you – you know, if you know Lendale White.
01:21But it was two pieces of Texas toast, a fried hash brown, not like the strips,
01:27but like a put-together square hash brown, a big sausage patty, four strips of bacon, a fried egg, cheese,
01:35and you'd either get it con jelly or sin jelly.
01:38And let me tell you, it might not sound good with jelly, but that was so, so good when you'd
01:43add some jelly on it.
01:44It probably had about 5,000 calories, but it was unbelievable.
01:47Like, my freshman 15 or college 15 or 50 or whatever was pretty much strictly because of Lendales.
01:54I think I would exercise off the alcohol, but the Lendales, like, I just couldn't – I couldn't work those
02:01out of my stomach.
02:02Those were a lot, but they were worth it.
02:05Jared Sandler here with you.
02:07After a Rangers victory over the Mariners, they swept in the three-game set.
02:12How good is this pitching staff to do this over the last three days to Seattle?
02:16Yeah, you know, I think what's so impressive about this rotation, Gavin, is the swing and miss ability pretty much
02:23top to bottom.
02:24And I think as Kamar Rocker, if he's able to stay healthy and stay in the rotation, we'll see his
02:29swing and miss numbers improve
02:31because that typically is something that increases or improves as young guys get experience.
02:36But the Rangers entered today leading Major League Baseball in whiff rate, you know, just as a staff as a
02:42whole.
02:43The rotation-led Major League Baseball in whiff rate, those numbers only, you know, improved today with Mackenzie Gore.
02:50And I think what really jumps out about these guys, you know, Jacob DeGrom's got his fastball-slider combo,
02:56but Evaldi, Leiter, and Gore can get some misses with ease with, you know, four – and in the case
03:04of Evaldi and Leiter, five pitches.
03:06And so their arsenals are so deep, they can attack you in so many different ways.
03:12And there's a lot of value in that, you know, as you go through the course of the marathon of
03:16the season.
03:17Were you surprised that Gore came out when he did today?
03:21So at first I thought, oh man, you know, Chris Martin's warm, and then you look at the pitch count,
03:25and I thought the explanation was, you know, it was good.
03:28A 41 pitch, really long inning.
03:30He's probably near the end of the line anyway.
03:32You've got an off day tomorrow.
03:35You know, I liked what Skip Schumacher said, that, you know, that's not going to be the norm.
03:39You know, you don't want a guy who is as good as Mackenzie Gore is to, you know,
03:44not be able to give you six innings and 95 pitches.
03:48But, you know, I don't – like Skip said, that's not the case.
03:51He's just, you know, all the different factors combined, you know,
03:55really underscored by that long inning, why they made that move.
03:59But, yeah, I think as the season goes on, you know, you can expect –
04:03and I think Mackenzie Gore will expect to be able to give this team six innings.
04:07Because, you know, again, that stuff also adds up, right?
04:10You know, the ability to get that six inning as a starting pitcher really makes a difference for a bullpen.
04:16As the season, you know, goes on and you add innings and experience and mileage,
04:21but then also when you're in a stretch without an off day for, you know, two and a half weeks,
04:26that stuff really can help, you know, help you sustain success over those stretches.
04:31Jared, Brandon Nimmo just doesn't seem to be cooling down.
04:34I mean, I think we were excited about the addition,
04:37but what we're getting so far through the first couple weeks of the season,
04:40it's got to be even beyond what we dreamed of.
04:43Yeah, I mean, he's been really good, and it's amazing, you know,
04:46how much of a difference it makes when you get production out of a leadoff spot.
04:50You know, the Rangers had that in 2023 with Marcus Simeon.
04:52And, unfortunately, they didn't get that type of production the last couple years.
04:56And, you know, I mentioned on the postgame, Corey Seager now with two sack flies.
05:01He had two sack flies all of last year and two the year before.
05:04And, you know, he's just getting opportunities with guys in scoring position.
05:08And it makes a difference when your best hitter gets those chances.
05:12And Brandon Nimmo's obviously a big part of that.
05:15And then, you know, what Nimmo did to, you know, lead to the first two runs,
05:20I think is kind of, in a weird way, in a very low-scoring series,
05:25the poster child at bat for the Rangers this series.
05:29And that is just putting the ball in play against a starting pitching trio for the Mariners
05:36that they strike guys out in their sleep.
05:39You know, Logan Gilbert led Major League Baseball at strikeout per nine rate,
05:42you know, minimum 100 innings.
05:45George Kirby's more than a strikeout per inning guy.
05:48Same with Brian Wu.
05:49And the Rangers struck out, what, twice against Wu, four times against Gilbert maybe.
05:57They didn't strike out a lot against Kirby.
05:59They put the ball in play.
06:01And when you do that, you give yourself a chance.
06:03And Brandon Nimmo's little dribbler gave the Rangers a chance,
06:06and it led to two runs.
06:08How important is it just to be able to beat a team like Seattle like this?
06:11Like, this is a team that has given the Rangers so many fits recently.
06:15Yeah, you know, I remember in 2023, the Rangers got off to that great start,
06:19and then we went to Houston.
06:21And it was almost like that was going to be the litmus test to this great start.
06:25Was it real or was it fake?
06:27And they went and they took two or three from Houston and Minute Maid Park
06:30where they just were not able to win games in the years prior.
06:34I think like the five years prior, they just struggled so mightily there.
06:38And I remember asking people, because you guys know I'm not a big small sample size guy, right?
06:43So, you know, I didn't know what to put into that.
06:47But guys were like, no, like that was meaningful.
06:49Winning that series was meaningful.
06:51And I think when you're doing it against the defending division champs,
06:55a team you hope to compete with, and you go and you sweep them,
07:00you kind of set the tone that it's not going to be like the last couple years,
07:04I think that's meaningful.
07:04Now, they could go and lose the next ten games against Seattle,
07:07and we'll look back and say, well, it was just false hope.
07:10But I get the sense that's not going to be the case.
07:13And they matched their season win total against Seattle in this one series
07:18to, you know, what they were able to achieve each of the last two years.
07:21So I do think it was meaningful.
07:23And, you know, we also talk about if a tie break does come into play,
07:27you know, banking wins against your divisional team,
07:30divisional rivals makes a big difference.
07:32Jared, what are the chances that Seattle is going to continue to be a poor
07:35hitting team when these two teams get together on April 17th?
07:39Well, I hope so.
07:40You know what's – there are two things.
07:43The two big names offensively are Seattle or Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh.
07:48Now, Cal Raleigh is a good hitter.
07:50I don't think anyone realistically could expect him to get to 60 home runs, right?
07:57Like, if Cal Raleigh gave you 40 home runs, I think you would be fired up.
08:02That's still a 20 home run difference from last year, right?
08:07Julio Rodriguez is a big enigma because he just, for whatever reason,
08:11cannot get off to a good start.
08:13I remember Mark Teixeira when he was with the Rangers.
08:15It was like, let's just fast forward through April and then he'll get going.
08:19For whatever reason, same plague for Julio Rodriguez.
08:22So, I hope that, you know, that trend continues because this lineup is a lot
08:28better than their production.
08:30And, you know, adding Brendan Donovan is going to make a big difference.
08:33I imagine they're going to get it going, but, you know,
08:35that's only a week and a half from now, Broadus.
08:37And so, you know, I hope that they're able to stay down because it's just not a
08:42lineup that's clicking at all right now.
08:44What's it take to have success against the Dodgers this week?
08:47And what would be a successful trip to L.A.?
08:50Well, listen, we always talk about, hey, when you're at home,
08:55you want to win two of three, especially when you're the better team.
08:59And I don't know, maybe the Rangers are going to end up being better than the
09:02Dodgers.
09:03Who the heck knows?
09:03But I think it'd be fair to suggest and agree that the Dodgers are probably,
09:09at this point, considered to be the better team, right?
09:12People predicting them to win, you know, 20 to 25 more games than the Rangers.
09:17And they're the home team.
09:18So, the Dodgers expect to win a series.
09:21I think if the Rangers win one of three, then you feel all right about it.
09:25Like, okay, hey, you know what?
09:26We took one.
09:27Let's go to West Sacramento and take on the Athletics.
09:31It doesn't matter who the opponent is.
09:33If you ever get swept, that's an awful feeling.
09:36And I don't care if you're home or road or what.
09:39And you're missing their two best pitchers.
09:41So, you know, that would not be, you know, that would not be excusable.
09:45I say excusable.
09:46I don't think you could be able to write out, well, it's the Dodgers, though.
09:49I mean, they're really good.
09:50And obviously, if you took two of three, then that's, you know, and you're maybe
09:54just going to, you know, joy ride to Sacramento from L.A.
09:58feeling so good about it.
09:59So, you take one.
10:01I know some people might think that's defeatist.
10:03You take one, all right, then let's go and let's keep the ball moving.
10:08But, you know, you definitely don't want to get swept.
10:09I don't care who the opponent is.
10:12Jared, are the Rangers the best team in the division?
10:18Gavin, I think that they've got – I'm trying to think of the best way to word
10:22this because I don't want to come off as, you know, what have you done for me
10:26lately, guy.
10:28I think, and I said this to you guys before the season, the Rangers could
10:31absolutely win this division.
10:32I know that vibes were not high coming off of the last two years, and I know
10:36people wanted the Rangers to make one of these big-time offensive acquisitions
10:41this offseason, and, you know, they didn't.
10:44Although, you know, Brandon Nevo has certainly, you know, been a nice add.
10:49And the Mariners are a really good team.
10:51The Mariners didn't get worse, right?
10:52Nothing about what the Mariners did this offseason suggests that they got worse.
10:58So, I don't think it would be fair to say the Rangers are the best team in the
11:01division right now, but I think it would absolutely be unfair to not take the
11:05Rangers seriously as a team that can win the AL West.
11:09Out of respect for just the idea that it's a 162-game season, and we're, what,
11:1412 games in?
11:16You know, I can't play both sides, right?
11:18I always tell you guys, say, we're not going to make any bold, definitive
11:21proclamations after a couple weeks.
11:23So, it would be unfair for me to play both sides of the fence there.
11:26But I think the Rangers have shown early on, you know, if you want to draw anything from
11:30these first couple weeks, that, yeah, this maybe is going to be more like the 2023 Rangers
11:37in that they're going to be, you know, a team that can contend for division title as opposed
11:42to the 24 and 25 Rangers that just fell short and left a lot to be desired.
11:47Sounds awesome, man.
11:48Enjoy your day off in L.A. in that breakfast burrito, and we'll catch up with you Friday
11:53afternoon.
11:54Sounds good, fellas.
11:55There he goes.
11:56He's at Jared Sandler on Twitter.
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