00:00Joining us right now from Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun.com is Matt Weirich. What's up, Matt?
00:05What's up, fellas? You should have done it, Rob.
00:09Nope. Nope.
00:11First of all, Matt, was yesterday's doubleheader just a microcosm of the Orioles season?
00:18Sure felt like it. I mean, you really get the highs of that first game where the offense is clicking
00:25two grand slams.
00:26You get a great first outing from Chris Bassett when he's been a very so-so so far this year.
00:32And then, you know, it all just comes crashing down immediately.
00:34They get fallen to an immediate 5-0 deficit and offense has its moments.
00:39But the defense really was, you know, I think a huge underlying problem in that game as well.
00:45As young looked, he certainly had no favors from the guys behind him.
00:48So, you know, it's just kind of the way it's been.
00:52It's a seesaw of a season so far.
00:53And until they are able to clean up those correctable mistakes, it's probably the way it's going to keep going.
00:59And, Matt, it just seems weird.
01:01I mean, the Orioles, obviously, are who we're going to discuss.
01:03But what's going on with Major League Baseball?
01:06Like, it seems like there's a ton of teams hovering at 500 or below and just a handful of good
01:13teams this year.
01:13I don't quite understand what the hell's happening here.
01:17Yeah, you know, I think a lot of teams are just kind of punching back and forth.
01:21I mean, we have a couple divisions where you don't have to beat 500 to be in first place.
01:25I mean, it's really been that kind of season so far.
01:29And it's only a month in.
01:30There's going to be teams that are going to separate themselves.
01:32And, you know, unfortunately for the Orioles, two teams that have started to separate themselves are the Yankees and the
01:37Rays.
01:37So, the AL East is starting to look like one of the tougher divisions already.
01:42And, you know, the Orioles, you know, certainly aren't running out of time.
01:45But you would like to see, especially with them playing New York this weekend, them just start to get a
01:49little bit more consistency so they can kind of rise above with those other two teams and start to separate
01:55themselves as well.
01:56Matt, do you think the Orioles' bats against left-handed pitching is still a thing?
01:59Because so far this year, it's appeared to be.
02:01And you get two nasty-ass lefties in this Yankees series with Max Freed and Ryan Weathers.
02:06Man, you just look at this Yankees rotation.
02:08It's going to be nasty no matter what side of the mound they're throwing from.
02:11But, yeah, it's certainly going to be two tough matchups for them.
02:14Weathers has looked great so far this year.
02:16And Freed is maybe the best lefty in all of baseball.
02:19So, yeah, they haven't exactly, you know, put that to bed so far.
02:24I mean, they did have a nice outing against Eduardo Rodriguez earlier this year from Arizona.
02:29So, they weren't able to get to a lefty.
02:32We've seen it last year.
02:33I mean, they were, you know, struggling against guys like Tyler Anderson, who was throwing Mitchell Parker, throwing a one
02:39-hitter against them.
02:40You know, like, this, I think, has been a little bit better so far this year.
02:44But until, you know, Pete Alonzo and Tyler O'Neal really start to get going, you know, the two guys
02:50that are supposed to be their lefty killers, you know, that might still be a problem.
02:53Matt Wyver joins us, Baltimore Sun, BaltimoreSun.com.
02:56Matt, first of all, are you in New York?
03:00I'm not in New York.
03:01I'm going to Miami.
03:02Okay, you're going to Miami.
03:03Now, you guys, let me explain something to you.
03:05Because what we do is, when we have regulars, we introduce the personalities of the regulars.
03:10So, Matt is the guy that whenever he's on a road trip and I'm there, I need to know, going
03:15into the last day, where Matt ventured out to.
03:19Because Matt is a dude.
03:22Oh, where he went?
03:22So, you want to go to some of the same places?
03:24No, no, no.
03:24Just, I want to hear the stories.
03:25Matt.
03:26Matt's a dude.
03:27Matt, Ed, if Matt was in Sarasota with us a couple of years ago, he'd have been right along with
03:32us.
03:35You know, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life.
03:37He wouldn't have been able to find a rental vehicle either.
03:40Now, what are they going to do when Jeremiah Jackson comes back?
03:43I was just going to ask that.
03:43You were about to ask that.
03:44What are they going to do with Jeremiah Jackson when Jackson Holiday comes back?
03:47Bench him, I don't think, is the right answer.
03:50No, I don't think it is either.
03:51I mean, you know, third base is probably the logical place for him, you know, as well as Kobe Mayo
03:57has started to come along, particularly with the power.
03:59You know, I think you've got to keep Jeremiah Jackson in this lineup one way or another.
04:03I mean, Jackson Holiday, you know, maybe they ease him back in and he's kind of DH-ing and not
04:08playing every day to start.
04:10But at the same time, you know, those are two guys, between the two of them, Holiday and Jackson, that
04:15really have to be playing on a regular basis for this team to reach its full offensive potential.
04:20One, because you need to see what you have in Jackson Holiday this year.
04:24Obviously, you know, the first bowl season last year was good, but it wasn't what you were hoping it could
04:29be from a guy of his caliber.
04:30So you want to give him the runway to become that player.
04:33But Jeremiah Jackson has arguably been your best offensive player so far this year.
04:39So, you know, between the two of them, they're going to have to find a way one way or another
04:42to keep them in the lineup on a regular basis.
04:45And Jackson has looked really good at second base, you know, other than yesterday, really, you know, has actually been
04:50one of the better defenders on the team.
04:51So Holiday coming off of a year where his defense at second was a bit questionable as the season goes
04:56on.
04:57If Jeremiah Jackson's defense at second base truly is a superior asset, you know, maybe that's something they have to
05:03consider.
05:04But just to start, I think they're going to have to ease Holiday back in and then try to fit
05:09in the puzzle pieces at the top.
05:10Hey, Matt, is Adley Rutschman found his mojo?
05:14Sure feels like it to me, man.
05:16I mean, 16 games in, he's off to one of the best starts by an Orioles catcher in franchise history.
05:21You know, the RBIs are there.
05:23He's going the other way.
05:25You know, he looks great behind the plate.
05:26His framing has been like 96th percentile so far.
05:29I mean, you know, I pointed this out on the show before, but, you know, back in 2024, he was
05:35playing DH in a playoff game.
05:37So James McCann could start.
05:38I mean, just how far he has come defensively, I think, can't be understated.
05:43And now that he looks like himself again at the plate, really looking like the complete catcher the Orioles thought
05:49they had a couple of years ago.
05:50And, you know, fully healthy, everything like that, you know, asked him yesterday, you know, is it the best you've
05:55felt since 2024?
05:56And he just couldn't help but laugh.
05:58I mean, it's that this is just a complete turnaround for him.
06:01And so far, he's clicking on all cylinders.
06:03I mean, that pop-up time yesterday when he threw out Jose Altuve.
06:06Altuve looks surprised.
06:07And he's not the same runner he once was, but he looks surprised.
06:11Like, how the hell did that ball get here?
06:13Yeah.
06:13Excuse me.
06:14Hey, Matt, we're doing something in our next segment where it's about foods that we haven't ever tried.
06:19And we know the whole Palmer thing went down with wings.
06:21Do you have any types of foods you've never eaten?
06:25Man, I don't know.
06:27I'm like the least picky eater of all time.
06:29So I will try everything.
06:32And I'm trying to think out what's on my head.
06:34I don't know if there is anything that I truly haven't.
06:37I haven't had swordfish.
06:39Oh, that's swordfish.
06:40Really?
06:41I will eat anything.
06:43I'll try it.
06:43I'll try it for sure.
06:44Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm the same way.
06:46There's nothing I wouldn't put in my mouth.
06:47We do know that.
06:48Oh, sorry.
06:49We do know that.
06:49You know what?
06:50You guys.
06:52Matt Weirich, Baltimore Sun.
06:54How can folks follow you on social media, Matt?
06:57Yeah, I'm at by Matt Weirich on Twitter and Instagram.
06:59And give our new podcast a follow, Early Birds, at Sun, Early Birds, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.
07:05Thanks a lot, my man.
07:06Thanks for your time this morning.
07:07Thanks, Matt.
07:08Getting up early.
07:08I thought he was going to New York.
07:09Because if I'd have known he wasn't going to New York, Ed, I wouldn't have gotten him up early.
07:15Sure.
07:16Sure you wouldn't have.
07:17I don't do that.
07:18I wouldn't have gotten him up early.
07:20I'd let him see some sleep.
07:21The time difference is brutal with New York.
07:24No, I thought he was up anyway because he was working the series.
07:28He's probably home chilling, wondering why the hell Joe called him 15 minutes earlier.
07:32Sure.
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