00:00Let's go out to New York where Jared Sandler is standing by, coming off of, what is this, 9-2
00:06defeat to the Yankees.
00:08And a good afternoon. Jared, how the heck are you?
00:10Guys, I'm great. How are y'all?
00:12We're doing good. The text is very toxic right now, as I'm sure you remember from your time in studio,
00:18how toxic these Tolos can be when the Rangers aren't winning.
00:23I mean, what do you feel like? Do you feel like, you know, this has been a really tough start
00:28to the season
00:28and they've battled to stay close to .500.
00:31They won a game against a red-hot Yankees team in their stadium.
00:36They've got a win against Detroit as well.
00:38And what they really most need right now is a turn in the schedule difficulty.
00:44Or do you think this team might be average and fatally flawed, Sands?
00:48Well, I think just in general, three games under .500, it's not like that's anything insurmountable.
00:5425% of their games have come against the Yankees and Dodgers.
00:57They basically only played playoff teams, with the exception of the Orioles.
01:01Even the Pirates right now are playing well.
01:03And the Cubs, you know, they're 18-3 their last 21, so it's not necessarily getting any easier this weekend.
01:08But I think the way that today's game unfolded was pretty disappointing, just in terms of, you know, the quality
01:14of play.
01:14You know, I think there are times you lose a game, you're like, man, you know, we played well.
01:18They just said it's a good team.
01:19They played a little bit better today.
01:21A 9-2 score doesn't make it seem like it was close, but there were just a lot of unmade
01:25plays that, you know, probably are frustrating.
01:28And so I think that's probably, you know, it would be fair if people were upset by that.
01:33Not losing 2-3 to the Yankees at home, because the Yankees are supposed to win 2-3 at home.
01:37And they're the best team in the American League.
01:39But I think it's just the quality of play, you know, the way things unfolded today, probably pretty frustrating.
01:44Do you think Adoles Garcia would have made those plays in right field today?
01:50Sure.
01:52Offensive production probably wouldn't be there, but yeah.
01:54I mean, Adoles was really good defensively, but, you know, you're not, you didn't part ways with Adoles Garcia because
02:00of that.
02:01And also, I don't think Adoles Garcia for $15 million or whatever was, you know, would be worth it, unfortunately,
02:06as much as I love Adoles.
02:07So, yeah, I don't really think that's fair.
02:10But it was pretty bad from Jock Peterson, wasn't it?
02:11Like, that's, how do you think the organization internally processes how embarrassing that was for Jock?
02:19Yeah, I mean, the guy hasn't played in the outfield since 2023.
02:23You know, got a different body these days.
02:25You know, he was kind of forced in there because, you know, they were trying to put together an offensive
02:30lineup that they thought would be able to score more runs.
02:32And, you know, we can look at Jock not making those two plays all we want.
02:37The Yankees scored one run in the first inning.
02:39The Rangers scored two runs in the game.
02:42So, you know, the defense wasn't great by Jock.
02:44It wasn't great by Alejandro Suna in left field.
02:46You know, not making the play on that first ball in the sixth inning.
02:50Another infield pop-up, you know, found the grass, right?
02:53I mean, it's just, you're not, like, if Jock was going to be a regular in right field, then, you
02:58know, maybe it's a little different conversation.
03:00But, you know, this is something that I don't think they plan on doing a ton.
03:04They felt like this is what they needed to do to try and score runs for them.
03:07Unfortunately, they didn't score runs.
03:09To me, that's, you know, the biggest issue.
03:10It wasn't like they were facing Cam Schlittler or Max Fried or, you know, any sort of, you know, really
03:16tough pitcher with all due respect to Paul Blackburn.
03:18And the kid from Stanford making his Major League debut, you know, the Rangers had opportunities.
03:24I think they left double-digit runners on base again, and they weren't able to cash in.
03:28To me, that's the bigger issue.
03:30He's at Jared Sandler on Twitter, Wulchuk.
03:31You know that.
03:32Yeah.
03:32It's, I mean, Ezekiel Duran, obviously, he lights up the Yankees, and that's his former club.
03:38But have we kind of found maybe Zeke should just be your everyday second baseman, and then when Josh is
03:43ready, he can kind of slide back into a role we've seen him have success in as a utility guy?
03:49Zach, I think it's definitely possible.
03:50I mean, you know, I'll tell you this.
03:52Zeke keeps doing what he's doing.
03:53He's not going to be out of the lineup.
03:55And maybe, you know, maybe you do just because of his ability in the outfield.
03:59Like, I think Zeke's a better outfielder than Josh Smith.
04:02So, you know, while Wyatt Langford's out, it might make more sense for Zeke to, you know, be in the
04:07outfield when Josh Smith comes back to, you know, fill this hole or that hole.
04:11But, yeah, I mean, I think Zeke right now is playing like a guy who can't not be in the
04:16lineup.
04:17And, you know, if your outfield slots are spoken for, then, yeah, I think you're right.
04:23I think the only reason why, you know, perhaps, you know, that wouldn't be the case, like I said, is
04:27that, you know, with Wyatt Langford out, depending on who's on the mound and whatnot,
04:31if you feel like you need to put Zeke in the outfield.
04:34I mean, he is a good outfielder.
04:36He adds a different element, too, with the arm strength.
04:39But, yeah, I mean, right now, you know, it's just on the surface, which guy's been better between Josh Smith
04:44or Ezekiel Duran.
04:45You know, not really much of a conversation.
04:48Hopefully when, you know, Smitty comes back healthy, he's able to contribute because, you know, I think, you know, Gavin
04:53was asking yesterday about Jock Peterson
04:56and is he going to lose his spot, and, you know, I think my response is something along the lines
05:00of, like, that's, he's just not their biggest issue right now.
05:03You know, they have a lot of other holes offensively, and, you know, so with Josh Smith, he can come
05:09back and be productive.
05:10There'll be a spot for him, too, you know, whether it's at second base or elsewhere.
05:13The reality is this team needs both those guys with the way they're currently constructed to be productive offensively,
05:18and thankfully Zeke is a bright spot, but, you know, obviously the Rangers need more than just Zeke.
05:24So what's going down with Mackenzie Gore, you think?
05:27ERA creeps over five.
05:28Was it the right decision to trade for him?
05:32Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to base a decision.
05:35I think we get in trouble in the sport if you base a decision off of a month and a
05:39half.
05:40I don't really think the Rangers gave up a whole lot.
05:43You know, it's a lot of quantity.
05:45You know, we'll have to wait and see.
05:46Obviously, time will tell with that.
05:47But to get an all-star pitcher when you were strapped financially with resources
05:52and, you know, budgetary constraints to get an all-star pitcher to make your team better,
05:56I think, you know, that's a deal you've got to make.
06:00You know, today you go to the sixth inning.
06:03You know, on him for walking the two lefties, if Alejandro Asuna catches that first fly ball,
06:08then maybe we're having a totally different conversation, right?
06:11So, you know, I think he bailed his guys out a few times today.
06:15Unfortunately, that sixth inning kind of unraveled.
06:18And, you know, when Jalen Beeks came in, some runs that were on the board or on the table
06:22when, you know, when McKenzie Gore left came in.
06:25But, you know, for a guy who's your third or fourth best starter, you know,
06:30I feel pretty good that as the year goes on, you're going to get better results from him.
06:34You know, to answer, is it a mistake?
06:37I mean, it's kind of like hot take.
06:38You're like, is it a mistake to trade for?
06:40I don't really like it.
06:41You've got an all-star left-handed pitcher to add to your rotation.
06:44And I think you have to ask, you know, what did we give up?
06:48What else is on the table?
06:50You know, Gavin, you know as well as I do, we only know the deals that are made.
06:53We don't know the deals that weren't made.
06:54So I think to really be able to answer that question, I would need to know, like,
06:57was there someone else on the table?
07:00Could they have traded those guys or a packet similar to another team for a different guy
07:05who maybe would have been better?
07:06Like, it's tough to answer that because I just don't know.
07:10Yeah, and I don't know how he made an all-star team with this stuff, you know?
07:14It's interesting he was an all-star.
07:16I don't know if you're watching stuff's really not the issue.
07:19If you can't hit the strike zone.
07:22I mean, you're getting a guy and a half on base every inning.
07:25Yeah, but that's not stuff.
07:27That's actually the pitchers.
07:28He's got the stuff.
07:29So we're getting semantical on it to defend him then?
07:32No, you just said he doesn't have good stuff.
07:34The stuff's not an issue with Mackenzie Gore.
07:35That's why he was the top prospect in baseball.
07:37The inability to consistently control and command pitches, that's an issue.
07:40I'm not disagreeing with you.
07:41I just wouldn't say, if you want to be accurate, I wouldn't say the stuff is a problem.
07:45He has the stuff.
07:46It's now being able to execute it.
07:48But isn't stuff like being able to throw strikes?
07:51That's command and control.
07:53Okay.
07:54So it's semantical then?
07:56Not really.
07:57They're two different things.
07:58It's like saying a guy can't hit for power, he can only hit for average.
08:02When he hits a lot of home runs, they're important distinctions.
08:07I don't know if you're trying to start something or not, but it's just the reality.
08:10They're important distinctions.
08:12They're two different things.
08:13It would not be accurate for me, someone who's watching the game, to say that Mackenzie Gore
08:17doesn't have good stuff.
08:19That's just not the truth.
08:21He has not done a good job executing it.
08:24No, it's my bad.
08:25I think, you know, I just didn't know how precise that definition of stuff was.
08:32All good, man.
08:34All right.
08:34There he goes.
08:35Jared Sandler.
08:35Thank you so much for the report.
08:37Rangers fall to the Yankees 9-2.
