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Paul Toboni joins The Sports Junkies to break down the latest Washington Nationals news.
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00:00Let's talk a little baseball. Let's talk Nats. Big win for the Nationals last night.
00:04Joining us right now on the Rude Guest Hotline. Rude's the most reliable heating and air conditioning products in the
00:08DMV.
00:09It's Paul Tivoni, president of baseball operations for the Nationals.
00:13Morning, Paul.
00:15What's going on, guys?
00:16So, you know, you're several months into your job. Has anything surprised you as a GM early in your tenure?
00:26I don't think anything is, like, completely blowing me away, but I think probably, like, the fan base.
00:32I've been really happy with the offense here, and, you know, I think we've talked about it in, you know,
00:38past conversations.
00:40But, yeah, to think that we have one of the best offenses in baseball, it felt like it happened pretty
00:44quick, and now it's just about sustaining it.
00:47Yeah. Hey, Will, I brought this up earlier. I want you to kind of talk about it.
00:52You might have been surprised. I'm sorry.
00:55You have Will on the brain.
00:56I'm thinking Will Wade.
00:57Yeah, it's all good.
00:58Paul, sorry. Paul, can you explain what happened two nights ago?
01:02Okay, so you guys lost 16-7, and the Mets scored 10 runs in the 12th.
01:09Blake wanted to pull Paxton Schultz out because he got hammered.
01:13He went, you know, since you, I think you guys lead the league in bullpen innings pitched.
01:18Okay, so Blake wanted to bring in Jorbit Vivas, who is not a pitcher.
01:24He's a position player.
01:27But the umpires, I guess there was some sort of a delay because they told Blake that he couldn't bring
01:33Vivas in.
01:34But in extra innings, you can bring him in at whatever point.
01:37I think there's a rule that you have to be down eight runs in regulation to bring in a position
01:43player to pitch.
01:44But in extra innings, you can bring him in any time.
01:47But the umpires didn't know that, and they had to call New York.
01:50Is that true?
01:52Yeah, that's right.
01:54Did that surprise you?
01:55Yeah, it was frustrating.
01:57Honestly, I felt bad for Blake, and honestly, I felt bad for Paxton.
02:03You know what I mean?
02:03They pulled Paxton back out of the dugout, brought him to the mound.
02:07I mean, you hit the nail on the head with the rule.
02:09Blake was all over it.
02:10But yeah, you're allowed to bring a position player in in extras.
02:14Doesn't matter what the score is in extras.
02:17Yeah, that's right.
02:18And so they just, I mean, listen, we're all humans.
02:22We all got our times where one slips past us.
02:25I think that was just one of those times for the crew, and they were apologetic, and we move on.
02:31But Paul, do the position players, do they feel any pressure at all when they're pressed into that situation?
02:36Like, they don't want to get goofed on in the clubhouse, or is it just like it's a desperate act,
02:41and you're not really expecting anything from those guys in that situation?
02:45You're talking about them taking the mound?
02:47Yeah.
02:48Yeah.
02:48Yeah.
02:49You know what?
02:50I think it's probably like a case-by-case basis that there are some guys that we've done it with,
02:56that, like, getting back to, you know, previous organization I was with that love doing it,
03:01and, you know, it's kind of like a joke in the clubhouse that, like, they, you know,
03:06if they're running, like, a three ERA over, like, three innings, they're asking for, like, leverage innings
03:10and stuff like that.
03:11So some guys take it in stride and have fun with it, and then other guys are like,
03:15oh, I don't know if I want to do this.
03:17You know what I mean?
03:17So it's all up to the individual, but, man, we've done it with Weimar this year.
03:23We've done it with Vivas, and, you know, both guys have done it fine.
03:27So it's obviously never a position you want to be in unless you're up 10 or 12 runs,
03:32but at the same time, like, strategically, you know, you want to make sure that your bullpen
03:36is rested to the extent that it can be going into the next day.
03:42All right.
03:42So last night, we love having you on after wins, my friends.
03:47Didn't look good early, down 5-0.
03:49Bichette hit a couple of dongs, but then you get the bases loaded.
03:53They're bottom two, and James comes up big, hit a laser to left center.
03:57Very tough play for the rookie.
03:59The kid, Morabito, Gonzaga kid.
04:03Gonzaga kid from McLean, Virginia, exactly.
04:05So he was playing left, couldn't make the play, ball ricochets to center.
04:10And I read this morning James ran the bases in 15.5 seconds.
04:14I mean, he was rolling.
04:16Yeah, he was rolling.
04:17First of all, I'm happy you brought that up.
04:19That was cool.
04:20Like, the St. John's, I know Woody didn't graduate from St. John's, but St. John's,
04:23like, off the kid from Gonzaga making his debut, that was cool and makes him be a great player.
04:28So that was a fun, fun part of yesterday's game.
04:33But, yeah, it's funny.
04:34You mentioned Woody getting around in, was it 15 seconds, whatever he got around in.
04:39He was flying.
04:39If you go back and look, he didn't really get out of the box either.
04:42I think he, maybe he thought he got it.
04:45I don't know.
04:45But as soon as he turns first, I mean, he turns it on.
04:49And I joke about it with him.
04:52I've said it before, I think, but his legs are so long.
04:55Sometimes it looks like he's not moving, but he's moving.
04:59He's such a good athlete.
05:01He's so fun to watch.
05:02And we were joking about it after the game.
05:03Like, if you looked at him in the outfield, like, two innings later, he still had this huge smile on
05:09his face.
05:09Like, thinking about the play, I think, which is like, if, you know, Woody's a pretty even-keeled dude.
05:14If he thinks it's a cool play, like, it's got to be a pretty cool play.
05:16Right.
05:17Can I ask you, this is a, so I was at the game yesterday with some dear friends.
05:22Yeah, he brought Mets fans into Nats Park.
05:24It's a big no-no.
05:24It's a big faux pas.
05:26They love it.
05:26They absolutely, they spent some money, though.
05:29They actually love the park.
05:30And obviously, Vin loves the bullpen.
05:32He's literally in heaven over, you know what, I'm not talking about the bullpen bullpen.
05:35I'm talking about where you go booze it.
05:38But anyway, so I made a dumb bet on the underarm, stupid.
05:43Not asking you to comment on betting.
05:44But what is it, as soon as we got in there, and we're like, oh, the ball's flying today.
05:50And I was like, damn it, I should have thought about this.
05:52I've been hitting drives.
05:53Like, the ball's really been flying the last couple days because of the heat, humidity, or whatever.
05:56When you're at the park, do you guys watch BP to see how the ball's traveling on particular days?
06:04Is that even a relevant thing?
06:05Like, just if you're just, like, I know it's not something you can bank on, but you guys
06:09notice, oh, boys are going deep today.
06:11The ball's really traveling today.
06:13In other words, is that something you guys even pick up on?
06:16Yeah.
06:17Well, we do, but it's usually at the extremes.
06:19Like, I can think back to, like, when you play at Wrigley, there are days where the wind's
06:24coming in at, like, 25 miles per hour.
06:26Right.
06:27And then there are days where, like, the wind's, you know, going out at 30 miles per hour.
06:32I mean, I can think back to, you'd have to check me on this, but I think, like, there
06:36have been times in the past where Vegas sets an over-under at Wrigley at, like, 20, and
06:41you're like, wait a second, like, what's going on?
06:44And then you look, and the wind's going out at 35 miles per hour, whatever it is.
06:47So, it's usually, you know, I think it's, the coaching staff pays attention to it,
06:55I think, when it's, like, egregious, you know what I mean?
06:57Like, okay, like, the ball is really wide.
06:59Well, like, it's 96, 97 degrees.
07:00I'm pretty sure they've done, like, golf studies.
07:03The ball literally travels 15 yards further in golf.
07:06Right.
07:06When it's like that.
07:07Yeah.
07:08Yeah.
07:08Like, I don't, I mean, you'd have to check me on this, too, but I think that ball that
07:12Tana hit out last night to left center, I don't think he got all of it.
07:16I think he probably hit it, like, at 99 miles per hour, whatever it was, which usually
07:20a ball hit 99, a left center field gap isn't getting out.
07:22So, yeah, and Woody, I mean, like, Woody's probably owed a couple, because he smashed
07:28a few balls early in the year that should have been out that haven't gotten out.
07:33Soto jacked one.
07:34Soto did, yeah.
07:35Oh, yeah.
07:36That one was getting out, I think, no matter where.
07:39That was, like, it was one of those, like, that's gone.
07:41You don't even hesitate.
07:43Yeah.
07:44That's gone.
07:44Paul, what's kind of crazy is, I mean, I talked about this earlier, you guys lead the
07:49league and runs scored by almost 15 runs.
07:54The Braves are having an unbelievable year, right?
07:57You guys have 13 more runs scored than the Braves.
08:00Now, I understand that the Braves' defense and pitching is obviously, but, I mean, they
08:03have a payroll, but, I mean, if I would have told you 40, how many games have we played,
08:1049 games into the season, Paul, that you were going to lead the league and run scored, what
08:15would your reaction have been?
08:17Yeah, I would have been thrilled.
08:19Like, I know I talked about it at the start of this call, but, man, it's not just, you
08:25know, like, I think after the first three weeks of the season, right, we were having these
08:29conversations and everyone was like, man, is this real, right?
08:32And I think if you just started the season on May 8th or May 10th or whatever it was,
08:36right, like, I think, once again, you got to check me on this too, but I think from May
08:4110th to May 20th, like, I think we also have the most runs scored.
08:44So, it's, you know, starting to really believe that, like, this is just who we are.
08:50And obviously, like, these guys, like, they've been working their tails off.
08:54They got to continue to go out and prove it.
08:56But, man, you know, a couple months in, it's been really fun to watch.
09:01And, man, it just makes it, like, really exciting.
09:04And it's not just the offense, but it's the way they run the bases, not just the stolen
09:08bags, but we talked about it going first to third and first to home.
09:12And they're playing with, like, a real focus and energy on the base pass, which, in addition
09:19to all the offense, has been great.
09:20So, it's been really fun.
09:21Talking to Paul Tabone, president of baseball operations for the Nationals.
09:25So, we have to ask you, you had to make some decisions roster-wise.
09:29Brady House goes down to Rochester.
09:32He had hit a good amount of home runs and was playing okay.
09:35It was somewhat surprising, had eight errors.
09:37Dylan Cruz from the Miners, back to the big leagues.
09:40Talk about those two decisions.
09:42Yeah, for starters with Brady, I'll tell you guys exactly what we told him.
09:47Like, the irony is that he can help us right now at the big league level.
09:51The issue is that he would be helping us in a role where he's probably playing against
09:57lefties and then, you know, probably sitting the majority of the time against righties.
10:02And, you know, if you're, like, a 27, 28-year-old guy and that's your role on a big league
10:07team,
10:08I get it.
10:09But for a kid that's 22 that, you know, we think really highly of, he's got a big-time
10:14future, like, him playing every day is something that's really important to us.
10:20And it'll allow him kind of the ability to take a breath.
10:23And, honestly, quite similar to Dylan.
10:26Like, work on this stuff without 40,000 people looking down on you.
10:31And he totally got it.
10:34Brady, he's a stud kid, and he's going to have an awesome career.
10:39So, it was nothing more than that.
10:42With Dylan, man, Dylan has been awesome.
10:45Like, before yesterday, I think the last 10 or 11 games he played, he's smoked, like,
10:51I want to say close to 20 balls over 100 miles per hour.
10:54He's controlling the zone.
10:55He's not whiffing.
10:56He's playing great D.
10:57So, we just thought it was the right time.
11:00And he's worked his tail off.
11:02He's really stayed disciplined to what it is that he's working on.
11:06And the returns are starting to come, which makes me really excited about, you know,
11:10these next few weeks and months for him.
11:11Is he a future star?
11:13House?
11:14Are you talking about Dylan?
11:15Dylan Cruz.
11:16Is he a future star?
11:17He absolutely has that potential.
11:19Like, I don't want to set these crazy expectations for him.
11:22But he, man, I know there are probably people questioning it because, you know, he started
11:28in AAA, whatever.
11:29Like, I believe in this kid as much as anyone in our organization.
11:34Like, he's a stud kid.
11:35And his skill set is awesome.
11:37And I really think he hasn't even scratched the surface yet.
11:42Like, he's just getting going.
11:43So, yeah, I wouldn't put a ceiling on him.
11:46At the same time, like, I don't want to put expectations like he's got to be this guy.
11:50You know, like, I had a conversation with him yesterday.
11:52I said, hey, we got one of the best offenses in the league.
11:56Don't come in here, like, in past times and think you've got to be the savior.
12:00Like, just go and be the dude that you are.
12:02And you'll fit right in perfectly.
12:05And good things will happen.
12:07So, he's going to be good for us.
12:08And we're really excited about him.
12:11All right, so you guys are going against the Mets again, game three of the four-gamer.
12:15Tonight, you're facing Zach Thornton, who I believe is a lefty.
12:21I think he's making his major league debut.
12:24Is that correct?
12:25Yeah, he is.
12:26What do you know about him?
12:28Man, it felt like it was just yesterday he was in the draft.
12:31He was, like, a mid-round pick.
12:35Yeah, he's not going to blow you away with velocity.
12:37But he'll sit, you know, around 91, 91-92.
12:42And he's got a really good feel to pitch, throw strikes, obviously left-handed.
12:47So, you know, that means that, you know, Curtis will likely be in the lineup, obviously, Dylan.
12:54I think JY is going to be ready to roll today.
12:56So, and then Chappie, too.
12:59I know you guys didn't bring him up, but we recalled Chaparro, and, you know, I think he's got a,
13:05you know, a good shot to play today and have some success.
13:09So, yeah, he's, this kid, he's a good pitcher.
13:13But, like we talked about, we've got a good offense.
13:16So, we're ready for the challenge.
13:17Yeah, you mentioned Jacob Young.
13:19I was surprised that he was able to play last night after getting hit in the ribs.
13:23I mean, he looked like, that would look bad, Paul.
13:27Yeah, he's just, I mean, I was in the clubhouse when he came in from the field.
13:32I was joking with him.
13:33He was trying to say what's up to me, but he, like, he literally, like, couldn't breathe.
13:37He's like, hey, hey, you know, like, and so he's just, he's, I mean, he's a tough dude.
13:43And, yeah, I think, like, there are a good amount of players in the league that are probably hitting the
13:48aisle for something like this.
13:50But, he got the x-ray, there was no fracture or anything.
13:54He's like, I'm ready to roll.
13:56And, he was ready to roll yesterday.
13:57He played yesterday.
13:58Does he take a shot for the pain, or is he, like, gobble Advil?
14:01What does he do for that?
14:03Yeah, they treat it, and they do, like, some manual work on it, too.
14:09He's, honestly, though, like, he's just, he's the type that, like, will probably never tell you that he's hurting.
14:15So, once again, that's why we're lucky that he's on our club.
14:18We're not that type.
14:19We're always going to tell you when we're banged up or hurt.
14:23Yeah, that was impressive he was able to come in.
14:26All right, hey, good luck tonight, and, of course, tomorrow, 4-0-5 game, finish out the series.
14:31We'll talk to you next week, bro.
14:33Yeah, I appreciate you guys.
14:34Thank you, man.
14:35Appreciate it.
14:35Appreciate it.
14:36Paul Timoni, president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals.
14:39He's really good.
14:40Coming up next, we open up the entertainment page here on The Junkies.
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