00:00And Mike, when you are offensively, okay, top five in almost every category, you're
00:06number one in a bunch of categories, right?
00:07But you're second in baseball and home runs hit behind the Yankees.
00:12You're first in batting average.
00:14You're runners in scoring position.
00:16Like, these are things that win games.
00:18And so there's no surprise as to why the Braves are 36-18 and have the best record
00:23in baseball.
00:24Second in runs.
00:25But with all of that said, is there more pressure?
00:28And this is what you and I were talking about on Alex Anthopoulos with the way things
00:32have gone here for a few months, right?
00:34And I always say, well, wait till we get to 1st of July.
00:36I don't need to.
00:36We've got a good club.
00:38You've got to make a decision on whether there's some urgency to bring in some more offense
00:43or pitching.
00:44I honestly think right now, I mean, the idea and the story that broke last week when you
00:48were on vacay is that Schwellenbach and Waldrop are basically on the same schedule.
00:51And it sounds like they're ahead of schedule.
00:53And we'll ask Grant McCauley about it next hour at 520.
00:55We're also talking about Bob Horner's legacy, guys, we learned earlier today.
00:58Braves posted information he passed at age 68.
01:00But yeah, I think it's more about a bat.
01:02I mean, you just scored five runs in the last three games.
01:05Yep.
01:05You know, 2-0, 2-1.
01:07There's been some where the bats have gotten cold.
01:09Now, Ozzie, I think, went from 3-4 the other night.
01:10He's batting like 2-0-7 for the month.
01:12Ozzie's cooled off a little bit.
01:14Albies, you know, we're so excited about where he's at.
01:17Consistency.
01:18You know, Matt Olsen, a little bit of a lull.
01:20It's like he's okay.
01:20But it's just, I would definitely go and get another bat.
01:24Because even though Dubon has been clutch, he's cooled off, too.
01:26Yes.
01:27You know?
01:27And I would think, yeah, whether you want to continue the platoon thing where Yaz only
01:32hits against right-handers.
01:32The other day, he did deliver the goods a few weeks ago.
01:34But still, he's best of the guy you can't really have at the plate against a lefty.
01:38So I would definitely try to get a bat.
01:39And I do hope this year, and I'll ask Grant, you know, we always bust chops.
01:43Here it is.
01:44I haven't, you know, what?
01:44We just came off a memorial day.
01:45I'm looking for a trade.
01:46They're not going to do anything soon.
01:48But I would like to sort of beat the other guys to the punch, to your point.
01:51You know?
01:51I know it's not going to come to July, you know, at the earliest.
01:54But I would love to see us, if it's an arms race, get ahead of everybody else.
01:57We're going to be maybe battling in October.
01:59Fire, sail, it's fire.
02:00It's the opposite.
02:01Not yet.
02:01No, no, no, no.
02:02What's crazy is if we're able to reach the ultimate goal, which is the World Series.
02:07And by the way, I think, okay?
02:09I know you guys are going, it's way too early.
02:11You're crazy.
02:11I think we could be watching one of the best Braves teams that we've ever seen.
02:16No other Braves team has gotten off to a start like this.
02:18But can they sustain it?
02:19Because of all the things we just talked about.
02:20Well, that's the question.
02:21The length of the season always determines the greatness of the team.
02:26But for me to sit here and witness what I've seen, that no other Braves team has gotten off to
02:30this kind of start,
02:31even more talented Braves teams haven't done this.
02:35I think we're watching something that could ultimately be one of the best teams we've ever seen.
02:41The crazy thing for me is what I was going to say, Mike, is if we're able to accomplish this
02:44goal by staying in-house,
02:47it will be the most, I think, amazing thing about this whole story.
02:51You're telling me that at the end of the day, we started with four pitchers hurt, right?
02:57Including Strider, who eventually comes back.
02:59And then you're telling me we're waiting on Swelly and, you know, A.J. Smith-Schalber.
03:03And all these guys are going to come back and in some way, shape, or form help us,
03:07and we don't go outside to acquire more pitching and we're able to win this thing?
03:11That's an incredible story.
03:13I still think, even with Waldrop and Schwellenbach coming back, this goes back to you always seem to never have.
03:18Guys, let's talk about 2023.
03:19You came up short because you didn't have enough pitching.
03:22I got to get an insurance policy.
03:23I love the way they've set the bullpen up.
03:25Didier Fuentes can come in and shut it down for two or three innings.
03:28Suarez has been great.
03:29I still think he should be closing, but Iglesias is doing everything he needs to do when he came back
03:33from the injury.
03:34They're great.
03:35I mean, we've got all these different pieces.
03:37Can it be as good as what we had in 21 with the night shift?
03:40It's kind of trending that way.
03:42But maybe one more starting pitcher.
03:43How about that?
03:44Okay.
03:44Look, I don't—
03:45I mean, a left fielder slash another bat, starting pitcher, you never have enough help.
03:49No.
03:50And look, the way I think that Alex would probably go about this, Mike, would be an inexpensive bat, right?
03:57Just more help.
03:58But, you know, again, can we ever take on a guy who has a contract?
04:01It's always going to be that dreaded expiring contract.
04:03You know how it works.
04:03Well, yeah, because I think they're always thinking about the guys they have locked up.
04:07When you think about the guys that are still in the contract, even going into next year,
04:10Harris is here, right?
04:11Ozzie, they picked up the option this year.
04:13But Riley's locked up.
04:15Acuna's still under contract.
04:17There's still a bunch of guys, and I don't know that they want to do that.
04:20But either way, I still feel like there's some urgency now because we're off to this great start,
04:27and you cannot be first in baseball, Mike, heading to June and just kind of casually go,
04:32well, you know, we'll see where we're at.
04:33No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
04:35We've got a good club.
04:36Yeah.
04:36I think it was Thursday or Friday, Grant posted that, talking with Spencer Schwellenbach,
04:40that he started throwing about five—now it's about almost like seven or eight days ago,
04:43he started throwing.
04:44Okay.
04:44And he started, like, basically flat ground.
04:46They have a whole way they ramp it up at 60 feet.
04:48Then he's going to throw that distance for a couple of weeks, and they go to 75.
04:51But anyway, Schwellenbach and Waldrop apparently is almost on the same timeline.
04:54So that's really great news.
04:56But I still think while we're waiting—
04:57And is that how they're looking at it, that they're getting two free agent pitchers?
05:01Because Waldrop was one of the best young pitchers in baseball when the season ended.
05:05So now we've got to see how they approach it.
05:07That's great.
05:09Insurance policy.
05:09But again, it may coincide.
05:11These guys are back, and they'll have a sample size before the trade deadline.
05:14It gives them a lot of flexibility, if, in fact, they can come back and be successful.
05:17And, you know, I think the big thing is Strider looks starting to look like Strider, man.
05:21It's starting to feel a little bit better for me when I look at his stuff
05:24and how he's gone about his starts.
05:25And Sale is just a dude.
05:27Like, we don't even have to talk about Chris Sale, but it's not going to be those guys.
05:30It's going to be this other part of the rotation that's got to uphold their part of the deal.
05:35404-726-0929 as we talk about the Braves.
05:38And by the way, Bryce Elder, he did his job.
05:40Two earned runs.
05:40He did.
05:41One earned run, two runs are given up.
05:42Bryce Elder has been really good.
05:44But, again, he has reinvented himself.
05:46You want to give Greg Maddox the assist for teaching him that sinker, whatever you want to do it.
05:50Great.
05:50The guy that I was complaining about, you can't trust him.
05:53Well, you can trust him because he's really – he is now showing you he's learned how to –
05:56because he doesn't have blow-away speed to mix it up and really be effective.
06:00Yeah.
06:01Braves, Red Sox tonight.
06:02We'll talk more about that particular matchup with Grant.
06:05But the fact that they've lost two series the entire season, it's just like – it's what?
06:12Is it real?
06:13And you said it, you know, starting the show, we're talking with Tony Gwynn Jr.
06:15Yeah, I mean, you're not going to win them all.
06:17You're not going to go 105 and – well, maybe we could.
06:19But, I mean, the team looks really good.
06:21The pitching has been a tremendous surprise to Carl's point.
06:24It's just been – there's been some – look, you're going to have ups and downs for your hitters.
06:27It's just – Ozzie's kind of in one of those right now.
06:30We talked about Olsen.
06:31Certainly, I think, you know, Riley's found it.
06:33But, you know, I get guys complaining about Riley.
06:35I'm like, nah, he's getting better.
06:36The trajectory's there.
06:37Ronald's doing a great job.
06:39You know?
06:39Ronald – I mean, Ronald's instant energy on the base pass.
06:41He is.
06:42It's just – you know, the thing that we've talked about –
06:44The Baldwin injury concern you at all?
06:45Yes.
06:46Okay.
06:46But you need to get him back.
06:47Because, I mean, look, ironically, we had Chadwick Tromp give you the game winner the other night on Friday.
06:52Unfortunately, we just couldn't hit on Saturday and Sunday.
06:54Strange not having the Braves in action on Memorial Day, wasn't it?
06:56It was weird.
06:58Yesterday, I'm like, where are the – and then I realized, oh, it's an off day.
07:01But it was kind of weird.
07:03Man, you're right about Baldwin.
07:04And he's just – he's been so big for him all season long.
07:06Hope he doesn't lose something in that break.
07:09You know, come back and he doesn't go read – tweak the mechanics or something.
07:13Because he was just so dialed in.
07:14He was.
07:14He seems like – you know, I know that phrase called professional hitter.
07:16Like a great ball striker.
07:18But the guy just looks so put together with a plan that's a plate every at bat.
07:21A couple of things before we get to guy talk.
07:23Tim Hires.
07:24He is our hitting coach.
07:25Hitting instructor.
07:26He was asked a question about the secret of being a good hitting coach.
07:31I learned over the years that you have to have patience.
07:33Number one, this game is very difficult.
07:35It's not easy.
07:36And you're going to go through those ups and downs.
07:38And you've got to, you know, hang in there with players.
07:41They're not out there trying to make outs.
07:43They're working their butts off.
07:44And, you know, I think a big part is being patient with guys because you know they have talent.
07:49And that's part of it where I tell Darnell and Eddie we just talk about we serve these players.
07:54Whatever they need, we're trying to serve them to help them be prepared for 7 o'clock and go out
07:59there and compete.
07:59Well, they are.
08:01And the crazy thing is, again, first home series loss as they lost over the weekend.
08:06But, again, I think when you look at the totality of the work that's been done, Hires deserves a lot
08:11of credit.
08:12We've talked about Walt Weiss deserves a lot of credit.
08:14But I also think whatever chemistry, Mike, this makeup of this particular group has been very good.
08:19Here's Hires talking about Michael Money-Harris.
08:22He's an unreal talent.
08:23He really is.
08:24And so it's so fun to work with him and talk to him about hitting.
08:27But, yeah, sometimes that is scary for a hitter to think about making a slight adjustment.
08:34But, you know, the adjustment he made, you know, kind of maybe raising his hands just a little bit higher.
08:38But it was something he did when he first started minor league baseball and hit in high school.
08:42So it wasn't a major adjustment, but it's still scary.
08:45But credit to him.
08:46He worked through some difficult times.
08:48And then he's reaped the rewards of that hard work.
08:51Yeah, no doubt, man.
08:53Hopefully they can keep things going.
08:55Strider's on the Hill tonight.
08:55We'll talk more about that with Grant coming up.
08:57The only thing that we talked about with Tony Gwynn Jr., I was asking about, you know, stolen bases.
09:01For all the things, you know, again, we may be leading the major leagues in pickoffs, being picked off.
09:05But the Braves are only 23rd in stolen bases right now.
09:09And we talked about how, let's be honest, you know, they were going to be more aggressive on the base.
09:13I think Walt had to back that off because our first base coach was like,
09:17you know, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs sending these guys.
09:19Yeah, trying to go.
09:20Yeah, the pickoffs have not been.
09:21We were trending in the wrong direction.
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