00:00The American League East isn't exactly wrapped up, although Tampa continues to just win,
00:06whether it's on the road or it's at the Trop.
00:09They did a great job over the weekend.
00:11All very close games that you would expect, especially in Seattle.
00:18But you got to win those games, and they certainly did, and pretty darn impressive.
00:24But to me, Tampa really starting to round into form here, and they've got a hold of that top spot
00:32in the American League East.
00:34And we've talked about it on the show before, Craig.
00:36I think home field best record in the American League would go a long way for Tampa.
00:43Although if they keep winning games out on the road like they're doing, too, I might have to rethink that
00:47one as well.
00:48Yeah, no, they're playing great.
00:50Best team, arguably, in the American League right now.
00:53Now, the issue, if they do have one, is they're a little thin pitching-wise,
00:58because on top of losing Shane McClanahan, they also lost Griffin Jacks.
01:03And Jacks had been a big part of their rotation.
01:05Remember, he started out of the bullpen.
01:07They moved him into the rotation.
01:08He's more or less a 4-5 inning guy.
01:10He's done a great job for them.
01:12And now he is out, too.
01:13So that's a little thin, Joe.
01:15And now, you know, you look at their rotation and ask yourself, you know,
01:19are they losing one pitcher away from being cooked, so to speak?
01:22So, you know, I hope for Tampa.
01:25They said that McClanahan's injury wasn't serious, and he would come back immediately off the IL.
01:30I always question those sort of things.
01:32Jacks' sounds a little bit serious.
01:34It does not sound like Jacks is coming back, like, soon or anything like that.
01:37So, look, they always do a good job manipulating and using pitchers, using openers and bulk eyes and things like
01:43that.
01:43But, Joe, that doesn't usually win in the postseason.
01:46So I'll be curious how Tampa Bay sort of maneuvers the next two months.
01:51Do they dip into their minor league system to bring somebody up?
01:54I mean, that's always a possibility, too.
01:56But give them credit, because Nick Martinez, who they acquired in the offseason, that guy's been fantastic.
02:01And provided he is going and they have two other starters going, at least for now, that can kind of
02:06get them to September.
02:08But through September, they're going to need McClanahan and some others to finish it off.
02:12Yeah, they're going to need a little bit of help here.
02:15And you wonder, Craig, and you often go, wow, did Tampa, did they peak too soon?
02:23We had this conversation about the Braves.
02:25Like, the Braves were so ridiculously good in April and May, and then they had that kind of lull.
02:32They came back.
02:33But here we go again, end of July.
02:35They're revving it off.
02:36I mean, there's ebbs and flows to every major league baseball season.
02:40But who's got the highest ceiling still here, where we have not seen the best?
02:47Or the best could very well still be yet to come here.
02:50We've seen the Phillies make runs over the last couple of years in the second half.
02:55Is there one team you think that, yeah, hold on, I don't think we've seen the best yet?
03:00Maybe Texas.
03:02You know, the Rangers, they haven't gone by the wayside like Seattle.
03:06So that would be one team that's kind of hanging in there.
03:09But the problem is, it's like two steps forward, three steps back, three steps forward, two steps back with them.
03:15I could see the Rangers with the Grom and Uvaldi and that hitting with Seager and some of the other
03:22guys.
03:22I could see them going on a run, Joe.
03:24That's the team I can.
03:26Now, I would have said that about Seattle for sure.
03:28So keep that in mind.
03:29I would have absolutely said that.
03:31I'm not saying that anymore about them.
03:33They have just lost too many games for me.
03:35They've fallen too far below .500.
03:38And you brought up a good point.
03:40Houston's schedule is pretty light.
03:42By the point, it may mean something.
03:44Houston may have banked a lot of wins there, too.
03:46So as much as I thought that Houston was out of it and headed toward a rebuild, it appears that
03:51they are back in.
03:52And if you want me to give you that one team that I think has a run on them, it
03:56would be the Rangers.
03:57There's just too much talent for them to just win 81 games this year, Joe.
04:00That would be a surprise for me.
04:02And we've seen – listen, we have seen this happen and play out before.
04:07I think we've seen the Guardians do this their fair share of times, right, where they're kind of middle of
04:13the road.
04:13Then all of a sudden, right towards starting this time, right through the end of the regular season, it's like,
04:19oh, boy, they're a difficult out here.
04:22I still – with the moves they made, I still believe it is their division to lose here.
04:30But, boy, they have not made it easy on us here, right, Craig?
04:34Thinking that – but just when you think, all right, the bullpen is fine, they're good, they've got K. Smith,
04:40and now their bullpen is a hot mess.
04:43They can't score.
04:43The White Sox end up taking, what, two out of three from them there in a tough game yesterday with
04:50a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay.
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