00:00We mentioned the Reds, you know, they won't go away.
00:04They won't actually win enough games in a row to take them seriously, but they're not
00:08going anywhere fast here, Tom, but they do get Ladoo back again.
00:15He's about a month off for a blister of some sort there, I believe, but it looks like he
00:22is back on the mound here tonight against the White Sox, who are very much in a race
00:28for a central title, not the National League, the American League here with the Guardians,
00:34but I don't like Burke either with the White Sox here.
00:37I can't figure out why this total is not higher than seven and a half.
00:42It's in Chicago, I believe, but I feel like runs are coming in this one here, Tom, no?
00:50I think so, too.
00:52The Reds pitching has been all over the place.
00:55There's so many things that indicate that Nick Ladoo could be a good pitcher, but he
01:00often struggles with walks.
01:01He can pile up strikeouts, but on the other side, he also has issues with home runs and
01:08the White Sox enough power, but I'm not worried about the White Sox pitching staff.
01:11I'm not worried about the bullpen.
01:12It really comes down to, can we get three runs from the Reds?
01:16With the top of that lineup, which is confirmed, Ellie De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, Bleday, Stevenson,
01:21and Ayo Henry Swartz, can we get three runs out of those guys, essentially?
01:25Because if we get three from them, I think the White Sox can get us to four, and that
01:28puts us right at seven, which can get us up and over the total.
01:31So I'm with you with some runs.
01:33I know there's a little bit of wind blowing in at Chicago, but it's still in the upper
01:3770s with a lot of humidity.
01:39We should be getting some offense time with that hitting weather.
01:43I'm with you, man.
01:44I like the over here.
01:45Chicago, though, I think the fourth best home team in Major League Baseball this year
01:50to White Sox, 36-22 at home.
01:53The Reds are 27-30 on the road.
01:55They're about the same at home there.
01:58And I still, for the life of me, can't figure out how the great American small park there,
02:03they just don't dominate every offensive statistical category there is, Tom.
02:08But you either get 11 runs from the Reds or you get no runs.
02:13But White Sox did take two of three there from the Guardians over the weekend.
02:18They won 5-3 on Sunday.
02:20Both of them had a night off yesterday.
02:23But is it still the Guardians to lose, I think, in the Central?
02:27What are you thinking?
02:31The White Sox, if they just play somewhat of 500-ish baseball or slightly over, I think
02:37they come away with that division.
02:38The Guards and the Tigers, I think they're just a step behind.
02:42I continue to think that the Guards would be the most dangerous team in the postseason,
02:47just given the fact that they have the best pitching staff overall, especially with the
02:50addition of Foster Griffin.
02:52But, granted, they didn't need pitching.
02:54You know, Gavin Williams, Parker Massick, Tanner Bybee, I think that's a good enough trio.
02:57They need more offense.
02:58But I can't back the Guardians knowing that they're just a few steps behind.
03:03And they never seemingly go 8-10, 8-2 over a 10-game stretch.
03:08They're always at 5-5 or 6-4.
03:10And they're not rattling off enough wins in order for me to be excited about them.
03:16Yeah, it feels like, but I feel like we've said this about the Guardians for the last
03:23couple of years, right?
03:24They don't do a whole lot of offensive things well.
03:27Yes, they got Ramirez, right?
03:29But they also feel like in a short series, they're an extremely dangerous team.
03:33They got one of the best closers in the game.
03:36And they play small ball better than anybody.
03:39But, my goodness, I mean, that's all those trades.
03:42They kind of pushed all their chips in the middle at the trade deadline.
03:47And I got to see better level of baseball here before I'm buying in to the Guardians right now.
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