00:00And I really do, in my heart of hearts,
00:01think Philly's going to get hot at some point, Joe.
00:03I mean, this roster, I know they got off to the awful start,
00:06and they brought in Mattingly.
00:08They won a bunch in a row.
00:10That got them back.
00:11It's almost like Boston got them back to being good again.
00:14That roster, though, man, with that pitching,
00:16and Duran closing the game out,
00:19and the hitting that they have,
00:21I can't imagine them not making it
00:24one of those three wild-card spots I'm giving you.
00:28Yep, experience.
00:29And right now, I mean, listen, that's all locked up there.
00:32We know the Cubs are likely looking at that number one wild-card spot,
00:37and then it's combinations of Philly's Padres, Diamondbacks.
00:42You know, go down the list here.
00:44It could be one of a bunch of teams that are on that board right here.
00:48But I'm kind of with you.
00:50I think Arizona here, I don't like what I've seen from Boston.
00:55They're coming off a 2-7, 2-5, rather, road trip.
01:00We just watched them in Pittsburgh.
01:02That didn't work out all that well there.
01:04Whitlock went down out of the bullpen.
01:08Bayo, I believe, is actually going to be part of it.
01:11He's going to be the bulk relief guy here tonight.
01:15They're going to go with an opener.
01:17And, yeah, I mean, you win 27 out of 30 games, and you're going to put yourself into contention.
01:23But my problem with teams like that, Craig, is that if you – maybe you peaked a little too soon,
01:29because that's – I don't think you're – it can only go one.
01:33If you're rolling out Brian Bayo here with his 10 ERA, I think there's trouble in paradise with Boston.
01:42I don't think that with Arizona.
01:44I definitely think Arizona, even with Mitch Bratt, should still be able to go toe-to-toe with Boston
01:52at a pretty good price here at plus money.
01:55But if I'm with you, there's something about the Padres that doesn't sit well with me.
02:01And we know the back end of the bullpen has been great.
02:05We know that Casey Mize won again yesterday.
02:08I mean, Robbie Ray, what's going on with him now?
02:11Joe Musgrove is throwing minor league games and rehab assignments.
02:15Maybe they can get some reinforcements back.
02:19But, I mean, that hitting was just so bad all year for the Padres.
02:24Can they sustain this?
02:26Can they sustain the offense, Craig, long enough to ride this thing into?
02:32Yeah, I'm not sure.
02:33Again, I think they are good enough, but I still think Philadelphia is better.
02:39And I think the Diamondbacks have played consistently better for the majority of the season.
02:44So that's sort of my feeling on it.
02:46But I would also say, you know, it's like splitting hairs.
02:49It wouldn't shock me at all to see, you know, Philly out and Arizona in and San Diego in too.
02:56I just, I look at Philadelphia's roster and I find myself wondering how with Schwarber and Harper and Stott and
03:05Luis Arias and Sanchez and Wheeler and all this great pitching that Philly has.
03:10And you're telling me that they're not as good as San Diego or as good as Arizona?
03:13I don't see it.
03:15Also, let's also not forget this.
03:172023.
03:18Go take a look at the standings in 2023 at the end of August.
03:23Cubs were in the same spot.
03:25Cubs did not make the playoffs.
03:27Cubs did not make the playoffs that year.
03:29And then they, of course, haven't been that good the last two years.
03:32But 2023, complete collapse.
03:34Dave Ross got fired.
03:37So, you know, Pete Crow Armstrong is there.
03:40I guess that's different, right?
03:41Like everyone says Pete Crow Armstrong is, you know, MVP candid and maybe that's the guy that keeps them alive.
03:46But a lot can still happen in September.
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