00:00Roman Anthony ding-dong yesterday, Keith.
00:01Sure did.
00:02Didn't really matter, but it was still nice to see it.
00:04No, but seeing him rack up all these hits, even Trevor Story,
00:07like the two of them are hitting like crazy.
00:09So since they've shown up, it's not like they're winning a lot of games.
00:13But more importantly, over this, what, four-game stretch,
00:17Roman Anthony has been the leadoff hitter.
00:19He's been killing it.
00:20He's showing some power.
00:21A multiple, like, doubles, triples, home runs, right?
00:25Like, he's getting a ton of bases.
00:28So that's great.
00:29I'll view that as a positive.
00:31Even though the pitching is kind of falling apart right now
00:33and they lost the series, I mean, they really could have gotten swept,
00:36but they ended up losing that series to the Mariners.
00:39Roman Anthony showing up and being, like, the Roman Anthony
00:42we kind of expected going into this season, that's a great sign.
00:45So I do think it's too small of a sample size to play this game,
00:50but they've been blown out in three of the four games
00:52with Roman Anthony and Trevor Story here.
00:55So I'm not telling you there's a conclusion from this.
00:58It just is what it is.
00:59That's what's happened.
01:00The one game they won, they did battle back and win it.
01:03And we said at the time, I think it's really important
01:05to show the rest of the team that Trevor Story and Roman Anthony
01:09can come through in big spots and come from behind victories
01:12because the whole rest of the roster's been doing it all year without them
01:14since they went down.
01:15But since then, 9-6, kind of a fake comeback in that one.
01:19And then 8-3 yesterday.
01:21And the game they came back for, they both had a bunch of hits,
01:24but they got destroyed 16-1.
01:27Now, it got ugly at the end.
01:28Monasterio was pitching, but I think it's too early to draw a conclusion on that.
01:32But let's see.
01:32Are they just non-competitive?
01:34Are they just going to be non-competitive with these guys back?
01:36And this goes back to, I think, a larger team-wide approach.
01:42We heard Breslow this morning on the Greg Hill Show
01:43as part of the front office report
01:46talking about whether or not they are load-managing some of these players.
01:49And he said the answer is maybe.
01:52Like, well...
01:53Which is a yes.
01:54And then he went on to elaborate in the way he talked about it.
01:56It's a yes.
01:56All the reasons why it is.
01:57Rutschman, he said, could have played if it's a playoff game.
02:00I know you're skeptical about that.
02:01Yeah.
02:01They're pushing back Sonny Gray.
02:03They just pushed back Jake Bennett.
02:05Contreras probably doesn't need to be on the IL, but they're doing that.
02:08They even took Rafaela out of the game early yesterday.
02:10And not that he's, like, going to miss time, I don't think.
02:12But they're managing a lot of these guys.
02:15And I'm worried they're losing their focus.
02:18And they have their eyes off the prize a little bit.
02:20And they maybe just have in their heads
02:23or somewhere subconsciously,
02:25but we just got to get healthy.
02:26And then we can flip the switch come October
02:28against the Yankees in New York.
02:30And I just don't know, Keith,
02:32that a team that's this young
02:34and this inexperienced
02:36and has played so much off of
02:38vibes and momentum this year,
02:40I don't know if it's a team that can flip a switch.
02:42And I don't want to play that game.
02:44September momentum may not be a real thing for most teams.
02:47I think there's tons of studies that disprove it.
02:48You can go in ice cold and win a World Series.
02:50You can go in red hot and get swept.
02:52I think there's a lot of studies to prove that.
02:54I think with this team,
02:56I would feel a lot better about them
02:58if they go in on a high note
02:59because it does seem like they can get red hot
03:02at the flip of a switch
03:03as long as they're playing well
03:05going into the postseason.
03:06I believe they could go on a deep run.
03:07But I do think they could flip the switch,
03:10meaning they could be struggling
03:12but then have a game
03:13where they come back in the ninth inning
03:14and they're all going crazy
03:15and somebody,
03:16some other guy comes up with a big hit
03:17and their bullpen moves down.
03:19And that leads to momentum.
03:19And maybe that pushes you forward.
03:20Maybe.
03:21I think what's been more of an issue
03:25over the years,
03:26I feel like,
03:26is when a team doesn't play for a while
03:28rather than when a team is struggling going in.
03:31Meaning,
03:31I still go back to the 07 Rockies.
03:33Remember?
03:34They were the best team in the history
03:35of the last two months of the season.
03:37But then they got through the playoffs so quickly
03:38that they were waiting around for the Red Sox
03:40and then the Red Sox beat them.
03:41The last few years,
03:42there's been multiple examples
03:43of the teams with 100 wins
03:46that didn't play in the first round
03:47were waiting for their opponent,
03:49then got their opponent and lost.
03:51So the Red Sox are for sure
03:53going to be a wildcard team.
03:54They're not winning the division.
03:55They're going to be a wildcard team.
03:56They're likely going to have to be on the road.
03:58But at least they're going to be playing games
03:59right up until then.
04:00So I think that is better
04:02than kind of like icing them out.
04:03The other reason why I do have,
04:05and we'll see how this goes,
04:07but at least for the next 10 games,
04:09I think the plan is to have real starters.
04:12Sonny Gray is going to be back a part of that.
04:15Ranger Suarez,
04:16Tully,
04:16Bennett's going tonight.
04:17Sandoval,
04:18it's going to be those guys.
04:20Some of the real issues that they've had
04:21over the last five games
04:23have been going with openers,
04:25going with maybe the Bayo experiment
04:27has finally run out.
04:28It's been guys that really shouldn't
04:30impact the playoff roster.
04:31If that was just a week
04:32to get everybody right,
04:33and now,
04:34as you said,
04:35Bennett tonight,
04:36Suarez tomorrow,
04:37Gray on Saturday,
04:39Tully Sunday,
04:40Sandoval Monday,
04:41rinse,
04:41repeat,
04:41and do it again.
04:42So that's pretty good.
04:43That's a lot different than Paez
04:44and Gamboa
04:46and what they've been doing here
04:47over the last week.
04:49So if that's just a blip on the radar
04:51to get everybody reset,
04:52they skip Bennett a week ago,
04:54they're skipping Gray
04:55or just skip Gray.
04:56He's back on Saturday
04:57just to get everything right.
04:59No harm,
04:59no foul.
04:59That's the hope.
05:00And I'm not concerned
05:01about them missing the playoffs,
05:02not at this moment.
05:04There's 22 games to go.
05:06There's six up on a playoff spot.
05:07Like, I know we had the caller earlier
05:08all fired up and,
05:09oh, you just think they're going
05:10to make the playoffs
05:11and what about 2011?
05:132011 happened
05:14and that team fell flat on their face
05:16and I guess mathematically they could.
05:17I feel pretty good
05:18about their odds of getting in.
05:19It's a 97% chance
05:20of making the playoffs.
05:21So there's always exceptions to the rule.
05:23I guess they could fall flat
05:24on their face.
05:25I don't think they will,
05:26but I'm not going to feel great
05:27about this team
05:28if they win,
05:30you know,
05:31nine out of the final 22
05:33and they're losing more series
05:35than they're winning
05:36and they're not playing good baseball
05:37going into the playoffs.
05:38I personally don't feel great
05:40about their ability
05:40to flip the switch
05:41come October in the Bronx,
05:43but you tell me.
