- 6 hours ago
Brian Anderson previews Guardians - Rays matchup in ALCS, why the margins in series don't matter
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00His name is Brian Anderson. Hello, B.A.
00:02Hello, boys.
00:04How are you?
00:06You know what? I'm doing well.
00:09I would have done a lot better had the Browns not, you know,
00:13blew yesterday's game.
00:15I mean, that game was right there for the taking,
00:18and that would have been a really nice segue into the series
00:23that we're going to get tonight between Cleveland and Tampa Bay.
00:26I can't wait to get that started.
00:27We should have started on a better note, but here we are.
00:31This is, I would think, Brian, correct me if I'm wrong.
00:34A, it's the best of both worlds for you, being a former Indian,
00:39growing up here and working with the Tampa Bay Rays on their television crew
00:43for a long time, and it's got to be absolute torture as well for you.
00:49Which is it? How do you handle it?
00:51You know, I mean, really, it's, I don't know how to describe it
00:57other than what you just did.
00:58You know, obviously, it's hometown.
01:00You know, I'm always pulling for Cleveland.
01:02I've always done that, you know, outside of when they're playing Tampa Bay.
01:05I've been doing their games for a long time.
01:08So, to end up getting this series, and I was really pulling that way.
01:11It didn't look like it was going to be that with Chicago winning those first two games,
01:15but Cleveland, they show you their pluck, and, you know,
01:17they come all the way back and, you know, end up taking that game five at home
01:22and then come down here.
01:23Yeah, it's been exciting.
01:24A lot of trash talk between friends and family from back home.
01:27I'm hearing from a lot of people that I haven't heard from in an awful long time,
01:31but everybody is super excited for it.
01:34And, you know, like Jack, my oldest boy, told me, he's like,
01:37well, one of my teams is going to the World Series, so he's already fired up.
01:41Well, he's got the right attitude.
01:43That's why.
01:43Yeah.
01:44Right?
01:44You can't lose.
01:45One of your teams is going to the World Series.
01:47That's right.
01:48I mean, really, at the end of the day, you know, so we'll see how it plays out.
01:54I mean, obviously, the Rays took care of business with the Yankees,
01:57and they were able to get some rest in and, you know,
02:00shore up and align their pitching like they want.
02:03But I will tell you this, and this is what I find really interesting
02:07as you start to dig into this series, is that Cleveland has a golden opportunity.
02:14You know, no one's given them a lot of, much of a chance in this series,
02:19you know, nationally.
02:20And so they have a chance to come out with low expectations,
02:26at least nationally.
02:27Again, the guys in that dugout, they don't feel that way.
02:29They feel like they're going to beat the Rays.
02:30That's how you have to play.
02:32But you can also go out and play with a chip on your shoulder
02:36and play as if you have nothing to lose.
02:38And I'm going to tell you this right now.
02:40If Cleveland were to go out tonight and somehow steal game one,
02:44that can throw some panic into a team.
02:48And I'll tell you why.
02:49You go out there tonight with Foster Griffin going for Cleveland,
02:53and you somehow find a way to beat Drew Rasmussen in the Rays.
02:56Now you go up one game to nothing, and now you have Parker Messick,
03:00who has given the Rays fits over his short career.
03:05He has absolutely lit them up.
03:07And then in game three, you've got Gavin Williams.
03:10And, oh, by the way, it all sets up, too,
03:13then those two guys would go game six and seven.
03:17So we had this happen to us.
03:19When I played for Arizona in 1999, we won the division,
03:24second year in existence, win the division,
03:26and we're all set up and ready to go.
03:28We're playing the Mets in the playoffs.
03:30They had to use their ace, Al Leiter, on a play-in game, game 163.
03:36And he threw a great game.
03:38They beat the Reds, I think, three or four to nothing.
03:40And now they're into the playoffs, and they're playing the Rays.
03:42Well, we were all set up.
03:44Randy Johnson's going game one at home, all of the things.
03:48They have to go with Masato Yoshi because, again,
03:51the fighter had to be used on the play-in game.
03:53Well, they stole game one.
03:56They win game one.
03:57And now, all of a sudden, we are panicking.
03:59We're playing catch-up.
04:01It's a five-game series, too.
04:02So we win game two.
04:03Okay, fine, we split at home.
04:05We go to New York.
04:06We lose game three.
04:08And now, guess what?
04:09You've got their ace, Al Leiter, going in game four in New York.
04:14And, by the way, you know who pitched against them that day?
04:18Help me.
04:20Me.
04:20Oh.
04:22I knew that was coming.
04:24Yeah, game four, and we were down two games to one, best of five.
04:28And I took the ball that day against Al Leiter, and I ended up going seven.
04:33I don't know how long he went, but I came out after seven, and we were winning three to two.
04:38So I was in line to get the win with Randy Johnson going in game five.
04:41And those sons of guns tied it up, and then that was the game where Todd Pratt hit that home
04:46run,
04:47pinch hit home run, or he had maybe come into the game late.
04:50He didn't start that day, but he hit the home run to dead center field,
04:54and they ended up knocking us out three games to one.
04:56All of that to say they stole game one, and it immediately put us back on our heels.
05:03And so if you're able to do that, Cleveland tonight, and now Parker Messick,
05:07who, again, go look at his numbers against the Rays.
05:10He's had his way with them.
05:12You know, going to game two, now all of a sudden the confidence level goes through the roof.
05:15So tonight's a big game, man.
05:17I know it's game one, but it's a big game.
05:18Hey, what's the – I asked you this last week about it was really kind of cool
05:22to see Tropicana, like, be packed, you know, during the last series.
05:28And now I'm wondering what's this place going to be like now?
05:31And normally what's the visitor split on the house on games like that?
05:35Because I got a feeling we're going to see plenty of Guardian Cleveland fans there tonight.
05:40Yeah, you will because it's Florida.
05:43It's the same way with, you know, with New York and Boston.
05:47Obviously, there's a lot of transplants down here that find their way to those games.
05:50But there's a lot of Midwesterners that live down here too, man.
05:53I'll tell you, it's like the East Coast, you know, the Boston, New York people,
05:56they end up on the East Coast of Florida.
05:58And all the Midwesterners, Chicago, Cleveland, they all end up over here on the Gulf side.
06:03So, yeah, they'll have a good amount of fans there.
06:07But I certainly expect this to be a very pro-raised crowd overall.
06:11I'm just hoping that they hit the numbers that they did, you know, against the Yankees,
06:16where you're getting 40,000, I think it was 40,600 and some for each of those games.
06:23And I would expect the same thing for this, you know, this series here starting tonight.
06:28People down here are very, very excited.
06:31And, you know, the feeling is, and I got to be honest with you,
06:34when you look at these two teams and match them up, this, you know, the path to the World Series,
06:42you know, Tampa is better in almost every facet of the game overall over top of Cleveland.
06:49Doesn't mean anything in baseball because one hot pitcher, again, you take game one tonight
06:54and now all of a sudden you put the Rays back on their heels a little bit.
06:57So it'll be interesting to see.
06:59But I think the crowd will be, it'll be rocking because they know this is one step before the World
07:03Series.
07:04I was talking to Dan before the show and he said he read something and it backs up what you
07:09just said.
07:10And I thought it was perfect.
07:11He said what Dan Redd said, the Rays and Guardians are basically the same team,
07:18but the Rays are 20% better all the way across the board.
07:22Would you agree with that?
07:23I would.
07:25I would.
07:25I think when you start to break down these two teams and start with the rotations,
07:30you know, the Rays have one of the best starting rotations in baseball
07:33and certainly top two, you know, for Cleveland with Messick and Williams,
07:37those guys are as locked down as they can.
07:39And again, Messick has pitched really well against the Rays.
07:41And we know that Gavin Williams can go out and make, you know,
07:44make guys swing and miss an awful lot.
07:46Look at the strikeouts that he, well, the strikeouts that the entire staff put up for Cleveland.
07:50But on top of that, Williams, what he was able to do in five, you know, plus innings of work,
07:55you know, striking out 11 and 12 and his, you know, two starts, just absolutely dominant.
08:00But I think that the Rays, they're a little bit deeper in that starting rotation.
08:06So I think they have a little bit of an edge there.
08:08Then you talk about the bullpens.
08:09And I think while bullpens are very, very good, especially when you get to that back end,
08:14you know, Kate Smith, Brian Baker, they tied for the major league lead with 41 saves.
08:17And in fact, Brian Baker, how about this?
08:21So he saved all three games against the Yankees and had 41 in the regular season.
08:26His last blown save was on May the 13th, May 13th against the Blue Jays.
08:33And that, at that point he had 11 saves, three blown saves, and then proceeded to go 30 in a
08:41row
08:42to end the season and then three in a row against the Yankees.
08:45So he hasn't blown a save since the middle of May.
08:48He's been locked down.
08:49And you know what?
08:50And so is Kate Smith on the other side.
08:51But then you look at the supporting cast, and I think even there, the Rays back end of the bullpen,
08:57at least on paper, is a little bit stronger than Cleveland.
09:01Then you go to the offense.
09:03And I think overall, the Rays offense a little bit better.
09:07You would see that over the course of, you know, the season, the numbers.
09:11Not, you know, they don't hit a ton of home runs, either team.
09:14But the Rays have done a really good job since the beginning of July with the long ball
09:18because the guys like Victor Mason Jr. and Richie Palacios getting hot down the stretch,
09:23they ended up in the top two or three in the American League in home runs from July 1st on.
09:28On top of that, they lead the world in sacrifice bunts, bun for hits, infield hits, base running,
09:34first to third.
09:35They just do it at such a high level.
09:37They're very aggressive on the base pass.
09:39And where that'll cost them from time to time running into an out,
09:41they'll make up for it by scoring a run or two that they shouldn't because they're so aggressive.
09:46And so, you know, and I think they're just a little bit better than Cleveland in that aspect.
09:51And I think they're a little bit better than Cleveland maybe defensively.
09:54So it's just, it's the margins, but that doesn't mean anything at the end of the day.
09:59I mean, that's nice to talk about it before the series starts,
10:02but these guys are going to be going out there, both sides motivated,
10:05knowing that they are one step away from being able to play in a World Series
10:11and get an opportunity to be world champs.
10:13So you're going to get the very best from both teams.
10:16And let's be honest, Cleveland comes in riding high.
10:20They're not getting a lot of attention nationally.
10:23And the way that they won that series,
10:26if you don't think that that is a confidence builder for a team,
10:30you lost the first two games of a five-game series.
10:33Not only that, you lost them at home.
10:35Well, you lost them at home.
10:38And then you go on the road and you are able to blow them out a couple of games to
10:43get it back home.
10:44And then you take it.
10:45This team is riding high right now.
10:47And I promise you, their confidence is through the roof.
10:49And they feel like they are every bit the team that the Tampa Bay Rays are.
10:53So, you know, we will see.
10:55And maybe, maybe, you know, the Rays have had too much rest.
10:59You know, think about it.
11:00After the last game of the season, they didn't start that series against the Yankees for six days.
11:05You end the season on a Sunday.
11:07They didn't start the division series until the following Saturday.
11:10So, you're trying to stay sharp.
11:11Now, they were able to do that and win that series.
11:13But you swept that series.
11:14So, now you had another long layoff.
11:16That's typically not good in baseball.
11:18So, I'll be anxious to see, you know, what the energy level.
11:22I shouldn't even say that because the energy level will be there.
11:24But the execution, the attention to detail, what's that going to look like?
11:28I know Drew Rasmussen is going to be ready, and he'll be ready to go.
11:32And that's the right guy going in a game like this.
11:34But will the rest of the team be sharp, or will the two long layoffs affect them?
11:39Because Cleveland's been playing.
11:41And not only have they been playing, they've been winning.
11:44So, you know, that matters too.
11:46All right, B, two things.
11:48One, I know you're talking about the streaks for closers.
11:51Let's not forget Andre Schmidt hadn't missed anything through the preseason until yesterday.
11:55But I'm just saying.
11:57And then the next point is, when you look at these two organizations, I just find it really
12:02interesting with a game that is just about, I know Dan doesn't want to talk about this
12:06right now, but with a game that's on the brink from the financial aspect of owners versus
12:11players, and how we're looking at a lockout or a strike coming up here, that you find two
12:16teams that are built, not only built on the field the same way, but built in the front
12:21office kind of the same way on how to determine what your next year is going to look like,
12:25and trying to be able to build and win when you lose big players year in and year out.
12:32And then, you know, throw Milwaukee in the mix too.
12:34I think, you know, three out of four of the lower payroll teams making the final four is
12:38really interesting for the game.
12:41I was just going to say that when you were talking about Cleveland and Tampa, I was like,
12:45I was going to say, how about Milwaukee?
12:47You know, they're built the same way.
12:49And guess what?
12:51The Dodgers are built the same way, Andrew Friedman, except they have the money.
12:55So now you take that expertise and being able to, you know, to go out and be very savvy in
13:03your moves with an open checkbook.
13:05And that's why the Dodgers have done what they've done with Andrew Friedman, you know,
13:09leading the way out there who obviously came.
13:11He was the former GM of the Tampa Bay Rays when they made their turn, you know, back in 2008.
13:17So, yeah, I agree.
13:19And it really is interesting that you're going to get at least one of those two teams into
13:25the World Series.
13:26And if Milwaukee can somehow take out the Dodgers now going into that collective bargaining agreement
13:31where they are going to be pining for a salary cap because, you know, the small market teams
13:36don't have a chance.
13:37Well, you're going to have a couple of them in the World Series.
13:39That's not the best, not the best arguing point going into the CBA from the owner's side.
13:46But from the player's side, too, isn't it?
13:49I think it kind of plays both ways here, B.A., because it just shows, hey, look, you don't
13:55have to spend huge dollars.
13:57And on the other hand, if you spend huge dollars, that can work.
14:01You know, there are a lot of different ways to build a baseball team.
14:05Yeah, that's right.
14:06And I think that, you know, what I have loved to watch, and I obviously haven't seen Cleveland
14:11like you have, but what I've loved to watch with the Rays is they understand, you know,
14:17we can't just go out and out-slug people.
14:21That's not the way that we're going to, you know, to build our offense, pull power, where
14:25everybody's trying to do this throughout the league.
14:26They realize, hey, we got a lot of really good athletes, a lot of guys that have the
14:31ability to shorten and not only the ability, but the want to, to shorten their swing with
14:37two strikes and put the ball in play and play selfless baseball, move base runners, hit
14:42behind them, lay down a bunt, play small ball.
14:45Not even that they're playing small ball, they're just playing a style of baseball that
14:49we haven't seen in a long time.
14:51Everything has been launch angle, pull power, you know, all these different things.
14:54The Rays, they go out, and like I said before, they, you know, they lead the league in infield
14:58hits, bunt hits, sacrifice bunts, safety squeezes, runners at first and third with no outs,
15:04one out.
15:04They'll lay down a bunt, steal that run.
15:06Very rarely do you ever see that play, you know, thwarted.
15:09So they play an old school style of baseball that anybody who appreciates baseball from
15:15back in the day, they love watching the race because they do so many different things that
15:21you don't see a lot of teams doing nowadays.
15:23And guess what?
15:24It makes it really hard for other teams to defend them because they don't face these type
15:30of teams.
15:31They face guys that have one swing.
15:32They've got a 3-0 swing, and that's the same swing they'll use in an 0-2 count.
15:37It's just swing for the fences.
15:38They don't do anything.
15:40They don't put a lot of pressure on defenses.
15:41And so all of a sudden, you play the Rays, and you're like, okay, wait a minute.
15:45They're bunting here.
15:46We see it all the time, the mistakes that are made.
15:48We just saw it in the Yankee series because of the speed.
15:51Yankee's trying to rush things, making errors, making foolish plays.
15:56I've watched it all year long.
15:58So it's a throwback brand of baseball that's an awful lot of fun to watch.
16:01And Cleveland has always tried to step right along.
16:05Where the Rays kind of adopted the Milwaukee Brewers style of play, it's like Cleveland
16:09has done that over the years, too, with the Rays.
16:11The way that they've developed pitching.
16:13The way that they try to be savvy with some of their moves and create runs offensively.
16:19So this should be a heck of a series.
16:21Brian, we appreciate you joining us today.
16:23Must admit, the three of us have been thinking about you like crazy, going, all right, this
16:27is going to be Guardians' race.
16:29What's Bia going to do?
16:30So hang in, enjoy, and one of your teams is going to get to the World Series.
16:35That is very true.
16:36And let me give you this as just an aside for game one.
16:39Tonight, Baker's got a game at 645.
16:42Harper's got a game at 715.
16:44So those games don't even end until 830.
16:47And then it's a good half-hour home.
16:49So I'll be getting home.
16:50It could be in the fourth inning by the time I get tuned into this game, which is kind
16:54of annoying.
16:57Parenthood first.
16:58All right.
16:59See you, buddy.
17:00Good Lord.
17:00Well, thank God for the screens.
17:03There you go.
17:04I'll have it on out there somehow.
17:05Absolutely.
17:05See you, boys.
17:06Thanks, Bia.
17:07Brian Anderson.