Here we go one of the best baseball writers ever, Tom Berducci. Check out his work in SI and of course, as I mentioned before, Buddy with AJ on Fox to hear those two throughout the season, but then in the postseason together on the call for an American League game. There you go, he's really got the company logo going today, Tom, great to have you on. How you doing and are you prepared for the postseason?
With a not prepared for the postseason because I have no idea what's going to happen, Like who's going to be in it? By the way, I think I just got back. I did the Mets Braids game last night. I think it just ended. That was an ugly ballgame that took forever. Besides green delay. My goodness, it was like watching you know, when your kids first start doing pitch player pitch rather than coach pitch and little league
and it's ball one, ball two, ball three. That's what the Mets the Braids did last night.
What was it like at the ballpark? Tom, Because we did cover this at the top of the show. The Mets are going through a really, really tough time at the moment, and the pitching staff is crumbling.
Yeah, it's interesting because they had all those good vibes from the night before. You mentioned the Alonso home run record, and they were supposed to have a celebration before the game where they actually had a ceremony for Pete and that got wiped out by the rain.
So that was a downer.
But then the Mets jump on Carlos Carrasco's now DFA because quite frankly, and I love Cookie, it just does not have major league stuff. The Mets jumped on and for six quick But how do you lose that game? You're up six at home, I guess the team out of contention, and they boat race you with eleven unanswered runs. And again, it's something that's really harm the Mets all year. They can't command the baseball. They've walked more batters than any pitching staff at the National League. It's been a
problem all year. We know all about the lack of length from their starting rotation. That's still an issue and I don't see it getting better anytime soon. Yes, they fortified the bullpen, but that starting rotation right now is a real problem for New York.
Tom That's one of my questions with the Mets. Just the starting pitching, not giving him length. The bullpen gets worn out. But they haven't hit either. They haven't hit like the we thought the Mets would hit. So what I mean, what the heck is I mean, we can throw the Yankees in there too, Like what's going on in New York. If something happened to the water that we don't.
Know about, Yeah, something in the water. I'll tell you if with the Mets it is a little bit the offense. I thought they had a top five offense when the year started. It hasn't worked that way. You look at Sodo and he's taking more strikes in the zone than ever before in his career. We know he's a patient hitter, but then when he gets runners on base, he's hitting below two hundred. He's between a lot of times, and that was the case last night.
I know we hit a home run.
Why Carrasco threw him a four seam fastball, I do not know, because Wan Soto does not hit sinkers. He absolutely destroys four steamers. And that's not the kind of guy that challenged one with a four seamer. But after that, they just sput him to death and he struck out three straight times.
Bases loaded.
So Lindor has gotten extremely streaky this year. That's hard to figure. I mean, we know he's a good offensive player, but he's been in one of those funks now. But you look at the bullpen that you mentioned, Aj, it's interesting to me. Yes, you can be like San Diego and bullpen teams to death, but to do that, you have.
To have them lined up in order.
Like Hellsley is the guy to me that got to be that weapon. Drop him into a game, middle of the order, six or seventh inning.
Get out of that jam.
You've got Diaz behind in the close at the face the middle of the order the next time it comes up.
They can't do that with Helsley. He's so used to.
Being a one inning clean guy, does not do up and downs, has a routine to get ready, to get ready.
For the ninth inning.
They're trying to groom him now into that super guy to drop in the middle of the game, and he just can't do it yet. I don't know if he's going to get there in time the next six weeks. So you look at the names and it looks good in terms of depth of bullpen pieces. Yes, they're picking up a lot of innings. We know that, but there's a lot of things they need to get straightened out. They're pitching a kid Nolan McLain on Saturday. You got Mantaz and Blackburn starters in the bullpen, and Senga is
not stretched out seam Andya is not stretched out. Clay Holmes is only a five any pitcher right now at best. That's why I say this is something that is not just a slump. I like the offense still, I think that's a slump. But the pitching staff has some real world issues.
They have issues we talk about You talked about Kogie Carrasco not being a big league pitcher. This is a team with playoff aspirations. If I were to say to be any season World Series aspirations, the lineup has the potential to be a World Series lineup. Does the pitching staff as a whole even have the chance to be a NLCS pitching staff.
That's a great question.
As much as I know that bullpen dominates in the postseason, right look at last year Dodgers win the World Series. Their starters go four and four, the bullpenk goes seven to one. I think the Lavers through more innings than the starters.
So there is a.
Path, but you still at times, as Yamamoto did, you need some guy or two guys to go out there at some point and take the ball into the sixth and seventh and win the game yourself as a starting pitcher.
Right now, the Mets don't have that pitcher. Now.
If Sega is fully stretched out and he's healthy, yeah he can be that guy. But again he's not there. He's still gonna need some time.
You guys know.
That these pitchers have to go through progressions to work up to being that eighty to one hundred pitch guy to pitch three times through a lineup. The Mets literally don't have one of those starters right now. Yes, I think, as much as I like their bullpen, that's still a problem when you get the postseason baseball.
All right, let's go to another bullpen guy that's doing Devin Williams. Is he officially with what Benar's done since he's come over? Is he officially you are seventh or eighth inning guy? A different spot other than I know. Aaron Boone said, we got to find some soft landing spots, and right now we don't have any soft landing spots. Do you think he is supplanted by Bennar? I do?
I mean in my you know that circle of trust, late game, high leverage guy, have a lead, lock it down. I'm all about Weaver and Bednar before I put Devin in that position.
Now he may get there. I'm with you. Give him a.
Few soft landings, get the confidence going. Two pitch guy in the changeup doesn't seem to be coming out of his hand just the same way.
I don't know what it is.
I don't think it's New York at this point, you know more than I almost three quarters of the way through his season. That adjustment period to me should be over.
But not the same stuff coming out of the head.
So I can't just give him the ball on reputation here in eighth, ninth inning, one run game. I've got to back him up a little bit and eventually hope that he gets there.
But he's not there right now.
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There's good races going on AL West NL West. There are awesome races right within a game of each other right there. It's great for baseball. Forget the wildcard. I want to know who wins the division in the world. The third wildcard is great, but I want your take on both these the Padres Dodgers and on the other side, I mean the Mariners and the Astros. Who's the better teams here and who's gonna get that buy in the first round for both of these divisions.
Yeah, great races.
I mean, I like Seattle over Houston, and I totally respect the Astros, and you never count that team out.
They're battle tested, we know that.
But I just like the roster after the trade deadline for Seattle a little bit better. And I think they're gonna pitch better because guys like Kirby and Gilbert. To me, I don't want to say they've underachieved, but there's more in the tank there with those guys. So I would lean towards Seattle in the West. In National League West, I still have to say the Dodgers, but I'm telling you, guys, there's something that's just not right with this team. This
is not just you know, let's get healthy. They've not played well this year. The thing that jumps out to me, guys, the Dodgers are not a good defensive team. In the last six years, they've been either first or second in Major League Baseball, and turning batted balls into outs. Now that stet because that's not just about defense. It's about the way your pitchers control weak contact right, hit the ball softly. Your defense is more likely to make the play.
The Dodgers have been first or second every year for six straight years. They're eighteenth this year. They're below average. They have a losing record against winning teams for the first time in more than a decade. There's some systemic problems here. They've pitched starters on the fourth day, we four days of rest, less than anybody in baseball. I get it. That's their mo Let's stretch everybody out. Gig economy, you know, divide up the workload among the many guys.
But the problem is they haven't pitched third time around as much as anybody else in baseball. Those guys aren't really locked down now to do that. So I don't know that Glassnow and Snell are going to be locked down and know Towny lockdowns starters in the postseason.
It seems to me.
I don't want to say that there's not an urgency here because this is the way they're designed to play.
I just don't like the way that they're playing right.
The offense isn't as good as we thought, the defense isn't as good as we thought, and the pitching isn't as good as we thought.
So I'm still gonna say the Dodgers.
I'm gonna sounds like I'm contradicting myself, but top to bottom, I'm betting on the talent. I think they're a deeper team than San Diego, but there's no question San Diego is a hotter team by far.
Right now, you are one of the only people that agrees with me on this show or any of the other shows on our network. I agree, I think the Dodgers are going to come out on top. But do you feel like them coming out on top will be a need for Mooki to go back to right field. You talk about defense, you have a better shortstop on the team. Who plays shortstop still in Rojas? And isn't I mean he's gonna give you what he's given you. And you said the offense isn't that great? But now,
all of a sudden, you've upgraded two positions. When you have a guy that plays gold glove right field. Do you see them making that move here in September or even here in August to be able to solidify and make them a better defensive team.
That's a great point, Eric, I mean, I think they're probably a better team with Mookie back in right field, But I think they're so committed and Mookie's been so committed to it, that it's hard for them to get off it at this point. So while I think it's something that they should consider, I don't see them doing it at this late stage game of the season.
So it's a great point.
You can make the case they will be and should be a better defensive team in that alignment, but I don't see them doing that.
I mean, Mookie's made.
Himself a pretty good shortstop. I can't say he's an elite major league shortstop. I don't think he's harmed him that much. But if you want incremental upgrades, I like him better in right field and shortstop. I just don't see the Dodgers pulling the trigger on that.
Hey, Tom, you do a great job with Joe Madden on the Book of Joe podcast.
I love it.
I listen to it all the time. So you can help me out with this one, because I think the stat that you said was that the last five years has produced top four home run teams in the regular season as World Series champs. So do you think that
streak continues as it stands right now? Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Diamondbacks, and if we want to include the Mariners because they're tied with the d Backs, those are your teams in the top five home run wise, Padres twenty ninth, Brewers fourteenth, blue Jay's nineteenth.
I'm glad you brought that up, Scott, because I love watching the Milwaukee Brewers play baseball.
I mean, how can you not right? They played the game the right way.
They play hard, they put the ball in play, they run the bass is great, They're very athletic. They're a younger team with young legs, and they just put pressure on teams constantly. You don't know if they're gonna bunt or hit and run or steal a base, but you must be prepared every pitch.
That's something maybe up.
And I love that kind of pressure, that anticipation of something happening. That being said, yes, there is something that in this game day and age, where you get to the postseason and you're seeing the front of rotations, the backup bullpens, with the off days, that's pretty much all you're seeing. It's very hard to string those rallies together with three four hits, right, and that's where those one swings, two swings Guy on bass pop one can win a
game for you. And yes, and I think it's the last five times five years no lower than fourth.
In Major League Baseball, not just in the league in home runs.
The Brewers, I think last time I checked, were about eighteenth or nineteenth in home runs. The last time a team won the World Series without being in the top half of Major League Baseball at home runs was the twenty fifteen Kansas City Royals. That's a decade ago. You guys know how much the game has changed. This is a very different game played in twenty five that wasn't team So I like to believe it's true, but you gotta.
Show me that first Tom five second time out. I got a special visitor. I don't know if you guys know who this is.
Scott. That's when I watched football. That was the primetime day video.
Yeah exactly. That's what happens when you show up at Fox. You just random people walking.
Oh nice, Oh, tell me good things about Penn State. I just gotta know good things about Penn State.
That's a good thing about Penn State.
Dudes, we'll see you.
Said they're gonna win it all by the way, Yeah, c l.
Okay, good answer, good stuff.
Sorry, I feel like that was a valid interruption there aj here, we got two minutes to go.
So we just had one of the best looking quarterbacks of all time. Tom, I got to meet the all time best looking Fox employee today. So your second Tom, but this other Tom beat you, So I have to admit. I mean, Tom, you're a great looking fellow, but that guy beat you for Fox Sports rankings.
I have no problem being number two behind that dude. I mean that is that's the goat in every way.
They don't call him the goat for nothing. And he can play and he can play baseball. Yes, he got drafted.
Yeah, he asked me.
He's like, he's like exos catcher.
He's a pretty dark with golfer and there's probably nothing he can't do.
Well, you're the only good Tom on this show. Okay, you are Tom. He is Brady. Okay, just just remember that.
You got you gotta get him on the show. Let's get brand and me at the same time.
How about that?
He said he would if you could fit it in the schedule, which is schedules.
He said he would.
He loves to talk baseball. And we just had Matt Lionard on. I mean Tom Brady, Matt Lioner. Once one has a heisman, the other one does it.
I mean, right, well done.
That's true. That is something AJ would say through both of them if he was standing with them both. Hey, how does it feel.
That Lioner some walking in and he had a USC shirt? I'm like, U C l A right, and he's like what he gave me? Knuckles duds Like no, He's like you said USC.
That's good. Well, Tom, thank you for stopping by. I really appreciate it. We're looking forwards obviously you got six weeks left, but then seeing you and AJ cover whatever it is because we have no idea what the postseason is going to look like. This is a very unpredictable year. But great to see you. Thank you.
Yeah, this is always fun. You guys do a great job. Thanks for having me.