WEBVTT - Mark Simon on Today's starting pitching: Matt 'Tugboat' Wilkinson vs Jake Bennett

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<v Speaker 1>All right, A pleasure to bring in Mark Simon of

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<v Speaker 1>Sports Info Solutions. Mark, how are you today?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm good?

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<v Speaker 1>How are you well? We're doing well and dealing with

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<v Speaker 1>the Fenway Park jinx. Let's put it that way. It's

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<v Speaker 1>been a crazy weekend for the Giants, endeavors and everything else.

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<v Speaker 1>But since we last spoke, the team has gone one

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<v Speaker 1>in five and they're being outscored thirty five seventeen. Does

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<v Speaker 1>any of this matter?

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<v Speaker 2>I don't really think so, Like whether they finished sixty

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<v Speaker 2>five and ninety seven or seventy and ninety two. Does

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<v Speaker 2>it like they've had so many games like they had

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<v Speaker 2>yesterday that shouldn't you know, for most teams, or you

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<v Speaker 2>put them in the win column and that's it and

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<v Speaker 2>the ninth inning ends and the game's over, and then

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<v Speaker 2>like they've just had too many like yesterday and to

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<v Speaker 2>the point where it's kind of like what matters year

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<v Speaker 2>is like you want to see Eldridge continue to develop.

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<v Speaker 2>You want to see landing route get consistent. You want

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<v Speaker 2>to see positive things that he's taken to next year.

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<v Speaker 2>There doesn't seem to be a lot these days, but

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<v Speaker 2>that's what you want.

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<v Speaker 1>To see, Yes, Dylan Smith looked pretty good. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know if you saw the end of the game last night,

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<v Speaker 1>but you know they don't have relievers who go three

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<v Speaker 1>innings anymore. Goose Gossage is gone. He's not coming back.

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<v Speaker 1>Dylan Smith, what one great inning, and they tried the

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<v Speaker 1>second inning and he didn't have it. It's unfortunate that

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<v Speaker 1>relievers are built that way. But for one inning, he

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<v Speaker 1>looked pretty good.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it is unfortunate. It's actually funny. I was watching

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<v Speaker 2>a met padre game from nineteen eighty six this week,

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<v Speaker 2>and Rich Gossage pitched three innings in that game. And

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<v Speaker 2>you know, he's someone that gives it all, his all

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<v Speaker 2>on every pitch, and it was just a different kind

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<v Speaker 2>of baseball to watch to see him go out there

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<v Speaker 2>for three innings. Supposed to these guys, that's trying to

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<v Speaker 2>throw one hundred and one for one inning.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's the way relievers used to be. I wouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>mind seeing a reliever be able to go two innings.

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<v Speaker 1>I would like to see it, but I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if we'll ever get there again. The Giants do play

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<v Speaker 1>well against some teams, and then the teams that they

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<v Speaker 1>don't play well against. Everyone should be winning those games

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<v Speaker 1>and they don't. What happens to them?

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<v Speaker 2>I wish I had an answer. It is so funny

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<v Speaker 2>to me that they are over five hundred against the Braves,

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<v Speaker 2>and they're over five hundred against the Brewers, and they're

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<v Speaker 2>against the Dodgers. They have won four out of seven,

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<v Speaker 2>with more to come, obviously, but they just seem to melt.

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<v Speaker 2>They melted against the Yankees the first three day three

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<v Speaker 2>games of the season. They melted against Tampa Bay. They've

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<v Speaker 2>melted against the American League in a lot of respect

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<v Speaker 2>because you know, they're oh and two against the Red

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<v Speaker 2>Sox the Al East, oh and three against the Raids,

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<v Speaker 2>oh and three against the Yankees and are really ugly,

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<v Speaker 2>oh and three and one and two against the Orioles,

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<v Speaker 2>and one and two against the Blue Jays. They just,

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know, it just feels like they've melted this year.

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<v Speaker 2>They've been banning one run games. If they were a

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<v Speaker 2>better team than one run games, you'd feel a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit better about them. But every day it just feels

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<v Speaker 2>kind of like the one that they had yesterday.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you think about the Red Sox. I've watched

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<v Speaker 1>them and I realized contraras is a tremendous hitter. Then

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<v Speaker 1>I watch everybody else. I know Anthony is not around

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<v Speaker 1>and he's hurt. They don't scare me, And I know

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<v Speaker 1>they're right up there offensively in the American League, but

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<v Speaker 1>for some reason they don't. They don't scare me. Well, Pat,

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<v Speaker 1>do you rate the Red Sox? Give me a report

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<v Speaker 1>on them?

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<v Speaker 2>Sure, let's do it a little statistical kind of thing

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<v Speaker 2>here where we combine offense, defense, and pitching. Baseball Reference

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<v Speaker 2>does this really well, and the Red Sox come out

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<v Speaker 2>pretty well in this, maybe better than definitely better than

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<v Speaker 2>you think, probably a little better than I think. Where

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<v Speaker 2>they are a top ten team pitching wise, they're a

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<v Speaker 2>top three team. I think it is offense wise, and

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<v Speaker 2>because their center fielder is so good and their outfield

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<v Speaker 2>is just so good in general, and they're really good

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<v Speaker 2>third base, and defensively, they come out as right there

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<v Speaker 2>with the Cubs as the best defensive team and the

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<v Speaker 2>Grand smushing together. Out of all of that, the Red

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<v Speaker 2>Sox come out as number one, even ahead of the Dodgers,

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<v Speaker 2>which I think is a little bit far fetched. But

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<v Speaker 2>the logic of that is that they've got a great

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<v Speaker 2>lineup and you see it with Faris, You see it

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<v Speaker 2>with Saydan Raphaela. You see it with what a braw

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<v Speaker 2>has done for them recently. They have really good pitching,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe not the best pitching, but they have Sonny Gray,

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<v Speaker 2>and they have what you would feel like is a

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<v Speaker 2>competent for guys that you could throw in a playoff series.

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<v Speaker 2>And they have a great closer, and they have a

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<v Speaker 2>pretty good bullpen whin they're healthy. And then the defense,

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<v Speaker 2>the outfield defense is so good that it takes away

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of runs that that elevates them. And this

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<v Speaker 2>formula that Baseball Reference uses actually has the Red Sox

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<v Speaker 2>as underachieving and it has Tampa Bay as significantly overachieving,

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<v Speaker 2>and it has the Red Sox as the best team.

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<v Speaker 2>Whether you or buy that, I'm just giving you the

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<v Speaker 2>argument for that. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with much of

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<v Speaker 2>what you said, but that's kind of the argument at

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<v Speaker 2>this point.

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<v Speaker 1>All Right, all right, we'll see. I just don't have

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<v Speaker 1>that feeling that they have they're gonna just go out

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<v Speaker 1>and score a ton of runs. I just don't have

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<v Speaker 1>that feeling. But we'll see. They get to see the

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<v Speaker 1>tugboat today. Matt Wilkinson he's a big boy, and Jake

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<v Speaker 1>Bennett is on the other side, twenty five years old.

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<v Speaker 1>He's six foot six, so this should be an interesting

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<v Speaker 1>matchup both lefties in Fenway Park. You know, there used

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<v Speaker 1>to be a time that you'd never throw a lefty

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<v Speaker 1>in Fenway. You do anything before you throw a lefty.

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<v Speaker 1>And Fenway Park now lefties pitch all the time. So

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<v Speaker 1>what about these two guys today.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, it's funny that you said that, because, like you

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<v Speaker 2>think of like the Bruce Hursts and the John Tutors

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<v Speaker 2>and guys like that that were turned out to be

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<v Speaker 2>pretty decent pitchers that were lefties that pitched in Fenway

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<v Speaker 2>back in the day when he and I were both

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<v Speaker 2>younger pups, I guess. But all right, the pitching matches

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<v Speaker 2>for today. So Jake Bennett got had this really good

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<v Speaker 2>five or six start run in like May and June

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<v Speaker 2>where he was very, very tough to hit, and in

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<v Speaker 2>that he had he owned all parts of the plate.

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<v Speaker 2>He owned the top of the zone in particular, I

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<v Speaker 2>got a lot of guys out at the top of

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<v Speaker 2>the zone. He's kind of faded a little bit like then,

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<v Speaker 2>less effective recently. You should start an alrighty lineup against

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<v Speaker 2>him if you can, and I haven't seen Todays, but

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<v Speaker 2>you should because he hasn't allowed an extra base hit

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<v Speaker 2>to a left handed hitter all year. He's you know,

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<v Speaker 2>when he's very good. When he's good, he's very good.

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<v Speaker 2>But he hasn't been very good of late. The Wilkinson

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<v Speaker 2>thing start. I guess I'm looking at like how he

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<v Speaker 2>sails against Abrau, who is they said it yesterday on

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<v Speaker 2>the broadcast one of the best left handed hitters against

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<v Speaker 2>left handed pitching in the sport. I'd like to see

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<v Speaker 2>him go longer than a couple of innings, certainly. I

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<v Speaker 2>think you want to see he He was stretched out

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<v Speaker 2>minor league wise, one hundred pitches his left minor league game.

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<v Speaker 2>Let him go. Let's see what he's got left. He's

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<v Speaker 2>he's very tough on lefties, right e's he can be

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<v Speaker 2>very tough on. But the issue that he runs into

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<v Speaker 2>against right handed hitters, and you'll see it at Fenway

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<v Speaker 2>for sure, they can hit for power against him, and

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<v Speaker 2>I think that's something that you got to be awarey.

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<v Speaker 1>Of lineup endeavors Damas Eldridge, Barracoto and left Lee Kinser

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<v Speaker 1>catching Cox and center instead of Gilbert today and cost

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<v Speaker 1>A third base, so.

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<v Speaker 2>It's left But yeah, you want to start Devers, but

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<v Speaker 2>and Eldridge for that matter. But Jake Bannett is really

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<v Speaker 2>good against lefties, so they got to watch out for that.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and Cox is in center field today. He's struck out,

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<v Speaker 1>I think nine times in a row, so we'll see

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<v Speaker 1>what happens with him this week. The Reds and Diamondbacks

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<v Speaker 1>come in and we had JJ Bloedet He's hit for

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<v Speaker 1>the cycle. Last night for the Reds, Della Cruz almost

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<v Speaker 1>did it and they had a big win last night.

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<v Speaker 1>Marte has still disappeared. He was seeing at the Roulette

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<v Speaker 1>Wheel and they're coming into San Francisco next weekend. So

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<v Speaker 1>what a week this is gonna be. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>So but with the Reds, I think the thing to

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<v Speaker 2>be mindful of is you're gonna see Chase Burns, who

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<v Speaker 2>has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year,

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<v Speaker 2>and he has like a two five ERA and his

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<v Speaker 2>win loss is like very like old school really good.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's like fifteen and three. He does it

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<v Speaker 2>with two pitches, which I think is really impressive. He's

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<v Speaker 2>a fastball slider guy. He the slider is a really

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<v Speaker 2>big strikeout weapon for him. Every so often you'll see

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<v Speaker 2>a change up, but he is very much a power

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<v Speaker 2>pitcher and he's elite. He's one of the best guys

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<v Speaker 2>in the sport. He's picked second overall. And then there's

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<v Speaker 2>salth Stewart, who is terror one of baseball's best terrors

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<v Speaker 2>with runners in scoring position, ops over one thousand with

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<v Speaker 2>runners in scoring position, leading in RBIs with ninety seven.

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<v Speaker 2>Those are your two kind of highlight guys for Cincinnati.

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<v Speaker 2>Arizona has played five hundred this month. I think Corbyn

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<v Speaker 2>Carroll is a legit MVP candidate. He's been great this year.

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<v Speaker 2>Perdomo has been a lot better lately. Don't let his

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<v Speaker 2>numbers deceive you. Look out for Perdomo. Edward Rodriguez has

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<v Speaker 2>been excellent all year with a little help from his defense.

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<v Speaker 2>Diamondbacks are right in it. This is one where the

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<v Speaker 2>Giants could play spoiler a little bit, but you know

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<v Speaker 2>they got to show up to do that.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, we'll see. We'll talk to you next

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<v Speaker 1>weekend when the Diamondbacks are here, and other than that,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll see what this week brings for baseball. So I

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate it. Mark, thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 2>You got it tip all right.

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<v Speaker 1>That is Mark Simon's Sports Info Solutions. Next up Barry Bloom,

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<v Speaker 1>And of course he's been on our show many times.

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<v Speaker 1>He used to write for MLB. He's been a baseball

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<v Speaker 1>writer for years and years. But he understands what's going

0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:16.080
<v Speaker 1>on in LA with all his financial business with the

0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:18.680
<v Speaker 1>Dodgers and how that may affect him. And also he's

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<v Speaker 1>based in Arizona most of the time, and he understands

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<v Speaker 1>Terry Lvolo and CATL Marte and what that does to

0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:30.200
<v Speaker 1>the National League West. And plus he's still in San Diego.

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<v Speaker 1>So Barry Bloom is with us next right here in

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<v Speaker 1>the Sports Leader