Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to the Thursday edition of Fair Territory of
Speaker 1: Ken Rosenthal here with Alana Rizzo, and we've got a
Speaker 1: lot to discuss, as always on the program and Alta,
Speaker 1: Let's start with the first place team in the American
Speaker 1: League Central.
Speaker 2: I never thought we would be talking about this on
Speaker 2: June what is it, eleventh, twenty twenty six. Ken, Good
Speaker 2: to be back with you this week on Fair Territory.
Speaker 2: The first place Chicago White Sox. How did they get there?
Speaker 1: They got there by playing extremely well even without more
Speaker 1: when I Tako Morikami, they're great star who has been
Speaker 1: out for a while, but as I detailed in my
Speaker 1: notes Calumn today, their offense actually has been better without him.
Speaker 1: I don't know how to explain that. I don't know
Speaker 1: how to explain a lot of things with the White Sox.
Speaker 1: But they are a team that has the second best
Speaker 1: record in the American League since I believe April seventeenth,
Speaker 1: right behind the Yankees. They are a team that is
Speaker 1: getting enough from its pitching, and they are a team
Speaker 1: that is playing out of its mind at home. Eighteen
Speaker 1: and three at home in their last twenty one home games.
Speaker 1: It's an amazing stretch and right now they are playing
Speaker 1: the Braves in the middle of a difficult circumstance. Here
Speaker 1: a schedule that has them playing the Braves, Dodgers, and Yankees.
Speaker 1: They've won the first two games from the Braves, they
Speaker 1: won this series, and they keep going in a weak division.
Speaker 1: So it raises the question a lot of what can
Speaker 1: they do to keep this momentum surging forward? And will
Speaker 1: they do much at the deadline? I try to address
Speaker 1: that somewhat in my notes column today, and clearly they
Speaker 1: are a team that will try to add I expect that,
Speaker 1: But like the Cardinals, like the Nationals, if the Nationals
Speaker 1: remain in contention, these are the other surprise teams. I
Speaker 1: do not expect them to go crazy and abandon their
Speaker 1: development plan. They are going to stay the course, but
Speaker 1: at the same time, they're not going to ignore where
Speaker 1: they are in the standings.
Speaker 2: Ken, nobody is more excited about a first place standing
Speaker 2: right now for the Chicago White Sox than a G
Speaker 2: eight Pierzinski, But you mentioned them as a surprise team,
Speaker 2: the White Sox, the Cardinals. Who was a bigger surprise
Speaker 2: in your opinion the Nationals?
Speaker 1: Is this?
Speaker 2: I mean to me, the White Sox are the biggest
Speaker 2: surprise so far of the twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 1: I would agree with you, Alana, but it is an
Speaker 1: interesting debate, and it's interesting because, of course, the White
Speaker 1: Socks were got off of the last couple of years.
Speaker 1: The Cardinals, though, traded three veterans. They were rebuilding and
Speaker 1: are rebuilding. They traded Sonny Gray, Wilson Contreras and Nolan Arnatto,
Speaker 1: and then they traded Brendan Donovan. Oops, four veterans, excuse me,
Speaker 1: and he's arguably their best player. So no one expected
Speaker 1: this out of them so soon. And the Nationals, it's
Speaker 1: just bizarre. They blew the game in San Francisco yesterday.
Speaker 1: We'll get to that. But they lead the majors in
Speaker 1: runs scored, runs per game, however you want to measure it,
Speaker 1: and no one really saw that coming. And they're pitching. No,
Speaker 1: it's not good at all. In fact, it's one of
Speaker 1: the worst tests in the majors. But they score enough
Speaker 1: to win, and they are one game out in the
Speaker 1: wild card standings. The Cardinals, they are the top team
Speaker 1: in the National League wildcard standings, and of course the
Speaker 1: White Sox are in first place, so all of them
Speaker 1: are surprises, and yes, I would still agree though with you,
Speaker 1: that the White Sox are the biggest.
Speaker 2: And how about Brandon Montgomery, of course, making his debut
Speaker 2: the other night, a walk off home or excuse me,
Speaker 2: Braiden Montgomery, a walk off home run for the Chicago
Speaker 2: White Sox. People were scouring for his jersey in the
Speaker 2: pro shop. They couldn't find it. They were making their
Speaker 2: own jerseys with Braiden Montgomery's name on it. That's a
Speaker 2: pretty special moment.
Speaker 1: That was one of the highlights of the season in
Speaker 1: my opinion. And not just was it a walk off
Speaker 1: home run in his major league debut. He came against
Speaker 1: the team that has dominated Major League Baseball this year,
Speaker 1: the Atlanta Braves. So to see that happen. And of
Speaker 1: course Montgomery was part of the Garrett Crochet trade and
Speaker 1: that trade has been bountiful, I'm sorry, bountiful for the
Speaker 1: White Sox. Kyle Teal will come off the injured list eventually,
Speaker 1: and when they get Teal and Murakami back, they're going
Speaker 1: to be that much better offensively. And they got the
Speaker 1: seventh best offense by runs per game in the Majors
Speaker 1: as it stands. So yeah, that was a great moment, Alana,
Speaker 1: no question. And it's going to be really interesting to
Speaker 1: see how this all plays out for them, for the Cardinals,
Speaker 1: for the Nationals, and just where this all goes.
Speaker 2: Yeah, good for the White Sox. All right. So from
Speaker 2: the South side to the north side. Ken a very
Speaker 2: different situation with the Chicago Cubs, but they do have
Speaker 2: an asset that other teams will covet at the trade deadline,
Speaker 2: by the name of Saya Suzuki. What's going on? You
Speaker 2: wrote about it in your notes column.
Speaker 1: Well, we haven't talked much about who the Cubs might trade.
Speaker 1: We've talked about who they might acquire. And they're still
Speaker 1: in a really interesting position. And forget what's happening on
Speaker 1: the field for a second. We'll get that, but in
Speaker 1: terms of where they are with their payroll and with
Speaker 1: the players who are eligible for free agency, even after
Speaker 1: signing Nico Horner, they still have a number of guys
Speaker 1: who are going to be free agents in Managa, tie
Speaker 1: On Boyd and sayas Zuki and Ian Happ are among
Speaker 1: them as well. Says Zuki, because he is a right
Speaker 1: handed hitter, has particular value in today's game because basically
Speaker 1: you cannot find quality right handed hitters. It's a real problem.
Speaker 1: And I have a stat in the story today. Going
Speaker 1: into yesterday's play, the ops for all right handed hitters
Speaker 1: in Major League Baseball was six ninety six. That would
Speaker 1: be the lowest since nineteen ninety two. So Suzuki would
Speaker 1: have value in that sense. Teams covet right handed hitters,
Speaker 1: and the Cubs because of the situation they're in, not
Speaker 1: just with the number of potential free agents, but the
Speaker 1: team in general, they're falling apart, so they're a team
Speaker 1: that probably will look to shake it up. You remember,
Speaker 1: at one time they were twenty seven and twelve. Since
Speaker 1: then there's seven and twenty two. At one time when
Speaker 1: they were twenty seven and twelve, they led the majors
Speaker 1: in runs per game. Right now, since that time, in
Speaker 1: this seven and twenty two stretch there next to last,
Speaker 1: ahead of only the Padres. You see the numbers right there.
Speaker 1: It's incredible how they fall and they're scoring almost two
Speaker 1: and a half runs per game fewer than they were
Speaker 1: when they were hot. I don't know how to explain this,
Speaker 1: but this is a team that back at five hundred
Speaker 1: now and I imagine at some point they're gonna need
Speaker 1: to make some difficult decisions. Suzuki could be one of them.
Speaker 1: Now he has a no trade clause. But at the
Speaker 1: same time, players in their free agent years generally will
Speaker 1: be open to waiving their no trade clauses because it
Speaker 1: takes off the qualifying offer, and that would be something
Speaker 1: that would be enticing.
Speaker 2: As you mentioned, twenty seven and twelve can entering play
Speaker 2: on May eighth. Here we sit on in June eleventh,
Speaker 2: having lost twenty two of twenty nine, and as you said,
Speaker 2: they are even at five hundred.
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Speaker 2: Okay, So the San Francisco Giants. What an unbelievable game
Speaker 2: for them yesterday, I mean, could have been the win
Speaker 2: of the year. Could that spark something for them?
Speaker 1: I guess it could have on them. But they're second
Speaker 1: worst team in the National League. They've got the second
Speaker 1: worst record, ahead of only the Rockies twenty eight and
Speaker 1: forty one. Okay, they're fifteen and a half games out
Speaker 1: in the division. They are eight back in the wildcard race. Now,
Speaker 1: some of their hitters have come around a little bit.
Speaker 1: Dever's got hot in many he's cold again. Chapman's been
Speaker 1: really good, John Hoolee's been incredible, and Bryce Eldridge the
Speaker 1: home run king yesterday, the guy who hit the Ultimate
Speaker 1: Grand Slam, becoming the youngest player ever to hit one
Speaker 1: of those, and the one previously was Roberto Clemente. All
Speaker 1: that is good, but they still have too many holes,
Speaker 1: too many questions, and I don't see them coming out
Speaker 1: of this. Maybe I'm wrong than wrong before, but this
Speaker 1: is just a team that is too challenged in my opinion,
Speaker 1: to really go anywhere. And I should mention as well
Speaker 1: Casey Schmidt, who's had a remarkable year playing on a
Speaker 1: number of positions. He is a guy who should be
Speaker 1: an All Star, should be their All Star. And there's
Speaker 1: the win probability charge from yesterday. They had a ninety
Speaker 1: nine point nine percent chance of losing this game and
Speaker 1: they won it. They were down nine to one and
Speaker 1: they want it. Good for the Giants yesterday, But do
Speaker 1: I expect it to spark a sudden surge to the
Speaker 1: top of the NS standings. No, I do not.
Speaker 2: The Nationals are probably a little bit shell shocked, perhaps
Speaker 2: not as much as the San Antonio Spurs are being
Speaker 2: shell shocked right now. But I tell you what, I
Speaker 2: doubt that they very seriously doubt ken that they thought
Speaker 2: they were going to lose that game to the San
Speaker 2: Francisco Giants. What do you like or dislike about the
Speaker 2: makeup of the Nationals? They are as surprise team, as
Speaker 2: you mentioned, but do they have what it takes to compete?
Speaker 1: I like James Wood, I like c. J Abrams, I
Speaker 1: like some of the lesser names who were contributing as
Speaker 1: well on the offensive side. Now do they have what
Speaker 1: it takes? They absolutely do not, and the reason they
Speaker 1: do not is because they're pitching is just not there.
Speaker 1: And I don't have the rankings in front of me,
Speaker 1: but I believe they're twenty second in era and that's
Speaker 1: not good enough. Actually twenty sixth in rotation era, something
Speaker 1: along those lines. So without pitching, you're not going to
Speaker 1: go anywhere.
Speaker 4: And offense, not that it's fleeting, because this has been
Speaker 4: more than two and a half months now, or actually
Speaker 4: about two and a half months of incredible offense from
Speaker 4: the Nationals, but at some point I.
Speaker 1: Expect them to slow down a little bit and then
Speaker 1: they're going to have to pitch. And while Lttela has
Speaker 1: been better and Michael is somewhat better, they still are
Speaker 1: short in that area. And I don't expect under Paul Taboni,
Speaker 1: their first year president of baseball operations. They're gonna go
Speaker 1: all out of the deadline to fix it. They're trying
Speaker 1: to build something like Saint Louis, like the White Sox
Speaker 1: for the long haul.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and your numbers back it up, Ken, because they
Speaker 2: are twenty fifth in Team EU out of thirty teams,
Speaker 2: so they just do not have the pitching. All right, guys,
Speaker 2: make sure you've subscribed to Foul Territory on YouTube and
Speaker 2: wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode. We
Speaker 2: want to spread the well. Get your questions in for
Speaker 2: Grill and Ken. Next, get those questions in for Grill
Speaker 2: and Ken. Ken Rosenthal answering those for you on Fair Territory.
Speaker 2: First question is a very serious one and it was
Speaker 2: a serious situation yesterday Ken seth Lugo taking a comebacker
Speaker 2: off of his head. Obviously Brandon Nimo, his former teammate,
Speaker 2: felt so badly about it. Should there be a way
Speaker 2: for pictures to better protect themselves. This is not a
Speaker 2: new situation. In fact, you wrote about this two decades ago.
Speaker 1: I wish there were a way to address this, And
Speaker 1: you're right, Alana, I wrote about this in the year
Speaker 1: two thousand, so it's actually two and a half decades
Speaker 1: ago for The Sporting News, and I remember writing a
Speaker 1: column after Bryce Flory of the Red Sox experienced something
Speaker 1: similar to Seth Lugo, and I asked the question, Hey,
Speaker 1: can't we fix this? And really the answer is no,
Speaker 1: and you go back to herbs score way back like
Speaker 1: in the fifties, and this has always been a danger.
Speaker 1: Now I would argue it's a greater danger now with
Speaker 1: guys hitting the ball arguably harder than ever. But outside
Speaker 1: of putting a protective screen in front of home plate,
Speaker 1: which is not I'm sorry, in front of them pictures now,
Speaker 1: which is not practical, outside of putting masks on the pictures,
Speaker 1: which is not practical. We saw them wear those outsized
Speaker 1: hats a few years ago. Most guys didn't like them.
Speaker 1: They never really caught on. So I don't think that
Speaker 1: there is going to be anything done. And my fear
Speaker 1: back in the year two thousand, when I wrote about
Speaker 1: this initially, and my fear now is only if something
Speaker 1: really terrible happens will the sport be forced to act.
Speaker 1: And that's a tough place to be in. And yet
Speaker 1: I just don't see a solution. I'd like to see
Speaker 1: a solution. I wish there were a solution, but again
Speaker 1: I asked those questions in the year twenty two and
Speaker 1: a half decades ago, and there still really aren't answers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, honestly, twenty six decade, twenty six years ago, unbelievable
Speaker 2: that obviously it's still going to happen, is probably gonna
Speaker 2: get worse, and probably the worst thing would have to happen.
Speaker 2: I still don't know, to your point, Ken, what the
Speaker 2: solution would be. All Right, moving on here on grilling Ken,
Speaker 2: this is a question from Daniel RDR nineteen nineteen. Is
Speaker 2: there a ceiling for these contract extensions for players before
Speaker 2: they have played in the majors. This is regarding obviously
Speaker 2: to the Brewers and the top prospect. Is it a
Speaker 2: big risk, big reward philosophy for small markets?
Speaker 1: It is, And I don't know that I can say
Speaker 1: there's a ceiling. Certainly, these teams are trying to get
Speaker 1: ahead of the curve. And they signed Laura the Brewers
Speaker 1: did yesterday seven years, thirty one million. They've signed Cooper
Speaker 1: Pratt he got something north of fifty million. And what
Speaker 1: the Brewers are trying to do are lock up players
Speaker 1: at fixed rates club friendly rates for the early parts
Speaker 1: of their careers. And it's a small market strategy in
Speaker 1: many ways, and it's a strategy that could backfire if
Speaker 1: you pick the wrong guys. Obviously, the Brewers are confident
Speaker 1: in these guys. You can point to extensions like this
Speaker 1: that have worked dramatically in the club's favor, and you
Speaker 1: can point to ones I remember Jonathan Singleton of the
Speaker 1: Astros in particular, that have worked in the player's favor
Speaker 1: because the players did not pan out. Now, what's really
Speaker 1: interesting about the Brewers is they've given these kids the money.
Speaker 1: Now when are they going to promote them. The Brewers
Speaker 1: have a left side of the infield offensive problem. They
Speaker 1: don't get any offense out of shortstop and third base.
Speaker 1: Joey Ortiz at short is a great defender, but he
Speaker 1: is offensively challenged. And Lara is a center fielder, and
Speaker 1: he could come up and make an impact in the
Speaker 1: outfield as well, where Freelick is struggling, where they could
Speaker 1: use maybe a center fielder. Actually Frelly's playing in the corner,
Speaker 1: but they could use the center fielder as well. So
Speaker 1: I don't know when they come up, but it's simply
Speaker 1: a case of a small market team trying to get
Speaker 1: ahead of the curve. And what they're doing is trying
Speaker 1: to get surplus value out of these contracts. And what
Speaker 1: I mean by that is get more value from the
Speaker 1: player than he is getting paid. That's always the goal,
Speaker 1: and that's what the Brewers are trying to do here, all.
Speaker 2: Right, Spencer Cooper Pratt rather their number four prospect, eight years,
Speaker 2: fifty point seventy five million dollars, two club options two
Speaker 2: thirty four and two thirty five. Next question on Grill
Speaker 2: and Ken is in regards to the Nationals, why did
Speaker 2: the Nats trade Mackenzie Gore? They could have used him
Speaker 2: this year, hindsight, Ken always twenty twenty.
Speaker 1: Well, they created him Alona because they were rebuilding, and
Speaker 1: sure they could have used him this year, and the
Speaker 1: Cardinals could have used Brendan Donovan. But these teams are
Speaker 1: taking an approach where they're trying to supplement the young
Speaker 1: talent that they have with additional young talent. And the
Speaker 1: Nationals believe they got quite a coup or quite a
Speaker 1: score for Mackenzie Gore. We'll see that plays out. You
Speaker 1: never know, but Gore had two years of control remaining
Speaker 1: and they just felt this was the time to move
Speaker 1: him now. The bigger question had been where they trade CJ.
Speaker 1: Abrams at the deadline? He also two years of control
Speaker 1: beyond this one. And the answer to that, probably right
Speaker 1: now is no. He is not highly rated as a
Speaker 1: defensive shortstop, which is problematic. But in the offseason, what
Speaker 1: I expect the Nationals to at least listen on Abrams
Speaker 1: given where they are as an organization. Yes, at the
Speaker 1: same time, what would be the better play trading him
Speaker 1: or extending him and building around him considering he is
Speaker 1: part of this amazing offense you have. That's the question
Speaker 1: these teams are going to have to face as they
Speaker 1: go forward.
Speaker 2: A question for the first place White Sox Happy birthday,
Speaker 2: by the way to Baseball tossed. He has this question
Speaker 2: for you. Can the White Sox actually win the division
Speaker 2: and we need pitching any names that make sense?
Speaker 1: Well, I don't believe Trek Skoober will be traded to
Speaker 1: the White Sox in the division, and I don't believe
Speaker 1: that White Sox would pay the price for Trek school
Speaker 1: Freddy Peralta will be out there, and that probably is
Speaker 1: a stretch too. I would expect them to go for
Speaker 1: a lower level guy now names off the top of
Speaker 1: my head. Let's talk about Zach Lettel in Washington. Now,
Speaker 1: he's probably not good enough for what the White Sox want,
Speaker 1: but they would want back of the rotation guys to
Speaker 1: give them innings because they have a younger group of
Speaker 1: starting pitchers that come August and September might start to
Speaker 1: wear down. I had a note in my column today
Speaker 1: about how the only guy in their rotation who has
Speaker 1: thrown more than one hundred and forty innings in a
Speaker 1: season in the majors is Eric Fatti. Now Anthony k
Speaker 1: has done it, but he did it in Japan. So
Speaker 1: they could use someone simply to eat innings. I'm not
Speaker 1: sure who exactly that would be. Sandy Alcantra would be
Speaker 1: a great call, but maybe again too much in terms
Speaker 1: of what would be required to trade him prospect wise.
Speaker 2: All right, final question on Grill and Ken. Has Fernando
Speaker 2: Tatis turned a corner?
Speaker 1: Yes? And before the home run he had turned a corner.
Speaker 1: He over the last month has done really well from
Speaker 1: the standpoint of batting average and on pace percentage. No,
Speaker 1: the power has not been there exactly, but compared to
Speaker 1: Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill, both of whom continue to struggle.
Speaker 1: Tatis has been a breath of fresh air. And again
Speaker 1: it's been a month now at least, I think that
Speaker 1: he has really excelled offensively, just hasn't ate home runs,
Speaker 1: but he did hit one yesterday and that was a
Speaker 1: big one.
Speaker 2: All Right, let's crown dude and dork of the week next.
Speaker 2: All right. Before we do that, though, I wanted to
Speaker 2: talk a little bit about your game coming up Saturday,
Speaker 2: Phillies and Brewers on FS one. Phillies offense is humm
Speaker 2: and ken, but I tell you what, the Brewers are
Speaker 2: a very good team as well. I'm looking forward to
Speaker 2: this game.
Speaker 1: This is a potential playoff preview and it should be
Speaker 1: a lot of fun seeing these two teams match up.
Speaker 1: The Phillies obviously have played much better under Don Mattingly,
Speaker 1: but they still are a team that has serious offensive
Speaker 1: questions and it's curious to me that they're not performing
Speaker 1: better offensively. Harper's having a great year, Schwarber's having a
Speaker 1: great year, but some of the players that they expected
Speaker 1: by now to be maybe star players are not at
Speaker 1: that level yet. Bombs stop those kinds of guys, but
Speaker 1: those Garcia's come on of late Trey Turner is not
Speaker 1: having a good year. So yes, the Phillies are twenty
Speaker 1: eight and twelve in their first forty games under Don Mattingly.
Speaker 1: As John Clark points out, there matches the best record
Speaker 1: for any Phillies manager in his first forty games. But
Speaker 1: there are still some real questions with their offense. Rotation
Speaker 1: is outstanding, Duran, the end of the bullpen outstanding, but
Speaker 1: I'm wondering when the Phillies are going to hit like
Speaker 1: we think they should hit. They're an older group and
Speaker 1: maybe it's just not going to be there. But I
Speaker 1: don't know. I still believe believe that if they get
Speaker 1: better outfield production in particular, and Brandon Marsh has been
Speaker 1: absolutely outstanding, but I'm talking about the rest of the outfield,
Speaker 1: then maybe we're talking about a better offense. Again, Marsh
Speaker 1: probably should be an All Star. He's been amazing.
Speaker 2: And it would be at his home park in Philadelphia,
Speaker 2: Citizens Bank Park. All right, seat, geek, we appreciate you
Speaker 2: being a part of the foul Territory network, and guys,
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Speaker 2: let's get to our dude of the week.
Speaker 1: I'm the dude, so that's what you call me.
Speaker 2: I couldn't think of two very different guys, the dude
Speaker 2: and Ken rosenthal here on fair Territory with Ken Rosendal,
Speaker 2: who is dude? You know you're a dude, but you're
Speaker 2: not pompous like the dude. He's like, I'm the dude,
Speaker 2: so that's what you call me. I just can't imagine
Speaker 2: you ever acting like that. All right, who is your
Speaker 2: dude of the week.
Speaker 1: It's Stray Mancini, just recalled by the Los Angeles Angels
Speaker 1: and I wrote about him today. There it is in
Speaker 1: his return to the majors with the Angels, Trey Mancini
Speaker 1: authors another comeback story, and this was a big comeback.
Speaker 1: It had been almost three years since Trey Mancini had
Speaker 1: been in the majors and most fans know him, of course,
Speaker 1: for him as a cancer survivor. Missed the twenty twenty
Speaker 1: season while recovering from surgery for colon cancer, and he
Speaker 1: has been kind of not the same player since obviously,
Speaker 1: And also he had left the game in twenty four
Speaker 1: came back in twenty five with the Diamondbacks. Thought when
Speaker 1: he opted out on June first from his minor league
Speaker 1: deal he'd get a major league golfer. Never did, and
Speaker 1: Brady Anderson, the Angels hitting coach, talked him into coming
Speaker 1: back with the Angels this year on a minor league contract.
Speaker 1: Took a series of injuries, but Trey Mancini did get
Speaker 1: back to the majors, and for his perseverance, he is
Speaker 1: the dude of the week.
Speaker 2: My dude of the week is Paul Skins, So sorry
Speaker 2: about that, guys. He stopped at a little league field,
Speaker 2: decided to spend two hours with these kids. He signed autographs,
Speaker 2: he took photos, he played baseball with them. And not
Speaker 2: only that, but Major League Baseball Players Association Players Trust
Speaker 2: said that he was also their philanthropist for the month
Speaker 2: for June ten thousand, dollars that he is given that
Speaker 2: he is going to give to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Speaker 2: So Paul Skins, I mean, look at these kids will
Speaker 2: remember this moment for the rest of their lives. So
Speaker 2: congrats to Paul Skins for taking a time to do that.
Speaker 2: All right, time now for the dork of the week. Ken,
Speaker 2: you and I are in agreement on this one. Why
Speaker 2: don't you go ahead and lead this one off.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure who totally deserves the blame for this,
Speaker 1: but Major League Baseball the Sacramento Vegas as they're playing
Speaker 1: a series, actually two series in Las Vegas in the
Speaker 1: outdoor Triple A Stadium this week, and there's been an
Speaker 1: offensive eruption, to say the least, and they are using
Speaker 1: a humidor. I asked MLB this morning about that. But
Speaker 1: the ball just flies in this ballpark. It's the age
Speaker 1: Triple A ballpark. It has flown there forever we know that.
Speaker 1: My question is why are we playing major league games? Well,
Speaker 1: actually I don't even have to ask the question. I
Speaker 1: know why they're playing there. They're trying to promote themselves
Speaker 1: in Las Vegas. I get it. That's valid, But this
Speaker 1: is Major League Baseball. This team is already playing in
Speaker 1: a minor league park, and now you're in a park,
Speaker 1: another minor league park that is crazy offensively oriented. The
Speaker 1: A's in the series against Milwaukee tie the franchise record
Speaker 1: from most home runs in a three game series with fifteen.
Speaker 1: The first game was out of hand fifteen to fourteen,
Speaker 1: second game was seven to five, third one was four
Speaker 1: to three, So it calmed down some. But at the
Speaker 1: same time, we saw balls flying out of that park
Speaker 1: that were whole runs in none of the thirty major
Speaker 1: league parks or twenty nine I should say, so, I
Speaker 1: get it, But these are players statistics that are on
Speaker 1: the line. More importantly, these are team's outcomes that are
Speaker 1: on the line, and we are wharping them by allowing
Speaker 1: these games to be played in Vegas. That's it, dork
Speaker 1: of the week. Everybody involved with making that decision.
Speaker 2: No question about it. I mean you're talking about the
Speaker 2: team outcomes. I mean the Brewer is barring anything catastrophic
Speaker 2: or in the postseason, Athletics still trying to get there.
Speaker 2: I mean, there are half game out of the wild
Speaker 2: Card right now, but they should not be playing meaningful
Speaker 2: games for Major League Baseball in a minor League Park
Speaker 2: for teams that are trying to compete and trying to
Speaker 2: get to the postseason. And again it affects players statistics,
Speaker 2: you know, that can lend itself to problems down the
Speaker 2: line in terms of contract negotiations and those types of things.
Speaker 2: So the whole situation is just unbelievable. And again it
Speaker 2: always seems like the athletics in some former fashion are
Speaker 2: part of our dorks of the week.
Speaker 1: All right, guys, yeah, we should say, we should say
Speaker 1: a lot on one thing that these statistics are affected
Speaker 1: positively and negatively. Obviously, Jonah Hine gets a whole run
Speaker 1: the other day that it was actually a flyball to
Speaker 1: right field. He gets the benefit. But you can wreck
Speaker 1: a pitching staff like this too. And now the Rockies
Speaker 1: come in and we'll see what happens.
Speaker 2: Well, they're wrecked anyway, but that's beside the point. All right,
Speaker 2: that's our dork of the week. You guys, We appreciate
Speaker 2: you being here very much. Don't forget. Ken is back
Speaker 2: on Monday for fair territory. That's it for us, but
Speaker 2: foul territory is coming up next. Aja persons be very
Speaker 2: happy man. Right now with the White Sox, Eric Kratz
Speaker 2: and Scott Braun Bucks Show, Walter Tyler, Kinney and Mark
Speaker 2: Weino are coming up with them. We'll see you guys
Speaker 2: next time. Thanks Ken, Thank you Elana. Looking to take
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