WEBVTT - Episode 401 - Brewers Recap, Mets Preview 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:01.680 In one on one to see a couple of them 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:04.120 in My tastes with ye and my lemonade, because I 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:04.920 let the way. 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:05.680 It tastes best. 0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:06.840 Cease has the Pirates? 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:08.600 Can he let me run the base? Yeah? 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:10.840 My tame has like my money because I can't afford 0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:13.480 to waste. Oh why see is alloyer? Take my date 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:16.200 to my dates? Or to stick by the plate synick 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:18.759 case have the case from my race at my pace 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:19.840 Cleared brans. 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:25.120 Let a Snake Episode four oh one, only thirty five 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:28.760 minutes late, so we're right on time, ladies and gentlemen. 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:32.720 As always myself Adam Shore, we're here with Jim Stam 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:37.000 know Scott Moore today due to some technical difficulties, and 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:40.120 it's hard to point the finger on this one because 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:42.600 we have no idea what's going on. We've kind of 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:44.800 chalked it up to an issue with stream yard and 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:47.360 the fact that we're thirty five minutes past showtime. 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:49.160 We're just gonna go for it today. 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:53.960 And why delay it any longer, Jim, When it's episode 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:57.760 four oh one and the Pirates just lost three of 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:02.600 four to the Milwaukee after losing three or four to 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:04.679 the Cincinnati Reds, the floor is yours. 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:10.639 Well, maybe our technical difficulties and not figuring out who's 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:17.240 at fault is very apropos should I say for the Pirates, 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:22.920 because it seems like anytime anything's going well, something else 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:27.319 is the problem, and it's very uneven and they can't 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:31.679 get everything to kind of get going at the same time. 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:37.000 And you know, listen, Adam, buddy. 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:44.480 We we're not performing an autopsy just yet, but I 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:47.600 feel like we're in last rights territory, if you know 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:48.120 what I mean. 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:52.560 So doesn't it feel that way to you? 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:55.680 Yeah, I mean, you know what, the autopsy's gonna show. 0:01:57.080 --> 0:02:01.240 There's not a who done it situation here, it's we're 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.360 very well aware of what's going on. You said it 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:07.720 perfectly though. It's just the stars have not aligned for 0:02:07.880 --> 0:02:11.359 this team this season. You go into the season and 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.120 it's this should be one of the best staffs in baseball, 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:16.320 and you'll get Jared Jones back, and then you'll worry 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:21.400 about just the abundance of arms that you have. This 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:24.160 is going to be a great problem you bring in bats. 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.280 The offense right away is top five in baseball. They've 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:29.840 been awesome. The bullpen's bad. At the beginning of the year, 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:32.079 the bullpen's bad a quarter of the way through the year. 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.560 The bullpen's bat up until the All Star break, You've 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:36.800 blown seventeen eighteen nineteen saves. 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:39.000 You can't hold games. So what do you do. 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:42.160 You go out and you address the bullpen. You bring 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:45.400 in the best reliever in baseball outside of Mason Miller 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:48.280 and Luke Weaver. You bring in Camilla Deval, who has 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:50.880 good stuff control a bit of an issue. 0:02:50.919 --> 0:02:52.520 You bring in a veteran in Kirby Yates. 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:54.400 You bring in Lake Baker, who has been really good 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:57.560 outside of a couple of starts this year. And then 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:01.360 the offense can't get going, and the bullpen's been pretty 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:04.760 good lately. They've been fine, They've been doing enough to 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:07.640 keep them in games. And then you start to realize 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:12.480 the worst case scenario is happening. Where I didn't mention 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:15.120 the defense, which was also a concern, but you were 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:17.840 scoring enough runs and you hope the starting pitching can 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:20.640 keep you in it. But now not only can the 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:25.040 offense not score enough runs, the defense is also causing 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:29.440 you more pain in anguish than the starting rotation or 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.240 then the bullpen. So it's just a rotating cast of 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:39.440 the worst case scenario throughout the year. And it's sad 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:41.760 to say it, but like or I shouldn't say sad. 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:45.120 I think it's incredible to say that this team is 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.360 still somehow around the five hundred mark with everything that 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:52.960 they've gone through. Gym, it's kind of outstanding considering all 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:56.120 of the losses that they've had and they're still what 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:58.440 four games four and a half games back, like you'd 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:00.560 expect them to be twenty at this point. 0:04:01.120 --> 0:04:06.520 Yeah, it's it's that's what's so frustrating about it, right, 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:11.839 you know, And it's like, you know, we uh, since 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:13.800 Steeler training camp is upon us. 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:15.920 Mike Tomlin liked to. 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:18.720 Talk about popcorn right like it was all these like 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:23.000 popcorn issues just popping up around that were causing them 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:23.919 to lose. 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:25.280 As a team. 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:29.000 And I definitely feel like that is what is happening 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:29.560 right now. 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:30.040 It's like. 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:39.400 It's full blown popcorn now and they cannot seem to 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:43.680 steady the ship enough to get through it. And it's 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:49.200 really happening at the worst possible time. And I don't know, Adam, 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:55.680 if you look at things, does this did as Merlin 0:04:55.839 --> 0:05:00.320 Valdez cover things up offensively for about a month when 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:05.039 this team has lost so much offensively, with Cruz and 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:11.360 KG and O'Hearn going down and Horowitz and whatever did 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.359 was he covering up some warts and then when he 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:20.919 went cold too, boy, it's it's not a pretty site offensively. 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:24.320 Yeah, because when he went cold, or I should say 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:27.480 the inverse, when he was hot, guys like Brandon Low 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:30.360 and Ryan O'Hearn and Brian Reynolds were starting to slow 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:33.680 down significantly, but he was providing enough power in the 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:36.640 middle of that lineup almost unprecedented. You know, there's only 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:38.760 been a few guys that did what he did right 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:42.360 out the gates. Okay, he's got what sixteen seventeen home 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.839 runs already he mashed and a lot of those were 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:48.880 multi run home runs, right, two run, three run home runs, 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:52.120 And that can change the game. This team has lacked 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.440 in the past month or so, a guy that, or 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:58.080 at least multiple guys that can swing the bat in 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:01.480 a moment's notice and change a game like an oneal cruise. 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:03.560 Brandon Law was that guy starting to get back to 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:05.520 it a little bit more now he went deep today, 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.839 But yeah, I would say as Maryland was a huge 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:11.920 component of them just staying afloat. 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:12.599 A massive one. 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:16.400 And you mentioned some tomlinisms here, and I think one 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:23.560 that's really relevant is pressure, Okay, because pressure is forever relevant, Jim. 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:27.320 You're either feeling it or you're applying it, all right, 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:30.040 and the Pirates are definitely feeling it right now. They 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:34.640 have not applied pressure to any team that they've played. 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:36.000 After the All Star Break. 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:41.680 You thought coming out to Cleveland, it looked better, right, 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.680 It looked good. Jacob Gonzalez gets his first starts back 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:50.560 after being traded as Maryland Valdez. Again, looks good. They 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:52.520 take care of business, and then it kind of just 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:54.760 all goes downhill. And I think it's just a product 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:59.080 of maybe guys trying to do too much, not being 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:02.960 familiar with the situations that they're in, and then also 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.800 just a lot of moving pieces and a lot of 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:10.160 just not being lucky with all the doubleheaders and all 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:14.200 the extra innings and the weather delays and you got wildfires. 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:15.760 They just haven't been able to catch a break. 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:19.320 And that's not an excuse, but it's just a recipe 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:22.000 for disaster for a team that really needs everything to 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:22.960 click at one time. 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:26.880 Yeah, it's a bit of a bit of a hodgepodge 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:30.880 of factors coming together and nothing you do bring up 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:35.160 a good point. You know, besides Brandon Lawe, who won 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:40.080 this team, has been in this situation, you know, where 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:46.560 you know games matter and you don't have a lot 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:49.720 of room for error. We've either got young guys that 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:54.360 clearly would never have experienced it because they're young. Or 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:58.240 take for instance, Brian Reynolds. He has never played in 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:03.280 games in August that have, you know, and certainly his 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.160 whether it's due to this or not, but he's not 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:09.560 swinging the bat well. As a matter of fact, he 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:12.920 had a really bad series here against Milwaukee. 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:16.800 So I do think you have guys that aren't used 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:18.000 to being in this situation. 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:21.120 And boy, baseball is not the sport you want to 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:27.720 pick the press. It's you know, it rarely goes well. 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:30.520 And I think you've seen signs of that. Young guys 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:34.280 trying to do too much and veterans maybe just not 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:37.400 coming up with the hits that you had hoped. 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:37.720 That they would. 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:42.360 There's two other guys that have pitched in meaningful situations. 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:45.200 One has been here for what three games in Camillo 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:47.040 de all and one Luke Weaver, who. 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:47.880 Has just not pitched at all. 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.920 Yet Yeah, those are on the other two guys that 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.560 have pitched in big moments or have played in big moments, 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.520 I should say, Right, they showed a clip of Brandon 0:08:57.559 --> 0:08:59.480 Low hitting a home run in the World Series off 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:02.680 to us in May today that you know, we haven't 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:03.800 had a moment like that in. 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:09.120 Thirteen years or whatever it is, Right, So. 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:13.280 There's a lot going on, and I think it boils 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:16.360 down to this gym is we talked about them having 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:17.400 enough talent. 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:19.319 Well, I guess here, I'll circle back. 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:22.720 Marcelo Zuna was probably the last guy I played in 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:28.240 a meaningful moment, and ironically, yeah, so I think it 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:30.720 comes down to this. And we talked to guys on 0:09:30.800 --> 0:09:33.600 the show earlier on in the year when they started 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:35.840 to first go through their little bit of skid with 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:40.280 the comeback, when they Philadelphia came to town and Dennis 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:43.240 Intana blew up and they thought they had those series 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:45.400 and these things were just getting away from them, and 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.920 we really could tell that they were just not getting 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.880 beat but losing games, and they were so close to 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.400 just taking a lot of series that they weren't taking. 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:57.720 And you could still feel confident that this was a 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.760 good baseball team. You talked to guys like Jake Mangum 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:05.120 and Brandon Lau and they told us on the show, Yeah, 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.800 we know we're not happy with where we're at, but 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:09.679 like we got to keep pushing and it's going to 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:12.400 be there eventually. We've talked to coaches on the team 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:16.760 that are just waiting for that streak that seemingly every 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:20.319 baseball team somewhat goes through. Every confidence in baseball team 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.840 goes have gone bad. Teams will win ad in a row. 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:27.880 This team just hasn't been able to do it. And 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:31.880 I think that's going to be the biggest killer looking 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:34.040 back on it is, Hey, this team had a lot 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:34.760 of good talent. 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:39.760 They had enough to win. They just couldn't string them together. 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:43.280 And we could talk about bouncing back and going out 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:46.880 there and beating the Mets. It's got to start somewhere, right, Like, 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:50.360 I'm not ready to give up. Baseball is a crazy sport. 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.800 I've seen crazier things happen. I've seen teams going runs. 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:57.040 But it's going to come down to this team just 0:10:57.080 --> 0:11:01.440 going on that Red Sox like run or that Colorado 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:03.400 like run when they were in the World Series with 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:07.000 Clint Hurtle where you just don't lose ball games and 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:11.040 you're playing good baseball, and there hasn't been enough shown 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:15.520 as of late to make a fan feel confident in that. 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:18.400 I still feel confident because I mean a. 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:20.280 Part of me is a little bit sick in the head, 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:24.960 and I like watching baseball, and I know how difficult 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:28.000 this game is, and I know how anything can happen 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:30.240 on any given day. You talk about any given Sunday, 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.880 BS baseball is really any given day, anything can happen. 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:38.120 Anyone can win, doesn't matter who's out there. You could 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:41.880 have nine show heyo, tanis something different can happen every 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:42.440 single day. 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.480 And the concerning part. 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:50.680 Is not the bullpen, the offense, slowing, the starting rotation. 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:54.600 It's just the inability for one, even all of it 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:57.840 to click at maybe around fifty sixty percent, but just 0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:00.920 to win three games in a row, right, or to 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:05.080 carry over wins two wins from a series into another series. 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:09.320 It feels like every single series we're starting over. We're 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:13.360 in that mentality where, Okay, we lose to the Reds, 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.760 the Brewers got to take care of the Brewers statement series, 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:17.880 Oh that doesn't happen. 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:18.800 We go to the Mets. 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:22.120 Oh can't beat the Mets. All right, it's gonna start now, right. 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:25.040 We shouldn't be living series to series. It should be 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.959 more of a cohesive like, let's get this thing rolling here. 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:31.520 And it's just too much choppiness right now, Jim, it 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:33.800 really is. And that's the most frustrating part to me. 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:37.959 Yeah, I think when you look at this thing like. 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:44.600 This is why all those games that the bullpen struggled early, 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:47.800 Like really, this is where you really feel like the 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:53.280 brunt of it, right, because teams do go through stretches 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.800 where you just don't play good baseball and you don't 0:12:56.880 --> 0:12:58.840 hit the ball even you know, I mean, look at 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:00.040 the Dodgers right now. 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:01.000 With what they're doing. 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:04.760 They're not hitting the ball all that well, they're struggling, 0:13:05.520 --> 0:13:10.120 But you build up a cushion, right, so then when 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:15.520 these things kind of occur, you're not you know, hanging 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:18.000 on for dear life and by a threat. 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:22.040 So this is where those games in May. 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:27.280 And June really come back, and you really feel it 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:31.120 because if you go to and six like they just did, 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:34.720 but you have built up you. 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:36.800 Know, you're nine ten games over five hundred. 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:41.079 Yeah, it stings, but you're still in a decent spot 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:43.960 to still accomplish the goals you want to. 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:45.040 And that's where I. 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:48.600 Think it really comes down to, Like, this season's probably 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:52.280 not been lost now. It was lost early, and it 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:56.240 was lost in April, May and June with the struggles. 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:56.240 That they've had. 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:58.600 That's just my take on I don't know if you 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:01.400 agree with it, but because the offense was never going 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:05.680 to just rake from Game one to one sixty two, 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:07.520 they just weren't. 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:13.200 That's how baseball works, especially offense. It's impossible. You just 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:15.080 mentioned the Dodgers are going through it and the Dodgers 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.840 can do no wrong. Yeah, if you look back on 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.440 it and the season doesn't go the way we wanted 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:23.880 to go at the end of August, going into September, 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:26.880 whatever it is, you're gonna look back a little bit 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:31.520 deeper into those games where Dennis Santana was blowing game 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:33.920 after game after game where they couldn't find the strike zone, 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:37.480 where you're going through different bullpen arms, and you add 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:39.680 it up and it's like, oh my god, Like, where 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:43.520 could this team go if everything worked out? 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:46.520 Unfortunately, that's just not the situation right now, and that's 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:47.400 just not where we're at. 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.960 No and that's what's so confusing about this team, because 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:53.760 you still look at things like war and f R 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:56.200 and run differential. 0:14:57.200 --> 0:15:01.080 It doesn't add up, you know. And then part of. 0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:04.400 That, I think is just like we knew this roster 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:10.840 wasn't perfectly constructed, and little things chip. 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:11.200 Away at that. 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:15.160 And it's been enough to where we're sitting here in 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.760 August and we're not listen. A week ago they were 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:23.080 in a playoff spot. So a lot can change in 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.320 a week obviously, I mean we're five games out now, 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:33.160 you know, but what we've got seven weeks left. A 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.400 lot can change in those seven weeks too. But man, 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:39.840 they gotta start stringing together. They don't even have to 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.440 win seven in a row, but hey, eight of eleven 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:43.360 something like that. 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:47.280 To get you back on the positive side of things. 0:15:47.200 --> 0:15:50.440 There needs to be an energy shift their hats. The 0:15:50.520 --> 0:15:52.280 guys are doing too much, you know what. I think 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:55.080 I've done this on the show before, But by the 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.520 third fourth inning, we're hearing a lot of this gym. 0:15:58.920 --> 0:15:59.760 Pittsburgh is out. 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:03.520 Of challenge just because we're getting a lot of emotional 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:06.480 at bats. Yeah right, We're getting a lot of guys 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:11.680 trying to do too much where you're seeing challenges on 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:14.920 one two counts or two to one counts, when guys 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:16.600 are up in the count early on in a game 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:20.160 where they just they're trying to do too much in 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.560 even low leverage situations, and then you're putting yourself at 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.520 risk deeper into the games where the challenges just keep 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:27.360 getting worse and worse. 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.160 I mean, like, the guys at the end of the 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:31.080 day have to perform. 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:33.840 And this is a really tough time of the year 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:38.440 for the Pirates Universe, Pirates Twitter Universe, because everybody wants 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:40.200 to point a finger, right. 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:43.360 Sure, it's it's blame. It's blame time. 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:50.040 Right, I'll say this. You're still watching baseball games right now. Okay, 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:54.440 by this time last year, you're fully locked in on 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:56.200 Aaron Rodgers on. 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:57.320 The Pat McAfee show. 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:01.160 All right, Like there is still some conversation about this 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:02.520 team doing right by you. 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:04.679 They have to execute. 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:08.639 There are glaring issues right now that are preventing this 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:16.280 team from stacking. Okay, and what I think it really 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:18.800 boils down to Jim And there's a decent amount of 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:19.719 people here listening. 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:27.840 Now. This team desperately needs Connor. Griffin desperately needs Connor Griffin. 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:31.800 We talked about when the first and when he was 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.840 out and Cruise was out and Horwitz was out, that 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:36.720 he needs to be back. 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.440 Like all these other guys, they're key in the lineup, 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:43.080 but he is the guy. When they went into this offseason, 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:45.119 they understood he was going to be a part of 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:49.000 this team and he was going to be the biggest, 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:52.600 call it free agency acquisition, if you will, your biggest 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:56.400 addition to this team that wasn't here last year Without him, 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:58.720 there's too many question marks. 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:01.280 There's not enough guys that can create havoc. 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:06.000 There's not enough gloves of that type of caliber out 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:08.679 on the field. You have more guys playing out of 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:12.560 position because of that. You could put him anywhere in 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:18.359 the lineup. He's gonna take bases without him, it's rough. 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:23.119 Like getting Horowitz back, fantastic. I think you're starting to 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:25.000 put together some decent at bats now. He's making some 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:28.040 good contact. Getting Cruise back. We'll see how that goes. 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:31.760 With the hand injury. We really haven't gotten any updates, 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:36.080 but Connor Griffin is the biggest glaring hole on this 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:39.240 team right now. I don't know if people disagree with 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:41.840 that or agree with that, but the kid's twenty years 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.840 old and he is the glue to actually making what 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:46.600 they wanted to put out in the field work. 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:48.359 Without him, it all falls apart. 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:56.040 Yeah, I would say that Connor Griffin. 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:56.680 Is like. 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:02.680 He's the y and the juice, right, Like they look 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:06.200 they look like a different team and a different offense, 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:10.720 I would say him, and then o'hearne was like the heart, 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:11.880 the heart. 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:13.480 Part of it that. Like, really. 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:19.639 Since o hearne went down, they've looked really pedestrous, like 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:21.040 to another level. 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:23.639 So like to me, those are the two guys. 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:26.960 They seem like, look, they're all important, and when you 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:29.679 start stacking them on top of one another, as this 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:33.280 team has had to do, certainly it's a cumulative effect 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:34.200 and it's gonna matter. 0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:37.840 But those those two guys, to me, it's just a 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:40.480 shame because the Griffin stuff has been really kind of like, 0:19:41.600 --> 0:19:43.280 I don't know if you want to say freakish, but. 0:19:44.960 --> 0:19:49.879 Kind of freakish, like he's he's These are not typical injuries, right, 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.359 and so you know there's been some bad luck here too. 0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:57.159 And I don't I don't want to make excuses for 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:03.480 Bob nutting and Ben sharing and whatever, but you know, 0:20:03.800 --> 0:20:06.920 it's been on the offensive side, it's been a lot 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:11.280 to overcome. And Griffin, certainly, you know, the way he 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:14.000 affects the game in every possible way. 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:17.359 Is hard to overcome. 0:20:18.080 --> 0:20:21.919 And at the most critical defensive position in my opinion. 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:23.640 There it is the short thought. 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:27.280 Man, Yeah, that's the position that they've lacked for years 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:28.680 and years and years, and you get a guy of 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:31.399 that caliber, and there was talks about maybe putting him 0:20:31.400 --> 0:20:33.359 in center field when he was coming up through the system, 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:36.399 and he just kept getting better in the middle of 0:20:36.440 --> 0:20:40.120 the infield, and yeah, losing KG and Rhino, I tell 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:43.600 you what, Jim, when we were in the clubhouse in Cincinnati, 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:49.080 we go into the locker room after that heartbreaking loss 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:54.120 where there's the Brandon Law air that nicknsals mental freeze 0:20:54.280 --> 0:20:56.600 throwing to second base, which we really didn't get into 0:20:56.640 --> 0:21:01.160 too much on the last show because your eyes can 0:21:01.640 --> 0:21:02.840 see what's going on here. 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:04.600 We don't need to state the obvious for you. 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:08.000 But people say when you like, you could hear a 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:11.800 pin draw right, and it's kind of it's just like, oh, yeah, okay, 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:16.760 Like it was the quietest I've ever seen a major 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:21.679 league clubhouse in our time doing this, and it was 0:21:22.240 --> 0:21:25.000 so sad because you could see, like for the first 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:27.240 time this year, like there's been other times where we've 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:30.600 gone in there after a heartbreaking loss and you know, 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:35.840 some guys are still talking or drinking beers and understanding, like, hey, shower, 0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:39.919 well today, you think about it maybe till midnight and 0:21:39.920 --> 0:21:42.520 then tomorrow's a new day. It was the first time 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:48.000 where it seemed different, right, like now that maybe it's 0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:52.840 meaningful baseball, like that was really a stake that maybe's 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:56.720 not driven all the way into the skull, but it's 0:21:57.280 --> 0:22:00.760 it's almost there, right, and somebody's got their foot down 0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:05.600 on it. And between you know, Nikki g and then 0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:10.159 seeing Rhino in the crutches, it was it was truly 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:11.560 it was heartbreaking, Like I felt, was. 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:14.840 That the game that o'harn got hurt it right? 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:15.639