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Speaker 1: Welcome one and all to the Hammer Territory Podcast. My

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Speaker 1: name is Sean Coleman. Hope, wherever you are and wherever

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Speaker 1: you are listening, you are having a great week so far.

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Speaker 1: I know the Braves performance on the field has not

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Speaker 1: been that great going into this week, but we've got

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Speaker 1: some really exciting news to talk about, the news that

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Speaker 1: so many of us have been waiting for. It seems

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Speaker 1: like every year, is my podcast partner Stephen Tolbert is

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Speaker 1: with me. It seems like every year, right around the

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Speaker 1: Memorial Day holiday, the Braves kind of stumble, kind of

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Speaker 1: went through the first few months, and right now they're

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Speaker 1: struggling once again. But something happens around Memorial Day that

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Speaker 1: has really helped this team take off in previous years,

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Speaker 1: whether it's Michael Harris the second and Spitzer Stryder coming

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Speaker 1: on strong a few years ago, whether it's the offense

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Speaker 1: really taken off like it did in twenty twenty three.

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Speaker 1: But this time around, this time around, it may be

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Speaker 1: the best remedy of all Steven and that is the

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Speaker 1: return of our MVP. It's happening Friday night, the return

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Speaker 1: of one Ronald Acune Junior.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, what's up buddy. Yeah, that's the biggest news of

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Speaker 2: the night. I mean, I know, the game happened, and

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Speaker 2: we're gonna talk about the game. The game's gonna be

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Speaker 2: this second segment of the show. I know, but a

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Speaker 2: lot of people are annoyed. But when you know, the

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Speaker 2: last time we saw this guy on the field for

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Speaker 2: a full season, he was the unanimous MVP. And so

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Speaker 2: when he is back, when he is coming back to

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Speaker 2: the lineup, that's the headline. And it was announced today

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Speaker 2: the team, you know, started leaking out around four o'clock.

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Speaker 2: The media was talking to Snit and he kind of

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Speaker 2: gave a pretty eye opening answer. He said he'll be

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Speaker 2: back sooner rather than later. And then within twenty to

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Speaker 2: thirty minutes, it was confirmed that he was coming back tomorrow.

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Speaker 2: You know, the team is already announced it on Twitter.

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Speaker 2: He's in the lineup. He'll be in the lineup tomorrow

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Speaker 2: night against the Padres. I mean, the Braves need him.

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Speaker 2: The Braves need him. The Braves need him to be

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Speaker 2: back to being Ronald Acuna junior. You know, they need

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Speaker 2: their leadoff hit or back. Ever since Alex Radugo kind

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Speaker 2: of fell off a couple of weeks ago, that leadoff

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Speaker 2: spot has been a little bit of a black hole.

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Speaker 2: Quite honestly, the outfield as a hole has been a

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Speaker 2: little bit of a black hole. Since Verdugo and Eli

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Speaker 2: White have both kind of come back down to earth,

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Speaker 2: Michael Harris still hasn't gotten it going. The Braves need

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Speaker 2: Ronald to be good, and it sucks to have to

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Speaker 2: put so much pressure on a guy who's coming back

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Speaker 2: from a second torn acl but it is what it is.

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Speaker 2: And you know, I don't know, I don't know if

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Speaker 2: this was always the plan. You know, I don't know

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Speaker 2: if they were always gonna have him just play one

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Speaker 2: time in the minors nine innings. He the first time

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Speaker 2: he played nine innings was on Wednesday, And you know,

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Speaker 2: the original plan was try to have him do that

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Speaker 2: a few times and then call him up. Well, they

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Speaker 2: scraped that idea, They screw you know, they scratched him

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Speaker 2: from the Gwinnette lineup tonight and just said go ahead

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Speaker 2: and get to Atlanta. So I don't know if that's

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Speaker 2: because of how the team's playing, or Ronald just looks

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Speaker 2: that good. But he's coming home. He's coming back to

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Speaker 2: the lineup. Biggest news of the night, maybe the biggest

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Speaker 2: news of the year quite honestly, other than when Strider

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Speaker 2: came back. And so now we're gonna get to do

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Speaker 2: this thing where we see how he looks, kind of

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Speaker 2: like with Strider, how does he look? What do they get?

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Speaker 2: What kind of version of Ronald are we going to get?

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Speaker 2: All those questions will be answered. But just on the

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Speaker 2: face of it, at thirty thousand feet getting the MVP back,

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Speaker 2: the Braves need him, and I can't wait. I can't

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Speaker 2: wait for tomorrow night.

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Speaker 1: And I think that there's some things to keep in mind.

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Speaker 1: You know, we've highlighted the different ways in which Ronald

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Speaker 1: Acuna Junior is going to help this team out of

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Speaker 1: the lead off spot, you know, his ability to get

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Speaker 1: on base obviously, his power, so one and so forth.

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Speaker 1: But there's three other things real quickly that I think

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Speaker 1: need to be realized about just the impact that ronald'

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Speaker 1: kunye Junior makes. You know, we talk about what he's

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Speaker 1: going to look like when he gets back. Well, if ronald'

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Speaker 1: kunyu junr is it fully Ronald Akunye Junior, that's fine.

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Speaker 1: I think that people should expect that more than him

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Speaker 1: getting back to the MVP level. But even if he's

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Speaker 1: not fully back to that level, and he may not

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Speaker 1: get through this year. He's still is a top twenty,

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Speaker 1: top twenty five player in the game. That's an He's

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Speaker 1: one of the rare guys that can help out in

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Speaker 1: so many different areas. You just don't get too many

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Speaker 1: of those guys in the game at any one time,

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Speaker 1: and ronald' kunye Junior is one of those guys. If

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Speaker 1: he is back to being fully himself at some time

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Speaker 1: this year, you talk about your Aaron Judge or Sho

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Speaker 1: Heeyo Tana, You're one Soto, so on and so forth.

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Speaker 1: Ronald Kunya Junior may not be the best overall round

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Speaker 1: player in the game, but he clearly is in the

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Speaker 1: conversation to be top five. That is a huge asset

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Speaker 1: to put back on this brave squad. That's the first thing.

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Speaker 1: The second thing is is that we talk about all

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Speaker 1: the stuff that he could do on the field. Well,

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Speaker 1: there also should be mentioned Ronald o'cunya Junior is just

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Speaker 1: a source of fun. He is a source of enjoyment.

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Speaker 1: When he plays the game, the game is that much

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Speaker 1: more fun, not only for him, but you know, for

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Speaker 1: his teammates, the coaching staff, the fans. I know that

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Speaker 1: there have been moments in the past that have led

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Speaker 1: to frustration, what have you. But the point is is

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Speaker 1: that when ronald'cuonyey Junior is healthy and playing well, this

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Speaker 1: team has a different aura about it. You've talked about

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Speaker 1: the alphas being back in that clubhouse and with how

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Speaker 1: much we've lost from our clubhouse presence over the past

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Speaker 1: six to twelve months, having a healthy ronald' kunya Junior

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Speaker 1: back is going to help out so much. And the

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Speaker 1: third thing is this ronald'cuonye Junior is not going to

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Speaker 1: bring with him all the answers to the many questions

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Speaker 1: that this team has right now. But what he is

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Speaker 1: going to do is he's going to allow for a

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Speaker 1: little bit to be taken off the plate of an

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Speaker 1: Austin Riley or a Matt Olsen or others as well.

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Speaker 1: Him at the top of the order is going to

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Speaker 1: help everybody move down just a little bit, get a

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Speaker 1: bit more comfortable where they're going to be in the lineup.

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Speaker 1: Whenever something does not work out our way, we still

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Speaker 1: have Ronald coming to the plate more than anybody else.

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Speaker 1: That is a way to answer some of the things

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Speaker 1: where we're struggling. So the point that I'm getting at

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Speaker 1: is is that again I'm not saying no Chipper came

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Speaker 1: out and said that all of a sudden, he feels

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Speaker 1: that we're going to take off. But having Ronald Accune

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Speaker 1: Junior back, it may not necessarily happen that quickly, but

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Speaker 1: it puts us in a much better position to have

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Speaker 1: that happen. And that's why it's so exciting to know

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Speaker 1: he's coming through that door tomorrow.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and listen a couple of things. So I've said

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Speaker 2: this before on the show. Even when Ronald was bad

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Speaker 2: in twenty twenty two, when he came back from the

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Speaker 2: first ACL, he still ran an on base percentage in

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Speaker 2: the three fifties. And he did the same thing last

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Speaker 2: year in twenty you know, I know he only played

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Speaker 2: a month and a half in twenty four, but he

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Speaker 2: still ran an OVP in the three fifties. So, like,

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Speaker 2: even the bad version of Acuna at the top of

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Speaker 2: the lineup is valuable because he gets on base so

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Speaker 2: much and just out of pure just pure leadoff, you know, conversation.

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Speaker 2: Just that alone is valuable. He just gets on base

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Speaker 2: a ton. Now we don't know what he's gonna look

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Speaker 2: like on the bases. You know, Scott made a good

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Speaker 2: point the other night on their show. I thought, you know,

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Speaker 2: when he came back in twenty two, he actually ran

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Speaker 2: more than he did before he left. So I don't

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Speaker 2: actually know what's gonna happen. You know, the convintional wisdom

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Speaker 2: is he's not gonna run a lot, But we've gone

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Speaker 2: through this before and he came back he ran more

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Speaker 2: than ever, So I have no idea. I don't think

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Speaker 2: anybody knows. I'm not sure the Braves know, quite honestly,

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Speaker 2: it's hard. The thing with a Kunya is once you

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Speaker 2: put him on the field, like if he's standing on

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Speaker 2: first base and he feels good, he's gonna run like

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Speaker 2: that's just how he plays. So I don't know how

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Speaker 2: much you can even control it. Quite honestly. You can

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Speaker 2: tell him not to, but I don't know. I don't

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Speaker 2: I don't. I don't know how much he's gonna run.

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Speaker 2: I don't know how dynamic he's gonna be. I'm pretty

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Speaker 2: confident that he's gonna hit well. I don't think he's

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Speaker 2: gonna be great in the outfield. I think that's gonna

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Speaker 2: be the last part that comes I'm pretty confident he's

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Speaker 2: gonna hit very well. I have no idea what to

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Speaker 2: expect on the basis, but all I know is I'm

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Speaker 2: ready to see. I'm ready to find out exactly because

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Speaker 2: you're right, like, without him, this team lacks a certain

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Speaker 2: level of excitement when you watch him. One reason is

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Speaker 2: they don't have a ton of just like breathtaking athleticism

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Speaker 2: or speed or there's not really like a really exciting

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Speaker 2: player to watch on the team right now. Michael Harris

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Speaker 2: is the closest when he's playing defense, and his defense

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Speaker 2: is spectacular to watch. But other than that, there's really

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Speaker 2: not like a there's really not like a true spectacle

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Speaker 2: when you watch the Braves when Acuna is not out there,

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Speaker 2: and he is that for this team, And so you're right,

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Speaker 2: he does bring a level of just enjoyment to watch

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Speaker 2: that you kind of miss without him. So it's gonna

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Speaker 2: be fascinating to watch. I mean, I'm I'm trying to

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Speaker 2: keep my expectations in check because he's coming back from

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Speaker 2: a second towrenty eight Sea. I think he's gonna be awesome.

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Speaker 2: I think he's gonna be awesome, and man, does this

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Speaker 2: team need it? And we're gonna talk about this game

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Speaker 2: in a second, but they need a spark, and there

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Speaker 2: is no better spark than having an MVP level player

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Speaker 2: sitting at the top of your lineup.

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Speaker 1: Since Ronald Acunya Junior went down in that Pittsburgh game,

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Speaker 1: since May twenty first of last year, the Braves from

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Speaker 1: their leadoff spot have had a two to ninety nine

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Speaker 1: on base percentage and a ninety four WRC plus, both

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Speaker 1: bottom five among MLB leadoff spots in that time era.

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Speaker 1: Basically over the past year plus, that's how much we've struggled.

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Speaker 1: So again, when you talk about the spark, it's going

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Speaker 1: to certainly be great to see Ronald Acunya Junior being

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Speaker 1: that spark that hopefully will fuel the flames of victory

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Speaker 1: for us moving forward. But before we get to that,

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Speaker 1: we will break down the struggles of the Braves because

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Speaker 1: they are important as they continue to unfortunately be a

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Speaker 1: part of the story so far this season. We'll discuss

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Speaker 1: the latest loss to the Nationals here in just a moment,

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Speaker 1: after a word from our partners.

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Speaker 3: Ft FAM, let's talk about the hof app. If you're

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Speaker 3: into parlays, but sometimes you're missing the mark more than

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Speaker 3: you would like to. Can I introduce you to some

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Speaker 3: serious analytics on an app that is easy to read

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Speaker 3: and comprehend. And I'm sitting next to a man who

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Speaker 3: knows how to place a parlay.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and the biggest thing is breaking down a parlay.

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Speaker 4: With this Hall of Fame app, there's the situations that

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Speaker 4: you'll be you'll find easier to do. It's very helpful

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Speaker 4: and understanding. And if you like, you know, gambling, sometimes

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Speaker 4: this is really good to know. So get on there,

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Speaker 4: get on that Hall of Fame app and check it out.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, this is info that will help you.

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Speaker 4: Okay.

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Speaker 3: With a four point nine rating in the app Store

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Speaker 1: It Stephen of course, tonight, before we get into the

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Speaker 1: excitement of the weekend with Ronald Junior coming back, us

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Speaker 1: playing you know against you know fell ap playoff hopeful

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Speaker 1: in the San Diego Padres. The unfortunate thing is is

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Speaker 1: that the momentum that the Braves had from you know,

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Speaker 1: being one game above five hundred and winning that series

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Speaker 1: on the road in Boston, it basically got wiped away.

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Speaker 1: This team simply cannot get out of its own way.

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Speaker 1: I know that I've alluded to a literation in the past,

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Speaker 1: but it literally feels like it happens one day, your

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Speaker 1: rents wash repeat. It's a different day, but the same story.

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Speaker 1: This team cannot have all aspects of the team that

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Speaker 1: you need to win on the same page consistently. It's

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Speaker 1: just so rare for them to be able to do that.

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Speaker 1: And that, of course, is what happened again on Thursday night.

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Speaker 1: The Braves offense would did very well back to back

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Speaker 1: home runs from Matt Olson and Ronald Ronald Kuner Junior

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Speaker 1: Marcelo Zuna to start the game. But as soon as

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Speaker 1: that happens, what happens. A J Smith shabber hits the

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Speaker 1: regression button. Unfortunately, the Nationals come out get out to

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Speaker 1: a five to to lead. The Braves work their way back.

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Speaker 1: We get they come back from down seven to five.

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Speaker 1: It looks like that we're going to be in a

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Speaker 1: position to win, but unfortunately the Lady need Magic was

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Speaker 1: not there. But I think what it comes down to

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Speaker 1: is that just as soon as our offense gets going,

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Speaker 1: our pitching starts to struggle. It's unfortunate to see and

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Speaker 1: until that changes, this team, who now is playing five

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Speaker 1: hundred balls since April twenty ninth, once again, this team

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Speaker 1: is going to continue to be at five hundred and

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Speaker 1: it's going to be hard to dig out the hole

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Speaker 1: that it needs to to truly win at the rate

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Speaker 1: that it needs to.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I've talked about this before. I kind of gave

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Speaker 2: the analogy to my golf game, where like, you just

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Speaker 2: can't get everything going at once. You know, if you

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Speaker 2: got the irons going, you can't get the driver going.

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Speaker 2: And the Braves have just lived that way all year,

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Speaker 2: I mean, and just like night tonight, if the starting

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Speaker 2: pitching is good, the offense is bad. If the starting

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Speaker 2: pitching is bad, then the offense is good. If both

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Speaker 2: are good, then the bullpen struggles. Like just stacking all

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Speaker 2: three phases of the game together consistently has just not

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Speaker 2: happened at all, And you know that kind of leads

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Speaker 2: to a five hundred. Around a five hundred record right like,

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Speaker 2: at times, the offense has been really good. At times,

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Speaker 2: the offense is really stunk. At times, the pitching has

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Speaker 2: been really good. At times the pitching is stunk. Aja

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Speaker 2: sms Schaub was not good tonight. You know, he gave

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Speaker 2: up seven runs and three innings. He had one strikeout total.

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Speaker 2: He was not missing many bats. The Nationals were hitting

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Speaker 2: balls very hard. It was not a lot of blue pits.

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Speaker 2: Those were legitimate hits. And the bullpen came in and

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Speaker 2: I don't think the bullpen gave up a run until

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Speaker 2: the you know, the the ghost runner at the end,

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Speaker 2: which doesn't count as a Nurn run. You know, AJ

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Speaker 2: gave up seven and the bullpen held it there for

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Speaker 2: the next six innings and gave the offense a chance.

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Speaker 2: And the offense. Credit to the offense. The offense did

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Speaker 2: cover up those seven runs. They got it all the

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Speaker 2: way back. We're gonna talk about in a second, this

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Speaker 2: third base coach stuff. We're gonna talk about that in

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Speaker 2: a second, but we're gonna stick with AJ for a second.

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Speaker 2: AJ was probably due some regression. I don't think a J.

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Speaker 2: Smith Schalver at this point in his career is a

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Speaker 2: two e er a pitcher, which is what he was

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Speaker 2: pitching at for the last few weeks, so this was

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Speaker 2: coming probably at some point. It sucks that it all

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Speaker 2: happened at once. You know, seven earn runs. If your

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Speaker 2: starting pitcher gives up seven earn runs and three innings,

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Speaker 2: you're probably gonna lose that game. Even with a good offense,

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Speaker 2: you're probably I mean, that's just those aren't games you win.

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Speaker 2: So the fact that the Braves even got this to

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Speaker 2: extra innings shows how well the bullpen in the offense

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Speaker 2: did today. But again, there this, you know, there's this

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Speaker 2: triangle of offense, star art, even pitching bullpen, and the

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Speaker 2: Braves is like two out of three and it's like

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Speaker 2: the one that's off is the one that cost you

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Speaker 2: the game that night. And it's just a really frustrating

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Speaker 2: way to We'll go through a season and I don't

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Speaker 2: have an explanation for it. I guarantee you the team

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Speaker 2: doesn't have an explanation for it. But they just cannot

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Speaker 2: get all three phases going at once that will lead

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Speaker 2: to any sort of momentum. And tonight it was a j. Smithschalverer,

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Speaker 2: who was due some regression got hit with some regression

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Speaker 2: and it cost the game. It cost the Braves the game.

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Speaker 1: Well, there's another added aspect as well, that's new watch,

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Speaker 1: that's value added from the coaching staff. And we've seen

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Speaker 1: it time and time a GID that has not been

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Speaker 1: at the level that it needs to for this Brave

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Speaker 1: squad this year, there just have been unfortunate instances where

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Speaker 1: in the moment common sits needs to apply, whether it's

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Speaker 1: bride stickers hand to lead to the bullpen, potentially who

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Speaker 1: he puts at the plate in a big bobit, what

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Speaker 1: have you. There's moments this year where he's may made

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Speaker 1: some decisions that leave you scratch in your head. Well tonight,

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Speaker 1: I believe it's Matt to Yolsa super. I know there's

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Speaker 1: a couple of Toyolsa supos. Matt Tuyolsa super and the

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Speaker 1: Braves third base coach. If you did not watch the game,

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Speaker 1: it was the bottom of the ninth inning, the Braves

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Speaker 1: had the Braves head rudders of first and seconds at

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Speaker 1: Matt Olsen hit a double and so Stuart ferrit Dot

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Speaker 1: Stuart Fairchild believe it was Eli White or Nick Allen

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Speaker 1: that was on I forget, Yeah, it was Luke Williams.

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Speaker 1: Luke Williams, Ye, Luke Murphy hit the single, so Luke

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Speaker 1: Williams was the pinch runner. Stuart Fairchild did not get

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Speaker 1: on he failed to do the sacrifice, but Riley got

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Speaker 1: a single. Olsen hit the doubles. So your best, guys,

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Speaker 1: you're big guys. We talk about the best Braves needed

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Speaker 1: to beat at their best. They put the Braves in

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Speaker 1: a position to not only tie the game, but potentially

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Speaker 1: go aheit. So matt Olsen hits the double and then

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Speaker 1: of course Luke Williams scores. But it was so obvious

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Speaker 1: to hold Austin Riley and if you did that, if

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Speaker 1: you did that, you would have had right matt Olsen

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Speaker 1: on second with Marcelo Zuna had to play. The score

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Speaker 1: tied seven to seven in the top of the night,

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Speaker 1: with one out, you were in a position to where odds,

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Speaker 1: which had not been in your favor the whole game,

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Speaker 1: they were finally in your grasp to win the game.

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Speaker 1: But unfortunately Austin Riley was sitting home when it did

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Speaker 1: not make any sense to do so, and unfortunately that

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Speaker 1: led to two outs in the Marcello zone and popped

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Speaker 1: out and we lost the game. The thing that I'm

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Speaker 1: getting at, is, Stephen, is that when we talk about

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Speaker 1: the Braves are struggling, they're so inconsistent at getting every

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Speaker 1: part of their game on the same page to win

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Speaker 1: at the level that they need to. It does us

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Speaker 1: no favors when the coaching staff cannot make the obvious

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Speaker 1: decisions to give us a chance. That has to change.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, this one, this one pissed me off quite honestly,

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Speaker 2: because it happened a couple of days ago too, where

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Speaker 2: Austin Riley got sent in just an absurd Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I don't I don't mean you interrupt, but but but

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Speaker 1: Tuyasa Sopo, he has it. If there's the analogy Bryan

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Speaker 1: Snicker struggles with managing the bullpen is the same when

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Speaker 1: it comes to Tuiasa Sopo's inability to realize when not

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Speaker 1: to send the runner. This has happened five to seven

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Speaker 1: times over the past year. It's quite frustrated.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it was. It was in Boston. It was Verdugo. Uh,

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Speaker 2: somebody hit a sharp single to left field. Bust. You know,

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Speaker 2: Fenway Parks left field is the shortest left field in

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Speaker 2: baseball because of the Green Monster. So the left fielder

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Speaker 2: plays at like two hundred and twenty feet. Somebody hit

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Speaker 2: a sharp line drive. I think it might I think

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Speaker 2: it was Matt Olsen again. Actually, Matt Olsen hit a

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Speaker 2: sharp line drive to Jared Duran in left field, and

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Speaker 2: Tuyosa Soo sent Verdugo. I mean Duran was throwing the

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Speaker 2: ball a home before Verdigo even got to third base.

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Speaker 2: And Verdugo was out by twelve miles. And that was

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Speaker 2: like two two days, two or three days ago, so

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Speaker 2: you have that fresh in your mind. Tonight's was even

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Speaker 2: worse because Matt Olson hits this rocket, absolute rock. By

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Speaker 2: the way, Matt Olson's was on fire all of a sudden.

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Speaker 2: He hit another home run a night at a double.

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Speaker 2: I think he's up to like a one thirty five

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Speaker 2: WRC plus for the season. Like he started to look

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Speaker 2: like Matt Olson again. But Matt Olsen hits this absolute

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Speaker 2: rocket of a double. I think it's a one hop

385
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Speaker 2: off the wall. The right fielder played it really well,

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Speaker 2: got the ball in very quick. Austin Riley has absolutely

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Speaker 2: no business being sent there. First of all, they're lucky

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Speaker 2: Austin didn't get hurt because it was a one of

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Speaker 2: those close plays at the plate where the dude has

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Speaker 2: to dive at the plate. You got the catcher and

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Speaker 2: all of his you know, stormtrooper gear coming down on

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Speaker 2: the runner. Like that's how a dude breaks a hand

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Speaker 2: or breaks a wrist. You know, aside from the fact

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Speaker 2: that it's probably gonna lose you the game, it's just

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Speaker 2: stupid to do in the first place. But what makes

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Speaker 2: it even dumber is that you have Marcelo Zuna coming up,

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Speaker 2: and even if they walk Marcelo Zuna with a runner

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Speaker 2: on second, you have Drake Baldwin behind him, like you

399
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Speaker 2: have the guys that you want at the plate. You know,

400
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Speaker 2: if they walk marcel then you got the bases loaded,

401
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Speaker 2: one out with Drake Baldwin up in a tie game.

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Speaker 2: You take that all day long. You gladly take that.

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Speaker 2: That's like the worst case scenario if they if they

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Speaker 2: decide to take the bat out of azunas enands who

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Speaker 2: Azuna had a really good night tonight? Is Weddy at

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Speaker 2: three hit night. It's just senseless, absolutely senseless. And you know,

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Speaker 2: being a third base coach is tough. I understand it's tough,

408
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Speaker 2: but like these are no brainers, like the Verdugo one

409
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Speaker 2: is just mind numbingly stupid, and this one might might

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Speaker 2: have been worse. You have to know who's on deck,

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Speaker 2: and you have to know who's in the hole. It's

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Speaker 2: your best two, it's it's maybe the two guys you

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Speaker 2: wanted to play the most. Honestly, the way the season

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Speaker 2: is gone with Azuna and Baldmore, probably the two best

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Speaker 2: hitters you've had on the team all year are those

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Speaker 2: two guys, and that's who's up next, And they would

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Speaker 2: have been up with you tied the game one out

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Speaker 2: and either runners on second or third or bases loaded.

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Speaker 2: It just pissed me off some. I'm still pissed off,

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Speaker 2: quite honestly. I'm glad the Kunya news came because if

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Speaker 2: we'd had to lead this show with this segment, I

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Speaker 2: would have popped the blood vessel. It just pisses me off.

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Speaker 2: It's just like, you know, if it's a close play,

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Speaker 2: if it's like fifty to fifty, I can see it.

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Speaker 2: But he's had two in like the last three or

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Speaker 2: four days that have just been mindnumbingly stupid, and it's

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Speaker 2: cost the Braves big both times, and it can't happen.

428
00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,359
Speaker 1: Being aggressive is fine, and you know, and Brian snicker

429
00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:42,720
Speaker 1: at times when he's been aggressive. I've been a fan

430
00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:43,000
Speaker 1: of it.

431
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:43,200
Speaker 2: You know.

432
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,120
Speaker 1: Over the years, we've been aggressive sending runners to third,

433
00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:49,000
Speaker 1: and a lot of times it's worked out. I've been

434
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 1: a fan of it. But again, when you're in a

435
00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,000
Speaker 1: situation where you've not had odds in your favor for

436
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:55,920
Speaker 1: much of the game and you are all of a

437
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,080
Speaker 1: sudden are in a position where that can change, and

438
00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:00,720
Speaker 1: you've got your best hitter, some of your best to play,

439
00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,000
Speaker 1: You've got to play those odds. And that's the value

440
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,600
Speaker 1: that you have to have from your third base coach

441
00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,120
Speaker 1: and your coaching staff, especially when overall you've been struggling.

442
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,399
Speaker 2: And I'll make this point. Listen, if that's Eli White

443
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,920
Speaker 2: running around and he's like one of the fasttitudes in baseball,

444
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,480
Speaker 2: and you're like, all right, I'm gonna make Washington make

445
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,480
Speaker 2: two perfect throws to get him out. If that was

446
00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:26,960
Speaker 2: the case, I would actually understand it. And same with

447
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,800
Speaker 2: the Verdugo play a couple of days ago in Boston.

448
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,600
Speaker 2: If that was Eli White or Stuart Fairchild, somebody who

449
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,240
Speaker 2: can absolutely fly and the dude has to make a

450
00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,400
Speaker 2: perfect throw to get you out, Okay, that's aggressive. That's

451
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,680
Speaker 2: forcing the other team to be perfect to get an out.

452
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,680
Speaker 2: This is not that this was Alex Vradugo running and

453
00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:49,680
Speaker 2: Austin Rolan run. Neither Boston nor Washington had to be

454
00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,080
Speaker 2: perfect to get this out. They just had to not

455
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,120
Speaker 2: screw it up. And any sort of decent throw gets

456
00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,560
Speaker 2: either guy. And that's what pisses me on It's not

457
00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:00,639
Speaker 2: even really close.

458
00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's the thing about it is that you

459
00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,160
Speaker 1: just whenever you have the chance again to put yourself

460
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,440
Speaker 1: in a position to win, you've got to make the

461
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:13,760
Speaker 1: right decisions to be able to do that. Because I

462
00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,840
Speaker 1: also want to hit on this point before we get

463
00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:19,040
Speaker 1: into the San Diego Padres series. The Braves over the

464
00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,280
Speaker 1: past three weeks have failed. And what I mean by

465
00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,040
Speaker 1: I have failed is this is that over the past

466
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:28,120
Speaker 1: three weeks now, this Braves team is one game under

467
00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,560
Speaker 1: five hundred. After they won that second game in Colorado,

468
00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:32,720
Speaker 1: they were one game under five hundred. They then lost

469
00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:34,800
Speaker 1: the next game two to one. Well, now three weeks

470
00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:38,359
Speaker 1: later they're one game under five hundred and includes disappointing

471
00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,760
Speaker 1: series against the Nationals and includes disappointed series against the Pirates.

472
00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:46,000
Speaker 1: This three week stretch was supposed to be an opportunity

473
00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,960
Speaker 1: for them to gain even more traction from their slow

474
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:53,360
Speaker 1: start to the season. Again, I know that overall it's

475
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,920
Speaker 1: good to see how much they've improved record wise, but

476
00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,960
Speaker 1: there's a good chance we'd look back and say we

477
00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,800
Speaker 1: had missed opportunity during the stretch of the season because

478
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,119
Speaker 1: you're now about to get into a three week stretch

479
00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:07,280
Speaker 1: where you're playing nothing besides another series with Boston, You're

480
00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,919
Speaker 1: playing nothing but National League playoff hopals or current National

481
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,520
Speaker 1: League playoff teams. That is what is disappointing. For instance,

482
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:16,840
Speaker 1: since the started last year, we're eight and eleven against

483
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:21,040
Speaker 1: the Nationals. The Braves last year struggled against teams that

484
00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,520
Speaker 1: they were clearly better than, and that once again has

485
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,399
Speaker 1: shown up this season, and it's really prevented us from

486
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,720
Speaker 1: taking the advantage of a golden opportunity that now forces

487
00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:34,160
Speaker 1: us forces us to continue to win series and probably

488
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:36,480
Speaker 1: win more than some may expect us to. We've got

489
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:38,040
Speaker 1: to do it over the next three or four weeks

490
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:39,960
Speaker 1: because of the fact we couldn't take advantage of this

491
00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:40,879
Speaker 1: stretch of the schedule.

492
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:46,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, Listen, they played twelve games against the Rockies, the Pirates,

493
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:48,520
Speaker 2: and the Nationals, which are all three of the worst

494
00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,439
Speaker 2: teams in the National League. None of those are going

495
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,679
Speaker 2: to be playoff teams. So they've played twelve games against

496
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:58,200
Speaker 2: those three teams and they win six and six. You know,

497
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,600
Speaker 2: that's tough. That's this part of the schedule, and we

498
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,479
Speaker 2: talked about a lot where they probably needed to make

499
00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:06,159
Speaker 2: some hay. Now, they did have a good series against

500
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,399
Speaker 2: the Red Sox. They did have a good series against

501
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,440
Speaker 2: the Reds. But you know, if you take business and

502
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,760
Speaker 2: take care of business against these bad teams and and

503
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,280
Speaker 2: maybe even have like you know, go I mean, you

504
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:20,840
Speaker 2: don't want to. You know, you're not gonna go ten

505
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:24,000
Speaker 2: and two, But if you go nine and three, eight

506
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,640
Speaker 2: and four at the worst, you're in a much better spot.

507
00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:29,440
Speaker 2: But six and six against three of the worst teams

508
00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:31,200
Speaker 2: in the National League, now, I do I think the

509
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:35,280
Speaker 2: Nationals have upside. The Nationals have upside that the Rockies

510
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:38,120
Speaker 2: and Pirates don't because the Nationals have some really good

511
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,720
Speaker 2: young position players that are legit, like James Woods is

512
00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:44,800
Speaker 2: a legitimate probably gonna be an MVP candidate at some

513
00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:48,120
Speaker 2: point in his career type of hitter. I think he's

514
00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,119
Speaker 2: running like a nine to fifty ops right now, So

515
00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,720
Speaker 2: like he's no joke, you know, you know they got

516
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,960
Speaker 2: you know, C. J. Abrams, another guy is good. Ruiz

517
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,119
Speaker 2: always hits the Brave as well. Dylan Cruz, Like, if

518
00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,159
Speaker 2: you're a national just not a Nationals podcast, but if

519
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:06,280
Speaker 2: it was, like you can see a glimmer of hope

520
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,800
Speaker 2: coming with some of these drafts and some of these

521
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,399
Speaker 2: prospects they have. But as we say here today, the

522
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:12,919
Speaker 2: Nationals are gonna lose probably.

523
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:16,760
Speaker 1: I was also going to say, don't forget they got

524
00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:19,080
Speaker 1: the number one pick in this year's draft whe on

525
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:19,800
Speaker 1: the board for them.

526
00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:22,680
Speaker 2: So yeah, yeah, but I mean in twenty twenty five,

527
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,119
Speaker 2: they're probably gonna lose eighty five plus games. They're not

528
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:30,119
Speaker 2: a good team this year. You know, to be to

529
00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:32,040
Speaker 2: be three and three against him is not great, and

530
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:33,880
Speaker 2: to be eight and eleven the last two years against

531
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,879
Speaker 2: them is certainly not good. So yeah, it's a it's

532
00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:38,480
Speaker 2: a bummer, and it's you know, it's why the Braves

533
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:39,920
Speaker 2: have been stuck in mud the last three weeks. And

534
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:41,280
Speaker 2: this is what we talked about on the last show.

535
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,520
Speaker 2: You know, the Braves are not the hottest team in baseball.

536
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,960
Speaker 2: I know, since April eighteenth or whatever. They have the

537
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,480
Speaker 2: best record, but a lot of that is just accounting

538
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 2: for how hot they were at the end of the

539
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:53,840
Speaker 2: at the end of April. In the month of May,

540
00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,159
Speaker 2: the Braves are I think under five hundred, right at

541
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,600
Speaker 2: five hundred or under five hundred, So like they've been

542
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:02,359
Speaker 2: stuck in mud for a few weeks now, and you know,

543
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,720
Speaker 2: it kind of stinks against a pretty easy part of

544
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,720
Speaker 2: the schedule, and now that goes away the schedule. You know,

545
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,280
Speaker 2: we're about to talk about San Diego, that's their next opponent.

546
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 2: You know, the schedule picks up in June, and it's

547
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:13,680
Speaker 2: going to be a lot harder.

548
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,159
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and you have two teams that clearly have the

549
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,520
Speaker 1: playoffs in mind and even more in mind right now

550
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,320
Speaker 1: that are struggling as they meet this weekend in Atlanta.

551
00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,399
Speaker 1: But it's going to be there's going to be very

552
00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,680
Speaker 1: little room for error when it comes to the Braves.

553
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,400
Speaker 1: We'll have more on that after another word from our partners.

554
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:33,240
Speaker 3: I just want to say before Arena Club, if you

555
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:37,440
Speaker 3: were trying to very actively buy sell trade, it was

556
00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:40,760
Speaker 3: very complicated and used a lot of mail that was unnecessary.

557
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:42,080
Speaker 2: I don't know I even know how to do it.

558
00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:43,800
Speaker 2: But I'm glad we have Arena Club now because it's

559
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,800
Speaker 2: a one stop shop for everything card related.

560
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,399
Speaker 3: It is and right now you can get twenty percent

561
00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:51,119
Speaker 3: off your first slab pack or your first card purchase

562
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,720
Speaker 3: by going to Arena club dot com slash foul use

563
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,719
Speaker 3: code fo u L. If you're a collector, you've got

564
00:27:57,880 --> 00:27:59,440
Speaker 3: to check out Arena Club.

565
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:00,480
Speaker 2: Go after it.

566
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:06,159
Speaker 1: So, Stephen, the stage is set. Ronald Acuna Junior is

567
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,640
Speaker 1: returning to the is returning to the lineup. He will

568
00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:11,880
Speaker 1: be in the lineup and returning for the first time

569
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:14,840
Speaker 1: in more than a year against the San Diego Padres.

570
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,480
Speaker 1: And of course this is going to be the first

571
00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,280
Speaker 1: time the Braves meet the Padres since they were swept

572
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:23,120
Speaker 1: by San Diego in San Diego. In San Diego. I'll

573
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,320
Speaker 1: have a bit more information on this in just a moment.

574
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,479
Speaker 1: San Diego, we talked about, the Nationals have kind of been,

575
00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,719
Speaker 1: you know, a tough opponent for the Braves. San Diego

576
00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,000
Speaker 1: has been a very tough opponent for the Braves in

577
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,679
Speaker 1: recent years. You know, of course, last year they eliminated

578
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,640
Speaker 1: us for the playoffs. But when I said before the break,

579
00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,120
Speaker 1: we had very little room for error. The big reason

580
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,920
Speaker 1: why is because just like we face in San Diego,

581
00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:49,000
Speaker 1: we once again are going to be facing a very,

582
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:53,560
Speaker 1: very tough stretch of pitching. Right now, the starters that

583
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,920
Speaker 1: are listed for the series are going to be Chris

584
00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:01,960
Speaker 1: Sail versus Nick Pavetta on Friday, Grant Homes versus Michael

585
00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:05,800
Speaker 1: King on Saturday, and then Dylan Sees versus Spencer Swellenbach

586
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,480
Speaker 1: on Sunday. Now, I will say I don't think that

587
00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:12,560
Speaker 1: either starting or the stretch of starting pitching for either

588
00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,600
Speaker 1: team is just head over here is just heads above

589
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,120
Speaker 1: the other. But I do think you could say that

590
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:20,760
Speaker 1: in Saturday and Sunday's game you can easily see the

591
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,160
Speaker 1: Padres being favored when it comes to the starting pitching,

592
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,520
Speaker 1: which points me to Friday night Steven, how important it

593
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:29,800
Speaker 1: is to get that win because if the Braves don't

594
00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:32,760
Speaker 1: win that Sell versus Pavetta matchup, and Pavetta has been

595
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,240
Speaker 1: in an all star level this year. If they don't

596
00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,960
Speaker 1: get the win Tomorrow night, they're now staring at the

597
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:40,640
Speaker 1: fact that they've lost three straight games with their next

598
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,120
Speaker 1: two games against Michael King and Dylan Sees. You don't

599
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:45,240
Speaker 1: want to be in that scenario.

600
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:50,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, Nick Pavetta has been awesome for the Padres this year,

601
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 2: and Michael King has been awesome for the last two years.

602
00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:55,280
Speaker 2: Dylan Sees, I think is having an up and down year,

603
00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,000
Speaker 2: but I swear Dylan Sees throws his best games against

604
00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:03,600
Speaker 2: the Braves the last couple of years. And yeah, that's

605
00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:07,000
Speaker 2: not gonna be easy. And you're right. You know, when

606
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,200
Speaker 2: you get to Grant Holmes versus Michael King on Saturday,

607
00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:12,720
Speaker 2: you're almost certainly not gonna be favored in that game.

608
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,320
Speaker 2: Schwellenbach versus Cease is probably a coin flip, but your

609
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,000
Speaker 2: best chance is certainly Sale versus Paveta on Friday. I

610
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,000
Speaker 2: know Pavetta's had a good season, but just on the

611
00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,040
Speaker 2: whole of the two, you would certainly take Sale in

612
00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:28,800
Speaker 2: that matchup. The Braves are at home Acunya's back. Like

613
00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,120
Speaker 2: you said, the Braves do not play well against the Padres,

614
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,480
Speaker 2: at least they don't. They've actually played decently well in

615
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:38,600
Speaker 2: San Diego last year's playoffs aside, but like San Diego

616
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,480
Speaker 2: has come to Atlanta and kicked the crap out of

617
00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:44,960
Speaker 2: the Braves the last couple of years. So they still

618
00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,040
Speaker 2: they have never been able to get Manny Machado or

619
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,400
Speaker 2: Fernando Tatist Junior out. I don't have the numbers in

620
00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:52,000
Speaker 2: front of me, but I guarantee you both those guys

621
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,680
Speaker 2: have like nine hundred or plus ops's against the Braves.

622
00:30:55,280 --> 00:31:00,200
Speaker 2: So it's not gonna be easy. And nothing about this

623
00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:03,160
Speaker 2: next stretch is gonna be easy. This is why you

624
00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,120
Speaker 2: kind of wanted to take more advantage of this stretch

625
00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,360
Speaker 2: than than the Braves did end up doing. So we'll see,

626
00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,720
Speaker 2: we'll see what happens. You know, Akunya coming back is

627
00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:12,640
Speaker 2: obviously gonna be the headline. That's what everybody's gonna be

628
00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:15,880
Speaker 2: talking about. I'm guessing I'm almost certainly he's gonna be

629
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 2: batting lead off. You know, it'll be a it'll be

630
00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,800
Speaker 2: an absolute circus around you know, it's all it's it's

631
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:25,520
Speaker 2: a Chris Sale Friday night game anyway. So the stadium

632
00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:27,680
Speaker 2: is already gonna be packed, but now that Acuna is

633
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:29,960
Speaker 2: coming back, it's gonna be like a Taylor Swift concert.

634
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:31,920
Speaker 2: There's gonna be just as many people outside the stadium

635
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,240
Speaker 2: as there is inside. It's gonna be a party at

636
00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:36,880
Speaker 2: Truest and so that you know that will at least

637
00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:38,720
Speaker 2: help take the sting out of this bad road trip

638
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,800
Speaker 2: where the Braves started off well but then you know,

639
00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:47,000
Speaker 2: wet the bed here in Washington, d C. But they

640
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,160
Speaker 2: need to get back on the horse and having your

641
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:52,400
Speaker 2: superstar back will help a lot. But yeah, the pitching

642
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,720
Speaker 2: matchups outside of Friday Night probably don't favor you. You

643
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:58,280
Speaker 2: definitely need to win Friday Night, and if you win

644
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:01,320
Speaker 2: Friday you can steal one win the series, and then

645
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,000
Speaker 2: you're kind of back on the right side of things

646
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:05,480
Speaker 2: and hopefully get on a run at some point.

647
00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:10,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, over the past two years, the Braves now are

648
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:16,240
Speaker 1: six and twelve against the Padres. That includes at two

649
00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:19,760
Speaker 1: and six when the Padres come to Atlanta. So's certainly

650
00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,760
Speaker 1: a trend that the Braves want to change. So what

651
00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,640
Speaker 1: stands out in this series for the Braves? Where are

652
00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:28,080
Speaker 1: they going to find the advantage? I feel like with

653
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,800
Speaker 1: Ron mccuno junior coming back, it's the offense the Braves

654
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,800
Speaker 1: overall they're starting. Let's not let's let one positive takeaway.

655
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,480
Speaker 1: One positive takeaway. We talked about and made that the

656
00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:41,680
Speaker 1: power has really seemed like it's disappeared, but over the

657
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,600
Speaker 1: past week, since the weekend, that power has started to

658
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:47,200
Speaker 1: come back. Matt Olsen getting hot is a big reason

659
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:50,400
Speaker 1: why Marcelo Zuna is starting to put together some really

660
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,720
Speaker 1: goods at bats as well. His power is starting to

661
00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:54,240
Speaker 1: come back. And then the course again, you add a

662
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:57,560
Speaker 1: Kunya the Braves offense. For the Braves to win this series,

663
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,600
Speaker 1: the Braves offense has to clearly be better than Padres.

664
00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:02,280
Speaker 1: I think that you can make the case that they

665
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:04,560
Speaker 1: are on paper with the Couona back, but you also

666
00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,240
Speaker 1: could say this year that hasn't necessarily been the case.

667
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,120
Speaker 1: The Braves are going to once again and have to

668
00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:12,440
Speaker 1: rely on their offense in this series. I think they

669
00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,520
Speaker 1: can get it done, especially if they can score early.

670
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:17,120
Speaker 1: But they've got to get it done. That's the other

671
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,840
Speaker 1: thing that I think that doesn't stand out enough when

672
00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,360
Speaker 1: we talk about this Braves team. We are now at

673
00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:24,840
Speaker 1: the third of the way through the season. We're at

674
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,600
Speaker 1: Memorial Day again, going through a stretch we're going to

675
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,920
Speaker 1: face nothing but in l playoff teams. You've got to

676
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,520
Speaker 1: get the series win this weekend because if you don't,

677
00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:36,680
Speaker 1: you start getting back in that hall that you were

678
00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:38,760
Speaker 1: again at the first of the year, with far less

679
00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:40,240
Speaker 1: time to be able to get out.

680
00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:46,040
Speaker 2: Of it, and let me say this, and we can

681
00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:48,040
Speaker 2: spin this into a conversation about the bench if you

682
00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:51,120
Speaker 2: want to. But so the conversation has been who's gonna

683
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,080
Speaker 2: go down when Acuna comes up tomorrow, right? And the

684
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:58,600
Speaker 2: assumption has just been Stuart Fairchild or Luke Williams. You

685
00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:01,240
Speaker 2: know Luke Williams being optioned? Is I think I actually

686
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:03,320
Speaker 2: don't know if Luke Wiams has options. I have to

687
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,600
Speaker 2: go back and look. But you know who's gonna get

688
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:10,399
Speaker 2: sent down when Acunya comes back up? And a more

689
00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:12,880
Speaker 2: interesting conversation to me is who's gonna play left field

690
00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:16,719
Speaker 2: when Akunya is here? Because obviously Couny is gonna play right,

691
00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:20,480
Speaker 2: Michael Harris is gonna play in center. And because the

692
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:24,759
Speaker 2: Padres are throwing three consecutive rightyes, Paveta, King and cec

693
00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:28,440
Speaker 2: are all right handed, conventional wisdom might say that Verdugo

694
00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:31,719
Speaker 2: should play in this series. I am gonna make the point.

695
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:35,040
Speaker 2: I'm gonna make the argument that Eli White should play

696
00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:40,600
Speaker 2: one because Eli White actually hits better against right handed

697
00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:42,719
Speaker 2: pitching than he does against left handed pitching. But that's

698
00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,440
Speaker 2: not why. That's a pretty weak argument. Reverse splits are

699
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:48,120
Speaker 2: always kind of a fluky thing. Anyways, my number one

700
00:34:48,239 --> 00:34:50,400
Speaker 2: argument why Eli White should play left field most of

701
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:55,719
Speaker 2: the time this season until Profar gets back is if

702
00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:58,360
Speaker 2: you play Eli White in left field, then Michael Harris

703
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:03,200
Speaker 2: can shade towards right fe and give a Cunya help

704
00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,359
Speaker 2: where Acunya doesn't have to go deep into because Eli

705
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:08,960
Speaker 2: White is a center fielder basically, And if you put

706
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,120
Speaker 2: a center fielder in left field and a center fielder

707
00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:13,879
Speaker 2: in right field or in centerfield, you have two really

708
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,279
Speaker 2: good defensive fielders and the two biggest parts of truest park,

709
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:20,200
Speaker 2: which are left field and right in center field, then

710
00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:23,560
Speaker 2: Michael Harris can shade towards Acunya and right and limit

711
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,680
Speaker 2: some of his I think. I mean I said this before.

712
00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 2: I think he's gonna be a little bit of a

713
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,160
Speaker 2: liability out there at the start. I just I think

714
00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:33,200
Speaker 2: that's gonna be the weakest part of his game. But

715
00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:37,399
Speaker 2: if you have Eli White in left field, I think

716
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,920
Speaker 2: it makes more sense. I know that because they're throwing right,

717
00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:42,000
Speaker 2: he's everybody's gonna say throw for do go out there.

718
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,239
Speaker 2: He's left hand to get the platoon split. I get that,

719
00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:48,520
Speaker 2: and that's not wrong, but I think I go the

720
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:51,680
Speaker 2: other way. I think I go defense heavy in left

721
00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:54,480
Speaker 2: field and centerfield so that I can shade towards right

722
00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:56,000
Speaker 2: field and help Acunya out a little bit.

723
00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:59,120
Speaker 1: And the last point that I'll make is this, when

724
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,640
Speaker 1: you talk about who's gonna potentially start off there, this

725
00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:03,759
Speaker 1: also is a series where Brian Snicker has to be

726
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:05,719
Speaker 1: at the top of his game. For instance, if you

727
00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:08,560
Speaker 1: put Eli White out there, then you potentially have Drake

728
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,960
Speaker 1: Baldoman or Sean Murphy has a been chopped, plus Alex Rdugo.

729
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,799
Speaker 1: You could utilize these guys in games. Brian Snicker, he's

730
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:19,400
Speaker 1: capable of doing it now doing it consistently. I completely

731
00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,719
Speaker 1: understand anybody that questions him being able to do it consistently.

732
00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,319
Speaker 1: But he has the potential of being able to make

733
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:29,839
Speaker 1: the right decisions, especially when he's looking aggressive to win.

734
00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:33,439
Speaker 1: That's another key in this series. Brian Snicker is going

735
00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:37,080
Speaker 1: to have to make the right decisions consistently who and

736
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:41,600
Speaker 1: when to use bullpen pieces. What decisions will be there

737
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:43,440
Speaker 1: when it comes to who you need to bat at

738
00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,640
Speaker 1: the plate late in games. He has got to hit

739
00:36:46,719 --> 00:36:49,319
Speaker 1: the right buttons to get this series one, because if

740
00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,920
Speaker 1: he does, if he does, that's added value if he

741
00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,840
Speaker 1: makes the right decisions. The Braves have the guys that

742
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,400
Speaker 1: can add value, but he's got to put him in

743
00:36:57,520 --> 00:36:59,320
Speaker 1: the position to be able to add that value.

744
00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:03,960
Speaker 2: And by the way, we watched Orlando Orcia pinch run tonight,

745
00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,560
Speaker 2: Orlando or Sea pinch ran tonight, Like I've said this

746
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:12,560
Speaker 2: before on the show, Like I don't understand Orlando or

747
00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:14,799
Speaker 2: Sia is a bench option because he's not good enough

748
00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:16,800
Speaker 2: to hit, he's not good enough to be a pinch in,

749
00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:18,319
Speaker 2: or he's not fast enough to be a pinch runner.

750
00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:23,960
Speaker 2: You're never gonna take Nick Allen out for defensive purposes anyways.

751
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:26,800
Speaker 2: And if something happened to Nick Allen, Eli White or

752
00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:29,279
Speaker 2: Luke Williams could cover shortstop in an emergency until you

753
00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,840
Speaker 2: brought somebody up the next day. I don't understand. Orlando

754
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:36,360
Speaker 2: Arcia's roster spot is basically the thesis of this comment,

755
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:41,279
Speaker 2: and watching him watching him pinch run tonight was hysterical.

756
00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,680
Speaker 2: I don't know. I don't think Orlando or Sea is

757
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:47,360
Speaker 2: faster than Marcelo Zuna, by the way, and I know

758
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,479
Speaker 2: it didn't end up mattering because the Braves didn't score

759
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,800
Speaker 2: and the national score the next inning. But like whatever

760
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:56,480
Speaker 2: the difference between Orlando Arcia's speed is and Marcelo's Zuna

761
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:59,799
Speaker 2: speed is is certainly not enough to justify potentially losing

762
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,440
Speaker 2: to know another Marcelo Zuna at bat if it had

763
00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:05,280
Speaker 2: gotten to that point. That was just mind numbingly stupid.

764
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:07,279
Speaker 2: And part of it is because Orlando Acia has no

765
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,360
Speaker 2: business being on a major league bench. He does not

766
00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:14,120
Speaker 2: provide anything, and tonight tonight was just a perfect example.

767
00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:16,320
Speaker 2: So I know it's a small thing, it's the bench, whatever,

768
00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:20,160
Speaker 2: but I had to get that watching Orlando Arcia pinch

769
00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:27,719
Speaker 2: run that the last two innings of that game tonight

770
00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:31,360
Speaker 2: were hard to watch. I'll leave it at that. Acun

771
00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:34,600
Speaker 2: is coming back. We're gonna end on a positive. The

772
00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:38,319
Speaker 2: game was very frustrating. Orlando a sia a pinch ran.

773
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:40,719
Speaker 2: I'm done.

774
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,400
Speaker 1: Let's him know one more positive, Steven, And it's not

775
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:49,800
Speaker 1: exact for when my Memorial Day comes each year, but

776
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,840
Speaker 1: I just want to point out the fact that we

777
00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:57,560
Speaker 1: have seen this script before, Okay, as frustrating and as

778
00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,760
Speaker 1: painful at times as the past year hit being basically

779
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:03,279
Speaker 1: since April twenty seventh of last year, added with the

780
00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:06,560
Speaker 1: month later Ronald Acunyu Junior going down. Keep this in

781
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,240
Speaker 1: mind to go along with the fact that Ronald 'cunye

782
00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:13,399
Speaker 1: junior is back, Keep this one thing in mind. Since

783
00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 1: two thousand and nineteen in full seasons, not counting twenty twenty,

784
00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:21,719
Speaker 1: but since twenty nineteen, I basically looked at how the

785
00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:25,319
Speaker 1: Braves have done from game number fifty five. I think

786
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:28,279
Speaker 1: they're they're what they played their fifty fifth game to

787
00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:31,480
Speaker 1: night or something like that. But from game fifty five

788
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:33,840
Speaker 1: through the end of the season, here's the Braves record

789
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:38,600
Speaker 1: by year twenty nineteen sixty five and forty one a

790
00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:42,480
Speaker 1: sixty two percent winning percentage, twenty twenty one, sixty two

791
00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:46,640
Speaker 1: and forty five of fifty seven winning percentage, twenty twenty two,

792
00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:50,880
Speaker 1: seventy four and thirty four a six eighty five winning percentage,

793
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,080
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, seventy two and thirty six of sixty

794
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:57,320
Speaker 1: sixty seven winning percentage, and last year fifty eight and

795
00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:01,000
Speaker 1: fifty of five thirty seven winning percent I know that's

796
00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:02,960
Speaker 1: a lot of numbers, but what the point is saying

797
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:05,479
Speaker 1: is this, and I brought this point up before during

798
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:09,760
Speaker 1: the Alexanthopoulos era. This season is following a similar script

799
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:13,320
Speaker 1: that many other seasons have before. This team typically plays

800
00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:16,080
Speaker 1: five hundred ball for April and for much of May,

801
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,759
Speaker 1: and then when it comes to June they take off.

802
00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:21,680
Speaker 1: It comes from things happening where they get sparked to

803
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:24,919
Speaker 1: the team, like Michael Harrison Spencer Strider a few years ago,

804
00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:28,359
Speaker 1: Ronald Acuna Junior. This year, as Stephen has said many times,

805
00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:32,520
Speaker 1: Austin Riley turns into Barry Bonds. You get amid August,

806
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:35,840
Speaker 1: mid July to August hot streak from Matt Olson. The

807
00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:38,879
Speaker 1: best days of this season for the Braves are very

808
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,960
Speaker 1: likely to be ahead of them. But it's got to

809
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:45,480
Speaker 1: start now. So yes, it's been a struggle. But when

810
00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:48,879
Speaker 1: it comes to the combination of Ronald a'cune junior coming back, Plus,

811
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,360
Speaker 1: we've seen this story before and we're getting to the

812
00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:54,000
Speaker 1: best chapters usually when it comes to the regular season

813
00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:56,759
Speaker 1: story of the Braves. Keep those two things in mind

814
00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,360
Speaker 1: as we look to kick the padres ass this weekend. Stephen,

815
00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:02,480
Speaker 1: do you have anything else? As we wrap up this

816
00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:04,880
Speaker 1: edition of the Hammer Territory podcast.

817
00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:08,160
Speaker 2: Kick the padresss. I like it. I'm gonna hashtag it

818
00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:10,000
Speaker 2: if I can never get back into my Twitter account

819
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,000
Speaker 2: and stop stop pinch running Orlando Orcia.

820
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:18,280
Speaker 1: Two takeaways from today. Of course, you could find Stephen

821
00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:21,040
Speaker 1: Tolbert at b Underscore Outliars one of the best when

822
00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:23,520
Speaker 1: it comes to covering the Braves, myself at Stat's sac

823
00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:26,880
Speaker 1: on Twitter, slash x Hammer Territory across all forms of

824
00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:30,480
Speaker 1: social media. Check us out on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Listen,

825
00:41:30,719 --> 00:41:33,920
Speaker 1: subscribe to your friends, tell your family, tell the mailman,

826
00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:36,120
Speaker 1: tell the random person that you meet over the weekend.

827
00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:39,520
Speaker 1: If you're out of town, subscribe to Hammer Territory also

828
00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:44,040
Speaker 1: the Foul Territory family of podcasts for Stephen Tolbert. Until

829
00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:47,640
Speaker 1: next time, my name is Sean Coleman, Go Braves. Ronald

830
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:52,239
Speaker 1: Acuna Junior is back in a Braves uniform and there's

831
00:41:52,239 --> 00:41:55,160
Speaker 1: gonna be plenty of winds ahead for this Braves team,

832
00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:56,800
Speaker 1: and we'll be here to cover it all on the

833
00:41:56,840 --> 00:41:58,560
Speaker 1: Hammer Territory podcast