 It is October 2nd. One wild card game is in the books and one is about to get going tonight Let's talk all about it What's going on everybody? Thank you for joining us for a never another episode of talking baseball on this fine Wednesday morning recording at 10 o'clock getting there Bearings going it's 8 o'clock for Jake who is in Denver This episode of talking baseball is sponsored by a bunch of great people Raymond Torres Scott Sebert Jules hails always like to name jewels. Not sure why Benjamin Slate Ben Slate. That's a power name. Mr. Slate Wow Mr. Slate is like a bad guy in a comic book. That's crazy Connor Armheim old friend and then Istanbul Istanbul no way I got that right, but I tried my hardest and I did my best and those are our most recent patreon Sponsors they get to watch live as we do these and maybe chat with us in the chat if they Would like to and they also get a chance to win a jersey each month Jake, how are you doing? Good morning? Good morning James. I'm doing well Good to see your smile and face It's a great night for baseball And for our Milwaukee fans and listeners. I'm I'm sorry Welcome to the wild card. There's no way listening and for yeah, that's actually a great call so all right go screw you Milwaukee tune in oh no and For our Nationals fans that are listening Sorry you had to endure eight innings of that Yeah, I was gonna say that there's the Nationals fans didn't really have a fun night. They almost got it worse than the Brewers The Brewers was kind of a band-aid they they had their guy in the situation And they had to lead the whole game and then it was the rug got taken out from under them Man, it was crazy. What was your situation watching the game? You went to a bar? so Yesterday, I made a promise to the listeners that I would have a blackout game. I wasn't actually gonna blackout I thought you were gonna go live into it. I Would live on what like that was my that was my problem just be active like I Mean I was being I was live on Twitter. I was I was going the whole night But yeah, I didn't really have the form for that But uh, yeah, and it was a it was a good time and Jim leading up to the game And I I don't know if we want to I guess we could dive Not fully into it but leading up to the game Because you and I had talked earlier that day and we both kind of landed on the same page where it's better for Baseball if the Nationals win this game They would be a they're gonna they are going to be a really tough out in the playoffs If they won that game which they did and the Brewers. Yeah, they were a fun story in there They've been fighting hard and they're pesky and you know, no yell itch Obviously the closer I got to game time. I was rooting brew crew man. I I was feeling it I was like, yeah, let's pass the torch You know the Nats because what got me was Nats fans were thinking the same thing Nats fans were rubbing their hands going We win this I think we're looking good And I just like the Brewers mentality and then I was gonna link up with cuz I was gonna drink during this game So I linked up with our friend Jeff who is a Brewers fan. So then it felt like a perfect storm We went to a bar called Badgers a big Wisconsin Sports Bar in Denver and Man, it was just awesome the intensity of every pitch When the yes, man hits that home run, it's just like whoa, we are in it now So yeah, it was it was it was awesome until uh until the end and I snuck out of Badgers pretty quick but But it was a great great baseball game. How uh, what how did how did the game go for you James? I mean, it was pretty good. I was just sitting here enjoying it Twitter was down so I couldn't post gifts or videos I was pretty frustrating right for a while. It took me a while to realize it was down for everyone even like MLB Bad timing Twitter Come on Twitter baseball needs this. I don't know why cuz TBS was being ruthless They were hunting down the most miserable fans. Yeah, that was that was pretty funny like Just ruthless. I mean I had to share him I was obligated to because they're hilarious and I felt for him I I felt for national fans people thought I was making fun of them like no, I've been there 2017 wild card game. I've been through all these emotions The release of winning is amazing for Brewers fans when they open up three nothing in the second inning Like that release is amazing Wild card games of motherfucker, man. No one wins You get you may get to move on but you didn't like win the day as A fan of one of those two teams. It's miserable at from the outside. I enjoyed it heavily. Yes. Yes, of course Yeah, okay, it's it's it's perfect I a lot of people complain because it's crazy to have a 160 season to come down to one game But it is the best way to start the postseason just game 7 intensity right away and for casual fans It's like whoa, wait what this is insane Yeah, and I had I will say this one one of the fun parts of bopping around a little bit last night was getting I Did get some secondary fan reactions and stuff and I had one one moment that I liked a lot There was a person at the bar They turned to the the person they were with at the bar and they they clearly were there for them The the person person came in and all sorts of Milwaukee garb the other person was clearly just at a bar looking at screens and during the soda at Bat you saw the light bulb go off over their head and they turn to their friend and they go so wait this is kind of like Guy vs. Guy deciding the game and they were like, yeah I felt bad for the person who had to answer because their heartstrings were on the line And then they were like, oh, that's pretty cool. So I was like, all right. We got a baseball light bulb going off I love that and then I heard another guy that was like it played too many games and I was like Hold me back Jeff hold me back What'd you think of the actual gameplay I mean Sherser came out and he didn't really have duty like I mean didn't have his a plus stuff His B stuff is is still rather good But he was missing his fast while there are some pitches. He was just straight yanking and I loved Dude, this is gonna sound so crazy But I put in my notes like what a leadoff at bat by Trent Grisham to take the walk couple close pitches. Hello Sherser first playoff bat like big moment for the rookie. We talked about this the rookie nerves And I was like, oh damn me he came over came and we got the walk We joked about how a walk is a rally in Joe's McFly's quote walk is a rally in the playoffs And then because Sherser was wild and then fell behind 1.0 To grand all did he fall behind 1.0? In my head, it was the first pitch. Yeah first pitch fastball. So because because Sherser walked Grisham grandals like why Betty's come in with a strike because he doesn't want to fall behind in the county Dent and just bam what a sucker punch for Nationals fans right away and Then and then what the next inning Tames got a is it Thames? I don't know what it is Tames clipped them We pronounced like every Brewer's name wrong last episode. Yeah. Yeah, we're if you're new a thank you Leave a five star. Maybe you like it. Um, and yeah, we're not a names podcast We're gonna get it wrong. It might be a Tim's thing I thought it was Tames, but I think it's tough to say you'll hear us pronounce it every single way the rest of this episode his home run was pretty impressive because it was Like curveball slider for strike one or but he missed But that's what Sherser through and then he tried to bring the curveball back in like behind in the county Didn't go fastball because I thought he'd go fastball and he'd be sitting fastball again Just like grand all but no he was he got the slider Tames being told it's Tames Great, and it you're right. It was it wasn't a terrible off-speed pitch He I mean he hit a nice off-speed pitch off Sherser And this was I also did hear this at the bar that had to get me held back I heard the baseball players aren't athletes thing Marcus Tames That dude is roped up Um Everyone was tagging me on Twitter like whoa, Jakey Tames, and I was like well come on guys. Let's enjoy the game Is the wild card game is these are these on baseball reference yet? I'm looking at the ESPN box score. I did um Jim, I don't know if you want it or not. I did write a burn You did I did this is the talking baseball crew doesn't know about burns They are a talking yanks staple. It's a little recap of the game. We should have went into this right away here Let me get the music up All right, Jake burn the wild card game for us on your mark Get set burn Win or go home in the nation's capital as the beer makers face the Nats with Mad Max Sherser on the mound and could Milwaukee would rough him up as they sent Brandon to the mound Everyone in DC has their yes, man Yasmani grand doll a to run yacker to write the crowd is stunned welcome to the wild card DC To nothing Nats scratch that three nothing as they can't tame Marcus Oh, he big strong Washington would have to turn things around quick turn around Trace Homer just made it a little bit closer, but the Nats still need more runs Three one after three Sherser settled in and passed it to Strasburg who got out of a big big double play in the six And mama now here comes that man Haterade as Josh comes in for the Brewers and oh no We've got some action hit by pitch Ryan Zimmerman the old Nats legend He breaks his bat shatters the single Rendon walks hater didn't want him and Jim You probably didn't know this the kid is only 20 years old Juan Soto lines one to write one run will score Christian with the oh no And it's like a nightmare book by John Gresham the ball goes off his glove Three runs will score Nats win just like that Hudson with the save Washington advances Damn you got a John Gresham reference in there. You like that Yeah, I like some of his books. I Went through a big face Yeah, I feel like I don't know my mom and sister went through the Gresham phase. I never read a single one Boy, you're where mr. Poppers penguins and that's it. It's a good book got to read it There's a good game. That's a good burn makes me remember how much how fun this game was Yeah, I'm trying to um were you shocked how long they rode Sherser because he didn't look good At any when when he got into trouble in the fourth inning. I was like, why is he still out there? He's straight yanking fastballs and Yeah, they they stuck to their guns and that did surprise me Jim And I guess I guess they had to make a conscious decision before the game, right? They had to go into this game saying We're gonna ride max like we're not gonna treat him We're not gonna treat him as Bob Brandon Woodruff. We kept calling him Bob Woodruff the old reporter We're not gonna treat him like Brandon Woodruff who looked great by the way But if Woodruff got into trouble in the second inning say they would have pulled the plug Because that's how Milwaukee operates the Nats made a conscious decision that they were gonna go Sherser to Strasburg to essentially try to complete the game. I was a little surprised. They went to Hudson But Hudson ended up looking great Left do little in the pin. I thought that might become a controversy They they left their neck out there a little bit if if do little didn't get a chance to come in But Hudson looked good. And yeah, man. Sherser that they decided to let him go and it kind of paid off He settled in a little bit the crowd got behind Sherser because fifth inning is what I meant. Sorry when he walked Shaw. I was like This bad that was a jaw-dropping moment because Shaw has been so awful this season that Sherser walked him and that was An overlying kind of theme of this game where Travis Shaw draws a big walk against Sherser and you're like what he had one of the worst Like seasons off of a 30 Homer season ever How good did Drew Pomeran's look what? Dude, the Brewers had a strategy I wonder if the Dodgers had this in mind already or if they adopted now to attack the Nationals with high heat Like what if came out fucking looking amazing? Woodruff looked like Strasburg. Yeah, it was strong He looked like Lance Lynn in his prime just high fastballs Yeah, you see his pitch makes that one point when he was 26 pitches in 22 of them were fastballs two sliders to change something like that It was definitely 22 of 26 pitch were fastballs They were gearing up and then when Pomeran's came in his at bat Versus, I think Juan Soto Was high fastball high change up to get the strike out and was like this is their strategy I guess I wonder if as the Nats move on the Dodgers pick up that same thing with just high heat And I mean it's it's been a little bit of the evolution of baseball this season with the looping swings I feel I feel like even two years ago, Jim that the low and away slider felt like it was every other pitch I mean the Lance McCullers game didn't he throw 17 sliders in a row or whatever the number ended up landing at now We're gonna see a little bit of that second half of the show We are we are with with the with the later game But there there's definitely been a transition in in baseball that I think the best pitch in baseball right now is An up and in fastball. There's not many guys that can handle it The guys that can are the guys that were in the running for the batting title DJ LaMahieu Michael Brantley guys like that They feasted on them because they just slapped them the other way for a single or double where these power hitters trying to hit home Runs couldn't touch them Let's get to Let's get to the eighth inning the fall apart. Yes, there's a lot to discuss and then we are the second half The show will be the AL wildcard preview So haters in Yeah, they're asking him to get two innings And here's where Hader looked Even with the air and the hit by pitch Hader wasn't getting you two innings in this game It just didn't look like he could but he strikes out Victor Robles to lead it off And you're like, all right two outs to go move on to the next inning then Michael Taylor with the controversial hit by pitch I'm sure Brewer's fans are still very upset by this I haven't I haven't reached out into the Brewer's fans lives, but it's pretty close. They go to replay What are your thoughts like open thoughts on it? When you go to replay and you slow it down that much and it's still not you I still can't say 100% that hit the bat first What do we do like what do we do hands up like you need like, you know Technology you need there's kind of crazy. They called it a hit by pitch. They probably go by sound definitely hit his hand Did it hit the bat like a smidge like a slight slight slight second earlier? Maybe but I I Think if you're like, no, it definitely I think you're just You're just you're just throwing down to throw down You don't definitely know a thing if you have a definite stance You're a fan of one of the teams or you had money on the game. That's that's the only tweener because yeah I mean, or you operate by definite. It's like some people just operate like they can Right. I mean it it just it was at the same time And again this I I started writing one of my but it kind of came it came off snooty But it's my whole thing if you're a baseball fan And you just rip on umpires all the time Go take the umpire test read the book Cuz that's the kind of crap that happens in this game that it's like what? Okay, hit by pitch and it hits the hand and the bat at the same time and Action you make that decision on a national stage. That's insane so I I don't know I It kind of comes back to what's the logical thing and it's like a Hit his hand in the bat. I think that's a hit by pitch. I I think the calls kind of right, but so the Nationals kind of had an a good pinch hitting strategy here. So they had Zimmerman in the on-deck circle when Robles was up He strikes out. So I'm guessing their thinking is okay. We don't if Victor Robles got on. Okay. Let's put in, you know more of a power hitter or whatever But he didn't so they switched a pinch hitter and they go to Michael Taylor I'm guessing they want speed on the bases or something or you know So he gets hit by pitch trade turner get strikes out now. There's two outs ban on first and Zimmerman Takes the like 97 fastball inside Breaks his bat Total bloop shot great base running by Taylor to go first to third on it And I don't know if you watch the TBS after show I'm doubt I doubt you did if you were at the bar and stuff But Sheffield Gary Sheffield and someone else him and Rollins were pro and I did I did watch this They were going back and forth forever on if Kane should have thrown to third to get Michael Taylor out in my breakdown. I paused it. He could have had him He could have had him and it's a really good debate about a really small aspect of baseball because like yeah I think casual fans that were tuning in the TBS like what are they talking about or maybe they were into it basically Zimmerman the tying run so he's really all that matters. So keeping him at first Yeah more important than going for that out at third because if you go to third to get that out and you don't he can Zimmerman can easily trail to second and now you got him on second base. I mean so at that moment It's an interesting call like if he gunned it to third and got the out that would have been the best case But there is a lot of logic that says don't let that Runner on first get to second. Yeah, and I right now my my brain's spinning on it because I did see them I'm going at it. It's kind of fun knock yourself out guys But I there's so many things in play here because it's okay can Kane get him if he could have yeah I mean that would have been unbelievable the stadium would have erupted and it would be I heard the stadium would have went silent and you play it'd be a play known forever And for Milwaukee fans on the other side of it I guess where I think I leaned throw the ball and and maybe this is a little being able to look back But Rendon was coming up and with how good hater is verse lefties In my head it seems like Rendon was gonna get walked anyways It hater was attacking him to a degree and then he totally wasn't So I don't know I guess with that in mind like you want hater versus Soto you want I know but that's that's what I'm that's what I'm saying. That's how crazy this is and that's how the depths of baseball go But yeah, it's impossible for Lorenzo Kane to be thinking of that on the fly Josh hater's next approach Against Rendon yet at the same time you should kind of know who's coming up because that does change the approach a little bit I think this debate you could go in circles all day I think it's interesting. It's good. Yeah. Anyway, he doesn't sort of third that means it's first and third They pinch run for Zimmerman Rendon gets walked 3-2 pitch goes to 3-2 Walk in bases loaded two outs one Soto versus Josh hater A single ties the game and this is the game this at bat when you can boil down a game to one at bat. That's fucking awesome 1-1 count Soto turns on a fastball Grisha misplays it which is which allows Rendon to score from first to take the lead Hudson comes in gets three outs and that's the ball game Jake just like fucking that And and that's what uh So a couple things because we went through we went through there's so much at the end of this game a Ryan Zimmerman, I mean the pride of the nationals organization. He has like every nationals team record He sits on the bench before the game because howie kendrick has been playing so well He comes out he pinch hits versus hater and just like There's something beautiful about a shattered bat single and he uh It's like the definition of survival as a hitter like that's the definition of I will do anything to get this hit and Zimmerman does it Um and then Soto man. I mean the kid and he he's just special and I I tweeted it right before is that bad I just said be special dude and he is Um and everyone was tweeting out the the lefty numbers Against hater It's it's a game of odds and statistics, but guess what? That's why we love it because stuff like that happens. It's incredible And yeah, jim. I we we kind of breezed over it in the ninth Hudson comes in Um, he gets tames Lorenzo Cain signals, uh Lorenzo Cain gets on base and he's a threat Um, Arsia follows out and then they have gamble and this is where I didn't know enough about the Washington bullpen Because gamble's a lefty. He's not a major threat, but he's a solid ball player and do little's loose I was sitting there like hey if gamble clips Hudson here Is are the nationals going to get chewed out for not going to do little because that would have been lefty on lefty I don't know only gambles As much as a threat you've got to trust your dudes there Yeah, the Orlando Arsia foul foul out on the first pitch of the at bat crushing I'll drive you fucking insane if I was a fan crushing And yeah, I mean I'm looking where that pitch was the pitch was middle middle Um, that's such a baseball mind fuck Because if if if Arsia drives that ball into the gap you say wow Arsia was up there His first pitch he wasn't taken he drives it and then he fouls up and you're like, what are you doing? See a pitch man See a pitch. Yeah, uh, how bad do you feel progression last topic before we uh bounce out of this one? I Obviously feel bad. Um This uh This is a you and me thing that we now share with the world Jimmy But you know uh that playing the outfield is pretty near and dear to my heart more so center field But I uh, I used to play outfield like a rec loose back in the day probably still would and break everything for a second And I mean he's a rookie. He's a kid. He's trying to get everything he can into a throw home Uh to try to make a heroic play And he it takes kind of a funny hop and goes off his glove. He's the dude that's out there for Yellich I don't even think it went off his glove. He straight up missed it He nicked it He nicked it. Um But uh, it's it's excruciating it's excruciating And I I think the the biggest thing for him is he he is a pretty big time prospect. He was a top 100 prospect He came up and he was solid for the gnats And uh, I don't know. There's there's two things you could do after something like that. You just Now he straight up just misses it You never you never make contact with a baseball again and you you're that's the end of your baseball career Or you hunker down and you grind and you grind and you grind and I think he's a young kid with a lot of potential Um, unfortunately, I think this will make him better in the long run, but it's uh, it sucks It's it's something you'll you'll never forget. He was trying to like come around the ball So that where he reached it. He was going to third base Or second base, you know So like he didn't run right at the ball And the ball I think was faster than he went because it just went to his right as he was trying to do a little like peel And just straight up it goes right under his glove. It's pretty brutal He nicked it. I'm watching it right now I'm watching it right now. I mean Tweeted us did did Grisham clip that ball At john boy at talking jake. Yeah, I'm going frame by frame. I mean if he clipped it, it's not like It hit his He missed it. I mean maybe like a centimeter of clip, but yeah, I don't even clip in that Well, I mean, it's It's all it's a flat out whiff. He didn't get the ball That's the biggest thing. He didn't get it. I think he missed it altogether But I think if he doesn't clip it, I think it would have rolled to the wall, you know what I'm saying Yeah, it rolls pretty far It's bad play that sucks I love how pumped up soda was even though he got thrown out Oh, that was awesome soda. I I've never seen someone celebrating so much as they're about to be tagged out That was pretty cool. He was celebrating before he got tagged out. Yeah, I know but that's a strategy in baseball Um, so if you don't know that people already get tagged out what bad bass running, you know that third run Yeah, so much more important than him So if he can bait them to try and get him out that secures Rendon Being a safe passage home. So they call it baiting them chase hardly Chase headly used to talk about it a lot for the Yankees like you got to bait them So they don't even think about throwing home and then you just got to get in a run down long enough So that run at home counts and it's a strategy. So That's probably why he didn't care Yeah, I I think there I think that run was going to score anyways, but so to insured it Um, I I do as well, but it is a strategy that some people might not realize I I think the other thing with Gresham. I I mean that was a deep single. It was hit pretty hard He's he's not going to throw out the runner from at second. There was a pinch runner So I mean the game was going to be tied anyways. So I think that's the other thing where it's not like If if him fielding that and throwing it could have prevented them from tying it I think it looks so much worse, but it it would have at least been a tied game instead. It gives up the run and uh brutal Brutal is apparently crying And stuff like that, but all right that wraps up The first half of the show The nl wildcard recap Oh Let's move on To the game coming up jake the al wildcard The tampa bay rays have found themselves in oakland california For a game at the coliseum This is a such an interesting matchup two teams with shitty stadiums a low payroll and a pitching strategy That is a lot of bullpen and mixing and matching yet They're both going with traditional starters Yeah, uh jim. Well, you just said uh someone from the new york times who gets paid to be a writer keppner called them their cousins from the different the opposite coasts um They're they're they're both frugal with their budget, but they both are like well run organizations at this point um And yeah, I think it's it's fun that they're going with their guns show manaya manaya Versus charlie moran, whatever we say it'll be wrong Yeah, charlie moran. I know I got that one right nailed it So, yeah, it's interesting. It's good. Uh, I mean, let's just dive right in jake. I have some notes here I mean, do you have do you have any gut feelings about this? I I guess first Well, my my first gut question I was going to send to you and it's kind of the scherzer debate Do you think do you think any of these teams? Have that scherzer leash like do you think either of these starting pitchers will be allowed to give up Three runs in the first two innings. Yeah Okay, both of them No, uh, I think charlie morton. Well, yeah, I think morton has more leash than manaya, right? There's been a top three pitcher in the american league. He's gonna get scion votes Yeah, so manaya is coming off injury And he was a coin flip anyways with fires. Yeah Yeah So just a little like Go even zoom out even more these two teams have played each other seven got seven times They were all back in june mid june jake or late june Oakland won the first series in tampa. They took two of three Then they had a four game set in oakland that they split None of them were like all of them were pretty close games There's one eight to two game But the rest were pretty close oakland had a walk off at the coliseum against the rays at some point So that's such a different animal though. I mean, yeah, like you don't know what was going on You don't know who was injured. You don't know What the rest schedule called for like, you know, it's just such a different animal So I don't I actually don't put much stock in the head to head unless it's glaring Yeah, and it's it postseason baseball is a different sport I mean, you can almost say it about any sport, but I mean when When the pitchers would throw ball one an account last night and it'd be one and oh you'd hear the crowd like yes We got him. We got this fucker Um, it's it's a totally different sport. It's it's awesome. I like both of them, but playoff baseball I you can't do playoff baseball for 162. You'd kill yourself You'd kill yourself. Yeah So, yeah, I I don't I don't hold too much merit with that Are you shocked uh, manaya Manaya fuck it's gonna drive me crazy I'm not. Um, he has been so good um that I I like it and um I I like fires coming out of the pin better than manaya too. I I don't I'll be honest with you guys I don't have a ton of reasoning behind it. I don't think he's gonna come out of the pen Oh, really? You think they're gonna full save them Uh, I was reading a bunch of articles this morning and it seems like they got a bullpen that they like They do they very much do I think uh, I think you have to come in all hands on deck in case it is You know the second inning and manaya's walk in or whatever he's doing, but um, also coming off the injury I don't think you want you want manaya doing his normal routine and getting loose and all that stuff. Um, So I like it. Um, I I'd have to get the uh Get some rays righty lefty split stuff going on Um, but I I don't know they they picked their guy and roll with it. Um I'm uh jim. I'm starting to I'm starting to think this is gonna be So much bullpen. I'm starting to think morton's not gonna have leash either Yeah, I mean you got a lot of bullpen you got hey zoos I mean more in snow glass no never mind the normal rays pen Yeah, I don't know how much snow and glass no are gonna come in I think they like they're like real pen guys to get them through this Oh, I I guess that's my first storyline then because I think I you don't you don't want to be that rays and go down Not using glass no and snow, you know Like Liam Hendricks can get six outs if they want them to Yeah, I don't love them for six out. I I like them. I love them for three I don't like them for six. I agree with you, but they might ask them for six But I do agree that you needed just a three. Soria's gonna get in there. Petit's gonna get in there. I believe um I believe like puck is gonna get in there. Yeah um And then they have like hey zoos lizardo like I think they like a lot of those guys So maybe if if manai is terrible then fires comes in But I think they're gonna hope to get five and bullpen or four and bullpen I'm both on both sides champa bay. I mean they have a huge bullpen Yeah, like of crazy talent I don't I just don't know I I For me if I was a raised fan And dude, how good glass no has been if you want to save one for extra innings If you want to make snel your patrick corbin from yesterday that you're only going to use him if you need him in extra innings I'm fine with that But I think I need two or three on deck and especially glass no dude when he's When he's right that dude's straight unhittable um Straight unhittable. So I don't know. I think I like I like more in more in glass. No Um, and yeah, you're probably right. The a's probably want to dodge fires, but I think you still have to have them ready, right? Maybe yeah Want to know something cool about uh, shamanaya? I need to know it He's come back from injure in september 1st. He made five starts, right? And he they've all been good. That's what bob belvin said. They're like Every manai start has been good like fires has been our rock and he's really good at home But he's had a couple starts that are blips manai hasn't had a blip yet But I was looking at his Game log and in the five game shamanaya pitch for the a's he has zero runs in the first four innings shake All of them come in the fifth and sixth So he's been strong right out the gates and if they get four out of them. They may be like Great. Yeah That's all we wanted and he hasn't given up a run in the fourth in the First second third or fourth yet. So that's pretty good And none of the rays have faced him Darno is that's what I was gonna say jim. I think that's a huge factor Darno's two for two Kiermeyer is one for three and avasio garcia is one for three and those three guys are the only people with that bats So watch out for darno. He's two for two with the walk But um, I I think I think what's kind of interesting to jim is that the the rey's best player If you're not familiar with austin meadows, he's an awesome ball player And the fact that they got meadows and glass snow for chris archer is sinful and will be worked looked at as one of the worst trades of all time, but anyways I think with the lefty meadows his numbers are a lot worse his ops is down about 130 points against lefties his on base percentage is 316. So you're neutralizing meadows Um and gman choy a little bit who's been really solid for them lately And he was he was on that post season picture that went viral Which is pretty funny for us as yankees fans just because he was kind of like He was like a you're gonna be off the 40 man. We can't keep you, dude Um, so it's kind of funny that he's he's been getting that love, but I think the rey's They have a lot of like solid righty hitters like avasail garcia. You mentioned him. He's gonna give you a good at bat Darno has had a really solid season tommy fan. So, um, I think it is the lesser of the two evils and you wonder if that factored into the decision. I don't know Yeah, the rey's are like split proof because they just use their guys crazily, right? Like they're line up change with maniah like you're gonna see fam meadows garcia. You're probably gonna see aguilar over choy Yeah, the righty. Uh, yeah, that's a great. That's a crazy point Wendell Brasso, maybe kiermaier will be in there. He's a lefty, but he's in there for his defense um, adams, so you see a lot of righties and that may Change the way oakland uses their pen and they might bring in a lot of their righty relievers right away because Like if they have to go to the pen early, it might be let's bring in a righty reliever for one inning To make them either pinch hit way before they wanted to Or just because they got righties bad And it's it's a good point Jim because in a game like this you're you're going to see guys pinch hitting It's do or die Uh, the rays kind of do that all year Um, where the a's I mean they have their dudes their their one through five one through six is pretty locked in um And and let's be honest. I feel like we're tiptoeing around it a little bit the the a's are a lot more talented I mean matt olson. There's an argument that he's one of the best first baseman in baseball matt Chapman There's an argument. He's one of the best third baseman in baseball marcus simion. He's going to get mvp votes Um These those guys are crazy talented. Um, never mind the year that someone like mark canna has had Um, just their their lineup is deeper in How how much do you think the stadium is a factor tonight jimmy? Well, there's the stadium itself and the loudness and the drums and the boob as well as and stuff like that There's also the rays are coming off an exhausting trip jake. They they had to play the yankees boston The dodgers down the stretch then they had to fly to toronto to close out their season Then they had to fly all the way out to oakland So they're kind of on like this whirlwind trip where they haven't seen home or regular routine in a while that could play a factor My thing is oakland is deeper like you said They have a top four like if charlie morton needs to just shut down that top four simion Uh Chapman olson kana He needs to shut them down because They are the dudes. They all have wildcard experience from last year one game but It was at yankee stadium. So they have the mindset of like, okay, this is a little this is what we need to have Has to happen and shit like that And they have they all have at bats versus morton because oakland Was played the houston morton was on houston for a while So like simion has a 357 batting average against morton pro far has a 364 Olson has a 333. These are all in 15 plus played appearances chris davis has a bad batting average But he's got two home runs versus morton and matt chapman has a 294 on base percentage 200 batting average But their top five dudes have all had 15 plus played appearances against charlie morton So it's kind of on one side of the ball. It's a lot of experience oakland has experience in the post season In a one game wildcard super small. They have experience against Against charlie morton Right. They're the home team And on the other side you have A bunch of rays with no experience I mean fam Garcia and darneau are the only guys with post season play before You got meadows Um All the young guys dude wendell brosso even kirmeyer doesn't have a post season at bat And they've never seen manaya And they have to fly so a lot of like the stats and the anecdotes kind of lead to oakland being good Manaya has no experience though on oakland side. This is his first play I'll start ever and that's a big dude to have no experience. So it's interesting Yeah, it does feel like you you mentioned experience, but at the same time like some of the games like aj puck lasardo The ace pitching is all new the rays lineup is all new if the a's lose this game it's going to be because Their young pitchers Couldn't handle the stage um that being said I the a's are the favorite in this game Home field and I think talent wise and I I think Yesterday's game we said the nationals were the favorite But the the thing that was literally the wild card was they were just such contrasting styles and we saw that I mean you know the Milwaukee threw woodruff out there and it was do or die for him Basically every pitch and he was a stud the whole way through Scherzer got knocked around It ended up coming around full circle later in the game against hater These um like the coastal cousins are or whatever that phrase was But it just feels like the a's are the better team I I like the a's more tonight than I like the nationals yesterday and I mean again Josh hater was in with the lead. So it doesn't mean too much um, but I I think it the I'm trying to what what's the rey's storyline if the rey's win this game? uh, I think this game may be Like one nothing through eight innings Okay, I think it may be like a two nothing win and it's Maybe early runs and then that's like the game Yeah And the reys can win a game like that easily Yeah, so it's really more inverse is the top four for me Like that's I think the biggest matchup can Morton shut down the top four two I don't know if they'll ask him to do it three times, but See, uh, and then oakland's rookie pitching like that dude puck. He's been good. He is green so Oh speaking up, dude Oakland's wearing the kelly green uniforms. Oh, wow That's huge. That's huge Yeah, don't don't even come to the stadium tampa for real I'm rooting for the oakland in the same reason I rooted for The nationals last night. I think it leads to a better divisional series And jim, that's kind of the thing that just went through my head. I I mean, I mentioned Simi and Olson Chapman, I mean those those guys are absolute studs. I haven't mentioned Ramon Lyriano I absolutely loved the way that dude plays. Hopefully he's in the lineup today But yeah The ace got Frankie Montes back off of his suspension with fires and if manaya shoves today That's a guy that you look at is almost a bona fide ace for them So the ace could be a real scary team Montes can't pitch in the postseason though I thought if you get suspended you're ineligible like cano was ineligible when he got suspended That that may be right. I just I know they they made a big deal of it when he came back and he pitched in one of the last regular season games, but that uh That would seem right. Yeah Well, so yeah, he's he's not on the postseason. Excuse me. So, okay, the a's are terrible. Go race All right, that ends this one. Thank you guys very much for listening. Like we said, we're gonna be doing these They're available on youtube after we record it They're available on patreon as we record it you can listen live and and have some input in the chat and shit like that Leave a review if you listen on the podcast app. We appreciate it We're gonna be every day recapping the games that happened the day before talking about the ones that are coming up That's gonna be a lot of fun. I'm excited Subscribe rate review and all that jazz Mike Rotano with the music today Oh, we'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the baseball