 Welcome to Talking Baseball's first mini-sode, mini-episode. You guys have heard us talking about this on the show, which is Monday to Friday, recapping the series that were. We're going to try to implement some mini-episodes, and this first one is what we're calling like sister cities. If your team's in contention, we took a deep dive. We looked at all the schedules that the team, your contending rival, is facing. So who do you have to root for? Basically comes down to, if you're a Reyes fan, you're going against the Oakland A's for that wildcard spot. Who's Oakland playing? Who do you need to root for? That's the idea. Jake, how are you doing today? I'm good, Jim. Yeah, when we normally set out to do Talking Baseball, we kind of thought there'd be a main topic every episode to dive into. Just covering the baseball has been great. Our episodes have been sneaking up on an hour and a half, and I think we're putting out good stuff. We're a little biased, but we've got some skin in the game now, Jim. We've been doing this podcast and stuff for a while that I think we know when we step away from something and we're like, OK, that was kind of sour, but Talking Baseball has been cruising, and we still have some fun topics we want to talk about. Sister Cities is one of them. I think we're going to have a, we'll revisit the trade deadline, and if you guys have ideas, reach out. I think stuff is going to organically come up, too, but yeah, and I think this is just going to be a fun way, as you well know, John. I don't know, Twitter's got this fun atmosphere kind of every week for us that when we play the Dodgers, we're going to interact with a bunch of Dodgers fans that we don't normally see. I mean, as we do more general baseball stuff, we have more fan bases, but it's fun interacting, and this could be a fun way. You know, we're going to reunite some fan bases that didn't even know they can be allies the rest of the season. Didn't even know. I'm going to open us up. Is that cool with you? That is more than cool with me. Do you want to do the whole AL? Do you want to kind of? No, no, I'm just going to do one team from the AL, and then we'll bounce it back and forth. All right. So I'm going to start with the Yankees because we're Yankees fans and we'll just get our bias on right away. Wow, dude, East Coast bias, bro. The Yankees have their division locked up. They're nine games up in the division. So the Reyes are in a threat. The Red Sox are in a threat. We don't need to worry about any of that. They are in a battle for best record in the AL against the Houston Astros, and they're also in a battle for best record in baseball against the Dodgers. So I went and looked at Houston schedule the rest of the way and the Dodgers schedule the rest of the way. We'll do Houston first. Okay. Houston schedule the rest of the way, Jake, is rather easy. They have seven games against the Los Angeles Anaheim, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and they've owned LA, and LA is kind of not really, they still have talent on the roster, obviously. But if I'm a Yankees fan, I'm not counting on the Angels to do my bidding against the Houston Astros. They also have six against the Seattle Mariners. Same exact boat. I think they're like 12-1 against the Mariners this season. So I can't count on those. So I'm searching through Houston's schedule to find who's gonna give us wins. Now, this is all I got. They have three games at Toronto against the baby Blue Jays who I have labeled who they spawned this whole idea. I think the Blue Jays may spoil some teams. That's only three games. Now right after that, they do play two at Milwaukee, and the Brewers are gonna be playing for a lot more than just home field advantage. They're playing for their postseason birth. So that might be a stretch as a Yankees fan. I can say, damn, I hope those five games on the road, Toronto, and the Brewers can maybe give them a losing road trip. Maybe take four of the six. I doubt it, because Astros are very good. That's all you really got. They do have four remaining against Oakland who are also playing for their playoff birth, but Houston kind of has taken care of Oakland as well. So there's not much, man. Houston, I mean, you're gonna have to try and root for the Angels or Seattle, and I don't see that happening. I mean, the Astros versus the Angels, they're nine and three in Seattle. Like I said, they're 12 and one, and the other team is four against Oakland, and they're 10 and five against Oakland. Houston's got like a nice road. And Jim, I think something that I was trying to factor into the sister cities. And I told you before this that I went a little always sunny in Philadelphia reference, I went a little Pepe Silvia. I was trying to just do sister cities on the fly, and I would start connecting dots, and the whole thing got crazy in here. I think a lot of the teams you ruled out also need to partially ruled out because those teams are playing the Yankees. The Rangers are coming into town playing the Yankees, so is Anaheim. So that's almost a double elimination. Like if you're Houston, you can't root for them to get hot against the Yankees. Because if they get hot against the Yankees, they might think they could beat you in those games you have coming up. So I like that. So you're telling me as a Yankees fan, I gotta buddy up with Milwaukee and Toronto or something like that? Yeah, like that road stretch. I don't, you know, I'm not like putting any faith in the angels in Seattle, taking a bunch of games, doing any sort of damage from the Astros. Okay, that's fair. Let's pair up the Yankees and Milwaukee a little bit, because I think that's an easy one, because I think the Yankees have Toronto on there too. Jimmy, I think I've got a good pivot point from where you came from, because these teams have been compared all year. The Dodgers, because the Dodgers are in a very similar boat. They don't have anything going on in the division. I mean, they currently have a 19-and-a-half lead on the second place Diamondbacks. So for the Dodgers, for me, it's clearly a race with the Yankees. They have the NL locked up, so it's just that best record in baseball. So for the Dodgers, they're rooting, I had them rooting for the AL West. If you're a Dodgers fan, I think you just go whole West Coast pride. The Yankees have two series with Texas. They have one versus Oakland, and they have one versus LAA. So using your theory, yeah, Texas and LAA are outmatched. But you've got two series with Texas. So if you're Dodgers, and you want to pair up with some Texas buddies, now's the time. So I kind of like that pairing for them. Or if you want to Dodgers, and you want to befriend everyone you can before the playoffs, you go kind of whole AL West, because like I said, Texas, Oakland, and Anaheim. But Texas is the big winner if you're the Dodgers. So if you're the Dodgers, you're rooting for the AL West. Yeah. Primarily the Texas Rangers, if you're looking for that pure sister city. Yeah, so I don't have a pure sister city as Yankees fans rooting Dodgers interest. I was trying to find, who are they playing? The Dodgers have a very easy schedule the rest of the way, Jake, because they own their division. They have four against Arizona, six against Colorado, six against San Francisco. They have a lot of wins versus those teams, 10 and three versus Colorado, 10 and five versus Arizona, eight and five versus San Francisco. So you're not, I don't, I'm not counting on any of those teams. They have a road trip, three at Baltimore who suck, but maybe Baltimore's bats can take one or two, maybe one. They still won from the Verlander game. So maybe I can say, oh, come on, Baltimore, do that. And then right after that, three at the Mets and they're playing for something. So I think Yankees fans can root for the Mets to be hot during the Dodger stretch, but the Mets are kind of faltering right now. You're pairing up Yankees and Mets? No, it's not a true pairing. There's not a lot of true pairings here. Well, I've got a true pairing for you, Jim, and it's an ALNL pairing. And it's the team you just mentioned, the New York Mets. The New York Mets, I've got a friend for you. I've got a best friend for you. Wow. A sister even. So who's this best friend taken out? So the New York Mets are a sister city with the Cleveland Indians, Jim. Wow. Okay. Interested? The Cleveland Indians have three games against the Phillies and they have three games against the Nationals. So the two teams that the Mets are trying to catch up within their own division in the wild card, Cleveland's got six games, three apiece. So if you're the Mets, you don't play them. I'm assuming they played them earlier in the year, but you can just full out no consequences root for Cleveland. That's fun. Mets fans are Indians fans. Lindor? Oh my God, that big smile. And it's a historical reuniting because Indians lived on Manhattan and then the Metropolitan's came in, kicked them out, said this is our city now. So wow, we're really reuniting old rivalries. Yeah. I mean, it can be pretty historical. That's a good one. Mets fans are Indians fans. Yes. Because the Indians play three against Philly and three against Washington. Yes, sir. I like that. All right. Do you want to give us another one? Yeah, I can go again. And so Jim, maybe I'll cross a few off before we get there. So Atlanta, again, their only concern would be Washington. Yeah, it's like a half concern. Yeah, it's a half concern. And then you could kind of go Cleveland again. Washington has three at Minnesota. Those games are always a mess. So Atlanta is another one that it's tough to find a natural sister city for. So they've got a couple there. Let's see, what's one of my best sister cities here? Well, I think the team that needs to be talked about. And I don't know if we're, Jimmy, this is kind of my blue jays in the AL. I know we'll get there. But this is kind of what sparked sister cities for you. And it's the team that I think you originally linked up with. The San Diego Padres can make a lot of friends this end of the season. I feel like when Tate's got hurt, they kind of, they're off the gas pedal. So you're not wrong, but I'll say this, Jim. So A, the NL got messy because there's so many teams kind of in the wild card that a lot of, there is a lot of double elimination. Jim, in the final month of the season, the Padres and Diamondbacks play each other nine times. So that's a who cares ball? A little bit. I mean, Arizona still thinks they're in the race for the wild card. So if you're, yeah, man, they're four games out. And I think the Mets are three right now. So if we're three, they're four teams out. Right, but I mean, I'm sorry, Arizona, you guys aren't in the wild card race. I mean, if you count the Mets in, you kind of have to count Arizona in. The Mets have one team ahead of them or two teams ahead of them. Arizona has four teams ahead of them with a month left in the season. I'm not sure what you're looking at. The Mets are four games back. Arizona is four and a half games back. The Mets are a half game up in just that one team ahead. The Mets have the Phillies and the Cubs ahead of them. And the Brewers. Nope, the Brewers have 65 losses. The Mets have 64. Mets have 65 losses. I think this factored in tonight's games. Oh, you have tonight's game? OK. Yeah. So then they're tied with two ahead of them. I'm sorry. Shocked to hear Arizona still thinks they're in. Yeah, I mean, they're a half game back at the Mets right now. So they are not sister cities with the Padres. But in theory, any NL wild card team, if you're looking for a real death punch to Arizona, you could pair up with San Diego while you want. I mean, if you're looking to take a vacation after season. If you think Arizona is a threat, which I think zero of them do, you're a Padres fan. Woo. Damn, smoke from James. I'm going to send it right back to you. You just killed one of my sisters. Never thought I'd say it on the air. This is so the Rays and the Oakland A's are in a race for the second wild card in the American League. Yeah. And it's close, but I do think Cleveland or Minnesota, I think one will get the division and one will get the wild card. One could fall off. Who knows? They might beat each other up. But right now it's really the A's and the Rays. They don't play each other at all. So they have to have other people do their bidding. Oakland has a lot of sister cities and they have a really good one in Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays have seven games against the Rays and some of them come in late September. I think they end the season in some of them. So if you are an Oakland A's fan, you are rooting for the Toronto Blue Jays to be hot and to finish the season strong and gunning for momentum going into the off season. And they're young and they're out to prove it, so that's good. The Rays have a tough stretch, Jake. They have their East Coast trip includes three versus Toronto, then two versus the Yankees, then four versus Boston. That's all in a row and Boston might play them hard because they're just mad. I think they might roll over. But they do have one West Coast trip, three at Texas and three in the Anaheim and East Coast teams hate West Coast trips. Very rarely do they go out there and just dominate. So even if the teams are a little lackluster, Texas and LA can help you out. The Rays have kind of a tough schedule to finish out the season, which helps out the Oakland A's, seven against Toronto. A's and Jays are teaming up against the Rays. A's and Jays against the Rays. That's what you're telling me. Yeah, and then the other side of that, since it's like a two team thing, Oakland, they play like no one, man. They have six games against Texas. That's your best bet. So the Rays count on Texas to do some damage. And but you're also, you're a fan of Houston because they have four games at Houston and the Oakland is five and 10 against Houston. Four more games. So you're rooting for Houston to sweep them in those four games. That's probably like your biggest root because that four game sweep could do damage. Okay. It's not that great, but Rays fans, you're rooting for Texas and Houston. So our biggest sister city so far, A's and Jays, Metz and Cleveland? Yeah, those are like really good ones. They match up. Okay, okay, I like that. And yeah, that's where this gets tricky because I mean, going down the stretch and it's the great part of baseball that we say the line so much now that I will always say that I stole from you, but baseball moves fast. There's so many of these series that are gonna be week to week, especially in the NL Central, which is just a mess because all of those teams play each other so much, including Pittsburgh, who plays all those top teams a lot. Jim, I do have another good one for you that I can lock in with A's, Jays and Metz and Cleveland. Jim, the San Diego Padres, they have a sister city. And I mentioned you could book a location, book a vacation after the season. If you're in this city, start booking it now. You get a cheat flight, get out there, maybe come see us at winter meetings in December. Jim, the St. Louis Cardinals, your St. Louis Cardinals. San Diego, they have four against the Cubbies and they have four against Milwaukee. Wow. So that's kind of the Metz thing I was talking about before, the two teams that they're really racing with. San Diego, if they could put together a couple series against Chicago and Milwaukee, they can really help out St. Louis. So I think we've got a nice little pairing there. And I know you've been running into some Padres fans that got this chip on their shoulder. I think them teaming up with St. Louis would be good. St. Louis is a pure baseball town. I think those, yeah, two Saints, those fan bases getting together. I think that'd be big. St. Louis and St. Dad. Diego. St. Diego, teaming up. That's pretty good. So yeah, Cardinals fans are looking at the Padres and saying, bring that fire, because they play four against the Cubs, then they go to Colorado, they'll get the bats hot, and then they go four at Milwaukee. So that stretch right there, from September 9th to September 19th, if you're a Cardinals fan, you are a Padres fan. Yeah. That's fun. Enjoy it. Enjoy it, yeah. That's a fun one. I like that one. All right, so then I have Houston Astros. They're against the Yankees for best record in the AL. Yep. Dude, the Yankees schedule, they have six against Texas. The Yankees have not played Texas yet this season. Isn't that bizarre? Yeah, yeah. And they also have six against Toronto. So you can root for Toronto as well. Astros can root for Toronto. The Astros have three against Toronto, and the Yankees have six against Toronto. So you can kind of be a Toronto fan. Yeah, Jim, I'm gonna lump Houston and Texas because I think that's one of the better pairings we've had. And that's kind of fun because it is in division and I think Houston does have some games against Texas, but I think it's so much more important to them that if Texas could do something against the Yankees, that would be huge for Houston going for best record. And Jim, if you remember, I lived in Dallas for a little bit. Dallas and Houston kind of have a natural feud going, but it's one of those things like, there are a couple cities that are pretty similar that they choose to dislike each other. Like Dallas would be like, ah, Houston gets so muggy. And it's like, well, you know what, Dallas is pretty warm. I'll be honest with you. That mugginess is only so much of a factor. They're great barbecue in both places. I think that could be a really good uniting thing. Just for a couple weeks, just to grind out the season, the Dallas area and Houston can ally up. All right, that works. That works. I'm worried as a Yankees fan, because you always have that team where like, damn, we just can't beat this team this year. Last year for the Yankees, it was the Blue Jays. They just couldn't beat them. What if the Texas Rangers were that team for the Yankees? And they got six games left. We never faced them. What if they got our kryptonite? They could be. I mean, Lance Lynn Revenge Series, remember that Guzman guy at first base? He always kills the Yankees. I mean, yeah, you run into Mike Minor and Lance Lynn, the wrong series. You could be in a tough spot. So, okay, we're scaring ourselves with Sister Cities. Fun. So the last one I have in the AL is Cleveland and Minnesota are going against each other. It's their biggest thing that happens with those two teams is the games they play against each other. They have six games left against each other. Cleveland is seven and six so far in the season series. They've won one more game. So they both have three games against the Nationals. So the Nationals can go fuck up that division if they want to get swept and then get swept. It's like, damn, you know? So you're not rooting for the Nationals if you're Cleveland and Minnesota because you need to beat them as well. There's nothing really there. Their biggest rival is themselves. Is there anything more in the NL? I think I've got one more that's pretty bona fide. So, Jimmy, the Nationals, I mentioned, you know, I kind of got the central good. A lot of those teams just play each other so many times. And then the Dodgers in the West and you, Shatdown, Arizona's throw earlier. The only team that I think is remaining that is a pure sister city is for those Washington Nationals you just mentioned. And the big one they have going for them is Cincinnati. Washington and Sinsey, they can pair up. Cincinnati, kind of what I was mentioning before, they've got the inverse Mets thing going on. Cincinnati plays the Mets and the Phillies. So the two teams trying to hunt down Washington for the wild card and in the NLEs, they're gonna have to play Sinsey. So if you're Washington and Sinsey, you can, I think you could pair up and have a, talk pitching those two teams. The Washington, they've got all their pitchers. Cincinnati, they've got a pitching crew forming. Talk, everyone, if you're a Nationals fan or a Reds fan listening to this, go on Twitter, find the opposite fan base and talk some pitching. Be like, hey, check out Talking Baseball. We're friends now. Whoa, noodle. Oh my God. So biggest takeaways, the biggest matchups are Mets fans are Cleveland Indians fans. Oakland A's fans are Toronto Blue Jays fans. And St. Louis Cardinals fans are San Diego Padres fans. Yep, and I was trying to put Dallas and Houston together. That might be a fight that's above me, but I used to be in that a little bit. So. I hate Houston because it's so hot, but I like Houston because it's so hot that they invented air conditioning in Houston, which is huge, one of the best inventions to ever be invented. Yeah, that's like a reverse backfire. What do you call that? Good. Just a win? It's a win. It was so hot that they invented air conditioning and we're all better for it. That's like a, that's like a Texas motto, taking a bad thing and turning into a win. Wow. Remember the Alamo. This was a mini episode. Sister Cities, you now have an ally. Go do what you gotta do. Make some friends. Yeah, go find, go find out. Stay in touch, keep up. Watch the other series. It's fun. It's hard to do in baseball, but do it. All right, that's the end of this one. Thank you guys for listening. We will be back on Friday morning, Friday afternoon with the series recap. And if you have any ideas for little episodes like this, tweet at us, get in touch. We appreciate it. See ya.