Latest / Who's On First? / Episode 4- Astros and Rangers Battle it Out for AL West Crown and PCA goes 40/40
Transcript
- .: Well, hello, hello, and welcome back to the Who's On First Show. I'm so happy to be back and at what an amazing time it is to be a baseball fan. We are on to the last weekend of the regular season. Playoff baseball is on the horizon. So happy to be back bringing you an episode and get things back and rolling. So what am I going to talk about today? Well, to start off, how the bracket is looking right now and what teams need certain wins or other teams to lose to get in. Just a couple more tickets to be punched. One in the American League, one in the National League, and a team has a chance to clinch today. We're gonna look at the playoff scenarios and the big games to watch. We're gonna take you through the stellar stars of this past week. We got some injury updates on some notable stars for certain October bound teams. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said some things that has a lot of baseball fans not too happy with him, as well as I'm gonna take you through the series I'm most excited for. Coming up in this next week. So let's get going and take a look at the playoff bracket as it stands right now. Here we have it. The team on top denotes what team would currently host. So let's start in the American League. The Rays have clinched the number one seed. They will be hosting either the Red Sox or the Yankees. And then the Guardians are the number two seed as number one in the American League Central. They would face the winner. Of either the Astros or the Rangers, and they will be playing the White Sox. Now, some seeding could change, but as of now, this is how it stands. I'll get back to the AL West in a minute. Over in the National League, currently the Brewers would play either the winner of the Cubs or the Phillies, and the Dodgers would play the winner of either the Padres or the Braves. Again, seeding can change as well as Arizona needs to win out and Philadelphia needs to lose out in order for Arizona to. To make it in, but this is how it stands now. So going to those series, first off in the AL West, this is the biggest chance for a change with the bracket we're seeing right now. It's either the Astros make it or the Rangers. Currently tied in record, they both are, and it's going to be come up to this very final series of the season. Currently, they both sit at 79 and 80. However, the Astros hold the tiebreaker. So for now, they have it. Yes, this could be a time where we see a sub-500 division winner for the first time in a very long time. And for the first time in a non-strike shortened season, we could see a below 500 winner. So currently, again, the Astros are technically a game up because they have the tiebreaker. They take on the Athletics this week in a four-game series. They won the first one yesterday. As well as the Rangers, they fly up to Minnesota to take on the Twins. Those are gonna be the biggest series. of this weekend because that's the biggest chance again for flip flopping in this bracket. And it's gonna be really important for both of these teams on this Friday. Astros got to somewhat treat this like a new series going from Friday to Sunday. You have to go out and get this win, especially for Texas. In your mind you're playing a game down, so you gotta be able to keep it close. And they have to have the inverse of the Astros record. If the Rangers go two and one, Astros go one and two, Rangers are in. If Astros go two and one, they're in because they have the game ahead. So it's going to be really important to go get a Friday win for both of these teams and set the tone. If the Astros are just able to match whatever the Rangers do, they're looking good. They right now are in the driver's seat. They somewhat dictate the change in this division. So that will be the one to watch. Then in the National League, the only ticket up for grabs is the number six seed in the NL Wildcard. Currently the Philadelphia Phillies are eighty seven and seventy-two. They're two games ahead on the Diamondbacks, so it's currently Friday. And the Phillies can clinch today with a win and a Diamondbacks loss. So the Phillies take on the Braves today. That game in Philadelphia, as well as the Diamondbacks are taking on the Padres. For Philly, they have Christopher Sanchez going today while Freddie Peralta throws for the race. So a tough draw there in terms of teams you're playing in the last week of the year. Not a great draw for the Diamondbacks either. They take on the Padres. Brandon Fott, the projected starter for the Diamondbacks as of today. Nothing listed for San Diego. So we will watch. And those are the big series to watch in the NL. And then again, as I mentioned, Astros are taking on the Athletics while the Rangers take on the Twins. Those are the two big series to watch in the AL. So really four games to watch that can dictate whatever playoff change may happen coming up in the future, as we have just three games left before we get to one sixty two and we get October baseball going. So now moving on, we got some stellar stars to talk about over this past week, starting things off with the Pirates starter Jared Jones against the Cardinals. He went seven innings pitched, no earned runs, nine strikeouts, and only one hit. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a two to nothing win. And he has been so solid for the Pirates on the year. He's only allowed 12 home runs in 97 innings pitched. That is the key to pitching, it seems, nowadays is you get to more three outcome hitting, being a walk, strikeout, or home run. The league tends to trend more and more that way. If you can limit the home run, you'll have success in this league on this year now. A 3-8-7 ERA. And the for the Pirates, obviously not exactly the season you're looking for, not making the playoffs, but a lot to build off of, especially if it what the reports are about Paul Skeens. With him not getting quite into rhythm with the world baseball classic. Expect a lot of good things from the Pirates moving forward. Seems like for the first time in a while, they had an offense that could come to the park every day and really put up runs for their starters. I expect good things from the Pirates moving on in the future, and you gotta feel optimistic if you're a Pirates fan. Second stellar star I gotta talk about was yesterday, the young center fielder Lucas Spence for the Astros against the Athletics. He went three for four with three home runs and five RBIs and a seven to five win for the Astros. What's nice in this playoff race now for the Astros that they find themselves in is they are playing October-esque baseball. And they have a lot of young players on this team, like Spence. And the playoffs, it is a completely different environment. If you ask any major league baseball veterans, guys who have played in the playoffs multiple times. It is a different animal, a different speed compared to regular season baseball. So great to see Lucas Spence and a couple of the other young guys for the Astros stepping up when they needed it most. They were up three, then it was they were down four three. Then Spence hit another two home runs to put them up on top and a Stellar Star. Tip of the cap to Lucas Spence. Then lastly, we gotta talk about Pete Crow Armstrong. 40-40 season in a 2-1 win against the Marlins. He went one for three. But it was the walk that counted the most on the scorecard as that setup steel number 40. Take a look. Joseph Lund: You groove it, he'll take you deep. You miss, he'll take his walks. There he goes. Pitches inside and he's done it. Forty-40 for the soon to be MVP, Pete Crow Armstrong. Drink it in, Pete. Drink it in. What a moment. The fans were with him every step of the way once he broke. You could hear him rise. What a year. .: And at the end there, you heard Boog Shambhi, announcer for the Cubs, say 40-40 for the soon-to-be MVP. And I will preface by saying I am a Dodgers fan, but it 100% has to go to P. Crow Armstrong. And I think at this point, with how long Otani has been out, it will be unanimous. There's no one else close to him other than Otani, who has not pitched since mid-July. It's now stated that he probably will not return for the rest of the season on the pitching mound. Picrow Armstrong a 9-9 war, hitting 279, 45 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and only caught stealing seven times. That's by far the biggest adjustment that PCA has made in his game, he has matured so much. His chase rate is way down from past years, his strikeout rate way down from past years. That's allowed him to get a lot more balls in play, which is what he wants to do. He wants to be a Curtis Granderson type player when it comes to getting around the bases. using his speed to his advantage is something it's an amazing tool that he has that not many players have, as well as his defense. And now he's got the home run power hitting 45 this year. He's off to a seller start. 100% should be the MVP without a doubt. And I think it'll be by unanimous decision as he has led this Cubs team well into the playoffs now. And they are a dangerous team to play now. Come October baseball, they have a lot of experience, especially playoff experience. They have young guys who are not afraid of the moment, especially PCA. he's by no means ever afraid of a moment. And then guys like Kevin Gosman in the pitching rotation, he went all the way, came just about one out away from winning the World Series with the Blue Jays. That mix of postseason experience with some young talent is gonna take them a long way, and they are a dangerous team to play, especially in a best three out of five series, like they're gonna find themselves. in here coming up in a short moment coming in October. So that's what we got for Stellar Stars, Jared Jones, Spence, and then of course PCA hitting home run number forty five and stealing base number forty. And so now we got some injury updates to get to in the MLB, especially looking forward to the postseason for some notable playoff bound teams. Starting things off with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Earlier in the week, Aaron Boone said that he would not be available for the wild card. But then Aaron Judge in a press conference said that he most likely would be able to. And that is his goal, and that is his expectation for himself right now. Judge suffering from a moderate grain, right calf stream involving the Solvi Soleus muscle. He was placed on the injured list on the 16th of September in that series against the twins. So he'll be back tomorrow. However, they've already the Yankees have already said he will not be used for the rest of the season. I think that is the wise choice. And it seems like we always are now starting to see this trend of can Aaron Judge make it a full 162? He's been very injury prone. Obviously missed a bulk of the year ending up on the 60-day IL. And so now it's gonna be, is he able to play? Is he able to give it all and be the captain that New York expects? And I think in his mind, he has himself pretty made up that he is going to play in this wild card series. It's now set that it will be the Yankees and the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium. So this is gonna be an iconic series. And the Yankees are just a different lineup with Aaron Judge in it. There's no doubt about it. He is their best hitter. But what I'd be nervous about is he has not faced live pitching yet. He's been rehabbing as much as he can, but he has not faced any live pitching yet in his rehab process. Obviously, he will not be able to get it get any in in the regular season. So now it's going to be getting cage reps and getting live reps against Yankees pitchers to see if he's ready to go. Maybe it's not game one of the series. Maybe they drop the first and then he goes in. This is all going to be a developing story as the week goes on and as we learn what's going on with Judge. Is he okay to play? Is he not? So far, we're getting mixed signals. But that is the storyline so far with Aaron Judge. Then for Alex Bregman, he was placed on the injured list after taking that foul ball to the face a couple days ago. However, he is back in action. He's in the lineup today against the Red Sox. So that is great news again for the Cubs, as I mentioned earlier. Bregman, another guy that brings so much playoff experience. We talked about that when they signed him initially. How he brings such amazing experience and perspective to the game for so many young hitters in that Cubs lineup. And that was part of the reason they signed him, without a doubt. He's still an absolute elite level player in the MLB, but the amount of experience and wisdom he brings the second he got into the clubhouse. the reports were saying he was meeting with the club hitting coaches. They he wanted to learn their philosophy and then help them in that in teaching some of these young players. I think it's not a coincidence he's there at this same season that PCA is hitting well above any cr career highs before this. And he's been so pivotal to them. So it's good to see him back. And that is a big sigh of relief for any Cubs fans. You don't want an injury like that to take away from October time for Bregman. Which it will not be now as he is back in the lineup. Then one more story I want to talk about today, a little bit of a negative a note, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has found himself in some hot water. For some quotes he said, take a listen. Yeah, an absolutely tone deaf, horrible look for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. They didn't pay me to hit 40 every year. They pay me for what I already did. The money they gave me wasn't for what I'm going to do, it was for what I already did. He is getting paid five hundred million dollars over the next fourteen years. And this is a huge warning sign for Blue Jays fans. I would not be happy with a star players going out there saying this after having the worst season of his career. Keep in mind, this man ended the season a hero in Toronto, beloved by every single Canadian on the face of the earth. Almost brought them to their World Series championship. Came so close, almost hit a walk-off home run in game seven. Let's not forget how close he was to hitting one out of the park. Had an absolutely monster. October and a monster season that got him this payday and now things don't go his way and this is where he goes to with the media. And he doubled down because yesterday he was asked in a postgame presser if he wanted to clarify anything he said, and he said, quote, I don't regret it because I wasn't lying. Obviously there are fans who don't get it, who aren't in my shoes, and who don't know what I meant, but honestly I don't regret anything I said. What are you doing? Why on earth would you talk about your contract after putting up career low numbers? He had nine home runs. He just hit his first home run in the Rogers Center in the month of September. He had 56 RBIs. That's tied for 132nd in the MLB. You're paying a guy 500 million to go be top five. Year after year after year, maybe not that, obviously those are lofty expectations, but you're expecting at least some consistency, not for him to collect a payday and then go off and say this to the media after the season he has had. And he's trying to almost play a victim card here, but no one can relate to him. There's two other people on the face of the planet who can relate to him, because he's getting paid five hundred million dollars to play baseball at the end of the day. And Soto got 765 and Otani got 700. Soto out homered him this year in 40 less games. He had 16. Not a great season. But I'd much rather have a player who's suffering from injuries than a player who's suffering from an ego. And then when you look at Shohei Otani, obviously quite a character there, gives his whole life for the game of baseball. He would do anything. In fact, he deferred A 90% of his contract later on so that the Dodgers are able to have a position where they can go sign players. And he has been hurt, but even then he's finding every way to get back out on the field. And he's put together multiple MVP seasons now for the Dodgers. And so no one can relate to you. No one's gonna show you sympathy for talking about how tough it is in this contract. And no one's gonna side with you on this. And so I don't get the initial quote, but then. What is really puzzling is why would you go double down? You see all the negative press that has come from this. This has been one of the most disappointing teams in the MLB this season. Blue Jays went 77 and 82. They missed the playoffs. The last team to make a World Series then missed the playoffs the next year was the 2019 Red Sox after winning it in 2018. You already have all this bad press coming out about your team with how they've performed this year, with how you have performed this year. And then you go out and double down with a dumb quote like this that is just not needed. If you have a bad season, so what? You have a bad season, go finish out your last three games and go put in the work in the offseason. Don't now bring all this attention to the Blue Jays and now all the players in this organization who have had a down year and it has not been good and you were sellers at the trade deadline. There's no need to bring this negative attention to your team. Just go play your last three games. And call it a season. It was unfortunate that you can't make the postseason, but you certainly don't need this. And so I just don't get it from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And we will see what he does next season. There's certainly now going to be a lot of eyes and a lot more pressure on how he performs next season with the quotes we heard from this past week, and I just do not get it. And so a little tough to end on a maybe more of an angry note, but that is how we're gonna round out the show. We got a lot of fun baseball this weekend. There could be a lot of changes in the postseason bracket. And then the next time I'll be talking to you, the bracket will be set, and I'll be giving you my predictions and preview of October baseball. What a time it is to be a Major League Baseball fan as we are getting set for the playoffs. Baseball is at such an amazing place right now. And I cannot wait to see how the season pans out. But until then, I'm Joseph Lund saying so long.