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It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you coast to coast on the Infinity Sports Network. A smart lady right there. Screw your husband. Anyway, hey, we got a lot to get into. Especially on the baseball side of things.
We have I talked about the Dodgers and their fall over the past several days. We looked at the Mariners and their streak, the Brewers on a run as well. As we kind of Kind of blink, and are we really getting that close to fall? The answer is yes. Let's not try to rush it.
To talk about all things, Major League Baseball is someone who covers all things baseball for fan grafts. Joining us right now is Jay Jaffe. Jay, how are you, man? Yeah, I'm good. How are you doing?
I'm excellent. Thank you for taking the time and joining us. I think one of the biggest stories right now, we discussed it not too long before you joined us. Happen to be these Dodgers who have now lost first place. Bullpin is a mess.
They have all this depth. They're spending all this money. Do you expect a bounce back from them as we continue on with the season? Yeah, I do. I think that this is a pretty strong team, and they've actually got.
Um probably the best rotation that they could have. From among their choices right now, you know, ahead of them here. They've got Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell back from injuries. Clayton Kershaw is throwing well, probably better than he has in a few years. Shohei Otani has rehabbed to the point that he can get them almost five innings.
It didn't quite work out last night. This is. This is where they wanted to be with the rotation. The problem is that the offense has kind of dried up. It was the strongest offense in the league for the first half of the season.
But lately, besides Otani, there have been some slumps and some injuries. But, you know, we've seen some signs here. Mookie Betts is getting going the last week or so. Freddie Freeman and Will Smith, not quite as hot as they were early in the season, but they're still some of the best hitters in the National League right now. Real concern is getting Max Muncie back and getting Tayaska Hernandez going again.
But when you think about the Dodgers, the team that jumped ahead of them, and they got a big weekend series coming up starting tomorrow against those Padres, what are your thoughts on all the moves that they made? I guess the question is, can they be expected to hang tough with the Dodgers as we get through the stretch run?
Well, I like what the Padres did in filling their left field and catching situations at the deadline. Getting Ramon Laureano has been great. Ryan O'Hearn hasn't done much since being acquired, but he kind of fills that DH and first base gap where they had some.
Some light production. And Freddie Verman at Catcher, they had the worst production at Catcher in the league on both sides of the ball. And he's a big upgrade there. You know, they've got a just a lights out bullpen and Mason Miller only makes it better. I'm still concerned about their rotation, though.
And the fact that they've lost Michael King to the injured list again, I think is probably My big cause for concern. Hugh Darvish hasn't been himself since coming back from injury. Dylan Cease hasn't looked like the guy that they traded for. This is not. a really imposing rotation, although Nick Pavetta's had a nice season.
I do worry that for them that that down the stretch they may you know they may struggle to get innings out of the out of those starters. Jay Jaffe is here with us on the JR Sport Brief Show Coast to Coast. Covers all things MLB for fangrass. Let's get out of the NL West for a second. Let's jump to the central.
Because as it stands right now, the Brewers have ordered they own a 12-game winning streak. They got the entire state of Wisconsin getting hamburgers. You talk about injuries. They got guys like Churio that happen to be out, and they're just the opposite of the Dodgers. They are absolutely raking right now.
They're raking, they're stealing bases, they're doing it all. Can they be a formidable foe, or are they eventually just going to come back down to earth? I mean, you know, right now they're quite formidable. They don't have the star power that the Dodgers have. They don't have the power that the Dodgers have, but this is a team that doesn't have many weaknesses.
And, you know, every year the Brewers seem to do more with less than just about any team in the league. Getting by, like you said, without Jackson Churio, some other injuries in there. The rotation, I think, is another one that I'm a little concerned about, but the Brewers have done a good job of patching things together. And they've gotten some great performances. I mean, Brandon Woodruff, after missing the better part of two seasons, has been lights out for them so far, for example.
And it's just an impressive job. And they put some distance between themselves and the Cubs. When you think about the Cubs, and now the Cubs out here bringing up prospects and. What are your thoughts on what Chicago has done? What we can see texting terms at unlock.com slash SMS privacy policy at unlock.com/slash privacy dash policy.
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Lisa, thanks for having me over. Your new kitchen is gorgeous. How'd you find the money to do it? We worked with this great company, Unlock. They help you unlock the future value of your home to get the cash you need today.
So it's a home equity loan? No, it's not a loan at all. There's no monthly payments and no interest charges ever. And you can use the money however you want. We were able to redo our kitchen and pay off our credit card debt.
Wow, Jack and I could really use this to finally pay off our old student loan debt. How do I get started? It's easy. Just go to their website. Text equity to 865-865 to unlock the value in your home and get up to $500,000 in cash with no monthly payments and no interest ever.
Pay off debt, improve your home, add your retirement fund. It's up to you. Text Equity to 865-865. Text the word EQITY to 865-865. Text Equity to 865-865 now.
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From then the rest of the way.
Well, I think it's still a reasonably impressive team. I mean, this is, you know, Pete Crowe Armstrong has emerged as one of the league's most valuable players thanks to his improved offense and just incredible defense. You've got to like what Kyle Tucker gives him as well. You know, pitching-wise, They did a nice job the offseason getting Matthew Boyd. He's been a real find for them.
The rest of the rotation, Kate Horton has been great so far. Shoda Imanaga pitching pretty well. I you know, I I think this is definitely a playoff team for sure. Beyond that, I don't know. I mean, once you get into that wildcard scrum, anything can happen in those short series.
Well, Jay, when you take a look at the standings this year, and I don't know, ma maybe I'm putting too much emphasis on it. I feel that even with the adjustments that we've had in the playoff seatings and formats, that there are more even more haves and and have-nots. Like, we got the teams that are sitting at 60-plus wins, and then we got a bunch of average teams that are just. kind of coasting by. Do you feel that way as well?
Well, right now it doesn't look like we've got a whole lot of compelling races. We've seen considerable separation. uh you know in terms of the teams that are going for it and the teams that aren't um I do not like the six team per league playoff format I thought I think that that was a bridge too far you're just you know you're you're uh um You're in danger of a little too much parody there. It would be a lot more interesting, I think, if we had three or four teams with 62 to 67 wins in the American League, for example, vying for two spots instead of three.
So that would, I think, put a lot more pressure on these guys to perform well. likewise in the National League. I mean, it's you know, it we've really got four teams vying for three spots in the wild card and both the Mets and the I mean, both the Dodgers and the Mets, I think, still have shots at their divisions, although Mets are fading pretty quickly here. Jay Jaffe is here with us from Fangrafts. The Mets' counterpart, the New York Yankees.
They. They got Aaron Judge back. They got to be careful where they put Aaron Judge so he doesn't hurt himself again. The pitching is all over the place. You got the Blue Jays who are sitting at the top and now they've tried to fortify their starting rotation.
They got a a surplus of riches now. Is Toronto really going to hold on and and keep the Yankees out?
Well, you know, I mean, the Yankees are pretty banged up right now, and losing Clark Schmidt for the season. along with Garrett Cole. I mean, you know, that's uh It's tough to overcome s losses like that. And if Max Freed doesn't turn things around after his recent slump, I am concerned about them. You know, Fried and Carlos Verdon, when they're right, it's a pretty good one-two punch, even without.
Even without coal, but the bullpen is kind of a mess. And I don't know why Aaron Boone keeps calling Devin Williams his number. I mean, they did trade for three other. Big name relievers at the deadline. You'd be closing with some of those guys.
It's confidence, right? He needs a pat on the back, he needs a hug. I think he needs a little bit more than a hug. I think he needs to throw strikes. You know, maybe there's some confidence there.
But I don't know. I think Aaron Boone needs to You know, throw out the throw out the blueprint he's been using here. I mean, they just squandered so many games late. They've got a terrible record in extra innings. You know, this is a team that I think should still be leading the AL East, but they've played themselves out of first place here.
They have a reasonably strong team. I'd hate to see them waste such a strong season by Aaron Judge, but let's see. I'm looking it up. The record in extra inning games, three and eight. You just can't do that and expect to win a division.
No, you you can't.
Well, speaking, forget division. Is there a team? And you never know. It depends on who gets hot at the end and who strikes at the right time. Is there a Dark Horse team that you look at here?
And just in all the baseball, that go, you know what, they're not getting a lot of attention, but they have the potential to go on one of these World Series runs. Boy. There's just no powerhouse right now.
So I think it really is pretty wide open. You know, I still think that if the Dodgers can carry some semblance of this rotation into the postseason, they're going to be the strongest team in there. I don't know. I'm not sure how to answer your question. Nobody comes to mind as being such a sleeper that they're going to sneak up on anybody here.
Jay Jaffe is here with us from Fangrass. In conclusion, let me ask you this, get your thoughts. We've learned earlier today that Sunday night baseball, with all the changes in the media space, They might get picked up by everything or anyone from NBC. to Apple, which already broadcast the games on on Friday night. What are your thoughts on Major League Baseball's strategy in finding distribution for its properties and its games?
You know, I I I think uh it it It's tough because for so long ESPN has occupied that space, but the end of that relationship. Uh, really opens the door for some other ideas. I have to say, I'm not particularly impressed with the quality of the Apple broadcasts, unfortunately. I wanted them to be better. Um, the stupid little odds things that they put up make no sense statistically to those of us who look at look at these numbers for a living.
Um You know, and and just the quality of the broadcast package just just isn't there. I mean, you know, I think NBC, obviously, there's a lot of experience there, but the landscape has really changed since since they last had baseball as a marquee sport. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, man, you got me thinking about the World Series in the 90s with Bob Costas.
That was exactly. I mean, that's a long time. Damn. That was a long time ago. Damn.
Thank you for the throwback, Jay. Thank you. I'm like, wait a minute. NBC. I'm like, yeah, yeah, they did for a long time.
Damn. Wow. Yeah, we got to see. Times are changing. Jay.
Thank you so much for the time. And tell everybody where they can follow you and all your work with fangrafts. Yeah, sure. I'm at fangrafts.com. I'm writing there generally four to five days a week.
You can follow me on social media at Blue Sky. Let's see what my address is here: j jaffey, j-a-y-j-a-f-f-e, dot b-s-k-y.social. Hey, Jay, thank you so much for the time and for the insight. We'll catch you down the line, okay? All right, sounds great.
Thank you. For full details, including terms and conditions, visit unlock.com/slash legal. Call 1-888-780-6854 to speak with a representative today. Actor Portrayal. Terms and conditions apply.
Lisa, thanks for having me over. Your new kitchen is gorgeous. How'd you find the money to do it? We worked with this great company, Unlock. They help you unlock the future value of your home to get the cash you need today.
So it's a home equity loan? No, it's not a loan at all. There's no monthly payments and no interest charges ever. And you can use the money however you want. We were able to redo our kitchen and pay off our credit card debt.
Wow, Jack and I could really use this to finally pay off our old student loan debt. How do I get started? It's easy. Just give them a call or go to unlock.com. Call 1-888-780-6854 to unlock the value in your home and get up to $500,000 in cash with no monthly payments and no interest ever.
Use the money for home improvements to pay off debt or to add to your retirement fund. It's up to you. Visit unlock.com. That's unlock.com or call 1-888-780-6854 next.
Now to get started.
