The MLB playoffs are officially here!

The baseball playoffs are here, as a matter of fact, on Buzz Sports Radio if you're listening to Raleigh.

We will have Rangers and Rays at three o'clock. Rangers back in the playoffs for the first time. I thought they were going to win the division until the final week. Seattle had something to say about that. Seattle didn't even make the playoffs, but they made sure the Rangers didn't win the division.

Doug Glanville, who will be on the Brewers and Diamondback series, if you're watching on ESPN2 this evening, he joins us from, I'm going to call it historic Milwaukee. We're finally here. The playoffs are here. This has been a quick, it feels like it's been a quick season. Maybe it's because the games were so much faster.

Yeah, well, speaking of historic, I'm standing in the historic third ward in Milwaukee, pretty nicely, you know, hooked up over here getting some breakfast, but as I always do. But yeah, it did. The rules really made a difference and it was truly about tempo and rhythm. And I found that, you know, the only thing with this way, you're on a West coast game. It's starting a little early West coast time. And you're like, okay, what time should I make my flight to go home?

And you're like, oh, if I make it a 10, it might be too close. You're always worried about just how you're going to get out of town after the game's over because one game could go four and a half hours and it's like three to two. So this year it was so consistent. It was just so consistent.

We had one for our, we, I think we had the longest game week that we called and it was because it was like multiple extra innings and like six inch replay reviews and all that. But, um, I mean, it's just been really nice for the tempo of the game. It just feels like, you know, something that still has its excitement and energy, but also it's just cut out a lot of the dead time of just all these delays. And you know, overall, a lot of the rules just gave more athleticism back to the game and also just excitement, just players are stealing. It's a lot of fun.

Yeah. It's still, you know, it's funny because here it's sort of Braves country where we are in Raleigh. And, um, I've been talking a lot about Ronald Acuna jr. Who became the first ever 40, 70, 40 home runs, 70 stolen base guy, which frankly is insane to even say out loud. And I can't tell you how many people have said, well, you know, the room with the new rules, it's so easy to steal bases like, well, nobody else stole 70. What are we doing?

What are we doing here? Well, I think it is, it is easier, but it's, uh, and I think there will be some curve of players sort of figuring it out. Like we saw Christian Walker, who's the first baseman for the Diamondbacks. We interviewed him yesterday and he's like, I was 11 for 11 this year.

And I wasn't able to basically, I said, I didn't even know what to do on the basis, except think about who's hitting me in. Right. And you know, a guy like Dave McKay, one of their coaches is like a genius at breaking down pattern and, and really understanding what pitchers are trying to do and knowing their tips. So that science has really gone up 10 fold with the new rules, because they saw a window where they can have everybody can run.

If you just understand what they're trying to do. And if you go back in time, you think of guys like Keith Hernandez, those guys that weren't necessarily fast, but could still basis, they just were smart base runners. And those guys get celebrated even more now, Freddie Freeman was like, whatever, 23 bags we had this year. So I like the, I like what it's done. And the, the, the stolen base rate in terms of success rate this year is, you know, what about all time highs? It's 80, it's a 81%. Uh, so only 19% get caught and, uh, back, you know, certainly even when I retired, if you were in that echelon, that was, that was doing something, but now it's kind of expected the D backs of the team, but they're almost 87% success rate.

So, uh, I think it's fun though. I mean, I think what, what's, what's tough about it is there are the catchers that have even have good arms and good pop times and mechanics. If they they're not really, they're a factor, of course, but they're not, they're at the mercy of what the pitcher's doing now much more because you just steal off the pitcher and these guys are getting running starts. Uh, so that's, that's probably the tougher part, but then there's a guy, the young catcher for the D backs, um, Moreno, this guy is throwing everybody out. He has the highest club stealing rate of the year of the season and seems to not affect him.

So there are probably ways to neutralize it. Uh, but at the same time, it's been a lot of fun. Look, baseball has needed more athleticism and more action, uh, more balls in play. And that's really the one thing that I think has been so impressive about Acuna. Uh, his strikeouts are so low. He's like Albert pools, uh, but faster and maybe a little smaller because Albert was like almost two people, uh, stuffed into one uniform. Doug landfill is joining us here.

He is in Milwaukee for the Diamondbacks and the Brewers. Um, before I get to actual, uh, actual series and the fact that there doesn't seem to be a ton of healthy starting pitching going around, um, the, the season that we just enjoyed with not just the teams that made the playoffs and the Orioles winning a hundred games, but the rays continuing to do what they do. But the reds challenging for the postseason, the twins continuing, uh, to stack winning seasons on top of winning seasons.

Uh, what is it? What does it say about the economics of the game? Well, the economics, there's sort of like a middle class of baseball that can now consistently compete. I think that's good, you know, in many ways it's like, okay, the brewers were always pretty good, right? They always, uh, I think you still have a little bit of a challenge of, you know, that top echelon can just acquire talent.

Like you mentioned, starters go down. Some teams can just buy them if they need to. Uh, you know, there is that discrepancy, but as, as proven this season, Boston, New York, you know, San Diego, St. Louis, they're all home. He's like, if you want to call them blue bloods, I guess, but they're, they're not in this, in this post season.

And that's, that's a lot of fun. I think it's exciting for fans who are in these markets and all these markets to know that their team's in it, you know, they're, they have a shot and, and you know, teams have certain priorities, like take Seattle last year. They were like, we just need to get in.

I don't even care how. And sometimes that's the goal and you're willing to make moves to just get in. And then you get to the level where the teams like Houston's like, I'm not even celebrating unless we want a division. And they're like, they're like, so they're, they have other goals and of course they all want to win it all, but just to get in the mix and the fact that all these markets were in the mix this year, which was the point of adding that extra wildcard team. And it's just made for a lot of fun, just some really exciting baseball. And you know, the Cubs had no, had that lead and they may kind of collapsed and there, but they were all there and it makes, it creates more buyers at the trade deadline and less sellers.

And so you have to really be smart about what moves you make. Doug Glanville is joining us. And again, he will have the Diamondbacks and the Brewers. He'll have that series coming up at seven o'clock tonight on ESPN too. I was talking to a friend of mine who's a big Phillies fan who happens to play hockey for the Carolina Hurricanes, Tony D'Angelo, and he is a baseball freak.

And after we were done talking about hockey, he said, man, the Brewers scare me. They've, they're like the only team that has legit starting pitching. How big a factor is that in a playoff series? Cause I'm not sure it's as important as how good your bullpen is. Well, it's not as important anymore.

You know, you think back to the days, you know, my fandom came up, you know, you had Steve Carlton and Tom Seavers and they went nine or 10. So, uh, you know, so, but yes, it's important in that you have pitchers that can go deep enough into the game to set up your bullpen well, or you have a pitcher that can go eight or somewhere deeper to preserve your bullpen. That does matter. And when you have many of those guys, you are in a better position because they're just putting your bullpen in a better position. But you know, the reality is the bullpens do carry the day. Now, I mean, average start was like five innings or something.

So you know that you're just going to have to figure out how to close it. And you watch what the Rangers did at the end of the year. They, their bullpen was in shambles, but what they did is they took their starters. They had enough starter depth. The guys who had experience that they put like Martin Perez and Andrew Heaney in the bullpen and said, you guys are going to go three innings because we're going to get the short start of four innings. And then you're going to bridge us to the back end of the bullpen. So that that's the type of stuff you do, especially in the post-season and that, you know, a Bochi of course is really one of the best managers out there. So, so I, and then here's the other factor that I'm noticing with the national league series.

So, you know, next, next round on the DS game one nationally, then a day off, then game two, then a day off for travel. So you have all these days off in there that you can pitch, you know, two pitchers for the whole series. And that's also another factor because that's like, look at the Diamondbacks, they have Kelly and they have Zach gallon. These guys are really good.

So you don't want to face them. And you know, so, and that's what the brewers bring except Brandon Woodruff, you know, they announced that he's out right. So they're, they're three headed monster is gone, but they still have two really good pitchers. I mean, exceptional pitchers and the other guys had because Woodruff was down earlier in the year, they have a bunch of other guys that had thrown 20, 21 starts like Howser and all that. So they, they they'll be fine. Uh, and, and so, you know, but the other thing I'd say about pitching is there's more appreciation and recognition that good pitching is also good defense and the Diamondbacks catch everything and the brewers catch everything.

And that's another reason. So a pretty cool series because they don't make a whole lot of mistakes in the field. And that always gives any pitcher, especially the pitch to contact pitchers, a shot at winning. Doug Glanville is joining us a couple of more things before I let you go enjoy your midday meal before you get to the ballpark tonight with the Diamondbacks and Brewers and again, seven o'clock on ESPN two.

All right, final thing. Team best equipped to beat the Atlanta Braves in the National League is who I'll say the photo facilities. And I say that because the Braves are phenomenal.

Okay. Their offense is historic. They, but they're starting both. They're starting pitching as we talked about earlier is really banged up and you know, you could survive in a good bullpen, but the problem they might run into is if they, you know, get that two winning start or that three innings, right. And it starts to ripple, you know, now the days off will help, but you know, their bullpen is going to have to be on point just in case.

Um, but yes, and I didn't even talk about a CUNY. As you mentioned, one of the greatest seasons you'll ever see, you hit 40 home runs and knocked yourself in. But then whenever you walked or got on an error or feel this choice, it was like a double, like 70, 73 times or whatever. I mean, it's just like the, you know, the only, the opportunities he had to steal were, were minimal because he was hitting the ball out of the ballpark. I mean, it's unbelievable.

He's gone every chance he could get and he's successful. Um, I mean, wow. Uh, there's nothing else you can say. It's just a, such a jaw dropping season. I look at the numbers this morning. I'm like, it's just something that makes sense. So yeah, baseball, you know, the, the hitters card, you know, there's a one column, the two column and the three column when you roll the dice and the pitchers card was four, five, and six, the pitchers cards are going to just say, it's going to say the letter I and the four columns and the five is going to say give. And then the six column is going to say, I give up and just roll on a card.

It is completely overnight. The Orioles are the best team in the American league, but are the Astros the favorites? Yeah. They're the favorite cause they're the champion. I mean, they're beatable this year. Uh, they they've had same things, rotations and shambles, uh, had a lot of injuries, you know, they got Verlander obviously, but I that's a concern for the Astros, but I, they're just sneaky. I mean, they won the division on the last day and they clinched the day before to win, get into the wild card and they didn't even celebrate.

I mean, that's hardcore. They're like, nah, we'll wait till tomorrow. And the D backs lost to them and jumped in the pool because they clinched the same day. So that tells you where the Astros mind, but dusty is, you know, finds ways, but they don't get a lot of respect. Uh, it's not their fault. They're young and they think to be like, yeah, well, they're waiting for them to implode. They are a good ball.

Yep. Nobody believes, nobody believes in it, but I am, I am rooting hard for them. My old stomping grounds, uh, at Camden yards.

I spent three years there, man. It is awesome. And I, I am so happy for all of my friends in Baltimore, Doug Glanville, enjoy the game tonight. Diamondbacks at the brewer seven o'clock on the deuce. I appreciate your time. We'll talk to you soon. Thanks a lot.

Appreciate it. But playoff baseball is incredible. It wouldn't be terrible since playoff baseball is so great to expand the playoffs by two teams in each league.

So rather than six, like we have, we go to eight, three division winners, five wildcards, three division winners play the three worst teams and the two best wildcard teams play each other. This way, nobody sits around doing nothing. That would be the best. That would be the best.

That's ideal. And if, if you're the one seed and you can't beat the eight seed, sorry. Yeah. Sorry.

All right. No brace fan. What are brace fans are going to do for six days? You know, no baseball until Saturday. I know. Just go crazy. Chew your fingernails off.