The Orioles will host Games 1 and 2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards this weekend and Luke and Nestor get you ready for an exciting postseason tournament where the Birds are the No. 1 seed by virtue of 101 wins in the regular season. Are the Orioles ready to take October?
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
bullpen, pitching, orioles, game, team, days, baseball, rodriguez, rotation, pitcher, talking, season, ravens, rangers, play, win, threw, means, texas, scherzer
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back, WN S T, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive. We are getting ready for a trip to Dallas, Texas. We’re going to Arlington all Tuesday Wednesday, Luke and I will be there for games three and potentially four. You never know if there’s gonna be a five. If there’s a five we’re gonna have prom with our Maryland crab cake tour next Friday. I had planned it for drugs sitting next Friday the 13th you plan something on Friday the 13th? How do you know it’s gonna work or not? Game five might be working as well. So what brought you by the Maryland lottery in conjunction with our friends? When did he like get the shirt on? 866 90 days should you buy two you get two free. Always the deal there and 0% financing, as well as our friends at Jiffy Lube. MultiCare been talking more about Jiffy Lube. They’re in on the crab cake tour. We were gonna get the crab cakes. We’re back out on the road. But in the meantime, we’re being rudely interrupted this crab cake tour. Bye. Bye playoff baseball. We didn’t know we were playing now. We’re gonna play the Rangers. Look, I spent a month you’re saying it was gonna be Toronto or Tampa, Tampa, toronto, toronto, Tampa, Texas watch the bed last week, Houston disappears then comes back then they take a couple of days off. Now we’re seeing Texas so I don’t know how this peoples are like how’s the matchup? How do you feel about this? Tampa was the better team although they were not the better team on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Luke Jones 01:16
Yeah, and that’s why we said it was so wildly important for the Orioles to try to avoid this best to three format. I mean, Tampa Bay and you and I poke some fun with them with some texts that we exchanged back and forth and whatnot. But they fought tooth and nail with the Orioles, the entire second half of the season for the division. They won 99 games, and they had a lousy 27 hours and boy was it lousy, they kick the ball around and they couldn’t hit. But what we saw was exactly why I’ve been saying for weeks now and everyone’s been saying for weeks now that you want to avoid this best of three. I mean, the Tampa Bay Rays 199 games fought tooth and nail with the Orioles for the entire second half of the season. I mean, my goodness, we thought they were the 84 Tigers back in April in May. But they had a lousy 27 hours and boy it was lousy. They kicked the ball around they couldn’t hit. They just they did not look like the rays that we saw for most of the season that even when the Orioles took first place, they were right on their heels. So it’s why this is such a especially the best to three. I mean, the best of fives bad enough for the best to three. It is such a difficult position to put yourself in if you aren’t if you have the chance to avoid it. So yeah, it’s a Texas Rangers team that at different points this year. I thought when they are at their best boy, they’re dangerous. I mean, they hit the baseball they had the second best run differential in the American League. The Orioles won a series from them in early April. I mean, I don’t know what you really take away from that. But the Rangers came into Camden Yards Memorial Day weekend and beat the you know what out of them for a couple games, if you remember so one of the one of the times the Orioles looked like they might be swept until they salvaged the last game. So this is definitely gonna be an interesting series. And I think the big thing that a couple of things that really stand out for me is I mean, obviously Texas has had so many injuries with their rotation, including losing gray recently, you know, obviously, no, Jacob deGrom Max Scherzer just threw a bullpen he’s trying to find his way back before the postseason is over. I don’t know if that will mean this series by any means. But they can hit and while there are questions with their bullpen, they got good enough starting pitching from Montgomery and ivaldi in this series that they didn’t have to lean on their bullpen too hard. So which Rangers team is at Bruce Bochy even said that earlier in that wildcard round that he’s never seen a team that has been so good at times, and then other times, not so good, as we saw the final weekend of the season, where they lost the NLS. So it’s luck. All these teams are good at this point. I was telling you and telling anyone who would listen that the Minnesota Twins were better than advertised and they kind of prove that against the Toronto Blue Jays. So there are no layups at this point in time. So we’ll see how the Orioles come out this weekend after this five day layoff and we’ll see if the Texas Rangers continue what they did down at the top, which was quite impressive. With their two game sweep.
Nestor Aparicio 04:17
Probably the most unnatural thing they’re going to do you know, the pitching was going so well last week means throwing deepend Brad Brad is showing where they’re going to be this week and how this is going to set off and Brandon Hyde has been mainly quiet about this. I think we’d be shocked to see anybody but Bradish on Saturday, and I guess on Sunday it would be Grayson Rodriguez, although John means is made a case in some of this and then we could talk Gibson Flaherty, the rest of these guys, but for Texas, the thing we wished for was Toronto or excuse me to Tampa to win and 12 innings on that date. playing into the middle of the night. That was sort of the old thing where they don’t put guys on second base. And you can play 1415 and 18 00 games to try to bump guys over and do all of that. Instead, they put the guy on second base and bump them over for you. They walk in and steal second. So that’s not going to happen. But Texas did a pretty easy time in Tampa, and they’re gonna have their pitching set up and they played baseball day before yesterday. So like, they’re going to be a little bit more fresh concerns about this, this layout. If you were down watching BP, there were a lot of fans. That was a very unique thing, right on an 80 degree day to watch batting practice at Camden Yards. That never happens. Yeah,
Luke Jones 05:37
it was a fun workout day on Wednesday. I mean, a pretty nice little crowd for a weekday afternoon. cool opportunity for those folks who let’s face it can’t afford playoffs it tickets. So I mean, and that would have been me growing up.
Nestor Aparicio 05:49
I mean, certainly, my dad would have been able to drop 100 me right now by the West. He you know, the thought that I’m gonna they’re gonna send me a strip right $5,000 That’s not happening this month. It’s not,
Luke Jones 06:02
sir. So so that was a cool opportunity. They played a sim game. I mean, just about everyone in the bullpen got in inning. We saw Dean Kramer. I was at the ballpark Tuesday night which wasn’t open to fans but Grayson Rodriguez through to winnings of live BP. So I think we’re and I had a chance to talk to Kyle Gibson about this at length in the Orioles dugout on Wednesday with a couple other reporters. I mean, we and I cited this the five day Lail off it. It’s so under baseball like Right, right. I mean, it’s it’s longer than the all star break. So you’re talking about a very unique territory that the Orioles find themselves in work. Yeah, you love the rest, but you want to stay sharp. But Gibson really didn’t have as much concern on the pitching side. guys throw bullpens, you know that they guys have off days guys are skipped occasionally in the rotation, where you do things where you can stay sharp. But where the real challenge I think is, it’s on the hitting side. I think especially in today’s game, with so much velocity, so many guys throwing hard, you want to make sure that your hitters are seeing as much live pitching as possible over this five day stretch and the Orioles have been doing their best to do that. Because you don’t want to come out against a team like the rangers who played really well for a couple of days. And you know, they’ll have a couple of days off now as well. But you don’t want 95 miles per hour feeling like it’s 105 because you haven’t hit in a real game and five. So
Nestor Aparicio 07:29
the challenge here is gone. Connor Henderson when’s the last time he didn’t pick a battle? He said a baton his hands facing a real pitcher. Seven days a week since February like literally right other than a day or two at the All Star Game literally. Right.
Luke Jones 07:43
Right. Well, that’s why and I mean, Kyle Gibson said how you have to approach this and he cited what happened to Atlanta and the Dodgers last year. I mean, the two best teams in the NFL, they were bounced in the Division Series and four games, mind you so and he said, Look, that doesn’t mean that they necessarily did anything wrong. I mean, it’s baseball. Yeah, it’s baseball and good teams against good teams. Good teams beat great teams. And we see that scenario play out quite often in October. But the key thing that he said that kind of resonated with me is you need to treat this like it’s the last five days of spring training. Not like it’s the all star break. And I thought that was I thought that was pretty profound when you think about that. I mean, the last five days of spring training, you don’t treat that as though oh, well, you know, let’s blacks now know you’re gearing up for the season. I mean, this is the new season starting in October. So that’s why the Oreo has been working out at the ballpark every night. Now they’re not you know, Brandon Hyde isn’t working them to the bone. I mean, they’ve gotten off their feet a little bit and then a chance to exhale, certainly a chance to set the rotation. I mean, it’s going to be Bradish in game one, even if Brandon heights not going to announce it until Friday, you know, Friday, because they’re becoming more like the Ravens in that way. And teams are secretive and they don’t want to really reveal information until they have to. But I think you promised
Nestor Aparicio 08:59
me the Steelers quarterback on Sunday. Can you at least do that?
Luke Jones 09:04
They will have a quarterback. And it sounds like it could be picket. Yeah, the way it sounds was sounding at least by on Wednesday. So but the Rangers you know that at the very least they’re not gonna be able to come right back with Montgomery and ivaldi games one and two, you know, so will it be a Heaney? You know, someone like that. They lost John Gray to the aisle I mentioned Scherzer still working his way back. I mean, Jacob deGrom way back when at Tommy John surgery. And so I mean, the Rangers went through a lot. So as much as we kind of talked about, we talked about this narrative with Tampa with all their injuries, ranges of loss, guys, especially with their starting rotation, what they envisioned it being compared to what it is but boy, as we saw down at the trop they hit the baseball. So whether you’re talking about Bradish Grayson Rodriguez, John means or what I’m more concerned about still which is the bullpen and your ability to miss bats in the late innings. I mean, this is a lineup that when they’re swinging well Oh, boy, they can they can hit they can crush the baseball. So it’s a good matchup. And believe me, the Rangers are looking at the Orioles and saying, Wow, there are a whole lot of weaknesses there. It’s why they want 101 games. But I think this is a series that is shaping up. That could be really, really entertaining. And as I said, there are no layups at this point in time. I mean, the four teams left in the ALM and you have the defending champions with the Astros, the twins, who acquitted themselves quite well against the Blue Jays. And this Rangers team that are there, they’ve been up and down there, there were at least a few stretches over the course of the season that I looked at that team and thought boy, when they’re playing their best, I think they’re easily the most dangerous team in the American League.
Nestor Aparicio 10:42
Well, in most dangerous team, maybe if they would have had Scherzer they would have had the ground more thing at the front rested guys have all the looked okay, I guess, you know, he would be easily to come back on Sunday, if not a Tuesday, right? So the Rangers are gonna get some pitching together. Um, you know, they’re gonna have a chance to they’re one in game two. Right. So there’s part of that for a matchup with Rodriguez on Sunday, that coming back off a Tuesday would be Sunday. Where are you with? The Oriole starters? Are you pleased? And because we talked all year when it looked like they were going to make the playoffs? We’re like, Alright, where’s Rodriguez? He’s in Norfolk. Where’s DL Hall? He’s not here yet? Well, you know, all of these guys that were coming down the line and means was something we were talking about August 1, as well, maybe he’ll get a couple of innings in. And I think we may thought about him more in the relief roll or something like that, that he was working his pitch count up to 50 and 60 and 70. And then started and then started look good. He’s only made less than a handful. Where are you for what they’re prepared for on Saturday and Sunday that again on Tuesday, just want to make sure you don’t get bounced, you wanna make sure you get one of these games over the weekend to give yourself a chance to get back home. You get to this weekend. That’s unbelievable. But you got to get one of two and you better get game one as Tampa, as all four of the teams found out in the wild card round, they all lost the first game. They all lost the second game. Yeah,
Luke Jones 12:08
I mean, you want to get off to a good start in the best to five I mean, the best to five, you have a little more of a leash than the best to three, but it’s still not much, right. I mean, it’s still a case where you have a bad but 72 hours and and it can be over even after 101 loss season so or 100 When 101 win season. had a tough time getting that out. But you look at the rotation. Kyle Bradish has been fantastic. I mean, this is a guy who’s going to have sayang votes. I mean, he’s not going to win. He’s not going to be top two, or I don’t think he’s gonna be top three. But he’s you’re gonna find him in that list. I mean, that’s how impressive he was this year. And it’s ironic that he started off his season against the Texas Rangers with Jonah Haim hitting a line drive off his foot and sending them to the Il. What to winnings into his 2023 camp. He knows what the training looks like at Globe Life Park he does he does it and the X ray machine and all that. So, but Bradish I’ll take Bradish up against just about anyone right now that’s left in this postseason. I mean, there are other great pitchers. I mean, don’t get me wrong. And I understand he’s never been there before. But as far as how he pitched how he pitched over the second half of the season. I like my chances. And that’s not to say that the Orioles are a lot to win. I mean, it’s postseason baseball, but I feel confident in him. I feel confident in Grayson Rodriguez, I feel as confident as I can feel in John means acknowledging what you just said it’s only been a handful of starts. But he’s looked to me a little bit better, you know, at least the same or a little bit better. And each of those starts which is what you want to see from someone coming back from Tommy John. I mean, I’ll say this much. From an arm standpoint, from a fatigue standpoint, he should be fresh, right? That doesn’t mean that he’s peaked, John means that threw a no hitter two years ago. But he hasn’t thrown a ton of innings and you’re talking about someone who had a chance to gradually build his arm up with what a 17 month recovery from Tommy John surgery. So I feel I feel really good about Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez going up against just about anyone and that includes the Astros, by the way who name recognition wise. Yeah, of course, I mean, my God, oh, my goodness, you look at who they have in their rotation. But none of those guys have been as good as they were in the past. So I feel good about the rotation one through three, you know, if we’re going to put means in that third spot, and and let’s be clear, I don’t know for sure. There could be an argument to be made to throw means out there for Game Two, to take advantage of the big left field at Camden Yards, which we’ve never talked about in a postseason sense. But of course, we’ve talked about it the last two years with that spacious left field. So maybe you put means out there for Game Two, I don’t know. But those those three are going to be in my rotation and then Rodriguez pitcher Texas, maybe maybe I mean, that’s his home state, right. I mean, that’d be a heck of a story.
Nestor Aparicio 14:59
For me. Is it If you and I do this four days a week, right, like literally, at the All Star break, we’re like, well, they can make the playoffs and if they do pitching trouble, maybe Gibson would be their number of the game one started because he’s the experienced guy, you’d want the experience guy out there Rodriguez was nothing to think about then means was a pipe dream, then right, Tyler Wells was we’ll send him he’ll be back in the rotation by August 15. And you’re like, Whoa, pitch count innings innings. Gonna hit his head, you were giving me the innings gonna hit their head back in June and July on a lot of the young players, right? They did all sorts of things into this. And I’m not going to sit here today or Monday or on the plane back from Arlington. If they get their ass kicked, and say, Well, they didn’t set it up, right? They didn’t have enough these guys didn’t look good enough. These three pitchers that they’re going to pitch in a five game series that we believe they’re going to pitch whether it’s Gibson on the you know, on the bench, Flaherty, any of the starters that won’t make the cut. I have to look at this and say we never could have predicted this August 1 Right? For any of this or even July 30 Without Flaherty thinking he was when they dealt for him. They’re like, Oh, we got our game three starter now at least we have that we have that organized. It never goes to script. And this weekend will not go to script either. It will always be some Delmon young or some Tito Landrum or you know, it’ll be somebody like that. That wins it either for us or for Texas. But all the pitching and all the crying we’ve done a bad pitching and we’re not good enough and we have to do for pitching and what about our bullpen? As I look at this, I’m like, what, what would you want other than a Cy Young candidate? Game Juan Rodriguez who is going to be your ace, the next five years of his arm doesn’t fall off. He’s their best pitcher. He’s their best bloodline pitcher right now. And means use as good as stories there’s been and the way he threw the ball in September, specifically late September leads you to think like, he thinks it’s May 10. Right now he’s ready to go. He’s ready to he’s got a month in him. He’s got five starts and him this month. That and he can look like John means. So there’s a feeling going into this and, and, dude, I’d have to get the tape out from 14. What you and I were saying before we got on the plane and went out to Kansas City and thinking oh, yeah, we go hit the bats and Machado. And then they couldn’t score and then they got their ass kicked. Literally. We don’t even talk about 14 Because it was it was a bloodletting. It was a sweep. It wasn’t good. It was bad. This weekend for the pitching. If they were to get swept by Texas. I’m not gonna go back and say, well was Johnny Angelo’s fault. It was Michael is his fault at the deadline they should have dealt for Scherzer. They should have dealt for Wehrli. I’m not going to do that. I think they are positioned better than we could have thought they could have been positioned August 1 for pitching this week pitching worried about it always worried about I’m always worried about when they go to the bullpen guys throwing strikes. But as far as the starting pitching goes, I don’t know if this is a little dreamy, to be the one seed. If we would go back to the All Star break or even August 1, when they dealt for Flaherty we felt like we’re in this mix. They’re sitting at the top with rested pitching to your point, Texas is decimated to some degree from where they were in spring training as far as how they’re setting up to play baseball this week. And all of a sudden means is available. Rodriguez is available all of our nightmares in June and July. Or at least so for now. They gotta go out and pitch six, seven innings but they’re not in bad shape. The Orioles are well positioned to win a World Series right here. They really are. They’re healthy. I think you look at
Luke Jones 18:36
the state of their starting rotation. Now we’ll get to the bullpen in a moment because I do have thoughts about that. But you look at their starting rotation. You look at the pictures that were out there. And you could say, Okay, could the guys have gone out and gotten Jordan Montgomery? Sure. I’ll hear that. But there were a ton of guys. So barley. Lorenzen, who threw the no hitter for the Yankees go look at what his numbers have been since then. I mean, there have been so you know, Scherzer got hurt. I mean, you go through the list of guys that were available
Nestor Aparicio 19:04
at the point here cease, by the way, because that would have been like a holiday cows or like they weren’t going to do that. So I mean, that that were logical for Mike Elias to do not John Angelo’s not money, just a baseball decision on this for that on July 31. They got a pitcher. And if Larry may make the roster and he may pitch and he may be a guy that they would go to because he’s a veteran guy in a situation, but at least in this point, and we can lament that, but this is as good as it gets for them. They they have three really good pitchers for this series. They’re ready to play ball, I think.
Luke Jones 19:43
Yeah, and I mean, they’re gonna need they’re gonna need four. So is it going to be Gibson or is it team Kramer and I think for me, I’ve kind of thought of Dean Kramer. Maybe he becomes a swing guy in the bullpen for you comes in in the fourth inning because it’s how starting pitching works in the postseason. And guys, unless they’re really, really good on a given day and I mean, Texas was an example of this. You’re oftentimes going to your bullpen in the fifth inning. So, you know, could be a little earlier than that. So Kadeem Kramer be that guy who comes in throws two and a third strikes out for guys for you and Kevin Gasman did that in 2014. For them, so their options, but yeah, I think your general point. Look, Grayson Rodriguez, long term, I agree with you. He’s the race right now. Kyle Bradish is the race and he’s been that darn good this year. And I don’t think I don’t think it’s a fluke. I think he’s really good too. I think you look at where the Oreos were when they acquired him and he was the centerpiece in that Dylan Bundy trade. I think all along they were higher on him than the outside baseball America baseball prospectus fan graphs community was on what kind of pitcher Bradish could be any and he’s always done is proven that since the all star break last year, you know, he’s been a bonafide, very legit, even if you don’t want to say an ace around baseball, he’s been a very legitimate top two kind of pitcher in a rotation and I think he’s going to continue to be that so yeah, you feel great about their upside. You feel really good about where Jon means is right now and even talking about a fourth guy you know whether whether it is Gibson or Kramer it’s not gonna be flirty mean he’s barely pitched I I’m not. I’m not so sure clarity isn’t gonna be on the postseason roster, quite frankly, because even pitching out of the bullpen, they barely threw him the last 10 days of the season.
Nestor Aparicio 21:31
Kevin Brown said I’ll be good with that, you know, so,
Luke Jones 21:35
right. Sure, sure. So so. And this was funny, Nestor. I almost had to pull over when I heard this. I was listening to MLB Network radio on Sirius, just a few days ago, because it’s good to get intel on some of these other playoff teams and they have good people on there. There was someone who made a comment that the Orioles rotation if you really look at the numbers, not name recognition, because Houston has that right now. Right. But you look at the numbers. The Orioles top two or three stacks up quite favorably with just about anyone in that American League field. And then you look at it and you say you know what? He’s not wrong. And I can’t recall who it was who said it. So my apologies.
Nestor Aparicio 22:14
100 games are lousy starting pitching. Let’s be honest. Right? I just don’t. It’s tough
Luke Jones 22:18
to I mean, even in 14, I mean, they won 96 games that year. They didn’t have this amazing starting rotation but the second half of the season, that rotation had given them a really high floor and then it went with a dominant bullpen now. The Orioles do not have a dominant bullpen right now their their dominance in the bullpen is about to get Tommy John surgery. So that’s where you do look at this thing. And I will continue to say, Michael, I should have acquired another bullpen on that said, You still look at where they are. You look at their bullpen compared to the Rangers. I think you still feel better about it. But I do have the question. Who’s going to miss bats for you in the late innings when you need strikeouts when it’s a one run game and there are two guys on base and there’s one out and you say I need a punch out right now? Who’s gonna get that for them? I’m not sure. No, I think you have some guys in the bullpen who can strike people out. But do you have anyone in the bullpen right now that will strike people out? Felix Batista was overwhelmingly that guy for them until late August. I mean, he was the best in baseball doing that. Goodness, he had struck out almost two per inning for a large portion of the season. So you really really miss that. You really miss that in October now at least, you know, understanding he had never done it before. Just like any other young player doing this thing for the first time. So well thinking you’re gonna be in a four
Nestor Aparicio 23:37
three game in the eighth inning. Right. I mean, that’s what you’re thinking every night. Right?
Luke Jones 23:41
I mean, that’s, you have to? I mean, it’s the postseason. Yeah. And you mentioned Kansas City. Yes, Kansas City swept the Orioles in 14, but they were still close games. I mean, they didn’t they didn’t beat them. 10 to one and it’s not as though they were laughters. It was just this agonizing Kansas City putting the ball in play and finding grass in the outfield and the Orioles didn’t hit. I mean, it was that simple. So it was a four game sweep. So it was a blowout in that regard. But they were close still close games, you know, they were still one run games, to run games. So I think that that’s where I look at this team right now. Beyond just okay, you know, the offense was hot and cold down the stretch. And you know, the ebbs and flows of a baseball season, just the general lack of experience on this team, which could be a great thing. You know, I asked talking to gunner gunner Henderson on Wednesday, he’s he’s very matter. Matter of fact about this is just like any other game, and it’s not of course, it’s not this isn’t like any other game, but you have young guys that might just be in the right mindset to say it is just like every other game and Adley rutschman might say, All right, I’ve never been in the postseason. But, you know, one, I went to college world series, and that’s still a pretty big stage. If you’ve ever been to Omaha, and you see what that environment is like, it’s not the World Series, but it’s still a pretty, pretty big deal. So You had these young guys that one throughout the minor leagues they played in the postseason in the minors. And no, none of that is the MLB. postseason, I understand that. But, you know, this was something like talking to Gibson, who’s, you know, the, the elder statesman in that clubhouse, a guy in his mid 30s. Yeah, we might as well be in his 50s compared to these guys in their early to mid 20s. But he just said, like, he thinks that these guys are ready. And he said, You never know. I mean, all these teams are good. You know, there’s one team that’s going to be happy in early November, and everyone else is going to be disappointed. So there’s no way of knowing if we’re going to be that team. But he said, these young guys, I really do think they’re ready. And, of course, he’s gonna say that he’s not gonna say, Oh, I don’t think they’re ready. But I think we’ve talked about it all year, this team’s ability to bounce back from losses, this team’s ability to have not been swept the entire season. There’s something to be said about that. And it’s not just a cute historical factoid. It’s, they really have shown a lot of real resiliency, and they’ve shown a lot an uncanny ability to bounce back. So going back to that 2014 scenario, heaven forbid if the Orioles drop game one or even Game Two yo, where you’re saying, oh my gosh, they’re really behind the eight ball. Now. They’ve shown that they’ve shown an ability to come back. I mean, the four game losing streak they had in mid September, where suddenly the rays move, move into a tie for first place. There are a lot of people who thought they were in big trouble at that point. What did they do? They started a winning streak immediately after that. I mean, they’ve done that all year. They did that back in early July, I had their longest winning streak of the season after they lost six to seven. And they’re losing games to the Yankees in the Bronx on the Fourth of July. So, you know, we’ll see if that carries over, you know, they are inexperienced. I think you do look at the reality of where Atlanta was a couple years ago, where the Astros were back in 2015. We’ve talked, I’ve talked about the Dodgers, so many times all the failures they’ve had after so much regular season success, it’s difficult. And for the most part, these teams generally don’t do it the first time that they try, and that’s one thing that you have to at least acknowledge with the Orioles. But that said, that doesn’t mean the Orioles are exactly like those other teams. So yeah, you get to this point, Buck Shoalwater you still love to say you get to October, you play well enough for six months, you get a chance to roll the dice and think the Orioles they have a good pair of dice they can roll as far as what this club is right now. And we’ll see how it’s gonna play out. But you know, all these teams at this point in time, there’s something you can point to one question, even for the even for the Braves, who were choppy down the stretch that just had such a big lead and the East so everyone has their imperfections. But I think this Orioles team. They’ve been loose, you know being around them the last couple of days at these workouts. They’re definitely loose. You don’t get the sense that these guys are overly nervous, which I think is a good thing. We’ll find out starting Saturday afternoon. You forced
Nestor Aparicio 28:02
me to get the 2014 Royals series out 86642121 Yeah, Hollen. The Save and all four games Wade Davis the winner in game one and two. Darren O’Day the loser in game one and two, so they were bullpens decided things. Go pens will decide things here this week and Luke will be there deciding things we will both be in Arlington on a Tuesday Wednesday of next week for games three and potentially four you always think there’s gonna be a four don’t know if there’s going to be five. On next Friday. I am slated to be down to drug City at the fountain celebrating 55 years on the planet celebrating the Maryland crabcake tour. It is Friday the 13th I’m hoping it’s lucky. It’s all brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery we have Raven scratcher also be giving away we had some lucky ones at Coco’s two weeks ago as well had a $20 winner so that felt kind of nice. We’re gonna be there from two until five on Friday. Unless things get weird and there’s a game five and I don’t know I mean I knew I should have been planning crabcake tours this month. I can’t plan anything it’s October around here and the Orioles are in the playoffs and the Ravens or anything was said about the Ravens on Sunday last minute any any of this just getting a few players back on the field this week probably good right?
Luke Jones 29:11
Yeah, I mean great weather Marlon Humphrey plays are not great to see him back on the practice field. He got Bateman back Yeah, Beckham back Ronnie Stanley. I think we’ll play this week better play this week. So go take care of business. I mean, the Steelers. really messy. A mess. pickets been bad not Canada’s offense is a disaster. That defense has not been as good as I think most people expected it to be. But it’s still ravens Steelers. I’m not expecting them to go there and win by four touchdowns because it just never happens that way. But go take care of business. Improve the forum one three and Oh, on the road and the division. I mean, you beat the Steelers on Sunday. At that point, the Division I mean, you’re in the driver’s seat, not that it’s over because it’s still October and there’s a long way to go but you’re in the driver’s seat. You are you’re controlling things in the division while everyone else is scrambling trying to figure out quarterback injuries and things of that nature. So all three of
Nestor Aparicio 30:08
those teams are gonna have trouble getting to eight or nine wins. I mean, that’s gonna be a scuffle every week. And I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy for the ravens to get to 11 or 12, because they’re gonna hit their head, they have to go to London next week, they have to go to Pittsburgh this week, at some point that starts to add up, they may come home to an empty city, or they may come home to a city that’s on fire for the ALCS two weeks from now, and we got to figure out what to do with that lions game. So this is, this is as interesting a month I’ve known you as, as co workers for 15 years. You’ve been listening longer than that. I’ve had the station 25 years, I don’t remember. I mean, Superbowl weeks are one thing and you know, various, we’re going to New England to play the Patriots in the championship game or Pittsburgh and doing bus trips. And all of that this is as crazy a couple of weeks from a scheduling standpoint, in regard to whether I’m seeing John Mayer on the 20 the 23rd or whether the ravens are gonna be able to play the lions and how they’re gonna move games around and do all that but the Orioles we expect them to handle business. I mean, I don’t think you and I expect to get on a plane next Thursday back from Dallas at six in the morning thinking the season’s gonna be over i i would be shocked by that. And the orals are a slight favorite from a betting standpoint and this but mathy moves to the Rangers in the first round after winning 101 games, when they got their pitching set up and they’re healthy, there’s no more cake is there’s no Well, we got to throw away and chin and Gonzales has been our best guy we know we’re not really as good as them. There’s nothing about this where I look and say under the Batista I’ll hear that. You know, they say they’re healthy. They feel healthy to me because it was six, seven weeks ago what happened. But this is as good as you can hope for that if the Ravens get into a playoff scenario. And they’re in this kind of position, the number one seed with the Buy with health. I don’t think there’s any reason to city or not like the Orioles right now against the Astros, the twins, whoever comes out of the other side either.
Luke Jones 32:05
Yeah, like and look. Again, let’s be clear, and I’m going to say I’m a broken record about this. It’s October baseball, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I disagree that I’d be shocked if they lose to the Rangers Now that said, I am picking the Orioles to win this series. And they are the they were the better team over the course of the season. But like I said this Rangers team at times look like they could be the best team in the NFL. And of the teams left in the AL They had the best run differential that they scored the most runs. You know, it’s an offense that when it gets going as the race found out, it’s dangerous. So I’m not going to be shocked by anything. Because these games at this point in time, you’re talking about little more than coin coin flips. You know, one team has the edge but it’s, you know, it’s 5545 it’s 6040 it’s not at 20 Because you’re talking about a best of five, so one’s gotta win game. I love their chances. And you know, you don’t want to squander this because as much as these next five six years look like they set up so well because you know Jackson holidays on the way and other guys are on the way and Gunnar Henderson is only going to get better Grayson Rodriguez is only going to get better. I will channel the 2019 ravens for a moment and say wow, they were 14 and two, they look like they were absolutely the best team in the regular season that year by a wide margin. And guess what they lost and they haven’t been back. They haven’t gotten back to that point. In the four years that have followed and a lot has happened a lot of it going against them bad luck and COVID and injuries and all kinds of things. So the lesson there for the Orioles to take away from that is seize this opportunity because you don’t know if you’re going to be 101 Win team next year or the year after that you can get in you can be really good you can be back playing October baseball again but it sets up got home field until the World Series and even then it’s only the Braves that you wouldn’t have home field against so you know they have such a great opportunity here that boy you want to see them take advantage but you never know what’s gonna happen. That’s why That’s why they play the games are so I’ve heard
Nestor Aparicio 34:16
he is Luke Jones. He is Baltimore Luke and on the interwebs he’s going to be quite busy this weekend as we all will be on Saturday and Sunday with the Oriole baseball both days. Billy Joel Stevie Nicks stand back stand back. Hopefully we get decent weather and the weather gods play along. And then of course the Steelers on Sunday Luke and I have full coverage at at wn St. And at Baltimore. positive.com Hold on your hats. It’s October we’re having fun around here. I’m Nestor Eason Luke we are wn St. am 5070, Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking Baltimore positive
