Luke Jones and Nestor reset the Orioles’ Midwest roadtrip in Chicago after ugly sweep in St. Louis .
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
year, team, series, yankees, orioles, streak, week, talked, point, days, run, mullins, bats, swept, nestor, gunnar, santander, hit, elbow, louis
SPEAKERS
Luke Jones, Nestor J. Aparicio
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home we are W n s t tasks Baltimore, Baltimore positive or positive we get the Maryland crab cakes were back out on the road is a whole bunch of dates. We’re going with all the usual suspects with the crab cakes are delicious. We will be fadeless next week. We will also be Coco’s the Pappas, Costas and State Fair. All in order all during the month of June. Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone. If you’ve been following me on social media, you know, I’ve been out in on the west coast with a big Maryland contingent of business owners and different people took a little respite in the middle of the week, almost almost loot Jones, flew into St. Louis on Wednesday morning for the afternoon game that would have been two afternoon games and it would have been Patty’s BBQ doesn’t usually give me indigestion in St. Louis, but I think it’s the kind of series that probably even a TED Drewes Frozen Custard after three days of running between tornadoes, raindrops, storms, and losses. It’s over Luke, I know this is gonna kill you. But the streak is over.
8
Luke Jones 01:07
Can I be fully honest and say I’m glad it’s over. I wrote at Baltimore positive.com. And you’ve heard me rant about this. Friends have heard me rant about this. listeners have heard me rant about it. The streak ended last
Nestor J. Aparicio 01:21
October, right. It ended the night we left Arlington and you were in the locker room and I was locked out Correct. That’s exactly what it is. So
Luke Jones 01:27
and I say that with no disrespect to winning 91 series in a row from just a few days before Adly Richmond’s arrival in the major leagues in May of 2022 through the end of last year’s regular season. It was impressive. It was wild. It’s weird. It was absolutely something that correlated and accentuated. The Orioles climbed from being the laughingstock of baseball for four years to the best team in the American League and in the regular season last year, but it was practically speaking over when they got swept last October, you know that it graded on me I was annoyed quite frankly at continuing to prop it up to start this year. As I wrote it Baltimore positive comments is simple. Any regular season accomplishment that requires you to ignore something that happens in October to continue celebrating it isn’t worth celebrating anymore. i It’s akin to, I think Joe DiMaggio is 56 game hitting streak Nestor, let’s say that that streak was over two seasons, which that’s happened in Major League Baseball with long hitting streaks before. But if a World Series flop occurred in the middle of that New Yorkers would have been the first to tell you that but look, we love God. But he went over the World Series. So look, it ran over three times. Yeah, exactly, exactly. ran over. It’s fine. It was a heck of an accomplishment. I thought the continuing to celebrate it this year, continuing to hype it up this year was disingenuous and hollow. Mainly because this is still a really good baseball team, that three days in St. Louis aside, there’s still a whole lot to like about this team. Now. We can put that behind us. And it’s a matter of needing to get back on track here quickly because this was not a very pretty series in St. Louis. So they didn’t swing the bat as well, which is something that’s the last couple of weeks has become more of a common occurrence. They didn’t pitch all that terribly well. And what was the real legitimate authentic bad news from Wednesday afternoon, John means leaving with elbow discomfort and now once again asking where his status is going to be moving forward.
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:47
8And you made the mistake of six man right once the manager mentioned six man rotation bad’s gonna happen. Yeah,
Luke Jones 03:52
I mean, it’s one of those deals where you know, the Lord will scoff at your plans at time. So it really unfortunate in that regard. I think the saving grace here you hope is that the Orioles are now going to Chicago for four days to play an awful White Sox team. I mean, it’s no excuse if anything less than three out of four here. Fans have a right to be upset about there’s no question about it especially with the reality of the Yankees continuing to play at a really high level ever since that four game series in Baltimore at at the beginning of the month, so nothing to panic over. Let’s be clear, but there’s definitely some urgency to turn the page here quickly to not wallow in it. As I wrote it Baltimore positive.com Brent and I talked about this last week. I really never got the sense maybe last year a little bit but I never got the sense this year in terms of the new season and after what happened last October that the players and coaches cared about the street this was much more something that was contrived by media and fans to try to keep it going and
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:55
try by Masson you know mean we we get the production of the major league baseball team, the same people who forced Kevin Brown off the mic last year are still running the place. I happen to know this because you have a press box seat, and I don’t. So I, you know, I have tempered all of this until Mr. Rubinstein has control of this and that to see what the media part of it’s going to be. But we’re so Peter Angeles is still alive, his his, his spirit still runs through that part of that’s the way they know how to do things. You know, maybe rock remembers what it’s like to be a real journalist back in the day, when he didn’t have a boss in the other room saying sniff up the stats, make the stat smell better. This is one of those stats smell better. We have a streak even though we don’t really have a streak, but we have a streak. So here let’s talk about the streak. And that is modern media. And that’s also to some degree the Orioles fan base and what that the battery part of the people that were still there wanting anything to hold on to especially have to get swept. Because it was not, it wasn’t a good vibe down in Arlington to leave there and say, well, at least our streets intact, and they can and this becomes a media thing. It’s not forever anyway. And it’s an amazing thing to not get. I mean, for watchmen especially right because he was the centerpiece of getting called up and never having been swept. He’s been in the big leagues two years. That’s pretty cool.
Luke Jones 06:17
Yeah, no question about it and look, the streak itself. And as I wrote, It was an incredible team feat from May of 22. Through the end of September last year, I mean, 91 Straight series, they went without being swept, that that in and of itself was not the accomplishment. That was the reflection of just how consistently good they had become over close to two years leading into that hlds. So it was never about that itself, it was just indicative of what this team had become. And that wasn’t taken away by what happened on in October. But that’s where the streak, practically speaking, died. And to keep it going just on a technicality of Oh, it’s a regular season streak, again, especially a team accomplishment, you know, it was over. So now it’s officially over. So they turn the page yet flush this series as quickly as you can, you need to start swinging the bats more consistently. And again, we’ve talked about that the last couple of weeks, even with large stretches of May, we’ve talked about it’s been their pitching that’s really kind of led the way a little bit more and more so than April at the very least. So you know what happens with John means here, we’re gonna see, you hope it’s nothing structural, I have my thoughts at this point of maybe a bullpen role was what’s best for him at this point. Now that creates its own challenges from a durability standpoint, but I mean, it’s it’s hard to overlook the fact that four starts last September, elbow soreness, for starts now in May elbow soreness. So is it a case of maybe he needs to be shortened up, maybe he shifts to a long relief or a middle relief kind of roll? Maybe that keeps him in better shape. But Nestor This is also why I kept saying over and over and over when fans heard the news about Kyle Bradish. And look, we don’t know what’s going to happen with Kyle Bradish. We have no idea. So far, so good for the most part, I’d say. But I said it at the time. We’ve gotten way too casual way too flippant about guys undergoing Tommy John surgery, because it’s so prevalent because the return rate is really high. Some people almost treat it like it’s a tune up. And it’s not that
8Nestor J. Aparicio 08:35
he’s not going to come back and throw 103 Next, he
Luke Jones 08:39
might know I’ll disagree with that they very well might but if you expect that 100% No questions asked and you expect that there’s going to be no hiccups and you’re gonna be shocked. If there are then then you’re not paying attention because the point is, yes, we’ve come a long way with elbow UCL reconstruction surgery and now there’s even the the internal brace surgery that we’re seeing some guys get that have had Tommy John before it might expedite the recovery a little bit, but it’s still really serious thing. So even if it’s a low percentage chance, the guys that have a chance to avoid Tommy John surgery entirely. And I’ve I’ve cited, you know, Aaron Nola, for example, for the Phillies who had an UCL injury. I think it’s eight years ago, and he’s still going strong. Now, that doesn’t mean he won’t have it at some point. But the point is, when you get cut open, when you have your elbow ligament replaced, repaired, however you want to describe it. There’s risk there that you’re not going to come back and be the same. And John, John means now 25 months later, I’m not going to bury him. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to get right here at some point, but boy, that’s his last two years of his career. I mean, he’s gonna be a free agent. I mean, it’s you feel for the guy. He’s made some money in arbitration. So it’s not as though he’s in the poor house. Let’s be clear about that. But this is a guy who was an all star. This is the guy who threw a no hitter. Three years ago, and he just he’s not right, you know, hasn’t been able to stay right for an extended period of time. So that was my point. With Bradish. Where Yeah, you go the conservative route, you see if a PRP injection makes a difference and look, a week from now, we might be talking about Kyle Bradish. Yeah, with his elbow bothering him or a month from now, or a year from now. But that’s why it’s worth it to at least go that route, to attempt to avoid surgery. Because if you can, then great, you don’t lose a year of your career, you don’t have potential long term complications. So look, you get you have to get it. Tommy John surgery, you have to get it and most guys end up in that position. But that’s why you at least explore it. Because John means is the latest example of hey, it’s not always a seamless 12 to 14 months, and then you’re back and you’re fine. And especially in this day, and age Nestor, where we’re now seeing guys need Tommy John are UCL surgery. Yeah, we’re seeing it now guys, four or five years later, they’re having to get it again. So, you know, it’s unfortunate and to your point, you know, all the talk about the six band rotation I wrote about it over the weekend, and well, now now that’s at least tabled for right now, unless they’re gonna bring someone else up. But in the meantime, turn the page for game series against the White Sox. Chicago has been terrible. I mean, they worst team in the American League. So when three out of four, you went through out a fourth and you’re feeling okay, but certainly wasn’t a great feeling. Leaving St. Louis on Wednesday after, you know, the weird suspended Game loss where they scored one run, and then, unfortunately, losing the lead. Late in Wednesday’s, you know, I guess it wasn’t a nightcap because it technically wasn’t a doubleheader, but just not not good enough and sloppy, and like we said, not swinging the bats nearly consistently enough here of late. Alright,
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:53
so um, two things jumped out at me because I’ve been gone right. I was completely off the grid Saturday and Sunday in Las Vegas Monday, and then Tuesday in LA and I flew back Wednesday, and I didn’t watch a lot of baseball, but I’m watching the phone, Joe, Enoch and I were together on Sunday, he had the phone rolling in the casino. We’re watching the oral game at a bar where everything’s on but the Orioles but it was on his phone. So we got to watch a little bit of a game on Monday night to get the party started. And this is full disclosure, I’m in a bar in LA and the game popped up on the MLB you know, shoot in and they’re talking about that. And I didn’t look I’m not a scoreboard Why’d forgive me. I don’t scoreboard watching may you know what I mean? Like, I’m not really all that interested in what the Yankees are doing. But then I looked up literally when I landed on Wednesday. And like, they lost a couple of games, right? I mean, I you know, I know what’s going on. And I’m like, there’s three games back. Oh, my God, they’re in second place, like since I left, but to me, that’s the story is we’re around you’re flying our flag. And we’re the greatest and I don’t know if Luke but we then been swept into yours. I don’t know if you knew that or not. And what you think like they’re in first place forever, or their will the first place or they’ve been in first place for a period of time. They spent most of last year chasing Toronto, or excuse me, Tampa after the start that they had in the beginning of the year. And now this year, they jump out to this lead it feels like pitching is going to be a problem. Hit is never going to be a British team is going to hit this team to go go through my Twitter, I probably have said that six times, this team can hit the ball until they don’t. And the Yankees are a problem. And it certainly looks like whatever you think of the Yankees in payroll and hating them for a million years and pinstripes and all that. They they’re they’re going to be the gorilla this year. And the Orioles are going to have to be the engine that could and all the talk we’ve had about trade bullpen help, all the things that they they’re going to need to do to augment themselves to be competitive. The Yankees are going to hold them to task. Yeah,
Luke Jones 13:53
8I mean, look, I’m gonna sit here. I’m not gonna sit here and say that they haven’t been really impressive. I mean, they’re playing 667 ball. I mean, they, the Yankees have been in first place for a minute here. I mean, it’s not just the last three days either. I mean, they’ve been on a roll since the Orioles took three out of four from them. It wasn’t until this week where they dropped a couple in that mariners series. I mean, the Yankees only had lost twice going into this Mariner series since that Oreo series, which was what? April 29. Or April 29. Through may 2, whatever it was three weeks ago at this point. So they’ve gotten contributions. Obviously, Soto has been huge for nudge that was always going to wake up and it has maybe
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:35
I shouldn’t yell to him contributions from him up. Yeah, yeah.
Luke Jones 14:39
Yeah, I mean, but that was always going to happen. Look, I’m still skeptical. If guys like Stanton, some of the other veterans in that lineup are going to stay healthy. I’m still skeptical about Gerrit Cole coming back healthy in the same way that people were probably Yankee fans are skeptical about Kyle Brad is staying healthy for the Orioles and John means stay unhealthy for the Orioles. So there you go. So there’s all ways that I mean, there’s always the health of your pitching staff. So that’s always at work. We saw that big time with Tampa last year. You know, they got off to that big start, we kind of forget. Well, they lost McClanahan. They lost some other starters in that rotation. And they, they did a admirable job trying to hang on, and they still made the playoffs. But that was a big factor. Let’s call a spade a spade. I’m not saying that the Orioles didn’t deserve to win the division. But Tampa went through a lot with their rotation last year. So you never really know. That’s why you never deem a division race to be over in April or May. And and I’m certainly not going to do that right now with the Yankees being in first that to your point, and at the end of the series, three games up, but long way to go. You never know what’s going to happen. But the way it’s looking, when you look at the rest of the division, and I will give Boston a nod a Boston has pitched better than I thought they would and you know, their bats have come alive here of late so but they’re still lagging behind, you know, this still really does feel like a two team race. before it’s all said and done. Because, you know, Tampa has kind of been in that two steps forward three steps back, blue J same way, you know that every time you think they’re going to go on get on a roll. And you know, they have a good series or two and then they lose four in a row. So, but it looks like Oreos, Yankees. And even with this three game losing streak, even though even with this sweep for the Orioles, they’re still on pace to win 100 games. It’s not as though they played poorly, by any stretch. But the Yankees have just been that impressive. So it really is a matter. And I think you had the right mindset. Even with this sweep, even with being three games out now, as we’re rapidly we’re Memorial Day weekend here, not rapidly approaching it, it’s here. They still need to focus on themselves, you know, they continue to play well, they continue to win series. Forget about the sleepless streak who cares? Just win series, get yourself back on track beat the teams you’re supposed to be they’ve been really good against good teams this year. They’ve they’ve been a little soso against bad teams, you know that, you know, St. Louis being another example here. But it really is a matter of focusing on focusing on what you can control. And yeah, you’re gonna take a peek at the standings, that’s inevitable, but if they win and play at a level they’re capable of playing at, they’re gonna be right there with the Yankees. And then we’ll see what the head to head and what the summer months and what September looks like. So it really is a matter of not thinking too much about the big picture and trying to compel compartmentalize, that right there, Nestor, that’s how you go two years without being swept in the regular season. That’s how you win 101 games like they did last year where you really can compartmentalize and say, All right, we can’t worry about what’s happening in New York, or what’s going to happen three weeks from now, when tonight’s game. It’s that simple. And they’ve done a real app for a young team. They’ve done a heck of a job of doing that for two years now. And that’s why, despite the disappointment, despite, you know, pretty ugly series here, not so inspiring baseball, I do fully expect this team to write themselves much sooner rather than later here. All right,
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:06
Luke Jones is here. Last thing and we’ll get the football and we’re gonna go out and do all that. It’s a little bit of a weird holiday weekend. If he hears some best stuff this weekend. That’s where we are from Memorial Day weekend. I’ve been away this week. This time two years ago, they bring rutschman up at the time they brought rutschman up you would have said their three best players were Santander, Mullins, and Hayes, Santander 206. Hays 148, Mullins, 190 and an incomplete and Mullins at 191. Look, it’s one thing to say rutschman and the stars of the team, I guess Westbrook’s becoming one, Kaiser’s moved into a role. He’s got people running around moving and cows, he must be a star. That’s what stars do. And this concern for the elder statesman on the team, and sours and at some point. I haven’t heard Jackson holidays name in three weeks, that’ll be happening soon, because it’s, you know, we’re going to be after Memorial Day next week, right? The composition of the team, the composition of the lineup, and the fact that when things aren’t going well for the lineup, I’d love to say well, it’s not going well but at least we got Mullins on track it’s not going well but Santander is not looking like the worst version of himself at this point that we’ve seen here for five six years. Your thoughts on the veteran guys because that’s it’s it’s a different makeup for the team because we think of them as being so young so young, so young, but I don’t think we thought these former All Stars and you know that they would be the weakest part of the link here as we get into the second third of the season. Yeah,
8Luke Jones 19:49
I mean, I look, I think the transition in seeing Gunnar Henderson and Adley rutschman and Jordan Westberg. Those guys become the best players on the team. I don’t think that’s shocking. In and of itself, I mean, at the restaurant was one one for a reason. Gunnar Henderson was the number one prospect in baseball for a reason two years ago. Batting Average even. I mean, which is I didn’t expect that right, by the way. Yeah. I mean, batting on base percentage. Yeah, sure. But yeah, I mean, the fact that he’s hitting 296 and has walked a whole lot, you know, which that’s, that’s another plotline that, you know, some plot that we haven’t talked about a whole lot, but But yeah, I mean, Santander has not really swung the bat the way that we’ve seen swing the last couple of years, which was, you know, a fringe 30 homerun guy draw walks at a higher rate than he used to. But you know, the power hasn’t been there. He did you know, the previous series, he hit the wall. What was the I guess? I’m trying to think, I guess that was the end of the Toronto series. Um, my days are getting mixed up. But point was he bruised his knee on the right field wall. Camden Yards, saw him Sunday morning, had a heck of a bruise on it, you know, really wrapped up? I mean, you could tell that’s why we’ve seen him d h, and, and have some days off here. It’s one of those cases where if he’s that banged up, why not? Put him on the IL bring his son curse that up and let them start for 10 days, right? I mean, let them play every day for 10 days.
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:16
I forgot curse that, by the way. I didn’t even mention him anymore.
Luke Jones 21:20
He was sent back. He was like, right down, right. I mean, understood. Yeah. Yes. So but no, I mean, with Santander with Mullins, who, you know, he had a nice series of to close out the homestand. And you’re thinking okay, maybe this is the start of him getting going. He had the been single, you had two hits two RBIs on Sunday, and then not so much in St. Louis and Austin. Hey, same thing. I mean, it’s not that these guys aren’t their best players anymore. That was expected. Right? When you have all these prospects that are coming up over the last couple years, that’s going to happen, but they’ve got to get going. I mean, they do. I mean, it’s below the bar to use a John Harbaugh Bill Belichick phrase, it’s below the bar with GM and they’d be the first to tell you that right now. So while those guys aren’t part of the long term future, this team because we know contractually, Santander is up this year, Hasan Mullins next year, they’re not going to be extended. I think that’s evident at this point. But in the meantime, you want them to get back to the players they were last year and the players they weren’t two years ago and in Mullins case three years ago now. So you know, we’ll see how it plays out. I don’t expect them all to be benched but I’ll go back to the My point about cotton cows at the beginning of the year, let cows replays every day now but like cows now let’s get some at bats. Now these guys don’t have to play every day especially when they’re not producing so it for me it really is a case if your brand and I did say let’s go you know if you’re in the lineup you got to produce if not, I’m putting someone else in so they need their veteran guys to get going. These guys aren’t 35 years old. They shouldn’t be washed up, but they certainly need to get going because we’ve talked about it It can’t just be Gunnar Henderson every night can’t just be rutschman Can’t just be Ryan O’Hearn and Westberg you know they need to get more some more consistency. And even Ryan mountcastle another guy who struggled of late who you expect to be one of their he’s one of their middle of the order bats so they need this lineup to get going much more consistently top to bottom and can’t just be relying on this on Gunnar Henderson to hit a three run home run every night although he’s pretty darn good at doing that most
Nestor J. Aparicio 23:22
of the time. He’s the Jones he is our Oriole insider the Orioles will be inside of a stadium that has Aparicio on the facade and a beautiful statue out in centerfield my cousin, white weekend in the south side of Chicago. Don’t expect a lot of fans in the stadium. On this week. As we get back on we’re taking the Marilyn crabcake tour back out on the road everywhere we go all month long. You can add Cooper’s and Slaanesh we have a new sponsor, by the way, it’s got that text in the middle of this, this deal here. We’re gonna be doing the show up at Cooper’s Cooper’s north and we’re gonna be promoting Fleet Week three weeks from now down at the Inner Harbor and in Fells Point a big celebration down there all are brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery I will have Pac Man scratch offs to give away Big thanks to our friends at Liberty pure solutions for keeping the water running and clean. And last but certainly never least Jiffy Lube MultiCare keeping the car running clean and neat so I can run around and do merrily. crabcake tours and Luke himself down to the ballpark. I am Nestor we are W N S T A and 5070, Towson Baltimore free here’s some best stuff this weekend. It’s Memorial Day weekend. We’re making a run for summertime it’s wn st
