Luke Jones and Nestor react to Orioles sweep over Royals and momentum building for a pennant race in Baltimore with the Toronto Blue Jays next up at Camden Yards.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
orioles, team, games, pitching, year, lineup, run, talking, inning, baseball, week, season, sunday, play, bullpen, matchups, hit, good, aaron hicks, regard
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Welcome back. wn S T, Towson Baltimore. Happy Summer to everybody out there such dial today in 1570 for us while we still have those am radios at Dennis’s cars over Coots, Baltimore for it’s all brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery in the Maryland crabcakes. We’re back out on the road next week. Take a little rest but we’re gonna be in plenty of crab cakes. I had a crab cake of fate leaves on Saturday. I was at Costas last week getting around town. We’re gonna be a Pappas in Glen Burnie setting that up with an Rondo county executives to a Pitman. Lots of things happen in June, July, August. But nothing more important than the fact that the Orioles are toward the ravens are showing up this week. The weather’s gotten little sticky outside and Luke Jones. He recognizes this from 15 years running around watching really lousy baseball this time of year, and really hopeful football this time of the year. Let’s start with a really good baseball that has come upon us and always helps with a really bad team comes to town. But that’s when you’re supposed to take care of business, Luke, that’s when Governor Henderson supposed to step out and say I am an M not I might be right.
Luke Jones 01:04
No question about it. And really for me, Nestor it wasn’t the beginning being Friday night wasn’t the beginning of this. It really started Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee. Three nothing early in that game. How many times whether you’re talking about good teams or bad teams, how many times do you see a team at that point last day have a road trip? getaway day thinking about the flight home to Baltimore, you’ll get home maybe have to have you know, have a nice dinner or whatever. But the Orioles came back won that last game against the brewers. The bats came alive in the final three innings which you look, go back the last two, three weeks the bats had really been scuffling overall. And then they come home after a six three win over the brewers. And they do exactly what you’re supposed to do. They beat up on a bad team over the weekend. And it’s just it’s one of those times where we’ve talked about this over and over every time it looks like the Orioles are getting ready to go into like a major Tailspin but just the slump right you know that they lose a couple games, they lose a series you know, they’ve gone through a stretch where they lost a few series here recently, they come right back and they were able to do that against Milwaukee and they avoid being swept for the first time all year. And then they come home and they do exactly what good team should do against a team like the Kansas City Royals, they handled them and to be able to win and sweep a series and the last to get games of that series. Avoid using Felix Batista avoid using yen your Cano Adley rutschman. Didn’t have to play on Sunday. And that’s only happened a couple times all year. So life is good. And when you finish the weekend at 17 games above 500. As you’re approaching mid June 1 time the Orioles have been 17 over since July of 2016. The last time they made the playoffs Mind you I love
Nestor Aparicio 02:50
that you have my new magic number. That’s the new magic number, the new magic numbers how many games over 500? Are you? Because that’s what we’re going to dictate whether you’re in the playoffs or not. It’s It’s not a game of elimination. It’s a game of did we win enough games are we gonna we’re gonna get into 90 Hmm, to be able to be a playoff team. And that’s that’s the new baseball.
Luke Jones 03:08
And it’s feeling that way because you continue to look at how tough the Al East is and just how competitive the division is top to bottom, although
Nestor Aparicio 03:16
you don’t have to see them 18 times next month because you just are stuck playing. We’re gonna see him this week. But it’s nice playing the Royals. It’s nice playing the pirates in the Brewers, even when the Brewers pitch a little bit, but it’s nice to get out. And it’s been it’s been a really good year for baseball to get good here again. Because I mean even my wife and I are buying and we’re watching every night right?
Luke Jones 03:37
No question about it. And I mean it’s not even so much to play in the bad teams in the Al you get to play some of the bad teams in the NFL now because you’re gonna play every team at least once as far as the series goes. So, but life’s good. And you look at over the weekend and Sunday especially we’ll talk about Gunnar Henderson there’s plenty to talk about with Gunnar Henderson and I mean one of the more mammoth homeruns we’ve seen at Camden Yards that he hit on Sunday, but just take a look at Sunday’s lineup on paper going into that game. I mean you have we know they’re missing Cedric Mullins and Aaron Hicks has done a really good job in his place. But you look at the middle of that lineup. Yeah, Brian O’Hearn as your cleanup hitter. Aaron Hicks hitting fifth. Ramona Reus. Hitting six. Josh Lester hitting in that lineup James McCann at the bottom of the lineup, as I mentioned no Adley rutschman On Sunday, it looks like one
Nestor Aparicio 04:25
of those 52 Win Oriole team lineups a little bit. I mean, it just looks like mine is to Trey Massini or a Chris Davis. Yes, I would agree. It was not it’s not their best. Look at the Sunday afternoon. It is what it is 100 degrees out. Exactly. And
Luke Jones 04:39
you’re not going to play every one 162 And I continue to see people say it on social media that Adelaide needs to do what he’s not catching by the way. He usually does. But you have to give him a full day off every now and then.
Nestor Aparicio 04:51
In this case, when you get a chance to like give him an all star break.
Luke Jones 04:55
Right? Right and that’s something that Buck show Walter used to do a lot of times Matt Wieters as much as we talked about the orange said how they read readers into the ground, there would be times where Buck would say, All right, we have an off day on Monday. You’re gonna get to play on Sunday, four times a year. So he played seven games. Right? Exactly, exactly. That’s why, you know, after 10 years he was done. But, but no, I think he just looked at that. That weeders
Nestor Aparicio 05:15
talks about how much he got run like a mule the way we do.
Luke Jones 05:19
Probably, I’ll tell you, who does, maybe not Matt weeders because he’s a high character guy and everything. Scott Boras certainly mentioned it. I’ll say that much. So
Nestor Aparicio 05:29
Scott, porch is not a high character individual. Was it? Did you just insinuate that
Luke Jones 05:33
I’m saying he’s a very strong advocate for his client? Nestor always been tied to me. Yeah, yeah. So but you just look at that lineup. And you say, All right, it’s gonna be a tough go. Go of it. I mean, not that you’re playing. I mean, you’re playing the Royals, we understand that. But I mean, look at the contributions, they got O’Hearn three hits, four runs scored, he had a long home run late in Sunday’s game, Aaron Hicks with a couple hits. I mentioned Arrhenius as much as he had struggled coming off of the IL, his bat has really come alive here over the last five, six days. And Josh Lester, I had to run another two run singles. So look, these aren’t guys that you’re necessarily expecting to carry you long term by any stretch. And in fact, in the case of someone like Josh Lester, I’m guessing he’s probably not gonna be on the roster that much longer.
Nestor Aparicio 06:20
You said that about Aaron Hicks a couple of weeks ago, right? Well,
Luke Jones 06:24
but the point with that is over the course of 162 and Brandon, I talked about this after Sunday’s when you’re going to need contributions from some guys that you’re not anticipating. And I mean, one of my hips. One of my all time favorite Orioles that I’m going to mention here and people will be grow fond of hearing this name, because they’ll think back to 2014. Steve Pierce had been def aid earlier in that season, he was actually kind of sawed off out of their plans. And then they brought him back, you know, they had some health situations, things of that nature. And Steve Pierce
Nestor Aparicio 06:56
was one of the absolute best players their best player for a month that year, right.
Luke Jones 07:01
He was arguably their best player in the second half of that season. I mean, Nelson Cruz was great. Of course, Adam Jones had a great year that year.
Nestor Aparicio 07:08
But they don’t make the run they make if he’s not getting through three hits a night because he really was. He was the star he won games for them. Yes. I mean, and he’s a name that nobody’s got Steve Pierce jersey. No, no, you know, he played for 10 other teams like the whole deal. Right?
Luke Jones 07:21
Exactly. So the point is not not that any of these guys I just mentioned are going to do that for three or four months. But you need some contributions from some unexpected contributors over the course of the season. Because you’re gonna have some injuries, you’re gonna have some guys slump, you’re gonna have some of those things happen where you need that deep depth, you know that you’re tapping to the 40 man roster or in some cases, you promote someone to the 40 man roster, and they’re gonna contribute for a little while. So we’ll continue to focus on guys at the triple A level and wait on Jordan Westberg and Colton Couser and maybe Heston curse dad before it’s all said and done. But Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall, and, you know, the usual suspects, but in the meantime, to get some of the some of the contributions that they’ve received from some under the radar guys, or in the case of Aaron Hicks, completely cast off by the Yankees after really struggling the last two or three years. It’s been fun to see. And in the case of Chris Davis
Nestor Aparicio 08:16
kind of thing with him, right, like sort of a little bit of like, you know, they’re paying him so much they did everything they could do. This would be Chris Davis, getting the bass with the reds and hitting 265. And being like a player. I mean, like there’s a little bit of nobody else wanted him and the Yankees were paying them. And let’s be honest, this was all when Mullins came up lame out of the out of the batter’s box. That’s That’s what put all this in motion, right?
Luke Jones 08:40
Well, not just that, but Colton Couser being on the aisle at the same time as well. So even your top option down at Norfolk was unavailable at the time. So it was a perfect storm for Aaron Hickson in that regard. And look, what we’ll see what he’s hitting in two weeks, three weeks, but in the meantime, he’s been a positive contributor for them. And you can’t say enough about some of these under the radar off the radar kind of guys that we kind of joke about in spring training when you’re hearing about the backup first base competition with guys like O’Hearn, but they’ve done a nice job. And in the case of O’Hearn specifically. Now he’s really played pretty regularly for a couple of weeks now. I mean, he’s raked I mean, He absolutely has so really fun weekend for the Orioles and you know, we’ll see how they fare against the Blue Jays coming into town and you know, we know Toronto, regardless of how they played at different times this year. You’re very, very talented, you know, top to bottom with that roster. But life is good for the Orioles. When you’re talking about a team that’s 17 games over 500 And we’re still a few weeks away from Fourth of July. That’s saying something about where Brandon heights club is right now.
Nestor Aparicio 09:47
Oh, you’re talking about height a little bit because we went Elias came out and spoke to that group that I saw a couple months ago and the game has changed so much like I haven’t talked to a major league baseball manager and 17 years like really sat and talked to one of them. and how much the job has changed from, oh, I’ve got the fields for Baker in the seventh inning or, you know, I feel like we need to know in this matchup or whatever. There’s so much plug and play that goes on in regard to who’s going to play and who’s not going to play. What do you know about how the Orioles are running that way? You’ve been around? You’ve been on the inside of this I have not been
Luke Jones 10:22
right. First of all, they do try to keep things as proprietary as they can, understandably so. But I don’t think it’s even so much plug and play as much as it’s just so rehearsed. It’s so scrimmaged every scenario that they’re going to go through. It really is a collaborative effort. And let’s be clear, doesn’t mean Brandon Hyde doesn’t have any say here. It just means that the rest of the front office has a lot of input in lineup construction. In terms of matchups, in terms of pitchers when you’re talking about your bullpen use and this is where the training staff factors in here. All manager
Nestor Aparicio 10:55
ego has moved from the top floor to the bottom floor. Billy Martin are a weaver. Dick Williams, they wouldn’t recognize this, they come back and say, You’re telling me who’s going to hit and assembly like, like, it wouldn’t make sense to old baseball people?
Luke Jones 11:09
Sure. I mean, I think Buck show Walter is a fascinating middle ground or I’d say middle ground. Buck is still very old school, I think he recognized analytics being a reality. I mean, it’s not as though the Orioles had a beefed up analytics department when he was here. But they had some certainly more than there had been in the past gave that money to Chris Davis. And now with and now with him being with the Mets, you know, their lack of success and being a disaster notwithstanding, it’s certainly a major part of what they do. So yeah, off to a good start in New York. It was great last year until they lost the division and then got eliminated early in the playoffs. But But no, I think you look at that. Yeah, I mean, it used to be you thought about the manager, you know, kind of be being in lockstep with the general manager or whoever was adding the players, whoever was signing the players, whoever was essentially representing ownership in that regard, right. But it really is a case of the field manager, the dugout, manager has become more of middle management. That doesn’t mean there’s, they don’t serve a purpose. It doesn’t mean it’s, it’s not a an important role. But it is different from the standpoint of how much data you have, how much information, you know, a lineup is constructed. That’s generally. And I’m not even saying this about the Oreos, this is kind of just general knowledge. It’s been around baseball, knowing that every team has an analytics department now, where you’ll have a lineup that’s kind of spit out, so to speak, for lack of a more sophisticated description, and then you adjust based on All right, who’s healthy now who’s got a who’s got a banged up? Ankle, you know, who’s got a sore hamstring that you’re, maybe maybe they’re not so injured, that they can’t play, but you want them to DH not be out in the field?
Nestor Aparicio 12:53
Well, it’s also situationally to you know, who’s actually right. Exactly. Might be pitching in the fifth inning. Right. I mean, all the Royals had a starter on Sunday that you knew the one gotta go to the fourth inning.
Luke Jones 13:03
Right, right, exactly. I mean, you got to openers, all kinds of different stuff that’s at work there. So so it really is a collaborative effort in that regard. You know, the way some teams work with it is the manager will have ultimate final say on the lineup, but I think that’s more ceremony than anything. I think it’s much more a case of, you’re all on the same page here. We’re all fighting the same fight here at the end of the day. Let’s be in lockstep. Let’s be consistent here. And we’ll go from there and and in that regard, because you see so much of it and you and I’ve talked about it a lot because my goodness, the Orioles lean so heavily on their best bullpen arms. It’s always talked about those games where hide, goes to someone like an Austin both or it goes to CNL Perez or Mike Bauman, although Bauman certainly has had his share of success in some higher leverage situations of late as well, but you can’t pitch Batista every single night you can’t pitch in your Cano every single night. You can’t start strat O Matic right can’t do Brian, you can’t have Brian Baker pitch every single night we even see saw him go through a little period where his velocity was down a little bit to the point where he thought, okay, maybe a little bit of a dead arm period. So you’re doing all that. But even with that, you’re going through every scenario, every hitter, if this guy comes off the bench to pinch hit for so and so who’s probably going to be the optimal matchup there. And look, you can’t make it work perfectly every single time. But you also look at the opponent’s lineup tendencies and say, All right, this might be a sweet spot in the owner, this might be a certain part in the game where this reliever might be best because that team generally will hit three lefties and four spots in this kind of a pitching matchup. So
Nestor Aparicio 14:43
it wasn’t a close game on Sunday. But there’s your point for rutschman Being a guy you pull off the bench or seventh eighth inning that if the other team has that sort of player as well. You’re looking for matchups to not get burned late in close games and all they do is play close games at this point. But I guess my point would be The Internet gets upset and hide. And this is look, I’ve been taking phone calls for 31 years here. I mean, I, my last name is Aparicio. I’ve been up and down the river on pitching matchups and gut feels, and seventh inning lefty righty matchups and like just all of that, but in the modern era, to your point, much of that scripted way ahead of time before the series even begins, if this than that, but hide, I don’t know, what’s his decision and what’s not. I guess the hardest part of any of this is assigning not fault blame credit, just just whose assignment is it? Who’s whose role? Is it? Or is it when we see an eighth inning pitching? Change? I never think oh, that’s just the manager being whatever. In the modern era, I think, Oh, well, this is the way that the Broadway script came down, you know, before the series began, because they’re, they’re playing Toronto want to help you know, they have all of these other things in their minds that Joe Sixpack in tweeting out in left field in the eighth inning doesn’t have.
Luke Jones 16:02
Right, right and look, even in the media that they’re still there certain elements. For example, I’ll give you a perfect example. I mean, on Sunday, we found out Danny coulomb who has been so good as a lefty out of the bullpen, he was under the weather over the weekend. Now, the Orioles aren’t going to broadcast that that he’s completely unavailable. And maybe if they had played a closer game on Saturday or Sunday, maybe he still could have pitch. But you have things like that that happened over the course of a season. So there is a lot of unknown there. And look, the cynical perspective on what we’re talking about here is when you do that collaborative effort, it makes everyone have less accountability, right? I mean, you could talk about who gets the blame, or hey, it’s not my fault. It’s front office for an office can say, hey, the manager didn’t carry it out the way we wanted it to so so you can have some of that at work and look at that baseball
Nestor Aparicio 16:47
when a guy misses the bunch sign or misses the steel sign right? Like who, who missed the sign? I don’t know who’s banging on the trash cans in Houston. Series Baltimore, Luke, he’s covering all things Orioles given the day off earlier in the week, not a lot of days off. Right. So like this part of the season, there is a little bit of 90 degrees getting hot, flying back and forth. At the end of the year. The the Orioles have this wild west coast thing in August and September. That is much padding as they can get and taken three from the Royals. That’s just yeah, that’s gravy. That’s just that that’s that’s a beautiful thing. If you think you’re a pure pennant race team, and they are
Luke Jones 17:26
no question and we’ve talked about this. I mean, it’s not even so much you expect to sweep the series. But when you do, you’re just giving yourself less work for later in the season. Right? I mean, we’ve talked about how, how competitive the Al East is how much of a bear the division is, and that will continue to be the case. So you can’t avoid that. But what you can do is win as many games as you can against the lesser opponents. So, you know, at a minimum, you go into this weekend saying you want to take two out of three, but when you get three that’s that’s one more potential series lost to a
Nestor Aparicio 17:59
really good 10. Next, the Waukee debacle on Tuesday.
Luke Jones 18:03
Yeah, exactly. it well, but even but even the example on Thursday, I mean, that game looked like it looked like it was gonna be a sweep. And suddenly you say, Okay, it’s two out of three, the road trip isn’t two and four anymore, it’s three and three, you’re just, you’re just making things that much easier for yourself down the stretch. And that’s how you turn a good season into a really good season. And in that regard, that’s where I’ll use a comparison to the 2012 Orioles where that was a season that I mean, they were so bad in 2011. So that’s where it’s not exactly the same because this team played really well the second half last year. So it’s not as though this is completely out of left field. Although I certainly wouldn’t have expected 41 and 24 through 65 games. But the point is, when you take a series that you say, Alright, let’s get two out of three, but then sweep or you have a series that you’re afraid of getting swept and you managed to get the final game to salvage one out of three. Yeah, that’s that’s what transforms a an 85 win season where your sin all right, are you going to be on the outside looking in that for that last wildcard spot to suddenly be in 90 wins 9192 93 wins. I mean, that 2012 Team remember, they want so many extra inning games, they want so many one run games. We talked so much about that that teams run differential over the course of the season. And now for most of the season, it was a negative run differential despite the fact that they had played so well. That’s why people weren’t really believing it in terms of sustainability and I the Orioles to a lesser degree this year. But look, they don’t have a dominant run differential. You know, they’re they’re not blowing teams out the way that Tampa Bay does or the way that Texas does. So in that regard, when you look at it from an eyeball test standpoint, you say all right, are they really the third best team in the majors? You know, even though the record says they are and you are what your record says you are at the end of the day. From a true talent level standpoint, probably not. I don’t feel like I’m being a hater saying that. But I will say this Dave won enough games and they’ve done enough damage and they’ve beaten enough bad teams and they’ve held their own against enough good teams to say, I think there were at least and I say this as a compliment. I’m not saying this to be damning with praise or anything like that. I think they’re at least very sod with their very comfortably one of the 678 best teams in baseball easily with how they played even even looking at run differential and sabermetrics. And some of the stats talking about good fortune and luck and things like that. I mean, they played really good baseball this year. And this team deserves all the credit that they’ve gotten when you make
Nestor Aparicio 20:35
your luck when you don’t kick the ball around when you don’t give the other team four outs when, you know, they’ve run themselves out of some innings. I mean, I’ve seen them run the bases a little crazily at various points. But but other than that, I mean, the pitching isn’t great, right. I mean, we know that they’re, they’re getting Bible bubblegum and paperclips until such point. I mean, John means is too busy hitting, you know, bird seed in the in the dugout, at least he’s around, maybe, you know, Grayson Rodriguez, maybe finding form and that the question between AAA and, and the big leagues is, you know, just because the ocean when he comes back as to what that will be, but and then Elias is talking about a deal and talking about, we’re going to bring in a real picture and bringing the grown up and bringing the you know, horse, because there’s 17 kids over 500. And you don’t think they’re pitching is good enough for October right now? Neither do I, by the way, I don’t think ornament. They’re the second best team. If they have to go with as construct and it puts Cedric Mullins back out on the field. That’s great. He’s fine. But the pitching is what you don’t like that you don’t like, right?
Luke Jones 21:45
And let’s be clear, is the pitching good enough to get them talk to October? Well, they’re 17 over as it is right now. I mean, you look at their playoff odds and things of that nature. It’s not a slam dunk, let’s be clear, there’s a long, long season to go and
Nestor Aparicio 21:58
bet on them making the playoffs right now. Yeah, sure. I’m
Luke Jones 22:01
not gonna sit here and say no on that. Why would why would I say that? I’ve watched this team on a nightly basis.
Nestor Aparicio 22:06
It wouldn’t even matter what odds you would get me to bet against them. I just don’t think they’re not making the playoffs. So you know what I mean? Like, I only think they are not aren’t at this point.
Luke Jones 22:15
I mean, it, it comes down to this, you can say that about? Look, are there things that could go wrong that would cause them to miss the playoffs? Yeah, you could say that about just about every team in the league right now other than maybe Tampa Bay, because you know, they’ve done so much at this
Nestor Aparicio 22:28
point. When I say those things about the Ravens people want to shoot me about Lamar Jackson, because he’s definitely winning the Super Bowl. It’s you, you know.
Luke Jones 22:36
Yeah, but everyone’s optimistic this time of year in that regard. But But no, you look at the rotation right now. And let’s be clear, as the rotation provided a higher floor, since the month of April, when let’s face it, the rotation was looking pretty ugly, you know, and you looked at where they were from an era standpoint, all that? Yeah. I mean, Kyle Gibson after he ran into some trouble salby Perez, it’s the three or hits a two run homer in the third inning, and you’re kind of saying, Oh, wow, they’re really starting to square up and hit some balls hard against him. He ends up pitching into the seventh inning. Now he’s got a three, nine era, he’s been actually slightly better than league average. I mean, that’s about as as much as you can expect from Kyle Gibson. In his career, Tyler Wells is pitched well, you know, there are times you’d like to see him get a little deeper into games. But we’ve by and large, I mean, it’s got a three to four era. He’s got a whip of a point eight, five. I mean, he’s been, he’s been really good. You know, Dean Kramer, we know he struggled a lot in April. Since then he’s been more good than bad. Kyle Bradish. Generally speaking, more good than bad. And core
Nestor Aparicio 23:38
we hung in the other day. I mean, it looked like he was gonna get bounced out five runs, you know, talking about kicking the ball around a little bit or giving it making the inning a little longer than needed to be and that first ending was was rough. Sure, sure. But
Luke Jones 23:50
but that’s see that’s the difference right there that you’re seeing from this rotation that you weren’t seeing necessarily in April is that one bad inning? isn’t sending a guy to the showers? Right. That one’s still out there in the fourth inning fifth, right. He’s at least Right. Exactly. And you mentioned Bradish. I mean, that was a big part of them may be unable to come come back against Milwaukee in the finale. I mean, they they fell behind early, and then he put up a bunch of zeros and started striking people out and actually had a decent outing, you know, all things considered. So but you know, Gibson, like I said, in the third inning on on Sunday, you’re kind of think Kansas City had four straight balls, 105 miles per hour or harder. I mean, they it’s a lot of loud contact the second time through the order, and you’re seeing that you’re saying, oh, okay, the pitch counts, fine. But effectiveness wise, is he going to make it through four or five? Or is he gonna get knocked out of the game and then you look up and it’s a seven thing and you’re winning and Kyle Gibson has gotten you into six in the third inning. So that’s about as much as you can expect from this current rotation. Now, over the course of a long season, that coupled with a bullpen that the Orioles have, that’ll get you in October,
Nestor Aparicio 24:57
I would agree with but with all your assessments, you’re all pitchers have hit a ceiling here at some point, you can’t expect them to be better over the next 60 games, right? Yeah,
Luke Jones 25:04
I mean, I’d say this much. I don’t want to I don’t want to say it’s a complete ceiling for, you know, a Wells, I think Kyle Bradish, he shows the stuff. And we saw this the last two months of last season where he had some, I mean, remember the game he pitched in Houston. I mean, that was dominant against the team that won the World Series. So I don’t want to say that they’ve hit their ceiling. But realistically speaking, I don’t know if you can expect too much more out of these guys. That’s why I’ve talked so much about Grayson Rodriguez and trying to get him right. Because the stuff that he has you just look at that the ability that he has the talent that he has, it’s a higher ceiling than the other guys in this current rotation. So now that said, that’s where you get into Mike Elias, that’s where you get into, okay, what pitchers around the league are playing on teams that will potentially be sellers over the next seven weeks as we get to the August 1 trade deadline. And what does that cost going to be? You don’t want to completely sell off your entire farm system. Let’s be clear about that. There, I don’t think there’s any move that can be made where I’m trading Jackson holiday at this point, let’s be very clear about that. However, are there other guys in this system that are either blocked, or you might think privately probably not going to be quite as great as maybe the outside baseball America types think is going to be out of a prospect. And you move that guy or you move a couple guys to another team to go acquire that? It’s not always an ace, even but a serious top half of the rotation guy to add to the mix of what you already have. You do that, then it changes your complexion in October. And look, we’re gonna have plenty of time to talk about trade deadline. And that’s what makes this fun, right? We’re not gonna be talking about the Oreos being sellers, we’re gonna be talking about opportunities for them to hopefully buy, and you hope they do. Because my goodness, these players, this coaching staff, certainly the fans, they deserve that. So absolutely a message to Elias in the front office and probably an even louder message to ownership to say, hey, some really good ballclub and we’re not playing for next year if you are but this, what they’re doing right now is part of the whole thing, right?
Nestor Aparicio 27:13
We’re not gonna skip into the final wildcard and you know, back into a playing game that that I don’t think that your this team is going to be I think this is a solid, they’re gonna make the playoffs and then they’re gonna have a fan. And they’re going to have to send in quick games. You talk about playing all these close games. This will serve them well, when they get one in October. Exactly. You certainly
Luke Jones 27:33
hope so. And again, we’ll see what they can do to fortify the roster. Keep in mind, there are guys at the triple A level right now. DL Hall could be another shutdown reliever for them out of the bullpen in August and September, even if he’s not in the rotation, let’s say. So, boy, there’s a lot to be excited about. Not going to throw a parade over a sweep over the lowly Royals. But the Orioles continue to do exactly what you asked them to do. And that’s when series and bounce back every time they go through even a little bit of a law. They come roaring back and you’re feeling that much better about that club a few days later. And that’s that’s really the mark of not just a good team, but a team that has a chance to be really really good at the end of the season.
Nestor Aparicio 28:14
We’re gonna give a gunner Henderson his flowers talk some Abraj men talk about Mullins coming back talk about where Rodriguez is. We’ll do all of that. Luke is up in Owings Mills a lot of the week but also at Oriel Park he will be sweating it out all week as well. i You can find us at Baltimore positive and wn St. Am 5070 where we never stop talking Baltimore positive stay with us.
