Category: MLB

According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros are preparing to place IF Nick Allen on the IL.

The slick-fielding Allen is batting .262 this season with a .304 OBP and .648 OPS. He had seen more duty of late with IF Braden Shewmake and 2B Jose Altuve both on IL recently. Altuve rejoined the lineup 3 days ago.

Whitcomb, 27, put up strong seasons at Triple-A Sugar Land the past 2 seasons but has struggled this year, batting just .231 with a .266 OBP and .646 OPS.

Across 331 games at Triple-A, Whitcomb is a .260 hitter with a .337 OBP and .819 OPS with 77 HR and 60 SB.

Whitcomb has never fared well at the MLB level although he has never really been given any kind of consistent opportunity either. Across 3 seasons, Whitcomb only has 90 AB across 54 G with the Astros. Whitcomb has batted .167 with a .219 OBP and .485 OPS with 2 HR and 10 RBI.

Whitcomb will likely serve as emergency insurance, with Brice Matthews filling in at 2B if Altuve should be unavailable or need a day.

If the San Francisco Giants have been too much of a bummer for you this season such that you’ve limited the amount of information you’ve taken in about them, then you probably missed how for the past month they’ve been the best offense in Major League Baseball. It’s a shocker for those of us who’ve been watching every game, too, believe it or not, and I’m going to try to make some sense of it.

The easy answer is that a group of guys started hitting to their career averages and 2026 projections and that simple regression to the mean timed out to look like an offensive explosion. Top that off with the franchise’s top hitting prospect in Bryce Eldridge and Orange-o, Black-o you’ve got the best lineup in baseball for a month. Except, looking at the numbers, it sure does seem like the Giants changed their approach in the offseason and needed two months to translate that approach to the regular season.

Overall, this collection of guys is walking well below their career averages. The team will probably wind up with the lowest walk rate in the sport come the end of the season (it currently stands at 5.9%, 1.6% behind the next-lowest team, the Toronto Blue Jays), which is incredibly impressive feat (derogatory) when you consider the offensive environment of the 21st century. Indeed, just seven teams since 2000 have ended a season with a walk rate of 6.5% or lower:

• 2002 Tigers, 6.1 BB% — record: 66-96
• 2005 Tigers, 6.3 BB% — record: 71-91
• 2007 Mariners, 6.3 BB% — record: 88-74
• 2008 Royals, 6.4 BB% — record: 75-87
• 2006 Cubs, 6.4 BB% — record: 66-96
• 2006 Mariners, 6.5 BB% — record: 78-84
• 2009 Giants, 6.5 BB% — record: 88-74

But I digress! Walks are evil in this new Giants era and earlier in the season the low walk rate was evidence of opposing pitchers gleefully throwing the ball right down the middle (basically) knowing that Giants hitters couldn’t do any damage. Right?

Well… yes. The data only points to this unfortunate fact.

Through May 6th and the first 37 games of the season, the Giants saw the most pitches in the strike zone (43.6%) of any team. The Dodgers, Brewers, and Nationals were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th about a percentage point behind the Giants in this respect. When you look at the other plate discipline statistics, the Giants aren’t such an obvious outlier that it would explain why they had scored the fewest runs and done the least damage except that once Giants made contact it was weak.

As a reminder, the Nationals were 4th in runs scored (205), the Dodgers 5th (196), and the Brewers 9th (181). The Giants were last (30th — 115) by a good measure (Mets, 29th — 134).

But look at that chart. The Giants were comparable to some of the better lineups in the sport through the first 6 weeks of the season or so in terms of swinging the bat. The only real difference — and it’s significant to be sure — is that the Giants, on top of seeing lots of pitches in the strike zone, were swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone at a really high rate. Given the results, it’s probably a decent enough conclusion that the Giants were making subpar contact on the good pitches and making plenty of the same quality of contact on the bad ones.

I’ll show that here with the expected weighted on base average. According to Statcast, the league average for that figure (the weighted on base average based on the quality of contact) is .320. Through 5/7/2026, only 3 Giants in the top 5 of hitters (and out of 18 who had an at bat) reached that threshold:

1. Jesus Rodriguez (9 AB), .391
2. Daniel Susac (23 AB), .386
3. Casey Schmitt (115 AB), .370
4. Heliot Ramos (134 AB), .318
5. Jung Hoo Lee (133 AB), .312

For comparison, 10 of 15 Dodgers were above that .320 mark, 8 of 18 Brewers crossed the threshold, and 6 of 14 Nationals did it, too. What a nightmare! What a disaster!

But you’re reading this a month after that mark and quite a lot has changed. The Giants have scored the most runs in the sport over their last 29 games (since May 8th: 157 runs) ahead of the White Sox (155), Dodgers (149), Brewers (148), Pirates (148) and Nationals (147). But beyond that, they’ve just been a good lineup: a 126 wRC+ that also leads the sport with a triple slash of .277 (1st) / .331 (5th) / .480 (1st). Their 6.5% walk rate is 29th (only Boston is worse at 6.4%), but their 19.9% strikeout rate is tied with the Dodgers for second behind the Diamondbacks (18.2%) and ahead of the Nationals (20.0%). And, by the way, the team’s season-long strikeout rate (21.1%) has kept them top 10 all season long with the Dodgers (20.2%) and Brewers (20.4%) and even Atlanta (20.7%) — the Nats are 11th (21.3%). The mark of a good lineup when the quality of contact is there, which it hasn’t been until right now.

But why has the contact gotten better? Have the players simply improved their timing? Are they jumping at the first pitch more often? Laying off those pitches outside of the zone?

The only real differences here are that the Giants are seeing fewer pitches outside the strike zone but they’re swinging even more and swinging more in the strike zone. That hasn’t changed the amount of contact in the zone, but as I’m about to show you with this other list, the quality of that contact has improved dramatically.

Over their last 29 games, 8 Giants have hit better than the league average in terms of xwOBA:

1. Jonah Cox (9 AB), .530
2. Bryce Eldridge (73 AB), .397
3. Eric Haase (34 AB), .364
4. Jung Hoo Lee (87 AB), .364
5. Heliot Ramos (31 AB), .356
6. Willy Adames (116 AB), .344
7. Rafael Devers (118 AB), .329
8. Casey Schmitt (116 AB), .326

And you can play around with the start date a bit if you want, too. If you adjust it to start on the Dodgers series in Dodger Stadium, then Luis Arraez becomes one of the 8. If you start it at the A’s series, then Matt Chapman becomes one of the 8 (Luis Arraez drops down to .315). If you narrow it down to the last 2 weeks then you still get about 8 guys who are hitting at or better than the league average just based on the quality of contact. All they’re doing is swinging slightly more and at pitches in the strike zone.

But it’s pretty clear that they’re getting off better swings. The team’s groundball rate through those first 37 games (44.8%) was the fifth-highest in the sport. Their 10.9% infield flyball percentage was 13th. A 6.6% HR/FB rate (lowest in the sport, of course). 23rd in pulled ball rate (38.7%). I know there’s a deep, unyielding group of baseball fans who can’t accept that the game has changed, but hitting the ball in the air in the modern game is more conducive to scoring runs and being a successful team. Over their last 29 games, their groundball rate has dropped to 38% (26th), their infield flyball percentage is 9.7% (20th), a 12.7% HR/FB rate, and a pulled ball rate of 40.2% (19th).

It probably helps that they’re seeing more fastballs than any other team in the National League (51.2%). That rate has gone down a bit since those first 37 games (52.3%), and even better: the average fastball velocity has dropped to 93.9 mph from 94.7 mph earlier in the season. Save for two notable exceptions, the Giants have gotten better against some average-to-bad pitching. A list of their opponents over these past 29 games with season ERAs:

• Pirates, 4.06 (15th)
• Dodgers, 3.17 (1st)
• Athletics, 4.58 (23rd)
• Diamondbacks, 4.19 (17th)
• White Sox, 4.38 (20th)
• Rockies, 5.60 (30th)
• Brewers, 3.26 (3rd)
• Cubs, 4.29 (19th)

This isn’t damning with faint praise! Good lineups are supposed to feast on bad pitching. This isn’t to say that the Giants do have a good lineup, but it’s plausible that they have an average enough lineup that if they could actually get their act together on the pitching side then 2027 could wind up being a really special season. But for this season, despite missing the playoffs, the Giants have actually started to realize the lineup they touted in the offseason. I think it’s sustainable based mainly on the fact that it is a bunch of guys hitting to their projections.

That should make for a summer that’s slightly more fun than the one we were pitched in April. So, if you’re wondering, the tl;dr version is that the Giants have hit better because their good hitters are hitting better. Bryce Eldridge coming in as the top hitting prospect and hitting like it with consistent playing time has not been a replacement for a lacking part, he’s been a huge addition. It’s so obvious but fun to see.

The Cincinnati Reds (31-33) face the San Diego Padres (33-31). San Diego has lost 11 of its past 13 games. Scheduled starting pitchers are Andrew Abbott for Cincinnati, with a 4.06 ERA, and Walker Buehler for San Diego, with a 4.53 ERA.

How to watch Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres

• Date: Monday, June 8

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET / 6:40 p.m. PT

• Where: PETCO Park, San Diego, CA

• TV Channels: Padres.TV Presented by UC San Diego Health, Reds.TV, Gray Media, WXIX FOX19

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Cincinnati Reds: 31-33 (No. 5 in NL Central)

• San Diego Padres: 33-31 (No. 3 in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: San Diego Padres -1.5

• Moneyline: San Diego Padres -138 (55.5%) / Cincinnati Reds +115 (44.5%)

• Over/Under: 8.0

Starting pitchers

Cincinnati Reds: Andrew Abbott (4-3, ERA: 4.06, K: 47, WHIP: 1.44)
San Diego Padres: Walker Buehler (3-3, ERA: 4.53, K: 49, WHIP: 1.28)

Weather: 69°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 40,222 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

The Nationals came back nicely after getting swept by the Miami Marlins, taking 2 of 3 from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a weekend set. They still find themselves sitting at .500 with an even 33-33 record, looking to get back over the hump to begin the week. Pitching and offense were firing on all cylinders in the first two games in Arizona, before the lineup went silent in a 5-1 loss to narrowly miss a sweep.

San Francisco has been a large disappointment so far, with much of their roster underperforming, leaving them currently 12 games under .500. They are however, coming off a handful of good showings against the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. Washington faces the top of their rotation heading into Monday, making for a series that could go either way.

Game 1 – Monday 9:45 PM EST

WSH: RHP Miles Mikolas (1-5, 6.39 ERA)

SFG: RHP Logan Webb (3-4, 4.25 ERA)

Mikolas was riding a pretty decent streak throughout May, but that came crashing down in his first June outing. He allowed 6 runs with 3 long balls across 6.0 innings against the Miami Marlins as a bulk reliever, with 4 of them coming in a crooked 4th inning. An opener is likely for the veteran righty again on Monday night, where he looks to bounce back and avoid falling into a similar scuffle that plagued the start of his season.

Some blowup outings have tanked the Giants ace’s ERA in 2026, but his most recent outing, a dazzling 7.0 innings of shutout baseball against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 3rd looked much more like the Logan Webb the league is used to seeing. He missed some of May with an injury, and the Nats will try to push him back into the bad habits that has his season ERA almost a full point above his career mark.

Game 2 – Tuesday 9:45 PM EST

WSH: LHP Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 3.54 ERA)

SFG: Adrian Houser (2-5, 5.29 ERA)

The southpaw is lined up to make his second start of the year on Tuesday night, and he produced a solid start his first time out there. His only run across 4.1 innings was a solo shot, and the Miami offense was neutralized even with some prolonged command issues. Length will once again not likely be in the cards for the swing starter, but another decent appearance could give the Nats time to jump on a struggling Adrian Houser.

Houser got torched in April but settled down for a respectable month of May where he posted an ERA just below 4. He’s also not given San Francisco much length and opposing lineups have worked his pitch count early and kept him from being truly effective. The impressive Washington offense could smell blood in the water early, and with the relatively unproven Alvarez on the bump, it’s paramount that they can jump on Houser quickly.

Game 3 – Wednesday 3:45 PM EST

WSH: LHP Foster Griffin (7-2, 3.63 ERA)

SFG: LHP Robbie Ray (4-6, 4.12 ERA)

Not much has seemed to faze Griffin to this point in the season, separating himself as by far the most reliable option in the Washington rotation. His arsenal continues to fool hitters and while the box scores aren’t elite, he’s doing enough for the Nats to stay in games. The goal should be for more of the same out of Griffin, and the Giants’ offense doesn’t pose a particularly elevated threat on paper.

Most of Ray’s outings have been adequate enough, with one 9-run collapse severely hindering his ERA. The veteran has looked decent enough to get outs without completely carving up teams, and Washington needs to put the pressure on him in the first few innings to continue riding Griffin’s hot streak.

The Philadelphia Phillies, second in the NL East at 35-30 record, face the Toronto Blue Jays, who are third in the AL East with a 32-34 record. This is the opener of a three-game series between the teams. The starting pitchers are scheduled to be Cristopher Sánchez for Philadelphia (1.46 ERA) and Patrick Corbin for Toronto (3.98 ERA).

How to watch Philadelphia Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays

• Date: Monday, June 8

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT

• Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

• TV Channels: Sportsnet, SN1, TVA Sports, NBCSP

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Philadelphia Phillies: 35-30 (No. 2 in NL East)

• Toronto Blue Jays: 32-34 (No. 3 in AL East)

Odds

• Spread: Toronto Blue Jays +1.5

• Moneyline: Toronto Blue Jays +154 (37.7%) / Philadelphia Phillies -186 (62.3%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

Philadelphia Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez (7-2, ERA: 1.46, K: 103, WHIP: 1.09)
Toronto Blue Jays: Patrick Corbin (2-2, ERA: 3.98, K: 37, WHIP: 1.38)

Weather: 65°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 49,282 | Roof: Retractable | Surface: Artificial Turf

The New York Yankees (38-26) open a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians (37-30). The game is essentially a pick'em, with Cleveland at -117 and the New York Yankees at -103. Scheduled starting pitchers are Will Warren for the Yankees, with a 3.22 ERA, and Gavin Williams for the Guardians, with a 3.20 ERA.

How to watch New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians

• Date: Monday, June 8

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET / 3:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

• TV Channels: FS1, Guardians.TV Presented by Progressive, YES

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• New York Yankees: 38-26 (No. 2 in AL East)

• Cleveland Guardians: 37-30 (No. 1 in AL Central)

Odds

• Spread: Cleveland Guardians +1.5

• Moneyline: Cleveland Guardians -117 (51.5%) / New York Yankees -103 (48.5%)

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

New York Yankees: Will Warren (7-1, ERA: 3.22, K: 70, WHIP: 1.20)
Cleveland Guardians: Gavin Williams (9-3, ERA: 3.20, K: 94, WHIP: 1.08)

Weather: 80°F at first pitch

Ballpark: Capacity: 34,788 | Roof: Open | Surface: Grass

Oh, how fast a week changes things. Seven days ago I led the mailbag opening with the belief that the Yankees were close to full-strength sans the return date of Max Fried being unclear. Then, we learned that Aaron Judge would be going on the IL for a fractured rib that he’s been playing through since the end of April, and likely will cost him significant time this year. The three-time AL MVP will not be able to defend his crown this year after winning the last two times, but more importantly the Yankees now have to navigate the summer without their captain setting the tone atop the lineup.

That was not the only concern coming out of the team in that span, though thankfully it was the only major one. Cam Schlittler looked a bit out of sorts in a start against Cleveland, losing a few ticks on his fastball velocity, but he rebounded well in his latest outing Sunday against Boston. Despite these worries, they’ve managed to go up in the standings and tie the Rays for first place in the division thanks to Tampa scuffling over this week. Can the team maintain a hold on first for the foreseeable future, or will they fall back into the Wild Card without Judge? Should Spencer Jones get a full-on tryout for the starting spot, or will Jasson Domínguez leap back above the depth chart once he returns? Can Schlittler keep his Cy Young candidacy going, or will he start to face more adversity? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of June 11th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

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A pair of struggling offenses hit Petco Park on Monday, June 8, with the San Diego Padres hosting the Cincinnati Reds in their series opener.

My top Reds vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks are calling for Cincy to eke out a low-scoring win tonight. 

Who will win Reds vs Padres today: Reds moneyline (+118)

It hasn’t always been pretty, but Cincinnati Reds starter Andrew Abbott has allowed three runs of fewer in each of his past seven starts for a surface 2.25 ERA that hides a 5.07 xFIP. 

I’m confident Abbott can continue his strong stretch despite the poor underlying metrics because the San Diego Padres rank last in baseball in wOBA against lefties, and they also rank last in the overall metric during their active 4-13 skid while averaging just 2.6 runs per game.

Plus, there’s nothing intimidating about Friars righty Walker Buehler’s well-above average 4.63 xERA.

I’d play the Reds moneyline to +100.

COVERS INTEL: The San Diego Padres have the lowest squared up contract rate and runs above average based on wOBA in the majors, which positions the Cincinnati Reds to win and for this total to come in Under the number.

Reds vs Padres Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (+100)

In addition to the poor offense from the Padres, the Reds are without star Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) and have only scored 3.2 runs per game while ranking fifth-last in xwOBA during the six-game stretch.

Both teams have also trended toward their team totals Unders, with Cincy hitting in eight of the past 10 (+5.85 Units / 48% ROI) and San Diego in 31 of the past 45 (+15.20 Units / 29% ROI).

I’d obviously also play the Under 8.5, and the Under 7.5 to -105.

Reds vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Reds +115 | Padres -135
• Run line: Reds +1.5 (-185) | Padres -1.5 (+155)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-125) | Under 7.5 (+100)

Reds vs Padres trend

The San Diego Padres have hit the Under in 17 of their last 25 games at home (+8.35 Units / 31% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Reds vs. Padres.

How to watch Reds vs Padres and game info

Reds vs Padres latest injuries

Reds vs Padres weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Sitting in the hot seats at the Rockies game on Sunday, I glanced around and was surprised at two things: more Brewers fans and more empty seats than I expected. 

A summertime Sunday at Coors Field usually means jam-packed concourses and concession lines, but the crowd of 32,270 was pretty manageable. We had empty seats all around us on the third level above third base. With the temperature at 91 degrees at first pitch, the weather went from sunny to cloudy, and there were periods of a whipping wind and stagnant heat, but, overall, the weather wouldn’t be a reason not to go on Sunday.

A Dinger bobblehead giveaway to the first 15,000 fans was a big draw, and the theme package honored Denver’s new women’s soccer team — the Denver Summit FC — which is why I went. Both likely provided a bump to the total crowd number. Surrendering seven runs in the sixth inning and another four in the ninth probably emptied out the stands earlier than normal in the 12-4 loss.

While it’s still very early in the season, it seemed like a good time to check on the Rockies attendance numbers. Entering 2026, I was really interested to see whether a new front office would give fans enough hope to buy more tickets, or whether six straight losing seasons — including a historic 119-loss season last year — would continue to keep some fans away. 

With 31 home games in the books, the Rockies finished the weekend ranked No. 18 in average attendance at 27,016 and season total of 837,514. With colder temperatures in April and May, the Rockies usually see bigger crowds as the summer rolls on, but that’s the case for a lot of teams. Right now, the Rockies are three spots below where they finished last year when they finished at No. 15 with 30,057 fans per game. 

This season, the biggest turnout, of course, came at the home opener when 48,366 turned out to see the Rockies lose 10-1 to the Phillies. Coors Field has surpassed 40,000 two other times vs. the Dodgers this season. With the Cubs coming to town tomorrow and home games against the Dodgers, Red Sox and Cardinals still on the schedule, along with fireworks games on July 3 and 4 against the Giants, there are still some big draws on tap.

The lowest attendance of the season came on May 6 when a spring snowstorm hit Denver. Even though the snow stopped and the sun returned for a 41-degree first pitch temperature, only 11,155 came out to see the Rockies host the Mets.

Most recently, the June 5-7 weekend crowd hit at least 30,000 for each of the three games against the Brewers for a total of 93,939. It’s a number that many teams would be happy with, but one that is lower than average for the Colorado Rockies. 

The first weekend series in June in 2025 saw 113,717 fans show up to see Colorado host the Mets. After 31 games in 2025, Coors Field had hosted 811,108 fans, lower than this season, but 2026 is also lower in the MLB rankings. The Rockies were 12-53 overall in 2025 and 6-25 at home.

There are countless factors, that impact attendance, including giveaways, weather, opponent and more. The question for the Rockies is how much the quality of the play and the chances for a victory weigh in.

This season, the Rockies are 24-42 and 12-19 at home. So, the team is better this year and attendance is slightly up in terms of total through 31 home games, but still lower in terms of average turnout per game. 

As expected, the numbers are still nowhere near their highs when the Rockies made back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017-2018.

As summer heats up and high-interest teams come to Denver, it will be interesting to see what happens to the game average and MLB ranking this season, especially as connected to the Rockies perfomance.

Have you been to a game this year? Do you plan on going to more? How much do the record and the new front office influence your decisions on buying tickets?

Let us know in the comments!

Personally, I have been to three games so far. The first was great as the Rockies beat Houston 9-1. However, the last two have been blowout losses — 9-1 and 12-4. I think I’ll wait a bit before going back again. I need to see some offense.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Yes, I know, it was supposed to be a “reader mailbag” episode. Yes, I know, it’s my own fault for surveying the same post as the mailbag episode, but I think I received a much more valuable return from you guys on what you want or are hoping for from the podcast moving forward. Therefore, I’m claiming this as a success anyway!

This week, we discussed the Cardinals’ 6-3 homestand, the return of NOOOOOOOOOT, Nolan Gorman’s continued struggles and what the future of the 3B spot might look like, Jordan Walker is continuing to prove this isn’t a fluke, and we finish with a discussion centered around USA Today’s Bob Nightengale’s report about JoJo Romero and Dustin May potentially being on the trade block later this season.

Sorry, Doublehotdog, I tried to talk less this week, but it didn’t work. I’ll keep trying going forward, but that thing about old dogs and new tricks. It’s going to take me a while to pare it down. Enjoy!

Next week, we will be joined by Memphis Redbirds PxP man Alex Coil, and Scoops with Danny Mac, Springfield contributor, Andy Carroll, to talk upper minors!

Below the videos, we are trying something new. Show transcripts will now be available upon release for those who would prefer to read the dialogue, rather than listen, and follow along in their own way!

Spotify:

YouTube:

-Thanks for watching/listening

Show Transcript –

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (00:34)
Welcome to the Viva El Birdos Podcast. As always, I am your host, Jake Wood, and I am joined this week by fellow writers Gabe Simonds and Scott Plaza. ⁓ This week we were supposed to do a reader mailbag, but because I am ADHD in a roundabout way, I ⁓ also included a ⁓ what’s the word I’m looking for? I asked your

opinion on what you thought of the podcast, and so you gave a lot more great candid responses to what you thought of the podcast rather than giving us questions and content to talk about, so that responsibility fell unto me, Scott, and Gabe to kind of determine what we were going to talk about tonight. And we’ll get into that in just a moment. But before we do, I do want to say a quick thank you to everybody who responded to ⁓ that little survey that I had put out. Thank you so much for your feedback. ⁓ as always, it’s very much appreciated and

Obviously, if you enjoy this show and enjoy what we do, please be sure to like and subscribe to this. Share it wherever possible. Like we really appreciate. Leave a comment. If you have any comments, thoughts, or suggestions for the show, please leave them in the comments. We really appreciate it. We really want to hear from you. You know, you guys ultimately drive the content and what we do here, so please reach out, let us know what you think. It’s always appreciated. Now that that bit of housekeeping is taken care of, ⁓ Gabe, Scott, how are you guys doing tonight?

Welcome back. It’s felt like a while since we’ve done this. You know, how how are how are you feeling? Let’s start with this real quick, just a quick, succinct thought on Blogger Day, what your thoughts were from Chaim Bloom, your overall interpretations of your first kind of face-to-face experience with him. Scott, I’ll let you lead us off.

Scott Plaza (02:18)
⁓ I’ll just say he’s a phenomenal speaker. ⁓ he took the time, rather, he appreciated, like you couldn’t tell whether he was annoyed by a question or not, because of the amount of effort and how much he explained what he was doing with his answers. So I just thought that was awesome. He was very very receptive to what we had to bring, and he stuck around for what, twenty minutes? It was while the game started, he was still, you know, kissing babies and shaking hands and stuff. So, it was very, very cool to do that. And unfortunately, that was the PCA game. But the Chaim Bloom experience is great.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (02:55)
Yeah, you don’t get the title of president without kissing babies and shaking hands. Gabe, your thoughts from Chaim Bloom on on your experience with him?

Gabe (03:05)
⁓ it was definitely an interesting experience, and I was sort of impressed by how long some of his answers were. He’s very good at giving you an answer without necessarily telling you anything new. ⁓ and that was interestingly a criticism of Mozeliak back in the day. Whereas with Mo when he was at Blogger Day, I felt like he was a lot more straightforward. I don’t know, it was weird for me because I felt like Mo was the opposite of his persona, whereas Bloom was ⁓ just that he took so long on his answers. And this has been influenced ’cause I had to go to the bathroom for like twenty minutes of that. Honestly, God, I was like, I have to pee so bad, but he’s still talking ⁓ but you know. It was a Yeah, no, I wasn’t gonna go to the bathroom while everybody else was standing still, that’s for sure.

Scott Plaza (03:41)
Ha ha.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (03:41)
Ha.

Scott Plaza (03:48)
Sacrifices.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (03:54)
I felt the same way, but I was also kind of working through like a sinus infection, so I was trying so hard not to cough and like distort everyone’s audio at the same time. So I was sitting there, like trying to work, you know, like coughing without coughing, that kind of thing.

Gabe (04:04)
Yeah.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (04:09)
⁓ I I I felt similarly. I was really ⁓ appreciative of the thoughtfulness and the ⁓ like extended thoughts he gave on any topic, and you know whether it be ranging from AI to whether or not barbecue sauce goes on a hot dog. He gave thoughtful, interesting responses to every topic that was given to him. Of course, we also gave some, you know, baseball-related questions to him, and he answered those as well as he possibly could. Obviously, whenever trades and when ⁓ extension talks came up, he gave the the quote unquote non-answer to those things because he really can’t answer them in those settings, and we understand that, of course.

Scott Plaza (04:50)
Can we all promise not to waste time on those questions in the future, knowing that the response is gonna always be we can’t get into that?

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (04:57)
Yeah, I think we can ask that, but I don’t know that anyone will ever follow through with that. There’s always gonna be the new upstart that, like me, was just too eager to ask the question. ⁓ but much like he talked about the team, let’s jump into it and talk about the team. The Cardinals finished off a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds today and went six and three overall on the homestand. ⁓ I just wanted to get your guys’ thoughts overall on the performance and maybe a little bit about how the roster is starting to take shape.

Scott Plaza (05:01)
Yeah.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (05:27)
We’re starting to see the Cardinals, you know, move pieces up and down and in and out and however you know, to make the puzzle come together. Gabe, I’ll start with you. Kind of your thoughts on the homestand overall between ⁓ Cincinnati, Texas, and the sweep of the Reds, and then kind of how the roster’s starting to come together for everything.

Gabe (05:46)
Yeah, I mean it was obviously a very good homestand. I thought, you know, the Cubs series just had one bad game, and then the other two games were very promising. And the Rangers were all more or less fifty-fifty games, and two of them happened to go against the Cardinals. They felt like the Cardinals could’ve won any of ⁓ and you know, baseball just sometimes throws you like, you’re gonna lose this one. ⁓ and then the Reds series, ⁓ honestly, I was more like, Wow, the Reds are bad, more than wow, the Cards are good, because they kept giving us leads. ⁓ for free, which I appreciate so much, and if every team wants to do that, I’ll be happy to take it. But yeah, no, I was very happy that we spotted the Reds ’cause they’ve looked like a fraud team for a while and I’m I’m I’m I’m so happy that we beat them. So yeah, very good homestand, I’m happy.

Scott Plaza (06:36)
Yeah, as as I’m as I’m looking into my fantasy baseball pickups, I’m like, who’s playing the Reds next? And it’s Walker Bueller tomorrow, so I’m trying to like, ⁓ but it’s Walker Bueller, like but the Reds are so bad right now, so I’m trying to figure that one out. But yeah, that’s that it’s interesting that they felt like they had to sweep to go seven and seven over this stretch. It felt better than that. ⁓ but Jake and I were talking about getting like the

brewer’s sweep, I guess, kind of gets outdone by what happened in the Cincinnati series. But how the roster’s coming together, ⁓ we haven’t. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but we haven’t really noticed a difference behind the plate, whether it’s been Crooks, Pages, or Herrera behind the plate. So I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I mean, we probably hoped for a little bit more out of Jimmy Crooks, but this gives a little bit more credence to look at what he was doing in the minor leagues. He’s not ready. It’s like okay, like we everybody was wanted something different to happen. Something different is happening and we haven’t seen anything different from that position just yet. ⁓ Velasquez doing his thing is super cool. And then ⁓ of course, with Noot coming up, we’ll talk about that here in a little bit, but

The roster’s coming together, and it’s gonna create some fun conversations through the rest of the summer for sure.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (07:45)
Yeah, I’m glad you touched on the Jimmy Crooks part, and I’m I like not here to like, you know, toot my own horn or you know, but it’s still early. It’s still a very small sample. There’s still a relative opportunity for him to take off, but as you said, I do agree. It has not been a tangible difference that I think a lot of Cardinals fans were hoping for, like an immediate impact. ⁓ one player who did provide some immediate impact, you know, Lars Nootbar made his return Friday night, which I was there and a part of. And for lack of a better term, ⁓ he appeared not to have missed a step in doing so, Scott, your little hat tip, foot, not miss a step. Haha. Anyway, ⁓ what do you guys thought thoughts on Lars Newtbar’s return and the kind of the like added energy that he’s kind of brought back to the t not that the Cardinals necessarily were lacking in energy, but it seems like he just genuinely brings that next level of energy to ⁓ th this Cardinals team, this offense. So ⁓ Scott, I’ll start with you on this one first. Just, you know, how refreshing it is to have Nootbaar back and, you know, how much do you think this changes the dynamic of the offense? Obviously, we haven’t seen the full lineup together all at once yet, but ⁓ just your overall thoughts.

Scott Plaza (08:59)
He’s back at just such an interesting time, just overall. ⁓ I I was talking with Jandy over on the Cardinals on My Time podcast, and we’re just like, how much Noot just like we were going back and forth of like I going into this season, I was like, let’s get him traded as quickly as possible, let’s get him healthy and then traded as quickly as possible. But then, my article today I was done with at noon yesterday, and then Noot came off the bench and hit a homer, so then I had to do a quick little spin for it for this morning. But the title was What Do the Cardinals Want from Lars Nootbaar? And I was like, well, it was originally like what do they want for Lars Nootbaar? But now it’s from. Like, do they want him to? Obviously, he’s at a 300 WRC plus. ⁓ he’s not gonna keep that up. ⁓

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (09:38)
Is that good? (sarcasm)

Scott Plaza (09:40)
Yeah, so apparently he’s better than Aaron Judge. So ⁓ keep him around forever. But no, it it’s it’s an interesting conversation of do they want him to be a run producer and keep this postseason dream alive as long as possible? Do they want him to keep up this stretch so they can trade him as long as possible? Do they want him to struggle so that they can keep the cycling going through the outfield and get bias up sooner? It is he’s just coming at a very interesting spot, but while he’s here every game I want them to win, so keep doing your thing, Noot.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (10:07)
Absolutely. I mean, it’s been really fun. I mean, there’s no other way to really say it. It’s been fun, it’s been exciting, it’s been ⁓ everything you could have hoped for from a healthy Lars Nootbaar in return. ⁓ and it helped lessen, I think, the impact of ⁓ JJ Weatherholt taking those couple of days off because you had Noot to slide right back into the top of the lineup there. And I think that ⁓ you know, obviously having Weatherholt back in this last game today and then going forward, it’s just that added element that Cardinals can hopefully to get back to that identity that they had early in the season with ⁓ you know being able to grind out at bats, grind pitchers down, get them out early, get into what most teams like underbelly is of their of their bullpen between like the fifth to seventh inning. That’s usually ⁓ your best chance to get to a team nowadays. ⁓ hopefully, the Cardinals and kind of identity and how they want to work counts and and grind guys out.

That lends to more winning in the near future. One guy who has been struggling with doing that is Nolan Gorman. He has been absolutely going through it. ⁓ You know, one name that gets brought up consistently is Blaze Jordan, and he was not really thought to be a real option at third base, at least until Ramon Urias developed tennis elbow and his other elbow. That’s right. He has Giancarlo Stanton syndrome, where he has tennis elbow in both of his elbows. ⁓ and now the Cardinals appear to be more seriously considering Blaze at third base, at least in the immediate future. That’s from that, at least speculation coming from our friend Jeff Jones over at the Belleville News Democrat. Because after that diagnosis to Ramon Urias that Blaze Jordan was back at third base again, and now it seems as though Blaze is at least gonna get a longer look at third base, at least at AAA. I don’t know whether or not he will get run in the big leagues for that, but how much of a longer a leash do you think Gorman gets, and how long until a potential blaze promotion might occur? Gabe, I’m gonna ask you this. I’m gonna throw this one over to you.

Gabe (12:14)
Okay. I would say the rest of the year, honestly, because I don’t think they really believe Blaze Jordan can play third base. We’re gonna give him more of a at least a try, but like the fact that when ⁓ Crooks got promoted, he didn’t play third base at all in the gap because they no longer ⁓ needed that DH spot to be used regularly. And I just think they can see the Cardinals clearly are trying for him not to be the third baseman, I think, and I know they’re starting to play him at third base because Urias is now hurt again. But I don’t know. I feel like they’re in a situation where they think Gorman is the best chance. He’s a very streaky hitter. I think they’re gonna hope that he hits one of his hot streaks, and you know, he can go on like, you know, four home runs in a couple weeks or something, which is certainly still possible, even though ’cause he struck out like six times in a row or something, and then he had a home run on a pitch that he didn’t even seem to get a good swing on, honestly. That’s just kind of a hitter he is. It’s weird. I I’m I I’m very skeptical about Blaze Jordan at third base. And I don’t see anybody else knocking on the door anytime soon, until you get to maybe Jesus Baez. But he’s kind of far away. So I think they’re gonna stick with Gorman unless they make a move at the deadline, for just like a you know, a soft like let’s just get this placeholder third baseman.

‘Cause we might make the playoffs, even though, and not give up like a big prospect.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (13:43)
Scott, you’ve been kind of the resident Blaze Jordan honk. Like, how serious would you be about the idea of getting Blaze Jordan in here and at least giving him ⁓ some sort of opportunity while also acknowledging that, like, the chase rates are concerning what he’s doing at Triple A, but the overall profile, like he’s still hitting, he’s still making an impact. What what what w what would you do in this situation if you were Chaim Bloom or slash Oli Marmol?

Scott Plaza (14:09)
My first take on minor league chase rates is, who cares? I’d rather those guys swing as much as possible. ⁓ I don’t want them down there walking. ⁓ they’re gonna hit. So go ahead and be aggressive with it. So if they swing out a pitch and it’s a good swing, I mean, we don’t see ⁓ all those swings off it, but if they make a good swing out of a pitch and they theoretically chased it, fine. Rather than taking those borderline pitches, I’m okay with that. ⁓ I love loved notice I said past tense, Nolan Gorman. ⁓ if he can’t get it done in the eighth spot, which was my tweet today, if he can’t get it done in the eighth spot, then it’s gotta be time to go. Which, whenever, does not go. ⁓ I’m with Gabe. I think it’s gonna be a year-long thing. But it’ll be interesting to see how the lineup works with Winn, Weatherholt, and Noot all together in the same lineup, which we haven’t seen yet. ⁓ but that does fit Gorman in the eighth spot, which, on paper, my gosh, look at our eight-hitter with thirty home run power. ⁓ Again, theoretically, he is currently hitting .199 after today’s game. But ⁓ Urias was here because the third base defense was supposed to be better. If Jordan could play somewhere similar to that, he would be up. I I I love him. ⁓ I I think he’s a professional hitter. ⁓ Right now, Ivan Herrera is the professional hitter taking the professional hitter spot. ⁓ so I think, unfortunately, I don’t want to say it, but Blaze Jordan has been my comparison to Luken Baker lately.

Gabe (15:33)
Do you think they should go to ⁓ I just thought about Fermin or ⁓ Bryan Torres playing third base, but neither of them has the arm, but like in the near term, do you think that would be a smarter play?

Scott Plaza (15:44)
Torres Arm I was kind of disgusted by watching him throw from left or from second base. I mean, left field, you’re just kinda like two hopping it to the cutoff man, which is fine, it got to the cutoff man, but for mean he’s deserved the playing time, so go for it, I think, right now.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (15:58)
I think I would be fine with Fermin, at least in the like a temporary while Gorman is working through his extremes, ⁓ and he kinda seems like he’s caught in between a lot with between the fastball and the changeup, ⁓ I think that like Fermin at least would make a a small amount of sense to at least get a little bit of run there, ⁓ just because of his versatility and his ability to kind of I think his right handed bat would also help with kind of offsetting the platoon lefty righty at the back end of the lineup as well. Not that he’s necessarily like a roadblock in the ilk of Ivan Herrera is to left-handed pitching, but just a little bit obviously better than what Gorman has given you. ⁓ and again, while he’s working through that slump. ⁓ But speaking of slumps, a player who has managed to maneuver his way through two mini slumps this season is Jordan Walker, and I think it’s fairly safe to say at this point that Jordan Walker is becoming who we all thought that he was supposed to be initially, and we are all exasperatingly relieved by that outcome which you know I kind of also think has driven a lot of this like better than expected ⁓ team performance. Like, we didn’t see this coming into the season, we didn’t expect Jordan Walker to be on pace for like seven wins and potential MVP votes, but you know, we all had kind of like hoped and crossed our fingers and like you know were hoping that that was in there, but we didn’t necessarily expect it to happen this season. ⁓ Scott, I want to ask you, like, how much has Jordan Walker’s breakout changed the trajectory of kind of how you see this team ⁓ and how maybe more in the near immediate future they can be better than expected?

Scott Plaza (17:46)
I think Chaim was kind of asked that question, like how does Jordan Walker performing well, like change your outlook on things? And he’s like, that’s just one less position to have to worry about, which lets you put time and resources either in development or in the trade or whether it’s free agency, to fill those other positions, be it left field, be it center, be it third ⁓ there’s potential to be creative when you have one less spot to worry about. or starting pitching, I guess I can’t forget about that. ⁓ but Jordan Walker changes a ton, and I think it’s we’ve always been like, Well, we gotta wait, we gotta wait, we gotta wait to see if it’s real. There’s ninety nine games to go. I think the three-hundred average might not be for real, but everything else, I think we can even buy into. He missed the low and away slider today, and then still had good at-bats before and after that.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (18:36)
I think the low and away slider thing is just gonna be occasionally a part of his game. It just is. But you know, is he able to find a way to get impact ⁓ in other places throughout the game whenever that inevitable low and away slider chase comes? And it’s just like one of those things where it’s gonna be a part of it. ⁓ Gabe, what about you? Like, how does Jordan Walker breaking out change kind of how you project this team for the rest of the season?

Gabe (19:05)
I mean, well, for one thing, it makes it sort of believable that the Cardinals could sneak into the playoffs, which I don’t think would have been believable without Jordan Walker doing what he’s doing. And I wonder if we would even notice the low and away slider chase if it wasn’t for the fact that we had like three years of seeing it be really bad. And it’s like it’s not like players don’t chase pitches all the time, and we just don’t think about it if they’re doing well normally. And ⁓ yeah, I mean

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (19:22)
That’s true.

Gabe (19:31)
Every time he’s slumped a couple of times, and every time it seems like people online are like, Well, it was nice for a month. That was nice for two months. It’s like, Okay, well, now he got back. He’s ending those slumps early. That’s the whole key to things. That’s to bring it back to Gorman, the reason why he is not a good hitter anymore is that his slumps just last forever, and right now, at least, he’s not making up for hot streaks. But yeah, but Jordan Walker, I just think ⁓ I don’t know that he’s like this good

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (19:38)
Mm-hmm.

Scott Plaza (19:38)
Yeah, exactly.

Gabe (20:01)
That might I might need a year or two for that, but he’s certainly a great hitter, I think. I think I can buy into that pretty easily. ⁓ and I’m I’m on board the train for sure.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (20:11)
Well, the reason Gabe why I asked you about this season is because Bob Nightingale over at USA Today wrote in his Sunday article column that if the Cardinals were to fall out of the wild card race, that ⁓ lefty reliever Jojo Romero and right-handed pitcher Dustin May are expected to be dealt at the deadline. ⁓ You know, you had kind of an obvious response to that whenever I first told you about that, Gabe. Yeah, like, well, I guess, should I ask, does this surprise you guys, or do you find it to be more of what you expected coming?

Scott Plaza (20:34)
Make bleep up!

Gabe (20:36)
Yeah, I think this would be news if he made the the made the report the Cardinals are planning to trade them even if they were in first place. That would be news. If they fall off the wild card race, they’re trading two guys who have expiring contracts. Yeah. Come on. That doesn’t mean, no mm, I’m trying not to say the word. But yeah. Yeah. ⁓ You guys should probably fill in the blanks on that one. ⁓ of of course they’re trading them if they’re out of the wildcard race. Come on.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (21:01)
I’m not trying to get you in trouble, Gabe. ⁓

Gabe (21:13)
Bob, why did you even report this news? We know this.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (21:17)
Scott, your thoughts on the report.

Scott Plaza (21:19)
Yeah, if there was first-place news. I think it’s notable ’cause I think it’s they’ll do it in the wild card race if they’re, you know, where they’re at or hovering as the third wild card spot. I think JoJo Romero for sure I think could be going regardless. Dustin May, I’ve hoped he’d been around for a two-year contract. I’ll keep beating that drum when they signed him. ⁓ Mutual options are not two-year contracts. We know that. So I think he’s gonna unfortunately ⁓ I’d I don’t know. I think he’s gonna go, but I’d like to see him around ⁓ if they could hammer out either an extension or, you know, offer him something around the qualifying offer, whatever that’s going to be for an extension at this point. But I think Jojo Romero is gonna be for sure, regardless of where they are in the wildcard race.

Gabe (22:07)
I think he’s eligible. Give him a qualified offer.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (22:08)
Yeah, he is.

Scott Plaza (22:09)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (22:11)
⁓ obviously, he has the what is it a mutual option for twenty million dollars withstanding at this point, which is never picked up by both sides. I think it’s like twenty fourteen was the last time there was a mutual option that was picked up, if I remember correctly. And so it’s like it’s not something to really think about, I guess, unless he got hurt. which, you know, knock on wood, still is not occurring. The Cardinals are now ⁓ like, nine straight months without a starting pitcher injury at the Major League level, so take that for what it’s worth. ⁓ been incredible whatever Karl Kochan and the performance staff have done to get these guys ready and and ⁓ to for the rigors of a full season along with Oli Marmol and his staff and how they’re kind of ⁓ you know maneuvering this and and kind of planning it out has been very successful and and we’re seeing the healthy fruits of that labor. ⁓ I think that you guys summed it really well. I think that obviously if the Cardinals fall out of it, duh. Like they’re gonna trade those guys. But I also kind of am. I’m fifty-fifty on the Jojo Romero thing, and I’ll explain why. ⁓ It’s because of his extreme ground ball profile, like in his ground balls in his profile. I think he might wind up being more important to the Cardinals than he would be to another contending team, and I think that he might be one of those guys that’s just more valuable to you than he would be to another team, and what you might be able to acquire for him. So you might just continue with him in that role because he doesn’t necessarily elicit the swing and miss, the chase that you would think of when you think of a high-leverage arm. And so I’m kind of in the camp that I think that you keep JoJo and just ride it out with him this year, and if the Cardinals even wanted to extend him for another season, like that, I would be fine with that. ⁓ I don’t know that you’re gonna get some gigantic return for him. The underlying stats

Scott Plaza (24:12)
I don’t think they I’ll I’ll jump in. I don’t think they’ve

been treating him like a closer and I don’t think anybody’s gonna expect t him to jump into that role, so

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (24:17)
I’m not

No, no, I didn’t say closer, I said high-leverage reliever. I don’t think that anyone would, but because I think that there are a lot of contenders who don’t have nearly as good a defense behind them ⁓ that would cause them to be like, we gotta get Jojo for this spot. I think that he may be more like on a contending team profiles more as that’s quote unquote second lefty out of their pen, somebody who comes in in the fifth or sixth inning, and I don’t think that teams are gonna be like throwing you like a top ten prospect in return for that kind of a guy, and so I just I wonder what if the Cardinals would value trying to push for that wild card spot rather than the fifteen to twenty-ish prospect you might get out of a system that may not end up becoming anything for the Cardinals anyway.

Gabe (25:02)
I think they however though they are perfectly capable of getting like a Mason Molina type prospect who suddenly looks like he might be somebody worth paying attention somebody worth paying attention to. And he was added with two other prospects for Phil Maton, who I don’t necessarily think will have a ton more value than JoJo would have. I mean, maybe I’m crazy, ’cause ⁓ Maton was just a guy we signed for two million and then he had a really good four months. And I would be surprised if he has significantly more value than Jojo will have, personally. So I think you can find some hidden gems in the ten to twenty to thirty range that can outperform whatever the normal production would be.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (25:45)
The other element I’m like considering here is like, look at the left-handed relief options you have in-house if you trade away Jojo Romero, if the Cardinals are still in it, right? So like if that’s my whole thing. If they fall out of it, move Jojo. Like, get what you can for him. That makes a ton of sense. If you still think that you have an inkling of a chance to contend and you that’s the direction you want to go in that direction this season without giving up your farm to do so, I’m fine with that. I think that, you know, whatever type of experience you can get for your young players down the stretch and in a contention window is great. But I also think that, like the Cardinals being able to, if you move out JoJo Romero, Justin Bruihl slides into where JoJo Romero is. And I know that you guys are not entirely confident in that being in your primary left-handed relief lanes rather than being that quote-unquote second lefty.

Scott Plaza (26:30)
Well, my argument is honest for that, though it was ⁓ Brycen Mautz instead. ⁓ if if there’s not gonna be a path to the rotation this year, ⁓ I know they want him to stay as a starter, but if they’re not going to win it all this year, ’cause a ⁓ yes, just get in. But this team is I I think, Gabe said it a couple weeks ago, like this is not a World Series winning team. And we all know, like, yes, anything can happen. But I would rather have Brycen Mautz get that major league experience, get something for Jojo that could be useful next year, because he won’t be useful to the Cardinals next year, whether they keep him or if they trade him. So trade him, get something like Mason Molina or whatever, and allow Brycen Mautz to step into that spot. And if it doesn’t work out, then I guess it didn’t work out. But ⁓ the if we’re playing for the wild card, I know the goal is always to win the World Series, but I don’t want to just play for the wild card. You know. Yeah.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (27:29)

To be fair, I’m right there with you, Scott. Like, you make a ton of sense. Gabe, I’ll let ya I’ll let you jump in here in just a second. Like, I’m with you. Like, if they decided to still go down that route, okay. But then you’re also telling me that, like you’re not genuinely pushing for the or at least you don’t genuinely believe that you are capable of even making it to the wild card round if you’re moving on from Jojo Romero. Like if that’s what you’re telling me, okay, like okay, I’m down with that. Like, if the idea is we’re still completely invested in twenty twenty eight, we’re not moving off of that, regardless of where we are right now, okay, I’m with you. But I think you could make the argument or the case that if the Cardinals wanted to continue to ⁓ push this season for something and

Scott Plaza (27:45)
Mm-hmm. Right. It’s a balance.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (28:12)
And kind of kick the can on Jojo down the road for another year, even. Like I would also find that to be an acceptable response. Gabe, go ahead with your thoughts.

Gabe (28:22)
I think there’s somebody, multiple people listening, who are screaming out a name in addition to Mautz. Cooper Hjerpe. He’s probably not going back to start. I don’t think he has enough time to get enough innings to start. And I think he’s just playing his first ⁓ rehab game, right? Or is he about to? Something like that. And yeah, and I don’t think he has enough time to really like not enough time. He hasn’t built up enough innings to where he could realistically start the whole year.

Scott Plaza (28:28)
Yeah, that’s what I said today, too.

He’s on the forty-man.

Mm-hmm. Hey, hey, pitching it,

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (28:40)
Something

like that.

Gabe (28:50)
And you wanna get a major league time at this point, he’s already twenty-five. He might be headed to the bullpen anyway. I think post-deadline certainly, he might be one of our lefties, maybe even before then, but probably not. Yeah.

Scott Plaza (29:00)
I like it.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (29:01)
Hey, I hear what you’re saying, but he also still hasn’t even pitched an inning in Triple A yet. ⁓ and so we know that pitchers who move up that level to Triple-A have an adjustment to the big league ball, and like if the Cardinals say they want to continue to contend and you want to move Jojo out for Hjerpe in, I just maybe think that’s maybe putting a little bit too much stress on his arm right away as he’s recovering from Tommy John. ⁓ I I like the thought, but I think that maybe that might be pushing him just a little bit too quickly for their liking. ⁓ The other name that I might bring up, just because of his command issues, but also has extreme swing and miss, and might play up in the bullpen, at least for the last two months, would be exactly

Quinn Matthews would be the name that I would maybe bring up in that situation because if you move Jojo, then you have an open 40-man spot. You put Quinn on who has to be put on this offseason, regardless. Maybe that’s a way that you do it a little bit early and give Quinn some big league exposure in a more controlled ⁓ environment, bringing him into the bullpen out of the bullpen where he could, you know, theoretically have more success and shorter spurts. I don’t know. It’s an open discussion, and I think it’s really gonna be a genuinely interesting discussion to have over the course of the next six to eight weeks. ⁓ I’m gonna try to not only have it be trade-related, but obviously, that’s I think what a lot of people like to lean into those types of conversation. ⁓ Let’s finish this off with this. The Cardinals are heading to the dumpster fire Mets and the Twins, who are surprisingly kind of .500, not really sure what they are at this point. You know, Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton are great, but outside of that, what the hell else do they really have going for them? Scott, what are your kind of thoughts as you look forward to this for this week?

Scott Plaza (30:53)
My thoughts are towards the six-man rotation and who’s gonna get moved where to fit whose schedule. ⁓ I think Jeff Jones has said Hunter Dobbins has been staying on some sort of a schedule. So I think that’s gonna be the thought. Not then the Nightingale no crap piece. ⁓ My thought was then, well, that brings to Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante being kind of locks for the year-long rotation kind of idea. ⁓ So then with Hunter Dobbins just kinda sitting in for May. So I wanna see the six-man rotation fill out. ⁓ and I don’t want to get too excited about Dobbins, but again, it’s just something different that we haven’t seen all year. ⁓ so it’s always fun to check in on that.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (31:36)
I believe that Jeff also reported that Dobbins is slated to start on Thursday, game three of that series against the Mets, and so he is effectively pushing Kyle Leahy either back or eventually out, I think, is kind of where it’s looking. I know that Oli has been staunch in his belief that Kyle Leahy can do this and fill this role, but we’re starting to see that experience leak a little oil. You know, Gabe, what are your thoughts on the week ahead and what you’re hoping to see from the Cardinals?

Scott Plaza (31:42)
Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (32:06)
Thank you.

Gabe (32:07)
⁓

Well, I think the Mets might be a bit harder than it sounds on paper because they got they gotta face Freddie Peralta, Christian Scott, and Nolan McLean, and they’re just probably their three best starters ⁓ right now. I mean, they only got four people on roster resource, but I think the pitching, like whenever they have a tough lineup of pitchers, I’m always like a little scared, no matter how good the team is, because it’s all you, the offense doesn’t need to do much for the other team to possibly win. ⁓

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (32:36)
And their offense has been bad.

Gabe (32:39)
Yeah, I know, but I mean, that’s a tough line. I mean, I’m never gonna put like, we’re gonna dominate this series just because ⁓ they’re not a good team, because I always like to look at the pitching matchups and they might have the better pitcher in each game, which is ⁓ always a struggle. And I know we’re facing Joe Ryan against the Twins in the first game of that series. So I don’t know. We’ll see. Anything could happen. It’s baseball. ⁓ I’d I vastly preferred the pitching matchups in the Red Series. So we’ll see how this goes out.

Jake Wood (@woodbat28) (33:14)
Well, yeah. Speaking of the Reds, I think that’s kind of the approach that the Cardinals should take over the next two series, which is to get the starter out quickly. Obviously, the Mets’ bullpen has not been all that great this year. The twins have relatively nobody in their bullpen either, so get those good starters out early and then just kind of get to where they are weakest at, which is in the bullpen. ⁓ we’re we’re kinda running up against it here on time. Thank you guys, Gabe Scott, for being here. ⁓ we’ll talk to you guys next week. ⁓ obviously, thank you so much for all of you for joining us for this episode of the Viva El Birdos podcast. Don’t forget to rate and review, and hit that subscribe button so you can be notified every Monday morning when a new episode is released. We will talk to you all next week when we are joined by Play by Play man for the Memphis Redbirds, Alex Coil, and Scoops with Danny Mac, writer for the Springfield Cardinals, Andy Carroll, when they join the show. Have a great weekend, and let’s go, Cards.

-Thanks for reading

The summer is here, and that means trade season will soon be upon us. The Royals are still deciding whether or not they will be buyers or sellers, but like most years, they will likely be sellers.

Sometimes the team makes a good trade that sets the team up for the future. It hurt to lose Zack Greinke, but getting back Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jake Odorizzi, and Jeremy Jeffress set the Royals up for their World Series runs in 2014-15.

In those years, the Royals made a push to win-now, acquiring Johnny Cueto for three players (John Lamb, Brandon Finnegan, and Cody Reed), and Ben Zobrist for pitchers Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks.

And sometimes the team makes very under-the-radar moves that end up being huge. Acquiring Jeff Montgomery for Van Snider. Getting John Mayberry for Lance Clemons and Jim York. Amos Otis for Joe Foy. Jermaine Dye and Jaime Walker for Michael Tucker and Keith Lockhart.

What was your favorite trade in Royals history?

The NCAA Transfer Portal opened on June 1 for college baseball and will close on June 30. Through the first week or so of the portal, there’s already plenty of talent. Below you’ll find the top 25 overall players who have entered their names so far, as of June 8.

While the portal is open, the season is still ongoing. The College World Series will get underway in Omaha on Friday, June 12.

For a full rundown of college baseball’s transfer portal, bookmark On3’s tracker with the latest entries and commitments. On3 also has the latest intel on players in the portal.

1. Notre Dame OF Bino Watters

Bino Watters has been one of the ACC’s most productive hitters in his two seasons at Notre Dame. As a freshman in 2025, he hit .317 with nine home runs and a .984 OPS, driving in 39 runs with 26 strikeouts to 32 walks.

This season, Watters broke out even more. In 2026, he hit .362 with 10 homers and 51 RBI. He finished with a 1.057 OPS. He’s our top-ranked transfer at this point.

2. Clemson C Nate Savoie

2026 was Nate Savoie’s first at Clemson, and he had quite the season. He hit .329 in 57 games with the Tigers, belting 16 home runs with 52 RBI in addition to a 1.009 OPS.

Savoie was also a star in 2025 at Loyola Marymount. In his two-year career, he’s hitting .316 with 36 home runs.

3. Gonzaga RHP Landon Hood (committed to LSU)

Landon Hood was one of the best pitchers in the country this season at Gonzaga. While he only made four starts, he tossed 54.1 innings as a key piece of the Gonzaga bullpen.

In 16 appearances, Hood posted a 2.48 ERA with 78 strikeouts to just 21 walks. He finished the season with five saves. He’s already committed to LSU.

4. Washington OF Jackson Hotchkiss

Jackson Hotchkiss is one of the best power bats available in the college baseball transfer portal right now. He took an enormous step forward in 2026 after hitting .241 with six homers as a freshman in 2025.

This season, Hotchkiss hit .339 with 20 home runs and 47 RBI. He’s also stolen 16 bases through his two seasons.

5. Northwestern State LHP Brody Trosclair

Brody Trosclair is one of the most intriguing players available to this point. The lefthander just wrapped up his freshman season at Northwestern State, posting a 1.89 ERA in 10 appearances (four starts).

Trosclair tossed 38 innings in 2026, striking out 55 batters with just 11 walks. He earned First Team All-Southland Conference and Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as a freshman.

6. UConn LHP Cayden Suchy

Another intriguing left-hander, Cayden Suchy was the Big East Pitcher of the Year in 2026 at UConn. He made 14 starts and threw 82.1 innings, with one complete game.

Suchy posted a 2.84 ERA in 2026. He struck out 94 batters with just 23 walks on the season.

7. Fairleigh Dickinson OF Hunter Ray

Hunter Ray made some real noise in 2026. The FDU outfielder was the NEC Player of the Year after finishing second in the country with 32 home runs.

Ray didn’t just hit for power, as he finished with a .345 average this season. He drove in 81 runs and also stole 24 bases, making him a well-rounded and coveted bat in college baseball’s portal.

8. Mercer C Eli Stephens (committed to Georgia Tech)

Eli Stephens hit .267 in limited action as a freshman in 2025 at Mercer, but he broke out in 2026. The sophomore catcher hit .374 this season, belting 20 home runs with 64 RBI.

Stephens was a big part of Mercer’s success in 2026. He finished with an OPS of 1.224. He’s committed to Georgia Tech.

9. Florida Gulf Coast C Jon Embury (Florida commit)

Jon Embury was one of the nation’s top catchers in 2026, finishing as a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award. He hit .364 this season with 17 home runs and 60 RBI.

Embury finished the season with a 1.084 OPS. He also hit 13 doubles. And Embury has already committed to Florida for 2027.

10. Kansas State OF AJ Evasco

AJ Evasco has had two productive seasons at Kansas State. As a freshman in 2025, he hit .311 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI.

Evasco improved his average to .348 in 2026, while he hit eight homers and 51 RBI. So far across his two seasons, he’s a career .330 hitter with 19 homers, 103 RBI and a .949 OPS.

College Baseball Transfer Portal Rankings: 11-25

11. Baylor IF Travis Sanders
12. Wake Forest RHP Blake Morningstar (Miami commit)
13. Texas State SS Dawson Park (LSU commit)
14. Texas Tech SS Linkin Garcia (Texas commit)
15. Mercer 1B/RHP Braydon Kersey (Tennessee commit)
16. South Carolina LHP Alex Valentin
17. Pittsburgh C Sebastian Pisacreta
18. Cal Baptist SS Chris Ramirez
19. Florida State C Hunter Carns
20. UCF SS Jordan Lodise (Georgia Tech commit)
21. Georgia State C/OF Brady Christman (Mississippi State commit)
22. Georgia State IF Wills Maginnis
23. Jacksonville State RHP Maddox McDougall
24. William & Mary SS Jamie Laskofski (North Carolina commit)
25. Samford OF Jake Souders