Breaking Down The MLB Playoff Picture

welcome into pressbox live I'm Stan the fan Charles of pressbox and pressbox online.com with me is the old left-hander wearing the white hat that is Ross Grimley uh and how are your thumbs today Ross oh they're working great as us all right Luke Luke Jackson managing editor of the website pressbox online.com and and the every other month publication we call it bonly Press Box to print edition that's Luke Jackson Luke how are you my thumbs are ready my thumbs are ready for whatever mine very thumbsy and you'll hear about all about those thumbs during our Costas in commercial a little bit later on in the show as we hit the Airways we want to remind you that we are brought to you by a couple people uh and we're tell you who in addition to the cost is in what company makes your home more energy efficient kills all allergens and viruses and qualifies you for $6,000 in rebates that would be AJ Michaels that's right turn to The Experts AJ Michaels and carrier AJ michaels.com and we're also brought to you by at's Deli in Baltimore's Harbor Point if you're craving that classic New York Deli experience look no further than that New atmin Deli in Baltimore's Harbor Point cornbeef piled high handrolled bagels and something different a bar ATMs has food and drink specials every day now open for breakfast lunch and dinner dine in grab takeout or hang out at the bar for the next o game at Minelli in authentic taste a Baltimore tradition since 1915 find them at Harbor Point or visit atmin st.com and we want to also remind you we're glad you are watching us and we'd appreciate it if you'd like follow and share our show each and every time it helps us build up a little bit of the cumulative effect of the show that is measurable um so we would appreciate that all right we're we're gathered today I thought today I'm sort of tired of beating the same dead horses even though we're only on weekly it seems like for the last month we've been harping on injuries starting pitching WS uh Bullpen woses and hitting woses it's everywhere it's but it is it is everywhere and I think Ross I start off with that as I thought we we'd sort of do a preview just before Labor Day I don't think there's a great team in major league baseball this year that really stands out like a sore thumb or or a positive F really or a good arm yeah no it's it it is I mean just looking at the uh the teams playing now you know the Phillies haven't been playing well the last 10 games there's only I think uh uh three or four teams that are you know actually playing well that are seven and three over the 10 game span but uh yeah everybody is kind of uh with all the injuries and there is just a a plethora of injuries you know everywhere especially pitching and and players for that matter but some of these guys are coming back and they'll be coming back toward the end of the season uh and that should be a boost for some of these team to possibly get get them over the hump or at least get them in the wild card games Luke um the two best teams over I'd say since the All-Star break both come out of the NL West and I don't think one of them is the Dodgers I think Arizona and San Diego have been in incredibly hot for a sustained period of time and in the case of the Padres they should have you darish back in the next week to 10 days and they should have Fernando tatis ready like about September the 10th to 15 uh that's quite that's quite an addition of two like as if you acquired them in a mid September trade yeah I mean the Dodgers haven't played fantastic ball of late but they've certainly play well enough to fend those teams off and they've had to play pretty well in order to do that uh let's give a shout out to SNA Park's own Jackson Merrill who looks like he is the front runner for the national league rookie of the year award you don't think Colton cowser can beat him for the national league rookie of the year I don't think so I don't I don't think so damn but uh Merill had a walk-off home run yesterday he's had a terrific year uh he came up as a short stop then transitioned to the Outfield this spring and took to center field pretty much immediately he's had a fantastic year uh and Arizona as you said has played as well as anybody since uh the All-Star break uh they had one little hiccup at the trop I think two weekends ago and Orioles fans are well aware of what a weekend at the trop can devolve into so we we understand and so yeah I mean but those might be the three best teams in baseball Maybe maybe but I will say this when judge and SoDo are both hitting the way they are since the All-Star break and really since May 1 both of those guys it's really hard to beat that team too and it just seems like every time you look at Twitter judge and stto are hitting monster home runs so judge has 51 home runs and he really had a bad April I mean just remarkable remarkable I know we're we're a little down on the Orioles right now Ross you know in Baltimore I know you're in Bradington but it's easy when you watch him on a nightly basis what has been surprising is not the plethora of pitching injuries they're going to happen to every team but a team that looked like it was really kind of stead as an offensive team that would consistently put up numbers and always have pitchers of having to work hard I'll say that the club does still make starters work hard but I'm just shocked at that the downturn in oarn I'm shocked in the downturn in Rutman uh you know Mount Castle's been so iffy for me Mullins has had a down year there's just not a lot of there there right now you know the only player that's sort of the only two players that are sort of trending up a little bit are cower and orus right now and Santander does hit a lot of home runs I love them but you know he's he's not been a world beater I mean he may be the most valuable orial but that's on a down orial team this year a little really you know what they were they were on fire earlier and just waiting for you know you can divide a season up and the guys playing real well playing average and playing poorly but I tell you one thing that they do uh as a as a whole is they bust their butts every night they run down the they they beat out well they won a game the other night because what beat out a ball beat out a bunt or or it was against In fairness it was against maybe the slowest moving first baseman yeah ever seen John but the whole the deal is the these guys young guys especially now the older guys they they you know they got to do what they got to do but these young players bust their butts they beat out balls they make the fielders uh hurry throws at times so that that is something that really will uh will pay dividends for but they're going through a downtime hitting a lot of injuries that's been but they're able to stay close with the injuries they've had pitching wise especially yeah and they just find a way to win and uh who knows they may not win the division but they're they're going to be in the uh uh the Wild Card more than likely Ross let me ask you a question I heard Billy Ripken on a local radio show this afternoon Ken Wyman and Jason lock and for shows driving around and he said something very interesting he said you take like Eddie Murray Cal Ripken Derek Jeter he said those kind of players all had a lot more seasoning in the minor leagues than say Rutman course holiday and and uh gunar Henderson that they've been through a lot of stuff that that that carries you when you get to the major leagues you sort of realize that you're maybe in a down Rhythm and maybe you're able to adjust a little quicker well you you got to understand too that a lot of these players in the big leagues now don't have former big league players tutoring them helping them through things that uh that they went through now uh and going through it at the minor league level and learning how to make adjustments I mean it's just not adjustments every month every week it's every day in a lot of cases and it's adjustments during the game and you don't have uh people to pass that on to you that experience you're going to go through some tough times and a lot of it's going to be uh on your own shoulders so I think a lot of these guys uh you know they get some veteran players in the uh in the clubhouse that can really help them out and this is just that they're going through a downtime you know they could be tired because again a it's a new thing for them to play this many games you know and they haven't done that in the past and uh it it's a learning it's a learning thing and they have uh you know and like I said before the hustle and the the knowledge of how to play the game the Orioles play it right they do a lot of good things and just doing that will get them through but yeah it's a it's a it's a lot of ups and downs a lot of negatives but you just got to learn to handle them and uh learn how to make adjustments to get through it Ross do me one favor can you lift your camera lift lift up no the other way I'm sorry there there you go so you're you're bottom okay Luke um what I was leading into there but we got into orial talk though was you remember last year when I previewed the playoffs I I said the Rangers are the least likely team to end up winning the World Series I do remember that yes so I'm not not saying surprises don't happen but this year especially it wouldn't surprise me of any matchup you know that that makes it into the playoffs like it could be Minnesota playing uh Atlanta or it could be Minnesota playing Arizona it could be Cleveland I I don't think there's a great team I know I said it earlier your thoughts on that that there's there's really a a parody there's like about teams with 70 wins or more nobody at 80 and that's 11 or 12 teams within five or six games of one another yeah it's pretty wide open I would say and that's why I think the Orioles probably believe that if they get some key guys healthy by mid to late September that they have as good a chance as anyone to get healthy to get hot and to make a run in October yeah so and it's hard it would be hard to say that that's not the case it's just that we see them play every day so we see all the flaws over the past two months and we see the rotation that they're running out every five days uh and we see what the lineup looked like this past weekend particularly the bottom third of it so uh so it sometimes you're a little too close to it to really take that 30,000 foot view yeah uh but I think they're still in a place where they're I think they're three up on this on the second wild card team so if the season ended today they would host a wild card Series right uh now the Yankees have the schedule Advantage from this point forward the Yankees do have a softer schedule uh particularly this week uh they fac the Nationals while the Orioles are in La facing the Dodgers so um I think and I think at this point the Yankees on Fang graphs St Louis while we're playing Colorado yeah I think on Fang graphs and baseball reference at this point the Yankees are a pretty sizable favorite to win the division but like I said before I think the Orioles are probably looking at this like let's get as many people healthy as we can over the next five weeks and if we can do that we've got a good chance as anybody to make a run in the playoffs all right uh go over it real quick for for Ross and I I don't have my phone because it's charging in the other room so I was going to look at to standings who do who do we think are going to make the playoffs in the American League it C certainly looks like um Houston is going to be one of the teams they'll win the West okay and it while it's up in the air I think all three of Cleveland Minnesota and Kansas City are going to make the playoffs most likely Could Happen um Boston I think is three or four games out of that final wild card spot they've been just so spotty all year and you're thinking that if they can ever get their lineup fully healthy and it sort of is right now with kasas back but KAS is a little compromis he's not 100% healthy uh they've got Tyler O'Neal back when they have their full lineup together they can really score runs but it's been a it's been a grind for them in the rotation and it's been really a grind for them defensively and out of the bullpen that's that's really where and so I I don't know if there's enough there for them to overtake one of the AL Central teams who should I'm guessing have an easier schedule the rest of the way than the Red Sox do yeah um National League take me through that Luke It's the it looks like the Phillies even though their league has been lead has been dropped the six games they're the easy favorites to win the East yes I know they're still huge favorites looks like Milwaukee will win the central pretty easily they've been one of the best stories of the Year yep yeah they have that leades you with the three teams out west and who makes that third Wild Card fat in the National League is it most likely Atlanta or the Mets or the Mets right yeah and maybe San Francisco even and the Mets just had a really tough loss yesterday they were up two to nothing going into the eighth inning with their top two relievers available and both budo and Diaz gave up home runs and as we mentioned before Merill hit the gamewinner so that was a tough loss for them that would have been a big one uh so I think at this point what you mentioned is probably the most likely scenario that the end up being just out and then Atlanta gets that final wild card spot but there's still a lot of games to be played I'm sure the Mets and the Braves have a series in here soon yeah where one of them can uh make up a lot of ground on the other so all right let me uh take a moment to tell folks about the Costas in uh the Costas in you know classes back in uh you know schools are open so you might be looking for a place to grab the kids uh when you get home and eat out uh so no better place if you're in that Middle River Essex dundock Sparrows Point then the thumbs up Place Costas in thumbs up thumbs up all around again great nightly specials Monday through Friday also some inexpensive items on menus like the pit beef sandwiches pit Turkey um inexpensive doesn't mean bad by the way real real good they've been doing them for years so they know how to make you a big sandwich of pit beef uh the nightly specials though always affordable uh and always really really good seafood chicken pasta beef you know like steaks and things like that and then of course the crabs at the Costas in 4100 North Point Boulevard you can check out the menu in advance at cus in cousin.com and you can do uh carry out there or or drive-thru uh just call them at 410 4771 1975 or go to Costas in and pick out your items you can select the items Pap for it online you don't even have to get out of your car but if you do want to get into the restaurant so you can watch the Oreo games or something like that you can do it there's screens everywhere in the bar area the restaurant area and they got every sport event that you could possibly want that's a cost in we give it six thumbs up Luke Jackson we're waiting there we go six thumbs up for the CA in all right um we we finish up we'll Circle back to the Orioles right now uh Ross uh you watch enough of the games I know you don't watch every bat and every inning of every game like some of us here in Baltimore but what do you think's happening to adley rman he might be wore down a little bit and like I said earlier I think a lot of these guys are going through I mean they had really strong Seasons going up until uh just recently and it's just uh you know get a second wind here not to interrupt you but I wish I could say it was just recently with adley he's been like two months close to it right Luke yeah it's been since about late junee some have some have pointed to I think it was June 27 around that range when he got hit in the hand with I believe a fast ball against the Rangers now he hit a home run like two at bats later okay but perhaps that had a lingering effect I don't know um but that that's been pointed to that since that date he has been pretty bad uh and not much power so he just it's pitches too yeah yeah I mean last night he was kind of flailing for sure that's that's been the uncharacteristic thing with him right I mean do hitters good hitters I won't call him a great hitter he's not George Brett but he's not Matt weeders either right you know he's he's a solid 280 type of hitter do do they go through periods where they are flailing Absol absolutely everybody pitchers go through uh always saw them when they flailed because they were batting against such a great pitcher you know yeah I didn't get a lot you're right thanks but no they you know hitters go through uh slumps and uh the idea when when a hitter goes through through slumps you just try to you know make contact and take good swings and put the bat on the ball and hit it hard but you start uh going through some swinging it bad pitches I know bonds bonds was the greatest I've ever seen and uh at one point he would never get a pitches you know to hit and and he started swinging that everything thrown up there because he said I want to I don't want to swing I want I don't want to walk and but he uh he starts swinging the bad at bad pitches and uh I never the hitting coach Joe Lefay told him says says uh you're swinging at B say you think I don't know that of course I am I'm tired of walking right well you know it's funny you say that his his walk numbers in His Highest home run total Seasons his walks were like astronomical you'd have like 185 walks yeah and 60 home runs and you go what the hell's left to you know I mean it's like 250 it's amazing in itself that he takes so many pitches but when he gets a pitch he just jumps all over it and I I tell you I I don't think I've ever seen and I never pitched to him I'm just other than throwing batting practice to him and he I mean his vision seeing the ball and uh and being able being able to keep a ball Fair on a pitch inside it almost hits him that that is that is a uh Quite a feat right there but he is uh he or something else but I mean like I said everybody goes through tough times you just got to find and and bear with it and make adjustments and just get back to the basics and that's what a lot of guys there's a lot of people are going through uh not playing really good ball right now there's only a handful of that that are it Ross is it true that the real reason that bonds took the cream which he's never admitted to but there have been people that testified that he used it was that he was pissed off at how popular and what a big deal SOS and Maguire were and he said okay I know you guys are cheating I'll show you what somebody can do when they cheat but what what did the cheat how did it Advantage Barry Bonds was it that he would bounce back from injury or or soreness I really I I believe that uh if if there's something you can do to bounce back and not be as sore toward the next day I I think everybody would do it right you know because I mean you want to recover and we just took anti-inflammatory sometimes too many and uh but you're pitching in a fourman rotation you know you and we always do on the side you know in between starts and getting the ball to home plate was sometimes a real a real task but uh yeah I mean that was uh I I think in his case he was an outstanding hitter no matter what he did I know before before that he was didn't make it it didn't make a difference but but I I think anything you could do uh to make you feel better recover quicker you're gonna do it Ross one last one for you if you had to pitch to one hitter and the two possibilities were Barry Bonds or Aaron judge who are you pitching to neither one of them with with with guys on base no I ain't gonna that's the thing they don't do now they for some reason they keep pitching to them they pitch to them I'm going Guys these are two guys that are swinging the bat as good as anybody you know or swung to bat as good as anybody I no I know they're not pitching either and not way you pitch you pitch to both of them but you give them four four pitches really with nobody on I'll pitch to them with all right I know way early to be projecting this but if you had to pick your World Series matchup right now who is in your world series Luke Jackson's hypothetical World Series we're going with Arizona and New York a rematch of the 2001 World Series how about it all that's pretty that's pretty interesting pretty interesting although I kind of wanted to ask Ross what was it was like to throw batting practice to Barry Bond I kind of wanted to ask him about that so what we always hear about like these great hitters uh their routines right uh to get ready for a game what was Barry's routine in terms of how he handled batting practice like side from rubbing the cream one yeah it like what did he do each round to get himself ready what did he want out of you when you were throwing him BP that sort of thing he wanted you know I he wanted it a little extra on the you know the put a little juice on it and uh you could throw it anywhere you could throw it anywhere you want but the thing that I I would throw a ball that would be this far outside off the plate and he would where was that I it was a baseball off the plate so the next ball I would throw might have been this far off the plate it's a a ball he would take it I'm going there's no way that you can I mean there's this much to that much I mean that is some Vision right there he did he disciplined himself in batting practi swing really yeah it'd be I mean left on left he always wanted to hit off a left-handed pitchers and uh and that was that was one of my jobs during spring training is the pitch to him and some days I'd go over there and it was just him and another coach now you know where you screwed up you should have tried to talk him in being his translator then you would have gotten access to the millions let me tell you I'll tell you a story I'll tell you a story this this is great so Bond when he was hitting all the home runs they called him into the front office uh a general manager dick Pedro was there and he saids what can we they ask him what can we do for you to make this he goes well I I I want that uh that left-handed guy that throws to me in spring training and they go well who he says that guy's got a mustache and he's uh so he didn't know who the hell I was had no idea who my what my name was and uh so they're thinking who who you have a you have a guy that throws to you there was another a young a young kid will maleric left-handed pitcher didn't have a lot and he would just abuse him yelling at him and stuff so anyway they go are you talking about uh uh Ross Grimsley he goes oh yeah the old guy that old so they tell me the next day tiro and general uh what was the general manager can't Sabian Sabian Brian Sabian so I'm on the half field catching balls thrown by aelia the shortstop so they pull up behind me in the cart and tell me the story and I'm going oh really and T put my baseball card up in his locker that's great oh my God he he wanted he goes you can't take him on the road with he's one of our one of our minor league pitching he wanted to take me on the road with him oh God that would have been great well you know what it's funny Buck Showalter always used to say that left handed batting practice throwers good left hand batting practice throwers gold yeah and once you had one of those that you would really try to hold on to those guys oh yeah it's I tell you as as silly as it sounds throwing batting guys some guys can't do it they can't throw the ball over the plate yeah you can't even throw it near the plate and to put something a little juice on it now you're throwing behind a screen I mean it's not as easy as it sounds but once you once you gear into it and get the you know go the thing you got to do is you got to use the cream if you're an old an older gentleman that throws the the ball I he didn't give me any of that I wish he would have we've got a dash today normally I'd go on with you but I gotta help uh somebody delivering something uh Luke Jackson Ross Grimley I'm Stan the fan Charles you can read my new Power Rankings they're up today on pressbox online.com o are off tonight play the Dodgers three nights in a row at Chavez Ravine we've been brought to you by AJ Michaels what company makes your own More Energy Efficiency kills all allergens and viruses and qualifies you for 6,000 in rebates that's AJ Michaels turn to The Experts AJ Michaels and carrier at AJ michaels.com we've also been brought to you by our friends at Atman the New Delhi at Harbor Point Atman Deli at Harbor Point now open for breakfast lunch and dinner d d dine in grab C out or hang out at the bar for the next doze game atmin stelli and authentic Taste of Baltimore position and guys I need your thumbs one more time we're also brought to you by the six thumbs place the costus in out there on North Point Boulevard in the heart of Sparrows Point dundock Middle River and Essex again we are glad you are watching this show and we'd appreciate it if you'd like it follow it and share our show uh thank you you make the show uh worth doing for the three of us that's it for now bye