July 10, 2026 • 31 mins
Mark and Tommy Radio talk a plethora of things, but mainly a lot of Bucco Banter
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
World Cup quarter final in progress right now Spain versus Belgium,
no score in the third minute. Two big games tomorrow
England and Norway, Argentina and Switzerland. But the Buccos are
at the forefront of discussion. Miniewaukee in time for three
games set before the All Star Game, and the Pirates
(00:22):
are only twelve games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central.
So if the Pirates can win every game this weekend
four times, they could be tied for first place with
the Brewers going into the All Star break. All they
gotta do win every game four times. I feel like
the Buccos are cooked despite being at five hundred and
(00:45):
only four and a half games out of a wild card.
They're gutless and mismanaged and have four key players out
and the bullpen sucks and skins isn't what they need
them to be. Furthermore, you can bait what move Sherrington
might make or should make, but the problem is they
(01:05):
won't make. This is the team with maybe a token
ad before the deadline, and if there's still four and
a half games out of a wild card or more
at the trade deadline, Brandon law is traded out of
here like Grain through a goose. I'm gonna skip ahead
(01:27):
to Sunday in a little bit because that Skemes versus
miss I'm gonna be there. I'm very important, and that
game gonna tell a tale on a lot of levels.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And we're still gonna.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Talk about Jones getting relieved after six perfect innings and
then they lost and lost again yesterday. And I don't
care if Jones's elbow falls off. I just want wins
and big moments. But the Pirates have become very adept
at depriving us all of vote. Let's talk now to
(02:03):
Tommy Baseball. Tom what's your take on these two call ops?
Santa not yet dfaid? How is the pitching staff gonna
get shook up?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The two call ops?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Just feels like we're throwing crap against the wall and
hoping that it sticks. And sometimes that happens in a bullpen. Sometimes,
you know, someone just gets hot for a couple of months,
and that's all the Pirates would need right now.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
So that's how I think about the call ups.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
I think Santana should have been dfa'd maybe a couple
of trips through the bullpenago, but whatever, they're still holding
on hope that he bounced back when he ain't ever
bouncing back. I mean, as far as the shakeup is concerned,
I like what you said at the beginning of the show,
you gotta put Mjinsky in a bigger role, and I
think I would lean towards the rotation. Keller is just
(02:48):
not working right now. It seems like he might be
broken for good too.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So you gave Keller that big deal to pull him
from the rotation is quite a concession.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
And I also think that that's why you won't dfa
Marcelo Zuno, who should so clearly have been DFAD by now,
because you're making a concession on twelve million dollars that
you gave him in the offseason. So money's gonna dictate
a lot of this stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Well, in the case of Ozoon, I don't know who
replaces him. I don't think having him eat up a
roster spot is a big deal, especially with him being
seldom used. But with the pitchers, I mean, Mazinski could
be their closer, he could be in their rotation. He's
pitched well enough to earn either and they just don't
like him. That's the only conclusion I could come up with.
(03:30):
When the guy performs at a very good level, a
solid level like Leginsky has, and they still won't elevate
his role.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
They just don't like him. What else could be concluded?
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I don't know. I'm racking my brain to think of
what else it could be.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Because he's pitching a garbage time right now, and as
I said on yesterday's show, you could argue he's their
third best pitcher this year, with Ashcraft leading that charge.
Skeens is still right there at two. And then Mudjinski
when he was in the rotation was their third best pitcher.
And then when he does come out of the bullpen
for garbage time, he he pretty much mops up real good,
perfect inning type of mop up stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
You know. You know what's amazing where you've got to
give credit despite the injuries. Like look at yesterday they
lost ten to five, but they scored five runs and
hit three home runs.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Valdez and Mangum went deep to with the subs.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
So the depth is hanging in there despite the talent
not necessarily dictating.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
And I figured the injuries got to catch up with
the pirates.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Uh, and the pirates can't overcome For example, Keller's era,
his era's up over five for freak's sake.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
That's the thing.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Like they're surviving adequately, more than adequately. With the injuries
that the lineup has been dealt. There's really little to
complain about when it comes to the lineup. They play
Henry Davis too much, that's the one thing. Uh Ozuna,
that's the other thing. But other than that, like the
lineup delivers almost every night to a very consistent basis
for this team. It's all about the rotation being an
(04:53):
abject failure, to be honest with you, based on the
expectations that were laid up. Yes, especially Ski, the expectation
was the best rotation in baseball with kind of a
shaky bullpen. But maybe they'll find themselves and hopefully the
lineup's a bit better. And what we got was one
of the best lineups in baseball with a terrible rotation.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Tom we'll get back to baseball in a minute. We're
gonna break down Skeens versus miss in the next section
with the buck arounda But Connor McGregor's fighting this week,
and that kind of snuck up on me.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
That's his first fight in how many years. Twenty twenty
one was his last fight I was at that fight,
you know, Theoer fight.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, where he kicked Poorier and broke his own leg.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
But Poorier, it really is right taking him to task
here that was an MGM Grand Garden arena. I wanted
to go once to just be part of the spectacle,
and I wasn't disappointed. But what's it say when he's
arguably the most famous MMA fighter of all time and
his comeback kind of snuck up on.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Me that the MMA is kind of being plagued with
what a lot of other sports are being plagued with
right where it's hard to find that next guy. It's
hard to find that guy with charisma like that that
can kind of carry that torch be the face of
a league.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And the fight at the White House that took it
into a level of Carney. Yeah, that I think a
lot of people didn't appreciate. Although when I think of
a sport that that shall we say, all right, people
would like it's mm A.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Well and look in any who's their big name.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
That's the thing in any combat sport boxing back in
the day MMA, you need to have the charismatic, loud
mouth leader. You need to have the big personality which
it's what drives that sport, it's what puts it in
the mainstream, especially nowadays, and they don't have that other
than McGregor.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
That's raither still put him out there.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
You know what else might hurt McGregor.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Did you see the reimagining of Roadhouse with Jake Gillen
Hall and to Patrick Swayzey.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I didn't. But he was the heel, wasn't he?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
He was the heel? Now I've seen it twice.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I saw it on an airplane once and I thought, Okay,
this this ain't so good, and then I watched it again.
Jillen Hall's really good. In fact, the whole movie is
really good, and McGregor is just so crazy over the top.
He kills it miscast there. If they would have cast
a better heel, the movie would have been a lot better.
Probably in the first watch through for you, you.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Would think that he would work, but he just miserably
did not.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Did he even try? Or is he just McGregor? He
was just McGregor. And in terms of acting, I can
think of no bigger insult.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Up next, We're gonna break down Skemes versus miss That's
Sunday at P and C.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
One O five nine.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Our iHeart radio Music Festival Capital one.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
He's coming back to the last three years.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The super genius Mark Madden.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Like the psychotic version of the Pokey Pokey Mark.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
You are genius.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
I know the ex It's time for the Boca Ronda,
which is.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Really gonna be the Schemes versus mizun up that match
up on Sunday at P and C.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I'm gonna be there. I could have got a press pass, but.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
That would have been hypocritical because I never get one.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So I'm sitting.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
In the VIP club because I'm very important and I
can boot it up. Can't do that in the press box,
although that never stopped Myron Cope. The series versus millywalk
A begins tonight at PNC sprot versus Ashcraft. It's a
big series for the Pirates. I'm content with Ashcraft getting
(08:18):
the start tonight, maybe get the Buckoes off on a
good foot. But Sunday, like we're talking about, that's the
Biggie Skeens versus the miz The phenom who was against
the Phenom?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Who is Skeens is seven and eight three point five
eight e RA that.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Ranks thirty first in MLB whip of one point oh
four ranks twelve one hundred and twenty three k's tied
for sixty seventh. The miss is ten and four ERA
of one point six to two whip of point seventy
six one hundred and sixty seven k's, and those figures
rank first first and first. Miss is overwhelming, Like Skeens
(08:59):
used to be. Skeens and Miz is like before and after.
Skeans needs to sack up and pitch better and beat
Miz and show who he is. Otherwise it's gonna be
who Skeen's was used to be. Past tense Skeens and Miz.
(09:21):
It's like before and after on a radar gun. Let's
talk to Tommy strike Tom. Do you think either of
these pitchers see Sunday as a big showdown? I bet
Mis does, and I bet Skeens should, but might not.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Maybe he doesn't, but I think he does too.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I think Skeens, during this bad patch has become expert
at deceiving himself. Maybe I'm reading too much into his comments,
But when I hear him say he's pitching okay, I
mean maybe that's what he feels he has to say.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Man, But I don't know. I think he really thinks it, but.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I do think he will recognize this as a big
time matchup, as a premier pitching matchup. And you're right
about Miz, like Mis is for sure going to recognize
the stage as the one who is on a collision
course with winning the cy on this because.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
He's at where Skeens was and Mis wants to stay there.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Well, and honestly, as far as velocity is concerned, Miss
is in a place that no one else has been in.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Like, even though Skeens has.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Lost a ticker to five point five, he never had
a fat.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Peaked at and what I'll look it up for later,
but didn't Miz throw like fifty pitches in one game
over one hundred.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Might be fifty seven? Like that seems to be the
number that pops into my head right now.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Sah, you could sponsor be hinds fifty seven.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Skeens never did that.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
And it is fair to say that Skeens has lost
velocity and that's a big problem, but he was never
at the Miz level when it comes to throwing one
oh five.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
We got a sound bite later from Joey Vada who
says that Skeens might have the best fastball ever, and
you know what, he just might. Now, why won't Skeens
Dillard back up the heat? Why won't he cracked the hundred?
What's the upside the less velocity? I keep getting told
that that's part of some point. I can't see what
good it does.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I think I'm just at the point now where he
can't do it. That's that's the true reason why he
won't hit it.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Like, like Ben said, if he could still do it,
he would have done it against an He would have
done it in big situations. He would do it this
Sunday against the Miz.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Wouldn't it just happened almost organically sometimes, Like he just
throw his fastball and it would hit one hundred miles
per hour because he can do that. So if you
want to say it's because he's locating more, because he's
nibbling more, f that he located just fine last year
when he was hitting one hundred miles per hour and
he won the cy Young If you want to say
he's conserving his arm, that's pretty conspiratorial. Maybe it is true,
but I just think he can't do it. That's what
(11:39):
I'm settling.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
If he's doing it to go water in games.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
He's not miserably because of that tactic of just following
him off all the time, which is easier to do
when he's throwing with less velocity.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
That doesn't happen to Miz.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
If he You're right, if he's doing it to be
ready for October. October in could have been nothing. It's
like the Jared Jones thing. They pulled him so he
can pitch meaningless innings in September. Uh. Now, here's here's
a good cliched sports talk radio question. Tom, Who's better
miss Rowski? Now were Skeen's last year?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (12:09):
I love that question.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
I mean right now, statistically speaking, Miserrowski's putting up a
better season than Skeens is is he is like one
point six two I believe that's what I last looked at.
And he's hitting those one hundred mile per hour marks
more than Skeens did. He's more jaw dropping than Skeens
was last year. We still have a couple of months
to go here from the finish it off, but it's
probably mis right now.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
You know, want to be a good theme music for Miz,
like when he comes out to pitch h John Cougar
mellencamp rain on the scarecrow because he looks kind of
like a scarecrow and that's a very fore boat that.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Looks like a scarecrow. Yes, I agree, I'd say miss now, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Because because as much heat as Skeens had last year,
mis has more now.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
And you know, that scarecrow kind of like build.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
I was listening to the sound like You're gonna play
later Evado, I was watching his whole appearance on the
MLB Network, and he brought up another good point, like
that lankiness that's almost like Randy Johnson esque from Miz
where he's just like Anya as far as his frame
is concerned, more than any pitcher is.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Got a big stride.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Yes, Now, why aren't people seeing skeens a struggle as
the disaster that it is for the pirates Because it's
killing the pirates. It is the primary reason Skeens of
struggle and the bullpen too. But Skeins of struggle is
going to be why the Pirates do not make the
(13:24):
playoffs if Skeens was having a typical Schemes year, typical
you know, based on the first two which is a
short sample. But I think the Pirates would make the playoffs.
Oh yeah, and people will blame the manager, they'll blame
the bullpen, they'll blame the GM, but they will not
blame Skeens.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Because he's their hero and they don't want to blame
the hero.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
That's right. Nobody hasn't been Sherrington Jersey.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
That's try it.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
No, the bullpen is just like this amalgamist blob of
people out there, right, Like it's just like five people
amalgamists blog was pretty good, right, it's really I surprised
myself a little bit there. I hesitated before I said it,
but I'm glad I nailed it. But it's just like
you said it. I'm like Amlchamus. They didn't get that right,
Gummy did. But like you just say, the bullpen just
(14:07):
lump them all in together. Don Kelly's an easy target too.
We love him because he's from here, Mount Lebanon, whatever,
but like he's a rookie manager and it's just the
cliche thing to bitch about the manager. So Skeenes is
the hero, that's why they want throw him under the bus.
But he's the main reason why the season's gone to crap.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I touched on this.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Before Tom, But what do you think, Well, Skeens ever
come all the way back his velocity the whole package
this year?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
For sure or not he's done this year. I'll give
him a little bit of hope that he can do
it again in his career.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
But okay, but what would he do to ramp it
back up?
Speaker 4 (14:37):
It would have to take maybe a season being canceled
like next year and just maybe rest in the arm
up and building your back up. But that begs the
question what happened? And then will it tail back down
again quickly? Like will he be able to do it
for a couple of months after he builds it up
and then is it over?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
People are asking what happened, but nobody can come up
with anything. And the reason that they think they say
they want to believe that he's doing it intentionally dialing
down the velocity because that gives hope to bounce back.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Yeah, and then they point to the mechanics stuff and
saying like, oh, maybe he's doing this or that differently
with the new pitching coach. Well, at this point, don't
you think he would have bailed on any of that
stuff that you're doing and gotten back to what won
you the cy Young I.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Would have never deviated from what worked last year.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
And that's what we thought schemes was gonna be. Like, remember,
like we used to have the take on this show.
You did a lot that the Pirates can't ruin schemes
because Skeins would just tell him to shove.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
He knows better than they.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Do, so it's weird to me that he would let
Bill Murphy come in and tweak stuff.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Which is why I don't think. I mean, they show
his arm angle changing. He has gained weight.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Oh, I didn't know, and it ain't necessarily all muscle.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
It can't be the mustache because he lost the mustache
after his rookie year and he was still good in
his second year.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
The thing is, it is a mystery, and I don't
feel it's being talked about like a mystery, like people
just want to say it's gonna be okay, and it's
not okay.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
It hasn't been okay pretty much all.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
Year, and it's especially not being talked about in the
context of it's the main reason why the Pirates are
five games back in the wild Card right now twelve
games back.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Here here are the two context of people avoid it's
killing the pirates and he might be done for goods
don't want to talk about it because the first is inarguable.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
The second is very possible.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
And very doom and gloom the second one.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
When I say done for good, I mean he might
still be an okay pitcher. Oh yes, he might be
the kind of guy this velocity, with his with his
pitch variety. He could be the kind of guy that
has like a three point two era and it gives
you a chance to win.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
And I bet you there's a year two where maybe
it goes to like one of two six or something
like that, and he has a really good season. But
that's what we've seen from a lot of other pitchers,
Like that's Chris Sale does that every year, you know
what I mean?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Like Skeins was supposed to be the even next.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Level from that and uh Miss his album might fall off,
But like I said, I'd rather he pitch like this
as long as he can, as opposed to mediocrity like Skeins.
Right now, what's gonna happen on Sunday, Tom what you
call uh pirates are going to really struggle on hitting
Miserowski and with skeins of struggles.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
He'll give up some home runs early in that game,
so the Bruise will jump out to an early lead
and they'll win.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
But they're not going to catch up to him. He's
gonna be since.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
He's not pitching the All Star Game, He's going to
be so juiced up for that to be his showcase
that he is going to blow the Pirates away. The
Pirates have a good lineup, but they're just not going
to be it'll do much.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
Well.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Here's my call, and I will be on the scene.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
I bet Milwaukee and the Miss win handily. I bet
Miss shackles the Pirates shuts him down, and I bet
Skens gets split up like a downtown Christmas tree and doesn't.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Last four innings.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
And part of my reasoning there is I think Milwaukee
will be up for schemes and because MS is pitching
and the Pirates I called the Pirates guntless before.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Tell me I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Tell me that when things go wrong, that the Pirates
find a way to reverse the.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Tide in the games. Like, yes, they do not do that,
but they do have a good tendency of resetting. Twenty
four hours later.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
They had like the one huge comeback win one or
two Dodger game. But they've blown more than they've come
down much.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
They've blown much more than that and have never been
able to get the wheels back on the bus in
time to stop blowing the game. Like they've had like
five run leads that they've blown. And it's like you
can blow a five run lead to make it a
two run lead, but then buckle down and get the win.
So you're right as far as a game is concerned,
like in the moment, they can't calm themselves down, but
I will say they do fight back to five hundred
every time.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Well, what if they get swept this weekend at home,
which is on the table.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah, it's definitely on the table.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
You said Milwaukee might be up for miss Milwaukee's just
up for every game. Milwaukee's out for a pennant this
year and they could win it.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I just said that that Missus theme song should be
rained on the scarecrow. If the Pirates get swept, you
know what their theme song would be?
Speaker 5 (18:54):
One five nine It's the Woodie Show Weekly mornings and
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Speaker 2 (20:10):
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Speaker 1 (20:18):
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(20:40):
a shame they're gonna collide in the Semis. Then again,
if the top four, I'll get through to the Semis.
Argentina versus England, France versus Spain. That's two fantastic games,
but a lot of football to be played before that happens.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Come up.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I got a text from a friend of mine who
really knows baseball, and he theorized that the Pirates are
having Skeens pitched the contact just like they did Garrett Cole.
Why would Skeens do that, especially when it's not working
as well? And for that matter, why did Cole do it.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
That's what I don't understand about that, And it's a
decent reason to hypothesize about.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
But again, why wouldn't you.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Just go back to what was working once you realize
that we're at the All Star break and your season
is just nowhere close to the level it was that
in the first two years.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
If I were a top level pitcher, I would never
listen to the pitching coach, right, I would go with
what's worked, with what I figured out.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
It was a monument to that, even though he had
his off field problems, which were not his problems, but
he got blamed anyway.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Was Trevor Bauer. Trevor Bauer said.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
That pitching coaches did nothing but screw him up, and
he only got to the level he knew he could
when he just did what he thought he should do.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
He just went out there and he pitched. I agree
with you, like, there's a there's a line I think
that when you get to be that nailed on ace,
that there's nothing that some pitching coach can do for you. Now,
you don't have to be a jerk to the guy, right,
Like if he helps manage your rehab or building your
arm back up or scheduling your bullpen sessions. That that's
part of his job and that's fine, but like anything
having to do with actually executing the pitches, he should
(22:19):
have no say.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
I can't believe Trevor Bauer is still in Mexico with
all the rotten pitchers.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
I can't believe the Pirates didn't get him when I
said they should take a flyer on him. And it
is surprising that he's been blackballed from the league.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
And that's what's happened. He's been blacked.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
They have told.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Teams to not even try because Mark, come on, you
know that people would have knocked on that door.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
If no, I don't.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I don't think MLB told anybody that stally, that's where
the lawsuits start.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I think it was organic.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Man.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
I would be so tempted as an owner to just
see what's under that rock. Again, young Tom, let's stick
with Bacco talk and play the blame game.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
I like the blame. It's what I do.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
What are your top three elements of bucko blame? Why
are the Pirates so disappointing? I'd say even more disappointing
than their record. They're at five hundred, but it's been
quite an ugly path to get even there. Now, when
I say elements, it could be a player, non playing personnel,
or a part of the team, because we're gonna talk
(23:19):
bullpen for sure.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Now, in terms of the top three elements to blame,
I'm not sure it's as clear cut as a lot
of people might think. But you go first, Tom one, two, three.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Number one is Paul Skins, and then maybe you just
lump the entire rotation into him as well, But it's
Paul Skeens. He's the number one reason why they're failing.
Then you probably go the bullpen. So it's just all
pitching is like my nailed on one and two. I
bet you a lot of people would say defense because
that's how it looked at the beginning of the season.
But I've gotta be honest with you, lately, I don't
think so. And their offense is so actually made some
plays lately on Yeah, their offense is so good anyway
(23:50):
that it overcomes most of that crap anyway, It just
can't overcome a terrible pitching staff. I think I'm gonna
throw Don Kelly in at number three. He's managed by analytics.
Don't get me wrong, but he he's still just I
don't think he has the right touch. And you know what,
he's a rookie and this is a very inexperienced team
as far as winning is concerned. It's tough to ask
a rookie manager to hit all the right notes in
his first year when the team desperately needs that.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Now, you pretty much echoed what I'm gonna say. Number
one is Skeens. If he's better, it somewhat diffuses the
bullpen problem. He's by fan, maybe only a little. But
the Pirates are seven and twelve when Skien starts. If
they're even ten and nine, they're just a little bit
out of a wild card. If they're twelve and seven,
(24:34):
which is a very reasonable in fact, maybe even below
expectations for what we would have thought before the year started.
Twelve and seven, and they're in a wildcard. And it's
not all Skeen's fault, but it's not all not his fault.
The velocity decline and all the junk and the pitch
cons gets too high too quick.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I think most of that is on Skeens.
Speaker 5 (24:57):
Now.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Number two is the bullpen. You don't got to go
into d till all that's pretty obvious. And number three,
I think it's up for grabs. Yeah, you could go
Donnie Kelly and managing by Rote and you make a
real good point that he's still basically a rookie manager
first full year. You could go with all the injuries
and especially to Connor Griffin. You could go with too
(25:18):
much Henry Davis, O'Neil Cruz wasn't good enough before he
got hurt. You could go with Brian Reynolds sucking in April,
because those losses don't go away. So, you know, it's
funny when people say be patient, like you know, schemes
will come around, and Reynolds will come around, and he
did come around. But the Pirates, it's a cliche to
(25:39):
say for any team in any sport, mostly a cliche
to say that every game counts. For the Pirates, every
game really does count. No, they can't afford to lose
games they shouldn't, and they can't afford to have guys
that get a big payday like Reynolds struggle like he
did in April. Guys they count on like Cruise and
schemes did not be better than they.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Are June and July.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Reynolds in the months of April and May could have
been worth two to three more wins. I mean, that's
not dramatic to say because June and July Reynolds. I
know he's not an All Star, but he's one of
the top hitters in the National League. And the reason
why he's not an All Star is because he started
so slow and just fell off of everybody's radar at
the beginning of the season. I don't know if i'd
put him at number three though, because he did turn
around and is one of their best players now.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
I think Davis is the right one.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
You kind of nailed that when you were going through
your list, like them, they just can't play one twenty
five or I guess it's one fifty now. But still, well,
they're gonna they have no choice. Uh No, they could
play Flores. Skeens wants him. Well, Florest did play last night,
I think, and they're gonna have to play him eventually.
But they could just start him. They could give him
a chance see if he can hit it all Tom.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Somebody on Twitter actually asked a good question, if you
could believe and this dates back to Jones getting pulled
after six perfect innings. Somebody asks how did Jones really
feel about getting pulled?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
And I wonder, I do wonder what do you think?
Speaker 4 (26:58):
I wonder if today's athlete, especially the starting pitcher, has
just come up in this world, you know what I mean,
like has developed in this world where it's all about
pitch count and managing the arm, that he's not that
ticked off just because he understands. And that's really sad,
because he should be livid that he didn't get a
chance to chase history like that. I mean, it is
such a fleeting thing. Some of the greatest pitchers of
(27:18):
all time haven't had perfection and for him to just
be most, for him to just be nine outs away times, yeah,
nine outs away from it is real.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
That's when MLB next is the kind of guy.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Who's not gonna have the kind of career where he'll
do anything that would be remembered more than had he
pitched a perfect.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
Game, like Dallas Braden. You know why we know that
name because he pitched a perfect game. That's the only
reason why I can.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Go one better.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Don Larson, Nobody ever would have heard of Don Larson
had he not pitched a perfect game in the fifty
six world. He did in the World Series. It's so Leger.
I know who the last batter was. It was Dale
Mitchell called strike.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Who's that No one knows, but you know because it
was the perfect game in the World Series.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Like it is. We talked about the romance being robbed
of baseball.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
That's at the top of the list of what is
romantic that has been robbed is the pursuit of perfection.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well, speaking to which, I remember a lot of this
stuff because when I was a kid, I collected every
baseball card you could get, and back then the only
MLB player cards were tops. It had brand stout and
all the different like upper deck and so forth.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
But there was.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
One that was a World Series collection and it had
on the back it had details on every World Series
and the front had a cartoon based on whatever the
big moment was in that World Series. And because of
that set of cards, Tom I really believe still that
if I put my mind to it, I could name
every team that participated the matchup in every World Series
(28:40):
from the first World Series through probably the mid seventies.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Go ahead, fire a random mirrort.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
Me all right, nineteen seventy five, give me like the
Chicago that's easy.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
That's Cincinnati and the Red Sox.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Go go.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
I thought you were gonna be like a roster here,
like no, no, no, no, I'm talking about the participants.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Okay, all right, let's see nineteen seventy two.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
See again, too easy, A's and rare.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
She just said you're great at it, and they're all
gonna be easy for you.
Speaker 4 (29:04):
Yeah, but like say, like nineteen forty okay, nineteen forty three, Oh,
I curved you there.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Nineteen forty three. I forget nineteen forty.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I know Cincinnati was in there, but I mean it's
always safe to say Yankees though.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
If you're in that era. Yeah, i'd say that, right,
and Dodgers too, probably right.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Let me go to my wheelhouse though.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Forty nine Dodgers and Yankees, fifty Phillies and Yankees, fifty
one Giants and Yankees, fifty two Dodgers and Yankees, fifty
three Dodgers and Yankees, fifty four Indians and Giants, fifty
five Dodges and Yankees, fifty six Dodgers and Yankees, fifty
seven Braves and Yankees, fifty eight Braves and Yankees, fifty
nine White Sox and Dodgers, sixty pirates and Yankees, and
(29:48):
that's how you do that. But getting back to the
up to and I might have got one wrong in there,
but I don't think so. But getting back to the
Jones thing and how he felt about Oh, Belgium is tired.
I can't believe that get And that's the first goal
Spain's conceded, getting back to the Jones debate.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
How do he feel when he came out? You know
what makes it tough to really guess?
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Jones strikes me, albeit from a distance and with limited
you know, verbiage to judge by, He strikes me as
a selfish narcissist. But being a selfish narcissists can kind
of be served in both of those scenarios.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Wanting to stay in or being okay with coming out.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
Yeah, wanting to chase the perfection and be an all
time great as far as that statistic is concerned, or
serving yourself selfishly as far as your arm preservation is concerned,
because you still have a contract, I'm sure in his
head a couple of years down the road, arbitration, A
couple of years down the road where you want to
make your big payday.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Remember I said a moment ago that we actually got
a good question on Twitter, like how did Jones really feel?
Here's another here's where Twitter reverts back to being Twitter
the other end of the space. We should codex now
they should trade Keller. Who the frig would want Mitch Keller.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
That was an idea at the last year's trade deadline
when Keller was pitching.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Okay, he's damaged right.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Now, I'm bringing Trevor Ba right now to shut myself,
be well, just to pitch. I mean, you could get
him for the absolute MLB minimum.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
And he can't be much worse than Mitch Keller. I mean,
I honestly don't think that he can be. And he's
still pitching in Mexico, so his arm is at least
active right now.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
It'd be much better. I bet he could make a
mean taco. One oh five nine, It's.
Speaker 5 (31:22):
The Woody Show Weeked mornings at six, Training news headlines,
redneck news, and more.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
On one oh five nine. The X eighty four lumber
is built for everyone who
World Cup quarter final in progress right now Spain versus Belgium,
no score in the third minute. Two big games tomorrow
England and Norway, Argentina and Switzerland. But the Buccos are
at the forefront of discussion. Miniewaukee in time for three
games set before the All Star Game, and the Pirates
(00:22):
are only twelve games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central.
So if the Pirates can win every game this weekend
four times, they could be tied for first place with
the Brewers going into the All Star break. All they
gotta do win every game four times. I feel like
the Buccos are cooked despite being at five hundred and
(00:45):
only four and a half games out of a wild card.
They're gutless and mismanaged and have four key players out
and the bullpen sucks and skins isn't what they need
them to be. Furthermore, you can bait what move Sherrington
might make or should make, but the problem is they
(01:05):
won't make. This is the team with maybe a token
ad before the deadline, and if there's still four and
a half games out of a wild card or more
at the trade deadline, Brandon law is traded out of
here like Grain through a goose. I'm gonna skip ahead
(01:27):
to Sunday in a little bit because that Skemes versus
miss I'm gonna be there. I'm very important, and that
game gonna tell a tale on a lot of levels.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And we're still gonna.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Talk about Jones getting relieved after six perfect innings and
then they lost and lost again yesterday. And I don't
care if Jones's elbow falls off. I just want wins
and big moments. But the Pirates have become very adept
at depriving us all of vote. Let's talk now to
(02:03):
Tommy Baseball. Tom what's your take on these two call ops?
Santa not yet dfaid? How is the pitching staff gonna
get shook up?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
The two call ops?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Just feels like we're throwing crap against the wall and
hoping that it sticks. And sometimes that happens in a bullpen. Sometimes,
you know, someone just gets hot for a couple of months,
and that's all the Pirates would need right now.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
So that's how I think about the call ups.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
I think Santana should have been dfa'd maybe a couple
of trips through the bullpenago, but whatever, they're still holding
on hope that he bounced back when he ain't ever
bouncing back. I mean, as far as the shakeup is concerned,
I like what you said at the beginning of the show,
you gotta put Mjinsky in a bigger role, and I
think I would lean towards the rotation. Keller is just
(02:48):
not working right now. It seems like he might be
broken for good too.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So you gave Keller that big deal to pull him
from the rotation is quite a concession.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
And I also think that that's why you won't dfa
Marcelo Zuno, who should so clearly have been DFAD by now,
because you're making a concession on twelve million dollars that
you gave him in the offseason. So money's gonna dictate
a lot of this stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Well, in the case of Ozoon, I don't know who
replaces him. I don't think having him eat up a
roster spot is a big deal, especially with him being
seldom used. But with the pitchers, I mean, Mazinski could
be their closer, he could be in their rotation. He's
pitched well enough to earn either and they just don't
like him. That's the only conclusion I could come up with.
(03:30):
When the guy performs at a very good level, a
solid level like Leginsky has, and they still won't elevate
his role.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
They just don't like him. What else could be concluded?
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I don't know. I'm racking my brain to think of
what else it could be.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Because he's pitching a garbage time right now, and as
I said on yesterday's show, you could argue he's their
third best pitcher this year, with Ashcraft leading that charge.
Skeens is still right there at two. And then Mudjinski
when he was in the rotation was their third best pitcher.
And then when he does come out of the bullpen
for garbage time, he he pretty much mops up real good,
perfect inning type of mop up stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
You know. You know what's amazing where you've got to
give credit despite the injuries. Like look at yesterday they
lost ten to five, but they scored five runs and
hit three home runs.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Valdez and Mangum went deep to with the subs.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
So the depth is hanging in there despite the talent
not necessarily dictating.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
And I figured the injuries got to catch up with
the pirates.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Uh, and the pirates can't overcome For example, Keller's era,
his era's up over five for freak's sake.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
That's the thing.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Like they're surviving adequately, more than adequately. With the injuries
that the lineup has been dealt. There's really little to
complain about when it comes to the lineup. They play
Henry Davis too much, that's the one thing. Uh Ozuna,
that's the other thing. But other than that, like the
lineup delivers almost every night to a very consistent basis
for this team. It's all about the rotation being an
(04:53):
abject failure, to be honest with you, based on the
expectations that were laid up. Yes, especially Ski, the expectation
was the best rotation in baseball with kind of a
shaky bullpen. But maybe they'll find themselves and hopefully the
lineup's a bit better. And what we got was one
of the best lineups in baseball with a terrible rotation.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Tom we'll get back to baseball in a minute. We're
gonna break down Skeens versus miss in the next section
with the buck arounda But Connor McGregor's fighting this week,
and that kind of snuck up on me.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
That's his first fight in how many years. Twenty twenty
one was his last fight I was at that fight,
you know, Theoer fight.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, where he kicked Poorier and broke his own leg.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
But Poorier, it really is right taking him to task
here that was an MGM Grand Garden arena. I wanted
to go once to just be part of the spectacle,
and I wasn't disappointed. But what's it say when he's
arguably the most famous MMA fighter of all time and
his comeback kind of snuck up on.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Me that the MMA is kind of being plagued with
what a lot of other sports are being plagued with
right where it's hard to find that next guy. It's
hard to find that guy with charisma like that that
can kind of carry that torch be the face of
a league.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And the fight at the White House that took it
into a level of Carney. Yeah, that I think a
lot of people didn't appreciate. Although when I think of
a sport that that shall we say, all right, people
would like it's mm A.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Well and look in any who's their big name.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
That's the thing in any combat sport boxing back in
the day MMA, you need to have the charismatic, loud
mouth leader. You need to have the big personality which
it's what drives that sport, it's what puts it in
the mainstream, especially nowadays, and they don't have that other
than McGregor.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
That's raither still put him out there.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
You know what else might hurt McGregor.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Did you see the reimagining of Roadhouse with Jake Gillen
Hall and to Patrick Swayzey.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I didn't. But he was the heel, wasn't he?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
He was the heel? Now I've seen it twice.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I saw it on an airplane once and I thought, Okay,
this this ain't so good, and then I watched it again.
Jillen Hall's really good. In fact, the whole movie is
really good, and McGregor is just so crazy over the top.
He kills it miscast there. If they would have cast
a better heel, the movie would have been a lot better.
Probably in the first watch through for you, you.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Would think that he would work, but he just miserably
did not.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Did he even try? Or is he just McGregor? He
was just McGregor. And in terms of acting, I can
think of no bigger insult.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Up next, We're gonna break down Skemes versus miss That's
Sunday at P and C.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
One O five nine.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Our iHeart radio Music Festival Capital one.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
He's coming back to the last three years.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The super genius Mark Madden.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Like the psychotic version of the Pokey Pokey Mark.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
You are genius.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
I know the ex It's time for the Boca Ronda,
which is.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Really gonna be the Schemes versus mizun up that match
up on Sunday at P and C.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
I'm gonna be there. I could have got a press pass, but.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
That would have been hypocritical because I never get one.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So I'm sitting.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
In the VIP club because I'm very important and I
can boot it up. Can't do that in the press box,
although that never stopped Myron Cope. The series versus millywalk
A begins tonight at PNC sprot versus Ashcraft. It's a
big series for the Pirates. I'm content with Ashcraft getting
(08:18):
the start tonight, maybe get the Buckoes off on a
good foot. But Sunday, like we're talking about, that's the
Biggie Skeens versus the miz The phenom who was against
the Phenom?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Who is Skeens is seven and eight three point five
eight e RA that.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Ranks thirty first in MLB whip of one point oh
four ranks twelve one hundred and twenty three k's tied
for sixty seventh. The miss is ten and four ERA
of one point six to two whip of point seventy
six one hundred and sixty seven k's, and those figures
rank first first and first. Miss is overwhelming, Like Skeens
(08:59):
used to be. Skeens and Miz is like before and after.
Skeans needs to sack up and pitch better and beat
Miz and show who he is. Otherwise it's gonna be
who Skeen's was used to be. Past tense Skeens and Miz.
(09:21):
It's like before and after on a radar gun. Let's
talk to Tommy strike Tom. Do you think either of
these pitchers see Sunday as a big showdown? I bet
Mis does, and I bet Skeens should, but might not.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Maybe he doesn't, but I think he does too.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I think Skeens, during this bad patch has become expert
at deceiving himself. Maybe I'm reading too much into his comments,
But when I hear him say he's pitching okay, I
mean maybe that's what he feels he has to say.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Man, But I don't know. I think he really thinks it, but.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I do think he will recognize this as a big
time matchup, as a premier pitching matchup. And you're right
about Miz, like Mis is for sure going to recognize
the stage as the one who is on a collision
course with winning the cy on this because.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
He's at where Skeens was and Mis wants to stay there.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Well, and honestly, as far as velocity is concerned, Miss
is in a place that no one else has been in.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Like, even though Skeens has.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Lost a ticker to five point five, he never had
a fat.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Peaked at and what I'll look it up for later,
but didn't Miz throw like fifty pitches in one game
over one hundred.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Might be fifty seven? Like that seems to be the
number that pops into my head right now.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Sah, you could sponsor be hinds fifty seven.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Skeens never did that.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
And it is fair to say that Skeens has lost
velocity and that's a big problem, but he was never
at the Miz level when it comes to throwing one
oh five.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
We got a sound bite later from Joey Vada who
says that Skeens might have the best fastball ever, and
you know what, he just might. Now, why won't Skeens
Dillard back up the heat? Why won't he cracked the hundred?
What's the upside the less velocity? I keep getting told
that that's part of some point. I can't see what
good it does.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I think I'm just at the point now where he
can't do it. That's that's the true reason why he
won't hit it.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Like, like Ben said, if he could still do it,
he would have done it against an He would have
done it in big situations. He would do it this
Sunday against the Miz.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Wouldn't it just happened almost organically sometimes, Like he just
throw his fastball and it would hit one hundred miles
per hour because he can do that. So if you
want to say it's because he's locating more, because he's
nibbling more, f that he located just fine last year
when he was hitting one hundred miles per hour and
he won the cy Young If you want to say
he's conserving his arm, that's pretty conspiratorial. Maybe it is true,
but I just think he can't do it. That's what
(11:39):
I'm settling.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
If he's doing it to go water in games.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
He's not miserably because of that tactic of just following
him off all the time, which is easier to do
when he's throwing with less velocity.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
That doesn't happen to Miz.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
If he You're right, if he's doing it to be
ready for October. October in could have been nothing. It's
like the Jared Jones thing. They pulled him so he
can pitch meaningless innings in September. Uh. Now, here's here's
a good cliched sports talk radio question. Tom, Who's better
miss Rowski? Now were Skeen's last year?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (12:09):
I love that question.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
I mean right now, statistically speaking, Miserrowski's putting up a
better season than Skeens is is he is like one
point six two I believe that's what I last looked at.
And he's hitting those one hundred mile per hour marks
more than Skeens did. He's more jaw dropping than Skeens
was last year. We still have a couple of months
to go here from the finish it off, but it's
probably mis right now.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
You know, want to be a good theme music for Miz,
like when he comes out to pitch h John Cougar
mellencamp rain on the scarecrow because he looks kind of
like a scarecrow and that's a very fore boat that.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Looks like a scarecrow. Yes, I agree, I'd say miss now, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Because because as much heat as Skeens had last year,
mis has more now.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
And you know, that scarecrow kind of like build.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
I was listening to the sound like You're gonna play
later Evado, I was watching his whole appearance on the
MLB Network, and he brought up another good point, like
that lankiness that's almost like Randy Johnson esque from Miz
where he's just like Anya as far as his frame
is concerned, more than any pitcher is.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Got a big stride.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Yes, Now, why aren't people seeing skeens a struggle as
the disaster that it is for the pirates Because it's
killing the pirates. It is the primary reason Skeens of
struggle and the bullpen too. But Skeins of struggle is
going to be why the Pirates do not make the
(13:24):
playoffs if Skeens was having a typical Schemes year, typical
you know, based on the first two which is a
short sample. But I think the Pirates would make the playoffs.
Oh yeah, and people will blame the manager, they'll blame
the bullpen, they'll blame the GM, but they will not
blame Skeens.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Because he's their hero and they don't want to blame
the hero.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
That's right. Nobody hasn't been Sherrington Jersey.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
That's try it.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
No, the bullpen is just like this amalgamist blob of
people out there, right, Like it's just like five people
amalgamists blog was pretty good, right, it's really I surprised
myself a little bit there. I hesitated before I said it,
but I'm glad I nailed it. But it's just like
you said it. I'm like Amlchamus. They didn't get that right,
Gummy did. But like you just say, the bullpen just
(14:07):
lump them all in together. Don Kelly's an easy target too.
We love him because he's from here, Mount Lebanon, whatever,
but like he's a rookie manager and it's just the
cliche thing to bitch about the manager. So Skeenes is
the hero, that's why they want throw him under the bus.
But he's the main reason why the season's gone to crap.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I touched on this.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Before Tom, But what do you think, Well, Skeens ever
come all the way back his velocity the whole package
this year?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
For sure or not he's done this year. I'll give
him a little bit of hope that he can do
it again in his career.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
But okay, but what would he do to ramp it
back up?
Speaker 4 (14:37):
It would have to take maybe a season being canceled
like next year and just maybe rest in the arm
up and building your back up. But that begs the
question what happened? And then will it tail back down
again quickly? Like will he be able to do it
for a couple of months after he builds it up
and then is it over?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
People are asking what happened, but nobody can come up
with anything. And the reason that they think they say
they want to believe that he's doing it intentionally dialing
down the velocity because that gives hope to bounce back.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Yeah, and then they point to the mechanics stuff and
saying like, oh, maybe he's doing this or that differently
with the new pitching coach. Well, at this point, don't
you think he would have bailed on any of that
stuff that you're doing and gotten back to what won
you the cy Young I.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Would have never deviated from what worked last year.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
And that's what we thought schemes was gonna be. Like, remember,
like we used to have the take on this show.
You did a lot that the Pirates can't ruin schemes
because Skeins would just tell him to shove.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
He knows better than they.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Do, so it's weird to me that he would let
Bill Murphy come in and tweak stuff.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Which is why I don't think. I mean, they show
his arm angle changing. He has gained weight.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Oh, I didn't know, and it ain't necessarily all muscle.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
It can't be the mustache because he lost the mustache
after his rookie year and he was still good in
his second year.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
The thing is, it is a mystery, and I don't
feel it's being talked about like a mystery, like people
just want to say it's gonna be okay, and it's
not okay.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
It hasn't been okay pretty much all.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
Year, and it's especially not being talked about in the
context of it's the main reason why the Pirates are
five games back in the wild Card right now twelve
games back.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Here here are the two context of people avoid it's
killing the pirates and he might be done for goods
don't want to talk about it because the first is inarguable.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
The second is very possible.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
And very doom and gloom the second one.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
When I say done for good, I mean he might
still be an okay pitcher. Oh yes, he might be
the kind of guy this velocity, with his with his
pitch variety. He could be the kind of guy that
has like a three point two era and it gives
you a chance to win.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
And I bet you there's a year two where maybe
it goes to like one of two six or something
like that, and he has a really good season. But
that's what we've seen from a lot of other pitchers,
Like that's Chris Sale does that every year, you know
what I mean?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Like Skeins was supposed to be the even next.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Level from that and uh Miss his album might fall off,
But like I said, I'd rather he pitch like this
as long as he can, as opposed to mediocrity like Skeins.
Right now, what's gonna happen on Sunday, Tom what you
call uh pirates are going to really struggle on hitting
Miserowski and with skeins of struggles.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
He'll give up some home runs early in that game,
so the Bruise will jump out to an early lead
and they'll win.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
But they're not going to catch up to him. He's
gonna be since.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
He's not pitching the All Star Game, He's going to
be so juiced up for that to be his showcase
that he is going to blow the Pirates away. The
Pirates have a good lineup, but they're just not going
to be it'll do much.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
Well.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Here's my call, and I will be on the scene.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
I bet Milwaukee and the Miss win handily. I bet
Miss shackles the Pirates shuts him down, and I bet
Skens gets split up like a downtown Christmas tree and doesn't.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Last four innings.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
And part of my reasoning there is I think Milwaukee
will be up for schemes and because MS is pitching
and the Pirates I called the Pirates guntless before.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Tell me I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Tell me that when things go wrong, that the Pirates
find a way to reverse the.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Tide in the games. Like, yes, they do not do that,
but they do have a good tendency of resetting. Twenty
four hours later.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
They had like the one huge comeback win one or
two Dodger game. But they've blown more than they've come
down much.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
They've blown much more than that and have never been
able to get the wheels back on the bus in
time to stop blowing the game. Like they've had like
five run leads that they've blown. And it's like you
can blow a five run lead to make it a
two run lead, but then buckle down and get the win.
So you're right as far as a game is concerned,
like in the moment, they can't calm themselves down, but
I will say they do fight back to five hundred
every time.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
Well, what if they get swept this weekend at home,
which is on the table.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah, it's definitely on the table.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
You said Milwaukee might be up for miss Milwaukee's just
up for every game. Milwaukee's out for a pennant this
year and they could win it.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I just said that that Missus theme song should be
rained on the scarecrow. If the Pirates get swept, you
know what their theme song would be?
Speaker 5 (18:54):
One five nine It's the Woodie Show Weekly mornings and
six sweet get it on one five nine DX.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
This is Doug Gotland. Here's what's trending from the Iheartsports
Network presented by the Home Depot.
Speaker 6 (19:07):
So the top two seeds have made it through to
the men's final at Wimbledon as you onix centered if
you did, Novak Djokovic and Alexander s Verev knocked out
Arthur Ferry quarter final number two in the World Cup
being played out at Englewood, California, as Spain meets Belgium,
and the Red Sox have been deleted leaving Chicago today.
It's not clear if they can make it to New
York in time to play the Mets A seven Eastern tonight.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
I'm Frank Errett.
Speaker 7 (19:30):
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Speaker 5 (19:45):
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Speaker 4 (20:01):
The first ever X Games League championship is going down
and now the super genius Mark Madden.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
This one of a two chance draft, bring the duct
tape type of affairs.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
What they're gonna make us play a wild game. It's
not fair, it's not far, it's not fair. The ex
one nine.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Don't ever play Lady of Spain again. Spain leads Belgium
one to nil in the thirty fourth minute, and that's
probably El Churcho because Spain's real good. Belgium's pretty good,
very good. Spain's real good. I think they're the second
best team in the tournament after France, and it's almost
(20:40):
a shame they're gonna collide in the Semis. Then again,
if the top four, I'll get through to the Semis.
Argentina versus England, France versus Spain. That's two fantastic games,
but a lot of football to be played before that happens.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Come up.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I got a text from a friend of mine who
really knows baseball, and he theorized that the Pirates are
having Skeens pitched the contact just like they did Garrett Cole.
Why would Skeens do that, especially when it's not working
as well? And for that matter, why did Cole do it.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
That's what I don't understand about that, And it's a
decent reason to hypothesize about.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
But again, why wouldn't you.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Just go back to what was working once you realize
that we're at the All Star break and your season
is just nowhere close to the level it was that
in the first two years.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
If I were a top level pitcher, I would never
listen to the pitching coach, right, I would go with
what's worked, with what I figured out.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
It was a monument to that, even though he had
his off field problems, which were not his problems, but
he got blamed anyway.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Was Trevor Bauer. Trevor Bauer said.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
That pitching coaches did nothing but screw him up, and
he only got to the level he knew he could
when he just did what he thought he should do.
Speaker 4 (21:57):
He just went out there and he pitched. I agree
with you, like, there's a there's a line I think
that when you get to be that nailed on ace,
that there's nothing that some pitching coach can do for you. Now,
you don't have to be a jerk to the guy, right,
Like if he helps manage your rehab or building your
arm back up or scheduling your bullpen sessions. That that's
part of his job and that's fine, but like anything
having to do with actually executing the pitches, he should
(22:19):
have no say.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
I can't believe Trevor Bauer is still in Mexico with
all the rotten pitchers.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
I can't believe the Pirates didn't get him when I
said they should take a flyer on him. And it
is surprising that he's been blackballed from the league.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
And that's what's happened. He's been blacked.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
They have told.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Teams to not even try because Mark, come on, you
know that people would have knocked on that door.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
If no, I don't.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I don't think MLB told anybody that stally, that's where
the lawsuits start.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I think it was organic.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Man.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
I would be so tempted as an owner to just
see what's under that rock. Again, young Tom, let's stick
with Bacco talk and play the blame game.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
I like the blame. It's what I do.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
What are your top three elements of bucko blame? Why
are the Pirates so disappointing? I'd say even more disappointing
than their record. They're at five hundred, but it's been
quite an ugly path to get even there. Now, when
I say elements, it could be a player, non playing personnel,
or a part of the team, because we're gonna talk
(23:19):
bullpen for sure.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Now, in terms of the top three elements to blame,
I'm not sure it's as clear cut as a lot
of people might think. But you go first, Tom one, two, three.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Number one is Paul Skins, and then maybe you just
lump the entire rotation into him as well, But it's
Paul Skeens. He's the number one reason why they're failing.
Then you probably go the bullpen. So it's just all
pitching is like my nailed on one and two. I
bet you a lot of people would say defense because
that's how it looked at the beginning of the season.
But I've gotta be honest with you, lately, I don't
think so. And their offense is so actually made some
plays lately on Yeah, their offense is so good anyway
(23:50):
that it overcomes most of that crap anyway, It just
can't overcome a terrible pitching staff. I think I'm gonna
throw Don Kelly in at number three. He's managed by analytics.
Don't get me wrong, but he he's still just I
don't think he has the right touch. And you know what,
he's a rookie and this is a very inexperienced team
as far as winning is concerned. It's tough to ask
a rookie manager to hit all the right notes in
his first year when the team desperately needs that.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Now, you pretty much echoed what I'm gonna say. Number
one is Skeens. If he's better, it somewhat diffuses the
bullpen problem. He's by fan, maybe only a little. But
the Pirates are seven and twelve when Skien starts. If
they're even ten and nine, they're just a little bit
out of a wild card. If they're twelve and seven,
(24:34):
which is a very reasonable in fact, maybe even below
expectations for what we would have thought before the year started.
Twelve and seven, and they're in a wildcard. And it's
not all Skeen's fault, but it's not all not his fault.
The velocity decline and all the junk and the pitch
cons gets too high too quick.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I think most of that is on Skeens.
Speaker 5 (24:57):
Now.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Number two is the bullpen. You don't got to go
into d till all that's pretty obvious. And number three,
I think it's up for grabs. Yeah, you could go
Donnie Kelly and managing by Rote and you make a
real good point that he's still basically a rookie manager
first full year. You could go with all the injuries
and especially to Connor Griffin. You could go with too
(25:18):
much Henry Davis, O'Neil Cruz wasn't good enough before he
got hurt. You could go with Brian Reynolds sucking in April,
because those losses don't go away. So, you know, it's
funny when people say be patient, like you know, schemes
will come around, and Reynolds will come around, and he
did come around. But the Pirates, it's a cliche to
(25:39):
say for any team in any sport, mostly a cliche
to say that every game counts. For the Pirates, every
game really does count. No, they can't afford to lose
games they shouldn't, and they can't afford to have guys
that get a big payday like Reynolds struggle like he
did in April. Guys they count on like Cruise and
schemes did not be better than they.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Are June and July.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Reynolds in the months of April and May could have
been worth two to three more wins. I mean, that's
not dramatic to say because June and July Reynolds. I
know he's not an All Star, but he's one of
the top hitters in the National League. And the reason
why he's not an All Star is because he started
so slow and just fell off of everybody's radar at
the beginning of the season. I don't know if i'd
put him at number three though, because he did turn
around and is one of their best players now.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
I think Davis is the right one.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
You kind of nailed that when you were going through
your list, like them, they just can't play one twenty
five or I guess it's one fifty now. But still, well,
they're gonna they have no choice. Uh No, they could
play Flores. Skeens wants him. Well, Florest did play last night,
I think, and they're gonna have to play him eventually.
But they could just start him. They could give him
a chance see if he can hit it all Tom.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Somebody on Twitter actually asked a good question, if you
could believe and this dates back to Jones getting pulled
after six perfect innings. Somebody asks how did Jones really
feel about getting pulled?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
And I wonder, I do wonder what do you think?
Speaker 4 (26:58):
I wonder if today's athlete, especially the starting pitcher, has
just come up in this world, you know what I mean,
like has developed in this world where it's all about
pitch count and managing the arm, that he's not that
ticked off just because he understands. And that's really sad,
because he should be livid that he didn't get a
chance to chase history like that. I mean, it is
such a fleeting thing. Some of the greatest pitchers of
(27:18):
all time haven't had perfection and for him to just
be most, for him to just be nine outs away times, yeah,
nine outs away from it is real.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
That's when MLB next is the kind of guy.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Who's not gonna have the kind of career where he'll
do anything that would be remembered more than had he
pitched a perfect.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
Game, like Dallas Braden. You know why we know that
name because he pitched a perfect game. That's the only
reason why I can.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Go one better.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Don Larson, Nobody ever would have heard of Don Larson
had he not pitched a perfect game in the fifty
six world. He did in the World Series. It's so Leger.
I know who the last batter was. It was Dale
Mitchell called strike.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Who's that No one knows, but you know because it
was the perfect game in the World Series.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Like it is. We talked about the romance being robbed
of baseball.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
That's at the top of the list of what is
romantic that has been robbed is the pursuit of perfection.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well, speaking to which, I remember a lot of this
stuff because when I was a kid, I collected every
baseball card you could get, and back then the only
MLB player cards were tops. It had brand stout and
all the different like upper deck and so forth.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
But there was.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
One that was a World Series collection and it had
on the back it had details on every World Series
and the front had a cartoon based on whatever the
big moment was in that World Series. And because of
that set of cards, Tom I really believe still that
if I put my mind to it, I could name
every team that participated the matchup in every World Series
(28:40):
from the first World Series through probably the mid seventies.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Go ahead, fire a random mirrort.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
Me all right, nineteen seventy five, give me like the
Chicago that's easy.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
That's Cincinnati and the Red Sox.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Go go.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
I thought you were gonna be like a roster here,
like no, no, no, no, I'm talking about the participants.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Okay, all right, let's see nineteen seventy two.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
See again, too easy, A's and rare.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
She just said you're great at it, and they're all
gonna be easy for you.
Speaker 4 (29:04):
Yeah, but like say, like nineteen forty okay, nineteen forty three, Oh,
I curved you there.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Nineteen forty three. I forget nineteen forty.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
I know Cincinnati was in there, but I mean it's
always safe to say Yankees though.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
If you're in that era. Yeah, i'd say that, right,
and Dodgers too, probably right.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Let me go to my wheelhouse though.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Forty nine Dodgers and Yankees, fifty Phillies and Yankees, fifty
one Giants and Yankees, fifty two Dodgers and Yankees, fifty
three Dodgers and Yankees, fifty four Indians and Giants, fifty
five Dodges and Yankees, fifty six Dodgers and Yankees, fifty
seven Braves and Yankees, fifty eight Braves and Yankees, fifty
nine White Sox and Dodgers, sixty pirates and Yankees, and
(29:48):
that's how you do that. But getting back to the
up to and I might have got one wrong in there,
but I don't think so. But getting back to the
Jones thing and how he felt about Oh, Belgium is tired.
I can't believe that get And that's the first goal
Spain's conceded, getting back to the Jones debate.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
How do he feel when he came out? You know
what makes it tough to really guess?
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Jones strikes me, albeit from a distance and with limited
you know, verbiage to judge by, He strikes me as
a selfish narcissist. But being a selfish narcissists can kind
of be served in both of those scenarios.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Wanting to stay in or being okay with coming out.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
Yeah, wanting to chase the perfection and be an all
time great as far as that statistic is concerned, or
serving yourself selfishly as far as your arm preservation is concerned,
because you still have a contract, I'm sure in his
head a couple of years down the road, arbitration, A
couple of years down the road where you want to
make your big payday.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Remember I said a moment ago that we actually got
a good question on Twitter, like how did Jones really feel?
Here's another here's where Twitter reverts back to being Twitter
the other end of the space. We should codex now
they should trade Keller. Who the frig would want Mitch Keller.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
That was an idea at the last year's trade deadline
when Keller was pitching.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Okay, he's damaged right.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Now, I'm bringing Trevor Ba right now to shut myself,
be well, just to pitch. I mean, you could get
him for the absolute MLB minimum.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
And he can't be much worse than Mitch Keller. I mean,
I honestly don't think that he can be. And he's
still pitching in Mexico, so his arm is at least
active right now.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
It'd be much better. I bet he could make a
mean taco. One oh five nine, It's.
Speaker 5 (31:22):
The Woody Show Weeked mornings at six, Training news headlines,
redneck news, and more.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
On one oh five nine. The X eighty four lumber
is built for everyone who
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