July 17, 2026 • 47 mins
Noah Hiles of the Post-Gazette and Kevin Gorman of the Trib join, Ask Mark Anything
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
This segment brought to us by eighty four Lamber Dynasty,
partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Time to talk about go
baseball with Noah Files the calmness the Post Gazette. No
Before we talk about the usual stuff like trades and
bullpen et cetera. You and I both wrote about the MLBCBA.
Is there any way that a lockott's going to be avoided?
(00:37):
I mean, like any hope in hell?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I mean, I think the only way that there's not
is if the owners fold and they just say, all right,
we don't want a salary cap, like I think if
the if there's maybe if the owners aren't as aligned
as they claim to be and half of them actually
don't want to cap, then maybe we get opening day
when it's originally scared. But if there's a line as
(01:02):
they claim to be, I just don't see how we
don't lose at least a fraction of next season.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Does nothing really want a cap? The proposal MLB made
has the floor at one hundred and seventy one mil.
Nothing would have to add what's that sixty seven million
in payroll? He does he really want to do that?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I mean, I don't know, and I mean, it's tough
to speculate because we don't know how much these guys
they're actually making from their teams, right, Like, if he's
actually making money hand over fifth and as cheap as
some people think he is, then another sixty million or
whatever it is might not be that bad, especially under
(01:41):
a cap system where he's probably taking in more of
a revenue share. So it's hard to speculate if he'd
be okay with that, if that's a better alternative than
what he's going through now, because we don't have all
the information.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Okay, let's talk. The buck goes as they come out
of the All Star Break, they swept Milwaukee. Now they
play twelve games against four good teams, namely Cleveland, the
New York Yankees, the Cubs in Arizona. We're ninety seven
games in. How important is this twelve game stretch, especially
since they're playing good teams, two of which they're in
(02:17):
direct competition with for a wild card berth, that's.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
The most important stretch they've had in a long time,
probably since that stretch in twenty twenty four where they
you know, peed down their leg for lack of a
better term, I mean, they gotta go five hundred, yere.
I don't think you necessarily need to win all of
these games. It certainly helps, and if you're gonna win
any of them, you gotta win the ones against the
(02:42):
National League teams for sure. But if you look, if
you can stay above five hundred at the end of July,
their schedule is a lot easier in August and September,
and they're gonna get healthier and then they're probably going
to add to this roster, so they should be a
better team playing an easier come petition in the final
two months of the season. They just got to stay
(03:04):
alive for it, Mark and I when I say alive,
it's not just five hundred, it's above five hundred, because
if you look at the pack, some teams are starting
to separate themselves. These teams are starting to fade. Only
a couple teams are treading water, like the Pirate Trader.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Do you expect the big deal and who's the most
likely guy to trade for among the names that are
being bandied about.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I don't it's got a huge deal because I personally,
I don't think you need to. They don't need this
bullpen to be the twenty thirteen Shark Tank. They need
this bullpen to be average. Average bullpens can hold onto
a five run lead, that's all you need. And if
you add two. I've said this before, you go find
a right handed version of Caleb Ferguson, a guy who
(03:48):
was perfectly fine for them last year. Heck, if you
can just get the bullpen to what it was last year,
this team is gonna win ninety games because of how
well they score and if the pitching, if the starting
ropeation can get to what it was last year, they're
gonna be in business. And I think the rotation will
be better in the second half. I like how some
of the guys are trending pretty much, everyone affecting Keller.
(04:11):
But if the bullpen, if you just go out and
you just get two eighth inning guys from another team
and you can get them an established role, this bullpen
can be like the fifteenth best bullpen in Major League
Baseball and that's good enough for them to probably pass
the Marlins or the Cardinals.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Well, you say established role, and I'll get to that
in the moment, But in terms of a guy I'm
looking at, I think they could get Luke Weaver. They're
not gonna get Miller. They're not gonna get Chapman. But
the guy on the Mets Luke Weaver, and he's having
an outlier of a season, but make the most of it.
I think he could be had. I don't know. If
somebody said Florentino, would you trade Florentino for Weaver? Is
(04:48):
that a possibility?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yea.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I would not trade Florentino for Weaver. I would need
to treat it. If I'm trading Florentino, I'm trading him
for an everyday player. I've traded him for a starter.
If you could go get a starter who multiple years
of control, who's borderline Ulster caliber, basically a player that
Mitch Keller needs to be, I would go. I would
consider that. But I'm not trading Florentino for any reliever
(05:11):
not named Bason Miller, which I don't think they'll do.
A big name that I actually like is Garrett Whitlock
on the Red Sox. People have put a lot of
focus on Chapman. I think Whitlock is just good, if
not better. He's a right hander and he has he
is remaining control. But they're all club options. So if
the Pirates don't want to pay him nine and a
(05:33):
half million million next year. They don't have to I
and I think they would be open to doing that
because that's a pretty good price for what he's been
over the last three years. It's just interesting because there
aren't a lot of sellers marks.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
The Red Sox now have.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, yes, that's the thing. Like we're we're looking I
mentioned Whitlock, you brought up Chapman, like the Red Sox
are only a couple games out now. The American League
is so bad everyone still in it. So really you're
picking from the Rockies the Mets, like, that's what you're
looking at, and Sendetello would probably be the guy that
I would target. That would be my top pick, the
(06:12):
top reliever for the caller out of Rockies.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
We're talking to Noah. How's the Post Gazette here on
the X no I did a rant a bit a
go did I think they're babying the starters in terms
of pitch count and as a result, wearing out their bullpen.
You also mentioned about defined roles. I'm not sure anybody
in that bullpen, with the exception of maybe Soto, has
a very well defined role. I think they haven't let
(06:37):
that bullpen be often enough, putting a position to succeed.
Am I right?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I agree. Yeah, it's time for this rotation to stattle up.
I just published a column this afternoon. The rotation is
going to take them as far as they can go.
If the rotation can be as good as it was
last year in the second half, if Paul Skemes can
be twenty twenty five Paul Schemes, They're gonna be a
playoff team. It's just can they get there? And you look,
(07:05):
I mean, we talk about how good this offense has
been and all the additions they made. At the end
of the day, this is still a team that's built
to win through its starting rotation. Every single member of
the starting five rotation, as it was at one time,
a top one hundred prospect. Three of their five starting
pitchers have been an All Star, two of them were
All Stars this year. And four of their five guys,
(07:28):
I'll keep Keller out of it, four of their five
guys when they are on their A game, have ACE
quality stuff and they just need those guys to be
on their A game for these last two and a
half months. And if that can happen, which is how
this equation was formulated on opening day. They were gonna
be a playoff team. They just got it. They got
to hold up their end of the bargain. The hitters
(07:49):
have exceeded expectations. The bullpen has obviously failed to meet.
The rotation is the outlier here. If the rotation can
just be as good as everyone knows it's capable being
to be a playoff.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Team, well, nobody wants to put pressure on Skemes, but
I think it's unavoidable. I think he has thirteen more
starts left. I think the Powers need to win ten
of those to make the playoffs. To me, it's non negotiable.
And I know that he's not to blame for them
having lost so many games he started. I think they're
eight and twelve in games he started. But it's not
all not his fault either, And no, he just got
(08:22):
to throw harder. And I know I keep repeating that,
but he's got to.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
No, they got to win. And you know what you
mentioned the wins, how some of those losses were in
his fault, Well, guess what, they scored twenty six runs
in his last two starts, so he probably should have
won those. So they've also bailed him out a little
bit too, and like I'll give him credit, like he
pitched better than this past week. Like that's the best
I've seen him in back to back starts in probably
a month. But Paul Kings has to be their best
(08:48):
player for the rest.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Of the season.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
That's that's what it. Like I said, all this stuff
about the starting rotation, it really comes down to him.
Like you said, Mark, I think that ten win Mark
is a perfect barter or milestone or whatever you want
to call it. They've gotta they've got to win when
he pitches, and if you can get one guaranteed win
a week when he's on the mound, the rest of
(09:10):
the equation becomes a little bit easier. When you're finding, all, right,
how you're gonna win a series in Cleveland or in
New York or wherever else. When you have seens on
the mountain, you know you're gonna win that game. That's
how That's how you work your way into a playoff race.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Would they consider making a baseball trade, trading somebody from
the roster. Tim Benz said earlier that they get kind
of antsy trying to do that, and I tend to agree.
But would they consider.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I don't think this is the time for that, just
because I mean, who you move in Cruise, they have
a winning record with Cruse.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
When he tells you maybe Horwitz.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Isn't that the thing, Well, Horowitz, it's like Horwitz has
more control and more years of control than pretty much
anyone on the team aside from Valdez.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
No, No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
So so it's like I would rather trade O'Hearn in
that sense, because it's like, who knows if they're gonna
have baseball next year, and so like it might be
like ohearn might be a rental like low in that sense.
So I just don't see a way. I think that's
a good problem to have if you're if you're struggling
to find if that's Formingam and Valdez coming down the stretch,
(10:22):
that's good. That means you have eleven good hitters on
the team, and that's that's that's what a playoff team has.
I think you trade prospects this year. I think the
only guy's completely off limits is sut Hernandez. I would
flirt with the idea of trading Florentino, but it has
to be an all star caliber player that you're getting
in return. Everyone else should be open for business. Maybe
(10:43):
not Valdez and then this offseason though, I wouldn't be
opposed if they traded Cruise in the winter, or Reynolds
or Keller or somebody else. But right now, the position
player group is the best at spending over a decade.
I'm not I don't think it's in their best interest
to kind of mess now.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
You bring up a good point, and the best time
to trade a name player in a big talent like
a Cruise if you wanted to, is in the offseason.
That's when the best deal is there to be made.
I want to revisit the bullpen real quick before we
wrap up. Noah, of the guys who are there right now,
give me three names you think they can count on
down the stretch, and three that they just can't in
(11:22):
the bullpen.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
So Soto, Majinsky, oh Man, the third maybe Mattson sick
if he ever gets healthy again. I mean, even those
guys kind of nah, guys you can't count on. I
mean you could maybe say you count on Johann Ramirez
(11:45):
to be Johann Ramirez. He's been the most consistent. It's
just he's always.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Been a roller.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
What about Montgomery, who who I think stats betray his stuff.
I think he has better stuff than he's produced, if
that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I think you can count on Mason Montgomery pitch and
load to medium leverage situations. I don't want to see
Mason Montgomery and high leverage, and he gets thrown into
high leverage by default too frequently ability of his teammates.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I loved him a couple of times he was the opener.
I thought that was ideal for him. Agree, And I
know the rotation now doesn't lend itself to that, but
that's just what he was cut out for. Santana done
they are. They just pretty much finished with him without
the benefit of DFA.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Yeah, I think so. I think the next time they
add a reliever to the roster, he's probably the guy
that gets the acts. Yeah. I mean they've given him
every opportunity. It's sad because I really really enjoyed interacting
with him and covering him, and I thought he was
a good success.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And I don't know what happened. I don't know what
happened is from two to six.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, it was just like a snap of the finger.
So it's unfortunate, but that's that's the reality of a
relief pitcher. I mean, and that's why you know when
everyone's talking about oh, they want him to go get
these guys like Luke Leave who's making this big money.
It's like, you don't want to get stuck with a
contract for a re leader making ten million who has
(13:07):
a six ERA, And a lot of teams have those guys,
so those contracts do not age well, You're better off
probably getting the no name guys that no one knows about,
because it's those are easier to pawn off when it
doesn't work out.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
No. Finally, and this is not related to the pirates,
but I know as a columnist I wrote about this.
I was amused by Odell Beckham Junior saying that he
can't make forty million after taxes last forever. Yeah, I'm
pretty sure I could. How about you?
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah? I think so. I mean, I'll call up my
financial advisor Austin and we'll crunch the numbers. But I
think I'll be okay. I mean, hey, if the PG
wants to give me forty million and we can figure
it out, I'm down for it. If my bosses are listening,
let's let's let's do an experiment.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I rather doubt the total payroll is anywhere near that.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
We'll see, we'll see new ownership.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Mark, who knows no, Thanks again, great work in the PG.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
We'll talk soon absolutely, Mark, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That's the great Noahiles. This segment brought to you by
eighty four Lumber. Up next, the Jason Robertson talk just
won't go away. I'm gonna tell you one guy, I
would hate to see the Penguins give up and return
if that deal ever does come to pass. And also
we got John Gruden talking about Will Howard one oh
five nine. It's Madden on the X. Let's talk Penguins
(14:30):
just for a moment, because the Jason Robertson the Pittsburgh
talk will not go away. And I'd love to see
the Penguins get Jason Robertson, a twenty six year old
star winger who scores a lot of goals. What's not
to like? I just don't see why he'd want to
come to Pittsburgh, an old team, but I'd love to
(14:52):
get him. But here's my disclaimer. I'd hate to trade
Ben Kindall to Dallas as part of a deal to
get Jason Robertson. Oh, I do it, but I'd hate
to do it. The trade of nineteen year old top
six center goes against the grain of what the Penguins
(15:12):
should be trying to do. But the problem is the
Penguins haven't really chosen a path. You can't really rebuild
because of all the old guys. I have done the
old switcheroo, and now I believe that Will Howard should
be the Steelers' number two quarterback, not Mason Rudolph. Here's
(15:33):
John Gruden beating the drum for Will Howard. The guy
has the it factor.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
He's gotten a very good charisma, he's smart, he's a
great communicator, he's got some talent, and I'm just hoping
he gets a shot at some point.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
With the Steelers.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
But Will Howard, you know, he did it at Kansas State,
he won the national championship at Ohio State. He's got
that winning aura that I think. I think a lot
of people cove it, and I'm just hoping one of
these days he gets the call and gets a.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Chance to showcase it. Okay, so I am a Will
Howard convert. But all of what Gruden said is crap.
It's just pomlinesque word salad ay. Jean Gruden is a
horseman or a salesman. B the it factor won't complete
(16:28):
a pass, nor will charisma. Will Howard is a quarterback,
not a runway model. See winning or it doesn't matter.
Winning does. And yeah, Howard won a national championship in
Ohio State, but that team was full proof. That said,
(16:50):
Howard will get his shot like Gruden Clamor's for and
I believe Howard can earn it. But Jean Gruden is
like always with crap. Here's Harry Douglas in ESPN talking
about my pick to win the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
They have massive upgrades along their defensive line, and what
we've known throughout history of the National Football League, when
you have a really good defensive line, they make up
for the deficiency in your secondary.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
That's what they're banking on.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
They have a ton of draft picks that they thought
they were going to hit on. Those guys had not
pan out, they have not developed as players, but they
brought in some guys along on that defensive line. Dex
to Lawrence, he's a pretty good damn player. Buye Mafe,
who won a Super Bowl last year with the Seattle Seahawks,
so they.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Are going to be better.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
It's all about, in my opinion, can Joe Burrow stay
healthy for seventeen.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
To everything? Douglas said, I add a hearty yep. I
got Cincinnati number one in the AFC North, the Steelers
a close second, Baltimore a disappointing third, and f Cleveland.
Douglas is right about that. At Cincinnati d line. They
lost Hendrickson on the edge bit he was a luxury dexter.
(18:07):
Lawrence is an anchor. If Burrow is healthy, with those wideouts,
the Bengals win twelve for thirteen games. Burrow is the
best quarterback in football if he's healthy. Big if. If
Burrow misses even four to five games, though, the Steelers
can win the division. Big if, and that depends on
(18:31):
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a gambling problem, call one eight hundred Gambler up. Next,
go to talk Bucco Baseball with Kevin Gorman to the trip.
I'm Mark Madden on one oh five nine Double m
on the X. We've had a lot of great bucket
(20:00):
talk today, a lot of very reasonable discussion about the
pirates joining me now to continue that trend. He covers
the team for the trip. He is Kevin Gorman H. Kevin.
I've been talking about the bullpen, how it's not been
put in a position to succeed necessarily, that the starters
have been babied by pitch count perhaps at the expense
(20:20):
of the bullpen. Am I onto something or am I
full of crap?
Speaker 3 (20:24):
No? I think here on the nose, Mark, I feel
like the pirates have had to do with I mean,
this is a necessity to kind of, you know, monitor
the pitch, you know, the pitch counts and the innings.
But they've done so, you know, to some degree, the
expensive winning at times. But what they've really done was
they've put a lot of pressure on the bullpen because
(20:44):
these guys are having to cover more innings than expected.
You know, we're not getting to you know, the starters
getting through six innings and the bullpen having to cover
seventy nine. They're often having to come in the fourth
and fifth inning.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Right right, if it was just seven eight nine, I
think this bullpen would be a lot better. I think
when they have to pitch as much as they have
and exposes their lack of depth, and they're also leaning
on the bullpen rather than the starters. When the starters
are the more talented group.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Yeah, and you know, I don't know the exact number,
but I can tell you the quality starts is down
from where it was in the first half last year,
especially schemes. You know, that's the guy hasn't had nearly
as many. You know, last year, him and Mitch Keller
had combined for more than twenty through the first half
of the season. And the starting you know, the starting
rotation was really strong at the beginning of last year
(21:34):
and this year not as much. I think when you
look at the bullpen, you know, we've seen a lot
of these guys have games where they've faltered. And Dannis Santana,
who was fantastic the first two years with the Pirates,
has really struggled. And maybe it's because he's not in
the right role, but you know, it seems like everybody's
had a little bit of struggles, you know, Santana and
(21:56):
and Justin Lawrence and Isaac Madison were fantastic in spring
and not very good at the start of the season.
Mattson has come around. Lawrence now pitches for the Nationals,
I believe, but so but I think a lot of
it started mark with the Pirates not having the right
guys in the bulk relief role. If you recall Jose
or Keaty and Hunter Barco or your bulk relievers. Yeah,
(22:16):
they're both guys. They're both guys that were starters. They're
both guys that have had Tommy John surgery. Neither of them
have a ton of experience out of the bullpen er
Kidy as some, but that Barco had none, and that
just kind of blew up in their face. And I
think that put even more pressure on them, you know,
to have to reach in and bring up a wilbur
to Hotel who did well but now he's been on
the IL, and to bring up Anchwine Kelly before he's ready.
(22:39):
And so I think that's been a big issue for
the Pirates and if they can, you know, kind of
get this all straightened out. But what I think is
going to happen at some point when you look at
Brax and Ashcraft and all Star, who's been their best
pitcher of the first half. He's got, i believe, at
one hundred and thirteen innings already and he pitched one
hundred and eighteen total last year, and so it's point
(23:00):
they're going to probably have to move him to the
bullpen and Karma Maginsky back into the rotation.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
They would the bullpen.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Well, I mean they're gonna have to do something to
limit his innings.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
No, No, you can't. You're trying, you're trying to make
the playoffs. If they move him to the bullpen the
limit his innings, then they just aren't a franchise I'm
interested in.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Well, I mean, at some point, you can only go
so many innings above the threshold of the previous season,
and so you know, Ashcraft is not going to be
able to give them a two hundred innings. He's not
going to go from one eighteen to two hundred. He's
going to probably go somewhere in the one fifty to
one sixty.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
There's going to be a backlash when that happens, Kevin.
Maybe they don't care, but there's going to be a backlash.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Sure, sure, but if if you do it the right way,
if you do it that's why they're keeping Karmen Magensky
stretched out somebody. At some point he's going to be
moving back into rotation and somebody else is going to
have to do some bullpen time where they do the
Magenski rule, where they're going to pitch one game where
they go thirty fives or so pitches, the next game
they're they're at fifty plus and they're going to remain
stretched out to move back into the starting rotation. But
(23:58):
they're going to have to preserve their arms if they
want to have them ready for late September and even October,
if they're going to make a playoff push. It's going
to be very delicate how they handle this rotation outside
of Schemes and Keller, and even right now, they shuffle
the rotation to give Keller an extra long break to
try to get him right because he's been their worst
pitcher of the last month.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You kind of caught me by surprise there. I will
be outraged the Asskraft goes to the bullpend to protect
his arm in the middle of a playoff race. That
would be to me just insane. And I think a
lot of the problems with his pitching rotation come from
them being babied. I think they need to get the
most they can out of them while they're still here,
especially in the case of Schemes and in that vein.
(24:43):
I think he's going to get about thirteen more starts
the rest of the year. Gorm I think if they
go if he goes ten and three, not he goes
ten and three, but the Pirates win ten of the
thirteen games he starts, they make the playoffs. That doesn't
just require him to do better, but he needs to
do better.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
And that's what you should expect of Paul skiings Mark.
I've said this all along. He should not be a
five hundred pitcher in terms of his record or the
Pirates record. When he starts. He should be a guy
that they should win, you know, three out of four
at the minute. He should be one of the most
dominant pitchers in baseball. He should perform like it, and
they should perform like that when he's on the mound.
And I don't think that's an unrealistic expectation at all.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Who's the most realistic target to get for the bullpen
because it's not going to be Mason Miller, and I
don't think it's going to be Chapman either. I keep
coming back to Luke Weaver, the writy for the Mets.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Yeah, I've seen Weaver mention, but I've also just saw
somebody say that Luke Weaver would require a top one
hundred prospect and two other guys, two other pitchers who
would be ready to make an impact within a year
or so. Now you know, the Pirates have guys that
fit the ladder mold. But I don't think you're going
to give up say a Wilbert Hotel or an Anchewin
Kelly or Thomas Harrington. You know a guy who or
(25:57):
Hunter Barco. Barco and Harrington were both top one hundred
prospects year ago. I don't think you're going to give
up pictures, two pictures that could be potential starters, and
an Edward Florentino. And I think Seth Hernandez is completely
off the table, at least he should be. And if
there's one guy the Pirates should say in their system
that's untouchable, it should be Hernandez because he could be
the eventual replacement for Schemes in the rotation in a
(26:19):
couple of years. I mean, if if you're going to
lose Schemes, which they're probably going to do, they need
to have a guy like Seth Hernandez at the ready
when it's time for Schemes to move on. So I
don't see them doing that. I don't know that they're
going to break the bank in terms of taking on salary,
and I don't know that they're going to give up
a haul for a prospect. I just see Ben Sherrington
being a little more conservative than that. But I also
(26:41):
think he's a guy that you know. There's times and
this goes back to Neil Huntington, there's times when you
win the trade deadline storyline and you acquire a Keone Kella,
or you acquire a lefty when you need a lufty
reliever and you go out and get Jalen Beaks, who
might have been the best available in that regard and
not good fits. They don't fit in the clubhouse, they
(27:02):
don't fit in the bullpen, and it's like you got
the big name, but you didn't get the right guy.
I get more important to get the right guy.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And one that people would remember more is Chris Archer
because that trade didn't work out. It took great players
like Austin Meadows and Tyler Glass Now away from the pirates.
That said gorm And, I get what you're saying, and
nor would I put Seth Hernandez out there either unless
I could get Mason Miller.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
But yeah, yeah, but make similiar years of control so
that one makes sense.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Yeah, and but they're not going to get him anyway.
Somebody else bid them for him. If the pirates were
even interested, and I tend to agree with you that
they will be conservative. But if you're not going to
trade like a Florentino and go for it at some point,
are you ever going to go for it? And are
you ever going to get there?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Well, here's the thing that makes Edward Florentino a little
bit more expendable than he was a month ago, and
that's the emergence of as Merlin Valdez. Yes, this guy
looks like the real deal now. You know when he
came up. The first time he came up, he only
played a handful of games, but he hit two home
runs and everybody got excited. So, wow, this guy's got
some legit right handed power. They can hit the ball
(28:08):
out to the deepest part of left field at PMC Park,
which not a lot of guys can do. Not a
lot of guys go four to fifteen to left center
to that north side notch. This guy can do that.
But he also struck out I think nine of his
first eighteen at bets. He has figured some things out.
As impressive as he was last Saturday in that doubleheader
sweep of the Brewers, and I think he had four
(28:30):
go ahead hits, two of them were two of them
were home runs, one of them was a Grand Slam.
He had the best day at the plate in baseball.
And he had a day. You know, when you look
at those go ahead hits, the go ahead home runs,
the Grand Slam, it was something that I don't think
anybody in the history of baseball has ever had a
day like that at the plate. Almost as impressive was
the next day with the bases loaded and that ten
(28:52):
run inning against the Brewers, he drew a basis loaded wall.
I thought the same thing. That was to me a
sign of growth. We know that he can swing the
bat and hit the ball out of the park. For
a guy who had just had a Grand Slam to
come up with the bases loaded and take and draw
a walk and score a run that way was to
me like, Hey, here's a guy who is really giving
(29:14):
you professional bats. He's not out there chasing, He's doing
what's what it takes to win. But his numbers mark
you know, I'll get a story on him today for
our Bucks Beat page, and his numbers are impressive. Since
June eleventh, when O'Neil Cruz went on the injured list,
batting three forty six with eleven fifty nine ohps, eight homers,
(29:35):
twenty two RBIs. If you take it just over the
last eighteen games, it's even more impressive. I mean, it's
it's like Valdez has been absolutely dominant since June twenty fourth,
which is the day that he replaced Spencer Horowitz. When
Horwitz went on, you know, with the hamstring injury on
the double play ball that he hit into. He came
(29:56):
in since that game, batting three eighty eight with the
twelve ninety eight ohps, the eight home five doubles, a triple,
eight homers, twenty two RBIs. So you're talking about fourteen
extra base hits, twenty two RBIs and eighteen games the
Pirates are eleven and seven at a time. He's playing
good ball and rad field and he's batting. He's allowed
Ryan O'Hearn to move the first base, which is taken
(30:19):
a toll, you know, taking some pressure off his legs.
He's allowed Jake Mangham to be the leadoff hitter and
play center field without having to worry about the bat
there because Magnum has been fantastic at the plate and
on the basis for the most part, and he's been
able to back clean up between a switch hitting Brian
Reynolds and a left handed hitting Ryan O'Hearn. So he's
(30:39):
given them a really powerful right handed bat. I mean
this has been both a sensation and a revelation for
the Pirates. And I don't know that it's sustainable. I mean, nobody,
nobody keeps up those kinds of numbers.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Might be, but it might be to some degree. And
you mentioned the emergence of Mangum too. Given how those
two have played, would they can consider trading somebody off
the roster? Would they consider making a baseball deal like
a Horowitz? And everybody says you can't trade o'cruise forget
o cruise? Would they trade like a Horwitz?
Speaker 3 (31:12):
They would have the luxury of being able to do that.
I think they love Horowitz's bat and would would.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
They got contract control with him too?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And I get it, yes, yes, so they're they're not
going to be pushing to trade Spencer Horwitz, but I
don't know that they would preclude him from a package
if that's the ask. If somebody says, hey, we want
Spencer Horwitz in a minor league prospect, and we'll trade
you a back end reliever. That's a deal you have
to make. You the Pirates bullpen problems could be solved
(31:40):
by going out and getting a high end closer. And
I'm not just talking Mason Miller. Could be Luke Weaver,
it could be somebody else. But if you are able
to bring in a closer, you can make Gregorysoto your
eighth inning guy. And you have Santana and Isaac Matson
and uh and Mason Montgomery as guys who could fill
the seventh inning. And if you yet your starter is
to pitch five to six innings, your bullpen's in a
(32:02):
lot better shape without having to do a major shakeup.
So that the Pirates are well aware of this, they
are They're well aware that they are away from being
a contender. You know that they know that's the problem,
and they feel like Gregory Soto has done a very serviceable,
if not commendable job. But I think they also know that, boy,
if they have Gregory Soto in the eighth inning and
(32:22):
can and can use it where their matchup based that
they bring in the lefties against the right handed bat
or you know, the left handed bats and and the
rights against the right handed bats. That they know that
that can be favorable matchups for them, that their bullpen
can be completely different, especially if they're getting strong starts
out of guys like Jared Jones above a Chandler have
pitched well, and if they can get you know, Schemes
(32:44):
in Kellor to you know, kind of revert to their form.
And I think I think Schemes showed that in his
last couple of starts. Even though you've got hit around quite.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
A bit, I'm still worried about the velocity. I just
I mean, I don't know how that goes down to
twenty four. But but Gorm, we're making a lot of
sense here the pitching. But isn't their best bet really
to just keep hitting like this and I hit everybody
and not score everybody.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah, And that's why I wouldn't necessarily subscribe to trading
On'eo Cruz or Spencer Horwitz, you know, out of desperation,
because I think the Pirates are realizing that as much
as they talk about the pitching staff being their foundation,
that this is a team that is led by its
bats and there, they have gone from the worst offense
in baseball to one of the best. I mean, they're
in the top six and almost every major offensive category,
(33:29):
and and they have confidence in their bats. And the
hitters are the guys that are driving it, not only
at the plate but in the clubhouse. I mean, the
additions of Rhyan O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe cannot be understated.
Those guys have been fantastic for the Pirates as both
clubhouse leaders, as guys who bring professional approaches to the plate,
who have been good mentors to guys like Valdez. I mean,
(33:52):
it has been. It has been, you know, a stroke
of genius that for as bad as the Azuna signing
has turned out, that's how good the other two were.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
None of the bats have come together, and certainly Sherrington
everybody involved deserve some credit for that, maybe for things
like the bullpen notts so much gorm. Finally, the Pirates
resume at Cleveland tonight. They play their next twelve games
against four pretty good teams. They swept Milwaukee before the
(34:20):
All Star break. We're ninety seven games in the teams
they play. They're in direct competition for wild card spot
with the Cubs in Arizona. How important are these next
twelve games?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Yeah, I think, you know, when you talk about these teams,
they are all teams with better than five hundred records,
which has been the pirates One weakness is they have
a losing record against teams with winning records. But yeah,
they can make up some ground, especially against the Cubs
and the Diamondbacks. But they've been good in inter league play.
(34:53):
You know, I think they're you know, somewhere close to
sixteen and eight or somewhere around there in inner league play.
So you'd think that, you know, with with the American
League not having nearly the type of success success with
their teams as as the National League has, that the
Pirates should be very competitive against the Guardians and the Yankees.
I think it's you know, imperative. I think that the
(35:16):
Pirates have to prove that they can stay within contention,
that they can stay within the wild card race. They
have to be buyers at the trade deadline, regardless of
where they are. When you when your team president Travis
Williams comes out and says we have to be a
playoff tim this year, you know, full stop period, you know,
to me that that that is not a commitment that
waivers at the trade deadline. That's the commitment says we
(35:37):
made the investment, We're going to continue to make the investment.
Where we've set our goals, We're going to continue for
that to be our goal. And the Pirates have to
go out and give their team a chance in August
to compete. Knowing that you've got Crews coming back, you
got Horward's coming back, you know, and you've got sometime
in mid September Connor Griffin coming back, and that if
this team can you know, keep its the head above
(35:58):
the water the way they have for the last months,
if they can continue to do that for the next
two to three weeks, you know, because going into the
trade deadline, you got the Reds and that should be
a beatable team. But you know, the Pirates can be
a real, you know, a team that can make a
real surge here in the second half, if you know,
they had a pretty tough schedule in the first half.
If they if they can make a surge, that they
should be a team to contend with for that wildcard
(36:21):
Berth at the very least, I think you can't underestimate
what sweeping the Brewers meant, and I know there were
some things that went into it, with the Rainow having
to play a doubleheader Saturday, Mizerowski getting pulled and not
starting on Sunday, that some breaks went the Pirates way,
But that was a real confidence booster for that club.
They were almost to the point that as much as
they were looking forward to the All Star Break, they
(36:42):
really didn't want to snap the momentum that they had created.
And I think they're hoping they can pick up right
where they left off.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
I don't blame them. I was at that game where
I wanted to see miz versus Skeens been fifteen to four.
That was pretty entertaining as well. Gorm, great stuff, have
a good second half of the season. We'll talk again.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
Soon, looking forward to Thanks you having Mark.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
That's Kevin Gorman. Don't forget. You can watch the World
Cup Final with me on Sunday at Pittsburgh Brewing just
off through twenty eight and Creighton kick off at three pm.
But I got some bucko viewing parties too because I
am in demand. Monday seven oh five against the Yankees.
Come watch the game with me at the All Star
Sports Bar and Grill at South Point that's the south
Point location, but your country. And then Tuesday, I'm at
(37:24):
the school host tavern in Claridge, Hot Westmoreland Way for
the uh Bucos and the Yankees once again. Now it's
time to ask Mark anything. Eight three three four one
two w xdx. That's a three three four one two
w xdx. Or you can leave a talk back via
the microphone icon at the iHeartMedia app. But I prefer
(37:45):
the old fashioned way. Dow eight three to three four
one two w xdx and ask Mark anything. One oh
five nine. Time to ask Mark anything A three three
four one two w xdx. Big football all weekend, the
real football. We got the third place game in the
World Cup tomorrow, England against France. We got the final
(38:11):
Argentina Versuspain. What a classic that's going to be three
pm Sunday. Come watch the game with me at Pittsburgh
Brewing Company. Just off through twenty eight. In Creighton, we
got Bucko. Oh wait one more soccer mentioned Riverhounds on
National TV Tomorrow home game at noon at FNB Stateium
in Station Square. And of course we got Bucco baseball.
(38:33):
But now it's time to ask Mark anything. And it's
brought to you by People's Natural Gas, Safe Reliable Natural
Gas Energy, People's Hyphengas dot com. And of course I'm
going to Motley Crue tonight. Uh, let's get some crew
talk going for for ask Mark anything A three, three,
four to one two WSDX. Are you going Motley still?
(38:59):
I mean, I wish Mars was still there. But five
does a great job. Vince lost some weight. He sounds
good now. Six and Lee might be the best percussion
duo in the best rhythm section in rock. So very
much looking forward to tonight. I wrote to call him
(39:22):
you heard me a reference at to Noah Hiles, I
were to call him for the Triple Live dot com.
About the athletes like obj Odell Beckham Junior who said
millions aren't really millions, and the one guy, Sebastian Telfair,
the basketball player. He said he had fourteen siblings he
was taken care of. I'd have told him to get
a job, or I would have done with Denzel Washington
(39:45):
did an American gangster, I'd have made them all drug dealers.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
No.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
I mean family is family, and I always took care
of my mom, especially when she needed it. But parents
are one thing and every other relative can get a
job like grand Hill or remember him. His mother told
Charles Barkley, if you take care of your friends and
your relatives, they're always going to want more and more,
and they will hate you the first time you say no.
(40:11):
You know what I hate too. I hate inherited wealth,
so called generational wealth, like Telfair complained he couldn't build
generational wealth. Well, he averaged seven points a game in
the NBA over ten years. Why should he get generational wealth?
He was a ham and ager. Nobody should be born
(40:33):
not having to work. Ever, Shannon Sharpe said, if you
can't make sixty million liquid last a lifetime, as Odell
Beckham Junior said, you got a problem. And speaking of
everybody should have to work, everybody should want to work.
A few athletes did talk since after obj babble, Like
(40:58):
I said Barkley, Kyle Cousin from from uh Milwaukee, Buck
sharp O Cho Senko not all athletes are idiots. And
Antonio Cramarti, the NFL cornerback who had fourteen kids by
eight women, guess what even though he pays over three
hundred k a month to child support and he used
to own a fleet of luxury cars. Now he's got
(41:20):
his retirement paid for through age one hundred. He still
takes care of all his kids, and instead of luxury cars,
he drives a prius. I respect that. I do respect that.
Like I wrote in my column, Beckham should call Antonio
Cramarti and listen and learn. Eight three three four one
(41:41):
two WXDX. Let's go to Dino Dino. You're on with
double M.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
Hey, Mark, you let me take your money, but let
me take your pictures.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Well, Dino Velvet, Well, those are two different kinds of trusts.
Speaker 6 (41:52):
Yeah, so, uh, Cromarti, he must have some good swimmers,
like a coach.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
We know, huh, I guess so, I it is amazing.
Don't you give the guy credit for straighting out his life?
Speaker 6 (42:02):
Though I don't know, Mark, I mean thirteen kids. He
can work to his own travel team, oh fourteen starter
his own travel team.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
And maybe he will do that. Pay for play stuff
he can charge himself.
Speaker 6 (42:14):
Hey, but you're talking about music, and it brought up
a memory of mine. I graduated high school ninety two
and I could have went to the Guns N' Roses
Metallica show at three Rivers. I couldn't go because my
graduation party was that day, and I regretted, you know,
to this day. I did see Guns and Roses live
when Aaron Pittsburgh last last time. I haven't seen Metallity yet,
(42:38):
but he I wanted to know, where are you at
that concert in ninety two? And have you seen Metallics alive?
Speaker 1 (42:44):
I have seen Metallity alive several times. I was not
at that concert because I worked for the Post Gazette then,
and they made me work. They did that to me
all the time. I missed Whitesnake in their prime on
the back of that nineteen eighty seven album at Starlight
because the Post Cazete didn't care. They just wanted me
to edit other crappy writer's copy because I was a
(43:04):
better writer and I could fix it. And that got old,
and I let it get too old for too long.
I should have quit much earlier than it did. Even
though today's Post Gazette has nothing to do with that
Post Gazette. I almost wish the place would have closed
its doors when that almost happened. I want to see
guys like Kyle's still work, But what a crappy place
with bad, bad memories for me and I have no
(43:26):
respect for anybody down there that ever was my boss
except this one guy, Jim Barger, And unfortunately he wasn't
the numero uno boss. Everybody else I worked for it
was a buffoon. And I hope they're listening.
Speaker 3 (43:39):
Did you?
Speaker 6 (43:39):
They also made you miss the led Zeppelin reunion?
Speaker 2 (43:43):
No?
Speaker 1 (43:43):
No, that was this ass that was the general manager
at at twelve fifty, the program director whatever he was,
And that was my fault because I gave in. I
should have just gone. I had access to a ticket
for that Zeppeliner re union. But here was what I heard,
like everyday, Dino, it's Taylor season, It's Penguin season. What
are we paying you for? And then I left like
(44:04):
a year later.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Hey, good origins.
Speaker 6 (44:07):
Hey question the Pittsburgh Brewing the soccer watch party? Is
that attend that?
Speaker 3 (44:16):
Yeah, I'll bring the machine with me.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
No.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
No, yeah, Sunday three pm at Pittsburgh Brewing Craton.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
No.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
We get kids there all the time for stuff. It
is very family friendly. It couldn't be more family friendly.
Speaker 6 (44:28):
In fact, hey, kill them all, kill them all.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
How old your kid?
Speaker 6 (44:36):
He's twelve, Okay, bring him, I'll give him.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
I'll give him some merch or something.
Speaker 6 (44:41):
Oh, yeah, you already signed stuff for him. We're you know,
we're regulars at your events.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Well, come on over, buddy. I appreciate the call. Thank you.
That's Steno Velvet from the movie Eight Milimeter, which is
a great movie, very a dystopian movie. I love dystopian
movies like I haven't watched yet the entirety of The
Long Walk, but I've watched enough to know I love it.
A three three four one two WXDX number to call. Yeah,
that's Sunday, three pm, Pittsburgh Brewing in Creighton World Cup
(45:08):
viewing party. Let's go to a talkback. Mark you want
to sustain?
Speaker 2 (45:13):
If you say the premer and pizzer instead of Premier
in pizza, am I to guess that you're planning on
retiring in England?
Speaker 3 (45:24):
I'll hang up and listen.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Well, Premer, it's Premier league. That's an accepted pronunciation of premer,
especially when you're talking about the soccer league. What do
I say pizza? I like to put an R on
the end. If I do that, I'm not aware I do.
I just talk how I talk, And I'm not going
to retire in England. I will visit it more Heck,
the most I've ever gone to England in a season
(45:48):
for games is twice. I'm going twice this fall. I'm
going for the home opener in August and then I'm
going to another game in October. The Steelers will be
I'll be in Liverpool, all you Injurs will be in
Paris sticking out like a sore thumb. That is lipstick
on a pig right there, or a pig on lipstick?
(46:10):
What did I just say? Anyway, And then I'm gonna
go to a Liverpool road match, sit in the away section.
I think at Fulham in London in the spring. That's
what I think. I'm not totally sure about that, but yeah,
I get all this vacation a year. I just you
know that I may work indefinitely if they keep giving
me the same money in this amount of vacation because
(46:34):
I'm a star and I deserve it. Hey, I do
deserve it. I've I've paid my fricking dues and then some,
although ironically mostly at the Post Gazette. I have people
at the Post Gazette like I go to these reunion
dinners they have sometime, and I like most of the
people I worked with and they say that place gave
you your start, yo, F that place, that place held
(46:54):
me done. I was the biggest talent that sports department
almost from the day I said footing there. And I've
one thing but prove it since I left. But it
was you gotta give the how can I phrase this delicately?
Gotta give the demographic the big jobs F the Post Gazette.
No offense to Noah who was just on the show.
(47:15):
Uh eight three three four one two w xdx. We
got the list next and I had a tough time
narrowing it down. Get some more calls in. I'd love
some calls about either Motley Crue or the World Cup final.
That's what I want to talk about.
This segment brought to us by eighty four Lamber Dynasty,
partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Time to talk about go
baseball with Noah Files the calmness the Post Gazette. No
Before we talk about the usual stuff like trades and
bullpen et cetera. You and I both wrote about the MLBCBA.
Is there any way that a lockott's going to be avoided?
(00:37):
I mean, like any hope in hell?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I mean, I think the only way that there's not
is if the owners fold and they just say, all right,
we don't want a salary cap, like I think if
the if there's maybe if the owners aren't as aligned
as they claim to be and half of them actually
don't want to cap, then maybe we get opening day
when it's originally scared. But if there's a line as
(01:02):
they claim to be, I just don't see how we
don't lose at least a fraction of next season.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Does nothing really want a cap? The proposal MLB made
has the floor at one hundred and seventy one mil.
Nothing would have to add what's that sixty seven million
in payroll? He does he really want to do that?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I mean, I don't know, and I mean, it's tough
to speculate because we don't know how much these guys
they're actually making from their teams, right, Like, if he's
actually making money hand over fifth and as cheap as
some people think he is, then another sixty million or
whatever it is might not be that bad, especially under
(01:41):
a cap system where he's probably taking in more of
a revenue share. So it's hard to speculate if he'd
be okay with that, if that's a better alternative than
what he's going through now, because we don't have all
the information.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Okay, let's talk. The buck goes as they come out
of the All Star Break, they swept Milwaukee. Now they
play twelve games against four good teams, namely Cleveland, the
New York Yankees, the Cubs in Arizona. We're ninety seven
games in. How important is this twelve game stretch, especially
since they're playing good teams, two of which they're in
(02:17):
direct competition with for a wild card berth, that's.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
The most important stretch they've had in a long time,
probably since that stretch in twenty twenty four where they
you know, peed down their leg for lack of a
better term, I mean, they gotta go five hundred, yere.
I don't think you necessarily need to win all of
these games. It certainly helps, and if you're gonna win
any of them, you gotta win the ones against the
(02:42):
National League teams for sure. But if you look, if
you can stay above five hundred at the end of July,
their schedule is a lot easier in August and September,
and they're gonna get healthier and then they're probably going
to add to this roster, so they should be a
better team playing an easier come petition in the final
two months of the season. They just got to stay
(03:04):
alive for it, Mark and I when I say alive,
it's not just five hundred, it's above five hundred, because
if you look at the pack, some teams are starting
to separate themselves. These teams are starting to fade. Only
a couple teams are treading water, like the Pirate Trader.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Do you expect the big deal and who's the most
likely guy to trade for among the names that are
being bandied about.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I don't it's got a huge deal because I personally,
I don't think you need to. They don't need this
bullpen to be the twenty thirteen Shark Tank. They need
this bullpen to be average. Average bullpens can hold onto
a five run lead, that's all you need. And if
you add two. I've said this before, you go find
a right handed version of Caleb Ferguson, a guy who
(03:48):
was perfectly fine for them last year. Heck, if you
can just get the bullpen to what it was last year,
this team is gonna win ninety games because of how
well they score and if the pitching, if the starting
ropeation can get to what it was last year, they're
gonna be in business. And I think the rotation will
be better in the second half. I like how some
of the guys are trending pretty much, everyone affecting Keller.
(04:11):
But if the bullpen, if you just go out and
you just get two eighth inning guys from another team
and you can get them an established role, this bullpen
can be like the fifteenth best bullpen in Major League
Baseball and that's good enough for them to probably pass
the Marlins or the Cardinals.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Well, you say established role, and I'll get to that
in the moment, But in terms of a guy I'm
looking at, I think they could get Luke Weaver. They're
not gonna get Miller. They're not gonna get Chapman. But
the guy on the Mets Luke Weaver, and he's having
an outlier of a season, but make the most of it.
I think he could be had. I don't know. If
somebody said Florentino, would you trade Florentino for Weaver? Is
(04:48):
that a possibility?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yea.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I would not trade Florentino for Weaver. I would need
to treat it. If I'm trading Florentino, I'm trading him
for an everyday player. I've traded him for a starter.
If you could go get a starter who multiple years
of control, who's borderline Ulster caliber, basically a player that
Mitch Keller needs to be, I would go. I would
consider that. But I'm not trading Florentino for any reliever
(05:11):
not named Bason Miller, which I don't think they'll do.
A big name that I actually like is Garrett Whitlock
on the Red Sox. People have put a lot of
focus on Chapman. I think Whitlock is just good, if
not better. He's a right hander and he has he
is remaining control. But they're all club options. So if
the Pirates don't want to pay him nine and a
(05:33):
half million million next year. They don't have to I
and I think they would be open to doing that
because that's a pretty good price for what he's been
over the last three years. It's just interesting because there
aren't a lot of sellers marks.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
The Red Sox now have.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, yes, that's the thing. Like we're we're looking I
mentioned Whitlock, you brought up Chapman, like the Red Sox
are only a couple games out now. The American League
is so bad everyone still in it. So really you're
picking from the Rockies the Mets, like, that's what you're
looking at, and Sendetello would probably be the guy that
I would target. That would be my top pick, the
(06:12):
top reliever for the caller out of Rockies.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
We're talking to Noah. How's the Post Gazette here on
the X no I did a rant a bit a
go did I think they're babying the starters in terms
of pitch count and as a result, wearing out their bullpen.
You also mentioned about defined roles. I'm not sure anybody
in that bullpen, with the exception of maybe Soto, has
a very well defined role. I think they haven't let
(06:37):
that bullpen be often enough, putting a position to succeed.
Am I right?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I agree. Yeah, it's time for this rotation to stattle up.
I just published a column this afternoon. The rotation is
going to take them as far as they can go.
If the rotation can be as good as it was
last year in the second half, if Paul Skemes can
be twenty twenty five Paul Schemes, They're gonna be a
playoff team. It's just can they get there? And you look,
(07:05):
I mean, we talk about how good this offense has
been and all the additions they made. At the end
of the day, this is still a team that's built
to win through its starting rotation. Every single member of
the starting five rotation, as it was at one time,
a top one hundred prospect. Three of their five starting
pitchers have been an All Star, two of them were
All Stars this year. And four of their five guys,
(07:28):
I'll keep Keller out of it, four of their five
guys when they are on their A game, have ACE
quality stuff and they just need those guys to be
on their A game for these last two and a
half months. And if that can happen, which is how
this equation was formulated on opening day. They were gonna
be a playoff team. They just got it. They got
to hold up their end of the bargain. The hitters
(07:49):
have exceeded expectations. The bullpen has obviously failed to meet.
The rotation is the outlier here. If the rotation can
just be as good as everyone knows it's capable being
to be a playoff.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Team, well, nobody wants to put pressure on Skemes, but
I think it's unavoidable. I think he has thirteen more
starts left. I think the Powers need to win ten
of those to make the playoffs. To me, it's non negotiable.
And I know that he's not to blame for them
having lost so many games he started. I think they're
eight and twelve in games he started. But it's not
all not his fault either, And no, he just got
(08:22):
to throw harder. And I know I keep repeating that,
but he's got to.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
No, they got to win. And you know what you
mentioned the wins, how some of those losses were in
his fault, Well, guess what, they scored twenty six runs
in his last two starts, so he probably should have
won those. So they've also bailed him out a little
bit too, and like I'll give him credit, like he
pitched better than this past week. Like that's the best
I've seen him in back to back starts in probably
a month. But Paul Kings has to be their best
(08:48):
player for the rest.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Of the season.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
That's that's what it. Like I said, all this stuff
about the starting rotation, it really comes down to him.
Like you said, Mark, I think that ten win Mark
is a perfect barter or milestone or whatever you want
to call it. They've gotta they've got to win when
he pitches, and if you can get one guaranteed win
a week when he's on the mound, the rest of
(09:10):
the equation becomes a little bit easier. When you're finding, all, right,
how you're gonna win a series in Cleveland or in
New York or wherever else. When you have seens on
the mountain, you know you're gonna win that game. That's
how That's how you work your way into a playoff race.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Would they consider making a baseball trade, trading somebody from
the roster. Tim Benz said earlier that they get kind
of antsy trying to do that, and I tend to agree.
But would they consider.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I don't think this is the time for that, just
because I mean, who you move in Cruise, they have
a winning record with Cruse.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
When he tells you maybe Horwitz.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Isn't that the thing, Well, Horowitz, it's like Horwitz has
more control and more years of control than pretty much
anyone on the team aside from Valdez.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
No, No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
So so it's like I would rather trade O'Hearn in
that sense, because it's like, who knows if they're gonna
have baseball next year, and so like it might be
like ohearn might be a rental like low in that sense.
So I just don't see a way. I think that's
a good problem to have if you're if you're struggling
to find if that's Formingam and Valdez coming down the stretch,
(10:22):
that's good. That means you have eleven good hitters on
the team, and that's that's that's what a playoff team has.
I think you trade prospects this year. I think the
only guy's completely off limits is sut Hernandez. I would
flirt with the idea of trading Florentino, but it has
to be an all star caliber player that you're getting
in return. Everyone else should be open for business. Maybe
(10:43):
not Valdez and then this offseason though, I wouldn't be
opposed if they traded Cruise in the winter, or Reynolds
or Keller or somebody else. But right now, the position
player group is the best at spending over a decade.
I'm not I don't think it's in their best interest
to kind of mess now.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
You bring up a good point, and the best time
to trade a name player in a big talent like
a Cruise if you wanted to, is in the offseason.
That's when the best deal is there to be made.
I want to revisit the bullpen real quick before we
wrap up. Noah, of the guys who are there right now,
give me three names you think they can count on
down the stretch, and three that they just can't in
(11:22):
the bullpen.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
So Soto, Majinsky, oh Man, the third maybe Mattson sick
if he ever gets healthy again. I mean, even those
guys kind of nah, guys you can't count on. I
mean you could maybe say you count on Johann Ramirez
(11:45):
to be Johann Ramirez. He's been the most consistent. It's
just he's always.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Been a roller.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
What about Montgomery, who who I think stats betray his stuff.
I think he has better stuff than he's produced, if
that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I think you can count on Mason Montgomery pitch and
load to medium leverage situations. I don't want to see
Mason Montgomery and high leverage, and he gets thrown into
high leverage by default too frequently ability of his teammates.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I loved him a couple of times he was the opener.
I thought that was ideal for him. Agree, And I
know the rotation now doesn't lend itself to that, but
that's just what he was cut out for. Santana done
they are. They just pretty much finished with him without
the benefit of DFA.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Yeah, I think so. I think the next time they
add a reliever to the roster, he's probably the guy
that gets the acts. Yeah. I mean they've given him
every opportunity. It's sad because I really really enjoyed interacting
with him and covering him, and I thought he was
a good success.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And I don't know what happened. I don't know what
happened is from two to six.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, it was just like a snap of the finger.
So it's unfortunate, but that's that's the reality of a
relief pitcher. I mean, and that's why you know when
everyone's talking about oh, they want him to go get
these guys like Luke Leave who's making this big money.
It's like, you don't want to get stuck with a
contract for a re leader making ten million who has
(13:07):
a six ERA, And a lot of teams have those guys,
so those contracts do not age well, You're better off
probably getting the no name guys that no one knows about,
because it's those are easier to pawn off when it
doesn't work out.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
No. Finally, and this is not related to the pirates,
but I know as a columnist I wrote about this.
I was amused by Odell Beckham Junior saying that he
can't make forty million after taxes last forever. Yeah, I'm
pretty sure I could. How about you?
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah? I think so. I mean, I'll call up my
financial advisor Austin and we'll crunch the numbers. But I
think I'll be okay. I mean, hey, if the PG
wants to give me forty million and we can figure
it out, I'm down for it. If my bosses are listening,
let's let's let's do an experiment.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I rather doubt the total payroll is anywhere near that.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
We'll see, we'll see new ownership.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Mark, who knows no, Thanks again, great work in the PG.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
We'll talk soon absolutely, Mark, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That's the great Noahiles. This segment brought to you by
eighty four Lumber. Up next, the Jason Robertson talk just
won't go away. I'm gonna tell you one guy, I
would hate to see the Penguins give up and return
if that deal ever does come to pass. And also
we got John Gruden talking about Will Howard one oh
five nine. It's Madden on the X. Let's talk Penguins
(14:30):
just for a moment, because the Jason Robertson the Pittsburgh
talk will not go away. And I'd love to see
the Penguins get Jason Robertson, a twenty six year old
star winger who scores a lot of goals. What's not
to like? I just don't see why he'd want to
come to Pittsburgh, an old team, but I'd love to
(14:52):
get him. But here's my disclaimer. I'd hate to trade
Ben Kindall to Dallas as part of a deal to
get Jason Robertson. Oh, I do it, but I'd hate
to do it. The trade of nineteen year old top
six center goes against the grain of what the Penguins
(15:12):
should be trying to do. But the problem is the
Penguins haven't really chosen a path. You can't really rebuild
because of all the old guys. I have done the
old switcheroo, and now I believe that Will Howard should
be the Steelers' number two quarterback, not Mason Rudolph. Here's
(15:33):
John Gruden beating the drum for Will Howard. The guy
has the it factor.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
He's gotten a very good charisma, he's smart, he's a
great communicator, he's got some talent, and I'm just hoping
he gets a shot at some point.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
With the Steelers.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
But Will Howard, you know, he did it at Kansas State,
he won the national championship at Ohio State. He's got
that winning aura that I think. I think a lot
of people cove it, and I'm just hoping one of
these days he gets the call and gets a.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Chance to showcase it. Okay, so I am a Will
Howard convert. But all of what Gruden said is crap.
It's just pomlinesque word salad ay. Jean Gruden is a
horseman or a salesman. B the it factor won't complete
(16:28):
a pass, nor will charisma. Will Howard is a quarterback,
not a runway model. See winning or it doesn't matter.
Winning does. And yeah, Howard won a national championship in
Ohio State, but that team was full proof. That said,
(16:50):
Howard will get his shot like Gruden Clamor's for and
I believe Howard can earn it. But Jean Gruden is
like always with crap. Here's Harry Douglas in ESPN talking
about my pick to win the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
They have massive upgrades along their defensive line, and what
we've known throughout history of the National Football League, when
you have a really good defensive line, they make up
for the deficiency in your secondary.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
That's what they're banking on.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
They have a ton of draft picks that they thought
they were going to hit on. Those guys had not
pan out, they have not developed as players, but they
brought in some guys along on that defensive line. Dex
to Lawrence, he's a pretty good damn player. Buye Mafe,
who won a Super Bowl last year with the Seattle Seahawks,
so they.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Are going to be better.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
It's all about, in my opinion, can Joe Burrow stay
healthy for seventeen.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
To everything? Douglas said, I add a hearty yep. I
got Cincinnati number one in the AFC North, the Steelers
a close second, Baltimore a disappointing third, and f Cleveland.
Douglas is right about that. At Cincinnati d line. They
lost Hendrickson on the edge bit he was a luxury dexter.
(18:07):
Lawrence is an anchor. If Burrow is healthy, with those wideouts,
the Bengals win twelve for thirteen games. Burrow is the
best quarterback in football if he's healthy. Big if. If
Burrow misses even four to five games, though, the Steelers
can win the division. Big if, and that depends on
(18:31):
Aaron Rodgers being healthy. Big if. Let's talk bet Parks
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You gotta be twenty one and in PA, New Jersey,
Maryland or Michigan. Casino bonus must be wagered. You got
a gambling problem, call one eight hundred Gambler up. Next,
go to talk Bucco Baseball with Kevin Gorman to the trip.
I'm Mark Madden on one oh five nine Double m
on the X. We've had a lot of great bucket
(20:00):
talk today, a lot of very reasonable discussion about the
pirates joining me now to continue that trend. He covers
the team for the trip. He is Kevin Gorman H. Kevin.
I've been talking about the bullpen, how it's not been
put in a position to succeed necessarily, that the starters
have been babied by pitch count perhaps at the expense
(20:20):
of the bullpen. Am I onto something or am I
full of crap?
Speaker 3 (20:24):
No? I think here on the nose, Mark, I feel
like the pirates have had to do with I mean,
this is a necessity to kind of, you know, monitor
the pitch, you know, the pitch counts and the innings.
But they've done so, you know, to some degree, the
expensive winning at times. But what they've really done was
they've put a lot of pressure on the bullpen because
(20:44):
these guys are having to cover more innings than expected.
You know, we're not getting to you know, the starters
getting through six innings and the bullpen having to cover
seventy nine. They're often having to come in the fourth
and fifth inning.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Right right, if it was just seven eight nine, I
think this bullpen would be a lot better. I think
when they have to pitch as much as they have
and exposes their lack of depth, and they're also leaning
on the bullpen rather than the starters. When the starters
are the more talented group.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Yeah, and you know, I don't know the exact number,
but I can tell you the quality starts is down
from where it was in the first half last year,
especially schemes. You know, that's the guy hasn't had nearly
as many. You know, last year, him and Mitch Keller
had combined for more than twenty through the first half
of the season. And the starting you know, the starting
rotation was really strong at the beginning of last year
(21:34):
and this year not as much. I think when you
look at the bullpen, you know, we've seen a lot
of these guys have games where they've faltered. And Dannis Santana,
who was fantastic the first two years with the Pirates,
has really struggled. And maybe it's because he's not in
the right role, but you know, it seems like everybody's
had a little bit of struggles, you know, Santana and
(21:56):
and Justin Lawrence and Isaac Madison were fantastic in spring
and not very good at the start of the season.
Mattson has come around. Lawrence now pitches for the Nationals,
I believe, but so but I think a lot of
it started mark with the Pirates not having the right
guys in the bulk relief role. If you recall Jose
or Keaty and Hunter Barco or your bulk relievers. Yeah,
(22:16):
they're both guys. They're both guys that were starters. They're
both guys that have had Tommy John surgery. Neither of them
have a ton of experience out of the bullpen er
Kidy as some, but that Barco had none, and that
just kind of blew up in their face. And I
think that put even more pressure on them, you know,
to have to reach in and bring up a wilbur
to Hotel who did well but now he's been on
the IL, and to bring up Anchwine Kelly before he's ready.
(22:39):
And so I think that's been a big issue for
the Pirates and if they can, you know, kind of
get this all straightened out. But what I think is
going to happen at some point when you look at
Brax and Ashcraft and all Star, who's been their best
pitcher of the first half. He's got, i believe, at
one hundred and thirteen innings already and he pitched one
hundred and eighteen total last year, and so it's point
(23:00):
they're going to probably have to move him to the
bullpen and Karma Maginsky back into the rotation.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
They would the bullpen.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Well, I mean they're gonna have to do something to
limit his innings.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
No, No, you can't. You're trying, you're trying to make
the playoffs. If they move him to the bullpen the
limit his innings, then they just aren't a franchise I'm
interested in.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
Well, I mean, at some point, you can only go
so many innings above the threshold of the previous season,
and so you know, Ashcraft is not going to be
able to give them a two hundred innings. He's not
going to go from one eighteen to two hundred. He's
going to probably go somewhere in the one fifty to
one sixty.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
There's going to be a backlash when that happens, Kevin.
Maybe they don't care, but there's going to be a backlash.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Sure, sure, but if if you do it the right way,
if you do it that's why they're keeping Karmen Magensky
stretched out somebody. At some point he's going to be
moving back into rotation and somebody else is going to
have to do some bullpen time where they do the
Magenski rule, where they're going to pitch one game where
they go thirty fives or so pitches, the next game
they're they're at fifty plus and they're going to remain
stretched out to move back into the starting rotation. But
(23:58):
they're going to have to preserve their arms if they
want to have them ready for late September and even October,
if they're going to make a playoff push. It's going
to be very delicate how they handle this rotation outside
of Schemes and Keller, and even right now, they shuffle
the rotation to give Keller an extra long break to
try to get him right because he's been their worst
pitcher of the last month.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You kind of caught me by surprise there. I will
be outraged the Asskraft goes to the bullpend to protect
his arm in the middle of a playoff race. That
would be to me just insane. And I think a
lot of the problems with his pitching rotation come from
them being babied. I think they need to get the
most they can out of them while they're still here,
especially in the case of Schemes and in that vein.
(24:43):
I think he's going to get about thirteen more starts
the rest of the year. Gorm I think if they
go if he goes ten and three, not he goes
ten and three, but the Pirates win ten of the
thirteen games he starts, they make the playoffs. That doesn't
just require him to do better, but he needs to
do better.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
And that's what you should expect of Paul skiings Mark.
I've said this all along. He should not be a
five hundred pitcher in terms of his record or the
Pirates record. When he starts. He should be a guy
that they should win, you know, three out of four
at the minute. He should be one of the most
dominant pitchers in baseball. He should perform like it, and
they should perform like that when he's on the mound.
And I don't think that's an unrealistic expectation at all.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Who's the most realistic target to get for the bullpen
because it's not going to be Mason Miller, and I
don't think it's going to be Chapman either. I keep
coming back to Luke Weaver, the writy for the Mets.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
Yeah, I've seen Weaver mention, but I've also just saw
somebody say that Luke Weaver would require a top one
hundred prospect and two other guys, two other pitchers who
would be ready to make an impact within a year
or so. Now you know, the Pirates have guys that
fit the ladder mold. But I don't think you're going
to give up say a Wilbert Hotel or an Anchewin
Kelly or Thomas Harrington. You know a guy who or
(25:57):
Hunter Barco. Barco and Harrington were both top one hundred
prospects year ago. I don't think you're going to give
up pictures, two pictures that could be potential starters, and
an Edward Florentino. And I think Seth Hernandez is completely
off the table, at least he should be. And if
there's one guy the Pirates should say in their system
that's untouchable, it should be Hernandez because he could be
the eventual replacement for Schemes in the rotation in a
(26:19):
couple of years. I mean, if if you're going to
lose Schemes, which they're probably going to do, they need
to have a guy like Seth Hernandez at the ready
when it's time for Schemes to move on. So I
don't see them doing that. I don't know that they're
going to break the bank in terms of taking on salary,
and I don't know that they're going to give up
a haul for a prospect. I just see Ben Sherrington
being a little more conservative than that. But I also
(26:41):
think he's a guy that you know. There's times and
this goes back to Neil Huntington, there's times when you
win the trade deadline storyline and you acquire a Keone Kella,
or you acquire a lefty when you need a lufty
reliever and you go out and get Jalen Beaks, who
might have been the best available in that regard and
not good fits. They don't fit in the clubhouse, they
(27:02):
don't fit in the bullpen, and it's like you got
the big name, but you didn't get the right guy.
I get more important to get the right guy.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
And one that people would remember more is Chris Archer
because that trade didn't work out. It took great players
like Austin Meadows and Tyler Glass Now away from the pirates.
That said gorm And, I get what you're saying, and
nor would I put Seth Hernandez out there either unless
I could get Mason Miller.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
But yeah, yeah, but make similiar years of control so
that one makes sense.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Yeah, and but they're not going to get him anyway.
Somebody else bid them for him. If the pirates were
even interested, and I tend to agree with you that
they will be conservative. But if you're not going to
trade like a Florentino and go for it at some point,
are you ever going to go for it? And are
you ever going to get there?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Well, here's the thing that makes Edward Florentino a little
bit more expendable than he was a month ago, and
that's the emergence of as Merlin Valdez. Yes, this guy
looks like the real deal now. You know when he
came up. The first time he came up, he only
played a handful of games, but he hit two home
runs and everybody got excited. So, wow, this guy's got
some legit right handed power. They can hit the ball
(28:08):
out to the deepest part of left field at PMC Park,
which not a lot of guys can do. Not a
lot of guys go four to fifteen to left center
to that north side notch. This guy can do that.
But he also struck out I think nine of his
first eighteen at bets. He has figured some things out.
As impressive as he was last Saturday in that doubleheader
sweep of the Brewers, and I think he had four
(28:30):
go ahead hits, two of them were two of them
were home runs, one of them was a Grand Slam.
He had the best day at the plate in baseball.
And he had a day. You know, when you look
at those go ahead hits, the go ahead home runs,
the Grand Slam, it was something that I don't think
anybody in the history of baseball has ever had a
day like that at the plate. Almost as impressive was
the next day with the bases loaded and that ten
(28:52):
run inning against the Brewers, he drew a basis loaded wall.
I thought the same thing. That was to me a
sign of growth. We know that he can swing the
bat and hit the ball out of the park. For
a guy who had just had a Grand Slam to
come up with the bases loaded and take and draw
a walk and score a run that way was to
me like, Hey, here's a guy who is really giving
(29:14):
you professional bats. He's not out there chasing, He's doing
what's what it takes to win. But his numbers mark
you know, I'll get a story on him today for
our Bucks Beat page, and his numbers are impressive. Since
June eleventh, when O'Neil Cruz went on the injured list,
batting three forty six with eleven fifty nine ohps, eight homers,
(29:35):
twenty two RBIs. If you take it just over the
last eighteen games, it's even more impressive. I mean, it's
it's like Valdez has been absolutely dominant since June twenty fourth,
which is the day that he replaced Spencer Horowitz. When
Horwitz went on, you know, with the hamstring injury on
the double play ball that he hit into. He came
(29:56):
in since that game, batting three eighty eight with the
twelve ninety eight ohps, the eight home five doubles, a triple,
eight homers, twenty two RBIs. So you're talking about fourteen
extra base hits, twenty two RBIs and eighteen games the
Pirates are eleven and seven at a time. He's playing
good ball and rad field and he's batting. He's allowed
Ryan O'Hearn to move the first base, which is taken
(30:19):
a toll, you know, taking some pressure off his legs.
He's allowed Jake Mangham to be the leadoff hitter and
play center field without having to worry about the bat
there because Magnum has been fantastic at the plate and
on the basis for the most part, and he's been
able to back clean up between a switch hitting Brian
Reynolds and a left handed hitting Ryan O'Hearn. So he's
(30:39):
given them a really powerful right handed bat. I mean
this has been both a sensation and a revelation for
the Pirates. And I don't know that it's sustainable. I mean, nobody,
nobody keeps up those kinds of numbers.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Might be, but it might be to some degree. And
you mentioned the emergence of Mangum too. Given how those
two have played, would they can consider trading somebody off
the roster? Would they consider making a baseball deal like
a Horowitz? And everybody says you can't trade o'cruise forget
o cruise? Would they trade like a Horwitz?
Speaker 3 (31:12):
They would have the luxury of being able to do that.
I think they love Horowitz's bat and would would.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
They got contract control with him too?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And I get it, yes, yes, so they're they're not
going to be pushing to trade Spencer Horwitz, but I
don't know that they would preclude him from a package
if that's the ask. If somebody says, hey, we want
Spencer Horwitz in a minor league prospect, and we'll trade
you a back end reliever. That's a deal you have
to make. You the Pirates bullpen problems could be solved
(31:40):
by going out and getting a high end closer. And
I'm not just talking Mason Miller. Could be Luke Weaver,
it could be somebody else. But if you are able
to bring in a closer, you can make Gregorysoto your
eighth inning guy. And you have Santana and Isaac Matson
and uh and Mason Montgomery as guys who could fill
the seventh inning. And if you yet your starter is
to pitch five to six innings, your bullpen's in a
(32:02):
lot better shape without having to do a major shakeup.
So that the Pirates are well aware of this, they
are They're well aware that they are away from being
a contender. You know that they know that's the problem,
and they feel like Gregory Soto has done a very serviceable,
if not commendable job. But I think they also know that, boy,
if they have Gregory Soto in the eighth inning and
(32:22):
can and can use it where their matchup based that
they bring in the lefties against the right handed bat
or you know, the left handed bats and and the
rights against the right handed bats. That they know that
that can be favorable matchups for them, that their bullpen
can be completely different, especially if they're getting strong starts
out of guys like Jared Jones above a Chandler have
pitched well, and if they can get you know, Schemes
(32:44):
in Kellor to you know, kind of revert to their form.
And I think I think Schemes showed that in his
last couple of starts. Even though you've got hit around quite.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
A bit, I'm still worried about the velocity. I just
I mean, I don't know how that goes down to
twenty four. But but Gorm, we're making a lot of
sense here the pitching. But isn't their best bet really
to just keep hitting like this and I hit everybody
and not score everybody.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah, And that's why I wouldn't necessarily subscribe to trading
On'eo Cruz or Spencer Horwitz, you know, out of desperation,
because I think the Pirates are realizing that as much
as they talk about the pitching staff being their foundation,
that this is a team that is led by its
bats and there, they have gone from the worst offense
in baseball to one of the best. I mean, they're
in the top six and almost every major offensive category,
(33:29):
and and they have confidence in their bats. And the
hitters are the guys that are driving it, not only
at the plate but in the clubhouse. I mean, the
additions of Rhyan O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe cannot be understated.
Those guys have been fantastic for the Pirates as both
clubhouse leaders, as guys who bring professional approaches to the plate,
who have been good mentors to guys like Valdez. I mean,
(33:52):
it has been. It has been, you know, a stroke
of genius that for as bad as the Azuna signing
has turned out, that's how good the other two were.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
None of the bats have come together, and certainly Sherrington
everybody involved deserve some credit for that, maybe for things
like the bullpen notts so much gorm. Finally, the Pirates
resume at Cleveland tonight. They play their next twelve games
against four pretty good teams. They swept Milwaukee before the
(34:20):
All Star break. We're ninety seven games in the teams
they play. They're in direct competition for wild card spot
with the Cubs in Arizona. How important are these next
twelve games?
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Yeah, I think, you know, when you talk about these teams,
they are all teams with better than five hundred records,
which has been the pirates One weakness is they have
a losing record against teams with winning records. But yeah,
they can make up some ground, especially against the Cubs
and the Diamondbacks. But they've been good in inter league play.
(34:53):
You know, I think they're you know, somewhere close to
sixteen and eight or somewhere around there in inner league play.
So you'd think that, you know, with with the American
League not having nearly the type of success success with
their teams as as the National League has, that the
Pirates should be very competitive against the Guardians and the Yankees.
I think it's you know, imperative. I think that the
(35:16):
Pirates have to prove that they can stay within contention,
that they can stay within the wild card race. They
have to be buyers at the trade deadline, regardless of
where they are. When you when your team president Travis
Williams comes out and says we have to be a
playoff tim this year, you know, full stop period, you know,
to me that that that is not a commitment that
waivers at the trade deadline. That's the commitment says we
(35:37):
made the investment, We're going to continue to make the investment.
Where we've set our goals, We're going to continue for
that to be our goal. And the Pirates have to
go out and give their team a chance in August
to compete. Knowing that you've got Crews coming back, you
got Horward's coming back, you know, and you've got sometime
in mid September Connor Griffin coming back, and that if
this team can you know, keep its the head above
(35:58):
the water the way they have for the last months,
if they can continue to do that for the next
two to three weeks, you know, because going into the
trade deadline, you got the Reds and that should be
a beatable team. But you know, the Pirates can be
a real, you know, a team that can make a
real surge here in the second half, if you know,
they had a pretty tough schedule in the first half.
If they if they can make a surge, that they
should be a team to contend with for that wildcard
(36:21):
Berth at the very least, I think you can't underestimate
what sweeping the Brewers meant, and I know there were
some things that went into it, with the Rainow having
to play a doubleheader Saturday, Mizerowski getting pulled and not
starting on Sunday, that some breaks went the Pirates way,
But that was a real confidence booster for that club.
They were almost to the point that as much as
they were looking forward to the All Star Break, they
(36:42):
really didn't want to snap the momentum that they had created.
And I think they're hoping they can pick up right
where they left off.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
I don't blame them. I was at that game where
I wanted to see miz versus Skeens been fifteen to four.
That was pretty entertaining as well. Gorm, great stuff, have
a good second half of the season. We'll talk again.
Speaker 3 (36:58):
Soon, looking forward to Thanks you having Mark.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
That's Kevin Gorman. Don't forget. You can watch the World
Cup Final with me on Sunday at Pittsburgh Brewing just
off through twenty eight and Creighton kick off at three pm.
But I got some bucko viewing parties too because I
am in demand. Monday seven oh five against the Yankees.
Come watch the game with me at the All Star
Sports Bar and Grill at South Point that's the south
Point location, but your country. And then Tuesday, I'm at
(37:24):
the school host tavern in Claridge, Hot Westmoreland Way for
the uh Bucos and the Yankees once again. Now it's
time to ask Mark anything. Eight three three four one
two w xdx. That's a three three four one two
w xdx. Or you can leave a talk back via
the microphone icon at the iHeartMedia app. But I prefer
(37:45):
the old fashioned way. Dow eight three to three four
one two w xdx and ask Mark anything. One oh
five nine. Time to ask Mark anything A three three
four one two w xdx. Big football all weekend, the
real football. We got the third place game in the
World Cup tomorrow, England against France. We got the final
(38:11):
Argentina Versuspain. What a classic that's going to be three
pm Sunday. Come watch the game with me at Pittsburgh
Brewing Company. Just off through twenty eight. In Creighton, we
got Bucko. Oh wait one more soccer mentioned Riverhounds on
National TV Tomorrow home game at noon at FNB Stateium
in Station Square. And of course we got Bucco baseball.
(38:33):
But now it's time to ask Mark anything. And it's
brought to you by People's Natural Gas, Safe Reliable Natural
Gas Energy, People's Hyphengas dot com. And of course I'm
going to Motley Crue tonight. Uh, let's get some crew
talk going for for ask Mark anything A three, three,
four to one two WSDX. Are you going Motley still?
(38:59):
I mean, I wish Mars was still there. But five
does a great job. Vince lost some weight. He sounds
good now. Six and Lee might be the best percussion
duo in the best rhythm section in rock. So very
much looking forward to tonight. I wrote to call him
(39:22):
you heard me a reference at to Noah Hiles, I
were to call him for the Triple Live dot com.
About the athletes like obj Odell Beckham Junior who said
millions aren't really millions, and the one guy, Sebastian Telfair,
the basketball player. He said he had fourteen siblings he
was taken care of. I'd have told him to get
a job, or I would have done with Denzel Washington
(39:45):
did an American gangster, I'd have made them all drug dealers.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
No.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
I mean family is family, and I always took care
of my mom, especially when she needed it. But parents
are one thing and every other relative can get a
job like grand Hill or remember him. His mother told
Charles Barkley, if you take care of your friends and
your relatives, they're always going to want more and more,
and they will hate you the first time you say no.
(40:11):
You know what I hate too. I hate inherited wealth,
so called generational wealth, like Telfair complained he couldn't build
generational wealth. Well, he averaged seven points a game in
the NBA over ten years. Why should he get generational wealth?
He was a ham and ager. Nobody should be born
(40:33):
not having to work. Ever, Shannon Sharpe said, if you
can't make sixty million liquid last a lifetime, as Odell
Beckham Junior said, you got a problem. And speaking of
everybody should have to work, everybody should want to work.
A few athletes did talk since after obj babble, Like
(40:58):
I said Barkley, Kyle Cousin from from uh Milwaukee, Buck
sharp O Cho Senko not all athletes are idiots. And
Antonio Cramarti, the NFL cornerback who had fourteen kids by
eight women, guess what even though he pays over three
hundred k a month to child support and he used
to own a fleet of luxury cars. Now he's got
(41:20):
his retirement paid for through age one hundred. He still
takes care of all his kids, and instead of luxury cars,
he drives a prius. I respect that. I do respect that.
Like I wrote in my column, Beckham should call Antonio
Cramarti and listen and learn. Eight three three four one
(41:41):
two WXDX. Let's go to Dino Dino. You're on with
double M.
Speaker 2 (41:46):
Hey, Mark, you let me take your money, but let
me take your pictures.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Well, Dino Velvet, Well, those are two different kinds of trusts.
Speaker 6 (41:52):
Yeah, so, uh, Cromarti, he must have some good swimmers,
like a coach.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
We know, huh, I guess so, I it is amazing.
Don't you give the guy credit for straighting out his life?
Speaker 6 (42:02):
Though I don't know, Mark, I mean thirteen kids. He
can work to his own travel team, oh fourteen starter
his own travel team.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
And maybe he will do that. Pay for play stuff
he can charge himself.
Speaker 6 (42:14):
Hey, but you're talking about music, and it brought up
a memory of mine. I graduated high school ninety two
and I could have went to the Guns N' Roses
Metallica show at three Rivers. I couldn't go because my
graduation party was that day, and I regretted, you know,
to this day. I did see Guns and Roses live
when Aaron Pittsburgh last last time. I haven't seen Metallity yet,
(42:38):
but he I wanted to know, where are you at
that concert in ninety two? And have you seen Metallics alive?
Speaker 1 (42:44):
I have seen Metallity alive several times. I was not
at that concert because I worked for the Post Gazette then,
and they made me work. They did that to me
all the time. I missed Whitesnake in their prime on
the back of that nineteen eighty seven album at Starlight
because the Post Cazete didn't care. They just wanted me
to edit other crappy writer's copy because I was a
(43:04):
better writer and I could fix it. And that got old,
and I let it get too old for too long.
I should have quit much earlier than it did. Even
though today's Post Gazette has nothing to do with that
Post Gazette. I almost wish the place would have closed
its doors when that almost happened. I want to see
guys like Kyle's still work, But what a crappy place
with bad, bad memories for me and I have no
(43:26):
respect for anybody down there that ever was my boss
except this one guy, Jim Barger, And unfortunately he wasn't
the numero uno boss. Everybody else I worked for it
was a buffoon. And I hope they're listening.
Speaker 3 (43:39):
Did you?
Speaker 6 (43:39):
They also made you miss the led Zeppelin reunion?
Speaker 2 (43:43):
No?
Speaker 1 (43:43):
No, that was this ass that was the general manager
at at twelve fifty, the program director whatever he was,
And that was my fault because I gave in. I
should have just gone. I had access to a ticket
for that Zeppeliner re union. But here was what I heard,
like everyday, Dino, it's Taylor season, It's Penguin season. What
are we paying you for? And then I left like
(44:04):
a year later.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Hey, good origins.
Speaker 6 (44:07):
Hey question the Pittsburgh Brewing the soccer watch party? Is
that attend that?
Speaker 3 (44:16):
Yeah, I'll bring the machine with me.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
No.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
No, yeah, Sunday three pm at Pittsburgh Brewing Craton.
Speaker 3 (44:23):
No.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
We get kids there all the time for stuff. It
is very family friendly. It couldn't be more family friendly.
Speaker 6 (44:28):
In fact, hey, kill them all, kill them all.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
How old your kid?
Speaker 6 (44:36):
He's twelve, Okay, bring him, I'll give him.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
I'll give him some merch or something.
Speaker 6 (44:41):
Oh, yeah, you already signed stuff for him. We're you know,
we're regulars at your events.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Well, come on over, buddy. I appreciate the call. Thank you.
That's Steno Velvet from the movie Eight Milimeter, which is
a great movie, very a dystopian movie. I love dystopian
movies like I haven't watched yet the entirety of The
Long Walk, but I've watched enough to know I love it.
A three three four one two WXDX number to call. Yeah,
that's Sunday, three pm, Pittsburgh Brewing in Creighton World Cup
(45:08):
viewing party. Let's go to a talkback. Mark you want
to sustain?
Speaker 2 (45:13):
If you say the premer and pizzer instead of Premier
in pizza, am I to guess that you're planning on
retiring in England?
Speaker 3 (45:24):
I'll hang up and listen.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Well, Premer, it's Premier league. That's an accepted pronunciation of premer,
especially when you're talking about the soccer league. What do
I say pizza? I like to put an R on
the end. If I do that, I'm not aware I do.
I just talk how I talk, And I'm not going
to retire in England. I will visit it more Heck,
the most I've ever gone to England in a season
(45:48):
for games is twice. I'm going twice this fall. I'm
going for the home opener in August and then I'm
going to another game in October. The Steelers will be
I'll be in Liverpool, all you Injurs will be in
Paris sticking out like a sore thumb. That is lipstick
on a pig right there, or a pig on lipstick?
(46:10):
What did I just say? Anyway, And then I'm gonna
go to a Liverpool road match, sit in the away section.
I think at Fulham in London in the spring. That's
what I think. I'm not totally sure about that, but yeah,
I get all this vacation a year. I just you
know that I may work indefinitely if they keep giving
me the same money in this amount of vacation because
(46:34):
I'm a star and I deserve it. Hey, I do
deserve it. I've I've paid my fricking dues and then some,
although ironically mostly at the Post Gazette. I have people
at the Post Gazette like I go to these reunion
dinners they have sometime, and I like most of the
people I worked with and they say that place gave
you your start, yo, F that place, that place held
(46:54):
me done. I was the biggest talent that sports department
almost from the day I said footing there. And I've
one thing but prove it since I left. But it
was you gotta give the how can I phrase this delicately?
Gotta give the demographic the big jobs F the Post Gazette.
No offense to Noah who was just on the show.
(47:15):
Uh eight three three four one two w xdx. We
got the list next and I had a tough time
narrowing it down. Get some more calls in. I'd love
some calls about either Motley Crue or the World Cup final.
That's what I want to talk about.
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