July 2, 2026 • 15 mins
Thursday on The A-Team, Chandler Rome joined Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler to discuss how the Astros could navigate their pitching logjam and the options they have amid Tatsuya Imai's feast-or-famine performances. Rome also shared his thoughts on Cristian Javier moving to the bullpen and whether trading AJ Blubaugh would make sense for the club this season.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chandler Rome of the Athletic for his weekly visit here
on the program. Chandler not exactly the type of series
you wanted to see against the Twins after winning five consecutive,
but uh, there were still some positives, not the least
of which is that Jordan is still a monster and
that Grand Slam was absolutely fantastic.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, I would argue it's probably his biggest moment of
the season, which is kind of weird to say, but look,
if you're gonna, if you're gonna contend for the MVP
as a DH only, you need a lot of moments
like that, Like like if you're gonna win the MVP period,
like you need a lot of like moments that are
seared into people's consciousness. But if you're a DH, you
(00:42):
got to kind of do them a little bit more
just because you don't have that opportunity to impact the
game on defense on the basis or anything like that.
And that was that was kind of an MVP moment,
Right You're up against an ace pitcher and Joe Ryan,
your team's down, bases loaded, and you did what you
expect him to do.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
He was just it was funny.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I thought he got under the ball like when he
hit it. I guess it was because it's to that
part of the ballpark. I thought he got under it,
and it turns out was like one of six off.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
The bat it was.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
He's insane, But yeah, he's really good. But yet snapped
a string of five consecutive series wins, so he's good.
But they've got to get some support around him, especially
with Jeremy Pannye on the IL.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Now that's where where I was headed.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Do you think Jeremy Paynia plays before they the All
Star Break?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Probably not.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I mean technically he could because uh he could, because
I think he'd be eligible to return for that first
game Arlington in the final series before the break. That's
obviously a big series just given that the Rangers currently
lead the division, the Ashers want to win the season
series from them, just in case that comes into account
with the tie breakers. I will say this, Jeremy Panniad
(01:54):
did a lot of baseball activity yesterday, fielded ground balls,
I think he hit a little bit. He's not running yet,
but he's doing a lot more baseball activity than normal
for someone that's been on the IL, that just got
put on the IL. So it really does lend credence
to the thought that this is not a severe injury.
This is not something major. This is something they just
(02:14):
wanted to nip in the bud now, So, I mean,
they're not going to do anything reckless. But the fact
that he's doing this much baseball activity now would suggest
that it's going to be a quicker recovery than those
So yeah, I mean you could see it. I think
they're going to be better safe than sorry when it
comes to this. But I do think this is not
(02:36):
a serious injury. It's something that he can come back
from relatively quickly.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
He wrote about aj Blueball drawing interest.
Speaker 5 (02:42):
We know the role he's played for the Astros so
far this season and have a pretty good idea of
what they think of him for the future. But in
that they maybe have arms, maybe in Santa, maybe in
Uyola that could provide the bullpen need if he were
to be part of a deal. Do you believe that
he is somebody that could fetch them a player that
(03:02):
helps them in another area like the outfield.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Well, I mean, and you mentioned Yola Santa. You've got
Hobbyer too, who's gonna be a reliever. Now you've got
Rono Blanco coming back. I'm not saying he's gonna be
a reliever, but I'm saying they have bodies, right, they
have guys that are capable of throwing multiple innings out
of the bullten.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Now, will they be.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
As effective as AJ blue Ball, who has a two
point six ERA in his past forty eight innings. I'm
not sure, but it's pretty obvious, Like why teams want
AJ blue Ball. He's got five more years of team
control left, he's got two option years left, and he's
been a He was a starter every year before this one.
So you can see teams that are kind of salivating
and thinking, man, if we get this guy, make him
(03:42):
a starter again, maybe see how that goes. He also
got closing experience. I mean he closed in college. He
can run it up to ninety nine when he has to.
Like it's it's pretty obvious why, And as I kind
of wrote that story, there's parallels. You know, Dana Brown
has done this before. You go back to the Kakuchi trade.
Jake Bloss and Joey Loperfdo were in that package. Both
(04:04):
of them were on the big league team, they were
both rookies. They both had this much control left and
this much many options left, but neither of them were
like main stays on that team, right, Like that team
could survive without Jake Bloss, that team could survive without
Joey loperfdo I guess the question that Dana and his
baseball operations seem not to ask themselves, if you know,
(04:27):
things get down the road and blue balls in any package,
is can this team survive without aj blue ball? Like
I would tend to think yes, but I guess you know,
it's not as easy to replace a sub almost a
sub two era across fifty innings out of your bullpen,
then you might believe talking.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
To Chandler Roam of the Athletic here on Sports Talk
seven to ninety Astros with the night off and then
they've got to Tampa Bay Rays in town, Christian Javier
is going to be a part of that bullpen.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Just your initial.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Thoughts on that, what you know, what the thinking was,
and how long this will last? Just kind of an
interesting wrinkle in a season full of these types of things.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, I was a little surprised, not like totally stumbed.
I was a little surprised, just maybe because of the
money he's making I mean, he's the fourth highest paid
pitcher on the team. That usually kind of reserves some
runway for you, right, that reserves that gives you kind
of the benefit of the doubt as you get a
chance to at least prove yourself in the rotation. And
(05:29):
then you look at kind of the two guys that
this is a vote of confidence for and Mike Burrows
and Spencer Aarraghetty. Spencer Arighedty has a nine ERA in
his past five starts. Mike Burrows, we don't need to
relitigate what his season has been like, Like you could
have seen a situation where either of those guys went
to the bull went to the bullpen for this turn
in the rotation, and Pavier got the chance to start
(05:52):
the thing. The only thing I can conclude, there's two
things that are.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Kind of front of mine for me.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
They must have like we're only privy to so much
pitch data, and like how the pitches are playing, shapes, movement, velo,
We're only privy to so much of that publicly, Like
they've got a ton more on his pitch shapes and
dynamics and things like that. They must have seen something
in those rehab starts that really kind of gave them
(06:18):
pause just in terms of stuff, in terms of how
the stuff was playing, how it was coming out of
his hand. They must have seen something that they didn't
like there. And then, you know, even when Christian Hobvier
was at his peak, when he was really really good,
this has never been a guy that's been known for
his efficiency. He's never been known to get deep into games.
There's a lot of foul balls, there's a lot of
(06:40):
full counts, there's a lot of long innings. The one
thing you can say about both Mike Burrows and Spencer
Araghedty Spencer Aragedy's last I know he only went three innings,
but these are guys that generally get you deeper into games,
that generally get you deep into games, and you saw
last night with tessu Emi. Thank god they had an
off day to day, because that's the kind of that's
(07:00):
the kind of start that can just turn your pitching
staff upside down for three or four days.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I'm not sure that they wanted to risk that with.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
Hob Here in EMI's case, and that this has happened
three times where he's gotten four or fewer outs in
an outing, He's at three outings where he's thrown more
balls than strikes as a starting pitcher, which is nuts.
Is there anything really left for the Astros to try
to do to find some real consistency not a couple starts.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
I don't know, man, I I I don't know. This is.
This is It's tough.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's a tough thing to cover and a tough thing
to analyze, just because the extremes are so wild. It's like,
I don't know that I can remember something like this
where the extremes of when he is really good, like
it's almost unhittable stuff, and when he's really bad, like
it doesn't look like he can get double a hitters
(07:55):
out much less major kiitters. I think the thing that
you know kind of showed itself last night. If you
listen to his postgame interview, he talked about when he
left the game and he went to look at video
with si Oh, his interpreter, he saw that the way
he was standing in his posture was wrong, and he
kind of identified things there and said, I'll improve on
(08:17):
that for the next start.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
They've got to find a way.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
For him to figure that out in game right, and
the good pictures that's what they do right, the good pictures.
They can adjust from batter to batter, from inning to inning.
They go down in the clubhouse and look and see
on the iPad kind of what things are going wrong,
and they go back out and adjust. His failure to
make in game adjustments and his failure to be able
(08:40):
to stop these spirals is concerning. And I don't know
that that's something that he can just figure out overnight. Right,
Like you have seen the talent is there, right, you have,
it's you don't. You don't fluke your way into striking
out eleven in a major league start, right, Like, he's
got the stuff is there. It's just this acclamation process
(09:02):
and this learning curve that he has is far steeper
and far greater than I think anyone would have envisioned
before the season.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Guessing who is the most productive Astros outfielder from today
until the end of the season, Alvarez, I mean, come on.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
That's cheating.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
If he out homers in the games he plays left field,
the other guys, then they're in real trouble'll.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Uh, I'll go Joey Loperfino, I think you know, I
think he's been so injured. The injuries heard him earlier
in the season, and he's made He makes maybe more
contact than the other guys, especially if you look at
Bryce Matthews, Jake Myers, they have problems making contact.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
I probably would go low Perfido. But they you know
who they need it to be. They needed to be
Cam Smith.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Because Cam Smith is the guy that can t It's
formed this lineup into something more dynamic.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
If they can get him going in.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Any sort of consistency, any sort of way where he's
making contact or he's pulling the ball in the air,
or he's hitting the ball on the line, they need
it to be him.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I'm not sure if it's going to be him. I
probably would take the.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Guy with a little more more veteran track record in
low Berfedo. But if they want this lineup to ascend
to another level, and if they want it to be
a little more dynamic, they almost need it to be
Cam Smith junior.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
Cameron Aro hits how many home runs this weekend?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Well, Hunter's pitching the middle game. I'll say if if
the over unders two and a half, I will take
the under.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
That's good. So you're saying they're not the Royals.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
No, they're not.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
No, No, the Royal I think the Royals entire pitching
staffs on the IL.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
The Astros aren't. They're not in.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
That bad shape. But yeah, the junior camer Aaro is
a stud man. He's really good. He's really really good.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Youngest players, it's griffy to hit six straight games, hit
a home run.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Actually younger, younger, and he's younger than he's younger than
Cam Smith, Like he just turned twenty three. Like this
is like he is Like I think if he played
anywhere else other than Tampa, like you'd be talking about
him as like maybe one of the next faces of baseball,
one of the next just kind of transformative guys like
he's he's incredible.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Are they gonna win the AL and nobody's even gonna
expect it?
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Nah, the Yankees, I think the Yankees will still win
the AL.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
That's terrible.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I mean the Yankees, they're there.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
They don't have Freed right now, they don't have Judge,
they don't have a Stanton. They've had Ben Rice has
come back down to earth since the beginning of his season,
so and you can see, ah, I mean, they're the
more talented team right and there, and you know that
they're gonna go make the big deadline moves that maybe
the Rays are not. I mean, they're able to make them.
They have a ton of prospects, they have a ton
(11:53):
of good talent, Like they can go all in and
get a guy like Schooble if they wanted to. But
that's much. That's just more of a Yankees type move.
So yeah, I think the Yankees end up at the
end of the day winning it. But don't be fool
man the Rays. The Rays just it's an annoying style
of baseball to play. They do every fundamental thing very well.
They put the ball in play, they don't strike out,
(12:15):
they they're fast, they run the base as well, they
pitch well. They just do all the things that you
would expect a really good team that doesn't spend a
lot of money.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
They're like the Guardians, right.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
They do a lot of the little things well and
they have a lot of really good players that most
of the sport has never heard of.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Well, for those of you that were listening closely to
our guest Chandler Rome here, what you heard was him
predicting the number one wild card in this year's postseason
in the American League to beat the third best division
winner in the opening round of the playoffs. That would
mean the Yankees beat the Astros in the playoffs for
the first time ever.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
That's what you said, right, You're.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Putting words in my mouth.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
You're putting words in my mouth.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I'm I'm neither.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Astros will win this division and the Yankees will finish
second in their division. Could still have that matchup in
the playoffs, but it's not for anything close to guarantee.
Still plenty of baseball seventy three games left of baseball
for the Astro. As a matter of fact, Chandler, appreciate
the time. Enjoy your baseball coverage and America two fifty
(13:22):
over the next handful of days.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Taylor's weddings tomorrow night? You guys excited?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Who I thought it was? Travis?
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Travis Kelsey's weddings tomorrow night?
Speaker 5 (13:32):
All right, Okay, now I know what you're talking about,
so we don't have to talk about it next week.
Is there one element of this get together that you
actually find at all compelling?
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I just want to I want to know what the
attendees like. I'm sure they've had to sign an NDA.
I'm sure I have not allowed to bring their phones
in there. But I want to know what, like hoops
these attendees had to jump through just to.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Go to this wedding.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I want to know everything about like all the forms
aid to fill out, Like are they gonna lie? It's
fascinating to me, like you're getting invited to a wedding
and then it's basically like you're going to beat the pope?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Can you, even as the swifty that you are, can
you at least admit that it's so ridiculous that there's
all that kind of stuff going on. The NDA's in
all likelihood for a couple that clearly loves and wants
all that attention.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Nobody believes this, But.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Are they like I'll say this though, like they're like
they haven't said anything, Like it's not like Taylor Swift
or Travis has come out and said like oh our
wedding's Like this has all just been like people are
connecting dots and like, oh, like they're setting up for
this stuff. Like they've been quiet throughout this whole thing.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
Travis didn't go for a run yesterday.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
Yeah, they probably had, and they they probably had internal
conversations amongst themselves and wondered aloud. Do you think if
we build a castle inside Madison Square Garden anybody will
notice and talk about it.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Hey, they donated a lot of money to a lot
of chair throughout this whole thing, so good for them.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
They're noble people as well.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Oh my gosh, next week with Clinton in absentia, I
don't know how far into the Taylor Swift conversation we
will get, but I'm looking forward to it. Nonetheless, Chandler,
I appreciate the time
Speaker 3 (15:16):
All right, Thanks eys.
Chandler Rome of the Athletic for his weekly visit here
on the program. Chandler not exactly the type of series
you wanted to see against the Twins after winning five consecutive,
but uh, there were still some positives, not the least
of which is that Jordan is still a monster and
that Grand Slam was absolutely fantastic.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, I would argue it's probably his biggest moment of
the season, which is kind of weird to say, but look,
if you're gonna, if you're gonna contend for the MVP
as a DH only, you need a lot of moments
like that, Like like if you're gonna win the MVP period,
like you need a lot of like moments that are
seared into people's consciousness. But if you're a DH, you
(00:42):
got to kind of do them a little bit more
just because you don't have that opportunity to impact the
game on defense on the basis or anything like that.
And that was that was kind of an MVP moment,
Right You're up against an ace pitcher and Joe Ryan,
your team's down, bases loaded, and you did what you
expect him to do.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
He was just it was funny.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I thought he got under the ball like when he
hit it. I guess it was because it's to that
part of the ballpark. I thought he got under it,
and it turns out was like one of six off.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
The bat it was.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
He's insane, But yeah, he's really good. But yet snapped
a string of five consecutive series wins, so he's good.
But they've got to get some support around him, especially
with Jeremy Pannye on the IL.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Now that's where where I was headed.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Do you think Jeremy Paynia plays before they the All
Star Break?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Probably not.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I mean technically he could because uh he could, because
I think he'd be eligible to return for that first
game Arlington in the final series before the break. That's
obviously a big series just given that the Rangers currently
lead the division, the Ashers want to win the season
series from them, just in case that comes into account
with the tie breakers. I will say this, Jeremy Panniad
(01:54):
did a lot of baseball activity yesterday, fielded ground balls,
I think he hit a little bit. He's not running yet,
but he's doing a lot more baseball activity than normal
for someone that's been on the IL, that just got
put on the IL. So it really does lend credence
to the thought that this is not a severe injury.
This is not something major. This is something they just
(02:14):
wanted to nip in the bud now, So, I mean,
they're not going to do anything reckless. But the fact
that he's doing this much baseball activity now would suggest
that it's going to be a quicker recovery than those
So yeah, I mean you could see it. I think
they're going to be better safe than sorry when it
comes to this. But I do think this is not
(02:36):
a serious injury. It's something that he can come back
from relatively quickly.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
He wrote about aj Blueball drawing interest.
Speaker 5 (02:42):
We know the role he's played for the Astros so
far this season and have a pretty good idea of
what they think of him for the future. But in
that they maybe have arms, maybe in Santa, maybe in
Uyola that could provide the bullpen need if he were
to be part of a deal. Do you believe that
he is somebody that could fetch them a player that
(03:02):
helps them in another area like the outfield.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Well, I mean, and you mentioned Yola Santa. You've got
Hobbyer too, who's gonna be a reliever. Now you've got
Rono Blanco coming back. I'm not saying he's gonna be
a reliever, but I'm saying they have bodies, right, they
have guys that are capable of throwing multiple innings out
of the bullten.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Now, will they be.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
As effective as AJ blue Ball, who has a two
point six ERA in his past forty eight innings. I'm
not sure, but it's pretty obvious, Like why teams want
AJ blue Ball. He's got five more years of team
control left, he's got two option years left, and he's
been a He was a starter every year before this one.
So you can see teams that are kind of salivating
and thinking, man, if we get this guy, make him
(03:42):
a starter again, maybe see how that goes. He also
got closing experience. I mean he closed in college. He
can run it up to ninety nine when he has to.
Like it's it's pretty obvious why, And as I kind
of wrote that story, there's parallels. You know, Dana Brown
has done this before. You go back to the Kakuchi trade.
Jake Bloss and Joey Loperfdo were in that package. Both
(04:04):
of them were on the big league team, they were
both rookies. They both had this much control left and
this much many options left, but neither of them were
like main stays on that team, right, Like that team
could survive without Jake Bloss, that team could survive without
Joey loperfdo I guess the question that Dana and his
baseball operations seem not to ask themselves, if you know,
(04:27):
things get down the road and blue balls in any package,
is can this team survive without aj blue ball? Like
I would tend to think yes, but I guess you know,
it's not as easy to replace a sub almost a
sub two era across fifty innings out of your bullpen,
then you might believe talking.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
To Chandler Roam of the Athletic here on Sports Talk
seven to ninety Astros with the night off and then
they've got to Tampa Bay Rays in town, Christian Javier
is going to be a part of that bullpen.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Just your initial.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Thoughts on that, what you know, what the thinking was,
and how long this will last? Just kind of an
interesting wrinkle in a season full of these types of things.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah, I was a little surprised, not like totally stumbed.
I was a little surprised, just maybe because of the
money he's making I mean, he's the fourth highest paid
pitcher on the team. That usually kind of reserves some
runway for you, right, that reserves that gives you kind
of the benefit of the doubt as you get a
chance to at least prove yourself in the rotation. And
(05:29):
then you look at kind of the two guys that
this is a vote of confidence for and Mike Burrows
and Spencer Aarraghetty. Spencer Arighedty has a nine ERA in
his past five starts. Mike Burrows, we don't need to
relitigate what his season has been like, Like you could
have seen a situation where either of those guys went
to the bull went to the bullpen for this turn
in the rotation, and Pavier got the chance to start
(05:52):
the thing. The only thing I can conclude, there's two
things that are.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Kind of front of mine for me.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
They must have like we're only privy to so much
pitch data, and like how the pitches are playing, shapes, movement, velo,
We're only privy to so much of that publicly, Like
they've got a ton more on his pitch shapes and
dynamics and things like that. They must have seen something
in those rehab starts that really kind of gave them
(06:18):
pause just in terms of stuff, in terms of how
the stuff was playing, how it was coming out of
his hand. They must have seen something that they didn't
like there. And then, you know, even when Christian Hobvier
was at his peak, when he was really really good,
this has never been a guy that's been known for
his efficiency. He's never been known to get deep into games.
There's a lot of foul balls, there's a lot of
(06:40):
full counts, there's a lot of long innings. The one
thing you can say about both Mike Burrows and Spencer
Araghedty Spencer Aragedy's last I know he only went three innings,
but these are guys that generally get you deeper into games,
that generally get you deep into games, and you saw
last night with tessu Emi. Thank god they had an
off day to day, because that's the kind of that's
(07:00):
the kind of start that can just turn your pitching
staff upside down for three or four days.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I'm not sure that they wanted to risk that with.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
Hob Here in EMI's case, and that this has happened
three times where he's gotten four or fewer outs in
an outing, He's at three outings where he's thrown more
balls than strikes as a starting pitcher, which is nuts.
Is there anything really left for the Astros to try
to do to find some real consistency not a couple starts.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
I don't know, man, I I I don't know. This is.
This is It's tough.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's a tough thing to cover and a tough thing
to analyze, just because the extremes are so wild. It's like,
I don't know that I can remember something like this
where the extremes of when he is really good, like
it's almost unhittable stuff, and when he's really bad, like
it doesn't look like he can get double a hitters
(07:55):
out much less major kiitters. I think the thing that
you know kind of showed itself last night. If you
listen to his postgame interview, he talked about when he
left the game and he went to look at video
with si Oh, his interpreter, he saw that the way
he was standing in his posture was wrong, and he
kind of identified things there and said, I'll improve on
(08:17):
that for the next start.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
They've got to find a way.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
For him to figure that out in game right, and
the good pictures that's what they do right, the good pictures.
They can adjust from batter to batter, from inning to inning.
They go down in the clubhouse and look and see
on the iPad kind of what things are going wrong,
and they go back out and adjust. His failure to
make in game adjustments and his failure to be able
(08:40):
to stop these spirals is concerning. And I don't know
that that's something that he can just figure out overnight. Right,
Like you have seen the talent is there, right, you have,
it's you don't. You don't fluke your way into striking
out eleven in a major league start, right, Like, he's
got the stuff is there. It's just this acclamation process
(09:02):
and this learning curve that he has is far steeper
and far greater than I think anyone would have envisioned
before the season.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Guessing who is the most productive Astros outfielder from today
until the end of the season, Alvarez, I mean, come on.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
That's cheating.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
If he out homers in the games he plays left field,
the other guys, then they're in real trouble'll.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Uh, I'll go Joey Loperfino, I think you know, I
think he's been so injured. The injuries heard him earlier
in the season, and he's made He makes maybe more
contact than the other guys, especially if you look at
Bryce Matthews, Jake Myers, they have problems making contact.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
I probably would go low Perfido. But they you know
who they need it to be. They needed to be
Cam Smith.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Because Cam Smith is the guy that can t It's
formed this lineup into something more dynamic.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
If they can get him going in.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Any sort of consistency, any sort of way where he's
making contact or he's pulling the ball in the air,
or he's hitting the ball on the line, they need
it to be him.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I'm not sure if it's going to be him. I
probably would take the.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Guy with a little more more veteran track record in
low Berfedo. But if they want this lineup to ascend
to another level, and if they want it to be
a little more dynamic, they almost need it to be
Cam Smith junior.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
Cameron Aro hits how many home runs this weekend?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Well, Hunter's pitching the middle game. I'll say if if
the over unders two and a half, I will take
the under.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
That's good. So you're saying they're not the Royals.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
No, they're not.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
No, No, the Royal I think the Royals entire pitching
staffs on the IL.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
The Astros aren't. They're not in.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
That bad shape. But yeah, the junior camer Aaro is
a stud man. He's really good. He's really really good.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Youngest players, it's griffy to hit six straight games, hit
a home run.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Actually younger, younger, and he's younger than he's younger than
Cam Smith, Like he just turned twenty three. Like this
is like he is Like I think if he played
anywhere else other than Tampa, like you'd be talking about
him as like maybe one of the next faces of baseball,
one of the next just kind of transformative guys like
he's he's incredible.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Are they gonna win the AL and nobody's even gonna
expect it?
Speaker 3 (11:26):
Nah, the Yankees, I think the Yankees will still win
the AL.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
That's terrible.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I mean the Yankees, they're there.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
They don't have Freed right now, they don't have Judge,
they don't have a Stanton. They've had Ben Rice has
come back down to earth since the beginning of his season,
so and you can see, ah, I mean, they're the
more talented team right and there, and you know that
they're gonna go make the big deadline moves that maybe
the Rays are not. I mean, they're able to make them.
They have a ton of prospects, they have a ton
(11:53):
of good talent, Like they can go all in and
get a guy like Schooble if they wanted to. But
that's much. That's just more of a Yankees type move.
So yeah, I think the Yankees end up at the
end of the day winning it. But don't be fool
man the Rays. The Rays just it's an annoying style
of baseball to play. They do every fundamental thing very well.
They put the ball in play, they don't strike out,
(12:15):
they they're fast, they run the base as well, they
pitch well. They just do all the things that you
would expect a really good team that doesn't spend a
lot of money.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
They're like the Guardians, right.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
They do a lot of the little things well and
they have a lot of really good players that most
of the sport has never heard of.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Well, for those of you that were listening closely to
our guest Chandler Rome here, what you heard was him
predicting the number one wild card in this year's postseason
in the American League to beat the third best division
winner in the opening round of the playoffs. That would
mean the Yankees beat the Astros in the playoffs for
the first time ever.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
That's what you said, right, You're.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Putting words in my mouth.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
You're putting words in my mouth.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I'm I'm neither.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Astros will win this division and the Yankees will finish
second in their division. Could still have that matchup in
the playoffs, but it's not for anything close to guarantee.
Still plenty of baseball seventy three games left of baseball
for the Astro. As a matter of fact, Chandler, appreciate
the time. Enjoy your baseball coverage and America two fifty
(13:22):
over the next handful of days.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Taylor's weddings tomorrow night? You guys excited?
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Who I thought it was? Travis?
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Travis Kelsey's weddings tomorrow night?
Speaker 5 (13:32):
All right, Okay, now I know what you're talking about,
so we don't have to talk about it next week.
Is there one element of this get together that you
actually find at all compelling?
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I just want to I want to know what the
attendees like. I'm sure they've had to sign an NDA.
I'm sure I have not allowed to bring their phones
in there. But I want to know what, like hoops
these attendees had to jump through just to.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Go to this wedding.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
I want to know everything about like all the forms
aid to fill out, Like are they gonna lie? It's
fascinating to me, like you're getting invited to a wedding
and then it's basically like you're going to beat the pope?
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Can you, even as the swifty that you are, can
you at least admit that it's so ridiculous that there's
all that kind of stuff going on. The NDA's in
all likelihood for a couple that clearly loves and wants
all that attention.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Nobody believes this, But.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Are they like I'll say this though, like they're like
they haven't said anything, Like it's not like Taylor Swift
or Travis has come out and said like oh our
wedding's Like this has all just been like people are
connecting dots and like, oh, like they're setting up for
this stuff. Like they've been quiet throughout this whole thing.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
Travis didn't go for a run yesterday.
Speaker 5 (14:44):
Yeah, they probably had, and they they probably had internal
conversations amongst themselves and wondered aloud. Do you think if
we build a castle inside Madison Square Garden anybody will
notice and talk about it.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Hey, they donated a lot of money to a lot
of chair throughout this whole thing, so good for them.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
They're noble people as well.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Oh my gosh, next week with Clinton in absentia, I
don't know how far into the Taylor Swift conversation we
will get, but I'm looking forward to it. Nonetheless, Chandler,
I appreciate the time
Speaker 3 (15:16):
All right, Thanks eys.
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