00:00One game coming up next hour, Cardinals and the Phillies, and you mentioned it.
00:04I'm with you.
00:05I think the Phillies are built for a run this time of year.
00:11I think over the next month, as we got 30-some-odd games left, I think the experience, I think
00:17the pitching, the bullpen worries me a little, but it doesn't worry me to the point where
00:23I wouldn't back them because look at the competition they're going up against here.
00:28They're 260 favorites tonight against the Cardinals.
00:32I see the Phillies making some noise here over the next couple of weeks, Scott.
00:36What do you think?
00:37Yeah, they might be.
00:39You know, if there's a team that has the kryptonite for Superman, the LA Dodgers, it is the Phillies,
00:45Joe.
00:45You know, the Dodgers, as good as they are, right, 26 games over 500.
00:50They're only four games, and that's only because recently they've won a couple of games against
00:54left-handed starters.
00:55Otherwise, for the most part, they've been a 500-baseball team, and we're talking about
00:5940 games.
01:00That's a pretty good sample size.
01:01And they got the two big lefties in Lizardo and Sanchez.
01:04You know, you start off a series, you know, that's going to be the key.
01:08You're never going to, like, overwhelm the Dodgers, right?
01:10You're never going to, you know, outdo them.
01:11But can you go toe-to-toe with them for five, six innings, and then make it a bullpen game
01:16where it turns into a 50-50 proposition?
01:18Like, the Phillies have what it takes on paper.
01:21Whether they get it done or not, and you said their bullpen's not exactly great, but at least
01:26they got the two big lefties that, you know, could go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers.
01:30So, the Phillies would be the one, you know, six straight wins, you know, five back of Atlanta.
01:36I don't know if they're necessarily going to catch the Braves.
01:38And depending on how things turn out, you know, maybe the Phillies would face the Dodgers
01:42in the first round, believe it or not, if the Braves, you know, overtake the Dodgers
01:46for the second-best record, and the Dodgers don't get that first-round buy.
01:50Yeah.
01:51Yeah, you know, thank goodness the Dodgers, because what was their season win total, Scott?
01:58Was it 104?
01:59105 and a half?
01:59105 and a half.
02:01Okay.
02:02If they had been on pace for that, this would be even a worse season, because there'd be
02:07even less interest at this point of year.
02:10So, the fact that they have had to go through some ups and downs and some growing pains, and,
02:15you know, they've had that low a little bit here in the dog days of summer, but we already
02:21know from a talent and on-paper perspective, they are the team to beat.
02:27They're two-time champions, and I get it here.
02:30But there's always that one team we see each and every Major League Baseball season where
02:36it flies under the radar until around this time of year.
02:40My fear, and I mentioned it before we went to break, I think Tampa peaked too early.
02:46God, I really do.
02:48They're on the road against the Orioles tonight, but it's not like they've got a ton of experience.
02:53Peralta is supposed to be a guy that's going to come in and give you all these great innings
02:58in the postseason.
02:59I'm not buying it, man.
03:01I think if that, because the Rays, to me, have not gone through that low, right?
03:05That, where does the bottom fall?
03:08I think it's coming, Scott.
03:09And I don't even think they're going to have enough to win the American League East in the
03:14next month.
03:15Yeah.
03:16I mean, listen, they're going to be the third choice at best, right?
03:19They're not going to be the number one choice over the Yankees, and they're not probably
03:22going to be the number one choice over Boston, believe it or not, when everything is said
03:26and done.
03:26They might be over the White Sox and Astros is those two teams in the other divisions
03:31and the wildcard teams.
03:33You know, the thing with them this year is that the AL, as we talked about it, is so bad.
03:38Like, who's going to beat them?
03:39You know, even if they don't play the way they're playing now, is Cleveland good enough?
03:43Is Houston good enough?
03:44Is Seattle going to come back?
03:46You know?
03:46So, if the devil dogs, as we like to call them, don't do it this year, then it's really,
03:51you know, shame on them because the AL is so bad this season.
03:54I mean, if you're lying, I get it.
03:56You're pretty good.
03:56You know, I don't mind flyers on teams and players.
04:00And they took a flyer on Freddy Peralta, but he's had three starts and he's been awful.
04:04They've happened to win, believe it or not, two out of his three starts, but he hasn't
04:08pitched well in really any of them.
04:11So, if he's one of your main guys, it's like, you know, you're in a whole lot of trouble.
04:15So, if you're not going to happen, let's look at them.
04:16So, let's go.
04:16You
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