Talkin' Jake is breaking down every division race in Major League Baseball and deciding which races are the JUICIEST the rest of the way
Wake n Jake is available on YouTube! You can watch every episode here: https://www.youtube.com/@WakeNJake
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Timestamps:
0:00 8 Weeks Left in the MLB Season
3:40 AL East
14:05 AL West
19:50 NL West & AL Central
26:50 NL East
28:45 Which am I LEAST Confident In?
30:30 NL Central
31:25 Enjoying the Olympics!
#dpshow
Hello, and welcome to Awaken Jake myself Jake Stromboli BBD, catching up on the world of baseball. I want to check in on some of the division race to see if we see any sauce there a little under a week after the deadline, see what else we can dig up from that. The other Okay, I was gonna save this, like this was something to be saved. It's been so funny. We've been looking forward to the trade deadline for so long, like it's All Star break deadline. Who's in, Who's out? We look at today, Monday, August fifth. If you remember, this baseball season also started early. We got a March start this year. Season end September twenty eighth, eight weeks of regular season baseball right August five on the calendar season end September twenty eighth looked at an actual calendar eight weeks to go of regular season baseball. So still a lot of fun stuff to be decided this season. The NL wild card race has become a fun one. We'll see if the al either becomes a couple team race or does everyone come back to the pack. We'll dive into that a little bit. The divisions are interesting to me right now because there's a couple that are close and then the ones that aren't. I want to see what might feel closer than it is, and then maybe a little Olympics at the end. I got into it this weekend. I feel like this was the perfect It was almost too hot out, so it was like, Hey, let's watch actual live Olympics instead of the event of the night which no shots fired at the Olympics for running them later because I've still been watching. We'll do the baseball first before we deep dive into that. But god, football's common people. I got my fantasy football draft this weekend. Daniel Jones has some facial hair looks really good, so that's exciting. There'll be more that to come. Hey, maybe comment if you might know. Let's see what would be the comp here. It's tough because we work with Panic and Bobby, who were really good football guys. But I don't know if there was a foolish Bailey of football that you guys wanted some content from. I guess comment below let me know. We'd love to reach out and interact with some good people because, as some of you may know, or if you're new, hey, thank you subscribe. Twenty point eight k subs now pretty cool. I'll round up to twenty one. But yeah, with football, like I don't have that deep football knowledge. I guess with baseball I do and I don't. With baseball, I have enough more than your average bear. With football, I'm very much bar talk level conversation, which some people like. I'd like to get into some of the Dvoa stuff and some of that more, but a lot of eye test and I love I mean, football's football. I've a lot of people here at waken Jack may know. I thought I was worried about losing football altogether because it starts in baseball season, but that Sunday routine of it comes pretty nicely. Anyways, what was that. Let's talk some baseball and checking in on the divisions, and I want to start with my al East, where the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles are lining up for I think one of the more fun stretches we have seen my New York Yankees. They just went through a losing stretch. It was a bad time. They were the worst team in baseball for over a month. We hated that. We've seen that in previous seasons and it really really made us miserable. The pitching gave out, gave out the bullpen kind of part of the pitching that had given out, and the Yankees had a deadline. I know we wanted more, especially when there's Jack Flaherty rumors. Seeing Mark Lighter Junior has been pretty cool. That's a guy that in a whole situation, Yankee fans are feeling comfortable with. So that's a guy on the back end of the bullpen. They also had. Jake Cousins has kind of come onto the scene as a perfect I don't know, six seventh inning, if you're up three runs, I think Yankees fans would feel good about him right now or down one. That's kind of a key guy to have in the bullpen. Can you keep a game close or if you're not ready to go to your apen, do you have that.
If the game matters but doesn't all the way matter?
Good option, And him and Mark Lighter Junior punched tickets out there, which the Yankees desperately needed in their bullpen. So Garrett Cole, Yankee fans had an unnecessary scare with that, and I don't think we're out of the woods. They skipped to start because he's that he had tummy problems, came out, looked kind of recovered well, and his velo and everything was there, so like overall.
Like the velocity number was numbers were there even if he didn't look his nastiest. And at the end of the day, it's a five point two tour and didn't walk anybody start.
Yeah, I mean in the rotation, you're hoping for more from Coal.
By the time the playoffs come. I don't think Yankee fans should be worried about him not being where he's supposed to be by then.
Well, I think part of what's gonna be interesting there is where is Garrett Cole at Rodin is kind of surging again, which is exciting for Yankee fans. You feel like you're gonna have one of Heel and Coal feeling peak of their powers. Heel had a rough stretch, got through it. Stroman has been deep on the struggle bus. Nestor has been on the struggle bus. A couple signs of bouncing back. The Yankee schedule really eases up Angels, Texas, Chicago White Side over the next week and a half. And I don't know, man, I guess during that Yankees bad stretch, all these Yankee fans had a lot of dark thoughts creep in. Because we've seen it the past couple of years. It's pretty cool looking at their team page today, Yankees first and runs first and on base percentage second in ops. That's really good. And I guess Yankee fans were pretty hot to trot before they started playing terrible baseball. I don't know. There was just something seeing Judge, seeing Sodo. Now that they've got pieces around it, that something is gonna click, whether it's Jazz, whether it's June Carlo, the next level of Verdugo Glaber. Austin Wells has been playing really good baseball. It feels like Anthony Volpi, my god down in the lineup. Anthony Volpi has been a really good baseball player. And the Yankees some conversations we haven't leaked into on talking Yanks yet. We kind of did the tip of the iceberg. But there's reinforcements coming. It's just we don't know what they are. Jose Travino when he left, he was in a full time platoon as catcher. Rizzo was supposed to be a guy. He's kind of been supplanted. Is that a word supplanted, supplanted surpassed maybe both John Birdie in a role I don't know if you can get excited about that. Jason Domingez the Martian. So it's gonna be interesting to see as those veterans get healthy. The Martian is playing, and he's had some good games and he would fill a need. It's gonna be interesting to see how this Yankees roster rounds out the year. But man, something about Judge and Soto, Judge fully blown getting the intentional walk treatment this past series was like, Wow, that's that's what we're watching now. And the guy that hits in front of him is just as good. So if they get any other support from the lineup, which I think they've shown at this point, they will excited about our Yanks, especially in an al where things aren't things aren't clear. We've done the whole Yankees Houston, Baltimore. We'll get to the central two.
The other Yankee stat that's kind of stuck out to me as they're starting to come out of the bad times and we've had a complicated relationship with the stat but they have the best run differential in all of baseball, and it's by a lot, like I know's there's a few games and we've discussed it, like maybe blowouts that should be cacked at like a six or seven or something. But I think even with those, it's not like a crazy number of or called like three games they won by ten, Yeah, not a lot.
Of silly ones like twenty to two.
I don't think it's getting like juice juice. So it's like, what I've noticed that threat this. I'm like, huh okay, well got a comfortable wins.
Speaking of juice, the team they'll be racing with down the stretch is your Baltimore Orioles, who they are first in ops, they are second in runs, and they are first in home run So that Orioles offense has been clicking all year. Colton Kowser in their outfield, he's got a hit streak going. Guy got off to a hot start to the season, kind of blended in with those Orioles. He got a slow during the middle of the season. Is he a trade piece for them? Feels like everyone kind of is. He's been towards the top of their lineup and he's putting together a really nice season. Former first round pick fifth overall. So again, these guys aren't like these Orioles. Guys are real deal. Holy Field checked out Adley's numbers on the yarn, was a little surprised where they're at. Wouldn't be surprised if he's got more in the tank coming. He had a nice series over the weekend. And the biggest story, Jack Holiday, the top prospect who gets called up for the first time, really struggles sent down. He gets called up against the Guardians and has a massive series. So wherever you land on Jackson Holliday's potential. Never mind Kobe Mayo, who they call up only the twenty first prospect in baseball as a potential infield option for them. Their lineup could potentially be tapping into more Jordan Westburg out for them, who was having a really nice year. So there's that, and they added pieces to their bullpen. Let's see how it comes together for them, Sir Anthony and Soto come over from Philly and kimberl Did they just have Philly's bullpen last year? What's that about? Kind of funny how front offices work. Eflin trade is working out well for them. He's just giving them standard starts Trevor Rodgers. Let's see, but man Cordon Burns has arguably been the best picture in the AL. He has the most quality starts. This is gonna be an absolute dogfight. I I'm trying to remember. I guess Ale East Wise Biberton. Can you remember the last AL East like title race? Is that a dumb statement?
Like down the stretch the race was like intense.
Yeah, let's see MLB standings is something I probably should have looked up. And Fangrafts is fighting my computer. Great, amazing because we'll get BBD on research and development for that.
Twenty two. They sort of ran away with it last year. Look it into it last year.
I mean the race had the perfect April, Yes, but then the Orioles cooked. I don't know, I feel like we haven't had a true Orioles ended up winning it by two games. Two games, so I'd have to relive how how told how we got there? Yeah, twenty two Yankees won by seven games, twenty one Raised one by eight games. Twenty twenty Raise somehow won by seven games in the shortened season, twenty nineteen Yankees twenty eighteen Socks won by eight.
Yeah, that was an awesome race. Until they ended the season in August.
So twenty seventeen, twenty seventeen Red Sox win by two games. So again, it's tough to feel how those emotions were in the moment. But yeah, I think the Yankees and the Orioles have an argument for the two most talented teams in the American League. They're currently tied atop the AL East. The Yankees are the Yankees hate him or love them? Underdogs on top Fitty or I mean, the Orioles have this young core that I know baseball just does not work like this. But again, they just called up Jackson holiday number one prospect in baseball. They just called up Kobe Mayo, number twenty one prospect. That's like Orioles fans would say this, but he's a blip on their radar because they've called up Adley and Gunner and now Jackson that, yeah, this could be the start of something. We saw these two teams brawl this year, and I hope it doesn't come down to like, well, oh my god, this injury, that injury, which I feel like baseball has gotten to a point where there's a lot of that We're set up for a really good wire to Wire Orioles Yankees finale, which is gonna be massive. I mean, one of those teams is gonna be a wild card team. You've got to win two out of three at home to save your season. And who are those games gonna be against? Which brings me out out west to the other divisional race. I do owe my Seattle Mariner fans an apology, if not a follow up apology. Me and foolish, I think we ended up being a little too harsh on your guys. Deadline. I respect it more than I think I let on you guys need to add hitting, and you did some of that. Randy has an argument to be one of, if not the best hit or added at this deadline. Justin Turner came over, had the best on base percentage on the team, always hits. Feels like a Seattle icon. I keep saying that. I feel like Justin Turner is gonna have a coffee shop in Seattle pretty soon. It's gonna be a popular place. We'll see if they win a playoff series, absolutely, especially if he has the big hit. I feel like that's gonna happen. The Seattle Mariners are in first place in the Aos. They're one game up on the Houston Astros. The Astros just lost a set to the Rays. They've got the Texas Rangers coming out Houston. Man, they've got some weird stuff going on. I know, the hitting's been there all year. Uh, Kyle Tucker. There was just a weird quote that came out from manager Joe Spotta that was like, we were we'd love to see him in August, but we don't know if we will. I think everyone assumed it was going to be quicker than that. If you go look at their offensive numbers, Jordon's Jordan, which is just crazy that that kind of happens every year. Kyle Tucker still leads that team in war and he's been out for a while. Al Twovey's numbers are still great, but they're not where you might expect them. Al twoves ops as it today stands at seven ninety five. Alex Bregman stands at seven to fourteen, so I know he got off to a slow start, so he's been a lot better recently. But when you look at the Astros on paper right now, I know Yaner Diaz is run into a hot stretch. No one with ops in the eights. It's Jordan in the Nines, and then Altuve and yin A are above league average. Bregman and Paynya are close that This offense that all year has kind of stayed around the top. There's some thin parts in the lineup right now, whether that's Meyers, Singleton, dubonn McCormack, Victor Krattini, victor Carrottini. The pitching, on the other hand, which has been the weakness this year, has started punching tickets. I think I saw some stat double digit strikeouts in a lot of games for their pitching staff. So young Spencer Agedti he just put together a good one. Verlander threw a bullpen the other day. He expects to do two rehab stints. If this hus this is what I've said, I've said it again. I'm probably gonna say it again again. If this Houston Astros team wasn't named the Houston Astros team, I don't think I would be in on them. But you have to respect the track record, because God, if they sneak in. Even if they don't sneak in, they could be dominant the rest of the way. If they find a way to the dance, they're gonna be one of the most feared teams in the tournament. Do we want to call it a tournament bracket? Yeah, I guess.
I guess bracket is accurate like tournament technically is one right? Playoffs?
Yeah, I don't know if I like that. I think we did this last year too. I'll go playoffs.
No one will yell at you for playoffs.
Yeah, Seattle, the hitting scares me. But you guys just went on a run. I think they were scoring seven runs per game for about a week. I think there's some White Sox involved in that.
Uh.
And they finish with a shutout against the Phillies and Zach Wheeler but he's in contention for the NLCY Young yet again. Ah Hey, I want to believe Seattle, I really do. Man where Julio's stats on the air? Crazy that they're still where they are? Ah, Man, I I was gonna give the same speech. Mitch Hanneger has been hitting since the All Star break. Maybe that's something they can bank on. They need one of the Mitches Mitch Hanneger or Mitch Garver kind of a funny name. Nich dive more into that later. Jore Polanco had been bad for them. He's put a couple of games together and he's back again. With that Mariners lineup, you can look at it as upside that if they start getting anything, it's really exciting. They had a five run comeback, which for their struggling offense, that's that's a big feeling. If everything I knew in my brain was excluded, I'd have Mariners as the clear favorite horse. The other thing to watch out with these two teams, if they don't pick it up soon, it's division or bust. Right now in the Wildcard, Houston is five games back, eight weeks to go. Like I think, obviously we've seen we should watch these Seattle Mariners give up a ten game lead in twenty one days, so baseball can't happen. But they really need to start chopping into that now before it gets any closer. The Minnesota Twins and the guard Dogs and the Royals should be thrown in that mix. Actually, you know what are very similar division standings right now, the NL West and the AL Central. The Guardians are on top, They've been on top for a while. Saying with the Dodgers, the Padres are four and a half games back, the d Backs are five. In the AL Central, the Twins are four and a half back the Royals are five, so literally the same distance apart. Cleveland has been there the whole time. I would really be shocked. Well, I guess when I initially said I want to do the rankings of division confidence, the Milwaukee Brewers are my number one. The Cardinals, Pirates, Cubs, and Reds have given me nothing to believe in all year. The Brewers are on a three series losing streak, so I guess watch out to see if that tail spin gets worse. But those other teams have given me nothing to believe in. Meanwhile, in the Central this year, the Royals have beat up on the Central, which that's good, that's your division, More power to you. The Twins have had some ebbs and flows this year. I guess I guess you would say, if you're being honest, the Minnesota Twins have a better chance to catch the Guardians than either of the NLS teams. Yeah, they're the Dodgers. Mookie's gonna come back at some point, show hey, show, Hey, They've they've got the bodies there. But man, do the Padres and d Backs look good right now? Those teams both have the juice as I like to label it. And again this Padres run has been without Fernando that if he comes back with piss and vinegar also Martine Perez uh kind of a late deadline move by San Diego. He has a good start this this week and they've been looking for another body in their rotation that his innings could come up being very valuable. Eduardo Rodriguez for the Diamondbacks. He's coming back this week. Could his innings be e rod level innings. Sometimes it's tough to come back mid season, especially after an injury. Maybe he's there revital he's revitalizing, ready to go. Maybe he's not ready and gets knocked around. But the Snakes. Let me give my Perdomo stat because I saw it earlier. When Perdomo has been in the lineup this year for the Diamondbacks, they are thirty and eighteen. That's pretty good. That lines up a little bit with Alec Thomas and some of their pitching returning. And I did see a good comment that Bailey foolish. Bailey wasn't enthused about the Snake's deadline, and someone was like, man, the Snakes, they're banking on their own starting pitching to come back, so they went out and they got relievers and they did. I mean it might not be San Diego's Adam and Tanner Scott, but them going out, Sorry, just lost my page again, them going out, ajuck. I think reliever wise is gonna go toe to toe with anyone at this deadline. He came in and got an emergency emergency save the other day. And Dylan Floro doesn't give up homers on that sinker. So do with that which you will. I don't think either of these teams can reel in the Dodgers. They're the Dodgers, right, The Dodgers win the division every year. Literally that it stinks to think that way. I do think it's honest. And let's see where they're at. I mean, Freddie has been gone and dealing with some real stuff. I don't know if you've seen any of that, but his son had a weird neurological disorder that I think, knock on wood. I think they got in touch with the right people and they're doing some good steps, but it's like crazy stuff, like I think his kid has to like relearn how to walk.
In stuff, Like yeah, it's a thing that happens, like you just like legs stop working for a little while.
Nuts, So imagine that going on in your life. So that the vaunted top of that Dodgers lineup, Freddy's been out dealing with some real life ish, Mookie's been hurt for a while, that Gavin lux has been hitting three for them. You know, the bottom half of their lineup right now, it lists Nick Ahmed as their shortstop and Cavin Biggio as their first baseman. That'll change soon, but it'll be interesting to see if the padres with all the momentum in the world. The Snakes, who haven't lost a series in their last ten, can they get close enough to the Dodgers to make it feel like a race Because this might be obnoxious outside stuff, but the Dodgers have been so dominant in that division, it's hard to believe that any of those teams could reel them in. Where the Minnesota Twins in the Al Central, we've seen that franchise be able to come on top of that division. You know, as recent as last year they got in the playoffs, and they really haven't been at full tilt because their best player, Royce Lewis, he's been out, he came back, he drove an Opo Homer the other day. Buxton's been playing well, ran into the wall in center, which I think everyone's like, dude, you just we can't do that. You can't do that at this point, Buck Daddy, that lineup looks good. I always I hate that. I laugh when I say it. But again, I'm too close to the Trevor Ploff situation. If everyone's being honest, you would think the Twins have a better shot to track down the Guards. And it's a big week for the Guardians because they played the Twins. It's a fun Central week and a half. Twinkies have the Cubs, Guards and Royals, and I mean I've left the Royals kind of out of this whole conversation, which is just a little bit rude.
Uh.
For Cleveland, they have Arizona. Reminder, Arizona has not lost their last ten er. This will be a fun test for them and Cleveland. I mean, it's just kind of bizarre. Man. They're uh their upcoming rotation for this Snake series. Cleveland, who has the best record in the al and I feel like deserves a little more respect. It's Logan Allen, Ben Lively and Cookies Carrasco like that versus Zach Gallen, e Rod and Brandon fought. So hey, I know it's a lot more than a starting pitching game at this point. Very interesting week for them because after Arizona, like I mentioned, it's Minnesota. Let's see where that's at. I think the only division that I've truly left out is the beautiful NL East, where the Phillies are going through hard times for maybe the first time this season. As they continue their West coast trip, they head to the Dodgers. That'll be fun to watch. No, look lass now tonight Trevor Ploof in the building like that. God, let's see how that series goes. And then they go for four against Arizona in the desert. Who uh Yeah, I don't know when when things get out of control in a baseball season. We saw the Yankees be the worst team in baseball for a month. Uh. The Braves dropping their last two to the Marlins. Uh would have been interesting if we saw the Braves five games out today it's sits at six. The Braves still haven't had like the good juju kick in, Like, they haven't had Matt Olsen go completely nuts, which he's capable of. It's been Ozona it's been Ozuna. Uh so Layer's in right field tracking down balls. It's either one of those braves teams that braves stands are gonna look back at in three years and be like, what were we doing? So Lair was playing right field and leading off every day? Or Arcias started to hit really well. If they're big, guys could click in the gear while the Phillies are still reeling and make them feel that Max Free just came back. It was a bad first start. I guess the NL East was part of this exercise that made me want it to be an exercise was I guess least confident divisions. Let's see the AL East. Hmmm, Al East in the AL West? What do I have the most confidence in happening? I think Yankees Orioles is pure toss up. Okay, my least confident would be the Ale East. I don't know if the Oriols or Yanks are gonna win the division. I have no clue the Yanks are the Yanks. Judge is impossible. Same with Sodo. They've got some serious options to click. I've got options. I could kind of piss the bed again and they'll have to figure that out along the way the Orioles, I mean, it's built for the regular season. If Jackson Holiday is anything built for the radio season was a little rude. Let's see them get a couple more reps in October, which they'll be getting.
We like, we know it works for the regular season. I have the depth that gets you through a regular season.
Just trying to fade Yankee fandom. You could point to run differential. I think this is teed up to be an incredible race down the stretch. It's as pick them as you could possibly be. I think in the AL West again, if it was just this season, then get you say Seattle, but you have to factor in these previous years. I know it's this year, but Houston, I mean they got ghosts with them, man, in the best way that I would lean that that's the second second hardest division to decide. Ranking these in reverse, I guess. So if I think the Alies coin flip Al West essentially a coin flip, you'd lean Houston because of the history. So then it would be which contender do I think could get tracked down. It would come down to the Twins or the Royals catching the guards, or would be the Braves or Mets catching the Phillies, you would lean with the gap involved there, you would lean that the Phillies would be tougher to track down after that. Al Central Twinkies kicking a gear. Dodgers are the Dodgers until they're not. And then the Brewers just because not only have the Brewers been great, but man, none of the NL Central teams I've given them all year. The Pirates said they were gonna add at the deadline, added I think everyone was hoping for a little more. The Cardinals they added Fetti. He got knocked around in his first start, minus forty two run differential, Cubs and Reds behind them, just nothing to believe in. So that was a weird ranking. I hope you liked it. That's baseball. Oh, I guess Olympics they were fun to watch. I hope you guys have been tuning in. Saturday was especially fun. One hundred meters men still, I mean I actually the most clarification I got on it at the end of the night because it looked if not a tie like how they decided it. Turns out it's your torso torso torso in Lyle's torso was ahead, so he got it by millimeters milliseconds. Literally, that was fun. There's a cool sat on that, like Americans have won it basically half the time. Nice sweet flex America. What else did we get? The shot put was fun? Had a big beefy American get that. The lady swimmers dominated four by one. Gymnastics always kind of weird. It's always crazy to me that different events are just going on at the same time, Like, is everyone just watching the same thing. I'm trying to think. Were there any oddball Olympic events that kind of took everyone's eyes? What have you been watching? I don't know. The beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower was great. Got to watch some of that last night. Ping pong not really. When's the next USA men's basketball game?
Hmm, I can find that.
I need to watch that. I am excited going to Nashville this weekend UH annual fantasy football trip. Excited for that. Saturday is supposed to be the basketball championship game, so if the USA is there, it'd be a really fun sporting event to watch.
Looks like they play Brazil in the quarterfinal tomorrow at.
Three thirty in the afternoon.
Look's like afternoon three thirty PM.
That's huge.
Hey, I'm gonna Beoclo on the team.
What's that?
Brun Oh opened up their roster and recognized one name Brasil who used to be from.
There was Nene Hilario, Brazilian.
I think I think was Brazil.
They had another guy, I think there was a big man out of by U, Rafael Rojo Royo. I'm gonna be honest with you guys. For how much Olympics I watched, I thought I was gonna have more to say, I really don't. Anderson Leandro Barbosa. We had some teams. Thiago Splitter, that's right, Fab Mellow played for them. Rip oh, well, Gara. Sorry, I didn't have more in the Olympics. But enjoy it your own pleasure, whether that's in the afternoon, early morning, or recapping at night. Just don't open that Twitter. Hey. We will be back Wednesday, dog Day season and we'll see you guys soon. So thanks, Dan.
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Hope I did like that. I do like that, still do