Padres vs White Sox Postgame Wrap Up Show: White Sox 4 Padres 3

Padres vs White Sox Postgame Wrap Up Show: White Sox 4 Padres 3

Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Well, just when you think it can’t get any worse, uh, it gets worse. So, John with you here on the wrap-up show. Just, uh, just me tonight, solo edition. Jim has the night off. He had the day off on the radio. He’s got the night off here tonight. So, make your way in. We’ll react to it all. Uh, Dylan CE against his former team. um does not get the job done, nor does the offense. And the Padres’s at this point obviously are not winning the NL West. So, make your way in, subscribe. Year-round content for Padres’s fans, as you guys know. Smash the like button, follow me on X at John Schaefer, and thank you for the super chat. The only way for me to keep up with the chat obviously is going to be with the super chat. So, if you support the channel, if you want to see your comment on screen, if you want to control the direction of the conversation, if you want to vent, whatever you want to do on this Friday night, click that dollar sign below the chat box. If you want to become a member, you get the emojis, you get the badges. Click the join button down below. Um, I’ve been thinking about this game for the last hour. And like, where do you even start? Um, obviously with Dylan CE, but kind what I mean by that is where do you even start? I mean, like with how this has played out, you know, nine and 15 in their last 24 games, I think six and eight in their last 14 games against teams under 500. I mean, you’re playing. It’s one thing to lose to the Mets who are hungry and need it. It’s another thing to lose to the White Socks tonight with all the motivation in the world, by the way. I mean, the Padres’s haven’t clinched anything. The Padres’s still are technically alive or were for a division. They’ll still be alive even after tonight. Even with the Dodgers on their way to beating the Giants tonight um in Kershaw’s final start, but like how do you not show up for this game is what I was trying to think about. and they didn’t, you know, against this woeful White Sox team that has completely punted on the year. They’ve lost six straight. They’ve got the worst record in the American League. You’ve got all the motivation in the world. You’ve got Dylan Ce’s return to Chicago. You have Gavin Sheets. I mean, you you have everything seemingly to play for. You’re a week away from playing postseason baseball. Uh you would think that you’d be motivated to play well into the postseason. It’s not the end all beall. I’ve talked about it. you don’t have to win in the days leading up to the postseason to win in the postseason, but you think you you’d want to. And here we are a day later from, you know, yesterday talking about this in the game three against the Mets. Here we are a day later and you’re like, listen, they’re they’re going to make the postseason. All right, quote me on it. I’ll guarantee it. I think they probably would make it by not winning another game because Cincinnati would go like four and four and the Padres’s would be in. The Padres’s are going to win another game. Um, but like they’re really like testing our faith, so to speak. They’re going to make the postseason. They’ve got a 95% likelihood to be the number five seed as opposed to the number six seed. They have no shot of winning the division. They have no shot of being the four seed. So, I mean, it’s it’s all baked in, so to speak. Maybe maybe they’re feeling the same thing that we’re all kind of feeling, which is they’re going to be the five seed and they’re destined for it and they’re playing out the string. And we’ve all kind of felt that here in September. It’s like what’s kind of really going on. It feels like the Padres’s haven’t had anything to play for, but they have. If they would have taken advantage of any of these opportunities, they would have passed the Dodgers a long time ago. Like I just said, they’re 9 and 15 in their last 24 games. If they were 15 and N down the stretch, I mean, is that asking that much for a team that’s in a division race to close their season playing well post trade deadline with everything to play for? I mean, think about that. As opposed to this 9 and 15 stretch, if they were 15- N, they win this division probably going away. They’d be three games up right now in this division. So, it’s just um it’s disappointing. You’ve heard us say that obviously before over the last handful of years. They’ve had these opportunities. It’s not like every year they’ve been 25 games out. I mean, you look at recent history, they’ve had chances to to be in this division race a couple of times. 2020, I got it short season. Um certainly last year they were in that race. they’re late and then this year it’s like the the door was just open the entire way and they just wouldn’t walk through it and this is by Dodger standards a very pedestrian team that’s going to win 90 games and they’re going to win this division by multiple games by winning 90 games and you know Padres’s right now are 83 and 71 like think about that for a second and I apologize by the way if I’m having any internet issues let me know if I am um I have like one bar anything that can go wrong will go wrong but like think about the fact that the padres 83 and 71. They started the year 14-3. So they started the year 11 games over 500 and from that point on they’re one game over 500. Thank you NorCal for letting me know. So from that point on they’re one game over 500. So I mean think about that. That was 17 games into the year they’ve now played 154. So over the last 137 games. 37. What is that? 69 and 68. We’re doing that right? Yeah. 69 and 68. Not that nice. That that’s who they’ve been. Just straight straight across 500 team. Yes, there’s been highs and yes, there’s been lows. I mean, there’s a 14 and three to start August and now there’s this trash, right, to finish up September. And now I don’t even know what we’re looking for here over the final eight days of the regular season. What are we looking for? looking for Michael King to pitch effectively on Sunday. Are we looking for like I’ve the book’s written on Dylan Sees. He’s untrustworthy in the postseason. Um I don’t think the book’s fully written on you Darvish who’s been up and down. I don’t think the book is fully written on Michael King, although there’s reasons not to have faith based on what we saw obviously uh this past week against the Mets. You know, you want to see this offense get going. I mean, in what regard? It’s like yesterday they scored a run. today against this woeful White Sox team. Yes, their starter was fine. He had a four RA, you know, three runs. Three runs in this game. By the way, chances for many more running into an out there in the 4-3 game and the strikeout double play in the seventh. Chances to score more when they scored the pair of runs whenever it was in the fourth inning. Listen, some of you probably were were watching or listening to John and Jim this afternoon. And so, I was watching the games. The game start at 4:40. I was on the air until 6:00. So, I’m watching and I’m talking. So, it’s it’s hard to really be fully dialed in. I’m not listening to the radio broadcast. I’m not watching the television broadcast. But, there was a there was a moment in time. Tell me if anyone else saw this. There was a moment in this game and it was either 2-2 or 3-2. Padres’s tie it up. Now, you’re looking for a shutdown inning from Dylan Sees. He hits a pair of batters for whatever reason. Um, and that opens the floodgates to the two-run scoring. But there was also this moment where did someone tell let me know how it happened. Was it a Was it a pop out or excuse me a popup in foul territory? I don’t know if it was bunted or popped up. I think it was popped up. I don’t think it was bunted. And it seemed like Machado like to use like the Bull Durham term like just kind of like lolly gagged over towards the ball. Didn’t run. I mean forget about sprinting. Didn’t run. And then the ball landed like five feet from his feet. And now again, I didn’t have the volume. I didn’t hear the commentary, and I didn’t see a ton of reaction on social media, but it looked very odd to me. Kind of like a um like a business decision, so to speak. Which, okay, I get the postseason is more important than you diving for this ball in Chicago where everything has already been written. You’re not winning the division whether you make that play or not. You’re not anything other than the five seed whether you make that play or not. But I mean, shouldn’t you at least appear as if you are hustling? Like, what’s the what’s the I mean, even if it’s eyewash, like, shouldn’t you at least have the appearance of hustling? Otherwise, why are you what are you doing? DH, take another day. If this is all meaningless, if this is all an exercise in futility for the remainder of the regular season, then what are we pretending to be doing right now? So, that just doesn’t make any sense to me. Now, I can’t fully go all in on this because I haven’t I didn’t watch it in real time with the commentary and I haven’t even fully wrapped my mind around the entire circumstance there. Was it 2-2 or was it 3-2? I forget. I know another run scored after this play. I know it was a critical out obviously in the game that they didn’t obviously get because he didn’t even make a play on the ball for whatever reason. But was it not a very odd moment if you watch this? I mean, was it not? It was one of the oddest things I’ve ever seen. And not ever, but it was very bizarre to me. And I don’t want to make it the whole hourong show, but I mean, what message are you sending when you’re not going after a ball that seemingly is catchable? I don’t understand. I I really don’t understand. Like, I’m at a loss for words when I watch something like that. And as I’ve said for for years, listen, Manny M has done a lot of good. his he’ll be remembered most likely fondly in San Diego regardless of whether he wins or not in the postseason that he’ll compile numbers that have been rarely compiled in baseball history, let alone Padres’s history. He’ll have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. This combination is not a is not an easy one, right? But geez, there are some moments where you’re like, what on earth is going on with Manny Machado? I mean, are there not? I mean, are there not just some moments where you’re like, are you serious? You’re not even going to give the appearance of running down a line. You’re not even going to give the appearance of hustling for a for a ball in foul territory that you came within 5T of just walking over to it or lightly jogging over towards. It was just um it was just bizarre to me. And it’s just I don’t know, a bad look, you know. Not that that’s the end all be all. Not that it’s going to define their entire season, but you start going down this path like I’m reading some of these quotes postgame and I didn’t hear shield postgame, but I’ve seen some of the quotes in Kevin’s article and like there’s some concerning things that are being said in my opinion. It’s I’m not talking about clubouses being lost. I’m just saying yesterday Vandy Vasquez was pissed off about being taken out in the third inning with one out. Why wouldn’t he be? Read the quotes postgame in Kevin’s article. He was as surprised as anyone that he was taken out. He wasn’t in on it like Schult said. said, “Hey, it’s a playoff game. We need to win it.” Well, nobody told Randy Vasquez. And then today, Schultz talking about the urgency, right? Postgame. I can find some of these quotes here in Kevin’s article. By the way, I’ll get to the super chats. Appreciate you guys. Click the dollar sign below the chat box. I’ll make sure to get to your super chats tonight. I’d appreciate your support. And please subscribe to this channel. Seriously, got 10 days to go or whatever in the regular season. We were hoping to get to 10,000 subscribers this season. It ain’t happening because of the Padres’s unless they make a run in the postseason. So, if you wouldn’t mind subscribing, I’d appreciate it. Um here’s a quote from Schil um on this loss. It’s not a good recipe for consistent winning baseball. It comes back to similar ingredients going out and not being able to get early leads and getting some crooked numbers on the board. We’ve got to continue to take consistent at bats and be able to do that throughout the game. Okay, that’s stupid quote. Okay, here we go. Um here’s more from Shill. We know we’re capable of coming back. Made a push tonight. We just are having trouble consistently getting into the rhythm of the game and getting our footing. You know, it’s kind of inexplicable. He said that it’s kind of inexplicable. The first inning damage we’re giving up, but it’s happening and we’ve got to figure out a way to change our trajectory on that. We’ve got to figure out a way to get on top of the game and play with a little more rhythm and be able to get a lead and add on and have some shutdown innings and bring the game home with the back end of the bullpen. I’m confident it’s going to happen, but it needs to happen soon. So, even Schult is recognizing that there are some alarming trends that are playing out right now. By the way, I think 11 times in their last 32 games, the Padres’s have allowed a first inning home run. That’s an absurdly high percentage of games that they’ve allowed a first inning home run. In those 11 games in which they’ve allowed a first inning home run, they’re one and 10. So, like this game can be, you can make it overly complex. It’s not hard. You don’t score first, by and large, you don’t win. You do score first. By and large, you do. Like, boil everything down. I could pull up the Padres’s game notes right now. I guarantee if I look at when the Padres’s score first, they’ve got a good record. I bet when I look at when the Padres’s don’t score first, they don’t have a good record. And when you’re falling behind in the first inning, you might pretend like you got eight or nine innings where you can come back in the game. Guess what? The indicators still aren’t good. Like, when you do not score first, the indicators are not good. Here, I got the game notes in front of me right now. Surprise. When the Padres’s score first 52 and 31, what’s that winning percentage? 625 roughly because five for going five for eight at the plate is 625 average. 5231 roughly a 625 winning percentage when they don’t score first 31 and 39. What’s that winning percentage? Uh what’s 3ID 7? You know what is was that 420 baseball? 430 baseball. actually not as bad as most teams would be when not scoring first. But I mean, that’s all you got to know. Score first, you’re going to win. You don’t, you got a good chance of losing. I mean, it’s sometimes we oversimplify it. And they have been falling behind way too often. And when they fall behind, by the way, they’ve been falling behind by multiple runs. Yesterday in New York, that big inning in the third. Today, couple of early runs. Um, it’s just very troubling and very concerning is what it is. So, we can react to it all. I’ll be with you here for the next hour. If you want to weigh in, I’d love to hear from you. Click the dollar sign below the chat box. We’ll get to your super chats. If you just want to vent, uh, if you have something on your mind, if you got a question, comment, whatever, concern, something, a positive spin, click the dollar sign below the chat box. JDI third is with us here tonight. He says, “Dodgers just clinched postseason birth with Arizona laws.” Bob Scandlin said, “Our Podgers have champagne on ice for when we clinch. We expect deep run, not wild card exit.” Um, I mean, they should have champagne on ice for when they clinch. It’s almost like a requirement of Major League Baseball. That stuff is like sponsored by Budweis. Like, they’ll have all the they’ll have the goggles, they’ll have the beer, they’ll have the champagne. I mean, it’s like a requirement. I’ve never really seen an example of a team clinching and not celebrating. Maybe the Mets of 2022 and that completely backfired on them. They should celebrate. I mean, when the Padres’s clinch a spot, and it’s a when, not an if, for me, they will have earned it. They’re not going to be likely the last team in, they’ll win what, 86 plus games. I mean, it’s basically what they were expected to do. How many How many people really thought this was going to be a 93 win team this year? We talked about in the preseason heading into the year, very few people thought they’d replicate 2024. We knew how they finished. I think me and Jim both said they would win between 86 and 88 games was our expectation. Well, guess what? They go four and four down the stretch, they win 87 games. It’s what did Vegas say about this team? They had them at what pegged him at 87, 88, 86. So, like they kind of are who a lot of people thought they were, but they’ve gone about it in a unique manner. They started 14 and three. They got your hopes up. They had a trade deadline, which by all accounts at the time was a successful trade deadline. They play good baseball into the deadline and out of it another 14-3 stretch. They take over first place NL West multiple times. They’re seemingly getting over the hump. They apparently at one point a month ago were trending for 93 wins. And now they’ve taken a step back at the worst time potentially, which is September where they’re now 9 and 15 in their last 24 games. So I think they should celebrate it when they clinch because it’s still going to be a good enough year. But of course, a lot of this is predicated on the postseason, whether it’s LA, San Diego, Philadelphia, Toronto, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, you get the point. Milwaukee, a lot of it’s predicated on the postseason, especially in today’s baseball. 30 years ago, four teams are in the postseason, right? NL East, NL West, AL East, AL West. Making the postseason was quite an accomplishment 30 years ago. Then it gets watered down with a wild card. and it gets more watered down with multiple wild cards. It’s become a little bit like the NCAA tournament where you can go 30 and three in the regular season if you’re Kentucky, but you cannot lose in the first or second round when you’re Kentucky and you go 30 and three. So like you can win 100 games in the regular season, but look at the Dodgers of 2022 and 2023. They bowed out in the DS unexpectedly to San Diego and Arizona. Is that a successful year because they won 100 games in the regular season? Let me answer that. No. So, I don’t care if you’re winning 86 games or you’re winning 106 games. The expectations by and large for playoff teams are to win in the postseason. And that’s clearly the case here in San Diego because they’ve had cracks in the postseason this decade and everyone is looking for that next step. You know, we get it. One team wins the World Series. It’s not easy. They’ve never done it. Um I don’t know if it’s truly a World Series or bust. I mean, it doesn’t feel like that right now. Now, you’re just kind of pranked. Can they win a playoff series? Can they potentially go further than that? But listen, I mean, you can have a good year by winning a couple of series in the postseason. I mean, you get to the NLTS, you get to the World Series. I mean, we’d be fooling ourselves to say that’s not a good year, but I’m Listen, I’m on the I’m in the camp of you got to win a World Series at some point with Manny Machado. I’m in the camp of, you know, not that this is the only year in which the Padres’s are going to be in the postseason, but I don’t think it gets easier necessarily in 2026 and beyond as Machado, you know, ages and it only gets more challenging potentially. I don’t think it gets easier in the years ahead. JDMLSR 2000, thank you, man. I appreciate your support of the channel. He says, “Seems like the scouting report is out on the Padres’s. Put up some runs against them in the first few innings. they can’t come back like the 2014 team. Here’s my question, and I think it’s a fair point, like the point I I kind of made earlier. It’s like, listen, this isn’t rocket science. You take a two-run lead on anyone in baseball and you’ve got a 60 plus percent chance of winning that game. Like, I don’t care who you’re playing. That’s just how the sport works. So, like, but here’s the here’s the bigger question. How is it that you’re falling behind so often in the like the same manner? How is it you’re allowing as many home runs as you are in the first three innings of games? Like what’s the what’s the reasoning? You have five or six or seven different starting pitchers over the last month when you include Sears and Vasquez in that equation and they’re all dealing with the same issues. I see some of the commentary on social media even here tonight like oh it’s Freddy Ferine. Ever since Fermine got here they’ve been allowing more first inning home runs. I mean is it really that simple? They’re allowing more first inning home runs because of Freddy Fine. That doesn’t seem to make any sense to me. So, how do we really explain it? It’s not one player slumping. It’s not Manny Machado going three for 39 with three singles. It’s a staff slumping. We saw in May a bullpen that slumped. Remember, they were bad. Their bullpen was bad in May. There was a twoe stretch. Like, what happened to the elite bullpen we saw in April? And then they returned to form by and large until they dealt with injuries again. Jason Adam, David Morgan, now Estrada has struggled since that Dodger series in August. But it’s just um it’s hard to really wrap your arms around. Like it’s almost like self-fulfilling. It’s like because it’s happened so often, it’s going to happen again. But that doesn’t really make any sense. I mean, even tonight, Dylan Cis gets a benefit of an out of third on an overslide in the first inning after a single and then the next batter homers. Like, you got a break. You got an out of third that you didn’t even deserve. Later in the game, he gets another free out at third out of caught stealing. And still, think about that. He got multiple outs on the bases and still allowed four runs in six innings against the White Socks. And he got of the 18 outs he recorded, two of them, 11%, right? Yeah. two out of 18, one out of nine, 11% of his outs were recorded on the bases. And maybe I’m missing one, maybe there’s more. And he still is unable to put together that complete outing you’re looking for. I think I saw on social media he’s had eight quality starts in 30 starts. Now, we get it. Baseball starters aren’t asked to do as much as they were even 10 years ago or 5 years ago, but eight quality starts in 30 starts. There’s only been 15 instances I think in baseball history of someone making 30 starts and only having eight of them being quoteunquote quality. So he’s been I mean he’s been awful truthfully considering what the expectations were for Dylan C this year. You know I’m not saying he’s the worst starter in baseball. It’s just when you consider what the expectations are or were to the way he performed this year like that that difference that was that’s a gaping difference. That is a wide difference from the expectations for CE and the way he pitched this year. And that’s disappointing. And you’re not gonna see him again in the Padres’s uniform after who the hell knows. I mean, you might not see him again in the Padres’s uniform after his final regular season start truthfully. Um, next week against the Brewers. Is it the Brewers? Yeah, next week against the Brewers. You might not see him again in a Padres’s uniform. Hopefully, you do because that means they’re winning some games. But, uh, there’s no guarantee we’re going to see Dylan cease more than one additional time. And just like from from the feeling you had when they traded for him and the year he put together in 2024, you had the bitter taste of the postseason. We all get it. But I never thought he wasn’t going to help this team win in the regular season of 2025. The whole question for me was, can you help this team in the postseason? Like that was the whole thing. I I would have written off his success in the regular season in 2025 and said, “Prove it to me in the postseason.” But now that he didn’t do in the regular season, how can I have any faith he’s going to do in the postseason? I mean, the only reason you turn to him is because you need to turn to him. You’re right. That’s the only reason you’re turning to him in the postseason because where else are you turning and they just don’t have a lot of good options. Uh David, appreciate you says uh he basically said they need to get good. You’re talking about chill. Yeah. It’s like, you know, it’s one thing to say, you can say whatever the hell you want. It’s another thing to do. And it’s also one thing to say something on someone else’s behalf. If you’ve heard me use this analogy before, maybe if you’ve been with me for a while on John and Jim or the wrap-up show, it’s like when I say Jim doesn’t smoke, but I’ll use the analogy. If I say, “Jim, you really should stop smoking.” Like, dude, you’re killing yourself. Like, this is bad for you. It’s bad for your family. It’s But I can’t make Jim stop smoking. He’s got to make himself stop smoking, right? Like, it’s just how it works until the person says, “Hey, this is on me. I’m gonna handle this issue. It’s gotten to a point where it’s impacted my health or my family or my f whatever the reason is. Ultimately, someone makes a decision. They’re either going to smoke or they’re going to stop. Yeah, I can as bad as anyone. Man, I really wish you’d stop this. But it’s kind of the same thing. It’s like show can say whatever he wants, but that doesn’t mean that he’s going to get the response he’s looking for from his team. I mean, right? I mean, he’s not even playing like he he’s managing. So, and by the way, you could say the same with some of the players, but this is even like a step removed from that. Like, he’s not in the clubhouse. He’s in the manager’s office. And even the players can say whatever they want to say. They still need to then take what they’re saying and obviously, you know, take that and turn it into actions on field. So, yeah, I mean, I can say whatever. I I can say the Padres’s need to stop allowing first inning home runs. That’s the same thing as Mike Schultz saying, “Hey, we need to turn this around quickly.” What good is it going to do? Mike Schultz been saying this for a month, so what good is it going to do? Um JD, see I I completely disagree. JD’s third is on this like I don’t even know. You’re on like this long rant like that the season’s over and I told you so, but he says the season was over when Manny said his stats don’t matter. What happened to the back of his baseball card? He’s disappointing as a captain and a leader. I don’t think the season is over. Like I’ve never thought a team’s regular season performance guaranteed anything in the postseason. Were we guaranteed a World Series title because the Padres’s were the best team in baseball last year for the final 60 games? Because they were by record. They were the best team in baseball. Did they win the World Series? Were the Dodgers guaranteed a World Series in 2022 and 2023 when they were better than they are right now in the regular season? No. It’s so it’s not as simple as that. It doesn’t come down to one day, one series, one week, one month. There’s teams that slide into the postseason. Texas Rangers a couple years ago. Um there’s teams that limped into postseasons. The Phillies is a six seed when they beat the Padres’s in the 2023 NLCS. So, listen, I can tell you how I feel and I can tell you about reading tea leaves and I feel the energy from the fan base and I get the skepticism. Of course, I do. And me and Jim are as real as it gets. Like I’m a realist with this stuff. But I would never discount any team truthfully once the postseason starts. There is a second season. It’s a legitimate thing. And like I said with the NCAA tournament, with the baseball postseason expanding as wide as it is, you get teams like wild card winners that win World Series, and it happens routinely. You have teams that have pedestrian regular seasons, nationals of 2019, one of those Giants wild card teams that won the World Series in the 2010s, right? I mean, the Texas Rangers, were they a dominant team when they won the World Series? Were they a dominant regular season team when they won the World Series in 2023? I mean, there’s so many examples that you can’t just say, well, they lost to the White Sox, so they’re going to lose to the Cubs. I have no no clue what’s going to happen. But I’m always amazed at like those definitive statements, especially in a sport like baseball where the difference is a run. It’s like a a steal, a strike or a ball. Like I’m not willing to say that at all. I just don’t like the way they’re playing right now. And I have concerns beyond their game one starter and I have concerns with the way that their pitching staff in general is falling behind with the way the offense has performed by and large. So the these are the things that are concerning and have to improve. Everyone understands that they’re not winning anything in the postseason. If this is their play, if this is their play in the postseason, they’re not winning anything. If their play improves in the postseason, possible, would we all agree? Is that possible that their play could improve? Is it possible that Nick Paveta can start a game and the Padres’s cannot fall behind in the first inning? Is that possible? Is it possible Fernando Tatis Jr. has two hits and an RBI double? I mean, all these things are feasible and possible. I just I get it. Like, the tr the tea leaves aren’t great, but I’m not writing off the Padres’s just because they’re not winning this division or they’re not playing well right now. Um, William, thank you. He says, “When C starts to go sideways, he unravels. This offense doesn’t look good enough to beat Imanagan Boyd in Chicago.” No, it doesn’t. 100%. You’re right. So, that’s on them. You know, it’s on them to prove that they are. And here’s the other thing. If the offense isn’t good enough to beat Boyd in Chicago, then Paveta needs to match Boyd. Simple as that. You know, the they’re not going to be you’re not going to run into back-to-back shutouts. I say that happened with the Dodgers last year, but by and large, you’re not going to run into back-to-back shutouts. You’re not gonna have to be perfect if you’re Nick Pavetta. The Padres’s offense hasn’t been that anemic where they’re incapable of scoring. Even look at the month of September. It’s not like they’re averaging one run per game. I don’t know if they’re averaging in September, but it’s not two runs per game. Shoot, the Mets before the Mets Padres series are averaging 2.7 runs per game over their final or their previous nine games. and they were still averaging nearly three runs per game. So the point is the point which is you’re going to need better starting pitching and the expectation is guys like Boyd and Imanaga are going to pitch effectively. Therefore, you need to be able to match that or you need to find something that they haven’t found by and large with consistency this year specifically against left-handed starting pitching. But listen, it’s a short series. It’s best of three. They were an underdog in 2022 against the New York Mets heading into that postseason. They were an underdog against the LA Dodgers in 2022 after they beat the Mets in that wild card series. Um, so my point is many more crazier things have happened than the Padres’s winning a best of three series even with the way that they’re playing right now. We’ll get back to this conversation here in a moment. Want to thank our title sponsor in the wrap-up show, our good friend Mark Nimttz, who is a dear friend in fact and I’ve got three insurance policies through Mark. He’s come through for my family time and time again. He’ll do the same for you and your family as well. Whatever it is, I’ve got homeowners. I’ve got life. I’ve got earthquake insurance through Mark. He does auto as well. If he can save you money, he will. In addition, he’s got great service and communication. I had to file a claim a couple of years ago. He took care of everything. We were out of our house for two weeks. Everything was paid for. Um, and he saved us so much time. He saved us so much money. So, if you ever need Mark, he’s going to be there for you. That’s what separates him from the rest. And you can click the link in the description down below, get free quotes online, or call Mark. If you want to talk about the Padres’s or someone, like I talk to you guys about the Padres’s each and every night, call Mark Nemitz. He’ll talk to you about the Padres’s. He’s a diehard lifelong Padres’s fan, native San Diegon, and huge supporter of course of the wrap-up show. So, if you want free quotes, call him or click the link in the description down below. And before you renew your current policy, get in contact with Mark Nimttz at Farmers Insurance. All right, let me get this thing resituated. There it is. Re situated. All right, John Schaefer with you on the wrap-up show. Let’s reset for a moment. Padres’s lose in Chicago to the lowly White Socks 43 tonight. They have eight games remaining in the regular season. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains four, which is any combination of four wins or four losses from the team that is outside looking in currently from the postseason. So, right now that Cincinnati is the closest team on the outside looking in, which means if the Padres’s win four games, they’re automatically in. If the Padres’s win two games and the Reds lose two games without anyone passing the Reds, that is enough. So, well, the magic number can’t go higher than four. So, the magic number is four, which means the Padres’s could go two and six, the Reds could lose twice, and the Padres’s are in the postseason. They could go one and seven, the Reds could lose three times, the Padres’s are in the postseason. You kind of get the point. Um certainly I think you’d prefer to secure the four seed or excuse me the five seed to the six seed. The six seed is not outside, you know, the realm of possibility, although it’s very unlikely. The Padres’s have the tiebreaker against the Mets. They would have to slip four games in the standings in the final eight days. They’re they’re destined for the five seed. They’re destined for the five seed. Um they will be playing the Cubs on September 30th. I think that’s the day the National League postseason starts or the postseason starts in general. They’ll be playing the Cubs on September 30th. This much we know Nick Paveta will be on the mound. Uh Matthew Boyd will be on the mound in all likelihood. We don’t know what time the game’s going to start. We don’t know what the weather is, but that’s where we’re we’re heading, right? That’s where you’re heading right now to a Padres’s Cubs best of three series at Wrigley Field in Chicago. I think that’s exactly where we’re heading. And if that’s where they’re heading, so be it. It’s not like the worst fate in baseball history. I mean, you can make the argument that the draw is preferred over the being the three seed because the three seed would be locking up at the Phillies potentially in that um NLDS where the winner of the four five is going to be potentially playing the Milwaukee Brewers and the Brewers have not played well over the last month. Now, the caveat is you have to win the wild card round. So, the advantage of being the three- seed is you’re going to be at home. The disadvantage of being the five seed is you’re going to be on the road for that wild card series. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves truthfully. There’s still another, you know, week. But I do feel as if the team feels some of what we feel in terms of watching this like that malaise that we’ve all felt. I felt it over the last couple of weeks. You guys heard me. I think the day of the deadline. I said, “Fast forward this thing to the postseason. I want to see if AJ’s plan works or not.” right now it’s not looking great, but like I had kind of seen enough. I didn’t need to see if they’re going to be the three seed or the four seed. It was kind of inconsequential to me. What I needed to see was can you put together a bullpen like this and can that lead you further than it led you a year ago? Is is this dominant bullpen going to be the differentiating factor? Well, the unfortunate part of it is we’re never going to see the full extent of the bullpen because of the Jason Adam injury. We haven’t seen the bullpen pitching at its best either with the high leverage pieces outside of Mason Miller. Um Adrien Morone would be in there, but Estrad has obviously taken that huge step back and Robert Horus has been very susceptible. So I said it six weeks ago like get this thing to the postseason. It’s like you don’t want to fast forward when you’re when you’re having a good year. But like you know they’re having a it’s a fine year. They’re going to be a postseason team. they’ve deserved, you know, to make the postseason, I think, based on their body of work and now I’m kind of ready for the postseason. I just wonder if they’re kind of feeling the same thing, which is we kind of know where we’re heading. Now, the disappointing part of that is that we could have had this conversation two weeks ago and if I was talking to the podcast, I’d be like, yo, as opposed to going through the motions here. Yeah, you’re making the postseason, but you can win this division and it’s going to matter cuz at home you’re one of the top five teams in baseball and on the road you’re you’re not. you’re a middling team on the road. Um especially against good teams. They’re 10 and 24 this year on the road against playoff teams. I think they’re 1 and 11 now in series against playoff teams on the road. One and 11 in series against playoff teams on the road. So again, is that a good indicator for Chicago? No. It’s a terrible indicator obviously for Chicago. But remember, don’t you got to be careful with past performance being anything to like be indicative of future results. Like, okay, they lost a series to the Mets. Okay, they lost a series at Dodger Stadium. Okay, they lost a series to the Cubs at Wrigley the first week of April. Like, it was half a year ago. Like, I remember I was in Palm Springs. I did a show I remember for one of those games. I think Maril went I mean, it feels like forever ago. Forever ago. So maybe it’s going to matter when the postseason starts or maybe it won’t. And if it doesn’t matter, what are people going to say? They say, “Oh, they they beat the Cubs, but they went 1-1 in series against playoff teams in the regular season.” Nobody’s going to care that they went 1-1 against playoff teams in series in the regular season. All they’re going to care about is what happens in October or the final day of September and the first day of October. So I I think we all agree with that. And listen, these these uh formats can be cruel. I mean, you could be out in two games. I mean, someone’s going to be out in two games in baseball and another team is going to make a run. Like Kevin AC was with me today. Uh John and Jim and I completely agree with this point. It’s like listen, there’s going to be a team that does something this postseason that is unexpected. I mean, that’s basically a guarantee. Out of the five seeds in the American League and the National League and the six seeds in the American League and the National League, guess what? one or more of those teams is going to move on like right don’t you agree I think last year three of those teams three of the four teams moved on um so there’s almost like an inevitability to it like teams are going to move on um that aren’t expected to move on and hopefully that’s San Diego and if it is great and if it’s not it’s going to be a very long offseason and there’s going to be a lot of dissecting and there’s going to be a lot of discussion about what needs to change and I that’s we’re too far in front of that Because the difference between winning against the Cubs and losing against the Cubs is a huge difference cuz if they win then you’re I mean you’re running a lot of it back and if you lose I don’t know what it’s going to necessarily represent but there’s there’s a long way between now and then and not in sheer time. I mean we might be talking about just obviously a handful of days but it’s not necessary to put the cart in front of the horse as of now. Is it? I don’t think it is. you know, and it’s it’s not my point here in the last couple of days if you’ve been listening to John and Jim or watching the wrap-up show and even with with some of Jim’s commentary. Like my point now is not to talk people off the ledge. My point is just to present both sides of it. Like when it’s going great, I would tell you the same thing. I mean, if the Poders are cruising into the postseason, went 10-1 in their last 11 games, does that assure them that they’re not going to be upended or upset? No, of course it doesn’t. Would you prefer the momentum? Yeah, I would prefer the momentum heading into the postseason, but like there are no guarantees this time of year is my point. And a team that’s like the Mets that’s played like crap can win in LA, right? Or a team like the Padres that has not played well down the stretch could win in Chicago. Something like that will happen. Trust me, there will be upsets in the 2025 Major League Baseball postseason. And if there isn’t, I would be shocked. That to me would be way more surprising than the opposite. It really it just would. Um, and if you guys disagree, that’s fine. I mean, listen, you you can disagree. I mean, I I can’t give you anything other than my honest opinion. So, if you disagree, you can disagree. I’m not forcing you to be here. Um, all right. Lucky Box. Make sure to use our promo code if you want to take advantage of a Lucky Box machine the next time you’re in Vegas. They’re coming to Southern California. They’re in major metropolitan cities. They’re in major airports like O’Hare. If you’re going to see the Padres’s and the Cubs, if you’re there right now for Padres’s and White Socks, make sure to check out a lucky box in O’Hare and use our promo code Padres’s all lowercase. And if you use our promo code, you’re getting $5 off. I was in Vegas, picked up a Totty Auto 10, this thing, this puppy spit out of that machine. So, you’re going to get a mystery sports card. If you want a sports card, you can get a mystery Pokemon card. If you want a Pokemon card, you get a mystery autographed jersey as well. And again, if you want $5 off, just uh use our promo code P A D R E S, the word Padres’s, all lowercase. Really cool product. You’re going to absolutely love it. The next time you see one, you basically have to use the promo code. You got to take advantage. I know a lot of San Dieans are in Vegas. I know a lot of San Dieagans and Padres’s fans are going to be in Chicago for the postseason. So, find one. They’re coming to Southern California. Use the promo code Padres’s, all lowercase. Take advantage and get $5 off. If you’re looking for where they’re located, by the way, go to luckybox vending.com or click the link in the description down below. You can win some amazing amazing products with their holy grails. Um, you can win like Fernando Tatis Jr. autographed cleats or uh Messi autographed jerseys or Messi cards or Patrick Mahomes jerseys. I mean, they have some unbelievable products in these machines. So, take advantage. Use the promo code Padres’s all lowercase. Um, all right. Let’s see what else. Yeah. I mean, is is the point like what I don’t understand like is the is the point that you guys know that you know how the season’s going to end. Then why are you then why would you be watching? And I I’ve made this point too, like so you’ve watched for 154 games and you’re punting now. It’s kind of an interesting time to punt, is it not? You’ve watched for 154 games and you know how the book ends. You’ve you’ve seen the you’ve seen it. You can tell me how this thing ends. Oh, that’s pretty impressive because if you do, you you better go to Vegas. Forget Lucky Box. Bring your wallet if you know how this thing ends. You can make a lot of money if you know how this thing ends. So, don’t don’t fool yourself in knowing in thinking you know something that nobody has any clue how this thing ends. We don’t know how Nick Pavette is going to throw game one of the postseason. We don’t know how Matthew Boyd’s going to throw. We have no clue what’s going to happen in the postseason. You can think you know, but this sport is a very humbling game. You watch this thing as much as I’ve watched in my life and a lot of you have watched, you see things you do not expect to occur. So that’s just I mean what are we talking about? I mean this isn’t freaking Lake Placid like US versus Russia. I mean it’s really not. Like if the Padres’s beat the Cubs in the postseason, is that at all shocking by baseball standards? No. Padres’s will have a 40% chance of winning the series. Flip a coin. you have a 50%. I mean, that’s what it is. They’re gonna have a 40% chance of winning the series. Does that make it likely? No. It makes it unlikely. Does it make it impossible? No. Because it happens 40% of the time. So, that’s what you’re walking into in 8 days. And guess what? If they lose to the White Sox today and beat the Cubs in game one of the postseason, who cares about this White Sox game? The issue is the pieces you need to help you in the postseason are not giving you what’s going to be necessary. obviously a week from now and I don’t think it’s as simple as just turning it on and I don’t think anyone thinks it’s as simple as just quote unquote turning it on. The faith and dilency has been lost but it was lost well before tonight. This lineup has left a lot to be desired as we’ve talked about repeatedly. The slug factor that has plagued them for the be better part of the entire season. Um so there’s a lot of concerns. I mean, we’ve talked about, you know, Ryan O’Harn’s struggles since coming over, but it goes so much beyond that. It’s like, you haven’t gotten the best of Manny Machado by and large. I know he’s homered, I think, three times his last six games. You haven’t gotten the best of Fernando Tatis Jr. by and large. You haven’t gotten the best of of Jackson by and large, although he’s been way better over the last two weeks. Same thing with Luis Horizon who’s, you know, hitting in the 280s, not in the 320s, for example. So again, it’s like the contributors or the contributions you were looking for from some of these players hasn’t been what you were expecting. So that alone is obviously problematic. And then the pieces that you thought you knew something about, Michael King, your bullpen, well, King unfortunately has dealt with injuries and your bullpen has now dealt with injuries with like a David Morgan and a Jason Adams. So it’s like, yeah, believe me, I I would prefer to be talking about a team, regardless of record that had a Fernando Tatis Jr. with 38 home runs and a Jackson Merrill with 28 home runs and a Dylan CE with a 3.1 erra and a healthy Jason Adam. That would be my preference, too. I mean, that should be everyone’s preference right now, but we don’t live in that world. So, now it’s like, is there enough here or can they find something to put together some type of successful postseason? And I don’t have the answer to that. I mean, it’s going to go one way or the other. We’ll all we’ll all watch that play out in real time in the days ahead. I mean, it’s not really anything that’s going to be shocking either way. I mean, is anyone going to be shocked if the Padres’s lose the Cubs? No. Is anyone going to be shocked if the Padres’s beat the Cubs? In my opinion, you shouldn’t be. So, it’s going to play out in real time. But yeah, I mean, I get the concern because I’m watching the same games that everyone else is watching. So, I I definitely get the concern. And the Dylan sees thing. I mean, you just kind of I don’t even know what to say about that. Again, you you’ve kind of seen the last of him potentially in a Padres’s uniform. You hope that you haven’t because if if you see him a lot more, it means they’re winning in the postseason and maybe he’s contributing in the postseason, but you got to have someone start the second game of the playoff series. Like, you’re not going to a bullpen. You ain’t doing the bullpen game in game two. If someone’s got to like, you know, pull out pull out a straw, like who’s who’s it going to be? Is it Michael King? Is it Udarvish? Is it Dylan C? I mean, who the hell is it going to be? It’s got to be someone. I joked today on Twitter. I said, is it CE King Darvish? Me? And I think I I won the vote, like 50% of the vote. So, yeah. I mean, someone’s got to start game two. And right now, unfortunately, nobody’s really taken that and given you confidence that they’re capable of pitching well in that spot. And I think that’s a huge concern. I think it’s a massive concern. And you don’t feel confident that you’re going to get bailed out by your offense when you walk into a game um with, you know, with Dylan Cece on the mound on the road and you know that he’s going to give up four runs in five innings and now you need your offense to score four runs in five innings. Like that’s not easy. That’s not easy to deal with. So game one will obviously be pivotal because you’re going to have as good of a chance as you you’re going to get with Nick Pette on the mound. So game one’s going to be pivotal and from there if you can get that try to get one of the next two obviously. I mean I even go back to that St. Louis series in 2020. They lost game one at home. They had no one to pitch in game three. They used nine relievers in nine innings and somehow won the game. Like that was more improbable than what we’re asking the Padres’s to do right now in 2020. um in 2025. Honestly, I think that was probably more improbable. All right, do want to remind you guys about our friends over at SeatGeek. Um as you know, with SeatGeek, you can use our promo code and get $20 off your next order of $50 or more. So, use our promo code Podra. That’s P A Ds Wr. You’re going to get $20 off your first purchase of $50 or more at Segeek. You heard me right. $20 off your first purchase with promo code Podra. That’s P A D S W R A P. Just click the link in the description, download the app, and have the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later. And we do want to thank our friends over at Segeek Padres’s of course getting home for the Brewers. This will be what? Monday night. You can get in for cheap. You can get in for cheap. Monday night, not that cheap. 47 bucks. Uh with fees. So a pair of tickets for 94 bucks. Take 20 bucks off. That’s $74 for two tickets. Final home stand of the year. Shoot. We might not see the Padres’s beyond this week at home based on everyone that’s in here tonight in the chat. We might not see them beyond this week. So, if you want to see the Padres’s before the end of the season, again, they’re going to open on the road and then even if they win that series, their first two games of the NLDS would be on the road. So, beyond this week, you might not see the Padres’s at home for a while. So, make sure to get there. Click the link in the description down below. Use our promo code Padra. It’s P A D S W R A P and get $20 off your first purchase of $50 or more. Oh, oops. What is going on? Well, we’ll go with this for now. I don’t know what’s going on, but bear with me. I’m having some technical issues. Uh, Jada Gota, I appreciate you, May says, uh, prepare for the Cubs practicing their bunts. You think the Padres’s will be preparing for the Cubs to bunt or the Cubs will be preparing for the Padres’s bunning? I think it’s probably the latter, but yeah, that’s um, it’s probably true. It’s probably true. There’s going to be some bunning practice, I’m sure, for the Cubs heading into that series because that’s Yeah, that’s basically a strength right now of the PJ’s offense. So, I would agree with that. JD’s third uh, says, “I’m not worried about pitching. The offense is the worry.” and how anemic it has been outside the series with the Rockies and zero slug. Yeah, I know. I get it. I mean, what are they seven and 10 overall in September? Five of the wins are against Colorado. So, yeah, I mean, the offense has left a lot to be desired there. There have been stretches early August, you got Lauraniano, he kind of carried you. Sheets at times here in the second half obviously has carried you. Um, O’Harn had some moments early. He has really fallen off again. You’ve had some moments in here, but you haven’t had what you’ve been looking for. consistently out of the offense. Everyone agrees with that. There’s no doubt. I think everyone agrees with that overall point. So, it’s almost like like I I made this analogy recently, right? It’s like you’re you’re plugging a hole in something that’s leaking like a boat, like it’s sinking and you plug a hole and then another one pops up. Like that’s what it feels like a little bit with the Padres’s. But also, it also feels like it’s the same thing over and over again. I mean, they’re down two runs a lot and they’re giving up first and second inning home runs a lot. So, like it it’s almost like deja vu all over again where it’s like every game you’re getting something similar. I think Mike Schill said something comparable to that, right? right along the lines of it’s the same like we need to flip the script because the script is playing out in the same manner, you know, trailing, not getting length from starters, giving up the long ball, which to me is like perplexing. They were not a team that was allowing a lot of home runs in the first half of the year. Like that was not what this pitching staff was known for. Even the starting pitching, I mean, that was not a storyline. That was not a talking point. I’ve done a show 125 shows this year. The first hundred we weren’t talking about that. and now it’s all we talk about, you know. Um, and I I don’t again I made the point it’s kind of self-fulfilling. I I don’t know why it’s playing out the way in which it’s playing out. Um, but it’s like the the adage you can’t have enough of the starting pitching. We felt it with the King injury. You’re without Joe Musgrow for an entire year. We I mean I advocated to hold on to Dylan CE. I still would have because are you better off if you didn’t have him? how I mean where do they even turn? So the starting pitching thing is always like at the end of the day when you think about it when the 2020 season ended why did it end? They ran out of starting pitching. Mike Levenger’s hurt, right? They have no starting pitching. When the 2022 season ends, why does it end? Because they have no starting pitching. Shawn Mania is bad. Mike Clevenger’s bad in 2024. Why does it end? It’s on your offense seemingly although obviously cease on three days recipes you didn’t have Joe Musgrove like the Musgrove thing was massive in 2024. So like again you’ve kind of have run out of starting pitching and then of course last year what we heard was well do you need starting pitching to win a World Series? Look at the Dodgers. They did it with on the backs by and large of of two starting pitchers with Jack Flity and Yoshinoi Yamamoto. But my counter to that right now with the Padres is like well who do who’s even their second starter? So like you you can’t be winning World Series with one starter. Like someone would have to emerge. It’s hard for me to see you Darvis all of a sudden turn back the clock and be a 30-year-old and make four highly effective postseason starts. I just can’t even deal with the idea of Dylan Ces throwing in a meaningful game on the road because he’s been in ineffective in non-meaningful games on the road. King, you have so much faith if he was fully healthy all year. I I mean that you’d feel great about Michael King, but unfortunately that’s not what’s played out and you can’t control health unfortunately. So I mean I just lack faith because I haven’t seen it from King and he’s been dealing with this injury. So that that’s honestly that’s more of what it boils down to for me than offense. like you can get by with a a mid offense with elite pitching, but they’re pitching which the expectation heading into the year was that was going to be better than it’s turned out to be. And that’s more of a concern for me. Like you you can win with pitching in October. It’s harder to win with offense in October going up against good pitching. So you can win with pitching. The problem is do they have enough pitching for them to win with this October? Uh JD Gasha, thank you. says, “Would you trust Randy Vasquez in a game three start?” Well, it doesn’t matter what I would if I would trust him or not. Mike Schult doesn’t. I mean, Mike Schil yesterday took him out in the third inning of a two-1 game. So, if he’s doing that, there’s no world in hell where Randy Vasquez is starting unless it’s to face three batters for some, you know, I’ll play chess when everyone else is playing checkers type experience. So, I don’t I don’t see a world in which that happens based on how they’ve used Vasquez. you’ve been down in TripleA as recently as in the last month. He has the shortest leash on the staff. So, that would be very surprising to me. I mean, listen, it’s one of those things that when you get there, you’re probably feeling decent because you’re in that spot, right? I mean, if you’re getting to a third game, you’ve obviously already won ones and now there’s immense pressure both ways, but I would probably say even more on the home team in that spot. And who knows what you would do in a third game. I mean, you could get cute. You could go true bullpen game. You could again go super short leash with someone like Darvis or Ciss. Try to get two innings or one time through an order with someone like Darvis or Cece and then go right to Adrien for six outs and then right to Mason Miller for six outs and then right to Robert Suarez for three outs and that’s your final five innings in that hypothetical. So, I mean there’s some ways to manage it. Anytime you’re in a decisive game, a winner take all game, throw everything out the window. like once you get to a third game and a best of three or a fifth game or a seventh game, you get the point. Throw it all out the window and I think you can get pretty creative and that’s where your bullpen actually probably can be a potential real real weapon and strength. But I I don’t see Randy Vasquez starting a game. I could see Randy Vasquez being hidden for three outs somewhere maybe in a three-game series, although I’m even skeptical of that. Maybe more in a fiveame series. That’s a possibility. It does give you length. you may want to have him on your roster because if you’re up eight or down eight then maybe he serves a role and again he’s been fine for this team. He hasn’t been bad. His numbers are fine. Like it feels like they should be more trustworthy with him than they’ve been. So I agree with the sentiment like hey he’s got a sub four RA. He’s given them opportunities to to be in games. Their overall record when he pitches is good. Like I I completely agree with that sentiment but I don’t see it. And yeah, I think ultimately like to like I think it probably would be some type of variation of a bullpen game even if they went with a traditional starter. Like I be very skeptical or surprised if they stuck with a starter more than like one time through an order. Maybe they would if it was like Darvish and it was, you know, the first 10 batters he faced, he retired nine of them, you know, and and was unscored upon in three innings. Or the same thing with Dylan C. Like if you retire nine of the first 10, then you get the 11th, 12th, and 13th batters potentially. But the lease would be so short and you’d want to go to high leverage arms as quickly as you possibly can, especially obviously if you get a lead, but even in a tie game, um you’d want to keep it tied as long as possible and give your offense a chance. So, you know, and then there’s the there’s this point about these guys have have not been great. I mean, shoot, I work with a Cubs fan. You know, our producer on John and Jim is a is a diehard lifelong Cubs fan. And he it’s like it’s what he’s like but he says in the breaks like what’s so funny is the way Padres’s fans talk about the Padres’s is the way Cubs fans talk about the Cubs. I’m like that’s the thing. People get so insular and they’re so focused on one team, especially in baseball which is so localized. Nobody’s sitting around watching the Cubs every night. Be honest with me. You’re not watching the Cubs. And the things that we’re saying about the Padres’s Cubs fans are saying about the Cubs. Yeah, they’ve played better in September than the Padres’s. It’s true, but they’re not invincible. Um, and I’m sure a lot of their fans have question marks about their chances in October. Um, just like Padres’s fans have question marks about their chances in October. So, it’s kind of funny the way, you know, it works. And it’s like the same thing, man. I mean, we interact with Dodger fans each and every day. I’m I’m having Dodger fans freaking text me and email me tell me, “I don’t know why Padres’s fans are saying this about their team. Have you seen our team?” I’m having those interactions in supermarkets. People are coming up to me saying this this ain’t it. Like there’s something wrong with this team and talking about the Dodgers. I’m like I am talking these people off the ledge. So it’s like you think it’s a San Diego specific issue. Maybe for the last two weeks it has been. They haven’t played well. But the Dodgers since the 1st of July I think are still under 500. That might change at some point here late in September. Um so it’s not just a San Diego issue is my point. All right guys, make sure to take advantage of our promo code with our friends over at Underdog Fantasy. the best and easiest place to play fantasy sports. Use our promo code podra pad s r. Get $50 in bonus funds when you play just $5. Plus, get a 50% deposit match up to $1,000. Plus, get a free gimme pick. And what does a free gimme pick look like? It looks like higher or lower than a half total plate appearance for Manny Machado, for example, tomorrow. Um, so you take the free pick, you pair it with any other play across NFL, WNBA, Major League Baseball, college football, so on and so forth, and you can win big. You can win up to 5,000 times your money in a single night. So take advantage of our promo code pods. Click the link in the description down below, and you get not one, not two, but three great offers. the $50 in bonus funds by playing $5, the 50% deposit match up to $1,000, and the free giveimme pick with our friends again at Underdog Fantasy. All right. Yeah, like look at this. Cubs are 222 their last 28 games and there’s some lock. You know, they’re not a lock. None of these teams are locks. Like tell me a wild card lock and if you have it, go to Vegas and go make yourself a lot of money. But how many times have you heard people that cover this sport for a living be like this thing’s wide open? This thing’s completely wide open. I made the point earlier, I think on John and Jim, there’s no team at Fang Graphs with better than 14% chance of winning the World Series. Which means every team has an 86% chance of not winning the World Series. Yet someone’s going to win the World Series, you know. So that’s the thing. So again, I think a lot of a lot of teams and their fan bases are going to be highly skeptical of their teams heading into the postseason. There’s going to be fan bases that are through the moon excited. Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Toronto, but there’s going to be a lot that are skeptical and there’s going to be teams that make runs and hopefully that’s San Diego. Uh JD Gacha, thank you, man. He says, “You can slug your way to a World Series. Freeman, Tio, Oscar, Muki, and Edmond prove that in 2024.” Yeah, exactly. And that’s not going to happen with this Padres’s team. like we all agree. So yes, and also you can win, by the way, with small ball. Look at the Royals 10 years ago. Look at the Giants 15 years ago. Like you can win without slug, but you better have it all put together with elite starting pitching and elite backhand bullpen, right? So yeah, I agree. I mean, the Padres’s will not slug their way to a World Series. The Padres’s can use slug to their advantage if they run into it, but that is not going to be their path to winning a World Series. their path to winning a World Series is scoring first, sitting on leads, and getting dominant pitching efforts in general. Whether it’s from their starters like Paveta or from relievers like Mason Miller, they’re going to have to go above and beyond. And where Miller maybe was typically going three or four outs, maybe he’s asked to go five or six. And maybe there’s one outing where someone’s going, you know, seven plus outs in one of those games. So, I agree. Slug matters. It’s It’s still rare to win by just out slugging people series after series in the postseason. I think that’s more an exception than the rule. I’d rather rely on pitching than I would rely on slug in the postseason, but get make no mistake. I mean, slug’s going to help. It can bail you out. It really can bail you out. All right, let’s do this again Sunday night. Um, we’ll take Saturday off as we typically do. And Jim will be back, I believe, on Sunday night. So, join us Sunday at 9:30. We’ll react to this White Sox series. We’ll see where the Padres’s currently sit in terms of their chances to clinch a postseason spot. They can’t clinch before Sunday, and that would require two wins and two Red’s losses, I think. So, there’s a very good chance they don’t clinch until next week, but we’ll do it again Sunday night. We’ll look ahead to the final week of the regular season. We’ll look ahead once again to the postseason as well. So, if you’ve been here, you know the deal. Please subscribe year round content for you. Smash the like button for me. You can follow me on X at John Schaefer. Thank you for the super thanks if you are here on replay. And thank you for your support of our partners as well, whether it’s our title sponsor Mark Nimmits, our friends at Lucky Box and Segeek and Underdog and Humul Casino as well. For Jim, I’m John. Padres’s loses in Chicago. Game two is Saturday and this has been the wrap-up show. Thanks, guys.

Dylan Cease’s struggles continued as the Padres dropped the opener of a three-game series in Chicago against the lowly White Sox. San Diego has dropped 15 of their last 24 games with the postseason just over a week away.

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