NEW POD - SEA sweeps HOU, AL West title 🔜 - AL Central race went from Over In July to The Best Division Race With One Week Left - here come the Reds! Mets open door for stunning CIN surge (+ Snakes alive?!) - Kershaw's final start in LA (or so it seems) - and so much more from a wild weekend!!!

here's what the standings would look like if records were determined by series wins/losses/splits (Tokyo Series + the 2 LAD/CHC games at Wrigley in April are counted as one series so that every team has played the same number of series) what stands out?

Skenes vs Greene on Wednesday in Cincinnati is going to be funnn

Because the Reds hold the tiebreaker, the Mets are out of playoff position for the first time since April 4 (when they were 4-3)

REDS MOP THE CUBS and move into a tie with the Mets at 80-76 for the 3rd NL Wild Card spot with 6 games left to play (and hold the tiebreaker over the Mets as well 👀)

last three mopportunities of the season today Reds over Cubs Guardians over Twins Dodgers over Giants who gets it done?

July 6: Guardians lose 10th straight game, fall to 15.5 games back of the Tigers in the AL Central September 20: Guardians win 10th straight game, climb to 1 game back of the Tigers in the AL Central

seems unlikely that if Jake had posted this same thing on Bluesky it would have produced the same level of rage-filled engagement as it did on Twitter, but we def had fun discussing and debating this premise at length (and considering other candidates) on Wednesday's pod: youtu.be/SzY8goaLjLU?...

Bryan Woo throws more fastballs and more pitches in the strike zone than any starter in MLB -- and he's thriving in Cal Raleigh's words: "Guys feel like they're seeing it, and they're not. It's created a lot of angry hitters" on Seattle's breakout right-hander: sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

NEW POD - Cal Raleigh hits HRs #55 & #56, so here's ANOTHER MVP race check-in (+ some fun switch-hitting history) - Trey Yesavage debut was electric - how ***important*** is Bryce Harper? LET'S DISCUSS 😤 - Ohtani's 5 no-hit innings + 50th HR have us in awe (again) - and much more!

last year Paul Skenes' splinker took the league by storm this year it's been his 5th-best pitch behind: change-up: lowest wOBA allowed on any pitch in MLB (min. 200 thrown) sweeper: lowest hard-hit % allowed on any pitch in MLB (min. 400 thrown) + two different fastballs at 98 MPH decent stuff

2nd time seeing this matchup this season. Last time, Friday the 13th of June: Skenes: 5 IP, 5 Ks, 0 Rs, 4 Hs, 2 BBs, 95 pitches Horton: 5.2 IP, 4 Ks, 0 Rs, 3 Hs, 1 BB, 76 pitches

Trey Yesavage just took the title for highest average vertical release point in baseball (7.11 feet)

awfully fun pitching match-up tonight in Pittsburgh

If you're able, please help out Fisher (and our buddy Lindsey) as he recovers from a bad fall! 💞

I guess being a guest on @cespedesbbq.bsky.social is the opposite of being on the Madden cover.

new for Yahoo Sports, how Paul Skenes' ever-evolving and expanding arsenal, extreme body awareness, and collaboration with batterymate Henry Davis have him cruising in spectacular fashion towards his first NL Cy Young Award: sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

NEW POD - NYY/LAD take series over rivals BOS/SFG - SEA mops LAA, 9-0 in Etsy Witch Era - TOR sweeps BAL, nearing AL East title? - CLE rotation has been unreal - smh Reds + WOW Nick Kurtz - MIL/PHI clinch playoff spots, division titles on deck - Snakes Alive?! - Rizzo retires a Cub - and much more!

still laughing at Pedro Martinez's recollection of Barry Bonds rounding the bases after homering against him check out our full Pedro convo: youtu.be/Som61RW8PyM

NEW POD - 8 X-factors to think about as October approaches - Phillies mop the Mets + Sorry For Your Mentions - Anthony Volpe partial labrum tear reveal - Nats GM search - Good/Bad/Uggla on SEA walk-offs, Laureano, Mike Elias, the Twins, Drew Gilbert, clean-shaven Strider - and more!

two weeks ago the Mets swept the Phillies in Queens to trim Philadelphia's division lead to 4 games since then the Mets are 4-10 and the Phillies are 11-3 the Phillies' magic number to clinch the NL East is now 5

PHILLIES MOP THE METS

15% of Red Sox games this year have ended via walk-off

NEW POD with special guest Pedro Martinez! the Hall of Famer joins to talk about this Red Sox season, his favorite pitchers to watch, the one HR he allowed to Barry Bonds, and pitching in LIDOM plus: Schwarber hits HR #50, PHI pulling away from NYM, Roki Sasaki, and more

┳┻| ┻┳| ┳┻| ┻┳| ┳┻| ┻┳| ┳┻| ┻┳| ┳┻| ┻┳| ┳┻| ┻┳| ┳┻| _ ┻┳| •.•) we have another Hall of Famer ┳┻|⊂ﾉ coming on the pod tomorrow ┻┳|

NEW POWER RANKINGS sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

NEW POD - Dodgers hit rock bottom with epic walk-off losses in BAL (but they're probably fine); SD still got a chance in NL West? - NYY playing better...can they win AL East? - SEA bats explode in ATL; should HOU be nervous or nah? - AL Wild Card race > NL Wild Card race (for now) - and much more!

NEW POD - drafting teams on how confident we are they will win the World Series - Framber Valdez and the cross-up heard ‘round the world - Skenes shines as LAD swept at PIT - Good/Bad/Uggla on Munetaka Murakami, Vinnie Pasquantino, MIN mopped by CHW, a burner account, and more!

@cespedesbbq.bsky.social got mopped, gang

most times being swept this season (in series of 3+ games): Rockies - 17 White Sox - 11 Nationals - 9 Guardians, Pirates - 8 Giants, Mariners, Braves, A's - 7 Mets, Angels, Rays, Cardinals - 6 fewest: Brewers, Cubs, Reds - 1 Yankees, Red Sox - 3

here's a closer look at 10 of the most intriguing adds with rosters expanding in September, from injury returners to familiar veterans to promising prospects and more, new for Yahoo Sports ⤵️ sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

NEW POD - so, uh, the Rangers? W6 and +94 run diff are impressive, but we're still skeptical...for now - One Big Question for the 12 teams currently in playoff position - Sal Stewart, Harry Ford, Carter Jensen APPLE: tinyurl.com/57a2ckn2 SPOTIFY: tinyurl.com/mr2b94cb YOUTUBE: youtu.be/UMfqo1_iX7c

We talked with @cespedesbbq.bsky.social about what they’ve learned about navigating MLB clubhouses as writers. And how watching more experienced writers like @bymccullough.bsky.social have helped them along the way. Full episode: somanyquestions.show/episodes/ep0...

how many home runs would Kyle Schwarber need to hit and/or how bad on the mound would Shohei Ohtani have to be for Schwarber to have a shot at NL MVP?

NEW POD - Kyle Schwarber's 4 HR game; how much better has he gotten this season? any chance whatsoever at NL MVP? - here comes Payton Tolle - Nolan McLean, wow - Good/Bad/Uggla on NYM attendance, Willy Adames, the Angels, Trevor J-Daniel Rogers, Taylor Rashi & AZ saves and more!

with spectacular bat speed and an intense desire to be great, 22-year-old Junior Caminero is having a season of slugging like few his age have ever had before new for @yahoosports.bsky.social, on Caminero's rise and what could be the start of a very special career: sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

always fun to occasionally zoom out and reflect on how our strange but fortunate journey in this industry, and it was especially enjoyable to do it with someone like Kendall who has supported us from the very beginning

❔New episode❔this week with @jakemintz.bsky.social and @jordanshusterman.bsky.social from @cespedesbbq.bsky.social and @yahoosports.bsky.social Love these guys & had a great chat. Always entertaining and thoughtful. Thank you guys for coming on the show. somanyquestions.show/episodes/ep0...

NEW POD it's a loaded Wednesday episode, featuring special guest CAL RIPKEN JR. (!!!) who joined us ahead of the 30th anniversary of 2131 plus: - 2026 schedule! - Tigers Won Again 2.0 - Mets call up Jonah Tong - Caminero + Crochet thoughts - a Taylor Swift question - and more!

NEW POWER RANKINGS sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

Cal Raleigh batting right-handed from 2021-2024: .202/.271/.410 with 20 HR in 413 PA Cal Raleigh batting right-handed in 2025: .280/.335/.701 with 20 HR in 170 PA

NEW POD - BOS, SDP take down NYY, LAD in marquee rivalry series; Let's Talk Volpe - Cubs heating back up after sweep over LAA - Rangers alive? - Pirates pitching shines in sweep of COL - Cal Raleigh keeps making homer history - Zack Wheeler out for the year - so much more!

he's back!

if your team is out of it and eligible for the draft lottery (sorry Nationals, Rockies, Angels) then you may be best off heading for #RochBottom

NEW POD - O's extend Samuel Basallo; what makes him special? what next for Adley Rutschman? - more call-ups! Bubba Chandler, Carson Williams, Jhostynxon Garcia, Zach Maxwell, Parker Messick - HOU signs Craig Kimbrel (?!) - fav MLB players at LLWS - Good/Bad/Uggla - and more!

HEY, YOU. YEAH, YOU. There's a new episode of The Pitch Clock out on the @lebatardshow.bsky.social We've broken this out separately from the main show today and I'd love to see those numbers go 📈📈📈 Give this one with Jordan of @cespedesbbq.bsky.social a watch 📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbj0...

not expecting Bieber to suddenly start throwing 98 but this velocity trend feels somewhat notable as we start to evaluate what he can be post-surgery... 94+ MPH pitches during his AAA rehab starts (17.2 IP): 3 94+ MPH pitches from '22-'24 (340 IP): 4 (all on 8/14/22, vs. TOR, funny enough)

ahead of Shane Bieber’s Blue Jays debut on Friday, a look back at his highly eventful rehab process and the unusual experience of joining a Toronto rotation as the relative young gun of the bunch, new for @yahoosports.bsky.social: sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/...

I love that we went like 30+ years between big league Bob Smiths

First home run by a Bob since Bob Smith for the Devil Rays on 4/19/2002 at the Trop off Jorge Julio of the Orioles