Locke'd In Baseball

We kick things off (0:00) by putting a bow on the Columbus Explorers season and randomly debating our favorite chain pizza restaurants. We then highlight (7:54) how the standings have flip-flopped across MLB since mid-June and which division and Wild Card races we’re most excited for down the stretch.

This week's Yankees-Twins Series Recap (11:15) covers why the Yankees' series win over the Twins still feels like a loss. We break down Austin Wells’ struggles and what the plan should be, Jasson Domínguez’s curious absence all week despite facing three righties, Boone’s decision to go to Yerry De Los Santos, Stanton in RF, Volpe’s improvements, and why this series doesn’t change the season’s outlook.

In Fish Files (37:33), we check in on Miami and their series loss in Cleveland, before touching on (44:30) Michael Porter Jr.’s questionable gambling-related comments in a recent podcast episode.

Finally, in MLB Week in Review (46:31), we talk about the Angels sweeping the Dodgers in the series and season series and if that’s cause for concern for the Dodgers - plus another strange Shohei Ohtani off-field story, this one involving Hawaii real estate. We also hit on the Reds now just 0.5 GB of the free-falling Mets in the NL Wild Card, the Cubs’ ongoing skid and PCA’s slump, the Mariners dropping a series in Baltimore, a wild D-backs series win and whether they’re still in the hunt, Jacob Lopez’s dominance, and much more.

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0:00 Intro

7:54 Standings Have Flipped

11:15 Yankees-Twins Series Recap

37:33 Fish Files

44:30 MPJ's Podcast Comments

46:31 MLB Week in Review

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In today’s episode, we kick things off with William’s travel nightmare getting home yesterday, a chat about the pressure on airplane mechanics, and an unexpected dive into Dubai chocolate (0:00). Then, we break down why it feels like there are more compelling MLB storylines than usual down the stretch this season, and we highlight some of the biggest ones to watch (7:14).

From there, it’s another tough Yankees segment as we recap the Yankees-Astros series (13:08) — yet another series loss, this time to Houston. We talk Devin Williams’ latest blowup, Old Timers’ Day, Trent Grisham’s clutch home run, and another lifeless loss on Sunday. Where does the team go from here? Are we at rock bottom? Who needs to step up? Could Aaron Boone be cooked? We also touch on Carlos Correa’s brilliance since returning to Houston and whether Jose Altuve is a first-ballot Hall of Famer (Yankee fans, please stop booing him).

We wrap with our MLB Weekend in Review (42:58): Milwaukee’s unbelievable run and the Mets’ unbelievable collapse, Seattle riding high, San Diego knocking on the Dodgers’ doorstep, Cal Raleigh’s MVP case, the Cubs’ continued struggles, the Cardinals’ quiet push, Philly’s winning ways, and much more.

#mlb #baseball

We kick things off by looking ahead to the upcoming college football season, including a stacked Week 1 slate and early thoughts on Michigan and Miami's outlooks for the year (0:00). Then we dive into the Yankees-Rangers series recap (5:06), breaking down Devin Williams' brutal performances on Monday and Tuesday, David Bednar’s gutsy 5-out save on Wednesday, the ongoing command issues across the pitching staff, and the team’s inability to play a complete game. We also propose a lineup to run out for the remainder of the season.

To close things out, we take a tour around the league in our MLB Week in Review (33:08): the AL Central, NL West, and AL West division races are heating up with struggles from the Tigers, Dodgers, and Astros. We also recap the Marlins in Fish Files, touch on Milwaukee’s continued dominance, Andrew Vaughn’s breakout with the Brewers, Toronto’s wild trip to Colorado, the Cubs looking more like a Wild Card team than division champs, Roman Anthony’s extension, the Mets’ freefall, Cleveland’s hot streak, the A’s recent surge, the playoff series we want to see the most and plenty more.

Luis takes the lead after winning this weekend’s bet as the Marlins (0:00) swept the Yankees, and William recaps the Columbus Explorers’ championship game from Saturday.

We kick off the Fish Files (5:00) with a Marlins-first perspective: breaking down the wild 13–12 Friday night game, Kyle Stowers’ MVP case, Miami getting back to .500, and the electric crowd all weekend. Luis shares what it was like in the park on Saturday, while we also touch on the Yankees’ brutal baserunning, the complete collapse of every trade deadline addition, and what Aaron Boone’s future might look like.

Then we name our July Team of the Month (38:08) and highlight the top players across the league who tore it up.

We close with our MLB Weekend in Review (48:20), talking about the rain-drenched Bristol Game and disappointing fan experience, Boston’s sweep of Houston, the Brewers crushing Washington, the Cubs honoring Ryne Sandberg and winning a series over Baltimore, the Padres’ new-look bullpen in action, the Giants handling business in New York, Toronto’s struggles, a fun Phillies-Tigers series, and much more.

It's our full Trade Deadline reaction podcast (1:46), and wow… this might’ve been the craziest deadline in years. Mason Miller is headed to the Padres in a shocking blockbuster, Jhoan Duran lands in Philly, Carlos Correa is back in Houston, and the reliever market was absolutely booming. We break down all the biggest moves, winners and losers, and ask the important question: what on earth were the Cubs doing?

We also briefly touch on the looming lockout (56:54) that’s quietly hovering over baseball and pay tribute to Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg (59:39).

Then we dive into the Yankees-Rays series recap (1:00:16): the Yanks took 3 of 4 and the vibes are officially back. Wednesday’s wild win and Thursday’s rain-delayed clincher have us wondering… is a division push back on the table?

Finally, we wrap with our MLB Week in Review (1:09:02): the Padres swept the Mets and Juan Soto got hurt, Ronald Acuña Jr. landed on the IL with an Achilles injury, the Blue Jays dropped 3 of 4 in Baltimore, Emmanuel Clase is under investigation for gambling, Ohtani left his start early in Cincinnati, the Cubs’ struggles against Milwaukee continued, the Marlins stayed hot, and more!

We kick things off with a recap of our weekends (0:00), including Luis’s bachelor party trip to Atlanta and William’s tough playoff loss while coaching youth baseball.

Then we dive into the Yankees-Phillies series (7:41). The Yankees made two trades - one for Ryan McMahon and one for Amed Rosario - and we break down what each move means for their postseason hopes. We also react to the Aaron Judge injury scare, discuss the flexor strain diagnosis, and how this affects both the Yankees and the AL MVP race. On the field, the Yankees lost 2 of 3 to the Phillies - Friday and Saturday were ugly, but Sunday’s win over Zack Wheeler provided a much-needed boost, with McMahon delivering a clutch hit and showing off his defense all weekend.

Next, we share our thoughts on Hall of Fame weekend (30:45), highlight the careers of the new inductees, and discuss who might be next.

We close with our MLB Weekend in Review (37:28). The Red Sox took 2 of 3 from the Dodgers, prompting Garrett Crochet to call out the FOX broadcast’s focus on L.A. The Reds swept the Rays and look like a team that needs to buy at the deadline. The Tigers’ freefall continued after losing 3 of 4 to the Blue Jays - what do they need to do at the trade deadline? Nick Kurtz put up one of the most absurd offensive performances in MLB history during the A’s four-game sweep in Houston. The Rangers stayed scorching hot with a sweep of the Braves. Cal Raleigh hit his 41st homer. The Mets swept the Giants in San Francisco, and the Rafael Devers trade isn’t aging well for the Giants. The Royals are locking in Bobby Witt Jr.’s future, the Cubs won the Crosstown Classic, and plenty more as trade deadline week officially gets underway.

On today’s episode (0:00), we kick things off with a discussion of Luis’s weekend at a bachelor party in Atlanta and a quick thank you to everyone for helping us hit 100 YouTube subscribers — let’s keep the momentum going and get to 150!

We then break down the Yankees' latest disaster in Toronto (5:15), where they dropped another series thanks to seven errors, including four on Wednesday alone. We ask the big question: is this organization broken? We dig into their lack of fundamentals, the growing tension between the front office and fanbase, Aaron Boone’s appearance on Talkin’ Yanks, and why no deadline move can fix the deeper issues at play.

Next, we react to the Josh Naylor trade between the Mariners and Diamondbacks (28:02), explore what the move means for both teams, and speculate who else Arizona might ship out as they look like heavy sellers heading into the deadline.

We close things out with our MLB Week in Review (35:35): the trade market is taking shape, and Detroit’s struggles continued with a sweep in Pittsburgh — is it time to worry about the Tigers? The Marlins stayed red-hot, and Luis continues to spread their propaganda. The Red Sox and Phillies gave us a fun showdown in Philly — we debate the current NL Cy Young front-runner. We also ask whether the Cubs should keep Matt Shaw or go all in for Eugenio Suárez, pitch Matthew Boyd as a sleeper Cy Young candidate, talk about the surging Rangers, the Cardinals’ faceplant in Colorado, Milwaukee’s strong play (and their cautious handling of Jacob Misiorowski), and Ohtani launching homers in five straight games — plus plenty more.

We kick things off (0:00) catching up on the weekend - William wrapped up Squid Game while Luis was spreading Marlins propaganda at a block party in Miami. Then we dive into an All-Star Game shake-up idea (6:36): Would a Team USA vs. World format be more exciting than AL vs. NL? We break down how both rosters might stack up and whether it would raise the stakes.

Next, we recap the Yankees-Braves series (13:46), starting with a rough bullpen game on Friday night. But the Yankees bounced back in a big way - a 12-9 slugfest on Saturday featuring a clutch Trent Grisham grand slam and a two-homer night from Anthony Volpe, followed by a 4-2 win on Sunday behind a huge Marcus Stroman start. With series against Toronto and Philly on deck, we talk about how this stretch could shape the Yankees’ approach to the trade deadline.

We close with our MLB weekend in review (38:38): the D-backs swept the Cardinals and may be shifting out of seller mode, Eugenio Suárez went off with back-to-back two-homer games, and the Brewers swept the Dodgers in L.A. - are the Dodgers in real trouble after going 0-6 against Milwaukee this season? The Reds won a series at Citi Field, the Marlins stayed hot, Detroit and Minnesota continued to struggle, and Cleveland may be making a mistake by holding firm at the deadline. Plus, the A’s youth movement, potential major sellers in Washington, Kyle Schwarber’s Hall of Fame case, and more.

We’re back from the break, and William is lacing up the cleats for a Coaches vs. Players game this weekend (0:00). Then it’s time to break down all the All-Star festivities. We recap Cal Raleigh’s dramatic (and controversial) Home Run Derby victory and pitch a few changes to spice up the format (4:33). The All-Star Game itself brought the energy - we dive into the ABS rollout, the debut of the swing-off tiebreaker, and Aaron Boone's managerial strategy.

From there, we shift gears to the meat of the pod: a full MLB Trade Deadline Preview (29:04). We break down the buyers, sellers, and wild cards that could go either way. Who are the biggest names likely to move? Will it be another snoozer of a deadline, or could we see chaos? We make our predictions for players like Emmanuel Clase, Jhoan Duran, Eugenio Suárez, and toss in a few surprise candidates who might be on the block.

We kick things off with a quick recap of Luis’s Saturday night at the Morgan Wallen concert (0:00), then dive into a jam-packed MLB Draft recap (6:05) - from the early run on high school shortstops, Ethan Holliday slipping to No. 4, and Seattle getting a steal at No. 3, to the growing trend of college pitchers and why MLB seriously needs to fix the timing of All-Star week.

Next, we break down the Yankees' rollercoaster series against the Cubs (29:43), where the offense exploded Friday but got shut down by Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga over the weekend. We also discuss Anthony Volpe's extended slump and whether the Yankees should consider making a change at shortstop this season.

Finally, we hand out first-half grades in our MLB Weekend in Review (50:35). The Brewers might be the surprise of the season, while the Orioles have been one of the bigger letdowns. We touch on Byron Buxton’s cycle and his trade deadline outlook, the Phillies' bullpen needs, the Giants' blown series finale, Boston's 10-game win streak, and Jacob Misiorowski's All-Star nod - plus much more.