PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - My Buddy and me

Episode Date: June 17, 2022

On this episode, Jesse and Derek are discussing the upcoming pitching matchups with the Minnesota Twins, how good the bullpen has been lately, and information on third baseman Buddy Kennedy possibly getting called up for this series.SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube: https://bit.ly/phnx_youtubeWebsite: https://gophnx.com PHNX Locker: https://phnxlocker.com/Head on over to The PHNX Locker to pick up one of our new PHNX hats!SOCIAL: Twitter: https://twitter.com/PHNX_DbacksInstagram: https://instagram.com/PHNX_Sports Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now (https://bit.ly/3Jl1dMX), use promo code PHNX. New customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS on either NHL team to win their game, and get ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN FREE BETS no matter what.If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisiscounseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NJ/NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.OGeez! is dedicated to creating innovative and memorable cannabis infused products that flavor life’s journey. If you’re interested in trying the amazingly delicious variety of flavors that OGeez! Brands has to offer, go to https://ogeezbrands.com.Join over 4 million men worldwide who trust MANSCAPED with this exclusive offer for you…. 20% off and free worldwide shipping with the code DBACKS at https://manscaped.com.Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. Just visit https://athleticgreens.com/Diamondbacks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello and welcome to another edition of the PHNX Debax podcast right here on PHNX. My name is Derek Monti. Of course, I am known as your mayor of PHNX despite what Saul Bookman has to say. And of course, I'm joined by my loyal vice mayor, the one and only thunderstick Jesse Friedman. I am loyal, Derek. I am here. There is no Cooper Hummel here to replace me. There is no Chris Gargiola here to replace me today.

It is I. Now you're making me sound. unloyal. Now, now you, I feel like the turntables have turned. But of course, welcome into the PHNXDBex podcast brought to you by the Drafking Sportsbook America's number one rated sportsbook. We are your elated pHNXDbacks team. Happy to be here discussing this upcoming series with the Minnesota Twins as well as some transactions that the Arizona Diamondbacks have recently made. But yes, Jesse, I will never report. place you. I will just have backup plans. That's all. All I'm saying is is that a man without a plan

is not a man at all. There you go. That's respectable. I can respect that. I just have to look out for the welfare of this show is what I have to do. We have to keep this thing running, even if both you and I are unable to make it due to illness, due to anything else. That's, that's our number one priority. this show is it's just above feeding my daughter for priorities for me just above it. I mean, I make, don't like that makes me sound like I'm not feeding her, but like it's a very high priority is all I'm saying. And I have to feed her constantly. She's 11 years old. She eats nonstop.

It's wild. But we thank you guys for being here, of course, to join us and talk about. You chose, you chose violence this morning, Derek. You should tell you should tell the people what you did before we go. I woke up this morning and I made this decision that I was going to fantasize about what Arizona Diamondbacks players' bedrooms look like, you know? And it got down a fun path is basically all that happened. No big deal. I'm not saying that these are, in fact, what their bedrooms look like.

I'm sure they all live in very normal homes with the exception of Madison Bumgarner. I'm pretty sure that's what his actual bedroom looks like. But of course, you know, this was this was all for fun. And I really like the thought of Carson Kelly and Luke Weaver sharing bunk beds. That's my favorite part of that whole thread. If you haven't had a chance to do that, go check out our account at PHNX underscore Dback. Follow us, you know, and whenever we get close to like big numbers and crossing over on like thousands of followers, we tend to give away T-shirts and stuff.

So big shout out to all our past winners, by the way, on our T-shirt giveaways. And of course, you can get your t-shirt without waiting for a giveaway over at the PHNX Locker.com. There is a wonderful array of t-shirts over there. Of course, if you don't get one of ours, we're going to be very upset with you. So just keep that in mind when choosing which t-shirt you're going to get. But Jesse, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a tall task ahead starting tomorrow after this off day, which is, it was an off day. That's why I woke up and chose violence, by the way. I mean, I just had nothing else going on.

I needed to stir the pot a little bit. get things going, you know. You didn't even give, you didn't even give Dalton Varsho an actual bed. Like, he just has his little, his little tool shed thing. See, that's the thing, though, the idea, you're saying he sleeps. I'm saying when you have all the tools, you have to be up training all the time. You never stops. You just lean up against the wall like Madison Bumgarner does and close your eyes for 45 minutes. That's the most that you can get in in a night. When you have that much, you know, adapting to do. You know, he does it all. He does it all. But I did give Cotel Marte a very flashy pad. You got to admit that. And kudos to everybody that recognized Caleb Smith's

room. I'm not going to address it, but hats off to you guys. Jesse, these same guys that live in these are the rooms that they do in fact live in. They're going to take on the Minnesota twins. And I hope that they get their rest in their weird beds because they are going to need it against a very difficult twins team. They are. Yeah, the twins are 37 and 28. They're the leaders of the American League Central, and they've been a good, pretty good team this season, Derek. There's this guy named Byron Buxton that some people have probably heard of at this point. Yeah, probably heard of him. There's this guy named Carlos Correa that maybe people have heard of as well. And their pitching staff

has been pretty decent over the course of the season. The Diamondbacks will get, Devin's Smeltser Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer in this series. And Dylan Bundy's had a bit of a rough go this year. But Smeltsner and Chris Archer both have some pretty impressive numbers so far. So the Diamondbacks certainly have their work cut out for them this weekend. That's a very good team that they're running into. And again, we talked yesterday about the idea of whether or not they play up to their competition. Well, this is a very good team.

and they are going to need to play up to their competition in order to compete with them. After seeing them go through what they went through on the, you know, 10-game road trip and these three games against the Reds, I'm not so confident about that. But the Diamondbacks have surprised me and everyone all season long. So, of course, I wouldn't be surprised to see the offense show up, guys like Christian Walker banging it out of the park. And, you know, this team come alive against one of the better teams in baseball.

I mean, yeah, I'm looking at Carlos Correa's numbers. On the season, he is now hitting 304, slugging around 460s, having a pretty good year. And he's also kind of been on a tear lately. He was out for about a week or so with some sort of injury. And then he returned on June 8th and has played about a week of game since then. And he has not to cover off the ball over the last week or so since coming back. So he's certainly a name to watch. The Twins lineup is really just kind of well-rounded.

There's really just a number of different guys in this lineup that you kind of have to be careful with. Luis Reyes is certainly one of them. All he's done this season is bat 354, which is truly incredible. He has way more walks than strikeouts. Max Kepler is having a decent season for them as well. They have Gio Orchella now in here from the Yankees and then Jorge Polanco is having a decent year for them. So it's a well-rounded team. There's not necessarily a whole lot of elite-level players,

but it's a well-rounded team. And, you know, for the Diamondbacks, they haven't seen a well-rounded team in quite a while. I know what the Reds and the Phillies and what some of those teams were able to do to them anyway, but the twins are the best team that Diamondbacks have faced in a couple of weeks now. So we'll see how they respond. Well, let's talk about the guy with the young king bedroom

Alec Thomas. This man now has an eight-game hitting streak, including three multi-hit efforts and has been outstanding. He's also been a big part of the reason why the Diamondbacks have 13 outfield assists, which are tied for the National League lead. So there's some good things involving their defense as well. The bullpen, not so bad lately. The DeBags bullpen has a 1.72 ERA in their last seven games.

So I guess I'll have to put that ladies and gentlemen, the bullpen meme away for just a little bit because they've been pretty solid. And a big part of that has been, you know, Tori Lovalo finding the guys he can count down. In some cases, maybe leaning on him too much like he kind of did with Noi Ramirez in the final game, I think, against the Reds. There might have been game two. Joe Mantiply continues to be outstanding. Luke Weaver has looked really good in his relief appearances so far. And J.B. Wendellkin, another guy that quietly has been very good for this team. Ten of his last 11 appearances are scoreless now.

I think maybe that's now 11 for 12, maybe. And yeah, he's just been very good, 2.53 ERA in his last 11 games. So the Diamondbacks have a lot of good things going for him, and they're doing exactly, I think, what their game plan was this season to see who they could really coach up and who really can become consistent for this team. They've given a lot of guys, a lot of opportunities. Yeah, yeah, they really have. The Diamondbacks bullpen has not been the problem lately. I think that's, that's been clear over the last week or so. I mean, you mentioned the ERA of under two.

It's hard to argue with numbers like that. It also feels like Tori has just started to, I think he's pulled back from Mark Malanson a little bit, at least in some of the bigger moments. It feels like Mark Malanson has shown up in some moments that are a little bit lower leverage. Still important moments in the game, but he's definitely using Joe Mansuply and some of those other relievers that have really been locked in in some of the higher leverage situations. We've still seen Ian Kennedy in a lot of the higher leverage situations as well.

He's looked just sort of okay. he's kind of getting by, the ERA still looks pretty good, but it's looked a little rough for him at times. I'm curious, just what, there are some interesting pitching matchups in this one. Devin Smelzer, as I mentioned, against Madison Bumgarner. That's the first game of the series.

It's Dylan Bundy against Luke Weaver in game two, and then Chris Archer and Merrill Kelly in game three. On paper, Derek, they're almost all pretty evenly matched. I don't think there's really a significant advantage for either side in any of those games. So at least from a pitching standpoint, the Diamondbacks should be able to hang in there pretty well. How long do you think Luke Weaver goes in his start? That's a good question.

Probably not that long. Is that going to be a bullpen start? Yeah, you think it's going to maybe do two innings, maybe three, and then we'll see a whole lot of the bullpen after that? I think it's incredible that we're even seeing Luke Weaver as a starting pitcher again. I mean, the Diamondbacks at the beginning of the year. Yeah, I mean, this is kind of crazy. that this is even happening to begin with. The Diamondbacks made the choice before the season even started,

but he wasn't going to be in the rotation. And then he pitched once out of the bullpen back on April 7th, got hurt. We haven't seen him for a few months. And yeah, I mean, he was pretty good against the Phillies. Three innings, three hits, one run, two walks, four strikeouts. It was a pretty decent outing for him. I'm guessing it's probably a lot of whiffs in that one. And I'll say that maybe the.

Maybe the problem there, though, is that we saw the wheels start to fall off for him very shortly, you know, after the success that he was having, right? It didn't take long for him to get himself into, you know, a bit of a situation. So I just don't, I don't know if he'll be, like, returning to the starting rotation. I don't know if that's for the best. I mean, honestly, Luke Weaver has looked great in small spurts, you know, in short outings and things like that. but longevity really hasn't been his thing. I hate to say sometimes the guys are, you know, oh, we need to relegate this guy to the bullpen.

But it's not just moving him to the bullpen. It's that I think Luke Weaver can be tremendously successful and help this team win out of the bullpen. I think what we're seeing, though, is once again, a shortage of bodies and they need to do whatever they can. Luke Weaver is a guy that has been a starting pitch, for them in the past. They know he's capable of being that. And they saw him be pretty good in his first outing back. So, I mean, it makes sense to at least have them be the starter in this one. If that's,

if they're going to go with a bullpen game. I just, I don't think this bullpen has the longevity for them to keep trying to pull off bullpen starts, right? Yeah. Yeah. Again, they've, they've whittled down who they can rely on, but they're using them a lot. Noi Ramirez, I believe, leads the league in appearances. Poor man. No way Ramirez is used a lot. My wife loves Noi Ramirez. It cracks me up.

He's one of her favorite players. And she simply says because he just looks like a badass when he goes out there to pitch. That's, that's her main reason for liking him. But she's also seen him have a tremendous amount of success. Every time she watches him, he goes out there and put zeros on the board. And that's honestly something he's done pretty well for this team. I mean, even you go back, going back what you said there, Mark Malanson, taking a step backwards, maybe there is some thought to Mark Malanson coming into low leverage situations and getting

things back on track because he now has a 2.570 R in his last eight games. He hasn't allowed to walk in 11 outings, you know? And I mean, yeah, things haven't been great for him, but maybe it's a focus thing. Maybe it's a confidence thing. Maybe it's just the belief, you know, that he can be effective as a pitcher and putting him into those low leverage outings makes it a little bit easier to get your mind right, you know, not have all that pressure on. They constantly talk about Joe Mantipli being this guy that, or excuse me, not Joe Mantleply, uh, Mark Malanson being this guy that really isn't affected by the highs and the lows. Like he's very, his attitude is very even keeled. And then that's, that's great. That's my,

what that might be what we see on the outside, but we have no idea what's going on on the inside, right? It's like a duck swimming below the water, right? We're only seeing the top part. He might be just dying inside from all of these, you know, situations that he's gotten himself into and all these bad outings, right? And he's still like one of the better closers in baseball. He's tied for seventh, I believe, in the league for saves. Yeah, you're looking at save. So it's like we've pulled our hair out a bit watching him,

but it's been mostly because the Diamondbacks do have better options. options in the bullpen that seem to be able to come down, come into the game and shut things down much better than the guy that we have labeled as our closer, you know, and I said in the past, that's kind of my problem with designating guys as these roles. You get into a mindset where that's our guy no matter what. And I understand maybe not flip flopping and changing on that, but, you know, when you see someone like Joe Mantipli doing what he's doing, it's hard not to consider him for that closer role over a guy that you don't really know what you're going to get in, those high leverage situations that you're referencing.

Noah Ramirez, going back to him real quick, he has, he is tied for the league lead in appearances right now. He's made 30 appearances, which is still, yeah, the crazy number at this point in the season. I mean, the Diamondbacks are, they've played 63-ish

games right now, I want to say. And yeah, I mean, you're looking, almost half of the game. He's appeared in almost half of their games, exactly. Yeah, Malandon is still, you're right, like things have started to look a little better for him lately. The velocity is still a little bit down for him.

He has 12 strikeouts on the season in 22 and a third innings, which is a pretty low number still. He's not going to be a strikeout guy, but like we've talked about before, I mean, if you're going to be a viable like back end reliever in major league baseball, you're going to need to have more strikeouts than like one out of every two innings.

So, yeah, things are looking better for him. I think it's probably worked out well, that the diamond backs have used him in some lower leverage situations. Maybe he's able to get his confidence back. But going back to Luke Weaver, which I guess is where this conversation started. We're all over the place. We're all over the place today.

I think Luke Weaver's probably in for about four innings. I mean, it was three innings last time around, assuming he's reasonably efficient. I could see four innings being realistic. But you're right that there's kind of a trend with him where it seems like once he gets to, even just like the second time around the batting order, and especially the third time around the order, things are just looking less sharp, and he winds up getting into trouble pretty quick.

So the diamond backs will probably have a relatively quick leash. I don't think there's a whole lot to be gained from leaving him out there to dry, even in a bullpen game. With this off day, you know, they're going to have a little bit of extra, a little bit of extra reinforcement in the bullpen, probably if they need it. So, yeah, but it's, I mean, it's cool to see.

Luke in the spot that he's getting this opportunity and in his first appearance last week, he seemed to earn it. And maybe Carson will let him have his choice of which bunk bet he wants to have. Yes, right. That's ultimately what he's going for. Yes. That's what it's all about. Of course,

we thank you guys for being a part of the PHNX family and checking us out right here. If you're downloading us on your favorite audio podcasting app, please make sure to leave us a five-star review and let us know you did. We would love to hear from everybody's subscribing. I read the most beautiful review today that called me a good host,

and it made my little tiny black heart grow three times in size. But of course, if you're not a member already, you can sign up for a membership over at go phnx.com. And not only get exclusive content, you can get access to our members-only Discord, which Giselle says is lit. It's lit, Jesse. And I agree. It's a fun place to be. members-only discounts over at the PHNX Locker.com where you can get a beautiful PHNXDback shirt of your choosing. I'm using that word directly because that's the one I want you to pick. Let's get the Seth Beer shirt.

Let's support Seth Beer. We miss our guy. We need them to get back up to the major league level. Let's not look at his numbers right now because those aren't great. But let's get Seth's beer back up here. Of course, if you sign up for an annual membership, you will get your free t-shirt over at the PHNX Locker.com. Free t-shirt of your choosing.

If you're not interested in, in that you can sign up for a month-to-month membership, and you'll get your first month for just 50 cents. Either way, again, members-only access to the Discord. It's lit. Members-only discounts over at the PHNX Locker.com. Also, I implore you to go enjoy a frosty beverage from our friends at Four Peaks Brewing Company.

I am enjoying a hop-not IPA as we speak, Jesse. I'm going to, I'm on a secret mission. and it's probably not a good idea to talk about a secret mission on a show that's available for anyone to download on their favorite podcasting app. But I'm going to tell everybody anyway, I am on a secret mission to get Craig Morgan to like IPAs. Now, that's a pretty, that's going to be pretty tough. It's a daunting mission, right? But here, Jesse, if you don't test yourself in life, you'll never know what your limits truly are how far you can go. I never expected to be here plugging OG's gummies and drinking a delicious hop-knot IPA while I chatted about D-BACs baseball with you of all people.

You of all people, but here we are. And I'm excited to do everything I can to secretly get Craig Morgan to enjoy IPAs. Now, which IPA will be? That remains to be seen, right? We're going to try some different things. We're going to maybe slip it to him after he's already had a couple of them. I mean, I don't know. Whatever I need to do, but I'm on a mission.

You truly are willing to go to any lengths to make this happen, aren't you, Derek? My favorite part about the PHNX, 4Peaks launch that we did was that week, not only did we launch an amazing partnership with a local brewery that's been in the mix here in the Valley since 96, but we have broomball, a game of broomball, a game of essentially ice hockey without skates. and without good like you know sticks but regardless uh it's it's like that and we chose to do both of these events the week that craig morgan and pety were not here in the valley uh that they were away covering hockey we did it on purpose of course but uh that's because of all the bad things craigs had to say about i p a i hope he's learned his lesson now and i hope he knows that i'm out

to get him i'm out to get you craig uh and i will make you you a fan of IPAs before this is done because IPAs are delicious. Jesse, first of all, that's not a hipster Derek talk and that's just a normal Derek that enjoys flavor and his beer. But Four Peaks offers a wide variety of IPAs. So I'm going to get him on one. I'm going to get them on one. But Four Peaks also has a wonderful variety of beers that are not IPAs as well for everybody to enjoy and choose from. And even if you don't like IPAs, I don't feel it's not a personal attack on people that do or don't like IPAs. It's a personal attack on Craig, and now I'm going to get Craig to enjoy an IPA at least once. So, of course, make sure that you

are 21 and over if you are enjoying Four Peaks, brewing company beers, and also enjoy responsibly, much like I'm doing at home, where I don't leave anywhere because gas is $5.50 a gallon, Jesse. And I don't leave my house because it's 113 degrees and gas is the same prices like gold on the market, you know, like you know, like you know, wild. So I just stay home now and do podcasts from my house. I'm about to drive to Arizona as everyone knows at this point.

And I'm supposed to drive the majority of this trip through California, Derek. And I don't know if you look to California gas prices lately, but yeah, we're like up in the $7 range. So it's going to cost me like $4,500 to drive

my car from Seattle to Arizona. But whatever it takes to get to you, Derek, that's all going to be worked it in the end. Let's get here safely, my friend. Let's get here safely. That's all that matters. Arizona Diamondbacks had some transactions today, Jesse, to talk about.

They did. They did. Drew Ellis is officially gone from the organization. He was claimed off of waivers by the Seattle Mariners. And Drew Ellis, definitely one of the more disappointing second round draft picks, I would say. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of hard to be too disappointed. I think some of those, the 26th. 17 draft, if I'm remembering correctly, didn't necessarily pan out the best.

And so, yeah, it wasn't like there were a bunch of other guys that were right around Drew Ellis and the draft that are superstars now or anything. I don't think we're really at that level. But I mean, yeah, I mean, Drew Ellis is 26 years old. And, and, you know, he certainly still has a chance to be a good Major League player. The Diamondbacks only gave him 97 plate appearances. So even though he wasn't particularly good, he struggled both offensively and even defensively at times in that stint. But yeah, I mean, you know, he's on to Seattle now and hopefully, you know, he'll actually get some opportunity there.

And he'll be able to pan out as a major league player. But, yeah, things look pretty rough for him over here when he was with the debacks. He kind of seemed a little stuck where he was really hitting the ball well in AAA, but then the moment he would come to the majors, he looked pretty lost at the plate. So, yeah, best of luck to him, and we'll see what the diamondbacks do moving forward to make sure that

they have some depth of that position. I mean, Josh Rojas has done a tremendous job, especially defensively. I think a lot of people have been pretty impressed with how well he's played third base, and I certainly am among them. But the debacks need more depth at that position, and Drew Ellis was part of that depth. So we'll have to see where the diamondbacks turn.

to as far as that goes. I can see in that draft, maybe one of the reasons why the Diamondbacks always had their eye on Stuart Fairchild is because he went just a few picks before Drew Ellis in that draft. And then the Diamondbacks eventually did get their hands on him, and then they also released him as well. And you're right. Actually, looking back at this 2017 draft,

Pavin Smith was the seventh overall pick in the first round. And he is actually one of the more recognized. names in this draft. There really is not. Yeah, it's been pretty bad. Hunter Green is in the draft. He went second. So he's pretty damn good.

We saw him. Royce Lewis went number one overall to the twins. Yeah. Yeah, Royce Lewis hasn't, there hasn't been a whole lot there yet. Trevor Rogers, Trevor Rogers might be the best player out of this draft. he's been a pretty good pitcher for the Marlins, although this year things have been pretty rough for him. So, yeah, the draft just hasn't really been great all the way around. So it's hard to be too disappointed about any.

Honestly, Don Varsho, Don Varsho is in the 2017 draft. He might be the best player or one of the best players at least to come out of the 2017 draft. For sure, for sure. Jesse, another thing to come out when it comes to transactional news. and I look, take it for a grain, take it with a grain of salt, right? John Gambadoro,

a friend, friend of the show, my former co-worker. We love Gambo. Honestly, okay, like, cards on the table. I really do love Gambo. I worked with him at Arizona Sports 98.7, and Gambo was tremendously cool to me.

The entire time we worked together, he was cool to me prior to us working together, like when we just would sit next to a job, other in the press box. And yeah, he sent me a very, very nice message after I got on over here at PHMX. And I really appreciated that. And he, you know, he's, he's definitely an authority on breaking news here in the Valley when it comes to sports. But he tweeted out twice today about our buddy, Buddy Kennedy from Reno. First three hours ago, he said, I could see the Arizona Diamondbacks calling up third basement buddy Kennedy from Reno was a fifth round pick in 20,

He followed that up an hour later by saying, I'm expecting third baseman Buddy Kennedy to be called up from Reno by the Arizona Diamondback, back, backs, excuse me, plural, not singular,

and make his major league debut tomorrow versus Minnesota. So apparently we are going to see Buddy Kennedy in the lineup at some point against Minnesota. Are you surprised by this in any way? You know, I mean, I thought that we would see Buddy Kennedy at some. point this season. I didn't necessarily think it would happen this early in the year.

He's been pretty good in Reno. His on-base percentage is almost 400. There hasn't been a whole lot of power there for him. But yeah, I mean, Buddy Kennedy's been a prospect that we've been talking about for a while. The Diamondbacks wound up not protecting him in the Rule 5 draft, which was big news at the time. A lot of people were up in arms that they weren't putting him on the 40-man roster. and he might get claimed by another team, which ultimately the Rule 5 draft was canceled. And so that did not come to fruition. The Diamondback still have him in the organization. But yeah, I mean, he's a great guy.

I know you've gotten to interact with him a little bit on the field. Oh, he's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm excited to, you know, see what he's able to do and what this looks like for him. And, you know, if Gambo is saying it, then it's probably going to happen. Yeah, he's got a pretty good track record. He's not right 100% of the time, but I feel like he doubled down.

He sent that first one out, kind of like probably hearing some stuff. And then he sounds like he might have gotten some sort of confirmation because he sounds pretty positive with that second tweet. So great to see, buddy. I mean, honestly, yeah, we saw him in Fall League and then also in spring training. I thought it was funny because with the Rule 5 draft, he was on a list of guys that were not only Rule 5 draft eligible, but kind of like being looked at by other teams, right? But doing excellent this year with the Reno Aces, hitting nearly 300 with an 813 OPS, you know,

just doing the damn thing. And honestly, with somebody sent us a message saying that Josh Rojas makes a play almost every single day. That's a gold glove worthy play at 30s. So it's not to take anything away from Josh Rojas because he's done an outstanding job. But we know Josh Rojas has versatility for Lovolo to move him around the diamond. And to bring up a guy like Buddy Kennedy just to see what he can do and kick the tires on him,

also maybe to get him in the mix to give some of the infielders a break and give some guys some days off for a week or two, it could be very beneficial for Buddy. It's a huge opportunity, right? It's an enormous opportunity to come up here. Not really, I don't know, not a lot of pressure, right? you're just getting this big opportunity to be called up, but it's not like the Diamondbacks are a team that is competing right now. So it might make it a little easier at this point of the season

for him to come up and be productive, both offensively and defensively. Yeah, it's interesting the roster moves that the debacks are making here too. Jake McCarthy has actually been optioned to Reno. So it seems like that's where the roster spot will probably come from. there was also, we didn't talk about this, Derek, but Catelle Marte was actually removed from the game yesterday with hamstring tightness.

It happened in the ninth inning, so I think it kind of went unnoticed, but it was seen as precautionary, apparently from what Tori Lavello is said after the game. I don't think there's anything super significant there. They don't have any imaging scheduled, which is generally a good sign. So maybe it's sort of a day-to-day situation.

I don't think that Catell is being placed on the injured list or anything as part of this. But it is possible that, you know, Buddy Kennedy could get some reps at second base in Ketel's spot. Maybe the debacks try to get him off his feet a little bit more as well. And again, Rojas, I think it's about moving Rojas around and Rojas being able to relieve, you know, a few positions on the diamond as well,

getting maybe him some time off and then utilizing him to get some of the other guys' time off. The Diamondbacks really aren't in a position right now to not be given some of these guys a try, considering that's what the season was about. You know, they, they left a lot of these positions unblocked by not going out, picking up even a, you know, even a low price free agent to fill some of the positional needs they had,

just so that the occasions could come up and see what these guys can do when they're, you know, kind of on a role in the AAA. Reno, again, is Reno. So it's really about, how well he transitions over to hitting the ball at Chase Field, and they need to see that as soon as possible. It doesn't matter right now at this point,

if they call him up now or later in the season, because they're already past that period of time where this doesn't count as a, you know, towards his service time, right? So yeah, right. It doesn't matter, right? I mean, really, it's, and again, with Jake McCarthy,

I actually am big on giving Jake McCarthy an opportunity to stick up, you know, around for a, little while because I feel like he has done a really good job for this team and he might be one of those players that suffers from the inconsistency of getting called up. Yeah. Down too many times in a season. Yeah. I can only imagine how much that messes with your confidence and your psyche, even when they're explaining it to you, right? They're still saying like, hey, we're doing this because of the number of options you have left and things like that, but he'll be back, you know, well, they might even be telling him when they're going to call him back up or whatever,

as of this point right now, you know, so just stay ready or whatever. But, you know, there still has to be a feeling of self-doubt that creeps in when you're the guy, they keep choosing to send down. And you see someone like Alec Thomas, who hasn't been sent down once since they called him up. And rightfully so, don't you dare come for my young king? I'm just saying that this is a fact. Yeah, yeah, that's a good point. And yeah, the diamond backs have actually. been quite a bit more loyal to Pavin Smith and keeping him in the majors and giving him a consistent role. Whereas if you look at the numbers, I mean, I think Jake McCarthy and Pavin Smith are kind of in a similar spot. Since May 20th, actually, this is from our pal Jack Summers.

Since May 20th, when Jake McCarthy was recalled, Jake McCarthy is hitting 278 with an 809 OPS, whereas Paven Smith is hitting 145 with a 58 OPS. And now Jake McCarthy is the one being sent down. So it feels obviously Pavin, you know, has spent more time in the majors. There's more of a track record there so you can kind of see where they're coming from. But Jake has played really well over these last few weeks since he was called up. And you're right.

It is a little odd to see him sent down so quickly. All right. Well, of course, we want to remind you guys that our friends at OGs are making some delicious scratch-made THC gummies, and they are the way to go this summer. If you want to, uh, you know, find yourself enjoying things more than you normally would. When people ask me about taking OGs, I tell them that OGs brands, it makes everything better. If you're, you know, hey, like, I have to watch this baseball game that I'm not excited to watch because I think my team might lose. Guess what?

boom oh geez just made that baseball game that much better uh better than anything they just launched their first ever limited additional limited addition seasonal flavor and i have to tell you guys uh this is a confession i have been eating their pinia colada gummies for like a month and a half now and i did not know that these were secret limited edition gummies that hadn't even launched i was telling people yeah go get your watermelon go get your watermelon go get your fruit punch, go get your orange creamsicle, and then I was telling you guys, I was lying boldly to your face.

I was saying, go get Pinyacolada. But guess what? Pena Colada is available now, a perfect pineapple and creamy coconut blend that's just in time for those summer road trips and pool parties. And Jesse, don't forget, speaking of pool parties,

I am taking Jesse and the entire PHNX crew over to the Maya Day Club in Scottsdale on June 25th, we will all be there so be sure to say what's up to us if you are enjoying an OG's wonderful not only variety of flavors but there are special cocktails giveaways and more that they'll be having at this pool party at the Maya day club and let me tell you you've really hyped up this pool party Derek I see this you have never be good here's the thing I am too old to go to this pool

party and you know exactly uh what your your your your eyes are going to pop out of your head. But this pool party is popping. And I, again, neither one of us belong there, but we're going to be there. And that's because everybody belongs there. It's no geez party. It's a pool party. It's summer. So to see, that's the beautiful thing. When you live in a place like Arizona, Jesse, it's so hot that people don't, people don't care who is in a bathing suit in a pool at a daytime club because, you know, it makes sense. It makes sense. It's a hundred 15 degrees outside. So make sure to join us over there because I'm going to probably sunburn. Jesse's definitely going to sunburn.

I have the entire team. It's going to be great. I'll take care of you. I just burn. I don't tan. I burn. It's unfortunate. But make sure to check out OGs online at OGsbrands.com.

And on Instagram at OG's brands, you can also find their products at your local dispensary. Check out their website at OG EEZBrands.com. to find an OG's dispensary near you must be 21 years or older to purchase. And of course, I can't wait to see all of you guys out at the Maya Day Club because we're going to be partied. That's what we're going to be doing. Anyway, last but at least, Jesse, of course, I have to let everybody know about the draft king's pick of the week.

And guess what? I'm not, you know, I know new customers can right now get down on the offer for the NBA finals, but I'm done with that right now. I am going to give you guys an NFL or excuse me NFL NHL bet. That's right. I'm giving you guys an NHL bet. Right now you can get down on the NHL playoffs with a risk-free same game parlay and you'll get your money back if you lose that parlay.

So it's a beautiful opportunity for you to dip your toes into the wonderful world of same game parley's where the more legs you add, the more money you win. not to mention new customers right now can get down on the regular promotion, which is new customers can bet $5 on any NBA team to win, and you will get $150 in free bets instantly. If they do, if they don't, doesn't matter. Just got to bet $5. But on the, I'm going to give you guys on the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning.

I am taking the Colorado Avalanche to cover, believe it or not, the puck line in game two on Saturday, June 18th, I am suggesting that you bet on the Colorado Avalanche puck line for them to win that game by two goals. Yes, I know it's crazy, but that's what we're doing. Wow. We're winning by two goals. I'll also give you a couple more, by the way. Not only am I going to say that they're going to win by two goals, but I'm also going to give you a player prop on Nathan.

McKinnon scoring a goal. That's my little addition in there, as well as I'm going to go for the first goal being scored by the Colorado Avalanche. I'm also going to go with the last goal being scored by the Colorado Avalanche, and you can sprinkle all that around in your same game parlay, and it's a risk-free parlay. So you can bet if your same game parlay loses,

you'll get back up to $10. It's a great chance for a low-risk opportunity. And again, you'll get a risk-free, free bet back of $10 if you don't come out on top on that bet. Remember, Draft King's Sportsbook, new customers right now can get down on our offer on the NBA finals, use code, promo code PHNX, make any $5 bet during the NBA finals to get $150 in free bets instantly. That's promo code PHNX only at the Draft King's Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA.

Minimum age and eligibility restrictions apply. See show notes for details. And Jesse, that's all I got this week. Looking forward to being out at the yard on Friday. I hope the Arizona Diamondbacks enjoy their day off. They haven't had nearly enough of these. So I really think this team needed a day to kind of recoup, especially that bullpen that's been doing excellent,

but kind of been taxed. And yeah, they got a tough task ahead of them. Not only do they have these twins, but they follow that up with a quick road trip out to San Diego against the Padres, which, again, these Padres, is they've been playing pretty pretty good baseball this season. Yeah, yeah, they have. And I will theoretically be at that game on Wednesday afternoon,

the finale of that game in San Diego. So I may be joining our post-series show from the stadium in San Diego. Hey, hey. All right. Well, that's exciting. And of course, you can follow us on Twitter. I'm at cap underscore caveman with a K. Jesse is at Jesse and Friedman.

Our show is at PHNX underscore D-Backs. But of course, all roads lead to at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter. Instagram and Facebook. Again, if you're listening to us on your favorite audio podcasting app, please subscribe to us. Leave us a five-star review if you feel like we've earned it today. If you haven't, leave us no review. Give us another shot tomorrow. See if we can come back, earn your respect. We look, we've been down by 30 before, okay? That's an NBA term, not a baseball term, but we're comeback players of the year over here on this show. Shout out to Megaran for that reference. Of course, if you haven't done so already, go over to the PHN.

Sports YouTube channel, sign up for notifications and subscribe to that channel. That way you don't miss any of the live content from not only our show, but from all of the shows on this network. We do some good work. People are enjoying what we're doing, and I hope you do too. On behalf of Jesse and myself, we thank you guys so much for giving us to your time today. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when you're a buddy.