PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - PHNX D-backs Post Series: Splitting St. Louis

Episode Date: May 1, 2022

On this episode Makayla and Jesse discuss the D-backs splitting the four game series in St.Louis against the Cardinals, Merrill Kelly's masterclass on the mound, Ketel Marte's first home run of the season, Nick Ahmed's boost to the team and more! 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.

Welcome into the PHNX Diamondbacks show brought to you by the Drag King Sportsbook app, America's number one sportsbook app. Don't forget to hit that like button, subscribe wherever you get your podcast, and leave us a five-star review. I'm your host, Michaela Perkins. I have booted Derek Montia off the island. He is no longer the mayor of this town because now I have claimed his spot. Joining me is my co-host, Jesse, the vice mayor of PHNX.

Jesse, how are you doing? What the heck was that seventh inning? I'm all over the place. It was rough. Yeah, the Diamondbacks bullpen is not the most experienced. A few parts of this team have a whole lot of experience behind them. but that bullpen in particular, and unfortunately, we saw that late in the game. But yes, we never needed Derek anyway.

So it's good to finally have it like this, right? Yeah, we cut the extra weight off of this podcast. I have vetoed him as the mayor. I am taking over. And it's my show now. So I'm just like, but yeah, that game was super interesting. It was going so well until the seventh inning. And then just total collapse, which was really unfortunate.

at Keenan Middleton making his Diamondbacks debut and just, I don't know if it was nerves or whatever it was, but giving up two home runs is not the best way to get out there and show the team what you got. So unfortunately, the Diamondbacks, they have split the series with the St. Louis Cardinals, but honestly, I'm not too upset about it. I think splitting a series with the Cardinals is kind of a win in my book. How do you feel about that, Jesse? It really is a win.

the diamondbacks historically have played very, very poorly in St. Louis. I think if they had one today, it would have been the first time that they'd won three straight against the Cardinals since like 2007. And when that happened, it happened at Chase Field. It didn't happen in St. Louis. So the Diamondbacks have really never had consistent success playing in that ballpark. And it's easy to see why. I mean, that place is packed day in, day out.

It's, you know, 40,000 plus every single game. it was this series. It's a really hard place to play. And the Cardinals have also historically been a really good baseball team. So yeah, I mean, I think you kind of tasted that the Debacks had a shot at winning this series at taking three of four, which really would have been a statement for them. Unfortunately, that's not the final outcome. But like you said, a series split is certainly nothing to be too disappointed about right now. Yeah, I would have probably been shocked if they won the series against the Cardinals, Charles Woodle Pike and comments saying was really hoping to see another series win today, but there are worse

fates than a split. And I totally agree. I think a series win would have been phenomenal, especially considering I don't think anybody had the Diamondbacks winning a series in St. Louis. So it would have been really cool to see. But splitting a series, I'll take it. It was a really great series, honestly. And I think the best game that Diamondbacks have played, like the most complete game this year happened when Merrill Kelly was pitching in that game on Saturday. That was probably the best game that I've seen the Diamondbacks play all year long. So I think there's a lot of wins that came out of this series. And I think, you know, obviously today was disappointing, especially that seventh inning. But there's a lot of things that the

diamondbacks should be happy about that came out of the series. I mean, at this point, Michaela, the Diamondbacks are still batting like 185 as a team. So the fact that we're sitting here talking about a baseball team that's played one of the three or four hardest schedules to this and is 10 and 13 is really a pretty great outcome in a lot of ways. And obviously this one was disappointing. I think the Diamondbacks bullpen was kind of due for a stinker, especially with Mark Balanson out for the time being and Ian Kennedy, probably not being available in this one.

You kind of knew the debacks were going to be relying on some of these arms that they've recently called up from the miners. And, you know, when I first saw Keenan Middleton throwing, I was actually pretty impressed. I mean, he's throwing like 97, 98 miles an hour. He got a few whiffs on his breaking pitch, which looked really good as well. But yeah, I mean, you could just tell that the Cardinals were kind of ready for what was coming. They must have done some good scouting or something on him because they were more than prepared for those fastballs up in the zone.

But yeah, I mean, this just kind of comes with the territory of the way that the Diamondbacks had built this bullpen, which is, you know, a couple veterans, you know, and if those guys get hurt, then you're, leaning on guys like Keenan Middleton, you know, and Kyle Nelson and Caleb Smith and these kinds of things are going to happen from time to time. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I will say I'm not going to hit the panic button quite yet on some of those like younger pictures coming out of the bullpen. Like you're saying with Keenan Middleton, I think that he has a really high ceiling. And for whatever reason today was just not his day. But I think that he has the potential to be a really good bullpen arm. And then also another picture that we saw this series that I'm actually really excited about coming out of the bullpen is Louise.

Freeass. I know he had that really weird Bach score run situation happened, but I watched him pitch in a few minor league games last year, and he was lights out, and he moved his way up through the system quite quickly. So I'm really excited about both Keenan Middleton and Louis Friyas. I think they're both going to be really great bullpen pitchers, and hopefully this series is just a little warm up. And then from this point forward, it'll be much. much better. But like Chris in the in the comments saying bullpen trauma is Dax fandom. Yeah, it kind of just comes to the territory with your Dax fan. I will say, though, outside of this game, like you had said, Jesse, the bullpen looked really, really great. Obviously, the starting

pitching in that first game, Umberto Castellanos wasn't the best. Him and Caleb Smith kind of tortured me four or five innings. But outside of that, starting pitching performance, the pitching in general in this series was phenomenal. It was really, really good thing. And like I said, Merrill Kelly's game on Saturday was like a masterclass. He pitched seven scoreless innings. So I guess that leads me to my next question, which is what was your highlight of this series and what got you the most excited? I think, I mean, I think when you talked about Merrill Kelly there, I mean, that game, I think, was probably the most complete game that Diamondbacks have played. And I mean, Merrill was just incredible going, you know, inning for inning with Miles Michaelis, who was also throwing incredibly well.

I mean, yesterday was the most fun I've had watching a baseball game in a long time, just watching those guys go back and forth. It was really something. But yeah, I mean, if Merrill Kelly is really this guy, I mean, if he's really a guy who maybe is not so much of a four or five starting pitcher, but maybe like a number three, number two type of a starting pitcher, I mean, that's what he's looked like this season. It's hard to argue with a 1.2 70 RA, you know, five starts into the season. He's been incredible for this baseball team.

And I think what really stands out to me on the positive side for this series is Zach Allen didn't even pitch in this series. Zach Allen pitched the last game against the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks just played a really competitive series splitting four games in St. Louis with really good starting pitching. And arguably their best starter wasn't even a part of that. That's a really good sign for them moving forward. Yeah, I definitely agree.

That's starting pitching, like I said, outside of the third. Thursday's game was really cool. Adam Wainwright and Madison Bumgarner. I think, you know, Adam Wainwright kind of had a little bit of a leg up on that matchup, but still, Madbun went five innings, three hits, one earned run, one walk, two strikeouts. Goldie got his first home run of the year off, Madbun. But outside of that, a pretty great performance from Madbum, and then you go into Saturday, and, you know, coming into Saturday, Miles McElhas had the fifth lowest ERA in the national league. And so obviously he has been pitching lights out. He kind of had a few rough years. 2018 was probably his best year. He was in a Siong conversation. He finished six voting in that

year. And so he also came into that game. He had thrown 19 scoreless innings, which was the longest streak in the majors so far this year. And then obviously, Ketel Marte had his first home run of the year off of Miles. But the fact that, you know, coming into that matchup, it was Miles versus Merrill Kelly. And I think Merrill Kelly went toe to toe to toe with Miles. And obviously, he beat Miles in that matchup. But it was really cool to see that game because, you know, you have a really great, both two great pitchers on the mound just going toe to toe. Merrill Kelly tossed seven shutout innings. And then Cattel Marte hit his host first home run of the year, which was really cool to say, see. And then Nick Ahmed obviously had that insane

defensive play to get Goldie out, which was really cool for me because I'm a little petty. And I love the fact that Nick Ahmed got Coltimate out. But that was just like, I think Saturday's game was probably my favorite game so far this year. The bullpen didn't blow it. Noe and Ian Kennedy looked really great. So I love Saturday's game. It was so cool to watch.

Chris just chimed in the comments about all the home runs that we've seen lately, which is so true. Yeah, the home runs are certainly a sign of hope for this team. The Diamondbacks at four in this game today, you know, even though they didn't come out with the win. Jordan Looplo, you know, a two homer game hitting one to right field, one to left field. He historically has been kind of a lefties killer, but hasn't necessarily been used a whole lot against right-handed pitching.

And we've seen him actually do some damage against righty so far this season. So, you know, that's certainly been good to see for the debacks. And then, you know, Nick Ahmed, of course, has basically come back from injury and been the team's best hitter so far. So I know we'll be talking about him a little bit later. the show as well. Yeah, well, Brute Squad Barbecue saying Nick Ahmed becoming the best hitter on the team in the comments. I would just like to say, I feel like I saw this happening. I said this on another show, but I'm the biggest Nick Ahmed Stan. I love what he provides to this team, just like as a human being in general,

but also defensively, offensively and as a leader in the clubhouse. And I generally don't think it's any coincidence that the Diamondbacks hitting all of a sudden got magically better when Nick Offent got back into the lineup because I really do. I mean, I know he's been working on his swing and fixing some of his batting mechanics, but it's really, really cool to see him kind of giving, I feel like his presence has given this team life. Yeah, yeah. He, I mean, he's one of the few veteran presences that they have, right? I mean, you look especially at their infield rotation. I mean, Geraldo Perdomo, you know, Seth Bier getting some looks on the infield, Sergio Alcantara getting a lot of looks on the infield. A lot of these guys are not playing.

who have a whole lot of time in the majors, right? And Nick Ahmed is certainly, you know, not been known to be, you know, an offensive powerhouse over the course of his career. But you're right. I mean, he's just a steady presence for them. You kind of know what you're going to get. And so far, I mean, what they've gotten from Nick Ahmed is pretty much the best version of him that we've ever seen, at least through these few games that he's played so far.

So, yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be huge if he can keep this up for them moving forward. Yeah, definitely. Well, speaking on Nick Ahmed, let's just give it to him. Our draft King's king of the series is our guy, Nick Ahmed. He went five for 11 in this series with two home runs, two runs batted in, and he scored three runs himself. So, you know, a great, great series, a great showing for Nick Ahmed. I think he is super valuable to this team, like I mentioned, just a leader in the clubhouse. And he also had that insane defensive play. Right.

I get Goldie out at first, which was so great to see. That was like a Nolan Aronado level defensive play. I know they're not the same position. I still am not totally convinced that Goldschmidt was actually out at first. Oh, really? Well, because when the Cardinals challenged the play, the ruling was that the call stood, not that the call was confirmed, which basically means that they didn't have evidence to overturn the call. But it doesn't necessarily mean that they actually were able to confirm that, you know,

know that Goldie was actually out at first base. So I think it was really the fact that the umpire called him out to begin with, that that play turned out the way that it did. It was just so incredibly close at first base. But regardless, I mean, just an absolutely incredible play by Nick. And really at the most important moment of the game, I mean, the game was scoreless at that point. So there was really no bigger, you know, leverage point in that game up until then.

And Nick came through like we've seen him do a lot in the past. for this team. Yeah, absolutely. Nicholas saying that Ahmed play on Goldie was the play of the series. I thought he was safe too, but that game completely changes if he gets called safe. What a play. I totally agree. Like that would have been the biggest momentum shift in that game. And, you know, the Diamondbacks might not have won that game if that play wasn't made. So I definitely that that whole game like was resting on Nick Ahmed's shoulders and he delivered for his team because, yeah, that would have been the difference maker, I think, in that game for sure. And Sergio Alcantra made an error just shortly after that.

And Merrill Kelly had to pick him up by, you know, basically getting four outs in the inning. And, and yeah, we've seen a lot of that lately. You know, the Diamondbacks have still made their mistakes every now and then defensively. We saw a little bit of that today as well. But for the most part, you know, they've been able to pick up their teammates of late and it hasn't quite cost them the same way that it has earlier in the season. Yeah, it's funny.

It's kind of a double-edged sword because our pitching staff has such a great numbers. because all the runs that are happening, half of them aren't earned. So it doesn't count. But obviously you don't want to see the team making that many defensive mistakes in a game or in a series in general just because I think, and I've said this before too. Like I genuinely think like the Diamondbacks pride themselves on their defense. Yeah. And so seeing them make so many errors is just really kind of frustrating.

And every time like another defensive error happens, I'm just like, oh my God. Yeah. And they've still had a lot. I know today there were two errors. One of them wound up being charged to Zach Davies, the other one to Cattel Marte. That was Catell's fourth air of the season. And Jose Herrera has four errors as a catcher. Sergio Alcantra, his air yesterday was also his fourth of the season.

Four airs is a pretty big number, you know, talking about having played like 21, 22 games at this point. So the debacks still, you know, they still need to write the ship. defensively because things have still looked a little rough from time to time. Yeah, absolutely. I agree. Chris also agreeing with us saying she is so over the defensive lapses. And then the squad BBQ saying if Patel turned that double plate earlier in the game, we're having a different discussion right now.

Right. Absolutely agree. So I agree with you 100%, Jesse. I think the defensive mistakes are what's frustrating me the most about this team right now. I think even more than the players not being able to hit the ball. Just because it's things that's just, I don't know. Things that you feel you should have, right? As opposed to.

I feel like are avoidable, whereas, like, you know, hitting comes and goes and maybe like baseball and it's all about learning how to ride that wave. And so just like seeing them make, like, I just feel like bonehead errors is so infuriating and it makes me more upset than them not being able to put the ball in play. And they have struggled offensively. I mean, I mean, things have started to look better. They've been very home run reliant as of late. A lot of these big hits that we're seeing.

even in this series, a lot of the big hits that we saw were home run. So the Diamondbacks are still going to have to find a way to manufacture runs in some other ways. We've seen a few guys struggling at the plate. Seth Beer, who I know is kind of turned into a fan favorite. He's really struggled. He's, you know, one for his last 29, one for 30, something like that at this point at the plate. There are other guys in this lineup where it's a similar situation. David Peralta is kind of going through it offensively right now.

Carson Kelly still hasn't. really gotten going either. Christian Walker hit a home run today, which hopefully we'll get him on the right track. But I think, you know, that's, that's been probably the most discouraging thing for this team. And also in some ways, maybe the thing that helps you stay positive moving forward because you know that a lot of those guys should be better than this. And, you know, hopefully for them, it's only a matter of time before the tide turns on that. Yeah, absolutely. And going back to Chris's earlier comment about the home runs being a sign of hope, I definitely, hope that that's what happens. I hope Ketel takes this game and is like, okay, or the series,

it's like, okay, like I did it. I hit a home run. I can do it. This is possible for me. Hopefully it's like a confidence booster and we see him contributing a little bit more on offense. And yeah, it's just, it's weird. It's weird to see them having this many issues this early on. But despite having this many issues still somehow managing to find success, you know, beating the Dodgers in a series, splitting a series from the Cardinals. Like they're having all these issues. issues, but they're still managing to find ways to win, which to me, this team is just like the weirdest most complex baseball puzzle that I can't seem to figure out, like, how they're working or like what is going on. They're just like an anomaly to me. And it's, at least it's

interesting, right? Yeah. It's, it's like, it's been a mixture so far of some parts of the team being like near elite, mainly talking about the starting pitching, which still is, you know, top five, top three and ERA around the game, basically. Um, and a lot of, um, and a lot of, of the other facets of the team being like, you know, one of the worst in baseball. The offense, at least as of yesterday, was hitting 180 entering yesterday's game, which was 26 points lower than the next lowest team batting average in baseball. I mean, it has been that bad compared to other teams. But you've also started to see them hit a lot of home runs. The bullpen at times has actually been pretty steady. So they've done some things really, really

well. And they've, you know, been pretty much the worst in baseball at other things. So it's certainly been a fascinating product to watch so far. Fascinating is a good way to describe it for sure. Chris saying the wins are not happening in any way any of us predicted, which is so true. Yeah. This team just continues to surprise me in more ways than one. You know who else is really surprising me as of late is Jordan Lupo. He looked really great this series.

He provided a lot on offense. I wouldn't say robbed Dickerson's home run because I don't think it had quite enough move to get over there. but I think he definitely saved a run from scoring. So, you know, he's looking really good out there in the outfield. And his bat was probably one of the most active of this series. So I'm really happy to see Jordan kind of stepping up and providing some more for this team. They've shown a lot of faith in him.

I mean, Jordan Looplo has been a staple hitting second in the lineup so far, which is a pretty tall order for a guy, you know, is fresh off of the injured list. And is not necessarily used to this kind of a role. If you look at how he's been used the last few years, like I mentioned earlier in the show, he's really been more of a platoon guy. He's really faced lefties and hasn't really done much beyond that. But yeah, Tori Lavello has shown a lot of faith in him, batting him second against both some lefties and some righties. And so far, so good. I mean, he's come up with some of the biggest hits of the season for the debacks.

And, you know, you hate to see a two run or a two home run game like today wasted in a game that ultimately the Diamondbacks lost. Nonetheless, he's been good for them. And like you said, he's been really good defensively, too. I mean, he can play center field. He can play right field. Tori has told us those are the main positions that we'll see him play. And it also gives Dalton Varshow an opportunity to play a little bit more catcher, to play a little bit more at catcher, which we also saw today.

Yeah. Kind of wrapping things up with this Cardinal series. Jesse, how are you feeling about this team right now? Just give me your straight up emotions about where this team is at and how you're feeling overall. I think it's been a, I think for people who were concerned that 2022 was going to be a rerun of 2021, right? For people who thought that this team was just going to come back and do the same thing that they did last year, I think you have to feel pretty, pretty happy so far. I really don't, I've really never expected the Diamondbacks to be the same team that they were last year.

I know you were pretty close to that point, Mack, with your 61 win prediction. That, that, that would that, you know, that would be a pretty rough outcome, even though it is still a, you know, a nine game improvement from last year. But yeah, I mean, this Diamondbacks team is on pace to win roughly 70 games at this point. And you don't put too much stock into that at this point. One thing to watch, I don't know if there's much to this, but the Diamondback since Tori Lavello took over are 39 and 82 in the month of May. I don't know what it is with the month of May, but it was horrible for them last year. Last year, the month of May is where the wheels really came off. They were actually pretty good in April, and I think they

were five and 24 in May or something like that. And we've actually seen this a few years down in the past as well. The Diamondbacks in the month of May over these last few years have really struggled. So this is going to be a big month for them. I think after April, you just can't really get too high or too low. I was interacting with some of our followers on Twitter yesterday talking about how the Atlanta Braves were under 500 in April last year and went on to win the World Series. So you just can't, you can't get too high. That's exactly what I'm saying. Yes.

No, I'm saying you just can't, you just can't read too much into what's happened so far. I think there have been some good signs to show fans that this team is not what it was last year. And I think that's really, really good news, you know, at this point in the season. Yeah, I agree a thousand percent with everything you said. I'm really hoping that we don't have a repeat of last May. And May is kind of triggering for so I think, you know, moving forward, if the Diamondbacks can, for the love of God, please clean up their defensive errors and also, you know, kind of make some adjustments at the plate so that some offense is finally

getting generated. Don't touch the starting pitching. whatever the starting pitching is doing, leave them alone, let them be. They're so good. It's the only thing the Diamondbacks really have going for them right now. But, you know, the starting pitching can keep doing what they're doing. They stop making dumb errors on defense and, you know, they can kind of get some of those bats to wake up.

I think this may, knocking on wood, my dresser that my computer on is pure wood. We don't have a repeat of last May and this may can kind of, you know, not traumatize us, D-Backs fans. Sure, sure. One thing that I don't, I don't want to get people too down, maybe people are going to hate me for saying this, but I do think that if you're a Diamondbacks fan right now, you should probably prepare for the starting rotation to not be, you know, top three in baseball for the entire season. Just looking at some of the underlying numbers, the Diamondbacks entered yesterday with the lowest strikeout rate in baseball and one of the higher walk rates, which just kind of tells, me, you know, so far they've worked around it, you know, they've gotten some soft contact. There's certainly some things that they've done right. But, you know, it's just not possible to, you know, have the lowest strikeout rate in the game and end the year with, you know, a top three, top five starting rotation. That's, that's just not going to happen. So I do think

there's probably some correction that may happen with the rotation. And I think there's also some correction that'll happen with the offense that I don't think the Diamondbacks offense is as bad as it's been. So you're probably looking at the rotation, maybe taking a little bit of a step back, and maybe the offense taking a step forward. And, you know, when both of those things happen, you still probably wind up with a pretty decent baseball team that is in a much better spot than they were last year. Yeah, absolutely. And all in all, to wrap up this Cardinal series, I think this is a win. I'm happy about this. Totally. I'm not going to let today's seventh inning dampen my mood. It happened. It's fine. I've accepted it. I'm over it. But I think splitting a series

of the Cardinals is really, really great for the Diamondbacks team. And I think it's a win. So you know what? I'll take it. Obviously winning the series would have been awesome, but that's not what happened. That wasn't in the cards today for the devax. No pun intended. But I definitely think this is a win.

And overall, I'm happy with it, Jesse. I think I think this is a good jumping off point to head into the series of the Marlins. Speaking of the Marlins, they just lost. They lost to the Mariner seven to three. but the Marlins had won seven consecutive games before that. So, you know, we've talked about how the Diamondbacks had this horrible, you know, very difficult start to the season. And then the Cardinals, you know, certainly weren't a walk in the park.

And I don't know if I would expect the Marlins to be that way either. Pablo Lopez, the Marlins starter in the first game of the series tomorrow, will enter the game with a 0.39 ERA. So the Diamondbacks are not necessarily, you know, headed for a super easy series in Miami. But they do have Zach Gallen on the mound for that one. So tomorrow, you know, if you're a pitching duel kind of a person, if you like watching those games,

tomorrow's game against Miami should be a lot of fun to watch. Yeah, before we get too far down the Miami Road, because we are going to preview that series, if you guys need to unwind a little bit after today's seventh inning, which I wouldn't blame you at all, our friends at OGs can definitely help you out with that because honestly you might need to take some OGs to relax from whatever the last three innings of that ball game was. So make sure you stop by your local dispensary and grab some amazing scratch-made THC gummies from our friends at OGs.

They just announced their new mini-OGs three-milogram microdose option for those not wanting to dive right into their regular 10 milligram option. They'll be available on May 3rd, so two days from today, exclusively at Zen Leaf locations through May 11th. They have amazing flavors like my favorite orange creamsicle. I'm obsessed with that flavor. Their indica line makes me sleep like a rock, which I really need working in sports and being up late. They also have tropical flavor, watermelon flavor. They just launched their new Pinacolada flavor, which is to die for.

So if you're interested in trying these amazingly delicious variety of flavors that OG's brands has to offer, go to OGsbrands.com. That's OGEZ brands.com to find an OG's near you. Whoa. Coughing a little bit. Okay, but looking ahead at our schedule, the Diamondbacks are going to be taking on. The Marlins for a three-game series, like you mentioned, Jesse. We'll have Zach Allen on the mound tomorrow against Pablo Lopez. And like you said, that pitching matchup is going to be something else.

And I'm really looking forward to that. Another storyline that I want to point out is we might be getting a Zach Gowan versus Jazz Chisholm matchup out there. Oh, yeah. a good point. Which will be extremely interesting. Obviously, those are the two trade pieces involved. So a little switcheroo there. I don't know. Do you have any thoughts on who won that trade yet, Jesse? Ooh, I think it's really close. I mean, it kind of depends. Would you rather have, you know, the young short stop with a sky high ceiling who maybe is a little bit more volatile? Or would you rather have, you know, a starting pitcher that's already pretty steady and figures to be pretty

steady for the next few years. I think it's really, really close at this point. I don't think the Diamondbacks regret the trade, but I'm not really sure the Marlins regret the trade either. So maybe it's one of, you know, an old fashioned both sides got what they want sort of situation. Yeah, absolutely. I will say, I'm a huge jastism fan. I think he's awesome. He has the attitude and the swag that this sport really, really needs right now. Yeah, totally. It's entertaining. So, So it'll be interesting to see those two face off. Hopefully we get josh jism in the lineup tomorrow against Sack Allen. And the Marlins, though, they are coming into this matchup.

I know they lost against the Mariners today, but they have won three consecutive series, and they beat the Braves, they beat the Nationals, which isn't really saying a lot. And they also did be in the series against the Mariners, even though they lost the game today. They're also second in the National League East. So this definitely isn't, you know,

an easy winnable series for the Diamondbacks that they can't just like mark. march in there and, you know, take on these Miami Marlins and expect to win. So the series is going to be pretty difficult, I think. You know, I don't, we don't know yet who's going for the second game of the series for the Diamondbacks on the mound. But definitely Zach Gallen. He's going to provide the devax with a great chance to win.

I feel like he's been really, like, lights out this whole year so far. And then we'll have to see who goes for the second game. but I think this is a, I'm scared to say it. I think this is a winnable series. The Miami Marlins are really hot right now. And them splitting a series with the Cardinals really kind of gave me some more hope in this team. They kind of made me a little bit higher on this team than I originally was. So I don't know, Jesse, what do you think?

Do you think they split the series? Do you think one of three? Where are you going here? Well, yeah, I guess you can't split a three game series. So someone's got a win, right? Thanks. Yeah. It's tough.

I think this one really could go either way for sure. You mentioned game two. The Diamondbacks haven't announced his starter at this point. Humberto Castiano's that's his spot. So I guess they, you know, maybe they're a little bit more hesitant to put him there. Maybe it's possible we see the team go a different direction in that spot after, you know, his last start against St. Louis, which, you know, two innings, five runs. it was a pretty rough go for him. So it'll be interesting to see what the debacks do there in game two.

But yeah, the first game, it's Zach Allen. The last game of the series on Wednesday appears to be Madison Bumgarner. So, you know, you certainly feel like you got a shot in both of those games. The Marlins pitchers in those games are going to be pretty good too. I think that's probably the Marlins biggest asset is their starting pitching really is pretty good, top to bottom. So, yeah, they're probably a similar team in some ways. of that. But, but yeah, I mean, tomorrow is going to be a really fun pitching matchup to watch. You mentioned Pablo Lopez, Zach Gallen. You know, we're only a few starts into the season at this

point, but, you know, guys having an ERA that starts with a zero at this point is, it's pretty eye-opening at this stage in the season. So that should be a fun one to watch for sure. Yeah, absolutely. Brutes squad BBQ saying Marlins coming down to Earth just in time, motion on the other side saying starting May and Miami, this is a looking good. I definitely understand both sides of that coin. I think, you know, seeing them win three consecutive series in a row, Mediama Vaks only winning one series so far this year. It's a little intimidating. And like you said, I think our pitching staff can pretty much go toe to toe with their pitching staff. So I think it's tough. I think it's definitely going to be a tough series.

And now more than ever would be a great time for the Diamondbacks bats to wake up and hopefully provide the same offense because otherwise we're probably going to be getting some very close ball games, you know, one run, two runs separating the team. I don't necessarily think, hopefully we're not seeing any like three to eight ball games like we saw in St. Louis. But I think now is a great time for the bats to be like, we're. This is when you need like a like a trip to course fields, right? When the offense, this isn't really clicking. This is really when, you know, that that spot in the schedule would be great. But I don't think the Diamondbacks even go to horse field until July. The schedule is pretty weird this season. So they're not,

they're not getting that trip anytime soon. So they're going to have to hopefully find their way out of it in Miami. The schedule makers really said, you know what, Diamondbacks, we know you had a horrible year last year. And we're going to make sure you have a really rough start to your season this year. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been rough. And I was looking the other day, you know, you can look at the strength of schedule so far. You can also look at the strength of schedule for the rest of the season. And unfortunately, the Diamondbacks is still right near the top. And it's because, you know, they play in the NL West.

And at this point, the NL West has been far and away the best division in baseball. And it's not even close. I think the Rockies are still above 500. So the Diamondbacks right now. Yeah. Yeah. Not sure the Rockies will necessarily stay there. But, but I mean, the three teams at the top, the Padres, the Dodgers and the Giants are all

like six or seven games above 500 after a month, which is really crazy. So, yeah, I mean, in some ways, the schedule is not going to get much easier for the debacks because they're going to be playing their divisional opponents a whole lot as you do in baseball. And with how good this division is, that's just going to be a pretty tough situation for them. Who do I need to call? Manfred? Excuse me, Manfred.

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it'll be interesting next year because things will change next year where every base, every major league team will play every other major league team. So next year we'll start to see, I think they cut down on the divisional opponents a little bit. You start to see other teams across the league more often. So I guess next year, you know, in some ways, things will maybe get a little bit easier. But for the moment, you know, playing in the NL West is, is just going to be a bit of a chore. And I mean, you feel like if you were, you know, if you were in the Cardinal shoes in the NL Central,

you know, the Diamondbacks might be in the mix for, you know, actually fighting in that, in that division because there's just not nearly the level of powerhouse that there is in the NL West with the Dodgers and the Giants and also the Padres emerging this season. So this is nothing new for Diamondbacks fans, though. They've, they've been down this road before. So. I feel like the world is just against Diamondbacks fans. There you go.

There you go. Not a stick to it, though. looking at a drafting sportsbook app for tomorrow's matchup against the marlins, the Diamondbacks are underdogs on the money line sitting at plus 120. The Marlins are favored at minus 140 on the money line. And the run line is actually set, the over under on the run line is set at seven. So whether that's four runs for the Diamondbacks and three for the Marlins or however else you want to figure that, configure that run line.

How do you feel about that, Jesse? Do you see seven runs being scored in tomorrow's game? I mean, based on the ERAs of the two starting pitchers, you'd probably say no. But I guess on the other hand, you know, you're not going to maintain a 0.6 or an 0.39 for very long throughout the season. So, yeah, I mean, maybe Zach Gallen and Pablo Lopez are both due to, you know, give up a few runs. But I would, you know, I mean, taking the under on seven runs feels like a pretty safe move.

And, you know, a game with that kind of a star-studded pitching matchup. So we'll have to see what happens. Yeah, absolutely. I definitely would feel comfortable taking the under of seven runs on that matchup. But speaking of the Jack King Sportsbook app, they are our presenting sponsor of our podcast, and they have some great deals for anybody who loves to watch the NBA playoffs, which I mean like who doesn't like to watch NBA playoff basketball, especially because the sons are in the second round.

They're taking on the Dallas Mavericks starting Monday tomorrow as well. But the NBA playoffs means next level basketball, get in on the action with the drafting Sportsbook at the official sports betting partner of the NBA. This week, new customers can bet just $5 on any team to win and get $150 in free bets if they do, looking to turn a small bet into a big payday during the NBA playoffs with Drop Kings' same game parlay as you can do just that. Create your own parlay by combining multiple bets like which team will win, total threes made, total rebounds, and more. And boom, you've got a shot at an even bigger payout.

Right now, all customers can place a same game parlay with three or more legs and get a free bet back up to $25 if one leg doesn't hit. I mean, come on. This is like a win-win situation for all of you drafting sportsbook. New customers out there. Download the drafting sportsbook app now. Use promo code P-H-N-X bet just $5 on any NBA team to win their game. and get $150 in free bets if they do. That's promo code PHNX only at the DRACCCNSportsbook app. 21 and up only, Arizona-only gambling problem call 1-800 next step. Your customers only at minimum $5 deposit. Eligibility restrictions apply.

See draughtings.com slash sportsbook for details. I'm definitely going to be betting on that Suns game tomorrow. If you guys are looking for some Sons content, check out our PHNX underscore Sons fam. They do a great job covering those NBA players. playoffs. Back to baseball, Jesse. Any final thoughts before we wrap up the show about the St. Louis series or the Marlin series coming up?

I just think that this was a big step forward for the debacks. I think a lot of fans who had disengaged about a week or two ago are kind of like, oh, you know, maybe this team is actually worth watching every night. And, you know, hopefully they're able to keep that up. I guess it's not necessarily every night because Wednesday we've got breakfast with the Diamondbacks again with a 9-48. AM local time start Arizona time. So yeah, we've had a lot of those recently.

But yeah, I think this was just a really big series for the debacks. And, you know, the Marlins, like you said, are, they've been playing well lately, but they're also a beatable baseball team. And I think the Diamondbacks have what they need in order to, in order to compete in this series. And, you know, hopefully they're able to go out there and win a second series of the season. That would be really big to finish off this road trip, which, has really looked pretty good for them so far.

Yeah, absolutely. I 100% agree. I think splitting the series with the Cardinals is a huge win for this team, and they should take it as a win, and they should be happy about this, which I'm sure that they are. They're probably on the flight to Miami right now with some good vibes on the plane, hopefully.

And then now is a great time, you know, this Miami Marlin series to put up or shut up. They got to stop the defensive airs. It's really getting old. I'm not quite. And I think they need to do some like rain, dance, moon dance, spiritual thing over their bats to get their bats to wake up. You got to do something to get some runs going because we should, we should create a Twitter

prayer circle, right? That's what we're supposed to do. Yes, a manifesting circle or prayer circle, anything to get these saddenbacks to start scoring some runs. Hopefully David Peralta could tell Marte, all of these guys that are struggling can kind of get some of those woes worked out. Thank God Nick Ahmed is back. Nick Ahmed, I'm so happy you are back. King Nick, thank you for coming back to us at the perfect time, it seems like. But it's going to be a good series. And if you want all of our great content, make sure you sign up at GoPhNX.

Become a member. You can get your first month for only 50 cents. Or if you sign up for an annual membership, you'll get a free t-shirt. I have on our new PHNX Rattler shirt, which is honestly my favorite one I think we've ever made. It is so cool. He's got some bats in there, which is maybe hopefully a good omen for the bats. There you go.

There you go. But we've got exclusive content. Jesse writes amazing articles that you can only read. If you're a member of PHNX, so shout out to Jesse for those beautifully crafted works of arts on our website. You'll also get access to our members only Discord, and you can chat with me and Jesse about baseball. There's lots of things to talk about when it comes.

And maybe Derek. Maybe Derek will show up. Maybe if we ever decide to let him back, then, you know, maybe he'll be in there. But we'll see. We'll see if he can reclaim his mayor title. I think it suits me better. So he's going to have to fight me for it. Maybe we'll have an actual election this time since he does appointed himself the first time around.

That's fair. That's fair. It always felt a little bit illegitimate to me, Max. So I'm glad that you're here laying down the hammer finally. Oh, Jesse's team, Mayor Mack. Mayor Mac. Mayor Mac and vice of Mayor Jesse. There you go.

I love it. But like I said, we already go to some time to be a member. We have a ton of great merch in the P. H&X Locker, hats, shirts, anything you could possibly want. Gear up for the Sun's playoffs. Gear up for this Diamondback season. We may or may not have a new Diamondback shirt coming soon if a certain player can figure it out. A little teaser there. But thank you all so much for joining us. Jesse, you are the absolute best. I had a great time with you. Hopefully you let me host the show again in the future. Oh, yes. Absolutely. Anytime we can get rid of Derek. always on board. I love it. We won't tell him that. Hopefully he's watching right now and it's just...

But anyways, thank you all so much for watching. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for hanging out with us. You guys are the absolute best, especially all of you guys in the comments. Don't forget to like this video on YouTube, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and subscribe to our podcast and leave us a five-star review. We always appreciate it. Again, thank you all so much for watching.

And remember, baseball is fun, but it's even more fun when you split the series and say Louis. Bye.