Tom Hadmileton is a longtime Cleveland Guardians radio broadcaster.

He's a legend.

He's one of the best in the base.

He's joining us right now on FT Tom.

Great to have you back on the show.

We really appreciate the time and look forward to these chats.

What do you have for us on how crazy the current situation is for Cleveland?

Well, great to be with you, Thanks, Scott, AJ and Eric.

I mean, this makes no sense, this is unbelievable.

I mean, September fourth, this club was two games under five hundred, eleven and a half games out of first.

That's September fourth, and in two and a half weeks now.

They did lose yesterday in Minneapolis, but the club has gone fifteen and two and they're one game out and they go ahead to head with the Detroit Tigers, the team they're chasing tomorrow night, Wednesday night, Thursday night.

If the playoffs were to begin today, Cleveland would be in as the number three wildcard team because they own the tiebreaker over the Houston Astros.

And you know, the old adage that this is why you play one hundred and sixty two couldn't be more appropriate than it is for this ball club right now.

But did anyone see this coming?

Absolutely not.

But when you have a pitching staff that now has gone seventeen consecutive games in which the starter has not given up more than two runs, that's how you have this kind of historic month.

Tom Yes, first off, let's go through now looking forward the rest of the games for Cleveland laid out for us, and kind of way the percentage chance of how this actually becomes a reality for them, starting with essentially a playoff series against Detroit.

Well, I mean, they've basically they have like they're in the playoffs since this month began, and they swept the Tigers last week.

They didn't beat Trek Scuobel, but they won the game on Thursday that Schooble pitched and he gave up one run at six innings.

Tigers have moved him up.

He is still going to have his four days rest, but he is pitching Tomorrow night.

That way he is able to pitch on Sunday if the Tigers have to win that ballgame to get into postseason.

Gavin Williams, who's been one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League that probably nobody really realizes since the All Star break, he goes for Cleveland tomorrow night.

I mean, look, the only way Cleveland can win these games is if they continue to get dominant starting pitching.

Because they're not scoring many runs.

They haven't during this stretch.

That is not going to change.

I mean I would be stunned if at any point in the three games Jose Ramirez gets anything to hit.

I don't care what the score is, and I don't think it matters what the situation is.

He's the one guy.

If you're a j Hinch, you're going to say, I don't care if it's a scoreless game in the third inning.

We're not pitching to him.

So you know it can continue.

That.

Can Cleveland continue to do this?

I don't know.

It seems hard to believe you could keep it up, but why not?

I also wonder if today is a reset day for the Tigers.

You know, they got swept at home by Cleveland and Atlanta.

Maybe they needed this off day to realize, hey, we're still in first place and maybe we'll see a different ball club tomorrow night.

But they looked awfully tight, and you saw a lot of frustration last week when Cleveland swept those three games.

And then you've got Texas.

You know, the season doesn't end no matter how you do against Detroit.

You can't let Texas come in here.

Texas won't have anything to play for, but that's still a pretty darn good ball club.

You have to score a run to win the game.

Contrary to other baseball historians, even if this pitching staff continues to do what they're doing, who will step up?

If the Tigers take the mantra of Jose Ramirez is not going to beat us.

Who can step up in this lineup?

I think there's only one other guy with an OPS over one hundred OPS plus over one hundred besides Jose Ramirez.

I know bow Naylor is hot right now, but they're not going to move him to be Jose Ramirez's protection, right No.

I mean, Stephen Kwan has to keep being Stephen Kwan.

He's had a really good month of September, which is kind of the norm for him in his four years in the major leagues.

To your point, Eric bow Naylor had about as good a road trip as you could have as a catcher, catching a shutout, hitting two home runs in one game up in Minneapolis.

Well, catching a shutout as you know, as a catcher, it doesn't get any better than that.

They just have to get contributions from everybody.

You know, Kyle Mansardo has had a nice year.

They need him to get it going again.

I just think when you look at this ball club, look it.

You know there are two guys you circle Stephen Kwan and Jose Ramirez when you're the opponent, and you say, those two guys can't beat us.

So it's going to be up to these young kids to see if they can keep doing it.

You know, I don't think it's any secret that this is an offensively challenged ball club.

And when they score four runs a game, that's a big night.

Are the fans going to come out before we delve into any more of the bullpen or anything like that.

Well the fan this do Cleveland fans know this is happening and how big of a series this is?

Yeah.

Probably didn't help that the Browns stunned the Green Bay Packers.

And I'm from Wisconsin, so I'm in mourning yet today.

I don't know, you know, talk about miracles Brown's winning a game and beating Green Bay.

But that's a story for another day.

But I hope they do you know.

I mean, it's been a good year as far as attendance is concerned.

But I think this has caught everybody by surprise when you look at what this club has done this month.

So you know, A what, Eric.

When it comes to fans, I've given up trying to predict what they're going to do or not do.

If they can't enjoy this, you know, that's on them.

I'm just I can't believe we're having this kind of relevant baseball with what this club has gone through, not only losing a ten, had a ten game losing streak in July, lost nine out of ten in August.

We're fifteen and a half games out in July.

And oh yeah, by the way, you lose one of your top starters, Luis Ortiz, and the most dominant closer in the game, Immanuel classe A, for what we all know is a gambling probe.

And yet this ball club's overcome that.

It's remarkable.

Hey May, when I was there ten days ago or so, Steve asked even vote, what's going on?

He said, this team just doesn't quit.

They play twenty seven outs.

He gave all the cliches, but there's got to be something more that Steven Vote does for this team.

I mean, because you know, you look at them on paper and you say, all right, there's the offense is going to come from.

There's a lot of pitchers that nobody's ever heard of, including Kate Smith at the back end of the bullpen and some of the other guys, Hunter Gaddis and some of the other guys.

So what does Stephen Vote bring to the table that makes this team go?

And can you win Manager of the Year like Pat Murphy has a chance to do back to back years.

Yeah, yeah, I sure think so.

Aja.

There are an awful lot of similarities with Steven Vote and Tito, and that's not fair to either guy because Tito's resume has got him set up for the Hall of Fame.

We all know that.

I don't think the game has ever had a better manager than Tito.

But in some ways, there's a lot of similarities, and it starts with I think Steven Vote, like Tito, they're at their very best when the ball club's at its very bottom or at its worst moments.

There's no panic from that office.

And as you guys know that played, you know, you take the lead from your guy.

If you see your guy throwing stuff in the dugout and visibly being upset when a guy strikes out or showing panic.

Players see that.

They pick up on that you can't fool players.

But Tito and Voter have that similarity in that they don't panic.

They're at their best when the club is struggling.

And then I still think it goes back to number eleven.

Justin Moreno made a great point yesterday we were in Minneapolis, and the longtime Minnesota twin who's now doing television for the Twins, pointed out how on Saturday night, when Cleveland had back to back shutouts in that day night doubleheader and we're beating Minnesota eight to nothing.

On Saturday night, Voter took Stephen Kwan and Jose Ramirez out of the ball game with a couple of innings to go, and Justin Morna on Sunday pointed out how he made sure to watch and that Stephen Kwan and Jose Ramirez never left the top step of the dugout.

He said, a lot of times I saw I've seen a veteran get taken out of the game and he's back up the tunnel to the clubhouse and getting something to eat or relaxing or whatnot.

He's done his job.

He goes.

When you see that guy jose Ramere is still engaged with his teammates watching that ball game with two innings to go, that's been decided, he said, you have no idea unless you're a player.

What That then sends the message to the young kids when that guy is fully engaged like that, And boy, guys, aren't many players like that in the game.

And I think that has been part of why this club is as special as they are.

Look without jose A Rameres, this ball club is in the lottery for the number one pick in the draft.

Yeah, it's one of the best moves they made was getting him to sign that long term extension.

Of course, him agreeing to that long term extension and not testing out free agent waters where I'm sure he would have been paid more krats.

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Tom I thought that the Shane Bieber acquisition for the Blue Jays was one of the better trades because there weren't many big time starting pitchers available.

I'm like that is worth the lottery ticket given the track record, and I do think he has a chance to make a major impact for the Blue Jays in the playoffs.

The Guardians might make the playoffs and run into Shane Bieber.

So I remember there was an interview.

It was either Chernoff or Antonetti who said, Hey, this was like a week or two before the trade deadline.

We think we're gonna have a big second half.

They ended up being right.

Why did they trade Bieber?

Because I don't think they thought they'd be sitting here today like they are Scott In reality, if they thought that this was the case, Shane Bieber would be here.

And you know, they have to.

And that's the one side of this.

When you're in a revenue strapped market like this, as far as how much you're able to spend and how much you're able to make as compared to say in New York or Chicago or in LA you always have your eye in the future as well as today.

And they looked at it realistically.

They really were careful with Shane Bieber.

That's why Shane re signed with this ball club because he knew that they would protect him and not rush him back, much like they did with Matthew Boyd last year.

And if you remember then, Matthew Boyd really helped this ball club In August, September and October and then it led to Matthew getting a contract with the Chicago Cubs with Shane Bieber.

He had an option to come back next year, but it was at his beck and call.

He could opt in or opt out if Shane continues to do what he's doing, and there's no reason to think he won't, He's not going to have that option picked up.

He's earned that right to become a free agent go out on the open market, and Cleveland felt like they couldn't take that chance get nothing in return.

They didn't feel really that they weren't giving up on the season, but they were also looking at it realistically and saying, we can get a top pitching prospect that's in Double A that can help us here in the very near future.

And that's why they did it.

Scotten that.

It's also why and I think they have to get some credit for this.

This is thirteen consecutive years that this ball club is is relevant, The eleven years that Tito was here and now the two years with Stephen Vote.

Think of this number, guys, in those thirteen years, Cleveland has played twenty five games total in which they were mathematically eliminated.

That's astounding when that's telling you you're in the hunt every year, and they do it because they're trying to win every year.

But they can't be at all costs to win every year.

But they're not going to do a teardown like some of these organizations doing, say hey we're going to be awful for five years, but hope you come back.

They I saw the inside workings of the organization when I played in twenty seventeen.

They do it from the bottom all the way up, and it's the people that they bring in.

So I have to talk about you as a person.

Congratulations on receiving your award this summer.

Does What does the Ford Frick Award mean to you?

As I think it's for broadcasters excellence?

I think is what the actual excellence in broadcasting.

What does that mean to you that you receiving that this summer.

Well, it means Eric that one that nobody ever recorded us between innings, because your career would have ended a long time ago.

So I'm thankful to that.

Hey, you know what, it's it's very humbling.

It's still very surreal.

I thought I won the lottery and I still do.

The best phone call I ever got was January twelfth, nineteen ninety working in Columbus and doing Triple A games and the Cleveland Indians and at that time the flagship Station three we called, offering you a chance to work with herb Score and get a major league job.

I mean, it's no different than when a player gets called into that manager's office telling him that you're going to the major leagues.

That's the same way it was for me back in January of nineteen ninety.

And nothing will ever top that phone call.

So I've lived in my mind a fairy tale life for thirty six years, being able to do Major League baseball, being able to do it in one city, to raise our four children, and now we have grandchildren, but to raise them in one community, and it's a great place to raise a family.

We haven't had to pick up and move like a lot of people have had to do.

I was lucky enough then because of the Indians, to be able to do Big ten basketball on TV for twenty five years.

That doesn't have if you don't get a major league job.

But when you get that call from the Hall of Fame, that that's beyond any expectation or any dream.

Didn't I didn't get into this to get awards.

It's still a little uncomfortable to talk about it, but it was an incredible week and I just we're so very grateful, and it's just it's been that kind of a year where you're like, man, never be able to top twenty twenty five.

Trust me from a professional standpoint.

Yeah, it is really cool.

Well it's much deserved, Tom, man do the best in the biz.

And then really cool that you get this shocker final week of the season where you're essentially going to be calling a playoff game.

So we'll be looking forward to some great Tom Hamilton calls here over the next week.

Thanks for stopping by, guys.

Love the show, Thanks so much for having me.

Take care.

Hey, we've got our buddy c Trent Rose Grants, who covers the Reds for the Athletic joining us right now on ft S you Trent.

I'm going to start it this way because Ken Rosenthal has now coined the National League Wild Card Race presented by the New York Mets disaster.

So here we are.

Let's talk about the glass apt full portion of it.

How thrilling is this in Cincinnati?

Are fans kind of like coming back?

Yeah?

It was a you know, It's funny.

The first game of the Cub series, Hunter Green goes out and was just lights out throws the shut out, flirted with a no hitter, one nothing when and afterwards he said something it's like, you know, yeah, it was great, but I wish there were more people here, and.

They kind of reacted.

It was a it was a good weekend for that, decent weather, other stuff going on downtown, Cubs in town, so a lot of Cubs fans.

Almost was good that it was Cubs fans because they were like, let's go Coby's thing, and the fans showed up to kind of try to drown them out, and it was a it was a really good atmosphere and so so I think there's been some and then we'll see how it is this week with no Cubs and the Pirates in town.

But heck, if I'm a baseball fan, Schemes versus Hunter Green on Wednesday sounds like a pretty good game regardless of standings.

Obviously we're talking about today.

If the playoffs would start today, three and now Central teams would be in.

Is that indicative to the fact that the Central has improved or the rest of the National League?

The Mets have absolutely collapsed.

Oh, I think it's it's an indictment on the rest of the leagues.

When you're talking about you look at payrolls and you look at those kind of things.

Preseason, everybody likes to like, you know, kind of like look down on the NL Central.

But a year in, a year out, they've got it.

Almost seems like every year there's four teams.

You could put them in a bag and pull them out, and that's two through or one through four.

Maybe you can always pick a leader, and you always know there's going to be one team that's going to be at the bottom.

Often the Pirates off in the Reds.

So I think it's it's kind of indicative of the rest baseball.

I mean, really, how many good teams are there?

The Dodgers, you're waiting on it, but you know they still have the third best record, They're still in a fight for their division.

In the last week, and didn't everybody decide they won the World Series And when they signed Roki Sasaki and I realized that he's been dominant and it's ruined baseball forever.

But you also have then like the Phillies are good.

I wouldn't want to face the Phillies, but you don't want to face the Dodgers.

But everybody else is kind of there.

I think the Brewers are the thing with the Brewers is they never hurt themselves, and we're seeing how far that can go.

All right, So somebody that doesn't hurt themselves.

Who's the reds All star that's gonna or star that's gonna step up in these last six games to make sure they not only are at the finish line, but they get it across.

Because Eliot right now is having the toughest stretch of his career.

But who is that star that's gonna step up because you can't hope, well, you know, you get a little impact here, you get a little impact there.

These are games when you're facing a Pirates team that is down on the mat, you have to crush them.

And to me, that's when the stars come out and they dominate this next series.

I really like what I've seen from Noelvie Marte.

You know, he is a guy that has kind of had we'll get consideration for a comeback.

Player of the Year because of what he's.

Coming back from, which was a suspension for steroids and so those those don't register.

But even taking that away, when he did come back from his his suspension last year, he was just awful.

And you know, he came into spring training looking to make amends and knowing that he probably wasn't gonna make the team.

And this was a year after he was expected almost pretty much handed the everyday job.

Before spring training he went to the miners.

And it's funny, like one of the big things for the Reds this year is there guys who went down, went down and took it the right way, and when they came back, they were ready.

Will Benson.

You know, Marte even connored Phillips out of the bullpen.

But Marte is a guy that was the key really to that the big Luis Castillo trade a couple of years ago, and once he's kind of gotten to right field when they added key Brian Hayes.

He's really just it seems like the world is off his shoulders and he there's a guy you can can really hit, and you know, I think in the future he can be a pretty decent right fielder.

He's got a great arm, he's a good athletic player.

He just tell usn't have a whole lot of time out there, so you see some of that inconsistency and an experience at times.

But but I'm going to go know, Aldie Marted, how about that for off the off the Grid?

I like it because when a young guy gets popped Freud's, you're like, a long as he's been doing this, right, I mean, you don't know what to expect, and he has certainly bounced back.

Okay, I want to do some schedule breakdown because we've got six games left for the Mets and the Reds.

Reds went out there aid right, they're essentially a game up on the Mets, so this is just as much for Mets fans right now.

Mets have three against the Cubs and then three against the Marlins, including Sandale Contra on Friday.

Reds have three against the Pirates, but that is one Paul Schime start, like you mentioned on Wednesday, and then they finished with three in Milwaukee against the Brewers team that is probably playing for nothing, even though they're still not going to be an easy opponent.

How do you size up the schedules remaining for the two teams fighting for that last wild card spot.

Well, I wouldn't overlook the Diamondbacks either their game out game behind, so so don't overlook them.

And I believe they have a pretty they have what somebody and then.

Colorado Rodgers and Padres.

Three against the Dodgers at home, then three in San Diego.

Oh okay, okay, yeah, I was getting them connect confused with the Giants.

That's that's not easy, especially with those two battling each other.

But still, I'm not going to count out the Diamondbacks.

We've done that before and that seemed to be a bad idea.

But I think for the Reds it could be tough.

They struggled a little bit against the Pirates and they've struggled mightily over the last couple of years in Milwaukee.

That Milwaukee team something to play.

For now, but in three games, after three games, they may not home field advantage throughout their close are clenching that.

We'll see.

You know.

The thing with the Reds is you have a pretty good shut just because of the pitching.

The starting pitching has been strong all season.

Andrew Abbott has struggled in the second half, but Brady Singers picked it up.

You know, you have a deeper bullpen.

The bullpen was an issue for a while, but if you go back to the trade deadline, like it was almost a lot of people didn't understand the Reds moves and they were kind of going on the margins, and they did a hell of a job.

I mean, you got to give Nick Crawl and Brad Metter a lot of credit for being creative and it working.

Out of the trade deadline.

That what that was was key Brian Hayes, which upgraded them at third base defensively.

No question.

I mean that guy is I had a scout yesterday talking to me and it's like, you know, the only thing he could come close to is prime Nolan Aeronado, and I've seen that he's been just phenomenal and a total change of scenery guy.

That allowed them to move Noel vi Marte to right field.

He's been better since then at the plate, seemed more relaxed.

That solved some of their issues with the outfield and getting production there.

Then they got Zach Ltel into the back of the rotation starter and it seemed kind of weird because it is a team that needed bullpen help.

Well, that moved Nick Martinez in there, and Nick Martinez is just a kind of a special pitcher in that he can do both, will do both, and has done both.

And so that is this extremely extremely valuable and could be in a short series.

And then the other one was Miguel Andrewhr who came in to just crush lefties.

He started off and crushed everybody, then got hurt and he's kind of back and crushing lefties.

You brought up Cabrian Hayes.

I was there on Thursday, good seeing you when Hunter Green should have thrown a no hitter.

Why wasn't Cabrian Hayes in the game in the seventh inning for defense?

And also, I mean I said it on the air, but why the heck were they pitching to say Suzuki.

He was the only guy that had.

Any chance against Hunter Green that night, and they threw him a pitch that he could hit, and K Brian probably has that ball if he's in for Sal Stewart.

He does.

He had had a little you know, when you look at Q Brian Hayes, he's had this thing with his back for a while and before the game he was feeling a little stiff, and so he wasn't in the lineup, and that's why you had Olean Marte at third base.

But yeah, so or no South Stuart, Sorry you had salth Stewart at third base, and and Sal's not gonna make the place.

At Brian Hayes face, you're and you're right.

And the other thing is is like, I don't think Hunter Green was in a mindset to pitch around anybody.

He didn't care.

And you know you've been play both, you guys.

When a guy doesn't care, you don't want to and when he is just so calm like Hunter was, that's part of it.

And then like, okay, as long as it's in the park, well I'll get the next guy.

And and Hunter did that.

But Keebrian was good enough to come in and for the ninth.

I know Tito had said before the game he didn't think he was gonna be available, but Keebrian said he saw the chiropractor and felt good enough to go in and in the ninth.

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Have you ever seen a play like what happened on that night?

The three eight six play where but it's gotta be the only one in baseball history?

Okay, but it is a MLB.

Why I'm saying only okay because at one point they were saying it wasn't off the first baseman's glove, and I'm like, well, then the guy was out and there should have never been a play at second it should have been a hit, so it kind of know because once it passes a fielder, I know, but then you can get hit by the ball and all that stuff.

I know, but it's.

Old Spencer or that in the moment, but it did take off his glove, so it was a three eight three eight six, which yeah, only one ever, which is just unbelievable.

But yeah, that that was one of those, and I think there was.

It was weird because I've talked to like everybody around that play and it was just what was weird was that everybody stopped and for that like split second you remember that everybody good looking for a second like, oh god, is he okay?

Because that ball is what one o five off the bat of PCA.

So you're worried mostly about a guy getting hit one O five in the helmet if he's I mean put a bluntly like if he's going to survive.

I was there for our oldest Chapman and spring training a couple of years ago or many years ago, and it's the same kind of thing where your first reaction is is this guy okay?

And have I seen something tragic?

Luckily he was.

He bounce back and hopefully you know, the little bit that it hit off Spencer steeers glove was enough to dead in it some or whatever.

But also, well that ends.

Well, Hey, se Trent, I've got one more for you.

Let's say this team does make it for fans of other teams that have not really paid attention to the Reds all year, how dangerous do you think they could be in October?

I actually really like a lot of.

Their young pitching, and I'll apply what I said about the Blue Jays to the Reds.

The Reds can have a different looking pitching arsenal because they have a really solid one through five rotation.

In my mind, they're not all going to be starters that immediately enhances your bullpen, do you agree?

Yeah?

I mean zachly Tel's done some of that in his career.

He's not unfamiliar with it.

We already mentioned how Nick Martinez has gone there and done that, you know.

And also one of the big things with this bullpen is been the emergence of Connor Phillips over the last couple of weeks.

This is a guy again a trade with the Mariners, a different trade with the Mariners, but but he is a guy that has kind of had just a terrible year last year, made came up early, it was okay, went back to the miners, made a small adjustment, and has just been lights out since he's been exactly what they thought maybe he could be, and that's huge.

And then Zach Maxwell, who couldn't throw strikes in college or in the miners, all of a sudden is your extra guy and he's you know, I'm not face, I don't want to face Zach Maxwell.

He's what I mean.

He basically he wears Anthony Munjos his number and looks bigger than Anthony Munjo's.

So that's quite the it's quite the luxury that they have.

Graham Ashcraft has looked good since he's coming back.

Tony Santian has been used as much as anybody.

I think he's yeah, probably, I don't think there's anybody who's who was with Tyler Rogers is at the top of the uses and he still looked right.

He came in last night, had a beginning to get the save.

And then Emilio Pagan is a guy who is just nobody was looking at that at the beginning of the year, but he's just done a really good job closing, and so you just keep pushing that down where you have all these guys and you have a Nick Martinez that can go a couple of innings or you know, I'm almost wondering, besides Green and Lodolo, do you you can almost like piggyback Singer an Abbot with a left right because Abbot's had a not a great second half and Singer has had a great second half.

So there's just there's just a lot of arms.

And when you're talking about the Santian and and Pegan and Ashcraft, you have guys who are all kind of those that raised thing where you're coming from different angles and gives you those different looks.

See Trent, great stuff, man, I'm excited to see how the wee Pacha Berns.

Oh wait about Chase Burns.

You know now thrown one on one.

I mean that the night the other night was just still crazy to me, hungry and averaged one hundred miles an hour on his fastball over a complete game, shutout.

Just mhm, it was just stupid.

It was funny.

It was like after that game, I just walked by Emilio and I kind of joked I was like eh Man screwed you out of a save.

He goes, there was nobody down there who was going to be better than Hunter.

There was no upgrade in the bullpen, and it was right.

So it's one of those things.

But yeah, Chase Burns is a guy that you can use in that David Price roll back in when he was a rookie.

Uh.

They're being careful with how much they use him.

But he came in for multip plannings the other day.

Uh, And you can't.

You just can't deny the stuff.

And you don't have to worry about anybody saying on more than once.

Circle of trust pitching stuff wise, the Reds are up there with any team in baseball for October when you shrink what your pitching will look like.

It actually makes me think.

The last time the Reds have made the playoffs in a full season, I know, in a really long time, But the last time they made it was twenty twenty, didn't they not?

Was it?

Twenty fourteen was the last full season playoffs?

You sat?

Thirteen was a wild card loss to the Pirates.

Twelve was when they you know, or maybe the best team at baseball and then lost to the Giants who made that amazing run and then but they haven't.

They haven't won a playoff series or a home playoff game since nineteen ninety five.

That's thirty years.

Was that boat in GMing back then?

Maybe, or maybe it's right before him.

I'm not sure.

I was in freshman in college or sophomore in college.

You said nineteen ninety five, Yeah I was voted.

Yeah, I was voted.

So we'll have to bring him back on this week to chat about that.

But twenty twenty they made it.

This is my other point.

And from what I recall, they had two games.

Pitching was nasty and they didn't score a run, right.

Correct, And you know that was Trevor Bauer, Luis Castillo and more, and they were both just lights out, But the offense didn't get anything done.

And I think there's a danger with that here.

This is an offense that hasn't been great or consistent and and and you could get in that same kind of problem.

But you can also keep games really close because you have that kind of pitching and they have a couple of guys who can who can get hot, and if Ellie gets hot.

He's been better the last couple of days.

Maybe it's just one of those things that he can pop out because he's a difference maker and he's always going to be somebody that everybody's worried about.

And hopefully for the red sake that he gets a.

Going Ellie in the playoffs would be fun to watch too.

Damn, I'm looking.

I'm like, he's only had thirty six stolen bases this.

Year, and he had eighteen home runs.

He had eighteen home runs going to the All Star Game, and he has twenty now and the two longest streaks hormorless streaks of his career.

Yeah, but he's not running like we thought he would this year either.

He had had some leg injuries.

He was not exactly the same.

He had a quad and then something else.

I think it was a hamstring or something.

So he's he's been hobbled a little bit.

But he's also played every game, started all but one.

The one he didn't start was he had a flight canceled when he's coming back from his sister's funeral in the Dominican Republican and started that day in the Dominican Republic.

Had some flight issues getting to Cincinnati from Santa Domingo.

And then that game got postponed and resumed the next day and he actually got in the game.

So he's played in every game, so you know, I think that's for him, it's really important, and the team knows that he wants to play every day, every.

Inning, and that's just who he is.

Maybe that's been bad in some ways for his longevity and his production, but it's also you know, you don't you never want to discourage guys who will do anything to post.

And Ellie's a guy who was shown this year, but he'll do anything to post.

Yeah, so we'll see.

Maybe he picks it back up here and lights it up and uses the legs in the postseason when you know, you know, limited time, amount of games to go here.

Great talk, great wrap up here of what we've seen from the Reds, looking forward to the last week here see Trent, thanks for hopping on with us.

Appreciated.

Have fun covering this team this week.

Two dogs, you were the hat for you.

I don't know anything about what's going on with them.

AJ stayed away in the in the in the nice part of the press box on Thursday, so I didn't get to see he's.

So excited about Hurricanes ranked.

What too did Hurricanes ranked?

To football?

You love the Canes right, good way to go Florida team, Florida team, Way to go.

Yeah, I know, I didn't see.

I was in the I was in the clubouse, I was on the field, you know.

But you guys didn't see each other.

Remember Thursday.

I don't remember Thursday.

Honestly.

I had a nice talk with had a nice talk with Sal Stewart, had a nice talk with Nick Martinez.

Who else Tito obviously, but no.

Mm hmm.

That was the day I had to go get my daughter.

Ah, so it wasn't there.

So it was me.

It was me, not a j I'll own it.

Wow, I'll wear it.

I was there from twelve o'clock because I did the show from there.

There you go.

Well, next time you have my number, you can just call me.

We can get lunch exactly exactly next time.

There's always next time.

We actually go to No this year, not for you, but we do end up.

Maybe maybe Milwaukee this weekend.

Yeah, Fox picked up Saturday is a big Fox Saturday's game.

Yep.

True.

So make sure your daughter has you doing something on Saturday.

Well, I will be in Milwaukee.

She will not be there.

You go all right, so maybe the two can reunite here this weekend.

Thanks to you trying, good to see it, Good to see you too,