Future Road Trip and Outlook

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It's the amazing Rico Bronya Podcast with your host evan rober ts it is indeed rico bronya series recap edition of the rico bronya as the new york met suffer for the first time this season, a loss, but not just a loss. It is, yes, I would think qualify as a kick in the butt. Kick in the butt kick in the butt. I was gonna say kick in the nuts, and then I wanted to stop myself. So I just said it anyway. A kick in the growing kind of loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on a Sunday afternoon. Yes, the Mets win the series. Yes, that is very good. Yes, it's only the third game of the season, and yes, the Mets were never going 162 and oh . But that was frustrating, and maybe it's more frustrating because I was there. I spent my entire weekend at City Field. And before anyone says I'm a terrible husband or a terrible father, my whole family is out of town. All right. They're in the Dominican and they're having a damn good time while I'm freezing my butt off watching at times bad baseball. Let's start with the fact that we now all know in case you forgot, in case you weren't sure, in case you never did the research, we all now know who the third base coach is of the New York Mets. I remember when they hired Tim Leaper and what I had maybe thirty seconds of thoughts. I think I read his resume and said, Oh, okay, we won't care about him until he does something stupid. We won't care about him until he costs the Mets a g ame. And I could proclaim to you on this wonderful Sunday as we record it live about, I don't know, two hours, an hour and a half after the Mets lost this game to the Pittsburgh Pirates, I can tell you that Tim Leaper is a big part of why the Mets didn't sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is not the only culprit. We'll get to all of th ose. But that send in the bottom of the 10th inning was egregious. It was bad . I was consuming the game not in my normal seats, but in section 121, which if you're not familiar with is field level, uh a little bit to the left, so towards third base. I wouldn't say on third base, I'd say closer to home plate than third base, but certainly the left side if you're behind the plate. So I found myself on the Juan Soto extra base hit, staring at Lindor and then glancing over at where this baseball was coming in. And what I said, I didn't scream it because I was that cold. I said it. I said it passionately. I said, hold them, hold 'em, hold 'em. And you hold him, Tim Leaper, because you've got, I know Bo Bachet, who we'll get to, has not hit and got booed, which we talked about on the drive-home edition of the RICO. So for those that listened and were not aware, you aren't new to Bobachet being booed. That started on Saturday. And we'll get to him. But when you're about to have second and third with nobody out down by a run in the bottom of the tenth inning, you cannot have that sc ent. And I hated what Mendy said after the game because I forced myself to listen. I realize in doing these Rico Bronias, I need to listen to what the manager has to say. As a talk show host, you have to listen to what the manager has to say. I was having a flashback to when I was a kid and me and my dad would go to all these games. When the Mets lost, we never listened to the post-game show. We would never listen to something called a Rico Brunia. He'd put on his oldies music because I didn' t So I listened to Carlos Mendoza. I saved you all. I'm not playing the clip, but he was asked about the scent. And I know he's got to defend his coaching staff, but basically he said, yeah, the Pirates had to do everything perfectly. Did they? Did they really have to do everything perfectly? Did Jared Triolo really need to make a perfect th relayrow? Not necessarily. The throw beat him by a m ile. It was a terrible send. And obviously Lindor took a licking because the tag by Henry Davis was vicious and towards his face, and who knows if the game went on longer, or maybe when they go to Pittsburgh, there'll be some revenge for Henry Dav is. But it was, I mean, I'm not going to defend it. It was a horrific s end situation. matters Where you are in the batting order matters. And I thought it just absolutely killed all the momentum of what was building in that bottom of the tenth in ning. The way Bo Bouchette's been hitting, there's a decent chance that he hits that same ground ball. The infield is in and the run doesn't score. I can't assume Polanco's hitting that warning track ball to tie the game up. The Mets could still have lost by one run. We did see them a day earlier on Saturday have a golden opportunity with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the order coming up, and they didn't sc ore. So I fully understand that nothing is a guarantee. But when we start in recapping this series and really recapping the third game of this series, it starts with Tim Leaper. We all now know who he is and we don't like him. That's that's where we are. We know who he is and we don't like him. It was also very frustrating to have the game end the way it did because even after the horrible send, the Mets are set up with an opportunity to still tie the game. Got a runner on second and one out. Bo Bichette, who has been hearing it from Met fans over the last forty-eight hours has a chance to change the narrat ive. And he grounds out the shortstop. I guess that's better than striking out, which he did three times in this game, and has done a way big number amount of times to start this se ason. And Jorge Polanco just missed it. He's been very quiet so far as a met, hasn't done much. And he had a chance to have his Luis Robert Jr. moment as he just missed uh from Jose Erquiddy a walk-off, dramatic game-winning home run. But here's what this comes down to. It comes down to a lot of things, but really it comes down to the offense, as it did many times last season. We went nuts about the pitching. We went nuts about the lack of length from the pitching, but it felt like last year a lot of it was what as we like to call here on the RICO the LD offense, which is uh limp and then something else. But I've realized that the RICO is a family show. So I don't say the second part, but you could use your imagination. The LD offense was in full effect. They made Carmen Modzinski look very sharp in this g ame. They had golden opportunities to score runs and they missed out on many of them. There's a few that jump out at me. A minor one is the bottom of the second because Triolo made a fielding error that continued the bottom of the second inning, and Luis Torrenz came up. And I I don't want to kill Luis Terenz, had a hit in this game. Obviously, had a big hit on Saturday. He's not there for his offense, but the Pirates gave you an extra out. And that always jumps out at me. Like when a team gives you an extra out, are you going to be able to take advantage of it? They had two on and one out in the fourth inning. Marcus Simeon struck out. This was with first and third down by a run. And two innings earlier, Simeon came up in that exact same situation, and that time got the ball out of the infield at a sacrifice fly. It was one of those uh, hey, if you're gonna strike out a lot, which the Mets have the last two days, at least pick your spots. Don't strike out with first and third in less than two outs. Simeon didn't do it in the second, but he did in the third. And then Ben should a fly ball right at the left fielder. Golden opportunity miss ed. Even after Juan Soto tied the game with an RBI single, picking up Lindor, who had that tri ple. Bo Bachet came up, big opportunity, tapped out back to the pitcher. Jorge Polanco struck out. They had a great opportunity in the seventh inning. I mean, an amazing opportunity in the seventh inning. They were set up with second and third one out after a wild pitch with Ju Soto at the plate. And it's tough to kill Juan. He had two hits in this game. He's hit so far, but big chance there. He strikes out on a fastball. I know it was a tough one. That was Mason Montgomery. Yeah, I'm trying to remind myself and look down at my scorecard to confirm it. Mason was sharp. I mean, he was also throwing 99 miles an hour. But nevertheless, Soto chased. And then here's B Boobette, another great opportunity. I mean, the great opportunities found Bo Bouchette in this game. And as we all recall, because we talked about it, not just me, but everyone, Bo's clutch . Look at Bo's numbers with runners in scoring position, and they may still turn out to be great. It's only three games, obviously. But not on this day, and not in this series, as he struck out, and that's when the booze, which have been existent for the last 24 hours got even loud er. Golden opportunity missed. And then obviously the tenth inning. Not just the bad send by Tim Leaper, but after that, here's Bo Bachet again. Here's Horge Polanco. And the Mets end up, had they end up with runners in scoring position. Two for eight, two for nine, two for ten. Two for ten. The more things change, the more things stay the same. It's funny. I I think about these first three games and how we all so overreact to them. I probably am now. I mean, you can interpret it that way. They went on opening day and things are so different, man. Ah, so different. They're putting the bat on the ball, the grinding at bats, which we talked about. It's awesome, man. They're so different. And then Saturday, yeah, man, they're so different. I know it doesn't count as a comeback eighth inning or later, as we explored during the offseason, if you're trailing in the tenth, which the Mets had happened last year, and you come back and win, that doesn't count with the stat. So even though the stat that haunted the Mets last season of not coming back in the eighth inning or later, or however it's phrased, even though it didn't change. Ah, things are so different, man. They rallied every time. The Pirates scored a run in the 10th. Mets respond. Pirates score a run in the 11th. We score three. Like, boy, this team knows how to respond. It's so different. It's so different. It's so different. And then this game, the finale of this series was this is all the same. The pitching walked a ton of guys after basically walking nobody over the first two games. How many walks did they have in this game? Let's see. Two, four, six, eight wal ks. Met pitching. Eight walks. I think they had four in the first two games. So the walks are back, the lack of clutch hitting is back, and the third base coach being brain dead is back. So I'm I'm half laughing because they won the series and we're three games into the year, so I'm mocking myself and I guess everyone else out there. Ah, they're so different, they're so different. Ah, they're the same, they're the same. This game did feel like the same, if you will, in terms of the lack of clutch hitting, the pitching, walking a ton of guys, and all of that. The other thing, which has to annoy you, was the bullpen usage. Let's examine that. And by the way, on today's Rico, not only are we examining this final game, I got a ton of your emails, a lot of strong opinions. The Rico be at gmail.com. We'll get to that later. And it is back. If you are a new Rico listen er, we will do Rico bronias after individual games sometimes, as we have in this series, but we always guarantee you a Rico when the series ends. A series recap Rico . And there were two distinct honors someone will walk away from during these series ending Rico's. You've got the I'm the man right now, star of the ser ies. For those that are not aware, that's a hat tip to Jordanny Valdespin when he said, I am the man right now. You guys remember that one? I think I sent the clip to Hoff. So I don't know if you have it, but we can throw that in there now whenever we hand out the Rico, I'm the man right now star of the series . For those that don't remember it. If you don't have it, totally fine. If you do, let me know and you can hear it. Jure Danny saying, I mean man right now, as he said. We also hand out the net negative. I mean, we don't have to waste our time with the net negative. Like, there could be no more obvious net negative in this series than the guy who's gonna win it. So we'll get to that l ater. But for now, a couple of more thoughts on this game three against the Pirates. The bullpen usage. Let's get back to that . Let me, before I get to it, discuss Nolan McLean real quick. I think Nolan McCrane Nolan McLean was so impressive in this game. And the reason I say that is he really didn't have much. His command was off, and you saw it immediately in walking the first two batters, and I think it was the first out of the first eight pitches he threw, seven of them missed the strike zone. His sweeper uh lacked command. It's also like the Pirates knew it was coming. Who knows? Maybe he was tipping pitches. Maybe he wasn't.be May it just wasn't sharp. But Nolan McLean wasn't good. And yet Nolan McLean, at the end of the day, pitched five innings and allowed two r uns. I used to say that a lot about J ake, uh, a part of my love with Jake. By the way, I apologize. Hoff is eating dinner right now, and he texted me that. And I told him, just text me when you're not around. I won't call for you. And I completely blew him off. So my apologies. But a little bit later on, uh, we'll get to the I'm the man right now, in case you forg ot that. But what I always used to marvel about with Jake, and what I marvel about with any great pitcher, it's not just exclusive to him, is getting through your bad out ings and having your bad outings actually be halfway decent. Well, we witnessed in Nolan McClain's first start of the season, whether you want to blame it on the weather, whether you want to blame it on the WBC, whether you don't want to blame it on anything, and just say, hey, it wasn't s harp. It happ ens. Like, you can't always be great. But what I loved about what happened in this game is he walks the first two gu ys. Very frustrating. First two guys, he walks struggling to command his sweeper. He gets this huge strike out of Brian Reynolds, gives up a blue pit to Ryan O'Hearn to plate the Pirates' first run and then gets the next two outs. And the last out he got was he was fortunate because Spencer Horowitz hit one hard, but he happened to hit it right at Juan Soto. And as Nolan McLean is walking off the mound with a very high pitch count. Okay, it's only one run. He walked the first two batters of the game. He gave up some hard contact. His sweeper was not the electric sweeper we've seen. Only one run. And Nolan McClain proceeds to pitch a very efficient one, two, three second. He makes the mistake to Brandon Lau. It seems like everyone did. Lau hits a bomb of a home run. No excuse. It happens. He gives up his second run, puts a few guys on base, and gets another big strike out of Spencer Horwitz. And then what I thought was really important is that fourth inning was a super efficient one, two, three in ning. And then in the fifth, he continues to look great. He gives up a bloop double to Brandon Lau, very unfortunate, blooper. I don't know what the exit VLO was. It wasn't high. And strikes out the next two guys. And so Nolan McLean, on a day in which he was not sharp, he was not good, ends up with a pitching line of five innings, four hits, two runs, eight strikeouts, and two walks. If that's the worst of Nolan McLe an. Then we have every reason to be as excited as we've been this offseas on. The world moves fast. Your workday, even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data, Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work, built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps you use, helping you quickly write, analyze, create, and summarize. So you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more at Microsoft.com slash N365 Co-Pil ot. This episode is brought to you by Peloton. Step up your sweat with the Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus. Swivel your screen 360 degrees and follow your favorite instructors on and off your tread. Track your form and reps with the movement tracking camera. Feel supported as you train on the cushioned slap belt and move to the beat with sound by sonos. Elevate your workouts with the cross training tread plus. So Nolan McLean's first start, I'm impressed, and I continue to be very bullish on what he'll be able to do. What you need to do, and I need to do it, but it's really for certain members of the Rico audience is you can't think about what your Yankee fan friends are gonna tell you. You can't look at Nolan McClain's outing and say, Oh, yeah, he was tough, but man, that's gonna be compared to Cam Schlittler. Don't worry about it. I think Nolan McLean versus Cam Schlittler is going to be a fun rivalry. One start in. I say it with a laugh. One start in . Absolute edge for Nolan, uh, for Cam Schlitter. You tip your hat. But don't get bothered by that. It's like when Luke Weaver was in the game. And I'm sitting next to Al Centron. He was my met buddy over the weekend. And he's like, ah man, if uh if Luke Weaver gives this up, I know what Morash is gonna say. And I'm like, who cares? I mean, we can't live this entire season worrying about what former Yankees or what Nolan McClain's gonna do because of what someone else is gonna tell you. That was a good outing by McLean. Again, when you're not sharp and you could fight through f ive, he did a fine job. And I said this on the drive home. If you didn't, I'll repeat this. Sometimes a pitcher tells you when they're done based on the emotion of the final out they get. So actually, that may not have been the drive home. Maybe that was uh Freddie Peralta's outing. I think it was. Yeah, I think it was opening day. Freddie showed emotion and it was, he's done. He's coming out of the game. That's exactly what it was. When Nolan McLean struck out Ryan O'Hearn to get through that fifth in ning, he was enthused. He showed a lot of emotion. That was his sign he's done. So no bet no debate, no question. 84 pitches. Do you push him if this is June or July? Maybe at 84. Sure. Why not? He had to throw a lot of pressurized pitches in this game, but yeah, I think things could be different in a few months. But for this start, that's an easy pull for Carlos Mendo za. Huazgar Brazaban again, he was outstanding. He retired every batter he faced. And then we get to M ania. Because and and I should have known bet ter. Because when Sean Mania's announced as hey, he's going to be a part of a tag team, or at least that's the phrasing I use, Mendy uses piggyback. He's going to piggyback. Well, we know he's not piggybacking Freddie Peralta, because Mendy told us. We know he's not piggybacking Nolan McClain because Mendy told us, and he's probably not piggybacking David Peterson, with them both being lef ties. So he's there for Senga or Holmes . But the first three games and the first four days are not being thrown by either guy. So what do you do? You have an eight-man bullpen. Are you telling me that one of those guys is never available? And when you think about the way this game gets set up, Tobias Myers threw three innings on opening day, so still likely not available. He should be good to go on Monday, but likely not available. And then you got the decision of who's Mendy comfortable throwing on back-to-backs? Not everyone's going to throw on back-to-backs. It certainly didn't surprise me that Brooks Rayleigh wasn't available in this game because he kept him not throwing back-to-backs last year, he's still less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, or I guess a year removed from Tommy John surgery, whatever the timing is now. You kind of figured he'd be careful with him. So who do you use? And that's where Shaw Maniah goes from, yeah, our intention is to use him as the second guy, as the second member of a tag te am. But what happens when you need a reliever? So as Maniah was warming up, it's like, yeah, it makes sen se. It does. And depending on how many pitches he threw, and it wasn't a lot in this game. Could he be available for Wednesday afternoon to tag team with Kodai Sangha? My thought would be yes. I don't think he'd be available for Monday or for Tuesda y, but I think he would be available for Wednesda y. That'd be my gu ess. Now that I'm thinking about it, Seng is pitching Tuesday. So maybe it wouldn't available then in a tag team role. But you got to use your relievers. And when you think about who's not available and who is available, and Mendy did confirm after the game that Rayleigh wasn't and that Devin wasn't. I figured Devin would be available, Devin Williams, but I guess he wasn't. And the reason Mendy used is that he warmed up on opening day. So he warmed up on Thursday, off day Friday, pitched on Saturday. In his mind, that would be like pitching three times in four days, which is a lot. It also leaves you naked for Monday's game against St. Lou is. So going to Mania made sense. But Sean Maniah did not look good. Let's just be honest. And I know that he ends up getting the four outs and he doesn't give up a run. So ultimately, Mania did his job and he was able to get the huge out against Nick Gonzalez to get through the eighth inning and keep the game tied. But let's go through what Shaw Manaya did. First of all, the velocity is still not there. Uh uh City Field is showing. I guess I maybe I missed that on opening day. I'm not sure, but on the right field scoreboard, what I love, one of the great features that they have is in and at bat, they'll show you the sequence. They'll show you the velocity, the pitch, and then the amount of pitches in that at- bat, which I love, especially if an at-bat is getting long. He didn't break 90. He just did n't. He comes in, gets ahead of O'Neill Cruz, gives up hard contact base hit. Then he tries to pick him off twice and throws one wild past Brett Be atty. Then he gets Brandon Lau out, but Brandon Lau hit the ball hard. It just happened to be a Marcus Simeon. So he gets the one out that he needed, but think about what he did: hard contact base hit, throwing error, hard contact out. Stunningly gets back-to-back strikeouts to start the eighth inning and then walks two guys in a row before he gets Nick Gonzalez to ground out. It was not encouraging. He didn't fail. Obviously ultimately it's a results business and he got the results, but I can't imagine any Met fan walks away from this performance by Shaw Maniah and has any kind of confidence. I don't know how you can. So what's his usage moving forward? Depending on how quickly they think he can recover, because that's obviously the big question. I mean, I can't imagine he's pitching on a back-to-back, so he wouldn't be available for Monday, like we talked about. Tuesday with Sengo, which is where I really eyed him in the tag team. I doubt it. It's really Peralta, it's really Peralta and then Peterson and McClain, the three guys that he probably wouldn't be used in a tandem role. So Shaw Mani isah a reliever. That's the bottom line. That's the way it feels. At least this turnaround. Because I think it's certainly on the table that a week from today, Shaw Maniah is starting the Sunday game against the Giants so that Kodai Senga doesn't pitch on what is deemed regular rest. I remain skeptical of that. So I don't know what to think about Manaya. After the game, Andy was asked, when would you be concerned about velocity? He wouldn't answer it. Just talked about, well, you know, sweeper was good. He had a few swings and misses and yeah. Did not want to men tion it. I I don't know . Is he healthy? He says he is, but it's gonna be tough to rely on him with his diminished velocity. Luke Weaver made things interesting, got through the ninth, and then you got Dickey Lovelady. Look, when Dicke Lovelady is in a game, and I know he did his job on Saturday, I gave him some kudos on the drive home Rico. But when Dickie Lovelady is in a game that's tied in the tenth inning, I you can't expect good th ings. He is what he is, which is the DFA guy . He's the guy to eat innings and then get DFA'd and then come back. I expect that Dickie Lovelady is gone going into St. Louis. I had a guy behind me screamed that to me. He's like, why did they DFA'd him? I said tonight, and I wasn't saying that because of this performance, I was saying it because he's pitched him back-to-back games, which means he's not available on Monday, he may not be available on Tuesday. DFAM, get in a fresh body. Here comes Craig Kimbrell. Well, let's go. Look, he gives up the leadoff hit to Ryan O'Hearn. It obviously plates a run because of the man, Fred Mann. He gets a big double play against Triello. The problem was after you give up the hit and after you get the double play, you can't issue back-to-back walks. You can't walk Nick York on four pitches. It can't happen. It just can't. And he do es. And then he walks Nick Gonzalez. Then he gives up the base hit to Henry Davis. And now you're down by two. And it just changes everyt hing. In these extra innings, giving up a run is not the end of the world. Giving up two feels it's just different. It feels very different. And that second run cannot score. There's two outs and nobody on, Dickie. Two outs and nobody on. And you're walking a failed prospect in Nick York on four pitches. That cannot h appen. So put him out of his mis ery. Don't worry, Dickie. You'll be back in two weeks. I mean, I have the full most confidence that once you're designated for assignment, you're coming back. So I ain't saying anything too terrible. Don't sell your apartment. Don't even move. You'll be back. But get up out of here. That's that's what's going on. It's to ugh when you don't have guys available in your bullpen. It's tough when one of your better relievers, which Devin Williams is until proven otherwise, is not ava ilable. It just is. And I I thought about Luis Garcia, as shaky as he's been. I thought about maybe wouldn't he be available? I mean, I know it's three out of four days, but remember, you have that off day on Friday. Uh, but probably not. He had a very short-handed bull pen. And you have to remind yourself, it's a long season, and you have to remind yourself that the Mets are about to play seven consecutive games after this on this trip that they have com ing up. But when you add all of this to gether, it was very very, frustrat ing. But more than anything, it comes down to hitting. It comes down to the big hit. And this team was unable to do that, led by Bo Bachet. So let's get this out of the way. We don't need to rip the band-aid off anymore. Every series, even if they sweep, even if they get swept, we are committed to announcing a net negative of the series that was. We are committed to announcing a Rico on the man right now, star of the series. No matter what. I remember last year they got swept by the pirates. They got annihilated. We had to come up with a Rico on the man right now, star of the series. So if you're new around here, this may piss you off as the season goes on. You may not like the fact that we're picking a net negative off of a three-game sweep if they have one later this season or a star of the ser ies af ter the team gets swe pt. But let's rip the band-aid off on Bulbashep. But before we do, let's just remind you: the Mets won the series, and because they won the series, we should celebrate. Give me one second. Hold on. There we go. Let us celebrate. Because one of our great sponsors is back. Celebrate your highlights with Mio Sparkling S ake. A true crowd pleaser. Light, bubbly, and easy to enjoy. Whether you're at City Field or your favorite spot, ask for Mio Sparkling Sake by name. It is a new tradition served chilled, imported from Japan. It is the official sak e of Rico Brunia. True story. Enjoy responsi bly. So we can celebrate. that I mean, the Mets won the series. We do need to remind ourselves of that. I should display this better. Maybe I display it like right here, next to my Rico and Balls, for those that watch the podcast on YouTube. For those that consume this on Spotify or the Odyssey app, wherever you download your podcast, I've got a beautiful background. Uh, Rico spelt out in baseball s. That is true. And one of these days, maybe a Rico off day. I'll go through the baseballs because they are autographed. So I'll tell you a story about each one. But the net negative of this series is clearly Bo Bach et. Bo had a very difficult time in this series. The defense was scrutinized early. He didn't have an issue on Sunday, but that's because no ball was really hit to him. No, I'm just kidding. He made the 5-4 fielder's choice to end the ninth inning against Brian Reynolds. So he did do that. But no, for the most part, he wasn't really tested in Sunday's game. So the defense was early. The defense was on Friday, on Thursday on opening day. Obviously, he committed an error on Saturday that did not cost them. He's had a few throws to Jorge Polanco that were wide in the first two games of this series. LinkedIn is pretty amazing at helping you grow your small business. We cannot make your email response time faster. We can help you sell, market, and hire in one place. We cannot help you find space for your three desk drinks. Why do you have three? And while we can't help you find the perfect volume for your presentation video, LinkedIn can help you find the perfect audience for your business. Grow your small business on LinkedIn. Learn more at LinkedIn.com/slash small business. Protein is now at Starbucks, and it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks . When you want your spring break to feel like and your kids' pool day to feel like and your hotel bed to feel like Ooh, and room service to feel like because at Hilton, hospitality feels like your cabana's ready. Would you like fresh towels? It matters where you stay . Book now at Hilton.com. Hilton for this day . But it comes down to the offense. In the finale of this series, he went over five with three strikeout s. He came up with a runner-on sa ck And one out in the fifth and he grounded out. He came up with runners on second and third, two outs in the seventh, and he struck out, and then obviously made the second out of the bottom of the tenth inning with the tying run on second and one out. So clutch, which is an appealing part of Bob achette. That didn't h appen. He was atrocious. So let's do the math here. Over five with three strikeout s. One four five with two strikeout s. So I think we're up to five strikeouts at this point. And then on opening day, he went 0 for 4 with three more strikeouts, including that 13 pitch at bat that we marveled at. We loved it. So that would be eight strikeouts in the first three games of this series. I mean, it's it's an open and shut case. I know you could name other candidates. Uh up until Sunday, you could have said Lindor, but I thought Lindor bounced back on his first two hits of the se ason. I guess you could have said Luis Garcia for as shaky as he's looked out of the bullpen. You could kind of say Dickie Lovelady for the finale of this series, but not Saturday. Those are the other candidates. Jorge Polanco didn't do much offensively, but it's open and shut. The net negative for the inaugural series of the 2026 season is Boba Shep. The Rico I'm the man right now, star of the ser ies. I'll tell you that one is easy. That that's as easy as the Beaubouchette one. Usually these are complicated. These are debatable. I would wait for Pete Hoffman to be done with dinner so that I could just make sure we have this right, but there's no need to do that. Bull Bachette is the net negative. And the Rico, I'm the man right now, star of the series is clearly Luis Robert Jr . I have heard he does not like to be called Lubob. That is something he personally does not like, so I am not gonna go with Lou Bob. You know what I'm gonna go with? LR J. LRJ. We called Obel Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ. We called Lyndon Baines Johnson underrated, by the way. LB J. So why not? LR J? What's wrong with that? But Luis Robert Jr. was really, really good in this series. Obviously, hits the walk-off home run in game two on Saturday, even in this game, on base three more times. I guess the only negative was the caught stealing, but I like the aggressiveness. The Mets were very aggressive on the base paths in this series. We saw that uh to the chagrin at the end of Lindor being thrown out at the plate, but we saw a lot of first to thirds, even Lindor's triple, and even this stolen base attempt by Luis Robert J r. But he was great, man. He played a really good center field, which was not easy, as we saw with the struggles that O'Neill Cruz had. But he went two for three on Sunday on base three tim es. He went two for four, game-winning home run and a walk on base two more times. And then in the opener, he went two for four with another walk. So th ree plus two, five, plus three. On base eight times in this three-game series. He was gre at. There are some other honorable mentions that you can certainly point out. Luke Weaver appeared in a couple of games and pitched two scoreless. Uh, Juan Soto ended up hitting quite a bit, including the RBI double that came close, I guess, to tying the game. But I shouldn't say that, because I didn't want to send him. He came close to setting up a great inning in the bottom of the tenth inning. So I think Soto deserves a little bit of love. I thought Brett Beatty was okay. Had a bunch of hits. I thought played a good first base. But those are just all honorable men tions. The winner is Luis Robert J r. So it's interesting. First series of the year, get to know you, get to know the new players. And we've got a new player on the good side, and we got a new player on the negative side. I did see that Bo Bach et was asked about getting boo ed. And here's his quote. If anything, I thought it took too long. I get it. I thought my at bats were terrible to o. I commend you, Bo. I commend you, Bo, and I'm not surprised. Uh if I had a chance to guess, hey, how is Bo Bashek and a respond to the questions about being booed? I would be confident he'd give a good answer. Maybe it's because he's the son of a major leaguer that that hel ps. But that's part of this business is a part of playing in New York is when you're new here, it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter if you're Bobachet, you're on Carlos Stanton, Juan Soto, Carlos Beltron, Roger Clemens. It does not matter. You're gonna get booed if you don't perform . It normally isn't this quick, three games into a seas on, but you got to handle the question right. Some guys have, some guys haven't. Lindor struggled in his first year here, did not handle it well. The thumbs down thing was dumb and it didn't work. Kevin McReynolds didn't handle it well. Bobby Bonilla didn't handle it well. But what you gotta say is exactly what Bobachette said, which is, dude, I suck. I'd boo myself. Giancarlo Stanton on the other side of town, I think has been kind of a a guy to look up to when it comes to how to handle being booed. I think Juan Soto handled it well last year as well. Don't fight with the fans. Don't say they're stupid. Don't say it's early. Own it . And Bo Bachette has to own it. This was a terrible ser ies. If you're asking me, but Evan, it's three games. He gets four hits on Monday. His batting average is great. Don't you think it's nuts to boo a guy through three games? Yes, I think it's nuts. I didn't boo Bobachette. I was at all three games this weekend. But I also understand . I understand for three reasons, because I'll answer this for someone who would ponder, maybe it's a non-Met fan checking in on the Rico, a non-New Yorker. How do they boo? Like, why would they boo a guy this quick? And I think the answer, uh, there's more than one answer. Let's start with I f he comes here making a crap ton of money. Let's start with the money. Wanna go wanna start there? We'll start there. I mean, he's making an absurd amount of money. Fans know that they have high expectations. You get booed. Number two, his defense is under a microscope. I think that microscope is way too close right now. We are three days into a baseball se ason. I got emails. I'll read them asking when are we DHing him ? When are we taking him off th ird? It's way too early to do that. We can criticize his defense. I'm going to, but do not construe that with me saying get him off third base. We are three games into a baseball season. But I believe that that microscope on his defense plays a role in this. Number th ree, this matters. I remember Sean Morash said this to me about Stanton . So when Giancarlo Stanton was booed, uh well, the first time he was booed was opening day. Not the third game, opening day. Now it was after a road trip, but he performed on the road trip. I think he had a few home runs in Toronto in that opening series. He comes to Yankee Stadium. He has a terrible day. But what Sean Morras told me, and this is so true, I give him credit because he's right. Not defending, just explain ing. He said it was cold, it was rainy, we had been in the ballpark for three hours, half the crowd was drunk, we were frustrat ed. Well, I was in the ballpark for these two games. Now, granted, they're not four hour games, but in this day and age, three hours is long. They were two, three hour games. It was cold outside. People get liquored up and they get frustrated . That that's a factor in this. With that said, if if anyone wants me to use the bully pulpit to say don't boo, uh don't boo. Or I'll phrase it this way. I don't boo. I'm just one gu y. I am cold. I dropped a lot of money for tickets. I ain't boo ing. But if you want to boo, fine, whatever. I think it's good that the Mets are going on the road for seven g ames. Because now Bo Basheck can relax. He doesn't have to think about the booze. Just go per form. I think also who you're replacing matters in this too. Uh you may not look at it this way. I've always looked at it this way during this offseason. Bob Shed is the one replacing the big bat that they lost to Baltimore. It ain't Jorge Polanco. It's Bo Bach ette. So that's my answer. It's five reasons, I think. I think I ended up getting the five reasons on why he's hearing the booze. But he is. And luckily the Mets are about to begin a seven-game road trip where he can relax and hopefully perform. And then when he comes back a week from Tuesday, so 10 days from now, Bobachette will get cheered. But it's a good answer to say what took him so long. I like that answer. I actually actually like that answer. What took him so long? I would have booed myself on opening day. These suckers waited till Saturday and they really didn't get into it until Sunday. What's wrong with them? But they need them to be better. Cause it it isn't just the one for twelve or whatever it turned out to be. I think a lot of it's the strikeouts and the quality of the at-b at. I think that's a big part of it too. And let me read some of your emails, Derico B at gmail.com. Matthew writes, Maniah on Sunday. Hey, Evan, the way they use Maniah today is not a piggyback, and he used him on a Nolan McLean day. Very odd. Why not put him in the game to start the sixth clean and they get four innings to finish the game? That would have been a piggyback. I thought about that, Matt. I did. When McLean was struggling early and his pitch count was getting up there, I had mention ed uh to who I was with, I had mentioned this could be a perfect, we didn't plan it, piggyback day. You're right. And that doesn't make Carlos Mendoza a liar when he said he wouldn't with McLean. Circumstances change. But I think that's a really good point that you make for a few reasons. And I'll I'll add to what you said, M att. If you go to Mania in the sixth inning and say, dude, eat me three or four innings. And the game continues, right? You've got Huascar Brazeban, who is one of your better relievers, available for the high leverage spot late in the game, as opposed to getting outs in the sixth and sevent h. So I think that's an excellent point. I think that is a fair critique of the Minaya us age. I would agree with you on that. Leo writes, uh, Evan, once again, I'm impressed as much as all Rico listeners are that Mendy listened to the drive home last night and inserted Brett Beatty at first base. Yeah, that's me. You're welcome. In reality, it's clear that David Stern's approach was to improve the defense up the middle. He clearly believes the defense at the corners matters less than getting a solid bat at the position. Play a butcher like Bachette over a gold glove level third baseman in Beatty is criminal. I don't want to hear it's only been two or three games. No, it hasn't. Both players were signed three months ago. What were they doing the whole time? Didn't you read Moneyball? Remember when Billy Bean and the A's signed catcher Scott Hatterberg to play first base. He dragged his wife and infant child out to the tennis court to simulate playing the position. Either way, both Bachette and Polanco were in Florida for six weeks plus of spring training. This is not just two or three games, but much longer. Neither Bachet nor Polanco look they ha look like they have a clue out there. What were they doing the last three months and especially during the part they spent in Port St. Lu cie? The you know that's not fair. I mean, they were work ing, but I think game action matters. Major league game action matters. That's what we mean. Certainly what I mean when I say it's only been two or three games. Anyway, here's a thought. If the team is determined to let those two guys make fools of themselves in the field while DH'ing Beatty, can't we at least switch them around? To me, Polanco is a better fit at third base and Bachet at first. Polanco can throw the ball, Bachet can't. We We all knew in advance that Beshet can't throw, but he's looked even worse than we all expected. Why not let him play first base? Too short, and perhaps Polanco won't look like a fish out of water if he moves to third. Because he looks utterly lost at first base, reminiscent of Howard Johnson or Keith Miller in center or Todd Hunley in left. Lee I think you're being very extre me. Very, very extreme. I mean I don't feel that way about Polanco. I think he's awkward at first base. I'll give you that, but I don't think you need extreme makeovers three games into the season. Matthew writes so much for this revamp bullpen. We We've succumbed to using Love Lady in back-to-back games, high-leverage spots. It's just like waving the white fl ag. Well, it's like managing a bullpen. They use so many guys on Saturday, and clearly Mendy was going to be picky about who he was going to allow to go in the back-to-backs. Andrew Right having the limp D offense is back, stranding runners in scoring position and fouling back, fastballs down the middle. Ah, the memories. The funny thing is, Sunday's game shows the lineup is truly missing a thumper that should be batting fourth. The player whose name we can't say sure would have been great batting behind Soto and Bach ette. Knew this was coming. Limp D can also be connected to the defense, too. Polanco and Bichette sure leave a lot to be desired at their respective positions. Bachet throwing frisbees to first, and Polanko has a midget in his glove. I don't even know what that means. Reminds me of my eighth grade baseball team, quite the LD Da y. I don't understand that last part, but I get you. The LD offense was in full effect over the last two days. Aaron writes: Pirates pitch their best relievers in a close game. We bring in Dickie Lovelady, a DFA candidate. God forbid Devin Williams pitches in back-to-back games. Yeah, if I'm not mistaken, Dennis Santana, the former Met pitched in every game in this ser ies. Let me confirm that. So he pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday. He pitched a scoreless inning in the ninth inning on Saturday. And then yes, on opening day, he pitched a scoreless eight h. I can't argue with that, bro. I mean, you're right. You're right. The Pirates, and maybe it's the desperation of losing the first two games of the series, maybe. Uh, because the argument to not use Devin Williams was that Devin warmed up on opening day. So it would be like pitching him three times in four days. Well, Dennis Santana pitched three times in four days . Sam writes, help me out, Evan. Why is a guy who's been waived 17 times in the last year pitching the tenth inning of a tie game? Are we really out of pitchers? Where's Devin? Where's Rayleigh? What's going on? Neither was available. I think the best point that's been made so far, not my own, the emailer's point, was they should have gone to Mania ear lier. Look, we don't know who's available or not. Mendy's not announcing that before the game. But knowing what we know now, Maniah early. And then you've got Barazaban and Weaver later in the game. So you go to Mania for the sixth, seventh, eighth, dare I say, depending on the way he's throwing, depending on what the score is. Obviously, he can give up a bunch of runs, Mets lose. And then you've got Weaver and Brazabon even later in this game. It's it's definitely a fair point. Definitely a fair point. Brett writes, I got a stupid question . But if you're pinch hitting Jared Young for Luis Terence, meaning that you're gonna have to bring Alvarez in, doesn't it make sense to just hit Alvy? If platooned advantage was that important, Jared Young would have started. So I'm so glad you brought this up. Let's get in the weeds. It's what we do on the Rico. Let's really get weedy right now on that Jared Young at bat. So let's set the situation up. It is the bottom of the ninth inning. The Mets are in a tie game. They got the bottom of the order up. Simeon, Benj, and Luis Terence. Simeon flies out, Benj lines out, and so now you got Terence. I wanted to hit Luis Terence, and I will explain why. There were two outs and nobody on. So if you're pinch hitting for him, you're trying to hit a home run. I mean, sure. Could you have a two-out rally? Could you get a walk and Lindor drives him in on a basis uh on a double up the alley? Absolutely. But you're likely thinking of the long b all. I'm thinking of the 10th inning. I'm thinking of the fact that the odds are very likely that you're not scoring as much as you want to. So you leave Terence in the game. Maybe he gets a hit. Terenz is actually not a bad hitter . If Terence doesn't get a hit, and he does exactly what Jared Young did, which is strike out. You have better defense in the tenth inning because Luis Torrenz is still catching. Also, big picture, right? We're thinking big picture. Well, you're about to play a bunch more games in a row. You keep Alvarez from having to catch on a Sunday afternoon before you guys fly out to St. Louis. But the real reason I wanted Terenz hitting is so that in the 10th inning, Terenz is the ghost run ner. You can pinch run for him with Tyrone Ta ylor. If you pinch it for him the way Mendy did and use Jared Young or even Francisco Alvarez, that's the ghost runner in the 10th inning . Francisco Alvarez, who's not as fast as Tyrone Taylor. Remember, Tyrone Taylor pitched ran for him in Saturday's game. So the reason you hit Terence is two benefits. Number one, better defense in the 10th inning, and number two, better speed in the bottom of the 10th inning. These are things that didn't end up mattering because Francisco Alvarez was the ghost runner and scored very easily on Juan Soto's RBI double. So the speed didn't matter. They were also down by two runs instead of one run. But that's what I would have done different ly. Our emailer's critique is hey, I think Alvarez just has a better shot than Jared Young, and I happen to agree with you. I think that's overthinking the righty lefty situ ation. That's what I think you're doing there. So I think it's a really good point that maybe that should have been handled differently. Also, is Jared Young lasting on this team? I mean, he is here until Tommy Fenn is ready. That's what it comes down to. Alex wanted to opine on the Jared Young situation. Alex writes, has Jared Young ever had a single good at bat as a Met? He shouldn't pinch hitting for anyone on this team, let alone on this roster. He's got to have some blackmail on Mendy, as that's the only rationalization for this guy being on the team for the past two years. It's been absolute hell watching Mendy trot this guy out there in a big spot. One other thought as Alex was besmirching the name of Jared Young, rightfully so. How about Vientos? Vientos got his first app out of the season on Saturday and ripped a base hit. And he's got pop. So forget Jared Young, even forget Alvarez, who has to come in the game. If you really are going for the long ball . Why not Mark Vient os? Danny opines on this situation. Make it make sense, Evan. Not only did they use a guy who shouldn't even be on the roster in Jared Young, but once you do that, how do you not double switch Alvarez into Benja's spot so Young could be the Manfred runner on second to start the tenth? Ah , that's cre ative. I didn't think of that one, Dan ny. Now it didn't matter because Dickie Lovelady was Dickie Lovelady, and the guy on second means nothing when you need two runs, but it's just really poor managing from Carlos Mendoza. Now Dickie Lovelady, WTF, anybody but him. That's a good one. I didn't think about that one. So that's another option that Danny brings up that you could have double switch. So basically, Jared Young pitch hits, stays in the game to play right field, and Alvarez moves up one spot in the order to the eighth spot, which allows Young to be the pinch runner or Tyrone Ta ylor. Think about that. You could have used Young as the pinch hitter. And then Taylor comes in, Alvarez comes in, both for the 10th inning, and they switch spots in the order. So that's another option. It's another option. Mark Rice, do you think Love Lady is going to get the first DFA of the season after being used two consecutive days? Yes, I do. That is my official prediction. My official prediction is that we will get the news. Maybe it's happening right now during the RICO that Dicky's going to be DFA'd. And if they they like what're seeing from Craig, Craig Kimbrell, he could be the guy. Brian from PA writes: first frustrated email of the year, three games in. Everyone talks about Richardson leaving. Nobody talks. Anton Richardson. No one talks about the loss of Joey Cora as third base coach following Bucks firing. We have had shaky at best third base coaching since his departure. They deserve to lose this game, piss poor offense, Bachet Pressing clearly, but you can't expect to win if one for three K six times in the first two times through the order. Yeah, I think what he's trying to write there is that the first two times through the order, Lindor, Soto, and Bach et went 0 for 6 with 6 strikeouts, which is nuts. Roller Coaster 2026 is already in full effect. First Richard Love Lady has been DF8 alert incoming as well. Happy baseball se ason. Yes, I agree with you. I think the DFA is coming very soon. Oh I can do these emails all day. We could we could go an hour. There's Pete Hoffman. You have thoughts? Yeah. I the perfect timing. Richard Lovelady. Uh yeah, I agree. Like it that last outing, that that's kind of like the end of him for now. But he'll be back. Don't worry about it. But he's gonna get the DFA'd, no doubt about it. Um I don't know. Uh I missed a huge portion. I apologize. Um but is this weekend did they did this prove anything at all for what this team really is? Do we know what this team is yet? No, we're three games into the season. I just wanted to make sure because everyone told me that after the first game, this is who we are . No, I be that that is the foolishness of all of us. I think it's the foolishness of being excited about a baseball season that you know Friday, uh Thursday and Saturday was oh, look how different everything is. And this game was much of the same. I mean, lack of clutch hitting, striking out a lot, the pitching, walking a ton of guys, Dickie Love Lady being on the mound, bad base running. Like it's it is baseball. And here's the reality: as much as I am so pumped up to watch baseball on TV, because I went to all three games. So I have not yet had the opportunity to sit back and listen to Gary, Keith, and Ron put, the feet up and watch some baseball like we'll do for the Cardinal and Giants series. We're not going to know who this team is for a wh ile. We are early in the season. And so you want to grab as many victories as you can. You want to pocket them as much as you can. But it's early, man. It is very, very, very early in a long ass season, as Aaron Boone once said. So buckle up. Have you uh discussed any of the ABS stuff at all or no ? No, I haven't. What do you want to add about the ABS? How great it is or how well no, I feel like 'cause it's funny, um, Garrett, speaking of Gary, Keith, and Ron, like there's been a few times where they've been like adamant, why did they not challenge that? Why have they not? You know, you can't take them with you, type of thing. And it's it's funny because I've seen games now where there's umpires, there was a the Cleveland Guardian, Seattle Mators the game where the umpire went four for four, he nailed everything. And then you see the other ones with like CeeDee Buckner, where it's like six in a row. The dude back to back Eugenio Suarez. So it's like a hit or I don't know if it's hit or miss, but it it is got to be timely. Like if you're in a crunch time spot, there's no reason not to challenge. Yeah, so here's what I've gained from ABS over three games. I'm not even gonna tell you if I like it or not, because it doesn't matter. Like, who cares if we like it? It is what it is. I've made my opinion clear that I would prefer everything just be controlled by the computers instead of picking spots. I think the first challenge, whether you're the catcher, and we had one success, I there was a few in this game. I'm trying to remember the they were mostly successful challenges. I think one was Teren's on a pitch that was a strike that was called a ball that benefited Nolan McLean. I think that first challenge, whether you're the catcher or you're a position player, you could be aggressive with. You know, it's early in the game and you think it's a BS call, go for it. If you get it right, fantastic. Like no harm, no foul. I think once you're down to one, that's when you gotta be really picky. That's my new observation. Three games in that I am good with like aggressive but smart. Hey, I think they messed up this call. Yes, it's early in the game, but you never know. It can change things. What you can't have happen is be naked in the eighth or ninth inning. Like you can't lose your challenges in the first six or seven innings, but you have two. So if you are aggressive in the second inning and you're wrong, okay, you got to be really conservative. So I would almost change the approach once I get one wrong. As long as I get it right, I'm going for it. But I agree with that sentiment. I think uh I'll get a better idea being uh watching the games on TV. Uh, but it does feel like there's a few on the table. And I think it's players getting used to the aggressiveness of when to be aggressive. Can they be aggressive? But just as a fan, my new thought is be aggressive until you have one left. Go for it. And when there's one left, then yes, you got to smarten up. And I do like the fact that they are really every team right now has their, you know, vision of how who who can use the ABS. Like there's some teams where it's only the catcher, you know, only the catcher maybe and the hitters. But if the pitcher can't do it, because think about that philosophy. If the pitcher's doing it, he's gonna call every pitch and go like this. You know, no, I I think I think teams are right for that. So far, I we've barely seen a pitcher do it. It's catchers. And Alvarez and Torrenz, I think, are off to decent starts on it. But again, need a bigger sample. So do you do you know who the first pitcher that I saw do it ? Former Matt. The first pitcher that I saw do it today. Former Met Ryan Hellesley. Oh Ryan Hellesley did it. And he got it right. And then Shelton came out and argued that he thought he did it too late. So he got tossed out of the game. Wow. See, everyone was like, Are we gonna have arguments though? Yes, of course. Yeah, yeah. Uh, if you were just tuning into the Rico, or in Hoff's case, you were eating dinner. We have officially announced the inaugural net negative and Rico, I'm the man, right now, star of the series. I think they were both very obvious. Bo play that one more time. There you go. That is of course the great Jordanny Valdespin. Uh Bobichette is the negative. Jorge Jorge Polanco. Luis Robert Jr. is the star of the series. But we have an accusation, and I want to address it. And we've got an archivist in Dan. He was once called Negative Dan. I now call him Blow Up the Core Dan. I really just call him the archivist Dan because he finds old stuff from Evan and Tiki and certainly the Rico, and he can confirm if this is true or not. But Jordan writ es, Evan, I am begging you to cancel the net negative award. The Mets were the best team in baseball for two months last season when you were only awarding the Rico Star of the Game, I'm the Man Right Now award. Once you started doing the net negative, the season took a turn. I don't know the exact date, but go back to the archives. The net negative is curs ed. So we challenge the official archivist of the Rico Bronya and Evan and Tiki Dan to tell us the exact date we started the net negative. So we can see is Jordan's accusations true that that is what cursed the New York Mets in 2025. I don't think so because you want to know why. I remember having a net negative um in the Arizona series at home. I think it was earlier. I think because he is right we didn't do it right away. It was an award that we picked up kind of early in the season. I think it was like early May. So I think it was well before the season took its downturn on June 13th. But on the next Rico Brunia, we will confirm it. Now, what's coming up for the New York Mets is a seven-game road trip. I've mapped out the rotations. So let's take a look at what we have in front of us and who should play and who shouldn't play. Because I got some opinions on that. It is going to be Kyle Leahy against Clay Holmes. Remember Kyle Leahy, Hoff? Do you remember him? Uh we just saw him in spring training, didn't we that was the he was the reliever that they were stretching out, right? Look at you all over it. Yeah. Let's go. When we did the live Rico from Jupiter, Florida, before that was a game between the Mets and the Cardinals, and Kyle Leahy started for St. Louis and looked pretty good. Yeah, he is a reliever converting into the rotation. So it's his first start of the year. He's a right-hander. Kodai Senga is going to make the Tuesday night start against Andre Palant. And then the wrapper-upper of this series is Freddie Peralta against Matthew Libertor, a left hander. So they will finally see a left-handed starting pitcher in the finale of the series, and then they're going to get another lefty because Robbie Ray is scheduled to start the opener of the Giants series. So I think we'll see Mark Vientos. I think we should. I was a little disappointed we didn't see Vientos in this game. I thought coming off a base set, which is something, I know it's one. It's his only at bat. I thought, you know what? Reward him with a start. And I thought the guy to sit was Jorge Polanco, since he's a guy that you're going to try to keep fresh all season long. So that's just what I would have done. Now, going into this three-game series, you could still do that with Polanco and get a few games for Vientos where because potentially, if you sit Polanco Monday or Tuesday and you DH Vientos with Beatty at first base, you could get three out of four games for Vientos, which I think is good for him. I think it's something that he could use, the consistent at bats. But it's scheduled to be in the Giants series: Robbie Ray, Molly, Roop, and then Logan Webb in the Sunday game against Kodai Senga. I am skeptical Senga's gonna make that start. I think Mina I think Minai is gonna make that start. I wasn't making an injury joke. I just the more I think about it, I'm not sure if they're actually gonna have Kodai pitch on regular rest. You have an off day the next day. It's so easy to get Mania his first start and then just buy Senga extra rest. So just a prediction I have. But on this seven game trip, I'd like to win four out of seven. I think that's a reasonable go al. Uh, you do that, you come home and all of a sudden you're uh six and four. And you feel decent ten games into the season. How did you feel about Maniah today? I mean, I don't think he looked very strong. I mean, he was okay. He was my problem with you eating dinner. All right. That's fine. I respect it. Now you're coming back and you're asking me questions that I answered. I know. Sorry. I'm gonna go re-listen to the episode that that that's what's what hoff's gonna do he's gonna go back and re-listen and if you're just tuning in live on YouTube rewind it or download our podcast wherever you download podcast because we have covered it all. Now, I've said this to Hoff. Many people thought I was joking. My family's out of town. So as long as Pete Hoffman doesn't fall asleep, I plan on doing Rico's after the Monday game, after the Tuesday game, and of course, our series recap at some point on Wednesday afternoon. I also plan on doing a Rico after the late night Thursday game, after the late night Friday game, the Saturday game maybe will be our first break because that's when my family comes back. So I would just tell everybody, expect Rico's every day, as long as Hoff doesn't fall asleep. I'll be up. Um, and it's good because uh my kids are off this week so we're they're not going away but they're off so I don't have to wake up early like bang it's beautiful it works out for everybody, especially for an audience. That's right. Party time USA. Any other thoughts and we appreciate all the emails. It's uh it reminded me that during the season we get so many uh kind of reacting to a game.