What is your level of concern in those short series with the offense?

Well, I think it depends on who you're playing.

If it's a team like the Padres, and look, you get to that point of the year, everybody's good.

I don't want to discount anybody, but the Padres are a team who can shorten a game maybe as well as anybody.

Those are all their relievers are throwing 98, 99, 100, and they can open up that bullpen, come to sixth inning, and it's really tough after that.

I hate the idea that this could be a team... that if Matt Olsen isn't driving in runs, then they're not scoring runs.

And there are statistics that would back that up.

Ben, how much of a believer are you that the last couple of weekends would potentially have a carryover effect if these two teams met in a three-game series between the Braves and the Phillies?

You can correct me how long back it goes, but where this team has played playoff-feeling games, it seems to me, from the outside.

Yeah, it's been a big turnaround this week.

The last road trip was pretty bad, and the team's been a little bit over 500 on the road.

At home, they've been significantly better.

It's funny how things work in this game.

We were just chatting with Walt Weiss about it.

where if you don't like how things are going in this game, wait a week, wait a few days, and things can change.

The old standard, who's hot? Who's swinging the bat well right now for the Braves?

You can correct me how long back it goes, but where this team has played playoff-feeling games, it seems to me, from the outside.

Yeah, it's been a big turnaround this week.

The last road trip was pretty bad, and the team's been a little bit over 500 on the road.

At home, they've been significantly better.

It's funny how things work in this game.

We were just chatting with Walt Weiss about it.

where if you don't like how things are going in this game, wait a week, wait a few days, and things can change.

The old standard, who's hot? Who's swinging the bat well right now for the Braves?

Um, give me your opinion and talk to a Braves fan who says, "Why didn't we get any of these starting pitchers who," you know, Dustin May, who changed teams?

Sure.

Uh, uh, to me, th- there are needs that you had before the season started, and there are needs that you have right now.

I thought that the team, and I said this ever since March the 1st, I thought the team was thin in the rotation as far back as March 1st.

Um, and what I meant by that was you never know who's going to be injured, and sure enough, the Bur- the Braves lost four pitchers during spring training.

Injuries are going to happen.

Innings have to be pitched, and you need depth in your rotation to get to 162 games.

Um, that kid is a line drive machine.

Um, give me your opinion and talk to a Braves fan who says, "Why didn't we get any of these starting pitchers who," you know, Dustin May, who changed teams?

Sure.

Uh, uh, to me, th- there are needs that you had before the season started, and there are needs that you have right now.

I, I thought that the team, and I said this ever since March the 1st, I thought the team was thin in the rotation as far back as March 1st.

Um, and what I meant by that was, you never know who's going to be injured, and sure enough, the B- the Braves lost four pitchers during spring training.

Injuries are going to happen.

Innings have to be pitched, and you need depth in your rotation to get through 162 games.

Um, that kid is a line drive machine.

Um, give me your opinion and talk to a Braves fan who says, "Why didn't we get any of these starting pitchers who," you know, Dustin May, "who changed teams?"

Sure.

Uh, uh, to me, th- there are needs that you had before the season started, and there are needs that you have right now.

I thought that the team, and I said this ever since March the 1st, I thought the team was thin in the rotation as far back as March 1st.

Um, and what I meant by that was you never know who's going to be injured, and sure enough, the B- the Braves lost four pitchers during spring training.

Injuries are going to happen.

Innings have to be pitched, and you need depth in your rotation to get through 162 games.

Um, that kid is a line drive machine.

Um, give me your opinion and talk to a Braves fan who says, "Why didn't we get any of these starting pitchers who," you know, Dustin May, "who changed teams?"

Sure.

Uh, uh, to me, th- there are needs that you had before the season started, and there are needs that you have right now.

I thought that the team, and I said this ever since March the 1st, I thought the team was thin in the rotation as far back as March 1st.

Um, and what I meant by that was you never know who's going to be injured, and sure enough, the B- the Braves lost four pitchers during spring training.

Injuries are going to happen.

Innings have to be pitched, and you need depth in your rotation to get through 162 games.

Um, that kid is a line drive machine.

And this sounds silly to help Alex win executive of the year.

It's actually true, man.

It really is.

When you get guys like this, we've been able to see these guys over the last few seasons.

We've seen Dom for a long time.

All you're seeing is who they are that day and looking at the numbers on your baseball reference page, that kind of thing.

Until you get a guy in the clubhouse, until you're around a guy, it's hard to really know what he is.

Tell me what you say.

Those two right there might be enough, and this sounds silly, to help Alex win Executive of the Year.

It's actually true, man.

It really is.

When you get guys like this, we've been able to see these guys over the last few seasons.

We've seen Dom for a long time.

All you're seeing is who they are that day and looking at the numbers on your baseball reference page, that kind of thing.

Until you get a guy in the clubhouse, until you're around a guy, it's hard to really know what he is.

Tell me what you say.

And this sounds silly to help Alex win executive of the year.

It's actually true, man.

It really is.

When you get guys like this, we've been able to see these guys over the last few seasons.

We've seen Dom for a long time.

All you're seeing is who they are that day and looking at the numbers on your baseball reference page, that kind of thing.

Until you get a guy in the clubhouse, until you're around a guy, it's hard to really know what he is.

Tell me what you say.

Those two right there might be enough, and this sounds silly, to help Alex win Executive of the Year.

It's actually true, man.

It really is.

When you get guys like this, we've been able to see these guys over the last few seasons.

We've seen Dom for a long time.

All you're seeing is who they are that day and looking at the numbers on your baseball reference page, that kind of thing.

Until you get a guy in the clubhouse, until you're around a guy, it's hard to really know what he is.

Tell me what you say.

Mm-hmm.

And that, and that's going through the minor leagues.

Um, and I tell young broadcasters that all the time.

They, I get asked all, from, from 13, 14-year-olds to guys in their mid-20s, "How did you do it?" Well, to me, it's, it's the minor leagues.

The minor leagues, for me, same as a player, same as an umpire, same as anybody else, it's there to build your resume to get ready for this.

Mm-hmm

... and, uh, critiques music, and he, uh, he, a lot of times he'll let me in on, "Hey, you need to check this guy out," or this new album, that kind of thing.

And, and live music.

[laughs]

They'd pull the wing off one and, you know.

So you're just, you're all part of the community.

It's tight.

Everybody's doing their briefs together in the ready rooms together, so you know all these guys.

And, uh-Yeah, that, that sucked.

You know? That just sucked, you know, thinking about the letter home, the, you know, somebody's not getting their dad back, you know? Like, that really, really fucking sucked.

Mm

How much are some of those individual guys making when you see them around the team?

I'll start with pitching, to be quite honest.

And this is hard, too, right? Because anytime you're talking about a new staff, I don't want it to sound like we're pointing fingers and blame at a previous staff.

I mean, those guys won a World Series championship.

I think there are some groups that respond better to certain coaches.

And I'll start with what we've seen on the mound.

I mean, it's been amazing the differences that we've seen with some of these pitchers.

They have some stuff to figure out before the deadline of how they're going to make this work from three, four, and five in the rotation.