Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners winning 'war of attrition' | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports

berducci MLB Network FOX sports analyst and uh he'll be on the call with Bob cus Braves in the Phillies on MLB Network that'll be coming up tonight how about that uh are are the white socks supposed to list the official attendance on their Box Score Tom of course they are I do think they get a pass in this case the uh it was a double header I think they picked up a suspended game okay so that may have been the explanation but uh it shouldn't have taken long to count whoever was there all right what's tougher that three years ago I think the white socks had what 93 wins and now they're going to be they're on a historical Pace to the Royals with 106 losses last year to now threatening to be in first place in their division yeah I'm going with the Royals Dan I mean this is amazing 106 losses 50 games under 500 and uh yeah they could win the division they're only three games behind New York for the best record and the number one SE in the American League that's crazy right yeah so did we think they were going to be this good no way and I I doubt even the Royals would tell you that did they think they'd be better of course it's hard to be worse but nobody saw this team coming to this extent but how do you like we don't see a dramatic turnaround like this hasn't happened since the early 1900s I think with a turnaround like this it how do you unless they really really really underachieved and then they're overachieving this year but how do you explain a team losing 100 six games to then like there's hope for the white sock next year then I guess yeah well you know it's kind of the worst nightmare for those teams that like to tank that just write off three four five years and say we're not ready to win so we're not going to spend money they lost 106 and they went out and spent 100 million dollars you know they went and signed veteran pitchers like Seth Lugo and Michael Waka and outfielder Hunter Renfro and they're like you know what we think we have a pretty good young core we don't have enough so let's add some High character guys especially Dan get pitchers who are giving them Innings has been huge for them you've got Seattle and Kansas City they're the only two teams in baseball that I say are winning the war of attrition because that's what pitching is right they have four starting pitchers who are qualified for ER that means they have enough Innings right basically they've made every start the same Four Guys throughout the season that's a huge help and the other thing is you know they don't strike out Dan you look at this team they're the best team in baseball with runners in scoring position it's not an accident because they just put the ball play and we've gone through so many years recently with let's hit home runs we don't care if we strike out this a team that does put a premium on putting the ball in play but I don't know why it's not a premium for everybody else to just I don't get it that if I look at the teams that the teams that have strike out the fewest this year you've got San Diego's number one right and they want trade for a guy like Luis orise who a lot of the stat heads don't really like because he's not really a high walk high power guy he just happens to get a base a lot with base hits so that works well on their lineup uh you know you've got Arizona you've got Kansas City you've got Cleveland you've got Houston these teams don't strike out and they're fun to watch because of that so listen they've also got Bobby Wood Jr who's like Superstar Beyond Superstar we can't Overlook that I mean that's you talk about going from one level to another he went from really good to Superstar overnight in the second half of the season it's been unbelievable I know Aaron judge is going to be the MVP but Bobby wit Jr I mean that uh it it might be more impressive because of where he was to where he is as opposed to we expected judge you know to be this kind of player yeah listen we knew he was a good player right number one pick great unbelievable speed but I remember seeing him at the WBC for Team USA a couple years ago that dude was riding a bench and he had a smile on his face the whole time he's like I'm hanging out with with Mike Trout and Mookie Betts and all these guys I'm sure he learned a lot from that experience even though he didn't play a whole lot and uh yeah you watch him play now and I think he's the second or third fastest guy in baseball he's a big dude you see him up close I mean he's 63 200 absolutely can fly I love watching that guy run a triple um yeah I mean he's just hitting for a high average now like a lot of people didn't think that was going to come this quickly for him yeah I listen I I think judge is likely the MVP Dan I I don't think he's got it completely locked up I mean what if Kansas C he continues to run the table in September and he has a huge month I'm I'm like a guy when it comes to MVPs I don't like identifying a guy then you feel like you have to stick with that guy that horse that you picked in the race right uh and I I do think September means a little bit more as long as you're in a race the entire sport of baseball if you picked one MVP would be who well it's hard not to go with SH I mean he just internationally his his popularity is just incredible um but I think what judge is doing is just remarkable I I would say that because this is we know we talk about it all the time that pitching velocity is up there's more spin than ever it's so hard to hit it's the second worst year to hit in since the M was lower in 69 and you got this guy just going off you know chasing 62 uh hitting well over 300 playing center field at 6 foot s 6 foot eight so I think it's judge he's got he wears the Pinstripes he wears them really well if you watch him play every day besides the highlights you see on the home runs then I'm sure you understand this he's a baseball player man he runs the bases well defends well just a very very smart baseball player if I looked at Otani and I said I gave you an over under of 25 starts next year as a pitcher for Otani would you go over or under that's a good number I was just thinking since you mentioned that I think it's a good number I I would probably go under and I'll tell you why we've seen a lot of guys come back from Tommy John surgery really struggle look I mean look at Walker bu he's still not back uh and that was more than a year and a half ago now sh will have more than a year more than 15 months since the surgery that works in his favor but if you watch the Dodgers the way they use load management with their pitchers whether it's Glau Yamoto bu who all these guys even Kershaw in the last four or five years they back off their starting pitchers so I'm sure they'll go into plan next year with show like how do we get him to October so that he's starting game one in the postseason and that could be as few as 20 starts uh it certainly won't be pitching every fifth day probably not even every sixth day it might be every seventh day so I can see them really being very very careful especially first half of the season with show a coming off the surgery but he didn't have Tommy John surgery correct well yes and no I mean there was an internal brace procedure in there he just put it this way he had a second procedure done on the same elbow uh you know not everybody is getting the Tommy Johns you're absolutely right it's not the same exact surgery as the full-blown but they're going to be super careful okay but could Tommy John become obsolete like are we uh you know Aaron Rogers doctor with uh you know his Achilles and the same Doctor Who uh operated on shoh could it be the what what's his name elot or uh something yeah could it he's I don't know Dan I think I think the things are progressing when was Tommy John surgery it was like 1974 75 mid-70s right this a long time ago it's worked really well but now they do have this these new procedures where uh it's not as severe so to speak and guys are coming back a little bit quicker um but I think it's still the gold standard if it it also depends on how bad you blow out your elbow I think if you really blow it out you probably do need the Tommy John yeah because we could just call it the Otani the otony surgery I mean give him credit down it's like Aaron Rogers with the Achilles I mean he got back a lot faster than anybody thought he was going to yeah I don't know about you but I'm always amazed by shohi I mean I hope people don't take him for granted I mean this year is just incredible he he's got the possibility to 5050 you know last night people are lined up at 5 in the morning for a 7 o'clock game for his bobblehead with his his dog decoy of course decoy decoy does a perfect pitch for the first pitch of the game I remember talking to shohi uh in January when he came to New York and went to his hotel to see him and talk to him and he obviously the dog was just a puppy then and he tells me his dog is bilingual and I'm like how is that's just perfect that sh Otani who does everything well has a dog that's bilingual who do you like for the World Series well my pick originally was Philly and Baltimore I still like Philly they're scuffling there's no doubt right now Trey Turner Bryce Harper hit a little bit of L here but I still like them in the postseason with that pitching staff Suarez is back doing well I'm not as so anymore on Baltimore as I was down I didn't think they had a real good trade deadline I thought they were one or two power arms away from being a World Series team and what they did basically is they took on projects from other teams like Gregory stto and seranthony Dominguez couldn't pitch at the back end of the Philadelphia Bullpen because they didn't throw enough strikes they're like oh we'll take him on a Trevor Rogers in Miami was really scuffling they're like we'll take him on we'll straighten him out you need plug andplay guys when it comes to trade deadline you've got two months you know there's no on the job training at that point so I was disappointed because I love the team they hit home runs they're going to be dangerous they play the game hard they're athletic I I just think they're missing some power arms who throw strikes either in the rotation and the bullpen could you see in 20 years from now we recognize Aaron judge as the single season home run champ unofficially yes I don't see it officially I think look at it now like look at this he's the fifth guy now to hit 50 home runs three seasons so you've got Maguire Sosa um and Alex Rodriguez we kind of to me anyway push them off to the side because you know they had help in doing that yeah if you talk about doing 53 times and doing it without question authentically you got Aaron judge and you got Babe Ruth that's it and I don't think you need an asterisk I there I just don't see baseball ever going down that road had to officially change the record book but Common Sense tells you they're not all created the same these records I also love the stolen bases back I mean yeah Alex Rodriguez once told me I said why don't you steal bases anymore and he says they don't pay me to steal bases I mean Ellie Dela Cruz like the there's movement there's excitement there and I hope it continues uh because it's just it's better for the game it's weird I'm watching Little League World Series and I'm going that's how you play base you know it's it's a bunt it's moving a runner over it's you know just fundamentally it it it it was more a aesthetically pleasing than a base a major league game was 100% right Dan one of the great things about baseball I love is not so much the action that's cool but the anticipation of action and so when now you have the possibility of a stolen base you had the anticipation of action and sometimes you get the action itself as well so Dan you sound like a purist who loves the game of baseball played at a high level and with diversity You Must Love the Way Milwaukee Brewers play baseball because they run like Pat Murphy we know he coached in College Arizona State Notre Dame watching them is like watching a college team because they run all the time and they run into out sometimes but they are super aggressive quick story for you Garrett Mitchell is one of their young players gets on first base and Tyler glasso is pitch for the Dodgers he's slow to the plat one-run game there's two outs it's obvious run situation and for some reason he's not running one pitch two pitches three Pitch Four Murphy yells down to Freddy Freeman the Dodgers first baseman Freddy tell him to run and Freddy yells out to the infield he's running and he did run the next pitch but Reese Hoskins was a batter he put it in play but uh Fredy said that was the first time he ever had to relay signals for the opposing manager that's the Brewers have fun tonight with Bob cus Tom will be on the call Braves at the Phillies on MLB Network at 7 Eastern thank you Tom yeah thanks it's always a pleasure D thanks Tom bruchi MLB Network and Fox sports analyst and reporter also uh works for Sports Illustrated