Balls! (Fri 8/7 - Seg 10)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Middays With Matt – “Balls!” (Seg 10, August 7, 2026)

Host: Matt McMaster (NRGMedia)
Show: Middays With Matt, 1620 The Zone
Date: August 7, 2026
Duration: Segment 10 (approx. 10 minutes)

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Episode Overview

This segment of "Middays With Matt" delivers Matt McMaster’s fun and energetic take on the latest Major League Baseball (MLB) storylines. Under the playful theme of “Balls!”, Matt and his guest (co-host or caller Josh Otson) break down “the good, the bad, and the ugly” in baseball right now—spanning the surging Boston Red Sox, the slumping Dodgers, and struggles of top pitching prospect Paul Skenes. The discussion is peppered with lively banter, bold opinions, stats, and a few memorable gripes about hated teams.

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1. Opening & Theme Song (00:39)

• The episode kicks off with an exaggerated, humorous “balls” chant and theme song, setting a fun, irreverent tone.

• Matt jokes about being out of breath after the theme:
  “I have no stamina. I'm out of breath after that—gassed. I'm like Jay Uso.” (00:54)

• Introduction of the segment’s concept: “That’s how you radio all the baseballs. All of them. The good, the bad, the ugly from Major League Baseball.” (00:59)

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2. The Good: Boston Red Sox’s Historic Run (01:40–04:38)

Key Points

• The Red Sox have turned their season around, going 30-5 in their last 35 games, positioning themselves for second place in the AL East.
• Discussion of coaching turmoil—firing and then rehiring Alex Cora—and successful trade deadline moves.
• Shout-outs to stand-out players, particularly Willie Contreras, for rejuvenating his career with the Sox.

Notable Quotes & Insights

• On the Sox’s stretch:
  Josh Otson: “One of the best 35-game stretches in Major League Baseball history. They're 30 and 5.” (02:15)

• On the 13-inning thriller against the White Sox:
  Josh: “Last night they trailed the White Sox five separate times before winning 12 to 11 in 13 innings. One of the longest regular season games in the pitch clock era… 4 hours, 23 minutes.” (02:22)

• Matt’s personal bias:
  Matt: “I think I'm one of the very few people who hate the Red Sox more than I hate the Yankees.” (03:30)
  Matt: “The Red Sox... in my lifetime have been the winning team in the AL East… For people like me, born in the 2000s, haven't been your Yankees, they've been your Red Sox. I can't stand them at all remotely.” (03:39)

• On Cora’s firing/rehiring:
  Matt: “I especially couldn't stand him after they fired CORE and then rehired core. That really brought—because I don't like Alex Cora, I don't like cheaters, and it is what it is. But 30 and 5, man, that's insane.” (04:21)

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3. The Bad: Los Angeles Dodgers’ Slump (04:39–06:45)

Key Points

• Dodgers have lost six straight and are now behind Arizona.
• Their offense has stagnated, averaging just over 4 runs per game (20th in MLB), and they've had bullpen woes and injuries.
• Some joking conspiracy that the Dodgers are "tanking" deliberately.
• Despite struggles, Matt says not to panic—the team will get healthy and bounce back.

Notable Quotes & Insights

• On the team’s performance:
  Josh: “Since July 1st, the Dodgers have... averaged over just—just over four runs per game, that's 20th in Major League Baseball... They've only scored four runs or more three times in their last 11 games.” (04:45)

• On not panicking:
  Matt: “If I'm a Dodgers fan, I don't need—I don't think I need to tell any Dodgers fan this is not the time to hit the panic button... They're gonna be fine. They're gonna be okay. They're gonna be great.” (05:23)

• On trade deadline needs:
  Josh: “They needed an arm... It's not like [a trade] was a luxury... They needed to get them. And I, I still, I still don't understand the Milwaukee not doing what they needed to do in order to put themselves in the best position to win a title... But like I said, screw them. Can't stand them. Glad they didn't do it.” (06:10)

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4. The Ugly: Paul Skenes’ Velocity Dip (06:46–09:55)

Key Points

• Paul Skenes, touted pitcher for the Pirates, has struggled with a rising ERA and declining velocity.
• Dive into stats: Skenes’ ERA has jumped to 3.96 due to a rough July (6.25 ERA), and his average fastball speed has dropped below 98 MPH for the first time.
• Theories: Is he pacing himself to go deeper into games? Concerns about the long-term sustainability of his pitching style (injuries).
• Personal anecdote from Matt about a college baseball friend who doubted Skenes’ longevity.

Notable Quotes & Insights

• On Skenes’ struggles:
  Josh: “The ugly is Paul Skenes, and not just because of how he normally looks. How he plays is ugly as of late, too. He's an ugly man.” (06:45)

• On Skenes’ declining velocity:
  Josh: “He has not thrown a pitch over a hundred miles an hour this season. After throwing over 100 pitches of that speed last year, he hasn't thrown a pitch over 98 miles an hour in his last five starts. This has made him human. This has made him hittable.” (07:18)

• On the sustainability of Skenes’ style:
  Matt: “My closest friends played college baseball. One of them… would tell me… I just don't think the way that [Skenes] throws and the velocity he throws is sustainable for a very long career.” (08:37)

• Wishing Skenes well:
  Matt: “It's great for baseball... I root for great players in baseball. I root for those guys to have success because it's good for the game. I hope he turns it around.” (09:54)

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5. Conclusion (09:55)

• The segment wraps up with a tease for upcoming topics (“What to watch and Dog of the day”), then transitions to a commercial break.

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• The “Balls!” Theme Song & Intro: 00:39–01:40
• The Good (Red Sox surge and history): 01:40–04:38
• The Bad (Dodgers’ struggles and perspective): 04:39–06:45
• The Ugly (Skenes’ woes, velocity, future): 06:46–09:55

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the Sox surge:
  “One of the best 35-game stretches in Major League Baseball history. They're 30 and 5.” (Josh, 02:15)

• Matt’s rivalry take:
  “I think I'm one of the very few people who hate the Red Sox more than I hate the Yankees.” (03:30)

• On Dodgers panic:
  “It ain't the time to hit the panic button. They're gonna be fine. They're gonna be okay. They're gonna be great.” (Matt, 05:23)

• On Skenes’ fastball drop:
  “He has not thrown a pitch over a hundred miles an hour this season... This has made him human. This has made him hittable.” (Josh, 07:18)

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Tone & Style

• Playful, irreverent, but deeply informed. Banter is personal and opinionated—especially when discussing old rivalries or team grudges.
• Frequent use of stats and anecdotal evidence to back up opinions, with lots of energy and humor throughout.

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In summary:
This segment is a lively, stat-packed review of the latest MLB drama, with plenty of personal perspective and playful ribbing. “Balls!” delivers on both analysis and entertainment, whether you’re a fan of the Red Sox, Dodgers, or just great storytelling about America’s pastime.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls Everybody, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, Balls, balls, balls, balls. Everybody, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls. Everybody balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls. Everybody. Balls. That's how you radio all the baseballs. All of them. The good, the bad, the ugly from Major League Baseball. By the way, go to the YouTube Zone TV YouTube page if you want to see a fun treat. We were getting down with the balls theme song. I have no stamina. I'm out of breath after that gassed. I'm like Jay uso. The good Josh Otson. The good, the good.

[C]

The Boston Red Sox. I would love to talk about the. Your Cubs. Are you kidding me?

[B]

Oh, we win. Wait, wait, wait. We win four in a row.

[C]

Braves have won eight in a row.

[B]

We win one of the best games I've seen at Wrigley Field in quite some time. Alex Bregman. I don't know if you'll have a better moment than that in Wrigley. That was insane. Nobody, nobody gets hits off of Louis Varland. Nobody gets a home run off that guy. That guy gets strikeouts and ground us.

[C]

You had a walk off stolen base

[B]

from the most electric player in all the baseball. And we're not the good. No, it's the Sox.

[C]

One of the best 35 game stretches in Major League Baseball history. They're 30 and 5.

[B]

Oh, my God. Holy crap.

[C]

Last night they trailed the White Sox five separate times before winning 12 to 11 in 13 innings. One of the longest regular season games in the pitch clock era. FYI, 4 hours, 23 minutes.

[B]

Holy Lord.

[C]

With a win today over the Athletics and a Yankees loss to the Braves, who have won eight straight, the Boston Red Sox will be in second place in the AL east after being left for dead, firing their manager and all that fun stuff.

[B]

That's incredible. Yeah, I Mean, I mean, seriously, I remember when they fired Cora and people were like, wow, they fired him. They didn't even, like, it's not like they're going to an experienced coach or anything like that. They're handing it over to a staff where you know that the quality of coaching, quality managing more than likely is going to be lower. They rattle off these wins, then they. Man, they went for into the deadline. Give him a ton of credit. AD Lou Rutchman had to make a big move for him. Willie Contreras, you know, kind of thought his career was kind of going down just a little bit after he left Chicago to go to St. Louis. He's been one of the best hitters in the second half of the first half and now into the second half of the season for the Sox.

[C]

He's.

[B]

He's been incredible. So, you know, I don't like the Red Sox. I think I'm one of the very few people who hate the Red Sox more than I hate the Yankees.

[A]

Whoa.

[B]

I mean, they're. The funny thing is, is that, like, the Red Sox, in my lifetime have been the winning team in the AL East. The team that's won all the titles in the AL east for a guy like me, born in, oh, two, hasn't been the Yankees. It's been the socks, right? Oh, four, oh, seven, 11, 12. Right. Or, sorry, 18, like, they. They are the big bad wolf of the Al east for people like me. Born in the 2000s, haven't been your Yankees, they've been your Red Sox. I can't stand them at all remotely. Isn't that kind of. Is that. Are you. I, I see you trying to wrap your head around that.

[C]

Yeah, I, I hadn't thought about that. But. No, it makes sense the way you lay it out.

[B]

I can't stand them, but good for him, man. Good for him. I especially couldn't stand him after they fired CORE and then rehired core. That really brought. Because I don't like Alex Gore, I don't like cheaters, and it is what it is. But 30 and 5, man, that's insane. Absolutely insane. What a run by them. The bad.

[C]

The bad. I mean, sure, the Athletics have lost eight in a row, but do they even matter? No, they don't.

[B]

They don't.

[C]

Let's talk Los Angeles Dodgers, who have dropped six in a row and head to second place Arizona this weekend. Since July 1st, the Dodgers have scored over four runs. They've averaged just. I wrote that wrong. They've averaged over just. Just over four runs per game that's 20th in Major League Baseball. Wow. They've only scored four runs or more three times in their last 11 games. Two blown leads by the bullpen in the last six games. I have a theory they're tanking this week on purpose because they know they've screwed over the entire sport.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, they. They've been, you know, one of the, if not the best team in college in baseball basically, all year long. There have been times where it hasn't been as dominant as maybe you would think with the amount of money and just big names they have on the roster. It's baseball, you know, like, yeah, baseball is happening. Baseball's happening to the Dodgers. It's going to turn right. I mean, it. If you're a good team with that amount of talent, you're going to figure it out. They also got to get healthy. They got a lot of guys that they're leaning on, you know, when it comes to playoff time that are currently on the il. And they'll eventually get some of those guys back. But if I'm. If I'm a Dodgers fan, I don't need. I don't think I need to tell any Dodgers fan this is not the time to hit the panic button. But I'll just say it. It ain't the time to hit the panic button. They're gonna be fine. They're gonna be okay. They're gonna be great.

[C]

School was actually a need for them with their Ron.

[B]

It actually, that's the thing too. Like, that I think gets over, like, gets overlooked. They needed to get. They needed an arm. Like, they needed another guy where it's like, you know, sh. He can't pitch right now. Right. He's. He's currently. He can't throw. And then you got Snell and he got Glass. Now they're not throw. So like, they actually. It's not like scuba was a luxury that they didn't need to go and get. They needed to get them. And I, I still. I still don't understand the Milwaukee not doing what they needed to do in order to put themselves in the best position to win a title. But like I said, screw them. Can't scan them. Glad they didn't do it. Who's your ugly?

[C]

The ugly is Paul Skeens, and not just because of how he normally looks. How he plays is ugly as of late, too. He's an ugly man. Yeah.

[B]

But he's got the. I know it doesn't matter of a

[C]

significant other real Beauty and the Beast situation they got going On.

[B]

Well, he's not really playing very beasty right now.

[C]

6.25 erra over the month of July. I wrote June, but that can't be right. Seven earn runs over four innings pitched on July 31. Many believe the cause of his poor performance is his rapidly dropping velocity. Average fastball this year, 97 average fastball last year, 98.2. Average fastball his rookie season, 98.8. He has not thrown a pitch over a hundred miles an hour this season. After throwing over 100 pitches of that speed last year, he hasn't thrown a pitch over 98 miles an hour in his last five starts. This has made him human. This has made him hittable.

[B]

Yeah, it's one of those things as well where people have theorized on social media that, hey, he's trying to go longer in starts, which is part of the reason why his velocity has dropped. The problem is though, is that if you get blown up. Yeah, right. You're not going to go very long. His last five outings, he's thrown five innings, four innings, five and a third, seven innings, five and a third. He's given up a total of, let's see, do math here, 16 earned runs in his last five starts. He's also given up two homers in those five starts as well. Let's go here. His strikeout per nine last season was 10.4. Surprisingly, his strikeout per nine this season is actually up 11.2. But like you mentioned, his ERA in his rookie year was 1.96. His ERA and his second year was 1.97. His ERA this season is a whole two runs higher. 3.96 after that very bumpy July. As you mentioned, not a baseball expert, but I know a lot of people played college baseball. My closest friends played college baseball. One of them being guy named Matt Salmanson. He played at the University of Illinois, Northern Illinois. And Matty would tell me, he's like, look, I don't know, long term, he always faded skeens his career long term. And he would tell me, he's like, I just don't think the way that he throws and the velocity he throws is sustainable for a very long career. That's something. It's a take that a baseball guy I always trusted and knew had about skiings that he just never really bought that Paul could go an entire career without arm injuries or some sort of arm concern. Right, Absolutely. And it's just because of the, the way he throws and the violence that he throws it with. And clearly, I mean, the numbers speak for themselves. Right. Hasn't thrown a pitch over 100 miles per hour this entire season. Definitely something to keep track of him. I mean, this is a guy that we had heading into the season. Would the Pirates trade him for a boatload of prospects? And who like that was the, a big

[C]

card.

[B]

Yeah. And now, now, you know, they're, they're not even doing that. And he's been, he's been in poor form this month. But it's great for baseball if you. I'm rooting for him. I can't stand the Pittsburgh Pirates, but I, I, I root for great players in baseball. I root for those guys to have success because it's good for the game. I hope he turns it around. All right, take a break here. What to watch and Dog of the day coming up next here on middays with map.

[A]

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