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The AL Wild Card Race Is Absolute Chaos — Who Gets In?
· 1 h 07 min
Episode The AL Wild Card Race Is Absolute Chaos — Who Gets In?
The American League Wild Card race is complete chaos. With the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins battling for position in a crowded AL playoff picture, DVR and Eno Sarris break down which teams have the best chance to survive the final weeks of the 2026 MLB season.
The Orioles are playing their way back into the postseason race despite selling at the MLB Trade Deadline, while the Rangers, Tigers and Mariners are all trying to find enough consistency to grab a Wild Card spot. How much should we trust Baltimore's resurgence? Can Texas overcome its pitching concerns? And which of these flawed American League contenders is actually built to make a playoff run?
The guys also look at the Chicago White Sox's sweep of the Detroit Tigers and what it means for the AL Central race. Plus Joshua Baez makes MLB history with an unforgettable debut for the St. Louis Cardinals. Baez homered three times in his first three Major League plate appearance
In the Monday mailbag, DVR and Eno examine how the Tampa Bay Rays continue to find pitching advantages, including their unusual success developing and deploying changeups.
Rates & Barrels is your home for MLB analysis, advanced baseball statistics, fantasy baseball strategy, prospects, player development and everything happening around Major League Baseball with Derek Van Riper and Eno Sarris.
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Executive Producer: McEnroe Francis
Editor: McEnroe Francis
00:00 - Today on Rates & Barrels
03:06 - The AL Playoff Picture Is a Mess
03:10 - White Sox Sweep the Tigers
05:10 - What’s Gone Wrong for Detroit?
08:23 - Breaking Down the AL Playoff Race
08:53 - Orioles, Rangers & Mariners Battle for Wild Card
11:56 - Joshua Baez Makes MLB History
12:18 - Breaking Down Joshua Baez’s Incredible Debut
15:00 - Can Baez Overcome the Swing-and-Miss?
26:18 - Mailbag: What Have the Rays Found With Changeups?
29:32 - How Tampa Bay Keeps Finding Pitching
32:25 - George Kirby & Long-Term Pitcher Value
39:13 - Early Look at 2027 Fantasy Hitter Rankings
46:13 - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire
46:21 - How Much FAAB Should You Spend on Joshua Baez?
58:35 - Late-Season Closer Targets
#mlb #mlbplayoffs #orioles #rangers #fantasybaseball
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