Paul Skenes has been nothing but brilliant in his young major league career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, including pitching into the 9th inning on Tuesday night. However, despite allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight, it was the first time he took a loss in a game since his college days.

Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterm discuss if the Pirates are already wasting a golden opportunity for winning while having a great pitcher like Paul Skenes in their rotation and if the club will make a play before the trade deadline to bolster their underwhelming offense.

Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys talk about the challenges the New York Yankees and the New York Mets face in improving their squads as they continue to do battle in the 2024 edition of the Subway Series, as well as Clayton Kershaw’s return to the Los Angeles Dodgers and why a lot is riding on his performance.

Later in the show, Jake and Jordan answer some listener emails that include some curious performance incentives that are in players contracts, whether the Atlanta Braves are cursed and what’s the biggest trade rumor that never went down.

(2:15) - Pirates wasting a golden chance

(9:43) - Yankees need to fix their lineup

(16:33) - Where do the Mets go from here?

(21:10) - Clayton Kershaw is returning

(26:47) - We need to talk about…

(33:44) - Listener mailbag

(48:40) - Are the Braves cursed?

(54:30) - The Mariners and their blown lead

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It was a weekend with a few sweeps, including the Los Angeles Dodgers taking three from the Red Sox and Jackson Chourio heating up to power the Brewers. Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down all of the sweeps from the weekend and dig into the other series as well.

Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake and Jordan discuss Bobby Witt Jr.’s incredible weekend, how former All-Star Ty France flamed out in Seattle and why Aaron Boone is the GOAT of getting ejected.

Plus, the guys talk about the new Hall of Fame inductees and why they’re excited about Nacho Alvarez being called up by the Braves.

(1:52) Weekend series sweeps

(13:15) James Wood’s evolution

(14:58) Jackson Chourio heating up for Brewers

(18:12) Player of the weekend: Bobby Witt Jr.

(22:07) National League Wild Card jamboree

(28:55) First time for everything

(35:24) Sorry for your mentions

(42:50) Warm fuzzy feeling: HOF inductions

(44:38) Yankees still struggling, Boone ejected again

(49:51) Turbo mode

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🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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Friday is the official start of the second half of the MLB season following the All-Star Break, and now is the time for every team to evaluate their needs and decide if moves will be made by addition or subtraction before the August 1st trade deadline.

Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman examine all 30 teams in the league and try to figure out what moves they’ll make to either help fix a busted pitching rotation (Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles), bolster a slumping offense (New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves) or perhaps land some pieces for the future (Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays).

Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake and Jordan make their picks for The Good, The Bad and The Uggla this week, which includes talking about MLB trying out a rivalry week in 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs kicking off the season in Japan and an MLB Draft pick who was born in Siberia.

(3:03) - Trade deadline preview

(8:38) - NL East

(16:05) - NL Central

(26:49) - NL West

(36:25) - AL East

(50:57) - AL Central

(58:44) - AL West

(1:05:29) - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

Follow the show on X at @CespedesBBQ

Follow Jake @Jake_Mintz

Follow Jordan @J_Shusterman_

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.