Rates & Barrels

Eno and DVR discuss the highly-anticipated debut of Paul Skenes, set for Saturday against the Cubs, before digging into a deep list of news items including an injury for Christian Encarnacion-Strand, a quick return to Nashville for Tyler Black following Christian Yelich's activation from the IL, Taj Bradley's return to health, and the triumphant return of Prospect of the Week.  Rundown 0:57 Paul Skenes is Joining the Pirates! Rest of Season Expectations? 9:14 Christian Encarnacion-Strand: On IL with Fractured Wrist 20:06 Christian Yelich's Return Bumps Tyler Black Back to Triple-A 26:50 Finding Replacements for Willson Contreras (Fractured Forearm) 30:22 A Setback for Max Scherzer 33:31 The Rays' Rotation Shuffle: Taj Bradley is Back, Ryan Pepiot to the IL, Shane Baz at Triple-A on Rehab Assignment 46:13 Braxton Garrett: Tread Carefully Upon Activation? 49:42 Project Prospect: Bryan Ramos, Rhett Lowder, Mason Black & Parker Meadows 60:11 Other Waiver Targets to Consider: Jonny DeLuca, Again! Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Britt discuss Walker Buehler's return to the Dodgers' rotation before digging into the four contenders in the AL Central to assess each team's current strengths and weaknesses. Plus, they share a few players they underestimated in the past.  Rundown 0:51 Walker Buehler Returns to the Dodgers' Rotation 4:04 Forays Into Free Agency After Two Tommy John Surgeries 10:57 Buying the Guardians' Early Uptick in Offensive Output? 21:32 Weathering Early Injuries In Minnesota 26:15 If Nothing Else, The Royals Are Interesting Again 33:11 Can the Tigers Fix Their Struggling Hitters? 45:02 Players We Were Wrong About (Exceeded Expectations) Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_Ghroli e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss the five-player trade that sent Luis Arraez to the Padres, the Marlins' return from the trade, a few hitters that made significant moves up in DVR's updated hitter rankings, and how aggressively Christian Scott was pursued in weekly leagues after an impressive weekend debut against the Rays.  Rundown 3:35 Luis Arraez Traded to the Padres 8:05 Dillon Head & Betting on Best Long-Term Outcome 19:56 Injuries News & Notes: Trea Turner, Joe Musgrove, Wyatt Langford, Christian Yelich, Grayson Rodriguez 31:46 Is Robert Gasser the Next Pitching Prospect to Get the Call? 36:23 A Few Big Risers in DVR's Updated Hitter Rankings ($): https://theathletic.com/5344859/ 44:59 Christian Scott & Massive Weekend Bids 59:59 Frequently Dropped Players From The Weekend Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, Trevor and DVR discuss Christian Scott ahead of his debut against the Rays, and four surprising starting pitchers that have put up great numbers over the first month-plus of the season. They also examine the unique challenges of hitting in Seattle -- and try to determine why the park consistently boosts strikeouts -- before building a game plan to pitch to Elly De La Cruz. Rundown 1:10 Christian Scott Debuting Saturday 3:45 Jack Flaherty: Career-Best K%, BB% & SwStr%! 14:07 Spencer Turnbull: Can He Maintain the Elevated K%? 21:48 Tanner Houck’s Breakout 29:38 Is Zack Littell’s Approach Meshing Well in Tampa? 35:42 What Makes Hitting in Seattle So Difficult? 55:15 Building a Game Plan: Elly De La Cruz Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss several news items including a trip to the IL for Grayson Rodriguez, the return of two other Baltimore starters, more knee trouble for Byron Buxton, and several rehabbing pitchers. Plus, they examine the missing power from Ronald Acuña Jr. this season, strength of schedule considerations, and several players to consider as waiver-wire targets as the weekend approaches. Rundown 4:53 News & Notes: Grayson Rodriguez, John Means, Byron Buxton 12:48 Suspensions & Rehab Updates: Shane Baz, Taj Bradley & Walker Buehler 20:11 Ronald Acuña Jr.'s Currently Missing Power 25:13 Factors to Consider in Strength of Schedule 30:52 Fluctuations in Lineup Quality Due to Absences 35:08 Toughest Stuff+ Faced This Season 41:57 Project Prospect: Tyler Black, Jordan Beck, Jackson Jobe, Paul Skenes & Heston Kjerstad 57:24 Weekend Waiver Preview: Wenceel Pérez, Nick Senzel, Jacob Young & Pitching Darts/Matchup Plays Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Britt discuss Mike Trout's knee injury, José Abreu's demotion to West Palm Beach, the Twins' unusual home-run celebration, and the newest additions to the City Connect uniform lineup, before taking a look at the Nationals' current rebuilding efforts.  Rundown 1:12 Mike Trout Has a Torn Meniscus; Looked Like He Was 'Back'. Before Injury 9:46 José Abreu Optioned to rookie-level West Palm Beach 18:09 Bring Food to Home-Run Celebrations? 22:22 Thoughts on Mets, Rays City Connects 29:49 How Far Along Is the Nats' Rebuild? 45:21 Early-Season Series of Note: O's-Yankees, Rays-Brewers & Dodgers-D-backs Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_Ghroli e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR discuss promotions for Joey Loperfido and Pete Crow-Armstrong, the impact of the ABS strike zone and Triple-A, big movers among top hitters in DVR's upcoming hitter rankings, concern about Corbin Carroll's power outage, and fallout from another weekend of waiver-wire adds and drops. Rundown 2:33 Joey Loperfido Promoted to Houston 7:35 The Impact of Triple-A ABS Strike Zone on Strikeouts and Walks 17:32 Injury Updates: Kyle Bradish, Vaughn Grissom & Taj Bradley 25:55 Elly De La Cruz Moving Up Redraft Rankings 33:11 Concern Level About Corbin Carroll's Shoulder, Lack of Pop 39:24 Nolan Jones Struggles + IL Stint 41:53 Where the Money Went: Jo Adell & Pete Crow-Armstrong 51:26 Tempering In-Season Bids w/Streamers vs. Players That Might Stick 58:03 Frequently Dropped Players From the Weekend Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic for just $2/month for the first year: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno and DVR are joined by Mets pitcher Adam Ottavino to discuss sweepers, pitch design and development, and the success he had during a long run in Colorado. Plus, they examine the quick demotion for Jackson Holliday, several surprising starting pitchers, and hitting metrics that move the needle despite limited samples from the first month of the season. Rundown 0:21Adam Ottavino Joins the Show! 8:44 How Adam Throws His Sweeper 16:35 Citi Field's Unique Park Factors Based on Game Time 21:22 Players Entering the Game with More Pitches, Even as Relievers 27:11 Jackson Holliday Sent Back to Triple-A 36:57 Erick Fedde's Successful Return to MLB from a One-Year Stint in the KBO 43:01 Ranger Suárez's Early K% Jump 47:37 Graham Ashcraft: Casey Mize in Reverse? Ks Preceding Better Ratios? 51:24 What Matters for Hitters in Smaller Samples? Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper e-mail: [email protected] -Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe -Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! youtube.com/ratesbarrels -Subscribe to The Athletic for just $2/month for the first year: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, Trevor and DVR discuss Jordan Walker's demotion, the Pirates' plan for building up Paul Skenes' workload while trying to backload his innings, and the key ingredients to building an elite bullpen. Rundown 0:43 Make It Make Sense: Jordan Walker's Demotion to Triple-A 6:31 Falling Between Organizational and Individual Coaching 15:34 Tracking Workloads: The Pirates' Plan for Paul Skenes 21:41 In-Game Monitoring Technology 29:51 Building an Elite Bullpen 30:17 What Traits Do You Want In a Closer? 35:03 How Many Defined Roles Do You Want? 46:13 Unintended Consequences with Limited Pitcher Availability? 56:19 Command Thresholds For Elite Relievers Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Trevor on Twitter: @IamTrevorMay e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! https://www.youtube.com/c/rates&barrels Subscribe to The Athletic for just $2/month for the first year: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eno, DVR and Britt discuss another excellent showing from Jared Jones and an impressive outing from Mason Milller in the Bronx on Monday afternoon. With teams having greater incentives to bring prospects up when they are ready, the new challenge is having a plan to change course if they struggle. Plus, is there legitimate reason to worry about the slow start of the Astros (7-16 entering play Tuesday) or the Cardinals (10-13)? And, is Blake Snell's bumpy start in San Francisco the byproduct of a late-spring signing? Rundown 4:10 Jared Jones & Mason Miller Continue to Impress 13:50 An Ump Show in the Bronx 17:52 Jackson Holliday's Early Struggles & When to Adjust a Plan 28:45 Having Defensive Value to Fall Back On 36:53 What's Different About the 2024 Astros? 49:35 The Cardinals' Offense is Going to Wake Up (Right?) 58:01 Is Blake Snell Struggling Because of Signing Delay? Follow Eno on Twitter: @enosarris Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Follow Britt on Twitter: @Britt_Ghroli e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Join us on Fridays at 1p ET/10a PT for our livestream episodes! https://www.youtube.com/c/ratesbarrels Subscribe to The Athletic for just $2/month for the first year: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices