The Baseball Show - A Boston Red Sox Podcast

Jonathan Mayo who covers the Draft and the Minors for MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com joins Evan Drellich to discuss the state of the Red Sox farm system, and being a producer of ‘Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel’ a film about a team of nice Jewish baseball players taking on the world.(1:30) Jonathan Mayo discusses the state of the Red Sox farm system, and what players he sees helping Boston win in the future. (4:30) What expectations can we have for Jay Groome following Tommy John surgery? (6:00) Jonathan Mayo discusses being a producer of ‘Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel’ a film about a team of nice Jewish baseball players taking on the world. He discusses his role in the project and what viewers can expect.

Lou Merloni is joined by NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich to preview the American League Championship Series showdown between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros:0:46 - Evan and Lou discuss Alex Cora's decision to start David Price in Game 2 after the lefty lasted just 1.2 innings in his start vs. the Yankees.4:28 - Alex Cora deflected questions about Price by essentially saying he doesn't believe players can be clutch or not clutch. Evan wonders, "would it be so bad for Cora to say, 'You know what, David has to learn how to handle pressure better.'"7:25 - Lou and Evan discuss the bullpen plan for the Red Sox in the series and wonder if Cora will use some of his starters (Nathan Eovaldi or Chris Sale) in relief. 10:28 - "Are you getting sick yet of the Alex Cora, A.J. Hinch narrative? There's a lot else to focus on here." Evan and Lou take a look at some of the storylines that will dominate this series.14:14 - After Mookie Betts hit just .188 in the ALDS vs. the Yankees, it's clear he needs to improve if the Red Sox are going to beat the Astros. Evan and Lou talk about who else needs to step up for the Sox. 17:21 - Evan asks Lou how the Red Sox should assemble their ALCS roster and which players could be added or removed.

Lou Merloni and NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich preview the American League Divisional Series between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees:0:21 - Evan and Lou quickly discuss the obvious: this is a huge series that will reignite a historical rivalry. They also give their predictions on how many games the series will go.2:44 - Lou Merloni: "I don't think I can remember a Red Sox team that is in as desperate need to step up." 4:42 - Evan and Lou break down what the Red Sox need to do to win the series as well as what advantages the Yankees have over Boston.8:58 - The pair finish by discussing what the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry means to a younger generation that has yet to experience a playoff series featuring the two teams.

Lou Merloni and NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich break down the week in Sox news and results:0:18 - Evan and Lou discuss the Red Sox winning the A.L. East for the third straight year. We hear from J.D. Martinez, Dave Dombrowski and Alex Cora following Boston's division-clinching win over the Yankees.4:56 - With three short starts in the books for Chris Sale since his return from the disabled list, the Sox' ace still doesn't look ready for the playoffs. Evan and Lou discuss Sale as well as David Price's most recent start.10:31 - Evan and Lou talk about the potential opponents for the Red Sox in October and debate what the easiest road through the playoffs would be.

0:17 - Lou Merloni and Evan Drellich discuss Chris Sale’s 3 scoreless innings on Sunday afternoon and if he’ll be 100% before the playoffs start. They also break down what happened with Mookie Betts coming out of the game early with an injury.5:37 - Jared Carrabis makes a special guest appearance on the Baseball Show and debates with Mike Felger about why the Red Sox will win the World Series.7:56 - Merloni, Drellich, and Carrabis talk about Dave Dombrowski’s comments on the bullpen and what their trust level is with the Red Sox relievers. 

0:17 - Lou Merloni and Evan Drellich discuss Chris Sale coming off the DL as he will be the opener on Tuesday against the Blue Jays, and Dustin Pedroia being shut down for the remainder of the 2018 season.6:01- Who is in and who is out on the Red Sox playoff roster? Merloni and Drellich debate who will be there in the postseason for Boston. 9:35 - With the Red Sox and Astros finishing up a three-game series against each other, Lou and Evan look at the rotation, bullpen, lineup, defense, and manager of both teams in this potential playoff matchup. 

Lou Merloni is joined by NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich to break down the week in team news and results:0:18 - With the MLB waiver trade deadline come and gone and the Red Sox standing pat, Evan and Lou debate if the current team (especially the bullpen) is good enough to succeed in the playoffs.6:12 - Evan and Lou check in on the status of Boston's two top arms, Chris Sale and David Price. While Price seems to be close to a return, Sale's situation remains cloudy and the Red Sox need to make a decision about their ace.12:41 - As the Red Sox' playoff roster begins to take shape, Evan and Lou discuss Alex Cora's comments on Rafael Devers needing to play better before returning to the team.

Lou Merloni is joined by NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich and the two break down the past week of Red Sox news and results:0:41 - The Red Sox are in the midst of their first slump all season and while Alex Cora doesn't seem too worried after losing three in a row to Tampa Bay, Evan and Lou can see where the club has fallen short lately.4:40 - Evan and Lou go back and forth on their level of concern on a series of specific topics: The AL East division lead, Chris Sale’s health, Mookie Betts’ slump, Nathan Eovaldi’s poor performance and Matt Barnes losing his edge.12:18 - Evan and Lou go around the horn, quickly discussing Players' Weekend, Michael Chavis and the Red Sox 2019 schedule, which was released this week.

Tony Massarotti joins NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich to break down the week in Red Sox news and results:0:18 - Evan and Tony take a look at the Red Sox 2-0 loss against the Tampa Rays on Sunday, but focus on a bigger-picture issue: Chris Sale's return to the disabled list and what his condition could be for the playoffs.4:59 - With Sale out of the rotation for now, it's up to David Price to pitch like an ace and he's done just that for the past month. Evan and Tony evaluate Price's recent success.11:13 - With just six weeks left in the regular season, the American League playoff race is looking as clear as ever. Tony and Evan rank which teams in the race they would rather have the Red Sox play in the postseason and when.

Lou Merloni and NBC Sports Boston Red Sox insider Evan Drellich break down the week in Red Sox news and results:0:18 - In his return from the 10-day disabled list, Chris Sale tossed five innings of shutout ball with 12 strikeouts in the Red Sox 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Evan and Lou discuss Sale's performance and the insane numbers he's put up this season.4:53 - Craig Kimbrel has been good this year, there's no denying it. But the Red Sox closer has shown some regression lately that has Evan and Lou worrying about how secure Boston's bullpen really is.9:20 - Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez continue to drive the offense for the best team in baseball. So which one has a better shot at the A.L. MVP? Lou and Evan argue their picks.