Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers have a 2-0 NLCS lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are tied 1-1 in the ALCS. With Game 3 approaching in both Championship Series, what adjustments could decide who reaches the 2026 World Series?

DVR, Eno and Jed Lowrie break down the latest MLB playoff action, preview the critical pitching matchups, and close the book on the Chicago White Sox's surprising 2026 season.

Milwaukee has taken the first two games against Los Angeles, and a 12-pitch walk by Jake Bauers may have been one of the biggest turning points of Game 2.

We analyze how Bauers battled Yoshinobu Yamamoto, drove up his pitch count and set up Christian Yelich's two-run single that knocked the Dodgers' ace out of the game.

Looking ahead to Game 3, how should the Brewers approach Blake Snell? Can Robert Gasser's unique pitch mix keep the Dodgers' lineup off balance? And which team has the advantage as the NLCS shifts to Los Angeles?

The Rays have evened the ALCS at 1-1 after Freddy Peralta delivered six scoreless innings in Game 2, reaching 99.4 mph and dominating with his elevated fastball.

Plus, Rays infielder Taylor Walls gives a fascinating explanation of how elite defenders anticipate where a baseball will be hit. Jed Lowrie shares his own major league experience with defensive positioning, pitch recognition and reacting to contact.

With the series heading to Cleveland, the crew takes a deep dive into Gavin Williams' arsenal and how Tampa Bay hitters should approach him. Can Griffin Jax deliver enough innings to give the Rays an advantage in Game 3?

The White Sox made an incredible turnaround in 2026, but their season ended with a disappointing five-game ALDS loss to Cleveland.

What went wrong for Chicago's high-strikeout offense? Can Colson Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Kyle Teel make the adjustments needed to take the next step?

DVR, Eno and Jed examine the development of Chicago's young core, the future of Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor, and whether the White Sox should make a major investment in their starting rotation.

Could a frontline free-agent pitcher turn the White Sox into legitimate World Series contenders in 2027?

💬 **JOIN THE CONVERSATION**

Who wins Game 3 of the NLCS and ALCS? Are the Brewers the team to beat in the National League? And should the White Sox spend big this offseason?

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📧 Email: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Hosts:Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Contributor:Jed Lowrie
Executive Producer & Editor: McEnroe Francis

Rates & Barrels | The Athletic

#MLBPlayoffs #Brewers #Dodgers #ALCS #NLCS #Guardians #Rays #WhiteSox #RatesAndBarrels

00:00 – Introduction: NLCS & ALCS Game 3 Preview
01:24 – The Moneyball Advantages
02:52 – Jake Bauers' 12-Pitch Walk vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
06:15 – How Long At-Bats Wear Down Elite Pitchers
14:05 – NLCS Game 3 Preview: Blake Snell vs. Robert Gasser
20:26 – Why Robert Gasser's Pitch Mix Is So Difficult
22:37 – Freddy Peralta's Dominant ALCS Game 2
25:49 – José Ramírez's Defensive Mistakes
32:36 – Taylor Walls Explains the Art of Infield Defense
39:39 – Jed Lowrie on Defensive Preparation & Positioning
44:25 – Parker Messick and the Guardians' Game 3 Outlook
45:48 – How Would You Hit Against Gavin Williams?
53:14 – Griffin Jax and Tampa Bay's Game 3 Strategy
54:20 – Closing the Tab: Chicago White Sox
56:25 – The White Sox's Emerging Young Core
1:05:02 – How the White Sox Can Reduce Their Strikeouts
1:06:36 – Final Thoughts & What's Next
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Should the Los Angeles Dodgers actually consider BENCHING Shohei Ohtani? The Milwaukee Brewers have jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the NLCS, Cleveland has stolen Game 1 of the ALCS from Tampa Bay, and the New York Yankees are facing some uncomfortable questions after another disappointing October.

Derek VanRiper, Eno Sarris and Britt Ghiroli break down the latest MLB playoff action on Rates & Barrels, including Milwaukee's formula for beating the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani's struggles, Cleveland's pitching strategy against the Rays, and a deep dive into what went wrong for the 2026 Yankees.

Milwaukee has taken the first two games of the NLCS despite facing Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. What's making the Brewers so difficult to beat?

Looking ahead to Game 3, can Blake Snell and the Dodgers turn the series around against Robert Gasser?

The Guardians stunned Tampa Bay in ALCS Game 1, rallying against Drew Rasmussen and the Rays' bullpen.

Did Kevin Cash leave Rasmussen in too long? How did Cleveland use Tampa Bay's platoon weaknesses to its advantage? And can the Guardians maintain their momentum against Freddy Peralta in Game 2?

DVR, Eno and Britt examine Cleveland's aggressive approach at the plate, Parker Messick's workload, the impact of Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey, and Junior Caminero's injury scare.

Another 90-win season. Another October disappointment. And another winter of questions in the Bronx.

Britt Ghiroli examines the Yankees' lack of accountability, the health concerns surrounding Aaron Judge, and why the organizational culture may no longer resemble the Yankees teams that won championships.

Should Aaron Boone return? What changes should Brian Cashman make? Can the Yankees build a roster that wins with contact, defense and situational baseball instead of relying so heavily on power?

What do you think? Should the Dodgers bench Ohtani? Are the Brewers the NL favorites? And what needs to change for the Yankees to win another World Series?

Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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📧 ratesandbarrels@gmail.com
Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Contributor:Britt Ghiroli
Executive Producer & Editor:McEnroe Francis

#MLBPlayoffs #Brewers #Dodgers #ShoheiOhtani #Yankees #RatesAndBarrels

00:00 – Guardians Win Game 1; Brewers Take Control of NLCS
02:34 – Did Kevin Cash Leave Drew Rasmussen in Too Long?
06:55 – How Cleveland Exploited Tampa Bay's Platoon Weaknesses
13:43 – Guardians' Aggressive Approach Against Rasmussen
15:18 – ALCS Game 2 Preview: Parker Messick vs. Freddy Peralta
21:43 – Brewers Lead Dodgers 2-0 in the NLCS
23:24 – Milwaukee's Winning Formula: Plate Discipline and Baserunning
25:40 – Shohei Ohtani's Health and Dodgers' Offensive Struggles
26:28 – Why Milwaukee's Fastball Strategy Is Working
28:15 – How the Dodgers Attacked Jacob Misiorowski
30:17 – The Brewers' Dominant Bullpen
32:17 – William Contreras, Christian Yelich and Cooper Pratt
38:39 – What Went Wrong with Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
39:57 – Why Haven't the Dodgers Used Edwin Díaz?
44:57 – NLCS Game 3 Preview: Robert Gasser vs. Blake Snell
48:05 – Should the Dodgers Bench Shohei Ohtani?
50:40 – Closing the Tab: The 2026 New York Yankees
01:02:36 – Are the Yankees Behind Baseball's Contact Revolution?
01:03:36 – Is the Yankees' Culture of Accountability Gone?
01:06:30 – The Yankees' Success Since Their Last World Series
01:08:12 – Final Thoughts and What's Next
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The 2026 ALCS is set! The Cleveland Guardians completed an incredible comeback against the Chicago White Sox, erasing a 2-0 ALDS deficit to advance to the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. But after surviving Chicago, does Cleveland have enough pitching left to take down Tampa Bay?

Derek VanRiper and Eno Sarris deliver their complete **Guardians vs. Rays ALCS preview**, breaking down projected starting pitching matchups, bullpen depth, lineup advantages, platoon strategies, X-factors and predictions for the best-of-seven series.

José Ramírez delivered one of the most remarkable home runs in postseason history, Gavin Williams dominated Game 5, and Cade Smith has been nearly unhittable. Now the Guardians face a Rays team that won five of their six regular-season meetings and has a very different approach to managing its pitching staff.

Can Cleveland navigate a potential bullpen game against Drew Rasmussen? How will Parker Messick and Gavin Williams match up against Tampa Bay's starters? And will Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz or an unexpected Rays role player become the difference-maker?

Who wins the ALCS — Guardians or Rays? And how many games will it take? Drop your predictions in the comments!**

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🎧 Rates & Barrels — The Athletic's Baseball Podcast

Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris
Executive Producer & Editor: McEnroe Francis

#ALCS #Guardians #Rays #MLBPlayoffs #RatesAndBarrels

00:00 – Guardians Complete an Incredible ALDS Comeback
01:43 – Cleveland's Pitching Exposes Chicago's Biggest Weakness
06:56 – José Ramírez's Unbelievable Game 5 Home Run
11:45 – Guardians vs. Rays: Projected ALCS Pitching Matchups
14:24 – Comparing the Starting Rotations and Bullpens
16:22 – How Cleveland Can Attack Tampa Bay's Platoons
22:33 – Rays Dominate the Regular-Season Matchups
25:44 – Cade Smith and the Guardians' Bullpen Challenge
28:23 – Which Guardians Hitters Must Step Up?
33:14 – Breaking Down the Game 1 and Game 2 Matchups
39:36 – Tampa Bay's Pitching Depth and Defensive Advantage
42:16 – Why the ALCS Schedule Could Hurt Cleveland
44:40 – ALCS Predictions: Rays in Six?
49:24 – The Junior Caminero Trade Comes Back to Haunt Cleveland
51:29 – ALCS X-Factors and Unexpected Difference-Makers
52:18 – Could Tampa Bay's Outfield Defense Be Exposed?
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Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Pérez return to Starkville! This week, Jayson and Doug welcome the baseball insiders to break down the wildest moments of the postseason, from Eduardo’s Dodgers and Yankees fumble to the best stories of October, including Bryan Baker’s buddies and the Tampa Bay Rays’ growth. They discuss the craziest things they’ve seen on the field, questionable umpire predictions, the Yankees’ wall controversy, and the lawyer explanations that followed. Plus, they dive into the baseball insanity surrounding the Guardians and White Sox, the challenges of retractable roofs in Tampa and Milwaukee, and Eduardo’s memorable encounter with a D-ring. And in Strange But True, a fair or foul call involving Milwaukee’s roof takes center stage. Finally, Tim and Eduardo share stories from their travels around baseball, including what makes Tim Kurkjian such a legendary storyteller.

Rundown:
00:33 In The Booth
05:59 Up Next
06:03 Tim and Eduardo Visit Starkville!
13:48 Best Thing This Postseason
23:36 Craziest Things Seen
30:21 Guardians and White Sox
42:25 Let’s Talk About Roofs
47:41 Elite Shortstop Explanation
51:49 Top Tales About Traveling With Tim and Eduardo
1:00:00 Up Next
1:00:35 Strange But True
01:12:26 Wrap Up

Follow Jayson on Bluesky: @jaysonst.bsky.social
Follow Doug on Bluesky: @dougglanville.bsky.social
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E-mail: starkville@theathletic.com
Starkville Hotline: (347) 313-8371
Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels
Hosts: Jayson Stark & Doug Glanville
With: Tony Gwynn Jr. & Mark Grant
Producer: Matthew Chilelli
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The Dodgers have the star power, the Cy Young-caliber rotation and seemingly endless pitching depth. But are the Brewers actually the perfect team to beat them?

Eno Sarris and Trevor May preview the Dodgers-Brewers NLCS, breaking down a loaded Los Angeles rotation featuring Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow and how Milwaukee's contact-heavy, low-chase offense might attack it.

Can the Brewers grind down L.A.'s starters and reach the vulnerable portions of the bullpen? Is Jacob Misiorowski the great equalizer? How important will Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill be in a seven-game series? And could simply getting one blowout win — and saving the high-leverage arms for another night — ultimately swing the NLCS?

Plus, Eno and Trevor reveal their X-factors and make their picks to reach the World Series.

Who wins the NLCS: Dodgers or Brewers?

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e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com
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00:00 — Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS Preview
03:47 — Can Milwaukee Crack the Dodgers' Rotation?
09:03 — Breaking Down the Dodgers' Bullpen
11:47 — Is Edwin Díaz Back?
16:25 — What's Wrong With the Dodgers' Offense?
19:25 — Dodgers vs. Brewers Offense
23:03 — Jacob Misiorowski & the Brewers' Rotation
25:34 — Where the Dodgers Have the Pitching Edge
26:55 — The Key to the Series
28:06 — Brewers Bullpen & Aaron Ashby
31:33 — Death By A Thousand Cuts
32:20 — How Milwaukee Can Attack Dodgers Pitching
36:35 — Can the Brewers Grind Down Skubal?
38:41 — How Milwaukee Can Slow Down an Ace
41:20 — The Left-Handed Matchup Game
43:41 — NLCS X-Factors
48:54 — Trevor & Eno Make Their Picks
51:15 — Why Is Postseason Offense Disappearing?
58:13 — Has Baseball Come Full Circle?

Hosts: Eno Sarris & Trevor May
Executive Producer & Editor: McEnroe Francis
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.