The Windup: A show about Baseball

The Baseball Barista with Hunter Pence & Grant Brisbee are ready to bring you a fresh cup of playoff baseball takes. 4-Time World Series champion pitcher Javier Lopez joins the guys to talk about the 2021 Giants team, playoff pressure and they give their World Series picks. The Giants pitching has really impressed Javier this season. He thinks that having to grind all season to keep the Dodgers behind them will help the Giants in the postseason. He talks about getting traded into pressure situations and how things are much different in the playoffs. The bullpen was so key to the Giants winning 3 World Series titles in 2010,2012 and 2014. And the guys gives their playoff picks and who they think will be the World Series match-up and World Series Champion.Follow Hunter on Twitter: @hunterpenceFollow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBrisbeeSave 50% on a subscription to The Athletic at theathletic.com/baseballshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior baseball writer Andy McCullough is joined by Cardinals beat writer Katie Woo and Dodgers beat writer Fabian Ardaya to discuss the 2021 NL Wild Card. The difference that led to the Cardinals offensive emergence. How insane it is that Dodgers win 106 games only to land them in the wild card. The confidence the Dodgers have in Max Scherzer. How much rope will manager Mike Shildt give Adam Wainwright? And how this might be the most notable head to head pitching matchups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's PLAYOFF BASEBALL in Starkville! Jayson and Doug discuss the tie-breakers that could have been, the Dodgers' "meager" 106-win season, and if the MLB's playoff format should reward teams like LA for their regular season performance. Plus, our World Series predictions! The guys then welcome in the manager of Major League Baseball's winningest club, Gabe Kapler of the San Francisco Giants! Kapler entails his team's propitious run to the postseason; the club's veterans experiencing near-career years all at once; what lessons he was able to extrapolate as the Phillies manager, and more! Plus, trivia and Strange But True that's dedicated to Shohei Ohtani!Follow Jayson on Twitter: @jaysonstFollow Doug on Twitter: @dougglanvilleFollow Gabe on Twitter: @gabekaplerTrivia courtesy: @ThomasMRobsonSave 50% on a subscription to The Athletic by visiting: theathletic.com/baseballshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken and DVR discuss the fantastic final weekend of the 2021 regular season, two loaded Wild Card matchups on tap for this week, and several mailbag questions including a possible change to playoff seeding in the future, concerns about expansion depleting the talent pool, how to account for defensive value in MVP voting, and much more. Follow Ken on Twitter: @Ken_RosenthalFollow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DVR and Keith discuss several players who have taken big steps forward in 2022, including the of Nathan Eovaldi and Robbie Ray, concerns about the long-term health of Carlos Rodón, Freddy Peralta’s great season behind two other Cy Young candidates in the Brewers' rotation. Plus, the excellent campaign from Bryan Reynolds in Pittsburgh, Paul Goldschmidt’s quietly great season in St. Louis, Cedric Mullins' 30/30 campaign, and future expectations for Jonathan India and Austin Riley. Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiperFollow Keith on Twitter: @keithlaw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Baseball Barista with Hunter Pence & Grant Brisbee have a fresh pot of baseball takes for the last week week of baseball's regular season. The guys talk about the crazy AL Wild Card race, if the Cardinals are peaking too soon & the Dodgers and Giants battle for the NL West. The AL Wild Card race is getting really tight with only 5 games remaining in the regular season. The Mariners are right on the outside looking in and Hunter thinks they have a real shot to make a run if they get in. The Cardinals have been absolutely scorching the last few weeks and have clinched the last NL Wild Card spot. The guys talk about if they think the Cards are peaking too soon before the Playoffs. They talk about if teams still playing for something should be scared of a team that has nothing to lose and is just playing spoiler. They breakdown who they would pick from each team to start a 1 game Wild Card winner take all game. And they give their thoughts on the Giants & Dodgers battling it out to see who wins the NL West and who is the #1 Wild Card team.Follow Hunter on Twitter: @hunterpenceFollow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBrisbeeSave 50% on a subscription to The Athletic at theathletic.com/baseballshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Come for the jovial conversation and astute insight, stay for the 3-2-5-4-2-8-6 double play. Jayson and Doug roast their marshmallows in front of the St. Louis Cardinals' magma-like win streak. Kevin Kiermaier subterfuge! Raúl Ibañez, who serves as MLB Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations, catches up with Jay and Doug! The triumvirate talk pitching clocks, its efficacy in the Minors, and a hypothetical implementation in the Majors. Plus, more experimental rule changes discourse, such as shift limits and pick-off maximums. An MVP-Cy Young trivia question proceeds a time-traveling Strange But True!Follow Jayson on Twitter: @jaysonstFollow Doug on Twitter: @dougglanvilleFollow Raul on Twitter: @RaulIbanezMLBTrivia Courtesy Josh GehresSave 50% on a subscription to The Athletic by visiting: theathletic.com/baseballshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken and DVR wonder if the Cardinals will lose another game in 2021 and examine the final week of action in the battle for the NL West, the down ballot cases for the NL MVP award, before opening up the mailbag for another batch of questions. -What was the biggest surprise among NL second-half collapses?-Is a shorter regular season a realistic long-term possibility?-Why are managers from the Steroid Era in the Hall of Fame?-Should the Hall of Fame focus entirely on candidates' on-field resumés?-When might Camden Yards get to host another All-Star Game?-After the Rays and A's, which team will be next to get a new park?-Is the Rays' split-city plan with Montreal feasible?To be a part of next week's episode call the voicemail at 646-543-7072 or email tabaseballshow@gmail.com.Follow Ken on Twitter: @Ken_RosenthalFollow Derek on Twitter: @DerekVanRiperSave 50% on a subscription to The Athletic by visiting theathletic.com/baseballshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DVR and Keith discuss Keith's Prospect of the Year selections -- and several standouts from the 2021 minor-league season -- plus the bright future in Kansas City, next steps in the Orioles' rebuild, and the Mariners' bid to become the Blue Jays of 2022.Follow DVR on Twitter: @DerekVanRiperFollow Keith on Twitter: @keithlaw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Baseball Barista with Hunter Pence & Grant Brisbee have a fresh cup of baseball thoughts this week. The guys talk about what is going on with the Padres, how the Astros are sneaky good and the Cardinals making their usual late season push. Really only 3 races to watch right now- the NL West and the 2 Wild Card Races. One team that was expected to be in the mix in the NL was the San Diego Padres. The guys talk about what went wrong down in San Diego and what they thought of the Tatis Jr-Machado argument in the dugout on the weekend. They talk about how the Rays have been hit really hard this season with the injury bug, but keep on winning. They give their thoughts on how the Astros have really snuck up on the league this season and how Dusty Baker deserves a lot of the credit. And they break down the Wild Card races and how the Cardinals are doing their late season thing to most likely make the playoffs again.Follow Hunter on Twitter: @hunterpenceFollow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBrisbeeSave 50% on a subscription to The Athletic at theathletic.com/baseballshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices