Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s visit to Cleveland, the Giants’ perplexing situation heading into the trade deadline, Edwin Jackson’s next destination, and the approaching addition of ads to MLB jerseys. Then they answer listener emails about whether Mike Trout’s popularity among stat-savvy fans stems from his lack of playoff appearances, the “strikeout player of the game,” whether clutch matters more at lower levels, whether players or coaches could try to doctor data in the age of tech-driven development, a Dallas Keuchel postgame comment, and showing sympathy for injured players, plus bat-dog discussion, a Stat Blast on pitchers who’ve thrown both immaculate innings and three-pitch innings, and a tribute to the late, great Rob McQuown, beloved Baseball Prospectus stat wizard.

Audio intro: Juliana Hatfield, "Everything’s for Sale"
Audio outro: The Coral, "Answer Me"

Link to Trout promo
Link to Zooperstars! mascot characters
Link to story about 1988 Cone column
Link to Keuchel’s “so-so” pitch
Link to video of Piscotty/Rengifo play
Link to picture of Rookie the bat dog
Link to list of immaculate innings
Link to list of three-pitch innings
Link to Rob McQuown’s BP article archive
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh, Sam Miller, and professional player (and former Sonoma Stompers coach, catcher, and first baseman) Tommy Lyons discuss the different types of hustle in baseball, deciding what level of hustle is acceptable in a variety of situations and examining how the fan perspective on hustle differs from the player perspective on hustle, plus a postscript (1:14:40) on two Atlantic League plays, the Angels’ combined no-hitter in tribute to Tyler Skaggs, and Bob Gibson’s health.

Audio intro: The Dead Weather, "Hustle and Cuss"
Audio outro: Shinedown, "45 (Acoustic)"

Link to EW Facebook group’s hustle-play suggestions
Link to Ben on hustling to first base
Link to Sport Science segment on diving into first base
Link to THT on diving into first base
Link to FanGraphs on diving into first base
Link to Russell Carleton on trying too hard
Link to video of Upton/Longoria lollygagging argument
Link to video of Atlantic League sprint to first
Link to video of Atlantic League ejection
Link to video of Angels no-hitter
Link to Fabian Ardaya’s story on the Angels’ combined no-hitter
Link to Roger Angell’s Gibson story
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Ball Four and Jim Bouton, Million Dollar Coin Flip, Christian Yelich’s pursuit of the first 50-30 season and which combination of power and speed would be most impressive, a baseball scene on Cheers, how the MLB All-Star Game differs from other sports’ all-star games, Bubba Starling and the incredible first round of the 2011 draft, the latest Atlantic League experiments and a new rule that isn’t really about stealing first base, the effect of the unified trade deadline and the strange state of the standings, and more.

Audio intro: Lizzo, "Juice"
Audio outro: Tommy James and the Shondells, "Ball of Fire"

Link to Jay on Bouton
Link to Yelich 50-30 article
Link to THT article on Cheers
Link to Bob Costas Cheers video
Link to Ben on the baseball scene in Elementary
Link to article about all-star game ridiculousness
Link to Rany’s draft age study
Link to recap of Portland Pickles’ Future of Baseball Night
Link to Sam on the most watchable players
Link to Ben on busy trade deadlines
Link to Ben on this year’s unified deadline and strange standings
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, Justin Verlander’s and Rob Manfred’s comments about the juiced ball, the recent rapid turnover among elite hitters, and an instance of premature celebration featuring Fernando Rodney, then answer listener emails about Verlander’s on-pace-to-be-historic strand rate, whether we should have recognized that Verlander’s decline in Detroit wasn’t permanent, whether we should redefine “scoring position,” whether it’s harder to make the majors or to stay there, and what would happen if strikeouts triggered ejections, plus a Stat Blast about a showdown (Sho-down?) between Shohei Ohtani the hitter and Shohei Ohtani the pitcher.

Audio intro: Paul McCartney and Wings, "Arrow Through Me"
Audio outro: Jonathan Coulton, "Sticking it to Myself"

Link to Baseball Savant Derby home-run tracker
Link to Zach Crizer on Verlander
Link to Jayson Stark on Verlander
Link to Ben on hitter turnover
Link to story about Rodney’s blown save
Link to video of Rodney’s blown save
Link to Stat Blast song
Link to Log5 explanation
Link to Sam on theoretical batter-pitcher matchups
Link to Rob Arthur on batter-pitcher matchups and exit velocity
Link to Mike Fast on batter-pitcher matchups and quality of contact
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Colin Poche, the “Is This Guy Good?” game for relievers, Mike Trout entering the All-Star break as baseball’s best hitter and player, whether Trout could ever have his number retired league-wide, the rate at which Trout is surpassing Hall of Famers in WAR, an old discussion about Derek Jeter jerseys and the popularity of Aaron Judge, whether catcher collisions and concussions could play a part in bringing about robot umps, Howie Kendrick and a myth about bat-dropping, Max Scherzer’s premature celebration, and more. Then they discuss the past, present, and future of the Home Run Derby, why this year’s Derby could be pivotal, whether the Derby could ever become a major standalone sport, shagging flies during the Derby, and other Derby details.

Audio intro: Prince and The New Power Generation, "The Max"
Audio outro: The Glands, "Something in the Air"

Link to Jeff’s Poche post
Link to “Is This Guy Good?” Game
Link to Ben on Trout’s 2019
Link to Sam on the Hall of Famers Trout passed in June
Link to Judge jersey sales article
Link to Russell Carleton on the value of clubhouse guys
Link to Scherzer’s premature celebration
Link to Sam on how to celebrate a game-ending error
Link to Ben on protecting catchers from concussions
Link to Sam on home run highlights being boring
Link to Sam on the future of the Derby
Link to July 4 Google Doodle
Link to Sam on kids shagging flies during the Derby
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Sam Malone maligning the Mariners, the unlikely career of pinch-hitter extraordinaire Mark Sweeney, the joys of watching Fernando Tatis, Jr., Bryce Harper’s Amazon store, and the definition of “MLB legend.” Then (29:43) Ben talks to Hall of Famer Bud Selig, Commissioner Emeritus and author of the new memoir For the Good of the Game, about Selig’s career, how he built consensus, the mistakes owners made in the ’70s and ’80s, collusion, how MLB missed opportunities to promote itself, steroid testing and Barry Bonds, public ballpark funding, the rise of MLBAM and big broadcast contracts, the future of competitive balance and labor peace, and more. Lastly (56:13), Ben and Meg reconvene to discuss Selig’s comments and analyze his complex legacy.

Audio intro: Rob Orbison, "(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time"
Audio interstitial 1: Willie Nelson, "Buddy"
Audio interstitial 2: Reba McEntire, "That’s What He Said"
Audio outro: Superchunk, "I Guess I Remembered it Wrong"

Link to Frasier clip
Link to THT article about baseball on Cheers
Link to SABRcast episode with Sweeney
Link to Harper store
Link to Harper hair products
Link to Selig’s memoir
Link to Ben on the baseball and the steroid era
Link to Ben on Selig and Hall of Fame voting
Link to Ben on Lords of the Realm
Link to Brewers economic impact study
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley reflect on the passing of Tyler Skaggs. Then (9:57) Ben and Sam Miller banter about whether it’s better for a team to be in a division with a few good teams or a division with one great team and a few bad teams and answer listener emails about whether baseball is a strong-link sport or a weak-link sport, whether a team could benefit by tailoring its park and its roster to a homer-averse style of play, which teams they think it would have been better for baseball for Mike Trout to have been drafted by, plus Stat Blasts about Charlie Blackmon’s home/road splits and the return of vintage Coors Field, and Trout’s chances of setting the record for the longest-ever reign by an active WAR leader.

Audio intro: Built to Spill, "So"
Audio outro: Paul McCartney, "4th of July"

Link to Fabian Ardaya on Skaggs
Link to Stanton’s Instagram post
Link to Trout and other teammates talking about Skaggs
Link to Sam on Coors Field
Link to active WAR leaders data
Link to Sam on the Hall of Famers Trout passed in June
Link to order The MVP Machine

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In a bonus episode about the London Series, Ben Lindbergh talks to Darius Austin and Russell Eassom, writers and podcasters for the UK baseball site Bat Flips and Nerds, about their experiences at both Yankees-Red Sox games, why they think there was so much scoring, whether that brand of baseball was a good advertisement for the sport, the energy in the crowd, MLB’s outreach to the UK community, what could have been better about the weekend, how they became baseball fans, the growth of the UK fan community, where the game is played in the UK, the hardest part of explaining baseball to non-fans, how they would feel about MLB rotating between juiced and non-juiced balls on a set schedule, and much more.

Audio intro: The Magnetic Fields, "Swinging London"
Audio outro: T. Rex, "London Boys"

Link to Bat Flips and Nerds website
Link to Bat Flips and Nerds podcast
Link to MLB UK Community Twitter account
Link to Absolute Bunts podcast
Link to article at The Athletic about Baseball on Five
Link to Q&A about the UK fan community
Link to MLB.com article about the UK fan community
Link to Cut4 piece about the history of baseball in England
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller talk to Ross Stripling, Los Angeles Dodgers starter and host of The Big Swing, about why he started and enjoys doing a podcast, how Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman influenced his pitching style, how he uses data to prepare for opponents, and how he feels about pitching in an era with the highest home-run rate ever. Then Stripling walks them through what he was thinking and why he threw what he threw in six memorable plate appearances from his career, including a showdown with his nemesis Mike Trout, the first and last batters he faced in his memorable, no-hit debut, his highest-leverage appearance, an 11-pitch PA, and a big moment from the 2017 World Series.

Audio intro: Superchunk, "Throwing Things (Acoustic Version)"
Audio outro: Buzzcocks, "Harmony in My Head"

Link to Stripling’s podcast
Link to Stripling’s Rich Hill episode
Link to Stripling’s fastball height by month in 2016
Link to EW episode with Sam’s reaction to Stripling’s debut
Link to Sam’s feature on Philip Humber
Link to Russell Carleton on the benefits of fouling off two-strike pitches
Link to Stripling PA 1 (vs. Trout)
Link to Stripling PA 2 (vs. Span)
Link to Stripling PA 3 (vs. Pagan)
Link to Stripling PA 4 (vs. Moroff)
Link to Stripling PA 5 (vs. Jay)
Link to Stripling PA 6 (vs. Bregman)
Link to order The MVP Machine

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the Twitter commotion caused by the Pioneer League’s Grand Junction Rockies (who are definitely not named the Humpback Chubs), an Angels outfield sign and Mike Trout, the curious rise and fall of Yonder Alonso, the promotion of Rays rookie (and two-way player) Brendan McKay, the upcoming FanGraphs All-Star Game event, the All-Star starters and how All-Stars should be selected, and J.D. Martinez’s comments about writers wanting to work in front offices. Then (40:33) they talk to FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich about his sabermetric analysis of the Congressional Baseball Game, why the Dems have dominated recent games, the two-way talents of Rep. Cedric Richmond, and why the game has resisted the polarization of politics. Lastly (1:06:21), they bring on NPR’s Linda Holmes to discuss her debut novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over, her love of baseball and fascination with the yips, whether a character with the yips is based on Brandon McCarthy, how the book has been received, her writing process and approach to dialogue, and more.

Audio intro: Greg Brown, "Grand Junction"
Audio interstitial 1: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), "Take a Break"
Audio interstitial 2: Warm Thoughts, "Romance Novelist"
Audio outro: 10cc, "The Dean and I"

Link to Craig Goldstein on the Grand Junction Rockies tweets
Link to Humpback Chubs petition
Link to interview about the Humpback Chubs petition
Link to OCR story about Angels outfield sign
Link to Craig Edwards on the McKay call-up
Link to Dave Cameron on Alonso
Link to FanGraphs All-Star Game event post
Link to Devan Fink on All-Star starters and WAR
Link to Martinez’s comments about writers and voting
Link to Nathaniel’s article about the Congressional Baseball Game
Link to Nathaniel’s Congressional Baseball Game stats
Link to order Evvie Drake Starts Over
Link to order The MVP Machine

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