NL Cy Young Race Heats Up: Sale, Wheeler, Skenes in Focus
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00:00It was a day where we were going to focus on those three guys in the hunt for the NL Cy Young, two of the three did pitch, Chris Sale did not because of the rain out in Atlanta.
00:13Yeah, and if we were looking from yesterday, and I remember coming into because I was, you know, sort of concerned but not concerned about Zach Wheeler because usually the alarm flags get raised when you're missing starts, but understand what the Phillies were doing.
00:25Hey, you know what, if it was just a minor back spasm, let's give him the most time off we can possibly give him where he can recover when he comes back from the officer break, he's going to be fine.
00:34100 plus pitches there, seven innings, dominant baseball, no runs given up against a pretty quality Minnesota lineup in Minnesota.
00:41Loved what I saw, but also said this, if I get a really good start out of Zach Wheeler in that baseball game, I'm going to put him as my favorite right now for the Cy Young, because if you're saying there's three guys in the field right now that clearly have separated themselves.
00:54Donnie, give me two guys to battle, it's going to be Paul Skeens, it's going to be Zach Wheeler, I would actually leave Chris Sale out even though he is the favorite, because if I expect what I see out of Zach Wheeler, he's been pretty dominant over the past couple years, he's going to be right in at the end of the season.
01:08The only thing that can trip him up is excitement with Paul Skeens because what do we like, obviously we like wins here, but we like guys throwing 100 plus pitches and absolutely with filthy stuff and racking up strikeouts, which is what Paul Skeens is going to do.
01:20But also, as I talked about early in the show, it feels like it's unfair.
01:24I just wish Paul Skeens pitched from opening day because I honestly believe that Skeens, if he was on this same trajectory, would be the leader by quite some margin right now at the FanBlue Sportsbook as the favorite to win it.
01:36But he's sort of playing behind the eight ball where I do believe that he has the opportunity.
01:40Let me equate this to the WNBA then. Angel Reese, what would have happened if Angel Reese continued her double-double streak right through to the final game and really ran that record up the flagpole?
01:50We honestly would have an interesting conversation, but the minute she lost that double-double mantle, she dropped like a rock in the standings.
01:57That looks like Kaitlyn Clark is going to win it.
02:00If Paul Skeens continues unbelievable starts throughout August and September, he's going to be right there and a rightful chance to win that Cy Young.
02:07But if he goes two or three starts that are average, I don't think he can win it, Ben.
02:11It's unfair, but it's just the way it is.
02:13Right, you're correct in the idea the notable record for Angel Reese came to a close.
02:18The final few games of extending that consecutive streak to 15 maybe poked some holes in how legitimate all of those double-doubles were.
02:26But it was also because of Kaitlyn Clark's history and those record performances as well.
02:31The reason I go back to the WNBA Rookie of the Year race is because if we see Chris Sale continue to pitch gems,
02:38and he leads all of MLB with 13 wins this year, or Zach Wheeler turns it on down the home stretch for the best team in baseball,
02:45the Philadelphia Phillies like he did yesterday, seven innings of shutout work, only allowing three base knocks.
02:52Those guys, based on their own stellar individual performances, can start to see their odds shift even more.
02:59Because of the movement on Paul Skeens yesterday, $2 off the price, plus $5.50 to plus $3.50,
03:05we see a little bit of that market maneuvering, but it's really still just a three-guy race.
03:12Chris Sale, plus $1.45. Zach Wheeler, plus $1.80.
03:16And Skeens at plus $3.50, a large drop off to Logan Webb and Tyler Glass now at a 35-to-1 number.
03:23We kind of know where things stand in the NL Cy Young race.
03:27If the Pittsburgh Pirates, now a game above .500 and only a game and a half back of a wild-card spot in the National League,
03:34stay competitive, that Paul Skeens price is legitimate, which was not the case when these odds came out
03:41and Paul Skeens started his MLB career, even halfway into his 12 starts, or eight starts into the 12 that he has made in his career.
03:51The thought was, all right, he'll go until September, they'll shut him down, they'll get him ready for year number two.
03:57Not the case anymore. And even just about a month and a half ago, the number was 120-to-1
04:03for Skeens to win the National League Cy Young Award, now plus $3.50.
04:11The NL Cy Young Race