Baseball Bar-B-Cast

The 2026 edition of Rivalry Weekend has arrived, and there are a few matchups that are even more exciting this year than in previous years. While the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets will certainly grab headlines, it’s the battle on the South Side that has suddenly become one of the most exciting series thanks to both teams’ recent play.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down each of the Rivalry Weekend matchups, including the Mets riding a winning streak while the Yankees look to turn their fortunes around, and the first time the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox have faced off with both teams over .500 in 18 years. They also highlight Shohei Ohtani facing off against Mike Trout and the battle of the Bay Area.

Later, Jake and Jordan take a look at the updated injury news surrounding Tarik Skubal and why it’s an encouraging sign, as well as Max Fried, Cal Raleigh and Francisco Alvarez being slated to miss some time. The guys then make their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

1:19 - The Opener: Rivalry Weekend

6:17 - The Subway Series

14:10 - Crosstown Series

26:44 - Around The League: Skubal update

38:22 - Other injuries popping up

44:20 - The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

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📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
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🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
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🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

As the baseball season approaches the middle of May, there are plenty of good things going on in the game that fans should be excited about. With players like Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber having typical slugger seasons, there are a few players for whom it might be getting a little late early when it comes to not seeing the usual production we’re used to.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman take a look at some players they’re starting to get a little concerned about and try to predict which ones could have a decent rebound. Can guys like Fernando Tatis Jr., Cal Raleigh and Bo Bichette figure it out at the plate and return to form or are they in for what could be a very long season?

Later, Jake and Jordan welcome Miami Marlins slugger Liam Hicks to the show as he talks about the adjustments he made at the plate in the offseason that are paying off for him this year, what it’s like having pitches called from the dugout and the strategy the team uses for the ABS. They then talk about Paul Skenes dominating on the mound once again, the New York Mets calling up A.J. Ewing and the return of Anthony Volpe to the Yankees.

2:04 - The Opener: Players to be concerned about

33:45 - Liam Hicks joins the show

1:01:11 - Around The League: Mets call up Ewing

1:07:46 - Paul Skenes dominates

1:10:51 - Trout and Volpe

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The Milwaukee Brewers completed a sweep of the New York Yankees this past weekend that included back-to-back walk-off wins to help them crawl a little closer to the top of the NL Central. However, it was something their young ace did in his start that stole the headlines for the series.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the emergence of Jacob Misiorowski as the true number one in the Brew Crew’s pitching staff after he threw some of the fastest pitches ever by a starting pitcher en route to helping Milwaukee secure the win. Even though the Brewers traded away former ace Freddy Peralta this past offseason, “The Miz” is grabbing the number one spot by the horns and might not relinquish it for a long time.

Later, Jake and Jordan talk about the Atlanta Braves taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers in what could be a possible NLCS preview come October, and they get into the interesting trade for baseball “sickos” that went down between the San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Guardians. The guys then recap all the other action from this past weekend in baseball, including the New York Mets not having a great road trip, the Texas Rangers cooling off the Chicago Cubs a little and Kyle Schwarber not slowing down in the home run department.

2:26 - The Opener: The Miz throws fire

17:16 - Why the Brewers are just getting going

26:29 - Around The League: Possible NLCS matchup

33:03 - Remembering Bobby Cox

37:34 - Giants & Guardians make a trade

53:32 - Turbo Mode: Rest of weekend action

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

The Chicago Cubs are absolutely on fire and the boys are asking the big question: is this historic run actually sustainable? Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman dive into the Cubs’ nine-game winning streak, their dominance at home and what’s fueling the best record in baseball. Plus, they discuss the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays and whether they can seriously challenge the New York Yankees in the AL East.

Then it’s time to go around the league. The guys break down the Yankees calling up towering prospect Spencer Jones and debate whether the Bronx Bombers may have found another version of Aaron Judge. They also discuss the latest on Tarik Skubal after his successful elbow surgery before opening up the mailbag to answer your best questions from around the baseball world.

To close out the show, Good, Bad & Uggla makes its glorious return. The boys chat about Jim Palmer, Kazuma Okamoto, the painfully struggling offense of the San Francisco Giants and plenty more chaos from another wild week around MLB.

Timetamps:

(1:00) – Chicago Cubs on a historic run: can they keep it up?

(21:30) – Tampa Bay Rays are on fire: can they compete with the Yankees?

(29:00) – Yankees call-up top prospect Spencer Jones

(41:15) – Tarik Skubal surgery update

(47:15) – Bar-B-Cast Mailbag

(1:04:00) - The Good

(1:10:00) - The Bad

(1:18:30) - The Uggla

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_

Tarik Skubal’s season—and possibly his financial future—just took a major hit. The Tigers ace is expected to miss 2–3 months with an elbow injury, and Jake and Jordan break down what this means not only for Detroit’s season but also for Skubal’s looming free agency. Could this injury cost him a historic contract? They also discuss Framber Valdez’s struggles on the mound and the fallout from hitting Trevor Story in a lopsided loss to the Red Sox.

Shohei Ohtani continues to be one of the most fascinating players in baseball, but is there cause for concern? The guys analyze his recent pitching performance and dig into the narrative that his hitting dips when he’s on the mound. Is this just small sample size noise, or something teams should actually be paying attention to?

To wrap things up, it’s time for some early-season hardware. With one month in the books, Jake and Jordan hand out their picks for AL and NL MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year. Who’s real, who’s surprising, and who might not last? The overreactions are flying—and that’s exactly how we like it.

Timetamps:

(1:00) – Tarik Skubal our 2-3 months with elbow injury

(26:30) – Framber Valdez ejected for hitting Trevor Story

(35:45) – Shohei Ohtani continues to not hit when pitching

(45:00) – Carlos Correa suffers major ankle injury

(50:30) – Early season MLB awards

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
🎧 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify
🖥️ YouTube
📢 Check out the Yahoo Sports podcast network or yahoosports.tv
And check out Jake, Jordan & the show on X or Instagram:
🌤️ @CespedesBBQ: https://bsky.app/profile/cespedesbbq.bsky.social
🐦 @CespedesBBQ: https://x.com/CespedesBBQ
📷 @CespedesBBQ: https://www.instagram.com/cespedesbbq
⚾ @Jake_Mintz: https://x.com/Jake_Mintz
🧢 @J_Shusterman: https://x.com/j_shusterman_