Baseball Bar-B-Cast

When the New York Knicks snapped their 53-year championship drought this past weekend, it showed how long the fan base had been suffering before finally being able to celebrate a title. However, there are quite a few teams in baseball that can commiserate with what Knicks fans have been going through and hope to one day bring a championship back home.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman take a look at the current title-less droughts in MLB, led by the Cleveland Guardians, who haven’t won since 1948, and the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres, neither of whom has yet to win a World Series since their debuts in 1969. Along with the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and others, which team will be next to break its drought?

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss two standout pitching performances from this weekend: Jacob Misiorowski, who threw a Maddux for the Brewers, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who flirted with perfection en route to a Los Angeles Dodgers victory. They then recap Tarik Skubal’s return to the mound, the Tartan Army taking over Fenway Park during the Boston Red Sox–Texas Rangers game and offer thoughts on players giving mixed messages regarding the annual San Francisco Giants Pride Night.

 

1:59 – The Opener: Next title drought to end

37:11 – Around The League: The Miz throws a Maddux

47:00 – Yamamoto flirts with perfection

56:22 – Skubal returns to the Tigers

1:04:52 – Turbo Mode: Tartan Army invades

1:10:01 – Giants Pride Night kerfuffle

1:14:57 – Recap of weekend action

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast on your favorite podcast app:
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🎧 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 2026 baseball season hasn’t really gone according to plan for the Boston Red Sox so far. With high expectations that their young core group of players would take the next step and lead the team to a better season than 2025, that has not been the case. Even after firing manager Alex Cora, the team hasn’t seen much of a boost, with many wondering if it’s getting late early for the Red Sox.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the complete disappointment coming out of Boston so far and who is to blame for the mess the Red Sox currently find themselves in. They then get into whether there is a chance the team could become major players at the trade deadline, but as unexpected sellers, and why there is such a disconnect in messaging between the front office and the fans.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss the Chicago White Sox surprisingly finding themselves in first place in the AL Central and how sustainable the winning — and the good vibes they’re bringing to Chicago fans — actually is. The guys then get into Tarik Skubal’s scheduled return to the Detroit Tigers this weekend, Shohei Ohtani being removed from a game due to injury and preview the College World Series. They close out the show by making their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

 

1:28 - The Opener: Red Sox disaster

24:15 - Kind of a Big Deal: White Sox in 1st place

37:43 - Around The League: Skubal set to return

44:18 - Notable recent injuries

47:03 - We Need To Talk About: College World Series preview

53:46 - The Good, The Bad & 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_

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set to take place next month in Philadelphia, and while fan voting ballots have officially dropped, it’s time to start thinking about who you might place on the American and National League squads. While there are some obvious names to make the team—looking at you, Shohei Ohtani and Yordan Alvarez—fans will have to make a few difficult decisions about who else will get their vote.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down both sides of the ballot and give their opinions on who they think should be voted in, including who might be the top vote-getter on the AL side with Aaron Judge set to miss the game. They also try to figure out how many players from the Philadelphia Phillies will represent their club with the game being hosted in the City of Brotherly Love.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss their recent trips to the ballpark, where they saw Paul Skenes take on the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as his side quest to hang out with some little leaguers, and Gerrit Cole do something he hadn’t done since 2022 against the Cleveland Guardians. They then talk about the incredible debut from Chicago White Sox prospect Braden Montgomery and look at the crazy numbers coming out of Sacramento A’s and Milwaukee Brewers games in Las Vegas.

 

1:19 - The Opener: All-Star Game ballots released

4:34 - Who should make the AL squad?

18:25 - Who should make the NL squad?

37:15 - Field Report: Skenes on and off the field

47:35 - Cole against Cleveland

55:03 - Around The League: Montgomery’s memorable debut

1:03:58 - Slugfest in Las Vegas

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 Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers are the only teams in MLB this season to have eclipsed the 40-win mark so far. As leaders in their respective divisions, all three hold sizable leads and have shown they are among the best teams in the Senior Circuit. However, with many games still left to be played, which team will be able to handle the grind of 162 games and come out on top this season?

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the success the National League division leaders have enjoyed this season, including breaking down the recent success of Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki. They also examine why starting pitching has been the key to the Braves' winning ways and how the Brewers have found offense in bunches during their sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss Tarik Skubal's current rehab process, which is fast-tracking him for a potential return, and why the "Skubal Scope" surgery could be an absolute game changer for pitchers in the future. The guys then talk about Manny Machado offering an interesting opinion on why today's game relies too heavily on analytics and they recap all the other action from around MLB this past weekend.

 

1:09 — The Opener: Best in the NL

10:45 — Brewers complete sweep

20:40 — Dodgers & Roki find success

37:30 — Around the League: Skubal Scope

50:05 — Machado and analytics

1:04:11 — Turbo Mode: Weekend recap

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_

Shohei Ohtani has done pretty much everything you could want from an offensive standpoint. However, it's what he's doing on the mound that is garnering attention this season. After pitching yet another gem for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Japanese two-way superstar is performing at a historic level this season.

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about what Ohtani is doing on the bump that's led to his recent domination and why this is the best we've seen him pitch in the big leagues. They then discuss where this current stretch puts Shohei in an already incredibly tight NL Cy Young race and whether he could finish ahead of Cristopher Sánchez, Jacob Misiorowski, and Paul Skenes for his first Cy Young Award.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss Aaron Judge's injury, which will keep him out for an extended period of time, and how the New York Yankees will be able to weather the storm until he potentially returns. They also look at Corbin Burnes receiving bad news during his rehab from Tommy John surgery, the San Diego Padres falling into a deeper slump after getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, and make their picks for this week's edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

1:41 - The Opener: Ohtani is dominating

16:19 - A look at the NL Cy Young race

30:15 - Around The League: Aaron Judge is out

44:52 - Padres in a deep funk

47:39 - The Good, The Bad & 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_