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Jess Kleinschmidt re-joins the show to catch up on what’s been a crazy baseball season so far. She’s crushing her baseball coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area, she’s the host of the “All A’s” podcast, and she’s on our shortlist of recurring guests!
We dive deep into the Bay Area teams and how the Giants & A’s are climbing the ranks in their respective divisions. First, the Oakland A's, who are stringing together a sneaky little season. With recently acquired Starling Marte absolutely crushing the ball, a formidable pitching staff, and a deep lineup with guys like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, and Mark Chana, do you smell what the A's are cooking?
Meanwhile across the bay, the Giants are putting their money where their mouths are. The NL West in the offseason pretty much was the Dodgers-Padres measuring contest, but the Giants are the MLB's #1 team at the moment. Buster Posey is having an MVP season. Brandon Crawford has been so solid this year. Now add Kris Bryant and poof, it smells like a Giants World Series trip in the making.
It wouldn't be a conversation with Jess if we didn't mention Joey Votto, who's coming off an NL Player of the Month award. In the last 52 games, Votto is crushing a stat line of .316/.407/.674 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs. At almost 38 years old, Votto has claimed a spot in the National League MVP Award race.
On top of that, Jess gives us a rundown of the rest of the league, the crazy trade deadline, and what her days look like. We discuss the rise of the Yankees, the Cubs selling off basically their entire roster, and how each frontrunner can fare up in the playoffs. Her interview can be found below at the 33-minute mark.