# National League Flyaround: Midseason Check-Ins

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/national-league-flyaround-midseason-check-ins
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/national-league-flyaround-midseason-check-ins.md
Podcast: [Rates & Barrels: A show about Baseball](https://stenobird.com/podcast/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652)
Published: 2026-07-01T20:54:06+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball/episodes/national-league-flyaround-midseason-check-ins
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a1a4eb737caf8ca41879/e/6a4579e1968da46a7d20aa79/media.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rates-barrels-a-show-about-baseball-692652/episodes/national-league-flyaround-midseason-check-ins
Duration seconds: 4531

## Resource

It’s time for a tour around the National League, where every division has its own storylines taking shape. Eno, Jed, and DVR begin in the NL West, where the Dodgers have opened up a sizable lead. They discuss whether the Padres can still make a push, what needs to happen for the Diamondbacks' offense to get going, and where the Giants and Rockies go from here. From there, they head to "America’s Division," the NL Central, where the Brewers and Cubs are battling for the top spot while the Cardinals and Pirates remain in the postseason mix. Finally, they wrap up in the NL East, where the Phillies are gaining ground on the Braves and tightening the division race. Rundown: 0:45 Jed The Banana 4:28 MLB Baseballs’ Manufacturing Error 6:52 The 2026 Dodgers: The Machine is Working 16:05 The Padres’ League-Worst Offense 25:12 Can the D-backs’ Outhit Pitching Woes? 30:46 Giants Falling to Sellers? 31:46 Rockies Taking Steps Forward 34:37 Should Brewers Go Big with Upgrades? 39:10 Can the Cubs Find Enough Pitching? 44:24 Cardinals Have 34.2% Chance of Reaching Playoffs 48:37 Is Pirates’ Biggest Need a Top-End Reliever? 51:05 Check In on Your Cincinnati Friends 57:25 Philly Closes Gap on Atlanta to 2.5 Games 1:00:28 Phillies Climbing: Where Will They Upgrade? 1:06:02 The Marlins Need Bats: A Sneaky-Good Mid-Pack Team? 1:11:55 The Nats Need Pitching: An Intriguing Deadline on Tap? 1:13:47 Mets Owner Steve Cohen Says Stearns is Safe Eno’s Article on MLB Baseballs: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7410468/ Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris With: Jed Lowrie…

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## Transcript

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