MLB Central crew to bring chemistry to Phils-Royals Showcase showdown
The word “chemistry” is often used to describe the talent on MLB Central, MLB Network's popular weekday morning show featuring Robert Flores, Lauren Shehadi and Mark DeRosa. It’s even used among the three, to the point where there’s a commercial promoting the program in which they laugh about “bottling up” that chemistry.
But in all seriousness, the trio has a professional rapport among them that makes for great baseball television to wake up to. With Flores’ two-plus decades of sports broadcasting experience, Shehadi’s wealth of experience as a sideline reporter and studio host, and DeRosa’s insight as a former Major League player, the group strikes a strong balance of perspectives.
That chemistry is being “bottled up,” so to speak, and sent to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, where the MLB Central crew will call the MLB Network Showcase game between the Phillies and Royals on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
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It will be the trio’s live game coverage debut in the booth and on the field -- Flores will provide play-by-play, DeRosa will serve as color analyst and Shehadi will report from the field.
“This is going to be a lot of fun,” Flores said. “I’m fortunate to be working with Lauren and DeRo and all the people behind the scenes at MLB Network, and we have a nice chemistry and a nice flow.”
The man they call “RoFlo” has substantial experience calling sporting events, including baseball. He’s done two Division Series telecasts for the BBC that were co-produced by MLB Network in 2023, as well as college basketball and boxing matches for ESPN.
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DeRosa has served as a color analyst on MLB Network Showcase telecasts in the past, and he lends authentic insight from a player's perspective -- he had a 16-year MLB career from 1998-2013.
“The three of us are super excited for this opportunity,” DeRosa said. “What has made our show so successful is the chemistry amongst the three of us, so I hope we’re able to exude that and have it come through the TV on Saturday.”
Shehadi has been an on-field reporter for several MLB Network Showcase games. She has also been an on-field reporter during the MLB postseason for TBS since 2017.
“I grew up going to games with my dad,” Shehadi said. “There is nothing like being at the ballpark. Every morning, we get to talk about every team on MLB Central, but for one night, we get to focus on two. They’re two of the best that have their eyes on a deep October run, and I can’t wait to dive in and give them our full attention.”
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There’s a lot of great banter and humor on MLB Central as the personalities of the three mesh for an entertaining two hours each weekday morning. But Flores noted that while there may be opportunities for some of that during Saturday’s Showcase telecast, the trio will be focused on the two clubs playing an important game as postseason races heat up.
“The three of us, when we talked about it amongst ourselves and with the production team, we said that the players and the game are the stars,” Flores said. “We’re taking it very seriously. This is an important game for two teams that have designs on the postseason. So we want to honor the team, the players and the game, because it’s a significant one late in the season.”
Flores noted the fascinating juxtaposition of the two clubs as they enter the matchup. The Phillies have a powerhouse roster and jumped out to the best record in baseball before recently hitting some bumps. Still, Philadelphia entered play Thursday with a six-game lead in the National League East as it prepares to make what it hopes will be a deep playoff run.
The Royals, meanwhile, are a team on the rise following a 106-loss season in 2023. Led by budding superstar Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City is looking to complete a historic turnaround and reach the postseason for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.
It’s a showdown between two exciting playoff contenders on Saturday. And it will be brought to you by the MLB Central crew in their first live game coverage after seven years together in the studio.
“We have such a good rapport with one another,” Flores said. “We work so well together, and I really would like to see what we could do in a game setting. I’m really excited.”