And while I firmly understand that concept, I certainly do not appreciate that the final post I am writing for Crossing Broad after seven great years at this site came on a day that Taijuan Walker started a game for the Phillies that he never should have to begin with, got torched, and the Phillies were nearly no-hit by Spencer Arrighetti.

That’s one hell of a give back for me.

I won’t bore you with the details of my departure. If you are truly interested, you can click on the X link below where I said plenty.

Hi all – some personal news.
Today was my last day as a contributor for @CrossingBroad.
It was my decision to leave. Everyone at CB and XL Media was awesome about this decision and let me continue writing for nearly three weeks after I told them I was leaving.
I have decided to…

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) August 29, 2024

Instead, I will sit here and find it somewhere deep within my sports writing soul to try and come up with a compelling story about the debacle that took place at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday.

Frankly, this reeked of a good ol’ Doc Rivers scheduled loss.

How else can you explain the decision to start Walker against the Astros on Wednesday? Everyone knew what was going to happen. I knew. You knew. Your neighbor knew. Your crazy uncle knew. Your barber knew.

Hell, admit it, your dog walked past your television during the game, stopped when Walker was on the screen, let out a snort, and just kept going.

If every one of us outside the Phillies organization knew, then the Phillies had to know, too.

It’s why they switched his start date from Thursday to Wednesday, to avoid having to use him in a pivotal series against the Atlanta Braves. It’s why they left him in the game long enough to allow six runs and 13 hits while not striking out a single batter over six innings – so they can save their entire bullpen for the Atlanta series.

Taijuan Walker allowed 13 hits and did not record a strikeout in six innings.

It’s the most hits a Phillies pitcher has allowed since Aaron Harang in 2015. It’s the first time a Phillies starter went 6 IP without a strikeout since Ben Lively in 2017.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 28, 2024

They had to know.

And after all the effusive confidence in Walker in the dugout on Monday, manager Rob Thomson finally admitted that something needs to change in the rotation going forward.

Oh, he didn’t say that directly. But he said that the organization has to talk about it.

“It was a rough day all the way around in every aspect.”

Rob Thomson and Taijuan Walker discuss today’s difficult outing and what might lie ahead for the Phillies’ starting pitcher. pic.twitter.com/1DVs9X9b3T

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 29, 2024

Rough day? No kidding.

The Phillies did buy themselves some time with this decision. Assuming they move on from Walker – which was the prevailing wisdom after his last start in Kansas City that was equally terrible – the Phillies wouldn’t need a fifth starter until September 7th in Miami thanks to not having to play on Labor Day.

That means they can call up an extra bullpen arm for the next three games against Atlanta, and then add a second one on Sunday when rosters expand for September.

And if that was the strategy, fine – but it still didn’t make sense as the Phillies are now fighting not only for the N.L. East title, but also a first round bye, avoiding a treacherous three-game series in the Wild Card round.

Every game matters now, and giving games away like this makes little sense.

Personally, I felt bad for Walker coming into the game. I have to imagine how hard it is when your career has come to this stage. It’s got to be very trying emotionally.

And I give Thomson credit for saying he feels the same way for Walker.

“I feel bad for him,” Thomson said. “I really do, because I think all of you know how much I respect and love the players and he works extremely hard. He (took) that time on the I.L. to try different things – to gain velocity. To gain action on the splitter. There’s no lack of effort there. So, when guys give effort and it doesn’t work out and you don’t see results, it hurts. It hurts me and it obviously hurts him too.”

Making matters worse was the Phillies looked feeble at the plate for the first time since the finale in Atlanta last week. Arrighetti was pitching a no hitter into the eighth inning. He struck out 11 in 7 1/3, and other than an incredible catch against the left field wall by Mauricio Dubon to keep the no-hitter intact to end the seventh inning, the Phillies didn’t hit him hard at all.

Mauricio Dubón keeps the no-hitter intact with this catch to end the 7th! pic.twitter.com/xnlPofITbv

— MLB (@MLB) August 28, 2024

Yeah. It was bad. It was one hell of a way for me to go out.

Ah, well.

Thanks for reading.

The post Taijuan Walker Lit Up Again as Phillies Nearly No-Hit by Astros appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Except for one little nugget.

Asked if he expected Alvarado back this season, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said yes, he does.

That’s got to be a glimmer of good news, that whatever reason Alvarado had to leave the team does not seem to be something that is career-threatening.

Jose Alvarado’s Instagram story from this morning, including translation. pic.twitter.com/LsymeuqdNm

— Benjamin Goldstein (@BGoldsteinPSR) August 27, 2024

But in the short term, the Phillies are down to two left-handed relievers in the bullpen, and only one who is used to taking down higher leverage innings – Matt Strahm.

Conventional wisdom would tell you that Tanner Banks, the lefty acquired from the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline, would slide into Alvarado’s role while he is gone. And while he will get some more opportunity in that spot, the Phillies have another “lefty” that they feel like can tackle high-leverage situations against tough lefty batters.

“I look at it like (Orion) Kerkering is kind of a lefty, too, because he’s got good splits against lefties,” Thomson said. “So, really, we still have three lefties in the ‘pen in my mind.”

Ehhh….

So far this season, Kerkering has faced 95 lefties. They are slashing .266/.372/.392 against him for a .765 OPS. The only two home runs Kerkering has allowed in his major league career have come this season – against lefties. He does have a good strikeout ratio against them – 29 whiffs in 79 at bats, but he has also walked 10 lefties compared to just three righties in 112 plate appearances.

It’s not exactly dominant, but part of those numbers did occur during a rough nine-game stretch coming out of the All-Star break through August 8th where lefties hit .500 against him. Since then, Kerkering has been much better against lefties.

In the past few weeks, lefties are only slashing .207/.233/.345 for a .578 OPS.

He also had success against lefties for a good stretch earlier this season. Before the All-Star break, lefties slashed .232/.317/.268 against him for a .585 OPS.

Phillies Relievers since May 1st:

Matt Strahm: 0.00 ERA
Jeff Hoffman: 0.66 ERA
Seranthony Dominguez: 0.80 ERA
Orion Kerkering: 1.58 ERA
Jose Alvarado: 1.72 ERA
Jose Ruiz: 1.93 ERA
Gregory Soto: 2.79 ERApic.twitter.com/cAB6sDXfJy

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 8, 2024

As for his recent appearances, the latest high leverage spot against a lefty for Kerkering came Monday against Houston. With a runner on first and two outs in a tie game, Thomson left Kerkering in to face the always-dangerous lefty Yordan Alvarez.

He threw Alvarez four straight sweepers and got him to ground out to first base to end the threat.

On Saturday, he faced Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino. He threw him a sweeper to start, but then followed with two 99 MPH fastballs, the latter of which resulted in a ground out to second.

And then there was last Wednesday, the lone win the Phillies got in Atlanta. He faced two lefties in the bottom of the eighth while protecting a one-run lead.

He struck out Matt Olson with a 97 MPH fastball at the bottom of the strike zone and got Jarred Kelenic to fly out to center field on a sweeper up in the zone.

He’s had some success.

Thing is, he’s going to have to have some more going forward until Alvarado gets back and Kerkering can slot back into his normal role of taking down a pocket of right-handed hitters.

The post As Phillies Wait for Jose Alvarado to Return, Orion Kerkering Will be the Bullpen “Lefty” to Take his Place appeared first on Crossing Broad.

But the Phillies back then had a third base prospect that they were high on named Mike Schmidt and shipped Money to Milwaukee as part of a seven-player trade following the 1972 season.

On Sunday, Money, now 77, got a phone call from his grandson.

“I told him we got another Phillie in the family and he was like, I can’t say the word, but he was like, ‘No way,'” said Buddy Kennedy, who was recalled by the Phillies Monday as part of a flurry of roster moves.

With Weston Wilson going on the paternity list, the Phillies needed someone to replace him. And while the transaction sheet doesn’t exactly say that was the swap – the Phillies recalled relief pitcher Max Lazar for Wilson and Kennedy was added to replace Kolby Allard, who made a spot start and picked up the win Sunday in Kansas City – Kennedy is here for a few days, and his family couldn’t be happier.

“They all screamed,” said Kennedy, who is from Millville, N.J., and went to Millville High School, the same as Mike Trout. “My mom almost blew my ear out on the phone. My grandmother cried. It’s a special day today.”

The Phillies acquired Kennedy in a cash trade with the Detroit Tigers in June. An original draft pick of the Diamondbacks (2017, 5th round), Kennedy has had cups of coffee in the major leagues with Arizona in 2022 and 2023 before being waived last September. He was claimed by Oakland, waived, claimed by St. Louis, and waived again before being claimed by Detroit. He appeared in six games earlier this season for the Tigers before being traded to the Phillies.

BUDDY KENNEDY WALK-OFF! pic.twitter.com/eZnSKHhfld

— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) July 3, 2024

Now he gets to be in uniform for the team he rooted for as a kid – just like Tyler Phillips did earlier this season.

“It’s a true dream for me, Kennedy said. “In the sports world you never get to play for your hometown team – very rarely it happens,” Kennedy said. “I started becoming a little kid again inside because I came to games. I came to the 2008 World Series. I came last year when they played the Diamondbacks in the LCS. Now we’re here and it’s a bit of a whirlwind, but hey, I’m going to enjoy every moment.”

Kennedy, 25, has been living at his girlfriend’s house in West Berlin, N.J. and making the 1 hour-40-minute-long commute each day to Lehigh Valley when the Iron Pigs were playing at home.

“It’s a lot sometimes, but I get to sleep in my bed, so that’s peaceful,” Kennedy said.

Since his arrival in Lehigh Valley, Kennedy has been one of the IronPigs’ best hitters. In 56 games he has slashed .313/.415/.543 for an OPS of .958 with nine homers and 29 RBI.

His numbers weren’t nearly as good when he was with Toledo, the Tigers Triple-A affiliate, and said he made some changes once he got to Lehigh Valley and it clicked for him.

Buddy Kennedy: good at baseball pic.twitter.com/oJJm1v7y9j

— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) June 16, 2024

Kennedy personally has 20 family members coming to the game Monday night just to see him in uniform and the off chance that he gets into the game. But he knows there’s going to be a lot more people coming to see him than that.

“Once the news got announced I got a lot of text messages, ‘Oh, Dude we’re gonna be there tonight,’ So it’s pretty cool. It’s just an honor.”

Kennedy got an NLCS championship ring from the Diamondbacks last season, even though he was waived in September. If he gets into just one game this week, he’ll be eligible for some jewelry with the Phillies if things come to fruition.

“I’d LOVE to get the World Series ring with these guys,” Kennedy stressed.

The Taijuan Walker conundrum

There’s no doubt that Taijuan Walker’s spot on the Phillies roster is in a precarious spot. There was a belief that he may have pitched his last game for the Phillies when he was shelled in Kansas City on Friday.

There was a lot of thought that he might be DFA’d or released as soon as Monday.

And there was an announcement about Walker, just not one that anyone was expecting.

“We flipped Taijuan and (Cristopher) Sanchez, so that Sanchez will get an extra, extra day,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Taijuan will go Wednesday against Houston and Sanchez will go Thursday against Atlanta.”

Come again?

“You can always make a change, but I’m confident he’s going to bounce back at this point,” Thomson said. “Maybe not everybody is, but I am, and that’s who I am.”

Well, okay then.

Spencer Arrighetti vs Taijuan Walker.

spaghetti vs meatballs https://t.co/3sYJzJeC1a

— Robert Orr (@NotTheBobbyOrr) August 26, 2024

At this point the Phillies are doing Walker no favors. They are feeding him to the wolves. Making him pitch in front of a sellout crowd on Wednesday against a red-hot Houston team is flabbergasting.

Walker would have to have not just a “keep us in the game” start, but actually a sensational one to keep those wolves at bay. It’s asking for a lot.

And if there’s a reason for doing this, the only one that remotely makes sense is that their options are limited.

Kolby Allard has kept them in a few games, but if we’re being honest, he’s been more lucky than good. He also couldn’t throw again before Friday, and the Phillies want to give Sanchez an extra day of rest and weren’t about to move up Ranger Suarez a day after he just missed more than a month with back spasms. So, Allard wasn’t the answer. Tyler Phillips was fatigued and shipped back to the minors last week. He’s not yet eligible to return. Michael Mercado has been shifted back into a bullpen role.

Seth Johnson, who was just acquired from the Orioles in the Gregory Soto trade at the deadline, is intriguing and he is on the 40-man roster and is the pitcher on Lehigh Valley that is throwing on the same day as Walker. However, although he’s been impressive, he’s made just two starts at the Triple-A level.

The only other starters on the 40-man roster are Kyle Tyler, who has not looked great since being claimed off waivers from Miami and Mick Abel, whose 2024 struggles have been well-documented.

Maybe the Phillies think that there truly is no better option than one more Walker start, but if that’s the case, then they have nobody to blame but themselves for allowing it to get to a position where that’s the case.

Ultimately, this won’t matter come October, as there’s no way on Earth he’ll be pitching in the postseason, but in the moment, it sure seems like the Phillies are completely flubbing this No. 5 starter situation.

EDIT –

Tough one for the Phils and Jose:

The Phillies have placed LHP Josè Alvarado on the restricted list and he has left the club to deal with a personal matter. To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, RHP Michael Mercado was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA).

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) August 26, 2024

The post One Cool Story, One Head Scratcher for Phillies: The Tales of Buddy Kennedy and Taijuan Walker appeared first on Crossing Broad.

But one thing that was an understandable worry for the entirety of that time seemed to be put to bed in 72 pitches over five innings during the Phillies’ 11-2 win over Kansas City on Saturday.

Ranger Suarez looked like Ranger Suarez.

The Phillies’ starting rotation has two horses at the top in Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. It has an out-of-left-field All-Star in the four spot in Cristopher Sanchez. But the linchpin to this staff being ready for the biggest baseball stages has been for the past two years – and still is – Ranger Suarez.

Rob Thomson, J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott, and even Ranger Suárez himself talk about how good it was to have the lefty back on the mound after missing a month on the IL. | @WapnerNewman pic.twitter.com/zPmZ6vvP1J

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 25, 2024

Without him, the Phillies are much more mediocre. With him, they can go toe-to-toe with any team in a three, five, or seven-game series. That’s how important he is.

Making his first start in a little more than a month, there was going to be a lot of breath-holding and hanging on the outcome of pitch after pitch after pitch.

For the first four innings, the Royals, a better-than-average offensive team buoyed by an unheralded superstar in Bobby Witt Jr. – who were it not for Aaron Judge, would be the runaway A.L. MVP this season – were befuddled by a guy who had one start in seven weeks and eschewed a rehab assignment before facing them.

Suarez allowed a double in the first inning to Vinnie Pasquantino and nothing else over four, striking out three and getting Witt Jr., who has the second-highest batting average post All-Star break in the history of baseball behind only Ted Williams, to fly out and ground out.

Suarez started to get a little fatigued in the fifth inning – as he was approaching his pitch limit for the first start back – and yielded a run on a double and a single. But then after letting up a third straight hit, pitching coach Caleb Cotham slowly sauntered to the mound to give Suarez a needed breather. After a longish conversation, Suarez knew this would be his last inning, and he just needed to get two more outs and not give up any more damage.

He struck out Kyle Isbel looking – all three strikes were sinkers on the black down and away. He hit the same spot with all three of them like one of those British dart throwers repeatedly nailing a bullseye.

Then came Maikel Garcia. Again, it was three sinkers in the zone. One was fouled, two were looked at. The last pitch was a 91-MPH sinker that to Garcia had to look like it was coming in for a cup check, only to catch the black on the inner half for strike three.

RANGER SUAREZ IS BACK
(WINNING PITCHER 11-5, 2.82 ERA)
5.0 IP | 4 H | 1 ER | 1 BB | 6 K
72 pitches {46 Strikes)
Sinker 24, Curve 20, 4-Seam 15, Changeup 11, Cutter 2
Chase 25%, Whiff 13.8%
@MLBVenezuela #RingTheBell #Phillies #MLBpic.twitter.com/WaCuQjCv1U

— Oscar Budejen (@OscarBudejen) August 25, 2024

The Phillies offense exploded from there, but it was that fifth inning that was pivotal. It was a one-run game. The tying and go-ahead runs were on base. Suarez was at the end of his pitch count rope and after having not been in a high leverage spot like this in quite some time, he was as precise and perfect as he needed to be.

Sure, everyone wants to talk about J.T. Realmuto hitting two home runs and becoming the first Phillies catcher to drive in seven runs in a nine-inning game (Carlos Ruiz did it in an 11-inning loss to Atlanta in 2012). Yes, everyone wants to talk about the offense exploding for 18 hits (matching a season high), Bryson Stott getting a much-needed four hits (matching a career-high), and Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner emerging from their batting slumber with a combined five hits.

All that is good conversation and those things will matter, too, for the Phillies to get back onto the trajectory they were on before the All-Star break.

But nothing is as important as pitching in the playoffs. If Suarez can be the slow heartbeat surgeon he’s been in the past two playoffs, then the Phillies are still poised to be a major player in October, no matter what they looked like in July and August.

He checked off a lot of boxes in the affirmative for that on Saturday. Making sure he stays healthy and fresh is the Phillies plan for the next five weeks. And those will be boxes that need to be checked as well. So, nothing is guaranteed and there are still plenty of checkpoints to pass before October turns red.

But if you’re looking for a sign that the Phillies have found a salve for the late summer wounds that they have inflicted on themselves, then look no further then those first five innings Saturday night.

The post The Return of Ranger Suarez Should Be the Elixir the Phillies Needed appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It might be the last one you see of Taijuan Walker pitching for the Phillies this year.

I know what you are thinking – ‘From your keyboard to God’s ears, SanFilippo!’ 

Except, it probably doesn’t need divine intervention at this point. After the latest debacle – a three-inning performance where he yielded six runs on eight hits and a walk, including two monstrous home runs, and exit velocities that would make NASCAR drivers shiver, that resulted in a 7-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals, the Phillies can’t afford to hand him the ball again this season.

They just need to eat the financial mistake that he has been and move on. Tyler Phillips was giving you better outings. Kolby Allard was giving you better outings. Heck, anyone else at Lehigh Valley right now would be more intriguing.

It’s exacerbated more by the fact that his next scheduled start seems to be the opener of a four-game series with Atlanta that now has much bigger meaning as there is an unexpected divisional race at hand. The Braves won again Friday to move within five games of the Phillies for first place in the N.L. East.

Walker can’t make that start. He can’t.

Manager Rob Thomson was asked about it after the game and said, “We haven’t talked about it yet.”

Translation: ‘No, but I haven’t told Walker, so I can’t tell you.’

Walker only faced 18 hitters in the game. Exactly half of them hit the ball 95 mph or harder off of him.

It seemed like he was throwing batting practice:

“I know that I’m better than this.”

Taijuan Walker opens up about why he believes he’s been struggling on the mound. pic.twitter.com/LLsPjBBNPc

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 24, 2024

If you watch that interview in the X post above, you see Walker owning up to his bad pitching and stating, “I know I’m better than this.”

It’s the one admirable thing about Walker. He is accountable. He always is. He never shies away from the questions he knows he has to face. And he’s another guy who cares and wants to be better than he is, even if the body language doesn’t show that sometimes.

But if that’s the only good thing you can say about a player at this level, then it might be time to cut bait.

You can be a nice guy, a good human, a great friend to your teammates and just not be good enough at your job. Plain and simple.

And while Walker may have been “better than this” at one point in his career, he hasn’t been for the Phillies in more than a year. That’s enough of a sample size to warrant whatever comes next.

What comes next is a conundrum, not just for the remainder of this season – as the Phillies will need someone to make 5-6 more starts in this spot in the rotation, and it shouldn’t be Walker – but for the future as well.

The Phillies are on the hook for another $36 million over the next two seasons as well with Walker. That’s a lot of chowder to eat. But eat it the Phillies should.

I mean…

Garrett Stubbs has a better pitching WAR than Taijuan Walker

— JWAEGMAFIA (@JWaeghe) August 24, 2024

O.K. while true, that’s a little unfair. Stubbs -0.2 WAR is based on 3 1/3 innings vs. Walker’s -0.6 WAR coming in 64 2/3 innings. But it’s worth noting that Walker, in 13 starts, has been worth less than a replacement-level pitcher this season.

Since he’s signed for two more years for such big money, how the Phillies handle this has to be delicate. Maybe they feel like they can part ways with him via trade in the offseason, and they only have to eat some of the money, and not all of it. Maybe they hold on to him and try to get him back to where he’s been previously in his career.

Or maybe they waive him and take the financial bloodbath as soon as they return home Monday.

In the first two instances, the Phillies would have to find a spot for him still on their roster for the rest of 2024, unless he’s injured again, which I don’t think is remotely the case. Can you live with Walker as the 28th man (after September 1st) as just a mop up guy pitching with either a big lead or big deficit?

If not, then the only option is the third one, which means ownership and management has to take that one on the chin.

Either way, Walker can’t make another start for this team this season. I can’t reiterate that enough. The season is slipping through the Phillies’ fingers at the moment, and if they are going to save it, they need to have everyone be able to get a firm grip on it to pull it back up to where it needs to be.

And Walker hasn’t been able to get a grip on anything – after all, he missed a month and half because he couldn’t hold his splitter properly. So, why would you think he could suddenly start now when it matters most?

The post Taijuan Walker Needs to Have Made His Last Phillies Start appeared first on Crossing Broad.

But it seems as if those four games were just a sugar rush, because Turner went right back to providing fruitless at bats in Atlanta. Hell, the whole team did.

As for Marsh, it hasn’t gotten better. Only worse. Yeah, there was a home run against Washington. Yes, there was the game-winning sacrifice fly in Atlanta the other night. But otherwise it’s been brutal.

He’s struck out 20 times in his last 39 at bats. That’s remarkably bad.

While the frequency of those K’s, either forward or backward, is slightly less as you include a larger sample size, it’s really not good since he returned from a hamstring injury on June 15th. In that time Marsh is slashing .209/.283/.373 for a .656 OPS and he’s struck out 70 times in 158 at bats, or 44.3% of them.

I’m not sure if he’s even playable right now for a team that needs to get their act together:

Brandon Marsh would still strikeout https://t.co/bbERGE2nbq

— 4MT (@4mtboiiiiiii) August 23, 2024

Which is why sitting Marsh is not the step I’m advocating for this time. I mean, yeah… he should be on the bench – even against righties. The Phillies will tout that he has a .745 OPS this season against righties, so that’s worth putting in the lineup, but I’ll counter with what his numbers have been against righties since coming back from the injury:

50 games, 154 plate appearances, .191/.273/.368; .641 OPS, 62 strikeouts (40.3%)

That’s who he’s supposed to be good against.

It’s become a nightmare for Marsh, who puts in the work every day to correct it, and just hasn’t been able to get it done, allowing the frustration to mount.

The Phillies gambled at the deadline that he would be fine and even basically shifted him back to centerfield and taking away at bats from Johan Rojas with the addition of Austin Hays to be the everyday left fielder.

Hays got hurt and Marsh has gotten worse. It’s to the point were Rojas is the best regular option of all the possibilities for two outfield positions. And if that’s the case, it’s a bit of a black hole offensively.

Weston Wilson has put together some really good swings for the Phillies – especially against left-handed pitchers – so there should be a confidence in him against lefties. But you also don’t want to play him too much for fear of over-exposure. We’ve seen this in the not-too-distant past with Edmundo Sosa.

And evaluation of Hays is incomplete at the moment. He’s not played enough, but has looked OK when he has, and the Phillies view him as an everyday player.

So maybe, upon his return to the team in Kansas City tonight, it’s Hays in left, Rojas in center and Marsh on the bench. Fine.

While it’s likely that Cal Stevenson gets sent back down to make room for Hays – and that is the right roster move – maybe Marsh could also use a reset.

Why not send Marsh down to Triple-A to try and work on what he has to work on and build back some confidence, and then bring him back in two or three weeks for the end of the regular season and the playoffs?

Let him try and rectify things in a low-pressure environment against inferior pitching. It’s worked for guys before to get that reset. There’s no question the Phillies are going to need Marsh in October, so why not use up one of the two options he has left (per Fangraphs) and try and get him right?

Brandon Marsh needs to find himself in AAA. Not even saying that in an angry way. Genuinely think he needs that.

— Phillies Baseball Talk (@FightinsTalk) August 23, 2024

Rojas can play centerfield on the regular. If you send down Marsh instead of Stevenson then you have a backup centerfielder for the next couple weeks. If not, maybe you send Marsh down and recall Kody Clemens, so you have another left-handed bat available and Hays can slide over to centerfield if you need to pinch hit for Rojas.

The point is the Phillies need Marsh (and others) to get their swagger back. And the opportunity exists to get him to find that groove away from the pressure of a pennant race. Take advantage of it:

Where’s this Brandon Marsh at I know he’s in there somewhere pic.twitter.com/ZWt6C3k31h

— (@CookedBy1K) August 23, 2024

It also might benefit the rest of the team, too. To this point, changes in the clubhouse have only been on the periphery. Nothing has happened to the core of the team other than a game off here and there.

But if you send out one of the core guys, even for just a couple weeks, it could wake this team from its doldrums.

Now some might say that seems like a panic move. Some might say you don’t want to look like a desperate team. But the truth is when you have the third-worst record in the sport since the All-Star Break, have fallen out of the top seed in the N.L., are in danger of not getting a bye and having to play a best-of-3 first round series in a year where the expectations were through the roof, a desperate measure should be in order.

Otherwise the Phillies are putting themselves at further risk of becoming a precautionary tale of being too stubborn in their own philosophy, to be told for years to come.

The post What Should the Phillies Do With Brandon Marsh? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

As soon as Arcia reached first base during his home run trot and decided to stare down Bryce Harper in some sort of faux retribution for Harper shooting lasers through him not once but twice in Game 3 of last year’s NLDS following his “Atta Boy, Harper” comment after Game 2, it was immediately apparent that this was going to be all Philadelphia sports fans talked about for the next 24 hours.

It prompted questions during postgame interviews. It was a hot button issue on talk radio. Heck, even Kinker got out from behind his drum set to write a post about it minutes after it happened.

It was a no brainer.

Lost in the hysteria of adding another chapter to this baseball rivalry, though, was something manager Rob Thomson told reporters after the game.

“That’s how you win a playoff game,” he said.

O.K., so it wasn’t a playoff game. But Thomson managed it like it was one. The Phillies played like it was one. And as a result, they got a much-needed victory to keep the Braves a little more than an arm’s length away in the N.L. East race with 36 games to play.

And you can see that when the Phillies are in that mode of doing whatever it takes to win, even if they are not at their best, they do know how to find a way.

Consider:

• The offense, often panned for being terrible situationally and relying too heavily on the long ball to succeed, drove in all three runs with situational approaches at the plate – a ground out and two sacrifice fly balls.
• The key hits to set up those runs were doubles from the bottom of the lineup – first Johan Rojas and then, the biggest hit of the game by Weston Wilson (more on him later).
• Aaron Nola wasn’t sharp, but he was able to pitch his way through it. The aforementioned homer by Arcia was his lone mistake that he paid for. The others, he wriggled through. And although he didn’t go as long as he would like in a game because of his control being a little bit off, He gave the Phillies 5 1/3 good innings.
• The bullpen, much-maligned for leaking oil since the All-Star break, did the rest, and pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Four guys were needed for those eight outs and it got a little dicey in the ninth inning, but they ultimately did what they were paid to do.

This is how the Phillies may have to win a game or few in the playoffs. Wednesday night was evidence that they have it in them.

In the playoffs, each half inning is magnified, each managerial decision is thrust under the microscope. And in each instance of consequence on Wednesday, the Phillies passed that test with flying colors.

Here were the most highlightable half innings:

Top of the 6th

The Phillies offense had been completely moribund for quite some time to this point.

It’s been 10 innings since a Phillies batter reached second base.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 22, 2024

With the bottom two hitters in the lineup due up to lead things off, it seemed like a sure bet to continue with the Phillies trailing 2-0. However, it took all of eight pitches to start to turn things around.

Edmundo Sosa started it with a full count single to left. Rojas followed with a double off the wall in left, putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out.

You’re welcome.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 22, 2024

Kyle Schwarber, knowing he had to put the ball in play past the pitcher, hit a hard ground ball back through the box. Arcia was shading him up the middle and threw him out at first, but it was a productive out and trimmed the lead to 2-1.

Trea Turner followed, knowing a fly ball to the outfield would surely score the speedy Rojas from third. And he did just that, allowing the Phillies to tie the game on another productive out.

How many times have you seen the Phillies in the past 30 games or so be in similar situations and strike out or pop up or not be able to advance runners with an out? It’s kind of a baseball epidemic and not just a Phillies one, but when you watch one team primarily, it’s easier to get caught up in their mistakes and think they are germane to that team.

Still, these little things make a difference in games like this, and more importantly, in games that matter in October.

Bottom of the 6th

After a dominant fifth inning in which he struck out the side and his curveball was nasty, Aaron Nola got into some trouble in the sixth. Two of the first three batters got on with singles. Thomson decided that was enough and turned the game over to Hoffman. It’s a bit earlier than usual for Hoffman this season, but it’s a role he excelled in during the playoffs a year ago.

Hoffman threw four pitches and got Gio Urshela to roll over one into a 4-6-3 double play to get the Phillies out of a jam.

Thomson bucked his regular season trend here by going to one of his biggest arms in the back of the bullpen, and it worked.

Funny, how no one wants to give the manager credit when he pushes the right button, eh?

Bottom of the 7th

Matt Strahm was great in this inning. He got Michael Harris to hit a lazy fly out to center field, Whit Merrifield to hit a a one-hooper to third and then won a nine-pitch war with Marcel Ozuna, punching him out with a fastball on the inner half of the strike zone.

This was an inning more reminiscent of Strahm’s brilliant start to the season ad has to have the Phillies feeling good about their All-Star lefty.

Top of the 8th

Weston Wilson is becoming a cult hero. In the span of a year, the rookie hit a home run in his first major league at bat, became the ninth Phillies player to hit for the cycle, and now start a rally in the eighth inning of a tie game against their biggest rival in the heat of a pennant race.

But the thing that was most impressive here was that the double came off Joe Jimenez, a right-handed reliever.

Wilson has been a guy who has earned his ABs against left-handed pitching since his callup, and rightfully so, since he does hit them well. Usually, Thomson pinch hits for Wilson with a lefty off the bench in a close spot against a righty reliever.

In this case, he didn’t. He let Wilson hit and Wilson delivered, crushing a double off the right field wall. It was just another opposite field hit for Wilson, who has been providing a bunch of those when he’s in the lineup.

The confidence Thomson had to stick with Wilson in this spot rather than pinch hit for him was a gut feel by the manager who belied the analytics that tell him to pinch hit in that spot and believed in what he was seeing with his own eyes.

Rob Thomson on Weston Wilson: “I’m thinking about starting him tomorrow. The at-bats are so good.” pic.twitter.com/dvkRk6tf25

— John Foley (@2008Philz) August 22, 2024

“The at bats are so good that it’s hard to deny,” Thomson told reporters about his decision to stick with Wilson. “I’ve just liked his at bats. He looks balanced, he looks comfortable, he looks poised, and he uses the field.”

It’s gotten to the point where Thomson is considering starting Wilson against righthanders as well to see how he handles it. This is an interesting dynamic with Austin Hays due to come off the I.L. on Friday. How the Phillies divide and conquer both left field and center field between four guys – Wilson, Hays, Marsh and Rojas – ought to be the most compelling thing to watch over the final 36 games.

Back to Wednesday night…

Wilson got the double, yes, but the Phillies needed to get him home. Bryson Stott pinch hit for Sosa and hit the ball to deep centerfield to advance Wilson to third. Then Marsh pinch hit for Rojas and got the sacrifice fly.

It was a key spot for both guys, who have been struggling at the plate. Stott had a really good at bat and drove the ball well. Marsh had been a guy striking out about 40% of the time since coming back from his hamstring injury, and he too had a solid at bat to get the job done.

Maybe narrowing the focus to situational ideologies is the easiest way to get them going. Regardless, both were productive outs (notice a pattern) and drove it what would be the winning run. But, there were two more key situations to get through to ensure that was the winning run.

Bottom of the 8th

Orion Kerkering has not been in a high leverage spot all that often since the All-Star Break. In fact, he doesn’t regularly pitch on back-to-back days anymore.

Both things changed Wednesday.

Kerkering was called on to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning against the meat of the Braves order, which included two lefties, a day after throwing 21 pitches against them on Tuesday.

He was impressive. It was his best inning in a while.

He blew away Matt Olson, got Sean Murphy to bounce into a ground out and Jarred Kelenic to fly out to center.

If this is the Kerkering the Phillies are going to get for the next two months, then that’s a big boost for the bullpen.

Bottom of the 9th

This is when things got hairy. Carlos Estevez keeps getting the ninth inning and there have been a few highwire acts. He led off the inning by walking Arcia. He was fortunate to get Jorge Soler swinging at a first pitch and popped him up.

The next pitch though was ripped for a single by Gio Urshela and then Estevez was trying to get cute and ended up going 3-0 on Michael Harris II. He worked his way back with a couple of fastballs for strikes and then got away with a changeup center cut that Harris tapped weakly to third for the second out.

But both runners moved into scoring position, meaning a single through the infield would have resulted in a different ending.

Of course, it was Whit Merrifield who came to the pate, and Estevez threw him two sliders, the second of which Merrifield inside-outed down the first base line. Harper smothered it (he said he didn’t want to “get Buckner’d”) and then collected the ball and stepped on first for the final out.

Everyone could breathe a sigh of relief. Estevez knew he got away with one. He needs to be better, but every decision the manager made in this one turned out to be the right one. And that’s because he managed it like a playoff game. He treated it like a playoff game. And when the Phillies attack games like they are a playoff game – situational hitting. Bullpen matchups. Starting pitchers who grind. Gut feelings instead of following the data – they are a much better team than they get credit for.

Remember that, and not the viral moments or the regular season malaise that doesn’t ultimately matter come October.

The post Forget the Staredown Debate, the Most Important Takeaway from this Phillies Win was a Playoff Mentality appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Harper looked lost, striking out the first the times up, and then grounded out sharply in his final at bat for an ugly 0-fer that was only made worse by an even uglier 0-fer by Kyle Schwarber and a shorter fall from the ugly tree, but still hitting the ground with a thud 0-fer, by Trea Turner.

The Phillies’ top three hitters – the approaching three-quarters-of-a-billion dollar trio – were a combined 0-for-12 in the game. They struck out seven times. It’s the first time this season that’s happened and the first time since August of last year.

And here’s a novel thought – if your three best hitters don’t get a hit, then what are your odds of winning?

Very, very slim.

Schwarber struck out all four times he came to the plate.  And while Turner didn’t strike out, he didn’t particularly hit the ball hard in three of the four outs.

Terrible strikeouts by #Phillies Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the 5th,

Both combined to strikeout 6 times in the game#PHIvsATL #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/XMAPlPZt4k

— David Malandra Jr (@DaveMReports) August 21, 2024

“It makes it difficult,” manager Rob Thomson said. “You know they’re going to hit at some point and it’s just one of those nights, but we got to come back here tomorrow, strap it on and get after it.”

The Phillies haven’t really been strapping it on properly for a while. There are games, like Tuesday, where they maybe strap it on too tight, and press. It got to he point where Braves pitching retired the Phillies final 17 batters in a row.

And then there are times when the strap isn’t on at all, and they kind of meander through a game. Those seem to be more noticeable when there are mental lapses – such as subpar defense, bad approaches at the plate, questionable baserunning decisions, and a little bit of a lack of hustle.

The Phillies are best when that strip fits comfortably – like Goldilocks in the third bed – just right. But when the conditions aren’t just right, they tend to fight themselves more than anything else and make positive outcomes harder to attain.

In other words, the Phillies worst enemy sometimes is themselves.

Tuesday’s game was winnable.

Zack Wheeler pitched well enough to get a win. He went six innings and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out eight, but it wasn’t good enough because the Phillies couldn’t come close to hitting Wheeler’s All-Star teammate Reynaldo Lopez.

Lopez, who had missed three weeks with elbow soreness, came back to throw five innings and allowed just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out 10 Phillies – two per inning.

And as bad as the top three in the lineup were, the biggest opportunities missed actually came from the bottom of the order.

Johan Rojas struck out with the bases loaded in the top of the second. In the fourth, Brandon Marsh turned a 3-0 count into a caught-looking strikeout and Rojas followed with a ground out that stranded two more runners on base.

That was the last time the Phillies had anyone on base in the game.

As for Wheeler, an old friend and a guy who notoriously kills the Phillies, were the two who got to him.

Whit Merrifield hitting a triple in his first at-bat against the Phillies was the most predicable outcome. pic.twitter.com/iHmx8n2guB

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) August 21, 2024

Whit Merrifield, who was waived by the Phillies last month and signed with the Braves, had a triple, a double, and a walk. His triple led to the Braves’ first run that knocked in on a single by Michael Harris III.

At one point, he was getting such good swings off Wheeler the thought that this guy could hit for the cycle had to cross some minds.

I’m sure it was poetic justice for Merrifield, who wants to show the Phillies that if they just played him with more regularity he could have been more productive. He’s been in the Braves starting lineup since July 31st (mostly because of an injury to Ozzie Albies) and has been super productive.

He’s 15-for-58 with 12 walks, producing a slash line of .259/.380/.414 for a .794 OPS.

Go figure.

“I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to play well against a team that told you that you weren’t good enough to play for them. I do love those guys. I wish them the best, just a little bit less when they play the Braves.”

Whit Merrifield after tonights W pic.twitter.com/sufzhSmNMY

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) August 21, 2024

Then there’s Marcel Ozuna, who is unexpectedly making a run at the N.L. Triple Crown. He drove in the game-winning run when he murdered a Wheeler fastball to dead center in the bottom of the sixth.

“I definitely left it over (the plate),” Wheeler said. “I was trying to go away, left it in the middle and paid for it.

“I made a few mistakes tonight – to Whit and Harris (too).”

Things got worse in the eighth inning. The Phillies turned to Jose Alvarado to try and keep the score within one, but he completely lost control and walked four batters in the inning, allowing another run to score.

Kevin has a sidebar on this issue, but in short, Alvarado is the biggest concern for the Phillies right now.

There was a thought that once he walked the bases loaded with two outs that Thomson would lift him from the game. He was at 30 pitches after all and it was obvious he couldn’t find the strike zone. However, Thomson instead chose to keep Alvarado in, and it backfired.

“I was trying to get him through it for one, and it was a tough spot to put (Max) Lazar in,” Thomson said. “I’m trying to get as much confidence into Alvy as I possibly can. I don’t know whether… I’m hoping he just makes an out.”

Crossing fingers isn’t the best course of action for a major league manager, but more could have been at play here.

Lazar being the reliever warming up was curious. Jeff Hoffman had warmed up at the same time as Alvarado, but once he sat down, he didn’t get up again – so Lazar was the guy who the Phillies had to turn to instead.

There was no word on the broadcast as to what the reasoning was, and both Tom McCarthy and Ruben Amaro expressed concern multiple times. Thomson wasn’t asked about it after the game – at least not on camera. Matt Gelb at The Athletic had a brief note in his story that the Phillies didn’t want to burn Hoffman in a game they trailed, so once he sat down, getting him hot again is not ideal.

Nor is it ideal putting an inexperienced rookie into a one-run game in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and two outs.

So, Thomson chose to ride or die with Alvarado.

And you see how that went.

Jose Alvarado in the 8th pic.twitter.com/LFUi8sDU3A

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 21, 2024

If you are looking for positives, Orion Kerkering looked better after a four-day layoff in his one inning of work. And on the offensive side, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, and J.T. Realmuto all continued hitting.

Bohm extended his on-base streak to 36 games, matching Chase Utley’s in 2006. The franchise record is 56 games, set by Mike Schmidt across the 1981 and 1982 seasons.

Castellanos extended his hitting streak to a modest eight games and Realmuto to seven games. Realmuto is 10-32 (.313) over his last nine.

But we all know, as far as the offense goes, it’s all about those first three guys. If they aren’t hitting, the Phillies are just mediocre. And even a team as depleted as the Braves can get them.

“This is a big series for us, too,” Harper said. “We come here to win games. It doesn’t matter how far ahead you are or anything like that. Obviously, you guys know what happened in ’07 (the Phillies caught the Mets after trailing by eight games with 17 to play to win the division). So, we just got to keep going and keep doing our thing.”

Strap it on. Do your thing. Just one of those games. All true. Until it isn’t any more, and the Phillies are playing with fire on that front.

The post Top of Phillies Lineup Had its Worst Night at a Bad Time appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It now looks like none of that will happen and the Phillies will throw their three best (available) guys in Atlanta.

Rob Thomson announced Zack Wheeler will go Tuesday, Aaron Nola on Wednesday, and while Thursday is still technically a TBA, it sounded a lot like it’ll be Cristopher Sanchez.

This might seem like a bit of a non-story – the Phillies are going to throw their best pitchers in a series against the team closest to them in the division standings in August. And when you say it like that, yeah, it’s more of a no-brainer philosophically, but there is more nuance to it.

First of all, it was Thomson who was coy about the rotational setup for the last few days. He kept saying he had to talk to Wheeler to see if he could use another day off. Then, on Saturday, when he preemptively announced the Phillies were sending Tyler Phillips back to Triple-A, he suggested a bullpen game could be in the offing for Atlanta. It made more sense a day after they pushed Nola to 111 pitches – a season high and the most he’d thrown in a game since July 25th, 2021, when he threw 116 pitches.

#Phillies Aaron Nola Pitch Quality

The quality of this pitch was 5.19 QOP Value#MLB #RingTheBell https://t.co/nLQCc68tCC

— MLB Quality of Pitch (@qopbaseball) August 17, 2024

Maybe they’d schedule a bullpen game in the second game of the series and give Nola an extra day off after that heavy lift. It made sense if you went off of what Thomson was saying.

But none of those machinations are going to happen. The Phillies have their sights set on this series. They view it as a chance to bury the Braves and put them on a very real trajectory to lock up the N.L. East.

Giving Wheeler, Nola, or even Sanchez an extra day off can still happen. A six-man rotation is still on the docket, but likely not until September when they can add an extra arm without putting the bullpen at risk of being taxed.

For now, it’s full speed ahead – and dispatch the Braves.

Regardless of what happens Sunday – the Phillies will have anywhere from a 7-9 game lead over the Braves heading into that series. Not letting that get any closer is the goal – and why the rotation is what it is.

Each of Wheeler, Nola and Sanchez looked sharp in their last starts. All three pitched deep into the game. They combined to allow just two earned runs in three games.

The thought process is, if they can stay on their calendar, and pitch with regular rest for the next couple of times through, the possibility of giving them extra time will come into play in games with a little less pressure. Sure, there’s still the race for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but the Phillies currently have a 1 1/2-game lead there and if they do what they plan to do against Atlanta, there’s a chance that gap could start to grow again as well.

Sanchez is the one guy they want to check-in on over the next couple days after his complete game win on Saturday night – his second complete game of the season. But even Thomson admitted that while it’s still TBA, Sanchez is a bit of a freak of nature.

“He was out there today (Sunday) playing long toss,” Thomson said. “He’s incredible.”

That was about 14 hours after throwing 99 pitches and facing just two batters over the minimum in the 5-1 win over Washington.

Cristopher Sánchez with the CG gem (9IP 2H 1ER 0BB 4K) last night for the @Phillies.
His changeup was especially filthy – generating a StuffPro of -2.4 and winning our Starting Pitcher Pitch of the Day pic.twitter.com/cUcpyP3S6j

— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) August 18, 2024

The Phillies also gave Bryce Harper the day off Sunday and J.T. Realmuto took a seat after catching five straight games. Thomson said both were planned off days and that it gives two of their more important players two days off before the Atlanta series.

Thomson admitted that Harper’s timing has been off the last few games. but that the decision to rest him was made well before his hiccup in production.

“He starts over-swinging at times, and it’s become a little bit of a bad habit,” Thomson said. “I think a couple of days off will help him.”

Realmuto played five straight games for the first time since returning from his left meniscus tear. He’s been better offensively lately as well. He’s 9-for-29 (.310) in his last eight games and has an OPS of .852 in that span. He played five straight because Washington had three straight left-handed pitchers in the first three games of the series. It allows them to get Garrett Stubbs his weekly start against a righty on Sunday.

Thomson said he checks in with Realmuto every day to see how he’s feeling to make sure he’s OK.

“He feels good,” Thomson said. “If he said anything then I’d just take him out.”

How often does he say anything, though?

“Not very often,” Thomson said with a smile.

And you can bet he’s not going to say anything unless it’s seriously debilitating in the Braves series, because even though they won’t say it, the Phillies are viewing it as the biggest series of the season to this point.

It’s also why Thomson didn’t want to talk about his team stemming the tide a bit this past week and getting back on the winning track.

When asked if he felt like they had righted the ship in time for that trip to Atlanta, Thomson didn’t want to say anything out loud.

“I believe in the baseball gods,” he said. “As soon as you say everything’s great, then it all falls apart.”

The post Rob Thomson Won’t Tempt the Baseball Gods, Will Rely on His Big Guns for Upcoming Atlanta Series appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The Phils optioned him back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley just a couple hours prior to the start of Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals. In his place, they selected the contract of Tyler Gilbert, moving Spencer Turnbull to the 60-day I.L. to make room on the roster.

Phillips, the Lumberton, N.J. native and Bishop Eustace grad, burst onto the scene with some memorable starts, including two at Citizens Bank Park – his first major league start against Oakland on July 7th, which he won, and a complete game shutout that he hurled against Cleveland on July 27th.

But from there his three starts have been uneven at best, and at least one that was far worse than that.

Tyler Phillips Monthly Stats

July: 25.0 IP | 17 H | 5 ER | 2 BB |
19 K | 1.80 ERA | 0.76 WHIP

August: 11.0 IP | 20 H | 17 ER | 5 BB |
8 K | 13.91 ERA | 2.27 WHIPpic.twitter.com/VbM5Y9GsF3

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) August 16, 2024

He followed up the complete game by getting torched in Seattle, allowing eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings. He hung in a five-inning start in Los Angeles in which he yielded four runs to the Dodgers, but then gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings on Wednesday against Miami.

“I think his stuff was just kind of trending down a little bit.” Thomson said. “I think it’s due to fatigue. It’s nothing that he’s done wrong. I think the complete game and pitching on regular rest, which he’s not used to, his innings were going up. I think it’s just to give him a little bit of a reset here and pull back on him a little bit.”

Gilbert, 30, who the Phillies acquired in a minor league cash deal with Cincinnati in May, has pitched in 27 games this season for Lehigh Valley. In 35 innings, he has a 2.06 ERA and a 1.029 WHIP. He even picked up seven saves, though he’s not a back of the bullpen arm.

An original draft pick of the Phillies (2015, 6th round), Gilbert was traded in February 2020 to the Dodgers for Kyle Garlick (Yikes!). 

After one year in the minors with the Dodgers, Arizona selected him in the Rule 5 draft in December, 2020 and carried him on the MLB roster in 2021, where he pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in his first major league start (he had made three relief appearances prior).

The Phillies have selected the contract of Tyler Gilbert. Spencer Turnbull was transferred to the 60-day IL, and Tyler Phillips was optioned. pic.twitter.com/UrObdbOZnD

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) August 17, 2024

In three years with the Diamondbacks, he appeared in 28 games, making 13 starts totaling 91 2/3 innings. In that time he had a 4.32 ERA and a 1.200 WHIP, but his numbers fell off after his rookie season, and Arizona granted him free agency last November. He signed a deal with Cincinnati in January, but didn’t make the team out of spring training, and then had a terrible start to the season with Triple-A Louisville, posting an unsightly 13.11 ERA in 11 2/3 innings (7 games, 3 starts). He gave up 17 runs on 24 hits and six walks.

Obviously, he’s been much better since coming to the Phillies organization.

“His strikeout-to-walk ratio is really good,” Thomson said. “He’ll top out at 94 (mph) but is usually a 91-92 guy with command and they’ve improved his slider. It’s a bigger slider. A slurvy type of slider.”

That ratio Thomson is talking about? It’s 48 strikeouts and just six walks, which is impressive for those 35 innings.

There’s a chance Gilbert is the bulk pitcher in a bullpen game against Atlanta. Thomson said the rotation for that series is not yet set, but that the possibility of a bullpen game exists.

Ranger Suarez pitched a combo simulated game and a bullpen Saturday afternoon and got up to 77 pitches. Thomson said that if he feels good in the next 48 hours, there’s a good chance he returns to the rotation next weekend in Kansas City.

Turnbull was moved to the 60-day, but the reality is he’s already used up most of that time. He’s feeling better and is back throwing again. The Phillies still think he will be available sometime in mid-September.

In other injury news, Austin Hays hit a home run during the sim game off Suarez. He’s feeling better and is likely to go for a rehab assignment at the beginning of the week with the hope that he, too, can return to the active roster in Kansas City.

The post Phillies Send Down Tyler Phillips, Select Tyler Gilbert – Who Once Threw a No-Hitter for Arizona appeared first on Crossing Broad.

At the time, manager Rob Thomson said it would cost Johan Rojas playing time – and it made sense. Hays was a better hitter than Rojas and the Phillies were willing to sacrifice a little bit of defense by sliding Brandon Marsh over to center and putting Hays in left if it lengthened the lineup.

Fast forward a few weeks.

Hays is on the I.L., recovering from a hamstring strain, and Brandon Marsh has been flat out brutal at the plate, despite a pair of hits in his most recent start.

On Thursday night, in a game against Washington that probably held more importance in the Phillies clubhouse – considering their recent play – than one would have expected for a mid-August matchup against a Nationals team going nowhere, there was Rojas in center and Weston Wilson in left.

We know all about the night that Wilson had – becoming just the ninth Phillie, and first as a rookie, to ever hit for a cycle – but it shouldn’t completely overshadow Rojas’ performance.

Rojas had two hits and three RBI. Yes, he stranded two runners in the first inning when he struck out and bounced into an easy ground out at second with the bases loaded in the fourth, so it wasn’t a perfect night, but two hits – regardless of the RBIs, is huge.

In fact, any way that Rojas can get on base is a big deal. He creates havoc on the bases with his speed. He sets up the big hitters at the top of the order if he’s on base. It’s why the Phillies have been staunch in their stance that their lineup is at its best when Rojas is in it.

Johan Rojas bots is crazy. Where can I find more? https://t.co/6pizbw3odi

— Will Bullitt (@WillBullitt) August 16, 2024

But he has to earn it to be in it, and for much of the season, he has not earned it. His plate approach never improved despite all the talk from the winter and spring training about him making adjustments and becoming a better hitter so that he wasn’t an automatic out like he was in the playoffs a season ago.

The Phillies just wanted him to get on base once a game – whether by hit or walk – and continue to play good defense in centerfield. That would be enough.

Early in the season, his defense was spottier than usual. He wasn’t getting on base. Sure, he would get some lucky hits – either bloops just over the infield or beat out an infield single that he mashed about 45 feet with an exit velocity of about 60 MPH. But he wasn’t walking, or even taking pitches. There was a lot of chase and a lot of uncertainty.

It never seemed to find some consistency. He was sent down to Triple-A earlier this season, and only recalled because of injuries. Even then, he looked lost still, prompting president Dave Dombrowski to trade for Hays.

But that trade may have been a wakeup call for Rojas, for since the Hays acquisition, Rojas has been a different hitter.

Johan Rojas since the All-Star Break:

.310/.370/.357
13 hits
2 doubles
4 BBs
2 stolen bases

He has at least 1 hit in 10 of 17 games since. pic.twitter.com/8p2v0GIq46

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) August 16, 2024

It’s a small sample size of 11 games (eight starts), but Rojas is 10-for-31 (.323) with three walks for an on base percentage of .382 and an OPS of .770.

But it’s more than just those particular numbers. He’s hitting the ball with more authority. No longer is it just a weak bouncer to the right side of the infield when he makes contact. He’s driving the ball with more regularity. He’s being more selective and not chasing pitches either, having struck out just five times in those 34 plate appearances.

“He’s making really good decisions right now,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s not chasing as much, making solid contact, hitting line drives and the ground balls that we like to see.”

It’s been enough of a sample to make the Phillies think about how best to deploy the outfield going forward.

Rojas still has his warts. He’s far from a refined hitter. He was thrown out on the bases trying to stretch one of his singles into a double on Thursday. He threw to the wrong bag twice in Wednesday’s game against Miami. He unnecessarily jumped to catch a ball in the second inning against Washington and had it pop out of his glove for a double. And despite all the work he has put in, he’s still a subpar bunter.

“The one thing that’s good about it is that the first one (on Wednesday) when he threw to the wrong base, later in the game, he had the same play, and after we talked to him he threw to second base,” Thomson said. “He’s going to make youthful mistakes at times.”

When he does the little things right, he’s definitely a difference maker.

“He makes electric plays and does things on the bases that brings energy to the club,” Thomson said.

The Phillies have to decide over the next six weeks if the good he brings outweighs the bad enough to justify regular postseason time. In fact, they have to figure it out in total, because they have four guys to consider for two spots. They traded for Hays, so he’s likely going to be given a significant opportunity once he comes off the I.L., which will likely be sometime next week. Wilson has put his stake in the ground to at least get some swings against left-handed pitching – and he has the versatility to play several positions.

Then there’s Marsh, who has been a disappointment, and Rojas, who has been an enigma for most of the year but is starting to show consistency.

If he can maintain that consistency for the next six weeks, then there is a world where he finally makes the Phillies look smart for believing in him this season.

The post Johan Rojas Taking Advantage of Another Phillies Opportunity appeared first on Crossing Broad.

He was adamant after the game – an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, that nothing needs to change right now for the Phillies – in terms of lineups or in the clubhouse.

“No. Not at all,” he said. “No. No. I think the group that we have is one of the most talented groups I’ve been around and some of the best dudes I’ve been around. You go through one through nine (in the order), you go through our staff, you go through our bullpen – we’ve assembled a really good team and we’ve assembled a bunch of good dudes too.

“That’s why, for us, there’s frustration. You’re going to see us really come together. And we’re going to figure this thing out. I promise you we’ll be better for it at the end.”

That kind of foxhole mentality should play well in this city. It should give them a little runway – maybe the next two weeks before the calendar flips to September, and the spotlight becomes even harsher.

But is it the right thing? Should the Phillies just stay the course? Should they not mix things up? Would that be viewed internally as a panic move?

It’s at times like these that managers earn their salaries.

Schwarber may not have known at the time, but 15 minutes earlier, Rob Thomson was asked the same thing about changes. And he wasn’t nearly as adamant as Schwarber that things should stay the same.

“We’re getting close,” Thomson said, of potential changes. “We’ll see tomorrow.”

Thomson is usually a stay the course manager. His even-tempered approach to managing a team is what has made him successful. It’s what has brought the buy-in from the players it has. It’s what created the clubhouse culture that has gotten so many people talking for the past couple years.

So, it’s no surprise that he hasn’t made any kind of noticeable change yet, nor is it surprising that Schwarber would be so resolute on the notion that nothing needs to change.

This is what the Phillies know. This is what has made the Phillies good and, at times, special. It’s always more comfortable relying on what you know to course correct than it is at trying something new.

But something has to give. It’s one thing to lose to good teams on the road during a tough stretch of games. It’s something else entirely to get shutout at home by the last place Miami Marlins. And by a rookie pitcher, few have even heard of, who can’t break a pane of glass with his pitches.

Now would be the time for Thomson to make a change. It doesn’t have to be permanent. It doesn’t have to even be for more than a day or two – but enough for the Clubhouse to take notice.

“I think about it all the time.”

Rob Thomson discusses whether or not he will hold a team meeting following the Phillies’ fourth straight loss. pic.twitter.com/doYQbKXGnU

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 14, 2024

Because as much as Schwarber is right about the group inside that clubhouse, sometimes the easiest solution is the one that’s staring you in the face.

The changes won’t be drastic – nor should they be – and whatever they are, they won’t reek of panic or desperation.

Was there panic when, during his late-season struggles a year ago, that Nick Castellanos was dropped in the lineup by Thomson? Castellanos started to hit again, and then in the playoffs, he was making history with his power against the Braves – all from hitting at the bottom of the lineup.

Was it deemed panicky when Thomson dropped Trea Turner down the lineup during his prolonged slump last summer? Turner was able to work his way back in a less-high profile spot in the order. And just because the standing ovation coincided with that resurgence for Turner, doesn’t mean that was the reason he figured it out.

Cute story, and all, but let’s be realistic – Turner got his act together after a lineup demotion.

Thomson has already done it a few times this year. He’s tried to get Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh and J.T. Realmuto going by moving them around the order. last night Stott hit fifth, Realmuto seventh, Marsh eighth. They went a combined 1-for-10.

Stott took some better swings and is making harder contact. Realmuto is slowly starting to look like he’s having better at bats. He’s 4-for-15 in his last four games (.267) with a double and a homer. Marsh, however, is completely lost.

He was 0-for-3 and struck out twice on Tuesday. Marsh has now struck out 62 times in his 144 at bats (43.1 %) since coming back from a hamstring injury on June 16. He is hitting just .201 in that time.

“He needs to make more contact, for sure,” Thomson said, choosing not to elaborate further.

It’s when Thomson gives those short answers, that you can almost bank on it that the topic has crossed his mind, but that he hasn’t addressed it with the player. So, it’s likely that one of his considerations is taking Marsh out of the lineup. And it would be the right thing to do. Let him clear his head. Take the whole day off. No outfield work. No batting practice. Just take a day and watch.

There’s no guarantee it will work, but repeatedly doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same unwelcome result is a sadistic form of insanity.

To no surprise here either, Brandon Marsh struck out https://t.co/xPpXcQvzTg

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) August 14, 2024

So, mix it up. Give Cal Stevenson a start. It’s the Marlins. It’s August.

But that might not be the only change.

Thomson was reluctant to consider sliding Turner down the lineup prior to Tuesday’s game, but after another 0-for-4 with really only one of those at bats – the first one – being considered a good approach by Turner at the plate, it should be on the table.

You probably aren’t benching Turner – even though lately you had him not running his hardest to beat out the back end of a double play in Arizona, killing a rally, and his struggles at the plate leaking over to his play in the field – he made his 13th error of the season, booting a routine grounder.

It’s tough to bench a guy who is still hitting .297 with an OPS of .805.

Less than a month ago, Turner was hitting over .340. His OPS was over .900. Everything has plummeted – specifically in the last 16 games.

In that span his 10-for-70 (.143) and has just two extra base hits (both doubles). His OPS is a woeful .350. It has dropped his batting average for the season below .300 for the first time since April 15.

But we’ve seen this before.

Last season, between July 29th and August 19th, Turner batted in the bottom half of the lineup in 17-of-20 games. He was demoted in the lineup because he was under water at the plate for several games. In those 20 games batting down, he slashed .295/.353/.539 for an .891 OPS.

Once reinserted back into the two-hole thereafter, in 34 games, he slashed .324/.379/.655 for an 1.034 OPS.

And his stats in the 16 games leading up to the demotion?

He was 13-for-70 (.197). Sound familiar?

The difference between this season and last season is Thomson had other guys going well while Turner was off his game a year ago. It was easier to move guys around the lineup.

With so many Phillies struggling at the same time now, Thomson doesn’t see as clear a path with the lineup to keep it balanced.

Still, as pointed out earlier, it’s the Marlins in August. This is a time that going off-script in an effort to jump start players makes sense.

Here’s just one sample of a lineup that could work for tonight, although there are other combinations too:

1. Schwarber DH
2. Bohm 3B
3. Harper 1B
4. Castellanos RF
5. Stott 2B
6. Realmuto C
7. Turner SS
8. Stevenson LF
9. Rojas CF

I can see flipping Castellanos and Bohm and or Realmuto and Turner as well. It would be a different look and feel.

Because right now, any look or any feeling would be better than what the Phillies are experiencing by doing the same thing every night.

The post It’s Time for Rob Thomson to Shake Things Up for the Phillies appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The boat-burning can be found all over social media, on local sports talk radio and is exacerbated on Post-Game Live where Michael Barkann declared after Sunday’s loss, that he wasn’t sure if the Phillies were going to win the division.

At the time they had the largest lead of any team in any division in baseball. But the concern is understandable.

They’ve lost 15-of-22 since the All-Star Break. They are 24-30 since losing the second game of the London Series in June. The latter of which is a date that the post-game telecast seems to have latched on to with almost every episode.

So, I decided to look back to that date and see what I found, to determine what, if anything, can be an identifier as to what has befallen the Phillies over the course of the past 54 games, and see if any of it should be alarming going forward, as the team tries to get itself right in time for a Red October that everyone in the organization and in the city have been jonesing for since last October ended surprisingly and abruptly.

The first thing I needed to do was debunk a lot of the misleading tropes that have been festering in the Phillies baseball ecosystem.

Up first is that the lineup all of the sudden stinks.

This Phillies lineup legitimately stinks.

— Dan Baxter (@baxter4133) August 11, 2024

See? I wasn’t kidding. But wait, there’s more:

Jake Cave is better than half this lineup https://t.co/Ps4M7HUdXY

— Jake (@PhilliesJake) August 11, 2024

What’s infuriating about the @Phillies is the problems on offense haven’t changed for years.

The lineup has too many strikeouts and the righties have no discipline or general understanding of situational basebal.

It cost us in 2022, 2023, and is back in spades.#PhilliesTalk

— Stephen Maurer (@oresrules) August 11, 2024

The @Phillies have 5 hitters who are almost guaranteed outs in the lineup every game and pitchers who are shot. This season is faltering fast, and there doesn’t seem to be anything that can change it. #ringthebell    #Phillies

— Erik Burruezo (@burruezoe) August 11, 2024

It’s understandable where this has come from because there have been individual stretches in this long-term haze that the Phillies have been in that, when taken collectively, makes one believe that the whole group is full of rotten apples.

For example, Bryce Harper had the worst 10-game stretch of his career at the plate. Trea Turner is in it right now, with an OPS of .370 over his last 15 games. Even Kyle Schwarber, who has been the Phillies second half MVP so far this season, has had an 0-for-15 stretch and two separate 0-for-10 spans.

Couple that with Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh having overall down seasons (even when things were rosy) and J.T. Realmuto struggling to get going after missing six weeks with a knee injury, and you can see why things may have gone in fits and starts:

The #Phillies are 24-30 since their win in London on June 8. If they don’t start playing better soon, could a lineup or roster shakeup be in order?

Watch the entire episode on YouTube, or listen to the podcast. pic.twitter.com/DOb1fUZNfl

— ThePhilliesShow (@ThePhilliesShow) August 12, 2024

Keep in mind, that during this 54-game stretch in which the Phillies have been six games under .500 they also had all of the following players miss extended time with injuries:

• Trea Turner (hamstring)
• J.T. Realmuto (knee)
• Brandon Marsh (hamstring)
• Kyle Schwarber (groin)
• Bryce Harper (hamstring)
• Austin Hays (hamstring)

This doesn’t include pitchers who have also been injured, so while there has been inconsistency in production there has also been great inconsistency with availability.

That’s not an excuse for being 24-30, but it should be reason enough to understand why sustaining the pace of a super-fast, 45-19 start was unrealistic.

And yet, what if I told you, that this inconsistent offense, that this group who has been supposedly so shoddy during these past two months, has actually been more productive than it was when they were 45-19?

You won’t believe me, I know. So, I brought stats:

Phillies offense the first 64 games:

.254/.329/.412; .740 OPS; 94 2B, 13 3B, 74 HR, 312 RBI

Phillies offense the last 54 games:

.257/.324/.431; .755 OPS; 102 2B, 6 3B, 71 HR, 235 RBI

Crazy, right?

The big disparity is in RBI. That’s evidence that the team hasn’t hit well situationally during this stretch, but it would be wrong to say the offense never hits well with runners in scoring position, because for two months, it did it better than every National League team and were second-best in baseball (.290).

They still rank in the top 10 in the sport batting with runners in scoring position (.264) but there is no doubt that they’ve scuffled in this regard in the last 54 games (.232), ranking 25th in the sport in that time.

So, it’s definitely a cyclical stat. You aren’t suddenly great at doing something you are not good at, just like you aren’t suddenly terrible at something you usually are superior at doing.

Where the Phillies sit now for the season is likely their norm when it comes to situational hitting. It’s not the best in the league, but it’s still among the top third.

So, yes, complain if you must about individual performances, and counter the numbers by pointing out that Schwarber (.293/.434/.641; 1.075 OPS) has carried the offense on his shoulders, but recognize that this isn’t the big issue for the Phillies right now.

The other seemingly regular bitch about the Phillies is the bullpen is toast:

The Phillies suck ass, and Thomson needs to stop being so shit at managing the bullpen.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

— phillyfansince88 (@phillyfansince8) August 12, 2024

how to beat the Phillies

walk schwarber/Harper enough times to mess up the rhythm of the batters line up and then just wait for the Phillies bullpen

plus points if you get Garret Stubbs to pitch to you

— Dabs (@degendabs) August 12, 2024

THE PHILLIES DON’T HAVE A SINGLE GOOD BULLPEN ARM. EVERY RELIEVER IS ABSOLUTE TRASH, AND SO ARE FOUR OF THE FIVE STARTING PITCHERS.

And people – including Dave Dumbrowski – actually thought this team had the best pitching in baseball… GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.

FRAUDS.

— Brian (@PHILLYFANBRI) August 11, 2024

Again, there are guys who currently are shaking your confidence, specifically Jose Alvarado. He’s not been good for the past two months, with a 6.64 ERA and a 1.525 WHIP. His stuff is still there. He’s breaking 100mph on the gun and is still striking out his share of guys, but his command isn’t there, and he’s missing some pitches badly.

The fact that he’s not wearing down is a plus – usually when a pitcher goes bad with command or is simply missing spots, it’s something mechanical and not physical. He can still figure it out, but he’s the one guy in the bullpen who is still here who hasn’t shown an ability to do that yet.

And while Orion Kerkering has also struggled some, he’s been a little bit of a victim of bad luck or shoddy defense behind him. Still, the Phillies understand that they have to be careful with him because his fastball velocity is down a tick. Before Tuesday’s game, manager Rob Thomson said they’ve been “grinding him,” which is a lot for a rookie reliever, and that they want to build in more off days for him to keep him fresh for the postseason.

As for the rest of the pen, it’s actually better than you think.

Yeah, the bullpen has a 5.00 ERA since London with a 1.319 WHIP – which are ugly numbers. But those include stats from four pitchers no longer with the team and Garrett Stubbs throwing 45 MPH cookies in late-game blow outs.

Take out Michael Mercado, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto and Yunior Marte (optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday) and suddenly the numbers are more respectable (4.08 ERA, 1.194 WHIP). And that’s including Alvardo’s 20 1/3 bad innings and 20 innings from Kerkering in which he’s allowed 30 baserunners.

But the rest?

• Jeff Hoffman – 3.38 ERA; 1.078 WHIP
• Matt Strahm – 4.05 ERA; 0.900 WHIP
• Carlos Estevez – 0.00 ERA; 0.881 WHIP
• Tanner Banks – 2.84 ERA; 0.632 WHIP
• Jose Ruiz – 5.49 ERA; 1.36 WHIP

Ruiz isn’t a guy that’s going to pitch in the postseason, and he’s kind of holding down the fort as the “long” man right now, but that spot will likely belong to Spencer Turnbull (2.57 ERA as a reliever since June 9) for the postseason.

And the only reason the other guys’ ERAs are where they are is an influx of home runs allowed. And while that’s not something to just be shrugged aside, it’s also possibly something that comes from a small sample.

The bullpen has allowed 32 homers in 182 innings since London. But 12 of them were from that aforementioned group of guys who won’t pitch again this year (probably) for the Phillies. Of the guys who are still here or will likely pitch in the postseason, they’ve allowed 20 in 132 1/3 innings, and if you remove Ruiz it’s 15 in 111 innings, which is pretty standard.

Based on the WHIPs you see above, you have a right to be concerned about Alvarado and a little about Kerkering, but the rest are still pretty darn good and should exude confidence when called upon.

So, while there have been some hiccups, and Alvarado is walking around with a big ol’ red flag stapled to his jersey, the bullpen is still pretty darn good.

I know what you’re thinking at this point, how in the heck can I be making all these excuses for a team that has shown so many nicks in their facade?

It’s a fair point. But now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. To the nuts and bolts. To the one thing that will make or break the Phillies chances in the postseason.

Starting Pitching.

This is where there has been the greatest concern. So much so, that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski went right down to the wire trying to trade for Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.

Obviously, a deal never materialized, not for the Phillies nor anyone else, as Crochet is still in Chicago, but there was enough that Dombrowski was seeing to make him concerned the Phillies might not have enough depth in the rotation.

It’s crazy to think that the Phillies have three All-Star starting pitchers, and a fourth in Aaron Nola who had a compelling case to be an All-Star as well based on his first half numbers, and that this group is, for one reason or another, been the biggest problem with the team falling off in the way that it has.

And it’s not just about ERAs and WHIPs, all of which have been worse since June 9, but it’s also about the fewer innings they are pitching after pitching deep in what seemed like every start in the first two months.

Zack Wheeler has still been good, although not as good as the first half. Ranger Suarez fell off precipitously, and then ended up on the injured list. Cristopher Sanchez actually improved in some areas, but took a step back in others leading to harder contact against him and a higher ERA.

And then there’s Nola who has looked more like the 2023 version of himself lately than the guy who looked like the reincarnation of the 2018 version when he was a Cy Young finalist:

#Phillies Aaron Nola Pitch Quality

The quality of this pitch was only 2.71 QOP Value

Low Pitch Quality HR #MLB #Dbacks #RingTheBell https://t.co/seEnmrZG1w

— MLB Quality of Pitch (@qopbaseball) August 12, 2024

Here are their stats pre-London and post-London:

Zack Wheeler

• First 64 games – 13 starts, 2.23 ERA, 0.967 WHIP, 80 2/3 innings (6.2 IP/9)
• Last 54 games – 10 starts, 3.48 ERA, 1.048 WHIP, 62 innings (6,2 IP/9)

Aaron Nola

• First 64 games – 13 starts, 2.77 ERA, 0.872 WHIP, 84 1/3 innings (6.5 IP/9)
• Last 54 games – 11 starts, 4.71 ERA, 1.381 WHIP, 63 innings (5.7 IP/9)

Ranger Suarez

• First 64 games – 13 starts, 1.81 ERA, 0.854 WHIP, 79 2/3 innings (6.1 IP/9)
• Last 54 games – 7 starts, 4.99 ERA, 1.487 WHIP, 39 2/3 innings (5.7 IP/9)

Cristopher Sanchez

• First 64 games – 12 starts, 2.71 ERA, 1.342 WHIP, 66 1/3 innings (5.5 IP/9)
• Last 54 games – 11 starts, 4.57 ERA, 1.308 WHI_, 65 innings (5.9 IP/9)

Nola and Suarez have the biggest disparity, and Suarez has been on the injured list for almost a month with back spasms. Add in Taijuan Walker being injured for most of the year (he’s back Tuesday night) and the Phillies have had to rely on their depth for a bunch of starts.

Tyler Phillips has been solid for them (save one start in Seattle where he was torched) and Kolby Allard did better than expected in his outings. But the Phillies have needed Wheeler, Nola, and Sanchez to be the first half version of themselves for the past two months, and they mostly haven’t.

Wheeler had two terrible starts – one against Baltimore and one against the Yankees. Nola has been getting hit with a lot more regularity and not just the home runs, which he has be prone to allow. He’s giving up other hits and walks, especially his last few starts, and as a result, has had to pitch with a lot of traffic on the bases, putting himself into higher leverage spots more frequently, and trying to pitch his way out of it.

His drop off in innings of .8 IP/9 is a lot when you think about it. It’s nine extra innings the bullpen has had to be used than normal. Considering the bullpen was already getting taxed by having to come in for Phillips (save his memorable complete game shutout) and the Phillies needing to use an opener for two of Allard’s appearances, and all of the sudden, you see why the bullpen is seeming a little more leaky.

If you take the entire pitching staff in total, they’re giving up 1.2 baserunners more per game, and 1.1 more homers per game. That has translated to the difference in ERA from 2.90 as a staff in the first 64 games to 4.71 in the last 54 games.

Therein lies the difference for this Phillies club, more than anything else.

I never thought I would type the following sentence, but the Phillies could really use Walker right about now. They wanted him to pitch Sunday in Arizona to give Sanchez an extra couple days off, but rain in the East, where Walker was on a rehab assignment, left the Phillies with no choice but to start Sanchez – and he promptly had his worst start of the season.

They will probably go to a six-man rotation for a little bit once Suarez returns and get Sanchez an extra day or two in there. Suarez threw a combo bullpen/live batting practice Tuesday of roughly 60 pitches. Thomson said he looked good. The plan is for him to do another one of those on Sunday – either in Philadelphia, or in Lehigh Valley, and then possibly return to the big club in time for the series in Kansas City a week from Friday.

Resetting the starting rotation and getting them back to being who they’ve proven they can be, has to be priority No. 1 for the Phillies over the next six weeks to ensure they aren’t playing like the last six weeks once we reach October.

Yes, Stott, Marsh, Realmuto, and Turner need to be better. Yes, Alvarado and Kerkering have to figure it out. But if you don’t have Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, and Sanchez doing what they do best then the alarm bells should be ringing.

But if you get them back to their usual standard then there can still be a big shiny trophy waiting at the end, regardless of how those other guys fare the rest of the way.

The post The Phillies Need to Fix A Lot; but There is One Glaring Priority – and It’s Not the Lineup or Bullpen appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The initial reaction, based on two-plus years of watching Stott become one of the most popular Phillies on the roster in this city, is that the question is ridiculous.

Sosa is a nice complementary piece for a championship-caliber team, but he doesn’t have the “it factor” that Stott has. Stott is a Gold Glove caliber second baseman. Oh, and he’s come up clutch in the playoffs before:

Good morning. Bryson Stott hit a grand slam last night, if you didn’t know.

Also: Citizens Bank Park in October is the greatest stadium in the history of sports. pic.twitter.com/6B6odUHIZx

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) October 5, 2023

But if you let the initial reaction to the question wear off for a minute, you can start to see and understand why Bob asked it, and a little look into the numbers makes the question far more rational than you ever would have thought.

Because here we are, 57 days from the start of the postseason, and Sosa is still playing well, when used, as he has all season – first as a fill-in when Trea Turner was injured, and since as super utility infielder.

Meanwhile, Stott is continuing to struggle to emerge from his season-long offensive malaise.

Just looking at raw numbers, Sosa has been the better player:

• Sosa: .277/.330/.462; .792 OPS
• Stott: .239/.317/.351; .668 OPS

The caveat here is Stott has nearly twice as many plate appearances. Still, Sosa has shown significantly more slug than Stott. Stott (22) only has two more extra base hits than Sosa (20) in 161 more at bats.

If you dive deeper into the analytics, you’ll find that Stott pales in comparison on some measurables too (data courtesy of Baseball Savant):

                                                       Sosa            Stott

Avg. Exit velocity (mph):        86.5          84.5 (bottom 12% in MLB)

Barrell percentage:                   9.0%         3.7% (bottom 11% in MLB)

Hard hit percentage:                40.7%       29.2% (bottom 9% in MLB)

Bat speed (mph):                       72.8           67.9 (bottom 6% in MLB)

Batting Run Value:                   +12             -7 (bottom 20% in MLB)

(Note: Stott’s rankings are among qualified hitters. Sosa is not ranked because he doesn’t have enough plate appearances).

Based on all the stats and data provided, you can see why Bob asked the question he did. But when you look at splits, you start to see something a little different.

Sosa still maintains a significant advantage over Stott against left-handed pitchers – which is why he seems to be getting all the starts against lefties lately – like Thursday in Arizona – while Stott is on the bench.

This season, they have played almost an identical amount of time against lefties. Sosa is slashing .291/358/523 for an OPS of .881 in 95 plate appearances while Stott has had 96 plate appearances and is only posting a slash line of .229/.333/.289 for an OPS of .623.

Stott has completely fallen off the map against lefties compared to where he was in 2023. Last year, in 167 plate appearances against lefties, Stott posted a line of .282/.347/.383 for a .730 OPS. That’s a drop of more than 100 points in OPS year-over-year. Combine that with the success Sosa has had against lefties and it’s understandable as to why, in the moment, manager Rob Thomson is going with Sosa ahead of Stott against a lefty starter.

But do the numbers bear out making Sosa the regular guy, as Bob asked? Or is there something redeeming enough in Stott’s 2024 season that should keep him in the mix?

Believe it or not, Sosa’s numbers against righties are better than Stott’s as well. However, a couple things to note here. The first is,\ that it’s a much smaller sample size, so there’s more volatility possible in those numbers. Secondly, they are pretty close, overall:

• Sosa: 118PA; 266/308/413; .721OPS
• Stott: 273PA; 242/312/370; .682OPS

Stott actually gets on base more than Sosa despite a lower batting average. And again, Sosa’s numbers could fluctuate more negatively if given more chances against righties considering the smaller sample.

Not to mention, the Phillies don’t want to overexpose Sosa. In the past – including earlier this season – he has started to see his numbers taper off when used more extensively than 2-3 times a week. Considering that, and the fact that Stott is a better base runner/base stealer and although both are good defensively, Stott is better at second base, it’s worth the trade-off of a little bit of OPS for better on base, speed and defense.

Considering the disparity isn’t as severe as it is against lefties, it makes more sense to keep Stott engaged as a regular against right-handed pitching.

Edmundo Sosa’s rbi double provides an insurance run for the Phillies!
pic.twitter.com/b3qrn10YxO

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) August 9, 2024

So how would I answer Bob?

I would tell him, no, Sosa shouldn’t be the regular second baseman in the playoffs, but yes, a platoon is probably the best way to go. According to Baseball Reference, Sosa has been worth 2.5 WAR this season and Stott 2.3 WAR. And while together they aren’t making a 4.8 WAR player (the math doesn’t work that way), taking advantage of their platoon splits makes each a little bit more valuable than they would be by themselves.

I would also tell him that Stott’s drop-off in production is probably the biggest surprise of the Phillies season. More so than Alec Bohm’s breakout. More than Cristopher Sanchez becoming an All-Star pitcher. More than Kyle Schwarber posting a career high in singles by early August.

Stott seemed to be on a speeding train to stardom in Philadelphia, only to have that train jump the track this summer. It doesn’t mean he can’t get back on the rails and get back on his expected trajectory. In fact, I still believe he will.

But it may not be in 2024.

Not every player’s progression is linear. Stott has had to take a fork in the road and chosen a longer path. The Phillies still believe in him, but there’s an overarching theme that trumps individual progress for this team in 2024 – and that’s winning a championship.

So, Stott will still get his chances to break out of his season-long funk. He will still get a bulk of the plate appearances at second base. And he should. But this is all about winning now, and unless Stott has a dramatic turnaround in the next two months, Sosa has earned the right to be part of that second base platoon, not just for the rest of the regular season, but in the playoffs as well.

The post Should Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott be a True Phillies Platoon for the Rest of the Season? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

They had been holding onto the best record in baseball for more nearly three months and then suddenly, it was gone, yielding the top spot to the Cleveland Guardians sometime in the middle of the Yankees sweep.

Things didn’t get any better last weekend in Seattle, and despite winning one game there Sunday, after losing to the Dodgers on Monday night, the Phillies lead in the National league was down to just 1/2 game.

But then they won Tuesday. And Kyle Schwarber basically carried them all by himself Wednesday:

Here’s one for you @jaysonst :

Kyle Schwarber became just the fifth player to ever have 4+ hits, 3+ HR and 7+ RBI in a game in which his team scored fewer than 10 runs and won the game. The others?

1924 George Kelly
1970 Orlando Cepeda
1983 George Brett
1999 Larry Walker…

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) August 8, 2024

And just like that, in the span of two days, they not only stretched their lead in the N.L. East back to eight games, but they moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers for the best record in the N.L. and they ever reclaimed the best record in all of baseball.

Funny how this game works sometimes, isn’t it?

It’s why you can’t look at baseball the same way you do football. It can’t be overreaction – either positive or negative – after every game because there are just so many.

Each football game is 6.0% of a season. Each baseball game is 0.6% of a season. That’s one meaningful decimal point.

And it’s also indicative of individual play.

Take Schwarber, for example, he has a chance to set a career high in batting average, on base percentage, and OPS this season – All while probably hitting fewer than 40 homers.

Bet you wouldn’t have thought that back on May 25th when he was hitting .206 with a .697 OPS.

But this post isn’t about Schwarber. There’s been enough talk about his and his heroics all day already. Instead, I want to focus on someone else. Someone who, for some reason, continues to fly under the radar this season when he’s going good – which has been for quite some time – and is in everyone’s crosshairs when he’s not.

Look at this stat line since May 29th:

58 games, 242 PA, .288/331/.513; .844 OPS, 20 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 19.4% K rate

The player who those stats belong to:

• Has the best batting average on the team in that span
• Is third in both slugging and OPS
• Leads the team in doubles
• Is second in RBI

That guy is Nick Castellanos.

Kinda flying under the radar that Nick Castellanos has been the Phillies most consistent hitter for 2+ months now

— Anthony Dabbundo (@AnthonyDabbundo) August 8, 2024

I didn’t just cherry pick May 29th as a starting point either to make my case. The reason because that was the last time he was batting below .200.

Frankly, you can push Castellanos stats back even further and they’d still be incredibly acceptable. For instance, since April 30th, which was the last day of the worst hitting month of his professional career, He is slashing .269/.317/.480 for a .797 OPS. That’s in the last 84 games. More than half a season.

Yet, he’s still being labeled as streaky and everyone is waiting for him to go ice cold again.

Sure, it’s possible, but he’s been anything but streaky this season. In fact, he’s been incredibly consistent. Slowly, but surely, he’s brought his season-long numbers back to respectability. Sure, he’d like them to be better overall, but when you consider how good he’s been for some time now, it’s hard to say he’s been a net negative for the Phillies.

Still, everyone stuck on his awful April – and it was incredibly bad – but Castellanos has quietly been one of the guys who’ve helped the Phillies get back to the top of the standings in the sport on August 8.

Only Schwarber and Bryce Harper have been more productive in the last 10 weeks, and frankly, it’s close with Harper. Alec Bohm leads the Phillies with 40 doubles, yet he has less than Castellanos in the last 58 games.

And for a guy who is known as a free-swinger, Castellanos is striking out less frequently than Brandon Marsh (37.2% of PA), Schwarber (25.8%), J.T. Realmuto (22.8%) and Harper (21.4%) and is only one-tenth of a percentage point worse than Trea Turner (19.3%).

Castellanos had a plate appearance this week against Logan Gilbert that was 15 pitches long. It was the longest by any hitter in baseball this season.

The next night, he led off the ninth inning with a single on an eight-pitch at bat to bring the tying run to the plate. The next three hitters after him all popped out on a combined three pitches to end the game.

And Castellanos is a leader in the clubhouse. His taking Johan Rojas under his wing has been well documented. Tyler Phillips talked Wednesday about how Castellanos had a conversation with him in the dugout after the second inning, when the Phillies were trailing 4-1, and how he was able to help get him refocused on keeping the Phillies in the game so they could have a chance to come back and win it.

They did.

Castellanos went 2-for-2 with two doubles in the game. He also walked and was hit by a pitch, the latter of which he wasn’t happy with and prompted a response from Matt Strahm the next inning when he plunked Gavin Lux.

Nick Castellanos had some words for Michael Grove after this 97 MPH hit by pitch pic.twitter.com/I4r0trCnfA

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 8, 2024

The Phillies retaliate after Nick Castellanos was hit

Next time the Phillies and Dodgers would meet is in the playoffs pic.twitter.com/obrGDzkn6S

— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) August 8, 2024

That’s the kind of gravitas Castellanos has in the clubhouse. It’s one of the reasons he plays every game and doesn’t take a day off. The guys at the top of the lineup may get all the accolades, but it’s Castellanos who has been Mr. consistency for the Phillies for a long time now. The Phillies know it, they appreciate it and they are better for it.

The same can and should be said for you.

The post Nick Castellanos is Mr. Consistency for the Phillies? Don’t be Surprised appeared first on Crossing Broad.

How teams fare against one another in the regular season is not necessarily a precursor of what is to come in the postseason. We’ve experienced that first-hand in Philadelphia the previous two seasons with the Atlanta Braves getting the better of the Phillies from March through Sepetmber and the Phillies then turning the tables on them in October.

So, the fact that the Phillies beat the Dodgers 6-2 on Tuesday to guarantee that they win the season series only matters if the two teams finish the season with the same record, meaning the Phillies would have a tiebreaker and therefore homefield advantage in a potential playoff matchup, likely the NLCS, if both teams hold on to their spots atop their respective divisions and get through the minefield of a shorter NLDS series against inferior, yet scrappy opposition.

If that hypothetical matchup does come to fruition between the two teams currently with the best records in the National League, what happened in July and August won’t have any impact on what happens in October, either at Citizens Bank Park or Dodgers Stadium.

There’s a lot of baseball to be played between now and then. Players that are scuffling now could be red hot then. Players who are going well now can be ice cold in the cooler months.

Clayton Kershaw, who started Tuesday, is still working his way back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him the entire first half of the season. Mookie Betts is still on the injured list and adds a whole different element to the Los Angeles lineup.

Conversely, the Dodgers will face Tyler Phillips on Wednesday. As great a story as he’s been, it’s a pretty good bet that he won’t be starting an NLCS game unless something goes horribly wrong.

There’s not much that you can really glean for October from these games. There’s a lot to discuss and break down in the moment, sure. That’s the beauty of baseball – there’s always something different to talk about every day during the season and within the context of how a team is playing at that particular point in time.

But there are small things you can take away from these games that give you an inkling of what might happen in a hypothetical October matchup.

Namely Matt Strahm vs. Shohei Ohtani.

Not many pitchers have sustained success against Ohtani. He’s clearly the best hitter in the game right now. He’s likely going to win the N.L. MVP. He is the face of the sport. Everything about him is amplified, both nationally and internationally. When the Dodgers were in Philadelphia last month, the press box was packed to the gills – all because of the traveling media party for Ohtani that just might match the rabble that follow the U.S. President around the globe.

While Strahm has a small sample size – just five plate appearances, he has gotten Ohtani out four times, and the only time he didn’t was four years ago while with the Padres when he allowed a single.

But three of those five times have come this season. And all three have come late in a game, protecting a lead, with runners on base and a chance Ohtani could inflict some serious damage.

For the third time in the last four games between the two teams, Phillies manager Rob Thomson has called on Strahm to get the presumptive N.L. MVP in a key spot.

Back on July 10th, it was in the top of the seventh, with two men on base and the Phillies protecting a two-run lead.

Strahm struck him out:

Ohtani looked shook Strahm is really that dude pic.twitter.com/P3qUjlbVRa

— Daquavis (@seranthony58) July 11, 2024

The next night, the Phillies were up by four, so it wasn’t as high leverage, but with a runner on and Ohtani’s power, the game could have gotten uncomfortable. It didn’t, as Strahm got Ohtani to ground out to second.

The Phillies were rolling back then. Almost a month later, they’re trying to find themselves again. While they are trying to grind through it, the Phillies found themselves in a familiar spot – with a lead over the Dodgers late in a game, with traffic on the basepaths and the prospect of Ohtani coming to the plate looming.

Up by three runs in the seventh inning, with two runners on base, Thomson turned to Strahm.

He got the two guys at the bottom of the Los Angeles lineup – Nick Ahmed and Austin Barnes, setting up the showdown with Ohtani.

When Strahm struck out Ohtani last month, he got him fishing for his slider, making Ohtani look a little foolish as his helmet nearly came off on the swing.

This time, it was a matter of determining when to drop that slider on him.

Ohtani worked a full count – on four fastballs and a surprise cutter – a pitch Strahm doesn’t normally throw to lefties but got Ohtani to swing through.

Strahm told reporters after the game that he hadn’t thrown a cutter to a left-handed hitter since Spring Training… in 2023.

That one was to O’Neil Cruz, of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cruz crushed it down the right field line… but fortunately for Strahm, it hooked foul.

But he and Realmuto decided to pull it out of the bag of tricks against Ohtani, almost to surprise him as much as themselves.

It worked:

Matt Strahm explains why he threw a rare cutter to Shohei Ohtani in the 7th inning on Tuesday. | @WapnerNewman pic.twitter.com/xJkvArVzCM

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 7, 2024

After two fastballs outside the zone that ran the count full, that’s when Strahm finally decided to pull the slider out of the bag.

Ohtani made contact this time, but not good enough contact. He flew out to right field. Strahm had won the battle for the third time in as many tries – something few pitchers can say about facing Ohtani.

“I like it,” said Thomson about matching up Strahm against Ohtani. “He’s a great hitter, so you have to give him credit. Strahm, fortunately, has pitched him well.”

It’s information that the Phillies will put in their back pocket for October.

These matchups were high leverage, for sure, but the stakes will be even higher in the postseason. And we know, from the experience of the past two Octobers that Thomson relies heavily on matchups. The Phillies will have at least three lefties available out of the pen (depending on scheduling and off days, there is always a chance that either Ranger Suarez or Cristopher Sanchez could be used in relief), but the bet is now that if they are facing Ohtani and the lead or the game is on the line, that Thomson’s first choice will be Strahm.

The post The Showdown Between Matt Strahm and Shohei Ohtani is Becoming Baseball Theater appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It’s intentional. He’s willing to bear the burden. It’s what fuels him. He feels like he mostly thrives under that pressure. He welcomes it. He accepts it. He cherishes it.

Even during what was the worst stretch of his career – which includes a period where he went just 1-for-34, he wouldn’t have had the demand be any other way.

And while sometimes that demand doesn’t come externally, and is one that Harper puts on himself, it’s what is necessary to motivate him to be the best version of himself, even if some of the flaws shine through from time to time.

So, it should come as no surprise that when the Phillies finally ended their season-worst, six-game losing streak on Sunday by thumping the Seattle Mariners 6-0, that Bryce Harper was at the center of it all.

Oh, sure, there was Zack Wheeler’s gem of a pitching performance in which he allowed just two hits and struck out nine over eight scoreless innings. That had a lot to do with it to – probably even more than Harper’s contributions. But it can’t be understated how different the offense looks when Harper is being Harper and when he’s not.

“There’s times I expand the zone and I’m really bad,” Harper said. “When I don’t expand the zone and hit pitches over the plate, I’m really good. It’s as simple as that.”

Harper had three hits Sunday. Two singles and a two-run homer. It was his first multi-hit game since July 12 and his first three-hit game since June 24.

Bryce Harper going to high socks to try and break his career worst slump, and then homering, is why I love baseball so much
pic.twitter.com/bLVM8Y53fF

— Dugoutforever (@dugoutforever) August 5, 2024

His first single helped him eclipse the 3,000 total base plateau in his career, making him just the 42nd player ever and only the 13th left-handed hitter to do it before turning 32-years-old. That’s an accomplishment reserved for those who get enshrinement in the hallowed halls in Cooperstown.

Bryce Harper reached 3,000 career total bases yesterday.

He’s only the 8th player in MLB history — and only the 2nd in the last 61 years — with 3,000 total bases and 1,000 walks by their age 31 season.https://t.co/frw8tgq55k

__@TheGoodPhight @Stathead #Phillies pic.twitter.com/vxFihIDhBK

— schmenkman (@tgpschmenk) August 5, 2024

But it’s also indicative of something else – Harper is the straw that stirs the drink for the Phillies offense.

Before you start applying the Captain Obvious label for that last sentence, you may be surprised to learn that it’s more pronounced this season than any other in his Phillies tenure.

Let’s break it down.

In games Bryce Harper has multiple hits – like he did Sunday – the Phillies are 22-5 (.815). In games Harper has one hit or fewer, or isn’t in the lineup, the Phillies are 44-40 (.524). That’s a difference of 291 points in win percentage.

How does this compare to previous seasons with the Phillies? Let’s take a look:

YEAR     Harper 2+ hits     Harper < 1 hit or DNP     Win % Diff.

2023         29-11 (.725)                 61-61 (.500)                     .225

2022         15-11 (.577)                  72-64 (.529)                    .048

2021         22-15 (.595)                 60-65 (.480)                    .115

2020           7-6 (.539)                   21-26 (.447)                    .092

2019          24-14 (.632)                 57-67 (.460)                   .172

Total*       119-62 (.658)                315-323 (.494)              .164

(Total includes 2024)

You can do the same thing with games Harper hits a home run. Sure, your chances improve when your best player hits a home run, but it’s more pronounced this season than almost any other.

YEAR     Harper HR     No Harper HR     Win % Diff.

2024        18-4 (.818)      48-41 (.539)             .279

2023         12-8 (.600)     78-64 (.549)             .051

2022          11-6 (.647)      76-69 (.524)            .123

2021           21-11 (.656)    61-69 (.469)           .187

2020            6-5 (.546)      22-27 (.449)            .097

2019           25-8 (.758)      56-73 (.434)           .324

Total           93-42 (.689)    341-343 (.499)      .190

The only season with a bigger difference than this year was 2019, and that’s because the Phillies were a .500 team. The only position player left from that team with Harper is J.T. Realmuto. Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez (who was a reliever only back then), are the only other players still on the roster.

Yet, even in a season where Harper is getting more offensive support in the lineup than ever before with Kyle Schwarber currently posting his second-highest batting average of his career (.251), the highest on-base percentage of his career (.383) and the third-highest OPS of his career (.849 – highest as a Phillie), Trea Turner slashing .312/.361/.493, Alec Bohm having a breakout season, and the pitching being mostly top of the league-level, when Harper is good, the Phillies are elite, and when he’s not, they’re pretty much a .500 team.

“I just want to win,” he said. “I know when I’m playing well, we’re going to win, so when I don’t play well, and we lose I take a lot of that on myself. You guys know how I am, right? I want to be great. I want to be the best and do the things I can (in order) to get this organization where they want to be.”

The last two games have been a positive sign that the Harper you are used to seeing is breaking out of his doldrums. His 12-pitch at bat before an opposite field double on Saturday may have been the turning point. Every at bat Sunday, even the first one, in which he struck out, looked more vintage.

So, it’s all about him. As he goes, so will the Phillies. It doesn’t matter who is around him. Sure, there will be games that other players steal the spotlight from him. That’s what makes for championship caliber teams – it doesn’t have to be your superstar every night.

But when it is your superstar’s turn, you should feel very confident that you can win, and if Harper is at the top of his game, the 2024 Phillies are nearly unbeatable.

The post Why the Difference between “Really Bad” and “Really Good” Bryce Harper Matters More Now than Ever Before appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It had been getting overworked earlier this season, but recently, it’s only been asked to contribute to the Phillies vibes a few times.

In fact, walking into the Phillies clubhouse after their 7-6 extra inning loss to the New York Yankees, their third straight, and fifth in the last six games, there was also something very different – nobody was there.

Well, not nobody. New guy Carlos Estevez was there. The happy-go-lucky reliever made his Phillies debut Tuesday and pitched a clean inning. He was talking to two injured Phillies pitchers – Taijuan Walker and Ranger Suarez.

But that’s it.

After a few minutes, Estevez went up to a Phillies media relations representative and asked if he was needed – nice of the new guy to offer his services – but this was a game that required comments from veteran leaders who have been here all season. Estevez was told he wasn’t needed and he grabbed his stuff and headed out.

Eventually a few other guys meandered through. Garrett Stubbs was seen, but he didn’t play in the game. Matt Strahm had a rough inning, and didn’t seem to want to talk about it. He politely took questions from one reporter but gave a series of short answers before shaking hands and walking off.

Brandon Marsh, who had a heck of a game defensively but was 0-for-6 at the plate, made his way over to his locker after showering, but he too avoided questions.

Finally, after a long delay, it was Trea Turner who took up the mantle of being the lone spokesperson for the team – a team that is obviously frustrated with the way things have gone lately.

He was asked what’s not working for the team right now he had a simple answer:

“Everything,” he said.

Turner was on fire before the All-Star break. Since, he’s been ice cold.

He’s 8-for-48 (.167) since the All-Star break. His cohort right behind him in the lineup, Bryce Harper, has been even worse since the break (6-for-47; .128avg).

In fact, Harper is 10-for-62 (.161) since coming of his brief I.L. stint on July 9th after missing 10 days with a mild hamstring strain.

Bryce Harper in his last 6 games 1-25
Trea Turner in his last 6 games 4-28
Alec bohm in his last 6 games 6-21 pic.twitter.com/FUegEX9CAS

— Phillies fan. (@PhilliesGuy44) July 31, 2024

The brunt of the offensive malaise for the Phillies in the past couple weeks has been because of their lack of production. Sure, other guys are going through it as well. Prior to Tuesday, J.T. Realmuto was 3-for-21 (.143) since coming of the I.L. He did have three singles Tuesday though, which the Phillies hope is a positive sign as the team heads west for a lengthy road trip after Wednesday’s series finale with the Yankees.

Marsh was 0-for-6 Tuesday but at least he was making contact. Prior to hitting a home run on Monday he had struck out 44 times in his previous 98 at bats.

Stott is slowly starting to come around, but the Phillies absolutely refuse to play him against lefties all of the sudden.

(Update: He’s not in the lineup Wednesday, again. Nor is Turner, who is getting the day off.)

Trea Turner, Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, JT Realmuto not in the lineup today as the Phillies try and avoid being swept for the first time this year

Schwarber DH
Hays 7
Harper 3
Bohm 5
Castellanos 9
Sosa 6
Wilson 4
Stubbs 2
Rojas 8

Sánchez LHP pic.twitter.com/Wpn3YOw6mh

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 31, 2024

It’s not just Turner and Harper, but they’re the first guys everyone is going to look to or look at when the team is struggling, and for a good reason. They’re the two faces of the franchise. They’re linked not just by their superstar status, but by the length of their contracts and the $300 million-plus they each are receiving.

So it’s good that Harper came out to speak after Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. Kyle Schwarber, who is next on the totem poll behind those two, took his turn to explain the losing after Monday’s blowout. Turner had to answer the questions Tuesday.

“It comes down to the guys in the clubhouse,” Turner said. “We have the right group. We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of baseball. Everyone wants to write a story about this and that and look for certain things, but we know it’s a long season. We knew that this was probably going to happen at some point – whether it’s early, in the middle (of the season), or late – you go through these rough patches. I’ve been through plenty of them in my career and the good teams pull themselves out of it and learn from it, so I know we have the right group for that.”

He’s not wrong, but this funk is ill-timed for the Phillies because it has come at the same time as the trade deadline. Fans see a team scuffling and get it in their head that they need major upgrades. Many big names were discussed in the previous weeks. What prospects should they be willing to trade? Everyone had an opinion.

In the end, the Phillies brought in Austin Hays, Carlos Estevez, and Tanner Banks.

All three are upgrades over who they replaced – Cristian Pache, Seranthony Dominguez, and Gregory Soto, so it’s hard to argue that the team didn’t get better, because they did.

But was it enough?

The Phillies held on to the top prospects in the organization. They didn’t deplete the farm to chase after bigger fish. Internally, they are content with that because they believe in their team that they have and that marginal upgrades were all that were needed to win a championship.

They might be right, but this season, they better be.

Just when you didn’t think it was possible for the path to be clearer to win a championship than it was last October, the Phillies find themselves the favorite in the National League to get to the World Series.

Why not throw down the gauntlet and fill whatever remaining holes you had with the best available players?

Maybe they did that with Estevez. Maybe.

But as Jazz Chisholm launched two homers Tuesday – for the second consecutive game no less – many people are going to wonder why Hays was the target to upgrade the outfield and not Chisholm.

(To be clear, I believe Chisholm is vastly overrated and this honeymoon will eventually subside in New York, but for a fanbase that lives in the moment, they are right to question the decisions made by Dave Dombrowski and his staff).

Never mind that Hays had a very good game. Two hits, including his first homer as a Phillie. Four RBI, a stolen base. Solid defensive play in left field. It was noticeable.

But it was overshadowed by Chisholm – again, in the moment.

Time will tell if Dombrowski got this right, and it was smart to trust the team you have in place who, despite losing 10-of-14 STILL has the best record in the sport. But if he didn’t, and this team falters because he missed an opportunity to make the Phillies a juggernaut, well, then the criticisms will be 100 percent warranted.

In the meantime, the Phillies need to get themselves straightened out. They need to get the clubhouse bustling again, and not have a “weird” feeling, as Nick Castellanos put it after Monday’s loss.

They need to get that fog machine juiced up and cranking out that haze that is so thick you can’t see more than a few inches in front of your face when you walk in there.

They need to get back to being the Phillies. Whatever it takes. Just not a closed-door, players-only meeting.

Trea Turner says it’s not about work ethic or culture with the Phillies, they’re just “playing bad.”

“We work our asses off.”

(via @MrUram)

pic.twitter.com/pvDsxlVztu

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) July 31, 2024

“So you guys can write about it and tell everyone we talked,” Turner asked. “No. Those things are for when guys are being lazy, or you have a bad culture and you’re not putting in the work. We don’t do those things. We work our asses off.”

There’s no doubt about that. Now, they just have to prove it by starting to win again.

The post Phillies Deadline Moves Send Clear Front Office Message: The Team is Championship Caliber, Now the Stars Need to Play Like it appeared first on Crossing Broad.

In the final minutes before the 6 p.m. Tuesday trade deadline, the Phillies acquired lefty reliever Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for High-A middle infielder William Bergolla.

Banks, 32, has been a regular contributor in the White Sox bullpen for the past three seasons. This year he’s thrown 48 innings with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.292 WHIP. He has 55 strikeouts and 15 walks, meaning he throws a lot of strikes.

He’s also been lethal against left-handed batters:

Tanner Banks is a nightmare matchup for LH hitters.

Faced 83 of them this year.
Struck out 28
34 percent K rate

They’re hitting .184 with only one HR against him

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 30, 2024

That’s all well and good, but there’s a reason Jayson didn’t tweet his numbers against righties.

If he did it would look something like this:

Tanner Banks has been a nightmare against RH hitters.

Faced 122 of them this year.

Struck out 27.

Meanwhile righties are slashing .308/.372/.477 for an .849 OPS against him.

“We’ve liked Banks for a long time,” said Phillies president Dave Dombrowski. “Our people have pushed for him. We like his stuff. He’s really been effective versus left-handed hitters this year. He’s been one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball in that regard. We just thought he was a better fit for our bullpen at this time.”

To make room for Banks, the Phillies traded Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league righties Seth Johnson and Moises Chace.

According to a report by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies tried to include Soto in the deal for Austin Hays on Friday but the O’s wanted Seranthony Dominguez.

Sources said Phillies had attempted to include Gregory Soto in last week’s trade with BAL for Austin Hays. Orioles wanted Seranthony Domínguez. Ultimately, Orioles land both.

Both pitching prospects Phillies acquired from BAL are interesting. More here: https://t.co/EP4JGEt1sa

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 30, 2024

In the end, both ended up there, although Dombrowski said they wouldn’t have traded Soto unless they made the deal for Banks, which he said wasn’t finalized until about 45 minutes before the deadline.

The interesting thing is the Orioles are going to war this postseason with a back end of the bullpen that consists of Soto, Seranthony Dominguez, and Craig Kimbrel.

Yikes.

Soto had been a bit of a disappointment for the Phillies, and the last straw likely came Monday night when he allowed three runs in one inning of relief against the Yankees.

“We didn’t necessarily get him as a closer but I think a lot of times he envisions himself as a closer, which is fine,” Dombrowski said. “But the way we use our pen, I’m just not sure there ever was a way he felt comfortable in that regard.”

Well then.

As it turns out, the Detroit Tigers won that trade with the Phillies, as Matt Vierling has turned into a useful player for the Tigers while Soto didn’t live up to expectations in Philly.

This season, Soto had a 4.08 ERA and a blackeye of a WHIP (1.585) in 35 1/3 innings.

Bergolla, 19, was having a very good year at Lakewood. He was slashing .295/.350/.385 with a .735 OPS but considering what the Phillies have at the major league level (Trea Turner and Bryson Stott) and prospects like Aidan Miller and Starlyn Caba ahead of him, he was going to be blocked for a while, so he became a good asset for the Phillies. He was originally signed out of Venezuela as an International Free Agent in 2022.

Johnson, 25, has made 18 starts this season for Double-A Bowie. Across 65 innings he has a 2.63 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and 61 strikeouts and adds organizational depth. Dombrowski said he will be assigned to Double-A Reading.

Chace, 21, Has thrown 52 innings at High-A Aberdeen. He has 76 strikeouts (impressive) but also 30 walks. Meaning he needs to work on his command. He had a 3.46 ERA. Dombrowski said he will report to High-A Lakewood.

Dombrowski hinted that they were looking at other possibilities that didn’t come to fruition before making the deal for Banks. He also said the Phillies were looking for a right-handed hitting, “very minimal usage” centerfielder, but that none that they thought were better than what they had in the organization already were made available.

“We just felt we had a guy like (Johan) Rojas that we can use. We have some guys at Triple-A that we could bring up, so we just didn’t feel there was a big upgrade.”

The post Phillies Add Tanner Banks from White Sox, Send Gregory Soto to Baltimore at the Deadline appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It was an interesting study in how far we’ve fallen in the news dissemination department, where the majority of the public doesn’t know if what they are consuming is true or not, but either way, they are going to react to it as if it’s gospel.

Let me take you through this craziness, and then in the end, provide some actual reporting to clear up this mess.

It all started with an interesting thread on X from Tony Androckitis, a reporter for Inside AHL Hockey.

Put yourself in Kolosov’s shoes for a minute.

You’re ~5,000 miles from home in a different country where you can’t speak the native language or communicate with anyone.

You’re the 3rd goalie getting minimal practice reps in AHL. What do you do the other 22 hours of the day?

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) July 27, 2024

He went on to add one more comment, that read “Not to mention you watch Ivan Fedotov go straight to the NHL with #Flyers & get a big contract extension shortly after the season ends.“

Now, Tony’s been covering the AHL for quite some time. He’s done a lot of good reporting for that league. He’s even broken some news over the years, so I have no doubt someone he trusts as a good source gave him that quote about the Flyers putting Kolosov in a hotel and him feeling isolated.

However – just putting it out like that without a story, without more context than an X thread, while it’s not faulty reporting, it does leave the door wide freaking open for misinterpretation and wild speculation.

Which is exactly what happened once Philly Hockey Now got its hands on it.

Report: ⁦@NHLFlyers⁩ Abandoned Alexei Kolosov In a Hotel for a Month, Writes ⁦@ByJonBailey⁩ https://t.co/4pKOQQtpYe

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) July 28, 2024

I used Carchidi’s tweet, even though he didn’t write the story, because that headline has since changed. And while the original story is still intact, this additional caveat was plugged into the story between the second and third paragraph, and underneath an ad:

Editor’s Note: Philly Hockey Now can confirm that the attached report from Tony Androckitis is false.

Not sure that’s exactly accurate either, but hey, it’s 2024, accuracy is so passe.

Anyway, the original story sent fans into a tizzy about how the Flyers mistreated Kolosov. But it also ruffled Androckitis’ feathers because he felt that the Philly Hockey Now piece, written by Jonathan Bailey, took his X posts out of context.

And it created a bit of a an old-fashioned, media Twitter-beef between the two, although it was short-lived.

Crazy statement to make tbh https://t.co/F65Ejk78aX

— Jon Bailey (@ByJonBailey) July 28, 2024

I reported on what I was told by sources I trust.

My track record with AHL stuff speaks for itself.

I certainly don’t need to defend it against a glorified content aggregator like @ByJonBailey.

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) July 29, 2024

The esteemed (and frequent Snow the Goalie guest) Bill Meltzer was mentioned by Androckitis because he chimed in during the cacophony, with a quick post, throwing cold water on the whole thing.

.@jasonmyrt and I will discuss Alexei Kolosov in depth on Flyers Daily. Per org:

1) Neither player nor Dinamo has asked permission to break ELC.
2) Player never told org he wasn’t coming back OR
assured he is.
3) Some media reports have had wrong or exaggerated info.

— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) July 28, 2024

Of course, once Bill speaks, people listen, and then the tide shifted slightly from anger toward the Flyers for mistreating a player to anger toward the media for putting out bad information or conflating the story.

Bailey then took to social media to take some accountability for fanning the flames.

Firstly, I’m always honest and I call it how I see it. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to the readers.

I turned 23 three months ago. If I’m wildly misinterpreting this entire situation, I’d happy to be wrong and learn. If I couldn’t talk to people or read signs in town,…

— Jon Bailey (@ByJonBailey) July 28, 2024

I really love doing stories like the Q&A I did with Danny B that was cited in the article, but I can’t do that all the time. Logistically, it won’t work for me.

Educate me or blame me all you want to, but I’m always gonna have an opinion and be myself. That’s something you’ll…

— Jon Bailey (@ByJonBailey) July 28, 2024

All that is great. I appreciate what Bailey had to say. I was the same way when I was in my 20s trying to make my way in the same industry. The difference is, the industry has changed and there were fewer platforms to do what Bailey does when I was his age, so you had to go through a more rigorous path to learn how to do these things properly. You still didn’t always get it right, but it was under a very watchful editorial eye.

Nowadays, it’s the Wild West, and pretty much anyone can do or say anything with little to no oversight.

And I feel bad for Bailey that there are companies who want content who won’t just pay a living wage for it and force you to work in what is basically a pyramid scheme – you do all the work, and you only get paid per subscriber, or based on the number of times someone clicks on your story, and even then, you only get a percentage of the money, as the owner of the site reaches into your bag to get their tribute.

It’s pretty sad.

But I tell you all of this to get to the crux of the matter – that through all this half-reporting and aggregating, and media sniping at one another, and mea culpas and standing by original reporting, there was one thing that was clearly missed:

Finding out what REALLY HAPPENED.

So, I figured, I would.

I reached out to several sources with direct knowledge of the situation for insight into the how the Flyers handled Kolosov while he was here and how they are still handling it now.

Before we get into specifics of this matter, let me be clear, that professional sports teams always find temporary housing for their players until the player can establish housing on his own. The Flyers are well known throughout the sport of hockey to be among the best of the best when it comes to taking care of players and staff with these kinds of accommodations, to make transitioning to a new area easier, but it should be clearly stated that temporary housing is the norm.

By comparison, the Phillies just traded for Austin Hays and Carlos Estevez. Until they can get settled and find a place to live in the Philly area, they’re living in temporary housing – most likely a hotel.

When Kolosov came over to the Phantoms last March, the Flyers immediately offered to get him set up in the same apartment complex where most of the Phantoms were staying. However, Kolosov didn’t want to have roommates. He wanted his own space. As such, he chose the option of being in a hotel close to the rink.

He wasn’t forced there by the Flyers organization.

“Abandoned” him in a four-star hotel directly attached to the PPL Center? No one showed him how to get around? He didn’t eat? The bus left without him and he had to run behind it, like Rerun in What’s Happening?

Or was he just very homesick during his 3+ weeks with the team?

— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) July 28, 2024

The Flyers told Kolosov what the plan was going to be. They had only seen tape on him, so they wanted to get him a couple of games with the Phantoms so they could see him in person, but that the rest of the time would be spent working with coaches and development staff as he learned to adjust to a more physical brand of hockey than he was used to in the KHL.

Kolosov would spend ample time working with Brady Robinson, who the Flyers hired as part of their player development team specifically to work with the slew of young goalies that are in the pipeline. Additional time would be spent as well as athletic trainers Brian Gurgesky and Joe Hurley.

The Flyers deployed their other player development guys as well to work with Kolosov on assimilation, both on and off the ice.

The notion that he would be at practice for two hours and then stuck in a hotel room with no one to talk to for the other 22 hours, is asinine. Players don’t just show up at the rink to practice and talk to the media and then go home. They actually have a full work day – whether that includes video work or working out, or getting treatment, or meeting with coaches, or the equipment guys, or whatever.

The one thing the Flyers acknowledge they didn’t have was a coach or a teammate who could speak the same language as Kolosov. In such a condensed time frame and already past the deadline, the Flyers couldn’t just add someone to the roster who could be an interpreter friend for Kolosov for that month.

So, there’s no doubt that there were some challenges with communication during his time in Allentown, but not anything that would isolate him from the team and what they were working on or trying to achieve to the point where he would retreat to a hotel room and not be involved when everyone else was.

What was also communicated to Kolosov was that the organization planned for him to be the No. 1 goalie in the AHL in 2024-25 and that they would attempt to bring in a player or two who speak Russian to add a level of comfort for him as he continued to adapt to a North American lifestyle.

As of this time, the Flyers have not added those players to the Phantoms roster, but sources said it is on their to-do list before the start of training camp.

The Flyers were surprised to learn that Kolosov felt uncomfortable in his time with the Phantoms. He never expressed it to them while he was there or even at the end of the season before he flew back to Belarus. They were only made aware of Kolosov’s feelings in recent weeks through Kolosov’s representatives.

The Flyers are in constant communication with his agents and remain optimistic that Kolosov will come to training camp, even though he did not come to development camp earlier this month.

Regardless of whether you side with the Flyers or Kolosov…the Front Office really should address this situation.

We have had an article with the word “abandoned”, fans trashing a 22-year old (still valuable prospect), and the team taking a PR beating.

Everyone loses here.

— Manny Benevides (@mannybenevides) July 28, 2024

There have been additional overseas reports that Kolosov has requested to terminate his entry level contract that he signed with the Flyers and that he has asked his KHL team – Dinamo Minsk – to assist with that. Those reports are completely inaccurate.

No such request has been made to the Flyers from Kolosov, his agents, or Dinamo Minsk.

Additionally, neither Kolosov nor his representatives have told the Flyers he doesn’t plan to report, which is why the Flyers are optimistic he will return.

There is also a thought that has gotten some legs out there that Kolosov is frustrated by the difference between how he was handled and how the Flyers handled Ivan Fedotov, who came straight to the NHL and got a new contract to boot.

If you’re a Flyers fan trying to make sense of what’s happening with the team and Alexei Kolosov, check out this clip from @therussjoyshow. I broke down the timeline and what may have upset the player. I also touched on what the team could do about it.https://t.co/ATKu7IIZ5o

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) July 28, 2024

(My favorite part of this ridiculously long diatribe was about the 5:50 mark when Russ inadvertently called himself useless.)

Here’s the thing –

Kolosov is 23. Fedotov is 28. Fedotov had more international playing experience. Hell, he has more life experience. He was absconded in a white van and shipped off to Siberia to serve in the Russian military, for (Saint?) Pete’s sake.

And… Fedotov was in the final year of his ELC, which had already been ported forward one year by the NHL. So, of course the Flyers were going to give him a contract and a crack at the NHL first. It doesn’t change how they feel about Kolosov.

If Kolosov arrives in camp, as expected, and plays out the year in Lehigh Valley, odds are he’ll be given a crack at winning an NHL job by 2025-26, if not sooner. Most teams have a goalie injury of some point and need more than two goalies to get through an NHL season. Kolosov would likely be the next man up.

One thing the Flyers have zero interest in doing, according to sources, is loaning Kolosov back to the KHL. They gave him a contract. He took the signing bonus. Now, it’s time for him to hold up his end of the bargain and play for the money he’s been paid.

When he arrives at camp, he’ll find several players he can become comfortable with – guys like Fedotov, Matvei Michkov, and Egor Zamula. There will likely be the aforementioned additions for the Phantoms also.

There’s no doubt that having a full season with a team will be a lot different than being thrown into the fire in the final couple weeks of the season and the first two-plus weeks of the postseason.

The Flyers are willing to go to great lengths to make sure Kolosov – or any player for that matter – has the resources they need to be at their best and able to perform. However, a team can only take a player so far. The player needs to go the rest of the distance to make it all work.

In short, the Flyers didn’t abandon one of the top goalie prospects. They didn’t dismiss his difficulty to adapt to a new place and a new language. Remember who the General Manager is. Danny Briere couldn’t speak English when he first came to an NHL organization. And while going from Quebec to Phoenix is a little different than Belarus to Allentown, the language barrier was still just as difficult.

So, it should be known that if anyone gets what Kolosov was experiencing, it’s certainly Briere.

And trying to report it any other way, is just not providing the full story.

The post Here’s What Really Happened With Alexei Kolosov and the Flyers appeared first on Crossing Broad.

He nearly got emotional then. He said he had never experienced anything like it. It was a dream come true since it wasn’t that long ago that he was one of those fans at the Bank who was giving ovations to his favorite players.

At the time, he didn’t think that anything could top it.

Then, in his next start at the ballpark he grew up in, it got even better.

Phillips, in just his third big league start, and fourth big league appearance overall, took on the Cleveland Guardians, the team with the best record in the American League and second-best record overall behind the Phillies, and tossed a four-hit complete game shutout.

Backed by four homers – three in a seven-run bottom of the fourth by Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber, and later a solo shot by Nick Castellanos, – Phillips faced just two batters over the minimum, striking out four batters in an effective and efficient 105 pitches, becoming the first Phillies rookie to throw a shutout since Zach Eflin in 2016.

Are we all
Just caught up in 7 year old Tyler Phillips back yard universe? @Phillies #baseball

— Go Birds; Go Phils; Go Sixers; Go Flyers (@breakfast4din3) July 28, 2024

In fact, go back 30 years and here’s the list:

2024: Tyler Philips

2016: Zach Eflin

2009: J.A. Happ (two shutouts)

2007: J.D. Durbin

1996: Mike Grace

That’s pretty rare. And it’s even more rare that it came while pitching for a hometown team.

If his first start was surreal, what was the shutout like? Here’s a sample of Phillips explanations postgame:

I’ve never done that before. It felt pretty awesome.

My body never felt that before. You got chills. You’re trying not to laugh at it. You want to tear up. You’re choked up. I don’t know what was going on but it felt like I was able to throw 100 MPH at that point (the ninth inning). All I wanted to do was sit those guys back down on the bench.

I didn’t think that at all (having a better experience after the first start). It’s just preparation and doing my homework on guys and putting the right work in. I thank God I have  a good team behind me and they go out there and do what they need to every single time.

So far, so good.

Tyler Phillips just threw a complete game shutout for the team he grew up rooting for.

Baseball is the best. pic.twitter.com/44EryQXAPc

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 28, 2024

Phillips became just the second player in the long history of the franchise to throw at least 25 innings in his first four appearances and allow four or fewer runs. The other guy? Jack Kraus – 81 years ago.

“He’s been really good,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Actually I think his velocity is up a little bit from his Triple-A numbers. Just his strike throwing ability – tonight he landed his curveball against lefties. The sinker was really good – it had a lot of soft contact, a lot of ground balls. … He couldn’t find his slider early. He found it late. He kept throwing it and finally found it, but he was fantastic.

“And just the composure and the poise – you know, you’re a rookie and you’re going in the ninth inning with a chance to have a complete game shutout. That’s nerve-wracking for some but he was just calm as can be.”

Phillips looks like he’s going to get a bit of a run in the rotation. With Ranger Suarez going on the 15-day I.L. Saturday, Taijuan Walker still a few weeks away despite throwing a live batting practice Wednesday that both Thomson and team president Dave Dombrowski gushed about, and Spencer Turnbull likely not to be a starting pitching option upon his return (per Dombrowski), Phillips is going to get a bunch of starts.

The Phillies could always trade for another starter prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline, but when asked Saturday if that was a possibility, Dombrowski kind of shrugged it off, and did so by mentioning Phillips.

“I think we’re comfortable where we are and I think part of that has to do with Phillips has thrown the ball well for us a few times,” he said. “Now, if something falls in our lap the next couple of days, I’m not saying we wouldn’t ever do it, but it’s also such that we don’t feel we have to do it.”

All because of a hometown kid who is living out the dream scenario of every baseball loving kid in the tri-state area.

The post Tyler Phillips Continues to be a Revelation for Phillies after Tossing a Complete Game Shutout appeared first on Crossing Broad.

One day after acquiring a right-handed outfield bat he has coveted for three years, he traded for one of baseball’s best closers.

The Phillies acquired Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estevez on Saturday in exchange for two minor league pitchers – George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri.

Estevez, 31, was an All-Star for the Angels in 2023, and he’s been infinitely better this season.

In 34 appearances the right-hander has thrown 34 innings, has a 2.38 ERA and an incredible 0.735 WHIP. He has walked just five batters all season. He has 32 strikeouts and 20 saves for Los Angeles.

“Dave Dombrowski and the #Phillies are all in on winning the World Series and they just went and got a bonafide backend of the bullpen guy in Carlos Estévez.” – @JakePeavy_22 #MLBTonight | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/IxXDyiqWCE

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 27, 2024

Estevez is immediately an upgrade over Seranthony Dominguez, who was traded as part of the deal with Baltimore for outfielder Austin Hays on Friday. And he’ll likely be plugged in ahead of Orion Kerkering as a late inning right hander, dropping Kerkering into more of a lower leverage role that Dominguez was filling.

Dombrowski pushed it one step further.

“To us he’s one of the best relievers in baseball this past year,” he said. “Last month he was the relief pitcher of the month in the American League. He’s retired 53 of the last 58 hitters. He’s a guy that can pitch the ninth inning. He’s got 20 saves. How Topper determines he’s going to use hi, we’ll see, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he gets a lot of ninth innings and slides people behind.”

Dave Dombrowski talks about why the Phillies acquired Carlos Estevez, who had 20 saves in 23 opportunities for the Angels this year pic.twitter.com/wxft2prE9k

— Colin Newby (@ToNewbyginnings) July 27, 2024

Dombrowski added the Phillies tried to sign him two years ago when they signed Matt Strahm but lost out on him to the Angels. One of the things Dombrowski said the team researched before making the trade was how Estevez would fit here. He called him a “bulldog” who will fit the “Philadelphia mentality.”

What does he mean by that?

“It’s somebody who is really tough,” Dombrowski said. “Internally we call it ‘Philly tough.’ Maybe once in a while you’ll hear a boo even though your a hometown guy, and you got to be able to handle that. Not everybody can. But this guy’s tough.”

In trading Klassen and Aldegheri, the Phillies traded their No. 5 and No. 7 ranked prospects, according to Baseball America. Both were having breakout seasons in 2024.

Klassen, 22, pitched for both Low-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore this season. He’s made 14 starts combined. The right-hander has a 1.97 ERA and a 0.978 WHIP in 59 1/3 innings with a whopping 89 strikeouts.

Klassen was originally a sixth round pick of the Phillies in the 2023 draft.

Aldegheri, 22, has pitched at both High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading this season. He’s made 15 starts combined. The lefty has tossed 78 innings and has a 3.23 ERA and 1.090 WHIP with an equally eye-popping strikeout total of 109.

Aldegheri was originally an international free agent that was signed out of Italy.

Estevez is a free agent at the end of the season. Dombrowski said they were considering other guys who had some control left in the way of a contract, but that they felt Estevez was the best fit to help the team win this year.

But, he did admit that trading two good starting pitcher prospects is a lot for a rental, but at the same time, that’s the cost of doing business when you are trying to win a championship.

“It’s going to hurt at some point when you make a trade to try to win and we are trying to win,” Dombrowski said. “(They’re) not guys we wanted to give up, but we also knew that we were going to have ot give something up because it’s definitely a seller’s market.

“It’s probably a little bit more than you like to give up for a rental, but who knows, maybe we’ll sign him once the year is over. You never can tell.”

When you are going all-in for a World Championship this year, it’s the cost of doing business, and the Phillies bullpen just became much more lethal.

The post Phillies trade for Angels Closer Carlos Estevez to Bolster Bullpen appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The Phillies have endured several injuries this season, from Trea Turner to J.T. Realmjuto, to Taijuan Walker to Spencer Turnbull. Heck, even Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper spent 10 days on the injured list with minor injuries.

But if the Phillies are going to accomplish their goal as the team to win it all, they are going to have to rely on their greatest strength – their starting pitching, where their four horses have carried them to this point in the season.

But now, one of them is down.

Ranger Suarez is headed to the IL with lower back soreness pic.twitter.com/hJ4PZjuZcf

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 27, 2024

The Phillies announced on Saturday that Ranger Suarez was placed on the 15-day I.L. with lower back soreness. It’s retroactive to his last start, which was July 24th, so he can return as soon as August 9th in Arizona.

“He woke up (Friday) with tightness in his back,” manager Rob Thomson said. “It’s on the left side, so it’s not the same side as it was before. He thought he could work through it in his bullpen (session) and he couldn’t. He was still tight afterward, so we’re going to be super precautious and give him a little rest.”

The plan is for the rest to be just two weeks. But, time will be the ultimate predictor.

“We’re hoping it’s not (longer),” Thomson said. “We’re hoping he’s back during the Arizona series. We hope.”

The Phillies pitching depth is already being tested, with Tyler Phillips serving as the No. 5 starter. Kollby Allard, a former top prospect of Atlanta who flamed out both with the Braves and the Texas Rangers, is being called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley where he hasn’t pitched all that well, although he’s been better in his last few starts.

“He’s been pitching good,” Thomson said. “The fastball is going to be 88-to-90 or 91, but he’s really commanding the baseball right now and he’s using all his pitches… He’s one of the top pitchers in the International League right now.”

So far this season Allard has appeared in 19 games (13 starts), mostly with the Iron Pigs (he had three starts with Double-A Reading). In 72 1/3 innings he has a 5.60 ERA, allowing 86 hits and 30 walks for a ghastly 1.604 WHIP. Of the 86 hits he’s allowed, 14 have been homers. He has 69 strikeouts.

Kolby Allard’s AAA stats since June 1:

8 G | 44.1 IP | 42 H | 14 ER | 11 BB | 42 K |
2.85 ERA | 1.20 WHIP pic.twitter.com/MiUhkWqqXB

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) July 27, 2024

Although in four of his last five starts he has pitched at least six innings and given up three or fewer runs in each, so there has been progress after a disastrous start to his season.

Allard will pitch in Suarez’s place Sunday against Cleveland.

The only good news about this injury is that it has occurred prior to the trade deadline, meaning Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski can go out and acquire another starter prior to the 6PM deadline on Tuesday.

Rumors started to seep out this week about the Phillies interest in White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, who also has bullpen experience.

I highlighted how the addition of Crochet could work earlier this week, but now it could be even more paramount to add a pitcher of his caliber if there is greater concern about how much time Suarez will have to miss.

Alternatively, Walker threw live batting practice at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday afternoon. Thomson said he threw 38 pitches and it was the “best (he’s) seen him in a long time.”

Good afternoon from CBP. Taijuan Walker is throwing live BP right now. pic.twitter.com/Ww6Y3tSPDb

— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) July 27, 2024

Walker is slated to throw another live batting practice on Wednesday.

That said, Thomson said Walker would not be ready to return to the majors before Suarez’s I.L. stint is up, meaning he’s likely to go on a rehab assignment first, which would keep him out to mid-August.

Turnbull threw from 90-feet today and is expected to get on the mound for the first time Monday, so he’s behind Walker currently as far as a timeline.

How this all plays out will probably be clearer by the time the Phillies and Yankees first pitch happens on Tuesday night.

The post Phillies Rotation Depth Tested as Ranger Suarez Heads to the Injured List; Kolby Allard Recalled appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It didn’t take long for Harper to let everyone know that this wasn’t an experiment.

You may remember him diving into the camera well at Progressive field to catch a foul pop up.

Bryce Harper makes it known that he’s fine at 1B by diving into the camera well on a pop up. pic.twitter.com/TUHbhXRrQw

— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) July 22, 2023

In the year since, Harper has proven that he not only could play first base adequately, but he’s played it well enough that there were some people who were whispering that he’s athletic enough to potentially win a gold glove at the position, which would be an incredible feat for someone who never played the position before last summer.

Then Friday night happened.

In what was easily Harper’s worst game at first base, ironically against the same Cleveland team he debuted at the position against 371 days prior, he looked like he had never played the position before.

He was involved in a botched run down on a clean pickoff attempt. He went after a ground ball that he shouldn’t have, forcing Cristopher Sanchez to try to cover first base on a grounder to Bryson Stott at second, leading to an error. He wasn’t able to catch a clean one-hop throw from Trea Turner, leading to a second error and he needed a lengthy replay review to somehow prove (I still don’t see it) that he was able to get a cleat on the first base bag to result in a ground out rather than a third error in the game.

Not sure what’s worse tonight. The balls and strikes or the clinic Bryce Harper is putting on about how NOT to play first base.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) July 26, 2024

The Phillies had other folks involved in these and other bungled plays. Turner didn’t back up second base in time on the blown rundown. Sanchez threw high to Stott on a second pick off, and Stott wasn’t able to get the tag down.

Both Cleveland runners, who should have been dead to rights on the basepaths, came around to score, offering the differential in a 3-1 Guardians win over the Phillies.

There was much consternation about how the Phillies were playing – that they didn’t show up. That they lacked focus. That the malaise of a 19-20 stretch of games after a scorching hot start to the season was finally getting to a breaking point for the fans.

And it was especially galling because it was coming against a Guardians team who is hot on the Phillies heels for the best record in baseball.

But that’s where some perspective is needed.

Yes, the Phillies were sloppy and terrible in the field. It was mostly uncharacteristic for this season, although Turner has been having issues since he signed with the Phillies.

And what I’m about to say is not an excuse for the Phillies. At this level, those fundamental plays need to be made. Even manager Rob Thomson, who rarely criticizes his team, said after the game that they need to “clean it up.”

“We’ve got to throw the ball accurately,” he said. “We’ve got to cover all our assignments and we didn’t do that early. We cleaned it up late, but we got to start right from the beginning of the game.”

He added that on the rundown play, Harper should have thrown the ball sooner to Stott, who was in the baseline, but when he didn’t, he had no choice but to throw it to the bag and Turner was late covering. Thomson said Turner should have been there as well.

And that’s all true. Harper should have covered the bag at first on the dropped ball by Sanchez. Sanchez should have made a better throw to Stott. Turner’s throws need to be more consistently accurate. It’s all true.

Here’s the thing. Cleveland does this to you. They do it to everyone.

Thomson warned us pre-game when talking about the challenge of facing the Guardians.

“They create a lot of runs,” Thomson said. “They run. They bunt. They hit and run. They do a lot of small ball stuff. And they’re very good defensively. They’re a complete team.”

And they did just that against the Phillies.

In both failed pickoffs, they were running. They tried a double steal, but Jose Ramirez was nailed at third base by J.T. Realmuto. Steven Kwan bunted for a hit. Bo Naylor executed a squeeze bunt to score a run.

SQUEEZE!#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/Dv2MP9vIxk

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) July 26, 2024

And they are full of gamers who bust it on the basepaths on every play, forcing the defense to be quick and precise, which, of course, the Phillies weren’t.

It was only a matter of time before the cycle returned to a team finding success playing this way.

Cleveland has an underappreciated superstar n Ramirez, but beyond that, they are a collection of names you probably never heard of. Yes Kwan and David Fry were All-Stars this year, but both kind of came out of the blue. Their bullpen is sensational, with four absolute hammers on the back end, anchored by closer Emmanuel Clase, who is the best closer in the sport these days.

But they aren’t a big-time slug team. Their slugging percentage is .398, which is eighth in the American League. Their OPS is .711, which ranks seventh in the AL.

But they find ways to win, much like they did Friday. They manufacture runs and rely on their pitching.

The Phillies can’t complain about the pitching performances they got Friday. Sanchez was good. The bullpen was even better. Jose Ruiz, Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering pitched three innings, faced 11 batters, gave up one hit, one walk and struck out six.

The difference in the game was, the Guardians put pressure on the Phillies defense, and it faltered. The Phillies didn’t hit, and when they hit the ball hard, the Cleveland defense was superb, and didn’t falter.

Like the Guardians, the Phillies have had success by being a bit of a throwback themselves. They have made having starting pitchers who give you length in a game cool again. They are fast and aggressive on the basepaths and steal their share of bags too, and they too have relied on a very good bullpen to get to the top of the sport record-wise.

But the Phillies are a slug team, too. Their slugging percentage is high (pun intended) at .420, which ranks third in the National League. Their .748 OPS ranks second in the N.L. So, they are a bit of a hybrid. A mix of old school and new school baseball.

But a little more of the Cleveland mentality could help when the offense goes into a funk like Friday where Turner, Harper, Realmuto, Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos combine to go 0-for-20. You likely aren’t winning many of those games, and yet, had not the defense been a mess, it’s probably a 1-1 game heading to extras on Friday.

That’s how fine the line is between success and failure.

It’s David Fry-Day following the @CleGuardians win over the Phillies on playing Guardians baseball! #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/egG4KGpOHe

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) July 27, 2024

Time will tell if playing a 1970s brand of baseball, one that focuses on speed, defense and pitching, with run manufacturing a top priority, can lead to postseason success, but there’s a reason the Guardians have the second-best record in the sport, and it’s because they play the game a little differently than everyone else.

And if the Phillies aren’t careful, Cleveland could tie them for the best record by Sunday afternoon.

The post Phillies Can Learn Something by Watching the way the Guardians Play appeared first on Crossing Broad.

And while many assumed that the trade that went down earlier Friday, where the Phillies acquired outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles for Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache, was done to create a left field platoon between Hays and Brandon Marsh, manager Rob Thomson all but said that wouldn’t be the case.

“I do not see him as a platoon, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said. “This guy was an All-Star last season. For whatever reason – and I don’t know Baltimore’s situation, but he wasn’t playing every single day, so I think that’s maybe affected his numbers a little bit. I want to see what we have here.”

Thomson went on to say Hays would likely get some run this weekend against Cleveland and into next week against the Yankees, even against righthanded pitching.

Austin Hays against lefties this year

72 at-bats, batting .328 with a .894 OPS

Has a $8 million club option for next year (same thing Seranthony had), got off to dreadful start this year but has been really good since May 1st.

pic.twitter.com/2F4TkQFqoh

— Philly Nation (@Philly__Nation) July 26, 2024

And if that’s the case, then the platoon must be in centerfield between Marsh and Johan Rojas, right?

“I don’t know that,” Thomson said. “I got to talk to a lot of people.”

When pressed later, he added, “I will answer this tomorrow, after I talk with them.”

So, it sounds like Hays is definitely going to be a regular – he’s going to have to hit to stay in the lineup, for sure, but he’s going to be given a chance to do so.

Dombrowski admitted he’s liked Hays for a long time. So much so that he engaged the Baltimore Orioles in trade discussions for Hays at each of the last two deadlines.

Looks like the third time was the charm:

Dave Dombrowski says he unsuccessfully tried to acquire Austin Hays the last two trade deadlines. Now, he got him. pic.twitter.com/lxbhyco2ga

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) July 26, 2024

“I was being asked for much more than we wanted to give,” Dombrowski said as to why he couldn’t get the trade done in each of the past two seasons. “He’s a good hitter. He hasn’t played all that much this year. He got squeezed out…When we’ve seen him, we’ve liked him. He can hit. He’s a gamer. He can play left field well and we were looking for a little bit of a better bat from the righthand side.”

And while Hays is certainly an offensive upgrade over Pache, it looks like the notion of having a better right-handed hitter wasn’t meant for the bench, but rather for the everyday lineup, meaning they are looking for an upgrade over Rojas, mostly.

Dombrowski was also asked if he feels like this trade has the Phillies “set” in the outfield.

“I think so,” he said. “When I say that, I never know what will drop down at this point, but if we ended now, and this was our outfield going forward, we feel good about it.”

And yet, something still seems unsettled. The Phillies felt the need to trade for Hays because they didn’t have great internal options. Weston Wilson is fine as a bench bat, but beyond that, there’s not much on the Phillies 40-man roster to fill a need in the outfield if a need arose.

Imagine a scenario where there is an injury to one of their regular outfielders. Aside from Wilson, the only other player with any outfield experience on the 40-man roster is Kody Clemens. They could always select the contract of one of their minor leaguers not on the 40-man. David Dahl is back at Triple-A. Cal Stevenson or (gulp) Scott Kingery can be an emergency guy.

But the depth is thin.

Asked about that, Dombrowski gave a shrugged-shoulder type of answer.

“Yeah, you can always get deeper, but you can only do so much,” he said.

Subtracting Dominguez, the Phillies will turn to Michael Rucker to replace him in the pen. Rucker was an offseason addition, but has been injured since spring training and hasn’t pitched with the team yet this season.

Thomson said Rucker will slot into the same role Dominguez was filling – more lower leverage spots out of the ‘pen.

Dombrowski admitted he is looking to add to the bullpen. The Phillies have been rumored to be interested in a lot of names. Florida’s Tanner Scott and Washington’s Kyle Finnegan are at the top of that list.

Finnegan could give you another reliable back end of bullpen righty, augmenting Jeff Hoffman and being a reliable veteran in case Orion Kerkering hits a rookie wall:

The most Saves in MLB since 2023:

75- Emmanuel Clase
57- David Bednar
57- Camilo Doval
56- Kyle Finnegan (PHI Trade Target)pic.twitter.com/WwOv4kjNbw

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) July 25, 2024

Finnegan could cost you a major league-ready player at least. Considering their catching situation has been a major disappointment between Keibert Ruiz not living up to expectations and Riley Adams not providing much in a backup role, could the Nats be interested in Rafael Marchan for Finnegan? Would the Phillies risk losing Marchan considering J.T. Realmuto already had to miss a month-plus with a knee injury?

And then there’s the rumor that won’t go away – that the Phillies are talking to the White Sox about lefty starter Garret Crochet. Why add a starter? Well, there’s going to be a need for a 6-man rotation next month with a heavy schedule and few off days. So, there’s that. And, really, how much can you trust Taijuan Walker (if he comes back, as expected)? Additionally, as good as Tyler Philips has been, how much can you lean on him to be an every-time-through-the rotation guy?

So, having another high-end toy to play with in the rotation for two months makes sense. Then, after you see how it plays out, you pick one of three lefties to be deployed out of the pen in the post season. All three of them – Crochet, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez – have pitched out of the pen before. Crochet has more of a power reliever profile than the other two, but Suarez has been a guy whose pitched big games in relief in the postseason for the Phillies as well.

It offers some postseason flexibility.

The key thing to the Hays trade is that it was made by trading off the major league roster, meaning the full bevy of prospects is still available for any other deal.

And reading the tea leaves, it doesn’t look like Dombrowski is done. Not by a long shot.

The post Austin Hays “Not a Platoon” Outfielder According to Phillies Manager Rob Thomson appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Two of them, Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman, were deservedly named to the All-Star team. The other two, Orion Kerkering and Jose Alvarado, have been very good for long stretches of the season.

Not Friday night though.

Kerkering gave up multiple runs in an inning for the first time in his big league career to allow the Pirates to trim a three-run Phillies lead down to one, and then Alvarado blew his third save of the season and took his fourth loss as he coughed up a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to allow Pittsburgh to finish the comeback with a walkoff as the second half of the season commenced.

From the 1000-foot view, this was just one game of 162. Relievers aren’t going to be perfect. They’re going to have their off nights, and this might have just been one of them.

But if you’ve been watching the Phillies for a bit, you know it’s never just 1-of-162 anymore. Every night the entire Philadelphia media market lives and dies with the Phillies these days, and then the next day they do it all over again.

So, fans here, and even there in Pittsburgh, as thanks to Phillies faithful making the trek across the commonwealth to give the Pirates their largest crowd to attend a game since 2015, have been seeing the slow oil drip from those guys in the bullpen of late.

And, um, they’re not handling it well.

Jose Alvarado has been shit this season. They need to trade for a reliable bullpen piece asap.

— robert (@philsangerme) July 20, 2024

What are we going to do about Jose Alvarado?

Just feels like a disaster every time he pitches these days.

— Philly Sports Enjoyer (@SmithMaxeyStott) July 20, 2024

Jose Alvarado. I hate you

— chunk (@Chunko2018) July 20, 2024

Watching Rob Thomson put in Jose Alvarado in high leverage spots

Me: https://t.co/ypr86gmPKI

— Taylor (@Phanaddix) July 20, 2024

If Jose Alvarado wanted to be a decent baseball contributor he would quit baseball

— Taylor (@Phanaddix) July 20, 2024

Jose Alvarado is such a fucking bum man get him off my team

— Jacob Weaver (@kingofpropsss) July 20, 2024

Rational. As always.

The thing is, for Alvarado especially, it’s been all about execution.

His stuff is there. He’s still cranking out pitches at 100 MPH. His breaking stuff is still hard and nasty. What he’s doing is missing his spots. His uptick in walks is hurting him because he’s getting himself in trouble by putting runners on base with free passes, but more concerning is when he’s throwing strikes and leaving them out over the middle of the plate. When you do that, it doesn’t matter how hard you throw it, batters at the major league level can square up the nose of a fighter jet if it’s too much in the middle of the strike zone.

Since blowing the game in London against the Mets in early June, Alvarado has made 13 appearances. In those appearances he has allowed 14 hits, seven walks and hit a batter. That’s 22 baserunners in just 12 innings. That’s a lot. He does have 12 strikeouts, which is slightly below what you’re used to getting from Alvarado, but it’s not necessarily about the lower punch out rate as much as it’s the contact he’s yielding as there’s not a lot of swing and miss on his pitches.

Batters are hitting .286 against him with a .794 OPS in that time. He’s still dominant against lefties, having allowed just three singles and one double to a left-handed hitter all season, but it’s the righties that are feasting on him. Righties for the season are slashing .275/.359/.402 for a .761 OPS. Righties have a .361 BABIP against Alvarado.

What gives? It’s a combination of wildness that are uncompetitive pitches, and getting into unfavorable counts, where batters can look for a specific pitch in a specific spot and tee off on it.

Throwing strike one is incredibly important for Alvarado. When he gets ahead of hitters 0-1, their OPS against him this season is .480. When he gets behind 1-0 it jumps to .666. And when the count favors the batter at any time in the count, it jumps to .807.

In his post game press conference after the loss Friday, manager Rob Thomson was asked by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb if there was a thought of getting Alvarado out of that back end role and into lower leverage situations so he could work his way through this and figure it out.

“Sure,” Thomson said. “Sure. Yeah. If that’s what needs to be done, then I’ll certainly do it.”

“I’m just going through a rough time right now.”

Jose Alvarado after his third blown save this season. pic.twitter.com/06n3qdeZXY

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 20, 2024

As for Kerkering, he had gone 10 straight appearances without allowing a run prior to Friday, but there’s been something concerning with him as well of late – too many baserunners.

In his last 14 relief appearances he’s had three 1-2-3 innings. The other 11 have had baserunners. In his last 15 games, opponents are hitting .289 off of him, with 15 hits.

On Friday the first three guys he faced went single, double, single to score a run and a second later scored on a sacrifice fly.

Th fact that Alvarado and Kerkering haven’t been as good in the past six weeks of the season as thy were the first 11 has Phillies fans in a bit of an uproar. With the trade deadline 10 days away, the noise is out there that the Phillies need to trade for a bona fide closer to resolve this.

The Phillies want you to pump the breaks on that notion.

That’s not to say they won’t trade for bullpen help. They probably will.

But it doesn’t have to be a Mason Miller (Oakland) or (Miami’s) Tanner Scott-type, both of whom have seen their names in trade rumors for a month, if not longer.

Instead, it could be something more lower leverage. Maybe a swingman who could start if needed but otherwise could give you 2-3 solid innings of relief, if needed.

That’s because the Phillies might have internal options to consider for those backend roles, if needed.

Gregory Soto is kind of the forgotten man in that bullpen. A former All-Star closer himself, Soto has been used in more lower leverage spots since his arrival via trade with Detroit prior to the 2023 season.

Soto hasn’t really earned a spot to be one of the dudes on the backend because he’s been frustratingly inconsistent during his Phillies tenure. But Soto has shoved lately, albeit rather quietly.

The last time he let up more than one run in an appearance was May 10th. And while that’s a pretty low bar, since that game, here are his numbers:

25 Games: 21 1/3 IP, 17H, 6R, 3ER, 10BB, 29K, 1HR, 4HBP, 1.27 ERA

The walks are a little high, but beyond that, he’s been very good for more than two months now. Opposing hitters are batting just .213 against him.

If what Thomson said is accurate and Gelb’s question comes from being well-informed (as in, he was probably let in on the fact that this is something that was being discussed internally, even before blowing the game Friday), then the Phillies could flip flop these guys over the next 10 days and see if Soto can keep it going in higher leverage spots.

Seranthony Dominguez gave up two homers last Sunday against Oakland in the final game before the All Star break.

Before that, Dominguez went nine weeks (23 games) posting a 1.21 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while striking out 26 batters.

If you are willing to put aside that one outing against Oakland, maybe Dominguez gets a few higher leverage chances before the deadline as well as a trial run to see if they can feel confident in the six primary guys they have to carry though to the playoffs or not.

Either way, this is a first world problem right now. The fact that the Phillies can sit here and be thinking about the best way to set up the bullpen for the playoffs – which are still a little more than 10 weeks away – is a good thing.

And while the reason for concern is understandable, it’s not worth hitting a panic button and start screaming for replacement troops when the guys you have certainly have a proven track record.

The post Might Gregory Soto and Jose Alvarado Switch Phillies Bullpen Roles for a Bit? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The guy has a gift for gab. He’s a great talker. He’s comfortable in every situation. Throw a dozen members of the media around him for an impromptu press gathering in his box at Citizens Bank Park – as happened before the Phillies 11-5 win over the Oakland A’s on Saturday – and he usually answers every question with aplomb.

Even those questions he really doesn’t wat to answer – he has an innate ability to say a lot without saying much at all that is pertinent to the question being asked, and he’s adept at going into a verbal tap dance to give that answer.

He’s also incredibly honest when he’s able to be publicly forthright, which is what makes him such a desirable interview subject for so many in the baseball media.

So, when he gathered a group of reporters around for a quick five-minute availability to tell the world officially that Ranger Suarez wouldn’t be going to the All-Star Game as originally planned because he was dealing with back spasms after his latest loss – the fourth straight subpar outing by Suarez after a slew of brilliant ones to start the season – Dombrowski was his normal, gregarious and expressive self, talking, in detail, about how the decision to not pitch unfolded step by step.

He held the media’s hand and walked them down the path:

• He found out Ranger was having back issues when he went into manager Rob Thomson’s office postgame – as he does after every game.
• Thomson had just found out himself once he got back to the clubhouse after the game.
• Head Trainer Paul Bucheit had told Dombrowski that the doctors were going to look at him, but they don’t think it’s anything major and that he should be OK to start in the first turn through the rotation after the All-Star break and that he wouldn’t need an I.L. stint.
• He wanted to talk to Suarez directly about the All-Star Game and not appearing in it.
• He said the decision to not go to the All-Star Game was Suarez’s, and it was supported by the Phillies.

Then there was this comment from Dombrowski:

“(The trainers and doctors) did not seem overly concerned. But I will say, I know (Suarez) says he’s not worried about it and we’re really not worried about it, but he’s pitched a lot of innings and I want to make sure that he stays fresh. He’s very important for us, so taking a blow that we can build around the All-Star Game and pushing him back – I don’t think he’s going to miss a start but it wouldn’t surprise me if he pitched in the second series (in Minnesota) rather than the first series (in Pittsburgh) along with Zack (Wheeler – who is also dealing with back spasms and is missing a start on Sunday). … We have really tried to emphasize the second half of the season. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but (we have to) keep our starters fresh. We’ll come up with different plans. Maybe (Taijuan Walker) comes back and eventually Spencer (Turnbull) comes back and you work on keeping guys fresh to hopefully continue to play in October.”

It’s that last part – the part about plans to keep the guys fresh – that spurred a follow up question and one that Dombrowski answered in his usual way – but not without struggling to search for the right words at the beginning, force him to go into a different dance than the one he’s mastered after all these years.

And the question was basically this – Suarez is the fourth starting pitcher this year to miss time – although his is not “officially” time missed because he’s not missing an actual turn through the rotation. As such, knowing how important pitching is, especially starting pitching, when it comes to the pursuit of a World Series ring, does the fact that they’ve had some injuries, albeit not major ones, make him rethink how he approaches the trade deadline? In other words, despite everyone talking about fixing the outfield, or adding a bullpen arm, might the Phillies actually pursue a depth starting pitcher as well? Possibly a swing-man type who could also pitch out of the pen in the postseason?

And here’s what he said:

“Well… not necess… I mean… it’s… I can’t say it makes me rethink because it’s something you are thinking already. You’re always thinking about different possibilities of what you may do. It wouldn’t surprise me if a deal is made, or two.”

There’s no doubt the Phillies will look to lengthen their rotation – especially in August and into the beginning of September when they play 29 games in 31 days. And they might have enough, healthy, in-house candidates at that time to be able to do it.

Wheeler and Suarez will pitch next week in Minnesota. Walker is expected back at the end of the month. Turnbull some time in early-to-mid August.

There’s also Lumberton, N.J.’s own Tyler Phillips, who had a dream become a reality as he made his first start for his hometown team in front of dozens of friends and family Saturday, earning the win after throwing six strong innings and walking off the field to a standing ovation from a sellout crowd.

Tyler Phillips was asked how he was gonna spend the All Star Break…

His response: “Probably at the Jersey Shore with my family, right now I just want to get a Cheesesteak” pic.twitter.com/8Pegrl9mBz

— Justin Lever (@JustinLever3) July 14, 2024

Michael Mercado has also shown he can start in a pinch. The Phillies will employ their first “bullpen game” on Sunday, which is always an option from time to time. Orion Kerkering will start and Mercado will pitch bulk innings in relief.

There are other minor league possibilities with major league experience – like David Buchanan and Kolby Allard – but is that enough?

From Dombrowski’s answer, it sounds like it might not be.

But Dombrowski went on further to explain that it’s going to be a very weird deadline because so many teams are still in the race for a playoff spot that there are a handful of teams who he’s not sure if they are going to be buyers or sellers. And if they aren’t selling, and the options are more limited, then it could impact what exactly the Phillies could do come July 30th.

So, even if he’d like to add some starting pitching depth, it might not be there, depending on what teams decide to sell.

“Maybe some clubs will wait until the last three, four days (before the deadline),” Dombrowski said of teams making it known they will sell. “So, I don’t think it’s making me rethink, but it’s a situation where a lot of people are just sort of analyzing their own situations first.”

The post Do Small Pitching Injuries Change Dave Dombrowski’s Trade Deadline Approach for Phillies? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It would have been unfathomable then, but now, it’s a deserving honor – albeit one that was delayed.

Sanchez was named to the All-Star team Saturday to replace Atlanta starter Chris Sale. Sanchez becomes the eighth Phillie to be named to the team, tying a Major League record for most All-Stars from one team. By joining Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman, the Phillies have set a major league record all their own for most pitchers from one team ever named to the same All-Star team.

The amazing thing is, had not J.T. Realmuto gotten hurt, he’d have been a strong candidate as well. Cases could also have been made for Kyle Schwarber and Aaron Nola, although probably not ahead of players who were already named at their position.

That’s how special this start has been for the Phillies.

Sanchez was probably deserving of the honor last week, when the teams were originally named, but likely missed the cut because of the requirement to have at least one player from every team represented.

Cristopher Sánchez is officially an All-Star!

That makes it EIGHT Phillies heading to Texas pic.twitter.com/mhg2L1zzK5

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 13, 2024

Obviously he was the first alternate to be named to the team, to replace Sale, meaning the sport recognized how deserving he truly was to begin with.

“I’m super proud of him,” manager Rob Thomson told reporters before Saturday’s game. “Knowing where he’s come from, how far he’s come and what he’s accomplished. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. The room loves him. It was pretty special.”

Sanchez told reporters he was originally planning to fly home to the Dominican Republic to visit family for the All-Star Break. Now, instead, he and his wife will join his seven teammates in Texas.

“My heart just started beating really fast,” Sánchez said, about when he found out he was being named to the team.

It’s been an incredible few months for Sanchez. Not only has he put up All-Star-worthy numbers by going 7-4 with a 2.96 ERA, but he also signed a new contract that extends him through 2028 worth $22 million and can keep him in the Phillies rotation through 2030, if the team picks up his options.

As for what’s next for Sanchez?

Q: Now that you’ve achieved this goal, what’s your next?

Cristopher Sánchez: “World Series” pic.twitter.com/7FQ9Rk0rVD

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 13, 2024

The post Is Eight Enough? Cristopher Sanchez Added to N.L. All-Star Team as Phillies set MLB Record appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Thomson was talking about the most important thing for Rojas was to not get under water. In other words, don’t let struggles at the plate consume him to the point where it negatively impacts his game.

If we’re being honest, at the time, Rojas looked completely out of whack at the plate. His lower half of his body wasn’t in sync with his upper half. He was chasing everything. He wasn’t working deep counts.

So, as a follow up, I asked Thomson if Rojas’ struggles could possibly come from a lack of confidence because he was putting so much pressure on himself to prove he can be an everyday centerfielder.

Thomson’s first reaction to my question was to chuckle. For a moment, I didn’t understand his reaction, but then he added a quick response, “Confidence is never lacking with him,” Thomson said. “He might be too confident.”

Suddenly it made sense. Rojas, a 23-year-old defensive wizard in centerfield whose hit tool remains below the bar, believes in himself, and maybe sometimes to a fault.

But it’s always easier to teach humility than it is to teach confidence, so the Phillies are fine with him having a little more brassiness to his approach. It’s much better than timidity.

Fast forward four months and Rojas has had a strange season. He won the starting job in the spring, got off to an underwhelming start – including some shoddy play in center, where last season he proved to be one of the elite defenders in the sport – was moved to more of a rotational role and ultimately, sent down to the minors to try and fix a swing that just never improved, even if he was able to keep his batting average above expectation by using his speed to leg out weakly-hit ground balls.

But Rojas had to return sooner than the Phillies expected when, a couple weeks ago, both Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit the 10-day I.L. with muscle strains. Since returning, Rojas has been a regular. He’s had a few hits – including an RBI single with the infield drawn in in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that completed a sweep of the team with the second-best record in the National League behind the Phillies.

No one wanted to talk to Rojas about that hit specifically, after the game. Instead, they wanted to talk about this catch against Kike Hernandez in the seventh inning.

JOHAN ROJAS WITH ONE OF THE MOST RIDICULOUS CATCHES YOU WILL EVER SEE ON A BASEBALL FIELD!

WOW! pic.twitter.com/yd3L6VHPhU

— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) July 12, 2024

It was a very good catch. He had a long way to run – about 100 feet – had to reach up to catch it and then hold on as his momentum forced him to bounce off the outfield wall not once, but twice, thanks to the angle in the left center field wall.

“I had a front row seat for it,” said Brandon Marsh. “I knew I wasn’t getting there so I just looked at him and started screaming, ‘Go, go, go.’ That’s just Ro being Ro. He goes and gets it with the best of them out there. I feel like we expect him to make those plays because he keeps doing it. I love defense like that, man. I take pride in defense myself, so when I see my teammates, especially my partner Ro do something crazy like that, something special to help us win a game, I love it. I get amped up by it for sure.”

It had eerie similarities to the catch he made in the NLDS last season against Ronald Acuna, Jr., which started bringing up questions comparing the two.

That Johan Rojas catch looked awfully familiar… pic.twitter.com/NhtqCw1335

— 𝐾𝑦𝑙𝑒𝑒 シ (@BSP_Sully) July 12, 2024

They looked similar. Same place on the field. Heck, the Phillies were wearing the powder blues for throwback Thursday in both instances, which helped with the comparison.

But let’s be honest, the catch in the NLDS was more impressive. Bigger stage. Bigger moment. Tougher grab.

According to Stat Cast, the ball Hernandez hit had an expected batting average of .270. It had a catch percentage of 50%. It proves it was a nice play by Rojas, but it might be a little hyperbolic to say anything more than that.

Except Rojas did.

And this may be me burying the lede here, but this is why I started with the Thomson quote from March about Rojas and confidence.

When asked about the catch after the game, Rojas was, well… confident.

Phillies CF Johan Rojas talks about his huge seventh inning catch in the Phils 5-1 win over the Dodgers.@KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/EyiN63c7pq

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) July 12, 2024

“I’ve always said, every hitter who hits the ball toward me, if he wants it to be a hit, he’s going to have to hit it out,” Rojas said through an interpreter. “The ball they hit, the ball I catch. If it’s not out, it’s in my glove.”

I like this swagger. It’s rare that Phillies players put that kind of bravado out into the world publicly. They prefer to shove with actions, not with words. That’s part of the culture in this clubhouse. Part of the immaculate vibes of the club is their approach where it’s never “look at me.” Heap high praise on your teammates all you want. But it’s never about the individual self. So, this was a bit of a stray from the norm.

And although the general reaction from the fans on social media – which, of course, is always the best place to look for how people really feel – has been positive, I got to think it wasn’t a quote that many with the Phillies thought was ideal.

That’s whatever. We all say things sometimes with a little more vim and vigor than we should. He’s a young player who made a nice play and was excited about it. It was obvious on the field when, after the catch, he lifted his cap up on his head enough to show off his personalized headband. And when he applauded the sellout crowd back after they gave him a roaring ovation for the catch.

If he wants to celebrate that play, let him. He wants to say he’s going to catch everything ever hit at him, go nuts. Never mind his plus-1 Defensive Runs Saved rating (per Baseball Info Solutions) which is down from plus-15 a season ago. Nor his minus-8 Total Zone Total Runs Above Average rating (per BaseballProjection.com) down from plus-13 in 2023. Make a play that helps to secure a win for the team, you deserve to be a little excited.

It was the next quote, when asked about the importance of sweeping the Dodgers, that set off the alarm bells for me, and I’m sure the Phillies as well.

“We don’t care whose coming, we don’t care who we’re playing, we’re just gonna beat em” – Johan Rojas#Phillies #RingtheBell pic.twitter.com/O6VWj3nBCz

— Edge Of Philly Sports (@EOPsports) July 12, 2024

We don’t care who’s coming. We don’t care who we’re playing. We’re just going to beat them. Anyone can come here and they’re going to end up losing the games or the series. Same with the goal we have for the World Series – we’ll go out and win it. We’re hungry to win. That’s what we’re here for an that’s what we’re going to do.

I posted the angle shot above so you can see my reaction to the comment in the moment. Because having a little extra showmanship about an individual moment in a game is harmless, but being so bold as to say teams are going to lose when they come to the Bank… that’s probably a bit of a gasconade grenade.

This might be the way the Phillies feel on a series-by-series basis. Internally, they may believe that they are better than everyone else and their expectation is they’re going to win every game. That’s great.

But do the Phillies want that message being delivered publicly? And if they do, do they want Rojas to be the messenger?

Probably not.

No… wait… definitely not.

This would never happen, but if Bryce Harper comes out and says, “we’re going to annihilate every team that comes into Citizens Bank Park, so they shouldn’t even show up,” it would be spicy and newsworthy, and a gauntlet would be thrown down, for sure.

At least that would be coming from the face of the franchise. From a two-time MVP who has the track record to back up any bravado he would choose to put on display.

But a 23-year-old, bottom of the lineup centerfielder who has been back and forth to the minors this season? No. He can’t be the one saying it – even if he and his teammates believe it with every fiber of their being.

In the end. it’s just a quote in the middle of the summer in the middle of a long season. By the weekend, it will be out of sight, and out of mind.

It’s out there in the world now. Someone, at some point, will remember it. You can be sure of that. The next time Rojas misses a fly ball, or the next time he can’t get a bunt down and the Phillies lose a tight game, you can rest assured there will be people out there with their claws sharpened ready to remind us all of what he said Thursday.

That’s the nature of things in society in 2024. Which is why the Phillies, like most pro sports teams, like to keep a unified message from within.

There’s a Phillies way of doing things. It’s part of what makes them such a successful franchise these days.

For one night, after a great win and an impressive sweep of the next-best team in the league, the Phillies way briefly diverted its path.

Rest assured, it will be put back on course. In fact, I’m betting it already has.

The post Johan Rojas Should Just Let His Game Do the Talking After Dodgers Sweep appeared first on Crossing Broad.

precautionary reasons

That’s the answer for why Phillies ace Zack Wheeler will miss his next start on Sunday. His ability to pitch in the All-Star Game was already in doubt, because he was scheduled to pitch Sunday, but now it’s all but certain he won’t be representing the Phillies in-game in Texas next week.

Wheeler left his last start Tuesday against the Dodgers with back spasms. He said after the game that it had been nagging him for a couple of starts. A long fourth inning in which the Phillies scored six runs didn’t help. Neither did the oppressive heat and humidity. With the Phillies comfortably ahead, they decided to pull him and let the back settle down.

Now the Phillies can let him rest for a full two weeks between starts – without an I.L stint – if they want, to ensure he’s in good shape for the second half.

The Phillies won’t announce the order of their rotation after the All-Star Break until sometime next week, but they could push Wheeler back as far as July 23rd and have him only miss the one start on Sunday.

Manager Rob Thomson said there were no additional tests or injections needed for Wheeler, and that he was feeling better Thursday than he did either Tuesday or Wednesday, so for now it seems everything is going to be a Bryson Stott walk-up song (A-O.K.).

Phillies manager Rob Thomson provides the latest on Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto and Taijuan Walker.

Wheeler is not starting Sunday. Thomson is confident skipping Sunday and lining it up how they will after the break will be enough for Wheeler’s back to be fine. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/GndwDJGdnx

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) July 11, 2024

However, it’s worth monitoring now as the Phillies are down three guys who started games for them this season.

Spencer Turnbull is out until mid-August with a muscle strain in the back of his shoulder. Taijuan Walker (right index finger irritation) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, and will throw another Saturday, but his return is still a couple weeks away at least. Now Wheeler will miss one start.

The Phillies will probably throw a bullpen game on Sunday against Oakland in place of Wheeler, although there’s a possibility that Michael Mercado is thrust back into the rotation after being sent back to the bullpen this week.

Thomson intimated that the decision for Sunday will be based on how things go on Saturday, a game being started by Lumberton, N.J. and Bishop Eustice’s own Tyler Phillips – his first big league start.

Regardless, as good as things are going for the Phillies – and they have baseball’s best record at 60-32 – there’s no team who wants to get to the All-Star Break sooner right now than the Phils, who will need their pitching to get them where they want to go.

The post Zack Wheeler Will Miss Next Phillies Start, and Probably the All-Star Game appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The history of a sport like baseball is incredibly expansive and growing every day, so the kinds of moments that come to a baseball historian’s mind when waxing poetic about the national past time are often on a much grander scale than what could possibly occur on a muggy night in mid-July.

But for a guy like Matt Strahm, there are individual moments that will always stand out. He expects he’ll have one when he comes in to pitch in his first All-Star Game next Tuesday. He remembers his first big moment – as a rookie with the Kansas City Royals facing Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz with the bases loaded at Fenway Park.

“I remember it very vividly,” Strahm said, and then proceeded to tell the story of the confrontation with one of the game’s most-feared sluggers of his era.

“(Catcher Salvador Perez) called a curveball. I shook him. He called the curveball again. I shook him. He turned his head sideways. He gave me the heater, and that’s what I wanted.”

So, what happened?

“I think it was like a 114-mile-per-hour ground ball, double play,” Strahm said, a sheepish grin growing on his face, knowing he probably got away with one against Ortiz.

But he’s a different pitcher now. A savvy veteran. A more accomplished reliever who has been a part of the best bullpen in baseball since May 1st. He deserves his honor of being named to the All-Star Game. He’s been that good.

And so, it was time for a different kind of personal history moment on Wednesday.

Strahm has been the guy who the Phillies have trusted the most to get out of sticky situations. He takes pride coming into a game during a dirty inning (runners already on base) and limiting the damage or, even better, getting out of the jam unscathed.

This was different.

Strahm was asked to protect a lead in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ eventual 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday by coming into a situation with two runners on base and one out and Shohei Ohtani stepping to the plate.

“He’s one of the greatest ever to pick up the bat,” Strahm said. He knew this confrontation was one he would log in his memory banks somewhere next to that night against Ortiz.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson had planned for this situation against the Dodgers. If Ohtani was going to come up in a crucial spot, he wanted Strahm to face him.

The reason?

Simple. As otherworldly as Ohtani is as a hitter, he’s merely average against sliders from left-handed pitchers.

Oh, and Matt Strahm has yet to yield a hit to a lefty against his slider this season.

Strahm threw Ohtani two sliders. The slugger missed both of them, badly. Striking out and looking perplexed doing so, nearly losing his helmet in the process.

That’s All-Star Matt Strahm to you pic.twitter.com/nRQal2jAq9

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 11, 2024

“That’s kind of the pitch that I’ve developed in my time here with the Phillies,” Strahm said. “So, I’ll throw it to anyone.”

And while that matchup was the one that everyone wanted to talk about, and one that will certainly become another vivid memory for Strahm that people will ask him about in future interviews, the job wasn’t done.

Ohtani was just the second out. There was still Teoscar Hernandez to deal with to finish the job.

“You know the situation,” Strahm said. “You know your job. I’m here to get two outs. Yeah, it’s Ohtani for the first one, but I got to make sure I get that second one. The second one is the most important.”

Strahm threw Hernandez a four-seamer on the black, down and in. It jammed him a bit, and he hit a can of corn to right field, ending the threat.

Strahm let the excitement of the moment – of succeeding in his job – shine threw after Nick Castellanos squeezed the ball for the final out of the inning.

“Anytime you are pitching here in the Bank, the atmosphere is unbelievable,” Strahm said. “You obviously are aware of who is in the box, but again, the energy of these fans is just unmatched. … You saw (the emotion) come out after Hernandez.”

Phillies 4, Dodgers 3. Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff homer. Cristopher Sanchez battled through 6. Matt Strahm had a huge strikeout vs. Shohei Ohtani in the 7th.

The Phillies have won the series against the Dodgers and go for the sweep tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/DDtkYHJsBk

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) July 11, 2024

The Phillies became the first team to reach 60 wins this season. They are just the 19th team to do so before the All-Star break in baseball history. If things go really well the rest of this week, they could be tied for the third-most wins at the break ever. They have now built a 5 1/2 -game lead over the Dodgers for the best record in the National League. It continues to be a very special season for the Phillies.

And history will tell you that you can’t have special seasons without winning some memorable matchups.

Just ask Matt Strahm.

The post Made for the Moment: Matt Strahm vs. Shohei Ohtani Highlights Phillies Win Over Dodgers appeared first on Crossing Broad.

If you are a Phillies fan you want to see more offensively. It’s great that the dude can run down fly balls that most centerfielders cannot, but when he’s wielding a bat, he just flat out needs to be better than the picture he paints with the same color seemingly every at bat.

Go to his Statcast page and you’ll see he likes to do his painting in a lot of the same color – blue. And blue, isn’t good. The more blue you have, the worse a hitter you are. Rojas ranks incredibly low in the following categories:

• Avg. exit velocity – 84.7 MPH (bottom 3% in baseball)
• Hard hit percentage – 30% (bottom 10%)
• Barrel percentage – 2.9% (bottom 7%)
• Chase percentage – 34.9% (bottom 16%)
• Expected weighted on base (xwOBA) – .269 (bottom 7%)
• Expected slugging percentage – .324 (bottom 7%)
• Walk percentage – 3.7% (bottom 4%)

The only things he paints in different colors on his batting profile is the grey hue of his whiff percentage (23.3%) which ranks in the middle of the pack in the sport (54th percentile) and the burst of red-orange that shows up in his strikeout percentage (17.4%) which ranks in the 76th percentile of baseball. All of this tells you he’s not a good hitter at all, and yet, like the late, great, Saturday morning, public television painter Bob Ross, Rojas can still make great art, usually with a series of “happy accidents.”

And that’s what makes him so infuriating to the opposition, because he creates such havoc with his “oops” contact. Rojas has 47 hits this season. And 20 of them have been in the infield.

And never mind the mistakes he creates with his speed, forcing throwing errors, as he did Friday night in the Phillies 8-6 win over the Braves. He had two infield hits, the second of which created three runs for the Phillies as he forced Braves pitcher Jesse Chavez to make an errant throw trying to get him out at first, allowing two runs to score.

Then, he forced a bad throw by Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud on an attempted steal of third base, which allowed him to score another run:

Johan Rojas adds on 3 more runs pic.twitter.com/GhrVpoIife

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 6, 2024

It’s these types of plays that make him an impact player. Even his harshest critics (including yours truly) have to admit that. The Phillies just want it to be more consistent. He can bat .230. That’s not the problem. But his at bats need to be more competitive. He gives away too many of them and becomes an easier out. He doesn’t work pitchers enough.

But the Phillies believe that’s still teachable – that in more time he will figure that part out, and when he does, he will be the best player to put at the bottom of this lineup.

That’s because he has elite speed and is a plus defender. Many great lineups had guys like this who were an annoyance to the opposition and made things happen with speed and defense.

The question the Phillies have to ask is, can he get there this year? There are flashes of an ability to do it, but the consistency just isn’t there.

If it were, the Phillies wouldn’t be on the hunt for an outfield upgrade. But, if nothing else, he creates enough havoc that he can serve a better role on the Phillies than a couple of the other players, who will likely be without a spot on this roster after July 31.

He almost had another big play – he tried a safety squeeze play and got down a good bunt, but it was thwarted by a great defensive play by Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who barehanded the ball and threw home to nail Whit Merrifield at the plate. But again, it was a ball on the ground where chaos could have ensued. It didn’t in this instance, but it would later in the game.

Yeah, there were other players who made the headlines in the win that built the Phillies lead over the Braves to 10 games in the N.L. East. Trea Turner hit two more home runs. Aaron Nola earned his 10th win of the season and the 100th of his career with another quality start.

But it’s the little plays that Rojas was involved in that made the difference between winning and losing. And no one else seems to be more frequently involved in these chaotic plays on the Phillies than their erstwhile centerfielder – accidentally or not.

The post Phillies Johan Rojas is an Accident Waiting to Happen – In a Good Way appeared first on Crossing Broad.

And you know who will be invited to each one of them?

Weston Wilson. Luis Ortiz. Connor Brogdon. Nick Nelson and Ricardo Pinto.

Combined, they’ve provided four at bats and 16 2/3 innings pitched, and it’s likely that’s going to be the grand total for the season.

Sure, there’s a chance Wilson gets recalled at some point, but there’s a better chance he doesn’t. Ortiz needs to undergo Tommy John surgery. Brogdon was traded to the Dodgers. Nelson’s still on the 40-man, but way down the depth chart. Pinto is in the minors, but not on the 40-man, so we won’t see him again unless disaster strikes.

But you won’t be able to tell the complete story of the 2024 Phillies without them. They were all a part of it. They all were needed, albeit for the smallest of samples, but each was a microcosm of the bigger picture of the “next man up” mentality that has oozed through the Phillies clubhouse.

This has on display yet again in Chicago where the Phillies have won a pair of two-run games against the Cubs. On Tuesday, there was Michael Mercado, the seventh Phillies starter of the season, pitching five innings allowing one run and two hits. There was Garrett Stubbs stroking a two-run double as the starting catcher with J.T. Realmuto on the shelf. There was Trea Turner picking up the slack for the lack of power in the Phillies lineup hitting two home runs in the same game.

439 feet off the bat of Trea Turner for home run No. tonight pic.twitter.com/KAyfixtUIF

— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2024

On Wednesday, there was Rafael Marchan with two hits, including his third homer. There was Whit Merrifield with a clutch, two-out, RBI single to give the Phillies breathing room.

It just keeps happening over and over and over again for this team.

And it’s funny, too, because if you take the 1000-foot view, these role players don’t seem all that productive.

The Phillies have had 17 different position players play for them this season.

There’s the eight “regulars” – Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Turner, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber. Here’s their combined stats this season through 86 games:

.272/.349/.449; .798 OPS, 83 HR, 326 RBI

Conversely, here’s what everyone else (Johan Rojas, Edmundo Sosa, Merrifield, Stubbs, Cristian Pache, David Dahl, Kody Clemens, Marchan, and Wilson) has done in the same 86 games:

.226/.283/.352; .635 OPS, 20HR, 87 RBI

On the surface those numbers look meager, but let’s break it down this way:

Kody Clemens (8-2 record in games started)

• On April 22nd, Bryce Harper missed a game with back spasms. Clemens was recalled to fill-in for him, hit a double and a homer and drove in three runs as the Phillies defeated the Reds 7-0.
• On May 7th, Harper was on paternity leave. Clemens went 2-for-4 with a triple and a homer and four RBI filling in as won in Toronto 10-1.
• On May 19th, with Turner sidelined with a hamstring injury, Clemens got a start at 2B, had two doubles and two RBI as the Phillies defeated the Nationals 11-5.
• Overall, of the 13 hits Clemens has for the Phillies this season, nine have been for extra bases.

KODY CLEMENS IS A HERO TO ALL MANKIND!!! pic.twitter.com/b7Y4LZUQl8

— Adam Smith (@SmittyBarstool) May 19, 2024

Edmundo Sosa (27-19)

• Playing in place of the injured Trea Turner, who was hurt on May 3rd, Sosa has a hit and an RBI in three straight starts, two against the Giants and one against the Blue Jays – all Phillies wins.
• On May 13th, Sosa has two hits, including a double then on May 15th has an RBI single and scores a couple runs. Both are Phillies wins against the Mets.
• On May 22nd, Sosa hits a 3-run homer to blow open an 11-4 win vs. Texas, the next night he has three hits in a 5-2 win against the Rangers.
• On May 25th, he has an RBI triple in an 8-4 win in Colorado.
• On May 31st, he hits a 2-run homer in a 4-2 win over St. Louis.
• On June 3rd, Sosa has a clutch, 2-out RBI single in a 3-1 win against Milwaukee.

Where were you when Edmundo Sosa hit the 14,001st HR in Phillies history pic.twitter.com/btxzBWq6eT

— John Foley (@2008Philz) May 22, 2024

Whit Merrifield (19-18)

• On April 19th, Merrifield hits his first homer as a Phillie in a 7-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.
• On May 4th, he replaced Alec Bohm after getting hit by a pitch and hit another homer in a 14-3 rout of San Francisco.
• On June 8th, he hit a 3-run homer in London to bolster the Phillies lead in a 7-2 win over the Mets, joking afterwards that he’s felt like he’s left the entire Premier League on base in recent games.
• On Wednesday, he had that two-out single in the eighth inning that drove in an insurance run in a see-saw game that never had either team leading by more than a run the entire game to that point.

“Just make contact, baby” – @ElGringoMalo365

¡SOSA SAC FLY!

¡WHIT MERRIFIELD CON VIDA! pic.twitter.com/ZyoA993FmR

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) July 4, 2024

Cristian Pache (17-10)

• On April 15th, Pache hit an extra-inning, two-out, walk-off single to beat the Rockies 2-1.
• On May 10-11, Pache went a combined 5-for-9 with a double and two RBI in consecutive wins in Miami.
• On May 23rd, he had two hits, including an 2-RBI triple in a 5-2 win over the Rangers.
• On May 29th, he had two hits and an RBI in a 6-1 win over San Francisco.

Cristian Pache’s 2 RBI Triple! pic.twitter.com/VN9PmvovOL

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 23, 2024

David Dahl (10-4)

• In his first game with the Phillies on June 3, Dahl has two hits, including a homer, in a 3-1 win over Milwaukee on June 3.
• On June 22nd and 23rd, Dahl goes a combined 3-5 with a homer and four RBI in consecutive wins over the Diamondbacks and gets an autographed ball to boot.
• On June 30th, Dahl has an RBI single as the Phillies complete their biggest rally of the season to erase a four-run deficit to defeat the Marlins 7-6.

WELCOME TO PHILLY DAVID DAHL#RingTheBell
pic.twitter.com/4UXPacNxTV

— Underground Sports Philadelphia (@UndergroundPHI) June 3, 2024

Garrett Stubbs (18-8)

• Phillies pitching has allowed two runs or fewer in nine games caught by Stubbs, including three complete game shutouts.
• On May 13th, Stubbs had a hit and an RBI in a 5-4, extra-inning win over the Mets in New York.
• On May 25th, Stubbs had two hits and an RBI in an 8-4 win in Colorado.
• On May 29th, he had two hits and a walk in a 6-1 win in San Francisco.
• On June 24th, Stubbs had two hits in an 8-1 win in Detroit.
• On July 2nd, Stubbs had a two-run double in a 6-4 win over the Cubs.
• Since May 25th, Stubbs’ slash line is .302/.351/.396; for a .747 OPS in 16 games.

Now 13 hits in 14 games for Garrett Stubbs pic.twitter.com/d0YAKE6mQC

— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) July 3, 2024

Rafael Marchan (5-5)

• Hit a home run on June 14th as the Phillies beat Baltimore 5-3 in extra innings.
• Had four hits and two RBI in a 9-2 win over San Diego on June 17th.
• Had a double and a homer – his third in just 10 starts for the Phillies – in their win over the Cubs on Wednesday.

Rafael Marchán, baby!

Franzke on the call pic.twitter.com/HUWQvoakFl

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) July 4, 2024

Starting to see a pattern? These guys, collectively, may not be putting up big numbers, but they have contributed, and in several cases in big spots, to Phillies wins. Marchan is the only player of the group in which the Phillies don’t have a winning record when he starts – and he’s had te fewest starts of them all and is .500.

You’ll find similar productivity from the pitching staff.

Spencer Turnbull and Michael Mercado were not supposed to be in the rotation to start the year. Turnbull filled in for Taijuan Walker, who wasn’t ready to start the season, and made six starts. When Walker was ineffective and had to come out of the rotation with a “hot spot” on his index finger, Turnbull stepped in but lasted just three innings before ending up on the I.L. himself. That brought on Mercado, who made his first career start against the Cubs allowing just one run and two hits in five innings Tuesday.

Combined, the Phillies are 7-1 in games started by Turnbull and Machado. The two pitchers combined to have a 1.79 ERA and a 0.83WHIP in 40 1/3 innings pitched. Opposing batters are just 20-for-140 (.143) against them with only nine extra-base hits and 14 walks.

Michael Mercado’s 4Ks. @PhilliesBell pic.twitter.com/3nvsDxZ4c5

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 3, 2024

In the bullpen, there hasn’t been much unexpected heroism. That’s because the core six guys have been healthy and mostly reliable all season.

The seventh and eighth spots have had some turnover due to injury or ineffectiveness, but otherwise, it’s been about as good a pen as you could ask for in baseball.

Sure, there was the first night Pinto pitched, where he had to drive all the way from Rochester, N.Y., arrived at Citizen Bank Park in the third inning, and then was thrust into duty in the top of the sixth on a cold night and threw four innings allowing just two late runs in a 9-4 Phillies win over Cincinnati on April 2nd.

“this fucken guy.” -Garrett Stubbs pic.twitter.com/qRizU5PR5Y

— Absolutely Hammered (@ah_pod) April 4, 2024

Yunior Marte’s first nine appearances in April were lights out (0.93 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, batters with a .438 OPS against him). Then he started to have shoulder inflammation, had two rough outings at the end of April and went on the I.L. for two months. He’s working his way back, but has only pitched two innings since, although he had a quick, 1-2-3 inning against the Cubs on Tuesday on just 10 pitches.

And yes, Jose Ruiz came out of nowhere to kind of stabilize the last spot in the ‘pen in May and other than a rough outing in Boston where the Phillies blew a lead, and another one in Baltimore a few days later, Ruiz has been very useful. Take away those two outings and in the other 20 appearances for the Phillies this season, he has a 2.61 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

The point is, they went 25-13 without Turner. They are currently 12-9 without Realmuto and 4-1 without both Schwarber and Harper for an extended period of more than just a game or two. And in the absence of those two sluggers, the Phillies still have six homers in those five games – two each from Bohm and Turner – both of whom were named All-Star game starters along with Harper on Wednesday – and one from each of the catchers filling in for Realmuto.

You don’t have this kind of success without getting contributions from everyone. Look, in 27 days, some of these guys may no longer be here. The Phillies are definitely looking to upgrade the outfield, so it’s likely that at least two of Pache, Merrifield, Rojas and Dahl are not part of the team come August. Marchan will likely get sent down before that, once Realmuto returns. It also wouldn’t surprise if they look to add an arm to the bullpen, especially since thy are truly without a swing man at the moment, and that either Marte gets sent down or Ruiz is sent packing.

Any, or all of those moves are the hard decisions management has to make when pursuing a championship. But that doesn’t mean these guys, even though their numbers aren’t pretty, haven’t made meaningful contributions to the team’s success, because they have. The Phillies wouldn’t be 57-29 with the best record in baseball if they hadn’t.

(Note: I didn’t include Rojas among the hitters analyzed because he’s been kind of in a weird role. He was a regular, then he was a platoon guy, then he was demoted, and now that he’s back he’s kind of mostly a regular but not enough to be considered one and he plays too much to be considered a role player. So… I just left him out.)

The post For the Phillies, it’s Taken a Village to Compile the Best Record in Baseball appeared first on Crossing Broad.

He tried to maneuver in so many different directions at the 2024 NHL Draft. And his goals shifted throughout the night.

At first, he was trying to get up high enough to draft Russian forward Ivan Demidov. This was his target and his attempt to take another big swing in the draft.

He knew it would be a long shot, but he had to try.

He made a big-time offer to Columbus, but ultimately, it didn’t come to fruition. Columbus wanted a king’s ransom for the pick, and Briere balked. It wasn’t worth giving up three potential first round picks – on a rebuilding team no less – to make the move.

Columbus ultimately had other offers as well, and considered them all, but decided to hold the line and draft at their spot – taking center Cayden Lindstrom.

That meant Demidov was still there. Briere still had a faint hope of getting the player he was targeting.

Montreal was at pick No. 5, and frankly, Briere expected Demidov to be selected there. It’s why he worked so feverishly to get to pick No. 4 – because he didn’t expect Demidov to make it past the Canadiens.

But just in case, he was on the horn with the Utah Hockey Club, who had the first pick in franchise history (the NHL is considering them a new team, and not part of the Winnipeg 1.0/Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes lineage…. which is stupid), at No. 6.

What the offer was, is not abundantly clear, but Briere wanted to have something in place in case in case Demidov slipped past the Habs.

Utah was interested, thus Danny’s line to the media that there was “some traction” to move up. But Briere was only interested if Demidov was there.

Both teams waited.

Montreal, with Celine Dion at the mic (seriously), selected Demidov.

Habs hearts will go on (Ivan Demidov edition) pic.twitter.com/ZymhbV9wll

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 29, 2024

That killed the deal. It was on to Plan B. But what exactly did that look like?

The Flyers also had interest in London Knights defenseman Sam Dickinson. They felt that he had the profile to be a No. 1 on the back end, something that doesn’t come around often.

Briere had constant communications with teams in that 6-10 range, but things changed drastically. Actually, things had started to go down a different path earlier, when the Anaheim Ducks selected Beckett Sennecke third overall. And then, the defensemen, the thing almost every evaluator in the league suggested was the strength of this draft, started to slip.

And it wasn’t just that they were sliding, but the ones most people thought would be at the top of the draft – kids like Anton Silayev and Zeev Buium, were sliding behind others.

“The board started to go sideways a little bit as far as what teams were thinking after (pick) five,” Briere said. “Teams were just not comfortable anymore moving their pick.”

What he meant by “going sideways” was the way things went from 6-10.

• Utah took center Tij Iginla at 6, sliding the defensemen down even one more slot.
• Ottawa finally picked a defenseman at No. 7, but it wasn’t Silayev or Buium who most expected, instead it was Carter Yakemchuk, which sent shockwaves through the draft tables.
• Seattle selected center Berkley Catton at No. 8, a player a lot of people wanted the Flyers to take, but this slid the defensemen down even further.
• Calgary went with a defenseman at No. 9 – but they went with Zayne Parekh, again pushing the two names many had going in the top five down yet again.

What in the wide, wide world of sports was going on here.

Briere waited patiently. For a guy who was hell-bent on trading out of pick No. 12, maybe the dominoes would fall the right way and he’d get one of his targets who he expected to go before that spot anyway.

The New Jersey Devils picked at No. 10, and finally selected Silayev. At this point, Briere needed to start considering Plan C – trading back.

That’s because the San Jose Sharks had made a trade earlier in the week with the Buffalo Sabres to get to pick No. 11, one spot ahead of the Flyers. It’s likely they had intel on the Flyers liking Dickinson. They did too, and if they were going to have a shot at him, they knew they needed to get ahead of Philadelphia.

And that’s exactly what the Sharks did – snatching Dickinson one spot before the Flyers.

There was no panic for Briere. The next name on their list was Jett Luchanko. They fell in love with him early in the season, and then watched his game blossom in the second half of the year and he was a key contributor to the Canadian U-18 gold medal-team, scoring seven points in seven games.

“We didn’t want him to play too well,” Briere joked about Luchanko at the U-18s. “We wanted to keep him hidden. Our guys really liked him early in the season and you just kept seeing him get better and better and his stock just kept increasing. We weren’t too excited about that because earlier in the season we thought he could be there for our later pick in the first round.”

The Flyers wanted Luchanko, and knew they could probably get him later. And with Buium still on the board, there were multiple teams who were interested in trading up to that spot to draft him.

The Flyers were willing to trade down. A lot of fans on social media were decrying this. They wanted the Flyers to just draft Buium. Some evaluators thought he would go as high as third. Here was a highly-skilled, offensive-minded defenseman who could come in and be a power play quarterback fort years to come.

It was tempting, but Briere believes in the “know thyself” philosophy. He looked at what the Flyers already had and thought, how would Buium fit with the plan of constructing the team the way they want to construct it for when they are a contender.

“He’s going to be a great player and he’s someone we considered strongly,” Briere said. “But with Cam York and Jamie Drysdale and Emil Andrae, at some point it gets tough to (keep going) with the smaller guy.”

In other words, if the Flyers are going to add defensively to their core, they want it to be a player with some size. It’s why Dickinson was a target, Buium was not.

But other teams certainly would want Buium. Minnesota was right behind the Flyers at 13. They were one of those teams. But Briere was getting calls from others. St. Louis at 16 was another. Briere knew there was traction for a trade down. The question was, how far were they willing to fall and still be able to get Luchanko?

Briere didn’t want to risk going too far down. Even St. Louis at 16 might go too far. Even though there were a lot of people linking BUffalo at 14 to their eventual pick of Finnish center Konsta Helenius, Luchanko fit their mold as well. And then there was Detroit, and GM Steve Yzerman is hard to get a read on sometimes, but Luchanko has the skill set that would fit the mold of the type of team he’s trying to build as well.

DANNY BRIERE MAKES THE FIRST TRADE OF THE NIGHT

Flyers trade pick number 12 to Minnesota for pick 13 and picks up a 2025 3rd rounder pic.twitter.com/oYos5jKHSz

— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) June 29, 2024

He didn’t want to risk it. He knew Minnesota would take Buium, so it was safest to slide back one spot. Could he have potentially got a little more than the third round pick from the Wild that he was offered for the pick if he went down further? Maybe. But getting non-first round assets at the risk of losing a player you have targeted is a case of the juice not being worth the squeeze.

So, he made the deal with Minnesota. They selected Buium at 12 and the Flyers got Luchanko at 13.

They are facing a lot of criticism from the media, and from some fans – for choosing this path, but the reality is, us folks in the media don’t know, and the fans don’t know either. We’re not out travelling the world watching these teenagers play. We’re not evaluating growth potential. We don’t see what scouts are looking at and looking for.

And the Flyers amateur scouts have done a good job of nailing first round talent over the years. There was some upheaval during the Ron Hextall tenure, when Hextall didn’t trust his scouts as much as most GMs do, and that resulted in some big misses (German Rubtsov, Nolan Patrick, Jay O’Brien), Otherwise though, this collection of Flyers scouts, some who have been a part of the organization for many years, have done a nice job finding NHL talent outside the Top 10 of the first round.

York, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Tyson Foerster, and Scott Laughton are all those types of players on the current roster.

After the Luchanko pick, the Flyers didn’t see much value in the rest of the first round. There was never a real thought of trading up from No. 32, but Briere pulled a slick move on Edmonton, a team that had their GM resign the day after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final earlier this week.

Edmonton wanted back in the first round and liked London winger Sam O’Reilly. The Flyers liked him too, but, they liked the notion of what Edmonton was offering better.

The Oilers were willing to part with a future first round pick to draft O’Reilly.

They asked for some protection on the pick – as long as it’s not in the top 12, it will convey next season. That would be one hell of a collapse if the Oilers go from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup to top 12 in the span of a year. But, if it does happen, the pick will then be an unprotected first rounder in 2026.

(There’s also a condition that would erase the protection on 2025, but that would assume the Oilers also trade their 2026 first rounder before next year’s draft, which is a long shot, and Edmonton likely wouldn’t do unless they know, for a fact, they aren’t finishing in the top 12 in 2025).  

It was worth the gamble for Briere. Unless Edmonton wins the Cup next season, the pick is certainly going to be higher than where it was this season. And if they do win the Cup, and it’s in the same spot, the Flyers (and practically every evaluator) view the 2025 draft class as a far deeper one than in 2024.

As such, the Flyers picked up their third first round pick in a deep 2025 draft. It was a smart move for Briere and seems to be a head-scratcher for the Oilers.

Minutes after that trade was finalized and O’Reilly was picked by Edmonton, ending the first round, The Blue Jackets alerted the Flyers that they plan to use their second round pick this season, and instead will send the Flyers their second rounder next season, as was their option from the Ivan Provorov trade.

As a result, right now the Flyers have the following assets at their disposal for the 2025 draft:

• Their own first round pick
• Colorardo’s first round pick (top 10 protected)
• Edmonton’s first round pick (top 12 protected)
• Their own second round pick
• Anaheim’s second round pick
• Columbus’ second round pick
• Their own third round pick
• Minnesota’s third round pick
• Their own fourth round pick
• Their own fifth round pick
• Carolina’s fifth round pick
• Their own sixth round pick
• Their own seventh round pick

That’s 13 picks total. eight of which are in the first three rounds. That’s a lot of assets to be used to select players or available in trades to go after a higher pick or big-name established NHLer.

Flers CEO Dan Hilferty recently told our Kevin Kinkead in a one-on-one interview that the “New Era of Orange” slogan would last for one more year, before they change it. That’s because the plan for the Flyers views ramping things forward into being a contending team starting one year from now.

And now, after a whirlwind day, Briere and his team have the ammunition to make that happen.

The post Breaking Down the Flyers and Danny Briere’s First Night of the NHL Draft After Landing Jett Luchanko appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Although both Bryce Harper (left hamstring) and Kyle Schwarber (left groin) were placed on the I.L. Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic was first to report that they avoided serious injury and could be back as soon as their I.L. stints are up.

While I’m sure more will emerge from Citizens Bank Park later today (I’m not down there because of the NHL Draft tonight), it wouldn’t surprise me if Schwarber is back before Harper.

The Phillies may take extra care with Harper because he plays the field on a regular basis, whereas Schwarber is usually the DH, and secondly, Harper’s injury just seemed to have a little more to it.

As such, holding Harper out through the All-Star game wouldn’t be a huge surprise, although Rob Thomson told reporters Friday there’s a good chance they both return before the break, and he compared Harper’s injury to Brandon Marsh, who only missed nine games (13 days total).

Rob Thomson gave some updates on Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber that were — all things considered — not so bad for the Phillies
Colin Newby | @ToNewbyginnings pic.twitter.com/78GPG169HT

— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) June 28, 2024

The Phillies replaced both with Kody Clemens and Johan Rojas. Clemens was activated off the injured list and Rojas was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

All of the fans who were clamoring for Rojas to be back, can now rejoice, although it’ll be interesting to see how these platoons play out.

The Phillies first lineup, against righty Kyle Tyler, is this:

1. Stott 2B
2. Turner SS
3. Bohm 3B
4. Marsh RF
5. Castellanos DH
6. Clemens 1B
7. Merrifield LF
8. Stubbs C
9. Rojas CF

I don’t think this is their go-to lineup against righties without Schwarber and Harper, though. First, Castellanos is going to play in the field on the regular. He’s just getting a blow as the DH for this game. Additionally, Tyler has only made one start so far this season after starting the year as a reliever, meaning they expect this to be more of a bullpen game, so keeping David Dahl on the bench gives them some flexibility with pinch hitting as the game progresses.

I would expect the only regulars in the lineup, regardless of pitchers, while Harper and Schwarber are out, to be Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and Castellanos. Bryson Stott will mostly start, although he’s been sitting more against lefties this year. Other than that, there’ll be a lot of mixing and matching with Marsh. Clemens and Dahl starting predominantly against righties and Cristian Pache exclusively against lefties, with Whit Merrifield, Edmundo Sosa and Rojas kind of a mix and match and the catchers continuing their 3-to-2 start mix.

With six lineup spots rotating, it’ll be a challenge for the Phillies offense, especially once they go on the road next week to Chicago and Atlanta.

But at the very least, it’s looking like it’ll only be short-term, and not multiple weeks, as everyone feared after Thursday night.

The post Both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit the I.L. for the Phillies – but avoid serious injury appeared first on Crossing Broad.

General Manager Danny Briere has had several irons in the fire with various teams regarding both moving up and moving down in tonight’s first round.

They were close to a deal with Ottawa for No. 7 last week, but it fell through after the Senators traded for Boston goalie Linus Ullmark. They have engaged in conversations with several other teams this week and tried to get as high as No. 4 with Columbus, but sources indicate that the Flyers couldn’t meet the Blue Jackets asking price, and Columbus will go in another direction (hearing its Carolina, but the details are unclear).

But before we look at that deal – and what the Flyers might have been willing to give up – it’s worth noting that the team finally announced it will be buying out the final year of Cam Atkinson’s contract.

Danny Briere on Cam Atkinson:

“When it comes to someone with the accomplishments and character of Cam, this was an exceptionally tough decision to make. I would like to thank Cam for all he has put into raising the standard of our team.”#Flyers

— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) June 28, 2024

By doing this, the Flyers will see a cap savings of about $2.7 million this season, but will have an additional $1.75 million in dead money count against their 2025-26 salary cap.

This was a last resort for Briere. He didn’t want to do this to Atkinson. He wanted to trade Atkinson and keep any dead money attached to this season only. He had worked out a trade with the San Jose Sharks, another rebuilding team willing to take on contracts this season, but Atkinson had the Sharks as one of the teams he couldn’t be traded to on his limited no-trade clause and wouldn’t waive it to allow the Flyers and Sharks to finalize the deal.

(Note: At some point, some national writer should really look into these no-trade clauses. Not that there’s anything wrong with a player getting them, or a player exercising their right to use them – that’s totally fine. They earned that right. But the issue is a lot of them have the same teams on the lists. And it has nothing to do with those teams’ ability to field competitive or Cup-challenging teams, but rather the tax rate in certain places. Teams in locales such as California and Canada suffer because players would rather go and play in a state with lower – or no – income tax. They make so much more money in say, Florida, than they do in, say, Edmonton. And while some teams would be willing to pay more to make up for that difference, they can’t because the cap is the same for all teams, regardless.)

It was obvious last season that Atkinson wasn’t the same player he was before his injury. And he no longer fit the timeline of the Flyers rebuild, so it made sense to part ways. But Briere’s hands were tied with Atkinson once he turned down the San Jose trade, leaving him no other alternative then this buyout.

A class act.

Thank you and good luck, @CamAtkinson89! pic.twitter.com/6AkDxtkQPq

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2024

The Flyers are trying to make the next step in that rebuild and with Matvei Michkov coming this season, they were hoping to get out from under some dead money sooner. And while this won’t be a back-breaking amount of dead money, it’s still not ideal.

One of the other things the Flyers want to do is add another top end talent – either at forward or on the blue line. Two guys they like a lot in this draft are Russian forward Ivan Demidov and Canadian defenseman Sam Dickinson.

In order to get Demidov, they were going to have to jump up into the top four in the draft, and Briere made a heck of a pitch to the Columbus Blue Jackets in an effort to move from pick 12 to pick 4.

Initially, the plan was to get to pick 7 first – which was why they were tied to a deal with Ottawa. However, the Flyers deal was never Ottawa’s plan A. They went and got Ullmark, and traded their second first round pick (No. 24) in the process, making the value of their pick at No. 7 greater, in their mind.

Briere wanted to at least get there and then try to go to Columbus to get to pick 4, and if it didn’t work, settle for pick 7, where there was a chance Dickinson could land.

But once the Ottawa deal never materialized, Briere decided to swing for the fences with Columbus.

He knew it would take a haul to go from 12 to 4. Columbus, reportedly, originally asked for three first rounders (two this year, and one next), which was too steep a price.

So, Briere tried a little different tactic. He offered Pick 12 this year and the 2025 first rounder the Flyers acquired from Colorado in the Sean Walker trade, and instead of their second first round pick this year, offered a forward from their roster (I believe it to be Joe Farabee, but I have not been able to get official confirmation on that part of it as of yet).

That’s a big swing by Briere, but apparently not big enough.

I was told by a non-Flyers source that the Blue Jackets are going to trade the pick and take a deal from a different team, believed to be the Hurricanes.

And that wouldn’t surprise – as the Blue Jackets new GM, Don Waddell, came from Carolina, where he was the former GM, and would be trading with his former assistant, and current Carolia GM (and former Flyers writer for Broad Street Hockey) Eric Tulsky.

It’s probably disappointing for the Flyers brass, for sure, but I don’t think Briere is done trying to maneuver around.

If he can’t move up, how about sliding back a few spots, picking up additional assets, and drafting a kid like Norwegian defenseman Stian Solberg? Many draft evaluators see him as a guy who could get picked in the late teens, and the Flyers do like him.

There’s a lot of things that can happen in the next few hours. And Briere is trying to make impactful moves for the Flyers today and tomorrow since they don’t expect to be active in free agency.

Now, if he can just find a partner…

The post Cam Atkinson to be Bought Out, Flyers Not Having Luck Moving Up in the Draft…So Far appeared first on Crossing Broad.

1. Get off to a fast start
2. Stay as healthy as possible all season
3. World Series or bust

They passed the first checkpoint with flying colors. The last one is still well within reach. However, it’s that pesky one in the middle that is starting to become a problem.

Yes, it was frustrating to lose Trea Turner for six weeks with a hamstring injury, but the Phillies found a way through it thanks to some elevated play from Edmundo Sosa.

Yes, they got past a short IL stint for Brandon Marsh’s hamstring tweak thanks to some timely contributions from David Dahl.

And yes, they’re in the middle of traversing the loss of J.T. Realmuto to a meniscus tear getting quality catching from both Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan, that has included some unexpected offense from both.

Their starting pitching had been good all year, and their depth was proven to be ideal with the debate raging for the better part of two months as to whether Taijuan Walker or Spencer Turnbull should be the No. 5 starter. They are both now on the IL. Walker’s timeline is open-ended as he deals with index finger inflammation that is preventing him from throwing his splitter, while Turnbull suffered a lat strain in his shoulder while pitching against his former team in Detroit on Wednesday and will be out for 6-8 weeks. Recently recalled Michael Mercado will be the next man up in the rotation.

But while the Phillies have been able to overcome all of that and remain at the top of the sport, record-wise. What happened in the eighth and ninth innings Thursday may be where the levee breaks, at least in part.

It started in the top of the eighth, when an error by Sosa allowed a ball to squirt into left field. Kyle Schwarber, playing just his third game in the outfield all season, and something he personally pushed for to try and help the outfield offense, felt a “grab” in his groin after bending over to pick up the ball and planting to make an awkward throw to the infield.

“I thought it was just a cramp at first and I finished the inning,” Schwarber said afterward. “But, as I was running in (between innings) I could still kind of feel it, so I talked to the trainer and he didn’t like where the spot was…so he wanted to get me out of there.”

Marsh replaced Schwarber in the field in the top of the ninth.

Schwarber received immediate treatment and spoke about it after the game. He expects to get imaging done on Friday and will know more then, but he was cautiously optimistic that it wasn’t something serious.

“Personally, I don’t think it’ll be super bad at all,” he said. “But we’ll see what happens.”

The coup de gras for the night though came on the final play of the Phillies 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. Bryce Harper was trying to leg out a ground ball and felt his hamstring tighten as he ran down the first base line:

“I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Bryce Harper speaks with the media following the left hamstring injury he sustained on the final play of the game. pic.twitter.com/WYY7DMKEUD

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 28, 2024

Harper, who was named to his eighth All-Star team during the game as the top vote-getter in the National League, clutched at the back of his left leg and briefly fell to the ground beyond the first base bag. Even though the Phillies challenged the play, Harper didn’t wait for the result of the replay review and immediately limped down the tunnel.

“It hurts,” he said after the game. “We’re going to get an image tomorrow just to see what that looks like and see how I feel and go from there.”

Harper, who was the National League Player of the Month in May and is in the conversation for the same award in June, extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI double in the first inning.

He said he has never had a soft tissue injury like this before, so he doesn’t know how concerned he should be.

“If I had something to go back on, I would let you know,” he said. “But I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Listening to Harper talk about his injury, it sure sounded like it was going to require him to miss some time. And when you consider he’s been the best player in the national league for the last two months, it could be a crushing blow for the Phillies.

Since May 1st, here’s the production both Schwarber and Harper have provided:

Schwarber: .282/.411/.475; .886 OPS; 51 hits, 8 2B, 9 HR, 32 RBI, 38 BB

Harper: .342/.429/.647; 1.076 OPS; 64 hits, 15 2B, 14 HR, 40 RBI, 29 BB

It’s next to impossible to replace one of them from the organizational depth, never mind both at the same time.

“I feel like this team over the last couple years we’ve had to go through a lot of different things where guys have had to step up and fill in spots and did a great job,” Schwarber said. “If that’s going to be the case here, that’s why we have this depth in Triple-A and we have a really good bench here. So, if there’s time to be missed, I have all the faith in the world that these guys will keep doing their thing.”

Faith is one thing. Hope and prayer are another.

Who would replace them?

Well, Kody Clemens would certainly be one fill-in. He’s been on his rehab assignment after having back spasms himself last month and did a nice job filling in when he was with the Phillies earlier this season. That seems like a no brainer, especially as someone who can play first base.

The other option, though, may not be as clear.

Darick Hall is still on the 40-man roster and has that left-handed thump that both Schwarber and Harper provide. But Hall has been underwhelming at Triple-A this season. He’s slashed .242/.310/.353 for just a .663 OPS. He has 6 homers and 28 RBI.

There’s Weston Wilson, who was also up for a cup of coffee earlier this month. But, like Hall, he hasn’t been great at Triple-A. He has more homers (13) and RBI (46) than Hall and a better OPS (.778) but he, too, is hitting just .230.

The name that might surprise you is Buddy Kennedy. The pride of Millville, N.J. (Mike who?), was acquired in a small cash deal from the Tigers earlier this month. The versatile infielder has played 13 games at Lehigh Valley and absolutely raked. He’s slashed .380/.475/.720 for and 1.195 OPS with 4 HR and 13 RBI.

Infielder Buddy Kennedy’s stats since joining AAA Lehigh Valley:

50 AB | 19 H | 5 2B | 4 HR | 13 RBI | 9 BB | 14 K | .380/.475/.720pic.twitter.com/qYd1CdGEGa

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 28, 2024

Small sample and against minor league pitching, sure, but he has big league experience, which helps.

None of these options should excite you. Taking two of your best hitters out of your lineup for any period of time is not ideal. And if Friday’s tests show what many fear, it’s also likely the Phillies will fall back to the pack somewhat.

The goal remains the same. The eyes are still on the November prize. But all the talk about record-setting seasons, a glut of All-Stars, and individual accolades went by the boards in the span of about 20 minutes.

For the Phillies. The second half of the season will be about treading water for as long as possible, and then ramping tings up for the Fall.

Because we all said injuries were the only thing that could derail this season, and the regular season train may have just jumped the track on Thursday.

The post Injuries to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber May Have Taken Shine Off of an Epic Regular Season for Phillies appeared first on Crossing Broad.

However, what if we were all wrong and June Schwarber actually was unexpectedly early, and we just didn’t realize it until the calendar flipped to the expected month of his arrival?

Maybe it’s because since his arrival to the Phillies in 2022, we’ve come to equate the name “June Schwarber” with hitting home runs. And why not? His first summer with the Phillies he hit 12 of them in the month. All told, in 71 June games as a Phillie, Schwarber has 26 home runs. Extrapolate that out over 162 games and it would be the equivalent of 59 dingers, which, of course, would be a franchise record.

So, yeah, it’s easy to see why we associate the moniker with the long ball.

And yet, in 2024, that would be a misnomer.

Yes, Schwarber has clubbed six homers this month, and there are still eight games to go, so that number may rise. But this month, it’s not been about hitting dingers. In fact, this entire season it’s not been about hitting them for Schwarber. Yes, he still does, but he’s a more complete batter this season than maybe at any other point in his career.

And as such, he’s changing the profile of June Schwarber.

Take Saturday, for example, in a 12-1 drubbing of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Schwarber reached base four times and didn’t hit a homer. He was hit by a pitch, walked, and ripped two doubles to centerfield. On Friday, he laced a sharp single – to left field. When was the last time you saw Schwarber do that the opposite way?

Kyle Schwarber SECOND double of the game to make it 6-0 Phillies #RingTheBell #MLB #Phillies pic.twitter.com/rPkGYtftTZ https://t.co/zpoVflUQAD

— Sideline Recaps (@SidelineRecaps) June 22, 2024

After these two games, Schwarber has improved his June slash line this season to the following:

.304/.429/.623; 1.052 OPS; 21 H, 4 2B, 6HR, 14 RBI

And just to show how different that is from previous Junes, the month that turned him into a modern-day Paul Bunyan of baseball lore, his batting average is 47 points higher than his career in June (.257). His on base percentage is 70 points higher (,359 career), despite not hitting a homer until June 11 his slugging percentage is 29 points higher than his overall total for the month (.594) and his OPS is 100 points higher than his career (.952).

It’s because he’s a completely different hitter this season – and not just in June. He’s hitting .258 this season, last year, he was hitting .187 on the morning of June 23rd and we were still singing the praises of June Schwarber. The season before it was ,214. His current .382 on base percentage for the season is the highest of his career. He leads the N.L. in walks with 56, and trails only Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in all of baseball.

He’s a different hitter in 2024 than he’s really ever been. He’s no longer just a three-true-outcome guy. Sure, a lot of his plate appearances will still end in a walk, a strikeout, or a home run. In fact, 48.7% of them have this season.

But that number is low compared to previous seasons. Heck, here’s the percentage in the last two seasons alone with the Phillies:

• 2022 – 49.6%
• 2023 – 53.9%

That means he’s putting even more balls in play. But it’s not just that. He’s also getting hits. And by doing that, he’s driving in runs – and not just himself.

Normally, a good chunk of Schwarber’s RBIs are the result of him hitting homers, and therefore scoring himself. No one is complaining about that, but notice the difference in the percentage of his RBIs that were scoring himself or scoring his teammates, just since becoming a Phillie:

• 2022 – 48.9% himself
• 2023 – 45.2%
• 2024 – 34.7%

That’s a big drop off, and in this instance, like golf, the lower the number the better – to a point. So far this season, Schwarber has found the sweet spot. He’s no longer a boom or bust hitter. He’s doing much more than that at the plate, and has redefined the leadoff role into one that could either take you deep, or work you to the point that he finds a way on base another way, setting the table for the bats behind him.

“Obviously there’s times when he goes up and there and wants to jump on a guy, we all know that,” said Bryce Harper. But he does a really good job of seeing all the pitches, get on base by walking or taking his chances when he knows he can. He’s been really good for us.”

Manager Rob Thomson agreed, but added in another little caveat.

“He’s been swinging the bat well and he’s been hitting left-handed pitching too, so that’s a plus,” the manager said.

With Schwarber leading off and Harper hitting third, the Phillies have been facing more lefties than usual against other teams. Whether that’s more lefty starters lined up, or teams are sending a slew of lefties out of the bullpen at them.

It took until the very last out of the game but Kyle Schwarber caught one in left field. “I had to catch one.”pic.twitter.com/hJv5vMT2kG

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) June 22, 2024

And Schwarber has demolished them like never before.

So far this season, 39.7% of Schwarber’s plate appearances have come against lefties. His slash line is .351/.456/.561 for a 1.017 OPS.

Since taking over as manager, Thomson has believed that the Phillies best lineup has Schwarber leading off. It’s been the most ridiculous argument in Philadelphia sports for more than two years.

But you don’t hear much about it anymore. Probably because Schwarber is doing enough of the things that “traditional” leadoff hitters do, while still being a threat to go deep every time he steps to the plate.

It just goes to show that we shouldn’t have been waiting for June Schwarber to arrive this year, because the guy’s been here since March 30th. We just didn’t see his new outfit.

The post The June Version of Kyle Schwarber Has Been Here All Along for the Phillies appeared first on Crossing Broad.

“The Phillies have placed right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 22) with right index finger inflammation. To fill his spot on the 26-man roster, right-handed pitcher Michael Mercado was recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley. Mercado will wear No. 63.”

=============================

When the Phillies called up Cristopher Sanchez to fill a gaping hole in the rotation in June of 2023, it was one of those cross-your-fingers-and-hope moves to get them through some starts until the trade deadline.

There’s not a person in the organization who would have projected that they would be locking him up to a long-term contract as a fixture in the rotation.

That’s what happened Saturday, as the Phillies announced an extension for Sanchez that begins next season and will keep him under contract through 2028 with club options for 2029 and 2030.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported that the contract guarantees Sanchez $22.5 million. The fifth-year club option would be for $14 million and the sixth-year club option would be for $15 million.

Cristopher Sanchez comes out for his contract extension presser wearing the Alec Bohm “I love this place” shirt. pic.twitter.com/T1zKXxisHR

— Brooke Destra (@BrookeNBCS) June 22, 2024

It’s a heck of a journey for a pitcher who was a bit of a late bloomer, and one who has surprised even his bosses.

“I’d be lying if I said I did,” said manager Rob Thomson referring to the expectation that Sanchez would become one of the better pitchers in the sport in the span of a year. “His journey has been so remarkable from the first time I saw him throw. He was at 98-99 and all over the place. He couldn’t throw strikes. To be where he is now – I wouldn’t be able to even envision that. … He’s gone from being the super power guy with no command to still a power guy with command and ‘stuff.’ It’s really remarkable.”

In 14 starts this season, Sanchez, 27, is 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA. He’s allowed just one home run in 77 1/3 innings pitched – the best rate in baseball.

“As much as we like Cristopher, I wouldn’t be telling you the truth if I was telling you that last year at this time that we’d be sitting here and he’d have enjoyed the success that he has over the past year,” said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “We felt that he would be in our rotation this year … but he has just continued to grow.

“Everybody felt that the growth would only continue to go. In addition to that, the work ethic aspect of it is just as important. You don’t want to have anybody – Cristopher or anyone – sign a long-term contract and rest on their laurels. That’s not him. He just wants to continue to get better and better and better and be one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.”

Cristopher Sanchez allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in 28 of his 32 regular season starts since 2023. pic.twitter.com/Ohh1vKZ9Hc

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 22, 2024

Thomson went as far to say that his stuff grades out as high as any other pitcher on the team, and that there is still a potential to be even better.

“The changeup is the best on the team,” Thomson said. “You can rival that with any of our pitchers’ best pitch and it’s probably as good as anybody else’s best pitch.

“I think (his production) can (get even better). We’re seeing the velocity jump this year. The slider keeps getting better. The changeup, I don’t know if it can get any better, maybe a little more consistent. … It’s hard to say where he’s going to end up.”

While one member of the rotation is ascending, another, is not.

Taijuan Walker, who had another rough outing on Friday, may have to miss his next start.

Rob Thomson says Taijuan Walker has a “hot spot”on his index finger, putting his next start in question. An IL stint is not certain at this time. A decision will be made, likely tomorrow.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) June 22, 2024

Despite saying he was healthy Friday night, during a meeting Saturday morning with Thomson, Walker said he has an issue with the index finger on his throwing hand, which is impacting his ability to throw his splitter effectively.

“He’s got a little hot spot on his finger, so we have to try and work through that,” Thomson said. “I think it’s been probably going on for a while and he’s not going to admit to anything because he’s a competitor.”

Walker previously dealt with a blister on that finger. Thomson said it’s similar.

Asked if Walker would be put on the I.L. as a result, Thomson said the team doesn’t know yet, and would probably know more Sunday.

As a result, Spencer Turnbull, who pitched in relief of Walker, throwing three scoreless innings for the second straight appearance, could fill his spot in the rotation, which next comes up Wednesday against Detroit, the team Turnbull spent the entirety of his career with before signing with the Phillies.

Spencer Turnbull returning to the rotation pic.twitter.com/g4foXPoHBy

— Patrick (@Phils08champs) June 21, 2024

The post Phillies Lock Up Cristopher Sanchez Long-Term, but Short-Term Rotation in Flux Because of Taijuan Walker “Hot Spot” appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Even sillier, maybe, because this season still has not ended, thanks to an interminably long Final, courtesy of the travel required to get from Sunrise, Florida to Edmonton, Alberta and back again twice, and perhaps even a third time, if the Oilers win again Friday and force Game 7.

But things have started happening. There were a couple interesting trades involving Calgary and New Jersey, and Los Angeles and Washington, so it awoke the slumber of both hockey insiders and information-starved fans.

One Flyers source texted me Wednesday night, “There’s not enough going on. People are bored.”

That’s usually how rumors get started.

In some instances, those rumors are wildly thrown at a wall and hoping some stick. There is a cottage industry of folks who’ve made a living of doing things this way. It’s frustrating, because it misleads fans and it does no good for the teams, and the people who actually do a good job covering those teams.

In other instances, there are rumors that are planted. Sometimes teams or agents want to get names out there to generate conversation, or to gauge reactions and gather more information. When you think of national insiders – their greatest asset to team executives and agents is that they have information from multiple teams and not just one or two, therefore it’s an information superhighway of currency – teams are willing to trade information with them in order to get info from other teams. It’s why the same guys in sports always break trades, or contracts, or other news – because they’re willing to play a game of ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.’

And then there are those rumors that get out that are incomplete or undercooked but have a real base of truth to them and the teams involved likely didn’t want it to get out too soon.

The best example of that would be what happened with the Flyers and Senators on Wednesday.

Believe the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers have the framework of a trade in place as well, though this one may go closer to the Draft.

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) June 19, 2024

That post from Travis Yost, who has worked for TSN in Canada for the past decade, set Flyers and Senators social media ablaze Wednesday. Not your typical insider for TSN, people were excited by this post from Yost (hey, that rhymes) because hours earlier he posted another trade rumor that ended up being accurate, albeit incomplete.

Believe Calgary’s Jakob Markstrom is being traded to New Jersey.

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) June 19, 2024

Markstrom was traded to the Devils. Yost didn’t have the full trade – which was Markstrom for Kevin Bahl and a top-10 protected, 2025 first round pick from the Devils with Calgary retaining a little more than 31% of Markstrom’s salary – but he had enough of it to let the public know that he had a good source on that information.

So, when he posted the Flyers-Sens news, while it, too, was lacking details, it likely wasn’t wrong. By adding that it’s something that would happen closer to the draft, he leaves wiggle room for it to not come to fruition, or for the trade to evolve.

But by putting it out in the form he did, it led to rampant speculation from across the interwebs. What could the deal be? What players or assets could be involved? Even our boy Russ got involved in the festivities.

Lot of speculation about the Flyers wanting a Dman from Ottawa. They’d previously had interest in a Frost-Pinto swap. If it were me, I’d be trying to figure out how to move up in the draft. Does Frost move the needle enough? #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/2foI8WkGxd

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) June 19, 2024

Russ is pretty much wrong on every front, but one, in that post, but we’ll get to details in a minute.

Of course, with speculation running wild, both teams started getting dozens of inquiries. Phones blew up. Inquisitive reporters wanted to know the details. Any information they could glean would add to the original Yost report and they could put it out there to add fuel to the fire.

But the reality is that neither team wanted this to leak, because it’s not a done deal.

Often teams, especially leading up to a draft, will have the frameworks for multiple trades in place, but want to wait and see how certain things play out before they pull the trigger.

In some cases, the same player or the same asset could be being discussed with multiple teams and a GM will want to weigh his options and get the lay of the land around the league before deciding which framework to pursue finalization.

As the myriad calls came in, the two sides contacted each other and agreed to poo-poo this to try and keep the bloodhounds at bay. And so, they did. At every turn.

Sources from both sides deny anything is going on.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 19, 2024

I spoke to someone in Ottawa who said the Sens were throwing cold water on the rumor. I had someone here in Philly tell me the shooting it down was coordinated on both sides.

But I was also told by someone else that there was something to the conversation between the teams. I was told the Flyers would like to move up in the draft, but only if a certain prospect or two were available.

In order to get there, the source said, the Flyers would have to part with an NHL player and possibly take on a contract that Ottawa wanted to shed.

So, I decided to reach out to an official Flyers source and ask about this trade rumor that Yost put out there.

Here was the text I got back:

“We don’t have anything going on at the moment. The asking price is way too high to move up anywhere in the draft in general.”

Here’s the thing – Yost’s report didn’t mention anything at all about moving up in the draft. Hmmm.

So, is it right to assume that’s what the Flyers are considering doing? Probably. Is it right to assume it will definitely happen? No. Not at all.

In his pre-draft press conference, Flyers GM Danny Briere danced around this entirely.

Flyers GM Daniel Briere meets with the media to discuss the offseason and the upcoming 2024 #NHLDraft. https://t.co/vlt3JS7ynx

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 20, 2024

He said the team could move up. He said the team could move down. He said the team could draft a center. He said they could draft a winger. He didn’t trip up and tip his hand in any direction. A lot of savvy for only being on the job for one year.

He said things have been pretty quiet and that it wasn’t until the media started inquiring about Yost’s rumor that he was busy. Maybe not AS busy, but one thing has been crystal clear about Briere as a GM. He likes to be stealthy in the way he works – much like when he played. Suddenly he’d score a goal and you’d be like, “Where’d he come from?”

Just look at the clandestine nature of bringing in Matvei Michkov for a pre-draft visit at the Flyers Training Center one year ago. Less then a dozen people on the planet knew that was happening.

And here’s another part to this:

Would not suprise me if this involves Scott Laughton, who I’m told Ottawa has had interest in for years. https://t.co/vk7d8vVqi2

— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) June 19, 2024

That’s smart speculation by Di Marco. It’s what I like to call “informed speculation.” In other words, it’s stuff you hear from people who are connected, but it’s not confirmed by anyone who has the authority to confirm. Or alternately, it’s information you put out there that you know is fact, but maybe agree to not report as fact for a certain period of time. That game is played between reporters and their sources all the time as well.

To support Di Marco’s post, I, too, had been hearing Laughton tied to this rumored deal. But I also have been told that Laughton might be in other pre-draft trade conversations that the Flyers are having, so it’s a matter of if Briere wants to pull the trigger on a Laughton trade, timing it properly to get the best return for the Flyers. Which is likely why he didn’t want this one to get out there too soon, as it could impact conversations with other teams.

I’ve been saying since the trade deadline on Snow The Goalie that Laughton wasn’t moved at the deadline because the Flyers brass felt he deserved a chance to make a run at the playoffs with the team he practically captained for the better part of a year-and-a-half, and that trading him was always going to be more likely in the offseason.

Now, it’s just a matter of finding the best return. If the best return is moving Laughton to Ottawa as part of a first round pick swap that could get the Flyers a player they covet in the draft, then that will be the trade Briere makes. If there’s a better possibility elsewhere, then the deal with Ottawa will be pulled off the table.

Part of the challenge in these types of “framework deals” is the surrounding parameters. The Flyers would want to be confident that the player they want will be available at that pick. Maybe they don’t have enough intel yet to pull the trigger today, but they may by the middle of next week. Or it may have to wait until draft day itself.

this offseason is making me HATE other fanbases because I feel like people are going especially insane with the absurd fan trades this season

no, Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen don’t get you 7th overall and Shane Pinto

— tak (@popunkprettyboy) June 20, 2024

(Same here, Tak. Same here. Back to the story…)

There could also be parameters from Ottawa’s end. Maybe they want the Flyers to take a contract off their hands to help them with their cap flexibility. If you remember, last year, when the Flyers expressed interest in Shane Pinto, the conversation would have had them taking back Mathieu Jospeh’s contract, which currently has two years left with an AAV of $2.95 million.

There was some speculation out there that the Flyers could take back a defenseman from Ottawa, say Jakob Chychrun, who has one year left at $4.6 million or Erik Brannstrom, who is an RFA, but from what I’ve been able to glean, it’s more than likely Joseph that would have to come back, and the Flyers don’t mind that, because they don’t mind his game and think he would be a good change of scenery player.

As for who the Flyers might want in the draft, while there is a pressing organizational need at center, the Flyers think there are defensemen in this draft who can be a No. 1 type and they feel like if one they really like is going to be available at No. 7 but probably not at No. 12, then they can make this swap with Ottawa to get that player.

There are six defensemen in this draft who many draft experts believe could go in the top 10. With the Flyers picking at 12, they’d like to get one, so if they can make a trade with Ottawa work, and get one of those guys, especially if it’s their top target, then they would be happy to do so.

One other thought is Briere can do his best Howie Roseman impression and trade up twice.

Could he possibly use Laughton and 12 to get to No. 7 and then possibly use No. 7 and the Florida first rounder to get even higher? If a team would bite, then all bets are off, and it wouldn’t necessarily have to be a defenseman, depending on how high that could get you.

Briere did talk in his press conference in his willingness to take a big ol’ swing for the fences. Doing two trades to get up into the top five in the draft would be such a swing.

Point is, Briere has a lot of irons in the fire. Just because one of those irons leaked out, doesn’t mean that’s the direction he will head or that even if he does, it’ll be the final destination.

Briere said at his press conference that he expects July 1st to be quiet for the Flyers, at the start of free agency. But he didn’t say he expects it to be quiet before the 1st. Knowing that, and from the conversations I’ve had, I’d expect him to set off some loud firecrackers in the next week.

The post What’s Real and What’s Not? – Deconstructing a Flyers and Senators Trade Rumor appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Hitting coach Kevin Long was behind the screen in front of the mound, firing pitches. Nick Castellanos was in the cage hitting them. And when he was done, his BP partner hopped in to get his cuts.

His partner was his son, Liam.

That night, Castellanos would go 2-for-4 with two doubles to left center.

It was a good process for Castellanos, who came off a miserable weekend in Baltimore where he was 0-for-14. So good, in fact, that he decided to get in the early work again Tuesday. Once again, Liam was taking swings off Long as well. But this time, they had a third member of their early hitting party – Bryson Stott.

Stott has struggled a bit himself this season, with offensive numbers that have been much lower than expected. It’s part of a maturation process for him as a hitter. He’s seeing more pitches and he’s walking more, but the selectivity has not led to better contact. In fact, Stott’s batted ball profile has seen a decline almost across the board.

So, he too came out for this early session.

The results were again a positive, Stott had two hits and a walk. One of his hits drove in the tying run in the ninth inning. Castellanos had a four-hit game, including a walk-off double, as the Phillies rallied to beat the San Diego Padres 4-3, improving to 49-24 for the season.

NICK CASTELLANOS WITH THE WALK-OFF

(via @Phillies)
pic.twitter.com/8JjgdRcaGt

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 19, 2024

“You saw the residual effects of early work,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Hopefully it keeps going.”

On most days, batters take batting practice. Whether it’s on the field or in the batting cage. So, what’s different about coming in early?

“You just focus on your mechanics,” Thomson said. “And you’re out on the field and it’s different than in the cage because you can see it. You can see the ball flight on the field as opposed to in the cage. I think it’s just better work. It’s more concentrated. There’s more focus to it. It’s good to do that every once in a while.”

Castellanos and Stott might consider it to be part of their daily routine if it yields the kind of results it has the past couple games.

Bryson Stott ties the game up with an rbi single. Robert Suarez is having flashbacks! pic.twitter.com/ACJlTu4pzY

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) June 19, 2024

“It’s a little more focused on my needs, right,” Castellanos said about the early work. “I get to work at my pace. I don’t feel rushed to be fit in a certain time slot or window and I really can get the feelings I need out of the work.”

For Castellanos though, it’s more than that. Having his son, who in the past two seasons has basically become the Mayor of Citizens Bank Park when he’s visiting his dad, by his side in the cage changes everything about Nick’s demeanor.

He admitted as much, after the game.

“I’m always going to be happier when I have (Liam) with me, no doubt,” Castellanos said. “Just like you guys here asking me questions. (Those of you who) have kids would much prefer when your children are by your side rather than across the country.”

You remember earlier this year when Castellanos, ever the philosopher, declared that “Happy people hit better?” Nick is at his happiest when he can share his baseball life with Liam.

As a father, I can relate.

When my children were Liam’s age, if they went and spent a weekend with their mother, or they went on vacation somewhere, or I was travelling for work and they were staying at home with my mom and dad, I wasn’t right. My mood would swing constantly from being overly concerned (that’s the Italian mother in me… thanks, Mom), to being sad that I was home alone and the house was so quiet, to being apoplectic when they would call me and the littlest thing that was different about their routines with their mom would set me off.

Looking back, I can admit that I performed better at everything I did when I had them in tow, and performed much worse when I was spending my time living in the emotions on the more negative side of the spectrum.

This isn’t a justification for Castellanos’ rough year to this point. Being paid $20 million comes with some lofty expectations, and slashing .219/.275/.371 for a .646 OPS isn’t good enough. He needs to be better if the Phillies are going to finish the deal and get owner John Middleton his damn trophy back.

But sometimes it’s easy to forget that these players are no different than you and me when they aren’t playing baseball. They deal with a lot of the same issues we deal with.

Nick is readily aware of his season. It’s why he’s putting in the early work. He’s not nonchalant about his game. He doesn’t take things for granted because he has a fat ol’ wallet to sit on. He cares. He wants to improve. He wants to get back to being the guy who was an All-Star for the Phillies last season.

It’s slowly coming. In his last 26 games he’s hitting .259 with an .807 OPS. That’s a pace that Phillies fans should be happy with.

He now leads all of major league baseball with three walk-off hits.

“Considering I haven’t had the best year, to be able to come through like that when the team needs it, it feels good,” Castellanos said.

On a hot night, it also felt good to have his teammates dump a bucket of ice water over his head during the post-game interview on T.V. But as an added bonus, Stott and Brandon Marsh recruited a third person to help them with their “Day Care” shenanigans.

They had Liam’s help.

Pure joy on the face of Liam Castellanos after watching his dad go 4 for 5, including the walk-off double to win the game! What a moment. @phillies @mlb #ringthebell pic.twitter.com/TdEVAGXnoi

— Chris Drummond (@Chris_Drummond) June 19, 2024

Where does that rank for Castellanos as far as baseball memories?

“It’s up there, man. It’s up there,” he said, with a father’s glow on his face.

Say it with him, one more time:

Happy people hit better.

The post Early Work and a Trusty Sidekick Make the Difference for Nick Castellanos, Bryson Stott, and the Phillies appeared first on Crossing Broad.

For the Flyers it will be a busy one, albeit not a necessarily glamorous.

As President Keith Jones said at a recent press conference, the Flyers still have to get out from under some “dead money” before they can start adding to the roster.

He’s not wrong. They have the money retention from Kevin Hayes and Tony DeAngelo on the books. They have the albatross of the Ryan Ellis contract that will likely end up with LTIR at some point. They have to carry Cal Petersen for the first day of the new year before putting him on waivers and ultimately sending him and his money to the Phantoms.

But there’s also some money that, while not quite dead, is keeping GM Danny Briere from really having the flexibility he needs. There’s no doubt he’d like to move on from Rasmus Ristolainen’s contract – and there could be interest there this summer – but the one that’s even stickier is Cam Atkinson.

I talked on the most recent episode of Snow the Goalie about the Flyers likely choosing to buy out the final year of Atkinson’s contract and spreading it over two years to pay him to not play for them.

Well, it turns out they had an opportunity to trade the contract to San Jose, but Atkinson has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to block a trade to 10 teams. Apparently, the Sharks are one of them.

The Flyers continue to explore options around veteran Cam Atkinson. SJ has trade interest, but sources say Atkinson isn’t keen on a move to the Sharks. Philly will eat a good chunk of the final year of his contract. Buyout is also an option, as is keeping him in the mix.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 18, 2024

I know Dreger mentions that keeping him in the mix remains a possibility, but you have to think that’s way outside the realm of what the Flyers actually want to do. They’d much rather hand that spot over to a younger player that could be part of the team for several years than have a veteran guy clogging up space.

And while it’s easy to sit here and say, “Just waive him and when he goes unclaimed, send him to the minors.” That sounds all well and good, but how teams treat players is followed closely by other players and their agents around the league. While you may get out from salary cap hell sooner by doing that, the long-term effects are worse, because you risk damage to your brand if players feel you value them less as individuals. Burying a long-time NHL veteran in the minors just to get out from under his cap hit should truly be a last resort and done after exhausting all other possibilities. Briere wants to do right by Atkinson and make the Flyers better in the process, so it’s a delicate tightrope to walk.

Atkinson has that clause in his contract for a reason, and he has every right to exercise it, so there can’t be any ill will toward him for doing so. This is no different that Torey Krug blocking the trade last summer when the Flyers were this close to sending Travis Sanheim to St. Louis.

Keep in mind, Atkinson can always change his course of thinking and come around to playing for the Sharks and waive that right to block a trade there.

But players have their reasons for getting those no-trade clauses. Some of them want on-ice stability. Some do it for reasons having nothing to do with hockey. Atkinson and his family have really taken to the area and it would be understandable, at this point in his career, if he would like to avoid moving all the way across the country so he can stay closer to his wife and kids in a place they want to live even after his playing days conclude.

Keep an eye on this situation over the next several days leading up to the draft next week. A lot of times, moves like this are precursors to other moves. It’s a game of chess and the best GMs are able to see moves several steps down the line. Right now, Briere would like Atkinson to be a pawn that moves further down the board for a bigger piece to be played.

The post Flyers Looking to Move on from Cam Atkinson, but they May Need His Help to Make it Happen appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Normally, the manager takes a seat, pauses for a moment while he gives the box score a quick once over, then looks up and out to the gathered media to answer questions.

On Monday, there was no momentary pause. There was no routine cursory study of the game stats. Instead, there was five words from the manager that were said almost as a sigh of relief.

“It’s good to be home,” he said.

The Phillies will never make excuses for mediocre or subpar play. They came into Monday’s game the losers of 5-of-7, struggling for the first time since the first week of April, and suddenly causing some angst among a fan base that had grown accustomed to winning on a nightly basis for two months.

But the reality is that the travel was brutal.

“It felt like we were gone for a month,” said Kyle Schwarber, who continued to don his Babe Ruth costume as he does every June, hitting two more homers Monday.

JUNE KYLE SCHWARBER IS REAL!!!!

This is his 40th homer in June since 2021 in just 94 games! pic.twitter.com/p9xykqRfvt

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 17, 2024

MLB did the Phillies no favors with the London Series. While it was cool for them to be a part of it and be on the national stage, and while Phillies fans showed out and proved why they’re the best fan base in North America by travelling with the team and selling out stadiums in London, Boston, and Baltimore, the way the schedule was constructed was brutal.

A week-long trip out west, home for three days, and then back out on the road for two weeks.

Imagine the jet lag going through all those time zones, sleeping in different hotel beds, and still being asked to perform at the most elite level?

It’s not easy.

The Mets, who were also in London with the Phillies, got to fly straight home and play games at Citi Field after the London Series. They’ve won six straight. They didn’t have to drag their asses up and down the Northeast corridor for a whole other week.

On top of that, the Phillies didn’t even get an off day at home. Nope, they were right back at it Monday. And all the things that everybody was worrying about over the past week suddenly disappeared, at least for one night:

• Cristopher Sanchez was rocked in Boston. He had extra rest before that start and wasn’t sharp. Back on his routine Monday, he pitched seven innings, allowed one earned run, and yielded just six hits while striking out five. He also ran his streak to 52 innings without allowing a home run – the longest active streak in the majors.
• The offense, which had seemed to cool off considerably in the past couple weeks, rapped out 18 hits. Schwarber homered twice. Alec Bohm stayed red hot with a 3-run homer that put the Phillies well out in front. The Phillies had 41 plate appearances in eight innings and reached base 21 times.
• After struggling for a month, Bohm has gotten back to being the offensive dynamo he was for the first month of the season. Maybe it was the off day in Boston, but in his last four games, Bohm is 11-for-18. He also became the first Phillie since Raul Ibanez in 2009 to have 60 RBI in their first 70 games played.

Make that 60 RBI for Alec Bohm this season! pic.twitter.com/3MGPSQ5OA4

— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2024

• Schwarber has now hit 60 home runs in the month of June in his career. He’s done it in 172 games. That’s the fastest in that month all-time in MLB history and the second fastest in any month ever (Juan Gonzalez hit 60 in 167 August games).
• Rafael Marchan had four hits. It was his first multi-hit game in the majors since August, 2021. He also fired a perfect strike on a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play to nail Ha-Song Kim at second base. All the concern about making up for J.T. Realmuto can be tempered by starts like this from Marchan and Garrett Stubbs (who has a hit in seven straight starts and has also gunned out a couple of runners on the bases).

It’s a pitcher catcher thing..

Cash the prop of the day

» Cristopher Sanchez
Over 3.5 K https://t.co/VTCoqMbLtE pic.twitter.com/DZeM5rPtk4

— ChitoCoins (@ChitoCoins) June 18, 2024

• Trea Turner returned from missing 38 games with a hamstring tear, and without even a rehab assignment, had two hits and made a diving stop in the field to turn the Phillies’ fourth double play of the game to end the contest. He seemed to be taking it easier running around the bases and didn’t try to steal a bag. It seems like he’s easing his way back into the game, which makes sense. It should also be noted that Turner got a standing ovation from the crowd as he came to the plate for his first at bat. This one wasn’t orchestrated. It was organic – which is so much more genuine.
• Brandon Marsh was on base three times and had two hits in his first meaningful contributions since coming off the injured list himself on Saturday. The one out he made he struck out looking against a lefty reliever.
• Bryce Harper had two more hits, including a double. He’s quietly putting up numbers that are going to get him into the MVP conversation if he maintains them all season.
• Nick Castellanos was out taking batting practice early on Monday. About an hour before the rest of the team took the field, he was out there with one batting cage partner – his son Liam. It translated well. Castellanos hit three balls hard in four at bats. Two of them were doubles to the left center field gap. As he likes to say, “Happy people hit better,” and there’s no doubt that he’s at his happiest when his boy is in town.

Frankly, there’s no doubt the entire Phillies team is happier at home. The Phillies are 28-10 at home this season, the the best home record in baseball. They’re 7-0-3 in their last 10 series at CBP and will improve that record with a win either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The setback last week happened. The Phillies accept it. They know what happened and why. But if there’s anything you should know about this year’s Phillies team, they aren’t going to dwell on a tough week, or let it impact them moving forward. They’re going to reset and come right back at you in waves.

And at the crest of those waves is a sold-out ballpark that fuels the team even more.

The post All the Phillies Needed was a Little Home Cooking to Get Back to their Winning Ways appeared first on Crossing Broad.

For the first 18 of those games, the Phillies barely missed him. They went 15-3 and Edmundo Sosa picked up hitting right where Turner left off.

In the last 20, Sosa, and the rest of the Phillies lineup – which also has been without Brandon Marsh and J.T. Realmuto for small stretches – has been more pedestrian and the Phillies have gone 10-10.

It’ll be good to get him back, but to activate him, a position player needs to come off the roster. It’s pretty much a three-horse race for who that player is between bottom of the roster outfielders – Johan Rojas, Cristian Pache and David Dahl.

You might want to include Whit Merrifield in there, but the Phillies won’t give up on a veteran they’re paying $8 million after just 10 weeks.

So, it’s one of the three.

The other caveat is neither Dahl nor Pache can just be sent down. Both are out of options, meaning that the Phillies would have to designate them for assignment, and would likely lose them to another team in baseball who are looking for outfield depth.

David Dahl pinch-hit homer for the lead! pic.twitter.com/HA2GvJWENn

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 9, 2024

To keep everyone in house, it just makes sense to send Rojas back down.

The Phillies handed him the starting center field job despite a lousy spring training because they believed his defense would be such a difference that they would be willing to live with even a hint of offensive from him.

Basically, the argument they were making is that if Rojas could just see a bunch of pitches, bunt enough to keep defenses cheating in on him and then slap a few hits past drawn in infielders, work pitchers and maybe get some walks and then wreak havoc on the bases with his speed, then that would be more than adequate out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup.

It wasn’t faulty logic, but there was even some doubt there from within, which is why they held on to Pache instead of Jake Cave at the end of Spring Training. He would be the parachute – offering similar defense in the outfield and slightly better offense, despite an inability to hit breaking balls – in case Rojas didn’t come through.

The thing is, with Rojas, the offense has been about what the Phillies expected. He’s hitting .235. He has 19 RBI and 14 stolen bases. But he’s had some blunders on base that have been troubling. He’s been picked off three times, most on the team. He’s been caught stealing twice more. Only Bryce Harper (three times) has been caught more.

Rojas’ adventures on the base paths have also created some other angst. For example, he was thrown out at home plate Friday in Baltimore in the bottom of the 10th inning on a single by Kyle Schwarber. He was inserted into that game as a pinch runner at second. The Phillies were not happy with Rojas’ secondary lead. Both manager Rob Thomson and first base coach Paco Figueroa spoke with Rojas about it afterwards. Apparently, Rojas is seemingly reluctant to get a good secondary lead because he doesn’t want to get picked off again. It’s this void in his baseball acumen that has caused the organization to bristle about him a little.

Then there’s the defense, which should be his calling card.

In 2023, his Defensive Runs Saved was plus-15 in just 57 games (according to Baseball Info Solutions). 

JOHAN ROJAS, YOU BEAUTIFUL HUMAN pic.twitter.com/DLWja1CH0K

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 13, 2023

In 2024, it’s been minus-8 in 56 games.

Defensive metrics are wonky – and even the analytically-minded Thomson has said he doesn’t look at them and prefers to go on the eye test with defense, but even the eye test has indicated that Rojas has been less reliable this season in center. He’s overrun balls and, in turn, dropped them. He’s mis-calculated balls in front of him. He’s taken strange routes to fly balls. It’s been a little perplexing, considering his track record.

If he’s not going to provide elite defense, then what is he bringing to the table?

Not to pile on, but offensively, it’s worse than his standard numbers would indicate. Consider the following percentile rankings among all batters in baseball this season:

• Average Exit Velocity – 84.4 MPH (Bottom 1%)
• Walk rate – 3.6% (Bottom 3%)
• Barreled ball percentage – 3.2% (Bottom 9%)
• Hard hit percentage – 29.5% (bottom 11%)
• Chase percentage – 35.2% (bottom 12%)

It’s a terrible profile. Since May 4th he’s walked one time and has one extra base hit. He’s pretty much under water at the plate unless he gets lucky.

Here’s the one extra base hit:

JOHAN ROJAS HIT THE WEIGHT ROOM AND HE IS NOW A GOOD HITTER

WATCH OUT EVERYONE THE PHILS ARE HOTTTTT pic.twitter.com/eT90eDXYgM

— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) May 11, 2024

Yeah, it’s been a minute.

The best thing for him right now is to go back down and work on his swing and his approach and pitch recognition. Get meaningful at-bats for Lehigh Valley. Work on his baserunning. Work on his bunting. Continue to fine tune his defense. Become a better version of himself.

Later this season, he can come back to the Phillies as a better player, and one ready to contribute to a championship contender.

Meanwhile, the double platoon that the Phillies will likely employ is not exciting. It’ll be Brandon Marsh and Pache in center and Dahl and Merrifield in left.

Pache and Marsh will serve as defensive replacements with the lead when they are not starting. Marsh and Dahl will serve as pinch hitters when they aren’t starting.

It’s not perfect, but it did work here in the past – in 1993, Jim Eisenreich and Milt Thompson played outfield against righties and Wes Chamberlain and Pete Incaviglia played outfield against lefties.

It’s a different world today with more power pitchers than back then, so that changes the calculus, but the Phillies have the luxury of a big lead in the N.L. East that they can give this double platoon a bit of a runway before deciding what they have to do to put the roster over the top at the trade deadline.

Most importantly, sending Rojas down should motivate him to want to get back and do the things necessary to get here. And the Phillies can do that while maintaining all of their depth options and not losing any players.

It’s the smart move. It’s the right move. And it’s the one we should be hearing is official Monday afternoon.

The post Demoting Johan Rojas Today Could be the Best Thing for Both the Phillies and Their Young Center Fielder appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Cristopher Sanchez hadn’t pitched since last Tuesday and looked rusty. So did Spencer Turnbull, who hadn’t pitched in 11 days. Whit Merrifield made a throwing error. David Dahl threw to the wrong base. Alec Bohm missed a ball that was probably fieldable. It was ugly all around.

And yet, as bad as it was, there were the Phillies, in their final at bat, with the tying run at the plate.

They’re never out of a game. In fact, in their 21 losses this season, 13 times they had the tying or go-ahead/winning run on base or at the plate in their final at bat. That means only eight times in 67 games were the Phillies more than one swing away from victory.

Think about that for a moment. That’s almost unfathomable.

Which is why, now that we are 48 days away from the trade deadline, stories are popping up on all the national platforms, and even some local ones, talking about what teams are going to do at the deadline.

It’s unanimous that the Phillies are going to be all-in on this season and will look to supplement the current team with even more to ensure it can get over the hump in the postseason and win the franchise’s third World Series.

Almost everyone is saying the same thing, too, the Phillies will look to add an outfield bat, preferably a right-handed one, and maybe another arm for bullpen depth. There may also be deals at the minor league level to ensure they have enough pieces who can fill in at the major league level if injuries continue to crop up in August and September as they have already in April, May, and now June.

There have been a lot of hot rumors, one that was especially interesting was for Chicago White Sox star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. which, believe it or not, was first brought up on a Crossed Up podcast last month. Not that Bob or I would be so smart as to come up with that one. No, that came from erstwhile Crossed Up fill-in (although we haven’t heard from him in a bit) Anthony Jr. who made the recommendation more than a month ago.

The name resurfaced at the end of May on The Phillies Show with MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, longtime Phillies beat writer and current PHLY contributor Jim Salisbury, and former GM and current TV analyst Ruben Amaro Jr.

Then there was the hacked tweet (since deleted) by ESPN’s Buster Olney that said the teams were finalizing a deal, which of course, wasn’t true, but got everyone stirred up.

Still, since then, there has been more speculation about it, and both ESPN  and The Athletic have linked the Phillies and Robert.

Trading for Robert would cost the Phillies. Not only was the 26-year old an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner who got a small number of MVP votes in the American League last season, but he’s under team control for three more seasons after this one (2026 and 2027 are team option years). You aren’t getting him unless you’re parting with multiple top prospects. At least two of Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, Mick Abel, and Starlyn Caba would have to be part of it.

A lot of Phillies fans like to clutch the pearls of these prospects and don’t want to see them go away in exchange for existing talent. It’s understandable. How can you sustain being a contender if you start trading away your best prospects every year?

But here’s the thing –

There are no guarantees that the prospects amount to anything. Or that you didn’t get the value in return for them.

So do you make a deal if it gets you that much closer to a championship? You’re damn right you do.

The Phillies have also been linked to Kyle Tucker in Houston (Don’t see that happening, but you never know), Lane Thomas and Jacob Young in Washington (don’t think they’re going to sell, because they’re gonna be in the Wild Card race… book it) and Jake McCarthy in Arizona (that’s more realistic, in my mind).

Still, they don’t have to do anything until the deadline. A 46-21 start and a 10-game cushion ion the N.L. East affords them the ability to wait til the last minute to see what’s what around the league and see which teams are going to ultimately sell that right now aren’t slam dunk sellers, and who knows what new names will emerge in that time.

That’s the long way of saying it’s too early to talk trades. Way too early. Aside from the White Sox, Rockies, A’s, Angels and Marlins, every other team is either in a playoff spot or still within 5 1/2 games of one.

Until we get into mid-to-late July, this conversation is an exercise in futility. Instead, I decided to put together a list of former Phillies who are currently active in MLB to see how they’re doing. And with few exceptions, most are not doing well.

Here’s the list. Please note, all stats listed were from before Wednesday’s games:

BOSTON

• Nick Pivetta – The Phillies smacked him around Wednesday for the second time since trading him to the Red Sox in 2021, but otherwise Pivetta has been good for the Red Sox this season despite missing a month with an injury.
• Chase Anderson – He’s actually been a useful bulk reliever for the Red Sox this season (1.150 WHIP in 35 2/3 innings). He was terrible for the Phillies in 2021 and didn’t finish the season with them. Since being waived by the Phils in August of 21, he’s been with seven teams (the Rays twice) in less than three seasons.
• Joely Rodriguez – I watch an inordinate amount of baseball and swear I had no idea he was still in the majors. The Phillies acquired him from the Pirates for Antonio Bastardo in 2015. He did nothing here and was traded to the Rangers in 2017. He’s bounced between the minors and majors with the Sox for the past two seasons. Crazy.

4/10/17: NYM @ PHI: Jay Bruce (4th of season, 245th of career, 2nd of game) off Joely Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/LaikXAs8ay

— Mets Home Run a Day (@MetsHRADay) January 13, 2024

BALTIMORE

• Cole Irvin – When this guy pitched for the Phillies he seemed like just another soft-tossing lefty who would get shelled at the major league level. But, to his credit he found himself in the obscurity of Oakland, who purchased him from the Phillies in 2022. The A’s traded him to the Orioles, and so far this season, he’s been excellent (6-2, 2.87ERA, 1.181 WHIP).
• Craig Kimbrel – The Orioles are experiencing the same song and dance the Phillies did. He’s mostly done his job as the closer for the O’s, but has the propensity to have innings implode on him from time to time, costing his team the game. Baltimore would be foolish to rely on this guy to put games away in October. We’ll see.

CRAIG KIMBREL LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/v04jvX7ade

— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) April 28, 2024

TAMPA BAY

• Zach Eflin – Not having as good a season as he did in his first year with the Rays (2023), but he’s been decent (3-4, 4.06 ERA, 1.150 WHIP). If the Rays fall out of contention. (I should have said, “when”), it wouldn’t surprise if he’s on the block at the deadline. Still, the Phillies would have been better off resigning him then signing Taijuan Walker last year, but I digress.
• Chris Devenski – The 2022 Phillies will always cherish those four innings he pitched in September during the push to the playoffs. Yep, it earned him an NL championship ring. He’s not been good for the Rays this year (5.73 ERA, 1.455 WHIP in 22 innings).

CLEVELAND

• Ben Lively – The Phillies acquired him from the Reds before the 2015 season for Marlon Byrd. He’s somehow stuck around all these years without a lot of major league success – until this year. He’s been a fun story for the surprising Guardians. Lively has bene a staple of their rotation and is 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.114 WHIP. Good for him.
• Carlos Carrasco – OK, he never pitched for the Phillies, but it fits the mold of this story. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies in 2003. Yes, 21 years ago. He was the key prospect that was sent to Cleveland in the 2009 trade for Cliff Lee. Carrasco had about five really good seasons with Cleveland before being sent to the Mets, where he wasn’t that great. He’s back with the Guardians now as their fifth starter. They should probably upgrade from the 37-year-old. (2-5, 5.50 ERA, 1.444 WHIP).

Wilyer Abreu sigue on fire lleva 3 hits en el juego de hoy incluido este doble Carlos Carrasco. Está bateando 462 en los últimos 7 juegos
pic.twitter.com/egVnwKSYQz

— VenezolanosMLB (@VzlanosMLB) April 25, 2024

KANSAS CITY

• James McArthur – Coming into the 2023 season, McArthur was viewed as a depth starter for the Phillies. They DFA’d him when they selected the contract of Jeff Hoffman. They ended up trading him to the Royals, where he was turned into a closer. He had a modicum of success last season in that role, but he’s not been good as the closer for a surprising K.C. squad this season. (2-3, 5.27 ERA, 1.427 WHIP, 12 saves). They’ll probably look to upgrade at the deadline.

MINNESOTA

• Carlos Santana – Still going strong at 38 years old. His slash line is meager (.221/.302/.404′ .706 OPS) but he does lead the Twins in homers with 10. He’ll always be remembered in Philly for getting so pissed off at his teammates for playing Fortnite in the clubhouse while losing nine straight games in September 2018 that he  walked  into the room and smashed the TV with a bat. One of my favorite stories of the Kapler years.

DETROIT

• Matt Vierling – The Phillies could probably use him right about now. He was traded to the Tigers along with Nick Maton for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens prior to the start of 2023. Soto has been wildly inconsistent, and although Clemens has provided a little bit of depth, he’s injured now. Maton didn’t work out for the Tigers but Vierling has been good. (.270/.312/.466; .772 OPS. 20 XBH, 28 RBI).

Matt Vierling opens up the scoring in Detroit with a solo shot. pic.twitter.com/BY9QRw6n2y

— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2024

SEATTLE

• J.P. Crawford – A former top prospect, he finally had his breakout year for the Mariners in 2023. But it may have been a fluke as he is scuffling hard this season (.216/.304/.380; .684 OPS). He was traded with Santana to the Mariners for Jean Segura and Juan Nicasio. While the latter is long forgotten, Segura is beloved mostly because of his impact during the 2022 World Series run.

TEXAS

• Travis Jankowski – His one year with the Phillies (2021) was solid by fifth OF standards, but he wasn’t resigned. He bounced from the Mets to the Mariners to the Rangers, where he had a good 2023 and picked up a World Series ring. He’s been nondescript so far in 2024 though (.239/.286/.304; .590 OPS).
• Michael Lorenzen – The magical no-hitter night aside, Lorenzen wasn’t much of a trade deadline acquisition for the Phillies in 2023. It’s nice to see him have a bounce back so far in 2024 though. He’s been a regular in the Rangers rotation and put up decent numbers to this point (3-3, 3.05 ERA, 1.237 WHIP).
• David Robertson – Part of me can’t believe he’s still effective, but he is. He has a 3.41 ERA and a 1.069 WHIP for the Rangers so far this season. Not bad for a 39-year-old crafty veteran in an age of high-velo relievers.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

• Logan O’Hoppe – Everyone knew this was a tough prospect to lose, but it’s been one of those trades that worked out for both teams. Brandon Marsh has been an integral part of the Phillies for the past three seasons and O’Hoppe was blocked by J.T. Realmuto. He’s having a nice season for a bad Angels team (.270/.322/.449; .771 OPS; 8 HR, 28 RBI).
• Luis Garcia – Another guy who has somehow hung on to a major league career for a lot of years. The Phillies signed him as a free agent way back in 2013. He tolled in the minors and as a call-up through 2018. The Phillies traded him that winter to the Angels for Jose Alvarez. Only one of those guys is still pitching, although Garcia is about a league-average reliever (4.28 ERA, 1.207 WHIP).
• Matt Moore – Talk about a guy who was no good while he was here and remade himself after he left. Moore had a terrible 2021 with the Phillies, first as a starter, and then as a swingman. He signed with Texas in 2022 and was excellent out of the pen. He had a good 2023 as well with the Angels and Guardians. Back with the Angels now, it’s not been as good a year (2-2, 5.11 ERA, 1.378 WHIP).
• Mickey Moniak – He got hot for a few weeks last year and everyone was questioning if the Phillies should have ever traded the first overall pick in the 2016 draft for Noh Syndergaard at the 2022 deadline. This year, Moniak as the lowest on base percentage of all qualified hitters in major league baseball (.211). He’s hitting .172. His OPS is .452. He has just two home runs. He’s playing regularly. Yeah, the Phillies made the right call.

What if I told you, YOU have a higher WAR than Mickey Moniak! #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/Nzgx9oF1Q8

— sandro (@yungsandd) June 7, 2024

ATLANTA

• Travis d’Arnaud – Much like Carrasco, d’Arnaud was a Phillies prospect who never played for the team. He was their first round pick in 2007 and was included in the trade with the Blue Jays that landed the Phillies Roy Halladay. And while d’Arnaud has put together a solid big league career, the Phillies would still make that trade 100 percent of the time. With Sean Murphy missing most of this season so far, d’Arnaud has had to be the Braves primary catcher. He’s been serviceable, but not special (.245/.314/.446; .770 OPS).
• Charie Morton – He made four starts in 2016 for the Phillies, suffered a leg injury and was bought out. Bad choice by the previous regime. Morton has been a very good pitcher since. From 2017-2024 with the Astros, Rays and Braves he’s 87-45 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.198 WHIP. He’s been average this year (3-3, 4.12 ERA) but he was definitely one that got away.
• Luke Williams – He’s still bouncing around. He’s in the minors now but had a cup of coffee with the Braves earlier in the year. We’ll never forget his one awesome night as a Phillie though.

Luke Williams first career homer and it’s a walk-off!!! Have yourself a night, kid! #RingtheBell

pic.twitter.com/SFlXKXZq9S

— Nicholas (@Nick_dodd2) June 10, 2021

WASHINGTON

• Joey Meneses – The Phillies had him on a minor league deal in 2018 and he put up monster numbers at Lehigh Valley (.311/.360/.510; .870 OPS, 23 HR, 82 RBI). They didn’t bring him back though. He bounced around, eventually landing with the Nats and had good numbers in 2022 and 2023. He’s struggling this year though (.232/.292/.296; .588 OPS).

NEW YORK METS

• Jake Diekman – He’s actually had an OK year for a Mets bullpen that has been a disaster. The 37-year-old lefty is 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.219 WHIP. His WHIP is only that high because he’s a little wild (15 walks). He’s only allowed 11 hits in 21 1/3 innings. He was a 30th round pick by the Phillies in 2007. He was part of the Cole Hamels trade to Texas for six players, none of which panned out for the Phillies.

MIAMI

• Sixto Sanchez – This is the cautionary tale of falling in love with a prospect too much. Remember how upset everyone was when the Phillies gave up Sanchez for J.T. Realmuto? Bob and I questioned it a little too. It’s easy to get enamored with the possibility of something. Well, Sanchez has only appeared in 21 games for the Marlins since the trade. Seven of them were this season. He’s 0-3 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.598 WHIP. Oh, and he’s hurt…. again.

MILWAUKEE

• Rhys Hoskins – We all know about Rhys and his return here two weeks ago. It was fun. It was good to see him. He’s been a good influence with the Brewers. He has 10 homers, including one off Zack Wheeler and a .776 OPS. Good for him. The Phillies wouldn’t be a better team with him right now. Plain and simple.
• Hoby Milner – A 7th round pick by the Phillies in 2012, he never seemed to be a great fit here. He’s found some footing in the Milwaukee pen though. (3-0, 3.73 ERA, 1.117 WHIP). One of Kapler’s “dudes” in the pen when he was here. Of course, the most memorable moment as a Phillie was when Kapler called to the pen for him, and he hadn’t warmed up.

Hoby Milner is probably a wonderful human being, but between Gabe Kapler’s fuckery and Bryce Harper flat out refusing to swing against him, the associations are all negative.

— Sixto Lezcano (@mleif) June 4, 2024

PITTSBURGH

• Andrew McCutchen – He was well-liked here, even though he was injured one year and completely underperformed in another, but it says a lot about him as a team leader for what he’s doing in Pittsburgh as a veteran with a young team. He’s been passable as a DH, and the Pirates need more offense, but his leadership is part of the Pirates thinking they can sneak into the playoffs and be a tough out.
• Bailey Falter – Don’t look now, but Falter is pitching really well for the Pirates. He made his own bed with the Phillies, which is why he was demoted and later shipped to Pittsburgh for the immortal Rodolfo Castro at the deadline last year, but to his credit, he’s been good for the Pirates in 2024 as their No. 4 in the rotation (3-3, 3.69 ERA, 1.039).
• Josh Fleming – Who? He was actually with the Phillies for 11 days this past offseason. He was claimed off waivers and then waived again. He hasn’t been good for the Pirates. Good thing the Phillies went in another direction.

CHICAGO CUBS

• Hector Neris – Should the Phillies have resigned him instead of the likes of Jeurys Familia, Corey Knebel, and Brad Hand prior to the 2022 season? Yes. That was a mistake. He went to the Astros, had two very good years and won a World Series. He’s now with the Cubs and hasn’t been very good as their closer, although he has a bunch of wins. (6-1, 4.01 ERA, 1.581 WHIP, 9 Saves),
• Mark Leiter Jr. – A 22nd round pick by the Phillies in 2013, he was waived in 2018 and struggled to find a home until 2022 when he landed with the Cubs and has been a solid contributor there since. He has a 3.51 ERA and a 1.247 WHIP so far this season.
• Drew Smyly – It’s amazing how many of these journeyman types were here prior to Dave Dombroski’s takeover. He’s kind of a long man these days. He’s league average. But then again, when hasn’t he been?
• Ben Brown – A 33rd round pick in 2017 by the Phillies, he was the little-known prospect who was sent to the Cubs in a trade for Robertson. Look at him now. He’s made eight starts and 15 appearances for Chicago. He’s 1-3 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.084 wHIP with 64 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 53 1/3 innings. That was a win for the Cubs.

ben brown is a starter. putting the bullpen conversation to bed tonight. if that means theres not a spot for jordan wicks or whoever, too bad pitch better. pitch like this. be a road grader for 7 inn. clearing the way for a cubs W. been desperate for this pic.twitter.com/mmAuaKMBXL

— DOM (@DOM_Frederic) May 29, 2024

CINCINNATI

• Nick Martini –You might not remember him either. He was a Spring Training story during the COVID season, but never played for the Phillies. He started hot for the Reds this season but fell off lately and was sent down to the minors last week.

ST. LOUIS

• Kyle Gibson – Yes, he was part to the 2022 World Series team. He’s not really remembered that way because so many people weren’t focused on the Phillies until October when he barely appeared. He was part of a great season for the Orioles last year and is now pitching well for the Cardinals (4-2, 3.76 ERA, 1.265 WHIP).
• JoJo Romero – The reliever the Phillies sent to the Cardinals in exchange for Edmundo Sosa has been excellent this season. Looks like another win/win trade for two teams. Romero is 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.818 WHIP with 32  strikeouts and just four walks in 33 innings. Very Matt-Strahm-like.

JoJo Romero, Vicious 84mph Slider. pic.twitter.com/mXB6I5eRIi

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 8, 2024

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

• Connor Brogdon – He actually had his meltdown that cost him his spot with the Phillies at the beginning of this season. Seems like forever ago. He got shipped to the Dodgers. When he got there, he pitched 1/3 of an inning, giving up two home runs and then was placed on the injured list with plantar fasciitis, where he’s been ever since.

SAN DIEGO

• Enyel De Los Santos – The Phillies originally got him from the Padres prior to the start of the 2018 season in a trade for Freddy Galvis. De Los Santos never really figured it out here, and was waived in September of 2021. After a brief stint with Pittsburgh, he was a very good reliever for Cleveland the past two seasons before signing back with the Padres. He’s been solid for them this season.

SAN FRANCISCO

• Spencer Howard – Another top prospect who never panned out, was traded to Texas for Gibson and Ian Kennedy.  He wasn’t good there either. Nor with the Yankees. Now he’s with the Giants and he’s been good in 13 1/3 innings (2.03 ERA). This included an appearance against the Phillies where he shut them down.

COLORADO

• Jake Cave – Traded at the end of Spring Training, Cave is getting a good run with the Rockies because of outfield injuries. Despite playing regularly, he’s been uninspiring. David Dahl has done more with the Phillies in one week.
• John Curtiss – One last, “who’s that guy?” for you. Was in the Phillies system in 2019. Had a brief time with the Rays where he was good as a reliever. Then fell off the map again. Had one appearance for the Rockies this year. It didn’t go well. He gave up three hits, including a homer, in 1/3 of an inning. He’s back in the minors.

The post As Deadline Rumors Start to Emerge, Don’t Worry About Who the Phillies May Have to Trade to Get the Players They Need appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Everything seems weird schedule-wise with three off days in five and two games overseas, one that took place before most people woke up from a Saturday evening bender.

At any rate, it’s time to get back to living and dying with the best team in baseball (45-20) on a daily basis. And what better way to do that than to look at some various and interesting talking points in snackable fashion to get you back in the mode of daily baseball?

So, let’s start here. Sorry it’s one that is concerning:

J.T. Realmuto injured

This news broke Tuesday afternoon:

Well this isn’t good news that was just announced:

The Phillies placed J.T. Realmuto on the 10-day IL (retro to 6/10) with right knee pain. Rafael Marchán was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA).

Realmuto is scheduled to undergo right knee meniscectomy surgery tomorrow.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) June 11, 2024

Realmuto has been playing with this injury for a while. A torn meniscus isn’t a terrible injury, but it’s tougher on catchers than anyone else, so this could keep him out for a little bit.

When the Phillies pinch ran for him in the ninth inning Sunday, that seemed precautionary at the time, but now we know it was much more than that.

The one thing the Phillies need to do is stay healthy. The timing of this isn’t great, but it’s OK with Trea Turner due back this week as they get one star player while another goes out.

Turner isn’t going to have a rehab assignment as he is with the team on the trip. Speculation is he’ll be back Friday in Baltimore, but it’s not crazy to wonder if it’s sooner in light of this news – as Realmuto was probably trying to hang on as long as he could to get back to when Turner could play again.

The difference is that Edmundo Sosa was a more than adequate fill-in for Turner while he was out of the lineup. Not sure that production was expected, but it was there, nonetheless.

What are the odds though of that happening again with whatever combination of Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs the Phillies trot out there?

This one could actually hurt more, even if it’s for a shorter time, than the Turner injury.

Anyway, there’s still a lot to be positive about.

The record

This has become kind of a running tally on here with most of my posts, because you just don’t see this that often in baseball, and the longer it goes, the more indicative it is of success. The Phillies are only one of 40 teams in the World Series era (1903-present) to ever win 45 of their first 65 games. Only 25 teams have been better.

Of the other 38 teams (not including this year’s Yankees since their fate, like the Phillies’, is yet to be determined), here are where those teams ultimately finished:

• 36 made the playoffs (95%)
• 35 won their division title (92%)
• 30 won their league pennant (79%)
• 14 won the World Series (37%)

Now, it’s a lot harder these days, with expanded playoffs, to even get to the World Series, let alone win it, so let’s extrapolate out the teams that did this in the Wild Card era (1995-Present).

The Phillies are one of just 10 teams since 1995 to start 45-20. Again, not including the 2024 Yankees, here are the other eight and how they finished:

• 1995 Cleveland Indians (45-20) – finished 100-44 (season shortened by a lockout at the beginning of the year). Lost in the World Series to the Atlanta Braves, 4-2.
• 1997 Baltimore Orioles (45-20) – finished 98-64. Lost in the ALCS to the Cleveland Indians, 4-2.
• 1998 New York Yankees (49-16) – finished 114-48. Won the World Series over the Atlanta Braves, 4-0.
• 1998 Atlanta Braves (45-20) – finished 106-56. Lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees, 4-0.
• 2001 Seattle Mariners (51-14) – finished 116-46. Lost in the ALCS to the New York Yankees, 4-1.
• 2016 Chicago Cubs (45-20) – finished 103-58. Won the World Series over the Cleveland Indians, 4-3.
• 2022 New York Yankees (49-16) – finished 99-63. Lost in the ALCS to the Houston Astros, 4-0.
• 2023 Tampa Bay Rays (46-19) – finished 99-63 (didn’t win the division). Lost in the AL Wild Card Series to the Texas Rangers, 2-0.

The overall success rate is a lot lower. It’s a 25% championship rate (down 12%), It’s a 50% pennant rate (down 29%).

This is why Rob Thomson cautioned against comparisons to other teams who did this well a couple weeks ago, saying what matters is in October, not now. That’s not to poo-poo the start, it’s just to point out they know they can’t rest on their laurels about this comfortable lead (currently nine games over the Braves) that they’ve built. It’s all about staying healthy and being locked in for another five months.

Yet, it should be noted, that if given preseason odds of 50% to win the pennant and 25% to win the World Series, there’s not a living soul who wouldn’t have taken that. So, they’re in a realllly good spot right now.

An internal Cy Young race

It’s probably still a little bit early for this, so we’ll check it out further in about a month, but as of today, the ESPN Cy Young predictor has not one, not two, but three Phillies at the top of the leaderboard.

Their order currently is:

1. Ranger Suarez
2. Aaron Nola
3. Zack Wheeler

Can you imagine if they were the three finalists for the award? That would be bonkers. But really, who else is even in the conversation?

The predictor has St. Louis closer Ryan Helsley a distant fourth. But voters aren’t going to reward the closer on a .500-ish, borderline playoff team with enough votes to be a finalist when there are starters who are carrying the load for a team with the best record in the sport.

The Dodgers are really good, and three Dodgers starters are on the list – Gavin Stone (5th), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8th), and Tyler Glasnow (10th). All have been good, but none have been as good – or as consistent – as the Phillies trio.

Chicago’s Shota Imanaga has been very good this season, but he got lit up by the Milwaukee Brewers (who couldn’t touch Phillies pitching) and the Chicago White Sox, of all teams, in successive starts. He bounced back with a solid outing against Cincinnati on Sunday, but he’s looked more hittable of late, which is probably why he’s not on the Cy Young predictor list.

This could be a fun, friendly competition for the rest of the summer.

The crucified shutting down the noise – for now

Three guys who have been the target of a lot of fan ire on social media have been much better of late – even if a couple of them are in extremely small samples.

The one whose sample size is a bit larger is Nick Castellanos.

There’s no doubt that the first month of his season was terrible. Probably the worst of his career. And there was concern within the organization that he might be lost.

But to Castellanos’ credit, he’s rebounded. It’s been a gradual rebound and not a “go on a tear” type of rebound, but it has Castellanos and the Phillies feeling a bit better.

Check on your loved ones. Nick Castellanos just hit a homer across the pond. pic.twitter.com/wxZXRS95m6

— Suzanne Zuppello (@suzuppello) June 8, 2024

In his last 18 games, Castellanos is slashing .264/.303/.528 for an .830 OPS with five home runs. These aren’t All-Star numbers, but they are solid. In fact, since May 4th he ranks 51st in all of baseball in OPS among qualified hitters. that’s actually in the top 30%.

Forget the fact that he grounded into a game-ending double play that hasn’t happened since 1912 on Sunday, on the whole he’s been a lot better.

And frankly, if you wipe out his first, miserable month entirely, you get this line:

.248/.302/.475; .777 OPS; 8 HR, 21 RBI in 35 games

Again, not anything to stand up and applaud, but definitely acceptable, and it’s only climbing.

The other two guys who showed out overseas were Taijuan Walker and Whit Merrifield.

Not sure what alien body snatched Taijuan Walker, but the Phillies should leave a trail of Reese’s Pieces back to the plane to ensure he joins them stateside.

All kidding aside, this is the best Walker has looked in quite some time.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) June 9, 2024

Walker gave his best pitching performance of the season Sunday, throwing 5 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out six and walking one. He shouldn’t have given up any runs, but Gregory Soto lit the sixth inning on fire and couldn’t get one out, which cost Walker a couple of runs.

Point is, it was a heck of a start, with an uptick in velocity and sharp movement on his breaking balls. It’s one the Phillies hope he can replicate Saturday in Baltimore and build more confidence.

As for Merrifield….

HOW DO YOU LET WHIT MERRIFIELD HIT A HOMER pic.twitter.com/W9xdajOCpL

— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) June 8, 2024

That one long ball is not going to erase an otherwise moribund season for the veteran, but credit him for saying that the hit was a weight off his shoulders after it felt like he “left the entire Premier League on base.” (Way to play to the British media).

He also had a hit Sunday, so maybe he’s starting to get out of the funk a little bit. It’s certainly not enough, that’s for sure, but for one weekend, he silenced the critics and has a chance to keep that going moving forward.

A few more notes

Here’s just a few items that I’ve been paying attention to. Maybe to keep an eye on this week and beyond:

• Tuesday night’s game could be a challenge. No Realmuto is one thing, but add in the travel back from London, and the fact that Zack Wheeler doesn’t do as well pitching with extra rest as he does with normal rest, and this could get hairy. We’ll see.
• Instead of June Schwarber, so far we’ve gotten June Schwoon. In seven games this month he’s hitting .179 with no extra base hits. His OPS is just .460. He was really good in May, so this could just be an ebb coming off a flow, but worth watching.
• Alec Bohm has been mediocre for a while. In his last 15 games he’s 10-for-59 (.170; .493 OPS) with just five RBIs. He needs to get out of that soon.
• What are the Phillies going to do with Spencer Turnbull? He last pitched on June 1st and was dominant. Striking out six batters in a perfect three innings of relief. He really doesn’t have a role right now, and that’s unfortunate, because he’s been very good almost every time his number’s been called.
• Soto needs to be put on the same plan that Seranthony Dominguez was put on at the end of April. Only pitches in low leverage situations until he gets right. He’s got the stuff, but it’s getting rocked by hitters. He needs a bit of a reset. No, he shouldn’t be DFA’d, but he can’t be trusted in big spots right now. Build back his confidence, if possible, over the next month and then reassess.

The post J.T. Realmuto to Undergo Knee Surgery as Phillies Begin Tough Road Trip appeared first on Crossing Broad.

But the Philadelphia hockey media was jonesing for something, anything they could to fire up their computers and put out something new for fans to chew on – especially hockey fans, who are a special breed of content consumers. All you have to do is look at social media to see the lengths and depths they are willing to go to discuss something hockey related.

The Flyers obliged the cravings of the hockey-writing community, as representatives of that content-starved public, and threw together a press conference Wednesday with president of hockey operations Keith Jones, and Comcast-Spectacor CEO Dan Hilferty.

If we’re being honest, not a whole lot was said when it came to the hockey team itself. Jones deflected questions about the status of Matvei Michkov, and understandably so. Things are very different in Russia than they are here and there’s too much risk in saying something publicly that could change unannounced, minutes later, in a different country. So, it’s best to say nothing.

Keith Jones on Matvei Michkov situation: “When we drafted him the expectation was he would finish his contract with SKA. So, we are listening. We are reading many of your articles and kind of following along. We have no update on it. We would welcome him with open arms….

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) June 5, 2024

There will be some resolution to that – probably later this month – but where Michkov plays hockey next season won’t change the Flyers approach this offseason.

That’s because the Flyers really can’t do anything of substance. They have so much dead money heading into the 2024-25 season, it’s crazy. But that’s a result of needing to get out from under even more restrictive contracts.

When you consider they still have to pay Ryan Ellis $6.25 million, Cal Petersen $5 million to be a minor league goalie, and are retaining a combined $5.23 million in salary for Kevin Hayes and Tony DeAngelo to not play for them, it’s tough to imagine a world where they’ll be adding much at all this summer.

Sure, a full-on hockey trade could happen, and one or two probably will, but those aren’t designed to load up on assets or catapult a team to a new level. Those are often even swaps with both teams hoping to get slightly better than if they would have kept the player they traded away.

The Flyers did reach out to Carolina about the availability of forward Martin Necas, but there doesn’t seem to be a good match there. Even if the Flyers offered something like Joel Farabee and the first-round draft pick they got from Florida in the upcoming draft, it’s likely not enough to entice the Hurricanes and interim GM (and former Broad Street Hockey contributor) Eric Tulsky.

So, they may look in a different direction.

The key priority as far as NHL-level talent for the Flyers this offseason will be to sign Travis Konecny to an extension. His ask is high. And with one more strong season, it might be a number he could fetch as a free agent after 2024-25, so the Flyers have to take that into consideration.

Would the Flyers be willing to breach the $10 million plateau as far as an AAV for Konecny? Maybe, if it has to be a shorter deal – like four or five years. Or maybe if they show a commitment to Konecny for longer term – say, seven or eight years – maybe they can convince himto take a little less in annual salary knowing he’ll earn more by getting extra years tacked on to the contract.

Sign Konecny, draft a bunch of intriguing prospects, maybe make a hockey trade or two, and then take the rest of the summer off.

Which is why there wasn’t much to glean roster-wise from the press conference.

I can’t stress how big a fan I am of these two. Dan Hilferty is so awesome, just loves the Flyers and Philadelphia while Jonesy is just the best with his approach and knowledge. You can rest easy knowing the Flyers are in these guys’ hands. https://t.co/CyEpzZRovH

— Corey Swartz (@cswa11) June 5, 2024

But there were a couple interesting things Jones said, that you can think about and maybe perceive as something new:

“I think there’s been a lot of progress made on the team coming together (and) with the players enjoying playing here again. When we are in a position to go out and get a premier player through free agency, this is going to be a destination they want to come to again. That’s part of the process here. Starting last year and over this (next) season as well. Before we flip and start to be a team that’s in a different situation after removing a lot of money off our cap and getting rid of some of the contracts that we had to get rid of.”

“I think the one indicator on (our) timeline that out there for everyone to see is the money that we have tied up right now for players that aren’t playing for our team. A lot of that is going to start coming off the cap, and I do think that if you look further down the line, that is when we are going to have some real key decisions to make. We have to get them right. There’s no room for error on whatever players we add to the mix in a couple of years. Those are the things we have to pay a lot of attention to right now. … Some of that is growth from within, some of the younger players and whoever we draft with the two first round picks we have this year and the multiple first round picks next year. It’s going to be key. But at the same time, the removal of money off the cap – the dead money – is something that we are going to be able to use to our benefit as long as we do everything right here and make sure that this is a place that people want to play. It’s really important for us to get that message out. It’s important for us to continue to communicate with our fans and to show off our fan base so players say, “Yeah, man, I watched the Phillies in the playoffs last night and that crowd was incredible. I’d like to experience that playing for a hockey team like the Philadelphia Flyers.” All of those things are part of our thinking and we’re going to have to execute. It’s not going to be easy. We threaded the needle last year. (This year) I don’t think it’s threading the needle. I think there’s a blueprint out there that we can maximize and get on, but we have to do it right.” 

The undertone of that hearkens back to the Cutter Gauthier trade. The Flyers were not being viewed by players – not just veteran free agents, but unproven prospects, too, with zero professional experience – as a place they wanted to play.

The “New Era of Orange” was not just about repairing relationships with the fans of the franchise, but also repairing the reputation of a once elite franchise. The decay finally showed when fans stopped going to games two seasons ago, but it was already in existence at the player level for much longer, and repairing that rot takes time.

That’s what John Tortorella has been trying to do for the past two seasons, even if it meant making examples of some players – and some media members – to create a standard that reaches far beyond the ice. Jones and Briere are tasked with not only building a roster from within with good drafting and player development, but also selling agents and their clients outside of the organization on the investment that’s being made to return Philadelphia to the glory days of being one of the haves in the NHL. Hilferty is tasked with being the master facilitator, building a team of business executives who know how to deliver a cohesive, unified, public message – something that didn’t happen prior to his arrival.

These guys didn’t come out and say that directly, but this was the most public they’ve ever been about just how bad things were when they took over a year ago, and just how long the process is going to be to complete the restoration of a once proud franchise.

“If you look at the track record that we’ve had over the past decade, it’s been not a great one,” Hilferty said. “We saw a dip in attendance. We saw on social media and wherever you run into people just not an excitement about the team. …

“I long for a day that people are so excited (about the Flyers) that not one (New York) Rangers fan can get a ticket at a home game at the Wells Fargo Center,” Hilferty said. “We’re not there yet, but we are seeing more enthusiasm.”

I’d run through a wall for Dan Hilferty and Keith Jones

— Dan Knightly (@DanKnightly) June 5, 2024

Hilferty trusts Jones and Briere. They seem to have a plan to get there, it’s just going to take a while. And even if it means not making the playoffs again next season, as long as there’s progress with the plan, everything will remain on track.

“Coming at this as a fan … at the beginning of last year, I was hoping like heck we would outperform what the projections were and I go into this next year feeling the same way,” Hilferty said. “But in the role of chairman, I’m very comfortable that there’s got to be a level of patience around this.”

Hilferty said he’s started to study other franchises, and what they did to become successful. He cited the Florida Panthers, who are back in the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive year. And unlike previous regimes, they’re committed to building this the right way. They’ve said it all along. And they’re sticking by their guns.

“I’m going to continue to be a fan and I’m going to cheer every game, but I’m not worried about wins and losses,” Hilferty said. “Yes, you want to be respectable. You want to be in a playoff hunt. But I’m not going to worry that it’s got to be this coming year that you make the playoffs. I just want to see continued progress and development.”

For a team that is in the throes of a rebuild, even one that had an unexpected shot at the playoffs in the first year of it, that’s all you can ask for right now.

As Jones said, they’ve got to get it right. Both with the draft and eventually the players they look to have as part of the core going forward.

In short, the honeymoon phase is winding down. It has about another 10 months to go. Then the spotlight will be on, and the harshness of the beams will be determined by the work that began last summer and continues through this one.

The post Keith Jones and Dan Hilferty Explain Just How Much Work is Really Needed to Undo the Inherited Flyers Mess appeared first on Crossing Broad.

We can acknowledge that it has to be a business when teams are spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year to try and get whatever edge they can on their competition. That’s the nature of professional sports in 2024 and it will never go back to its origins when the guys who played the game were working second jobs in the offseason.

Yet, despite the corporate overtone that hovers over our favorite sports, there are moments that still pop up from time to time that remind us of the roots of our interest in the outcomes of these contests. There are moments – albeit fleeting – that we can embrace a joy for sport with a childlike fervor that was built on playgrounds and in fields in small towns or neighborhoods across the country.

How many times can you regale friends with a story about some game you once played during gym class? Or recall, with intimate detail, some sequence from a Little League game when you were 11 years old? The reason those memories are so vivid and vibrant in your mind is because of an ever-burning flame of passion for a particular sport, or competition in general, especially when it’s a shared moment among friends.

Those are always the best stories. And yes, over time, they tend to become big fish tales, but that’s the beauty of them. That’s what makes them special. It’s not always the specific details that matter most. It’s about the shared experience and the emotions that came with it.

For a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park, for players and coaches on the Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers – and specifically for Rhys Hoskins, Monday night was one of those special shared experiences.

The Phillies beat the Brewers 3-1 to continue their march through the National League to start the season, but the outcome was secondary to Hoskins’ homecoming. It started pregame, with more than 30 media members huddled around Hoskins in the Milwaukee dugout as he anticipated what his return to the ballpark he once called home was going to be like.

Rhys Hoskins a popular guy pregame at CBP. pic.twitter.com/5dzI83pkbl

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 3, 2024

“I’m kind of a crier,” Hoskins said, before the game. “I think it just tells you all you need to know about the energy and emotion that I’ve been able to grab from this place.”

Then there were all the autographs he was signing…

… and all the fans who showed up with signs of support and love:

Photos: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports

There was a loud cheer from the crowd when Dan Baker announced Hoskins as the designated hitter for the Brewers during the pre-game lineup presentation.

Then, between the first and second inning, there was a tribute video played on the left field scoreboard.

A video tribute and a standing ovation for Rhys Hoskins. pic.twitter.com/4atiZ2TWGp

— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) June 3, 2024

And all of that happened BEFORE he ever took his first at bat.

So, you could imagine what it was like when he stepped to the plate. Here it is in case you missed it:

What an ovation from the @Phillies faithful for Rhys Hoskins in his return to Philly! pic.twitter.com/eznMNVsz2I

— MLB (@MLB) June 3, 2024

There was the hug with J.T. Realmuto. The tip of the helmet to the bench and the tapping of his heart. There was the helmet tip to the crowd. There was the applause from the entire Phillies bench and all the players on the field. You can see Bryce Harper clapping in the video. What you don’t see is the guys in the field also tipped their caps to Hoskins before they started applauding.

For two days we asked Phillies players and coaches about Hoskins. Every one of them talked about Hoskins as a person first and foremost. They didn’t want to talk about the player he is. His statistics could do all that talking for him. But they wanted to express the kind of human being he is.

From Manager Rob Thomson talking about his integrity, to injured outfielder Brandon Marsh talking about Hoskins as a role model for younger players, to Seranthony Dominguez calling him a great leader in the clubhouse – and everyone in between – it was all about Hoskins’ character.

I asked Hoskins if that meant anything special to him, to know that these guys wanted to talk about the man, and not the ball player. Here’s what he said:

“It means the world. This is our profession and our careers, but good or bad, I think the one thing that you can hope for is that people respect who you are as a person. Hopefully that means I went about things the right way. I treated people with respect and some kindness along the way and made some sort of impact on a group of people. I think that’s something to hang your hat on.”

Hoskins collected himself after that reception and popped out to shortstop. The moment was over, but his night was far from complete.

The next time up, Hoskins worked a walk, and then he did something no one expected. Not even in the Brewers dugout. He stole second base.

“He’s not really a runner,” Zack Wheeler joked about his former teammate. “I wasn’t changing up my looks at all… He got an easy bag right there.”

I asked him if he thought he surprised Realmuto, the catcher with the best POP time in the sport, and Hoskins said he hoped he did.

“(Realmuto and I) will always be able to go back and forth about that,” he said.

J.T. got the last laugh though, because seconds later, Hoskins tried to score from second on a single to center. It was a great throw from Johan Rojas and Realmuto was able to apply the tag, nailing Hoskins at the plate, and in turn have some good natured, butt-slapping in the process.

Baseball karma!

J.T. Realmuto gets the last laugh against his former teammate Rhys Hoskins pic.twitter.com/s6s140ybGO

— Cut4 (@Cut4) June 4, 2024

Hoskins still wasn’t done.

In the seventh inning, he got one more crack at Wheeler and was able to ruin his good friend’s attempt at a shutout.

This is Rhys Hoskins’ first home run at Citizens Bank Park since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. pic.twitter.com/AYHEV3LSeH

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) June 4, 2024

There was a mixture of cheers and boos from the Phillies fans, as Hoskins completed the memorable night by once again going yard at Citizens Bank Park.

“It was different,” Hoskins said. “Normally you go into a visiting ballpark, and you hit a home run and you are not hearing any cheers. The mix of boos and cheers was different and fun.”

It couldn’t have been a better story for Philadelphia fans. They got to honor a beloved former player. He was an active participant in the game, and even hit a home run, but the Phillies still won. It was exactly what every fans should have wanted to see.

Even Brewers manager Pat Murphy was impressed by the whole experience when I asked him about it after the game.

“It was awesome,” Murphy said. “These fans showed what this game is all about. Rhys left an impression on this fanbase like he will on ours. … It meant a lot to him. He’s a deep kid. He loves this game. It treated him great, and the Phillies treated him great. He loves this place.”

And that’s what made it special for everyone. Because for one night, it was just a game and everyone was just enjoying the purity of it.

Dahl’s night was special too

The whole Hoskins thing took away from a storybook night for new Phillies left fielder David Dahl.

Dahl had his contract selected by the Phillies earlier Monday to replace Brandon Marsh, who had to go on the 10-day I.L. with a hamstring strain. He hopped in a car with Weston Wilson, who was also called up to replace the injured Kody Clemens (back spasms), and Dahl didn’t find out until he was 20 minutes from the ballpark that he was in the lineup.

He and Wilson arrived at 4PM. The game started at 6:40PM, so there wasn’t much time to really get ready. It was get in there and hit. And he did.

His first time up, Dahl singled and scored a run. His second time up, he did something a little more:

David Dahl hadn’t played in an MLB game since April 4, 2023

He’s 2-2 with a home run in his first game back pic.twitter.com/5HF0oWDfXo

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 3, 2024

(Side Note: I can’t get enough of the expression on Brewers pitcher Bryse Wilson’s face after that homer. Priceless!)

Dahl picked up where he left off at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he was leading the team in batting average (.340), hits (50) and home runs (12). Selected 10th overall by Colorado in the 2012 amateur draft, Dahl made the NL All-Star team in 2019 with the Rockies, but his career has been derailed by injuries.

“I was just kind of hanging out at the hotel and watching Netflix when I got the call from (general manager) Sam (Fuld) that I was going up. So, I had to go over to the field and pack up and I didn’t find out I was in the lineup until I was 20 minutes away. … I think it helped because I wasn’t sitting around thinking about it. I was able to just say, ‘Let’s go play.’”

I spoke to Dahl during spring training about his unique service time situation that afforded the Phillies the time they needed to wait to call him up and not risk losing him to an opt-out. He impressed the Phillies enough to move on from Jake Cave just before the season as a left-handed outfield depth bat. His story is a unique one – much like Jeff Hoffman’s. The two were highly touted prospects with the Rockies who had crazy career paths to end up on the Phillies.

I’ll dive into this more with both players later Tuesday when I’m down at the ballpark.

The post The Rhys Hoskins Homecoming Showed the Best Side of Philadelphia, and of Baseball appeared first on Crossing Broad.

That’s because no matter how locked in as a team you are, the one thing you can’t control is injuries. They happen without warning and could derail a season. Just ask the Atlanta Braves how they feel about losing their best pitcher, Spencer Strider, and the reigning N.L. MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr.

The Phillies were already bitten by the injury bug with Trea Turner’s hamstringin early May. He’s been out of action for a month, and though we continue to get small updates on his rehab progress, the Phillies have yet to announce a plan for him to return, so it’s likely 2-3 weeks away.

They’ve been afforded an opportunity to really be careful with Turner, both because the team has continued to win in his absence and because Edmundo Sosa has been sensational as his replacement.

But when Brandon Marsh strained his right hamstring when he was rounding second base Sunday night in the 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, it left the Phillies with a little bit more uncertainty about how best to replace him, assuming he will miss some time, which seems likely, although we won’t know for sure until they announce something later Monday.

Light a candle for Brandon Marsh. Hopefully the injury isn’t serious. pic.twitter.com/D0IVW3xNCm

— Jeff Fink (@jfink69) June 3, 2024

Unlike in Turner’s case, where they had someone who could immediately fill in the role, the Phillies may have to piecemeal the replacement of Marsh, who was already a bit of a platoon outfielder as it was, often sitting against lefty starters and playing against righties.

The Phillies outfielders have been mostly unproductive this season. Nick Castellanos has started to turn things around slowly – he had two more hits Sunday and is now batting .283 with an .819 OPS in his last 13 games – but aside from that the combination of Castellanos, Marsh, Johan Rojas, and reserves Cristian Pache and Whit Merrifield, have ranked in the bottom five offensively in all of baseball through the team’s first 60 games.

Take Marsh out of the equation, and it’s a lot of emptiness from the right side of the plate and no lefties to lean on.

So, what might the Phillies do? Here are four options to consider:

1. More Merrifield

This might not excite many Phillies fans because Merrifield has been underwhelming so far this season. He’s struggled to adjust to being a part-time player, something he’s never done before in his career, and he has been mostly unproductive. He played Sunday, but he was a late fill-in for Kody Clemens who was scratched after batting practice when he started having back spasms. He ended up going 0-for-4, and Thomson said he hopes to find more chances to get Merrifield playing time to try and get him going.

Rob Thomson says Whit Merrifield needs *more* playing time to get him going. pic.twitter.com/pBnTa1YvLN

— John Foley (@2008Philz) June 3, 2024

Here’s the exact quote:

“That’s the issue, you know? I mean, just because he hasn’t played. That’s the problem. So, I’m gonna try – somehow try – to get him more playing time.”

Whether Merrifield gets the bulk of the time remains to be seen. But if Thompson really wants to get him more time in the lineup, here’s that chance. If given that chance, Merrifield needs to take advantage of it. Because if not, it’s becoming harder to figure out what exactly his value is to the team moving forward if he can barely get on the field.

2. Kyle Schwarber

We all know Schwarber is best suited to be a DH, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if he had to play a few games in left field just to give Thomson some lineup flexibility. Maybe you go to Schwarber in left against righties, allowing you to get another left-handed bat like Kody Clemens in the lineup with more regularity as a DH against righties. It also allows the Phillies some flexibility to give other guys a day not having to play in the field but able to serve as a DH – because Clemens is a versatile infielder who can play three positions. As such, Clemens could play either first, second, or third and give Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott or Alec Bohm a game off their feet but allow them to stay in the lineup as a DH with Clemens in the field. Yes, you lose a little defense this way, but it maybe plays into the strategy of keeping players fresh and healthy better than any other.

3. Kody Clemens

Assuming his back spasms were just a flare-up and not a chronic injury, Clemens could be an option vs. righties in left field. The Phillies aren’t as fond of Clemens in the outfield as they are with him in the infield, but they’ve been trying to get him more work in case they need him there with more regularity. This could be that time, but I get the sense that they would prefer Clemens be a “break glass in case of emergency” outfielder instead.

4. David Dahl

Who, you may ask? Dahl, who was a good player for the Colorado Rockies pre-Covid, has endured several injuries and had a cup of coffee with the Padres last season before signing a minor league deal with the Phillies last offseason. He had a really good spring in Clearwater and was one of the last cuts before the start of the season. He was sent to Lehigh Valley where he has been arguably the team MVP. In 43 games for the Iron Pigs, the 30-year-old has slashed .340/.416/.660 for a 1.076 OPS. He leads the team in hits (50) and home runs (12). This seems like a no-brainer right?

OF David Dahl’s Career MLB stats:

331 G | 1249 AB | 312 H | 64 2B | 14 3B | 43 HR | 161 RBI | 76 BB | 326 K | .271/.317/.463 | 0.5 bWAR

-10th Overall Pick 2012 (Rockies)
-2019 All-Star
-Hit for the Cycle- 5/16/24 with AAA Lehigh Valleypic.twitter.com/a3vBu5A9d9

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 3, 2024

Well, it’s not that easy. Dahl isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the Phillies would have to select his contract to add him, and once they do, they wouldn’t be able to send him back down without him having to clear waivers. It’s delicate. Not only that, but the Phillies would also have to make room for him on the 40-man. That would mean removing someone moving someone from the 10- or 15-day I.L. to the 60-day I.L. to create space. I like this idea, because Dahl is a lefty and can basically fill the same role Marsh was already filling and not upset the rotational apple cart too much, but the Phillies would have to be willing to keep Dahl on the roster or risk losing him, once Marsh is healthy. Unless Dahl is completely unproductive, that could be a tough call.

The Phillies can possibly get weird and try Edmundo Sosa in the outfield – something they experimented with briefly in early 2023. Or they could give Pache a little more of a run, but too many games with Pache and Rojas in the lineup simultaneously, while it might be great defensively, would be a bit of a black hole offensively.

Of course, we can find out in a few hours that Marsh’s injury isn’t as bad as feared, and maybe he only misses a few games. That would be fortunate, although the Phillies may have used up their weekly good fortune allotment with Ranger Suarez not suffering a serious injury taking a ball off his pitching hand on Saturday.

The post The Phillies Have Options if Brandon Marsh Needs to Miss Time, but Which is the Best? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

They’re at the top, or near the top of the rankings in several statistical categories.

As you wake up on June 1st, you will find the Phillies rotation has done this:

• ERA – 2.69 (1st in MLB)
• Strikeouts – 350 (1st in MLB)
• Batting average against – .210 (2nd in MLB, 1st in NL)
• On Base percentage against – .273 (2nd in MLB, 1st in NL)
• Slugging Percentage against – .379 (1st in MLB)
• Total Innings Pitched – 348 1/3 (1st in MLB) – That’s an average of six innings per start
• Home runs allowed per nine innings – 0.8 (tied for 1st in MLB)
• WHIP – 1.07 (2nd in MLB, 1st in NL)
• BABIP – .262 (3rd in MLB, 1st in NL)
• FIP – 3.25 (1st in MLB)
• Fly Ball percentage – 31.6% (2nd in MLB)

(all stats courtesy of Fangraphs)

It’s almost staggering to be this good collectively. And we’ve heard about all the stories since the spring.

Zack Wheeler came into 2024 as one of the two favorites to be the N.L. Cy Young winner and has not disappointed.

Ranger Suarez has had a historic start to his season and has thrust himself into that same conversation with Wheeler.

Cristopher Sanchez has elevated his pitching beyond all expectations and is throwing like a No. 2 when he came into the season as the expected No. 5 in the Phillies rotation.

Spencer Turnbull was even a fun story early in the season, being a late add on a cheap contract who gave the Phillies six brilliant starts in April and forced us all to debate whether he should stay in the rotation or not once Taijuan Walker was heathy.

All of those stories and conversations were pertinent – and still are. But there’s been one guy who’s kind of just been there doing his thing and not getting much of the spotlight this season – and that’s Aaron Nola.

It’s kind of surprising, to be honest. He’s the longest tenured player on the team. He’s been a fan lightning rod for years with folks coming down on either the love him or get rid of him side for several years.

He’s had his ups and downs sure, but his ups have far outweighed his downs, which is why the Phillies committed $172 million to him for the next seven years coming into 2024.

And it just seems right now like Nola’s performances have mostly flown under the radar.

Yeah, there was that complete game shutout a few starts ago that got some attention, but most nights when he pitches, Nola just goes out, does his thing, pitches deep into the game, doesn’t give up much, and the Phillies win – just like they did when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Friday, to become the first team to 40 wins in 2024 and only the third team to ever hit 40 wins before the month of June. (The Yankees would join them later on Friday night).

In the game, Nola went 6 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, two runs, two walks and had six strikeouts. He picked up his seventh win of the season.

Aaron Nola, Sick 94mph Front Door Two Seamer.

22 Inches of Run pic.twitter.com/UxR4pFRjxc

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 31, 2024

And yet in the postgame press conference, nobody asked Phillies manager Rob Thomson about Nola’s game. There were questions about other pitchers – as the bullpen continues to be spectacular as well – and there were questions about Edmundo Sosa, who continues to be otherworldly at the plate while filling in for Trea Turner, and Bryson Stott’s defense, which was sensational Friday, but nothing about Nola.

Thomson is often good about talking about all his pitchers in those pressers, even if not asked about them, and he even almost forgot about Nola, Friday.

When talking about the bullpen, almost as an afterthought he added, “And Nola was really good too.”

Maybe it’s his consistency, which is back after a tumultuous 2023 that saw wildly different outcomes for him from one game to the next, that he just goes out, throws a lot of innings, limits damage, and does so in a very methodical, unflashy way, that has made everyone fall into a comfort zone of expectation for him.

Quality starts is usually a fugazi stat. That being said, Aaron Nola just threw his 8th in 12 starts this season. His numbers in those starts:

57 2/3 IP
32 H
16 R
14 ER
13 BB
53 K
2.19 ERA
0.780 WHIP

I’d say that’s pretty quality.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) June 1, 2024

And why not?  He’s allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts this season. Hell, take away his first start of the season against Atlanta, where he was rocked for seven runs and 11 hits in just 4 1/3 innings, and Nola’s numbers would be right there with Wheeler and Suarez in the Cy Young conversation:

2.47 ERA, 0.918 WHIP, .180 batting average against. 

The Phillies are 10-2 in games started by Nola this year. He’s third in the majors and tops in the NL in innings pitched this season (77 1/3). Only three pitchers have won more games than his seven.

And yet, he’s kind of just blended into the overall story that has been this historic Phillies start.

He’s not jumping off the page at you. His 3.03 ERA ranks 25th in baseball amongst qualified pitchers, which is very good. His 1.034 WHIP is tied for 20th – also very good. He’s allowing just 6.8 hits per nine innings which is tied for 17th – even better.

It’s gotten to a point where this is expected out of Nola. Every time it’s his turn, throw 6+ innings, don’t give up a lot, and then the Phillies win. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

And it’s because of that consistency that it’s a good bet that Nola will be talked about more as the season goes on, and he’s still just doing his thing. Or maybe, some places are starting to realize he’s absolutely trending toward a very good season.

ESPN currently has Ranger Suarez in the NL Cy Young lead with Zack Wheeler & Aaron Nola in the Top 5.

ESPN’s full Cy Young Predictor: https://t.co/HYnvXS4j9K pic.twitter.com/UpWvbSdOSV

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 1, 2024

The post Phillies Success: Aaron Nola Hasn’t been a Hot Topic, But Maybe He Should Be appeared first on Crossing Broad.

They were a fun team. They hit .288 as a team, led by Ichiro Suzuki, who hit .350. They had three guys crack 100 RBIs (Bret Boone led the way with 141) and a fourth, John Olerud, who just missed hitting the century mark (he had 95).

The rotation was solid. Jamie Moyer won 20 games. He, Freddy Garcia, and Aaron Sele all had ERAs in the threes, which was above average in that era of baseball. And the bullpen was buoyed by closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, who had 46 saves, and a nasty trio of setup guys in Arthur Rhodes, Jeff Nelson, and Norm Charlton, who combined for a 0.993 WHIP and 219 strikeouts over a span of 180 1/3 innings.

“What did they do,” asked Phillies manager Rob Thomson when he was told the Phillies were the first team to win 36 of their first 50 games since that Mariners team, following an 11-4 drubbing of the defending World Champion Texas Rangers.

When the questioner reiterated that they won 116 games, Thomson asked the same question again, although with slightly more specificity.

What did they do in the end?

They didn’t win the championship.

“That’s right,” Thompson said. “You gotta keep going. Keep grinding. Keep pushing, all the way through.”

His point was clear. The Phillies know their start is historic. It’s the best 50-game start in franchise history. They are one of just 25 teams to have at least 36 wins through 50 games (in the World Series era, which dates back to 1903).

But the Phillies focus is clear. Regardless of the number of wins they finish with in the regular season, they want their season to end the same as the 11 teams who got off to this fast a start and won a World Series and not the 13 teams, like the Seattle Mariners, who came up short in the end.

Otherwise, this will all be for naught.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” said Bryce Harper, who hit his 12th homer of the season Wednesday. “You play a full season for a reason, so we just have to stay the course, stay confident and just keep doing our thing.”

Seemingly, that’s what they do. Game after game, after game.

“They’re very confident,” Thomson said. “Right now, it really doesn’t matter what type of game we’re in. They feel like somebody is going to do something to get it done – and that’s a good feeling to have.”

They’re doing it and re-writing record books with each additional win. And it’s keeping the team communication staff busy.

Almost nightly they are sending out alerts about the team, or a player, being the first to do something in quite some time, or joining a small list of people to ever do something.

On Tuesday the first alert came right after J.T. Realmuto did this:

J.T. Realmuto’s 6th home run of the year gives the @Phillies the lead! pic.twitter.com/fEQLfKfsZY

— MLB (@MLB) May 22, 2024

The note from the communications department: Realmuto became the first Phillies catcher to have a hitting streak of at least 12 games since Mike Lieberthal had a 16-game streak in 2004.

Pretty good.

It was also the third 12-game hitting streak of Realmuto’s career, but he hadn’t had one since 2018 when he was with the Miami Marlins.

Realmuto has been a bit of an unsung hero for the Phillies this year, especially since Trea Turner was lost to a hamstring injury a few weeks ago.

The Phillies are 14-3 without Turner. Realmuto has been the primary No. 2 hitter in Turner’s absence and picked up right where Turner left off.

In 12 games in that No. 2 spot in the lineup, Realmuto is slashing .377/.411/.528 for a .939 OPS.

“I’m just staying within myself, staying within my approach, getting a good pitch to hit and not trying to do too much,” Realmuto said. “I’m trusting in the guys behind me. You know, there are so many good hitters in this lineup that I know that if I just get on base, there’s a good chance I’m going to score, so it just relaxes me.”

The second note from the Comms team came later, after Matt Strahm relieved starter Taijuan Walker in the fifth inning and then pitched a clean sixth inning too. It read:

Matt Strahm is the first Phillie in the Modern Era to have a 20-game span in which they allowed no runs, struck out at least 29 batters and issued two or fewer walks. Strahm is now the sixth major league pitcher to accomplish this and first since Sean Doolittle who, from May 7th (Game 1) to June 27th, 2014, posted 22.1 scoreless innings while striking out 35 batters and walking one. The only other pitchers to have done so are Koji Uehara, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, and Robb Nen.

“This Phillies team has done something no other Phillies teams have done, won 36 of your first 50” – Scott Franzke

“Yeah, but other teams have won the World Series” – Matt Strahm pic.twitter.com/GSZg40Pi6v

— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) May 23, 2024

(You’re starting to see a pattern in what everyone on this team is saying about this early success, right? This laser focus is very rare in sports and the Phillies are exuding it profusely. The question will be if they can sustain it for another five-plus months.)

Strahm has been nothing short of remarkable. He doesn’t want to talk about his streak – superstition and all that – but everyone else has no problem heaping effusive praise on the guy for the work he’s done out of the Phillies bullpen.

“He’s attacking the strike zone,” said Realmuto. “He’s mixing his pitches well and he’s throwing them where he wants to. He’s always had that really good stuff, but it seems like this year he’s taken that execution to a whole other level.”

The third note came following this bloop double by Alec Bohm:

RBIs 45 and 46 for Alec Bohm. pic.twitter.com/qzHFKWaowg

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) May 23, 2024

Bohm is now on pace for 149 RBI, which was last accomplished by Ryan Howard in 2006. The franchise record is likely safe (Chuck Klein – 170) but one never knows….

Anyway, here was the note:

Alec Bohm hit his 20^th double of the season, which makes him the fifth Phillie (sixth instance) to hit 20 or more doubles in their first 49 games of the season and the first since Chase Utley (did so twice) had 22 in 2014. Other Phillies to do so were Jayson Werth, Lenny Dykstra and Virgil Davis. It is also the first time in his career he has had a three-game streak with multiple RBI.

(Note: Bohm has only played in 49 games. He missed one earlier this season).

There have been other great plays in the game. Brandon Marsh nailed a runner at third base on a perfect throw from the left field corner. Edmundo Sosa crushed a three-run homer to right field. Kyle Schwarber walked three more times and now leads the National League in walks with 37.

The beat just keeps going on, but the Phillies want everyone to know that they aren’t getting ahead of themselves. They know what the ultimate goal is and that is their target. How many wins they get in the regular season is irrelevant to them.

But it sure gives us plenty to talk about every day.

The post Phillies Off to Best Start in Franchise History – Cool Story, but Not the Focus of the Team’s Concentration appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Ranger Suarez?

It’s incredible to think that the Phillies’ No. 3 starter is pitching at a pace with some of the all-time greats, but that’s how impressive Suarez has been through his first 10 starts of the season.

In fact, the Phillies are chasing all kinds of history at the moment, and we’ll get into it all, but after a 5-2 win over the defending World Champion Texas Rangers on Tuesday, how can you not talk about Suarez and this once-in-a-generation type start to a season he has had?

Let’s start with comparing it to Roger Clemens:

With the Phillies win, Ranger Suarez becomes just the 16th pitcher all-time to start a season 9-0 or better in 10 starts or fewer, and just the fourth in the last 45 years.

Andy Hawkins (1985)
Roger Clemens (1986, 1997)
Jake Arrieta (2016)

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) May 22, 2024

Andy Hawkins won each of his first 10 starts in 1985 for the San Diego Padres. Mostly an innings eater in his 10-year Big League career (4.22 ERA, 1.403 WHIP, averaging 200 innings per 162 games for his career), Hawkins and the Padres were coming off a magical run to the World Series in 1984. He had solid numbers in those 10 starts (69 2/3 IP, 2.71 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 28 K, 10 BB, 8HR) but he quickly regressed toward the norm afterwards.  His 11th start was a no decision against the Phillies, and he was more mediocre the rest of the way. Over his final 22 starts he was 8-8 with a 3.34ERA, a 1.359 WHIP, 45 strikeouts, 55 walks and 10 homers allowed in 159 innings.

Jake Arrieta was coming off his Cy Young campaign in 2015 and got off to a torrid pace in 2016 for a Cubs team that would eventually break the 108-year curse and win the World Series. In those first 10 starts, Arrieta had numbers more closely resembling Suarez. He was 9-0 in 68 innings, with a 1.72 ERA, 0.897 WHIP, 67K, 21 BB, and 3 HR. He, too, fell back to earth after that, going 9-8 over his final 21 starts with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.183 WHIP, 123K, 55BB, and 13 HR in 129 1/3 innings.

Clemens was a whole different animal, getting off to an insanely good start like this two different times – and at two different stages of his career. The first was as a 23-year-old in Boston in 1986. In those first 10 starts, he pitched an eye-popping 81 2/3 innings. That’s almost a complete game every start. He was 9-0 with a 2.64 ERA, a 0.967 WHIP, 90 K, 22 BB and 10 homers. But unlike Hawkins and Arrieta, Clemens didn’t slow down.

He would win his next five starts (14-0) and didn’t lose a game until July 2nd. Clemens would finish 24-4 overall, going 15-4 in his last 23 starts with numbers that got even better (172 1.3IP, 2.40 ERA, a 0.969 WHIP, 148 K, 45 BB, and 0nly 10 more homers allowed). It would lead to the first of his seven Cy Young Awards.

The second time he did it was as a wily veteran at age 34 in Toronto in 1997.

He would start 9-0 with a 1.81 ERA, 0.938 WHIP, 76 K, 21BB, 4HR in 74 /3 innings. He would win twice more before suffering his first loss in mid-June. Again, he would maintain his dominance on the mound for the rest of the season, although with a slight drop off this time, but he still finished 21-7 with a 2.05 ERA and a 1.030 WHIP, en route to his fourth Cy Young Award.

In both seasons, Clemens led the league in Wins, ERA, ERA+, FIP, and WHIP.

I share all these stats with you because the question when it comes to Suarez is can he sustain it like Clemens, or will he fade a little bit like Arrieta, or a lot like Hawkins?

Early indications are he’s got some sustainability.

“He’s kind of old school,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “He’s not going to light up the radar, but he’s going to command the baseball, he’s going to work fast, change speeds when he’s behind in the count … it’s really fun for me to watch him.”

In short, Suarez is pitching, not just going up there throwing gas. Of his career-best 10 strikeouts Tuesday, Suarez struck out hitters on five different pitches.

Ranger Suárez sits down his 10th Ranger, matching a career high. pic.twitter.com/QC5UoZB4Ve

— MLB (@MLB) May 22, 2024

As for the other tidbits of history, here’s connecting Ranger to Marichal:

Ranger Suarez is the first pitcher since Juan Marichal (1966) to go 9-0 with an ERA of 1.50 or lower through his first 10 starts.

He’s the only starting pitcher since 1901 to start 9-0 or better and have a 1.50 ERA or lower through his team’s first 50 games. #Phillies

— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) May 22, 2024

His connection to Roberts? Suarez is the first Phillies pitcher to win nine consecutive starts since Roberts did it in 1952.

And Grover Cleveland Alexander?

The last 2 Phillies Pitchers to Start the Season 9-0.

Ranger Suárez & Grover Cleveland Alexander. pic.twitter.com/ghP8VMnLel

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 22, 2024

It’s pretty incredible. We’re running out of superlatives for the guy. And his historic run is not lost on his teammates.

“As a team, we’re thinking about that, right,” said Bryce Harper, who had a double and a homer – the latter of which was the eventual game-winning RBI for the Phillies on Tuesday. “We want him to get to 10-0, and 11-0, and so forth.”

Suarez didn’t need much help from the offense he got it from the top of the Phillies lineup.

Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Harper and Alec Bohm each had two hits – the only hits in the game for the Phillies – but it was enough to plate five runs – a number they have reached 18 times in the last 24 games.

Bohm picked up two more RBIs, the first on a single in the fourth inning, scoring Harper, and then a double in the eighth inning, scoring Schwarber:

Alec Bohm pic.twitter.com/bcG0wyrQcg

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 22, 2024

Bohm leads the majors in doubles with 19 and is tied for the major league lead in RBIs with 44. And while there’s still a long way to go, he’s also on the path to something historic.

UPDATE: on pace for 146 RBI now after that double. Rest of the tweet remains accurate. https://t.co/FGJhtFrXf1

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) May 22, 2024

1894??? That’s unfathomable.

Finally, as for the Phillies continued success (shout out to Sarge Matthews), their collective assault on the record books continues to be mind-boggling. At 35-14, it’s tied for the fastest start through 49 games in franchise history (1976). If they win Wednesday, it will be the club’s all-time best record through 50 games.

We’ll continue to highlight where this start falls historically in the history of the sport as long as it’s relevant.

They are currently on pace to win 116 games. That would tie the major league record held by the 1908 Cubs and the 2001 Mariners.

The number of teams all-time who have gotten off to better starts than the Phillies continues to dwindle.

They’re the 32nd team all-time to start at least 35-14. Only 16 teams have been better, and only three in the last 40 years:

• 1984 Tigers (38-11)
• 1998 Yankees (37-12)
• 2001 Mariners (37-12)

Of those previous 31 teams, 24 have reached the World Series and 12 have won it.

The post History has its Eyes on Ranger Suarez and the Phillies appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Clemens had ordered the same model as Harper – it’s a Victus bat – but while waiting for a new shipment to arrive, Clemens was gifted some by his teammate.

Back on May 7th, in his first swing with the new bat, Clemens hit a home run into the right field seats against the Toronto Blue Jays.

We now know it was a sign of things to come.

Stepping to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Saturday against Washington, Clemens, with Harper’s bat still in his hands, slugged a game-tying home run to the first row of the right centerfield seats, sending the sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy.

KODY CLUTCH#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/8BYbtadUEB

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 19, 2024

An inning later, Harper would hit a walk off sacrifice fly as the Phillies won, again, 4-3 in 10 innings, matching their best start in franchise history (1976, 1993) by improving their record to 33-14.

Since using Harper’s bat, Clemens has been clutch for the Phillies. He has a 1.038 OPS in eight games since being recalled, and has three extra-base hits, mostly being used as a pinch hitter or in-game substitute once a righty reliever is on the mound.

“It’s knowing the lineup and seeing when guys I would pinch hit for are coming up in certain scenarios, and then you see a right-handed pitcher start warming up, you kind of do the same thing,” Clemens said. “You go down there (to the batting cage) and just get your body moving and get ready.”

Clemens said he’s been working on catching up to power relievers’ fastballs while in the cage, taking swings off the velo machine to improve his timing.

“When I go in to pinch hit, sometimes I feel like I’m a little late on fastballs,” Clemens said. “So, I’ve been working on that just trying to stay ready and almost scoot up as close as I can to the machine to make it feel like 110 (mph). Then when you get called in the game, you’re ready for those fastballs and you know those late relievers are going to be throwing hard.”

The ball Clemens hit out of the park was a 98MPH four-seamer from Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan, who seems to be effective against everyone except the Phillies. He has blown 19 saves in his five-year career. Six of them have been against the Phillies.

Clemens was just the latest hero for a Phillies team who has been better than all but 23 teams in major league baseball history based on record through 47 games.

Only 23 teams have ever gotten off to a better start than the 2024 Phillies have through 47 games.
Of those 23, only six have happened in the past 69 years.

1984 Tigers
1995 Indians
1998 Braves
1998 Yankees
2001 Mariners
2023 Rays

Only Tampa didn’t win 100 games. They won 99.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) May 19, 2024

(Note: That tweet should have said “in the World Series era” because I only searched back to 1903. Apologies to the descendants of any player on any team prior to 1903. O.K. back to Kody Clemens.)

“He’s a Big League player,” Thomson said. “At that time (the start of the season) it was just a fit thing. (He’s been) fantastic. Almost every at bat has been a good at bat. He’s barreled up a lot of balls. In the game against the Mets he almost hit three home runs. He’s really swinging the bat well.”

Maybe he should just keep getting his bats from Harper instead of ordering them himself.

“I’ll give him whatever he wants,” Harper said.

But it wasn’t just Clemens. The Phillies came from behind three different times in the game against Washington and got great pitching in key spots to secure their 18th win in their last 22 games.

Harper keyed the first comeback, leading off the bottom of the fourth with a single. He advanced to second on a single by Alec Bohm, but the key play was stealing third base, taking advantage of both Nationals starter Mackenzie Gore not paying as close attention to him while third baseman Nick Senzel was way off the bag at third.

Stealing that base was crucial because Bryson Stott hit into a double play immediately thereafter. Harper scored on the play, but would have only been at third otherwise, and probably wouldn’t have scored as Nick Castellanos grounded out to end the inning.

“It’s amazing,” Clemens said. “We feel like we all show up and we’re expecting to win the game even before it starts. It’s an awesome atmosphere to be around.”

Stott tied the game at 2-2 when he homered in the bottom of the seventh.

Ring it, Stotty pic.twitter.com/SKuzN7rGdL

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 19, 2024

It was a big homer for the Phillies because they got another outstanding outing from a starting pitcher – this time Cristopher Sanchez – who went seven innings allowing just two runs while striking out eight and walking none.

He did yield eight hits and had traffic on the bases at times, but he was able to pitch his way out of trouble with confidence.

“The growth of this guy mentally and emotionally, just fighting out of innings… he just kept pitching,” Thomson said.

Cristopher Sánchez, Jiffy Lube Special. pic.twitter.com/0d5E9TjTDh

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 19, 2024

To his credit, Sanchez pointed to his teammates Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, saying they provide the blueprint for how to pitch through trouble. He said he’s watching and learning from two of the best.

“Great pitchers do that, and I try to mirror that from Wheels and Nola,” Sanchez said, through an interpreter. “Even if you get hit around sometimes, that doesn’t stop you. I’m trying to see that in myself as well.”

After Sanchez, Matt Strahm had another scoreless inning, running his streak to 18 2/3 straight innings without allowing a run. He hasn’t allowed one since Opening Day. In that time, he’s allowed just 10 hits and one walk while striking out 29.

“I know it doesn’t read on the gun – that’s how old I am, I’m calling it a radar gun – but there’s life to the fastball,” Thomson said before the game as to what’s making Strahm so effective. “It’s jumping out of his hand, and it’s really tough to hit when you can command it. It’s a really good thing to have.”

Add that to a really effective slider and Strahm’s deceptive delivery – he hides the ball well – and he’s become one of the toughest relievers to hit against in the sport.

“And the hair, the hair coming at the hitter,” Thomson joked.

Gregory Soto pitched very well in the 10th inning after Clemens tied it, keeping the Nats from scoring even the ghost runner.

“He was just nasty,” Thomson said.

The Phillies have now won or tied 14 straight series. It’s the second-longest streak in franchise history. J.T. Realmuto extended his hitting streak to 10 games and Stott his on-base streak to 17 games. Turner is scheduled to hit on the field in batting practice Sunday as he inches closer to a return.

Nola will be on the mound as the Phillies go for the sweep of Washington on Sunday and try to become just the 41st team to ever be 20 games over .500 through 48 games – and it’s only May 19th. Think about that.

The post Add the Kody Clemens Home Run to the Growing List of Unforgettable 2024 Phillies Moments appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It’s true, the starting pitching has been sensational, for the most part. It’s a big reason why the Phillies, at 32-14, have the best record in Major League Baseball. This was evidenced again on Friday in a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals, a game in which Zack Wheeler threw 7 1/3 innings and allowing just the two runs on three hits, which was needed as the Phillies couldn’t muster a hit after the third inning and Washington pitchers retired the final 16 Phillies batters in a row.

But I’m here to tell you that for all the success of the starters, there have been other contributions that have been equally key.

The offense has been really good when you look at it from a 1,000-foot view. Consider their rankings in the majors in the following categories:

• Runs per game – 5.24 (1st)
• Hits – 400 (4th)
• Home Runs – 51 (tied for 7th)
• Triples – 10 (tied for 3rd)
• RBIs – 229 (2nd)
• Stolen Bases – 54 (4th)
• Walks – 176 (3rd)
• Batting Average – .257 (4th)
• On Base Percentage – .335 (4th)
• Slugging Percentage – .411 (6th)
• OPS – .746 (5th)

All upper echelon numbers – and those are just the counting stats. If you look at metrics or situational hitting, you’ll find even impressive data on the Phillies.

For example, consider Baseball-Reference’s Win Probability Added (WPA) – which quantifies the percent change in a team’s chances of winning from one event to the next by measuring the importance of a given plate appearance in the context of the game. For instance: a homer in a one-run game is worth more than a homer in a blowout.  Only eight teams’ offenses have a positive WPA. Only four of them have a WPA of at least 1.0 and only one team has a WPA above 2.0.

That’s the Phillies, at 2.4.

Their team batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is .309. That’s fifth-best in baseball. They have scored 188 runs when they have runners in scoring position, which is the best in baseball.

There we go, Marshy!! pic.twitter.com/cwvXjvRRaB

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 17, 2024

One would think that with all that offensive positivity, more people would be talking about the Phillies’ offense, right?

Well, they aren’t.

Kyle Schwarber has been up and down. Bryce Harper has been good, not great. Nick Castellanos can’t seem to get any sort of flow going. Brandon Marsh has cooled off considerably. Trea Turner was on fire, but he got hurt and has missed time.

And then there are the individual games themselves – like the time they struck out 18 times against the Angels and 17 times against the Giants and Friday when the bats went completely silent after the third inning against the Nationals – and yet, they still won all three games, which must mean it’s all because of the pitching, right?

Maybe. Each case is different. But there is also this to note –

The Phillies have outscored their opponents 71-28 in the first two innings of games.

• 1st Inning – 43-13
• 2nd Inning – 28-15

They have a .282 batting average in the first two innings of games, which is best in the sport. Their OPS in the first two innings is .828, second only to the Dodgers. They have walked 42 times in the first two innings. They have 16 stolen bases – tied for second most in the sport behind only the running Reds of Cincinnati.

The Phillies are putting a lot of stress on opposing starters, working high pitch counts, and getting into bullpens quicker.

“We put over 70 pitches on the starter after the third inning,” Thomson said. “We’re seeing pitches. We’re making a guy work. You get over 15 pitches in an inning and the stuff needs to come down, and when we do that, we tend to barrel up some balls.”

Play of the day: Marsh spitting his gum into the cup Stott was holding pic.twitter.com/BIJQLS0quD

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 18, 2024

You know who the best hitter in baseball is in the first two innings of games?

Alec Bohm.

Check out these numbers:

.513/.568/.897; 1.466 OPS; 7 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI

It’s pretty staggering stuff. Only Boston’s Tyler O’Neill has a higher OPS in the first two innings, and that’s only because of the home run differential between he and Bohm.

“He’s as pure a hitter as it gets,” Marsh said. “He can get a single, double, triple, homer, kind of whatever he feels like. Credit to him and his work because it’s showing out on the field.”

But it’s not just Bohm.

Since filling in for Turner, Edmundo Sosa is hitting .438 in 16 plate appearances in the first two innings. Harper is hitting .303. Schwarber is at .288 with five home runs. Bryson Stott is hitting .286.

On Friday it was Bohm’s two-out RBI double that scored the Phillies first run in the first inning.

That’s just classic Alec Bohm pic.twitter.com/n0s6MFWbMz

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 17, 2024

After Washington tied it, the Phillies went ahead for good in the second inning by Marsh working a walk, Sosa getting a hit, and then a couple of ground outs and a wild pitch.

The Phillies have an OPS 102 points higher (.789) against opposing starters than opposing relievers, meaning the offense is coming early, and often.

It’s why they haven’t lost back-to-back games since April 24th. In fact, that was also the last time they lost a game where they didn’t have the tying, go-ahead, or winning run come to the plate in the ninth inning or later in a loss.

It’s all because of the timely offense to start games, coupled with the strong pitching, of course.

They are simply taking it to opposing starters and then letting their pitchers take it from there. And considering how good the pitching has been… well… that’s the easy formula to ending up with the best record in the game.

The post Phillies are Winning Often Because They’re Winning Early appeared first on Crossing Broad.

His message to his teammates was simple:

“Let’s get him a W,” Harper told them.

The Phillies then proceeded to grind through several at bats, loading the bases and scoring the tying run without even getting a hit. J.T. Realmuto, back in the lineup after three days off with knee soreness, put them ahead with an RBI single. Then Harper stepped to the plate and ripped a double that scored two more.

When the inning concluded, the Phillies were ahead by three, putting Suarez in line for the win.

They would tack on more in what would be a 10-5 victory, and a third straight win over the New York Mets. It built their record to an eye-popping 31-13. It extended their lead in the N.L. East over an equally hot Atlanta Braves team to three games.

More importantly, it showed just how important these players are to one another.

It wasn’t just about winning another game – that’s the focus every game, regardless of record or standing or anything else – when you are a competitor in a team sport, especially at the professional level, it’s never going to be any different.

But it was about doing something for a teammate who has done so much himself up to this point. Harper had three hits in the game. It started with his team-leading 10th homer of the season in the first inning.

Homer No. 10 for Bryce Harper pic.twitter.com/IHWFo2L48J

— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2024

But knowing Suarez wasn’t pitching beyond the fifth, created a sense of urgency, and Harper knew it was the right time to energize the dugout.

“He was coming out of the game and obviously we know what he’s doing right now (statistically),” Harper said. “You just want to pick up your teammates and play the best baseball you can.”

That’s what the Phillies have been doing for quite some time, with the best record in baseball and on pace to win 114 games. It’s weird to think that this team was 8-8 just over a month ago. They’ve only lost two games in a row twice – the first two games of the season against Atlanta and two games in Cincinnati in late April.

While it’s been a team effort from top to bottom, there’s no question it’s been the starting pitching that has really been a difference maker. And as good as the big money guys like Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola have been, the most impressive guy – maybe in the entire league at this point, has been Suarez.

Ranger Suarez becomes the 35th pitcher ever to start a season at least 8-0 in nine starts or fewer. He’s the first Phillie to do it and only the seventh pitcher in the last 25 years.

— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) May 16, 2024

With the win, he improved to 8-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.37. He pitched just five innings – which was somewhat of a plan, as the Phillies wanted to give him a pull-back start to conserve a little bit and also to get Spencer Turnbull some bulk relief innings – and in those five innings Suarez allowed four hits and two walks with two unearned runs.

That said, he wasn’t all that happy with his performance.

“It was not a great game for me,” he said, through a team interpreter.

Imagine not allowing any earned runs and being unsatisfied with the performance. That’s the kind of heater he’s on.

Suarez will never make excuses, but the first couple of innings were played in a rainstorm, making it hard to get a good grip on some of his pitches. But after giving up a double to Pete Alonso and walking Francisco Lindor to lead off the third inning and uncorking a wild pitch to the next batter, J.D. Martinez, Suarez settled in, and retired nine of the next 11 Mets hitters, sprinkling in one walk and one single that never threatened to score.

Suarez has now won 10 straight decisions, dating back to last season. He’s only the second Phillies lefthander to do that, joining Steve Carlton. He’s the first Phillies pitcher to do it since Roy Oswalt in 2011.

Ranger Suarez has:

The 3rd Lowest ERA in MLB
The Lowest WHIP in MLB
The 3rd Lowest BAA in MLB
The 3rd Most Innings Pitched in MLB
The Most Wins in MLB pic.twitter.com/77GljjsEwE

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 16, 2024

His 1.37 ERA is the third-lowest in franchise history for a starter through nine games. The only numbers lower occurred more than a century ago – Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1916 and Lee Meadows in 1919. (Kinkead – I remember it like it was yesterday)

This is what Harper meant when he said, “We know what he’s doing right now.”

Suarez’s next start will be challenge, as it will come against the defending champion Texas Rangers.

(Hey, Ranger vs. the Rangers!)

If he wins that one, it’ll mark just the 16th time ever that a pitcher was at least 9-0 in 10 starts or fewer to start a major league season – and it’s only happened twice in the last 37 years:

• 1997 – Roger Clemens
• 2016 – Jake Arrieta

With teammates who are intimately aware of chasing history, it’s a sure bet they will do everything they can to continue to add his name to an ever-shrinking list.

Johan Rojas – defensive struggles?

Here’s something you probably didn’t expect – Rojas has been better of late at the plate than in the outfield.

Considering he’s hitting just .233 with a .601 OPS, that’s not saying much for his defense.

Rojas flubbed two fly balls Wednesday night. He dropped a ball hit right at him on the first batter of the game that led to an unearned run in the first inning, and he missed a ball that was scored a double but should have caught in the eighth inning, that ultimately cost Turnbull two earned runs in an inning he should have been out of.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Rojas had rain pelting his eyes on the first one:

Maybe we were premature in anointing Johan Rojas the best defender in baseball pic.twitter.com/5ghm5okEe8

— John Foley (@2008Philz) May 15, 2024

The manager added that Rojas didn’t need to try and dive for the second one.

But Rojas wasn’t making any excuses after the game. He refused to even chalk it up to being overly aggressive while trying to make a play and he wouldn’t even lean into the rain as a reason.

“There’s no excuse,” he said through a team interpreter. “I should have caught those balls. The important thing is for me to show up tomorrow and work on that. I’ll give my 100% to be better.”

The post Ranger Suarez’s Pursuit of History Aided by Bryce Harper’s Rallying Cry in Win Over Mets appeared first on Crossing Broad.

He’s played just one game in left field, he missed two games with back tightness, and he pinch hit in his other appearance.

What you might not realize is that this is new territory for Schwarber.

Wednesday night is the 947th time Schwarber has been in the starting lineup in his 10-year career.

The breakdown of his positions are:

• Left field – 767 times
• DH – 155 times (111 with the Phillies)
• Catcher – 15 times
• First Base – 9 times

Asked what his preference is, Schwarber was in the middle of answering the question when teammate Garrett Stubbs shouted over, “It’s gotta be catcher.”

Schwarber laughed and said, “I should be catching, right? I don’t know why they ever moved me out.”

He knows both catching, his position when he was first called up to the Bigs in 2015, and first base, which was a failed experiment tried by Boston in 2021, were not really going to be in the cards when he came to the Phillies.

While when he signed here he expected a hybridized role – some games in the outfield and some as DH – basically alternating with Nick Castellanos – the elbow injury to Bryce Harper completely changed the calculus.

Kyle Schwarber splits this season:

vs. RHP: 92 AB | 13 H | 1 2B | 6 HR | 13 RBI | 15 BB | 34 K | .141/.259/.348

vs. LHP: 64 AB | 21 H | 1 2B | 3 HR | 12 RBI | 11 BB | 27 K | .328/.427/.484 pic.twitter.com/760ArcxdVj

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) May 15, 2024

Harper had to DH in 2022 if he was going to play. That meant, to keep both Schwarber and Castellanos in the lineup, they had to play in the outfield. And then, last year, once Harper was back and able to take the field, this time reincarnated as a first baseman, Schwarber was moved to DH on a more regular basis.

Never has it been this consistent.

Sure, he’ll get a few more games in the field this season to give guys a blow, but what was originally intended to be a pretty even split has tuned into something that’s going to be more like 95% DH, 5% left field.

“I enjoy playing a position, I enjoy playing the field,” Schwarber said. “Do I wish I was playing a position? There are days that you do and days that you don’t. But that’s the baseball player (in you). You play a position your whole life and now you kind of get that taken away a little bit. That’s not a negative thing by any means. That’s just the baseball player and you’re like, ‘Man, You know what? (I) kind of miss playing the field.'”

There’s no question – and Schwarber understands this completely – that the Phillies are a better defensive team with any other outfielder in left field than with him out there. So, this isn’t sour grapes by any means. But that doesn’t mean it’s also an adjustment he has to deal with as a professional.

“There’s pros and cons on both sides,” Schwarber said. “There’s a double-edged sword, you know. There’s an on and off switch and you’re always on when you’re going from the outfield and you come in to get ready to hit, and then you’re swinging back around to go back on the field. You’re always on.

“But when you’re the DH, you’re on, and then you turn it off, and then you got to turn it back on. And you got to find the right things to do. Sometimes you are taking too many swings. Sometimes it’s not enough swings. Then you can overanalyze an at bat or you take it for what it is and just move on to the next one. There’s a lot of different things, and it sounds complicated, but it’s really not.”

highest fast-swing rate, 2024:

Giancarlo Stanton: 98.0%
Oneil Cruz: 74.9%
Kyle Schwarber: 73.7%
Ronald Acuña Jr.: 72.1%
Christopher Morel: 72.0%
Aaron Judge: 69.0%
Jo Adell: 66.9%
Juan Soto: 66.0%

fast swing = 75+ mph
WHY WE CARE – MLB results on fast swings: .310 BA, .605 SLG,…

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 14, 2024

The one thing that’s complicated, or at least understanding why it’s happening, is the uneasiness that seems to consume him now that he spends defensive innings on the bench.

“For me now, I get anxiety for some reason to sit down and watch the game when we’re on defense,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Man I don’t have any kind of hand in it.”

Schwarber tries to manage that anxiety by keeping busy and getting swings in between at bats in the cage. But he also knows he can’t do that all the time either, because it could end up being counterproductive. So, what else does he do?

“I’m crossing my fingers and pacing around,” he said, jokingly.

But in reality, in the half of the inning when the Phillies are batting, it happens quickly.

“I usually start to try to get ready when I’m like five spots away,” he said. “But I feel like I’m five spots away every inning.”

Schwarber said that when he’s in the cage he’s paying close attention to the monitors because of the camera feeds they have.

“We always have a high home feed on, which is allowed, and then we also have the delay feed,” he said. So, you see what goes on with the high feed and then you go to the 30-second delay. But if it’s a really big spot in the game, everything stops. No one’s doing anything. We’re just sitting there watching.”

One thing Schwarber has learned by being a full-time DH is that he has a whole new appreciation for the Phillies pitchers – and coaches.

“I’m happy to be a player and not a coach,” he said. “Not having to make decisions and things in real time like that. The cool thing for me though is now I’m able to stay engaged with the pitching staff and what they’re doing and it’s really impressive. Sometimes you don’t really get to see it when you’re on the bench, but when you are down in the cage, and you get to see the back view and you get to see the quality of pitches they are making, it’s a cool thing.”

The post Kyle Schwarber Adjusting to Life as a Full-Time Phillies DH appeared first on Crossing Broad.

There was a game in July of 2018 where he allowed just one hit while pitching seven shutout innings and striking out 10 in a Phillies win.

Then there was the time, in June of 2021, when he struck out 10 consecutive Mets batters, tying the major league record set by Tom Seaver. It’ss since been matched one more time by Corbin Burnes, when he was with Milwaukee.

And although he lost a game in August of 2022, it was a hell of a pitcher’s duel between Nola and Jacob deGrom that ended up with the Mets winning 1-0. Nola threw a complete game, allowing just four hits with eight strikeouts.

But his performance Tuesday was his best one yet in Queens.

Nola tossed a shutout, the fourth of his career. He had a perfect game through five innings, ended up allowing four hits and no walks while once again striking out eight as the Phillies won 4-0, taking both games in New York, and now come home to face the Mets for two more.

The Phillies improved to 30-13. It’s the second-fastest any Phils team has ever reached 30 wins, tying the 1913 and 1993 squads. The only team that did it faster was the 1976 Phillies, who won their 30th game in Game 41. They’re only the 79th team all-time to win at least 30 of their first 43 games. Of the previous 78, 59 went on to win their division (75.6%), 54 reached the World Series (69.2%) and 27 won the title (34.6%).

Also, the Phillies are now on pace for 113 wins this season. The franchise record is 102.

They are a wagon, and they keep finding ways to win games, with a different hero every game. On Tuesday it was Nola.

With his team not having an off day this week, Nola knew he wanted to give some length so the bullpen could get a day off. Only Jeff Hoffman started warming in the ninth inning, just in case things started to get away from Nola after he threw 100 pitches.

It wasn’t necessary. Nola threw 106 pitches. He even had one inning where he threw just three pitches, becoming only the seventh Phillie to ever do that (the last was the immortal Drew Anderson in 2019).

The Entire Bottom of the 7th for Aaron Nola.

3 Pitches. 85 seconds (with no editing). pic.twitter.com/qM9cfL0YGF

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 14, 2024

Nola had all five of his pitches working, but especially the knuckle curve, which he threw 35% of the time. It was his out pitch and induced 11 of the 13 swings and misses he had in the game.

Also of note for Nola was an uptick in his cutter usage, which nearly doubled his usual output (he threw 17 of them) and he also threw nine change ups, which is a few more than usual, and just enough to keep hitters guessing and off balance.

Most important was his command of the fastball in the lower quadrants of the strike zone. In his last start, he wasn’t getting the pitches down enough. They would be thigh-high to hitters as opposed to knee-high, and those couple inches make the difference between soft and hard contact. That wasn’t a problem at all against the Mets.

Aaron Nola has not allowed a base runner through five innings at Citi Field pic.twitter.com/q07o2hnPP2

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 14, 2024

Nola improved to 5-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.10 this season. Of Nola’s four career shutouts, three were nine innings long. Of those three, two have now been caught by Garrett Stubbs.

Tuesday’s shutout was most notable though because the Phillies were without Trea Turner, of course (I.L. – hamstring), Bryce Harper, who was a late scratch with a migraine, and J.T. Realmuto, again…

I’m not a doctor, but this doesn’t seem like a good reaction to have when you’re just adjusting your positioning a little.

(Also, not wearing a mask is just really not smart.) pic.twitter.com/al7uB8Vdk7

— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) May 14, 2024

It wouldn’t surprise if Realmuto missed at least one more game on Wednesday, though Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm continue to pace the offense.

Bohm had another double, his MLB-leading 16th of the season, and had two more RBIs, upping his total to 35, which is third in the majors behind Atlanta’s Marcel Ozuna (40) and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (37). He’s also now hitting .333, which is sixth in all of baseball.

The funny thing is, Bohm’s first RBI came after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The same thing happened Monday night in the ninth inning.

He became just the second player in the last 50 years to have an RBI hit by pitch in consecutive games (Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh, 2008).

But it’s Stott whose been on fire for the Phillies.

In his last 13 games, Stott is slashing .425/.561/.800 for a 1.361 OPS. He’s reached base safely 32 times in 57 plate appearances. That’s bonkers.

The most impressive thing in that span in the strikeout-to-walk ratio. He walked three more times Tuesday and has walked 14 times while striking out just six.

Stott’s career high in walks for a season is 39. He already has 22. He’s on pace for 83!

As good as Nola was, Stott gave him the breathing room he needed with this cutch single in the ninth inning to pad the Phillies lead:

Bryson Stott with his 12th RBI over the last 9 games.
He is batting .433 in May
pic.twitter.com/hKfJl262i4

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 14, 2024

And just in case you thought there was a chance for this train to slow down, Ranger Suarez is on the hill Wednesday, looking to make his own history and become the first Phillies pitcher to start a season 8-0 in their first nine starts. (He’d be the 35th pitcher to ever be at least 8-0 through nine starts and first since Jack Flaherty did it for St. Louis in 2021.)

When people say the Phillies “have the best rotation in baseball” it’s not even particularly close right now! I recognize injuries are almost inevitable and we’ll cross that bridge later, but why in the world would anybody want to mess with a unit playing this well together?? pic.twitter.com/LrLdcAoqUu

— Ian (@ianfromphilly) May 14, 2024

The post Aaron Nola Flawless as Phillies Continue to Chase History with Matinee Win Over the Mets appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Maybe it’s ingrained in the minds of Philadelphia sports fans. Too many heartbreaks in the past. Too many fast starts that crumble into deep-seated disappointments. Too many promises of an ultimate reward only to have them prove to be empty in the end.

So we start looking – under every rock, in every dark corner – for those things that are a surefire sign that this success cannot sustain itself. We need to find the chinks in the armor. We need to find the finest cracks in the foundation. We need to find something to bitch about, damn it!

Never mind the fact that the Phillies were without three star players in the lineup against the Mets and have been trying to win games with their depth players for several games now. No, we need to channel that deep-seated anger towards someone – anyone.

Consider me gob smacked to see so much vitriol being directed in the direction of Garrett Stubbs.

Yep, the backup catcher is taking the arrows of the fans who don’t have their bow and quiver locked away while the team is in the midst of one of its best starts ever.

Why?

Well, he hasn’t hit with any sort of consistency for two years!

Great, there aren’t many backup catchers, who only get to play once a week, who can. Next.

Uh, He can’t catch Zack Wheeler, and that’s why our ace was so ineffective in Miami Sunday. 

Really? Who said that? Because it wasn’t Wheeler.

But.. but… they were talking about it on the broadcast!

Gotcha. Let’s let a bespectacled studio host who jumps from one extreme to the other, like frogs on lily pads, tell you how you should feel about a certain player or players, or the team in general.

Remember, he was having a meltdown about the Phillies in the opening week of the season after a loss.

But, if we’re being fair, this was first brought up by Ben Davis during the broadcast of Sunday’s game because Wheeler’s lifetime numbers in Stubbs starts aren’t great as when J.T. Realmuto catches.

Never mind the fact that Sunday was just the sixth time Stubbs has ever caught Wheeler, while Realmuto has caught Wheeler 104 times. Why let those facts get in the way of a talking point?

I’ll have more on this as this post progresses, but it’s things like this that fester into season-long, or multi-season long tropes chortled by voices on multiple platforms without context, and that drives me nuts.

Consider this progression:

1. Davis mentions the disparity on Sunday between Realmuto and Stubbs when Wheeler pitches. He tries his best to put in the caveat that it’s a small sample size, but that’s like trying to put toothpaste back in a tube.
2. Michael Barkann doubles down on it on the postgame show because the Phillies lost, and well, we need to highlight any negative we can when that happens.
3. Wheeler is actually asked about this by media in the clubhouse afterwards, because we do listen to the broadcast sometimes while watching the game, to pick up on tidbits, no matter how inane. Wheeler dismisses it by saying, “We’re both on the same page for the most part. It’s just different scenarios where I like to do certain things and he’s not used to it. This isn’t on Stubby at all. It’s on me. I threw a lot of balls – what, three or four walks? That’s just on me.”
4. With Realmuto having knee soreness, Stubbs has to catch again Monday night. Cristopher Sanchez gets in some trouble early in the game, and the low grumble of Stubbs catching another bad outing starts to simmer on social media. Then, when he has to bat in a key spot late in the game and doesn’t come through, the mouth breathing really begins.

I have never been more done with a player than I am with Garrett Stubbs

— Johnny Two Hats (@Johnny_2Hats) May 14, 2024

Jorge Alfaro can’t be worse than Garrett Stubbs

— (@BryceBombs) May 14, 2024

I need Garrett Stubbs off this team more than I need air.

— Gabe (@cryptomorey) May 14, 2024

garrett stubbs is not a major leaguer

— Jacob (@jacobakadad) May 14, 2024

Garrett Stubbs is so ass

— Donnie Brasco (@Jbm1055) May 14, 2024

First pitch swinging biggest at bat of the game from our 9 hitter. You fucking stink @GarrettStubbs

— JoeSchmoe (@SchmoesBrother) May 14, 2024

At least that last guy had the balls to actually tag Stubbs in his venomous tweet.

It’s crazy, though. Forget the fact that Stubbs executed a brilliant, two-out, drag bunt for an RBI earlier in the game.

Garrett Stubbs: bunt king pic.twitter.com/CMxQrERnTu

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 13, 2024

Excuse the fact that he threw a seed to nail Harrison Bader trying to steal second following a leadoff single in the sixth inning.

another fun moment from this game:

Garrett Stubbs (@GarrettStubbs) throws out Harrison Bader at second for the caught stealing pic.twitter.com/ZUwA6ScNDC

— Israel Baseball (@ILBaseball) May 14, 2024

None of that should matter because the Phillies, who were already shorthanded in the position player department, let him bat in the ninth inning and he popped out, right? Puh-lease.

Was it a good at bat? No. He probably should have taken a strike against Edwin Diaz, who was rattled at that point and was overthrowing a bit. A swinging first pitch was not ideal.

But it’s a manifestation of misguided anger that stemmed from a few comments a day earlier by broadcasters who just need something to talk about.

As usual, Garrett Stubbs causing a pitching change…

— Tom Fountain (@tomfountain1) May 14, 2024

The point is, Stubbs has not hit when he’s played. It’s hard to do – especially as a backup catcher who doesn’t get pinch hitting appearances either.

And he absolutely should be better than what he’s been, which is batting just .133 with a .369 OPS in eight starts this season. However, comparatively, backup catchers in baseball are not in that role because they’re providing great offense. If they were, they wouldn’t be backups, you know what I’m saying?

I went through every backup catcher in baseball and most of them have pretty meager offensive numbers.

There are unique situations, like in Kansas City, Minnesota, and Milwaukee where two catchers are often deployed simultaneously – Salvador Perez plays first base sometimes for the Royals, giving Freddy Fermin more time than most backups, and Gary Sanchez often serves as a DH for the Brewers behind William Contreras while Ryan Jeffers does the same for the Twins alongside Christian Vazquez.

It’s hard to compare with those teams, and there are other teams who have dealt with injuries to either their starter or their backup (Atlanta, St. Louis, San Francisco and the Mets), meaning there’s a lot of time for a third or fourth catcher as well.

But here are the batting averages and OPS of the rest of the backups in MLB so far this season:

• Baltimore – James McCann – .213; .541 OPS
• N.Y. Yankees – Austin Wells – .200; .648 OPS*
• Boston – Reese McGuire – .273; .739 OPS
• Tampa Bay – Alex Jackson – .059; .223 OPS
• Toronto – Alejandro Kirk – .188; .534 OPS**
• Cleveland – Austin Hedges – .147; .408 OPS
• Detroit – Carson Kelly – .177; .513 OPS
• Chicago White Sox – Martin Maldonado – .106; .336 OPS
• Seattle – Seby Zavala – .200; .567 OPS
• Texas – Andrew Knizner – .132; .364 OPS
• Oakland – Kyle McCann – .353; 1.083 OPS
• Houston – Victor Caratini – .245; .732 OPS
• L.A. Angels – Matt Thaiss – .226; .656 OPS
• Washington – Riley Adams – .233; .704 OPS
• Miami – Nick Fortes – .122; .345 OPS***
• Chicago Cubs – Yan Gomes – .200; .530 OPS
• Pittsburgh – Joey Bart – .205; .794 OPS****
• Cincinnati – Luke Maile – .148; .480 OPS
• L.A. Dodgers – Austin Barnes – .219; .609 OPS
• San Diego – Kyle Higashioka – .182; .515 OPS
• Arizona – Tucker Barnhart – .205; .611 OPS
• Colorado – Jacob Stallings – .326; .923 OPS

(* – Wells and Jose Trevino have evenly split playing time. ** – Kirk has played a little more than Danny Jansen to this point but Jansen also has been used as a DH while Kirk plays, just not as often as teams like MIL, KC and MIN, a sign Toronto would prefer to have his bat in the lineup to Kirk. *** – Fortes has split time with Christian Bethancourt, but that’s been slowly changing in the past couple weeks. **** – Bart was brought in when backup Yasmani Grandal got hurt at the beginning of the season. They’ve since sent original starter Henry Davis down and Grandal just came back, so it’s not known who will get the bulk of the time.)

As you can see, with only a few exceptions, no backup catcher is hitting well right now. This shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Backup catchers are there to be good signal callers and provide good defense. When it comes to throwing out runners, Stubbs still has one of the better pop times in the sport. The average pop time for a major league catcher is two seconds flat.

In limited chances this year, Stubbs is at 1.93 seconds, which is tied for 15th in the majors. Last year he was 1.87, which was tied for second in the sport behind Realmuto. In 2022 he was at 1.91, which ranked 7th.

That makes him still among the better catchers in that department.

As for being a signal caller, Stubbs is right around league average.

Phillies starters have a 3.89 ERA in games Stubbs has started behind the plate. The major league average is 3.98. Meaning Phillies pitchers have been slightly better than league average ERA in games he starts.

The starting staff’s WHIP has been 1.34. The league average is 1.26, so it’s slightly lower.

Combined, it’s basically league average – which you would expect from your backup catcher.

As for the notion he impacts Wheeler when he pitches, let’s look at the six times he’s caught Wheeler.

The first was July 13th, 2022, in Toronto. Do you remember that trip? You should. It’s the one where Realmuto and a few other teammates couldn’t travel because of Canadian COVID vaccine restrictions.

The Phillies trotted out this lineup for that game:

1. Kyle Schwarber LF
2. Rhys Hoskins 1B
3. Nick Castellanos RF
4. Darick Hall DH
5. Bryson Stott 2B
6. Matt Vierling CF
7. Didi Gregorius SS
8. Yairo Munoz 3B
9. Garrett Stubbs C

Keep in mind this was Casty’s first year hear, so he wasn’t good. And Stott was a rookie who was struggling.

As for the pitchers the Phillies had to rely on to replace Wheeler that game – Jeurys Familia, Nick Duron, Brad Hand, and Bubby Rossman. When the Phillies gave out their NLCS rings to all the players from 2022, I somehow missed the presentations to Duron and Rossman.

Needless to say, that was a mess of a situation. Wheeler threw 4 2/3 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

His next start that Stubbs caught was two weeks later in Pittsburgh, and Wheeler was, well, Wheeler. He lasted seven innings and allowed just two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out eight.

Guess Stubbs wasn’t a problem that night, eh?

The third time Stubbs caught Wheeler was August 20th, 2022. Remember that game? It was at home against the Mets. Anyone?

Let me remind you. It was the game that landed Wheeler on the I.L. for a month before the end of the season.

Should we blame Stubbs for Wheeler being hurt?

Wheeler threw 5 1/3 innings allowing four runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts and then we didn’t see him until late September.

After that, Stubbs didn’t catch Wheeler again for almost a year.

The next time was August 2nd, 2023 in a 9-8 loss in Miami. But that one wasn’t on Wheeler. He pitched well. He allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk in six innings.

The fifth time he caught him was August 20th of last season. That was the Little League Classic, where, if you remember, the Phillies schedule was delayed and they didn’t land until lunchtime and had a lot of appearances to make before the game that night. Wheeler gave up four runs on five hits in the first inning, and then shut the Washington Nationals down over the next six innings, yielding just two hits and a walk.

The last start was Sunday, where Wheeler admitted to not having a good feel for his pitches.

So, when you put it into context, really, how much of a detriment has Stubbs been to Wheeler? Zero. None. Not at all. Making a case that he is comes solely from finding a weird stat and leaning into it as a bullshit argument, to put it bluntly.

Lo and behold, Stubbs is starting again Tuesday, as Realmuto will miss his third straight game.

Another game watching Garrett Stubbs play… it is beyond painful to watch.

The Phillies need to look into a good backup catcher. Idc about the vibes, Stubbs does nothing to help this team on the field. If JT was hurt long term, this team would be screwed.

— Joe Bobiak (@JoeBobiak) May 14, 2024

Stubbs will be catching Aaron Nola for the first time this season and eighth time in the three seasons he’s been with the Phillies. Nola’s numbers in games caught by Stubbs? –

4.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 45 IP, 51 K, 5 BB

Stubbs once caught a complete game shutout by Nola, and also caught a game in which he allowed eight runs in four innings. Take both out (one very good, one very bad) and it’s a 3.66 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP.

Nola’s career numbers? How about 3.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.

The last thing is, when you take all this in total, you find that Stubbs is not very different statistically from most backup catchers in the sport. But where he is different, is in the clubhouse.

There’s no doubt he’s one of the most well-liked, and some would argue is THE most well-liked guy in the Phillies clubhouse. You already know all about the camaraderie he creates. He’s the team DJ. He has a lot to do with the vibes related to the team. He became a legend with the Budweiser box on his head in 2022. He ordered a pair of overalls for the entire team last year, and that sparked fans to buy them too.

Oh, and he’s the lead guitarist and backup vocalist for the band “Stay Loose and Sexy” with teammates Brandon Marsh, Schwarber and Cristian Pache.

OK, the band thing is just hysterical, despite not being real. But it’s indicative of the kind of thing that makes this team so close, and Stubbs is one of the biggest glue guys there is in the game.

So, if he’s going to be about average statistically when it comes to backup catchers, but brings so much energy and culture to the team, why would anyone criticize his role?

Garrett Stubbs great for vibes, also known as hitting 3 balls out of the infield per season and jinxing his team up 2-0 in the NLCS. Irreplaceable!

— Big Hoss (@HalfChubb08) May 14, 2024

There are actually dozens of tweets just like these. Just search it yourself if you don’t believe me. For as great as the fans are in this town, this is why they have the reputation they do nationwide. Because of nonsense like this.

Look, I’ve gone on way too long here to justify a backup catcher, for God’s sake. I need to stop for my own sanity. The simplest point, and one that should have saved me about 2,500 words is this:

There may be other things that crop up this season to worry about on the march toward October for the Phillies. Unless something horrible happens and Realmuto is lost for the postseason, worrying about what Stubbs brings to the table is absolutely not one of them.

The post Thanks to the Television Broadcast, a Swath of Phillies Fans Now Oddly Angry at Garrett Stubbs appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Then they did, 5-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, snapping an 11-game home winning streak.

And while it wasn’t their best game – the offense seemed befuddled by Chris Bassitt, who seems to keep the Phillies off-balance every time he faces them with his five-pitch mix that includes a curveball that wouldn’t get ticketed for speeding on City Ave, and Aaron Nola missed a couple of pitches in the sixth inning, that branded his record with his second loss of the season in what otherwise was a decent start – the Phillies go into an off day sitting atop the sport with the best record at 26-12.

It’s been such an impressive start that even the ESPN Power rankings that always seem to reserve the top spots for the L.A. Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and New York Yankees have recognized the Phillies are an elite team and popped them up to second behind Team Mookie-Shohei:

Yo, all you other @MLB teams and fan bases. This is what a Tuesday night in Philly during the school year is like for a random inter-league game. Eat your hearts out. pic.twitter.com/wTVDKUQqHk

— PHILLIES BELL (@PhilliesBell) May 8, 2024

What does it mean in the grand scheme of things? After all, the MLB season hasn’t quite reached the quarter pole. The Phillies will get there after a weekend series in Miami where the attendance will give them flashbacks to the 2020 pandemic season when only cardboard cutouts were in the stands.

There’s still a lot of baseball to be played, but enough historical data about a start this good that it could provide a glimpse of what to expect for this Phillies team going forward.

To take a really good glance at it, I did some research.

OK. That’s a lie. I didn’t do all the research. Major props go out to Conestoga High School senior Aidan Gregory – who, for his final requirement before graduation, for some reason chose to spend a month being my personal intern. He did all the digging and created this amazing, color-coded spreadsheet. I just crunched some late-night numbers that he sent me to put it together. But seriously, great work by the kid.

The Phillies are just the 112th team in the World Series era (since 1903) to win at least 26 of their first 38 games. Now, in a vacuum, that doesn’t sound very exclusive, does it? I mean, if something happens a handful of times, then yes, it’s a wow. But 112 times, is a bit more meh, right?

Except when you contextualize it, it’s starts to get more and more impressive.

The hottest club in @MLB is: pic.twitter.com/ro7Z7AJlFk

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 8, 2024

Consider that it’s the 112th time in 122 major league seasons – which means it happens less than once a year. Even more telling is that in those 122 years of the MLB, there have been 2,644 individual team seasons. That means that 112 of them is just 4.2% of every season ever played by every team.

That looks a little better, right? Oh, but wait, there’s more.

Of those previous 111 teams to be as prolific as the Phillies have been so far this season, 41 of them (36.9%) have gone on to win 100 or more games in a season. that’s a pretty good number. But do you know what the most eye-popping number of them all is?

How about 56?

Know what that is? Go ahead. Take a guess. I’ll wait.

…

…

No, it has nothing to do with Joe DiMaggio’s hitting steak, or Joe Blanton’s uniform.

It is the number of these fast start teams who have reached the World Series a little more than five months later. That’s more than half of them (50.4%).

A pretty good rate, yeah?

Of those 56, a total of 33 of them won the World Series. The most recent was the 2020 Dodgers.

You’re right, but that season doesn’t count because it was only 60 games long and played almost entirely in empty ballparks.

O.K. That means the most recent in a real season was the 2017 Houston Astros.

Um…. They cheated, and everyone knows it. Throw them out, too.

O.K. then the last legitimate team to get off to this fast a start who won a World Series was the 2016 Chicago Cubs. Any quibbles there?

(crickets chirping)

Good.

As for the last time it happened where a team reached the World Series but lost, it was the 2020 Tampa Bay Rays.

Ahem… 

Fine. The 2003 New York Yankees, who were upset in the Fall Classic by the Florida Marlins.

The point is, that if past is prologue, there is a really good chance that these Phillies at least reach the World Series, if not actually win the whole shebang.

No Phillies game today, so here’s the final 10 mins of the 2008 World Seriespic.twitter.com/iFVVAK0PCo

— John Foley (@2008Philz) May 2, 2024

I mean, ask yourself, if five weeks ago – which was the last time the Phillies lost a series and were 2-4 after six games – if you would take these historical percentages on reaching and/or winning the World Series as a comparator for how the Phils were playing. Admit it, you’d be over the moon answering yourself with a certifiable yes.

That’s how good the Phillies have been – to get you to this point.

But it should not be overlooked that nearly half the teams who got off to this good a start also did NOT make the World Series. Here are some numbers:

• 9 lost in the League Championship Series (8.1%)
• 8 lost in the League Division Series (7.2%)
• 2 lost in the Wild Card Series (1.8%)
• 1 didn’t have a chance to play in the playoffs because the season was cancelled (1994 N.Y. Yankees)
• 35 missed the playoffs entirely (31.5%)

Woah. That last one is a big number. Can teams really collapse that badly? 

Well, yeah. Anything is possible – and for a variety of reasons, but it should be noted that only five of these teams have missed the playoffs in the wild card era, and they were all back when there was only one wild card team in each league. There are now three.

And those five teams all would have been in the playoffs in those years had there been three wild cards:

• 1996 Montreal Expos (88-74)
• 2000 Arizona Diamondbacks (85-77)*
• 2001 Minnesota Twins (85-77)
• 2002 Boston Red Sox (93-69)
• 2002 Seattle Mariners (93-69)

(The Diamondbacks would have been tied with Cincinnati for the No. 6 seed. How that tie would have been broken is unknown because there wasn’t a balanced schedule then, so head-to-head would have been unlikely. It probably would have resulted in a one-game playoff to see who got in.)

I point all this out to show that there is no indication whatsoever that a team starting this well would miss the playoffs entirely in a season where six teams from each league make it.

That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though. The other 30 teams who missed the playoffs did so before there was a wild card, so they were simply caught in the divisional race, or pre-1969, the league standings, by another team. But there were three epic collapses where not only did the team that got off to such a great start miss the playoffs, but they fell apart enough to not even finish with a winning record.

Believe it or not, all three times it was the same franchise:

• 1905 Cleveland Indians – started 26-12, finished 76-78
• 1941 Cleveland Indians – started 26-12, finished 75-79
• 1966 Cleveland Indians – started 27-11, finished 81-81

No wonder it sucks to be a Cleveland sports fan. Even in the years they don’t make the playoffs there’s a chance at heartbreak.

Anyway, back to the 2024 Phillies. A quick glance at their upcoming schedule for the next 30 days, and you’ll see there’s a chance for this record to get even more crazy good:

• 3 at Miami (10-29)
• 2 at N.Y. Mets and then 2 home vs. the Mets (18-18)
• 3 vs. Washington (18-18)
• 3 vs. Texas (22-17)
• 3 at Colorado (8-28)
• 3 at San Francsico (17-21)
• 3 vs. St. Louis (15-21)
• 3 vs. Milwaukee (21-15)
• 2 vs. N.Y. Mets (in London, England) (18-18)

That’s right, just six games – all at home – against teams with winning records in the next 27 contests.

Something tells me we’ll be doing more historical comparisons with this team in the not-too-distant future. Speaking of history, I’ll leave you with one last look at the past.

This happened 31 years ago today:

This was the first and maybe the biggest HOLY S—moment in a season full of HOLY S— moments for that team. Really gave fans the sense that a special summer was brewing. #Phillies https://t.co/pUSprOHoGX

— Mike Sielski (@MikeSielski) May 9, 2024

The post What the Past Tells Us About How Far the Phillies Will Go this Season appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It formed organically, almost in an instant this past Sunday night, and it’s about to take the city by storm.

Its not-so-humble beginnings were born inside the imagination of Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh.

Mic’d up for a segment on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, Marsh was expecting a lot of baseball questions. But one, from a fan, came out of the blue.

Marsh wasn’t expecting the question and had to think quickly on his feet. He had just made the third out of the inning and only had the time it would take to jog off the field and into the dugout to come up with an answer:

Who on the Phillies would be in his rock band and what would it be called?

Marsh identified Garrett Stubbs, Kyle Schwarber and Cristian Pache as his bandmates and the name. Well…

Brandon Marsh mic’d up is a treat #SundayNightBaseball pic.twitter.com/HJOHoSsRhC

— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2024

Stay loose and sexy. Put it on a T-shirt.

“Oh, we got one,” Marsh said after batting practice Tuesday. “I’ll bring it out tonight.”

Stay tuned postgame, Phillies fans.

Marsh admitted that he was put on the spot with the question, and while it wasn’t difficult to come up with his fellow bandmates, the name was blurted spontaneously – and it’s been an absolute hit.

“I was a bit nervous,” he said. “I was a little panicked. A little bit. That was the first thing that came to my mind, and I’m glad I said it.”

How could he not be? It perfectly describes how the Phillies are playing right now – loose and sexy. They are having fun putting together a season that is their third-best start in franchise history. It’s every bit as loose and sexy as it can be.

As for the band, Marsh doubled down on the guys and gave further descriptions as to what their roles would be. He started by talking about Pache, who may have been a surprise to most fans to be included, but in reality, the locker room is pretty split on who the most entertaining guy is in the clubhouse between Stubbs and Pache.

Pache is a sneaky “vibes” guy.

And apparently he’s a hell of a dancer.

“He’s the best dancer on the team,” Marsh said. “You put on any song – country, jazz, hip hop, rock – that dude’s getting down to it. And it’s on beat, on cue and it looks nice. Pache has got to be in the band.”

me at the Stay Loose and Sexy concert pic.twitter.com/zC23k1d2cD

— noah (@stottbohmmarsh) May 5, 2024

Can’t wait for the dancing Pache memes.

But every great rock band needs a powerful lead vocalist.

“That’s Schwarber,” Marsh said. “He can control the room. He can read the room well and amplify when he needs to.”

He also has some experience as a frontman, sorta:

Schwarber and his teammates recreated this high school moment when he was on the Cubs. Marsh didn’t know anything about this video when I told him about it.

“I’m looking it up as soon as I get inside,” he said.

As for Marsh’s role in the band?

“If you give me some time, not saying I can do it, but probably the drums,” Marsh said. “Guitar seems way too difficult, but I feel like I can bang some stuff around.”

Does that mean Stubbs is lead guitar? Bass?

“He could do guitar, but there needs to be a backup singer with the ad libs and stuff like that, right? Stubby can do that,” Marsh said.

So, maybe the band needs to be more than just the four of them.

Either way, with how fans latch on to fun things with this team – homer hats, playlists, sing-alongs, overalls, you name it – Stay Loose and Sexy has a chance to be bigger than Beatlemania in Philadelphia this summer.

The post ‘Stay Loose and Sexy’ the Latest Vibe to Emanate from the Phillies Clubhouse appeared first on Crossing Broad.