Open Discussion: Week of August 19, 2018

Weekly Discussion

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I attended the Phillies/Mets game on Saturday.  I don’t know where we stopped, when we got back on the road, or when we arrived home.  I expect that we will have driven about 14 hours on Sunday and that I will be arriving home in the early evening.  I’m sure that I will be in no condition to sit at a computer for a couple hours.

Hopefully, I’ll be at the Complex Monday, and Recaps will be back to normal Monday night.

As for the weekly discussion, hopefully the Phillies won on Saturday and Sunday.  And, the Rockies continued to beat on the Braves.

 

262 thoughts on “Open Discussion: Week of August 19, 2018”

  1. Yeah, the Rockies swept Atl. So we went 2-3 against the Mets and gained 1.5 games on Atl. Meanwhile, Wsh lost 2 of 3 from Florida, so we also padded our lead against them, too. Gotta love a good pennant race =)

    1. Topped out at 90-91 on Lehigh’s gun, was pretty much consistently 90. Offspeed stuff was mostly 84-86. Ran some long counts but did a decent job.

      Was more impressed plouffe hit 89 haha

      1. No surprise with Eick’s velo. Eickhoff’s arm strength is almost tapped out so his low 90s FB, mid-80s SL, upper 70s CB and low 80s CU is pretty much what it is. The CB is already a killer pitch, but the command and development of the SL-CU with be the key. Eickhoff’s FB is pedestrian so without a reliable SL or CU, Eickfoff will become a vanilla #4/#5 starter.

        1. Don’t kid yourself. Eickhoff is much more effective when he can run the FB up there around 92-93. At 90-91 he is going to struggle big time unless his breaking balls are all working and he has perfect command.

  3. Adonis Medina is much better than he is given credit for…follow me here.

    IMO, the 3 most important stats for a pitching prospect are:
    1. K rate
    2. Walk rate
    3. Ground ball rate

    My logic is very simple. If you strike out a lot of guys, don’t walk a lot of guys and also get a lot of ground balls, it is really hard to get hurt. The rest is BABIP luck.

    Medina’s K rate, walk rate and Ground ball rate are elite.
    His K rate is 10.25
    His walk rate is 2.84
    His GB % is 49.6%

    How good are those rates?

    Here is a complete list of FSL pitchers over the past 13 years that have those same rates:

    That is right. No qualified pitcher over the last 13 years (which is all Fangraphs has stats for) has put together that type of package. Some have matched or surpassed his K rate. A few have matched or surpassed his k rate and had a lower walk rate, but none have combined the extreme ground ball rate that he has with both the stuff and command.

    Who in the majors would have this type of package? Here is a complete list of MLB starting pitchers in 2018 who match these rates:

    That’s right. No one. The closest is Patrick Corbin who has 10.99 K rate, a 2.14 walk rate and a 48.6 % GB rate. Corbin has a 5.1 WAR this season as of August 18th.

    This is not to say doing it in A+ is the same as doing it in the Majors. Far from it. But it is really impressive what Medina is doing as a 21 yo in A+. His peripheral stats project him to be a really high quality MLB pitcher.

    1. I would be interested to know how Medina’s three metrics of, K/BB/GB%, compared to current youthful Phillies pitchers (Nola/Eflin/Pivetta/Velásquez) when they were in Hi-A?

          1. v1 … agree with you. Adonis Medina is a stud.
            Aside from the numbers you’ve produced, there are the glowing reports.
            Kiley McDaniel has compared him to Casey Mize. And even though Keith Law ranks him as the Phillies #4 pitching prospect (behind Sixto, JoJo, and Ranger), he has written that there are some scouts who like Medina more than Sixto.
            Then there’s this (may be my favorite tweet of the year):

            If he remains healthy, Medina could be throwing at CBP this time next year.

            1. I’m glad that Medina was not traded at the deadline. I’ve been very vehement in holding on to Sixto and Medina at all costs. I believe both Sixto and Medina are potential studs and will be ready to help the Phillies in 2 years time.

              Medina was hurt by long balls this year and have some bad days. But if you take out the 2-3 bad days that Medina had, his numbers look really good.

              I’m not concerned where Medina ranks in national prospect list. As long as Klentak hold on to him, Medina can be really good.

            2. I can’t believe the commentator didn’t comment on the change up right away, that was absolutely disgusting. I would venture to say that is easily plus plus.

            3. Eric D … Yes. Medina has one of the best CH in all of MiLB. His SL has wicked movement, also. However, he needs to learn to command it better. It’s not consistent enough. Give him another year. I believe he could see MLB by this time next year.

  4. Thanks for Eickhoff update. When he was 92 93 a couple of seasons ago he was effective. Maybe building more arm strength gets him back

  5. The Phils have the money (no pun intended) to sign a Corbin and a Machado and a Harper this offseason. If they were to do that, the Phils would suddenly have depth they don’t need in many areas. It will be key how they turn some of that depth into valuable resources of some kind. I’m thinking Knapp, Crawford, Nick Williams, Altherr, Roman Quinn, Pivetta or Velasquez, etc.

    1. Don Money……if they ever did sign Machado, Harper, and LHP Corbin ( all three total approx $100M AAV)……and maybe Wilson Ramos for three years ($15/16M AAV)….they may stretch themselves too thin in ever trying to land the biggest fish…..Trout.
      Then there will be Nola and Hoskins in a few years.

      1. IMO:

        * Machado is a certainty (no matter what catch thinks).
        * Harper is a possibility on a pillow contract. A deal that would pay Harper mad money in 2019 and 2020 with an opt out after that 2020 season and a lot less money beyond 2020. That would encourage Harper to walk at the same time Mike Trout could hit free agency.
        * Corbin is probably ticketed to the Yankees (if they don’t go after Yusei Kikuchi).

        BTW … fun fact … I sat on the bleacher behind the real Don Money when my daughter graduated with his granddaughter in 2015.

        1. One can debate the odds, but a certainty? Yeah, I don’t think so – not by a long shot. And by the way, if in fact he does come here, it doesn’t mean it was a certainty, it just means that one of a number of possible outcomes occurred.

        2. I think the odds of a Harper pillow contract are pretty good. I think he’s going to sign one and the question is then, with whom? I think the Phillies are as good of a bet as anyone – I’d give it a good 30-40 percent chance. Machado – probably 35-45 percent. But with the Yankees, Dodgers and others competing for Machado I can’t possibly say it’s more likely than not (better than 50/50) that he comes here.

            1. You have the Phillies at 35 to 45% chance of signing Manny Machado ? SMH 🙂
              Catch, you and I are living in two different universes.

            2. @hinkie – not until the Phillies or any Philly sports team can land a superstar caliber player, fans will always play the “reverse psychology” card to avoid further disappointment if the superstar play decided to go the other way.

              with the other Philly sports on the rise, I don’t think Middleton wants to be left behind. The Phillies will be a key player in the FA and trade market starting this offseason.

            3. Bill Shaikin
              @BillShaikin
              Zaidi on Machado’s pending free agency: “This is about 2018 for us. We hope he plays well and creates a good market for himself.”
              10:45 PM – Jul 18, 2018

          2. “more likely than not” – speaking like a true lawyer, eh?!? I only use/hear this in tax discussions.

            The Phillies may lower than 50-50 odd, but I do think that the Phillies will have best odds to land Machado. NYY needs pitching, pitching and more pitching to match up with BOS. NYY will prioritize an arm in FA and in trades with Corbin as the main target.

            I don’t see the Phillies signing Harper to a LT contract unless they miss on Machado. But i do believe that once Machado is locked up, Middleton will tinker of signing Harper to form a Machado-Harper-Hoskins middle of the order. Boras will shoot for a $400-500M making CHC, NYY and SFG balked on Harper and the Phillies will swoop Harper at the last minute like what they did with Jake Arrieta.

            2. Anyway, I would accept that the Phillies are as likely to land him as any of the other teams that will be gunning for him.

          3. Catch … it’s not guaranteed but I feel strongly about him coming here. Why? He is wanted, and well … professional athletes eat that up only second to money. 2 – speaking of money, he’ll get what he wants, and the most of it from Middleton. 3 – he is closer his native land/island family and friends. NYC traffic ain’t for everyone. He can visit :). 4 – the Red Sox’s look like a powerhouse .. smart to stay away.

            Need an example – philly just needs to give him the Jim Thome treatment … I give it 80% odd he signs with Phils, the 20% is to account for some unforeseen unknown asterisk we can’t see, but the smart money is def on mm to the Phils, imo … we are just going to have to wait and see

          1. That is easy to find out Don?
            Your high schools’ mascot nickname was:
            A. Indians
            B. Chiefs
            C. Warriors
            D. Braves
            E. Mohawks

          2. Well, are you? I often wondered what happened to you, and Doyle, and the rest of the bunch from the 70’s.

  6. The worst kept secret in MLB is the Phillies have been targeting Manny Machado for two years now, and they are not going to be beat for him this winter.

    The fact that Machado is now playing with Chase Utley only helps the Phillies. Utley has already said he would let MM know what it’s lie playing in Philadelphia, if asked.

    Also … Bryce Harper has already asked Jayson Werth about playing in Philly.

    1. Also … this from Buster Olney from earlier this year (on 97.5 The Fanatic):

      “I grew up on a dairy farm in Vermont. I would bet the family farm back in Vermont that one of those two guys is going to wind up with the Phillies. Look, the Yankees, when they traded for Giancarlo Stanton, that pretty much took them out of the mix on Bryce Harper. And we know that Bryce is someone who is going to be talked a lot about next winter. And on top of that, Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees, he is at the top of that list [of risk-averse general managers]. He does not like risk. People have connected Bryce Harper and Manny Machado to the Dodgers. Andrew Friedman who runs the Dodgers hates risk. The idea of a 10-year/$350 million contract is not something that those guys are going to do.”
      “The Phillies might be the only big market team, with a ton of payroll flexibility, who are willing to go that high. My guess is, if I were just asked to bet today, I think that Bryce Harper goes back to the Nationals and I think that Manny Machado winds up with the Phillies.”

      Here’s the whole interview: https://975thefanatic.com/2018/03/13/buster-olney-bets-family-farm-machado-phillies/

      1. I think more now than before that the “one of those two guys” will be Harper, not Machado. Middleton & Co will likely pursue both, but my gut tells me Manny is a Yankee at heart. Same league, same division, the Boston-New York rivalry. The Machado-Phils FO connection might not hurt BUT it may also be overplayed, especially in these threads. How many more millions will it take to lure him away from the Bronx? Cliff Lee took less money to sign here rather than with the NYY. Why? Because he and his family liked it here. Some players aren’t about the biggest contract.

        Harper is familiar with the NL Least, and the Phillies in particular. He and Boras know what numbers he could post at CBP. A shorter term “pillow” deal makes sense. He walks a ton, homers a lot, and the core of this squad is tight enough now going through their first playoff hunt together that he would arrive in a more established clubhouse culture.

        In either case, the money will be so HUGE, it probably factors in less than lower tiered, lesser values talents.

        1. 8mak……and if it is Harper in Philly….then what the heck will we do with Doobie? 🙂

          1. If I’m the GM, I already traded Doobie 2 years ago. Since I’m not, Harper will be the RF and Doobie stays at CF with Williams and Quinn will be at the bench.

            Quinn is the threat to Doobie and not Harper.

            1. I generally like Odubel but it’s still hard to watch him without being frustrated. He has a world of talent and can carry the team for weeks when he’s hot, but his focus comes and goes and his approach changes with the wind. I mean they they’ll probably keep him next year and get a 3-5 WAR player (which is no small thing), but if they get a great offer for him I think they have to listen at the very least.

            2. Doobie has to be moved ASAP…this off-season…preferably for LHP starter.
              The stars are all in alignment….great contract, still youthful, the 2018 down trend may be temp….but could be a fore warning of a general overall decline.
              Maybe another GM will think other wise however and take a chance.
              And have to make room for the next group of CFers, beginning with Haseley, sometime next season, Moniak in 2 or 3 years and then possibly Muzziotti in 3 or 4 years.
              Klentak shant be caught with surplus and sell low.

          2. Anything you’d like, Romus. He’s great 3 months of the season. Problem is not knowing which 3 months he’ll show up.

            Speaking of Harper, I wonder which team (by now you would think) claimed him off waivers….doubt he’d make it to us.

  7. I think the Phils sign both Machado and Harper, and they end up hitting them like this next year: 1 Hernandez 2B, 2 Machado SS, 3 Harper RF, 4 Hoskins LF, 5 Santana 1B, 6 Franco 3B, 7 Odubel CF, 8 Alfaro C.

    1. I love the fantasy lineup with MM and Harper. I would put Hoskins back at 1B and Williams in LF. You can site all the metrics you want, but we can’t have a .219 hitter in the middle of the lineup.

      1. I would not be shocked if Santana gets moved in the off season in an attempt by Klentak to get creative, especially if he doesn’t increase his production over the next 6 weeks.

        1. If Santana’s OPS is less than. 850, he’s basically treading water especially in the middle of the lineup. Right now he’s barely touching .750

          1. I’ve been a Gabe supporter for the most part but when I heard Bour was 10 for 21 career off deGrom and yet he started Santana for his “defense”, something smelled bogus.

            1. 8mark, good post as I hope the Phillies let Justin Bour compete with Santana for playing time. If he is the professional he is portrayed to be then he should not be offended if he sits in a pennant race.

    2. I’ll go with 1-Quinn cf, 2-Machado ss for time being, 3-Harper rf, 4-Hoskins 1b, 5-Williams lf, 6-Ramos c, 7-Franco 3b, 8-Kingery 2b

      1. ….with a bench of Crawford, Bour, Alfaro and hopefully Altherr returns to serviceable use as 4th OF.

        1. 8mark – like that Ramos as catcher !!!! can teach Alfaro and he can fill in when Ramos is injured !

  9. SF placed McCutchen on revocable waivers. Anyone interested? (FWIW, MLBTR ran a poll on likely landing spots. Phillies so far are top NL club in votes. NL teams get first crack.)

      1. But of course, he will cost something to the Phillies (not just money). Who would I give up to get him? Think someone like Yacksel Rios (who has more potential than you think but is an obvious non-factor for the rest of the year).

        1. I may be wrong about Rios – I wonder if he had to slip through waivers too since he’s on the 40-man – but it would probably be a player of his abilities.

          1. Yacksel Rios will be claimed if he’s DFA’d – only 25 yo throwing up to high-90s with a good breaking ball.

            Leiter and Walding are the #39 and #40 in the 40-man. Both can probably clear thru the waivers or no big deal if don’t.

            The Giants will probably ask for a Ben Lively or Jeff Singer type.

  10. Bryce Harper has been reportedly claimed by an unidentified team on revocable waivers. My guess is definitely an NL club. St Louis? Don’t think he’d quite get to us being tied for 3rd best record in NL

  11. Luis Garcia is the next Phillies prospect that will be heavily covered nationally. So far, Luis Garcia is meeting the scouting reports when the Phillies signed him last year.

    I expect Sixto Sanchez to be a consideration the in the Top 10/20 prospects next year and in 2 years, Luis Garcia might be the Phillies #1 prospect and a Top 10/20 nationally.

    1. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, but so far, Garcia is looking like the real deal.

  12. Nats trade Matt Adams back to St. Louis and David Murphy to the Cubs. Pretty big indication that they are not considering themselves in contention. Great for us, just not having to face Murphy who always killed us. There are no excuses for losing this Division to the Braves!

    1. …and why then would they not trade Harper provided they get a return greater than the ’19 compensatory draft pick. Or take a shot at signing him anew in the off season.

      1. LAD is rumored to be the team that claimed Harper. Looks like just a move to block other playoff contending teams (Phillies in particular) to get a hand on Harper than a real intention to trade with WAS.

          1. LAD will not be surrendering any of their top prospects that’s why it’s just a move to block other teams rather than an intention to acquire Harper.

          2. this is also a CYA move for LAD to tell their fans that they did try to further improve the team by adding Harper but WAS asking price is too high.

    2. matt13……Phillies poor and abysmal offense and near the bottom of the majors defense are pretty two big excuses in losing to the Braves.
      Not even sure why there are, where they are at, right now…Nola aside.

      1. I don’t disagree Romus, except I consider poor Defense to not be excusable, and I expect them to hit enough to win. And, if they can’t manufacture a few extra runs over the next 6 weeks with what they have, then I won’t excuse that either. I expect there to be a few more games like the one vs. Thor where they “changed up the norm”, as Gabe put it.

      1. Seriously, that’s a big “get” by the Cubs. Murphy has made himself into a phenomenal hitter.

      1. murphy was basically a waiver claim to, wasn’t he? Washington GM Rizzo quoted as saying the trades give his team “financial flexibility for the 2019 season.”

  13. I doubt any team will pick Carlos Santana if Klentak puts him in the waiver wire. CHC did a good job of acquiring Cole Hamels and David Murphy for basically nothing.

    1. They basically have both for the six week stretch drive and playoffs…and then they are gone.

      1. Veteran GM’s make these moves taking advantage of the situation that is presented. Klentak’s inexperience really showed during this deadline. I am dissapointed in that McPhail would have overruled or forced a LH starter and a RH outfielder trade.No major assets would have been lost in these trades and we would be in better position to win the division.

  14. Honestly, Murphy is a missed opportunity for Klentak. The Phillies has the higher waiver priority than the Cubs, so if they claimed Murphy, they will get him. This is the best opportunity for Klentak to unload the overrated Jose Gomez who is a similar comp to the actual prospect received by WAS from the Cubs.

    1. Hah KuKo……your obsession with Jose Gomez is comical.
      If he think he is overrated…what do you think other GMs think?
      And he is a Klentak trade return….he will probably not go anywhere for awhile.

      2. @romus – maybe some GMs like Callis/Mayo too — if Callis/Mayo ranked Jose Gomez #17 in a deep farm system ahead of high ceiling prospects like Howard, Pipkin, Gowdy — maybe some pro-Callis/Mayo buys into the Jose Gomez hype.

        Sorry, I like to love MLB but as long as I see Callis/Mayo rank a obvious lousy prospect like Jose Gomez that high, they make me feel that I know nothing about baseball.

    2. I would have had him play 2b over Cesar whose .730 OPS does absolutely nothing for me with his K rate out of the lead off spot. And the DH will be in operation this weekend in Toronto as another way to get his elite bat in the lineup. Whatever….you find a way. Come on…

  15. If WAS is already throwing the towel, maybe Scherzer is only the block too. Scherzer still have $108M/3 yr in his contract. If Scherzer is put on waivers, Klentak should claim him and try if he can work out a trade with WAS for Mad Max.

    1. They might consider that if they decide to go all in for re-signing Harper. Scherzer would get you major league ready talent, as well as seasoned talent.

    2. Risky – quite risky – but very tempting. The money is a non-issue – the team has it and would pay that. The issue is the cost in players. If they want him, you’d probably have to kiss Medina and Haseley goodbye and perhaps Ortiz too.

      1. Catch, for next 3 yrs of Scherzer in a playoff run on a team primed to win? I do that deal.

        1. Actually, WAS might insist on Sixto instead of Medina, perhaps another major league player as well. And justifiably so. I still do it.

  16. I wonder if Gio was placed on waivers, or if he will be? I would claim him! I am surprised that St. Louis and Milwaukee let Murphy get to the Cubs. Theo picks up Cole and Murphy for next to nothing.

  17. Thirty-eight games to go….this putrid offense better get it kicked into gear soon or else the last 11 games ( 8 away) vs the Braves and Rockies will be mighty dreadful to watch.
    And just for a few games like to see the newest and latest additions of Bour, Cabrera, Ramos and Roman Quinn….all in the starting lineup together

    1. If we go 22-16 in those games (90 wins) that should get us the division if only by a small margin. But if the weak sisters like MIA and NYM beat us, forget it. And the 9 games vs WAS? Anything less than 5-4 is unacceptable. I don’t worry much about the Cubs and Rox. But the last weekend will be high drama. This is what we dream of as a team on the rise, warts and all.

  18. Right there with you Romus. Over the past 3 months, Doobie is hitting a robust .223, and has played less than excellent Defense. 3 months!. I play Quinn without hesitation. And, I still can’t believe Bour did not play vs. DeGrom, when he has such good career numbers against him. I know, Santana’s Defense! Please, that is not nearly good enough to leave out a guy who can actually hit vs. maybe the best SP in the league, apologies to Scherzer and Nola, when we knew the chances of scoring more than 1 run were slim.

    1. Tonight when watching the game at Nationals Park…..if they scan the stands to a woman wearing an Eagles tennis bucket hat, green and black I believe, among the sea of Nats and Phillies red fans …that would be my younger sister.
      She is making her Eagles statement to her Wash DC colleagues and Redskin/Nats faithful..

  20. Thank goodness Klentak signed Arrieta and not Darvish. With his injury, Darvish ends the year at 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA. And a grand total of -0.1 WAR.

  21. Just a huge disappointment for the Cubs, but they still are in 1st Place and manage to keep winning. Chatwood, for a lot less money, however, was another FA bust for them. He still got a LT deal.

    1. saw Chatwood in Pittsburgh on saturday- 93 walks in 101 innings- how is that possible? Epstein certainly made a mistake there.
      Pirates got 3 runs off him in an inning- but only 2 other runs in the last 5 1/2 games, getting shut out tonight again by the Braves so doing the Phillies no favors here unfortunately.

    1. Okay, now I can take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that we’re still playing meaningful games deep into August.

      1. It would be interesting to see what the bullpen numbers are for the pitchers in the inning they are brought in vs. the next inning when they are sent back out.

        My biggest gripe with Kapler is with his common practice of bringing relievers in to get out of an inning (Arano last night for example) and then having them come back out for the next inning.

        It seems that they regularly struggle to get through the next inning. Just think it’s hard for guys that are accustomed to getting warmed up and throwing max effort when they come in to sit down and then start the process over again.

        If the organization is going to be numbers driven, then that should be a number that is evaluated.

        I’m also not a fan of using an extreme shift like the did with Soto when the other team is down multiple runs and needs base runners. They gave the Nats a lead-off runner with a 4-1 lead…

  23. With all of the discussion about who we have/should have obtained in trade for the playoff run, we have to keep in mind that adding quality players doesn’t always make the team better. Kapler said before the trade that the men in the room had brought the Phillies to where they were. Interestingly, I checked the record of the Dodgers since the acquisition of Manny Machado: 14-17. Who woulda thunk. I realize that over a SSS anything can happen, but when you perturb a system the results are not always predictable. With all that our current statistical approach to decision making in baseball adds to evaluation we need to remember that the players are human beings and their psychology can be affected- i.e.- chemistry.

    The investment community has a lot more metrics and analysis than baseball, and if they were absolutely predictive we would all be very wealthy.

  24. I don’t know how much it would help vs. Strasburg and Scherzer, but Odubel needs to sit for 3 or 4 games, and let Nick Williams and Roman play. Ramos needs to play over Alfaro. This has been a bad run of Baseball. The BP has done pretty well all year, and I actually had myself convinced that the 4-1 lead in the 6th would hold up. Silly me! Too many innings with absolutely terrible ABs by too many players.

    1. matt13…agree….a bad run of baseball for sure.
      I suspect Matt Klentak has seen enough this season to warrant making some changes this off-season…probably soon enough, in four months or so.
      The team has demonstrated it self to be an anemic and somewhat streaky offense, and a sieve of a defense at the high value defensive positional spots.
      As for the manager and his decisions…..I am going to reserve myself for that until sometime next season, which incidentally will be his second on his three year contract….with no fourth year option.

  25. This off season is going to be extremely interesting. If we sign 1 or more of the big 3 (Machado, Harper and I lump Corbin in there bc he really intrigues me as an option this off season) there will be rather big corresponding moves to go with it.

    For example:

    If we sign Machado, what happens with Crawford? Trade? or do they talk Machado into playing 3B, what happens to Franco?

    If we sign Harper, our OF is suddenly extremely crowded, Does Herrera get traded to open CF for Quinn? And what happens to Williams? You’d have Hoskins, Quinn, Herrera, Harper and Williams (w Haseley knocking on the door as well) . . . someone has to go. Personally, i’m looking to move Herrera.

    If we sign Corbin, our starting rotation now consist of 5 of the following (L meaning a lock for a rotation spot), Nola (L), Arrieta (L), Corbin (L), Vinny V, Pivetta, Eflin and hopefully a healthy Eickoff (I guess you have to add Ranger and DLS in the mix as well). Pivetta to the pen? Vinny V to the pen? Trade?

    I would also consider looking to sign Ramos to a 2-3 year deal. I get that Alfaro is supposed to be the catcher of the future but he would look just fine as a back up. And if for some reason Ramos can’t stay healthy he can jump in with Knapp serving as your back up. I guess that’s not ideal but Ramos has really impressed me. I never realized how good of a hitter he was.

    1. Eric, here’s my take. Just my personal opinion:

      1) If Machado signed (which I expect to be a big $$ LT contract), he will not mind moving back to 3B. But Klentak will probably let him play SS in the first 2 years of the contract while Franco and JPC platoon at 3B.

      2) Franco – he will eventually be traded for $1:$0.75.

      3) Doobie – the best time to trade is after he signed the team friendly contract. I think Doobie was kind of “exposed” and Klentak may not get full value for him anymore. He’ll stay until Quinn forces the Phillies to boot him out of the starting CF spot.

      4) Altherr and Williams – for Altherr, looks like the ship had sailed for Altherr. He’s a bench OF but under control until the end of 2021. Williams is more likely to be traded since he can fetch some good returns as he still have good potential. If Williams is traded and Cozens bust, Altherr will stay as the bench OF.

      5) If Klentak acquired (trade, FA) another SP (Corbin, Kikuchi or whoever), it will be a battle between Pivetta, Vinny, Eflin, Eickhoff for the remaining spot. Ranger, DLS, Anderson will be moved to the pen. Eickhoff’s future will depend on the development of Pivetta, Vinny and Eflin. If 2 or all them became viable SP, then Eickhoff will be on the move.

      6) If Ramos is signed, there’s a big chance that Knapp will be on the move to an AL team.

      1. Kuko, a biggie is whether Santana stays his full term here. I believe Klentak and Kapler are smart enough to know that Hoskins CAN’T stay in LF any longer than absolutely necessary. I’m of the mind that ‘Los (as Gabe affectionately refers to him) will be moved by next year’s deadline, especially if Harper comes here. Santana, CeHe (contract situation/approaching age 30) and Doobie (for apparent reasons) will IMO be gone sooner than later.

        1. yeah, based on the contracts signed, Arrieta and Santana are really veteran stop gaps that a young team needs — so both are temporary. Although i still doubt Klentak for his lack of creativity, he knows that Hoskins is not a LF and he will be looking at the development of Quinn, Williams and Haseley as LT OF options making Carlos Santana as the odd man out.

      2. K K – Another possibility, if the Phillies sign Machado. Trade Hernandez this winter and have Kingery and Crawford Platoon at 2B. Either one could give Franco or Machado an occasional day off too.

    2. Good summary of necessary changes/deals, Eric. Agree that Alfaro as back up for 2-3 yrs brings him to age 27-28 when many catchers finally come into their own. He’ll still play 30-35% of the time anyway. I also think he’d make a nice RF option should they ever increase the major league roster to, let’s say 27/28 and carry a 3rd catcher.

    1. Kingery has that attitude…well he had it last year when he was one of the leading hitters in Triple A.
      If he gets untrack next season, he could bring that determination and grit.

      1. 2021 opening day by law of attraction:

        C Jorge Alfaro/Wilson Ramos
        1b Rhys Hoskins
        2b Scott Kingery
        ss Luis Garcia
        3b Manny Machado
        lf Bryce Harper
        cf Adam Haseley/Roman Quinn
        rf Mike Trout
        p Aaron Nola

        1. might be hard to see Machado, Harper and Trout together. That’s probably a $140 AAV just for the 3 of them. 2021 is Nola’s last year of ARB so he might get paid before 2021 and other young players are in ARB years, thus, not minimum anymore.

          Unless the Phillies miss on Machado, they will construct Harper’s contract that he will opt out by the time Mike Trout hits FA so the Phils have the option to either resign Harper or go after Trout.

          Also, by end of 2020, the OF pipeline of Quinn, Williams, Cozens, Haseley, Randolph, Moniak. Ortiz, Vierling, Pelletier, Trejo, dela Cruz, etc had played enough games to give the Phillies a good measure if they really need to go after both Harper and Trout.

  27. Luis Avilan acquired from WSpx for Felix Paulino, Taveras DFAd. We will see a few more 40 man moves

      1. To be honest, I only follow Phillies baseball. I never heard of Loup until he became a Phillie. Is he good enough to be THE lefty that you call on to face Bryce Harper in the bottom of the ninth? Is Avilan that lefty?

        1. From what I read, Avilan looks like a nice pickup considering the little we gave up plus he’s arb eligible this off season.

      2. Loup is on the DL after only two innings pitched…four games….mediocre results
        Last game was one week ago, so he may have some type of injury that will keep him off the mound for awhile.

          1. His peripherals over the last three years are a mixed bag of good whiff rates, poor control, does not give up the HR, but gives up hits.
            I’d say, if they kept both Zac Curtis and Adam Morgan last November, why not keep Loup on the 40.

          2. Aaron Loup is a FA for 2019. He’s supposed to be effective against LH but RH light him up.

    1. Good read.
      Surprised, the two highest ‘pull’ guys are Phillies’ Cabrerar and Franco, and Franco is hitting better this year overall than his last two.
      Thought Hoskins would be high in the pull, he does hit an inordinate amount of pulled foul ball HRs…but he, is down at the lower end with Trout, Gallo and Carpenter.

    2. Thanks for sharing…very interesting piece.

      If the ‘hit tool’ is key to developing power, Randolph, Moniak, and Haseley are primed to be solid sources of power as they mature.

      1. “If the ‘hit tool’ is key to developing power, Randolph, Moniak, and Haseley are primed to be solid sources of power as they mature.”

        I do not think that is what the article concludes. The key that the article focuses on is strikeout rates.

        Here is a money quote:
        “The main thing for me is athleticism,” said the NL evaluator. “You have to have the hand-eye and feel for the strike zone.”

        Lindor and Ramirez were, and remain, elite contact hitters. They can contact the ball at will and manipulate the barrel and contact point. Since 2016, they have made contact on swings at pitches in the zone at a rate of at least 91.1 percent, ranking in the top fifth of qualified major league hitters.“

        The point is the ability to make contact at an extremely high rate is the key trait. If you go back and look at Ramirez’s and Lindor’s k rates in the minors they are exceptional. Ramirez in particular was unbelievablely low. The same can not be said for Mickey’s or C’s k rates. Same with walk rates. Really good for those guys. They demonstrated complete command of the zone with elite contact ability.

  29. I would wager that a top level Left handed BP is one of the off season acquisitions, I was always a Morgan fan, but he is gone. So is Loup.

  30. Bour at 1b and batting cleanup tonight. Quinn in cf as many of us get our wish for Doobie to sit. Alfaro catching again…are they taking it easy on Ramos with his return from DL? Perhaps he plays the day game tomorrow vs Max.

  32. How’s that Zach Eflin/Adam Morgan/Connor Seabold for Feli[pe Vazquez trade I proposed a month ago lookin’ like now ? Nobody was for it.

        1. If you’re talking smack about that proposed trade which I still don’t believe the Pirates would take, then you should take it for claiming that Jose Taveras was getting traded “any minute now” for the past month.

          1. Sorry, I meant that the Pirates would take that offer, but I doubt that the Phillies would have made it.

    3. Since we seem to be cherry-picking from a timing perspective, where was this question when Eflin had a pretty decent start and beat the Mets last week?

  33. It appears that all of the subtle flaws and not so subtle deficiencies are starting to show up now. Don’t consider myself the usual pessimistic fan but when the bullpen, offense, starting pitching other than 2 pitchers, and defense doesn’t support a winning effort, no amount of positive “take on the situation” is going to make it change. Yes – baseball is up and down in cycles, but perhaps alot of the balls that fell in the right direction for us over the course of the season are no longer falling our way..

  34. The bats have begun to come around when the arms are falling off. Anyway, their biggest hope at this point may be Atlanta’s Sept schedule: they host Boston (3 games), St Louis (3) and travel to Arizona (4 games), plus there’s a makeup game vs the Cubs in late August. But it won’t matter if this ship can’t be steadied.

    1. Probably for the better in the long run.
      Management will see the shortcomings and need to address them in the off-season.
      Plus…those who are still left…may have a pretty sour taste in their mouths this off-season.

  35. Two more pass balls, and Jorge Alfaro will be the second Phillies catcher in the last 30 years to have both double digits errors and pass balls in one season.
    Mike Lierberthal in 1997 had a dozen each of errors and pass balls.

    1. Assuming you are correct about Lierberthal in 1997, you might want to check your math there.

  36. Might be a good day to give Hoskins a blow. He hasn’t been himself of late. Keep Quinn and his .327 BA in there somewhere.

  37. it’s been an amazing summer of over achievement, but I fear the wheels have officially come off cinderella’s coach. These 2 ugly loses to Wash are the end of the pennant run i’m afraid.

    1. Tony, unless the hitting picks up quickly I believe that you are correct. Maybe this late season meltdown is a blessing in disguise for talent evaluation.

    2. The sky is not falling yet. 3 games out for division and 2 for wild card can be made with about 5 weeks left. 1 hot run can do that, they just need to not keep up the bad losses. I’m afraid they have allowed Washington to make up enough ground in at least the wild card to not count them out. Shame they had a chance to deal a knock out punch to them.

    3. No, they are 2 loses in a 162 game schedule. The Braves just came off of being swept in a 4-game series at home by Colorado and have now managed to win 2 1-run games against a Pirates team that is in a terrible offensive slump right now.

      It’s going to be an interesting 6 weeks…

        1. Oh, and Hector Neris since returning:
          5 games, 4.2 innings, 9 Ks, 1 BB, 2H and lowered ERA from 6.9 to 5.97
          And he has looked sharp as well

  38. Bour placed on DL for oblique strain he suffered in last AB last night. Ed Ramos has a “blister” so Knapp was brought in to DC as backup C until Wilson Ramos is available Fri in TOR. Avilan is also with the team.

    2. He could be out a while. Wonder if Klentak goes after another bat off the bench….before Sept 1, on case you never know.

  39. Bour In , Quinn In , and they still lose. How dare they lol.
    It’s baseball the Phillies still have games against the Braves.

    The Phillies still have time . Trade pieces are hurt Ramos, loup.the Phillies still have No!a, Arietta ,

  40. Manny:
    As a shortstop in Baltimore…..in 96 games had a DRS of a negative 18…near the bottom of the major.
    In LA…..in 19 games at shortstop, he has a DRS of positive 2.
    Go figure.

    1. maybe DRS is impacted by the pitching and how hard the opposing team is hitting the ball? I’ve always been a bit dubious of many of the defensive metrics being used. Too subjective..

      1. Agree.
        Defensive metrics are sometimes very difficult to validate.
        The first generation metric….the scored ‘error’ as it is related to FLD%….seems to be the only basic one that stands up to the scrutiny.

  41. Thank God for Aaron Nola! Nola just beat Thor and Mad Max in back to back games. Nola deserves the CY Young than Max and deGrom since Nola is pitching in almost a must win situations. WAS and NYM are almost out of the playoff race, so Max and deGrom are no longer pitching in high leverage situations.

    1. Nola has higher WAR than deGrom or Max. He and Max have identical ERAs (2.13). Let’s see how their rematch here on Tue shakes out….

      1. Nola should be in high consideration for both CY Young and MVP discussions. WAS offense is on high cylinders after the All-Star and they scored 18 in the 1st 2 games — Nola gave them an egg.

  42. @Jim P – any reason why Mezquita and Perkins are being sent down to GCL? Innings limit? Medical? etc?

  43. Caps off to Doobie! I was about to rip him for swinging 1st pitch (popping up to LF) after Franco looked at 4 straight balls. He finally came up a hero today and it was enough. Let’s go sweep the Jays!

    1. And another series vs WAS at CBP September 10-12, possibly a re-rematch between Nola and Mad Max. (After today and this Tue as well)

      1. I can’t argue against deGrom taking the Cy Young since it’s not an MVP award in my opinion. MVP? Definitely Nola should get nods. But if he wins 2 against Max, then Nola should get the Cy if it was between them.

        1. was looking back at that 2014 first round- pretty impressive- obviously Nola a great pick for the Phils, but there was also Rodon, Freeland (saw he’s got a 2.24 era at Coors this year), Newcomb and Toussaint, Kopech, Flaherty and Weaver for Cards, Justus Sheffield. Fedde and Ortiz with chances to make it yet. Only Hoffman and Beede, plus the first two picks Aiken and Kolek seeming to be disappointments.

          1. It was a plus-plus draft for pitching talent and not so shabby for position players like Conforto, Chapman, Trea Turner and Derek Fisher..
            Nola in the first round has been exceptional….and of course round 5 was pretty good for the Phillies also.

        2. 5 weeks left, and Cy Young award is likely down to Max, Nola, and deGrom. Right now its too close to call as they all deserve it and there is no bad choice. They have separated themselves from the rest.

          1. deGrom loss last night, so that did not help him right now.
            They each have about 7 starts remaining so it will be a tight finish.

  45. It still bothers me that the Braves picked up Toussaint for taking on a bad contract. Something, we have 10 times the ability that the Braves have to do. And, something that should have been a source to acquire some young talent that we never utilized.

    1. Their GM at the time , John Coppola, was very aggressive, innovative, and slick, and and as it turned out after, he was dismissed for wrong-doings…..but he set them up pretty good with all his dealings.
      Only wish Matt Klentak were more innovative and creative in his thought process for amateur talent acquisition, especially at the beginning of the pipeline.
      These last two intl’ classes had Garcia and Castillo….but have to look at other large market teams and how they have multiple quantities of top 30 rated LA talent signed

        1. Hart was his boss..Prez of Baseball Ops… from what I recall….and came under fire over whether or not he was aware of the wrong-doings that were occurring.
          And then eventually got let go after Copploa was fired.

      2. MLB should have penalized Atlanta more than they did to prevent further shady dealings.

  46. Every time Pivetta and Velasquez go to the mound I think about the geniuses who thought Cole Hamels could not help us

    1. My take is this – if you’re going for the division, make the necessary moves to improve our chances. If we’re still in “find out” mode regarding Pivetta and VV, then live with the risk of punting this season away. But they can’t have it both ways IMO. My vote was to acquire Hamels if only for his experience. Guys like him rarely get lit up even when they aren’t sharp. They generally keep you in a game. Guys like Pivetta, VV and Eflin can lose the game with one bad inning early, even if they recover later when it’s too late.

      1. …..That said, I would hope there’s time to get one experienced SP and one bat off the bench in Bour’s indefinite absence before 9/1.

  47. I was happy with the acquisitions at the Deadline. I have to give Klentak credit. I can argue with the deployment of the weapons by the Manager, but Klentak did well. I would have liked Cole, but can understand why they didn’t. The idea for a big $ team to use their money to acquire extra talent seems like such a no brainer. It would have been easy to carry some extra payroll over the past few seasons in exchange for a Toussaint.

  48. I thought the adrenaline rush of coming home would have sparked Cole, and thought that expecting all 3 of VV, Pivetta and Eflin to excel down the stretch was really a longshot. I am surprised that they didn’t claim Gio Gonzalez when he went through waivers. Those 5 games that Cole just threw may have made the difference in a Playoff chase!

    2. The Phillies (and Braves for that matter) find themselves in a unique position. They’re both contenders while trying to develop a future core. On the surface, Pivetta, Velasquez, and Eflin have hit a wall. Some pitchers fold, and others punch through it. All three were brilliant earlier in the year, but now we need to find out if they can rise to the occasion in a pennant race. Adding Cole would have sidelined that process. If there is an injury, or if somebody can’t take the pressure, We have a fresh arm in Eickhoff. Then there is De Los Santos, who could conceivably turn out to be this years version of Marty Bystrom. Hey, you never know.

      1. That’s a good point, Wawa. BUT it’s difficult watching teams like the Cubs (granted, they have won and know how to win) find pieces like Hamels and Murphy to finish the on-the-field product. The FO’s job is to make these judgments in the heat of a pennant race which is presumptuous to assume will come around again soon. I don’t know. I guess I have already judged the 3 arms in question. If a Hamels and/or a Murphy cost you a lot in prospects, than I can see staying put. But they cost virtually nothing.

        1. And sadly, Murphy for my $$ is still the best pure hitter in the NL – he is the most dangerous hitter to face with the game on the line. Despite being injured all year !

        2. 8mark – The difference between the Cubs and Phils is that the Phillies are still developing young players. The Cubs are a veteran team.

        3. If the Phillies hadn’t already acquired Bour, they likely would have claimed Murphy. And of course the Phillies didn’t know that Bour would almost immediately suffer an oblique strain. It was bad luck and bad timing, but not a bad decision.

      2. The Phillies young trio of pitchers are not the only ones to hit that wall.
        The Braves young pitchers have also hit their walls….Newcomb for a month from end of June to end of July was pitching very poorly……even before last night, he had two clunkers.
        And even Mike Foltynewicz had a rough stretch in July for 4 or so games.
        So it is just not the Phillies young pitchers going thru growing pains.

  49. 8mark, Exactly, and very well put. The opportunity is there now, and the Cubs gave up almost zero and got two guys that all of us know will help them. Hamels has been exceptional for 5 games, no one coukd predict that. But if the cost is slight you do everything you can to win. We learned a lot already about all 3 Pitchers. Now only winning matters.

    1. With Cole, unfortunately, spilled milk this year.
      However, the Cubs will probably not pick up his option, unless maybe they do get to the World Series and Cole is MVP again, but if not, maybe there is that outside chance he will be back in Philly starting next season.

    2. true- though at the start of Cole’s third Cubs start, A-Rod made a “this years Justin Verlander” comment.

  50. Tonight’s lineup (with Franco as DH) and Quinn (RF) turning the lineup over in 9 hole almost makes me long for the DH in the NL which until now I have loathed like any baseball purist. The game has evolved to the point of resignation. Having the pitcher bat (in most cases) borders on pretense. Like, what’s the use other than surrendering an out with no redemptive purpose? (Rarely do managers even sac bunt anymore, or at least much much less than before.) Let’s get it on with. Then we can go get a bat via trade or FA without angst about what position he’s going to play. That’s a significant advantage the AL has over the senior circuit. Why?! It can’t be about money, can it? Is it merely one or two stodgy owners who won’t give up the past by blocking the change with a ‘nay’?

    And then there’s sensible realignment vs this idiotic scheduling formula….but that’s for another day.

    1. I believe the argument for the NL-DH at the next CBA, will be primarily centered on maintaining the well-being and health of pitchers. Too much money is invested in pitchers for them to risk being injured on the base paths

    2. I feel like since you have interleague play every night(because of 15 teams in each league) it puts the AL teams who have a fulltime DH at more of an advantage.

  51. So let’s examine the lineup….

    Santana is starting to hit but loves to walk more than anything.

    Cesar got 3 hits last night but K’d (again) in his most important AB, 9th inning, 2 on.

    Asdrubal is hovering around the Mendoza line since joining the squad. Yet Gabe still loves putting him in the middle of the lineup.

    Franco has definitely improved his approach at the plate but fell into the old self these last couple games chasing balls out of the zone (notwithstanding his 2 excellent BBs vs Mad Max on Thursday). Hope it’s not a regression.

    Kingery is starting to pick up hits (5 for last 12) and it would be nice to see him given the opportunity to play more.

    Quinn! There is absolutely NO reason why Gabe shouldn’t have him in the everyday lineup, somehow. NONE.

    Williams has come along well. Excellent ABs, looking pitches over. I’d leave him in vs lefties as well.

    Odubel….we’ve seen this movie plenty of times.

    Hoskins must be waiting for the opposing pitcher to walk toward the plate and tee the ball up for him. What is he looking for. SWING, DUDE! Last night’s final out, for example.

    Ramos should remain in the middle of the lineup until he shouldn’t. Alfaro should take notes.

  52. 8mark, I agree with all that you said. I love Hoskins though. I know, I was screaming at the TV that he can’t end the game with the bat on his shoulder. Foul it off if you have to, but he stood up after the game, and said ” the big mistake was missing the pitch before that. I can’t miss that.” He will continue to get better, I am sure of it. Cesar can’t swing at a ball bouncing up there, and needs to know that Giles can be wild.Roman Quinn has to play, period.

    1. Hoskins has seem to have lost some aggressiveness at the plate.
      And at critical times in the game that can’t be beneficial.
      And for some strange reason…his slash splits vs LHPs is lower ( 234/.408/.383) than RHPs (.257/.345/.522)….except the fact he draws more walks against LHPs (21% vs 11% vs RHPS).
      I can only assume they do not want to go inside on him!

      1. love rhys but is it just me or does he seem to be off balance on alot of swings?
        asdrubal seemed out of it last night- i dont think Vlad Guerrero ever swung at a pitch as far outside as that one Asdrubal swung and missed at his first time up.
        notice Santana forgot he was batting right and had his ankle guard on his right ankle when he started first at bat?
        wonder what that 9th inning looks like if Nick doesnt swing at ball 4.
        thank God for Dan Straily last night.

        1. Yes….Asdrubal swung at that pitch must have been 2/3 inches off the plate…what gives!

    2. A lineup* I would like to see:

      Quinn CF
      Hernandez 2b
      Hoskins lf
      Williams rf
      Ramos c
      Santana 1b
      Franco 3b
      Kingery ss

      *Of course I don’t expect Herrera to sit most days. Hoskins would play more at 1b while Santana rests, leaving LF for Quinn or Williams. I would use Asdrubal strategically as a spot starter- utility IF/pinch hitter.

    3. Matt, the Phillies put too much pressure on Hoskins this year as he had no one to protect him most of the time. Santana has been a busy and Donnie is too inconsistent. Bryce Harper would be the perfect complement to Hoskins and allow us to trade Donnie for help in other areas.

    1. catch – I’ll always wonder how playing Kingery all over the place has affected his development at the plate.

  54. the whole situation impacted him negatively. He needed a couple of months in AAA. And, he is a 2B. I am confident, though, that he can adjust. I am a big Kingery guy.

  55. Orioles’ Alex Cobb has cleared waivers. His ERA of 2.15 since the all star break is enough for me to bite. Word is he’s rediscovered his splitter out pitch. Whaddayasay, Matt?

      1. May be able to offer even less than Suarez and Listi. to the Os to rid themselves of his contract in their rebuild mode now…. , believe it or not….Cobb still has 3 years and $43M left on his contract

    2. It will be easier for all teams and GMs, come Friday, to make additions to the 40 and the expanded rosters.
      Have to think Cobb could be gobbled up by then…Yankees still want more pitching.
      I think the Phillies are hoping on Eickhoff to pitch again in Sep.

  57. Looking forward to watching Aaron Sanchez pitch against the Phillies today. He’s one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.

  60. Looking at Maikel Franco vs Aramis Ramirez thru their age24 seasons:
    Aramis Ramirez:
    PAs –1838….slash .252/.300/.420….17%-K….6%-BB….64Hrs
    Franco:
    PAs –1646…slash .247/.300/.426…..16%-K….7%-BB….63HRs

    Now carrying the comp thru the current Franco ’18 season and Ramirez’ 2003 season prior to the trade to the Cubs.:
    Aramis Ramirez: (2003)
    PA-415….280/330/448….12HRs…25doubles…67 RBIs….K-16%-…BB-6%…ISO-.168
    Maikel Franco: (2018)
    PA-438…..276/320/482….21HRs…17doubles…64RBIs…..K-14%….BB-6%…ISO-.206

    ….uncanny how closely aligned they are at similar stages of their respective careers.
    Only hope Franco’s career materializes like Ramirez’ did.

    1. Yup – that was always the projection and it’s holding true to form. He has worked very hard to improve – kudos to him.

  61. Every time you say, “That was the Phillies worst loss of the season” … this team outdoes itself. This team is crying out for a shutdown closer (Felipe Velasquez for Zach Eflin/Adam Morgam/Connor Seabold anyone ???)
    Also … how do Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams each swing at the first pitch in the ninth inning. Their down two runs. Ken Giles threw 30 pitches last night, and is addicted to walking batters.

    1. Or has the league simply figured him out? Funny how things can come full circle. Seems once again Hector Neris is currently our most effective reliever.

    1. SeraD needs time off like you say.
      He is now in the 60 inning mark pitched area….that has been his pro limit……less than 70…..and these last 40 innings are pressure packed MLB innings.

  64. Eickhoff pitching a gem tonight….looks like he may be ready to slide into the rotation after Friday…assume Sep 1st will be when he is taken off the DL.
    Looks strong on the mound.

    1. Good to see JPC pick up a couple knocks, including the walk off single with the sacks loaded and 2 out.

  65. LOB – are you kidding me ? almost 40 in 2 games ? That is almost stat impossible ??? What would folks on this site suggest the mgmt do to fix the offense ? Is MM – if he is signed – really going to be the ONE batter who fixes it ? Walk all you want – you still have to find the Daniel Murphys who hit the ball when it counts !

  66. The number of poor fundamental Baseball plays were too many to count. Why have Avilan? To get a lefthanded batter in a key situation. Someone thought to warm him up. How can a vet like Santana make that hideous slide? Why can only Quinn or Kingery go 1st to 3rd or 2d to Home with less than 2 outs? How do they not know Seranthony is out of gas? He got the out in the 7th on 3 Changeups!! Why send him out for the 8th? On and on!!

    1. Not one of Gabe’s better games. Grichuk is lifetime .234 hitter vs lefties. Pivetta belongs in the bullpen. Either Eickhoff should replace him or they should trade for Alex Cobb pronto.

  67. The NL EAST is physically painful to follow. Fortunately for us, the Fish beat the Braves tonight 3-1. Even going back to their series in Pittsburgh, Atlanta bats have gone cold.

  68. With that walk-off hit last night….i think and hope JPC has turned the corner.
    Bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, 2 outs, 2-2 count, George Kontas the vet reliever on the mound….JPC pulled a shot into the right field corner……and got mobbed at second base.
    Maybe that is what he needed to flip the switch for him.

    1. While your post is laden with overused metaphors, you really think one can “turn the corner” or “flip the switch” with a single at-bat? That hit may help JPC’s confidence, but might want to “tap the brakes” and see what happens moving forward.

      1. bak – One AB can flip a switch. I’ve seen it hundreds of times. As unlikely as it is at this point in time, I still expect Crawford to be a major league batter.

        1. I think he is going to have a great offseason and be ready to be a good player for somebody – JP Crawford has had a bad start but I believe in the talent.

      2. bak425…..saw him after the hit….he seemed quite relieved.
        As for the metaphors , setting the stage for the less imaginative.
        Now apparently there will be those who will remain a skeptic at heart….so be it.
        I,for one, have seen his rebound in the past….like last 2017, July and August,….and I remain confident he can do it again.

      1. Okay, allow me to rephrase the question:

        Does anyone know why Haseley is on the Temporarily Inactive List?

        1. TIL is generally reserved for a family member’s illness although there are a few other instances that could merit a visit to the TIL. Minimum stay on the TIL is 3 days per MLR(2)(h). The Phillies do not usually report the reason for a minor league player’s addition to the TIL.

  70. the pitcher selection with Pivetta yesterday was also headscratching. with a 5-0 lead, he walks the leadoff hitter with 3 straight breaking pitches. also morales homered on curve. why not pound the strike zone with 95 mph fallballs until they hit one?
    you knew something was up with seranthony when he got the 7th inning K with changeups.
    the bullpen could really use a shutdown closer next yr

  71. from rotoworld per Matt Gelb: Roman Quinn tweaked his left hamstring while diving for a ball Saturday.

    Quinn is hopeful that he’ll be sidelined only for “just a day maybe,” but hamstring injuries can be tricky. He’s hitting .357/.379/.518 for the Phillies since being recalled a month ago.

      1. Enjoy him while he is on his feet.
        Assume he will be 10 day DL now and then see what happens then.

  72. I agree completely. He got ahead of the leadoff hitter 0-2, then walks him on breaking stuff. I don’t care if leadoff guy hits a HR you need to pound the zone with your best stuff. Has anyone heard an explanation for that pathetic dlide if Santana? Looked like a guy who did not expect a play at the plate. If that was Odubel he would be roasted.

    1. Didn’t see it myself, but absolutely especially if his 3rd base coach was giving him heads up!

  73. Matt … or anybody else. Who calls the pitches these days? When I managed I called the pitches from the dugout,

  74. I am not certain but I believe it is the C. I don’t know that Ser called off any pitches and announcers didn’t say. Just said you can’t walk a guy with your weaker sruff when you just took a 5-0 lead. BTW, Roman, who has been great, out today. Felt a twinge in hammy

    1. matt13…is he still wearing the wrist protector/playbook?….pitch selections based on the situations/batter may be on that..

  75. maybe I’m not as attuned to analytics being an oldschool fan but I know with a 5-0 lead and a 95+ fastball with life, my pitch selection would be fastball, fastball, fastball, oh and then another fastball until someone actually hit one, anything else is just being too cute

  76. Two players we absolutely need to stay on the field and both are injury concerns – Quinn and the Buffalo. Man, can Ramos rake!

  77. What a pick up Ramos has been! I want us to sign him in off season. I will continue to hope Roman only mises the 1 game. He is such a weapon. Love his D also. We will need more than Machado.

Comments are closed.