307 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion, 8/26/24”

1. A real nice win. Solid bullpen work. Outstanding defense. Clutch hit for win against one of the best. This is what a championship team in capable of doing. Great job Phillies. Let’s get a couple more.

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2. JIM: OK to run out of gas ……. we all do ……… refuel and hope you feel better soon!

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   1. If you’re gonna run out of gas Dewey is the place to do, the party capital of the world, or is that the Bottle and Cork, the best rock ‘n roll bar in the world. Either way, it’s the only town i know of where it’s illegal to be on the street sober.

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3. Home plate ump last night….Derek Thomas…rated number one umpire in MLB for accuracy on calling balls and strikes…over 95%.

   Wonder if last night will bring down his percentage.

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   1. Testimonial enough, if he’s the best they got ……….. hello Robo Ump!

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   2. At this point, I am pretty sure MLB does not want umpires calling balls and strikes. They are using the TV ball and strike box to create an uproar about missed calls so that when they move to the automated ball and strike calls the public will already be behind it. I’d be really surprised if umpires are calling balls and strikes in 5 years, although I still they they will be doing safe and out calls with the same type of challenge process that is currently in place.

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4. Genuinely not being a negative nancy here, and thats not usually how i post, but as nice as it was to win yesterday, they should have broken it open so many times before the 9th. Gonna need some hits with men on base down the stretch and in the postseason.

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5. If Alvarado is having some personal issues he needs to work out I am glad they are taking care of it now.

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6. I watched the Pigs play Worchester 3 games last week on NESN+. They were using the robo ump. Seems like every player during each at bat was challenging a call. Don’t know how many are allowed.

   If the ball even just nicked the line on the outside of the box, it was called a strike. The pitchers will love it but not sure what the batters think. It’s going to have a lot of really ticked off batters.

   Need some help here: I believe last week when Allard was sent down, he had to wait a week or so to be called back up. Lazar was sent down on Sunday but was allowed to come back Monday. What’s with that?

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   1. On the box – if they feel the strike zone calls on the robo ump are too generous, they can adjust the size of the box. It’s entirely fixable. As I said, putting the box on TV for every major league game was designed to allow the umpires to be shown up. And it’s worked like a charm. The next step is to have them stop calling balls and strikes. I view this to be inevitable.

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   2. When a player goes on the paternity list (as Wilson just did), he can be replaced without regard to the normal rules, which require 15 days before a call back. The Phillies knew that the paternity thing was imminent, so they knew they would be able to bring Lazar back quickly.

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      1. Assume that rule also applies to Alvarado who went on the restricted list.

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      2. WCPhan – Thanks for clearing up the recall issue for me. As far as Merrifield goes, if the Phillies played him every day, he would have been a much better player as far as stats and production. That wasn’t going to happen with Stott on 2B and Marsh in LF.

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   3. ciada, if players were challenging strike calls, the calls were made by the umpire. The challenge then goes to the ABS to confirm or overturn the call. Teams get five challenges. They lose a challenge when the call is confirmed. The ABS is in use three games each series. The other three are called by the umpire with the challenge in place. There is no option to challenge when the ABS is making the call.

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      1. Mr. Jim – Thanks for that answer. Really, I had no idea. Your post will come up after mine so many won’t see it. Please repost it in a place where everyone can see it.

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7. Cant believe T. Walker is the scheduled pitcher in tomorrows game!! Absolutely unacceptable, he has NOTHING…. A pitching machine is a better option, they have LOST all 8 games he has pitched in….

   In a perfect world it would be awesome if a reporter had the cahones to just say ” Hey Rob, why is Walker pitching tomorrow? He is F@#$_&N terrible, you know it, I know it, the whole world knows it… does it make you want to vomit when the phone rings in your office and DD is telling you to play him because of $$$$$.. ???”

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   1. I have been complaining about Walker starting games since he first came off the IL and displaced Turnbull, who, when he is healthy, is a much, much better pitcher. It’s the worst Phillies contract in a long time and that’s really saying something.

      DD is totally telling Topper to play him, but at some point, they need to stop this insanity. Allard, Phillips and Seth Johnson are all better options at this point. They should shut him down and put him on the back burner. They can try again in the spring and maybe move his contract if he bounces back (I mean, somebody thought it was a good idea to pay Kyle Gibson $12 million a year, so there’s that). Just as likely, they will have to eat the last two years, while they struggle through the last two Castellanos years.

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      1. It is evident they will lose money and ‘cap spacing’ with T Walker one way or another ….so just DFA him now. I am sure Middleton would do it….not so sure Dombrowski would……shows up for him as a failed signing.

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   2. The Phils were willing to eat the remainder of Merrifield’s one year deal. They could v’bury’ Walker the way they did in last year’s playoffs but that rules out any chance of getting even a modest return for Walker in an off-season trade. Could be worse, ahem Anthony Rendon.

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      1. And Merrifield has been terrific for the Braves (.877 OPS in 98 plate appearances), which is annoying.

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8. Get well soon Jim

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9. I’ve always wondered how they set up the box. Sometimes it doesn’t look accurate to me. Is it changeable based on the size of the batter? It doesn’t seem so because it comes up so quickly.
   Not many options beyond Walker. Allard and Phillips before him outperformed their ability but once the book is out on them, they’ll do poorly. We really could have used Abel had he turned the corner. Oh well

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   1. Yes, I believe it changes depending on the hitter. My understanding is that they laser measure the hitter before the season and fix his strike zone that way. By the way, I don’t disagree with you in terms of the league catching up on guys like Allard and Phillips, but we are just trying to mix and match until the end of the regular season by any means necessary. Next year Painter is around, Seth Johnson should be closer (heck, he might be promoted by September anyway) and Abel might bounce back. Not too worried about guys like Allard and Phillips being exposed. Right now, they are both better options than Walker – he’s horrible.

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      1. It’s honestly hard to believe that Walker is this bad. He’s releasable bad, even with $36M remaining. He’s untradeable right now. I think they’re hoping he shows enough improvement that they can trade him in the off-season, even if they have to eat most of the $36M. Laser the guys before the season? That’s interesting. There’s still lots of complaining in the minors with the auto system so it’s clearly not ready for the majors yet.

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      2. It’s honestly hard to believe that Walker is this bad. He’s releasable bad, even with $36M remaining. He’s untradeable right now. I think they’re hoping he shows enough improvement that they can trade him in the off-season, even if they have to eat most of the $36M.
         Laser the guys before the season? That’s interesting. There’s still lots of complaining in the minors with the auto system so it’s clearly not ready for the majors yet.

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         1. Yes, they obviously want to restore some of his value and have been doing that for quite some time. All that’s done so far, however, is make him look even worse. He’s a complete train wreck right now and, unless he recovers some velocity, it’s hard to him imagine ever being better than a #5 again.

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10. I know everyone is trashing walker… but hold your horses… The dude can’t be THAT bad. I concede he is not he pitcher they hoped for when they signed him, and he likely wants out of Philly for the way things went in last years playoff & this year.. but… if Nola/Phils win today… I absolutely start him tommorrow in hopes he can show some flashes that they can then trade in the offseason. He is tradeable imo. If he would’ve pitched well this year… Phils easily could trade him & get a prospect. They can still trade him and only have to eat a small amount of money. No matter how awful he is from here on out… 10mil a year is the absolute floor imo with the cost of SP these days. I don’t htink it will be that bad… lets say between 12-14 mil, Phil’s eat something like 8-12 million. Thats workable with a the chance they will give to Painter on a rookie deal. Sucks… Hindsight would’ve been nice on this signing… as soon as they signed him.. prospects started coming out of the minors like none of us have ever seen.

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    1. Does that stuff in the bottle have XXX on the label with a bolt of lightning?

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       1. 🤣🤣🤣🍸🍸

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    2. Well, if they had to eat $12 m a year to jettison that contract, so be it.

       As for him not being this bad . . . well, he HAS been that bad this year. My concern is that he’s lost 2-3 MPH on an already borderline fastball. If that continues, he’s only as good as his ability to throw his splitter for strikes when needed. As much as anything, he now needs a new start away from Philadelphia. This has just been a bad marriage.

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    3. When you list the ‘pro’ and ‘cons’ of Dombrowski’s tenure……Taijuan goes into the con grouping. DFA him or just put him on 60 day IL and put someone else on the 40. Perhaps Robinson Pina, he could be an emergency recall.

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    4. walkers metrics are actually worse than his numbers if you look at FIP and xERA so it’s not bad luck

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       1. Exactly….ERA and FIP both over 6….and just not enough innings and starts for him left in the season to bring those metrics substantially down.

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11. They should not DFA him yet (there’s always next year). But, at this point, they also should affirmatively stop him from continuing to screw up this year. He’s a pitching train wreck. I haven’t seen someone with a big contract pitch this poorly for the Phillies since Adam Eaton. And, like Walker probably will be, he was done when he was with the Phillies.

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    1. Freddy Garcia, however, was close. Two major screw ups by Gillick.

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12. As bad as the Walker contract is turning out to be, I do take great pleasure in what appears to be the absolute fleecing of the Orioles in the Gregory Soto deal. Baltimore was desperate for a bullpen arm and figured it had an overload of prospects and the Phillies were waiting and knew exactly who they could pilfer that was just below the radar and could be coached up. I cannot say enough good things about this trade.

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    1. Is Seth Johnson on an innings limit due to recent TJ surgery? Thought I read that somewhere.

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       1. Johnson really does not have many innings under his belt since the TJ surgery—August 2022–less than 12 last year at the end of the season and now a little over 80. Though he sits on the 40, and mostly that is due to the fact that the Os put him on their 40 afraid of losing him in the Rule 5 last year, IMO, just not sure the Phillies will recall him and throw him into the fire this season and have to pitch in very stressful MLB games down the stretch.

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13. When I was younger (and was a Mets fan – yes, it’s true), the Mets did those types of trades all the time. They got David freaking Cone for back-up catcher Ed Hearn. They traded reliever Carlos Diaz for Sid Fernandez. I think, over time, the Soto trade has a chance to at that level. Out and out theft.

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    1. I’m sorry, Ed Hearn, Rick Anderson, and Mauro Gozzo – all baseball luminaries.

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14. Soto got knocked around his first 3 appearances with the O’s. According to Baseball Reference, in his last 5 games he has pitched 4.1 innings, given up 1 hit and no earned runs. He has allowed 2 walks and struck out 6 in those games. I’m still glad he’s gone but happy that he’s finding some success.

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    1. If the Phillies see the Os in October…bet on it…him , Seranthony and Kimbrel will put the nails in Philly’s coffin…..sheeesh, Karma!

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15. Alright, something is going on that causes Marsh, specifically, to get bad strike calls. I noticed it a few games ago so I started paying attention, and something like half of his PAs has at least 1 called strike that is OBVIOUSLY out of the zone.

    I wonder if it has something to do with his stance.

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    1. Dan K – You know what – I have noticed the same thing with Marsh. I think he gives the umpires a reason to ring him up with bad pitches because somehow he looks jangly or something. In fact, without looking at the facts last year Marsh was very good at taking walks, less so this year. But you are right –

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    2. Announcers said something about it a couple nights ago, said that he is getting the higher strikes called against him because of the crouch stance

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16. Oh, and I remember a couple people have mentioned that they don’t notice the broadcast’s strike zone boxes changing for players. Well, we’re in the perfect series to notice the change.

    Take a look at Altuve’s strike zone and pretty much everyone else (especially evident when compared with someone like Castellanos). You’ll be able to see a difference for sure. So it’s not gospel, but it definitely is different between players at least.

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17. So tomorrow with Walker . . . if he can get through 3 innings, it’s time for the bullpen. I don’t trust him the second time through the lineup. Actually, I don’t trust him the first time through the lineup, but they’re starting him. Due to the strong start from Nola tonight, every reliever is rested except Ruiz and Banks.

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18. I don’t know where to post this. Regarding the minors, someone we haven’t talked about much is Mendez. He’s only 20 and a tall guy so power might still come. He was hurt in May and came back quickly but his numbers were terrible in May. However his numbers have been excellent every other month. We got him for Oliver Dunn, who made the majors this year. Might end up being a win/win trade.

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    1. 47 BB, 47 SO. Not too shabby.

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       1. Mendez has been an after thought in the system on this site but he has put together a very nice season as a 20-year old in Hi-A……slashing 276/.380/.762……with those metrics of 47 BB and Ks for a 14% rate on each….not too shabby.

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          1. If you discount his May numbers because he was probably not feeling right soon after returning from the injury, his numbers look even better. Much better!

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19. high praise for Eiberson Castellano on the BA hit sheet saying he’s one of the best prospects that people haven’t heard of flying under the radar

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20. Very good job Aaron Nola. Nice win. If Walker is going tomorrow maybe Phillies can have their hitting shoes on. Otherwise. Yikes.

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    1. On Nola. He’s taken a ton of grief on here this year, between his performance and the new contract. And I’ll agree that he has his frustrating moments and innings (some of which are when the manager doesn’t take him out when he’s struggling later in games, so it’s not all on him). I think, in these cases, we are faulting him for not being an ace – and other than one year, he’s not.

       But you know how he’s pitched this year? He’s pitched exactly like a #2. He’s 12-6 with a 3.30 ERA and a 3.4 WAR. Damned good results. And he’s not a power pitcher, he just needs to touch 94 and 95 once in a while and spin the ball up in the zone when he needs to do that. I don’t see any reason why he can’t continue to be really good into his mid-30s. Let’s give this guy a bit of a break, okay?

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       1. Nola is moving up the list as a Phillie:

          1.Carlton-241 wins….2.Roberst-234…3. Alexander-190….4. Short-132…5. Simmons-115…6. Hamels-114…7. Nola-103…Schill-101

          Doubt he gets close to Carlton, or Robertsr….but could reach up to 4th on the list when all is said and done.

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21. A number of people on this site (and off this site) have historically trashed Bohm for being a bad defensive player and a bad hitter. They have criticized the stupidity of having Schwarber as lead off hitter – i.e. sure he has great OBP but his power would be traditionally used elsewhere – they trashed consistently playing Castellanos, who amazingly has his average up to higher than all other outfielders on the team and for awhile has probably been the hottest hitter on the team, and they have trashed decisions such as not pitch hitching for Stubbs and Marsh, both of whom have come through offensively recently. Thomson is a manager who tries to find ways to get his players in a position to succeed, and though I am not optimistic maybe it will work with Walker.

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22. Nori 2-5 last night, Caba 0-5, Tait 2-5, DeMartini 1-4 and Dragoo 0-4 with a BB

    Miller 0-4 with a BB has his avg up to 248 and his OPS to 779, Mendez did have a nice night 3-4. When I saw him the night I went I liked what I saw. His actions are fluid for his size and yes Murray he could still be something out of the Dunn trade.

    Crawford was 1-4, Rincones Jr 2-4 HR and holding an OPS of 910. Probably the only question left for him is could he produce near that in the MLB. And play a sufficient Defense in a corner.

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23. Stay in the ocean today, Jim. Going to be a hot one. Any thoughts by anyone on Ottenbreit. He has had an up and down year, but when he is on, he throws a pretty good game. Have you seen him pitch, Jim. Coming back from the surgery, looks like next year could be the big jump.

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24. catch. I agree on Nola. He is a really good starting pitcher who goes to the mound every 5th day. Always has. He is never going to be a great or total ace. He should have 4 more wins this year where the Phillies have given up 2 and 3 run leads after he left. 16-5 would look pretty good. I think he can stay healthy although no one ever knows for sure on that. But he has an easy delivery. I do think 7 years was too long on the contract. But I would think that for any. Not many of those who pan out for the duration. Let’s hope the Phillies can find a way to sweep today. They have got back close to Dodgers and got a little room on Brewers. Amazing how things change in a day or two this season.

    Romus. The Royals have now caught Cleveland. They may be looking at a 2 seed. I still think Arizona may run the Dodgers down. Think it will be close on that one.

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    1. 7 years was a way to keep the AAV under control. I doubt the Phillies expect much out of that last season or 2.

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    2. A lot of Phillies Phans (explicit) on Nola. It’s always boggled my mind. Nola is one of my all-time favorite Phillies. Glad he was kept, to add with Wheeler & Suárez and emerging Sanchez + Painter. Should be a top tier rotation … even if Nola becomes a high paid #3… and eventually a #4. If MLB ever lets that spidertack stuff comeback… he’ll be no worse than a #2 :). That’s humor, not claiming anything for the record. He’s a location+spin rate pitcher over a power arm. he would be able to be a good value for the Phils for the majority of this contract.

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       1. *should

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25. I’m feelin’ it, guys. And I know you are feelin’ it, too. Taijuan Walker is going to put up a good start this afternoon: 5 IP and 2 runs. Not a quality start because you need to pitch six innings for one. Thomson will pull him after 5 and use this start as a confidence builder. Then, the BP will have to hold it. Are you feelin’ it?

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    1. I can see it. Would feel it more … if the astros throw out their Monday lineup 🙂 … Anyways I know he has stunk this year… but even pitchers having the year he has… have blips. Let’s root from him to pull a few out of his keyster … and get his trade value up. I wonder if they would consider moving him to the pen, if the focus could add a 1-2 mph back on his FB. He’s just in no man’s land on this team from the way I see it.

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       1. Tac, I think they can’t use him in the pen bc he struggles early and needs innings to get in the zone, so he is basically a worse pitcher as a reliever.

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    2. Taijuan will have to deal with the heat this afternoon.. real feel 100plus some weather people say……hopefully he likes it hot out there on the mound.

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26. As the league turns. Phillies are now back in the 1 spot tied with Dodgers with 78 wins. Brewers 3. Zona 4, Pads 5 and Atl 6. Appears they are going to hold off Mets. Up 3 now. I am surprised at that. But Atl has won several extra-inning games recently.

    AL has Yanks at 1 with 78. KC 2 with 75. Houston 3. Baltimore 4, Cleveland 5 and Minn 6. Tigers have won 5 in a row and only 4 behind Minnesota. Unlikely but things change so much so fast these days.

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27. Rincones HR and stat

    https://x.com/Mitch_Rupert/status/1828583802794336272?t=zq31O012jsKNH2C5x7jmww&s=19

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    1. Rincones is having a good year when healthy. 11 homers and 15 stolen bases in 44 games along with a 10%+ walk rate is legit. The scouting reports have not been very flattering. Hope this is an example of a prospect in which the performance is more telling than scouting grades. But we will have to see. Usually the scouting grades prove right. But there are prospects where that is not the case. Rhys Hoskins comes to mind.

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       1. He’s a classic under-the-radar guy and, you know, the scouting reports are actually fine. I like that, for a guy who is rated as a “30” runner he’s learned how to steal bases, which suggests to me he’s aggressive and a very analytical player. To me, this is about him being at least passable in the outfield and seeing if the hit tool translates at higher levels. If it does, he could have a future as a corner outfielder. He’s in the new wave of what I consider “grown ass man” prospects the new scouting team is looking for – guys who have the physical tools and build to be excellent big leaguers if they can master the other skills.

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       2. Phillies should be releasing their AFL candidates soon….hoping besides Crawford, Rincones goes back once again…..because of the time he missed with his injured thumb, he can use an additional 80/90 PAs against quality pitching prospects.

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          1. To me, the AFL is generally for more junior guys, guys who the team can make up their mind on, and guys who need more ABs or innings due to injuries and the like. I could see Rincones going, but would be surprised if Crawford ended up there after doing pretty well in AA. It would be a nice gig for Kemp, Chace and Anthony, as well as Aiden Miller. Saltiban is a guy you might want to send there next year.

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             1. Some teams have their own priorities set up as to who they want to send….some teams send their top position prospects, but usually hold back their top starting pitching prospects and will send their quality relief specialists ready to go to AAA level or come up to the majors the following year. Then there is the other factor…..there are six different teams with 5 MLB teams sharing prospects per grouping, so each team is slotted different positions that must be filled, so basically a team cannot send everyone they want, so a team like the Phillies may have to send a certain amount of pitchers, maybe a catcher maybe not….a certain number of OFers or infielders. Will be interesting to see who is selected by the Phillies.

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                1. That’s true about the relievers. Teams often send nearly big league ready relievers to the AFL. And, you’re right that different teams have different priorities. And there’s always a guy or two they send that come out of the blue – again, often a pitcher who they believe may have potential. It’s very unpredictable.

                   Anyway, put Ricketts on the list of players who may end up there.

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28. Today is the last game on the Astros 6 game road trip before heading home to play the KC Royals. I’m hoping they just want to finish this trip and get on a plane and are looking ahead to playing a hot Royals team… looking past this one against us.

    I know that’s a stretch but with TW pitching today, that’s all I got!

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    1. Tie one on with Taijuan during the post-game!

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    2. I don’t know what’s worse – Walker pitching well or Walker pitching poorly. I’m thinking it’s Walker pitching well. He has no business being in that starting rotation right now. But if he struggles it’s on Topper to get him the hell out of there before the Astros lay an 8-spot on the Phillies.

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       1. I think today is the “decision maker”, if he does well, he’ll stick at least for awhile, if he doesn’t, changes will be coming in short order. Hafta see how it plays, huh!

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          1. Agree that today’s start will determine what happens with the rotation moving forward. Another flop and Walker is done as a starter until they clinch playoff position.

             Don’t think he will get DFA’d but he will be buried in the pen unless they can find a reason to IL him.

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       2. Worst case scenario is that he goes 3 innings, gives up 3 runs which is just barely enough to get him another start but still bad enough that you can’t win with him in the rotation.

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          1. Yeah, or he pitches 5 and a third and gives up 9 hits and 4 runs. He obviously pitches into good luck, gets a few Ks and “earns” himself another start where he will then get his posterior handed to him again. It’s a joke that he is still in the rotation.

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29. Interesting change in Phils performance. For majority of year our strength was scoring early runs in first and second innings.

    Counting today’s game, for the month of August we have scored in the first 2 innings only 8 of 25 games.

    Don’t know why the drastic change.

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    1. Schwarber, Turner, and Harper have had long stretches of not hitting in August.

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30. the Walker experiment has failed

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31. Well nobody saw this coming.

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32. Even Kruk mentioned that Tiajuan’s leash has been long…but probably not after today.

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    1. Phantom injury incoming.

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33. I never saw a true throw away game, but I did today. This was a Walker audition and nothing more. At no time today did Rob try to win the game by making managing moves. This was a sacrifice to prove Walker is cooked!

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    1. Skeet….not sure this was a good way to get ready for a 4-game Braves series.

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       1. Agree …….. most anemic looking display, both sides of the ball. When they figure out the staff, they can probably jettison Mercado too.

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       2. They didn’t burn the bullpen and Walker isn’t pitching in the series so they are set up fine for Atl.

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          1. Hope you are correct. Looks like Charlie Morton tomorrow ….he isn’t as dominant as he once was carrying a 4.6 FIP this season….. and I think Sale pitches tonight so they may miss him

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    2. But you just cannot simply give away every 5th game. That means to be over 500 you must win 3 of the other 4. That is difficult. Skeet. I mentioned other start I think I could still hit him at my age. So, you know these other guys are just licking their chops. Guess Phillies did not bring their hitting shoes either.

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34. Darn, I thought Marsh was gonna get through the game without having the ump calling a BS strike, but the ump just wanted to end the game with it.

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35. I don’t see how Taijuan Walker stays in the rotation. And he’s not reliever material either. He should have been DFAd after the previous game.

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36. I was wrong in thinking the Phils would retain Merrifield if they couldn’t move him before the deadline.

    So with that, I’m guessing the Phils will mothball Walker till their playoff spot is set in cement. What’s wrong with Walker is perhaps not fixable but certainly isn’t fixable in the bullpen between starts. I no longer think he’s marketable this off-season so I expect him to remain on the 40-man until spring training. Getting him to the point where he can be traded somehow will be an important goal of the coaching staff. I’m reconciled to seeing him on the roster for a few more months even if he doesn’t have as many as 15 IP in his Phillies’ future.

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    1. At some point, you owe it to the fans and the players to try to win every game and not to pursue reclamation projects. Letting Walker keep a roster slot is almost as bad now as pitching him every fifth game. The best decision for all at this point is to DFA him as painful and financially costly as that may be.

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       1. Frank…spot on…..probably DFA’d and since no team will now pick him up after the waiting period, he will go down to LHV and try to work things out.

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37. The Walker thing is actually a move I don’t sweat DD for. It happens. Now if they persist too long with running him out there I’ll have a problem with it but from here to the end of the season I’m not sure who the better option is and if he eats some innings and has an ok game here or there its going to help the other pitchers be a little more fresh for the WS run.

    If you’re telling me Allard is a better option ok…

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    1. DMAR….I think they will not run him out there anymore this season…Top post game said he needs tp think and talk things over…assume with DD, pitching coach and Walker…….then you have virtually all the post game guys -Kruk, Ben Davis, Ruben and Ricky Bo- saying gloom and doom things about the situation.

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38. Walker needs to go. Like many have said, its a scheduled loss when he is on the hill. Even the rest of the team you can tell shows up to play with their heads up their rear ends when hes on the hill because they know the game is DOA. Its malpractice to everyone involved in the org and fans to keep putting him out there. Abel would be better. Phillips would be better. Seth Johnson would be better. None of those guys are good right now but theres at least a glimmer of hope that they can get some guys out.

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    1. Yeah I get where you guys are coming from but sheesh they were no hit for how many innings?

       I think it was Catch who said a few weeks ago that this LU is way too streaky and its likely going to cost them not the pitching.

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       1. I 100% agree.

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       2. Consistent hitters are a myth. It’s true our team will only go as far as our offense will take us. But that’s just because it’s physically impossible to win without scoring.

          I get that people look at the kid’s ERA and think we should light him up, but his previous start before facing us he 3 hit the O’s for 6 innings. A couple before that, he 2 hit (granted, the 2 hits were homers) the BoSox over 7 innings with THIRTEEN strikeouts. And he also held the Rangers to 2 hits through 6.

          The Rangers are having a bad year, but they’ve still got genuine stars in that lineup. The O’s and Sox are both top 6 offenses in baseball (top 3 for the O’s).

          Hitting is hard. Sometimes a pitcher’s stuff will be extra sharp making it even harder. And sometimes you get unlucky on top of that.

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39. Caba went 3-6 last night; Nori 2-4; Tait 2-5 with a 2B and a BB

    Miller 2-4 (avg now up to 252) and Anthony always shows up 1-4 with a 2B; Another strong outing from Steward 5 IP 0 Runs 8 Ks. Steward has made 19 Starts and has logged 99.1 IP. Pan had an appearance 1 IP 0 Runs 1 BB 1 K.

    Crawford was 2-3 2B not much else. Appears game ended in a 2-2 Tie.

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    1. thank you for the updates

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       1. LOL Jim spoils us so its nothing near what he provides but at least its something…

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    2. Went to the Threshers game, my first of the year. One guy who impressed me was Carter Mathison. No hits (though he’s batting 333 with 916 OPS in his brief career) but he worked two walks and stole three bases. He was a fifth round draft pick this year and you know the Phils’ fifth round magic.

       BTW, I would call Tait stocky, not fat, but we’ll see as he gets older.

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40. Romus. Just got my new Baseball America. Bobby Witt Jr. is cover. He is going to be so good. I am still taking KC to make playoffs. They can be dangerous. In regard to Braves series Phillies must get at least 2. Less is unacceptable. In regard to Walker no one is going to want him. Phillies most likely eat all or most of remaining money. But you cannot take an automatic L every 5th day.

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    1. Bobby Witt, Jr. is already so good – the only player who is better right now is Aaron Judge, who is having a season for the ages. But 9 years out of 10, Bobby Witt, Jr. wins the MVP – this just happens to be that one in ten year.

       I’ve been complaining about Walker since the end of last year (how do you sign a guy to an $18 million a year contract who is not good enough to even appear in a postseason game [and Topper was right about that, he wasn’t good enough]? Mind boggling.) and things have only gotten worse. A Walker start is a planned loss. It’s that bad. It’s sad that Turnbull isn’t healthy right now. He should have never been pulled from the rotation to begin with. It angered the baseball Gods. That said, I would be shocked if they DFA’d Walker now. The rosters expand in a matter of days and they will be able to hide him for the rest of the year even if he only gets inserted into games in blow outs or doesn’t even pitch at all. I can give you about $39 million reasons why he isn’t going to get DFA’d. Walker is a cautionary tale in why you don’t invest big dollars into back end of the rotation starters with little upside,. This was a poorly conceived signing when it happened and just went south from there. That said, they will try again to rehabilitate him in the spring to see if they can move him. But I doubt he will have a much of leash next year and it wouldn’t shock me if he started the year as the #5 and is traded or DFA’d when Painter is recalled from the minors.

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    2. If they split this series with the Braves the division race is virtually over for Atl. They don’t have to get more than 2.

       If they end the series on Sunday up 5 on the Braves it will be hard for Atl to make up 5 games with 25 remaining.

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       1. Maybe but these ups and downs come so fast. I am truly amazed that at the beginning of September the Braves with all of their injuries are only 5 out. I really felt when the Mets passed them briefly a few weeks ago they would stay in front. Plus, the Braves have an awful record when the opponent scores 3 or more runs. They started like 0-27. Not sure what it is now. Phillies are just as amazing with the starters going 7+ innings. It was like 28-1 recently when they played the national game vs KC last weekend. Both are crazy deals. I agree 2-2 makes it difficult. 1-3 or worse makes it game on.

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          1. Is it a good thing the Phillies will miss Sale!

             Sometimes I wonder if the lineup takes some pitchers too lightly…Phillies now will face Morton, Lopez, Fried and Schwellenbach…..three righties. Lopez can really be a toughie.

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41. Who’s up next? We all seem to agree that Walker is done. However, I believe they should keep him through the off season and see how he does next spring training. Put him on the IL or however they can hide him and go to the next guy up.

    We all seem to realize that the next guy is not Mercado. He had the one good game versus the Cubs but he’s a homer machine. I don’t think it’s Phillips. He had two good (one great) game(s) but he’s not a major league pitcher. It appears to be Allard.

    However, I really think that they should look at Kyle Tyler who pitched last night for LHV. He’s done well since the Phillies signed him. He is a control pitcher so he walks little but also is not a strike out pitcher. He won’t be the “answer” but for now he’s good.

    Check him out if you can. Maybe on YouTube.

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42. Didn’t see much complaining about the signing when it happened.

    Weekly Discussion (12/4/22) | Phuture Phillies

    Lots of complaining after it didn’t workout.

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    1. Fair point. At the time it looked like a slight overpay. It’s just turned out horrible. It happens.

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       1. Agree. I remember Bill Polian who was GM of Colts mention a few years ago you never get all decisions correct. You hope to get more correct than not but there really is no guarantee when doing this. So many things factor in. Age, health, sometimes just bad or good luck.

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43. well that performance by Walker cost the Phils more money … Ugh.. not a good look. Hope he can bounce back, have a good spring and some team who is desperate for SP + is poor is willing to trade for him. The Phils really needed him to have a good start then hide him away to shine him up a bit… No luck

    AMAZING the Phillies have missed Chris Sale all season. Thats not good for the postseason IMO. Braves getting a Lot of looks at our pitchers now. Hopefully our SP + Realmuto pull a page out Greg Maddux’s book and mind screw them with the pitch sequence.

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    1. If Taijuan walker cannot regain a few MPH on his fastball, he’s going to have to substantially reinvent himself, which won’t be easy. Otherwise, I hate to say it, but I think he’s done.

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       1. with dudes throwing a 105 mph … he should be able too. If he is dedicated enough. Not saying he wont be but if he is, I think he stands a good Chance. That guy no one likes did it… Trevor Bauer. He bumped up to 98-99mph.

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          1. Splitters kill arms…good short term fix.

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44. 3up – Don’t want to say I told you so but I’m going to do it anyway. When Dombrowski signed Walker, I wrote immediately after his signature was on the contract that this was the kind of signing that gets GMs fired.

    A couple of guys jumped on me writing that DD had a great track record so this must be a good thing. I wrote that Walker always seemed to struggle the second half of the season and that’s why the Mets never even made him an offer.

    I’m just hoping he can go to spring training and get back to where he was for the Phillies fans’ sake and for himself. Can’t imagine how this year’s failure makes him feel.

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    1. How does that pie taste ciada? 🙂 I wasn’t a fan, not because of Walker’s ability, but because it blocked our young pitchers in my mind. I was wrong there, the Phils needed him .. to be who they thought he was. I also wanted to allocate the money elsewhere. DD has a few missteps but ones I think he can overcome. Overall, hes been the best GM I’ve experienced as a Phillies Phan. Even over Gillick. I was too young for the 80’ run. Started watching in 85/86’

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    2. Well congratulations, I guess. Doesn’t look like it will get DD fired but it certainly hasn’t worked out well.

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45. Seranthony has turned his season around with the O’s…..14 IP, ERA 2.57, BAA-.163, WAR 0.4…..good for him.

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    1. Romus. I always felt that Seranthony had closer ability. I am not sure what happened in Philly or did not happen. Ability to me was never an issue. I mentioned that many times on here. I hope he does not come back to haunt Phillies in WS but at least that would mean Phillies made it. I also wish him well.

       I have said this many times on here that for me when the Phillies went up 1-0 in game 3 Topper should have brought him in instead of Kerkering. Couple pitches later it was 1-1 and then Kimbrel would be Kimbrel the next inning. To me losing game 3 which was winnable turned the whole series. It may have been a 4=0 sweep had Phillies held on in that game. But that is all ancient history now.

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46. I’m all for signing Trevor Bauer. He can’t do worse than our #5’s the past month or so. Let’s give him a one-month audition…

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    1. 1. Yes, he can do worse. Is it likely? Not really, but people need to understand that success in foreign leagues is no indicator of success in the MLB. Nor is previous success in MLB. Walker is proof of that.
       2. He’s simply not worth the risk. And I’m not talking about the money. He’s toxic. It’s readily evident that he’s toxic. Why bother signing someone that could very easily just end up as a distraction and a clubhouse cancer just to potentially win 1 or 2 more games down the stretch? We have 29 games left in the season, which means if we signed him this second and he pitched TONIGHT, he might pitch in 5 games. Even if we assume he wins ALL of those, that would only translate to 1 or 2 wins over what we could expect from our in-house (non-Walker) options for the 5th spot in the rotation. Seriously, go look at the records of Phillips/Mercado/Allard.

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       1. He would sign for the MLB minimum – which for one month is almost nothing. If he proves to be toxic in any way, they can let him go. Almost no risk and potential high reward.

          That said, I know it won’t happen.

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          1. It’s really not a high reward. He can’t pitch in the post season, so he’d pitch in 5 games at most. His impact would be minuscule.

             I’d much rather reward a guy in AAA that’s having a good year, or give a young guy a taste of the big leagues to help him get acclimated.

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             1. He could pitch in the post season if he were to sign by tomorrow at midnight.

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                1. Why hasn’t he signed yet with any MLB team…..maybe because MLB has decided to shun him.

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             2. Dan K…..I’d let Robinson Pina have a go out it, if they DFA Walker.

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                1. Seth Johnson would also be nice to reward for such a good year, and he’s already on the 40-man.

                   I also think it would be absolutely hysterical if he managed to pitch well enough to earn a couple of wins, because then the Soto trade would look truly lopsided.

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          2. I agree that a Bauer signing won’t happen and agree that it should. The Phils are a *hitshow playing behind Walker and the Phils know they can’t use Walker in meaningful situations.

             It’s the height of sophistry to claim that you can’t trust Bauer’s performance in foreign leagues, can’t trust his performance in MLB and can’t give him a chance when you have a clear hole in the rotation. He would block no quality starter this year and would be a fine post-season insurance policy in the playoffs if one of the Phils’ big 4 goes down. They don’t have that now.

             He involves no big or long term financial commitment. The Phils look now like one of the 4-5 best teams going to the wire. A move that would push them ahead by a nose makes sense to me. Haven’t seen a good argument yet against it.

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       2. If Hinkie were around he’d put the kibosh on the Bauer signing right away. A clubhouse poison, he’d say. I’ve got to agree. One of the positives of this Phillies team is the positive character of the individuals as a collective, and that starts with the positive character of the veteran team leaders. Let’s keep it that way.

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    2. Can’t believe people are still crying about signing Bauer. He’s not getting signed but for some reason, we continue to discuss it.

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       1. For me (on Bauer), I don’t want to be the guy applying 20/20 hindsight or retrospectivelyly clear logic in the post-season if the Phils fall short. If they win it all and you know that now, then I think you have a point.

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47. 3up – Thanks for bringing back the 12-4-22 discussion that lasted about a week or so. Makes me proud and happy that sometimes I know what I’m talking/writing about.

    What I really appreciate about that week’s chat was seeing all the guys who once wrote on this site who are no longer present, especially Hinkie. He lives on in our hearts and minds.

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48. I miss Hinkie. The last post I could find in my archive stuff was a post he made in reference to the Phillies and Yamamoto. No offer had been made to him at that time.

    I also miss Matt13. He was so nice to me. I am not sure where he was but he had grandkids similar in age to mine in Florida. He also took the time to look up a pic of my grandson in a Sectional championship play that showed the ump missed the call at 3B which cost the game and Sectional title. That was 2022.

    I also miss Rocco when he takes those cruises to Gilligan’s Island and is gone for a while. Now he is at the racetracks for the Fall. But I really enjoy reading all or your comments especially Romus and oldruff/skeet who gave me a nickname.

    Good luck Phillies in these next 4 games. Braves are always difficult for Phillies.

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    1. Yes Don….it was really strange seeing Hinkie’s posts…..he is missed.

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       1. Yes. He was big on the Phillies getting involved in the Japanese market. I miss his pic with his hat. In 2022 we both made the 90-72 pick for Phillies. I do not believe they made our pick. But made WS. Just seeing projection that Yankees and Phillies end up the 1 seed. I can see that happening. After this weekend we may know if that is likely or if it is game on with the Braves. I do agree Romus Phillies have had issues with Braves righthanders other than Morton. I am completely shocked with all the player games missed by top Brave guys they are only 5 games back as of tonight. Amazing.

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49. Concerning Moffo: It was only supposed to be a 3 hour tour. A 3 hour tour.

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    1. I know. But he takes like a 3 week or 3-month tour. I wonder if he may be the professor?

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50. Just read that the Angels are promoting Sam Aldegheri to the MAJOR LEAGUE level. Could that be real? He’s pitched 17 innings in 4 games for 10 ERs at their AA level team. Are they that desperate for pitching?

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    1. I have never seen the young kid. Where they are at, I guess if gives them a chance to see how he performs. When would he have got to the Phillies? 25 or 26 maybe? Let me know if you see when he pitches. I can check in for a bit on Extra Innings.

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       1. Hoosier Don ……… Supposedly tomorrow evening against the Mariners. Probably turnout to be the 2nd coming of Warren Spahn.😉

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          1. oldruff. I commented earlier today about you. Mentioned my nickname. You are so cool. So, he is a lefty then. Hope not a Fergie Jenkins. If tomorrow I can catch a few innings. Phillies will be over by their game time.

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       2. Angels have nothing to lose by bringing him up and starting him. It is not the best way of grooming a prospect, but then again we are talking the Angels. And they have had their good luck with Phillies trade returns so far.

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          1. Romus. They have the game to lose. Phillies have figured an automatic 5th game loss is over. I have not seen who the replacement for Walker is. I am only kidding on the Angels.

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    2. The Angels promote extremely aggressively.

       They also haven’t been good at developing players in the past decade or so. Maybe they figure since their prospects keep flaming out, they can avoid the issue by getting them to the majors ASAP.

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       1. Yes……Phillies actually, so far, have been developing their best prospects so far……sans Neto and Schnauel.

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51. Don – According to MLB Trade Rumors, Aldegheri will be starting today’s game.

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52. If he did, I believe they won in a shutout this afternoon. Also, seeing Walker to the bullpen. Do not see where that is a good move. Takes a spot there.

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53. Yep. Angels beat Tigers 3-0. Tigers had won 6 in a row I believe. Kid did ok if he pitched today.

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54. Kochaniwicz (sp) pitched today. Sam pitches tomorrow!

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    1. Nice. You are becoming Romus with the bold. Fine with me. Easier for my old eyes to read. I have never been to an eye doctor. Probably not great. Only that sign at a doctor or the driver license. But little print is hard to read now. So, keep up the BOLD. LOL

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       1. Happens to all of us, have you noticed your arms are getting ……… longer! I went from 32″ to 36″.

          Walker to the pen ……. new meaning to the word …. long man!😎

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          1. I agree with T Mac that the win tonight was one of the better ones for the season. Also, Philles are very fortunate that when the score got to 4-0 Topper did not go to the bullpen and summon Walker Longman oldruff. In a blink of an eye, it may have been 10-0 and too much for the 5 runs to make any difference. I am only being funny but truly a really nice win.

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             1. I wouldn’t worry about Walker ruining games. He will be the guy who eats innings in a blow out. He won’t pitch a meaningful inning the rest of the year most likely. As I said yesterday, they can hide him on an expanded roster and it looks like that’s exactly what they are doing. But, practically speaking, he’s worse than useless right now.

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    2. Kochanowicz ……

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55. Atlanta money bats producing. Phillies money bats are silent.

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    1. If I’ve learned anything about this team, it’s that they clearly read this website and take it personally when we say anything negative about them.

       So Casty’s homer is all thanks to you. Cheers.

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56. Have to say at this point I would rather see Rojas playing everyday over Hays. Just do see much in the guy’s game. No situational awareness, no plate discipline and average defensively.

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    1. *don’t see much

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       1. I’ve been saying that since the trade. It makes the team worse defensively — Marsh is an excellent left fielder but only passable in center — and on the base paths, and doesn’t add much to the hitting.

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57. Good comeback win…….Marsh delivers…..my concern, is Trea Turner the shortstop of the future, even just next year. His SDI as of two weeks ago….-4.6 third from the bottom in MLB ….even Pirates’ Cruz’ is better and they are moving him to CF next season

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    1. Don’t think much of Trea’s defensive qualities, that side arm sling he uses to throw leaves me cold. I think it’s a good thing that Harper is flexible in movement in his inaugural year at 1B.

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58. On the Angels promoting Aldegheri. He may have a bright future, but promoting to the big leagues when he was just promoted to AA and struggled a bit there is pretty irresponsible in my view and is not in the best interests of this prospect. There’s a reason the Angels are constantly bad and fail to develop most of their prospects. By the way, it’s probably irresponsible even if Aldegheri does okay. I seriously doubt he is anywhere close to a finished product and promoting him too soon is likely to impede his development.

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    1. I thought the same. There’s an reason why the Angels are considered the worst run organization in mlb (among those that spend)

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       1. Just a horrible organization. You have to work hard to have both Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on your roster and not come close to sniffing a playoff appearance. They are basically the NY Jets of baseball.

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59. just heard horrible news on a local athlete. Johnny Gaudreau a.k.a. Johnny hockey and his brother were killed by a drunken driver last night in South Jersey. While they were bicycle riding. He leaves behind a wife and children and was 31 years old. Just a terrible tragedy. 🥲

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    1. Horrible situation. Bother brothers were to have been groomsmen in a sister’s wedding today. Can’t imagine what the family is going through.

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    2. Just saw article on accident. they were to be in their sister wedding today. Said they were on a county road and this guy tried to pass two cars and hit them. Did say he is in jail without bond at this time. Really sad.

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60. I will watch some of the Angels tonight and report how kid does.

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61. Hoosier Don and Catch ……….. follow me on this, not trying to be funny.

    We have had instances where necessary during August to invoke the black ops corp (Stubbs & Wilson) in games that have gone too far south.

    Last night while Strahm was pitching a batter fouled off over 9 pitches finally succumbing to a check swing strike 3.

    Watching the black opts pitch I noticed there 35 mph to 18 mph velocity devoid drops ….. got them out of the inning with no damage (Wilson). While the 93 — 95 mph heaters of the starters/relievers were bouncing off the walls, landing in the gaps and being smoked down the lines.

    So, the suggestion is………. from time to time, not part of your regular repertoire, float a sub-sub-sub 21 mph about knee high across the plate to rid yourself of a PIA hitter who probably is getting real close to smoking a hit off you. We’ll call it a “poop pitch”!

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    1. oldruff. There is some truth to your theory. The day Stubbs went for the cycle it was a position player who pitched the last inning. How did Stubbs get hit by a 55-mph fastball. But he did. Then the rest of Phillies went out 1, 2, 3. Sometimes you see those guys brought in like that get everyone out.

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    2. This is actually old school – it’s called an eephus pitch.

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       1. Correct. Some of the position guys throw it every pitch. One would think it might be similar to some BP days. But I did hear other day Topper had them on batting machine hitting curve balls.

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          1. Don….that will work, if it is a rookie batting machine throwing the curves.

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    3. Oldruff- I watched that same at bat and thought the very same thing ! Supposing Strahm just threw something way offspeed – like 50 mph – the batter would have come out of his shoes.

       Incidentally, Ewell Blackwell (of Cincy, later Yankees) invented the pitch – eephus – and it was very effective, until Ted Williams hit one about 5 miles when he tried to fool him.

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       1. Randy Wolf and David Cone, I believe, would sometimes throw random eephus pitches. Most really good hitters can adjust to it, but some really have a tough time. I had a colleague once who had been a minor leaguer (he played for the Astros) and he told me he wouldn’t play on the company’s softball team because he sucked at softball since he couldn’t hit a slow pitch. Pretty shocking.

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          1. catch. I played at the top level of fastpitch softball for probably 20 years. It was a really fun and fast game. Pitchers dominated and I had a good guy teach me to pitch after I messed up my rotator cuff in baseball. I only played one slow-pitch game and a buddy of mine lied to me that we were going to a fastpitch tourney. I did not like it at all. Pitches are like 10 or 12 feet high in an arch. Guys that are good it is home run derby for them. I had one of my Babe Ruth and American Legion who actually played for several years for a topflight team sponsored by the guy who owned the pizza chain who owned the Tigers who tried forever to win a WS. Believe it was Michael Illich. But I do know he was owner, and his money was from pizza. Name may be wrong. That was long ago.

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             1. Fast pitch softball…if it evens still exists…..did have its fair share of bunting.

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                1. Romus. I am not sure it does. Last, I really heard big on it was in the 90s. I got to see the King a couple times. He even played my team, but I had to be gone. The three best guys I ever played against was a guy named Allan Coleglazier. He was like Mason MIller is. Lights out. About 6’4″. He won a couple World titles or whatever the top was for an Aurora team out of Illinois. Mike Andrews and a lefty guy from New Zealand were right behind. I almost beat the New Zealand guy one night. Lost 2-1 on a bloop hit.

                   There was lots of bunting. Pitchers totally dominated from 46 feet. Rise balls and drop balls. The bunts eventually made me quit. I never could not field and throw like a shortstop and that was way not good for my shoulder.

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62. Thoroughly throws off timing and I can imagine he was right.

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63. Seems like Olson has awakened. The first one he hit last night almost reached the International Space Center. I hope he doesn’t stay too hot for the rest of the series.

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    1. That guy is a flat out Phillie killer. When he’s cold, we get him warmed up – FAST!

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       1. Olson only has 9 hits vs the Phillies in 42 PAs……BUT, 4 are HRs and 5 are doubles….so he makes them count.

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64. Olson really has a sweet swing when he is going well. Phillies saw a couple of those last night. Braves probably came out ahead on the Freeman/Olson switch.

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65. So far this year Olson is slashing .231/.286/.667  vs the Phillies in 42 PAs, with a 29% K rate……hopefully we haven’t awaken him now.

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    1. Romus. He has had an off year like many of the Braves other than Ozuna. I think he had like 50 home runs last year and last night was like 24 and 25, I think. He does not need to get red hot next three days.

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       1. Olson and Ohtani seem to have a similar batting stance when at the plate…..I thought it was a little odd…..but does work wonders for them. I guess lefthanded batters have more unique batting stances….Wes Covington, Red Schoendiest, Ted Williams…then right handed batters.

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          1. Romus. Hoosier Don was a lefty hitter. But only about 5’10” instead of 6’4″. I had a swing more like Schwarbs. I hit so many foul balls down 1B line. Schwarbs does as well at times.

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             1. A lefty pull hitter with power….a pretty good combo.

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                1. Maybe. Really quick swing. quick hands. Stanky always had guys watch when I took BP. I was just trying to keep from being hit by our wild lefty. they were always filming.

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          2. Aggghhhh ……. the Ole Redhead ……. there was a good ballplayer!

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          3. Romus ….. He was right handed, but when you mention odd stances …….. remember Stan “Stosh” Lopata? When we were kids we’d emulate the Phillies team playing wiffle ball……. fun times.

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             1. Yes, Stan Lopata and I forget the other great Cardinal….Stan the Man Musial….so many odd stances.

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                1. Lopata and Musial, both could be in the Polish American Baseball Hall of Fame, along with the Philadelphia A’s Al Simmons (aka Aloysius Syzmanski).

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    2. I’m sticking with my statement. Last year Olson had 6 homers, a 1.041 OPS and a 193 OPS+ against the Phillies. 2022 wasn’t nearly as good but still a 110 OPS+. Every time he’s up, I expect him to hit a homer against the Phillies, even though he has one of the oddest and most klunky power swings I’ve ever seen. But, clearly, it works for him!

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66. Speaking of Schwarber, in his last 4 games he is 1 for 15 with 3 walks and 8 Ks. He really needs to pick it up.

    The much criticized Castellanos has hit much better than the DH who tends to get a pass from a lot of us.

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    1. Streaky is kind of the word for almost all of the hitters. Schwarbs may hit a couple home runs tonight. He is not my kind of leadoff hitter, but he has hit for better average, and he does walk a lot. I am not sure what the OBP is for both. Romus will. But I would think Schwarbs is higher probably significant. I will look tonight.

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       1. .369 OBP for Schwarbs, .303 for Casty.

          As for Castellanos getting more criticism than Schwarber, it’s because Schwarber has WAY better numbers for the year. If He struggles for literal months at a time while being the worst defensive OF in the game, then he’ll get the same comments.

          But I’m not going to complain about a guy with 130 wRC+ because he’s in a FOUR game slump.

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    2. Do not know what to make of Castellanos….wanted him gone, but when he hits like he has over the last three months, maybe I will change my mind. And over the last 38 games he is slashing .296/.338/.514. Not sure he is a keeper after the year is out.

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       1. He gets hot and makes us think this. He isn’t a keeper but he’s not a Taijuan Walker-level disaster either (thank God). But you know what his bWAR is this year? 0.1!! Replacement level is 2.0. No, he’s not a keeper! I appreciate his effort (he does work and try hard), but if you can move him, you probably should. Although I doubt they will.

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          1. He turns 33 years old next season, however, if he can keep this hitting going…especially thru the play-offs, hoping Phillies are there, perhaps a market will exist for him. A;sp Crawford and Rincones may soon be ready to step up, so it could get a little crowded out there. If he is dangled, hope Dombrowski will try to move him a year earlier, than a year too late.

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67. Wishing Aldegheri great luck. but imo this is another example of how poorly run the Angels are. No way this kid is ready for the majors. Such a terrible decision.

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    1. And they just extended their GM Perry M. for another few years. So maybe he is thinking, Phillies keep trading us their prospects and they thrive, well they are at least better than our own, I will, if I can, get more prospects out of Philly.

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68. https://www.mlb.com/news/samuel-aldegheri-debuts-as-1st-mlb-pitcher-born-raised-in-italy

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    1. He gave up 5 runs in the 1st inning of work.

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69. What’s going on with Suarez? Lower back? Anyone?

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70. For some reason Extra Innings is not showing the Angels tonight. One other game not on either. That is unusual but normal for my luck. So, no report on how he does.

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    1. Didn’t see the game. He gave up seven runs in five innings but only two were earned. Doesn’t look liked he pitched horribly but not great. As good as Walker has been pitching for a helluva lot less money.

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71. Seth johnson tonight for LHV

    6 inn., 1 hit, 1 BB, O ER, 5 Ks, 82 pitches

    Last 4 starts 20 inn., 19 Ks, 6 BB , ONE EARNED RUN, 8 hits…. 0.56 ERA

    I think he is ready

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72. Last night was the latest installment of my least favorite series of all time: Watch Mike Schmidt Steal Comcast’s Money. He’s actually gotten worse this year. Not only does he continue to not prepare in the least, but he clearly does not follow the team at all. He simply gets on a plane from Florida and walks into the booth. Some of last night’s gems included not knowing about Olson’s HRs Thursday or why Bohm was absent from the lineup. Do they not have internet or cable tv in Florida?

    At least Kruk the last couple of years has moved beyond the Cranky Old White Guy schtick. Thursday, for example, on Bohm’s recent RBI drought he commented that when a young player starts to approach 100 RBIs he sometimes starts pressing.

    And Bryce finally fessed up about being hurt. On the pregame Amaro said that wouldn’t have come out until he was on the mend.

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    1. I agree with your Mike Schmidt analysis 100%

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73. This is just my take after watching the first two games. Phillies really need to avoid being the number 3 or 6 seed. Braves in a 2 of 3 series does not seem good to me. It is obvious Braves have no fear of the Phillies. I know Phillies have won last 2 seasons, but this year feels different with them. Most of the guys playing now for them were not the guys who have failed the last two postseasons. Phillies really need to get back to the 1- or 2-line IMO.

    I am not going to trash Schmitty because he is an icon, and he is from my era. I am not sure he adds really very much. One comment he made in the 7th inning though resonates with me from those days. JT had homered. 7-2. Marsh walks. Sosa is now 2-0 in the count and Phillies are down 5 late in the game. Schmitty made comment he needed to make pitcher throw a strike. Philles needed baserunners at the time. But instead, Sosa swings and hits a deep drive over to the Phillies dugout that Olsen is able to catch pretty easily. Back in our day that was automatic you made the pitcher throw a strike. No questions about it. Maybe pitch would have been called a ball and now 3-0. That is one of the biggest changes in the game today from game years ago. Sosa is not alone. You see it all the time. Guys have no idea of the game at the moment. Think Rojas and Schwarbs both struck out, so it is what it is.

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    1. Don…..spot on…..they are rally killers. Team needs to get guys on, over and in. Thursday nite may have been the only time I have this season from the team to come back from a 4 run deficit. Unless they jump out in front, they seem to be dead in the water.

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    2. I agree Don. Infuriating. And then DD goes out and trades for Austin Hays, who has zero patience at the plate and we’re supposed to believe that he was upset last year after they were bounced from the playoffs that he was mad at their approach? Give me a break. He could have saved himself time and effort with someone like WW, who easily replaces Whit and Hays.

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74. Don53 – I agree with you on Schmitty’s comment – I flipped out when he swung on that 2-0 pitch. But old Mike nailed it. They did need base runners.

    Also – Olson personally fielded what seemed like every ball hit anywhere on the right side – he has won a gold glove and it showed. Any other 1b may not have made 2 or 3 of those plays and that could have created opportunities.

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75. I was at the JS game last night. Fun game. The JS team plays with energy. We went mostly to see Aidan.

    I was impressed with his defense. He has really good range and a good (not great) arm. I saw Stott play at JS and I think they are comparable defensively. For the record, I think Stott could play SS in the majors as well. He made a number of good defensive plays but one play that he didn’t make stood out a little. This is a tough critique because it was a hard play. A ball was hit up the middle and the pitcher tipped it off his glove. Aidan ranged over between the mound and 2B and grabbed it with his glove and threw to first. The runner just beat the throw. I am not a scout. Just a fan. But to my untrained eye, it looked like a very athletic play where his good, but not great arm strength couldn’t get the runner out. It was a close play and an elite arm gets him. That said, he clearly has the athleticism to play SS and he can also strengthen his arm to improve velo. I don’t know why scouts think that he is destined for 3B. Looking around the majors, he would be the most athletic 3B by a wide margin.

    Keaton Anthony can flat out hit. He is more impressive as a hitter in person than his sterling box score shows. His great stats are no fluke. In his first AB, he stayed balanced on a curve and hit a line drive to center. He had another great hit. All 4 ABs were good. He is tall but not “big” so I can see him developing power. But you can definitely see a MLB hit tool. Very impressive.

    Pierce Bennett (20th round pick in 2023) had an exceptional over the shoulder catch on a screaming line drive to LF. Great great defensive play.

    Bryson Ware (8th round pick in 2023) had a good hitting game too. Lots of line drives.

    Dillard was pumping 95-97 heat out of the pen. They brought him back for a second inning and he lost some velo. He is a one inning guy.

    Russo (16th round in 2023) was effective but didn’t wow you with the stuff. Sat 90-92. Got some swings and misses.

    Overall fun night. Great atmosphere. Team plays with energy.

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    1. Good report for sure. And Keaton Anthony looks like a great UDFA signing. Assume he will eventually be a corner OFer when push comes to shove, as he goes up the ladder.

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       1. Not sure if he will be an OF. Unless you are cool with a poor defender. He does not look fleet of foot. And he really needs to add weight for power. He is 1B imo. And I think Harper needs to shift to DH within a few years anyway. His body is already starting to break down.

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          1. Agree on Harper. He plays so hard and he’s already 31 years old. He may be just a year or two away from DH, or at least sharing DH with someone. There’s been some criticism of him this year not always running full out to 1B, but I wonder if that’s because he’s becoming conscious of a need to begin preserving his health.

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          2. There is no doubt that Harper is ticketed to be the DH, maybe for the 2026 season when Schwarber walks off into FA.

             The Phillies have some talent in the minors, and they will need opportunities.

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             1. Just a guess…..but me thinks Harper will be traded after the 2027 season to the old A’s, and the new club going to Vegas. Of course he will be in his mid-30s, but the team may look to make a marketing splash on the strip with a home town superstar.

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                1. Romus, I like you’re thinking, but the A’ owners are as bad at marketing and public relations as they are in fielding winning team.

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76. Agree, this team has too much swing & miss and aren’t very understanding of what is going on when they are up there at the plate, either.

    In particular, I have been watching Rojas closely in his at bats. I have never seen a player hit down on a ball (like chopping firewood) as he does.

    It is no wonder that he hits so many groundballs and high bouncers. Also, probably a cause for the many K’s, as the bats time in the path of the ball is proportionally less.

    Be not dismayed though, he is working with the best hitting coach in the Bigs!

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    1. Phils have a K% that is just lower than league average.

       People are suffering from rose colored glasses with their memories of the past. The issue is that 1) the game can no longer be played the same way because pitchers have become too good, and 2) people only remember the outliers anyways. You remember the HoF players who could put the ball practically anywhere they wanted, or the guy who flamed out because he struck out too much. You don’t remember the average guys who would pop up with men in scoring position because they swung at a pitch on the black.

       The Astros have the 4th fewest runs allowed in baseball, the Braves the 2nd fewest, and the Royals the 9th fewest. Last night was our 11th straight game against one of those teams, and we’ve been shut out once in those games. We’ve scored 3+ runs in 7 of them. That seems like a pretty good understanding of what they’re doing.

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       1. For those interested in team stats and where the Phillies stand vs other teams/contenders.

          https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2024.shtml

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          1. People get too wrapped up in the day to day games and miss the big picture. 162 games is a lot and baseball always has slumps. But this is an elite team with big game players.

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             1. Exactly….long season of many ups and downs ..every team goes thru a down turn, at some time

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                1. Romus. It is a long season. My concern right now is that the last two seasons the Phillies were the hunters. They played like it as well. Free and loose. The Braves were the hunted. They were expected to win. Expectations can be a heavy burden. This time around it appears the script is flipped. I hope the results are not the same as the flipping is. The Braves know with all of the guys out they are not expected to win this year. I really felt when the Mets slipped by them that one weekend, they would be a 3rd place team. But did not happen. The Phillies as v1 has said have all kinds of talent and they this time are expected to win. So, we will see.

                   One thing T Mac mentioned that caught my attention last night was the Braves starters have now gone 19 games without the starter giving up more than 3 runs while in the game. That almost means they will be in every game played. Remember they have an awful record if a team can score 3 or more runs on them. No idea what it is now but was awful. Right now, I think the Braves may be the worst match up with Dbacks and Pads in order. I think Phillies match up best with Brewers and Dodgers at this time.

                   Romus. I was not like Schwarber physically. I was like 5’10 and 170. I did hit lots of home runs. But I was really quick and had lots of drag bunts like Stubbs did over the weekend. I was taught you did what was necessary to win. BTW if I am not mistaken, I believe the Little League World Series was won with oh no a bunt. I am not one who says you bunt all the time but when the situation arises you need to be able to do so. Can be the difference of World Champs and 2nd. No one remembers the team that came in 2nd.

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       2. In particular, I was speaking of Rojas’ technique in attempting to hit a baseball, not the team’s K rate and hinted that their situational hitting a baseball sucks …… which IMO it does!

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       3. Remember also, league average is like kissing your sister ……. and if you have the best hitting coach in the majors …….. and the very best ballplayers as V1 reports …….. shouldn’t you be in the top 5 – 10 in making contact?

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          1. Good news! Turns out you can strike out about league average rates and still be among the best at making contact.

             Phillies are 4th in baseball in batting average and 3rd in hard hit%.

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             1. ……. also 28th in leaving baserunners on base 😉.

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                1. Literally only because they get so many people on. They’re 7th in OBP and 9th in average with men on. And a big part of that drop is unironically Merrifield. He had 82 PAs with men on and hit .167. That’s still 11th most PAs on the team even after a month without him, by the way.

                   Not a single other Phillies batter this year has an average below .200 with men on, and Dahl is the only other one below .230.

                   Also, with men in scoring position we have FOUR starters hitting over .300. Aside from Stott (.233 average in 102 PAs) and JT (.224 in 86), our entire starting lineup is hitting over .250. And even our 10th man, Sosa, is hitting .273 in 71 PAs.

                   We’re 9th in runs scored in baseball despite a month of slumping and not hitting for a particularly high amount of HRs. Let’s be honest about our offense here; they’re about as consistent and “situational” as it gets.

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                2. Oh, and when it comes to “situational” hitting, we literally have the best in the business.

                   Bohm is currently 12th in MLB in RBIs. He has only 13 HRs. That’s the fewest HRs of anyone in the top SIXTY. The only player ahead of him in RBIs with fewer than 25 HRs is Vinnie Pasquantino with 97 RBIs and 19 HRs. So outside of him, Bohm is “producing” at a similar rate to people with double (or triple/quadruple in Shohei and Judge’s cases) his HR total.

                   That’s what guys are clamoring for, right? Hitting the ball to score runs without swinging for the fences?

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                3. Dan K….Vinnie P. is done for the season I see.

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77. Did I hear that Marchan is injured again?

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    1. Yes…shoulder issue I saw. Last few years. he is having a hard time stay healthy over any length of time.

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       1. This is getting ridiculous. He’s a leaky vessel. He’s becoming Roman Quinn.

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          1. Roman and Mookie Betts drafted same year…..Phillies passed on Mookie, along with 28 other clubs, out of Tennessee …Roman had more speed so he was drafted in the 2nd round. Mookie was drafted in the 5th round……the round the Phillies have been known to normally strike a nugget or two.

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          2. main reason he’s not the eventual replacement for JTR. Can’t stay available.

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    2. He’s on the 7 day IL.

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78. Rojas 2024 odd splits:

    vs RHPs…..257/.297/.329

    vs LHPs……205./.244/.244

    Hays’…vs LHP….338/393/.520-includes time with the O’s.

    …………vs RHP…207/.257/.314………….”

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79. @Romus

    Yeah, Vinnie P is done for the regular season. Broke his thumb due to an errant throw by a reliever. Could come back during a deep postseason run if they get that far.

    The kicker is, the reliever also got hurt on the play. And it ended up resulting in runs and eventually a loss. Talk about bad luck.

    But the Royals added Pham to try to replace some of that thump in the lineup. Granted, he hasn’t done that since he was traded. He started strong for the red birds, but overall hit .206/.286/.368 with 2 HRs in 77 PAs.

    I know some around here thought Pham would be a good fit with us. But I wonder how they feel about him having an almost identical SLG to Hays since their respective trades (.367 for Hays). Baseball is funny.

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80. Moises Chace- 6IP, 1H, 0ER, 0BB, 13K

    Thanks Baltimore!

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    1. NICE!!

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       1. You could not possibly script the first month of the Seth Johnson, Moises Chace era any better. I don’t care what professional level you’re at, what Chace just did is incredible. That he struck out 13 in 6 innings with no walks and 1 hit is astonishing.

          And the stuff is flat out nasty – that’s what I am always looking for. High, rising fastball, some nasty cut action on some pitches and a very encouraging sweeper. Check it out. What I’m seeing is a guy who, at the very least, has mid-rotation potential and perhaps even more. Unreal.

          https://x.com/MiLB/status/1830073876962799760?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

          I still cannot believe they pulled off this trade. What a stroke of genius. These were clearly guys they had been targeting and felt had great ability and could be coached up quickly. Both of these pitchers could be on the Phillies sometime next year.

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          1. If he finishes the year on this heater he may very well sniff our top ten prospects lists.

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             1. He probably already should be. I mean, right now, who would you rather have – Moises Chace or Bryan Rincon? Seems like an easy choice to me.

                This team is getting really good at coaching up young pitchers.

                I think they went a little nuts not drafting a pitcher this year until the later rounds but they’ve earned a little trust, especially if they didn’t like this draft class for pitching.

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                1. I agree. He is definitely in my top 10 Phillies prospects. No idea why Baltimore gave him up.

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                2. Rincon doesn’t sniff my top 15. No offense to the young man.

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                3. Baltimore’s track record on pitchers are not great. Most of their prospects are not pitchers. The Orioles probably got caught up in a numbers game and didn’t realize how good Chace really was.

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81. Good win and Phillies did what they needed to do in this series. Worst case is the leave up 5 like they came into it. A win tomorrow and the division race is basically over.

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82. The Phillies will add Tyler Phillips and Kody Clemens when the rosters expand. Phillips will be starting Tuesday’s game vs the Blue Jays.

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    1. Love Clemens on the team – a real gamer with sneaky power. He will help for sure !!

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       1. How much will Kody really play? He’s not playing in the OF anymore with Weston Wilson up and Austin Hays here.

          He’ll be lucky to get 1 start per week at 2B or 1B. Maybe he’ll pinch hit for Sosa or Rojas once a week too.

          This is why I say that backup’s value is negligible because they won’t play enough.

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    2. Is it crazy for me to want them to bring up Seth Johnson instead of Tyler Phillips?

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       1. That would be my preference, too. But if they think he isn’t ready yet, I’ll trust their judgment.

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          1. Same here, the 5th starter only has 5 more starts left. I can live with Tyler Phillips getting that.

             The Phillies are going to have some interesting starting depth at Lehigh next season, probably the best we’ve seen ever seen: Seth Johnson, Mick Abel, Andrew Painter, Robinson Pina, Tyler Phillips. If Taijuan Walker doesn’t get traded in the offseason. his leash will be very short.

             Reading has Moises Chase, Eiberson Castellano, Jean Cabrera, Braeden Fausnaught.

             The Phillies have Wheeler, Nola, Sanchez under contract for 3+ years. The talent in the minors is why I don’t want to extend Ranger Suarez. You figure that the Phillies can get 2 starters out of the group above.

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       2. Are they trying to save an option on Johnson? He was up before but don’t think he’s used an option this year.

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83. Alvarado is expected to be activated off the restricted list tomorrow.

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84. Really nice win. Wheeler was his usually outstanding self. Hoffman and Estevez did their jobs. I felt Estevez was the best I had seen him in any game since arriving. Hitters did enough to put some runs on the board.

    I am still amazed by these stats. Phillies are now 31-0 if starter goes 7 innings. Braves starters have now gone 20 games in a row giving up no more than 3 runs. Keeps them in games. Then I do not know what the total is now but if you can score 3 runs on them you have a really good chance of winning the game. That is a crazy stat to me.

    Finally. I like Davis and Smoltz in the booth. I have always liked the way Smoltz has a feel for the game being played at the moment. Lastly, how can they have the White Sox included in the national telecast next week. I know it is the backup game but guys the White Sox have won 31 games at the moment. Need flex scheduling like the NFL.

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85. Justin Crawford has far surpassed my expectations for him this season. Really impressive season. He is only 20yo and dominating AA. He has elite tools and a lot of room for physical development. He needs to hit the weight room all offseason. But he is truly an elite CF prospect.

    https://x.com/MLBPipeline/status/1830040750836629593

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    1. There is no doubt Crawford can hit, but what’s separating him from being a top 25 guy is the power. Corbin Carroll, who’s actually smaller than Crawford, slugged .451+ at every minor league stop. Then Carroll broke out as a 21 year old. Hopefully Crawford can do the same next season.

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       1. Yep, being only 20 yrs old he still has 2-3 years to grow into his power …

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86. Appears it is going to be a sprint to the finish line in both NL and AL. NL has 3 teams playing for top 2 spots. Appears Dodgers have held off Dbacks and Pads. Just like it is really hard for a good team to keep losing it is the same on the other side. I saw at one-point Pads had won 19 or 22. Dbacks were similar. Both have cooled some now. Phillies have tiebreaker with Dodgers but are 2 back on Sept. 1. Series between Phillies and Brewers may determine the 2 seed. Phillies need at least 1 win to gain tiebreaker. May need more than that but we will see. Braves are only holding off Mets by 2 games, but it seems the Mets take one step forward and two back. If Phillies end at 3, who would you guys prefer to face. Braves or Mets?

    On the AL side the top 6 are separated by only 6 games. They are almost in sequence other than no one at the moment has 76 wins. Yanks, O’s and Guardians need to keep an eye on the Astros. Astros only 3 down for the 2 spot now. That is amazing.

    Sit back and enjoy as the standings turn. A week from now it may be totally different.

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87. I hope to be seeing Crawford climbing the fence (ala Harris) in CBP to bring back a home run in the near future. The youngster could hit, too!

    Rojas is a fantastic defender but the kid just doesn’t hit. Runner on third, one out, infield in and he hits a ground ball to short. Can’t happen.

    The way Schwarber has hit (or not hit) the past six games makes me think that I’d rather have Castellanos. At least he can also play defense.

    They are going to have to decide what to do when Schwarber’s contract comes to its end. He walks, homers, is streaky with a ton of Ks.

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    1. The Phillies won’t have to make that decision until after 2025 for Schwarber. Schwarber will enter FA at age 33. He’s having a decent season with 2.3 WAR but not great. I would rather let him walk. The Phillies can easily shift Harper or Castellanos to DH.

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    2. maybe so, but Rojas be the 4th OF on this team for a long time. He should be in games where the Phillies are up in the 8th inning… maybe even the 7th inning. Such a weapon. It’s gotta kill morale when you get a good swing off this bullpen and then you see Rojas gobble a would be hit up … that basically no one else can get to.

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88. I think that you can make the case that Moises Chase is our 6th best prospect behind:

    1. Miller
    2. Painter
    3. Crawford
    4. Tait
    5. Caba

    What he is doing as a 21yo in AA is extremely impressive.

    1. He is one of the youngest pitchers in all of the Eastern League
    2. In 3 starts his K/9 is an otherworldly 16.7 while his BB/9 is 2.87.
    3. While his sample size in AA is small (only 15 IP), his K/9 over his career has consistently been in the 13+
    4. He has a similar K/9 over his career as Klassen does.
    5. Reports last night was that his fastball topped 97 and sat 94-96. That is good enough as a 21yo to be a top 3 starter.
    6. His BB/9 has been his issue throughout his career. It has been very good while in Reading, but it is a small sample. If it holds, then he is a legit top pitching prospect.

    Who is better than him?

    • Mick Abel? Sorry, but Mick has had poor command his entire career while also having a lower K rate
    • Nori or Burkholder? Exciting young prospects, but way too early to know anything about them
    • Saltiban or Rincon? Good athletes but IMO Chase is a better prospect. Saltiban has had a good second half. He shows some pop and speed. I like him, but imo a 21yo pitcher who is dominating AA is more valuable. Rincon has not had a good season.
    • Who else? Really. Who?

    Most here are upset that we gave up Klassen for one of the top closers in MLB. Not me. I do that deal all day long. There is a case to be made that DD sold high on Klassen. But Chase looks like an absolute steal.

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    1. The Phillies limited Klassen’s innings and took it easy on him.

       The Angels’ have no idea what they’re doing. They are so desperate for young talent that they will promote everybody. Klassen is struggling at AA with 9.2 walk rate. The Angels actually promoted Aldegheri from AA to make his ML debut. The Angels are a terrible organization.

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    2. I hear what you’re saying but I think Seth Johnson may be slotted higher at this point.

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       1. Johnson is 25. Chase just turned 21. And Chase has better K rates.

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          1. In all fairness to Johnson and his advanced age….he did lose 2020 to the pandemic, and then there was his TJ surgery in August 2022 and lost again a considerable amount of time in development. so basically he lost about 2 and 1/2 half years along the way for him.

             https://www.mlb.com/news/seth-johnson-on-tommy-john-recovery-chance-of-callup-with-o-s

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          2. I really don’t care about age.

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    3. Have to give Rincon the benefit of the doubt….he has been out too much with injury this season–less than 140 total PAs.

       As for Chase, I am excited about the early returns…want to see how he finishes the season this month. He does have something to prove to the O’s for giving up on him, so there is that adrenaline push and revenge factor. He probably has two more starts, maybe a third, before their season ends on Sept 15th, so looking forward to see how he ends up this season. Not sure they will select him to go to the AFL, unless they feel he needs another 20 or so more innings.

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89. Sosa… had a great game. He looks to me like he is back in his groove. The one that makes the argument he should be an everyday player. Might need to a look at him as the majority starter for LF.

    Im not like the Hays dealer more and more. I’d of rather had Sir A, but I do like Hays vs LPs… other than that… I need to see more.

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    1. If Sosa was viable in LF, he would have been there already. He’s not playing LF. And definitely not with Austin Hayes here.

       Sosa is a backup on the Phillies. If another team views Sosa as starter material, then they can pay up and trade for him.

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90. Aiden Miller 3-3 already today, dbl and a BOMB

    https://x.com/Mitch_Rupert/status/1830317205264678988?t=8OELlfLY8xWJHq7-9GusfQ&s=19

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    1. Next season Miller will be at Reading…..he could really power explode there.

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91. is it just me or does it seem like since Miller got to jersey shore every basehit is an extra base hit? I’d love to see what his breakdown is on homers, triples, doubles, and singles since he got there.

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    1. Hits-53…..Doubles-11…..Triples-6….HRs-5

       https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=miller003aid

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    2. can’t be the case. Was told his slow start was concern and a sign the organization needed to reevaluate their entire drafting strategy.

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92. wow! That’s almost a 50% extra-base hit percentage. That seems pretty impressive!

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93. Romus. I caught the end of the A’s vs Rangers today. A’s led 4-2 going to bottom of 10th with Mason Miller on the mound. However, he had pitched the 9th. So, with 2 outs Garcia gets and rbi single, a walk and then Josh Jung hits a 3-run walk off home run to right field. Miller was getting close to 40 pitches and today was the first time since sometime in May they had asked him to pitch more than one inning.

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94. This is just great. My Direct TV just comes on with a message stating the contract with Disney has expired. No warnings before. They had the pregame on and Buster just talked that the Phillies are going to win division and Black out. Reall nice.

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95. All my ESPN channels are gone. Hoping you guys do not have Direct TV. I have seen no mention of anything until it just went black at 7:00. My luck it will be a couple months like so many of these other deals end up being. No game tonight for me. Oldruff and Romus you guys will have to carry the banner tonight. LOL

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    1. 1st inning Ozuna single off the glove of Nola Braves retired.

       Schwarber hit to RF Turner robbed of base hit by Harris Phils retired.

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       1. 2nd inning Braves retired.

          Stott BB, JT F9, Marsh 6-4, Phils retired.

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          1. 3rd inning Harris takes Nola deep, doggone a cf that can field & hit

             Sosa ks on pitch 10″ outside, Phils retired

             Braves 1 Phils 0

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             1. 4th inning Olson BB, d’arnuad hit,1st & 3rd,

                Merrifield grounds into Force run scores

                Nola not sharp pc78, 31 pitches this inning

                Harper Hit, Casty dp, Stott retired

                Braves 2 Phils 0

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                1. 5th inning Braves retired in order

                   ditto Phils

                   2 – 0 Braves

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                2. 6th inning Nola PC 100

                   Turner hit, Harper 2b, Casty 2b

                   Schwellenbach relieved by Lee lh, Stott K’s

                   Braves 2 Phils 2

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                3. 7th inning Kerkering walks Merrifield on 4 pitches, Kelenic hits into dp, k,s Arcia

                   JT F8, Marsh F6, Hays F7

                   Braves 2 Phils 2

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                4. 8th Inning Hoffman 59th game – Urshela hit Williams pr, Harris F9, Soler K’s, Ozuna K’s on cu.

                   Clemens K’s, Schwarber K’s on shoelace pitch, Turner K’s

                   2 – 2

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                5. 9th Inning Strahm — Olson hit 7, d’arnaud F8, Merrifield BB, Laureano (another foul contest) BB, Ruiz warming up, Arcia if up, F3, Williams F8.

                   Harper against Iglesias BB, Casty K’s on pitch 1′ outside, Stott forces Harper @ 2nd. Stott sb, JT K’s

                   extra innings 2 — 2

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                6. 11th inning Estevez — Ozuna gr, Olson G3-1, d’arnaud G5-3, Merrifield K’s on check swing.

                   Bummer pitching Clemens gr. Schwarber F8, Turner BB, Harper G5-4, Holmes pitching, Casty delivers.

                   Phillies win 3-2

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             2. 10th inning Estevez Williams on 2b gr, Harris F7, Duvall k’s DD Takes deep breath in booth 🤭Ozuna G6.

                Iglesias – JT gift runner, Marsh K’s, Hays F9, Clemens G3.

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    2. Don……you can stream it I think…….or even MLB Gameday.

       https://www.mlb.com/gameday/braves-vs-phillies/2024/09/01/745536/live

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96. Thanks guys. I did not see that coming. That Disney. I can watch the USC and LSU game and watch scroller on the bottom. It went off right at 7. How crazy is that. You guys are too nice. Go Phils.

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97. Aidan Miller went 5-5 today after going 0-5 yesterday; so two questions: first I’ve been following the Phillies minor-league teams since the AAA team was in Eugene Oregon back in the 70s. I can never remember a minor leaguer for the Phillies having five hits in the game. Can anyone help me out on that? second, can anyone remember any player going 0-5 in one game and coming back the next game & going 5-5, because I can’t.
    finally, I read an interesting interview with Miller after the game today and he thought a big part of his early struggles at Jersey shore is that he was too plugged into social media and he got away from who he is. I find that very interesting as many of us struggle with social media as well .

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98. Big series win. Closing this thread, new Discussion at

    Phillies Discussion, 9/1/24 | Phuture Phillies

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