By Any Means Necessary

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hey, this is Bryce Harper and welcome to the Philly Show.

00:00:17
Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show with Ruben Tomorrow, Junior Jim Salisbury. I'm todd so lucky. It is Monday, July one, twenty twenty four. First three days of life with the Phillies without Bryce Harper and kyleesh Warber.

00:00:32
Speaker 3: They went on the IL on Thursday.

00:00:33
Speaker 2: They are two and one and it's been kind of, I guess, maybe kind of what you would expect, guys, after losing those two and then you have JT already JT Realmuto on the IL.

00:00:44
Speaker 3: They get an incredible.

00:00:45
Speaker 2: Pitching performance sign from Christopher Sanchez on Friday shutout, they lose Saturday, did not a very great game, and then Sunday they just win a totally ugly affair. They commit five errors, but they come back as their biggest comeback winned the season Trey Turner with a big hit late on his birthday, and it just seems like this is the way it's gonna kind of have to be until Harper and Schwarber come back and Ria Muto come back. They've got their lean on that starting pitching and they're just gonna have to try. However, they can to eke out some wins even if they are ugly like they were yesterday.

00:01:27
Speaker 4: Yeah, no question, I thought it was huge that they came up with that win yesterday Sunday, even though, as you said, it was ugly, thirteen men left on base, the errors were, you know, just ugly. Fortunately, the Marlins were pretty much just as ugly. But you know, there was a couple of little silver linings in there. I mean, Ranger didn't pitch well the two nights before they got excellent starts. They only won one of those games behind Christopher Sanchez. So not a lot of runs on Friday and Saturday, but they did score a bunch of runs on Sunday. They did overcome a deficit. Again, there was a you know, an element of a gift in it. I mean, Tim Anderson makes that error on a uh surefire double play ball and opens the uh gate for the Phillies to begin their comeback. But nonetheless, the middle of the order, the middle of the Phillies order did barrel some balls up. You know. Castiano swung it good. He had he had four hits, right, I mean, he had a couple of really big ones. Uh Bohm had a big home run. So the middle of the order, you know, Marsh and those guys did come through. They they did, you know, bail out Rangers, Suarez so and even you know with with you know out without real Mudo and Harper, uh and Schwarber, you know, you you're losing a lot of slug. You're gonna have to manufacture runs. And I thought, you know that seventh inning, Marshawn, you know, you parlay two walks. Marshawn lays down a bun. I mean that was old school textbook baseball. Good job. And then Trey Turner comes up and drives a base hit to you know, really the biggest hit of the game. So though it was ugly, I think you take it because without Harper, without Schwarber, and with the real Mudo being up, with real Mudo being out as well. Man, if you could play five hundred a little over five hundred to oft these big guns, I think you're doing pretty good given where you already are, with the where you have banked so many wins. And then you're gonna get those guys back mid July, and we talked so much about the trade deadline, but those are three big July acquisitions. So I'm okay even though it was ugly and they didn't score a lot of runs early in that series, I'm okay with the way they got through it.

00:03:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a pretty good effort overall, just being able to stay resilient enough to stay in that game and win it. There were so many ways that they could have just folded because Ranger didn't you know, didn't throw the ball very well. He struggled with he couldn't make the pitch with two outs. Marlins came up as a lot of big two out base hits, which are sort of demoralizing for a team. But this is a super resilient team. It's We've shown that time and time again from the from the twenty twenty two season on. I think it's one of the most resilient teams I've ever seen. They've lost some tough games, they bounce back, they have a tough inning, they bounce back, they make a bad play, they somehow bounce back and win a ballgame. And yesterday was not pretty. It was the ugliest win I think I've ever seen, but they figured out a way to put a w on the board under a tough circumstance. Lest we forget, I mean, they've also lost two starting pitchers. You know, they lost Taiwan Walker and they've lost Turnbull. So not only have they lost their big guns. And I know those guys are down in the rotation, you know, the four and five guys or the five hole guys as far as the starting pitching rotation is concerned. I mean, still that's you're still losing some depth there. And now I'm gonna have to hope that Michael mccardo steps up on Tuesday and figures out away. And you know, they have that. You know, it sounds really cliche, they have that next man up mentality, but that's the reality of it. I mean, guys are stepping up and figuring it out. They did not have very good situational hitting at times during the course of the weekend. It was a little frustrating to watch them do what they did. But then they'll come up with like a two out base hit and figure it out. So it was good to see, in particular for me in particular, to see Marshy bounce back this over the next last few days. To see Castillanos swing the bat pretty darn well over the last couple of days and a couple of weeks. Actually it's been maybe a month or so. He's been much much better. So he hasn't been like a stall worker or anything like that. But he has come up with some big bass hits and some big RBIs and that's pretty important. He's won some games, he's done some things that have that have helped the ball club, and so that's huge. But you're right, guys, you know, I've got to figure out how to win baseball games over the next two weeks three weeks and be able to sustain things until the All Star break rolls are ound.

00:06:21
Speaker 2: I was going to ask you, Reuben, you brought up Nick Castianos, and I just while you were talking, I just looked up some of his stats recently, because I mean, I don't want to base everything off my Twitter feed, but man, oh man, he has one bad game. He just gets crushed on social media because he had such a terrible start because of the way he finished the NLCS, And I just found out like a three hit game he had in May. So from May nineteenth three yesterday, he's hitting two seventy five seven home runs, twenty five RBIs, and eight fifteen ops, and I feel like with Nick you almost have to just accept the fact that he's going to have some really nice games and then the bad ones are just going to be really ugly.

00:07:05
Speaker 3: Is that kind of what it is with him now?

00:07:06
Speaker 2: I mean you just have to, like, as a Phillies fan, just to calm your nerves so you don't lose your mind. Every time he's going to have a couple games in a row, maybe three games in a row, where he goes one for twelve with six strikeouts, he chases, he just looks totally clueless. And then the next three or four games he's going to have a couple of multi hit games, two or three doubles, maybe a home run, and he's going to look really good. And it's like, this is what Nick Castianus is, So you know, maybe this will help you relax.

00:07:33
Speaker 3: This is what he is.

00:07:35
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:07:35
Speaker 3: I think what's happened with Nick is that there's such a high expectation. He signed such a big contract, right, He signed for big money, So the expectation was that he was going to be a middle of the lineup, protect Bryce Harper in the four hole. You know, have twenty five home runs and one hundred and five RBIs and that's really not who he has been for the Phillies. He's had stretches where he's been okay, but he's been super streaky as he's gotten older, and I think that that's sort of part of it. You know, he had a great, you know, certain part of the season last year, makes the All Star team in the early part of the season, and he sort of fades off at the end and then really struggles in the playoffs. But you're right, I mean, you just the expectation for him is much much higher than the actual production. But we we talked about this in the early part of the season. It's not really how it starts, it's how he ends. And the fact that they're winning baseball games. I mean that just becomes a plus later on. Like if he starts becoming a seven fifty to eight fifty ops type player over the last you know, half of the season, then that's pretty damn good under the circumstances with the type of lineup of the guys like Alec Boem stepping forward and really becoming a guy and the talent, the super talent that they have at the top part of the lineup.

00:08:53
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's a streaky guy, and I do think he thrives on confidence when he's feeling good about himself. And we saw him a little bit in the two hole and didn't go well. I just think down in the order helps him a little bit. Maybe he doesn't put so much pressure on himself. You know, he was really hit a big hit yesterday. He drove it hard one Harper by Tim Anderson at short and it was really surprised. Anderson doesn't have a lot of range, doesn't.

00:09:20
Speaker 3: He can't move, He really can't move. He's been he's been a sort of a detriment to them. They try to, you know, add a little veteran presence and a short stop in there, and he just hasn't been very good all around.

00:09:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, he like, you know, the red light was going on behind him like a hockey goalie all day. They were driving stuff by him, but you know, I mean they were squaring it up and I'm not saying these were balls he should have gotten, but they weren't even close. But I mean Nick drives that ball for a really big hit. I think first pitch. I think there are times when his aggressiveness early in the account really benefits him. Men on base. If he gets a pitch over the middle, he's going to do some damage. It's it's when the pitcher, you know, pulls the string on him early in account, and that's not and he's aggressative. That's where the chase comes in, and all of a sudden, you're leaving runners on base. And those have been you know, really team wide issues the chase and leaving runners on base really for a few years. I think when when it happens to him, the glare is just a little more intense, maybe because of the way last season ended. I don't know, maybe it's the contract, but if he could build some continue to build some confidence because he has the last two weeks he's been terrific, and even before that, as you mentioned Todd, he's been a valuable, you know, productive bat. I just think, you know, sometimes we remember how the season starts. Well, he's been pretty good. Lately, he's been contributing. He's a really really important piece because I still don't think they've made up their mind how they're going to act at the deadline. I still think a bat would be nice to get out there. But I also believe that if he's going to produce and have one of his good streaks in the second half, you know, maybe all of a sudden, the plan that they had on day one, which was this lineup's going to be deep enough to carry a Johann Rojas and get the defensive contributions from him while sacrificing offense. If Johann wrote up Rojas is indeed going to pick up his defense, uh, then you can maybe do that with a marginal bat improvement in left field, somebody you can platoon. But Nick remains a vital, vital piece on this team, and it's swinging a better Yeah.

00:11:33
Speaker 3: The other guy that's really vital, I think is Bryson Scott because he hasn't swung it that well at all, and so or likey like he can and like I think people know he can. And what I noticed remember last year when they talked about him getting his top hand involved and then kind of going to that no stride, Well I see that sort of happening with him being a little bit lazy with that top hand and sort of collapsing. And I feel like, because he hasn't driven the ball out of the ballpark and has not been really high, that he's almost starting to try to create that when he gets certain pitches to hit, and I think instead of just using his hands the way he was using him before, I think he goes back to that mentality. I think he'll be I think he'll be fine. I just feel like he's trying to create air with his swing, meaning you know, launch angle, and I think that that's he's missing some pitches that he really should be getting to and he's not doing them as consistently as he was last year. When he's using that top hand to drive the ball, don't keep the barrel above the baseball a little bit better. So hopefully he can make that adjustment because he's a good player man, and they and they need him for that depth in that part of the lineup where they where he needs to contribute more.

00:12:45
Speaker 4: It definitely looks like he I haven't really looked at any numbers, but it looks like he has not handled the fastball with the authority he did last year. And you know, his hard hit rate is not what it was. But you know, I've I'm a fan of hitters who use the top hand, you know, line drive maker. You know, it would be great to see remember Doug Glanville's top hand that was, and Hank Aaron had a top hand, and rockab Old Delhi had a top had Joe DiMaggio, I don't know why you would take it out of your swing.

00:13:17
Speaker 3: Guys like Goutva, Chase Uttley out to Bay, Chase Utley, Mookie Betts was one of the best when he first gave me to the big leagues. Man, I mean he had the ability to you know, Chase that Chase was great top hand. So I just feel like those guys. I just feel like he's the type of hitter that should should be working to stay on top of the ball better and throw the ball better. And when he does that, he has a lot of success.

00:13:43
Speaker 4: What an acquisition he would be if you could get you know, what you're seeing on a nick now, there's just more of it. And if if Bryson Stott has you know, a couple of really good months a lot of this team's issues that we think they have issues and they don't have a lot of issues. Are a really good team? Yeah, boy, they might be considering upstairs get fixed in house and you can maybe focus on a bullpen arm.

00:14:12
Speaker 3: We're a starter, a starter.

00:14:14
Speaker 4: Other areas whatever, you know, pitching, whatever, whatever you think you need to get to be to become invincible in the October tournament.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: Jim Stott against fastballs this season betting two thirty five, hit three or four against fastballs last year, you know, three eighty two slug against fastballs this year four thirty nine against scout good scouts.

00:14:39
Speaker 4: And he knows this. I'm sure Kevin Long knows this. How do they remedy remedy? Is it simply just going in and working on the top hand in the cage, or is it being we used to always hear Charlie say, be ready to hit the fastball.

00:14:51
Speaker 3: I think that there's two parts of it. I mean, mentally, you have to be ready to hit the fastball number one. But also, you know, there are drills. Charlie used to work with me when I you know, when I when I was playing in Cleveland and play very much, so I so I had to be ready for the fastball. I mean, I was the only pitch I was gonna be able to hit anybody. A really good breaking ball, man, I was sort of screwed. So so I if I was going to get one, I better get it, you know, I think it better get to it. So I he used to put the tee up on for me and he used to flip the balls. He used to do a lot of flip with me. But he used to put the tee it up so that I could attack the ball from up top, so that I can drive my barrel down or at least be flat. You know, there's a real push to work underneath the baseball now to try to create you know, air. But if you see all the like the great hitters in the game doing their instagrams and on X and stuff like that, you see him talking about going down to the ball right so and up through the ball, and so I think that's really in this day and age, with the velocity the way it is, that's the most important part of your swing, I think is working down to the ball and making sure that your barrel still is stays flat when you get to the hitting plane. So I think teeing the ball up and just and just working your hands to sort of not chopped wood necessarily, but to certainly to certainly utilize that top hands so it works works down to the ball. Yeah. You know, Ruben's funny you mentioned something on social media. There's one that's out there. I've seen it.

00:16:20
Speaker 2: It comes into my feet a lot because I guess I watched a lot of hitting videos. There's it was Juan Soto, Albert Pouholz and somebody else. They're all on MLB Network talking about hitting and they all said, I just try to hit down on the ball. Hit down on the ball. And they were showing it. They're all showing their swings out. They're trying to hit down.

00:16:35
Speaker 3: On the ball. So George Brett, just George Brett just had a great one. Man, it's really good. It's a good one. And George Bratt he had a few hits, just a couple. Yeah, he had just a few kits.

00:16:47
Speaker 5: He talked about the same the same, the same hitting.

00:16:53
Speaker 4: It would go.

00:16:54
Speaker 5: Jim, you said earlier.

00:16:56
Speaker 2: If the Phillies can just kind of keep their head above water, maybe play five hundred till these guys come back, That's that's kind of what I mean. Obviously, if they can play a little bit better, that's that's even better.

00:17:04
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:17:05
Speaker 5: The last I think last nineteen games since they came back.

00:17:09
Speaker 2: From London, they're ten and nine, and there's been a lot of hand ringing about that, but they've only lost a game in the standings to the Braves in that time. They've only lost a game and a half to the Dodgers in that time. You know this, they haven't been playing great baseball, but they get those guys back. And we talked a lot about the hitting, but really the four starting pitchers should they should be able to do that with these first four starting pitchers, don't you think?

00:17:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, we saw it. You know they they limit runs and with these guys out, you're not gonna score as many runs. So this team is still the bedrock of this team is still starting pitching. You know, Wheeler, Nola, Suarez Sanchez, two lefties and I mean three of them could could end up in the All Star Game.

00:17:54
Speaker 3: Seriously, and the innings.

00:17:56
Speaker 4: They're getting from from their starting rotation is is refreshingly all school. I mean, it's just really great. Great to see these guys pitching, pitching deep into games and uh, we just know the the effect that has on a bullpen on the entire team. So starting pitching is still the thing on this team that that that keeps the motor running.

00:18:18
Speaker 3: Qualifying, yeah, no question about it. Good good, No, I was gonna say, just qualified.

00:18:23
Speaker 2: Start wake up this morning, National League qualified pitchers uh Ranger Suarez leads the National League two point two seven ERA. Christopher Sanchez is second in the National League with a two four to one ERA. Zach Wheeler is third in the National League with the two seven three are that's.

00:18:39
Speaker 3: Pretty crazy, No, it's crazy, yeah, no, no doubt. And the overall development of Christopher Sanchez has just been insane. I mean, we've talked about it a little bit, but it's just an amazing transformation of a pitcher. But I think you know, as as someone who is an ex executive and someone who like believed in pitching, and you know, watch the Atlanta Braves win fourteen straight you know, National League East titles because of their starting pitching. It is it is the one thing that can keep you in every single baseball game. You can talk about hitting all you want, and you can talk about a whole lot of other things, but if you can pitch it, and you can play enough defense to support it, you have a chance to win every single game every single night. Because if you are preventing runs, then you don't have to get a whole lot to win baseball games. Now, I do believe you know, I talked to you should talk to Jeff Cooper about this, a lot long time trainer about these pitchers. Because they're logging a lot of innings there there's gonna be a time, and I feel like it's sort of happening with a couple of different guys where they get that sort of dead arm period where they're not as sharp. I saw that with Ranger a little bit. It was a little hot. I didn't see him be as crisp with his stuff. Wheelers a couple of starts where he's not been quite as crisp. Aaron Nola the same way, and he sort of goes in and out sometimes. But each one of these guys, at some point, because they're logging so many innings, they're gonna go through a little bit of a dead arm period. It's may be that time, and that's why the All Star break becomes so important. But you know, those guys are not going to be able to sustain. It's not like they're gonna be able to go out there every single time and throw seven innings, even though it seems like they can. Because you know, at some point your arm just needs to refresh, and uh, you know, there are a couple of you know, starts maybe a ten or fifteen day, you know, maybe two or two or three starts where they're just not feeling the zip on their fastball, the tightness on their sliders, to you know, the arm speed on their changeups, and so you're gonna have to fight through that little area. You just hope that they don't all do it at the same time and that it happens to each one like sort of individually, so that they can sustain some of the success like that.

00:20:58
Speaker 4: I was going to ask you about that, Reuben and Todd, like based on watching Ranger yesterday and looking at, you know, some of his metrics. I mean, his spin was down across the board and his velo was down across the board. And I'm not alarmed because I understand they have some flows of starting pitching. But I was gonna say, do you think that's simply mid season dead arm?

00:21:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's what it is. I really do. I mean, and like every single guy, like think about it. The starting pitcher's gonna have about thirty times to do his thing. It's not gonna be perfect every time. Even Doc Halliday was not perfect every time. Even Steve Carlton was not perfect. Every time. It just doesn't happen that way. Even as good as these guys are, you can't expect them that every single start they're gonna throw seven innings of shutout baseball or one run baseball. But you know, I just as a fan or as somebody deserving the team, you just can't get too alarmed by the fact that you know they might have a bad adding or two, because I'm sure that their arms will bounce back be fine. Yeah, it's true.

00:22:01
Speaker 2: I mean his blow was down a little bit yesterday, so that could definitely be be uh be in play a little bit. But I think Ranger even said, yes, She's like, yeah, sometimes you just have a really bad day, so you have to expect that he'll bounce back.

00:22:15
Speaker 3: You know.

00:22:15
Speaker 2: Schwarber said yesterday that he expects to be back after the ten day IL stint, which would be July ninth. Rob Thompson said at some point over the weekend that he thinks there's a good chance Bryce will be back before the All Star break, so they really only have to manage this for another eight nine ten days or so, And with this pitching.

00:22:35
Speaker 4: Brice might be hungry to play in that All Star Game. You know, well, he hasn't played in one as a Philly and he you know, got all those fan vones. He he might be hungry to play in this one.

00:22:47
Speaker 2: I think that means a lot to him. You know, I don't know how much she would come out and say it, but it that is. It is crazy or funny to think that he's never made the All Star Game as a member of the Phillies as well as he is, well he has played because the injuries.

00:23:01
Speaker 3: You know, he didn't start the season last year.

00:23:03
Speaker 4: Was that one in Cleveland when they had all the banners around town, he was on one of the banners. He wasn't even there. It was interesting.

00:23:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, he yeah, I listen. It would not be surprised me. The man doesn't bruise and the man doesn't swell, and I gotta believe he's like bionic, and so I just feel like, I just feel like he's These guys are going to be back. They are on the trip. I flew with the team yesterday. They are all of those guys, J T. Schwarber, Harper, They're all here on the trip. They're staying with the team. So I got to believe they're a lot closer to you know, to being healthy than not being healthy. So I think they're on the other side of it, which is good. And uh, and I fully expect these guys. I know that Sharber didn't even want to go in the aisle. It was like one of those guys that But you know, they're being cautious with them, and they should, and they have to make sure that the guys one hundred percent so that they may make a run from September through November that they're you know, going full full bore.

00:24:08
Speaker 2: What do you think do you do you think if the Phillies and the Braves right now were tied in the standings, for instance, do you think they would have let him play it out or do you think because they have this eight, nine to ten game cushion, they go, let's listen, we they have some room for they have a margin for error.

00:24:22
Speaker 3: So I wonder if yeah, right, yeah, I think that helps a lot. And the fact that they have such good pitch starting pitching helps a lot. If they were sort of muddling along and uh and and battling much more with the Atlanta Braves and the Braves were playing better, baseball might be a little different. I still think that they Typically in this day and age, you sort of err on the side of caution with some of these guys, especially with the timing of it, because you really do need to have these guys ready from September through November. It's just too vitally important. So there's a there's sort of a conservative l to to injury in this day and age, a lot more than it used to be. You know, back back in the day, man, you didn't tell anybody who were hurt. Nowadays, you know, and it was good that you know that. Turnbull went to Rob Thompson said, hey, man, that that pitched before my last one. Man, I tweaked my shoulder. I just want to let you know. And they bounced him out of the game immediately, and it turned out there was something, you know, fairly serious. But at least he has time to come back, they think after doing some extensive rehab. I think that maybe he has still has a chance to be a viable piece of this puzzle for the last month or so.

00:25:38
Speaker 2: Who makes the So you talking about Harper wanting to play in the All Star Game. We talked earlier about three guys in the rotation possibly making the All Star Game. Boone is probably going to make the All Star Game. You think there's anybody else that's going to make the All Star Game.

00:25:52
Speaker 3: Well, I think Matt Strom had a chance chance to make it. I think Alvarado had a shot, and I thought Hoffman had a shot. But I don't know. I think I think Strong. I think Strong. God, he put together some stupid numbers. I mean, before the last day, I had a couple of values. He hasn't been quite as effective. He had two little clunkers. But or let in a couple of rounds. But which is so rare for him to do that. You're like, he hadn't done it. Yeah, I haven't done it. I think Strong's got a chance. I do think the three starters have a chance, and you know, maybe even four. I don't think Nola's gonna slide him necessarily because he's down on the list. But I gotta believe the top three starters are gonna make it. I have to believe that's going to happen. I can't imagine keeping them off, like what would keep them off? And so I think you got Harper, you got Bone, you got the three starters, and then beyond that, I mean Turner might make the damn thing because Turner's numbers are so much better than everybody else is in the shortstop position, even though he's had a really really short you know, he's missed them up. Yeah, so so I mean Turner's a possibility too. I mean, people want to see him. Yeah, he's the best shortstop, you know, offensive shortstop in the National League. Who's better?

00:27:11
Speaker 2: And Mookie's down, Mookie's not playing, So yeah, Mookie, Mookie was winning the fan.

00:27:16
Speaker 3: Had had had Mookie been in there, Mookie, I think I think they got to take one player from every team. So, like God, like Ezekiel Tobar is gonna make it, probably for for Colorado. He's like the only guy who'd probably make it. So that's a shortstop. But then who else is there? I mean, I think is a Turner number two in the voting he was voting. Yeah, so I think Turner's gonna end up being there too.

00:27:39
Speaker 4: It could be impacted as well if if one of the Phillies guys pitches on the final Sunday, that's the kind.

00:27:43
Speaker 3: Of sure, yeah, no doubt you've chosen, but not not pitch and not be there on was uh, you.

00:27:50
Speaker 4: Know my starting pitchers, pitchers being chosen, tipping their hat and sitting down all night.

00:27:56
Speaker 3: Boom. Yeah you wouldn't. David Montgomery wouldn't be very happy with you. But I totally agree.

00:28:03
Speaker 2: Hey, Doc started in twenty did Doc start in Well he started the twenty eleven All Star Game?

00:28:07
Speaker 3: I think so, right, Yeah, he was all right afterwards.

00:28:10
Speaker 4: Come on, that's time. That's Doc going tipping their hat, hitting the spread and jumping on their.

00:28:20
Speaker 5: So we got some fans, So we got some listener questions last night.

00:28:24
Speaker 3: You want me to run through a few of these before we sign off?

00:28:26
Speaker 4: Yeah, only pithy ones only only.

00:28:31
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, all right, we get I'll start with the pithy is.

00:28:34
Speaker 3: It's kind of you.

00:28:35
Speaker 4: I'm sure there's some trade stuff on there, right.

00:28:37
Speaker 2: Well yeah, so, and this is kind of hard to say. Who do you this is? This is a good one. This is from Dan. Who do you think is the highest rated prospect in play for the Phillies to trade at the trade deadline? I mean, you guys don't have the prospect list right in front of you, but I mean, off the top of my head, I would say that Aiden Miller and Andrew Painter. Yeah, yeah, Well, and your painter are probably absolute no goes no right, yeah, I unless you're gonna get somebody like Juan Sot at the deadline.

00:29:09
Speaker 4: I'm putting into Painter, Aiden Miller and Crawford.

00:29:15
Speaker 5: I'm not on your no going on your no trade.

00:29:18
Speaker 4: Because centerfield has been such an issue around here for years. You might have a guy who could you know in time, He's going to need time to get here, but the guy might be able to hold that position down seven eight, nine years. I'm very reluctant to move Crawford. I am not moving Aiden Miller, I'm not moving Antwer Painter. I know Dave Dobrowski's aggressive, but he ain't moving those guys.

00:29:41
Speaker 3: I don't think. I think he would move able, and I think he moved Crawford. I don't know that, but I mean they're they're outfielders.

00:29:56
Speaker 4: I believe they would move able. Just because his develop line has been slow, his development curve has been slow, and I'm sure there's some frustration he's not throwing strikes. But every time I look at Christopher Sanchez, I am reminded that it takes time to starting pitching. And I'm also I also know how important it is starting pitching, and it's it's awesome when you can build your own starting pitching, get him, get them there on the low end of the salary cycle, and get contributions from them. I understand they might move able. I am in no rush to move him though, No.

00:30:31
Speaker 3: Not necessarily. Plus his overall value is probably a lot lighter than it was. You know, is he going to get you? Is he going to get you like a blue chip player, like a bona fide player, And I don't know that he will necessarily just based on his performance this year.

00:30:50
Speaker 2: Well, especially if you if we're talking about when people talk about the Phillies need the trade down, there's a lot of talk about an outfielder that can from the right hand side, that can maybe give you a little bit more pop the proverbial like third slash fourth outfielder that's Nickabel. Seems like maybe a steep price for that type of player, right for.

00:31:10
Speaker 3: Me, Right, unless it's gonna be a middle of the lineup type of a guy down road or something like that that you can like lock in for a for a while. You know, I don't know if there's a guy out there like that that would be you know, all that's exciting. Most of the guys aren't having great years.

00:31:30
Speaker 4: I mean, you think Dave Nebraski is going big game hunting or around the edge hunting.

00:31:37
Speaker 3: Well, I think he's going to start with the big game. I think he might end up having to settle for small game. Yeah, if you're not the squirrels in the rapids, no disrespect, try to juggle both of those balls, not the elks, not the elks.

00:31:55
Speaker 2: I guess it depends what happens come July, you know, July twenty ninth, July thirtieth, right, I mean some team comes at you and says, this guy's available, and.

00:32:05
Speaker 5: Is that I guess that don't you have to resist that?

00:32:07
Speaker 3: Urge Ruben. I mean, it's fascinating under the circumstances. Listen, this is a team that's built to win. If if there's a piece out there that I know is going to take us to the next level and put us in a position to like, put us in a no doubt position. I thought, like I thought that way in twenty eleven. But that said, and then we got beat up in the in the playoffs. But if you have a if you have an opportunity to go get somebody that's really special to take it to the next level. Man, It's it's tough to make that. It's tough not to make a deal like that, because it's win time, man, it's win time period. That's the goal.

00:32:49
Speaker 2: A lot of questions about wit Mayfield. Will they consider moving on from what Mayorfield? Any chance they keep Clemmings up and send Mirrorfield, you know, or release Marorfield, whatever. When Harper Schwarber, Ria Muto, I mean Meorfield continues continues to struggle.

00:33:03
Speaker 3: I look this up this morning.

00:33:06
Speaker 2: Out of two hundred ninety eight hitters in Major League Baseball that have put one hundred balls in play, he has last an average exit velocity. Not that you necessarily need that number to see that he's not hitting the ball hard, but he is not hitting the ball hard eighty three point four miles an hour. He's betting one eighty eight five sixty ops. And we've talked about this before. I've raised this before. It's not like he's on pace for one hundred and seventy five played appearances, and come on, you can't expect Whittmer. He's on pace for a little bit more than three hundred played appearances for the season, seems like he should be hitting the ball a little bit better.

00:33:43
Speaker 3: Considering that, yeah.

00:33:46
Speaker 4: He might, he might be in trouble here in a few weeks because he just hasn't shown enough. I mean, we're over the halfway point of the season, and as Ruben was saying, if you think there's one piece that you bring in, it's going to put you over the top ball on the same token, if that piece is in house and you need to keep him in the major leagues and across the other guy who's roster spot, I think you have to consider it.

00:34:08
Speaker 3: So I think all I think about is if he's not the guy and he's not producing, then there's a guy like West and Wilson that's out there that's starting to really swing the bat well, who can do some more things. He now, WIT's not running as well, he's obviously not impacting the baseball as well. I love with Merrifield. I love the signing and the whole process of thought about getting him and what he means to the team. But as we talked about before, now he's going to get a chance to play all the way up through the All Star break a lot and I think this is the time to find out whether he can really contribute it. If he can't, then they may release him. He may not be a part of the team's come you know, late July. I don't like to say that, because there's people's lives you're dealing with and stuff like that, and he's probably still a viable major League baseball player, but at some point you may have to place him with somebody who's gonna be contributing a little bit more.

00:35:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, Chris wants to know. This is more of a off the beaten path. One favorite Harry Callous story, says you've all interacted with him.

00:35:13
Speaker 3: A favorite Harry Callis story. A lot of we can we can see on the air.

00:35:20
Speaker 4: Some of them are you can't tell, but there's a lot of good ones.

00:35:24
Speaker 3: Let me let me just say this. I had the great privilege of being able to sit in the back of the plane with Harry Callous on the road trips. And there was only one guy that got to sit back there and Harry spot and it was Harry. He would sit back there and have a beer and you know, smoke his new ports. Uh. And you know I would have I would have a I would have a heater or two with him and just talk and just be with him, and to me, those are the memories and those are the things that that really meant our special to me. The other quick story, I will say that he made my very first home run call. I hit it at the Vet. It was my first start of my career with the Phillies when Lenny Deischer went down. I went three for four something with a couple of doubles and a homer. And after I hit the home run, after the game, he had his call spliced and taped and he gave it to me in a cassette tape and I still have it, and you know, for years I would play it every once in a while, just et cetera, pump myself up. But it's just the coolest. It is one of the coolest things of those things of Memorabilian memories that I have, and nothing I will ever forget. The one thing I.

00:36:49
Speaker 4: Will go ahead, Tom, Sorry, no, I was gonna say.

00:36:53
Speaker 2: The one thing I'll say about Harry is, you know, you guys get this a lot too, is what's this guy like?

00:36:57
Speaker 3: What's this guy like?

00:36:58
Speaker 2: I can say that I every single time I saw Harry interact with a fan. He treated them like they were the great, like long lost friends, super you know, interested in what they had to say. He would sign autographs, he would you know, take photos with them every single time. I never saw him walk away and go, oh my gosh, you know, or you know, I don't have time right now, Sorry about that, I apologize. He made time for everybody all the time. He really enjoyed the relationship that he had with the Phillies fan base.

00:37:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, he was great to be like. Larry Anderson's great to people too. People come up want to meet with Larry Anderson. He's great to everybody, treats everybody very kindly, and Harry was the same way. I have a couple of personal thrills with Harry. One he announced two of my daughters were born in the summer, and he announced them on the radio when they were born. That was a that was really neat. I wish I had a tape of that. And another time, one of my buddies was turning forty and I called up and he was big. He is a big Harry fan, and I called him up and said, hey, I'd love to get an autographed ball for my buddy's birthday, He's having a party and he said, come on over the house. So I drove over to his house in Media and uh, he took me a little office and took took me in the little office and he signed the baseball. But the office was just loaded beautiful memorabilia, and I was I felt like I was in a museum looking around, and he had one of my stories on the wall. The night, Uh, Richie Ashburn passed away in New York City up up at at the Grand Hyatt, and then the Phillies were playing the Mets that night we were having they were having a series against the Mets and they won that game, won nothing, which was really fitting because he was, you know, Richie Ashburn, War number one. Kevin Jordan had the big hit, Reuben's buddy, and that story was and I was really touched by that. But and I was there the day we lost him in Washing and I can still remember the pain in Dave Montgomery's voice as he announced it. And I remember driving home from Washington that night with Paul Hagen and really we just reminisced the whole way and it was really, uh, you know, you had to pit in your stomach It's just like an honor to know him.

00:39:22
Speaker 3: No doubt that that was actually like what the first game of the season on the road for me as my my GMD one of my gm D a bus. So that was a pretty poignant moment for me and really so sad. And I was there when when Richie passed away. I was on the team at the hotel when I got the call for John Bukovic to let me know, it's like, yeah, holy smokes, it was. That was rough stuff, man, rough stuff iconic people and iconic members of our for our fan base.

00:39:57
Speaker 1: You know.

00:39:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's still cool to hear, you know, I to here uh at Citizens Bank Park every time the Philly is at a home run.

00:40:03
Speaker 3: That's that's That's all he say.

00:40:05
Speaker 4: Uh, ball on right down the middle.

00:40:11
Speaker 3: He was so great. All so let's end with this.

00:40:19
Speaker 2: Uh, this is Pat Kritz and our buddy six though, UH wanted to know another holiday weekend approaches what he grill and fillows or is six to wants to be more specific?

00:40:29
Speaker 5: He says, are hot wieners on Jim's menu for the fourth.

00:40:34
Speaker 2: Because if you were calling, if you recall a couple of weeks ago, Jim, you were talking about how you had many hot wieners up in Rhode Island that you would cook, right.

00:40:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, nothing like a Jim the hot waiter stand to get those. But there there's something these little stubby dogs with mustard onion sell steam pump. But on my menu for July, I might get the smoker out and then oh nice, have a potpourri of smoked meats.

00:41:04
Speaker 3: Oh fantastic. So was that like? Is that like Canadian smoked meats? Is that the kind of.

00:41:09
Speaker 4: I love Montre Todd and I used to love Montreal smoked meat. We used to stake it out late at night, remember that, Yeah, we did.

00:41:15
Speaker 5: We would go to this not even a T shirt, SA shirt, Oh my gosh, I.

00:41:19
Speaker 4: Wish that's only.

00:41:20
Speaker 2: It was a place called Bens and it has since closed down. But they had these great smoke meat sandwiches in Montreal. We would go there late night and smoked meat. Fantastic, fantastic. I do not have that T shirt. I think it got a little U stand like wor too much.

00:41:39
Speaker 4: The famous one is Schwartz.

00:41:41
Speaker 3: Schwartz got Street Laurent centerron or Saint Catherine's Si Laurent.

00:41:47
Speaker 4: Swartz and that's that's that's a great smoked meat or as they call it in French, beyond beyond me.

00:41:58
Speaker 5: Only would they smoked in in uh shop.

00:42:02
Speaker 4: And I know how to order in French.

00:42:04
Speaker 3: Nice.

00:42:06
Speaker 2: I will not Well, I'll be still in Chicago on July fourth, so I won't be I won't be grilling on anything, but I will try to get a Chicago style dog somewhere while i'm there.

00:42:14
Speaker 3: Those are great.

00:42:15
Speaker 2: In fact, Jim, a couple of weeks ago, when we were talking about your mini wieners that you like, you talk about putting celery salt on him. So that that day or that weekend, I actually went out and tried to recreate a Chicago style dog with a cellary salt.

00:42:28
Speaker 3: And it was, Oh, it's fantasticelery salt on the dog.

00:42:34
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, it's you know, it's just a nice little sprinkle, a little sprinkle, little little taste.

00:42:43
Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely. So what about the pizzas in Chicago to you to go? Might I might try to do lou mal Nadies.

00:42:52
Speaker 2: I feel like is a solid, solid choice, So I might try to go to the lou mal Natis. That's the problem when you go on the road, you feel like you have to get a deep dish piece and Chicago, and then you gotta get a Chicago style dog. And then you come back and you're like, why do I feel so gross out of shape?

00:43:08
Speaker 1: You know what I mean?

00:43:09
Speaker 3: The road the time, I'm gonna have to get in some treadmill time.

00:43:15
Speaker 5: So Phillies open up a three game series Tuesday night.

00:43:19
Speaker 3: Against the Cubs.

00:43:19
Speaker 2: Michael Mercado makes his first major league start on Tuesday night against Hayden wes Newsky. Sounds like a real good Chicago guy, you know, two and four, three six, So we are a Hayden west Nesky.

00:43:33
Speaker 3: So then you have.

00:43:33
Speaker 2: Wheeler and Sanchez on Wednesday and Thursday, and then they go to Atlanta.

00:43:38
Speaker 5: So big week for the Phillies, big road trip for the Phillies.

00:43:41
Speaker 2: We'll be back later this week to talk about Chicago and talk about the upcoming Atlanta series.

00:43:48
Speaker 3: So we I'll talk to you guys later.

00:43:51
Speaker 4: Smell your later. Boys.

00:43:59
Speaker 6: This is a Philly Show. If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Phillies Show wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch us on our YouTube channel. If you like what we do, give us a review, Tell a friend, catch Rubenjim and Me on Phillies Nation TV, presented by Valley Forge Tourism. New episodes air an hour before every Saturday Phillies game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Replays air throughout the week and on Philliesnation dot com. Get more of Reuben's analysis during before and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports Radio ninety four WIP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Rejim at the Allcity Network at allphl y dot com. Find more of me at MLB dot com, the philliesb Newsletter, and occasionally on MLB Network