"Go Get 'Em, Sun."

00:00:00
Speaker 1: This is Chase Utley and this is the Philly Show. Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show. Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todd's Lucky Wednesday, August twenty eighth, twenty twenty four. Guys, how are we doing, Ruben? You're showing a uh I'm teasing your tea knockoff. You're talking.

00:00:33
Speaker 2: We got him coming. It's a knockoff.

00:00:36
Speaker 3: That's the uhmer is coming. It's the bullpen cart that used to meet tug At when you give you his.

00:00:42
Speaker 2: Jacket, that's all right, that's right.

00:00:45
Speaker 1: I wish they had the bullpen carts still, just to just to roll it out for old times sake.

00:00:49
Speaker 2: You know, I do love that cart. I think it's the coolest thing. I think they might have one in the ballpark somewhere.

00:00:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, dig that. They gotta dig that thing out, especially on Thursday nights when they were in the record.

00:01:00
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:01:01
Speaker 1: For those listening in their car, Ruben's got a Phillies Show bullpen cart t shirt on to knockoff without us in it. Without us, And it's always better when we're in the cart driving at great point, Jimmy, are you driving that cart? You're on the left hand side.

00:01:19
Speaker 3: No, I'm driving with my foot.

00:01:24
Speaker 2: I do like the fact that you're hanging out to the side though, j Yeah.

00:01:27
Speaker 3: I've been there before, hanging out of a golf cart.

00:01:32
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, guys. The last couple of games for the Phillies pretty pretty good. Bryce Harper hits that walk off hit on Monday night. Aaron Nola just dials it up on Tuesday night. Last night, Nick Castianis hits a big home run, three run home run on Tuesday. Are we feeling about how they've been playing the last four game, they won four in a row. They can sweep tonight, get the first five game winning streak since May, seems like again, Jim, we talked about this the other day, like, you know, there's a lot of doom and gloom last week, but a little bit different vibe going on right now.

00:02:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, there was a lot of doom and gloom, and some people scoffed at me when I said my panic meter was at one point five when I take my pulse.

00:02:17
Speaker 1: But they did kill you for that.

00:02:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, but you know, no panic that. I just looked at the standings. Guess what, They're tied for the best record in baseball again. They've won four in a row. The offenses awakened just enough, just enough. The starting pitching has been very good the last turn through, maybe the last two turns turn plus, they've hit some bombs. They are much better team when the ball ends over the fence. And you can say that about pretty much every team because home runs are big, and that's a lot of the way that the game has played today. But getting on base a little bit more, you still gotta take care of those advantage of those opportunities that call for some good situational hitting. But good teams will do that. But you know, they're bashing the ball just enough. Here. They had a couple of eleven run games in Kansas City last night. You mentioned Castianus with that three run home run, very very clutched, very timely. He sniffed out that breaking ball. It was a twelve sixer. It didn't break off the plate to kind of gives him trouble. He sniffed it out and he drove it into the seats. So and Aaron Nola just made it all stand up. He he has been brilliant, you know his last three or four, you know, last like twenty four innings. I think he's given up like four in runs. I feel like a lot of things are coming together at the right time. Now with thirty games left, we're constantly asked, are they back. I'm not going there. I'm not gonna say they're back to me. They're back when they're when they're on the parade, you know, float down Broad Street, That's when they're back, because that's what this is all about. But you know what, they're playing bad at a good time. They've won two series in a row. That's been a magic recipe for them winning series, and they've they've taken care of the Houston Astros here taking the first two. And wouldn't it be something if Taiwan Walker went out there later on today and had one of had it, had his best start of the season and helped them lock down a sweep going into the final month, that would be that would be something to see. I think this is actually a fascinating day, you know, this Wednesday, going for the sweep against Houston with your weak link on the mound, a guy who's really struggled, the guy everybody's clamoring to, you know, bounce him out of here, and let's let's see what happens. I think it has a chance to be some very interesting theater ninety seven degrees. Here's the thing that's back. Summer's back ninety seven today Taiwan Walker on the mound, Ruben Tomorrow, sweat and bullets in that beautiful jacket last night, Ruber. I loved that jacket.

00:04:55
Speaker 2: Thank you.

00:04:56
Speaker 1: That was a great jacket.

00:04:58
Speaker 2: I appreciate the love. You will make great points. I think back right now to a couple of different things. One, I think back to what Chase Utley said when I was in La Listen, this team's got to go through a tough time and they got to go through some adversity and they got to bounce back and be playing well when it's time to play well. And he may be a soothsayer, because it looks like that sort of thing is happening right now. I couldn't for the life of me. People were asking me the same thing, like, what is going on with the Phillies? What is going on? Well, I think and as I think about it now, I think it's about the starting pitching, and it's about and that's where it starts, and for me, that's where it ends. When the starting pitching is going well, which was and it was the best in all of baseball in the first two months of the season. All of baseball. Maybe Seattle was the only other team that was as good or maybe to touch better. But Seattle had no offense at all, and they still don't have any offense, but they still have pretty good pitching. So they're sort of in the race. The Phillies. They're pitching rotation. Suarez going down, that was huge, and I back now about Suarez coming back and pitching in Kansas City and pitching the way he did, and that was the start of this role they got going. And I think that that in a lot of ways, it's just weird. I don't know if it's mental. I don't know if it's physical. It could be a combination of the two. I think that's one of the things that sort of picked this team back up. He came out and pitched his ass off, and it was ranger Suarez of old and it started that turn in the rotation that made it. You know, then you got Suarez and Wheeler and Nola, and you know, Christopher Sanchez is pitching his tail off as well. Obviously, Taiwan Walker struggling and not pitching all that well, but having those four guys setting it up for those four guys, and this is what Rob Thomas has been talking about all season long. Get those guys healthy, make sure I take care of give him an extra day when they need it, you know, kind of you know, take a long time to get Suarez back after those back spasms took their time. Hopefully he's going to be fine and healthy. And I think that's one of the biggest reasons why these guys are short of back on track.

00:07:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then Jim, like you said, you have a guy pop on every once in a while and that helps. Nick Cassianis last night you mentioned him. He gets a first pitch fastball and he takes it, and after the game he goes, yeah, I was kind of kicking myself because I don't see any fastballs. In fact, he sees fewer fastballs than any any hitter in baseball, you know, Nick, It's just breaking balls and off speed stuff. So then he is going, Okay, now, I'm that's probably the only fastball I'm going to get in this at bat. So he sits breaking ball and Justin Verlander throws him an No. One breaking ball, hanger right over the middle, and he crushes it. And it was interesting. After the game, Justin Verlander said, you know what, against my I felt like he was sitting spin. So I threw him a first pitch passball, and then against my best instincts, I should have thrown him another fastball, but I said, you know, I'm gonna throw him a breaking ball.

00:08:16
Speaker 2: Here.

00:08:17
Speaker 1: He's like, and I just had to basically said, I kind of had a bad feeling about him. Looking back, I wish I could go back, because there's no doubt in my mind. He's like, you'll have to go ask Nick, but I bet you he is sitting something soft on that old one pitch, And sure enough he was, because he said, I knew I was going to get something with some spin on it. But he's been We talked a lot about him. He's been really good over the last really since mid May. I think he's forty first in OPS and baseball out of like one hundred and thirty three failures, so he's top thirty percent in baseball in terms of OPS. He's really been putting together. He's now hitting fifth. He talked, we talked about us, remember this earlier in the season, he was kind of complaining about how he's hitting too low in the lineup. He said last night, He's like, I love I'm basically a glory or batting practice hitter. I swing at everything, and I swing hard, and uh so it helps me when I'm in the middle of the lineup. Rob Thomas said, you got to earn that spot, though, and he's earned it. He's earned a spot. You know, you don't just get to hit fifth just because you like to swing a lot and you swing hard. You have to actually produce, and he's produced lately. So now he's been hitting fourth fifth the last twelve thirteen games.

00:09:22
Speaker 2: Jim, I got to give it. I gotta get some love for them, because you talked about it from the beginning about how the back of the baseball football card matters, and you talked about you know, you talked about Nick Castianos a lot during the early part of the season if everybody wanted a Cana guy.

00:09:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, I just felt like, you don't put up all those good seasons and all those doubles and all that slug by accident. And he's not old, but he is streaky, and I just thought he was going through a bad streak, and I thought we were going to see it almost like an equally good streak at some point. We have been very very important player throughout that you know, two and a half month scuffle that this team has had, helping them stay afloat with those occasional bolts, you know, bolts of lightning to the gap here and there. So that breaking ball and he hit from Verland, it was the perfect shape for him. If it was something off the plate, those are the ones that give him trouble, but just a great piece of reaction reaction hitting, and it was it was a difference maker in that game. Fascinating to hear, you know, how Verlander's mind was working there. So yeah, really, he's a he's he's a he's a cerebral picture, he's a veteran picture. He's not afraid to, I don't know, let you in on what he's thinking. And that creates a really interesting storyline for people who love the game and interested in the game that byplay between the hitter and the picture of what they're thinking. So I really enjoyed reading about that today and your story Todd.

00:10:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was you kind of hear those things that you kind of nerd out as a as a baseball fan, he goes, yeah, he's like, you know, he talked about the chess match between hitter and pitcher, and and sure enough that's what Nick was thinking. And sure enough, vier line is up there, going maybe I should be throwing him a fastball here, hanger gone.

00:11:21
Speaker 2: I think the other part of that is another fascinating part of it, and you mentioned it and talked a little bit about it, was how Castiano's talked about not getting a lot of protection when he's deep in the lineup. Right, when he's deep in the lineup, he knows that he can walk, they can walk him and not feel fear, you know, the Johann Rojas's of the world and the other guys behind him. But when he's in the middle of the lineup, you know, he's got a little protection with you know, whoever it is, Scott or JT or whoever is hitting behind him, so that they it it gives the picture a little bit more angst to not walk the guy and have to sort of challenge him, which means he gets more pitches to hit. I mean, it's a whole and that's that's why roster construction and lineup construction can't be all about the analytics. There is a subtle piece of what's going on here about protection and left right and you know, forcing the opponent to do certain things that they might not want to do because of the construction of the lineup. That was the one big thing that Charlie talks about that every manager really talks about. But you can't just have an analytics guy just because this guy's got X Y numbers and wobah's and all types of stuff. It's about the subtleties of what's going on in the lineup versus that picture the bullpen, how they will attack them. I mean, the lineup means something, man, it really does and uh and and that's part of the subtlety that creates and and makes what good what you know, good managers are. I think managers do two things, three things. They run the bullpens, they construct their lineups or should they know, shouldn't come from above, but they do a lot of in a lot of places, and they have to manage the clubhouse. And those are the three biggest things I think that the manager do. Managers do And if you can do those well, you can have a lot of success, and I think Rob Thompson does a heck of a job of it myself.

00:13:25
Speaker 3: And they have to. I'm sorry, they have to. You know, you mentioned manage the clubhouse, build trust, communicate and when Rob Thompson says to Nick Castianos, Nick, I'm gonna have you right in the middle of that lineup. You're gonna be hitting fifth, but you got to earn it. And then he goes out and hits well and he learns it. You got to put him there, and that's how you build a great relationship. And that's how player bustes asked for the manager, and that's how players bust their ask the manager. I agree with you on all that other stuff, the bullpen and the lineup, but there's a chemistry between good manager and players and performance and the way your commune to get it with them. And I think Thomas is very good at that.

00:14:02
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00:15:04
Speaker 1: Active and we are back, gentlemen. We put out a tweet last night for questions listener for your questions, and I think it's taken off because we got a ton of questions yesterday. Like, we got so many questions we won't even get to you know, a third of them. I don't think. I mean on Instagram and on x AKA the or I should say they're formally known as Twitter. So uh, let's let's jump into these. We got a bunch and let's start with the general themed big picture question. This is something I think was I don't know if the same guy asked it, but this is something that was asked a few weeks ago. The Phillies seem to be hurting me less. Now do you think they'll continue to hurt me less into the postseason? This is for Michael on x Remember we got one like that, like, why why do they want to hurt me so much?

00:15:54
Speaker 3: Was that the yeah?

00:15:55
Speaker 1: When will the ping go away?

00:15:56
Speaker 2: Yeah? Elizabeth, Elizabeth?

00:16:03
Speaker 1: So what do we think? Well, Rubin, you said the starting pitching. If the starting pitching keeps going like this, they're gonna be They're gonna be in games every night.

00:16:12
Speaker 2: I don't think there's any question that if if now Rangers back on track and these guys remain healthy, the four big four guys, because they're they're really they're the crux of what they what this team is built around. I think I know they spend a lot of money on offense, but the reality of it is I'll never and I'll never stop thinking this. When you have great starting pitching, man, you've got a chance to win every single night. It's as simple as that. And why the game got away from this, I don't know. If I was an executive in this day and age, I would go back to the same themes. When everybody's going left, I'm going right and going back to what's what means something, and that's starting pitching. If they're healthy, they'll be back and they'll be really, really good in the postseason. I know they have to get big hits, and they have to make adjustments to teams that have good plans and execute those plans. But if they get good starting pitching, they got a chance every single day.

00:17:11
Speaker 3: There still might be nights when the pain rears its ugly head when they're chasing and swinging from their heels and having a night like they had in Game six and seven last year. Unfortunately, it's kind of in their DNA that stuff can pump up. But I do think when they're going good, they can put together lengthy stretches where they avoid that stuff and seem to be in one right now. Bomb chasing a little bit, you'd like to see that him get dialed in because he's typically a very selective hitter. But right now the pain is subsiding. But I will remind you of that Bart Giamatti quote. Baseball is designed to break your heart. And you know it's a tough, tough game and a tough tough business and only one team at the end is going to be smiling on. So you got to get into October, which they will, and then you got to play good baseball, take care of opportunities, don't make errors, don't give up extra base runners, extra bases, and put it all together. This team is very capable of doing that. I personally can't wait to see how they perform in the month of October.

00:18:19
Speaker 1: Jim, you you mentioned Alec Boom. That was the question that British Philly on X one S wanted to asked about what's going on with Boem? Weird body language gone from constant RBIs to swinging at everything. Any inside information from coach Rubin on a player showing body language like Boom has been. I mean that has jumped out the last few games, and I know he has talked about that in the past, like trying to control his emotions on the field and not having such bad but I mean slamming the helmet, flinging his bat. A lot of frustration from him over the last six games, spatting one sixty three ninety two ops, three grounded into double plays, three double place.

00:19:01
Speaker 2: You know, I think he's starting to feel it. He had such a great start to the season, and you know, these are human beings, and now he started going into one of those funks. For a while, I mean for almost a month he didn't have an RBI. It was bizarre, and part of it was because guys in front of him were really not getting on. There was a lot of stuff going on as far as the lineup construction. You know, Schwarber and Turner were struggling. They weren't really doing a lot, and so even Harper was not as the dynamic clearly, and his opportunities did not present themselves. And then he struggled in those opportunities, and I think it sort of snowballed on him a little bit. And over the last a week or so, I see him sort of getting out of his comfort zone. He's a guy that uses the whole field. He swings the bat on pitches that are in the strike zone. Typically, I see him just trying to press a little bit and do a little bit much. Maybe he's starting to think about arbitration and money and contracts and things like that. He hasn't been locked up. I mean, I don't know that about him. I don't but if I'm if i'm him, if I'm in his shoes, I start thinking about those things like, oh my god, if I get another ninety or one hundred, you know, another one hundred and ten RBI season or whatever the case may be, you know, I may put myself in a position to make a ton of money. I don't know if those things are going through his head. I don't know if he's just pressing. I don't know if he's getting out of his comfort zone. But I do see some differences in him. I think fortunately he hasn't really taken it. I don't think to the field, which is a you know, which is a very it's something where he's showing to his maturity. I think he'll be back. He's one of the most talented hitters they have, and I mean as far as just utilizing the whole field and that kind of stuff, So I think he'll be back. He just needs to take a breather, you know, relax a little bit, and go with the lessers more program, which is, you know, the Charlie Manual theory. Less is more, let the pitcher come to you, and then, you know, then take care of the damage.

00:21:13
Speaker 3: I see him. He's an emotional guy. You know. I don't mind a little emotion, a little snap down, and you know, I probably want to do it up in the tunnel where nobody can see it, but I don't know, it shows your care. But I just think he's reacting in the moment and in the instant to the result of that particular at bat. And I would offer last night, he has that bloop hit later on in the game where they all come together in the outfield and you know, Ringling brothers and he's standing on second base and all of a sudden, big smile, you know, big smile. And so there was his reaction. He didn't hit the ball well, but it was a reaction based on the result. So I think it's it's disappointment coming out and at the root of it, it's like, I know I'm better than this, and it's just disappointment, and everybody handles it a little differently. I'd be careful to squeal shit because I think that's who he is. But I think in their private conversations, Rob Thompson Kevin Long can urge him. You're a good player, You're good hitter. We're here. A lot of the reason we're here is because of you. Don't get too frustrated. It's going to happen for you.

00:22:25
Speaker 1: Stop breaking helmets.

00:22:27
Speaker 3: You ever heard a story about at Lee was a serial, quiet, stealthy helmet breaker, and nobody knows like because he never would do it out in public, out on the field.

00:22:38
Speaker 2: He's smart, he's smart about it.

00:22:40
Speaker 3: Snaps he would snap up up up up in the tunnel where nobody could see it. And I feel comfortable telling this because I wrote the story years ago. But there was one season he broke like seven helmets and Phil Sheridan, the equipment man, great equipment man with the Philly's been there forever and does great job. Phil Sheridan went up to him and said, like in September, said, hey man, you got to cool it. This is my last helmet. This is the last helmet I got for you in your your size or whatever, and so you gotta control your snaps. A little bit, so guys care they blow off steam. I just think people are like, oh my god, is he is he burying himself? Is he quitting on himself when it happens out on the field. But so just bring it inside where nobody can see it, and then when you retire, we'll tell all the stories about the helmet you broke.

00:23:36
Speaker 1: Just keep in mind, you know, like I wonder, do you does a player finally start getting charged like and that at one point is day they go all right, Chase, we gotta start charging you for these helmets. I mean, this is getting ridiculous, you know what I mean. I don't know what a helmet costs, but it's over one hundred dollars, I bet for sure.

00:23:52
Speaker 2: When I played. When I played, they probably would charge, would have charged. Yeah, I think it broke a couple, but they didn't give me very couple of them. I had reason to break a lot of them because I made a ton of outs.

00:24:03
Speaker 3: But they don't. They don't charge for anything anymore. When I started coming, when I started covering baseball, Todd, I remember covering Triple A baseball and guy in Patucket where it was cold in April, and guys were like beg borrowing and stealing to get sleeves, you know, cold weather sleeves. They had to buy their own undershirts. Do you remember those days, Ribbon?

00:24:28
Speaker 2: Oh? Do I remember those days? Come on, dude, I mean we were making like three dollars an hour. I worked it out to like fifty cents an hour with all the hours we put in, and.

00:24:38
Speaker 3: Now they get everything they need, tons.

00:24:40
Speaker 2: Of It's a different world now, man. These guys are living a life of luxury now in the Minor Lakes. It's crazy.

00:24:49
Speaker 1: Jose Alvarado question, is there any news on Jose Alvarado? Do you think whatever issue is he is he has is affecting his pitching. That's from bow ninety two to ninety two on Instagram. The only thing I can say is that, you know. Rob Thompson says he does not know when he will be back. For those who don't know, Jose Jose Alvarad has been placed on the restricted list left the team for personal matter. Rob Thompson says he does not know when he will be back, but he does expect him back this season. I spoke to somebody else yesterday saying they're trying to you know, take care. You know, they're they're they're they're expecting that he will be back this season, hopefully sooner rather than later. But there's only thirty some games left. So to me, I'm do you guys have any thoughts on how they're going to handle his absence. I know he's been super inconsistent, but he's been their best pitcher against left handed hitting like left these are hitting one thirty four hundred ohps against them against him, how do they handle that? Rob Thompson said, Tanner Banks and Ryan Kirkering. But Ryan Kirkering has been it's been okay against left these. He hasn't been great, but that's a loss.

00:25:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, to me, it's to me, it's really about guys just stepping up, stepping forward. I mean, he had been struggling. My biggest concern is for the guy. I'm not sure what's going on with him. I have no idea. I tried to poke around to find out, but the reality of it is, I have no idea what it is. I just hope he's fine, and I just hope the man's okay because I have a great deal of respect and I love the guy. He's a fantastic teammate. He's important in that bullpen, if not just for his presence, and he's an outstanding pitcher when he's on. I mean he's really really good, and I just hope he's okay.

00:26:41
Speaker 3: Yeah, me too, really good man, good hearted guy, good in the clubhouse, big smile, loves everybody, so you know, all the best to him. The recipe might be what they got last night, try to get seven good ones from the I mean, you've rested the rotation periodically throughout the season because you know you want to play big games in September and October. If you could get seven and shorten the from your starter, shortened the billpen a little bit, I think that might be a really good recipe going forward. We see a lot of times in the postseason bullpen's rain, bullpen's rule the day, But like pitching backward a little bit, I think starting pitching could rule this day for the Phillies down to stretch and into October, trying to get seven, shorten up your bullpen and see what happens.

00:27:27
Speaker 2: Hey, let's just say, well, do you guys see that stack that they have won thirty in a row? Thirty games in a row, when the pitchers could go on seven seven innings in the very first I think it was the very first game of the season. They didn't win the first game of the season. I think somebody won seven innings. Since then, thirty straight games of wins, thirty and one. It's insane. Yeah, that's how important going seven innings is. I mean, look at that. I mean it's insane. Thirty and one. That's that. That is a big number. That's why it's so important to get length out of your starters. People have to remember that. Somebody and some executive has to understand that number because it doesn't lie.

00:28:10
Speaker 1: Dave Debrowski likes that. I know that. Damn he's about they.

00:28:14
Speaker 2: Get because you know baseball.

00:28:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dave does like the old school nature of this rotation and throwing guys out there for six seven innings, seven innings. I've preferred a couple questions on September call ups. September call ups question mark. That's from weight man Stats on Instagram. Is there anyone at Lehigh Valley that could not be on the average fans radar that could get a call up in September? That's from Dave Hyms on x I don't know if there's anybody that's not on the radar that could possibly get called up. I don't think there's an O Ryan Kirkering down there that that's going to come up in September and help. I think it might be Cody Clemens. Cody Clemens I think probably should come up. I guess you could go third catcher. I don't know if you need it. I don't know if you need a third catcher with only two now, there's only two rosters, two spots that get added to the roster in September. So maybe Cody Clemens, he's deserved, he's earned it, and then you have Tyler Phillips could come up, Michael Rutgers on the forty men roster. Tyler Gilbert who is just up here, could come up at some point. I don't know what they're going to do with the pitching, if they're going to go for a real length guy or a shorter, you know, more short reliever type of guy. But but nothing really super exciting for the fans. I don't think, you know, there's not Justin Crawford's not coming up in September.

00:29:32
Speaker 3: I think you might want a little bit of length in the picture capability of giving you a little length, because you still might have to nurse this Taiwan Walker thing through the final I mean a month of the season. He'll start on Wednesday, and then after that what he'll have five or six that spot will have five or six. So you might have to do a lot of Nixon and Match to get through that. So that might you might want to prioritize multi innings. As far as the catcher, that's an interesting one. We all love Marshan. I think it was a little banged up recently, but you know, I don't know that you have to carry its third catcher because you can still make moves. If somebody goes down, you can get them on the roster the next day, right.

00:30:17
Speaker 2: Yeah. See, that's the beauty of what MLB has done. You know, I started thinking about the limitations that they put on. Now just two guys brought up, So now you have a roster of twenty eight that you can maneuver. But you can maneuver it because if you have flexibility and options for your players. The teams now are playing like the Triple A season is now being pushed all the way down to almost lined up to the major league season now so that those guys continue to play. And if you want to make like as if you were in the normal season, you want to make roster moves now back in the day, that season ended on September second or third, and now you had to have certain guys like we would take guys and send them to Clearwater and say, okay, here's ten guys that might get a chance to play at some point if you don't get brought up to the big leagues and just be ready, and then you can expand your roster to as many as you wanted, but you can still have more guys ready. Now you can have guys actually playing in baseball games in Triple A and Double A and allow them to and and you know, if you have roster flexibility, that's why it's important to have that and move guys back and forth. Like a pitcher can throw one day, he can get sent down and you know, get sent down and be replaced. So I think it it's just a gain again, it's a it's a way to maneuver. I think a lot of it will depend on what's going on with Alvarado two, whether you want another left hander in there, or whether you know, but you can you have some flexibility of maneuver around if you have options on these guys.

00:31:51
Speaker 1: Jim, you mentioned Taiwan Walker question. Of course, it's got to have a question about timeline Walker. Where the realistic options for Walker DFA trade that's from anonymous us on Instagram. What do we think it's gonna Taiwan Walker tonight? He pitches Wednesday night, they can go for the sweep. It's going to be a crazy atmosphere because fans are starting to get excited again. So if Taiwan Walker goes out and he lays an egg in their first couple innings, the booze are going to rain down upon him with oh yes, with great fury. Uh I might I have my Phillies Beat newsletter is going to come out later today. I had somebody break down a lot of the stats on Taiwan Walker because the Phillies keeps saying they're encouraged. Taiwan keeps saying it's going to be coming. But the facts are the facts, and he'll probably pitch well tonight now that I'm writing this. Chase rate on his splitter by season is dropped each year over the past three years. It's way down the whiff rate, so that's swing and miss on his splitter way down. It's twenty nine sixteen point eight percent this season. Uh So, now when he's fallen behind the count, he's getting Now when he comes in the zone, you guys know it, he's getting absolutely crushed. He's last in baseball in barrel percentage. That's his balls, you know, hit certain exsit velocity, line drives last, and average exivelosity ninety two point one last, and hard hit percentage fifty. When he's when he's hitters are ahead in the counter batting three point fifty three with a one point I ops against him. So not a lot of there's not really any signs. There's not a lot of positivity. There's not a lot of signs of these boy he could just this is just coming along and you know he's all he's just right there. I mean, he's really just getting pulverized out there. So I don't know what the answer is. I do you guys think he's gonna get dfaide this season? Do you think he could get dfaid this season? That's a lot of money to eat, right, I don't know.

00:33:45
Speaker 3: It's a desperate for the roster spot. But I would be surprised to see him back next year. Next year, but I don't know how they're gonna handle it in the short term. Ruben, You've had to make these decisions.

00:33:58
Speaker 2: It's a tough one man. Third eight million dollars is a big, big nut. I mean, that's a lot of money. And so I know that Middleton doesn't I mean he cares about money. I mean everybody cares about the money. I mean when especially when you're when you're having to dole out those types of dollars for an unproductive player. But I mean in the past, you know, we've we've had to make some tough decisions. You know, he's providing some depth right now because he is a starting pitcher and they need somebody to eat some innings.

00:34:34
Speaker 5: Uh.

00:34:35
Speaker 2: I know, Alert has pitched pretty darn well at times, and Phillips can fill mix in, and there might be some other guys that you can throw in the mix, but right now, he is a starting pitcher and they need some innings to be eaten up, and he needs somebody to protect the other four guys in that rotation and and the bullpen. Now, if he can't, if the man is throwing two or three and that's it. They may end up going to like a piggyback situation. Who knows where they say, Listen, I'm going to get him for two or three innings and I'm going to bring you know, a long guy in and go from there. I mean, I don't know if you can necessarily do that when you're going to a six man rotation right now. And I'm not sure about all the plans that are going to be happening over the course of September, but he certainly put them in a tough position. If he was pitching, better to be a much easy position to say, man, we're just going to give you the baseball, but you just cannot continue to get hammered and get knocked out after three innings, because it's just the domino effect on the on the bullpen and the rest of the U and the rest of the club is just too great.

00:35:41
Speaker 3: Start by start basis. Right now, you know, he's gonna have to earn his innings, you know, five days later every time he goes out there, and you know, I don't know if they can go through another season of this unless there's some dramatic improvement and I'm not sure that's in the cards at this age, and he's apparently pitching healthy, so it's a it's a tough call. I mean, all that really matters, though, is right now, in the next thirty days, and he's going to get the ball on Wednesday, and he needs to give them just take five innings, you know, give me five innings and and we'll deal with the five days later, five days later.

00:36:19
Speaker 2: And I just I just don't know if he can throw it with people ask can throw out of the pen. I don't think this guy, I don't think so. I don't think he's going to elevate his fastball. I don't think that, you know. I think he's giving it all he's got right now, and and I think this is where he's maxed out.

00:36:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with that.

00:36:36
Speaker 3: I don't think you have any trade value in the off season if you ate a whole bunch. I think that's iffy.

00:36:42
Speaker 2: I think I think it's possible, but you have to eat like almost the entire contract, I mean everybody's I mean Todd gave the numbers. I mean, if you're looking at the numbers, you're just hoping that the guy bounces back. In some way, shape or form, and you don't really want to pay much for the guy.

00:36:56
Speaker 3: And if if there's a chance they're going to let him go and you can get him from the minimum, why would to give up a player?

00:37:01
Speaker 2: Right, No doubt exactly.

00:37:04
Speaker 1: Uh see, when I don't know, if there's ruben, you might have a good story on this all. I'll ask you this one. When trading a player for cash considerations, what is the lowest amount that a player has been traded for? This is from your Phillies educator on X. You remember one dollar and.

00:37:21
Speaker 3: I think I think the max is one hundred grand.

00:37:26
Speaker 2: I think, yeah, it has to be approved or yet, although you can you can send the player and you know, pay down. I mean it also has to be approved by by the commissioner's office. Sure, so you can move a player and pay him down, but I think I think the minimum. I think I may have traded a guy for a buck or something like that.

00:37:46
Speaker 3: Okay, I remember a trade for zero dollars.

00:37:51
Speaker 1: Who's that.

00:37:53
Speaker 3: They had a minor league pitcher and they traded him to the Anaheim Angels for zero.

00:38:01
Speaker 2: That gave well the minor leagues.

00:38:06
Speaker 1: Sort of transferred his contract okay, okay, today is Jim Tomey's birthday. I guess this is maybe sent yesterday, and Big Jim is known for being one of the nicest players in MLB history. Who are some of the nicest guys you have dealt with? Also, any jerks you wish to dump dirt on? That's some steampunk Philly Uh you know what. So I'm sure you guys get this too, right, I mean, other than like the day to day questions of why is this guy struggling? Why is that guy's? The thing I get asked the most is who's what are guys like in the clubhouse? Who do you like? Who do who don't you like? Who's the biggest jerk in the clubhouse? I'm not going to say who the biggest jerks are, but uh, there's been a lot of really great guys.

00:38:47
Speaker 2: Because that's because you'll lose them. You can't I mean, yeah, professionally, you can't really name those guys. Yeah, for your sake and for my sake. I mean, uh, the ones in the past, you can, you can toss them out there a little bit, but but typically, you know, it's very difficult for writers to have to dump on guys, because then they don't have any respect from from the guy when they want to have a conversation and want to do a story about them or talk to them. And that's a difficult position to put you guys in. But you know some great guys, and most of them are great guys really honestly, ninety seven percent or ninety nine percent of them are pretty darn good guys. Do you guys not agree? And then you know you have a couple of apples that are you know that that will upse up the car.

00:39:31
Speaker 1: The way I always tell people is it's just like wherever you work at, you know, if you work in an office building, or if you work at a you know, car dealership, or wherever you work, right like, most of the people you work with are pretty good people. And then there might be one or two people are like, man, that guy, Oh my god, what an a hole. But I will say on this roster, this current roster, and I'm not just saying this because these guys are playing right now. Most I think I can't think of a guy in there that I'm like, Ah, this guy just gives me a hard time every single time I go up and talk to him. Or this guy causes so many problems in the clubhouse or whatever. It is a really good clubhouse from top to bottom. But I mean favorite players, I mean, nicest guys have ever covered me. Jim Tolmy obviously there. Love Jeff frank Core we had him on the show. He might be my favorite, my all time good guy. Just you know, you only play with the Phillies for one season. But there's chooch. You know, there's all the backup catchers you could talk about, you know, from Hoskins, Andrew Knapp, you know, Tommy Joseph we just saw him in se Alley's the assistant hitting coach for the Mariners. Great guy, you know, but you know, and then the star players. To Ryan Howard was always tremendous. I always liked talking to Jason where Shane Victorino, I mean, the list could go on and on and on.

00:40:48
Speaker 3: Shane Victorya was HILARI You know, I love covering Jimmy Rollins because he did exciting things on the field and he said provocative things after the game. Same with Shilling. He did exciting things between the lines and he said interesting things after the game. Yeah, you know, I liked all those you know, Jim told me, just gentleman, Jim, and you mentioned Tommy, Joseph, Michael Franco was a great kid, remember Michael. Oh, just you know Rico, Bronia, Rex Humbler, you could just I mean, just Billy Wagner. Just there's so many good guys. And Brad Lidge.

00:41:21
Speaker 2: I mean, Brad, what a quality human being.

00:41:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, has this storybook season in two thousand and eight, and he's more than willing to take you along for the ride and share it with you as a writer so you can write about it, very accommodating. The next year is the Season from Hell, and he's the same guy. He's very accommodating, you know, it's not your fault, and just a gentleman. So I could I could go on for an hour about all the good people you know, I've met in the game.

00:41:52
Speaker 2: So yeah, it's the same here. But the guys that come to mind, Jim Tomy was my teammate and then I signed him a couple of times, had to trade him once or twice. Just just saw to the earth man just a wonderful, wonderful human being, almost to the point where it's just real and it is the other guy. The other guy that was like that a little bit was Mike Sweeney. We didn't him for very long, but what a tremendous human being he was. And you mentioned the other guy, Rex Hadler. I just saw Rex. He's doing the TV over there in Kansas City. Man, he is just an absolute treat man. I just I love him. He's so positive, he's such a I mean, there's so many different characters in the game. I have some great friends in the game. Gary DiSarcina who was a teammate and a coachmate of mine, Paul Sorrento, same thing. I mean, just there's so many millions of guys that I could sit here and name that are just sweet, sweet people and great people to be around. Dave Hollins, I mean, oh my god, one of the one of my great great friends in the game. Just super human beings that you that you're in a lot of ways. I'm a better person for knowing a lot of them.

00:43:03
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, you know, it was a really good guy. He just popped into my head. Is Markleter Junior, who just came through with the Yankees. He was here briefly, just a kid who was you know, from Jersey Shore, you know, appreciated being a major leaguer, worked really hard, just a good guy. I mean, it's just there's so many of them.

00:43:24
Speaker 2: You know. I I gotta mention Kevin Jordan because he was an unlivable teammate. What a superhuman being he is. We see him in San Francisco all the time, and it's great to get a chance to see him my benchmate. Just the awesome, great peaks.

00:43:39
Speaker 3: So today, you guys, I'll tell the story really quick. Kevin Franzen loves this story. In ninety eight, so you guys signed directs how the ninety seven ninety eight two year deal. He showed up hurt because he blew out his hamstring trying to run twenty miles an hour on a treadmill two days before spring training and it was never right. Har And so you guys released him towards the end of ninety eight at the VET and he's standing in the front of his locker and uh, there's gaggle of reporters around him. I'm kind of off to the side a little bit, and he's saying, you know, I just wish I played better, and you know, I was hurt, but I appreciate the opportunity and all the right saying all the right stuff. Then he catches my eye. And he used to call me Steak for obvious reasons, and he catches my eye. He goes, Steak, I got fired today. He busts out crying big tears, and he's hugging me and on my shoulder crying his eyes out, and I'm looking around saying, what am I supposed to do here?

00:44:49
Speaker 1: That must have made you feel very comfortable.

00:44:53
Speaker 3: Today?

00:44:53
Speaker 1: Oh my god.

00:44:55
Speaker 2: He was just disappointed and he wasn't able to live up to the contract because he was a pretty good I mean prior to that. I think he was with the Angels just prior to that, and he had been playing some pretty good baseball as like a utility guy, second maseman, little outfield, little listle that could run a little bit, to do some things. And he was a positive influence in the clubhouse.

00:45:14
Speaker 3: But were you on the team, he probably are on the team. When he stole the little leave from the Wrigley Field ivy, he went out and took a piece of ivy.

00:45:21
Speaker 2: Sure I played with him, Yeah, he went out and took a.

00:45:24
Speaker 3: Piece of ivy off the Wriggley field long and he was going to like root it, you know that home to throw it, and the grounds crew got all over his case.

00:45:34
Speaker 1: Is that right? That I would love. I would love to know if he actually did plant it, and if it's still goes, that's that is fantastic. Let's see if we got one or two more. Our good buddy John Finger wants to know how does Jim get his tomatoes so big?

00:45:52
Speaker 3: Oh man. You know a lot of people ask me that, and the analogy I give them is when when it's easy, grown tomatoes is easy. So when Charlie manuelill manage Roy Holliday, he used to take the ball and say, you know, go get him soon, and so I stick him in the ground. I look up on this guy and I said, go get him some little, water him a little bit, and.

00:46:23
Speaker 2: That's perfect.

00:46:24
Speaker 3: Before you know it, you know, you're talking tomato sandwiches on sour dough. Oh my god, nothing.

00:46:30
Speaker 2: I wish I could eat him. I can't do it anymore. Digestion problems, Oh my gosh, you bumps me out. Man. I love tomatoes too, and yours are great.

00:46:38
Speaker 1: Jim, Jim's got yeah, Jim does a great job. With his with his produce and let's let's see, let's wrap this up. This is from a teamnt ten on Instagram. He asked a few questions. Favorite ballpark other than Citizens Bank Park and then he said, any Phillies merch show show merch coming, any Phillies show meetups soon. Let's start. Let's start with the ballpark. Favorite ballpark other than Citizens Bank Park? If you had to send somebody on a plane, all expenses paid, front row seat behind the visitors, dugout watching Phillies game, where are you sending them? And don't give me one answer, don't don't start real. Rattle off seven eight Your favorite ballpark I'm.

00:47:17
Speaker 3: Sending I'm sending him to San Francisco when the Giants are good and it's a big game.

00:47:25
Speaker 2: That's a good one. I'll say PNC Park because it's it's at night, twilight, when the bridges and the lights are going on in the city, purple lights, skyline. I'll say panc.

00:47:41
Speaker 1: That's a great one. That's a great one. I was going to say eighteen t as well. I love I love that ballpark in San Francisco, the location, the just the view from behind behind home plate.

00:47:55
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:47:55
Speaker 1: Uh The atmosphere there is just fantastic, like you said, Jim, when they're good, when the Giants are good, it's a great atmosphere. And and it's a great ballpark food ballpark, good lot of great, a lot of great, a lot of great food at that ballpark. You get the garlic fries, which you'll be feeling and tasting and smelling for the next six days, no matter.

00:48:16
Speaker 2: How pouring out.

00:48:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly right. But that is a great ballpark to go. I love walking up there in the afternoon before the game. It's just a great view the outside of the ballpark. And then leaving is great because they have all the palm trees out front like wrapped in these led lights, these orange led lights. So you walk out, the ballpark is really lit up beautifully. You have the Willie May statue out front. It's just a great, totally great vibe.

00:48:41
Speaker 2: Let me just say this one thing as a coach, I remember John Farrell telling me this, said, Reuben, when you go out on the Lions and you have a good team, and they had a good we had a very good team in sixteen and seventeen, there'll be nothing like being a first base or third base coach at Brickley at Fenway. It was spectacle. I walked out and the club and the dugout and the first base coaching box is like six feet I walked out there, man, and felt like, Wow, this is heavenly. That's gotta be It was so badass, it was fantastic.

00:49:18
Speaker 1: That's gotta be cool.

00:49:19
Speaker 2: That's gonna be really cool.

00:49:21
Speaker 1: So and then answers other questions. Any Phillies show merch in the works, any Philly show media. We would love to do a meet up. We have to figure that out. We have to fear about to do that. Yeah, figure out something. We have to figure out a day to do it when we're all off, when there's no Phillies game.

00:49:34
Speaker 2: Uh.

00:49:34
Speaker 1: And then we can do like.

00:49:35
Speaker 3: An Eagles watch party.

00:49:37
Speaker 2: Funny.

00:49:39
Speaker 1: Chit chat, little chit chat Phillies in between.

00:49:42
Speaker 2: Uh, we do have some fun interesting We have some interesting guests coming.

00:49:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, we do have some stay tuned to that. And then right, yeah, we've got some merch on the way, I think, so hopefully we'll be introducing that at some point. We're excited about that. It's been a long time coming. But we've got to tease that's a little bit a tease. That's a little bit of a teas. It'll be a little bit different than that. But yeah, it'll be good. It'll be good.

00:50:05
Speaker 3: So we went. We went really long today. I feel like we pitched deep into the game.

00:50:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, we did. We might have gone to eight innings, Aaron in.

00:50:15
Speaker 7: So let's wrap this up exactly. We'll be back later this week. But then, yeah, we answered answer a lot of listener questions. We get we didn't even I didn't even get to half the questions I wrote down on my on my list here.

00:50:27
Speaker 2: Maybe we'll do it. Maybe we'll do it on Friday. Whenever, Friday.

00:50:30
Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll come back on Friday.

00:50:32
Speaker 1: All right, Well, hey guys, I'll uh, I was gonna sell smellia. Am I allowed to say?

00:50:37
Speaker 6: Smell you later?

00:50:37
Speaker 3: For sure? You guys?

00:50:38
Speaker 1: All right, I'll smell you guys later.

00:50:40
Speaker 3: We'll smell you too. Have a great one.

00:50:42
Speaker 2: Smell it.

00:50:48
Speaker 8: This is The Philly Show. If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Philly Show wherever you get your podcasts.

00:50:55
Speaker 1: You can also watch us on.

00:50:56
Speaker 8: 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.

00:51:06
Speaker 1: Hour before every Saturday.

00:51:08
Speaker 8: 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. Read Jim 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