The Right Angle

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

00:00:16
Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show with Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Saulisbury, Todd's a lucky It's Monday, August nineteenth, twenty twenty four. Fellas, Uh, hey did you?

00:00:27
Speaker 3: First of all, did you miss me? Because the last.

00:00:30
Speaker 1: Week we missed you.

00:00:31
Speaker 2: We missed you on Friday.

00:00:32
Speaker 3: Curious see, I was doing some kind of charity thing. I don't know what else doing hold on assignment.

00:00:42
Speaker 2: You're helping people, helping people, just like Jim.

00:00:44
Speaker 3: Was on a center right now, that's right.

00:00:46
Speaker 2: On disclosed location.

00:00:49
Speaker 1: Super secret, super secret Jim, super secret Jim on. Remember bat gass when they used to take the guy to the bat cave and have to spray with gas so we wouldn't know where he was.

00:01:06
Speaker 4: Remember that, That's what you had to do that with us, and we didn't know where you were.

00:01:12
Speaker 3: The angle boy going to work.

00:01:14
Speaker 2: The angle boy. That's yes, you were once known as the angle boy. I was coming up with an angle.

00:01:22
Speaker 4: I it was a compliment, man, I I I think, I I think, I don't. I don't know if it's me or Ed Wade dubbed that on you the angle boy, always taking an angle, looking for an angle.

00:01:37
Speaker 3: That was good. I loved it. You should take it as a compliment. You were the angle boy, amongst other things.

00:01:44
Speaker 4: You were a different type of a scout at times too very good.

00:01:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know this is actually Ruben You mcgra made a great segue speaking of angle because uh uh, David Montgomery was honored this week. We're going to get into all of the weekend stuff in a second, but I just I do want to touch on this first. David Montgomery was honored placed on the Wall of Fame, and they named the angled wall in left centered field, which was his idea because he wanted to create action and it certainly did. They named it Monty's Angle. So you guys have any thoughts on just naming that wall after David and just David getting on the Wall of Fame. I mean, Jim and I we talked about it a lot on Friday.

00:02:26
Speaker 3: It's cool week.

00:02:27
Speaker 4: I mean, first of all, Monty obviously was his nickname, and for them to honor him in that way pretty darn special. I mean, he was a special man, and I think everybody knows what he meant to me as a person. And as a mentor and a leader. I mean he basically in a lot of ways hired me twice, once with Ed Wade when I became the assistant GM, but again and I think they sort of collaborated on that, and then again when Pat Gaelick was decided to retire and I became the GM. And David was just a great mentor, a great person. And I can't say enough positive things about what he meant to the organization, what he meant to Philadelphia, and what he meant to a lot of people around baseball. Because MLB is a better place because of David Montgomery. It's as simple as that. I think Rob Manford would say the same thing that in a lot of ways, David's influence permeated throughout the game.

00:03:35
Speaker 2: It was a fun weekend seeing all those guys. Yeah, go ahead, Jim No.

00:03:38
Speaker 1: I just thought it was very cool to see them name that part of the stadium Monte's Angle, because he was so impactful in designing that area of the stadium, designing the stadium, spearheading the building of the stadium, which you know, was a complete game changer for this franchise, and it still is. You look at the impact the fans have playoff games Game six and seven last year. Notwithstanding, people still love coming to that place, love making a lot of noise, and they love when they have a winning product on the field. And so yeah, it was really Uh, it was great to see David get what I thought was a very worthy honor. I think he belongs up there with all the franchise icons because I believe he was one of them.

00:04:28
Speaker 2: It's a cool weekend. It was fun to see, you know, had a chance to talk with like Brad Ledge and Chew ch and Ran and Aaron Rohan a little bit and Rubin. You saw all those guys probably in the suite and with all the cool alumni activities that were going on. It was a very fun weekend. Could have been a perfect weekend. But the Phillies lose on Sunday, and the thing everybody's talking about, guys is the ninth inning Billies are down two runs. They get the leadoff guy on, but bring the tiny man to the plate and Cal Stevenson grounds into a double play and Garrett Stubbs grounds out to end the game. And afterwards, Rob Thompson has asked what about Bryce Harper and J. T. Real Muto, They're sitting on the bench, he says, not using him there, and it gave him a day off. And I'm thinking about the long term here, and uh, you know, I understand a lot of the moves the managers makes, but this one is kind of a head scratch, or at least keeping holding Harper in the dugout not using him. I you know, I think I would have used him in one of those two spots. Am I. I don't think I'm out of line? But am I missing something? Am I missing the angle here?

00:05:44
Speaker 1: What do you got, Jim I, I don't think you're missing the angle. I think it was a major part of the story. If the story of that game, also with the bullpen giving it up late bullpen is I would say concern what we've seen, But I think you think there's a lot to it. Yeah, I would have loved to have seen Bryce Harper grew up there against the right hander and have a hack with a man on base. And you know, the old school in me believes if you have a uniform on, you should be ready to or you should be eligible or ready to contribute and compete that day. But I also understand the way the game is played now with sports science and the emphasis on things like recovery and the emphasis on manager player communication, communication being the most important job that a manager has. You know, I believe these off days were probably planned out previously, several days in advance, with a mind toward getting them two days off before a thirteen game stretch where Harper's not going to probably sit at all and JD might sit once. So they wanted to follow through on those off days, especially with JT keeping him fresh. If you pinch hit one of them, there is a chance they have to go in the field. Very It would have been very hard for me not to send Hopper up there, though, because I'm trying to finish a weekend with a four game sweep, and you know, he's obviously a lethal hitter can change things with one swing. I just firmly believe Rob Thompson puts a real premium on communication and a real premium premium on his wood, and I'm sure he told these guys in the days before that you're getting Sunday. You're getting Sunday off, no offense or butts, and that affects their entire day from the time they get out of bed and the time they show up to the ballpark, how they go through their pregame stretch, if they even do that. So if they're available and thinking they might pinch hit, they're getting a stretch, They're getting time in the batting cage throughout that game. And it's not really a day off. It's not really what the organization wants. It's not really what Thompson, his staff and sports science people have probably prescribed. So I just I just think there's an awful lot to it beyond just in the moment, grab a bat and go up there, and I think they're looking. I think maybe their mindset is different if they don't have this cushion. But I'm not saying I agree with the decision. I would have been very tempted to say, Bryce, go aheit a home run. But I understand it. I understand how the game operates these days.

00:08:21
Speaker 3: I think you hit the nail right on the head, Jim.

00:08:24
Speaker 4: I don't think there's any question about it, except I don't agree with any of it, absolutely zero of it, because if you have a chance to win a baseball game that day, I understand why they did it. I don't agree with it, and I don't have to agree with it, because I believe that if you have a chance to win a baseball game, especially at this time of the year, you've got to use your best players in the right situations. And in that case, that was one of the cases. Very very rarely do I ever disagree with Rob Thompson. I think that there's always a plan and there's a reason. As you said, Jim, I think that's probably there's a reason. Could Bryce Harper twet something because he's not as prepared could JT. JT's not really a great pinch hitter. I think Hister hitting numbers are not very good at all. I have to go back and look at those. Perhaps that's just not his ability to do that role.

00:09:15
Speaker 3: That's not his thing.

00:09:16
Speaker 4: That said, I would still have thrown both of those guys up there instead of Stevenson and Stubbs because you got a much better chance of winning the baseball game with those two guys. In my opinion, I don't have to agree with everything that Rob Thompson does. I love everything about the guy, and I think he's a phenomenal manager. I just think in this case, I would utilize every one of my resources to try to win the baseball game, especially when knowing that I have a day off today being Monday, and you know we've got a big series coming up. I understand, but it's been great to be able to have some momentum going into that series, and bigger momentum than you have already after winning three out of four from the Washington Nationals. I understand it. I don't agree with it. I just I just I know that they have to go through their routines and do all that kind of stuff, but they're paid in an or exorbitant amount of money to be prepared for a game, to play that game. And I understand that it's a day off and that is important to them. They don't get a lot of days off, especially these guys, and they probably won't down the stretch because the games could become more and more important. But this is every bit is an important game, and I just feel like those those both those guys should have been utilized.

00:10:30
Speaker 1: I I agree with you. I said, I would have been extremely tempted to throw Bryce Harper up there, and I think if you're in uniform, you need to be thinking that I can help my team today. I just think there's just so much more to this, even behind it, beyond the manager. I think I agree organization and they're gonna be Rob Thompson. One thing we've learned about Rob Thompson, he is so committed to his word. When he gives a player his word, he tells him on Friday night, on their way out the door, you're gonna get Sunday off. He's sticking to that because he believes in communication, and he believes in his word, and he believes that trust with the player and his word is his currency in that clubhouse. And I go back to last October when Johann Rojas was struggling and everybody was clamoring for him to be removed from the lineup in the playoffs. What happened early in that offseason. Rob Thompson went to Johann Rojas and patted mun on the back and said, relax, you're my guy. You're out there all the time. And I think Rob was beholden to his word at that point, and that's why he's stuck with the guy, maybe to the team's detriment. So Rob puts a lot of stock in his word and the trust in the bond that he builds with players through communication. Maybe it came back to bite them yesterday. Maybe they're going to regret this if they lose the home field advantage by one game. I don't know, but this guy is committed to his word and he's committed to keeping his big guns healthy for the long haul, and that's how he chose to do it.

00:12:00
Speaker 2: So yeah, that's the thing. For me. It was like, they're they have a half game lead over the Dodgers, So man, if they would lose that home field advantage and it's game seven in the NLCS a Dodger Stadium, and you're going, you're looking back at games they could have won, and there's gonna be a lot of them, a lot of games that they could have won, but this probably would be one game on that list of ten games that they could have won. You know, Bryce Harper is a tremendous pitch hitter. He's a tremendous hitter. JT, like you said, Rubin is not a great pitcher, betted one fifty three in his career as a pinch hitter. Bryce is like betting three seventy seven as a pinch hitter. He probably probably enjoys those moments. But JT had played five straight games, So Robside told him, I wanted to give him two straight days. Bryce has been playing a lot. I wanted to give him two straight days. As one of you guys said, the thirteen game stretch coming up.

00:12:51
Speaker 1: But still so Charlie, Charlie wouldn't would not have given definitely wouldn't given Bryce Harper the day off. This would have been a mood point, would Charlie. He was known for for, you know, riding his big boys.

00:13:04
Speaker 3: No doubt, no doubt, and he's he'd be saying. It'd be different for Charlie. Charlie be saying, Hey, he's got a day off tomorrow, so.

00:13:14
Speaker 2: You get most of it, and he got most of the game off today, so throw your cleats on, get ready to get out there.

00:13:21
Speaker 1: You were in uniform and even at the end of your GM tenure, but I think you were really more in uniform with the Red Sox and Mets when sports science really really came to the forefront.

00:13:35
Speaker 3: Yes, I think that I think it got to the point.

00:13:39
Speaker 4: I think, just like anything else in baseball, I think that there's some ideas that are great. I think that there's some information that they have out there that will help prevent injury. I think that's really the most important part of it. But I also think that there's some things that have happened in the game that are sort of detrimental. I think we've I mean, you're looking at some of these new rules that they're thinking about. I mean, we can go into this long discussion about the six inning rule and starting pitchers. Well, players are not conditioned to play anymore. Players are now conditioned to play. Even in the minor leagues. They have a day off on Monday. Every day now, I mean every Monday is a day off. They players are not necessarily conditioned to play one hundred and sixty two games mentally or physically. Pitchers, bullpen guys are never almost never pitched back to back games in the minor leagues. Starting pitchers almost never get to seven or eight or nine innings in a minor league game. I think it's creating, it's creating a situation in baseball where the expectation has dropped significantly. You no longer expect players to do X, Y and Z. But when and yet when they get to the major leagues, they are.

00:15:00
Speaker 3: Expected to pitch back to back days.

00:15:01
Speaker 4: They are expected to just throw seven innings and they're not conditioned to do that. So I'm not sure. I know that there's a lot of important science out there. I'm just not sure whether it's some of it is positive and some of it is detrimental. And I think some of it has become detrimental in some ways because the load management thing. I don't know that there's any science that actually tells me that, Okay, if I take ten less swings or ten less ground balls, or I have to get off the field, does that really help me not get injured? Does that really help me prepare for a major league season for one hundred and sixty two games. I don't know. I just know that there's a lot more science. I just don't know if that there's any studies that actually say, hey, if we do X, Y or Z and we back them off in this way, does it make them a better player? Does it make them more healthy player? I just don't think that's the case. I'd like to see the evidence because I had never seen.

00:16:03
Speaker 2: It, and we will be right back.

00:16:07
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00:17:03
Speaker 2: So I want to wrap this up real quick. This this conversation, I think we're all in agreement. We would have loved to have seen Bryce Harper, should have seen Bryce Harper pinchhit. The one thing I think you guys can lend some expertise on is I think the average fan might think that what Bryce Harper sent on the bench for eight innings, just go grab a bat and get in the batter's box, can you, guys, Rubin, I mean you coached recently, that's not the process for pinch hitting.

00:17:32
Speaker 3: Okay.

00:17:33
Speaker 2: So say you're Ruben Lamar Junior, you were a pinchhit or you were a bench player. Okay, when do you start getting ready for a potential pinch hitting situation in the ninth inning? How how does that work? Exactly?

00:17:46
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:17:47
Speaker 4: For me, and this is you know, this is way back when you know it is twenty some years ago. I would start, you know, really honing in probably around the fifth inning. The fifth inning is when I started my stretch. I'd stretch out, I'd get loose. I'd start you know, mentally picturing, like you know, figuring out which pictures are probably available, which picture I'm going to be facing. I had I have the added dilemma, or not so much a dilemma of being a switch hitter. So I had, you know, two things going on in my head. Okay, it's gonna be a right he's gonna be a lefty. So I had to go and and and then get in the cage and start taking swings. Whether it was you know, Kevin Jordan flipping mes, you know, little flips or whoever it was. We didn't have back then. We didn't have like an extra hitting coach to do it. So we I would, you know, get out there and get on a machine or get on a tee and you know, start doing my work and taking my swings and doing the things that are necessary for me to prepare you know, physically and mentally for my bat. So so the whole off day thing kind of goes away because you're basically, you know, whatever your prep is, whatever you do, whether it's a massage or whether nowadays it's a massage, it's this.

00:18:58
Speaker 3: It's that there's all types of stuff that goes on.

00:19:00
Speaker 4: There's a there's a stretch, there's a there's all types of things that are going on to prepare you to play a game.

00:19:07
Speaker 3: And that's part of the process.

00:19:09
Speaker 4: It's even and it's even more extensive nowadays than it was when I played, because there's so many more facilities and things for.

00:19:19
Speaker 3: You to be able to do to prepare for that.

00:19:21
Speaker 4: And so yes, I understand the whole process a bit, you know, and you just don't.

00:19:27
Speaker 3: You don't grab a bat and go up there, right.

00:19:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's not how it works in this day and age. There's a whole you know, people have their routines and they have you know, for him to be totally for that player to be totally.

00:19:38
Speaker 3: Prepared for that one A B against you know, whichever player.

00:19:43
Speaker 1: If your manager tells you you're off today, but be ready to pinch it, you're not off. And I think that shaped Rob Thompson's thinking, mm hm, So that might be.

00:19:54
Speaker 3: Again, I totally agree with you. I just don't agree with that process.

00:19:58
Speaker 4: I I agree with those play at the very least getting themselves ready. I understand why they do it, because they do want to give them the day off. I just I just as a as a baseball person, I just don't agree with the process. I do believe that those players should be mentally and physically prepared in case that Think about this, what if the player got injured and they had to go into play. What if there's a player that you know, what if Garrett Stubbs takes a foul tip JT's got to.

00:20:28
Speaker 3: Come into the game.

00:20:30
Speaker 4: Okay, So there's other I mean there's other things that have to that may happen in the game. So I actually, okay, I can communication and I don't disagree.

00:20:40
Speaker 3: I mean, I understand why Rob.

00:20:43
Speaker 4: Does this because those off days are important, but there are also different factors. I mean, if Alec Bohm takes one off his elbow, Bryce Harper's coming into that game, right, Okay, he's playing first base. So so there's other and I know those are you know, extreme cases, but those are cases, and those things do happen.

00:21:07
Speaker 1: I was a fan, I'd be disappointed that I didn't get take a hack with the game on the line. It's like one of my kids wanted to go see the Sixers game a Sixers game last winter, but her bread concern was can I see him be because they rest and beat a lot. So I understand this stuff ways on on fans.

00:21:29
Speaker 2: Guys. It is time for the Philly of the Week. Philly of the Week, presented by Shy Vintage Sports, get unique throwback Phillies, teas, hats, and sweatshirts from local artists at their shops in Center City, Wayne and Westchester and at shib sports dot com. I've got on a blue that which is very I love it. I love it. Jimmy's got his Connie Mac supports the old Connie Mack.

00:21:59
Speaker 4: And I and I packed mine in Atlanta, so I'll have it on this Rubens, sir, My mine went to Atlanta.

00:22:08
Speaker 2: So every Monday, we're gonna kind of go around and figure out who the Philly of the Week is, or you know, we're each gonna pick a Philly of the week. And should I start? Should I start? I mean, for me, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna I'm gonna take the easy route here. I'm an easy angle guy, So I'm gonna say Trey Turner. Trey Turner had been red hot since getting benched. I guess you could say. On Wednesday ten for seventeen, three doubles, one home run for RBI, six runs scored one point five five to two ops spatting five eighty eight, and he's been running really, really well. Jim On Friday, we talked about how on Thursday he had his fastest home to first time eighth fastest of the season, fastest sprint speed home to first since like July twentieth. On Friday night, he hits a double to left field left center field, it's his It was his fastest home the second on the double since like May of twenty twenty three. So Tray Turner's found that extra gear and and hey, they've the offense kind of took off those games.

00:23:14
Speaker 3: So did the meeting. So did the meeting? Is it focused to Trey Turner?

00:23:19
Speaker 2: I don't, and I don't know the message, but he it seems like he got whatever message he needed to get. He was, he was, he heard it well and and he's he's. But that's to get Trey Turner going, guys two hits every night, get on base a couple of times a night, you can do so much damage. That's why he's my Philly weak. Reuben who you got?

00:23:42
Speaker 4: So I got Weston Wilson, And I think I think you're you're, you're You're not wrong by saying Trey Turner because he's played so well, but west and Wilson to me, I know he hasn't played a ton of games, but the games that he has played, the team has won. I mean, you think about what he's done is his impact. And I happened to be in this with the rest of the boys doing the game when he ended up hitting for the cycle.

00:24:05
Speaker 3: We happened to be. It was a great night.

00:24:07
Speaker 4: We had John Cruck, myself, Ben Davis, and Tom McCarthy in the stands and we were at the just above the CP Ranking Club and we were reporting on the game. We had the fans around us. The fanatic was floating around doing crazy stuff. But it was a really electric ball game, and it was one of those games that it was so fun to watch this young man. You think about, like the journey that this young man has taken and the perseverance it took for him to stay with it and keep grinding. He had a great spring, could have made the team out of spring training. Really in a lot of ways, I actually thought he was going to make the team out of spring training. Doesn't make the team out of spring training, goes Back has struggles for a little while, bounce us back and has like a ridiculous season in Lehigh Valley and they almost he almost forces him.

00:25:04
Speaker 3: To bring him to the big leagues.

00:25:05
Speaker 4: Finally gets an opportunity and uh and for him to hit the tenth cycle in this in the franchise's history, I mean, think about that. That is just incredible. On the last at bat line drive the right center field.

00:25:19
Speaker 2: When your reaction was great on the broadcast, you were you were like every Phillies fan out there.

00:25:23
Speaker 3: Yes, I was the dive. I was.

00:25:27
Speaker 4: I was literally like a fan watching this happen, man, And I was excited, and you know, all of us gave you know, got up and gave him like the standing.

00:25:35
Speaker 6: Oh.

00:25:37
Speaker 3: I mean it was.

00:25:38
Speaker 4: And the cool thing about it was, and I think I said this in the broadcast, is that every person in that ballpark knew exactly what was going on.

00:25:45
Speaker 3: That's the beauty of our of the Philadelphia Philly.

00:25:48
Speaker 4: Fan is that they're so aware of things like that that that they all knew that this was an amazing, like an incredible moment. And uh, I just think that the fact that he played in like the three games prior and he didn't play yesterday, didn't lost the ball game the three games prior, I think he played in all three of those games. He had some sort of impact on each one of those games. To me, he's the Philly of the week.

00:26:14
Speaker 1: Those are very worthy Phillies of the Week. I was leaning towards Trey Turner as well, because when he gets hot at the plate, it just seems like wins followed, but Todd's the boss, and he took Trey Turner. So I was was, I'm.

00:26:30
Speaker 3: Gonna take the layup.

00:26:31
Speaker 2: I'm gonna take the lay up every week. I'm gonna go first, take the obvious guy. We can agree on guys. We can all three agree on the guys.

00:26:38
Speaker 1: If we will. Now I can, I can, I can shift. I was gonna shift to Wheeler, Nola, and Sanchez because you know, they just got back to having some great starting pitching, and by the way, they won all those games. But Todd being the boss that I couldn't pick three guys. So I'm going to move on. I'm gonna move on. And my Philly of the Week is Kyle Schwarber because they emerged from that team meeting a pivotal moment I would think you would agree in the season, and they quickly fall behind to the Miami Marlins and it's like doom and gloom, and he erases it all with one swing and kind of sets the tone for the remainder of the week with that grand slam. So Kyle Schwarber, come on down and give him, give him a gift card for being the Philly of the Week.

00:27:26
Speaker 3: That's a good call man, and it wasn't.

00:27:30
Speaker 4: There was a turnaround, there's no question this week, and they needed it because they had been not playing the type of baseball that was championship worthy and worthy. And there's a lot of people who who contributed to them turning things some things around.

00:27:44
Speaker 2: Do you guys think the best the worst is behind them? Is it too early to say? I mean, they go four in one since that meeting.

00:27:54
Speaker 3: No, they didn't play that. They didn't play the toughest teams in baseball. They did not. They did not And this is another great test test. Now that's what it is.

00:28:01
Speaker 4: There's seven games up on I believe on Atlanta, and this is a critical one. If they take two out of three from Atlanta, I think they're sort of dead. Atlanta's probably going to end up being sort of dead in the water. Sure, although I mean crazier things have happened, But this is the series with Atlanta is a big one because I guess they're going to probably face Lopez Freed and probably sail Eric.

00:28:23
Speaker 2: I think it's I don't think sales pitching this week. It's at least on Braves dot Com it was Lopez Freed and Schwellenbach.

00:28:32
Speaker 4: Probably, Yeah, Well, I would be said, I wouldn't be surprised if Sale pitched on five days because it is is day.

00:28:39
Speaker 3: I mean, maybe they may want to give him an extra day. Who knows, But I don't know. Man, It's it's it's not gonna be an easy one.

00:28:46
Speaker 4: It's tough to win in Atlanta, but it's and then that, and Atlanta's playing a little bit better. They've won a couple of games in a row. It'll be interesting to see how they how they handled being down there in the South.

00:29:00
Speaker 1: Very very tough thirteen day stretch, and you know Rob Thompson's acknowledging that with his action yesterday and resting two big studs. But tough thirteen game stretch against teams all over five hundred seven of them. Against Atlanta, they haven't given up trying to run down the Phillies. And I think it's a long shot, but they're going to give it their best. I mean, they're right in the playoff picture. Then you go to Houston, then you go to Kansas City. They're right in their playoff picture. They need victories. They're going to play their butts off. And then you got Houston do you have Houston or and then Atlanta? Right? No, Atlanta again, they.

00:29:37
Speaker 4: Do have I think they have Atlanta twice in these next thirteen.

00:29:40
Speaker 3: I do believe, but I'm not. Don't quote me on it. I can pull it.

00:29:44
Speaker 1: So seven against Atlanta and three against Kansas City.

00:29:47
Speaker 4: Right, Casey and Casey is a very scrappy team. Remember they came I think Kansas City came into our place. And did they take two out of three of the Phillies last year?

00:29:56
Speaker 2: I know last year?

00:29:57
Speaker 4: Yeah, I know they played very, very good base all against the Phillies the last time they face him, and I do.

00:30:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, It's it's three Atlanta three, case Astros for three, then the Braves for four.

00:30:12
Speaker 1: Okay, so it is Houston as well, yep, Okay, road the road trips Atlanta, Kansas City, and then you have Houston.

00:30:21
Speaker 3: In Houston, Atlanta at home.

00:30:23
Speaker 1: Okay. That's what I see the schedule in my mind's eye. It's a tough stretch. It's a really it's another tough stretch, almost like that West Coast.

00:30:31
Speaker 3: And that's important.

00:30:32
Speaker 4: It's important for them to get Suarez back. I'm not sure exactly what is the next thing. Next step for Suarez is concerned, but they need to get him back into this rotation for them to be at full strength. And if he is back and pitching the way he can pitch, doesn't have to be lights out for seven innings, but he he needs to bounce back because they need that that pitching depth.

00:30:56
Speaker 2: So it sounds so it sounds like what's going to happen. The plant is Wheeler Tuesday, Nola Wednesday, Sanchez is Thursday. But coming off the complete game, we know that that gives Rob Thompson heart palpitations, you know, pushing guys that far. So he said, if Sanchez they feel like he's bounced back, he'll pitch Thursday. Now, if they feel that he needs an extra day, they're gonna give him the extra day and they're gonna make Thursday a bullpen game in Atlanta. So let's let's assume that Sanchez through ninety nine pitches. Let's say he feels great, he pitches Thursday. It's probably gonna be Taiwan Walker on Friday, and that would line up Suarez on Saturday. Now, all that, of course is subject subject, subject subject to change, Yeah, subject to change, So it could be Walker and Suarez Friday Saturday in Kansas City. So you know, Jim, you mentioned it, Sanchez potential Philly of the week the rotation. That was huge to see finally get a good one on Christopher Sanchez. I mean since the since the shutout at the end of June, he has not been very good and so they I guess they found some sort of mechanical issue with his arm slot. You know too, he had dropped his arm slot down too low and that had really messed up his sinker and he wasn't being been able to command the pitch, control the pitch. Uh So to get him going, that's to me, that's a huge development for the Phillies because he had he had kind of flown under the radar. I think as being a really sore spot for what the Phillies why they had been struggling so much over the past month. He had not been very good, and he was.

00:32:38
Speaker 1: So efficient against the Nationals the other day. So efficient reminded me a lot of you remember like Zach Zach Efflin's second big league start.

00:32:47
Speaker 6: I think it was against It's like one pitcher, eighty nine pitches, sinker, sink or sinker. It was a very efficient ball. Game, and they need him to build on that because he's vital and and lengthen the rot is vital. And I'm really really curious to see how Ranger looks because I just think this thing is taking a long time. I think they're not letting on everything. And it's not their job to let on everything. I mean, I know people ask all the time.

00:33:13
Speaker 1: And but it just seems like it's taking a long time.

00:33:16
Speaker 4: Do you guys agree, Yes, they've they've they've stretched it out on Suarez. Hopefully it's something that uh that's not lingering and something that they've nipped in the bud, so to speak. But think about it, those are two really really good left handers in your rotation that you need. I mean, that was that was the reason why this team was playing almost seven hundred ball for the first couple of months of the season, is because the starting pitching was just outrageous.

00:33:44
Speaker 3: And uh, and they need those guys back.

00:33:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, And the and the time they've given Suarez and the rest yesterday for those two big guns, it just tells you how much they're budgeting for October.

00:34:00
Speaker 2: They are, that is everything in their mind. They want these guys as fresh as humanly possible as daisies. Yes, who didn't love that October?

00:34:12
Speaker 1: October is all that matters for this team. And I'm I'm in agreement. It's all that matters because you remember when we were talking about them winning one hundred and ten games or whatever and having this it wasn't going to mean anything if they didn't do have a great October and have a parade. I hate to be that, you know, drastic, because I do believe you can have a special season, a great season without winning the World Series. But they've had good seasons the last two years. They've gone into the postseason, they've made memories for people, they've had experienced disappointment. It's all about the big prize for this team.

00:34:52
Speaker 3: Guys.

00:34:52
Speaker 2: We will be back Wednesday, probably Wednesday. Let's take some more listener viewer questions. So if you're listening to this, uh, we'll send out the Philly Show Twitter account. We'll put something on Instagram and on YouTube. You know, fire off some questions. We'll answer your questions the middle of the week. That seems to be fun. We enjoy the nice change of pace. You can keep it clean, you know, try to keep it clean. If not, you know well, we can edit it out, you know, so, guys, We'll see you. We'll see you guys on on Wednesday.

00:35:24
Speaker 1: Smell you, lady boys, it's my Jim.

00:35:27
Speaker 3: Get some.

00:35:32
Speaker 7: This is the Philly Show. If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Philly 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 Ruben, Jim and Me on Phillies Nation TV, presented by Valley Borde Tourism. New episodes air an hour before every Saturday Phillies game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Replays air throughout the week and on Phillies Nation dot com. Get more of Ruben'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