Help Is On The Way

00:00:00
Speaker 1: I call Hamils. Welcome to the Philly Show.

00:00:16
Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show with Ruben Tomorrow Junior, Jim Salisbury. I'm Todd's lucky. It's Monday, July eighth, twenty twenty four. Hope everybody had a good Fourth of July weekend? Did you guys have a good fourth of July weekend?

00:00:30
Speaker 3: Outstanding?

00:00:31
Speaker 1: Thank you?

00:00:32
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:00:32
Speaker 1: Tell me about your grilling, Jim, How did the gorilla go?

00:00:36
Speaker 4: Oh?

00:00:36
Speaker 5: I actually, pardon me. I did a little grilling, but the majority. I did some smoking. I got the old smoker out.

00:00:45
Speaker 2: That's right, you're gonna do the smoke, mates. How to turn out good?

00:00:48
Speaker 5: I did some wings. I did a whole chicken. I did some kilbosa. I did some charizo with some ribs. God, small small pork butt ate all this.

00:01:00
Speaker 1: I want to assume you ate all that.

00:01:02
Speaker 5: The whole neighborhood. We just took about three days to get through. But all the you know, the kids were here and they all took some so it worked out good.

00:01:11
Speaker 1: That's awesome. Don't be afraid one time slide some over all? Right, you know the Mexican Cuban jew over here, he would like to have some some chariso.

00:01:26
Speaker 2: Well this this weekend, hopefully a lot of people got to listen to that Jeff Frank Core episode which we put out out there on Friday. If you did not, you got to go back and listen to it. It was so good. I mean a couple of things that French you said. I want to get your opinions on this. I thought a couple of things he said was so interesting. One was why he thinks why he knew that the Braves might have been in trouble last year during the NLDS. And he said, listen, you know, I play golf with a lot of these guys all the time. Before Game one of the NLDS, I'm playing twenty seven holes with you know, JT and Trey and Stott. And he's like, I loved it, because that meant they weren't tight. They weren't like, all right, the playoff start, guys, No more golf. You gotta get we gotta reac, We've got to dial in. I thought that was really interesting. And I thought what he said about Rob Thompson Brian Snicker was interesting, which is people get on him, they want him to get angry on the field, get angry in the clubhouse, throw to have team meetings. And what FRENCHI said about Bobby Cox, which is team meetings there for losers. I thought that was great. I thought that was great and what jumped out to you, guys, think.

00:02:33
Speaker 5: I loved the whole interview. The guy is so smart, so insightful, and he's very very funny. But you know, getting to your point about the two managers, Snicker and Thompson, I see a real similarity between the two. They were both as players, career monerorn leaguers, they're both longtime player development men. They both waited a long time to be big league managers. And they are so true to themselves. They are the same guy they were when they were managing in a ball and baseball you need to play baseball with emotion. There's nothing worse than a team that doesn't play with emotion, a player that doesn't play with emotion. Energy is good, but it's not the same kind of emotion and energy that you would bring to a football game or a hockey game. It's not you know, off the charts. Emotion has to be a controlled emotion, and I think you need to see that in your manager. So yeah, they don't break chairs, they don't tip over the spread, they don't call a lot.

00:03:30
Speaker 3: Of team meetings, and.

00:03:32
Speaker 5: The nature of baseball every day. Players want to see the same guy every day. They don't want to see chewing on your nails one day and doing yay the next day. They want even keel And that's what we see in those two guys. And I think I think that's what Jeff was basically articulating. And it's very important, don't you look for that? And you've probably played for both rub and you probably played for guys that were up one minute and then nervous the next, and it just kind of radiates through the dugout and good.

00:04:01
Speaker 1: It sure does your your you're spot on, Jim. It's about being steady and being consistent and treating being treated like a man right, being treated like a like an adult. And I think that's that's part of it as well. Uh. And and and actually having a real personal connection. And I think that Rob understands how important those personal connections and and and the player has to feel confident that when that manager puts you out there, that he actually believes that you're going to succeed. And I think that that's the biggest thing that I see now in baseball is that it's not necessarily like, Oh, this rookie is going to go out there, man, we'll see, we'll see what he's got. Let let let's see what he's got and let's see if you can handle it. No, it doesn't work like that anymore. And I think Rob and this clubhouse does a great job of embracing young players. And we'll talk about who's a Tyler Phillips a little bit later on about that whole process, because it's really tough being a young player and assimilating into a team, into a major league team. It's tough as it is to be a major league baseball player and to make the adjustment from the minor leagues to the major leagues. Let me tell you, folks, it's the same They say it's the same game. Guess what, It's not the same game. Taken from a man who was a career minor leaguer who could really really play in the minor leagues and really struggle in the major leagues, it's it's not the same game. And I think that both Snip and uh and top are do a phenomenal job of handling those things. And they're not afraid to get on a guy now because again that Bobby Cox sort of thing, and Jim Fergosi as well, they'll take you into the into the office and get you if you're not doing what's necessary. Were what the expectation is of a winning team. And so I really like that about those two guys. And and uh, I think it's going to be a dogfight. I know, you know, we'll talk a little bit about this series, this last series with the Braves, but it's going to be a dogfight. And I know the a Phillies were a little short handed, but it's going to be exciting down the stretch as well.

00:06:06
Speaker 5: You mentioned I just want to pick up on something you just said. They're not afraid to get on you. I mean, I think the sign one of the qualities of a really good leader praise in public, critique, criticize in private, behind closed doors. And and you know, just because a guy doesn't tip over the locker room and getting a guy's face and rip a guy in the papers doesn't mean he's not calling that player out. He's just doing it the way a good leader does it behind closed doors. And then you know, when the cameras are on. That's when you praise a guy. But he can't be fake. He can't be like, oh, he had a really good turn in the on deck circle. I mean, it's got to be it's got to be legit. It's got to be legit praise. But then that's when you that's when you build a player's confidence. So I think they both have that leadership quality.

00:06:53
Speaker 1: Let me make one more point. There are times, and I saw Jim Fergosi do it in ninety three, when he'll pick out a guy knowing that this guys sort of knows about it. Well, he'll publicly get on a guy one of the leaders of the team. I'm not going to say exactly whom. It actually may have been Dutch, believe it or not. And Dutch, you know, was the greatest leader of all time. But he took a hit so that the manager could make him an example, knowing full well that you know that that particular player was not going to be worried about you know what he said to him, and that it was sort of like setting a tone like oh my god, he can get on them, he can get on Dutch. That's crazy, Like, oh my goodness, And so I think there are times when some of these veteran leaders can pick and choose a time when when they do have to blast somebody. I remember Charlie Manuel doing one time in the dugout, right mouse, mild manner guy in the world, but he saw something and he chewed him out in the dugout one time. And I think that that that when you don't do it very often, and you all of a sudden do it, then it hasn't much greater impact than otherwise, because you know, if you're just pounded and pounded and pounded, it becomes white noise after a while for a player pick spot.

00:08:12
Speaker 2: So Snickers Braves took two or three from Thompson's Phillies over the weekend. Phillies, like you said, Ruben, were shortanded. They scored one run in the last two games. But the news of the day is that, or the news tomorrow is that Kyle Schwarber is almost one going to be activated from the injured list, and there's a very good chance, my feeling is that he will be back. But Bryce Harper maybe on Tuesday as well. Bryce, so Bryce before Sunday's game runs the bases, he runs from home to second, walks over to third, runs from third to home, and then he ran from first to home to second again. And the reason why I think that he is ready to play is because he's did it a very aggressive slide in the second base after he and he ran that second and final time. Now, we asked him afterwards if he thinks he'll be ready. He says, I don't know, but I feel good. I don't know, but I feel good. That's as far. That's as much as he would say. But Rob Thompson said, Bryce Harper is in play for Tuesday. He said, we will see. I don't do they need him to run one hundred percent a second time. My opinion is that he wants to play. He's definitely gonna be back before the All Star break. He definitely wants to play on the All Star Game. But getting Harper and Shwartward back, of course, is going to go a long way to kind of helping out this this lineup which has done pretty well without them for about nine games they have.

00:09:36
Speaker 3: You know, they played over five hundred.

00:09:37
Speaker 5: I think they're a game over five hundred former and Harper, they're also a game over five hundred without real Muda, and I think we talked about that when those guys went down, you will take that, and it becomes very very easy to take when you take into account the number of wins they have banked in their place in the standings. But you know, I think we've seen this weekend and the last few games offensively. We talk about it all the time, the next man up. Quality is a great thing to have, but there are limits. These guys are stars for a reason, and you need your stars, especially a team that is built on these on these big stars, and it's a great thing that they're getting them back, I would argue, you know, I mean, it's pretty clear it's gonna be these three guys are going to be their big July acquisition. I expect more, but probably tweaking around the edge these three guys. Imagine that adding those three guys to your lineup, it's it's a great thing. And you come home where you play great, big series against the Dodgers. Not to get off on a little tangent, but I'm really curious to see how this Dodgers series goes, because you know, all along we've seen so much talk about the Phillies haven't played a great schedule, the National League's week they've crushed the week teams. Well, you can only beat the team you can play that night. They've done a great job doing that. But three series on the road Boston, who is an improving ball club now in playoff contention on the playoff grid, Baltimore Are and Atlanta. They've gone on the road, played those good teams and lost each series. So I'm really curious to see how this series goes against the Dodgers and other or an elite team in the National League. The difference being you have them at home where you really thrive. No Mookie bets, of course, and I'm really eager to see oh Tani batting leadoff.

00:11:22
Speaker 4: Now.

00:11:22
Speaker 1: It'll be a fun series, There's no question. It's also one of the reasons why I got to believe that Harper is going to be pushing the envelope to try to get back into the series, because I think he knows how important he is, and I mean, he loves these moments. This is these are the moments for him. You know, a couple of things I think back and like when we lost a couple of our big boys, when we lost Lee and Howard at the same time, and I think about you know, you know, the Victor Reno's and you know, even Jimmy went down for a short period of time for a little while as well. When you start losing all of those big boys, yes, you can sort of stem the tidal of it, but the reality of it is for long term success, you just as jim said, I mean you you you can't expect Brandon Marsh to be able to you know, fill in in the fore hole or necessarily maybe Castianos who's kind of stepped it up a little bit. He can, he can help it. He's been there and done it. Brandon Marsh really hasn't, and they've sort of forced him into that forehole and moved you know, boom up. You know, he's he's done fine, and it just can't be just Trey Turner every single night. So it's a it's a it's a combination of things and it becomes a domino effect. As far as just overall production. I am I am excited about the fact that they're getting any break right now. I think this team really needs it pitching wise, and I'll and I'll sort of make a left hand turn pitching wise, you know, ranger. Suarez sort of hit that dead arm pier and I don't think he's not nearly as sharp with his stuff overall, crisp with his command and his stuff, and I think that's one of the reasons why he's struggled the last couple of times out. I think that Christopher Sanchez had that you know, complete game shutout, and then he comes back after that complete game shutout really hadn't reached those levels of innings and ups and downs, and so you know, he's started starting to eat up a lot of innings that people didn't necessarily think that he would be able to do. And so you start compiling all these innings and the fact that these guys have thrown so many of them, you start to, you know, see that there's going to be a dead arm period at some point. We've talked about this before a long time, great great trainer, Jeff Cooper, he talked about this all the time. There's going to be a period sometime in July or August. And I think it crept up on these guys a little earlier because they lost so many innings in the early part of the season where they're going to get a little bit of a dead arm period where they're going to have to get rejuvenated. And I think that's one of the beauties of having that All Star break is because I think the guys are going to get a breather, be able to get back and get refreshed and and then uh and then move forward. I don't think it's a health thing. I just think it's a it's just natural order of progression for for pitcher's arms and uh, and a lot of these guys are starting to hit some limits that you know, they probably have never ever done in the past. And so I think that's why you're seeing a little bit of a drop off even though they're still they're still ranked as the best, you know, starting pitching in all baseball other than maybe Seattle They're pretty darn good too. But the Phillies are still really, really strong and and and I am excited about what I'm going to see in the second half real quick.

00:14:35
Speaker 5: Nola in the National League. Nola is number two an innings pitched, Wheeler is number three, Suarez number six, So they have they've logged some some frames.

00:14:47
Speaker 2: And Rob said on Saturday after Suarez start that you know they could go to a six man at some point. They've done each of the last two years, so that's something to keep an eye on. Maybe in August to go to a six man. Once you get Taiwan Walker back, you know you can you can possibly that. Yeah, maneuver it just for a little bit, just to get stretched to you know, give those guys a little bit extra extra.

00:15:12
Speaker 1: Everybody except Wheeled is gonna go five.

00:15:15
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:15:16
Speaker 5: I actually I love that idea because the stakes are so different for this team. This team is going to play an extra month. This team must play an extra month. This team is built on the backs of Wheeler Nola Suarez, and you have to plan and budget for that, I believe.

00:15:32
Speaker 2: And they have the wiggle room too. As we said at the top. They they go into that Brave series with a nine game lead, they come out with an eight game lead. So if the Phillies would play five hundred the rest of the season, they would finish with ninety four wins. The Braves would have to go forty five and twenty nine. That's a six to oh eight winning percentage just to tie them for the division title.

00:15:53
Speaker 1: There right now, the.

00:15:54
Speaker 2: Braves have a five point fifty seven winning percentage, so they add, it would have to kind of play I don't want to say, oh, or their skis, but they would have to play at a much better clip. If the Phillies play five hundred, their us away so they have the opportunity there to go to a six man if they want to do it, because they have that nice cushion. So this is not like a situation where oh my god, you gotta throw these guys out there every five days. Otherwise the braids are gonna get you. The brads are going to get you. They should be able to maintain this lead, especially once they get Harper, Schwarber Ria Muto back, especially once they maybe get some reinforcements before the end of it, before the trade deadline on July thirtieth as well, because I think they're going to get something.

00:16:32
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, there's no way they don't get something. Right handed hitting out a fielder and I think they need one totally like to see a bullpen arm. Maybe they'll they'll do something for reasons we've articulated in previous podcasts. You know, on a night nightly basis is up to Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nolan, Trey Turner and Rice Harper and j step up on July thirtieth.

00:16:57
Speaker 3: When you have a great team, it's up to the front office.

00:16:59
Speaker 2: To step up exactly. So they had seven All Stars, seven All Stars, franchise record seven all Stars. They've had five a few times over the years, but seven All Stars. Anybody that jumped out to you guys in terms of a selection for me and maybe it might be for you guys, It was Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strom because they were the players selected them and their non traditional All Star selections, and that usually for relievers is just who's got the most saves. These four guys have the most saves, they're going to the All Star team, even if they're not very good. Matt Strom does not have a single save, Jeff Hoffman has eight, but they both dominated in the first half, and players around the league recognized that. I thought that was pretty cool. Strom was a little emotional after the game yesterday talking about it. Jeff Hoffman said his body was shaking for an extended period of time after you learned he made the team yesterday. I thought that was awesome because you knew Ranger knew he was making it, Zach Wheeler knew he's making it. The other three guys, the position players already knew that they were in. Those two guys are like maybe hopefully, I don't know, but now they're in. That's that That was a kind of a fun moment post game after after a loss.

00:18:11
Speaker 1: It's yeah, super super excited for them and to be recognized, especially like in the early part of Remember in the early part of the season, people were like, oh my god, this is a disastrous bullpen. You know, if I can't believe, now you have. I mean, it speaks to a couple of things. One, it tells you how good their stuff is, because you know, that's when you go back to the dugout as a player and you go, holy smokes man, that guy was filthy, right, I mean, that guy was nasty. And that's and then word of mouth happens, and then you know, people see and then they have success. That that's one thing. And then and then to be chosen sort of by your peers. I always felt like I have made it in the big leagues when I know the guy next to me in that clubhouse believes in me as a player and thinks that I do my job, and I had that. I was really fortunate to have guys like Milt Thompson and Dave Hollins and those kind of guys who knew the type of person I was, knew the type of player I was, and had seen me in the past or whatever. And when you have that sort of validation, that's so so big, And for Hoffman even bigger because he's he's going to be a free agent. I mean, he's this is gonna be his free agent year. I do believe. I think he's got free agency. And so for him to be an All Star and a free agent year and a bullpen, it also talks a lot about what this game is about. Now it'll be bullpens mean a lot, a lot more than they used to meet for you know, one hundred years now, in the in the in the past, you know, fifteen years, ten years. Bullpens mean a lot. And you don't necessarily have to be a closer to be a really important piece of the club. And that's Those are just some of the things that I think about when when these guys are chosen, and it's just just great honor. I'm so pleased for them. Cool.

00:20:00
Speaker 5: Yeah, I love the player vote because, like you said, it comes from your peers, and it really should mean something. It's not some and I think the fans are a huge part of it. This game is for the fans. I love fan voting. I used to love to go to Fenway Park and punch out the little things and then hand him down the row and the guy would collect them in the bottom of the seventh. But I remember doing like one of them. Now people can hit the computer like twenty five times a day. It's it's a little like different way they It's a little like they how they elect the mayor in Chicago.

00:20:29
Speaker 3: You know, it's I love it.

00:20:32
Speaker 5: I like the way they I just loved the tip of the hat. When you get it from your peers, it really means something. And I love to see that underappreciated element of a ball club middle to set up relief, get a tip of the hat that they that they richly deserve.

00:20:47
Speaker 2: So, Jimmy, you were at Fenway just smashing Yazz, punching Yazz his name out over and over.

00:20:54
Speaker 5: It's kind of I savored my one punch out for you and doing what about Dewey, Oh Dowey, Freddie Lynn, Jim Rice Rico. I mean, I love those guys. They I would but it was just special to punch out that little hole. I think we call it a chat. I think we learned.

00:21:12
Speaker 1: So let me yeah, let me just say this about both Yass and Dewey. You talk about quality human beings. Oh my goodness, I got a chance to be with them a little bit. But I've got a chance to be with Dewey when I was coaching, and we sort of brought him out as a you know, celebrity coach, and he was just fantastic to be around. Man, just great human beings.

00:21:38
Speaker 3: The way he used to rubin you as an outfield coach, The.

00:21:41
Speaker 5: Way I can still see it, the way he would get behind a ball when he was going to throw or throw the third he would get behind that ball and load and it would come.

00:21:51
Speaker 3: He would throw it on a Donalward.

00:21:52
Speaker 5: Plane at one hop to the catcher to punch who was built like a statue.

00:21:58
Speaker 1: And actually utilized him when we did our similar drills. And how important and how important that piece of it was. You know that we had some really talented guys. You know, we had Rookie Betts, we had Jackie Bradley, we had Andrew Ben and Tendee. We had some super talented outfielders and uh but but they also worked really hard at it and were real you know, they were real focus on it, and they really respected some of the things that some of the veteran guys like that. I would say, that's pretty cool.

00:22:25
Speaker 5: I have a confession to make out Todd. I had something I want to do the podcast for my garage. Okay, I probably shouldn't tell this, but I have a Yazz pennant in my garage.

00:22:35
Speaker 2: There is nothing wrong with that.

00:22:37
Speaker 1: You shouldn't say it. You grew up on.

00:22:42
Speaker 3: I've been here thirty years, thirty plus.

00:22:44
Speaker 2: Years, and that's your childhood.

00:22:46
Speaker 1: Man.

00:22:46
Speaker 2: I've got I've got a Robbing jersey signed, you know, in my in my office over here on the on the side that I won somehow years ago.

00:22:55
Speaker 1: Couldn't notice Robbing. My dad scouted him when he was coming out. Really yeah, my dad scouted and he said to me, he said to me, before he even got to the big leagues, he said, remember these, And it was him. I remember him distinctly talking about Robin Yea. I said, Ruben, he's going to go right to the big leagues from from from being an ice crust said, come on, Dad, I said please, And that's exactly what he did, basically right. And he came back to the after being rapid, and he said the other thing, and the other said the other. The other guy said, he went down to see Robbie Almar junior play in Puerto Rico in when he was like fifteen years old. They said, son, that is going to be a Hall of Fame. Second, wow, that's awesome. My dad. My dad's a pretty good scout. He was, He was a pretty good scout. I mean, those are great players, but it's pretty amazing that you can see certain things and guys. I mean I was the same way with Kim Griffory junior. Watching him, you know, as a seventeen year old was ridiculous. My gosh, Michael, I.

00:23:51
Speaker 5: Wanted to, uh, let me ask you two a little more relevant questions. One, do we think I mean Tyler Phillips, you know, he comes out, yes, and he strikes out Olsen, but that breaking ball is up and I'm like, oh, you know, even though he struck him out, I'm like, oh, and then he strikes out a slew of other guys in the breaking.

00:24:08
Speaker 3: Balls down down, down, down down, looking good.

00:24:12
Speaker 5: One My first question do you think he could get a start this weekend ahead of Mercado. And my other question, JT's gonna come back right after the break? Who goes down? Let me hear what you got to say.

00:24:23
Speaker 2: Well, I think that I think Phillips isn't play for Saturday based off of Mercado's performance and Rob. I think I asked Rob yesterday after the game, will Mercado make his start on Saturday? He said, we need to talk about some things. So anytime a manager leaves it open, you know they're going to actually talk about some things. He could have come out and said, no, Markayle's gonna he just was a bad start. Markale's going to start. So I do think Phillips has an opportunity, and I think Marshawn's going to go back down personally, but I could see somebody making a strong case for the opposit said. I think Rob said something the other day and I can't remember what we were talking about. He talked about how he really truly values the atmosphere and the vibe and the feeling in his clubhouse right now, and so for that reason, you know the fact that Stubbs is actually he's actually played pretty well he's gotten a lot of hits while he's been playing. But also that he's very cognizant. Rob is very cognizant of how this clubhouse operates. Leads me to think that it'll be Stubbs when Stubbs staying with the team when JT comes back.

00:25:33
Speaker 1: So here's my take on Phillips. I do believe, just to just with the way that Rob Thompson operates, I believe that Mercato would get another start. I do think that he'll have a short leash, just because I don't want him. Rob's got that mentality, that that development mentality. I don't think he wants to have Mercado think that he doesn't believe it. He's gonna get him out there again. I think he's gonna have a short leash if he struggles. I think Phillips will then step in and then you know, and then they'll might might make a switch if they have to, if Taiwan Walker's not ready or what have you. I do believe that Mercado get one more start. I think it was just a tough day for him. I still think he's got good stuff. He's got great demeanor. If you saw Mercado after that inning, when he came out of the game, the entire team, he greeted the entire team and patted him all on the back like basically saying, hey man, I'm sorry, I screwed up and didn't have a good day, you know, said thanks for hanging in with me or whatever. That was super professional. I love this kid. I hope he pitches, you know, better obviously than he pitched his last time out. He just didn't really have his arm slot couldn't throw strikes. I mean he couldn't. You didn't have the ability to throw strikes. And he's much better than that. And I think, you know, the heat and the moment and whatever got caught up to him a little bit. But I think he's I think he's gonna be okay. I don't know who's a good dominate, but I do think he's gonna get his next start. And as far as Marshawn is concerned, this kid is a major league catcher. He's a major league catcher, and he could be a Number one catcher, he's that good. He's a switch hitter. He doesn't he doesn't impact the ball a lot, but so he's got some power and uh, he banks contact, he puts the ball in play, and if he can stay healthy, I think he's a number one type catcher. So I think next year there may be a change. This year, they're gonna stay with Stubby because he means too much to this ball club. He's done a really good job. He's been, you know, on the team for a few years and means a lots of the ball club, as Jim stated, and you want to keep as many guys as you possibly can. He's out of options. You want to keep guys on the on the field, and you want to keep as many options. So Marshawn goes down. He comes back in September. All's well in the world. See what do you do? Jim?

00:27:55
Speaker 3: Well, answer, doesn't Stubs have an option?

00:27:58
Speaker 1: I think he does have an option, don't I'm I don't think. I didn't think he did.

00:28:01
Speaker 2: I have to do I'll double check that, but you know, operating, maybe maybe he does.

00:28:06
Speaker 1: But I still believe even if he does have an option, I gotta believe it.

00:28:10
Speaker 3: Here's what I'm doing.

00:28:11
Speaker 5: And you talked a little bit about the psychology of managing, which I loved. You don't want Marcado to feel like he just lost that job. So maybe you piggyback him and Phillips the next time, and Mercado has to approach his next up in small bites.

00:28:24
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go out and win the first inning. I'm gonna go out and win the second inning.

00:28:27
Speaker 5: I'm going to want win the third inning, and then you know, you get to the fourth inning, you shake his hand, you put Phillips in your piggyback, and that might be a great way to handle it psychologically. But as far as Stubbs march On, I'm bringing march On into the office and I'm saying, hey, you did a great job. You know, we're a team that goes beyond twenty six men, and you are really really important to us.

00:28:49
Speaker 3: Knock on wood. We can't lose JT again.

00:28:52
Speaker 5: If we would, if JT were to go down for another ten days, You're gonna come up and get seventy seventy percent of the time. So I need you ready. You need to go up to Lee Hi and catch every day. Stubbs is really important for this team chemistry the last three years, not just this year, twenty twenty two, twenty three, and twenty four, and that's your unit. You stick with him, but next year march On might be your regular backup totally.

00:29:14
Speaker 2: Tyler Phillips, we mentioned him. That was kind of a cool story. Yesterday it was seven strikeouts and his major league debut. He's a South Jersey kid, went to Bishop Eustace. He was talking the other day about how his grandfather, Frank was such a hardcore Phillies fan that every time the Phillies won, he would call his dad Phillips' dad, Dan, do you see Ryan Howard's home run? How about the Phillies? So that he had that he was in that atmosphere his entire life. His grandfather meant so much, and that he named his son Frank, so it was a big thing. Before the game yesterday, Phillips comes down to the left field line. He's coming in the dugout. He goes, Oh my gosh, so many Phillies fans at this game. You know, I was kind of huh. He's like, how do you not say an autograph for every Phillies fan. When I was a kid, and I remember being down the left field line or the right field line, I remember being so bummed when a player would walk by and I didn't get his autographs so he spent all Sunday morning signing for every Phillies fan he could because he remembered being a Phillies fan at the VET at Citizens Bank Park as a kid. And then he goes out and he strikes out seven. That was that was pretty cool.

00:30:25
Speaker 3: That's awesome.

00:30:25
Speaker 1: Can you imagine nothing cooler. I mean, I I know from being a hometown guy saying, you know, I know the feeling. I now know how important it was to me to do those sorts of things, to be able to give back to the fans because I was one of those fans growing up as a Philly fan, and you know, someone with a dad who worked in the organization. So I know that feeling. It's great that he had that mentality. I think that's wonderful. I was super impressed, not just by how he handled himself on the mound, you know, getting the strikeouts. He had seven strikeouts, He didn't walk anybody, gave up you know, a few hits or whatever. But when he gave up the home run, which was a bomb on a fastball that was in the middle of the plate, I was My biggest thing was how does he bounce back from that? How does he return from that and he strikes out the next hit and so for me, and that's pretty impressive. And I was, you know the other thing, I was actually watching him and was on the monitor and didn't say anything during the broadcast, but but I was watching him and he was sort of He's one of those guys, pretty emotional. I talked to cisar Ramos about him later on because he had had him. He's pretty emotional. So he was like kind of screaming on himself when he didn't make a good pitch. I could see him like tucking himself, like go.

00:31:40
Speaker 3: Ahead, damn ball all the plate, you know, let's go.

00:31:42
Speaker 1: I mean, I could see him sort of being emotional behind the behind the the glove, and uh, it was really cool. Man. He was like, you know, pushing himself to go. You know, let's go. Let's go kick it in gear. And so, I mean, I I love those guys. I love faces. I love watching guy's reactions, and I love to watch them handle adversity. Gave up a home run, comes back, gets another punch out, does a nice job, finishes off and uh really impressed. Hey, this guy's had to work very hard to get back to the big leagues. Yes, had to get to the big leagues, and DJ bounced around a couple of different organizations. What have you changed his arm slot a little bit, according to Sessa Ramos, getting a little bit more sync to his fastball. And he's done some things to tweak his slider, which is dark, pretty darn good. They called a sweeper's a slider and uh and it's pretty it's pretty impressive and you know, hopefully, you know, hopefully he can that can springboard.

00:32:37
Speaker 4: Them, and it gives the Phillies some depth, which we talk about all the time, some length and some depth, and so you know, you get breakdowns if you need a six guy in the rotation, whatever the case may be.

00:32:49
Speaker 1: You ah, he can never have enough pitching, and sometimes it comes from the you know, it was very shrewd. They signed into a two year deal a couple of years back, and you know they have them under control. So pretty darn cool.

00:33:02
Speaker 2: Phillies Dodgers Tuesday Night. We know Kyle Schwarber will be back. We think Bryce Harper is an excellent chance to be back. I do anyway, Uh, you got Bobby Miller versus Zach Wheeler on Tuesday Night, You've got Gavin Stone versus Christopher Sanchez on Wednesday and TBD versus Aaron Nola on Thursday. This should be a really fun series. It could be an NLCS preview. You've got sho hey, O'tani, Who's I mean unbelievable? I mean Otani Harper coming together? That will be fun.

00:33:41
Speaker 1: That will be fun.

00:33:43
Speaker 3: It's hot time, summer in the city and it's gonna be bright lights, sellouts. It's gonna be a great fun series. Can't wait.

00:33:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, it'll be fun. Well, we will be back later this week to recap it. We will talk to you guys later.

00:33:59
Speaker 3: Smell you later.

00:34:00
Speaker 1: That's my Jim.

00:34:06
Speaker 6: This is the 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