Concerned Now?

00:00:00
Speaker 1: This is called Hamil's Welcome to the Philly Show.

00:00:16
Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, This is the Philly Show with Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todds Lucky. We're part of the Foul Territory Network. It's Monday, August twelfth, twenty twenty four. Gentlemen, coming off the weekend in Arizona. Ruben, how was Arizona? Other than the play on the field, It was.

00:00:37
Speaker 1: Like being on the equator. It was the hottest place in the planet. But other than that, I mean, you know, it's it was.

00:00:48
Speaker 3: It was a reminder that the Arizona Diamondbacks have the Phillies number. I mean, they played baseball exactly how the Phillies played baseball in the first two months, and that's exactly what they wanted. That's the kind of baseball that the Phillies wanted to play, and they just it was a beatdown in a lot of different ways. The pitching, the offense, the situational hitting.

00:01:13
Speaker 1: There was all types of things going on.

00:01:16
Speaker 3: As far as just playing baseball is concerned, all the things fundamentally, situationally, they just played better baseball. They are a very fast team, they're a very athletic team. They got exploited in that area. The Phillies pitchers got exploited by walking too many people and making too many mistakes defensively and leaving too many pitches in the middle of the plate, and the d bas just took advantage of it, as simple as that. And the Phillies are going to have to figure out what's going on because it's an unmitigated disaster right now.

00:01:52
Speaker 1: The pitching's not very starting. Pitching has been.

00:01:55
Speaker 3: Subpar, and they're gonna have to right They're gonna figure away to right the ship because right now, if they were going to go into a playoff game, regardless of whether they win the division or not, they'll get knocked out quick because the kind of baseball that they're playing right now is just not going to get it done.

00:02:15
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:02:16
Speaker 4: Those I mean, they're a very good team, the Diamondbacks. You mentioned their speed and the way they can string hits together and and and put put runs on the board, and then they also have some power pop too. A really nice team playing terrific baseball. You can say they have the Phillies number or whatever you want to say. They're just out playing the Phillies. You know, going back to Game six and seven last year. So you know, I was watching Bryce Harper's post game interview. I mean, it was a tough series. You lose three out of four after taking the first game, and uh, there's a lot of disappointment in that room, a lot of disappointment etched on his face. And he was asked, I think Corey Seideman asked him about the Diamondbacks team and how they played, and he made the comment that they're not scared. They play the game the right way. They're not scared play the game the right way. And you know, like it's our job. We read into things. That's what we do as reporters and observers, and my little antennae I went right up when I heard that they're not scared, they play the game the right way. Bryce is a master at messaging and kind of laying it out there. You got to read between the lines. Do you think there was a message there to possibly some of his teammates about them not being scared about playing the game the right way. Do you read anything into that comment or am I just being a little hyper observant.

00:03:54
Speaker 2: No, I think that Bryce. You're right. Bryce does not say things and not know what he's saying. When he says them, very rarely do I feel like he slips up, you know, when it comes from free agency gym. Remember a couple of springs ago when they got Schwarbi's like, well, you know, we'll see hopefully they're not done yet. Nick Castianos comes aboard, you know, he's he says a lot of those things, you know, trade deadline, free agency, the way the team is playing, So yeah, I absolutely think that he might have been trying to send a little message there or maybe just trying to wake up, wake up this team, which is twenty four and thirty since they won that first game in London on June eighth or twenty, there's six games under five hundred.

00:04:36
Speaker 3: So here's what I observed about it, and the playing scared part and playing the right way. I saw some situations where guys were not like defensively, some throws that were just not thrown with crispness.

00:04:51
Speaker 1: Guys look a little they do.

00:04:53
Speaker 3: They are playing a little timid, and it's it's there. They're not making plays that they typically would make. They are they're not running balls out the same way. There's some concern about in the case of Turner. I've seen him on many occasions lately where he is not going full full bore at times. There was a situation where a ball was hitting the gap one time that maybe he hit a scored. There was a situation where it was a groundball double play that no way on the planet that he gets doubled up. Where he get doubled up, and I'm not sure whether he's feeling like he can't bust him because he's worried about his hamstring or what the deal is. I have a feeling that that's probably part of it. But there have been some situations where there's some players who are not playing with the same sort of fervor and I don't know confidence that you would typically see in a team that's up what seven and a half games on the division, that that's a concern.

00:06:02
Speaker 1: And pitching wise, I don't see guys getting after it. And I mean it's it's a little everybody.

00:06:08
Speaker 3: You know, guys are coming out of the pendum walking people. I mean, you're not, they're not. You're not seeing now certain guys, not all of them, now, certain guys are.

00:06:15
Speaker 1: Are getting after it.

00:06:16
Speaker 3: I mean, if I if I were going to name people, I think Casianos is playing is his tail off right now. I think you're doing a lot of things really really well. He's having great at bats, he's he's playing, you know, he's playing to win. I think that there's guys like Strom and those kind of guys that are getting after it. But there's some guys that are not getting after it right now. And it's pretty and it's a pretty obvious thing. And if they don't start getting after and start gaining and regaining their confidence, it's good be an awfully short postseason.

00:06:48
Speaker 4: You mentioned you mentioned confidence another intangible urgency, sharpness, but urgency. They built such a big lead, do you think it dulled some of their urgency?

00:07:02
Speaker 2: Todd, Yeah, I wonder. I wonder if it might have just looking back at their play recently. Yeah, I just you know, I don't know, I don't I don't know. I don't know if it's still their urgency at all. But I do think that they're really lucky to have the lead that they do have because in the division anyway, I still think they're going to win the division. But you look at the standings today and they are tied with the Dodgers for the best record. In the National League, and the Brewers are only a game and a half back of both of those teams. Right, So, now you're getting in a situation you talk about urgency. They better start picking it up, because now you're starting to get in a situation where they might not even get a first round by they might have to play the number one wild card winner, which right now, as of today, would be the Arizona Diamondbacks. You know, that's that's how the matchup would would go in the playoffs. So yeah, I don't know. I don't know that, Jim. Do you think that they're there may be too complacent? I mean, I guess I don't get that vibe so much, but I mean you might feel differently.

00:08:17
Speaker 5: I don't.

00:08:17
Speaker 4: I wouldn't say too complacent, but you know, I think the way human nature works, you get that big lead, you play.

00:08:24
Speaker 6: So well, it might take some of the some of the sharpness away.

00:08:26
Speaker 4: There might be a a little bit of complacency and it's it's time to kick it in.

00:08:32
Speaker 2: Uh.

00:08:33
Speaker 4: You know, since I was looking this up, since that sweep of Milwaukee at home right before they went to London, they're five games under five hundred. Yet they've only lost a half game in the standings.

00:08:48
Speaker 6: I mean that, right, you know, all of.

00:08:50
Speaker 4: A sudden, I, hey, we really haven't played well, but we only lost a half game in the standings. Yeah, I think that can probably dull some of your urgency. One of the real buzz words around this team since Rob Thompson took over in June of twenty two, has been the word resilience, almost to the.

00:09:06
Speaker 6: Point where it's been a cliche. Well, it's time to see.

00:09:09
Speaker 4: Some you know, they've been really good at it, and that's the reason it became a buzzword. They played through a lot of injuries. They really scrapped in September of twenty two. But you know, this prolonged stretch that they've gone through really since London, now, I mean the second half of the season, since the All Star break. They have the second worst record of the major leagues.

00:09:33
Speaker 6: So that will be gone.

00:09:34
Speaker 4: Chicago White Sox. They have the worst record of the major leagues. So what are they the team that had the best record in baseball? The team you know, obviously they're in the middle and well toward being one of the best teams in baseball, But gosh, this funk has gone on long enough, it's time to pull yourself out of it before you can't and before it bites you in October.

00:09:55
Speaker 3: So a couple of things resonate with me. This shows me how poor the end National League is. The National League's just not a very good league. I don't I don't think there's very good There's not that many great teams in the National League. And it also brings to light to me, you know, the complacency piece, and and it also brings to light what how.

00:10:19
Speaker 1: Really good are are the Phillies.

00:10:21
Speaker 3: The talent is there, and they were playing like the best team in all of baseball, and they have the talent to be the best team in baseball, but they're not playing the game as the best team in baseball. The teams that are playing the game as the best teams in baseball the Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

00:10:41
Speaker 1: In the National League.

00:10:42
Speaker 3: Los Angeles is going to get there too, because Mookie Betts is coming back. They're going to get some of their pitching backs. The more they're starting pitching back, they're they're they're going to get better and better and so and in the San Diego Padres, they're playing as a team finally, which is something they had not done in a couple of years. So all of those teams are playing better baseball as a team, not necessarily more talented, but playing better baseball, and that's what you need. I also think back to the comment when I talked to Chase Utley, he was there in a Los Angeles. He made a tremendous comment and he said, you know, this team needed to face the little adversity. They needed to figure it because it was crude. They were going cruise control, and maybe this is a good thing that they will come out of it and be better for it. And it's a little bit like developing a young player where you know, the guy's just cruising through the minor leagues and not ever having any issues. He's hitting you know, three hundred or three point fifty, or he has a you know, one point two era and never really faces adversity, and then when he gets to the big leagues, boom, you know, all of a sudden, he slapped in the face with the Hillary and Bradsby and he can't get anybody out. So I think this is a good this is a good way of good test for them because it's time for them to kick it in, and I would not be surprised if Brob Thompson doesn't have a little chat with him. Meetings are can be silly at times, but with the way that they're playing baseball right now, they do need a little kick in the pants.

00:12:12
Speaker 2: I feel like, especially with I.

00:12:14
Speaker 4: Was gonna say, they really could use Trey Turner to get going too, because he can be such a catalyst. You know, he was hitting three forty nine going into the break. He's lost like forty nine points on his average, almost fifty points on his batting average, and his OPS is plummeted. It's just had a very poor run here in the second half. It like a buck buck eighty. He can be such a catalytic player. It would be nice to see him really really turn it on. I mean, Harper's been pretty good, Castianos has been good for a couple of months. It's such a drop off and once you get to the middle of that lineup with Stott and Marsh really struggling.

00:12:51
Speaker 3: Now that those two guys who really need to pick it up, Stott and Marsh have been really.

00:12:55
Speaker 1: Not very good. I mean, Chipple is that JT.

00:12:59
Speaker 3: They're Yeah, they just haven't been good, and and and Stott and Marsha. They just need to be better. There are bats need to be better. And don't be surprised if you don't see some shakeup in the lineup and or the roster, if some of these guys don't start picking it up. I'm just gonna say that because I know Dave Dombrowski. He is patient and he I mean, he understands the game. But if you're not performing, this is a performance space. I mean, they're here, they're here to win, baby. So if guys don't start playing the game, you may see some you may see some things change in this lineup.

00:13:35
Speaker 2: What would you do with the lineup and what would you do the roster?

00:13:38
Speaker 1: Like?

00:13:38
Speaker 2: Would you bump down trade until he gets going? Move up Castianosh? You know what would you guys do?

00:13:44
Speaker 3: I would I would move to Castianos because Castianos is having quality at bats like day in and day out, there's no question he's having the best most quality of bats on the team. He and Schwarber I think are having the best, you know, as far as uh.

00:14:00
Speaker 1: And Harper as well. I mean, he's he's out back.

00:14:02
Speaker 3: After that, After that, very very difficult stretch he's had. Those are the guys that are getting it done right now.

00:14:10
Speaker 4: Would you send somebody out one of the you know, oh, I would think about it like Stought or marsh It.

00:14:17
Speaker 3: Would be something that would least I mean, listen, no one's immune. I mean Divon White years ago got sent down after being in the big leagues for three years. I played with him in California with the California AIE is down at Edmonton.

00:14:30
Speaker 1: I was like, what are you doing down here? Dude?

00:14:32
Speaker 4: No, it can be It can be a shock that can get some guys going. I mean Alvarado went down a couple of years ago. It was very much remedial because he came back with that cutter.

00:14:42
Speaker 6: He did good things with it. Maybe, but I'm also I bet.

00:14:47
Speaker 4: Mentally it was a bit of a shock to his pride and it kicked him in a little bit. You know, I think anything should be on the table. It's a team that doesn't do a lot of that because you got a patience.

00:14:58
Speaker 1: GM.

00:14:58
Speaker 4: You've got a patient man. If you're but you know, maybe a shake up in the lineup, something well placed might have positive benefit. I'm not you know, I'm not saying you exile somebody for the whole season, but you know, you can send a bit of a message, kind of roll a grenade figurative grenade through that clubhouse and wake some people up.

00:15:26
Speaker 2: Trade Like, yeah, four guys who trade ops since that Dodgers sweep in mid July five seventy four JT five sixty two dot five twelve marsh four forty five. I mean, there's just a few days ago we were talking about him having some better bats against lefties. But uh, you know, he's he's he's really been he's really been struggling. So yeah, I think that would it would be interesting to see how they would do that and what they would do and how they would message it, because this is a team that you know, talks about, you know, resiliency and not panicking and and but but on the other hand, it's like, all right, we're twenty four and thirty since since June eighth. Listen, you have to perform for six games under five hundred.

00:16:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, you have to perform. You have to play winning baseball.

00:16:12
Speaker 3: And if you're not performing and you're striking out at a forty percent rate, or you're not getting on base, or you're.

00:16:18
Speaker 1: Not contributing offensively, then.

00:16:22
Speaker 3: Somebody else has to take that place and replace that offensive I mean it's been going on for.

00:16:27
Speaker 1: A while now.

00:16:28
Speaker 3: This is not like like two weeks. This is two months almost, and so you know something's gonna have to change. And the complacency piece that that would change it if someone was shaken up.

00:16:42
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, you get some people's attention, and it could have a very positive effect.

00:16:50
Speaker 6: I don't know what that is.

00:16:52
Speaker 4: But for a team, an organization that you know, really prides itself on being even keeled, maybe it's a maybe it's just a lineup shakeup. Maybe if somebody says for a couple of days, just get somebody's attention, you never know where it might go.

00:17:08
Speaker 2: Is there anything on the pitching side that has you, guys concerned?

00:17:11
Speaker 1: Everything? Everything does?

00:17:13
Speaker 2: Everything does?

00:17:14
Speaker 3: Everything does? I mean, listen, this is the best starting rotation in baseball. It is no longer the best starting rotation in baseball. I mean, Suarez coming back is great, Tywan Walker's coming back on Tuesday, that's that's fine. He's not a world beater, but he's gonna eat up some innings and and in fact, you know, the other guys are good Kobe Aller did a good job, and Tyler Phillips has done a decent job. But the other big boys, they're gonna have to pitch better. Aaron did not pitch well. They have his number and and he he has not been, you know, pitching all that well. I mean he's fairly consistent, but you know, he needs to dominate a game or two here. And uh, you know, Christopher Sanchez I thought was gonna I thought he's good a deal yesterday and he really did not have command of his stuff and so he got beat up. But the but the bullpen is another issue. I mean, Alvarado clearly is struggling. He's a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate, hopmins, hopmins been lights out, and then all of a sudden he only leaves a couple of pitches in the middle of the play. He's getting whacked around a little bit. Uh, there's I mean, it hasn't been good. It's as simple as that. They're better than this. I don't think there's any question. But they're gonna have to have to start executing or it's gonna be an ugly couple of months.

00:18:31
Speaker 2: Sanchez has an era in the mid sixes since he won Pitcher of the Month in June. I mean, Noah's era is almost you know, four seven five in his last eleven starts. So both of those guys are really wheelers. But he's had those two terrible starts where he gave up like seven runs, but other other than that, he's been okay, I say, other than that.

00:18:51
Speaker 4: And then then as oftentimes, they don't have a lot of margin forever because the hitting with Mars and scoring position, which you know has really not been good. I mean, especially in this series at Arizona. You get these runners out there, you've got to find a way to deliver them. And they had you know, they had a game where they were i mean they were seven for thirty four with runners in scoring position two h six in this series. I mean there were opportunities they just didn't get them in and that can make a difference on the pitching staff as well. But Sanchez and Nola in this series a lot of balls over the plate, and that's a team that will hurt you, and they got hurt.

00:19:29
Speaker 1: You have to pitch.

00:19:30
Speaker 3: When you have to start thinking about pitching and not giving up a run because you're not getting the support then that baseball gets a little tighter, gets a little heavier, and you.

00:19:40
Speaker 1: Try to get every pitch becomes even more.

00:19:44
Speaker 3: Stressful, and you know you're having a lot of things happen at the same time. No part of their game right now is going well, not one.

00:19:54
Speaker 6: Do you do you think I mean, they really struggled again.

00:19:58
Speaker 4: Every team they've played since the break has been five hundred or better and they've struggled seven to fifteen. Now they're going to see Miami and Washington. Do you think that could cure some things here? And also they're gonna see Citizens Bank Park and it's gonna be banged out. They've had a day off, but you know, I feel like we've talked about this before. Okay, day off, they're coming home. This is gonna get them going and then it doesn't. But these are two poor teams. You can't play down to their level. You've gotta come out, you got.

00:20:29
Speaker 6: To you gotta take hold of these games early, and then you've got to tag on.

00:20:34
Speaker 2: That's the way I was looking at this series, this homestand gym. I hate to like overstate the importance of a homestand, but you almost need them to like go four and two at least, and just pound the crap out of these teams all week long and just brutalize them. Because if you go three and three against the Marlins and the Nationals, I mean, that's gonna be deflating, I would think, and just kind of get people to be a little bit more concerned. So, you know, the Marlins are terrible, the Nationals are not a winning baseball team. So I think they got to go at least four and two, you know, And I hate doing that because it's hard to win games.

00:21:11
Speaker 1: That I get it.

00:21:11
Speaker 2: But all right, you've been talking about how you played a really tough schedule. So if you're talking about playing a really tough schedule, this is not a really tough schedule. This is not a really tough schedule in the homestand so you got to take care of business against these guys.

00:21:25
Speaker 1: The time is now, boys, time is now.

00:21:27
Speaker 3: They got to start playing really good baseball, and they don't, it's then the panic button will be struck.

00:21:33
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, last week, as we had answered some reader questions or reader questions, listener viewer questions, and one of them was give us your level of concern, level of worry about the Phillies play right now. This was last Wednesday we did this. Jim, you said one point five. Rubin, you said if you were a player zero. You said, as a lifelong Philadelphia and the Phillies fan. Nine you said, GM six seven, And then you said overall, though your your vibe is a four to five, I think I was about a two or a three. Jim. As your one point five s increased, I guess it can't have decrease.

00:22:11
Speaker 1: Where are you on the one point five?

00:22:14
Speaker 4: You know, I'm still at one point five on the warrior meter, but my ticked off meter is going up to about an eight because it's tough to watch this stuff when you know they're better than they are. Okay, so maybe I'm parsing words, but I'm still not overly worried because they're going to play in the postseason and whoever gets hot is going to go, you know, crazy through the postseason. But you know, it would really behoove them to go into the postseason playing much better ball than they are now. There's time to get things going, but you know, it would be good to see trade turn and get going. I think he you know, he's hot. It kind of reverberates through the entire lineup, and it would be good to get some depth in. You know, the one through nine is such a big drop off after kind of like number five in the batting order.

00:22:59
Speaker 6: Got to get all those guys calling.

00:23:00
Speaker 4: So I'm still not that worried because they're gonna play in the postseason. They got a big cushion, but frustrated, ticked off. I certainly can understand what people why people would feel that way for what they what they're watching, because it's just not fun.

00:23:16
Speaker 6: It's kind of a shorter watch.

00:23:17
Speaker 4: You don't deliver runners in the scoring position, you're not getting quality starts. It's nights when the defense is off. Everything needs to be sharpened up here.

00:23:27
Speaker 2: Ruby, what about you, let's let's do you said four or five ish? Where are you at?

00:23:31
Speaker 1: I'm going at eight.

00:23:32
Speaker 3: I'm going at eight because what I see right now and has been and now it's been long enough. I thought that they would play at least five hundred on this road trip.

00:23:41
Speaker 1: And when you get blown out.

00:23:43
Speaker 3: That many times in a road trip, that that really concerned me because of the pitching. See, the pitching needs to get turned back around.

00:23:49
Speaker 1: Now.

00:23:50
Speaker 3: I was given a lot of love to Caleb Cotham and Brian Kaplan and all those guys that were running the pitching, but it's not executing now, they're not executing shooting. Uh.

00:24:01
Speaker 1: They look tired. The team looks tired.

00:24:04
Speaker 3: Uh and and it doesn't look like it has the same sort of energy.

00:24:07
Speaker 1: Now, losses can do that to.

00:24:09
Speaker 3: You, but in particular, big, big losses can suck the energy out of you. And the pitching really needs to get turned around. And the pitching is a real concern. Suarez needs to come back and be sharp. You've got to get a sharper Nola and uh, you know, and I'm a big Nola advocate because he's so steady, but he needs to be sharper. And you know, Wheels, I think it will be fine, but you need to you know, Ace like work from Wheels as well. Those three guys have to really get going for this team to uh to start rolling. And the guys in the back end. I love Carlos Steves. I think he's gonna be great and I think he's gonna be fine. It's just strike though he's not afraid. It goes after guys. But you know, Hoffman and Alvarado they're gonna have to can you know, bounce back, because right now they're not. They're not nearly as sharp as as you would hope, and you know, you're hopefully that hopefully they're going through that little dead arm period, that lull or whatever the case we be, and we'll be striking on all cylinders.

00:25:17
Speaker 1: But I'm still at an eight because of the pitching.

00:25:20
Speaker 2: I'd probably be at four. I'm probably at a five ish now because of what I mentioned it at the top. Now they're in the they're gonna win the division. I believe that they're going to win the division. But where are they're going to be seated in the postseason race? You know, are they gonna Are they gonna let the Brewers and the Dodgers pass them by or whoever wins the NL West? And now you're talking about playing a best of three wildcard series and if, like I mentioned, could be the Diamondbacks, and as Bryce said, they ain't scared. They ain't scared, So you better get this turned around and get that first round by. I do think that's important. So you can't let this thing linger around for a few more weeks and then oh man, okay, well we're just gonna try to get in and get hot at the end of the season and had one more series in there. He adds one all these different things that can pop up and crazy bounce and boom. Now your season's over, so they gotta get out figured out.

00:26:16
Speaker 1: Guys.

00:26:16
Speaker 2: We'll be back on uh, I think later. We'll be back on Wednesday maybe, and if you we'll take some listener questions, some viewer questions, which there should be some good ones. If you have any listener questions. If you have any questions, shoot them our way. We'll send a tweet later today, later tomorrow and then shoot him in there and we'll we'll try to get him get to them, keep them clean. I know you're frustrated, but but well, I guess we can.

00:26:46
Speaker 1: Edit it out. It's to wear words.

00:26:48
Speaker 2: But uh, you know, we'll be back on Wednesday. Thanks guys, little boys side.

00:26:55
Speaker 7: Yeah, this is the Phillies 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.

00:27:10
Speaker 5: If you like what we do, give us a review, tell a friend, Catch Rubenjim and Me on Phillies Nation TV presented by Vallyforge 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 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 allphly dot com. Find more of me at MLB dot com, the philliesb Newsletter, and occasionally on MLB Network