Royal Flush

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hey, this is Bryce Harper and welcome to the Philly Show. Hi, everybody, Welcome to the Philly Show. Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todd Zuleki, part of the Foul Territory Network. It's Monday, August twenty sixth, twenty twenty four. Guys, big weekend for the fight in Phil's. They scored some runs last time we talked. It was a lot of doom and gloom. It's amazing what one weekend, one weekend can do. I didn't get to see a lot of the games. I was at Hershey Park this weekend with the family, running around, getting on the mosters, trying not to get sick. I'm getting old and I can't do.

00:00:55
Speaker 2: You need a vacation from your vacation.

00:00:57
Speaker 1: I need a vacation. It's no vacation.

00:00:59
Speaker 2: We're with little kids like that. Rushy Park's fun though, man.

00:01:03
Speaker 3: It is, it's fun.

00:01:04
Speaker 1: It was all about survival for me. The but the Phillies, you know, yeah again, like Friday, right, we're talking about how they can't go and get anything going offensively, their approaching the plate, they're swinging and missing too much. Friday does not look great. But then Saturday and Sunday, they put up back to back eleven run games, the first time they've posted ten or more runs in consecutive games since I looked this up. Yesterday, August sixth, seventh, twenty twenty two, they blew out the Nationals. They haven't done this three straight games since June eighth, the eleventh, two thousand and four, when they split a couple of games on the road against the White Sox and they won a big blowout win against the Twins at the Metrodome. Rubin, you were there, what was the big difference?

00:01:50
Speaker 4: Well, I mean it was pretty clear. I mean there was no question in my mind that the top of the order was really struggling. I think that Kyle Schwarberz sort of set the tone a little bit better, started swinging the bat a little bit better. There's a bunch of guys who who I think really started to turn it up a notch, and I was concerned about them.

00:02:13
Speaker 2: I mean, you start thinking about the guys that.

00:02:17
Speaker 4: You thought would move forward this season, Brandon, marsh, Bryce and Stott. You thought that those two guys were going to start moving things forward as far as the offense is concerned, and Brandon Marsh's strikeout rates was ridiculous. I mean close to fifty percent over the last you know, the last couple of weeks. Bryson Scott had not been utilizing the whole field, a lot of big swings, a lot of foul balls back trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. Well, those two guys swung the bats pretty darn well. The last couple of days.

00:02:53
Speaker 2: You saw jt.

00:02:54
Speaker 4: Real Muteau finally get his foot down a little bit more consistently, had one big, really big day but a couple of good swings. And Bryce Harper I really hasn't gotten it going yet. I mean he hasn't at home in a long long time, like the most longest I think, stinting of his career. But it was a great sign because guys were doing like the little things, a little bit small ball. They were just making contact. They had struck out so many times in the Atlanta series that it was like embarrassing, and you know, the way too many strikeouts, weren't putting the ball in play, weren't doing what they had to do to just to just fight at the plate. And I saw a bit of a turnaround with that in the last couple of games, actually last three games, because I think they got eleven hits in the first game. The fact that Taiwan Walker pitched so poorly, I mean basically took him out of the game. Took him out of that game. But they started to swing the bats well in that series on Friday, and I saw much much better at bats. And you know, having JT and Garrett Stubbs and back to back games have huge games was really big, big for the Phillies. And you cannot dismiss you know, what Ranger Suarez brought to the table.

00:04:14
Speaker 2: The fact that he was.

00:04:15
Speaker 4: On the mound and pitching the way he did that was a particularly special moment I think for this club and pivotal in a lot of ways.

00:04:24
Speaker 2: So that's my take.

00:04:27
Speaker 3: Well, you know, coming out of Atlanta used the right description dooming gloom Todd. It felt really doomy and gloomy. And to come home on Monday morning with you know, a split play a five hundred, you have a five hundred trip, I thought was a real positive because it's just seems to play five hundred on the road the way they play at home, they're going to be fine. Some of the big eye openers for me on the weekend were Stot the way he swung it and Suarez the way he came back on Saturday night, because I I just think both of those guys are so important to where this team wants to go, needs to go, and you know they both lengthen their respective units, the lineup and the rotation, so you need to see more but really positive steps on each side. I thought Scott swung the back great, particularly on Saturday night, but you know, basically throughout the weekend is it bats were very good, so you know there were other positives on the weekend, but just most of all, it just felt like just one of those another occasion where it felt like they were kind of riding the ship. Now it's up to them to extend it and do more with it, because you know, two good games over the weekend does not, you know, make up for two and a half bad months, and that's what they've had. Tailor two teams really good early and really mediocre after that, barely mediocre. So but coming home tough, tough home stand with Houston and Atlanta, two teams with a lot to play for, two teams with a big history against the Phillies, so it should be a very interesting week.

00:06:13
Speaker 1: You guys mentioned both mentioned Stott. So I'm driving home on Saturday night. I'm in the car listen to Scott Franski and Kevin Stocker. And in the sixth inning, I think Nick Castianos had a single, Bryson Stott comes to the plate, and Bryson Stott puts the ball in play, hits the lip of the infield or the cut of the infield back spins over the second basement's head, and I think it was the next batter, maybe JT hits the three run home run. And in the back of my head, Ruben, I remember you talking about this on Friday, about putting the ball in play. In the back of my head, as this ball goes over the second basement's head, I hear Ruben in my head, go, this is what happens when you put the ball in play. Good things happen.

00:06:52
Speaker 2: Good things happen.

00:06:53
Speaker 1: They struck out thirty three times against the Braves last week. They struck out twenty times this weekend against the Royals, So thirteen fewer strekeouts, thirteen more balls in play, one of them maybe being Bryce and Stott's little you know, crazy backspin hop Boom sets up a three run bomb. Everything is right in the world.

00:07:14
Speaker 3: Again.

00:07:16
Speaker 4: This is interesting about that play is and I talked about it a little bit on the broadcast yesterday, is that they just put that new saw down. They literally just put that saw down like a week before. I think they're that series while they're on the road trip, and it was just a sod in the infield because they want to go to a different for some reason, they want to go a different bermuda grass or blend or whatever the case may be. They laid it down and that ball hit that lip, and I guarantee it had a lot to do with the fact that there was a new someone's in trouble.

00:07:51
Speaker 2: Somebody's gonna get one of these.

00:07:53
Speaker 4: And if I was a GM, going yeah, I will say this.

00:08:00
Speaker 2: They did it against pretty good pitching. They had, you know, they had to face some pretty good starting pitching. I didn't think Lugo was as sharp.

00:08:07
Speaker 4: But the fact that they beat up on Lugo, who has not been as sharp as the first half, and the fact that they've you know, swung the bats pretty well, that that bullpen's terrible for the UH for can't see Royals. I mean, the numbers don't lie. It's just not great stuff. But that said, you still got to get it done. It doesn't really matter how it gets done, just so that it does. You make a great point about just making contact, and you know, even a couple of times, I mean, you know, you had Johann Rojas hit again, a couple of infield hits to extend innings, just touched the baseball.

00:08:43
Speaker 2: Another thing that.

00:08:43
Speaker 4: I will actually say is that my feeling is that Howie Kendrick came in town and he's been around the ball club a little bit. I'm not sure if that was by design for a reason because they haven't been swinging the bats well, whether they just needed another voice in there. I mean, you know, who knows what would have happened over there, like if they would have continued to like be terrible, which was amazing to me. You know, they were literally as bad as you could be for the talent that they've had. So offensively, you know, you get started concerned about, you know, do they make changes, are they going to do something with the hitting coach and all this other stuff, because the two assistant hitting coaches were let go last year. Yeah, they had new hit assistant hitting coaches. Is that working? Was that working at this time? I mean you start thinking about, you know, how this is going to you know, affect you know, the hitting coaches this year, and they brought Howie Kendrick in on this. He came in I believe in the Kansas City. I'm not sure if he was in Atlanta and I can't recall, but just the fact that he's here and he also traveled with the team back to Philadelphia, I'm not sure if he's given him a little bit of you know, a little help, a little observation, whatever the case may be. I don't want to put it on him necessarily because the guys have to do it in the box and they have to commit to it when they're at the plate, but maybe it might add some positive effect. And uh, and it was just something I noticed that that happened.

00:10:21
Speaker 2: As far as the personnel is concerned.

00:10:23
Speaker 3: Well, that's very very interesting because he was a professional hitter who gives you a lot of good at bats and like he's not in the batter's box, but he can certainly articulate things around the cage and help with mindset and just help with a new voice. He's a been there, done that guy. He's got some uh, what would you call it, grit, competitiveness, toughness to him. He's you know, he ain't afraid to ruffle a feather or two, like Howie Ruben Todd. We you know, at the end of last week, I was actually speculating that it might be, you know, kind of opining that it might be time to send Marsh out his bats right that poor and then Friday night he just lights it up. Friday night he comes out, he's turning on balls, he's driving balls the other way. He had really good at bats. Do you guys get the sense that they were getting close there to doing something with him, because like, for the month he was like forty strikeouts.

00:11:23
Speaker 1: I know that ahead I was gonna say, I just know that there was a lot of frustration there with with Brandon Marsh and just the lack of productive at bats because, like you said, Rubin, I think they thought that he was going to take a step forward this year and they keep wanting him to prove himself to be the everyday player. And now it has gotten to a point where it's like when do you play this guy? Can you play this guy. Can you trust him? Is he going to give you a quality of bats? So, I mean he struck out only three times at a twelve at bats this weekend. But yeah, I think there was a lot of frustration. I don't know how close they were to that decision, but a lot of frustration I think internally about about his play.

00:12:01
Speaker 4: There may have been some rumblings. And you know, listen, it's a production based game. If you don't produce, uh, and you're a young player and you don't have like the track record and he really doesn't have like the track record like some of the other players do.

00:12:17
Speaker 2: You know, the tray turner's obviously.

00:12:20
Speaker 4: And and and the and the harpers, you can you can suck that up because you know at some point and even Castiano's you can kind of suck up, you know, a month or two of production that's not normal and still know that at this at the end of the day, you're going to get the kind of production that you just sort of need.

00:12:37
Speaker 2: And Castianos is a perfect example of that.

00:12:39
Speaker 4: Jimmy, you and I talked about that a lot that at some point he was going to get it right. He's been probably the most consistent guy they have, but Marsh wasn't there, and Marsh hadn't.

00:12:50
Speaker 2: Really built that equity.

00:12:52
Speaker 4: And you know, hopefully he continues to produce because he's important.

00:12:59
Speaker 2: Stots and and he's important.

00:13:01
Speaker 4: And we talked about the length of the lineup in the early part of the season, like those guys, they need to produce and if they don't produce, don't get replaced, Like Dave Dombrowski doesn't screw around. If you're not a productive player in the major leagues, you're not going to continue to play and you're not going to be on the club. And that's you know, I mean, listen, he's I love the person. I love all those guys. They're really great people and they're great teammates. At the end of the day, they're going to have to produce, and it was great to see them sort of bounce back and do some of the things that they have done in the past that they need to continue to build up.

00:13:38
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00:14:34
Speaker 1: Guys, I think we talked a lot about the good things that's happened this week, so I think now is a good time for the Philly of the Week. WILLI the Week presented by Shibe Vintage Sports, get unique throwback Phillies, teas hats and sweatshirts from local artists at their shops in Center City, Wayne and Westchester, and of course online at shib sports dot Org.

00:15:00
Speaker 4: Hey you guys were wearing you guys call each other today with the spectrum in the vet the old school venues.

00:15:06
Speaker 2: That's okay, awesome, Irene. I wore mind the whole trip.

00:15:09
Speaker 4: I was when my workout, I wore a couple of the Ben Franklin one.

00:15:14
Speaker 2: I have a picture of that Ben Franklin.

00:15:16
Speaker 4: I'll shoot it out there because Ben Franklin was at a coffee shop. He literally like there's like a like a pewter thing of him. Anyway, I'll tweet that out. At some point, I missed the Vet. I really missed the Vet. Yes, my my parking spot, players don't.

00:15:33
Speaker 3: My parking spot at the VET was so close that I'd often get blocked in if I was getting out of there quick, I'd get blocked in by the visiting team bus.

00:15:42
Speaker 2: That's right.

00:15:43
Speaker 1: We used to have wow parking spots. Media used to have parking spots at the VET. I forgot about that.

00:15:50
Speaker 3: We had him right underneath, like where the press entrance was. It's funny. I can still remember getting out of there really quick one night and walking out and the Giants bus was there, and Matt Williams was on his early cell phone. It was like a block and I can see him in the bus and I'm waiting for the bus to pull out so i can get out of my pocket. Spot.

00:16:10
Speaker 2: That's funny.

00:16:11
Speaker 3: That is so funny. I wrote, side of the vet. The foul balls, Oh my god, they would come screaming.

00:16:17
Speaker 4: So I wrote on my wall, I had the great fortune when I moved into the front office there, because I literally went from being on the field to the front office in ninety eight at the end of ninety eight, and when we ended up blowing it up just beforehand, I wrote on the wall of my office, I had Rouy Carpenter's old office, and wow, and desk, it was like the greatest desk and office ever. It just happened to be that I got that office and it was right across the way from Ed Wade's and I wrote something like on the wall before they blew it up, I wrote in a sharpie on one of the walls, I wrote something like, thank you so much for all the memories. I appreciate everything that you brought to uh to the US Philly fans or something like that. And apparently a cop before you know, when they were like making sure that everybody was out of there and make it and had to get make sure that there's nobody in there when they imploded. It took a picture of that, and someone has it. I've never seen it. I would love to implore people if there's a if there's a policeman, who who did take that? I remember somebody tell me that and I've never seen the picture. But apparently they took a picture of it. I never did.

00:17:38
Speaker 1: Let's put that out there. That would be pretty cool.

00:17:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, that photo, man, I would love to be able to put it.

00:17:44
Speaker 4: I mean, I think I will put it out there when when we throw this episode out there online, I'll shoot that out there as well.

00:17:52
Speaker 2: So a shirt, that's awesome, said them.

00:17:55
Speaker 4: Whatever, man, somebody, somebody has it and somebody mentioned it to me and I never really thought it up on it.

00:18:00
Speaker 2: I'd love to be able to see that picture.

00:18:02
Speaker 1: That's very cool. So let's so let's do uh Philly the week? I started last week, so I can't start this week. I don't want to, you know, pick we can go different guys. Let's start with Jim. Jim, who's your Philly of the week?

00:18:18
Speaker 3: Wow? Who do you got? Bud? I got Garrett Stubbs because I thought it was really important that uh, you know, you got a nice win on Saturday night stop the skid a little bit, but it was very important that you build on that win. And he came out to play yesterday. I had himself a day at the plate, and uh, obviously JT with the big night the night before and you know, Sunday afternoon game ninety seven degrees, I knew JT was gonna sit and I knew people were gonna go crazy, but uh, Stubbs is play silenced a lot of people. So we're not listening to you know, everybody squawking about JT getting a day off after he swing it so well, and Stock comes in. He contributes like a member of the team. He does more than contribute. He he was a real difference maker for that team. So he got j T a day off. He helped him win, He helped him build a you know too modest two game wing streak. But they come home looking to continue to build on that. So I thought his performance was important on several levels. So he is, uh, you know, the Philly of the week for me.

00:19:24
Speaker 2: Great call.

00:19:25
Speaker 4: And then follow up on that, I talked to Rob Thompson after the game, I said, I said, awesome game.

00:19:34
Speaker 2: I said, Garrett stuff picked really really played. Well. He goes, yeah, you.

00:19:37
Speaker 4: Robert, he said, he said, he said, he said, he said, he said, he goes, he saved my ass.

00:19:43
Speaker 2: He was kind of kidd he said, I'm pretty smart and I had a hunch. I mean, you know, it's again, I know, I understand it.

00:19:52
Speaker 4: You know, he being a fan and an x GM, you start thinking about, you know, why in the world is this guy not getting it? You know, why why is he getting a day off? Well, there's reasons, and they need JT for this last month and a half or two months to be playing at a high level every day.

00:20:15
Speaker 1: Uh.

00:20:16
Speaker 4: The fact that he had that scheduled, that scheduled day off, that was rough on a lot of people.

00:20:21
Speaker 2: But you're right about Garrettuff's great call.

00:20:23
Speaker 4: I actually have j T as my as my player of the Week because I think JT had a phenomenal game.

00:20:29
Speaker 2: He's starting to come out of whatever funk he was in.

00:20:32
Speaker 4: He's getting his foot down more consistently. I think that he's just those overall at bats and approach. Obviously, having two three run home runs does not hurt but JT's my guy, did a nice job, did a super job where Ranger Suarez coming back.

00:20:51
Speaker 2: And managing through that. I thought that was really really important.

00:20:55
Speaker 4: And he's such an important part of their not just not just defense, but their offense as well. And when he comes on that really Lincoln's out the lineup. So I got JT as my player of the Week.

00:21:07
Speaker 1: I took Ranger Ranger on Saturday Night. Five innings, four hits, one run, six strikeouts. Jim, you talked about this a lot, like you know, when it's taken. It took a long time, such a long time for Ranger to come back. When he comes back, they need him to be Ranger. I mean, not full boar, I guess, but you didn't want him to come out on Saturday Night go four and two thirds, nine hits, four or five runs and then have him go, well, you know, he's got trying to shake off their cobwebs a little bit. He's got to get the rust off. It's gonna take him a few starts to get going. They don't really have time for him to get going.

00:21:42
Speaker 2: They need him to be pretty sharp.

00:21:44
Speaker 1: So I thought it was really encouraging and against a pretty good Royals team that he came out and.

00:21:50
Speaker 3: Threw the ball.

00:21:50
Speaker 1: Well, you know, he seemed to be throwing all four of his pitches, you know, with with commanding him and and you know, seemed to be keeping guys off balance. I saw a couple of the highlights and he seemed to be you know, dot in the corners again, like kind of like what he does with the sinker, which was encouraging. So uh, Rangers sworez for me Philly of the Week. It's funny that we've done this now two weeks in a row and we haven't doubled up on anybody yet. So the oh there's that, you know, so uh.

00:22:17
Speaker 3: I like I liked rangers body language too. I saw a little bit of Ranger, you know, the swagger. Yeah, he's making a defensive play. Uh, and that told me that he felt okay. Definitely a good sign that the way he threw the ball something to build on. And you know, all of a sudden, if he's back, you're going four deep again. And that's that's the foundation of this team. That's where they built that great record on the backs of the starting pitching. I think that's what's gonna take them through October. If they have the October, they'd like to have the successful October. They're they're they're aiming for. You're gonna need that starting pitching. And in the short term, if you're gonna go four deep, you know, it allows you to really bear down on Taiwan Walker and say, can you know we're gonna are we going to see this through or we're gonna, you know, have somebody else go on that five spot, because you know, if you're four strong instead of it's a big it's a big difference being four strong than rather than just three strong, right, And I don't know if they can they can continue on with Taiwan. I think they're probably reaching a decision time. I don't know what that decision is, just simply to replace him in the in the rotation with maybe Allard, who threw the ball pretty well yesterday, kept him off balance, or it's time to say goodbye. I don't know whether they would do that because depth is still valuable, but you're not really getting quality depth there, So it's a it's an issue. I'm sure they're digging it, digging into up on the executive level, right Rubin.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, no question about it.

00:23:49
Speaker 4: I mean, how do you have not had that contract right now he's still load like forty million dollars or something crazy like that. So that's a very very difficult thing to just kind of walk away from. That said, I would not be surprised if at some point, and I don't know if they've gotten to that breaking point yet, it's getting close.

00:24:06
Speaker 2: I think of, you know, either either put him in the pen, which he.

00:24:12
Speaker 4: Will not be effective and he will not enjoy, and or just letting him go. And that's a really tough thing to ask John Middleton to eat.

00:24:19
Speaker 2: You know, forty million dollars is forty million dollars.

00:24:21
Speaker 4: That said, I mean, if they truly don't think that he's going to be a viable major league pitcher in any role, then uh, then it's possible.

00:24:32
Speaker 2: Anything's possible. You have to produce in this game.

00:24:35
Speaker 4: And uh, you know we've done it before, not with these kind of numbers this big, but you know the organization has done it before. We We did it with Jeff Jenkins one year when he had an eat six six and a half. We did with Adam eating. I mean, we've done these things before in the past, but I mean this that's a huge number, but that they don't feel like his arm is able to bounce back and do the things that needs to do.

00:25:01
Speaker 2: I think he might get one more shot at it might maybe.

00:25:03
Speaker 4: I think the fact that I think that they think that they have four strong now, I think they're gonna be very careful with a couple of things on Ranger, very careful with Ranger. He's not going to pitch on his normal rest. I think he's gonna pitch on five days' rest this next time. I think that they're concerned about his back spasms. They can continue to kind of flare up. And they know that they know they're not dumb dumbs. They know that without Ranger Suarez that puts them in a real heap of trouble to be able to manage through those playoffs and whatever role and and so they need to they need to have him available and to be pitching well. So it will be really interesting over the next this next turn of the rotation. They may be tweaking some things. I'm not sure they're at the breaking point yet on uh On Taiwan, but I will tell you that if he comes out and pitches the way he pitched his last time, or last two times. I think that might be it for them. That's my opinion. I don't have any I haven't talked to anybody about it. It's a very sensitive issue.

00:26:10
Speaker 2: But they're not going to stand for it.

00:26:12
Speaker 4: And you know, they're probably lining some things up in triple A to make sure whether it's Allard or whether it's Phillips, Phillips or somebody else, they need to step forward. You just you sort of have to give yourself a chance to win a baseball game. And if you don't have a chance to win the baseball game with your starting pitcher, that makes life real time.

00:26:32
Speaker 3: You can plug one spot, it's hard to plug two spots, and that's what they were doing. So with Ranger back, they don't have to plug two spots. But if Taiwan's going to get one more and I hear what you're saying, I think that's quite plausible. He gets another chance, it's gonna come at home and all of a sudden, now you're going to have you know, forty three thousand stockholders voicing their opinions in the boardroom, and you better pitch well. All those opinions are going to be loud and unpleasant. That's the thing.

00:27:00
Speaker 1: I just haven't seen anything so far that's said, all right, I see this coming around where he's going to get it figured out.

00:27:11
Speaker 2: You know what I mean.

00:27:11
Speaker 1: It's kind of the same thing. You're just hearing the same things after start, Well, the velocity isn't there, but I think it's coming. Okay, Well, now it's been you know how many starts this season where we've been talking about after every start the velocities isn't there, but I think it's coming. I've been We've been hearing a lot about how the splitter it's it's not quite there yet, but it's getting better and it's going to come. So you know, you hear that after over the course of the season, how many starts has he made at least you know, ten twelve starts? Okay, what is it actually going to come? Or is this just something that you hear from a picture? You know, because I we've all been around this situation before, remember like when royality was breaking down, it was I'm just you know, this has to happen. I'm almost there, you know, all these pictures on the decline, you know, we're almost there. I just have to do this more. I have to get ahead in the count a little bit more and I'll be okay. But it's not happening yet. So that's the thing is, I just haven't seen any real true signs of encouragement from Tywan Marker to make it think that, you know, just give him a couple more starts, guys, and don't worry. It's it's going to be back.

00:28:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, And how how good can the splitter be if there's no velocity?

00:28:20
Speaker 4: Seriously, right, there's no there's no separation with his pitches.

00:28:26
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't see any arm speed.

00:28:28
Speaker 4: I don't see the arm speed that he once had, and I know that's something that they've been hoping would bounce back and that he would have some arm speed.

00:28:35
Speaker 2: You're right.

00:28:36
Speaker 4: I mean, he has to be absolutely perfect with his command, and he hasn't been perfect with the stuff that he has right now. And it's it's not like he's not trying, you know, he's trying to just he wants to perform.

00:28:50
Speaker 2: He just hasn't been able to do it.

00:28:51
Speaker 4: And I do think he will probably get one more start to be able to prove that or to try to turn things around.

00:28:57
Speaker 2: But we will see.

00:28:59
Speaker 1: So let's wrap this up. Phillies open up a big series this week against the Houston Astros. The Astros guys were twelve and twenty four on May eighth, they were the fourth worst record in baseball. They're fifty seven and thirty six since going into yesterday, it was tied for the best record in baseball. So they've been on a roll now for several months. Zach Wheeler versus Ronel Blanco on Monday night, Aaron Nola versus Justin Berlander on Tuesday, and Christopher Sanchez versus Spencer Aragaetti on Wednesday night. So that's a big series, and then you have the Braves coming to town for four, so see if they can.

00:29:38
Speaker 3: People were talking about the Astros being sellers. I mean there were articles being written in June. Are the Astros They're done? People? You know they're gonna sell? I mean, it just illustrates how ridiculous it is to make these early pronouncements, especially for a team that has that type of talent. They're banged up a little bit and they know how to win. They've been there, they've done that. You can't write teams off too early. The teams to have some experience and the talent that the Houston Astros have. It's a it's a big series for the Phillies, a big test. Need to continue these build on these two games, and take it home where you're a very good team.

00:30:12
Speaker 2: I remember talking on the MLB network about this.

00:30:15
Speaker 4: You know, at some point they were going to turn it around, and no one stepped forward. Seattle ends up getting playing so poorly that they met fire their manager. You know, the Rangers can't get healthy. So there's nobody really to compete out there, the Angel stink and the a stink.

00:30:30
Speaker 2: And so.

00:30:33
Speaker 4: I mean they step forward and they're starting to play. I mean they've they've got they've got champions there. They have people who know how to play and know what it is to be a champion. And and this is a great test. These next seven games, they are really important games.

00:30:48
Speaker 2: They're doing them at home.

00:30:49
Speaker 4: Hopefully they can play good, solid baseball like they did in the last couple of games, last three games. Other than the Taiwan debacle, the last three games, they've actually a little bit better.

00:31:01
Speaker 1: We'll be back on well Mill this week, maybe Wednesday. We'll answer some questions. If you want to send questions, we'll put out a tweet and respond to their Facebook Instagram shoot us a note if you want us to have any questions about the Phillies or you want any life advice, We'd love to give you some life advice.

00:31:18
Speaker 4: Yes, because we're lifers.

00:31:22
Speaker 2: We're lifeers.

00:31:23
Speaker 3: Don't come to me.

00:31:24
Speaker 1: Jim says, all right, guys, uh, we'll see you later.

00:31:29
Speaker 2: We'll see you later this week.

00:31:31
Speaker 3: Smelling later, boys, Jim.

00:31:39
Speaker 8: 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.

00:31:49
Speaker 1: Us a review, Tell a friend.

00:31:51
Speaker 8: Catch Reuben, Jim and Me on Phillies Nation TV, presented by Valley Forge Tourism. New episodes air an hour before every Saturday Phillies game on end AC Sports Philadelphia. Replays air throughout the week and on Philliesmation 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