What to Watch in the Second Half

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's Lucky. It's Friday, July nineteenth, twenty twenty four.

00:00:26
Speaker 2: It's the All Star break.

00:00:28
Speaker 1: Time to relax and kick back. Did you guys do anything fun over the All Star Break?

00:00:34
Speaker 2: Ruben?

00:00:34
Speaker 1: What'd you do over the All Star Break?

00:00:36
Speaker 2: I didn't really do much. Did a little WYP action. I did the radio little This All that I hosted with my man Jody Mack, who is a icon. I've been doing it for years and years and years, New York, Philly, everywhere. His dad was a GM and A and an executive for many many years, Mets, Detroit Tigers, etcetera, etcetera.

00:01:04
Speaker 1: Right, did you watch the All Star Game or catch any highlights or anything like that?

00:01:08
Speaker 2: Got some highlights? I watched a little bit of the game, but not very much, to be honest, because you know, I have a life. Jim, How was Jim? How was the All Star Game? For you?

00:01:19
Speaker 3: I just want to make a point about Jody Max's dad, Joe Joe McDonald, legendary former Mets GM and one of the nicest guys in baseball. If you've ever had an opportunity to meet him, it's kind of special to meet him. So I'd seen him around a ballparks a lot of times in spring training, very friendly. But one day I was after you guys, Rubin won the World Series in twenty eight, right before spring training, I went down and spent a couple of days with Charlie Manuel to do a series of stories just about how life is, life had changed and you know, being a world champion. And he was predictably great and funny, and I think we talked fishing. It might have went fishing. But one day we went for barbecue. We went to this place called People's Barbecue, you know, very southern, just kind of a dingy old pig stand, you know, a rib house, and we got some ribs and Joe McDonald was in there. So yeah, we bumped into Joe McDonald's many years ago.

00:02:25
Speaker 4: But that was a lot of fun.

00:02:27
Speaker 2: Joe McDonald used to go I'm still goes to games. I mean goes to games. He lives in Lakeland, I believe, So it was like he's always going to games. I always see him and clearly even to this day. I mean, I think he might be in his nineties and I still think they go into baseball game from time to time. It's crazy, man, he's a baseball He's a base talking about a baseball lifer.

00:02:49
Speaker 3: Holy he lives in the Lakeland area because of his time with the Tigers and Charlie being over in winter Haven. It's all kind of right there. But my All Star break, you know, I love the Star Game. When I was a kid, it was one of the highlights of my summer and I think I've covered about twenty of them. It's always stiflingly hot. I mean whenever your wherever it is, it's just always a thousand degrees. But anyway, I settled in to watch it on Tuesday night and I watched Corbyn Burns pitch the top of the first inning, and I watched Paul Skeins go out to pitch the bottom of the first and the power went out. We had a hallacious storm. Power went out, so I couldn't watch the game. And we're kind of recording here about forty nine hours later and I still have no power. But I was able to get the generator going and get the router going and get some lights, and we're able to bring to people what they want to Toddpod.

00:03:51
Speaker 5: Hey, but this is this is the second iteration of this pot because we tried to do it earlier with your phone. We try to had some real issues and and in fact, there was one part where Jimmy actually walked past the front of his of his phone and.

00:04:10
Speaker 2: He didn't know he was on. He didn't know it was Fortunately he was clothed, but it would have been a heck of a shot had he not, had he been a little short with his shorts. I was.

00:04:24
Speaker 3: I was properly attired. I haven't showered in a while, but I was properly tired.

00:04:29
Speaker 2: But that would have been a good That was a great comeback for all the things that I did to you in the locker room. Guys.

00:04:37
Speaker 3: Oh my god, it's so good, so good.

00:04:41
Speaker 2: So good. Yeah.

00:04:42
Speaker 1: I watched the All Star Game. The Phillies pretty showed up pretty well. All three guys, all the three infielders, got a hit, you know, Chris Sanchez through two pitches, two batters, Hoffman scoreless appearance, strong squirreless appearance. They did pretty well. So you know, now we're now we're now we're getting back to it second half coming up.

00:05:01
Speaker 3: I think my favorite image from the All Star Game. It's gotten so big.

00:05:07
Speaker 4: You know, and so like it's like it's like.

00:05:13
Speaker 2: A lot of popping, a lot of popping circumstance.

00:05:15
Speaker 3: Yeah, the red carpet and the clam of it all. But it was really cool to see Alec Bohm go down the red carpet with his mom and dad. That was you know, getting to the big leagues is a family affair. It's a it's a family journey. And I thought that was I thought it said a lot about him.

00:05:33
Speaker 2: He also had a very cool jacket on right that shot had this whole like the path to the major leagues, all the stops that he had, and had all the logos of the teams that he played for as he was matriculating through the system kind.

00:05:48
Speaker 1: Of high school all the way up to the big leagues all the way.

00:05:51
Speaker 2: And he really showed well in the in the really impressive great effort.

00:05:57
Speaker 4: That was greatly and it really came out.

00:06:00
Speaker 2: And the other thing that was really cool and shows a lot about what this team's about is like pretty much every single person that was there for the All Star Game for the Phillies they were all there to support them, all on the field, helping them, supporting them, giving them love, and that's a really neat thing and that's not the case for a lot of the other teams.

00:06:18
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think there were some other players that didn't have a lot of other guys there. So it does jump on And that really does tell you, right rubin that these guys are like legit close and pulled.

00:06:27
Speaker 2: For one another.

00:06:28
Speaker 1: And it is a really really good, real good clubhouse.

00:06:31
Speaker 2: Really unique and really cool, and it's it's a joy to cover them, but it's also a joy to watch how they interact.

00:06:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was pretty cool. I mean, so the kickoff. Phillies kick off the second half on Friday night against Pittsburgh. They're coming off this fantastic first half, sixty two wins, franchise.

00:06:51
Speaker 2: Record before the break.

00:06:52
Speaker 1: They've got I think they're tied for second in baseball and runs per game. The rotation has the best rotation in baseball. The bullpen had the third best era in baseball until Sunday and then they blew up and then they they're down to thirteenth now. But you know, the bullpen's been pretty good as well. Uh. Five storylines wait, we thought about this, some storylines to look for in the second half, and number one probably Zach Wheeler and Ranger Surez returning to dominance and easing any concerns about backs, back issues anything like that. How that number one maybe right right right at the top, right at the top.

00:07:34
Speaker 3: I gotta go number one there, because this is a team that's built on its starting pitching. Starting pitching is the bedrock of the team. And those are two hugely important guys that you've leaned on throughout the entire first half. You're gonna lean on in the second half. You're gonna really lean on in October. You know, the rotation leads the leads the majors in era. It literally is the best rotation in Major League based well I I you know, they the Philly say both of them mets and back issues, and I'm not doubting that. Probably a little twins or something, but I kind of look at this layoff for both guys as as load management, you know, necessitated by what we've seen with our eyes.

00:08:20
Speaker 4: Maybe a little fatigue.

00:08:22
Speaker 3: So I just want to see them come back next week in their first start back, and then subsequent starts just looking like outstanding major league pitchers again looking like what they were in the first half. I'm not so much worried about health, because I do think in a lot of ways this was load management. I just want to see them good again, and I think that'll put a lot of a lot of minds at ease, and from the front office down to the clubhouse, down.

00:08:49
Speaker 4: Up to the people in the seats.

00:08:51
Speaker 2: And I think I actually think that that Wheeler was still pitching pretty well. But there's you know, obviously, because he he mentioned that, you know, he had had some back issues for a few starts, that that was a little bit of concern. He wasn't I guess in his last three or four starts, not as dominant as he can be at times, but still really really good and still threw up quality starts. The guy that was concerning to me obviously was Ranger Suarez because of his last three or four starts jumps his era, I mean pretty pretty significantly and his ARA. I guess in those three or four starts around eight or over eight. That's not Ranger like obviously, not nearly as he was nearly as sharp as he was in the first part of the season. In his first you know, fourteen starts or whatever, thirteen starts, and because he was basically I mean automatic, and yeah, you get a little concerned about fatigue and arm, you know, the dead arm period and that sort of thing. I think that's sort of what Ranger was up against a little bit there at the end. He had never liked that many innings. He's never pitched that much. He'd never been really healthy from the beginning of the season or ready at the beginning of the season because the visa issues and health issues or what have you. Never really logged this kind of mileage, and so that was new to his body. I think that he probably had a little bit of a tweak in his back. He's had it before. I don't think it's major, but I do think his arm really needed to bounce back. He was pitching with a lot more effort than he was in the first part of the season, trying to make his pitches. You could see he was forcing the pitches into the trying to force the pitches into the strike zone, not nearly the same command with his breaking ball, change up in fastball, and it showed. And I am also hoping that he bounces back and has that sharpness to his stuff that he had in the first part of the season.

00:10:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, Ranger one hundred and fourteen innings. At the All Star break season he had sixty two. I think his career high was in twenty twenty two. He might have had eighty four innings at the All Star breaks. So he's way beyond what he's ever ever been before. So you get Wheeler going, you get Suarez going, everything starts to feel a little bit better about the health of the rotation. Number two storyline, maybe number two thing to watch is just just overall health. This is something that Rob Thompson talks about a lot. You know, you say, what are you concerned about?

00:11:25
Speaker 2: Rob? Right now?

00:11:26
Speaker 1: He's like, I just the health of my players. The health of my players. I got to keep these guys healthy. You're getting JT. Real Muto back. You know, you survive Trey Turner bing out, you survive the groin injury from Kyle Schwarber, you survive the hamstring injury for Bryce Harper, which wasn't super major. But just keeping these guys healthy, right, I mean, that's avoiding any traumatic, dramatic injuries down the stretch. Just going into the postseason at full strength. So I think you talked about load management, Jim. You know you're going to see a six man rotation later this season. At some point you might see maybe some guys down the stretch get a few more days off so they can go into the postseason healthy.

00:12:07
Speaker 2: How important is that?

00:12:09
Speaker 3: Absolutely vital because I think injuries are the only thing that can take this team down, and this team is really skilled at playing over injuries. Their reserve cores is tremendous. The way these guys step up and fill the breach when someone goes down. Be it Bryce Harper two years ago, be at Harper and Schwarwar this year, be a JT and Turner this year. The reserve, you know, the reserve players. The bench has been tremendous in you know, playing over those losses.

00:12:42
Speaker 4: But I think it has limits.

00:12:43
Speaker 3: I think you can only go to the well so many times, so I think the remainder of the year you need to avoid serious, lengthy trips to the il because I believe if you win this thing, you're gonna win this thing with the guys who are already here, even if they make additions at the trade dead lane, I think you have superstar talent up and down the lineup, you have experience in their prime talent up and down the lineup. You're gonna win with the guys that are here. Might be some nice complimentary pieces coming that will help, but the core guys that are here what's going to win you this thing. And you need them on the field, and you need them on the field in October. So yeah, health is to me a huge storyline.

00:13:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, at times, this is a war of attrition. One hundred and sixty two games is a lot in this day and age, with travel demands and so many things going on. I know that you know that load management phrase is, you know, a big catchphrase these days. But again, it's about making sure that these guys are on the field and performing at their highest level. And it's really about for me, it's really about peaking at the right time too, because this team is going to win the division, I do believe, And when they win the division, they're going to have to try to be playing the best baseball they can be because you know they're gonna have some time off, they may be getting a bye or so, so there's there's a whole other factor there that you want to make sure that these guys are sort of going on all cylinders at the right time, because that little break has nailed some teams and it'll be interesting to see how they handle that.

00:14:27
Speaker 1: Would you have done anything different or could anything Reuben in twenty eleven, you guys clinched so early, and you know you had that losing streak at the end. I mean, is that something that you look back on and you say, Man, if there's something we could have done differently to keep these guys sharp or you know, I don't know, maybe it was unpreventable what happened.

00:14:45
Speaker 2: Well, I just think there was more a in that situation. My feeling was it was a more an issue of the Saint Louis Cardinals just being so someer hop man. I just I just think that they're playing their best baseball at the right time, just like with the Phillies and two thousand and eight, we're playing their best baseball during the course of the of October. And so that's the reason why the Phillies won that World Series because there was some question about, you know, whether that was the most talented team in the game at the time. So it's really about being able to play your best baseball at the right time. I mean, the Phillies last year were the best team in baseball. They should have walked right over Arizona. They should have beaten up on Texas. I really believe in my heart of hearts it was a better team than everybody. But hey, this is when you get into those seven game, five games, seven game series, things can change.

00:15:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, Jim, you said you mentioned complimentary players maybe at the trade deadline. That's obviously something that everybody's We talked about it on Monday, trade deadline July thirtieth, twelve day, eleven days away. What are they going to do? Right handed bat? Do they get another relief pitcher in the late innings to compliment some of those guys back there, give give Rob Thomps a few more options? Do they go all in and trade some of the big guys right? I mean, you know, what do you what do you think? What's your initial thought when you try to predict what the Phillies are going to do?

00:16:13
Speaker 2: What should they do? Well?

00:16:15
Speaker 3: I hear that expression where they go all in all the time, and I just want to point out they are all in. They have a three hundred million dollar shortstop, a three hundred million dollar Firs Spaseman, one hundred million dollar right fielder, eighty million dollar DH, one hundred and fifteen million dollar catcher, one hundred and seventy million dollar number two starter.

00:16:37
Speaker 4: And Zach is that a lot of money?

00:16:39
Speaker 2: I'm just curious.

00:16:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, Zach Whiler has been starting next year. Zach Wheler for three years is forty three, forty three and forty three. That type of a financial outlay, to me embodies being all in.

00:16:55
Speaker 4: That said, I know what you're saying.

00:16:56
Speaker 3: Are they going to empty the farm system right for it to get them over the hump? I think they have a team that can win it right now, I really do. It's about performance. It's about staying healthy, about playing good in October, not running into a team that you know knocks you out or is super hot like Saint Louis was that year. But I also am not naive enough to think that a tweak here or an addition here or there is going to help. I like the idea of a right handed hitting bat to platune with Marsh. I think the combination of the right handed bat in Marsh is a pretty good player, and I think they will get a right handed bat in the outfield. I also think they will get a bullpen arm. I don't know if it'll be in the ninth inning, eighth inning, seventh inning. I think they will get both. I think Dave Dombroski knows that to get both of those pieces is going to take a good team and make it even better. So I expect action at the trade deadline. This thing hasn't even begun to heat up yet. We don't even know who the buyers and the sellers are. People are throwing stuff out there.

00:17:54
Speaker 4: You don't know.

00:17:55
Speaker 3: You know, we're talking about Oakland with Rooker and Miller. You know, to me that Miller, I'd love to see Miller here. I don't know if the Philly is gonna give up the four prospects it's gonna take to get him. But you know, I look at Washington. They got a pretty nice right handed bat and that Layne Thomas. They gotta they got a late game bullpen guy and Finnegan, uh they're you know the.

00:18:17
Speaker 4: Guy and Anaheims are pretty good bat, Taylor Ward.

00:18:21
Speaker 3: There are others, and I think as teams define themselves as a buyer or a seller, I don't know what's gonna happen in Boston I mean they were right in it. They they got their act together against the Phillies by winning that series, and they've been playing great, but they still haven't really indicated if if they're buyers or sellers, and you know management over there is kind of acted wishy washy all winter, So I don't know if they're gonna be if.

00:18:49
Speaker 4: They've even determined if their buyer seller.

00:18:51
Speaker 3: If if if they go south over the next two weeks, maybe they move somebody that could interest you, like a Tyler O'Neill.

00:19:00
Speaker 4: So I still think all of this.

00:19:02
Speaker 3: I think the the you know, the check and flag or whatever flag they start a race with the green flag, is it?

00:19:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, you think it's green flag.

00:19:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been waved yet.

00:19:12
Speaker 4: I don't even think it's been waved yet.

00:19:13
Speaker 2: On the trade deadline, well you don't think that Hunter Harvey was a little bit of a start. I mean you had South Kansas City jump up and go get him. That was that was one. That was one. We got one that we got into one lap.

00:19:26
Speaker 4: But okay, I rode a couple of Hey, let me ask you this. We had the draft the other night.

00:19:32
Speaker 3: They took a center fielder with the number one pick, and then they doubled down and got another good outfielder with their second pick. Do you think maybe they're adding outfield depth for maybe the departure of Justin Crawford or willingness to move with Justin Crawford.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: I think that conspiracy theory has been a little too Conspiracy theory is theory. I don't even know who the word. I think it's Is it possible that they can do that now? Maybe? But I don't know that that was the thought process going in. I can't imagine that would have been a top thought process. I mean, it's also it's very possible, I guess, but I don't think so. I think Brian Barber is one of those guys that's going to get the best player available. And he felt like position players early pitching late because there were so many arms out there that they could they could wait on some of the arms. And the position players are hard to find. Guys who can hit, Guys who can hit and have high ceilings, who can be, you know, really good offensive players. It's hard to find them. I mean, the average batting average right now is like two twenty or something like that, some ridiculous number like that. I don't know what the number is, but it's just a joke. So you got to get hitters, all right?

00:20:50
Speaker 3: Tell me you you you were Dave Debrowski's counterpotters, a GM. You worked for him in Boston. Is he going to do something? What do you think he's gonna do.

00:20:59
Speaker 2: I think he's to do something, and I don't think it's necessarily going to be a huge move, but I do believe that he'll address the bullpen and he'll address the right handed bat. Probably for me, I would think that the bullpen is a little bit more important. I know that it helps round out the you know, the offense. If you platune somebody with excuse me, a Brandon Marsh, I think that's that would be a perfect scenario. Again, you're getting a right handed bat in JT. Real Muto that you have not had, and so there's your right handed bat. I mean that's like making a trade. I mean that's as close to the tradeline type of upgrade as you can sort of get. I know, Marshawn did a pretty good job offensively, nice job defensively. I think Stubbs did a nice job. But they're not they're not J. Trow Muto, especially if JT gets hot and does some things that he can do offensively. I don't know if you're gonna get a better right handed bat than that on the market. I don't know if that exists. So here there's your right handed bat. That's where I think the real emphasis is going to be on trying to shore up that bullpen and making sure that Rob Thompson has as many weapons back there that he knows if he has to use Alvarado or Straw or even Hoffman early in the game, or mix and match guys in a certain spot to win a baseball game in a seventh or eighth, that in the ninth he's got another guy that can maybe get a couple of two or three really important outs as well. So that's where I think Dave de Browsei is gonna go. I do think that they're going to add I do believe that he's got that old school mentality. They's got to do something to improve this team. You heard Harper talk about it, how it gives him chills to think about what David Browse's gonna do. But I do, but I do, and I know I like the way he pushes buttons, But I don't know if I would have liked it, but that's what he does. But again, I think that Dave knows he was the game. He's been a champion. He understands the importance of what another little piece can can bring. And it doesn't have to be a huge one. It can be a small one. This team doesn't need a huge one. I don't think we did in certain spots. We needed a big arm, We needed a right fielder, we needed you know, we needed some arms at times to shore up our rotation. But but this team that doesn't have those kind doesn't have those gaping holes that you get that that make you worry.

00:23:38
Speaker 1: It reminds me of I was gonna say, it reminds me of two thousand and eight c C. Sabathia. Who's gonna get Ceciza Bath. You gotta get ceizabath You gotta get Ceisa Bathy. And I don't remember what you guys offered the Indians to get him, but obviously you fell short. And then you go out with go out and get Joe Blatton and it was kind of like, Eah, he's okay, But that was an upgrade. I remember Pat Gillick always used to talk about incremental upgrades. You can upgrade your team a little bit, even just a little bit, it's worth it. You get Jo Blattin and end up winning the World Series that year.

00:24:12
Speaker 3: Well, hey, Rubin, didn't you think a little bit about Manny Ramirez that year?

00:24:17
Speaker 4: Or was it one of those years?

00:24:19
Speaker 2: One of those years we talked a little bit about a lot about Manny. I think it was a year after that we talked a little bit about Manny. We talked a little bit about uh that one year we were we were talking about Beltran. I mean, there's a there's a lot of stuff going on. Bel Tran ended up being moved for Zach Wheeler. That's right.

00:24:43
Speaker 1: Woo, that's right, San Francisco, how about that?

00:24:47
Speaker 2: Uh so yeah, interesting stuff there. But you know, I think I do think that this team is a way more complete team. I think that that that an incremental, uh little incremental push would would boost the clubhouse a little bit and also boost this ball club.

00:25:06
Speaker 3: Yeah, you look at the stars they've brought in the last starting with Real, Mudo and Harper, but every off season they bring in stars and you know.

00:25:17
Speaker 4: They've been all in.

00:25:17
Speaker 3: It's it's really time to cash in and a little tweak hare of there, Phil a Hole could do Wanders Todd. If you can only do one the right handed bat or the reliever or what are you doing?

00:25:29
Speaker 2: Man?

00:25:29
Speaker 1: That's a great question. I just don't know who the right handed bat would be. But I I kind of have flashbacks to the postseason last year where I felt like Rob was a little short handed at times and he was kind of he kind of boxed himself in with the way were they were using guys and and who was available and who wasn't available, And so I think just to have another guy that he can go to and feel confident and is would be would be big.

00:25:51
Speaker 2: You're talking are you talking about the out of the pen?

00:25:54
Speaker 1: I'm talking about out of the pen? And and and I say that because I can't remember who were at this Sorry, might have been Scott Lawber at the inquiry broke it down and it's it's not I think a lot of people know this. In the postseason, cook for the starting pitchers is quick, so you're going to your bullpen a lot in the postseason. So I think having another quality arm, you know, if you're going to pull somebody in five and two thirds innings and now you know you're doing that a lot. You want to have an extra armor in there that you can really rely on and trust. So I would I think the arm to me would be a bigger difference maker.

00:26:26
Speaker 4: I agree.

00:26:26
Speaker 3: If I can only do one, I'm trying to get a stun gun arm.

00:26:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, Mason Miller, that's what everybody wants.

00:26:35
Speaker 2: That's if you want. Then you're having to give up both Crawford and Miller, or or Crawford and you know Painter or Miller and Painter. I mean, I just I love the arm. I he he only has eighty some innings pitched in his major league career. It's an electric arm, there's no question. And it's an arm that's got a U C. L issue. He started, they put him in the bullpen. He bitched well towards the end of the year. Last year, he's dominating. Now, I get it. I love him, don't get me wrong. But you got to think big pic small picture. You know micro and macro. In this day and age, you use micro macro guys. Okay, let's step it up.

00:27:23
Speaker 1: Let's let's step it up micro macro. I I failed my ape contest in high school. I took a p econ my senior year, I did not get a single college credit for I bombed out.

00:27:33
Speaker 2: So I still don't know what micro.

00:27:34
Speaker 1: Talk to me about micro and macro Please.

00:27:37
Speaker 4: I love I love maclarooons.

00:27:40
Speaker 2: That's good, especially now. They're way better now than he used to be. I mean, the nice little shell on the outside.

00:27:46
Speaker 1: Nice.

00:27:46
Speaker 2: Oh that's great, But.

00:27:48
Speaker 1: So uh, you know you talk about I think this is a moment right where the front office has to really know the players at the top of their system, right, I mean, if you if you really think Aiden Miller is going to be a superstar, or if you maybe have a little bit of doubt, I mean that's I mean, that's so important. I think at the trade deadline is really doing and self evaluating your own talent. So yeah, because if you really, if Dave Dombrowski true believes that, like Aiden Miller is going to be a star, superstar, and he thinks Andrew Painter's gonna come back and be an ace in this rotation kind of take over for Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nolan a couple of years. I don't know how you trade him for Mason Miller when you're already a very, very good team. But I guess if there's some doubts or kernels of doubt, maybe then you throw caution to the wind and trade him.

00:28:34
Speaker 2: I don't know. That's why they make the big bucks. That's why gas make the big bucks, because I mean, really, the self evaluation is so important. You know, I made I made some trades. I made a ton of trades, moving a lot of talent, young talent. Neil Corossco and maybe Darnault probably the biggest two. Hap ended up pitching very well. But guys that didn't kill you, Guys who weren't Hall of famers when they walked out. They weren't like perennial All Stars, but good players. But other than that, I mean, of all the moves that we made, those really were the three guys that had some impact in the major at least were good major league players. I just feel like, you know, prospects or prospects and et cetera, et cetera, but you really have to. I think that's one of the most important things is an organizations evaluate your own so that you're to make the right decisions down the road.

00:29:27
Speaker 3: It would be so much easier if the image in the crystal ball were to flash in neon lights. You really win the World Series if you do this move, because it's all about winning the World Series. And there's no executive that wouldn't make a move if he knew he was gonna win the World Series. But it's a it's a tough call, man. You're right, that's why they're in the big chair.

00:29:50
Speaker 1: Another thing to look forward, I think in the second half we're talking. We just talked about additions, trade deadline, we talked about keeping guys healthy. How about some how about some of those complimentary towards the bottom of the lineup just stepping up and showing up a little bit more. I'm talking about Bryce and Stott. I'm talking about maybe a little bit more consistency of Nick Castianos has actually played pretty well sincepin May. How about Sir Anthony Dominguez getting on track and staying on track. I think that would use a lot of concerns and that and if they do getting another bullpen piece and he steps up, boy, now your bullpen looks really good. So Stott, Dominguez, some of these guys again lower half of the lineup, that could really I think make a difference. And in the back end of the bullpen.

00:30:31
Speaker 3: All of the above. I mean, you nailed it with the names. They could use some more from every one of those guys, because the most important guys on this team are the ones.

00:30:43
Speaker 4: That are here right now.

00:30:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, if they could get a little bit more from that, from the guys who've produced at kind of the back third. If Stott can come alive like he was last year, what a boon that would be. Castianos has performed better, as we articulated over the last few weeks. If you can get a smidge more for him, and you can add some consistency, you take it. Dominguez is a huge one. He had a pretty good little run going and on Sunday he was behind everybody and he was throwing meat balls and they were hitting him into the parking lot. But they need more from him too.

00:31:21
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:31:23
Speaker 2: I'm a huge Bryce and Stott fan and have been from the very beginning. I mean, we have to remember this guy was a short step when they went to the World Series and he did he was like a you know, two hundred. But he's really improved. I think he's a much better hitter than he has shown this year. I think his mechanics have gotten messed up. I think that his thought process has gotten a little away from him. He's in between right now. He's trying to It seems like he's trying to hit the bottom of the ballpark, which is not his game. I think he's a gap to gap guy. He handles the ball. He at one point in his career, and I think he will do it again. He handled the ball away and drove the ball the other way with with some authority with base hits over there, and I just feel like he's gotten away from his game plan. He's not using that top hand like he was using last year, which he talked about a lot in the first part of the season and kind of carried it all the way through the season. I thought this was gonna be a breakout year for him. It's been a struggle, But I do know that there's plenty of baseball left for him to get to the point where he's a You know that the real Bryson Stott arises and comes forth, because I will tell you this. And they put j T up ahead of him, they put Castillano's up ahead of him in that lineup, and they slide or they you know, intermix those guys and Bryson Scott starts to swing it. You talk about length in your lineup, Holy smokes, that's something that's that the pitcher's just looking at the lineup, going who do I go? Who do I get? And so I think he is really important and a lot more important than just a just an extra guy. If he if he comes alive and becomes the guy that he will be eventually and can be Nelly look out National League.

00:33:14
Speaker 1: I mean he was hitting three hundred mid August last season. You talk about guys, can you still have a lot of time to play? Trey Turner can tell you that from last year he was. He was not very good until first weekend of August, and then he turned it on towards.

00:33:26
Speaker 2: Me maybe Bryce and Stottney's a standing up.

00:33:29
Speaker 1: There we go, there we go.

00:33:33
Speaker 2: Standing get him roll on, get it, get him rolling a little bit.

00:33:36
Speaker 1: And then the last thing I think it would be fun to watch. And the first four things we talked about it was all geared towards winning the World Series. This is all the only thing that matters with this team, you know, get into the playoffs, winning a franchise record regular season.

00:33:50
Speaker 2: If they don't win the World Series.

00:33:51
Speaker 1: No one's going to care. And this this last thing is not have anything to do with the World Series. But can Bryce Harper run down his third n L m V. That'll be a fun thing to watch in the second half. Ken Zach Wheeler, who came into the season. Remember spring training he says, I'm learning a splitter because I want to win a cy Young, which was awesome. You remember that I'm learning another pitch because I want to win a cy Young. Yeah, I love the honesty. Can that happen? And and then can Trey Turner get enough play appearances? He should if he plays every day by by September to qualify for batting title and be the first Phillies player to win a batting title since Weddy Ashburn in nineteen white that's crazy. Yeah, Bobby Bray on this team, you know, we thought I could win a batting title. Chase that only had a couple of years where he was hitting over three thirty. You thought he might have won a batting title. Hasn't happened since Whitey, So Harper, MVP, Wheeler, cy Young, Turner batting title. Those will be kind of some fun things to watch as this team gears up towards the postseason.

00:34:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, some great names. You look at Otawi, who might be the favorite right now for MVP. You just wonder if I mean he's DH would people take that into consideration. Where Harper's on the field every day playing first base. Yell, it's just having a good year for a contending team.

00:35:11
Speaker 2: Yep.

00:35:12
Speaker 4: So, uh, you know, I think.

00:35:14
Speaker 3: Right now Zach Wheeler leads the league in e er, but thing he's tied with Sale.

00:35:20
Speaker 4: That's gonna be a nice race.

00:35:22
Speaker 2: Uh.

00:35:22
Speaker 3: And I do expect Trey Turner to stay up there high in average. It's just if he gets enough at bats, right.

00:35:29
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think I had my colleague Paul Cassello, who's a whiz figuring out doing numbers, and he said, if he plays every day with the amount of bats the plate appearances he's averaging, by the end of season, he should clear the minimum, which the thing is like a five hundred and two plate appearances appearances, he.

00:35:47
Speaker 2: Should clear that.

00:35:48
Speaker 1: He should clear that by about seventy five plate appearances, so he should qualify.

00:35:53
Speaker 2: He should qualify.

00:35:55
Speaker 4: Harper thing, Oh, Tani could win the triple Crown.

00:35:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's nut. Yeah, Yeah, he's going crazy, and I was the one I was one pushing hard for. If somebody were to sign him, I would have signed him as a hitter. As a hitter, only put him in right field or d HM or do whatever. The whole pitching thing. Great, that's like gravy for me. But when you have this kind of a talent, you need to have this guy on the field every single day wheeling that poll because he can, because he can do some damage. Man, I mean, it's just it's super impressive. I mean, I know, I know it's great to have him on the mound and it's a wonderful story, But man, I would have just signed him to be a hitter. I don't know if it would have been seven hundred million, but I certainly would have paid him a whole bowtload of money to be just an offensive player.

00:36:49
Speaker 1: Did you hear what Otani?

00:36:50
Speaker 2: I think this is?

00:36:51
Speaker 1: After the All Star After the All Star Game, somebody asked him who impressed him the most while he was while he was in Texas this week, he said Bryce Hert impressed him the most, watching him how he prepares for the game and just watching him go about us into business. I thought that was kind of cool show. Heyo, Tony saying the guy that impressed him the most was Bryce Harper.

00:37:11
Speaker 2: Not surprised, So there you get surprised. He's a routine guy. Man, he's locked in. And let me tell you something. Bryce Harper is a hell of a hitter. I mean he is a hell of a hitter. I mean he drives ball the opposite way. He can pull the ball, he can hit the ball for power the other way. He can put the ball for power on the pool side. He can do a lot of things, and he can do it at the right time too. Man. He rises to the occasion. So it'll be fun to watch him try to run down that MVP. Don't count out Trey Turner for the MVP, yeah, because I will tell you, man, he'll get some he you know, he may end up with a top five if he continues to do the damage he's doing. Say he hits you know, fifteen more home runs to the end of the year. Yeah, you're starting looking at some crazy numbers now. Now he doesn't have the RBIs, but you got the stolen bases and both some stolen bases. Yeah, never know.

00:38:09
Speaker 3: Harper has been Player of the Month twice. Yeah, he might have a ridiculous second half. Oh yeah, you look at the way how good he's playing. He's healthy and he's such we call him the showman. He loves the center stage. And right now it seems like the Phillies are like the center of baseball, even more so than they were last year. Definitely more so than they were last They're like the center of baseball, best record, forty four thousand every night, you know, dominating their their town, dominating their their game.

00:38:47
Speaker 4: He might just feed off all of that spotlight in that glare and even take it to another level.

00:38:56
Speaker 2: I don't know, if you have it. It reminds me of Gary Matthews when he say hey man, when I was a batley he goes, he looked at me and goes, hey, it's time for the show.

00:39:06
Speaker 3: That is exactly what Bryce Harper is thinking every single night at time of the show, and he wants that ring more than anything.

00:39:16
Speaker 4: I don't think the m v P is uh. I think he likes that too. I think he's gonna he would not I don't.

00:39:24
Speaker 1: I don't think he would ever admit it, but especially if it's if it's like who's going to win it?

00:39:27
Speaker 4: Show?

00:39:27
Speaker 1: Hey, or Bryce Harper. I think that could keep him laser focused.

00:39:31
Speaker 2: You know. I think he would love that.

00:39:33
Speaker 1: He would love that challenge and try to running down the big guy and out in l aes.

00:39:36
Speaker 2: You think about it. I mean, he gets that third m v P man. The man's going to the Hall of Fame. Yeah, I mean, how could he not m v P. Yeah, he's probably there.

00:39:46
Speaker 1: Al Right, he's close, He's close.

00:39:48
Speaker 2: He's gonna get there. Yeah. That locks him. Yeah. Yeah.

00:39:52
Speaker 1: Well, so Philly's Pirates this weekend, it's gonna be Aaron Nola. It's going to open it up on Friday night, and then it's gonna be Chris saying Chez and Tyler Phillips Saturday Sunday. Rob Thompson did not announce which day.

00:40:05
Speaker 2: They will pitch.

00:40:06
Speaker 1: They will pitch the rest of the weekend, those final two games in Pittsburgh, and then some way, shape or form, Zach Wheeler and Ranger Soars will open up that three game series beginning Monday night in Minnesota. So we'll see how they line it up, see how it goes, and we will be back on Monday to talk more Phillies. Guys, Jim, I hope you get your power back on. You can take a shower before Monday.

00:40:30
Speaker 2: Please do, because I could smell if from here.

00:40:34
Speaker 3: Well that's a perfect segue. I will be smelling you guys later.

00:40:38
Speaker 2: I'm definitely smelling you. You guys.

00:40:47
Speaker 1: This is The Philly Show. If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Philly Show wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch us on our YouTube channel. If you like what we do, give us a review, tell a friend. Catch Ruby, Jim and Me on Phillies Nation TV, presented by Valley Forge Tourism. New episodes air and 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