No More Speed Bumps

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 Solecki. It is Wednesday, July tenth, twenty twenty four. We thought we would get together, fellows, because Bryce Harper came back last night, Kyle Schwarber came back last night. Seemed like a good time to get together and hash things out. Kyle Schwarber said before the game, hopefully it's the last little speed bump that we hit. And then in the fifth inning, Zach Wheeler leaves with a back issue, and then Johann Rojas gets plunked on the right forearm in the seventh inning. Both of those guys leave the game. Both of them talked after the game. Both of them seem to think that they will be okay. But let's start with the I don't know if he can say bad news, but Zach Wheeler leaves the game in the fifth inning with what the Phillies have called left lower back tightness. Concerned.

00:01:12
Speaker 2: Well, one of the things that made last night great. I know there were the two injuries that caused a little bit of concern. I think very minor concern. I don't think either were a big concern anyway. The atmosphere was great. Forty three thousand, another sellout and Wheeler comes right out ninety seven, ninety seven, ninety eight, strikes out maybe the best player in baseball in Otani, and the place grows crazy. I just thought Wheeler came out with a chip on his shoulder, and I thought he came out looking to make a statement against the shoe hey O'tani and certainly did it. And he kind of like the lit the wick on the M eighty that brought that ballpark alive. But to your point, you could kind of see him lose his release point in that in that was it the fifth inning, and uh, you know, he was up and into righties, was up and a way to lefties, and you know, kind of something that was up. Then you see sar AAnthony get up in the bullpen and he's out of there. You don't know if they're just conserving pitches with a big lead, and he uh, you know, he lets on a little lower back tightness and it's been bothered him a couple of starts, but he said he intends to make his next But I'm not real concerned. But if they opted to keep him on a tight LEAs Sunday, a short lease Sunday, or even opted to skip him, he doesn't think that's gonna happen. I would be fine with it because it has bothered him just a little bit these last couple starts. But it's Sack Wheeler. He's hugely important to what you're gonna do the rest of the way, hugely important to you know, he's gonna get the ball game one, uh in October. He's gonna probably get to you know, get the ball maybe game one of every series if they can line it up the right way. Such an important piece. You want him one hundred percent healthy, not ninety nine point nine nine nine. You want them one hundred percent. So whatever it takes to get him there, I think they need to look at it. But I'm sure a little bit of concern, but not not any worry, right, I agree.

00:03:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm not uh, I'm not like the panic boy, but but I do what concerns me a little bit. I've learned from Pat Gillick. There are two things that sort of bothered me a little bit with with pictures. It's their back obviously, their shoulders. But beyond that, with athletes, it's backs because they can be really tricky, you know, becomes a little bit of concern. A guy like Bryce Harper, he has to manage his back, you know. Cole Hamil's had to manage his back, you know, for for for years and years and years, did a really good job of that. So they can be tricky and they can sort of pop up any time, and so that's a little bit of a concern for me, and I think that I think it was really, uh, cautionary. It was a cautionary move for them to get him out of the game. They I mean, if it was a game on the line that was super important, he probably would have stayed in there and gutted it out, I would think. But the fact that he did mention it to them and he did feel like he got tweaked, that concerns me a little bit. That said, I don't think it's a big deal. It just has to be managed. And it will be very curious to see if he actually pitches on Sunday said he probably will and hopes he will, but who knows. Kind of depends on you know. I think the rest of these next maybe five games to see kind of where they stand as they move forward. If they continue to play decent baseball, they win a couple of games, they win this series in LA, then they might say, you know what, Skippy will just maybe'll skip him and let him have his full rest and start him fresh coming back from the All Star break.

00:04:54
Speaker 2: I would offer you talk about backs and being tricky. I don't for some wisdom that the philosopher Lenny Dykster wants shared.

00:05:06
Speaker 3: And he is a philosopher and he.

00:05:08
Speaker 2: Had a bad back. He said, back's a tricky dude because they're connected to everything.

00:05:13
Speaker 3: And he's right, it's so right.

00:05:15
Speaker 1: You know, he's he is indeed genius. I mean. The other thing they can do, guys, is coming out of the break is if they feel like they need an extra day with him or two, you could you could push him back. You know, you have him start on Sunday coming out of the break. You gave him start Monday coming out of the break in Minnesota if you felt like you needed more time. So they have some wiggle room there to keep him safe. But but Jim, you were right. That Otani at bat in the first inning, that was really cool. That was the sixth hardest pitch that strikeout pitch to Otani, So he definitely reared back and gave him a little bit.

00:05:47
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's no question in my mind that that I do believe that that Zach Wheeler has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder because he didn't get the cy Young. He should have won one and he got screwed. There there's no question in my mind that he got screwed. He should have been the cy Young Award winner hands down. I think that, you know, he's one of those guys that sort of feel semi disrespected. I don't think. I think people now understand who he is and how he can what kind of impact he has as a pitcher. I think that if I was going to take one picture to pitch a baseball game right now, it's a little bit like Kurt Schilling back in his when he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. I would take that man and put him on them out. And just because I've seen what he's done under those circumstances, I know what his demeanors like. I mean, I just love the way he goes about it, and I have a great deal of respect for him as he's built his as he's matured as a pitcher now over the years instead of being a thrower. And I think it started at the end of twenty eighteen. I've said it a million times. That second half of that season he was remarkable, and I think it put him on this path. And I do think that he wanted to show the world and set the tone like, hey man, here I am, here, I am, and here are the Phillies, and I'm setting the tone, and you know, the Phillies just took it from there.

00:07:19
Speaker 2: I also think, you know, he loves being healthy. Early in his career, he was a number six pick in the country, he was a huge draft pick, first rounder by the Giants. Ends up with the Mets, loaded with potential. I remember they were like dubbing it the billion dollar rotation up in New York with all those guys Gron Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Matts.

00:07:41
Speaker 3: And it should have been it should have been just electric.

00:07:46
Speaker 2: It really just you can't do what you you know you need to do when you when you're not healthy. I think he loves the fact that he's healthy and he can be that that guy. Finally, he pitches with edge. He's got a little ornery to him. You know, you got you gotta love that edge.

00:08:06
Speaker 1: He's got a little Yeah, he's definitely salted. You know what's funny is that Jeff Frankcour when he was on last week, said if I have to pick one pitcher in all Major League Baseball, I'm picking to start a game. I'm picking Zack Wheeler. I know, I was watching MLB Network the other day and they had some panel on saying we had to pick one guy to start a big game, I'm picking Zack Wheeler. So nationally he's getting that respect. But it is cool that he's still got that little chip on his shoulder of I want to win a cy Young I don't maybe you know I'm using that as fuel still. And again I'm going to pretend to perceive that I'm being disrespected or not acknowledged as much as I should be acknowledged. But I just want to mention this and then we'll we'll move on. So if the Wheeler thing is especially important because Tyler Phillips is now going to start on Saturday against the A's Michael Mercato, Robert Thompson explained that Brian Kaplan, their assistant pitching coach, pitcher director of pitching development in the mind leagues, they were already going to move Mercado back into the bullpen and Triple A if he had not been brought up, so they're going to make so they're going to start that transition now. Tyler Phillips is going to start on Saturday. So with Taiwan Walker on the injured list, with Spencer Turnbull on the injured list, now you start really getting into the depths of your your minor league pitching depth and in Triple A right now, your next man up probably be Kobe Allard who's on the forty men, Max Castillo who just came back. He's pitched okay since he came back from from clear Water, and Davy Buchanan who's now in the forty men. Mickabele, as we know we've talked about it, has not had a good year. It's not really an option at this point. So that's another reason why you want to keep Zach Wheeler healthy because you don't want to keep dipping into that dipping into that starting pitching depth. So something to keep an eye on going forward. If Zach doesn't start on Saturday. This back issue keeps flaring up.

00:09:52
Speaker 2: So they're looking to improve the bullpen. It looks like I think we all think they will do something in the bullpen at the deadline. They're throwing Mercado's name in there as a potential option for bullpen help in the second half. That's what it appears to be.

00:10:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think there's any question about that. And also, you know, all you got to do is look at the Los Angeles Dodgers to talk about, you know, pitching depth and where they stand, because that's really a separator I believe between the Phillies and the Dodgers. Now, the Dodgers, I think as a whole offensively, at least with the other guys, when Harper was out and Schwarber was out, JT's out, I think the Los Angeles Dodgers had the edge offensively. I do think that those guys back it sort of even things out. Maybe the Phillies are even a little bit better. I think the rankings sort of proved that out right now, that the Dodgers are a little bit better offensively at this very moment. But I think that will change as those guys get healthier and come back and start getting into their legs again. Think they're the La Dodgers bullpens just a touch better than than than the Phillies right now, not much, but pretty pretty much even. But the real separator is the Phillies over the Dodgers as far as the rotation is concerned, and the Dodgers have a real issue there. I mean, the kid who's gonna throw tonight in Stone, he's really stepped forward and he's pitching very, very well. He's a little bit like Christopher Sanchez in that regard. For the Phillies, it's gonna be a great match up today. But but you started looking at the guys. You know, the kid that through yesterday had a great year last year, but he's bouncing back from injury. Uh, they lost your eyes because he did his thing. They don't have Walker Bueller. He's really kind of struggling to get back off of Tommy John spent a couple of years now, it hasn't really become the guy I think he's now. He's got some kind of shoulder thing or something. You know, they don't they don't have young Moi though he got him down, they got her Shaw down. Well, you started.

00:12:01
Speaker 2: Lost yesterday, they lost class now he's not going to pitch on Thursday. Strike out leader in the league.

00:12:06
Speaker 3: Right, So you start and Glass now is a guy that you know, they put a lot of money into him, but the man hadn't pitched more than one hundred and twenty five innings in his whole career before they gave him that big number. So listen, they have talent, but they also have to stay healthy. And that's why I think it's so important to have pitching depth number one, and also to really take care of your starters because they're the most important part, especially when you get down to the playoffs. You need people who can win baseball games and keep your ball your ball club in the game. And you know, the Phillies have some really really good ones in Suarez and Nola and Wheeler, and you don't the guys who've done it, you know, and you got to keep those guys healthy.

00:12:53
Speaker 1: Before the game, Bryce Harper comes out and talks and Ruben, I don't know if you caught this. So Bryce is out there and says, yeah, I feel fine, but I'm not.

00:13:04
Speaker 3: I'm not.

00:13:04
Speaker 1: I'm gonna play it safe. I'm playing I'm playing it safe. And then I think it was Matt Gelb said, well, what do you mean by play it safe. He's like, you know, not throwing the cloak on, not throwing the cloak on, not going to be like, you're not going to be your superhero whoever, your caped Crusader of Choices, Superman or Batman or whatever. He's not going to do that.

00:13:23
Speaker 3: I think maybe he was referring to the invisible cloak. Did he know, oh that that could be.

00:13:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe that's what that is.

00:13:29
Speaker 3: Maybe that's what that is.

00:13:31
Speaker 1: Yeah. But then so then in the first inning, he hits this line drive shot to Freddy Freeman. Freddy misses it, clangs off his glove, and Bryce books it down the line. That's the fastest clocked time he has had all season. That is the fastest sprint speed he has had since July fifteenth of twenty twenty three, twenty nine point one feet per second. So I guess he put the cloak on there that one time. I bet you just knew that that's impossible for him. He's he just can't. If the moment arises he thinks he can beat out of play, he's gonna do it. It's tough for him to dial it back one hundred percent.

00:14:14
Speaker 3: I wonder what he doesn't he doesn't do he does not dial it back. I mean that that's that's the danger, and that's why you have to be careful. Like when he gets on the field, he's going to go if he needs to stretch a single into or double, or he needs to you know, die for a ground ball or whatever it is. I mean, he's instinctively going to do that. It's tough to have players back off. It's like taking your nine iron and saying, okay, listen, I can hit this one hundred and forty yards, but it's one hundred and thirty yards shot, and I'm going to back off a little bit, and then you end up shanking it, you know, to the other to the other fairway. I think it's really I think it's that's why it's so important. And Rob Thompson talked about a little bit last night. You know that's why that's why you gotta be careful because when they get on the field. I think a guy like Trey Turner may may not And you saw him when he was first came back. He was sort of cruising around the base paths. But a guy like Bryce Harper is a little bit like Aaron Rowan or you know, they're I don't know how any other way to say it. They're sort of balls out when it's time to be balls out, and so they're going to go play. And and so that's why you have to be pretty careful about certain guys when they when they decide that they're ready to go.

00:15:30
Speaker 2: Well, the explosion of that sprint confirmed he's one hundred percent and there was a lot of hand ring. Oh, they're bringing him back too early. I if I saw him on the field or he was activated, I knew he was one hundred percent healthy. Because there is no way Bryce Harper, Rob Thompson, Dave Nebraski, Sam Falls, Paul Bokheit, Steve Collin, the Phillies Baseball offs people and their medical people. We're going to sign off on that, including Bryce if he was If he was not, one had time on their side and the standings on their side. If he needed another day or two, they were going to give it to him. But like you said the other day, Todd, he slid aggressively into home play in Atlanta during his practice session the other day during a workout. I mean, come on, you know, he the guy is really good at messaging. I mean that was kind of his little message to everybody that I am healthy, I am ready.

00:16:27
Speaker 3: Death, no debt, no doubt. Hey, can we talk a little bit about the bottom of the lineup yesterday? And and Raffi Marshaan because I think that he.

00:16:35
Speaker 2: Is seven hits by he's.

00:16:37
Speaker 3: Pushing well, those guys seven for nine with like seven runs scored or something like that. But yeah, and I love the depth that it's created by having those guys back in the lineup. There's no question about that. But the thing that really makes me sort of wonder what's what the next step is is Rafael Mashan As far as the short as far as the catching situation is concerned, is JT's coming back. And JT may be coming back for the next series. I think he's really close. They may push him to the to the end of it. I know they're talked. That's what they've talked about and waiting for the All Star Game and that this one of the reasons they might do that is because Marshawn's played so well. But the question is who gets sent out? Because I think maybe we talked about this, Stubbs does have an option left and I didn't realize that he did. And so it's gonna be one of those balancing acts I think, you know, do you take the best player, because right now I think the best players are off al Marshawn. If you look at the totality of what he brings to the table, and or do you really worry about it changing the clubhouse in some way, shape or form, because he's a big part, you know, Stubbs is a very big part of that clubhouse. It's going to be an interesting It's a great problem to have, but it will be interesting to see how it goes well.

00:18:05
Speaker 2: You know, I think the variables are when JT comes back, I mean, you know, are you going to cut back on his time? Would marsh on? Would the backup be getting more time? Or is it going to be, you know, business as usual for JT's going to catch you know, the vast majority, and the backup is going to get maybe a day day game after a night game. I and we said this, I said this to I lean towards sending him to Triple A. Who if JT has to go down again for ten days or a couple of weeks, I'm bringing march On back, and I'm installing him as the regular or the bulk of the playing time guy, and I want to keep him sharp and I want to keep him ready. And I'm telling him that that you know, you you're our number one backup catcher, but you just happen to be sixty miles up the road staying sharp. And I do think Stubbs has a real benefit in the clubhouse. So you know, that's the way I would go right now. But all bets are off. If they're going to really ease jt in and he's only going to catch maybe fifty percent of the time for two weeks or three weeks, at that point, I'm probably going to keep march On. And they haven't revealed their plan, nor would they. They keep that stuff really close to the vest. But you're right, Marchrono was so impressive, Rubert Todd. He I mean, he attacked two balls, He pulled two balls down down the right field line where he just attacked the ball, and that just shows so much confidence. And then there was another time he kind of fills one down the left field line. He's on base all night, He's using the whole field. You know, he's catching a really good game with Zach Wheeler, and it appears it's not easy to win Zach Wheeler's trust, but it appears he has.

00:19:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, he has.

00:19:46
Speaker 1: It was Garrett Stubbs that since the end of May he's batt in two seventy six. I know he's really struggled earlier this season. So if they do bring JT back and he does get the bulk of the playing town, I also think they would keep Stubbs, send Marshan down, and Rob is great at that messaging. He told Cody Clemens the same thing. He had a great message to Cody Clemens and why they sent him down as opposed to maybe keeping him up and having some easily listen, not enough playing time for you. We want you to go down there. You're going to play outfield every three or four days or every four day or four days a week and just really try to pump him up and make him feel good and making him feel like he's going to come back. I feel like, you know, Rob, if they do send Marshan down, he would give him a similar message where it's like, listen, you're our guy, don't worry, and you'll be back at some point. If we need you, and you know, keep playing hard.

00:20:37
Speaker 3: Yeah. I think sometimes when you get sent down as a player and you've done well, it doesn't make you feel any better necessarily because you're going from heaven to hell. I've been there, done it. I did in ninety three when we needed a picture. I think Paul Fletcher came up and it ended up costing me like ten thousand dollars, a lot of money back then. But I got sent out just before because we had too like active like a rain date and then like back to back, you know, thirteen in jobs, and we ended up going to like eleven pitchers or something. Imagine that, going to eleven pictures and I got sent down and then I didn't feel any better. But I went down having played well and I won a couple of games. And so I think your demeanor seems to be better, and the messaging is important, and I think you're right. But you make a great point, Jim. If the guy's only playing fifty percent of those games, if Jat's playing fifty percent of the games, maybe Marshaan states that said, I do believe that they that may be the reason why they wait all the way to the end of the All Star break to bring him back, because I think that they probably want him to catch ninety percent of the games and have you know, stuff, to go ahead and do what he's doing, and that again gives them license and or meaning to sending Marshaan back and just letting him get stay ready in case he's got to do the bulk something else happens and he's got to catch more and more regularly.

00:22:05
Speaker 2: Just wait until the end of the All Star ring. He's too important. Let him really get his feeter. It's only a month. He's only a month out of the surgery. I think. I think he's two days shy of a month. So if he goes to the end of the All Star bring, it's gonna be just over five weeks, which is really a good quick recovery. I mean they said about a month. To me, five and a half weeks is still about a month. Give him the time. You got this lead. He's crucial, and you know on Game one sixty two his season is just starting. Give him the time.

00:22:38
Speaker 1: We didn't really get into Kyle. Kyle Schwarber had a great game to last night, getting him back in the leadoff spot. He hits the that single single to right center field, and the second inning scored a couple of runs walks to set up the bases, set up the Grand Slam for Trade Turner. It's you know, it's amazing. You get Schwarbe back and Harper back. That lineup looks a whole lot different.

00:22:59
Speaker 2: He tried to he tried to take Kiki Hernandez to Center City. He popped it up and you can see them giving each other a little resin on the field.

00:23:10
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:23:10
Speaker 1: Sure, I don't think Schreber was too happy that he popped up there. He's telling you he missed he missed one, he missed one.

00:23:16
Speaker 3: No, but he got a huge two out, I mean, and base it. And and that's the beauty of what Kyle Schwarber. It's a perfect example instead of a microcosm of this season because he's not necessarily trying to drive the ball out of the ballpark. He's utilizing the middle of the field, something he wanted to do all off season, thought about it. Wanted to have a better at batting average, wanted to be a more complete hitter getting his base hits. And that was a perfect example. He just drove that crap out of that one to the middle of the field and right through the infield.

00:23:47
Speaker 1: We'll get into this maybe some other time, but sounds like the rehab assignment is dead.

00:23:52
Speaker 3: No doornail, it's.

00:23:56
Speaker 1: Deader than a doornail. If you're a veteran, was some big league time, I I ain't gone on. No rehab assignment ain't happening.

00:24:03
Speaker 3: They could try to, They could try to simulate as much as possible that those boys aren't going down there. They're not buying any steak dinners for the boys anymore.

00:24:13
Speaker 1: They almost should just send some. They almost should despuy a spread for old times, like just say, I'm not down there, guys, but I am thinking of you, thinking of.

00:24:22
Speaker 3: Your wedding and uh, you know in wedding and Lehigh Valley. Yeah, we'll take care of you guys, exactly. Well, a couple of big steak dinners.

00:24:30
Speaker 1: Sent with love. Trey Turner, Kyle Schwore, Brett Starber. You know, so I want to wrap this up. This episode is brought to you by Shy Vintage Sports. If you're headed to the Phillies A's game this Saturday, be sure to check out Shy Vintage Sports is ten anniversary tailgates starting at one pm and the end lot. The end lot, they have a bus full of Philadelphia A's memorabilia on display, along with a brand new tailgate ale beer Brute especially for the occasion. So come celebrate Shibes ten years of reviving Philly sports history and create a little of your own. Find more info at shibe sports dot com. They have their own beer. Shipe Sports has their own beer.

00:25:11
Speaker 3: For this event.

00:25:13
Speaker 1: And you know Franski and La have their own beer through conch Hock and Brewing Company.

00:25:18
Speaker 3: And now I'm wondering.

00:25:21
Speaker 1: When are we going to.

00:25:21
Speaker 3: Get our we next?

00:25:24
Speaker 1: Does somebody want to bru Us beer? Because I will very.

00:25:27
Speaker 3: Happily get on board.

00:25:30
Speaker 1: The three of ours, the three of our heads on a can of beer.

00:25:34
Speaker 3: I mean, come on, we can't miss.

00:25:36
Speaker 1: Let's can't miss, can't miss? All right, guys, Well, thanks a lot. That was fun. We will be back again later this week to wrap up the Dodger series and preview this city series, this former city series as Phillies.

00:25:49
Speaker 2: Smell you lated, guys, smell Jim.

00:25:57
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00:26:06
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00:26:09
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