Changes coming? Phillies need a shakeup following 1-9 stretch

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hi, this is Zach Wheeler.

00:00:04
Speaker 2: Welcome to Phillies show.

00:00:07
Speaker 3: Ubin tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury Todd z A lucky It's Monday, June ninth, twenty twenty five. Gentlemen, I hope you guys are doing well today. Good have a good weekend other than outside of the.

00:00:22
Speaker 4: Baseball better than the fightings.

00:00:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, better than the fightings, that is for sure. The Phillies gets swept in Pittsburgh this weekend.

00:00:31
Speaker 2: It's the first time.

00:00:32
Speaker 3: I mean, there's so much to unpack here about what's going on right now with the Phillies. It's the first time the last place Pirates have won three games in a row all season. The Phillies have lost five straight. They've lost nine out of ten. I went back and looked. The last time the Phillies have lost nine out of ten games was June twelfth, the twenty third, twenty nineteen, the game that they won in that stretch, Just to give you a little perspective on how long it's been. The relievers that came into that game were JD. Hammer, Juan n Cassio, Jose Alvarez, du Briy Ramos got the win, and Hector Narris got the saves. So it has been a long time since the Phillies have had a bad stretch like that. And we talk all the time how every team's going to have stretches, bad stretches. Every team's going to have slumps offensively, every player is going to have struggles. But it's been a long long time since the Phillies have played this bad for this long. They are now thirty seven and twenty eight. They're four and a half games behind the Mets. They're only one game up on the Cardinals for the third wild card. You know, you think about it, that day that they got the day that they split the Braves and that doubleheader on May twenty ninth, they were thirty six and twenty they had the best record in the National League, and they had a two game lead over the Mets in the National League. So in ten days they've lost six and a half games in the standings to the Mets. Can't get much worse than this, chim No.

00:02:05
Speaker 4: You can't. And I was gonna point out they've lost seven and a half games in fifteen days. I mean that's a you know, that's a free fall. They've been you know, one and nine the offense has disappeared. You know, it's it's hard when you you know you don't have Wheeler in this stretch. He's, you know, highest paid single season salary of any starting pitcher in Major League history. You don't have Harper, three hundred and thirty million dollars. You don't have Nola, So you're missing some some big guns. And you know, offensively, you're basically looking at two guys, Turner and Schwarber. And Schwarber's kind of in one of his in a little bit of a rut, which he's allowed because he's been so good, because he's human, because it's baseball, and that happens. But you know, when you have two hitters and one of the main hitting, you know they've lost. They've scored one run in four of their last five games. I mean, you've gotten some pitching here and there, and know Lozardo's struggle, but they've they've gotten some pitching, especially the last couple of days in Pittsburgh. This is just an ugly stretch that they have to pull themselves out of, and it's it's not going to be easy when your best player, Bryce Harper, we don't know when he's going to be back back on the aisle or on the ile. We don't know when he's going to be back. I'm very in troubled that he just had six days off because he could hit in the elbow and and and that didn't calm his wrist down, and now he had to go on the ale. I don't know. Just the ugly weekend in Pittsburgh, Groo, when you were there, how ugly was it?

00:03:33
Speaker 1: Well it wasn't pretty, There's no question about that.

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Speaker 5: But you know, I think there's so many different things that are happening sort of at the same time.

00:03:41
Speaker 1: You know, there are getting some like you know.

00:03:44
Speaker 5: Offensive like quote unquote production from Boem and Casillianos, but it's not run production. They're getting some hits, but they're not driving the ball, they're not hitting the ball for extra base hits. They're getting literally almost nothing until you know, Marshawn and marsh hooked up yesterday on Sunday afternoon to produce one run for you know, the Phillies against Schemes. That bottom of the lineup has been really, really bad.

00:04:14
Speaker 1: I mean it just really has been non existent.

00:04:17
Speaker 5: And uh and and you know, Bryson Scott has not stepped forward since you know, uh, it's been a very it's a tough month of May for him and a tough early part of the June, and uh, you know, he really hasn't moved forward. I'm not sure what the deal is, but you know what he was doing in the early part of the season getting on base, and you know, he's still seeing pitches and that sort of thing.

00:04:40
Speaker 1: He's just not producing.

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Speaker 5: Bass hits and h scoring runs and doing what you need to do at the top of the lineup.

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Speaker 1: So it's a bad combination of things right now.

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Speaker 5: And you know, Jimmy mentioned that Schober's gone a little uh, it's gone a little cold.

00:04:54
Speaker 1: But again, he can't carry the entire team.

00:04:57
Speaker 5: Other people in this team, in this lineup who have to do the damage. You know, I think there was a downer when Lozardo had his two outings. I think that that that brought that that had a sort of a domino effect on some some things. By and large, the rotation has really pitched well. I mean, those starting pitchers have done okay well. Christopher Sanchez and Able pitched well in his you know, in his two outings that he's thrown. So you know, I think the starting pitch is pitching is certainly its strength, but they are not getting any offensive.

00:05:36
Speaker 1: Production at all. When you and you.

00:05:38
Speaker 5: Lose Harper in the middle of it, that even though he's gone, they should still be producing runs and they're not doing it. I would not be surprised. I mean, you're not getting any production on a centerfield and left.

00:05:53
Speaker 4: Field basically got your second base.

00:05:56
Speaker 5: And your second basement is not doing a lot either, So you've got three positions where you're talking about dead outs right now. And uh, and that makes it difficult, you know, to to produce runs if you know one of your big boys aren't are sliding backwards. You know, Trade Turner's like the only guy who's been super, super consistent. Casianos is getting his hits, but but there's sometimes a lot of times when he gets his hits, nobody on Uh, you know, he's not driving in runs or scoring runs because the guys behind him are not doing very much. So you're not getting the kind of run production that's really necessary to to be sustainable and uh, and that is concerning, and I do think that, uh, that's something a change is going to be made. I know that they've avery brought out of camp. It was nice to see him get an opportunity. He's not going to be instant offense, but it might inject some life. And and he had a you know, a couple of tough days against a top you know, a couple of tough, tough pitchers.

00:06:58
Speaker 1: But I think he's gonna get a chance to play.

00:07:02
Speaker 5: And uh and you may see him float out to the left field at some point when.

00:07:06
Speaker 1: Harper gets back.

00:07:08
Speaker 5: And you may very well see Justin Crawford sometime soon and that that, and once he's healthy, I think he's got a little bit of a.

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Speaker 1: Quad thing going on right now.

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Speaker 5: He was out of the lineup for a couple of days, but I think Dave Nembrowski was down there watching them in in Charlotte, and uh and I got to believe that some point sometime pretty soon, And Jimmy, you talked about it, you know, the possibility of injecting a little bit of energy just for a guy just to make some contact and try to create some things and maybe steal a base and score a running.

00:07:41
Speaker 1: You may be seeing Crawford sometime soon.

00:07:43
Speaker 4: He gets like two hits a night, but he is out of the lineup now. He hasn't played in what three days, I think, and you've talked about it. We've talked about bringing him one. You know that you have to know that he's mentally ready because this is just an entire early different level here. But a point you've made a number of times, Ruben. You don't want to bring him when the balance of the team is struggling, so it feels like he's got to do too much or carry or change the tom You want him to kind of blend in. So it's it's a little bit rocking a hard place.

00:08:17
Speaker 1: You know, you got the injury.

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Speaker 4: You don't want him to You don't want to bring it when everybody's struggling. But it's getting close to taking a look time. So it's interesting.

00:08:26
Speaker 3: So, yeah, Rubin, you mentioned a change, So what do you think is the most likely change? So Rob Thompson after the game on Sunday was asked, you know, is it time to call a team meeting?

00:08:37
Speaker 2: He said, you know? Maybe?

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Speaker 3: He was asked, is it time to make a change to the lineup? He said, maybe. I've been thinking about a lot of things. If you had to put your money on the most likely thing that happened, we mentioned justin Crawford coming up a roster shake up. What do you think is the most likely thing? Do you think they need a team meeting? Everybody loves to talk about team meetings, right we you know, we know that in baseball you got to get the boys together and start throwing some stuff around and rallying the troops. What do you think is the most likely thing to happen this week or in the in the next couple of weeks.

00:09:12
Speaker 5: I mean, a team leading meetings possible, but it may have to come from the team itself.

00:09:17
Speaker 1: I think it's anytime. Uh, you know, those things are sort.

00:09:20
Speaker 5: Of staged that I don't think they're it that's sort of happened organically and from within. I'd rather have it come from the players than than from the manager, to be honest with you, up and think they they hold a lot more water. I don't think they're not trying to play hard. That's not the issue. They're just not hitting and and I think that there's a difference between not wanting to play hard and not hitting. I don't think there's any issues with these guys trying trying to do well. They're not just you know, packing it in they've run up against some some decent pitching, but they you know, they just need to be better. This is part of the game that they you know, they have to they have to strap it on and just play better. And and and as far as like to change his concern, I mean, I think the biggest change is to go ahead and let Turner be in the leadoff slot. Just leave them there.

00:10:14
Speaker 1: I think that's one thing that that he might consider.

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Speaker 5: The other thing you might consider is if you don't bring Crawford up, maybe just go ahead and go with Johann Johann Rojas. And center field, Uh, Brandon Marsh has been having some struggles with like just balls in the air that are short. He hasn't been covering the ground as a center fielder. He made one good, very good catch against the wall and I guess in right center field that was a that was a big catch. But I think he's been struggling a little bit defensively and uh, and I think it's hurt them on some occasions. And I think that that's gotten to the point where they may just say, you know what, let's just getan Rojas a chance to play. And if that doesn't happen, then they may very well bring Crawford. I don't know what the subsequent moves going to be, but they might shake some things up because you know, it's it's obvious they're not getting things done.

00:11:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, Sosa struggled on the last film. Stand sorry Todd, no go ahead. But do you think about I mean, he's so streaky, you know, but when he's good, he's pretty good, and he's pretty Uh, he's like an accelerant, you know, he helps, he lifts everything. Do you think about giving him a little run at second base? Right he's and lefties, I don't, uh, not for me.

00:11:27
Speaker 5: I think that they'll probably going in a tune situation with the way they're swinging, because Sosa has not been swinging it all that well either. And so to me as a complimentary type player, and uh, and I do believe that he's really really good at at the job that he typically does. When he plays more, you know, I don't think he's as productive. I think he's a he can add. He's a value act. There's no question about it.

00:11:52
Speaker 1: You know.

00:11:52
Speaker 5: I love the way he plays. I love his energy. I love he's just been struggling him too. And so you have a whole bunch of guys who just aren't having putting together good at bats and uh, and that's problematic when you have that many guys go cold at this sort of at the same time, and you're just not getting any production at all from the fifth or fifth in or on.

00:12:14
Speaker 1: You know, JT's JT's got a couple of hits.

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Speaker 5: He's you know, bouncing back from that injury, the growing injury, and you know, he hasn't really been as offensively productive as he's been in the past. So so you know, when you get past that that fifth hitter in the lineup right now, it's it's sort of dead water right now.

00:12:33
Speaker 3: And that's been more than just this these last ten games. Has kind of been a season long thing for some of those spots. I mean, Scott was was really good up through the end of April. Now since the beginning in May, Bryson stot is batting one ninety with a four ninety six OPS in his last thirty two games four ninety six OPS in his last thirty two games. Philly's second baseman the season, hitting a combined two sixty two six ninety two OPS, has thirteenth to Baseball Now here's kind of where it gets batty and talks about you talk about the bottom third of the lineup, bottom, you know, bottom four spots in lineup. Phillies left fielders this season, Kepler, Wilson, mostly right, are batting a combined two oh four with a six seventy two OPS.

00:13:17
Speaker 2: And they're platooning those guys.

00:13:19
Speaker 3: It's not like Kepler's facing a bunch of left handed pitching and you know they're playing the platoon advantage. That OPS six seventy two OPS by Phillies left fielders is twenty first in baseball. Let's go to center field now, Brandon Marsh and Johann Rojas are hitting combined two twenty three with a six oh two OPS. That's twenty sixth in baseball. So that's where people start going. Justin Crawford, but I agree with you guys like the hamstring issue right now, you know he's do you want to bring them up if he's got a hamstring cramp the last few days, missed a few days, Maybe you don't want him to go out there and push too hard, blow himself out. You don't want him to go up and feel like he has to save the team, which is kind of I feel like that would be a natural reaction for him if he if he got called up Right now, J T. Real Muto is betting two twenty three with a six forty seven OPS each would be career lows. Phillies catchers are hitting it combined two twelve with a six twenty nine OPS, which is twenty third in baseball. You know, since May one, those four positions combined are betting two oh six six fourteen OPS. Only the A's and Rockies are getting worse production from those four positions than the Phillies.

00:14:30
Speaker 5: So I have to say this about Max Kepler, and when I saw him in spring training, I really liked to swing. Like the way they started off the season, he just looked like he was in a good position to have success. I'm not sure if he's I don't know whether he feels uncomfortable not being in a you know, being in a platoon because he's never really platooned and now he's, you know, in the last year or so, that's you know, he hasn't had the sort of production that he's had in the past. I was just I'm just surprised that the hasn't been more productive as a hitter just from what I saw in the very beginning of the season, during the course of the spring. But hey, this is what happens sometimes, and he's not getting it done, and.

00:15:10
Speaker 1: There's a lot of guys. But there's a lot of guys.

00:15:12
Speaker 5: I mean, he sit there and okay, I'm going to point the finger at this guy, and this guy's it's.

00:15:17
Speaker 1: Sort of collective in a lot of ways.

00:15:18
Speaker 5: There's only really a couple of guys really having the types of years that you would expect, and that's Schwarber and Turner and beyond. Even Bryce Harper has been in sort of fits and starts too, hasn't been the Bryce Harper that you would expect. So when you only have two guys really getting it done at a really super high level, and Castianos is probably as far as getting hits is the most consistent.

00:15:45
Speaker 1: Boe almost bounced back a little bit. But you're just not getting a lot.

00:15:49
Speaker 5: Of the slug and production and run production other than from two guys, and that's not going to be able to get it done in a lineup that needs nine hitters.

00:16:00
Speaker 4: You mentioned a platoon that maybe it doesn't sit well or Kepler might be having tough time adjusting to it. You don't want to be in a platoon. Go out and have about two two and a half three good weeks and force their end.

00:16:14
Speaker 1: To play a play by producing no question.

00:16:19
Speaker 3: And that's the same thing with Start to Everybody. You know, everybody wanted start to uh to play every day, but including me.

00:16:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, we talked about it.

00:16:28
Speaker 1: I believe in this kid, and I should have.

00:16:30
Speaker 4: Been every day.

00:16:31
Speaker 5: But but but he hasn't. He hasn't been getting it done, and it needs to change because you know, they all need to be better.

00:16:39
Speaker 4: Platoons are usually a default setting because something's going wrong in the attempt to play the guy every day.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: Right right, we we'll be right back.

00:16:51
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00:17:01
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.

00:17:01
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00:17:15
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00:17:17
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00:17:22
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00:17:23
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00:17:53
Speaker 3: Guys, we're going to challenge you right now because it is Monday, which means it is time for Manco and Manco Best Week. Never had somebody never has there been a Manco and Manco like this one. No, this is gonna be I don't think anybody had this in mind when we decided to do Manco and Manco Best Week. Manco Manco Best Week, of course, because Manco Manco is the best of the best. Is where we pick our best Phillies player play, performance, whatever we choose from the past week.

00:18:29
Speaker 2: I have somebody in mind, but it's a little bit good.

00:18:34
Speaker 3: There's not really much on the player side, so I was gonna say Otto Camp getting promoted to the big leagues finally, a long journey to the big leagues. A great story for those that don't know. He was undrafted at a Division two point Noma Nazarene University in twenty twenty two. You know, you think about guys getting being undrafted, signing as undrafted free agents and then making it all the way to the big leagues and hit at every level, and so it's nice to see auto Camp finally get that opportunity to get that call and join the Phillies this week. And who knows where it goes. Maybe he starts seeing some time in left field. I don't know, you know, maybe he gets a little bit of playing time here as the teams as the team struggles. But a cool story for the Phillies and a great story for Auto Camp. I mean you go from I mean he's talked about this not being drafted, going I don't know, like do I, how does this work? Do I do I sign with somebody? Like my baseball career over He signs with the Phillies Boom. A few years later he's in the big league. So outo camp manco Manco best week.

00:19:38
Speaker 1: That's a great one.

00:19:39
Speaker 5: And uh and I will say I got a chance to talk to him a little bit.

00:19:43
Speaker 1: I didn't talk to him a.

00:19:44
Speaker 5: Whole lot during the course of spring training, but I got a chance to chat with him, just briefly.

00:19:50
Speaker 1: And I congratulate him. He is a wonderful.

00:19:52
Speaker 5: Kid, just a really really good kid and effort that from other people in the organization. Grinder plays hard, runs pretty well. He's not, you know, not necessarily a base dealer, but he's stole some bases over the course of his career. Had eleven bags I think, and only two caught stealings so far this year in Triple A.

00:20:11
Speaker 1: But he does some.

00:20:12
Speaker 5: Things back to the ball, has some power opposite way. He can do some things offensively. Now will it translate into the major leagues, I don't know, but it's nice to give him an opportunity. It's a great call toalk who.

00:20:26
Speaker 1: Got you boy?

00:20:28
Speaker 4: It's a tough one. I might go with Teed Davis, Ben Davis's son point. That's a nice college.

00:20:37
Speaker 1: They're going to a College World Series.

00:20:40
Speaker 4: Slugging first basement from the University of Louisville, headed to Omaha for the College World Series. But you know, how about Mick abel Uh?

00:20:48
Speaker 1: You know, good one, great good outing in.

00:20:50
Speaker 4: Toronto, second big league start, just opening some eyes and continuing what has been really good turnaround season where I think obviously he's shown a lot of physical ability, but you knew you knew he had that when he was the first round pick. I think he's just shown a lot of a lot of moxie and a lot of character, digging himself out of a really difficult season last year, putting himself on the back, on the back on the map, and becoming a legit contributor.

00:21:21
Speaker 3: So I go with mckabele hasn't walked the matter yet.

00:21:25
Speaker 2: That's amazing.

00:21:26
Speaker 5: That is an amazing that's the most amazing thing. I mean, he's handled himself with great poise and great maturity. Another wonderful kid, super signing. You know, I'm gonna go with Christopher Sanchez, man. I think Christopher Sanchez has really thrown the ball well, and he deserved to win the baseball game yesterday against Paul Skins, and it was a really terrific game. He picks up the l because you know, they threw him out there to try to get O'Neil Cruz out there, which made sense and was the right thing to do. He had handled O'Neil Cruise so well. He looked made him, I mean, arrest the guy for three at bats and then he walks him on four straight pitches. But I mean sixty seven strikes h in his last down seven innings, two runs, two walks in nine nine punch outs, and then you know, the game before he didn't have his best stuff, but he kept them in the game.

00:22:20
Speaker 1: So he's backed up, you know, two pretty damn good.

00:22:22
Speaker 5: Games against Toronto and Pittsburgh that probably deserved you know, he did win that game, but probably deserved to win two games. And I'm going to stay with Christopher Sanchez as my manco Benko best of the Week.

00:22:40
Speaker 3: We challenged ourselves and we came up with it.

00:22:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, we did fed Ranger and Ranger Suarez. He should get a He should also get a hitch.

00:22:48
Speaker 5: Well again, he pitched really really well also, and he deserves an an honorable mention as well.

00:22:55
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:22:56
Speaker 2: All good choices, All good choices.

00:22:57
Speaker 3: Jim, you mentioned something at the top of the show.

00:23:02
Speaker 2: About Bryce Harper his wrist.

00:23:05
Speaker 3: And I thought I had the same thought that came in my head.

00:23:07
Speaker 2: I was like, wait, wrist.

00:23:09
Speaker 3: He just missed you know, five games six days and he plays three games in Toronto, and it's like, yeah, this risk has really been bothering me. And the troubling thing to me was that he I mean, we know he had a risk thing last year, but he said the pain did not really he didn't feel pain free until December. And I'm sitting there going, oh boy, okay, well is what exactly is going on here? This is concerning to me if they have to shut him down mid season and this is something that lingered. I mean they were knocked out, you know, mid October, and so he still felt something in his wrist for a month and a half after the season started. I mean, how how worried, how concerned, how troubled are you by what's going on with Bryce's wrist?

00:23:53
Speaker 4: Very very for the timelines you just laid out, you know, if they're talking about in it right now and seeing if it'll quote unquote calm down. He just had six days arrest after you get hit by Strider. He had the off season and it lingered and it popped back up this year. When things keep recurring like that, you're like, Okay, what's going on? Does it have to be addressed surgically? And you know that leads to a you know, the question when will he be back in this season twenty twenty five? How long will it be? Can they survive without him? They've played over injuries in the last few years. But you know, I always hear the cliche next man up, and it's a great characteristic to have, but it has limits. And this guy's an important piece on this team well.

00:24:40
Speaker 5: Particularly because of the rest of the team's not swinging the bat all that well, and so you really need him to add some production.

00:24:47
Speaker 1: But yeah, I'm concerned too.

00:24:49
Speaker 5: I mean I talked to you, used to talk to Pat yellig about this all the time. Risks with a hitter and back with a hitter, they're tricky and you just never know, know, you know, what can be happening there I mean, I remember Jason Worth was like a big deal when Jason Worth went down with the Dodgers, and we kept really kept an eye on and Pat did and you know, did a lot of research on what was going on.

00:25:15
Speaker 1: They finally fixed the wrist, but it.

00:25:18
Speaker 4: Almost ended his career, his career.

00:25:21
Speaker 1: And he bounced back.

00:25:23
Speaker 5: So I don't think it's as serious as that They've done the MRIs, they've done the studies.

00:25:29
Speaker 1: It doesn't seem at least to be too serious.

00:25:33
Speaker 5: But maybe this is the right time to calm it down and make sure that he's okay for the rest of the season.

00:25:41
Speaker 1: Will that? Will that happen?

00:25:43
Speaker 5: Can you guarantee that with a guy who swings as violently as violently as he does, because he's a really aggressive swinger, I mean, he doesn't hold back a whole lot.

00:25:54
Speaker 1: And is this the right time to calm it down?

00:25:57
Speaker 5: Probably hopefully it gets calmed down and it's not an issue, But you never know.

00:26:03
Speaker 4: And the elephant in the room is and Rubin, you lived this, We covered it. Guys getting north of thirty, they get to be thirty two, thirty three, and these injuries they just pop up and health becomes such a huge factor in keeping a team together and then having a winning team. We saw it, you know with utly with Howard when they started breaking down with Doc Holliday. And you know, Bryce is getting these nagging injuries or even maybe a little more than nagging. It seems like every year. And he's I.

00:26:34
Speaker 1: Don't think he's played a full season in the last four or five years.

00:26:38
Speaker 5: And he's played one hundred and sixty games or one hundred fifty games in the last four or five years.

00:26:42
Speaker 4: And how many years has he been He's you know, he's young, he's only thirty two, but.

00:26:45
Speaker 5: Like, but he's got some mileage because he's played since he was nineteen nineteen.

00:26:50
Speaker 4: A real his odometer is high. And he's got how many years left? Six years left on this deal, and he's so important. I mean, it's just, you know, big picture wise, it's a concern.

00:27:03
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think talent wise, he's still sort of at the peak of his career, but as far as his health is concerned, maybe not the peak.

00:27:09
Speaker 4: Right bian Howard was at the peak of his production and then all of a sudden he wasn't because he got hurt. Suddenly was at the peak of his production. All of a sudden, he wasn't because the news look like that.

00:27:21
Speaker 2: Right, You're right, So it's it's it's something definitely.

00:27:24
Speaker 3: I mean, everybody's going to be watching this, you know, trying to get any sort of you know, listen to everything that comes out of his mouth over the next few weeks in terms of his recovery, how the risk is feeling. You know, they'll be asking Rob Thompson every day how the risk is feeling. Ununderstandably so because if he's this thing lingers or he comes back and you know, he goes back one and you know, I think everybody, of course is their head is going into those dark places because everything else is so dark right now in terms of what's going on with the team, you know.

00:27:54
Speaker 5: So the one thing you don't want to do in this situation though, is a waste of pitching, because the pitching is really good as far as the starting pitching is concerned. And once Wheeler's back, he's pitching tonight. Congratulations, he and Dominie having their fourth i think their fourth kid, third or fourth?

00:28:13
Speaker 1: Am I right?

00:28:14
Speaker 2: Fourth?

00:28:16
Speaker 1: Yeah? Pretty cool?

00:28:19
Speaker 5: But you know, getting all the back and then you you create that depth that you needed and remember we were talking about depth, and all of a sudden boom, three or four things happen. And now now you're going down to get nick Abel and Lozardo's struggling and they got us straighten him out. And that's going to be a fascinating start on Wednesday to.

00:28:38
Speaker 1: See how he mounts back.

00:28:41
Speaker 5: I will be fascinated by it, to see what tweaks that they make, whether it's tipping pitches or not tipping pitches, or too flat with his fastball, or.

00:28:51
Speaker 1: You know, arm angle, whatever the case may be.

00:28:53
Speaker 5: And I'm sure they're doing everything to to try to avoid that and to try to get him back on track he was in the early part of the season.

00:29:02
Speaker 4: You mentioned the good pitching. Can't waste good pitching. So they've lost five in a row, three of them score of two to one.

00:29:09
Speaker 1: Right, that's wasting good pitching.

00:29:11
Speaker 3: That is wasting good pitching. And you know the bullpen. Speaking of the bullpen, we haven't really talked about that. I was looking at some of their numbers, but you know, last several weeks, man, they've been a strikeout rate is way down, the walk where rate is up, so that you know they've been putting too many guys on base, not striking out enough guys, so you see those little bloopers going to the outfield and they lose the game. So we've been talking about a lot of like you know, doom and gloom, so to speak. But I was thinking about something yesterday watching Paul Skins pitch and this is not going to happen, But just as a thought exercise, there's been a few stories written lately nationally about would the Pirates trade Paul Skiings And the Pirates have said, we're not going to trade Paul Skins. But it's natural to think that way, right because they're they're not They're a bad organization. Up until bad they've been a bad team. But just hypothetically, if you were to call the Pirates Reuben Jim and say your ownership said, I don't care what you gotta do.

00:30:06
Speaker 2: You got to go out and get Paul Skins.

00:30:08
Speaker 3: I want Paul Skins.

00:30:09
Speaker 2: Your job is on the line.

00:30:11
Speaker 3: What kind of package would you have to put together to convince the Pirates to say, okay, we will do this.

00:30:17
Speaker 5: Well, it'd have to start with Painter or Able or both, and then you and then you're talking about Aiden Miller and Crawford.

00:30:26
Speaker 1: You're talking about all three all you know, three of those guys. He's that good. He's the best pitcher in baseball. So that's that's that's where it would start.

00:30:34
Speaker 4: Okay, what would would you if you you were the GM of the Phillies, would you give up Abel Miller and Crawford for Paul Skeins? Right now?

00:30:45
Speaker 1: I would. I probably that would, just because I'm backing the pitching.

00:30:51
Speaker 5: And listen, I know it just kills your depth overall, and you're, uh, but if I'm the GM, I would serve.

00:31:00
Speaker 1: Do it because he's that good.

00:31:02
Speaker 5: And if I'm good, and if and if you lose him and he gets hurt, maybe lose him for a year, you still have him under control for another four years.

00:31:08
Speaker 1: Four years.

00:31:09
Speaker 3: So but if I'm Pittsburgh, I go, I don't want Able. I want Andrew Painter.

00:31:13
Speaker 2: So there you go, right.

00:31:17
Speaker 3: I was just thinking of that this because there have been those stories written about, you know.

00:31:21
Speaker 5: And I would consider it, and I would consider it, but I just don't think it's gonna happen. No, Listen, you're basically basically blowing out your entire system, and you want to have some sustainability later on, and you're hoping that Crawford can be a piece, and you're hoping that Aiden Miller can be, you know, a piece, and Aidan Miller is starting to come around and play much better lately, starting to get his feet more accustomed to being double A. So you know, again, they're prospects. They're not major league players.

00:31:54
Speaker 3: Their prospects still right, and they seem to think that Andrew Painter can be maybe not Paul Skins level, but that he would be really, really, really good. So if you if you really really really believe that, then maybe he could be. Yeah, and he could be. He could be, So then maybe you hold on to those guys.

00:32:10
Speaker 4: So I asked conversely, if you were the manager GM of the Pirates, would that be enough for you?

00:32:17
Speaker 1: Would not? Yeah?

00:32:20
Speaker 3: You you really would not be enough with all the team control that Paul Skens has, you know, and just knowing his stature in the game, and you know.

00:32:31
Speaker 1: I would not. I would not give him up for those three players.

00:32:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, you need you would need more.

00:32:35
Speaker 3: You would want more, correct, Yeah, maybe somebody off the big league roster, maybe in.

00:32:40
Speaker 5: Somebody that had some control over who's already producing at the major league level.

00:32:45
Speaker 1: And then a two or three pieces beyond that. Yeah, do you think what I would? That's what I would be looking for.

00:32:52
Speaker 4: Do you think and this, I don't know, maybe this is a dumb question, but do you think the commissioner would step in and say, you know, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing here?

00:33:03
Speaker 1: I would not. I do not think he would.

00:33:05
Speaker 5: He hasn't stepped in another situation, so I don't think he would. Now, Yeah, he hasn't stepped in. He didn't step in when when the Dodgers did the deferrals.

00:33:13
Speaker 2: That's true.

00:33:14
Speaker 4: I mean it was I remember when I was a kid. They but Charlie Finley was like selling off guys. But that's a different scenario. But it just seems to me, you draft a guy like Paul Skeins and that can excite a town that needs some baseball excitement and be awfully sad to trade a.

00:33:33
Speaker 2: Guy like Oh, it would be a sad state of it.

00:33:36
Speaker 1: And I don't think I'm not gonna I'm the one to throw stones.

00:33:39
Speaker 5: But Pirates have sort of struggled to to draft the kind of quality that they needed over the last like ten twelve years. I mean, and they and they've had high picks for a while and they haven't really fortified. They've done pretty well with the pitching, but as far as offensive players just really haven't been able to hit on them.

00:34:00
Speaker 3: Be ashamed to waste, waste some of Paul Skean's good years.

00:34:04
Speaker 4: How big would he be in Philly? Would he be bigger than Jalen Hurts?

00:34:08
Speaker 2: Paul paulks be massive?

00:34:11
Speaker 5: He lit, Yeah, because he's got he's got the partner and live you know, so he's got that, and they got much bigger market.

00:34:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's yeah, much bigger market, he's I mean, and he's just so fricking good and he's so much fun to watch.

00:34:25
Speaker 1: He's really good.

00:34:25
Speaker 5: He's got really dominant and he's got seven pitches that he can go to that are really dominant pitches. I mean, he's got he's literally got five double plus pitches. And when you have five double plus pitches, man, it's that that's a tough arsenal.

00:34:37
Speaker 1: To deal with when you're hitting.

00:34:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's probably the only guy that I mean, I didn't say the only guy in baseball, but he would give in terms of star power in the city on the Phillies, he would give Bryce a run for his money. I feel like, you know, he would.

00:34:54
Speaker 1: A lot of because you'd be a perennial Cy Young Award candidate. Yeah, as long as he stayed healthy.

00:34:59
Speaker 3: Right throws a hunt you all for all those reasons, all those reasons anyway, So it ain't happening.

00:35:04
Speaker 2: But I was thinking about it yesterday, like, what would the Philla drink?

00:35:07
Speaker 4: They would lose more, They would lose more two to one games.

00:35:11
Speaker 1: Right now, they would. But you know, he's already had a great point, James is a great point.

00:35:17
Speaker 3: He's already used to that in Pittsburgh Gym.

00:35:19
Speaker 2: So I don't think it would phase him one bet.

00:35:21
Speaker 3: He just keep going out there and putting up, putting up twos and ones. So the Phillies opened a three three game series on Monday night against the Cubs. Monday night lefty Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd against Zach Wheelers, six forty five start. Tuesday is right hander Colin Ray against Mickabel Macabel getting his third start in the Big Leads. That's a six to forty five start, and then the series finale on Wednesday after noon.

00:35:47
Speaker 2: This is a big one.

00:35:49
Speaker 3: They're all big, but Ben Brown against hayzus Lozardo. They need Hazeuselazarda to bounce back in a major, major way.

00:35:58
Speaker 4: I'm looking forward tonight because I want to see Ben Brown pitch. Former Phillies farm hand from Long Island, New York. Yeah, good, good kid, good kid, came back from Tommy John Surgery, real hard worker. They traded for David robertson.

00:36:11
Speaker 2: Right, Yes, that was David Roberts.

00:36:14
Speaker 4: And I'll just point this out. So I was our good buddy, John Brazier. He does he does a spot on the pregame show of the radio pregame show with the Phillies like once a week. And do you remember when Fergie Jenkins was in town for Jackie Robinson's day. Obviously, Phillies traded him to the Cubs. They traded Ben Brown to the Cubs. But Jenkins sees a lot of the Cubs, I guess, and and or no, I guess they were talking about Jenkins watches a lot of baseball, Fergie Jenkins and and and and Brazier said, any one young player that you see around the game excite you. And he without hesitation, said Ben Brown. So that was an interesting, interesting connection between the two with the trade and all. But I mean, the guy's good, good baseball eyes. So Brown a big, tall right hander, a lot of a lot of talent, So I'm looking forward to seeing what he looks like. But more importantly for the Phillies, heyes, Houstlzarto needs to calm everybody down a little bit.

00:37:14
Speaker 5: He'd liked I like him, have him calmed me down to a little bit.

00:37:19
Speaker 1: I really like this kid.

00:37:20
Speaker 5: I really believe in him and hopefully can bounce back and figure out what's been ailing on.

00:37:26
Speaker 3: Guys that can only go up from here. We think, we think, well, we'll be back. We will be back later this week, Small the later Boys.

00:37:35
Speaker 1: Thank Jim.

00:37:36
Speaker 3: The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network. Subscribe to The Philly Show on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like us, give us a review, Follow us on Instagram, TikTok x, Facebook, and threads. Find Rubens analysis before, during, and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports Radio ninety four, WYP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Find Jim at pH l y dot com. Find me at MLB dot com.

00:38:03
Speaker 2: The Phillies Beat newsletter and MLB Network