"We're not used to this:" Phillies off to their worst start since 2015

The Phillies Show

We’ll find out if this is rock bottom for the Phillies.

They just got swept by the Braves. They’ve lost five in a row, 10 out of 13 and just finished their worst nine-game homestand in almost 17 years. They have the worst run differential in baseball, too. Yes, it’s even worse than the Mets, who have lost 11 in a row. The Phillies are hoping it’s just a bad start, but maybe it’s more than that.

We discuss the homestand, Zack Wheeler’s return. Taijuan Walker’s spot on the roster and more.

It’s “Best Week” by Manco & Manco Pizza! Manco’s is the Best of the Best, and every week throughout the season we pick our best Phillies players, performances and moments of the week.

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2026-04-20 34 min Transcript

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Transcript

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Hi, listen, Kyles Forber and welcome to the Philly Show.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: We just watched the worst nine game homestand by the Phillies in almost seventeen years. It's looking kind of bleak, but we're going to talk about it and see if there's a way out of it. Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todd z A Leuki. It's Monday, April twentieth, twenty twenty six. Is just Ruben and I this morning because Jim, Jim is following Ruben on the way to Chicago for.

00:00:34
Speaker 1: A He might be in the air. He might be in the air right now.

00:00:37
Speaker 2: Jim might be in the air right now. So Jim, you're with us in Spirits, yes, yes, but we have plenty to talk about Ruben. Oh yeah, it's it's kind of ugly right now. I mean it's not kind of ugly.

00:00:50
Speaker 1: It's ugly right now. It's ugly. Yeah, it's very ugly, and it's ugly as it's been in several years. I mean, obviously, this is not the start that the Phillies were looking for. They felt like had a pretty good spring and prepared well for it. Some guys are springing the bat extremely well. In spring in particular, guys like Stott and Marsh was swinging the bat well, and obviously Alec Bohm was uh came in with a great mindset. And there are many many players and I don't want to point those guys out, only those guys, because the team has just been abysmal, you know, in almost every category offensively, defensively, base running has been shoddy, the pitching, starting pitching, and the bullpen, and now they've got an injury going on with Joran Duran, which is no bueno. But they're just across the board really, you know, it's putting a lot of people on the hot seat, and understandably because unfortunately you can't fire all the players. But the players have not performed and uh and and honestly, I don't think he has anything to do with the coaching staff, but sadly there are times when the coaching staff ends up being blamed for this. But in my estimation and having watched baseball for a long time, this is on the players. They have not performed in any way, shape or form, and it shows on a nightly basis right now, and they don't seem to be able to do any damage at all. Time.

00:02:24
Speaker 2: So let's just run through some of this room, because it's really incredible. So they've lost five in a row. They've lost ten out of their last thirteen games. They have the worst run deferential in Major League Baseball, and that is mildly surprising, only because you know, the Mets have lost eleven in a row. The Phillies have been worse than the Mets, even though they're not on an eleven game losing streak. Their two and seven home stand was their worst in almost seventeen years. They went one in eight on a home stand in June, twelfth of the twenty first in two thousand and nine. They're eight and thirteen overall. It's their worst start since twenty fifteen. You know, and Ruby you talked about You just mentioned people being on the hot seat, and you know, Rob Thompson, Kevin Long, all those people. Well, the Phillies I was looking at, like, when's the last time they've lost ten out of thirteen? And they've had four of these stretches during this current run twenty twenty two through twenty twenty five. They had one last year that ended in June. They had one in August of twenty twenty four. They believe it or not. I do remember this now once they saw it. They had one in September of twenty twenty two. Remember going down the stretch, they almost they were basically crapping the bed. And then they they got out of that stretch right at the very end of the season get into.

00:03:55
Speaker 1: The wild card. Well, yeah, when Noelan ended up clinching it for him, guessing he Houston.

00:04:00
Speaker 2: I believe it was in Houston. Yeah, so they were playing terribly down the stretch in twenty twenty two. But the other one is notable because it ended on May thirty first, twenty twenty two, three days before Dave Dombrowski fired Joe Girardi and made a managerial change. So these are the types of stretches, the types of runs that can cost a manager a job, that can cost a coach a job, even if it's not their fault. And I agree with you, Rubin, I don't think this is I don't think this is Rob Thompson's fault.

00:04:33
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, honestly, when you have this sort of stretch across the board, you're always wanting to point fingers and I understand that. And there were times when you know it's probably halfway through the season or partly way through the season. We ended up making a change, and I think it was twenty ten when we changed hitting coaches in Milt Thompson, who I respect a great deal and someone that I believe in as a coach and as a person. But in my estimation, it was a little bit like just having to have a different voice in there at that time in that area. Ironically, we ended up really swinging the bats well after that. I think it was great gross it became our hitting coach, came back and it was our hitting coach. But I felt like I felt like that was it was so far into the season at that time, and we had seen so much sort of mediocrity and underachieving that it was time for us to make a move. It ended up working out. It doesn't always work out that way, and it also ended up working out when Rob Thompson took over, There's no question about that. Maybe it was the timing of things, but really this is about the players not getting it done. And the thing that I see that is the most compelling thing and the craziest thing for me, is that these are they're not facing young every night on the offensive side of the baseball. They're not facing like guys who I would consider, you know, above average major league pitchers, and they are getting pitches to hit in the zone. And I'm watching like consistently mishitting and swinging through and not barreling hanging fast hanging breaking balls, hanging splits, hanging off speed pitches, pitches fastballs in the middle of the plate, and to a man, they are missing them. I mean, I think Bryce Harper is like the only guy who's actually barreling things up with any level of consistency. And I watched the game last night in particular, and was like kind of zoning in on them, and it is astonishing how many pitches in the middle of the zone they're either not swinging at or mishitting or swinging through.

00:07:08
Speaker 2: I'm glad you brought this up, Rubin, because looking at fastballs Phillies versus fastballs, now, I count fastballs four seamers and two seamers. Absolutely, I don't kind of cutter as a fastball. But maybe I'm crazy.

00:07:22
Speaker 1: No, No, you're right. I think you're right.

00:07:23
Speaker 2: That's just a four four seamer sinker. So Phillies batting average on fastballs this season they are batting two point fifty one. That's eighteenth in Major League Baseball. The last four seasons, they hit two seventy one or better against fastballs twenty twenty five two seventy four, third best in baseball, twenty twenty four two seventy eight, fourth best in baseball, twenty twenty three two seventy one they were fourteenth, but twenty twenty two back up to two seventy three, ninth in baseball. So the Phillies the last four seasons again batting two seventy one off of fastballs. They're twenty points lower than that right now, and they're below average compared to the rest of the teams in Major League Baseball. That's a pretty steep drop. And if you really wanted to dig into the weeds, Ruben, you mentioned the they seem to be just kind of like letting these fastballs go. Looked into some of these numbers as well, like swing rate, just swinging at fastballs in the zone. It's their lowest mark in like four or five years. So they are your eyes. And this is what this is why I like the numbers, because I love you bringing up something and being able to look him and go, yes, this is correct, and yes. So Ruben is watching the games, Jim is watching the games, and they're saying, I feel like there's letting a lot of fastballs.

00:08:54
Speaker 1: Just go either there. What It almost feel like they are not trusting their ability to see the ball and hit the ball, because if you're if you're staying on the fastball, which is something as a hitter in this day and age, when when the average fastball is somewhere between ninety four and a half to ninety six miles an hour, which was you know, four miles faster than when I played, on average, which is significant, you cannot get off the fastball. You literally have to be on the fastball, whether it's a count two, oh count three, unless unless you absolutely know that this guy's throwing you a certain pitch. And it just feels like they're either guessing every It seems like it's a team of guessing hitters right now that have the bat speed to not have to do that. That's the thing that sort of baffles me a little bit is that these guys are have ability, they have talent, have the ability to get the bat through the zone, and it seems like they're not trusting that ability and just seeing the baseball and hitting it. I know, hitting is as difficult as it ever been in this day and age, because the ball is moving and the grips and all the other stuff. Hitting is really really difficult. But for this team and this level of talent, it feels like to me when I watch the games that they are almost guessing every pitch. And that's where they got into trouble in the playoffs, where they were guessing and committing to pitches or committing to other pitches and letting certain pitches go through the zone that are hit able pitches. And it just feels like, as a team, they're up there instead of just looking for that white sphere and looking for a pitch in the strike zone, it looks like they're just guessing at what pitched they might be seeing, whether it's a sweeper or a cutter or a split and or even a fastball, and maybe guessing at the wrong you know, guessing at the wrong times. Because when you see this sort of you know, inability to hit the fastball, then that sets off alarms for me that guys aren't up there looking to hit the fastball, because that's basically the easiest pitch to hit because it's the straightest. Yeah, you know.

00:11:31
Speaker 2: Kyle Schwarber was asked last night about the homestand and I don't know if this kind of plays into this rubin, but he said, you know, everyone in the dugout, everyone in the locker room, we're all putting in the work. We're all doing what we need to do. We all want to keep getting better results. Chasing results, chasing hits, chasing all that. That's not the way to go about it. I feel on a daily basis seeing the guys in here in the way that they're working, it's inevitable. It's inevitable at some point it's going to change. And I feel almost like they're they're doing this thing where sometimes they're being over aggressive and sometimes they're being passive, like you said, because they're like, I don't want to mess up here or what. I don't know, it's just so I would take it. They're oscillating back and forth.

00:12:15
Speaker 1: Make a great point. So when I was a rookie, all I could think about was having to get a hit. I got to get a hit. I got to get a hit, instead of you know, when people talk about it sounds cliche. The process, right, the process, The process is in the thought process should be I'm going to get a good pitch to hit and I'm going to put good swing on it. That's that's what sort of happens naturally when you're going, well, I see the ball, I'm going to put my trust my swing to put on it. Just like in golf. I see the ball, it's not moving, and I'm going to trust that. I'm going to I have the right club in my hand, and I'm going to hit the right distance and I'm going to hit it clean. And it's right now, it's just not happening for the boys, and it's and it's sort of epidemic right now because I think you're right. I think it's almost gotten to the point where guys feel like they have to do this or they have to and that's where the pressure comes.

00:13:11
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00:13:16
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00:13:34
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00:13:34
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00:13:34
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00:13:36
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00:13:38
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00:14:11
Speaker 2: All right, we're back.

00:14:12
Speaker 1: Hey.

00:14:13
Speaker 2: If you're watching us on YouTube, don't forget to hit the subscribe button. And if you're not watching us on YouTube, go on YouTube and subscribe to the Phillies Show. It helps support the show. You can also go to the Phillies showshop dot com. We got a bunch of new gear in the Philly Show website, including some stuff if you have a young one on the way, onesies and all that.

00:14:40
Speaker 1: Sorts of stuff, so oh, really cool, awesome.

00:14:43
Speaker 2: Make them look cool, make your kids, your grandkids, your kids look cool with some Philly show for some Philly show gear. So it is Monday, Rubin, and it is time for Manco and Manco Best Week. Manco Manco Best Week, because Manco and Manco is the best of the best. You know it, we know it, we all know it.

00:15:10
Speaker 1: This is a tough one, Todd. Why don't you start it off?

00:15:12
Speaker 2: This is a tough one, Rubin. There's been easy weeks and there's been tough weeks for Manco Manca Best.

00:15:19
Speaker 1: Help to find anybody who's really performed the.

00:15:22
Speaker 2: Best, So for Manco Manco Best Week, play performance whatever. So I'm going to go with a performance. One singular performance. I am going to go with Philly's rookie Felix Reyes, who got promoted to the big leagues on Saturday and then hit a home run in his first big league at bat against Chris Sale. Nonetheless awesome, pretty cool moment. So he's the Felix Reyes is a seventh player in Philly's history to go yard in his first career at bat. Last one was Weston Wilson in twenty twenty three, and before that, I'm going to run through these names. Marlon Anderson nineteen ninety eight, Ricky Jordan nineteen eighty eight, old Ed Siniki in nineteen forty nine. We all know Ed, but we all also remember Heine Mueller in nineteen thirty eight.

00:16:15
Speaker 1: Oh, Heine, Heine. I love when you. I love when you can mention Heine exactly.

00:16:21
Speaker 2: We all love Heine. And Bill Dougleby. Of course, Bill Dougleby is on the list, Rubin. I mean, how can you have a list like this and I have Bill Dougleby on it back in point ninety eight. You know, let's be real here. But uh yeah, Felix Reyes late Bloomer made some adjustments with his swing last year, had a monster year in Double A reading and you're sitting there. Never appeared on any prospects list, even though he was Eastern League MVP. Because it's like, guy had one good years. He's like twenty four years old, had had a really good spring training in big league camp.

00:16:56
Speaker 1: Hit over three each break.

00:16:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I had a hit over three hundred and at the rape Rout League for the Phillies before he got sent down and was matching his twenty twenty five success with the Phillies with with the Iron Pigs. So he got that promotion as Auto Camp was struggling. So I'm going to give my slice because there's no gym today. He's getting half a pie, a whole half of the reis came hungry.

00:17:22
Speaker 1: I like that. Yes, yes, he's a large man, so I think he can. He could stomach it at the Great Call and you know, lots of love the Felix Reyes that he's getting it. Got an opportunity put himself in a position to and we've talked about this before. When you impress in spring training, people remember it. And obviously Auto Camp in the situation that he's in struggling a little bit. I mean he's not Everybody thinks, well, he's the guy that they escapegoated. No, No, the reason why they sent him out is because he needs reps. He needs to play. It's a very difficult role to play when you're getting you know, daily reps. Was not you know, timing wise, just wasn't himself and still needs a little work in the outfield probably, So there's a lot of positive things that he can take away from getting an opportunity to go play every day, get the albatross off his neck a little bit. I've been there, done it. Could not wait in ninety two to get sent out because I really needed it to get my mojo back, and then when I came back, actually played pretty well. So I got no problem with that. You saw it happen with even a guy like Brandon Marsh last year. Andon Marsh didn't get sent out, but he was playing games down there and getting himself right after a horrendous start to the season, got his mojo back, and then came back and played pretty well. So nice job by Felix Res And I'll end up going with a guy who's actually been the most consistent player on the team, and that guy is Christopher Sanchez. Christopher Sanchez is still sporting like a below to er, not getting a whole lot of run support and not getting a lot of defensive support. This is a guy who has done his job essentially, and you know, had another couple of really good outings. I think he had twelve twelve innings pitch just two earned runs, in those twelve innings, a few more walks than you'd like to see him have, trying to be a little bit too fine and missed on occasion. But Chris Sanchez, he gets the slice of a pie. He gets the whole other half of the pie. And he deserves it because he's probably been the most consistent player they've had, other than maybe Bryce Harper, who we've already we've already sliced up a little piece of the pie for him. So yeah, I'm happy to give it to Chris Sanchez.

00:19:43
Speaker 2: That fifth inning Ruben on Saturday, when Sanchez was on the mound, that to me was one of those innings you go like, tell me how the Philly season is going, tell me why they are five games under five hundred. I go go watch the fifth inning on Saturday night against the Braves. You know, Sanchez had a couple of runners on. He gets a ground ball up the middle at Mundo scoops it up and then the ball flies out of his glove. He tries to bare hand it with his other hand it you know, he gets knocked over by the I think I can't remember who was sliding into second base. It might have been Michael Harris, I'm not sure. I can't remember. And then the next.

00:20:20
Speaker 1: Ball is a fly ball.

00:20:23
Speaker 2: To center field, Brandon Marsh breaks back on it and then comes in and it just kind of falls in front of him.

00:20:30
Speaker 1: Terrible. Yeah, just two two plays that need to be made and two plays in in you know, and mundo situation. Something he'll never may never ever see again out of him, because he's pretty damn reliable. He's he's been a good baseball player for them for a while, and he's a very good defender. But that's something that you don't see happen the other day. Trey Turner, he goes and backs, does a great job of backing up the and he can't get the ball from his glove to his hand. The ball pops out of his You know something's wrong when that kind of crap has happening, because this is basic one oh one baseball that you don't see these players of this caliber do. In the case of Brandon Marsh, he's always sort of had a little bit of issue with coming in on the ball in the air that has softly hit when he plays center field, a pretty good defender and left he had a misplay last night in a play on left field, which you don't see very often, right over his head in a huge play that opened up the game for the Braves. Tough play, well, hit ball straight over his head and he turned around a few times. But just you're seeing things happen that just typically would not happen to this team. And uh and it's you know, that's one. It's snowballs. It's at some point it's almost like they got to hit rock by them before they get rolling back the other way because the ball, the ball is going to have to start rolling the other way or there's going to be more significant changes because the John Middletons and the Dave Dombrowskis and even in some cases, you know, the Rob Thompson in the world. I mean, they can't put up with this kind of futility, right, simple as that. But I mean I'm giving my sighte of the pie. It's Chris Sanchez, Yeah.

00:22:28
Speaker 2: No, I have Yeah, that's I love it. I love it. And Mets Manco Manco best week Manco Manco is the best of the best. Uh, Rubin, you just mentioned changes to change, these changes, these these changes for the Phillies.

00:22:50
Speaker 1: Well, there's not a great Dan Baker.

00:22:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, there is going to be some change coming later this week. Zach Wheeler is going to rejoin the rotation. We think, we think, I assume he's going to rejoin.

00:23:02
Speaker 1: The right I don't think there's any question.

00:23:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think there's any question about it. He made his fifth and presumably final rehab start on Sunday with double A reading. He pitched the Miserable Conditions that did not go well as Velo was down. But all intents and purposes, he's healthy. He's going to be back. He's probably gonna pitch this weekend in Atlanta, and that means somebody from the rotation has to go, and it is going to be Taiwan Walker. Now, Taiwan's spot in the rotation comes up on Wednesday against the Cubs in Chicago. He is going to pitch on Wednesday. He is not going to start. The Phillies are going to use an opener and they're going to hope that maybe that opener can get them through the first inning. I guess maybe he could get through the second inning and then Taiwan Walker will come in after.

00:23:49
Speaker 1: That makes a lot of sense. I mean, they're gonna have drastic you know, measures because of you know, because of the futility that that has been shown by Taiwan. He just hasn't been able to get people out consistently, and they got to have him somehow eat up innings. So that's I mean, that's the best way to go, I think.

00:24:09
Speaker 2: So now the question is is what happens after that? And Rob Thompson said on Sunday, he said, I still see a role for Taiwan on this team, and he's going to go to the bullpen. And asked why you see a role for Taiwan on the team, he said, because we believe he's going to be better. You know, he's obviously a focal point of a lot of fan frustration the way he's pitched the season he's got. You know, his e R so far was it in the nines to ten.

00:24:36
Speaker 1: I mean.

00:24:38
Speaker 2: Era worst start by Philly starter through his first four starts of a season since Paul Byrd in two thousands. So he's off to absolutely terrible start. He's got less than a year to go on his contract. People say, just release the guy, which I understand. I understand the frustration. You want somebody to be held accountable and to take the fall for all this stuff. But one of the reasons I think rubin that they're going to keep Taiwan in the bullpen if that's it end up ends up what they that's what they end up doing, is because they don't have a lot of starting pitching depth.

00:25:16
Speaker 1: No, they don't.

00:25:17
Speaker 2: So I want to show you some of these these starters, with the starters right now, what the starters are doing right now. In triple A, you have Alan Ron Hallow's on the forty man roster. He's pitched twelve one sixty six e R A. And then jinkerbre is the only other starter on the forty man roster. He's got an eight oh three ERA e R A, Ryan Cusick h e RA over five, Tucker Davidson e RA over eight, Bryce Wilson e RA over twelve, and then you have Connor Gilsbie who was pitching pretty well until he got hit a little bit over the weekend. He's got a three six three e R. So you know, they want to keep Taiwan around in case somebody would get banged up.

00:25:56
Speaker 1: And for those who are like yeah, for those who bang in the drum for gauge would uh, it's understandable. Because I guess he's been thrown. I don't know all the numbers, but he's been he's been throwing the ball. Well, it sounds like he might be the guy that they could move quickly. But you also don't want to put that kind of pressure on a guy to have to take over for a team that has been so futile. You'd sort of like to bring when when when he sort of want to bring him one when he's ready physically and mentally, but also you want to not bring him in a situation where he has to feel like he's got to be the savior for the team. I don't I didn't like having to do. That's why you sort of pick and choose your spots, you know, to to allow these guys to to come in and feel really comfortable about coming without the added pressure of having to save the team. And gage Wood's not going to save the team. What's going to save the team or the guys who are getting paid millions upon millions of dollars to perform properly.

00:27:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, the starters, the hitters, the big time relievers. Wheeler's Velo was down on Sunday again. It was really really cold conditions, but it will be interesting Ruben to see what he does this weekend in Atlanta, like where the velocity is how he pitches, because he is a guy that says like, my fastball is my bread and butter. And here's something that he said. This is courtesy of the Redd and Redding fight in Phillies from his start on Sundy. This is what Wheelers said about pitching with maybe lesser velocity.

00:27:35
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, when your velos down, you gotta do other things. Right, A pitch like that before or vilos down a little bit, and you gotta move the ball around. And you see other guys that steadily pitch at that you know below and this is something that you gotta do. You know, guys can hit fastballs. They can hit one hundred plus anytime they want. So you know he's gonna mix things up and move the ball around in response.

00:27:58
Speaker 2: So I think he can do it. You know, his his velocity in his previous start was touched ninety five, was ninety two to ninety three ish, So I feel like he can live with that. And obviously he hopes the velocity continues to climb as he gains weight gains strength. He's down ten pounds from where he was last season because of the surgery for thorrascic outlet.

00:28:21
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:28:21
Speaker 1: I mean, it's all about his development and his ultimate where he can max out at. Will he ever be have the same consistent below that he had prior to the tos Maybe not, but he does have the ability to move the ball. He has deception because of his release point and his delivery. He has the ability to spin the baseball and command several different types of pitches in the zone and out of the zone. So he can pitch. Not only can does he have the stuff, but he also pitches, and so that combination the very least will allow him to hold his own. Will he be as dominant a pitcher as we've seen in the past. I don't know that that sort of remains to be seen, whether that uptick he gets that uptick in his below and the life on his fastball, But it will be very interesting to see how he handles pitching in Atlanta. You gotta believe the adrenaline, the conditions, all that stuff will probably you know, have him tick up a little bit as he gets on that mound there and in the battery.

00:29:29
Speaker 2: It could it could be the it could be the boost the Phillies desperately need. I mean, maybe just seeing him out there smark something who knows this is helpful. They're they're at this point right now. So a few more things. Juan Duran went on the injured list over the weekend. The Phillies are optimistic it will be maybe not at fifteen days, but soon after fifteen days. It's a mild oblique strain. Duran had something similar in twenty twenty four. Is a grade too. He missed a month. He said, this is not nearly as serious. We'll see about that. In the meantime, Brad Keller will close.

00:30:03
Speaker 1: GT.

00:30:03
Speaker 2: Real Muto did not play on Sunday because he tweaked his back. There was a play at the plate. I think it was on Friday night in the second inning. There was a throw to the plate and if you watch the play, he went down try to catch the ball, kind of jammed his knee and then he got knocked through it again. I think it was Michael Michael Harris slid under slid underneath him and kind of jostled his back a little bit. So he's probably not going to play Monday night against the Cubs. We'll see about that, but they don't think it's an il situation. Aiden Miller the top prospect. Everybody wants to know what's going out with Aiden Miller because it's such a weird thing with his back. Rob Thompson said that he is taking ground balls, He's doing everything but swinging a bat. But it sounds like, according to Thompson, they're hoping to get him start starting to swing a bat at some point this week, but he's still a long ways away with the chronic backend.

00:31:00
Speaker 1: So yeah, again, he's not the savior for this team. I know that Alex Olme's been struggling and the other guys are struggling at the plate. Everybody's been struggling at the plate, and it's time for these guys to step forward somehow. It was interesting you talked about that play at home plate with JT. There's been two instances at our ballpark where JT has not hung on to some throws from the outfield, and I'm not sure whether he's not seeing the ball well or whatever the case may be, because he's one of the most athletic catchers I've ever seen, and he's the best at you know, being able to pick balls but a couple of plays at home plate where he didn't come up with the baseball, and it's it's curious that he just wasn't able to come up with those two particular plays. Great throws in both cases, I think by a Dooley Scarcia who has an outstanding throwing arm. That's been fun to watch. But yeah, a couple of instances there, and one of them that ended up, you know, sort of banging banging up JT. And you know he's got to be banged up if he's not playing, because he does not like to shit on the bench.

00:32:08
Speaker 2: I mean for him to come out of that game on Saturday, and I mean that's you're sitting there going something bad must have happened because this guy takes an absolute beating during the season.

00:32:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a tough son of a gun man, toughest, one of the toughest guys I've known since Darren Dalton.

00:32:26
Speaker 2: John Cruck mentioned that on the broadcast on Sunday night. He said, this guy, JT. Real Mito reminds him a lot of Darren Dalton. Just no doubt, toughness overall, overall toughness. So let's go through the Phillies got to play better, Ruben, and they got it's got to start on Monday night. If not Monday night, it's gotta start Tuesday night. And they got to get on a roll. They open a four game series against the Cubs Monday night at seven. First pitch, it's Aaron Nola against Colin Ray. Tuesday seven forty Jesus Lozada against showed it Imanaga. Imanaga shoved the Phillies around last week twenty six swings and misses. Splitter was nasty. Wednesday it's opener versus TBD. Oh, big surprise for you, Reuben. And on Wednesday night and wait to make those calls exactly. And then Thursday, the series finale is a two to twenty pm start. It's Christopher Sanchez, who is it Edward Cabrera pitching on Thursday.

00:33:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, they actually they've actually, you know, the Phillies in the past have played very well against the club Cups, have handled them, you know, over the last five or six years, really well. But they got beat up in the last series against him. I mean, they got out hit, they got out played, and it was like the Nico Horner Show for a while. And hopefully they can slow him down, and they're coming off a sweep of the Metsis, so that's a little scary. Colin Ray also pitches really well against him, even though he gave up those three runs after coming in from the opener, Colin Ray sort of sticks it up there for two and so hopefully they can solve him a little bit on the first game because they don't want to lose six in a row. They don't want to lose six in a row.

00:34:15
Speaker 2: They got to get this thing turned around, so maybe it does start Monday night. Ruben had fun. We tried to make I should say we tried to make fun, to have fun in a very trying time for everybody. Yes, but The Philly Show will be back later this week. Smell you later, Ruben.

00:34:35
Speaker 1: Smell Todd.

00:34:38
Speaker 2: 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.

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