2022 Phillies Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Never trust this lineup. Lots of buserunners in scoring position and nothing.
This is classic Phillies baseball as of recent years. When the going gets tough, they turtle up.
This crazy-expensive roster is so unproductive relative to cost. That’s partly on their front office too.
This crazy-expensive roster is so unproductive relative to cost. That’s partly on their front office too.
They are really an exhibit of the game overall. Their lineup can score a ton of runs but they have players who produce who aren’t really good hitters. Schwarber and Hoskins lead that pack, Castellanos has not produced, and Bryce and Stott have struggled down the stretch. That has left Bohm, JT, and Segura as the only guys I feel are capable of having good AB’s without necessarily hitting the ball out of the park.
Obviously, the game is very different but last Sunday had to have Schmidt and Kruk going ballistic. They prevent ATL from scoring top of 10, and then have first and second (after IBB to Harper) with nobody out. You HAVE to bunt there. I guess they don’t practice this and that they had ZERO confidence of being able to do this. You HAVE to get that runner to third where he has so many ways of scoring. I guess Bohm can’t bunt and the analytics say you can bunt into a double play or have a K there by going down in the count and finally hitting away 0-2 in the count. Getting the runner to third forces ATL to bring the infield in, even further giving you the advantage. The old dudes in the booth had to be going nuts. As much as that drove me crazy, top 11 drove me even crazier. You have Acuna down 0-2 in the count and you throw a fastball right down the pike. I don’t care if Acuna is hurt, don’t you elevate at least a bit? Instead, he hits a line drive and the inning gets away from you.
Last night, you have a full count to a kid and throw a fastball. This is where you let the kid get himself out. RAJ was right, this kid was swinging out of Nola’s hand, whatever and wherever it was. I was absolutely SHOCKED that you didn’t see a curve ball here. Fastball was hit into the basket, game over.
Their mistakes and warts become magnified when they are not producing offensively. They better bring the bats in Washington since the pitching was stacked up for the Cubs and their rotation is much less favorable in DC. I thought they would go 5-2 to start the road trip, it’s still achievable.
Obviously, the game is very different but last Sunday had to have Schmidt and Kruk going ballistic. They prevent ATL from scoring top of 10, and then have first and second (after IBB to Harper) with nobody out. You HAVE to bunt there. I guess they don’t practice this and that they had ZERO confidence of being able to do this. You HAVE to get that runner to third where he has so many ways of scoring. I guess Bohm can’t bunt and the analytics say you can bunt into a double play or have a K there by going down in the count and finally hitting away 0-2 in the count. Getting the runner to third forces ATL to bring the infield in, even further giving you the advantage. The old dudes in the booth had to be going nuts. As much as that drove me crazy, top 11 drove me even crazier. You have Acuna down 0-2 in the count and you throw a fastball right down the pike. I don’t care if Acuna is hurt, don’t you elevate at least a bit? Instead, he hits a line drive and the inning gets away from you.
Last night, you have a full count to a kid and throw a fastball. This is where you let the kid get himself out. RAJ was right, this kid was swinging out of Nola’s hand, whatever and wherever it was. I was absolutely SHOCKED that you didn’t see a curve ball here. Fastball was hit into the basket, game over.
Their mistakes and warts become magnified when they are not producing offensively. They better bring the bats in Washington since the pitching was stacked up for the Cubs and their rotation is much less favorable in DC. I thought they would go 5-2 to start the road trip, it’s still achievable.
The issue is mentality and overall roster makeup. Outside of a couple of guys, I don't really get the drive to win and achieve from this roster. That may be indicative of the modern game too, but there doesn't seem to be that competitive fire that drives good teams.
And then the roster makeup. Oiy. Schwarber and Castellanos are a perfect example. Besides batting on opposite sides of the plate, they're incredibly similar. Ability to hit for power. Moderate batting average. Below average in the field. Dombrowski signed both of them in quick succession toward the end of free agency.
That smacks of not having a plan in building this roster. They have way too many of the same positional profile: big guys who can hit for power, but don't get on base or hit for contact enough. And they can't field either.
When in reality, everyone in the world knew they needed pitching help. All over the place, really.
The fact that their payroll is #4 in baseball at ~$250 million and they're struggling to squeak in as the NL #7 seed is embarrassing. Milwaukee spent $100 million less than the Phillies this year. The Philly roster is a case study in setting money on fire. But I can't assess how much is Middleton vs. Dombrowski vs. Klentak. Perhaps the blame should be shared equally.
The most frustrating thing I saw last night (and there were many) was Marsh popping up a bunt with first and second and no one out. Simple fundamentals.
I do agree in that both Schwarber and Nick want the ball in (who doesn’t though in today’s game). Nick seems to put the same swing on EVERY pitch.
They are 25 games under .500 in September’s since 2018. Your guess is as good as mine. They can’t finish. Part of that was Nola going south in September buts it’s not just that. Who knows if it’s focus, conditioning, overworking certain guys in the lineup and pen, etc. But you aren’t going anywhere when you fold like a cheap suit when everyone is playing with the greatest attention and focus.
For those seeking a little bit of joy regarding the Phils, there is this:
Thank you Fish!
I'm frustrated as hell, but the Phils still have a lead and if they can finish strong, all is forgiven.
Focus and take care of business!
Who wants this?! Brewers lose game leading 2-0 after 8th inning Fish grand slam. Unreal. Still go Phils and hopefully pick up some momentum but this is really pathetic. 1-15 vs Cubs, Giants and Rangers. Giants still aren't mathematically eliminated! They actually are better against good comp to an insanely stupid level. The Astros have no reason to rest their starting pitchers(aside from innings in game) since they will still be in full rotation mode when they start again. Phils will probably sweep them to end the year. Just sweep the Nats today... for the love of mercy.
He is maybe the best pitching prospect since Prior who was a college grad. Painter is basically done with the minors.
Let's not forget, Cole Hamels was talked about "quite a bit" when he was a young pitching STUD in the Phillies farm system!
I remember Andy getting touched up multiple times in travel ball and even in high school. It’s just funny how this sport works, in under 2 years he went from travel ball teams hitting him to dominating double A as a 19 year old. I’m not surprised one bit because even when he got hit you could see he was the most talented pitcher in our highschool class. 94-97 with no effort, 3 pitches for strikes in any count, but teams would hit him around. Credit to the Phillies and Andy for tweaking his arsenal and figuring it out. He is such a great kid too, I’m excited for him to hopefully get up sometime next year.
Yeah the ones that stand out to me most are like Kerry Wood and Prior and then Dusty Baker destroyed them with workloads they never experienced. Hamels was definitely right there. I am trying to think of other guys who were thought to be instant aces on that level in my years growing up. I guess Kershaw though I don't remember the hype as much until he was all of the sudden a top 5 pitcher all time. Gerrit Cole lived up to the hype. Strasburg had HoF talent. Fun to think about. I just vaguely remember my dad trying to get Brien Taylor and Tyler Green cards brink.
Well, since you're a "young buck", let this "old buck" throw a name at you. I was 10 years old in 1967, but the Mets were bringing up a couple of their "big names", and the loudest name being mentioned was one Tom Seaver. 22 years old his rookie year. Well, in 2 years, he was leading the Mets to the World Series. (Another one who came up around the same time, though not highly talked about, was a guy by the name of Nolan Ryan. Pitched only in a couple of games in 1966, didn't play in '67, but was back up in '68, and the rest is history. Didn't have as big of a name as the more accomplished Seaver, but, of course, all we heard was how hard he threw. The rest is history.)
If the Phillies top 2 prospects approach Seaver and Ryan, then many of us will be happy.
I think Ryan could still hit 90 at 65. I definitely love the Ventura moment. One of the best oh $%^/ moments ever.
Not losing a single game the rest of the way. Dominate performance. Rob Thomson great bullpen management.
The rain is coming down at a fair clip, and I’m seeing 100% chances of rain going up until dawn tomorrow. There’s a 60% chance of rain all day tomorrow and Sunday.
May make it hard for the Phils to build on this 1 game winning streak.
Get unlimited access today.