2021 Phillies Major League Regular Season Discussion (part 2)

bkox 2021-09-24 22:35:05 UTC #441

The Phillies have come back to win 4 games this season when trailing by at least 6 runs. Twice against the Nationals, last Thursday vs. Cubs, tonight vs. Pirates.

Per the Phillies’ game notes, this is tied for the most by any team in any season in the modern era. The 1987 Reds also did it 4 times.
— Corey Seidman (@CSeidmanNBCS) September 24, 2021

bkox 2021-09-25 17:15:16 UTC #442

Archie Bradley is going on the IL. It’s his oblique again. Kyle Dohy is here. Phillies are down quite a few relievers today. Sam Coonrod has a thumb thing. No IL for now. Connor Brogdon going to Buffalo to pitch for AAA; back Tuesday.
— Matt Gelb ( @MattGelb ) September 25, 2021

andyb 2021-09-25 17:56:52 UTC #443

I guess there is something to be said for going with the player with the hot hand. Dohy his last 8 outings (7 for Reading, 1 for LHV) dating back to August 21st: 8 G, 10 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 18 K.

Reverse splits too. This year lefthanders have an OPS of 668 against him with right-handed hitters have an OPS of only .471. Since his demotion to AA at the beginning of June he has a 1.88 ERA.

bkox 2021-09-25 18:08:18 UTC #444

Well, this is interesting. Hans Crouse is here. He is throwing in right field as pitching coach Caleb Cotham watches.
— Matt Gelb ( @MattGelb ) September 25, 2021

zambonir 2021-09-25 18:33:41 UTC #445

I mean, that puts Bradley out for the rest of the regular season. Gotta be all hands on deck. And Crouse is stretched out right? (So he could at least be a chunk reliever.)

Today's coverage also mentioned the possibility that Wheeler might have to start on short rest against the Marlins if the bullpen game ends up being an elimination game. But I doubt they would do that, and also, there could also be a tiebreaker game.

bkox 2021-09-26 15:38:58 UTC #446

Phillies Select Hans Crouse, Designate Matt Joyce For Assignment

LoneStarPhan 2021-09-26 17:08:36 UTC #447

Makes sense to remove Joyce now. He is not likely to help in the coming week. Joyce hitting .091 this season in limited action.

The saddest thing from that is that Joyce has hit better than Moniak and Kingery for the Phillies this season.

bkox 2021-09-26 18:33:18 UTC #449

Matt Joyce, Scott Kingery, Mickey Moniak and Jorge Bonifacio somehow managed to get 137 plate appearances (thats 2.3% of all the Phillies plate appearances this year) and managed an .085 batting average 3 homers and 12 RBIs.

zambonir 2021-09-26 19:12:04 UTC #450

Bonifacio only had 11 ABs. Nothing about the Phillies' roster management was great this year, but those early issues really start with the Kingery/Haseley/Herrera situations. In hindsight Herrera should have been on the Opening Day roster (which might have then given Joyce's spot to Haseley) and Jankowski should have gotten looked at sooner. And nobody would have guessed Vierling would turn into our best RH bench bat. Williams wasn't on the 40 then either.

zambonir 2021-09-27 17:15:25 UTC #451

We're totally gonna lose this series aren't we? Wheeler could easily lose a 3-2 game to Morton, and they might need 5-7 runs to win Nola or Gibson's starts, especially given the state of the pen.

Philsmania 2021-09-27 18:25:38 UTC #452

I saw that article myself. Those pitching matchups don't inspire a lot of confidence. It looks like the Braves also set up their rotation for this series. All three of the Braves' starters have been on a good roll lately. A Braves sweep would be a mathematical knockout punch, like that Marlins sweep down in Florida back in 2003.

Don't forget, we haven't won a series in Miami since April of 2019 and we've lost five straight series there.

My absolute nightmare scenario is that the Phillies close out the season on a seven game losing streak to miss out on a winning season.

zambonir 2021-09-27 18:44:49 UTC #453

Luckily, it's baseball. Maybe Nola outpitches Fried in a 2-0 game. And they score eight runs tomorrow.

I guess I really don't care if they have a winning season or not. If they get swept by the Braves, taking a few games in Florida won't be much consolation and if they go 1-2 it would stink to get eliminated with a loss to Miami regardless (though the next Braves win would also do it).

We're past the point of playing for draft picks, but I'm also not buying the narrative that a winning season means the future is bright, or that this manager/roster is any better than the 2019 or 2020 clubs. While I'd much prefer the miracle finish to a collapse perhaps the latter would force them to look harder at some things (and the miracle finish wouldn't).

Philsmania 2021-09-27 18:44:58 UTC #454

I can't help but wonder how much of that was based upon public relations concerns. It seems like they didn't turn to Herrera until Quinn, Haseley and Moniak all flopped and they could then justify it to the fanbase by saying "Well, we tried everyone else."

Last year, they didn't even invite him to the alternate site in Allentown.

zambonir 2021-09-27 18:48:06 UTC #455

Oh I think it absolutely was. And also 40-man space. They also really wanted Kingery to win the job. I don't think Moniak was ever a serious consideration, but the fact that he even got a look tells you how un-eager they were to make Odubel an immediate option. They also might have stuck with Haseley and Quinn for longer if either had been available.

Philsmania 2021-09-27 18:48:21 UTC #456

I disagree to the point that having a winning season is something and something is better than nothing. At the same time, however, you are correct that we should be beyond where we simply need to settle for steps forward.

zambonir 2021-09-27 18:54:53 UTC #457

I'm sure the team would like to have a winning season! I just wouldn't take any pleasure in it. I'm glad we've had meaningful September baseball and I guess I'm also glad they didn't fall apart like the Mets and Padres. I say 'I guess' because if we do only win 82 or 83 games the draft position might have been welcome.

Of course there was a time when it looked like 83 might take the East.

XW-L says we're a 78-78 team, so I guess continuing to outplay that remains a goal.

Philsmania 2021-09-27 19:33:05 UTC #458

One win in the Braves series would clinch a winning month of September which would be a nice departure from the September faceplants of the last three years (and perhaps one less proverbial monkey on the back).

zambonir 2021-09-27 20:53:11 UTC #459

I guess, but I don't want over .500 baseball, I want over .600 baseball! They were at .607 in August and if they can do that again in September they'll have won five of the next six (.600) or all six (.622), and will probably be alive. Finishing 16-14 won't really mean anything to me. Anything other than the playoffs still seems like the same old same old to me. If only this team had won more games in April and May and avoided the late swoon.

I think the main reason to want wins - barring actually still having a shot at the playoffs - is Harper's MVP candidacy. He's on the national stage the rest of the week, and the other top two guys are not. Hopefully he ties a bow around it with some big hits and Phillies wins even if they don't wind up in first.

Philsmania 2021-09-27 21:34:24 UTC #460

And Wheeler's Cy Young candidacy, although if we have the NL MVP and CY this year, it would make failing to make the Postseason all the more frustrating. NLCY is probably an eight horse race at this point (Urias, Scherzer, Hader, Gausman, Buehler, Wainwright, Burnes and Wheeler) and Wheeler would be the only one that doesn't make it to October.

Considering how badly the Padres have faceplanted (11-29 since August 10) and add that they close out their season on the road against the Dodgers and Giants who are duking it out for the NL West title, if the Phillies' record exceeds the Padres', that might give Harper the award over Tatis.

BostonRoss 2021-09-27 21:53:15 UTC #461

I think that every team that has had the MVP and Cy Young Award winner has made the platt. So far…