2022 Phillies Major League Regular Season Discussion

[VoteForKalas]

Still want to drive across country, but will see if that ever happens.

I've done it twice, it is well worth the effort.

[Taudawg]

Another wrinkle -

Phillies Place Zach Eflin On COVID List

[Aquapong]

The MLB app shows Sanchez starting the second game today.

[zambonir]

Oh boy

Girardi says that Zack Wheeler has been placed on COVID-related IL. So that’s two starters now on the COVID-related IL: Zach Eflin and Zack Wheeler.

— Alex Coffey ( @byalexcoffey ) May 8, 2022

So Morales not even the extra doubleheader guy technically (oh right, that's Sanchez, forgot he was already gone). Brogdon also coming up for Wheeler.

[zambonir]

So is there any difference for vaxxed vs. unvaxxed players at this point? Other than, potentially, an unvaxxed player might take a lot longer to clear symptoms/test negative?

[bkox]

Pitchers the Phillies are set to face on their 7-game West Coast trip:

• Robbie Ray (2021 AL Cy Young)
• Logan Gilbert (1.36 ERA)
• Walker Buehler (2.12 ERA)
• Julio Urias (1.88 ERA)
• Clayton Kershaw (Clayton Kershaw)

— Corey Seidman ( @CSeidmanNBCS ) May 8, 2022

[Dusty]

They win today

[zambonir]

once, maybe

[Dusty]

Hopefully both, one never knows with Joe and the bullpen. But they say there is a first time for everything. That game Thursday night was it. Once and never to be repeated.

[schillingfan]

Still want to drive across country, but will see if that ever happens.

I've done it twice, it is well worth the effort.

I’ve done it three times. First in the late 1960’s and second in in 1982 and third in 1983. I’ve taken the north south and middle routes!

[zambonir]

What I find kind of funny about that terrible loss on Thursday is I'm not sure the no-hitter wasn't worse. At least both the offense and the starting pitching was great the other night. An interesting note from Stark too - Diaz struck out our 3-4-5 hitters in order in the 9th inning of the no-hitter, something that has never happened before in baseball history (the 3 strikeouts against the heart of an order in a no-hitter). And Diaz has had his share of nights like Norwood and Knebel had on Thursday too! Because they all have. Just not usually that badly, or in the same inning.

[zambonir]

Well, that's one!

[bkox]

After game one, the Phillies have a 109 wRC+ on the season.

The last Phillies team to post a wRC+ of 109 or higher was the 1977 squad.

By wRC+, this is the best Phillies offense we’ve seen in 45 years.

— The Good Phight ( @TheGoodPhight ) May 8, 2022

wRC+ is scaled so that 100 is league average. In terms of raw numbers, the 2022 team obviously isn’t hitting as well as the e 2006-2009 teams. But compared to the rest of the league, this has actually been one of the best Phillies offenses we’ve ever seen.

— The Good Phight ( @TheGoodPhight ) May 8, 2022

[zambonir]

I'm not sure this is actually a good thing. I mean, yeah, maybe the Phillies were uniquely behind the other teams pitching-wise (due to Suarez's visa and Wheeler's issues and Eflin having not pitched for a long time) and if that improves we'll see more Ws (certainly that has been true of this Mets series, the epic blown lead aside). But it also suggests that the notion that the Phillies will win more when the offense gets going is flawed. As is the blueprint for the team in general, so far.

[Dusty]

At least, one out of two.

[zambonir]

Girardi: “You look at the homestand, and we really had a chance to win four games in a sense, and we weren’t able to do it. Maybe this will be a good thing for us, to get on the road.”

— Alex Coffey ( @byalexcoffey ) May 9, 2022

[allentown]

translation: the team is playing so poorly it's afraid of its own fans and media.

[zambonir]

Yeah, I suppose that is one way to look at it. I just saw it as kind of a milquetoast statement on the one hand, and a hilarious one given the team's road record (both this year and every year). It would be a miracle if they can just go 3-4, which happens to be almost their exact winning percentage overall.

[RTaylor]

The Mariners haven't been playing well, but it's a long flight to Seattle after a double-header.

[zambonir]

Yeah, they are not the Dodgers, but we just lost two games to the Rangers at home!