2022 Phillies Post-Season Campaign Discussion

[el-pietro]

No game thread? That foul from Schwarber hopefully bodes well.

[LoneStarPhan]

Game thread up now.

[phillychuck]

Lots of stories on Twitter and Reddit about Framber cheating ... spin rates ticked up in the playoffs, lots of weird motions with his hands, wiping off his hands before being checked after innings. I have no idea if they are true.

[andyb]

I did link the story and the twitter video in the game thread. No idea if true. He could easily be doing a Gaylord Perry to mess with people.

[phillychuck]

I think that's what he implied, but that doesn't explain the jump in spin rate.

[andyb]

On spin rate I think the average spin rates are back up to where they were before the crackdown. Makes me think the industry has figured out a workaround. Notice how concerned Alvarado was with his rosin bag in the rain. They are just getting enough stickiness through currently legal means.

[Austinfan]

Wheeler is going to need that extra day of rest, he was throwing 95-96, not 97-99. And his four seamer lacked the movement he showed the last month.

That has to concern you going forward, he's losing strength and stamina as he ages, which suggests, like Nola, you find ways to give him extra days during the season going forward.

[gmwannabe]

I don't think as he ages. it has been a long season and he has never pitched this deep in a year. I don't even think he hit 96 all night. tired. they are going have to fight through it. great run though. they need a retro outing by Thor tomorrow night. Pitching now favors the Astros. look out for some cheating.
gm

[zambonir]

It was a long season as well one in which he started out injured and then was shut down again. So that is something to be concerned about going forward, and not unrelated to age, but he still doesn't look like a guy who's going to miss a step for another year or two, or actually lacks strength and stamina other than in direct relation to health.

[allentown]

The issue with Nola is that he went into the playoffs having pitched 205 innings. Pitchers who throw 200 innings in today's game are rare. Wheeler is a different story. He is 3 years older than Nola. He lost significant time to injury. He still pitched 153 regular season innings. Both he and Nola pitched a lot of playoff innings prior to WS. Wheeler's injury was to his pitching arm (forearm tendonitis). We must hope he isn't showing renewed signs of that problem. He also was hit by a batted ball and that may still be tender and subtly altering his delivery. He depends as much upon command as upon stuff and it doesn't take a lot to effect command. Both Nola and Wheeler were off in their command in their start and both seemed to be nibbling excessively and expecting the opposition to chase.

[zambonir]

There was also a lot of talk about how well the Astros hit four-seamers.

[Callison]

Seems to me the fact that they were made to play through it was more the issue, not how players may or may not have competed during that stretch.

True dat, but the point that the pen nearly cost the Phils the game remains. The guy who finally closed did the same.

[Callison]

That Framber might be the best pitcher the Astros have. VERY cagey, throws lots of pitches not meant to be hit or even swung at. Here's hoping we don't see him again cause the Phils couldn't touch him.

OTOH, too bad Wheeler had to have a meltdown throwing so many pitches in the middle of the plate.

Here's hoping the Phils continue to hit at home like they have during the playoffs. GO PHILS!!!!

[VoteForKalas]

IMO the only reason they couldn't touch him is because they got themselves out.

When they face him again, they need to be much more disciplined and force him to throw actual strikes. They swung at so much of his junk pitches that it was easy for him. As Smoltz said, pitchers are happy to face undisciplined hitters because pitchers do not need to throw strikes to get them out.

The current lineup may not have that ability unfortunately with hitters like Hoskins, Marsh, Castellanos etc., but getting him into hitters counts where he has to throw his FB instead of the curve is key. It is like facing Lefty (I'm not at all saying Valdez is anywhere near as great as Lefty). If Lefty got two strikes on you, you knew the slider was coming and still could not lay off it. With Valdez, you know the curve is coming with two strikes and you need to learn how to let it go by.

[andyb]

I guess we have uncertain weather tonight. 2 AM here we come!

MLB officials are scheduled to meet with the #Phillies and #Astros at 3:30 ET to provide a weather update to determine whether Game 3 can be played or try to play through the rain that is forecast throughout the evening.

— Bob Nightengale ( @BNightengale ) October 31, 2022

[zambonir]

Oh man. I was just looking and the forecast was much tougher right around 8-9. I have people coming up from the Lehigh Valley too.

[andyb]

MLB officials, after meeting 30 minutes ago, are next scheduled to meet with the #Phillies and #Astros at 5 p.m. to determine whether they will try to play tonight’s Game 3 of the World Series.
They are hoping for a final decision no later than 6:30 p.m.

— Bob Nightengale ( @BNightengale ) October 31, 2022

I don't think it is supposed to rain that hard and for that long, so pretty sure they will play. Just might get a late start if the rain is around 8 pm.

[zambonir]

I wonder if there is some pressure to not repeat NLCS Game 5; even though I'm sure there is also pressure from Fox to just play (and neither team wants to lose the off day).

[Callison]

Too many influential people just want to get this game played tonight regardless of the weather... the networks, the advertisers... people who really do not love the game.

IMHO, baseball in the rain is dangerous, particularly at the pro level, and I would not permit it, especially in the WS. I would not mind waiting a week to play in dry weather.

[zambonir]

what we need is to go back in time a week (or three, really). just shouldn't play baseball at this time of year (let alone in November)