2023 Phillies Regular Season Discussion

[Aquapong]

I would think the Giants strategy in terms of lineup construction would be try to endure Brogdon to get to Falter.

Too bad they aren’t playing in San Fran over the weekend. It’s always a place I like watching the games and they are on too late tonight and tomorrow.

[phillychuck]

It matters if it matters to Falter psychologically. It can strategically matter if the "long pitcher/starter" has problems getting through the top of the order in the first inning, because when the starter enters the game he will not be likely to face the top of the order when he is still not loose. Actually, he might not ever have to face 1-2-3-4 lined up, which is supposedly what the opposition manager thinks is his best alignment. It could also confer a handedness advantage, but the opposition manager should be able to mitigate that since he knows the opener and long-innings pitcher's throwing arms.

[zambonir]

I suppose the same logic that says put your best hitters 1-2-3 so they get the most ABs also applies to an opener preventing your less-good starters from facing those hitters twice. That Falter probably won't go five innings is also by design I'd think. Ideally Brogdon goes more than one.

[donaldorc]

Why isn't Wheeler starting tonight?

[andyb]

They slid Falter back a few days. They wanted him to avoid Coors Field but I think they also wanted to split up Nola and Wheeler so the days the bullpen is taxed are spread out.

Their goal is not generally to have Nola and Wheeler max out the number of their starts. They are happy to get either an extra day of rest when they have off days. It is a long season.

[schillingfan]

Makes sense given how the pitchers seemed to lose steam by the World Series.

[flyers19rw]

Falter down to LV; Uelmen brought up.

[Callison]

The Phils did everything they could not to make this decision. Cost them a couple games.

Can't find much on Ueleman - history says he's average. Righty replaces lefty on the pen. The Phils must think a lot of him.

[zambonir]

Well that's interesting, is he really flying to SF (whether to be available or to just connect with the staff) or is it just a paper move until Friday.

Time was they'd sneak a reliever in for a few days but with the longer recall limit probably not worth it.

[Aquapong]

They don’t need another starter until next Thursday. Maybe they go back to Straham?

[Austinfan]

Has been strictly a RP the last few years. Raw numbers look good at LHV, but BABIP of .130 says they're a bit fluky. Extreme GB pitcher this season, probably another fluke unless Phillies coaches made changes (like sharpen his changeup).

Think this means the 5th starter is going to be a bullpen game.

Uelmen, Erich 6’3 195 (4-17 CHI) [27]
Uses an abbreviated windup, has toned down hand movement since college. Throws across body with low 3/4 arm slot and will vary timing. Gets himself in strong fielding position after delivery. Repeats mechanics very well. Sinker, his primary pitch. Gets weak contact more than swing and misses, bottom falls out of the pitch making it difficult to square up. Works everything low in the zone. Above-average pitch. Leans heavily on it. 92-94, t96. Grade: 55 His 83 MPH slider is his best secondary pitch. Good movement but doesn't miss bats, instead getting more groundballs. Will throw the pitch in any count and it plays well off of the sinker. Grade: 50 Changeup is so-so. Control over command profile. Throws strikes but will leak over the middle of the plate too much. When he's in sync he lives on the lower quadrants and even below the zone. Thin margin for error and below average command is living on the fringes of a big league roster. Control: 50 | Command: 40 Future relief arm. Could get some extra ticks on the fastball with a permanent shift to the pen. Ability to work multiple innings increases big league utility with expanded staffs.

[zambonir]

Oh I thought Uelmen had been starting. So, he could indeed be a temp for Sanchez (who hasn't pitched that well). Or they could just go bullpen game for a couple of turns, they did it last year.

Hardly the first horrible 5th starter the Phillies have had who couldn't survive May. Lively, Moore/Anderson just off the top of my head in recent years.

(oh and one more: The 26-year-old lefty is 0-7 with a 5.13 ERA. He’s the first Phillies pitcher to lose his first seven decisions in a season since Jerad Eickhoff in 2017.)

[andyb]

I was thinking it was ironic that Falter's ERA went down last night when he was really pitching poorly.

Uelmen is strictly a reliever and likely a placeholder. Now we see why they wanted to stretch Nelson out. Plassmayer and Sanchez have been mediocre. Skirrow has been better but is not on the 40 and they may not want to pull that trigger yet.

Bullpen game seems most likely unless they trade for a AAAA guy.

[Austinfan]

Skirrow's K rate is so low that I'm skeptical he can get major league hitters out.
He's getting soft contact in AAA ball, but will that translate up the ladder?

[Aquapong]

Maybe Tyler Cloyd is available.

[Jazzhead]

I'm glad to see them starting Bohm at third and Clem at first - I think that's our best lineup until Harper can play the field, both offensively and defensively.

I'd also favor using bullpen games indefinitely in lieu of a mediocre fifth starter. Let the opposing batters face a different pitcher each time they come up; at least it's a way of leveraging mediocrity.

[zambonir]

Even if they go with a bullpen game per se, they'll have to end up using Sanchez as the long reliever in that mix (since Nelson is now hurt and Falter can't be recallled for 15 days). They can't be letting Strahm go three (or we'll never see him in October) and Brogdon couldn't even last one inning last night.

Sosa has still started 11 games at 3B this month; his bat has cooled but I still think the team is better with his defense at 3B and Bohm at 1B. Clemens is still the worst hitter of the three. You could just as easily play Sosa at 1B for as little as Clemens provides (given that they are both truly middle IFs).

(And yes I hope Kody gets a big hit tonight now that I've said that but the fact that he has before hasn't changed his overall performance, which wouldn't even be good enough for a SS.)

[David_Criss]

Guessing Nelson gets a shot? Why not let Hoffman go a few innings? He isn't in the long term plans like Strahm is. Could Strahm move back to the rotation?

[andyb]

Nelson got pulled early in his last outing. I think it was his hamstring again.

[zambonir]

I think they are pretty clear about not moving Strahm back to the rotation. He can't pitch 100 innings this year. And probably not even 80 (he has only pitched 70 in the last three seasons combined). Doesn't mean he couldn't go three innings a few times in a bullpen start (or otherwise), but he can't start per se. They never wanted him to be in the rotation, just to temporarily replace Ranger. Whereas the 5th starter opening isn't temporary.

Still a week away from Alvarado being back (and he hasn't thrown yet) so I suppose they could try to do a bullpen start without actually changing anything. Barring other injuries they'll have to option Uelman or DFA Hoffman (or Vasquez) for Alvarado eventually if they don't give a spot to Sanchez first.