2024 Phillies Season Discussion

[bkeich]

There is something to “beat the teams you are suppose to”, we certainly have had fairly good teams that had that downfall.

Of course it works less well if you just beat bad teams when you get to the playoffs.

[zambonir]

For sure. Of course nobody wanted to hear it when they were losing against a tougher frontloaded schedule in past seasons either.

I think banking these wins should still count for a lot still. A 5-1 West Coast road trip and a 4-0 sweep of the Giants is still a lot better than a 3-3 West Coast road trip and 3-1 series win. Ditto the 6-0 record against the White Sox and Rockies at home. The 2-2 series in Cincinnati (and the same at home against Pittsburgh) is probably a more realistic measure but if you're gonna play bad teams, dominance still counts for something, and winning the ones you should is also refreshing.

[Callison]

Listening to some Giants announcer assess the Phils, he talked like, yeah, I guess you have to include the Phillies when you talk about the top NL teams, like the Braves and the Dodgers. So all this winning and having the best record in MLB is not quite good enough to get in the cult. Maybe the Phils will make it next week.

BostonRoss, do what you can to keep things real for everybody. It's a long season and every game is a challenge.

OTOH, the Phils are hot. Way hot. Wouldn't surprise anybody to see them sweep Toronto.

[phillychuck]

After that 'black cat' statement I would think it would surprise many...

[zambonir]

It's a two-game series at home, they'd better! Blue Jays are a mess.

[Aquapong]

We always seem to let the Jays hang around games. Berrios is no slouch tonight.

[zambonir]

Maybe, but they were a team that made the playoffs three of the last four years (and missed them the year they won 91 games, a number the Phillies have yet to hit). This year they're bad. So yeah, it's now a trap game rather than a tough one.

[Callison]

Berrios is no slouch tonight.

< Jose Berrios is a 29-year-old right-hander making his eighth start of the season. He has a 4-2 record, and the team has gone 3-2 overall in his last five starts. Berrios has a strong 1.44 ERA, which is first in the majors among qualified pitchers. He has 31 strikeouts to 13 walks and has given up four home runs on the season. In his last start, he lasted 7.0 innings, giving up two earned runs in a loss to the Royals. >

He is dominant. but he won't last 9.

[zambonir]

Question is how long will Sanchez last?

[donaldorc]

Question is how long will Sanchez last?

Great question! I'm dubious that he will last very long.

[andyb]

We're going to need Sanchez to be good tonight. Shaky offensive lineup with Sosa back in, Stubbs for JT, Clemens for Bohm, and Merrifield for Rojas tonight.

[zambonir]

Wonder if Bohm is still a little banged up or if Thomson's just committing to the LHBs against Berrios? Of course, he still doesn't have enough of them. But in his mind those are offensive moves.

[HopeSpringsEternal]

I heard it mentioned during a recent game broadcast that Bohm would likely get a day off once his consecutive game hitting streak came to an end. It’s been awhile since he’s had a break, and I’m sure that the slight hip injury helped Thomson make this decision.

[zambonir]

Also a night game before a day game.

[BostonRoss]

Bohm needs a break. He's been running the bases a lot more than anyone else.

[Aquapong]

Don’t want to wear him out so he’s fresh for the ragers he and Marsh throw.

[zambonir]

None of us very good at predictions tonight.

For real, I think this is actually the mark of a great team. Some people like to discount blowouts against bad teams when it comes to run differential, but teams that get blowouts against bad teams are, y'know, good.

Phillies biggest problem right now is finding a high-leverage spot for Turnbull.

[LoneStarPhan]

Turnbull gives the bullpen a rest tonight, finishing the final two innings. Sanchez was just too good to give Turnbull a chance to pitch 3 to 5 innings. And that, is a good thing. If Turnbull can pitch 2 to 5 innings a few times a month, it can be a real savor for the bullpen. I have been somewhat mystified by the use of Strahm by the team. After doing reasonably well as a starter at the start of last season, he went to the bullpen, supposedly as a long reliever. But it seems he has now become another of the one inning relievers. I would like to see him join Turnbull as relievers who can and often do pitch 2 to 4 innings in a game. I really believe this would make the pen stronger.

[zambonir]

The Phillies acquired lefty Tyler Gilbert from the Reds for cash considerations. Gilbert, originally a sixth-round pick of the Phillies, threw a no-hitter in 2021 for the Diamondbacks. He will report to triple A.

Phillies utility player Whit Merrifield is ready to ‘pick up some slack’ during...

[zambonir]

Strahm is still capable of pitching four outs or two innings but he's just been too good. It started in the playoffs when he was a better option than Kimbrel or Seranthony (to say nothing of Soto), and it's still true now. He's the #3 arm after Hoffman and Alvarado. It would be nice if that changed but for now that's how it is. If Seranthony and Kerkering were flawless Hoffman could go back to being a fireman or longer man as well.

Nobody's pitching 3 or 4 innings out of the pen except for the one long man/mop-up guy. Turnbull is in a unique position. If he hadn't been on a starter's routine and scheduled to pitch tonight they could have put Ruiz out there.

In the end it does seem like we have a Sanchez/Turnbull piggyback, it's just that if Sanchez can go 6-7 Turnbull doesn't have to go 3-4 and can maybe pitch twice a week. He's also lined up to relieve the other lefty starter next.