2024 Phillies Season Discussion

[LoneStarPhan]

The sweep of the Dodgers seemed like the start of another hot streak, but 4-13 since. That's really worst team in MLB bad.

I think if they don't play better in the remaining 8 games of this road trip, they may have to make a change in manager. Can't fire the players and something has to be done to shake things up.

[kmc1019]

It is plausible and probably likely that the Dodgers will be ahead of the Phillies after the two teams play this week.

[bkox]

That's really worst team in MLB bad.

The White Sox, losers of 19 in a row, would love 4-13!

[zambonir]

That's really worst team in MLB bad.

Well, no, it's not since the White Sox are 0-19.

It's also not time the fire the manager. You've got injuries, you've got players leaving and players arriving, and you've got a challenging schedule that everyone always said was going to be an issue (except we got insulted when national media pointed that out). They need to survive this road trip, ugly as it might be, get Ranger and even Walker back (if they go six-man) and get ready for a better second half of August. Not panicking is still the move. A new manager could go wrong so many more ways than not doing that. And they still have the luxury of not panicking. They still have the second-best record in MLB and blowing the division isn't even the same thing as missing the playoffs.

Obviously, it was all Merrifield.

[JaxBill]

Interesting that the telecast highlighted Scott Kingery for their minor league report. Obviously this team needs a spark but I can't imagine that he's it .

[BostonRoss]

Even if Kingery was called up, he wouldn’t play much. Sosa, Rojas, and Wilson seldom play as it is.

[Jazzhead]

I'd love to see Kingery get another chance, even if it amounts to nothing more than an opportunity with another club. The Phillies messed him up by never, ever giving him a shot at playing second base and forcing him into a multi-positional role he couldn't handle. Ironically, he could likely fill that role now, and it would be cool to see him earn the opportunity.

[zambonir]

It's sweet we still romanticize Scott Kingery and with good reason but he's just another guy in Allentown like Dahl and Kennedy and Stevenson. The history means nothing to this front office (and they aren't the ones who messed him up either, though I really don't think that's what happened. It was injuries and COVID and the fact that he wasn't as good as the Phillies hoped to begin with. He could have been Zobrist or Merrifield but wasn't, just like Cody Asche wasn't Utley and Maikel Franco wasn't Schmidt).

It's all just a quirk of his contract and his not reaching minor league free agency that we still get to talk about him.

If someone got hurt right now Clemens would be the next call-up, and if the Phillies did decide to put someone on the 40 I'd rather see what one of the other guys has (Kennedy or Stevenson) lest they are worth bringing back next year.

It would be nice for Kingery if the Phillies did waive him at the end of the month but it's a business.

[VoteForKalas]

Kingery got more money and more opportunity than most minor league players, but unfortunately it did not work out.

[Callison]

The Phils-Dodgers series LOOKS like a preview of the playoffs, but this Dodgers series and the previous one are only against SOME of the Dodgers. Without Betts, Muncy and Yamamoto, these games don't mean nearly as much and aren't nearly as exciting. Got to watch Yamamoto pitch - he's as advertised. They're still plenty strong, sharing "Evil Empire" with the NYY, so there's plenty to win, but the everything-on-the-line factor is missing.

Good to see JT finally get a hit. Hays seems to be overswinging, maybe too anxious to show he has some power. The hitters on this team have to start winning a few.

[zambonir]

Given how badly they need wins, it would be a huge series if they were playing the Angels, or the Dodgers' AAA team.

But it's also still the Dodgers. A team that has won 10 division titles and one World Series since the last time the Phillies did the former even once. A team with Ohtani and Glasnow and Kershaw. In LA. In Dodger Stadium. Coming off of that sweep at CBP. It's a shame it's not a weekend series with national TV games (which would also make it easier to stay up for them).

We don't truly forgive our own team when it plays badly with people missing from the line-up or banged up and don't need to downgrade the Dodgers either. If anything, if they are so diminished, it will be a failure if the Phillies don't win the series.

[VoteForKalas]

Hays seems to be overswinging, maybe too anxious to show he has some power.

I've noticed that too. I'm not sure if it is his natural swing, but he seems to actively try to lift the ball when he hits it.

[Callison]

Found a video of Big Rob discussing the game. Great. Let's see how it looks from the inside. He seemed in deep thought about how things are going and looked like he'd prefer to be left alone. He just recited the things the Phils did well and said they had their chances. Then the interviewer asked him if the Phils hitters weren't fooolishly aggressive in the 9th. Big Rob was annoyed. He told him the Dodgers' pitcher is known to throw strikes and likely fastballs. As in the Phils knew who they were facing and the guy asking the question didn't. End of interview, likely cut short. So no insight here -he just seems to be looking for answers like everybody else. And leave him alone.

Nice day at the plate for Hays.

Nola had a bad inning, though he recovered to pitch well afterward. Maybe that level of inconsistency is all he's got, but since he can correct it, he's gotta get more aware somehow.

Phils are striking out at record pace.

[phillychuck]

There is no one in the Phils' organization who is referred to as "Big Rob." To me, and to other posters who have commented on this, it seems disrespectful. FWIW.

[EDmuch]

While I have remained fairly calm during this whole ordeal, it does seem to be approaching an epic collapse. Hopefully it will not get that far. The strike out rate is concerning.

[Philsmania]

We now have only the fourth best record in baseball--Guardians, Orioles and Yankees have all passed us. The Dodgers are only a half game behind us. We are 4.5 ahead of the Brewers for the first round bye, 5.5 ahead of the Braves for the division, 6 ahead of the Diamondbacks and Padres for the first and second wildcard and 7 ahead of the Mets for the third wildcard.

[BostonRoss]

The team with the best record didn't win the World Series in the last four full seasons.

[Philsmania]

The team with the best record didn't win the World Series in the last four full seasons.

Since wild card play commenced in 1995, more wild card teams have won the WS (8) than regular season best record teams (7). And, only 11 of 43 100 win teams in the wild card era have made it to the WS.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-postseason-has-a-history-of-parity#:~:text=In%20that%20time%2C%20the%20team,2020%20Dodgers%20(shortened%20season).

[andyb]

Since wild card play commenced in 1995, more wild card teams have won the WS (8) than regular season best record teams (7).

The final 8 each season will always include at least 2 wild card teams and today it is possible to have 3 or 4 in that final 8. There is only one of those 8 teams that has the best record in the sport. So in a gambling sense taking 1 chance on a 102-win team has lower odds than 2+ chances with 90-win teams.

[VoteForKalas]

Only 1 of the last 7 teams that won 100 games or more won the WS - Houston 2022. The rest were knocked out in the first round.