GDT 5/30/23 Philadelphia Phillies (Suárez, R) @ New York Mets (Senga)

[zambonir]

They were supposed to ramp him to 90 before he even came up which obviously didn't happen, but this was his fourth start, and he threw 85 in the last one. If it had taken him 5 innings to throw 85 pitches this time he wouldn't have gone as long.

Perfect night with RISP, I gather!

[LoneStarPhan]

Pitching was good enough. There was no offense.

[VoteForKalas]

Hard to win a game when you cannot score and make Kenga look like Cy Young. Where is our vaunted hitting coach now?

[andyb]

Hard to justify giving a DH 2 days off in a row if he is not hurting somewhere.

[Patchmk88]

Especially against a RHP and when playing your division rival

[zambonir]

If if's a planned day off, it's a planned day off. They must have had a certain timeline, as well as the intent to give him a two-day break. If it's all BS and he's sore, we'll find out soon enough, but of course he's probably sore! DH or no DH he's still recovering from surgery and no spring training or rehab games.

Offense was better without him in April anyway. Not saying that means anything, but the rest of these guys still could have shown up. And playing Guthrie was a curious decision. Why not start Stubbs and DH JT? Problem is, of course, they are dying to get Schwarber out of the field when they can too. And they are clearly limiting Sosa's playing time (or they could have played him at 3B and Clemens in LF).

[andyb]

A DH should never need a planned day off, especially if they are not a marginal player or older (35+). Never. It is not too hard to DH. There is no wear and tear in the job description if there is not an injury involved.

I don't care what the team says. It is either not true or they are justifying a stupid decision.

[zambonir]

Well, here's the spin. To not even have him available, especially in a 2-0 game, does seem dubious. But I still don't think it really matters.

“We just wanted to give him a full day off — don’t swing the bat, don’t get ready,” manager Rob Thomson said, explaining why he didn’t call on Harper to bat for Kody Clemens or Dalton Guthrie in the ninth inning. “A lot of times when they’re pinch-hitting, they take a lot of swings, a lot of swings. We just wanted to give him a full day.”

Harper played 23 consecutive games, all as the designated hitter, in a span of 27 days since returning May 2 from Tommy John elbow surgery. The Phillies were off Monday, but Thomson said they wanted Harper to have a two-day break. They let him choose whether to sit out the last game in Atlanta or the first against the Mets. He picked the latter.

Thomson insisted that Harper is healthy, while conceding that he has felt “general soreness” in his elbow and his body. The Phillies believe it’s nothing more than playing every day again after not going through a spring training.

Bryce Harper-less Phillies silenced in 2-0 loss to the Mets

[andyb]

Still dumb. They could easily pick a game in the middle of a stretch of games against a left-handed pitcher. Maybe they don't have him face McKenzie Gore in DC later this week.

This "planned" day hurt the team. 23 games in 27 days at DH is not onerous at all. Might have cost them the game.

[zambonir]

Well you can still think it's dumb but they wanted him to get two days off, not one. And I disagree that the DH, especially in the context of Harper's past year, doesn't need to rest. As Thomson's quote suggests, he doesn't spend nine innings sitting on his butt. He takes BP, he's in the cage between ABs or he goes and spend four innings down there getting ready to PH. He's also hitting .222 with a ,.737 OPS in the past 5 games. To say it could have cost them the game is pure ex post facto since the team still should have been capable of scoring three runs without him - or Ranger could have just as easily allowed five. If anything they should have gotten him the day last week against the Cubs.

[Callison]

Senga threw the baseball like a whiffle ball. Might be the best arm on the Meats.

[BostonRoss]

DH or not, I have no issue resting our best player coming off major surgery. Or delaying his return to the field.

That said, I think we’d have seen Harper instead of Harrison last night had there been a runner on base.

[andyb]

The issue is not just a rest day. It is after a day off and not spotting him the rest against a left-handed starter. And also against a team the Phillies need to beat to get into the playoffs.

There were many ways to do this if it had to be done and the Phillies chose the wrong way. Which is why he is probably hurting more than the quotes imply.

[zambonir]

The way Gelb framed it, was just typical Rob Thomson.

_Somewhere, maybe there is an urgency about how the Phillies — a team carrying the highest payroll in franchise history and designed to score copious amounts of runs — rank 23rd in the sport in runs scored as June nears. If there is anxiety, it has not seeped into the dugout. Rob Thomson stuck to a predetermined plan; he offered Bryce Harper the choice of sitting Sunday or Tuesday against a divisional rival. Harper picked Tuesday.

Thomson, whose tenure as Phillies manager will reach the one-year mark later this week, takes pride in having a steady hand. He is not reactive. He believes his players respond best to patience.

It might be tested if the Phillies continue to flop. The season is one-third complete. But Tuesday, Thomson contended the bigger picture — Harper’s maintenance day — was more important.

To keep him healthy,” Thomson said, “I’d rather not risk that than the game.”

As Phillies' offensive woes worsen, Rob Thomson stays patient and Nick...

[bkox]

Hard to believe Cal Ripken played in 2632 consecutive games and 0 of those as a DH

[zambonir]

Bring back those little bowls of greenies and the players would rest less.

[schillingfan]

Clemens and Harrison with the only hits. Hard to believe Harry.