23 Atlanta Braves (Fried) @ Philadelphia Phillies (Wheeler)

gmwannabe 2023-09-13 12:11:16 UTC #161

I just looked at the other thread showing the pitch box sequence to Riley. That umpiring was really poor at that at bat. Did this home plate ump have" some skin in this game"?
gm

zambonir 2023-09-13 12:20:21 UTC #162

I think it's more than just Castro's option, they want a second infielder even though they never actually need one (and surely won't do that in the playoffs but then again if the player literally never get an AB they might). I also don't think they would normally carry three RH bench bats (which they are doing since Pache can't be optioned). That spot should really be Hall who wouldn't have been able to PH for Marsh either.

But andy is dead-on - you got this guy because he had a .900 OPS against LHP, you started all those RHBs earlier in the game using the same strategy, play him. Of course we would not be complimenting that decision if the result had been the same (much as Ed didn't like the RHB-heavy line-up to begin with).

andyb 2023-09-13 12:46:01 UTC #163

They also had Cave on the bench who is really there because he is a LF OF but also because they feel he is a better hitter too than Hall (they both crushed AAA pitching this year).

Marsh still has pretty big splits (885 OPS against RHP, 687 against LHP) and to be honest the left-handed starters he plays against are not the tough ones like Fried. His OPS looks great in the lineup card but it is decidedly not an overall OPS playing against everyone. Turner, Bohm, Realmuto, Stott and Castellanos all have lower overall OPSs that are built against everyone for the most part.

I'd still probably give Marsh a chance next season to play against everyone. He is still young enough where he can improve there and there is a good chance they also want Rojas to play every day in AAA for awhile. But he might have only a half season to show he is a full-time player.

zambonir 2023-09-13 13:09:17 UTC #164

Yeah but Cave really isn't a bench player at this point. It's Castro, Pache, Rojas, Sosa, Stubbs. If they actually start playing Rojas again (and Marsh in LF) you could say he was. But right now you'd have to call Cave the starting LF and on the days he and Marsh start they have no lefty bat on the bench per se.

Reading the coverage it seems the Phillies really are focused on that Castro option (he would lose it if he spent two more days in the minors) and the beat writers tried really hard to get Thomson to complain about it. Instead he said he didn't use Castro there because he hasn't had an AB in a week, which, chicken/egg. But this article beats the drum for Wilson basically replacing Castro or Pache/Rojas in October (still don't they'll go with a five-man playoff bench but they certainly could).

andyb 2023-09-13 13:22:19 UTC #165

Wilson is a better overall baseball player than Castro, but let's also not overrate him. The issue is more serious because Thomson has not found him any playing time. It is not like Wilson would have been playing either with Pache and Rojas around.

I was surprised when Castro did not get a start in the DH. Game 2 could easily have been the time with Cave getting a second start in a row. Maybe last night too instead of Sosa for Stott. Sometimes you need to keep the roster fresh and not play every game like it is the World Series. We are fighting for home field in the wild card. It is important, but we are also not in a precarious situation where you can't get everyone on the roster a start every couple of weeks. I am not sitting Schwarber and Turner now because they are red hot, but everyone else can take a day or two here and there.

Here's a question - If the Phillies option Castro after the minor league season is over do those days count towards his yearly option? I think it is actually 5 days where he can go down before he hits 20 total. Obviously we could put Wilson on the playoff roster if we wanted to, but could we get him up the moment Lehigh Valley's season is over?

zambonir 2023-09-13 13:27:22 UTC #166

I agree about Wilson and that it's not a big deal (including last night) but if you read the article it is all Fuld talking about how great he is. Really it's just odd they made it all about Castro when he could just as easily replace one of Pache or Rojas. But if they are considering giving him a shot in October it is probably better than he's down there getting regular ABs until then anyway.

The article I read said Castro had 17 days and can't top 19. I would think the option is still an option until the major league season is over.

andyb 2023-09-13 14:04:44 UTC #167

Castro was optioned to the minors on 7/16 and traded to the Phillies on 7/31. Did not make it onto the Phillies roster until 8/2. So that is the 2-day difference and who knows how MLB counts option days technically.

Not that it matters. Wilson probably does make better sense for the postseason since it will be for that rare PH outing we had last night. And really we should try to go with 14 hitters and keep both Pache and Rojas if we can. I suspect Pache is closer to the Oakland hitter he was prior to the trade rather than the 3 hot weeks he had with us. Wilson might even be a better pinch run option than Pache since he steals more bases.