Strahm Starts/Bullpen Games/Fifth Starter

[Callison]

IMHO, this is a great decision by the Phils. For once they resisted the urge to send one of their game-forfeiters out there. But Strahm has looked steady at times and I'm hoping for a lot from him. May he can, say, hold AZ to 2 over 5 innings. Maybe the Phils' hitters will show up and make it easy, always a game time decision these days.

AZ on top of their game. I'm sure they're not worried about the sub .500 Phils...

[bkox]

Hes not going to pitch more than 2 innings.. maybe 3. Probably a pitch count of around 40 max.

[bkeich]

It just makes so much sense. Even if he only goes 3-4 innings, the players have to feel better than sending a guy like Covey out there that the players know is not able to do the job for multiple innings.

[bkox]

This is.. Covey is probably the next up after Strahm. then Vazquez and Marte to hopeully get through 6 and the backend guys

[andyb]

If we go with an opener I do like the general concept of going LHP-RHP or vice versa. Assume Covey will pick up 2-3 innings in the middle regardless.

Next bullpen game probably depends on how well Covey does and how the team feels about its 3 other candidates (Sanchez, Falter, Nelson).

[zambonir]

Yup this is just another bullpen game, and not his first. If he goes three innings it will only be because he's near-perfect. No more than 9 batters probably. He's just a good opener because he can go two, and he can get guys out from both sides. Plus most of the Phillies' other openers over the past two seasons (Brogdon, Bellatti, Nelson) are not currently on the roster.

I did wonder if Covey was going to get on the plane. I don't think the Phillies think there is more to get out of him; I think they legitimately don't want to lose another pitcher from the 40 yet. Pitching is so thin throughout the league someone else probably would claim him, just as multiple teams did when the Dodgers waived him.

[bkox]

Also.. in case anyone hasnt noticed.. Strahm has looked more meh lately.. last 5 outings hes pitched 7.1 innings and given up 5 ER and 9 baserunners.

[zambonir]

yeah, good point, we're excited about starting the guy who just gave up three runs in two innings?

Truth is he's a big red flag for the bullpen going forward. Hopefully he'll be fine but he's an injury risk at worst and someone who still might run out of gas before the stretch run at best. He's likely to pitch more innings this year than he did in the previous three combined, and before that he was a starter. Sticking him on the IL at some point for a few weeks if he gets sore (which is basically what they did with Wheeler last year) might actually be a good idea.

[Austinfan]

I think they're just buying time for Brogdon, Nelson, Sanchez and McGarry.
They'll get maximum use out of Covey before they DFA him to save other arms.

[Callison]

t

We ARE excited about starting this guy CAUSE HE'S NOT A PROVEN DISASTER.

Yeah, he's been iffy lately, but also has shown ability. Though some fans expect he'll be gone after a couple innings, if the Phils give him a few runs cushion, he could go 5 IMHO. Seems like the Phils are due to have something go right at the bottom of the rotation.

If Covey faces AZ, I predict he will give up 3 runs or more in one inning and likely give away the game.

BTW, I meant to put this on the Regular Season board.

[bkox]

he could go 5 IMHO.

No he cant. They dont want him to go 5. The phillies could be up by 5 runs and he could be pitching a perfect game and they will take him out at 3 innings max.

[zambonir]

He's a relief pitcher now, he won't go five. Every extra pitch he throws today is one he might not throw in September.

As for the thread, it could possibly be converted into tonight's game thread?

[andyb]

Strahm will be pitching on 2 days rest. Shocked if he'll go more than 2 innings and 1 is very possible. He might really be there just to pitch to Corbin Carroll (968 OPS) in the first inning just like other teams use a left-handed opener to guarantee that Bryce's first AB will not have the platoon advantage.

[Sabin]

As for the thread, it could possibly be converted into tonight's game thread?

I imagine Julio will once it's posted by Kikataro. Since Callison wanted to discuss an item with the game ahead of that, he chose this. I suppose it would be a bit cleaner (and less maintenance for Julio) to just route pre-game topics to the general season discussion thread going forward.

[zambonir]

Everybody uses the board so differently that there is no right answer, sometimes I think we have too many threads and sometimes not enough. I think it was fine to start a new thread even if it was by mistake! We could also just as easily call this the "bullpen game/fifth starter" thread which is of course is also a topic in both the general and other game threads.

[Callison]

I think this guy is a former starter and is therefore the latest candidate for 5th starter and they'll get every inning they can from him. If you're saving him for the pen, as of yesterday, the pen has 3 arms that can stop just about anyone - Dominguez, Alvarado and Kimbrel. The Phils are playing to win in 6. So the 5th starter is a big problem and the pen is looking strong. (Both Dominguez and Alvarado will get a level better, too, IMHO.)

Very interested to see how it plays out tonight.

[zambonir]

I don't know what team you have been following. Strahm was already the Phillies third or fourth starter when he replaced Suarez. And then he wasn't, and they have definitively stated he will not start again because he can't even be expected to pitch 80 innings this year, let alone 120.

The only thing I found curious about you starting this thread (before you mentioned it was a mistake) is that you thought this was big news, because he's not really "starting' the game and also, he "started' the last bullpen game. He pitched two innings and threw 22 pitches before being succeeded by Vasquez (good) and Covey (bad).

And it will probably go about the same tonight. The only question is can they do it without using Covey at all. In that last game he allowed the only 2 runs in a 4-2 win, but that was also against a bad team.

The 5th starter problem is vastly overstated anyway. Falter was already the worst starter in the league. They have hovered around .500 with him and they have hovered around .500 without him. If the top 4 starters and the offense perform (as you not the bullpen is fine) they will get by with any old arm or bullpen games for another five weeks. Then you start to think about upgrading. It's just unfortunate Painter can't do it.

[bkox]

50 pitches was way more than I expected they would allow Strahm to throw tonight

[RolenRules]

In another thread I had advocated from Phild to use Strahm as the fifth starter and have him go through the opponents' lineup a second time if possible. Unfortunately he was not up to the task.

[zambonir]

Meet the new boss...

Phillies don’t have much starting pitching depth, but for now, they see Bailey...

Falter was sent to Clearwater to pitch this past Thursday and is on track to make the next start in Oakland should they choose.