Broom Service in Pittsburgh: Phillies Fight Back to Winning Record

Phils sweep the Pirates & crack .500! Wheeler & Sánchez dominate on the mound. Hear postgame audio from Wheeler & Sánchez (via interpreter) on their stellar gems. #RingTheBell #PhiladelphiaPhillies #MLBonX

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:29

Welcome back in, ladies and gentlemen, to another episode of the Six Ten Podcast. A pretty special episode here on the Six Ten Podcast as the Philadelphia Phillies, a month ago, they had just wrapped up what would ultimately be the first of many series, first of four series, that would not go their way and would see some pretty uninspiring baseball. As Wednesday, April 15th, they lost to the Chicago Cubs eleven to two to fall to eight and ten at that point in the young season. That record would ultimately balloon all the way down to nine and nineteen, which would see the dismissal of manager Rob Thompson. Don Mattingley, then the bench coach, would be moved into the interim role, and since then the Phillies have been fifteen and four. And yesterday, after a Christopher Sanchez complete game shutout, the Phillies got to five hundred, and then today, facing the dominant Paul Skeens, the Phillies outlast him and are now a game above five hundred, and we'll head back home after a five and one road trip and play the Cincinnati Reds as we will talk about that series coming up. We'll preview that, but first we obviously have to recap the series that was against the Pittsburgh Pirates. We already talked about the wacky win on Friday evening, and I'm not sure if I ended the episode mentioning mentioning it or not, but you needed to build off that win. The offense had been scuffling. The starting pitching up until Aaronola's start had been doing really good, but the offense was obviously, you know, the only way you're going to win is if you score runs. I mean, the most obvious statement ever, but the only way you're going to win is if you score runs. Christopher Sanchez could go out there on Saturday and Zach Wheeler today, and they could go, you know, eight innings of giving up a run, or to, you know, in the last two days case, no runs, and it doesn't matter if you don't score. And for Aranola, you know, he yes, gave up six runs in one inning. Yes, the Phillies were down eight to three, but the offense obviously came all the way back. They score eight unanswered runs. They outscored the Pirates eight to one in the final four innings, and obviously carried that momentum into Saturday. That's all. Bryce Harper belt a three-run homer in the first inning. That was kind of the perfect way you wanted to kick off the Saturday game after the exciting win. And for Bryce Harper, who had felt like just missed a go-ahead grand slam, that would have given the Phillies a 10-8 lead, he puts them up 3-0 early. Kyle Schwarber in the second adds to it with a two-run double. And Trey Turner adds on some insurance with an RBI double, and the Phillies win six-nothing. But Christopher Sanchez, whose walk-out song or pitching warm-up song is what we use to open this episode, he dazzled. And dazzling is not even the correct word for it. He was dominant in all caps. Nine innings, gives up no runs off, six hits, thirteen strikeouts, got some help from his friends, Justin Crawford, with a spectacular diving grab. And for Christopher Sanchez, whom you'll hear the translation of what he had to say in the locker in the clubhouse after the game, as well as manager for the day, Dusty Watham, as Dom Addingley was attending his grandson's or rather son's graduation. The Phillies starter, lefty starter, has been showing serious signs that he can a lead this team as the ace, which he had been able to do previously, but but not only that, he is showing serious signs that for a lot of people's minds, he could surpass Cole Hammels as the second best lefty ever in Philly's history, behind, of course, the great Steve Carleton. That is rarefied air right there. And with no obviously chagrin to Cliff Lee as well, who is a pretty dominant lefty, but in terms of someone that could give you the longevity for career-wise, Christopher Sanchez can indeed be that guy. And I mean, yesterday was just unbelievable out of Sanchez. And here was Dusty Watham after the game, uh, Bryce Harper as well, and then through the Phillies translator, Diego Daniello, here was Christopher Sanchez as well.

SPEAKER_04 6:13

For a guy to make the transformation that he's made is something special. You don't see it very often. I mean, it's to me, it's once-in-a-lifetime transformation to go from where he was to being one of the best pitchers in baseball now. It's special. I think a lot of credit goes to him for all the work he's put into it. Um the training staff and the pitching coaches, it's it's it's been special to watch. It's been great.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

Bryce Harper's comments at the end there when he said, and two things too, because I want to go back to Dusty as well, but Bryce Harper's comments about the entire starting pitching staff, that entire time through, it was a tone setter by Christopher Sanchez the previous Sunday when he pitched the shutout against the Colorado Rockies. You know, he's got twenty-six innings now of scoreless baseball. He's just been dominant, he's been on fire. Uh, he has been the the best way to describe what he has been for the Phillies. Actually, 29 and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball. So that's over three games, mind you, of scoreless baseball out of Christopher Sanchez. No small feat. But what he has shown you, and I like I was b what I'm gonna say here, is the best way to describe it, and it's kind of funny to say, but unxpectedly dominating. Because I always go back to this with Christopher Sanchez. You could not if you told me in twenty twenty-two that this guy was going to be in the starting rotation for the Phillies, I probably would have figured that it would have been okay, great, he's like a number five starter. If you were to have told me he would be rivaling Zach Wheeler and the two would be I mean, we gotta find a nickname for these two guys because b if you gotta face them back-to-back days, good luck. Ask the Pittsburgh Pirates how that's working out. But Christopher Sanchez, when he first came up, I I always come back to this. In his Major League Dut, he in his Major League debut in terms of you know, because he had been up and then he had been sent back down. So not his first career start. But in 2021, he appeared that season in seven games. He allowed seven runs on ten hits and twelve and two third innings. His ERA was a four-nine seven. Right? So, you know, granted it wasn't any starts, but he appeared in those games and did not do well. And it was kind of like, okay. Sure. Then in 2022, he goes 19 or 15, I'm sorry, appearances, 40 innings, gives up 25 runs off 38 hits. His ERA was a five sixty-three. I I mean, do I have to continue to explain how impressive the guy has been and how unexpectedly the guy has been because it's not like it was like, well, he came up, but he's this really high-rated pitcher in the Phillies farm system. I don't really remember hearing much about Christopher Sanchez back then. And there were players at the time when they traded for Christopher Sanchez, there were there were players legitimately that had a heck of a lot more buzz than Curtis Meade, which is who they traded Christopher Sanchez f for for the Tampa Bay race. And Christopher Meade was traded to the Chicago White Sox last July. Then he was DFA'd by the White Sox this past late March. Now he's caught on with the Nationals, and good for him, hopefully the uh the former Phillies prospect, who I believe signed as an undrafted free agent, will figure it out from uh Australia, or not undrafted free agent, but as an international free agent, I mean to say. Good for him for figuring out it out. But still, when they traded for Christopher Sanchez, there are two guys, and even three that I can bring up off the top of my head that had way more cachet than Meade. Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott. Hell, I'll even throw in Rafael Marchand. I mean, like, you know, Logan O'Hopi was still down there. I like there was a lot better options that Tampa Bay could have traded for. And it also just kind of lets you know how big of a of a wild card Christopher Sanchez was. And my goodness, the guy has turned out to be obviously the runner-up last year for the Cy Young, and just one hell of, and arguably one of the best, or the best, I should say, left-handed starting pitchers in baseball. And it was, by the way, it was a Clentak trade for Christopher Sanchez in November of 2019. Not a Dave Dombrowski trade, a Clentak trade. Clentak did do something right, ultimately. Did do a couple things right, but that was certainly one of the best moves he made. Now, for the Phillies, they get the 6-0 win, and as I put out there, you're back to 500. We start over again. And I remember as we kind of get a little nostalgic here and look back towards the past as I talk about those 2021 and 2022 seasons. Well, specifically in 2021, we had a happy back to 500 day, just about like once a month. Because they would go from like being 500 to 5 games under 500, they'd cease all for a week, they'd get hot, they'd get back to 500, maybe a little bit above it, they go back below, maybe back above, they'd go a little bit above, then they'd be back down to five games under 500. This went on for like five months. I mean what I'm describing was like from late April to about mid to late July. Actually late July. And then they got on a roll, they actually were ahead in the NL East, and then obviously Atlanta comes back, they win it, and then go on to win the World Series. But it was a very frustrating summer. Now the Phillies, you get back to above 500 today. But heading into it, obviously facing Paul Skins, kind of led you to believe eh, it might dip back below. But that did not happen. No way, shape, or form did that happen. Now, was Paul Skins good? Yes, he was he was Paul Skeens for four innings there, he he was giving you the business. Until finally the Phillies broke through in the fifth. I mean, he begins the game, Skeens does. One, two, three. All strikeouts, striking out the side, Turner, Schwarber, Harper, setting the tone. Uh the Phillies didn't get a base runner until the top of the second when Adolius Garcia was hit by a pitch. But they didn't record their first hit until Alec Bohm hit a two-out double in the top of the fourth. And then things started to break the Phillies' way with an Adolius Garcia walk to start the top of the fifth. Stodd unfortunately strikes out, but JT Real Muto with a single to left. That would uh obviously put Garcia at third. And then Justin Crawford with an RBI ground out. Good job to put the ball in play to at least scratch through a run. Trey Turner, an RBI single to make it 2-0, and it's like, hey, here we go. Then in the bottom of the fifth, some traffic for the Pirates. Horowitz with a leadoff single. Then Connor Griffin would ground out. Uh get they get the lead runner, Horowitz, and then Connor Griffin would be caught stealing. Great job by J.T. Romuto. Jake Magnum walks, but then Jerry Triolo strikes out swinging. And then the top of the sixth is when the big blast happens from Bryce Harper, his 12th homer of the year. He goes 401 feet out to the Phillies bullpen in left center. The Phillies at this point. Now you're up 3-0 against Skeens, and you're like, oh my God. Last year he went eight shutout innings against the Phillies. Then after that, Alec Bohm singles, Marsh doubles, second and third. Then they pull Skins to bring in Isaac Matson, who then plunks Garcia, and then Bryson Stott delivers with the two-run double. Stott currently heating up. Unfortunately, the Phillies wouldn't add on until Bryson Stott would come back to the plate in the top of the eighth and belt his fourth homer of the year 395 feet out to right field. And at this point, the Pirates and their fans are going, oh my God. The city of Philadelphia. Good thing we don't have an NBA team. Because they beat you in the draft, they beat you in the NHL playoffs, and they swept you out of your own ballpark with the I think phrase of not doing it in the shy way, as Zach Wheeler's seven innings of shutout baseball, giving up four hits, a walk, eight strikeouts, as ERA is now one point nine nine. His career has been impressive, but doing what he has done so far this season after the type of illness he was dealing with last year, the type of physical what can be a very serious, life-threatening, and I want to really stress that for a lot of people, that's what we're talking about when we talk about blood clots in someone. For him to go through blood thinners, surgery, comes back, and everyone worried about his VLO, this, that, and the third, and he does what he's been doing has been nothing short of impressive. And after the game, here he was in the clubhouse.

SPEAKER_06 19:04

Okay. Um I mean the trickle like every time, but yeah, I mean I think that everything kind of combined. Um, like I said, the weather is feeling good. Um, you know, crew is starting the game ready to go. So uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

All around fantastic job by Christopher Sanchez and Zach Wheeler, because another facet to this as well is you look at the bullpen that was taxed Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, I mean, Christopher Sanchez gives everyone a day off, and then today, Zach Wheeler, I mean, Bolin and Banks went. So your big guns didn't have to go. Alvarado gets a day off, Keller gets a day off, Kirkering a day off, Duran a day off. You know, your your big now Banks pitches, and Banks is obviously a little more of a high level, or at least they want him to be more of a high leverage guy, but that's about it. And and Bolan, you know, is kind of a sixth inning, you know, at best seventh inning guy if you're down, you know, he can maybe hold that together. That's kind of the role that I think they're carving out for him. But just impr an impressive job all the way around from the starting pitching. Now, talking about the challenge that was ahead of the Phillies hitters today in facing Paul Skeens, the reigning Cy Young award winner, here was Dus here was rather Don Mattingley and Trey Turner after the game.

SPEAKER_09 20:40

I thought we just fought him, and that's what you have to do with guys like that. He's gonna get his outs, uh, he's gonna make pitches, but you gotta keep fighting and just keep you know fouling off trying to fight to get something. And I thought we kind of did that up and down the border where you keep putting pressure on him to have to make pitches.

SPEAKER_08 21:08

Try to take it when you can like he usually does and just think that's a name and runs in that.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

They outlasted Paul Schemes, which is something that you just you don't see that often. I mean, really, like to put five runs on him, wow, pitches five innings, seven strikeouts, a walk. But to have that kind of an impact against a guy like that is just downright unbelievable. And when you have a matchup like this, Zach Wheeler versus Paul Skeens, this is one that I think Peacock and NBC be kind of kicking themselves like, man. Because I'm sure they come out with that schedule, you know, a week and a half, two weeks in advance. And I bet, you know, looking at the way things were going, it's tough to really to have really said, uh, we have confidence that the Phillies are going to still be, you know, competitive and playing good baseball then. Um and it's it's not a rivalry series like the Subway series that has the kind of cache with it. You know, Pirates Phillies hasn't been Pittsburgh Philly rivalry, in-state rivalry since like the early nineties. So it's tough to really, you know, put that as a yeah we we want this to be a prime time game. But Wheeler versus Skeens is worth the price of admission. And I thought maybe Pittsburgh because of the fact that Skins would be out there and because of the fact he went eight shutout innings against the Phillies or not eight shutout innings. He went a complete eight innings in which there was no bottom of the ninth because the Phillies won like one to nothing, scratched one run against him and I believe it was an Alec Bohm RBI ground out. And Mick Abel just happened to be able to not allow a run to be pushed across last year against Pittsburgh. The Phillies won that game, but again I thought today maybe the tide would be turned and Paul Skeens would get the win doesn't happen. It's the Phillies for the second day in a row shutting out the Buccos. Some pretty impressive stuff there from your Phillies who are now back above 500 and here was Zach Wheeler and Trey Turner.

SPEAKER_08 23:47

It's kind of a long time coming so glad we got there and now we just got to keep going once we get back home I feel like this is what we're capable of playing a baseball baseball left team ball and second place.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

So everyone's now talking about the whole Rob Thompson side of this thing. Listen I d I do believe that what did Rob Thompson in is ultimately what they brought him in for which was they wanted him to play the kids which meant Alec Bohm no longer sitting for Johan Camargo. Bryson Stott, now granted Gene Segura had just broken his uh finger so Stott was going to see more and more playing time anyways but they wanted him to no longer be on the bench and if I remember correctly there were even a couple other things that needed to go on and I just think the vibe in the clubhouse wasn't great. And it's not that I think the vibe in the clubhouse was bad. I mean there were nine and nineteen when they fired Rob I clearly you know I'm sure they weren't jumping up and down in the clubhouse or else they wouldn't have fired him. But what it did w w what did him in was the fact that Bryson Stott wasn't playing every day. Brandon Marsh wasn't playing every day. There just didn't seem to be enough trust there with those guys. I think in terms of creating a culture Rob Thompson did a pretty solid job but in terms of having a feel and picking and choosing I think that's where he ultimately struggled. Now granted it's tough to really tell how much of a decision managers have anymore. You know how much of the decision making is up to them. But I tend to think Rob had a pretty good leash compared to others. And I think Don Mattingly does as well though I think Don Mattingly pretty much is like if I'm going to manage it, I'm doing it my way. So I think because you see some of the decisions he does make and it kind of leads you to believe like yeah he's kind of going off of his gut here with this one. You know he'll he'll he'll bring a guy in off the bench he'll bench a guy with only two at bats when he thinks you know what Alec Bohm just doesn't have it today let's put Edmundo out there or no matter what we're gonna let Bohm sit for two days and Edmundo plays and then Bohm comes back and he belts two runs two home runs in a game. So there's a bunch of stuff like that as well but regardless I think there's a way to remember a guy and not act like he basically flipped you off at various points and when I say I mean literally like Rob wasn't a bad guy but and he was scapegoated for a lot of things that I think went far above his pay grade. But there obviously were things that needed to be changed the messaging in the clubhouse I think needed to be changed from the man at the top and that's obviously him and I think with Don Mattingley when he talks those guys listen. It's Don Matt Mattingley. You know uh Bryce Harper who's grown up a Yankees fan I'm sure was told stories about Don Mattingley. I'm sure he even pushed for Don Mattingley to be the bench coach. So when we talk about the difference that's another part of it too is it's Don bleeping Mattingley. You can't get any better than that. Yankees fans for the last however many years clamor that they want Don Mattingly as a manager and for the longest time it's always been well he doesn't want to manage anymore. And it's why I talk about you got him for this year but you probably are going to have to figure it out for next season. And maybe it's you know the Rob Thompson effect happens and well we hope the Rob Thompson effect would happen and you know they go on a crazy run and you know Dom Addingly ends up saying you know what I've had as much fun as I've ever had doing this now with this group of guys. They're a great group of guys and I want to you know keep doing it. I I do think for Rob though what really he always wanted to be the manager. He always wanted to be that guy he was passed over for Aaron Boone with the Yankees. He was passed over for Joe Girardi with the Phillies. For Dom Adingley it's you know been there done that thing I managed the Dodgers I've managed in the postseason I managed the Marlins I've seen the good and bad and I've seen where the game is heading and I don't particularly like that. I think I I believe that's where he would now he's also coaching in it still but like I said he's probably doing a little bit more his way. Now let's get back to the topic at hand here. The Cincinnati Reds are coming to town for a three game series Reds are 24 and 23 Phillies are 24 and 23 Phillies underwent that long 10 game losing streak in April the Reds underwent a nine game losing streak. Reds have been you know under Terry Francona this is a Reds team aside from Lie Day LaCruz offensively guys aren't necessarily going to pop off the page at you know and LED LaCruz who's having a five you know 11 home runs 31 RBIs hitting 302 it's nothing to scoff at Sal Stewart 10 homers on the year 31 RBIs so the two De La Cruz and Stewart tied for the RBI lead um you got TJ Friedel still there Tyler Stevenson still there Matt McLean still there Spencer Steer so some familiar Reds players that we've seen throughout the last couple years Nathaniel Lowe and you obviously just saw his brother Brandon Lowe. E Eugenio Suarez back with the Cincinnati Reds uh but he's on the 10-day IL so you're not going to see him um regardless that's what's staring at you in the face here at the Reds team again not a team that pops off the page but they're 24 and 23 and a big part of that is because Terry Francona has been among one of the greatest managers in the history of the baseball especially modern baseball but yeah they underwent a nine game losing streak. They were swept in four games by the Cubs they were swept in three games by the Pirates in which they were outscored 27 to eight in that series in early May you know so they they went into that series 20 and 12 or 20 and 11 rather they get swept by the Pirates they got swept in for by the Cubs they lose their first game actually they underwent an eight game losing streak not nine game losing streak eight game losing streak but they lost nine out of ten. They were 20 and 19 after losing that opener against the Astros. They never dipped below the 500 mark but they lost two out of three to the Guardians this past week so there's an opportunity here for the Phillies to really pounce and to hey you just swept out the Pirates you're back above 500 you know what though it doesn't stop here. The next goal is you want to get to five games above 500. When you get to double digits is when you can kind of start to breathe a sigh of relief with your baseball team in which you know what you can afford to lose this series coming up. You don't want to but you can afford to and you're not going to be as upset. But then that makes the next series all that more important to go out and win. But coming into the series in the wild card the Phillies are currently three and a half games back of the third place Cardinals which is very strange to say considering the fact that a lot of people thought the Cardinals were going to have like 68 wins and they're 27 to 19 right now just goes to show you how much people really know although you know the Cardinals could still fall back to earth but still and the Phillies are also eight games back of the Braves in the NL East and remember a little while ago we said the Phillies had the worst run differential in baseball they're now minus 17. Getting closer in that regard as well but for the starting pitching preview when we talk about things that need to step up the starting pitchers are going to need to do so. For the Phillies in game one it's going to be Andrew Payner who's 1-4 with a 6-2-1 ERA he pitched better in his last start against the Red Sox it was really his first sign of quote unquote positive life since his first start against the Nats we need to see more of that out of Andrew Painter. Nick Lodolo takes them out for the Reds he's 0-1 with an 8-68 ERA this year now hold on a minute before you think the Phillies are just going to go out there show up and they'll win easily he's only made two starts this year. Now that ERA still stinks he's given up at least four runs in his two starts but his numbers versus the Phillies he's one and one with a 306 ERA. He's got 43 strikeouts in those six starts Phillies have 12 runs off 29 hits against him in 35 and a third innings he's gone five complete innings in each start. So pretty good numbers and Andrew Painter you got to keep at three runs minimum dude you got to keep it three runs minimum and then we can be pissed off with the offense if you lose. Game two Jesus Lazardo takes him out in three and three with the 507 ERA I don't even need to tell you that he needs to be better. He's had some good starts this year. He's had some really good starts but he's also had some really bad starts. Like dude you're not even middle ground you haven't even given me a that was a decent start. That was a pretty solid start. It was an average start it was an okay start it's either been really good or dude you might as well have been pitching triple A tonight. Like that's how bad. He allowed last year against the Reds the first time the long time he's seen him since the 22 season allowed five runs off six hits in two innings. Pretty pathetic Chase Burns the former second overall pick of the 2024 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He's five and one with a 1.87 ERA he faced the Phillies last year he went four and two thirds innings he gave up a run off two hits and seven strikeouts so he's a young kid a lot of times Phillies young pitchers we don't need to continue to harp on it too much they do not tend to do well but you know what if you want to change the mold of this team why don't you do well on an occasion against a guy you haven't seen before. Game three Aaron Ola takes the bump two and three with a 591 ERA his last start versus the Reds was in 2023 where he went six innings gave up just two runs off five hits with four strikeouts and got the win in like a 14-3 blowout in April. It'll be Andrew Abbott on the mound for Cincinnati's three and two with a 4-2-1 ERA he's 0-1 with a 4-3-5 versus the Phillies since 2022 in four starts he did go seven and two thirds innings last year versus the Phillies giving up three runs on six hits with six strikeouts but it was in a four to one Phillies win in which they got to him in the eighth Weston Wilson with the big double Trey Turner gave the Phillies the lead with a uh RBI hit and then Kyle Schwarber had a big blast I remember this game vaguely I think it was actually Snoop Dogg performing in Cincinnati that night um as well for their concert and uh it was a wacky win it was a win that the the Reds scored one run and it will obviously in the four to one loss but they scored that run in the bottom of the first inning and that it was one to nothing and the Phillies were able to come back and get the win. And starting for the Phillies that and actually getting the win for the Phillies take a wild guess you're not going to guess it Jordan Romano let that sink in uh but the Phillies starting on the mound that night was Taiwan Walker who gave up just one run off six hits and he had two strikeouts. This was in August baseball is a weird game and it it doesn't get more weirder than that but yeah that was August 11th of last year. That was last time that was Andrew Abbott's start against them. Wild game it can be but regardless to give my opinion on who the starting pitching kind of leans towards in terms of favoritism for this one it's favoring Cincinnati. All things considered it is favoring Cincinnati but throw the numbers out if you're the Phillies throw the numbers out. That's what they did in this past series against Pittsburgh against Paul Skeens continue to do it. Start your own trend let's see if the Phillies can do that this week as they try to continue to climb in the standings and in the win-loss record at now 24 and 23. So thanks everyone for tuning in to what it was a pretty long episode but we thank you for tuning in for the end of it here and the conclusion and we'll talk to you next time.