Phillies ANXIOUSLY Win 2 of 3 vs Reds

It wasn't pretty, but the Phillies took two of three from the Reds in Cincinnati as they now wrap up their final series of the first half in Detroit. Hear from Zack Wheeler on the All-Star snub and Don Mattingly about the "shaky" bullpen. #RingTheBell #PhiladelphiaPhillies #MLBonX

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SPEAKER_01 0:05

We at war We at war with terrorists Most of all We have war back show me the way because the devil's trying to break me down so far with the Midwest thing Welcome in ladies and gentlemen to yet another episode of the 610 Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

I'm your host, Jay Hollihan. As the Philadelphia Phillies, as we talk to you here on this Friday afternoon, they are going to be getting set for their final three-game series that begins this weekend at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. There's no doubt about it, a nine-game road trip that began in Kansas City that started off with the offense flexing a little muscle and a six to one win. They have in their last five games really hit the skids and have kind of hit the snooze bar on what appeared to be and what many hoped to be a really nice start to end the first half of the season. When you think about this first half of the year so far, the 9-19 start, the firing of Rob Thompson, the interim Don Mattingley coming in, the pitching stabilizing itself with Zach Wheeler coming back, and Zach Wheeler and Christopher Sanchez both trying to outduel each other on back-to-back days, with Jesus Lazardo providing an excellent number three option or number three in your starting rotation. But obviously we've had the Aaron Nola of it all and the number five starter of it all that's obviously played, you know, into what's been a shaky uh fourth and fifth starting option. But you look at the offense that throughout because when Don Mattingley first took over, they were hitting a little bit. Then throughout May they really started to to kind of really get shaky, and it was like a miracle if they scored four or more runs in a game. But then once the month of June got going, the offense started to hit, and I think specifically at home they started to hit more, but it looked like there was a certain swagger to them that we hadn't seen throughout the season. They were becoming more and more consistent. The Adolius Garcia injury, which then saw the trade for Derek Hill, who's been, you know, a fine option in the outfield for uh Don Mattingley, but the offense to end the first half has certainly been leaving fans with they think a little bit of a bad taste in their mouth and leaving a lot more meat on that bone. And right now they gotta get it together uh big time because I mean they won four to one against the Reds on Tuesday, following that, you know, kind of similar path to success. He goes, Wheeler, seven innings, fourteen strikeouts, no walks. The first Phillies pitcher to do that since you guessed it. I'm sure the first name that popped into everyone's minds, you guessed it, Vince Velasquez 2016. Uh that I mean, when they showed that on Phillies postgame live, I was as shocked as you know, all get out. But the uh the one blemish was the solo home run to I Eugenio Suarez that made it three to one. Phillies jumped on uh first with the one-nothing lead, the RBI ground out by Trey Turner, which scored Derrick Hill, then Schwerber, hits a two-run Jack and Mundo Sosa, hits a sack fly in the eighth with the bases loaded to make it four to one. Now in the bottom of the eighth, things got a little bit hairy, a little weird, because with Ryan Kirching as the reliever, comes into the game, gets TJ Friedel to fly out, he walks Yvonne Johnson, he walks Ellie De La Cruz, so back-to-back walks, then he gets a grounder to Alec Bohm. Bohm goes to second to Stott. Now, Ellie De La Cruz seemingly would have been safe regardless, but he runs through the bag. Stott tries turning two, he gets the out at first, but the Phillies are arguing that Ellie De La Cruz ran through the bag, and from what Dom Addingley said after the game, during spring training, MLB had walked them through various situations and various uh tapes of what they are not going to allow moving forward, which is you cannot just run through the second base bag to try and break up a double play and then return back to second and be safe. You have to turn as if you're going to third. And from the Phillies perspective, they felt De La Cruz didn't. They looked for a ruling. The umpire said it was uh upheld at the at second base, Caleb Cotham argued, Cotham got ejected, then Bobby Dickerson really got ejected as he had to be restrained, I believe, from getting maybe the Lance Barrett, I think, uh, over at third base, but Bobby Dickerson ejected. This took about eight minutes, and then after eight minutes, Kirkering walks J.J. Blade on six pitches to load up the bases. They go and get him. Jonathan Boland comes in, and Boland masterfully strikes out Eugenio Suarez with the bases loaded, 3-2 pitch, a slider that's way low and away. I mean, Nick Castellanos low and away swinging through that, and the Phillies get through unscathed, and they go on to win 4-1 as Johan Duran closes it down in the ninth. But naturally, there has been a lot of talk, and I believe we talked about it the last time, about Zach Wheeler not being named to the All-Star game. And here was Wheeler in the clubhouse afterwards, as well as Kyle Schwarber on the snub.

SPEAKER_04 6:41

I felt like that's kind of a reminder. Um, you know, for whoever needs to be reminded, so um, you know, it's it uh pisses me off, and you know, it's it's kind of yeah, so um, you know, it's maybe if I wasn't necessarily right in there, I wouldn't be saying this, but I feel like I've earned it um just because I pitched a certain day that I mean I guess you know I don't even know the right word, but um just because I pitched on a certain day. I can't pitch an all-sort day for me there. Maybe put me in, maybe I didn't have to get chosen right away, but um right there, so maybe they put me in my pitch should be right back out and put somebody else, you know, certain ways to do it. Um you figured they would have a proof about it by now. How many of those games is that it's the BS rule that's on certain days if much for it? Oh, I mean, you know, I was talking to my agent about it. Um I didn't even know the rule at the time. Uh Tuesday or whatever it is the game is, you know, still fine. Um second and third days. I usually don't both be fine for the butt um that's not even an option, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 8:12

You know, dealt with the last year. Um you want some. And uh we all want to win the World Series, we all are playing for each other in organization also when it's at the awesome thing that you want to be able to look back at.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

It has to be the stupidest rule for any all-star game or anything like that, because as Schwerber said, you know, it's uh it's maybe something kind of small, but it's still I mean, sh Wheeler for all of his accolades, for as great of a pitcher as he's been and people can look at it, since joining the Phillies, in this decade, he's among Major League Baseball's best starting pitchers, and he's only made the All-Star game three times. It should be four right now. It should be four. Because there's no reason as to why he should not be an all-star this year. I mean, to not even, as he mentions, just name me to the all-star game. And I I don't I that's what I was arguing too as well. Now Jesus Lazardo has been named to the All-Star Game. I'm sure it's kind of a little bit, you know, as Wheeler puts it, like, well, you know, they could have gotten creative with it. I'm sure he would have gladly have said, you know what, if that's the issue that I'm pitching on Sunday, and, you know, okay, like let me be named to it, back out, and you can let Zeus, you know, pitch in my place. Because, you know, at the end of the day, I I do not think you know, I'm not arguing that he needs to pitch in the All-Star game. I don't need to see Wheeler pitch in the All-Star game. I don't need him to go out there and throw an inning, you know, in the middle of the season. I'm fine with him saying, you know what? I'll go out there, I'll I'll wave my cap, you know, being that we're in Philly, I'll show up, I'll do whatever you need me to do, but Zeus can take my place. That's the but he deserves to be an all-star. I don't know how Major League Baseball can look themselves in the mirror every single day with the knowledge that they are not letting him pitch in the all-star game, and someone like a Logan Webb is. And I mean, with all due respect to Jesus Lazardo, between the two of them, it's a no-brainer that Wheelers should be pitching in the All-Star. It's just or being named an All-Star, not pitching in the All-Star, but being named an All-Star. It's totally ludicrous, and it's ridiculous a major league baseball should be ashamed with themselves, honestly. Now, for Tuesday's game, we would see Alan Ron Hell go out. So originally, I had I I had it wrong. The the pitcher who was supposed to be out there scheduled for the Reds was Hunter Green. Instead, I mean that's what I saw on ESPN, instead, it was Chase Burns. And Chase Burns versus Alan Ron Hell, I mean, you can just presumably toss that one up as a loss. But here's the thing the Phillies grabbed an early lead on Burns as Justin Crawford hits an RBI triple, then he scores on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Alan Ron Hell, though, in the bottom of the third, gives up a two-run homer, then gives up a solo homer to give up the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Now, granted, okay, you know, he gave up the lead, but you were you weren't expecting to shut out the Reds today, I don't think, with your number five starter on the mount. However, it's not as if, okay, we got to the top of the fifth, and it's three-two. No, by the time it got to the top of the fifth, the score was seven to two. That's because Tanner Banks came in and gave up three straight home runs in lieu of a big four-run fourth inning for the Cincinnati Reds. Or five-run fourth inning for the Cincinnati Reds, all via the long ball. I mean, come on. Tanner Banks seems like a great guy, hell of a clubhouse guy, good dude. But man, we already got one of those. And he's the backup to the backup catcher. I I mean Tanner Banks, whom then hit the I. I mean, they sent him down to the minors and then bring him back up, and it just not good. Uh with a forearm issue, so he's placed on the I. It's created well, it's kind of a footnote and what's been a major issue, because then Jose Alvarado comes in, another, obviously another lefty, and gives up four runs as well. Uh, and it's like when we were sitting here in the offseason, we were told the biggest improvement for this Phillies team was the bullpen. Oh, we're bringing in Brad Keller. Oh, well, we brought in Tim Mazo, who's been, you know, been been solid. Where we traded for a Jonathan Bolan. We have Jose Alvarado who will be a hundred percent healthy for this season. Tanner Banks had a good year last year. The bullpen for the Phillies, you know, and Orion Kirkering, whom, aside from one play in the postseason, was solid last year. But aside from Johan Duran, I don't trust any of them to get outs. None of them. I mean, truly. They need to somehow find a way to revamp that bullpen in terms of if you can hit on a big lefty. Because I think you have Mesa. I don't know what you're gonna do about Alvarado at this point. You got Maza. You need to go out there and you need to find someone who can fill that void. And I mean, I think you kind of have to roll the dice with Keller and Kirking as much as I would say go get a big right-hander or a situational right-hander to maybe get someone to just add into that. Um, because I don't think Chase Schugert's gonna be that answer. Trevino certainly hasn't really produced, and here was Don Mattingley on the bullpen and specifically the lefty situation, which is just terrible right now. Well, tonight it look very good.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Uh yeah. Really private searching for that more than anything through the course of this guy. So I think May's obviously anybody's been more inconsistent. Added stuff is still good. It's actually not bad. Um, he's probably been better than his number show, but still obviously he's been inconsistent with a good number out of it.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

The big reason as to why you, you know, we want to mix and match are lefties. You know, sure, sometimes there might be someone that you can say, hey, the seventh inning's yours, or hey, the eighth inning's yours. Like I think they'd like Orion Kirkring to be that guy, or they'd like Brad Keller to be that guy. But you need to have a lefty. You know, you saw it out at a situational lefty like Matt Strom a couple years ago, whom I don't think in big spots was really that type of guy, and neither was Jeff Hoffman, and that's why those two were ultimately not brought back for 2025 and 2026, respectively. But I also think in terms of just a guy like a Tanner Banks, who can just get out of a tough jam, get out of, you know, with some weak contact. I mean, last year he was kind of getting lucky, and I think there were some underlying numbers there that kind of told you that, hey, maybe you shouldn't put full faith into this guy. And I don't think they have, which I thought is why they got Tim Mesa, but from what I'm seeing with m with Miza, I think I've been mispronouncing his name, so excuse me on that, but you have a guy that you have that you should have faith in now more so than Alvarado or obviously Banks, who's on the I. You have someone that you can have faith in maybe in late innings, possibly. We'll see. But they gotta they gotta fix the bullpen issue, and that is now, I think, that should be Dave's number one spot to improve the team at the trade deadline. Now, for yesterday's game, the rubber match, Jesus Lazardo against Brady Singer. I mean, by the numbers, the Phillies should have won this going away. Brady Singer over five ERA. It just felt like you kind of could see this coming, though, if you paid attention, that this is this is exactly what you expect out of the Phillies. Because on one side, with Brady Singer, looks like he's been studying and doing his homework for the last couple days in terms of alright, you know, I know if I do this, they'll they'll swing and miss. If I do that, I can get this player out, I can get that player out, if a runner's on, this is a tendency for that guy, da da da da da. Now, obviously, he has five days to prepare, the Phillies hitters have, you know, a day, but you know, less than a day even. But regardless, they just did not look like they did their homework whatsoever and thought if we just went up there and ambushed this guy and essentially make the kid upset and get him rattled out there, we'll win the game going away. Well, that strategy didn't work because he figured you out before you were able to quote unquote ambush them. That's what I'm using, because that's what I think they were doing. I think they were totally like, hey, if we put up, you know, if we if we bomb two or three homers off this guy and were able to, or just even scrape together a beginning against him, put put two or three runs together by, you know, hitting the ball hard, which is all anyone's looking to do nowadays, but that's gonna be our approach, and we're gonna live and die by it. Instead of, hey, first time through he got us. We kind of need to change the approach here a little bit because he's kind of ha he kind of has us figured out at the moment. We gotta switch things up. Lazardo's throwing the rock unbelievably well. Let's make an adjustment here so that way we can get him some runs. And late, they got him a run. They scratched one run together with terrific base running by Derek Hill and an RBI single, courtesy of the rookie Justin Crawford in the eighth. Good on Crawford, good on Derek Hill, some good base running to break up a would-be double play ball. Good and great, and Jesus Lazardo, masterful going seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits, eleven punch outs, two walks, ERA now three five, one. Jonathan Bolan gets the hold, goes an inning, a clean inning to get to Duran. Now Duron in the ninth. Got a little allows the first two hitters to reach, single by Blade, then he hits the next guy, but then he strikes out two in a row. He, you know, has them climb the ladder, then he gets an R then he gets a ground out to Alec Boehm to end the game. So uh pretty terrific job, all things considered, by Duran, by Bolin, by the pitchers. Um just honestly, when when it's all said and done, you know, they got the win. And as I mentioned, this road trip, though, has had you feeling, man, I this first half to end the year, my lord. You know, not the way you wanted to finish it off heading into the all-star break. Now, what I would also say, too, you have the Royals, the Reds, and now the Tigers. Royals, at this point, you know, when you were facing them ahead of last Friday or last Saturday's game on the fourth, I mean, they're about fifteen games below 500 at that point. The Cincinnati Reds, uh 41 and 48, I believe, was their record heading into that game uh heading into that series. And the Tigers, who sit at 43 and 50. Now, the Tigers of the three are the only ones that look like they're serious about turning their season around. I mean, currently they're three and a half games out of a wild card spot at 43 and 50. But you know, listen. The Phillies Have been the better team, make no bones about it all year long. You shouldn't be sitting there, in my opinion, feeling sorry for anyone, not that I think they are, but you know, go out there and assert your dominance and leave the first half of the season feeling better than when you were 20 games into the season. Don't leave the first half of the season and come back home here for the all-star break with, you know, fans going, eh, I don't know what this team's gonna look like. Because, hey, you come out of that all-star break, sometimes teams can have the tendency to lax. You don't want to have that tendency to lax. I mean, look at what happened two years ago in 2024. They went into the All-Star break with one of the best records, I think the best record in the National League, if not in all of baseball. And what happened afterwards? You know, lost two or three to the Pirates, two or three to the Twins, swept by the Guardians, or uh swept by the Yankees, lost two or three to the to Cleveland. I mean, it was an embarrassing end of July in 2024. You don't want that to be the case here in 2026, and they've already had their embarrassing part of the season. This road trip should have been no less than a five-and-four road six and three. Five and four, and I'm going, eh, okay. Six and three, I'm going, six and three and up. Great end of the road trip. You know, you won each series. Or presumably I would think you went two and three, two, a three, two-three. If you went seven and two, you know, obviously you swept here or there, swept one of the series, you know. I really think, because you're three and three right now, pull off the sweep or get to that five-four, and have me feeling, eh, or hey, that was a good end of the first half. And honestly, the offense has to be there. Now, you're going to be facing two tough starters as we get into the starting pitching preview. Tonight, it's Jack Flaherty on the mound for the Tigers. He's 2-8 with a 4-6-0 ERA. He faced the Phillies last year. First time he's faced them since at least 2022. He allowed a run on two hits in six innings with seven punch outs and three walks. He this year is 0-3 with a 4-9-1 ERA at home. Now, Jack Flarity, you know, has kind of made his rounds on the last couple years throughout baseball. And in terms of how many starts at home he's had this year, he's uh eight. So there's that now. That's that, you know, 0-3 with a 4-9-1. Give a little more flavor. That's an eight starts. Now, Aaron Nola's on the opposite end of him. And Nola is three and six with a five-eight seven ERA this year. 2-0 with a 0-6-4 ERA versus the Tigers since 2023 in two starts is in 2023 and 24. He allowed one run on seven hits in two combined starts in 14 innings with 18 strikeouts and three walks. Pretty impressive numbers, all things considered, out of NOLA in those two starts. But that was two and three years ago. In his career, he's 2-0 with a 1-8-0 ERA at Comerica Park. That's in three starts. Last time he pitched there was in 2024. The time before that was 2019, which uh obviously between the two, that's quite a while. Now, you're seeing it or you saw it in Kansas City. The Phillies haven't traveled to these American League Central Parks as often as they had. I would venture that could be somewhat of an issue for them. You know, different ballpark and all. Regardless, that should be no excuse. You're a major league baseball player. You you've played there before. You should have enough support behind you from the coaching staff to kind of prepare you for it if you haven't ever played there. There should be no issue with them being able to hit there. Now for Aaronola, God bless you. We'll see what happens. If he does what he did against Kansas City and before, where he led up three runs and five innings with like the seven hits, okay. Hopefully the offense against the other teams, number four or number five starter, uh will be willing to oblige with giving up three runs or more in their own right. Now for Saturday, it's going to see Casey Mysey on the mound for Detroit. He's 2-5 of the 2-6-4 ERA this season. Faced the Phillies in 2024. We allowed three runs on nine hits in four and a third innings. He did punch out ten in that game. He's two-two at the 2-1-2 ERA at home this year. For Christopher Sanchez on the mound, he's 10-4 at the 2-6-2 ERA's ERA. Has, I mean, that's still a solid ERA, obviously, but it's that's ballooned on him. Where it was under two. He allowed no runs on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk in eight innings in his lone start last year against the Tigers in 25. Uh 3-3 with a 5-3-2 ERA on the road this year. Him and Jesus Lazardo have like reverse splits in their home numbers versus road numbers. Lazardo is amazing on the road. Sanchez is amazing at home. Lazardo's okay at home. Sanchez not as good on the road. So hopefully, in his final start ahead of the All-Star game on Tuesday, he'll turn in a great performance. And then Tariq Scuball takes him out for the Tigers. He's 5-4 to 306 YRA this year. Now, he had to have surgery back in May because of uh having to take bodies out of his left elbow. That surgery was expected to have a recovery time of two to three months. He returned in about one month. He's two and oh with a one-nine-three ERA versus the Phillies. In two starts, he's gone fourteen innings, gave up three runs on eight hits with 17 strikeouts and two walks. He is two and one with a 399 at home this ERA at home this year in five starts. Now, he's a lefty. That's all you need to know. School ball, left-handed pitcher. If you know anything about the Phillies this year, they have not done well against left-handed pitching. Now Zach Wheeler takes them out for the Phillies. 9-1 with a 28-8 ERA. You know he's going to be pumped up. Owen won with a 2-7-0 ERA versus the Tigers since 23. He's given up four runs on 11 hits in 13 and a third innings with 18 strikeouts and two walks and two starts. 5-1 with a 193 ERA on the road this year in 8 starts for Wheeler. So he obviously has been pretty prolific on the road in his own right. He was pissed off last week after Don Mattingley pulled him in that start against the Pirates, and he's pissed off again. Yet again, funny enough, you know, back I mean, you never see emotion out of the guy, and two starts in a row, he's talking about how this is BS and that's BS with the All-Star game, so kind of funny to see out of Wheeler. Now he's never pitched at Comerica Park, so um I'm gonna be intrigued to see how he handles pitching in Detroit. Now, as I talked about earlier, and we'll leave everyone with this, the trade deadline situation for the Phillies is gonna get interesting. And as we have under a month yet before the trade deadline, no doubt, this is kind of naturally a time where the conversation starts to turn in that direction. Now, in terms of needs for me, I'm looking at it like this. Number one for the Phillies, left-handed bullpen arm. That should be the top priority. Number two, a serviceable right-handed bat. You know, I think it's gonna look a little more like last year where you got Harrison Bader. I think that'll be ultimately what we look at. I I think they should try and swing for a big fish in one of those two situations, whether it's in a roll as Chapman as a left-handed left-handed pen arm, and maybe a not so prolific right-handed bat, but typically like a Harrison Bader, or if they get a big right-handed bat, then I think you get more of a guy, you know, a bullpen arm that maybe is not as prolific as like an a roll as Chapman. Now, one other thing when we talk about the Phillies and the trade deadline. And obviously below all that I put the starting pitcher, although I do think they need to go out and just get someone who's serviceable. The one thing I will say about the Phillies heading into this deadline, and it's obviously going to be a conversation as we move forward here. They are rank it came out the other day that the Phillies farm system is ranked 29th out of the 30 in Major League Baseball. Listen, with where we are, I know Gage Wood has been turning heads, but Andrew Painter was turning heads. Mick Abel at one point was turning heads. There was a lot of buzz about Aiden Miller a couple years ago. If you think you have the team right now, go get that guy. Honestly. It's probably gonna be Dave Tombrowski's final year. I've been I'm predicting it. Go get that guy. I mean, honestly. Because for the Philadelphia Phillies right now, with where their team is at, with the age of this team, and with you maybe losing an entire year of baseball next year, go for it. Honestly. I mean, screw it. If you want to try and knock down the Los Angeles Dodgers, and you're serious about getting Bryce Harper a ring, you're serious about getting Kyle Schwerberg a ring, and Zach Wheeler, and this player, and that player, and this core, and to bring a ring to Philadelphia, you do everything that you can to go and do that. Don't double down because I heard someone told me the other day they think they should go get Scoobyl. Why? You're not gonna hold on to him long term. You're trading for a guy that number one, he hasn't been, and you know the Tigers are gonna look for a King's ransom for him. He's gonna be your half a year rental. And are you really gonna be able to shell out money to keep him long term? Now, maybe you could say, well, if we did get Scuble, who knows how many years left Wheeler has, you know, we don't know about Painter, we know about Sanchi, we feel like we got a guy in Lazardo, let's double down on left-handed pitching, and let's get Scuble. Maybe that I I mean, sure, but at the same time, it's not a guarantee you're gonna keep him. You know, you basically have to sign him once you trade for him. I view it as someone said the other day, you know, in the postseason, your starter only goes about six innings. You gotta get nine outs from that bullpen. Right now, Kirkering, I don't know. Keller, maybe, I don't I mean, probably not. I don't feel all that confident in him. And Duran's got the ninth. But you gotta have uh someone to pitch the seventh and someone to pitch the eighth. He's not Goose Gossage who can go out there and get six plus outs. Now, in terms of a bat, I saw someone say the other day that ideally the Phillies options are currently, and this is from Jeff Passen, Jung Hooley from the San Francisco Giants would be the best match, and Byron Buxton is their dream match. Byron Buxton should be or should have already been here. I mean, legitimately I would have enjoyed obviously a lot more by you know the way of acquiring Byron Buxton two years ago when Johan Rojas's uh market was at its peak, um, and maybe several other players that they shipped out of here as well. Um, you know, I I mean a guy like Derek Hill has been fine. You know, good for you. You essentially found your I suppose a Ben Francisco like player, and Jung Hu Lee, who has hit 309 this year, five homers and thirty-three RBIs, I mean he has produced, um, you know, and the one thing about him, though, is he's a left-handed bat. He's not a right-handed bat. So that still doesn't necessarily fix your issue. I think Buxton would. Now, for the twins, they're a game out of a wild card spot. Although they're 46 and 48, and maybe they may say, eh, we're gonna punt on this year, and we'd like to go into 2027 and to whatever the future holds for us with a fresh set of eyes. Maybe they do that. But I would put a full court press on to try and acquire a Byron Buxton, that type of player. But alright, folks, that's gonna do it for me. We will be back on uh after this series. We will not be back on this weekend. I'll be away. So thanks everyone for tuning in to another episode of the Six Ten Podcast, and we will talk to you next time.