High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Brand New Pivetta and James are Back in the Same Day

Episode Date: May 28, 2019

James is back and explains his absence! Also, the guys talk about Pivetta's return, issue an official statement on Bryce and talk a little MLB Draft.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Who's Beetlejuice? Don't ever say that name. Beetlejuice. I'm serious. If you say that name three times, really bad stuff is going to happen. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.

The juice is loose. On September 6th. We doing this? The wait. Let's go, honey. Is over. Thank you all for coming to this very special occasion. I felt a little tingle.

Ew. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, September 6th. This is the High Hopes Podcast. High Hopes. It's a bunch of baseball nerds talking about the Philadelphia Phillies on Radio.com and Sports Radio 94 WIP. Yo! It is another edition of the High Hopes Podcast. Jack Fritz with me. I'm back. You're back.

James Seltzer. What happened? Do you want to know? I have to look at it it wasn't great jack you're gonna enjoy looking at me a lot less i got attacked by a dog yeah yes i was walking my dogs and um in south philly where i live and a dog just burst out of a door the guy thought his door was closed it wasn't it latched on to my dog was like swinging her around she's whimpering i thought i was watching my dog die in front of me yeah she's okay i so what i did i get in there i'm like

grabbing at it with my hands i bit the dog in the face that's the one that's the one whatever i was doing work because it got off of my dog and attached itself to my face jack so now over 50 stitches in my face plus later a broken finger some other maladies i'm here i'm okay my dog's alive it could have been worse yeah well i'm glad that it's like the absurdity of it first off glad you're still here me too uh could have been my eye could have my throat very close to the throat yeah so you know i'm second off i i don't know which philly's podcast sent a dog after you but listen if you come at the kings you best not miss exactly right and i'm here right now and i believe the last final thing on your face being mauled by a dog is is is that on the last podcast we did together i i threatened you with the bio and just even mentioning the bio

caused your face to be mauled by it was like so jack texts me after he finds out what happened he goes are you okay obviously first question i respond i'm like you know i'll be okay whatever literally the next thing is i'm sorry i did this to you and i'm like what are you talking about that kind of power jack yeah i i'm so bad at handling these things like i always try to make it some kind of a funny joke so i'm glad that it only took 30 seconds in this podcast to start turning your near-death experience into a joke yes for personal gain hey i'm here i'm alive and i just want to talk about the phillies yeah the way i envisioned it was that the dog was on your face and you're you're like no i can't do high hopes. That was my only thought.

My first thought, as the dog is on my face, as I'm watching blood pour onto the street, I'm not thinking about how bad my face is messed up. I'm not thinking about if my dog's okay.

I'm thinking, damn it, man. I better not miss high hopes. Well, you did. And I missed one. You did. The last time this happened was Zoe's very selfish birth

right around the gene sigort. A lot happier thing to miss a podcast for. but hey, I'm here now, brother. You are here now. And you're the only one who has to look at my ugly face. Yeah. See, and the way this, and we're back in our normal studio today. Yes, thank God. But now it's like I've got a direct sight.

Looking right at me. Direct line of sight. Right at this huge thing on my face. It doesn't look too bad. It looked a lot worse a week ago. I would say so. I mean, you did have a gash in your face, so. A hole in my face. It doesn't look too bad. It looked a lot worse a week ago. I would say so. I mean, you did have a gash in your face. A hole in my face.

Yes, but at least while you were gone, the Phillies played kind of well. Yeah, hey, two or three from the Brewers, a crazy series against the Cubs. Yeah, I mean, I would say that the Cubs series into the Brewers series could not have done well for the stress levels coming off of getting bit in the face by a dog.

No, well, luckily, the night I was in the hospital, the only game that I actually missed was the debacle 3-2 loss where they blew it late. That was a fun one. Luckily, I got to miss that one. I felt really good about missing that game. I don't remember the next game that well either. We all try to forget the Cole Irvin stuff.

Yes. Yes, it wasn't great. It wasn't great. Speaking of not great, and we're going to dive into reactions. We obviously, we don't really have a choice. This is not what we want to talk about today. But when it happens today, we don't have a choice to talk about it. Screw you, Odubo Reiner.

Get off my team. I think Jack and I are pretty aligned in this. And look, we do process all that. If this is true, it does appear to be true. We will see how it plays out but assuming it's true the official high hopes podcast position position you got to get rid of a duo zero tolerance yeah i just i don't want to root for i don't want exactly i don't want to root for that guy i don't want to root for someone who would do that and i'm waiting for one of these

teams in all professional sports when this happens to set a standard. Set an example. I can't help but think that if David Montgomery was still alive and still running this team or whatever, I don't think he would bring Oduble Herrera back. I want to see some team make a stand against this kind of stuff and prove that if you make this mistake, then you're not going to be allowed

back on this team. I hope the Phillies do that. I don't want to see Oduble anymore. This kind of stuff is just so... I can't watch A russell i can't watch these guys exactly and we talk about asuna like i can't i can't watch him it makes me angry to watch them play to think that it's all okay and they can go play a sport and make millions of dollars and that it doesn't matter and especially the cubs i mean it was my final thought a few weeks ago when the cubs came out and are are stopping reporters from reporting on Addison Russell. Hey, Phillies, don't do that. Yeah.

Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do what the Cubs did. The Cubs handled this situation about as bad as a team can handle it. And as we saw Addison Russell still playing for the Cubs. Yeah. I'm with you, Jack.

I just swift be done with it. It's over. It's time to move on. It'll make your whole fan base just feel better about you, Jack. I just swift be done with it. It's over. It's time to move on. It'll make your whole fan base just feel better about you. Absolutely. That's what I always get frustrated with when it comes to teams keeping these guys around. Your fan base doesn't really want to root for this guy.

Just get some goodwill. Get some goodwill. And do the right thing. Just do the right thing. You should not be paying this guy millions of dollars to play a sport if this is the type of person he is and look i know look we get it we all follow sports teams we've all rooted for a-holes it happens like you know there are guys who we cheered for on the phillies world series team who are a-holes like there are people like that but when it when you know it when it is it is clear and it is there's evidence and it's obvious that that this

is something that has happened i just don't think you can turn your back on it i don't think you can just say well there are other jerks on teams that we root for whatever it's not okay you know it's you have to you have to make a stand somewhere and when someone does something like this and gets arrested for it and again assuming it all bears out to be true which he did get arrested it really seems like yeah i mean very unlikely that something else happened here. I just think that it should be a zero tolerance policy. It's time to move on. It shouldn't.

And I know in a lot of cases does. It shouldn't matter what type of player they are. It shouldn't matter how important they are. It just you need to move on. Yeah. Just make a stand. I want to be proud of the Phillies. Me too.

It's a great way to put it. I want to be proud of them. And I think this is a way to be like, we didn't know this was going to happen, but this happened, and we're going to make a stand, and we're going to stand for what's right. And what is right is Odubo Herrera not being on this team anymore.

And I hope they make the right decision. I think they will. And we'll see. And they did put out a statement on it, the Phillies statement today on Odubo Herrera. This morning, we were made aware of an alleged incident involving Odubo Herrera. Upon receiving this information,

we immediately reported the incident to Major League Baseball, which has informed us that Herrera has been placed on administrative leave. The Phillies take any domestic violence accusation seriously and strongly support the joint domestic violence policy agreed upon by the MLB and the MLBPA. So, look, if they take it seriously, if this proves to be true, he should be gone.

I also, I think this will be an interesting, like, I want to see how they handle it coming off of the Gabe thing. That's another good point, yeah. The Gabe thing from this offseason. Sure. I hope that they, I hope they move on. I just, I think that'll be a telltale sign

of where this team is from this standpoint, from that kind of standpoint of this kind of issue or whatnot. Totally agree. So we have set our standard. Let's get back to what we do and have a little fun. It's Pavetta Day. It's Pavetta Day. It's finally Pavetta Day.

All right, so what emotions are going through you right now? Like, you know, the Oduble thing, we'll separate ourselves now. Let's talk about Jack Fritz. I mean, it's a big day for Nick Pavetta getting called back up. It's a bigger day for Jack Fritz. I mean, it's a big day for Nick Pavetta getting called back up. It's a bigger day for Jack Fritz. It's bigger. Yeah. Listen, this is the start of...

I can't even speak. You're so hyped up about this. This is the start of the turnaround. This is the real brand new Pavetta. This is the... This is what you were talking about the whole time, the breakout Pavetta. Now. This is the Cliff Lee sent down comeback.

This is the Roy Halliday sent down comeback. This happens all the time with Talented Pitchers. It starts tonight. But let me just say this. I think it's a little unfair of Mother Nature to have a tornado. I see what you're doing here.

You're already looking for excuses. I love this. I woke up this morning and saw it was raining outside and said, guess what? I don't think Pavetta

can pitch in this weather. This is the most Jack Fritz thing that's ever happened. I'll spin zone this however I need to. There's already a tornado watch

occurring right now in Philadelphia. You're telling me Pavetta's going to be throwing a little pop-up to get out of the ball's already a tornado watch occurring right now in Philadelphia. You're telling me Pavetta's going to be throwing a little pop-up? Is he going to get out of the ball yard with a tornado in right field? I just don't know how a guy's supposed to pitch in that kind of scenario. Watch the wind be blowing in at 50 miles an hour. It's like nothing can get out of the infield. Wasn't the weather.

Pavetta was just great. He was dominant. His balls moving like Aaron nola level two seam run no right he throws a fastball and it drops like four feet it's like what the hell just happened we're back we're back uh so first i made the right decision bringing him back totally agree with you uh vinny's a bullpen guy i got it i'm not he's finally that is a true statement jack we've been saying it for a long time finally it's true he's a bullpen guy and honestly listen they this this whole season could very well hinge on Nick Pavetta figuring it out.

Because if you look at the staff right now, you don't feel great about Eikhoff. Nope. You feel okay about Arrieta. You feel okay about Nola. Yep. I think Eflin's fine. I think what happened Sunday was more like they got him out of there before it got too bad, saved his arm, they had a full bullpen and a day off the next day.

Just get him out of there. And then it comes down to Pavetta. And if Pavetta can kind of step it up a little bit here, maybe he kind of writes a shit because I am worried that this starting staff is about to like plummet. Like I just- Not great.

I don't like where Eikhoff is. I don't like where, I like mostly where Eflin is. I never feel confident with Arrieta. And Nola's just not Nola this year. Well, and especially right now at this particular moment when you are missing so many arms in the bullpen. I mean, and look, the bullpen is pitched really well considering the arms that are in there.

I think that you've gotten more out of those guys than you could hope for, for the most part. Yeah. But they're down, man. They don't have arms. They don't have, like, they need starters who are going to give them something. They need starters who are going to give them innings, give them opportunities. Man, and to think going to give them innings, give them opportunities.

Man, and to think about it, it's not, look, and we do the whole breakout Bavetta thing, which we truly believed in and still believe in, but it wasn't just this podcast. We were not the only people talking about Nick Bavetta breaking out. Well, I would say that we started the trend. I mean, the High Hopes podcast is a trend-setting podcast. Very clearly.

Sometimes you put out a tweet, you'll conveniently see the same tweet maybe a couple hours later. I've seen this happen. You can see that happen a couple times. I've seen that happen. It's a trend-setting podcast. And the Breakout Pavetta thing, it happened. It happened. But now we can actually, so it was Breakout Pavetta.

We jumped a little too early at the brand new Pavetta thing. Yes, correct. Now we're getting the brand new Pavetta thing. And we'll see how it starts tonight. I'm going to use my mush powers to the full capabilities. You need to. You've been on fire, man. You got me mauled by a dog.

I mean, how much more mush power can you have? I don't know. You don't want to see how the lengths I will go. I don't. I've seen it. My face has seen it. I've already put it out there. He's going to go four innings tonight, five runs, five walks, three Ks.

Good work by you. Yeah. He's just not it. For those wondering, Pavetta's numbers in the minors in AAA, four and one, a 3-4-1 ERA. Here's the thing. The good and the bad. Yes. 37 innings, 50 strikeouts in those 37 innings.

That's elite. That's what you want to see. Yes. 20 walks yes 20 walks 20 walks too many walks it's so so the walks are concerning the one thing i will say is that i know minor league umpires are not great when it comes from from that standpoint it's funny because major league umpires aren't either no one's great oh well no one's really good at it you can find anyone who can out well so i'm not going to use the umps as an excuse. I will say that there was a moment in the last.

This is the walks aside. The thing that frustrates me the most with Pavetta is his mental makeup on the mound. As we talked about. I don't know if I told you this, but there was this moment in his last start, two starts to go down in Lehigh Valley, where he's on the mound and there's video. And he throws a ball that he thinks is a strike. Instead of getting the ball back, he steps off the mound, walks to third base, walks all the way around, and then gets back up on the mound before getting the ball back.

Not great. It's not great at all. Not great. So I would like to see. Unless it's like a coping mechanism and he's like, all right, instead of making a bad pitch now, I'm going to walk around the base and calm down maybe? Maybe. I hope so.

Looking for the positives here, Jack. That's the kind of stuff that has to stop. Yes. their base and calm down maybe maybe i hope so looking for the boss here jack like that that's the kind of stuff that has to stop like that's the kind of stuff that you need to you need to toughen up and and bear down and get some guys out because if you're not listen if you don't if you don't create that mental fortitude you're gonna be right back down in triple a i honestly don't think there is a position in sports where it's more important to have that mental fortitude. Look at me. I'm a rock. All right? 13 minutes until you had to bring it back to you.

It's good work. I'm a rock. Mentally strong. I make it through this podcast twice a week. Now you're even stronger. You have to look at my face. I know. Think about what I have to deal with.

It's good. Yeah. It's good. Yeah. It's good. All right. So, like, weather and all that, what are you looking for? Assuming the weather's okay to play, assuming it's not too bad, what do you want to see from Bavetta tonight? I want to see where his fastball command is.

When he got sent down, I mean, he would be trying to throw a fastball up and into a lefty, and it should be leaking out right over the middle of the plate, and guys are just crushing it. I mean, he would be trying to throw a fastball up and into a lefty, and it should be leaking out right over the middle of the plate, and guys are just crushing it. I mean, there's talk. I mean, his knuckle curve ball in AAA had 3,000 RPMs on the spin rate. Really? Yeah. I mean, it was one of them.

It wasn't like – Knuckle curve, eh? Well, he always throws a knuckle curve. Yeah, but like not that good at knuckle curve. Yeah, but it's still nasty when it's on. Yeah, yeah. So I want to see how that looks. Pat McCarthy, I mean, when we interviewed him, he slipped in a splitter which like you can't just throw it in there it was like it was like pat like you can't just

tease me with pivetta learning a splitter i mean pivetta learning a splitter is like going from nick pivetta to kurt schilling 2.0 like that's that's that's the line that we're talking here pat mccarthy and for you to just throw out hey hey, maybe he might be messing around with the splitter. I was messing around with the splitter the other day, and I was like, I might make a comeback. So just think about the level of pitcher we can get from Pavetta. I really just want to see good fastball command, some hint in the third pitch, and a little bit of composure. I just think there's a lot riding on this Pavetta start. Not just this start, but I think if you can get him right, it's just it makes this team so much better.

Yeah, look, it's what we hoped and expected for coming into this season. I mean, he was one of the guys you expected to take a step forward and if he can get back to being that guy, even if he's the guy from last season, it's a help to this team now. But you hope that he can actually take that step and be the guy we all hoped and thought he could be.

Agreed. And if not, there's a spot in the bullpen for you. Yes. All of a sudden, we'll have a bullpen full of starters to change into relievers. I was watching the Brewers. That's what they do. Willie Peralta's all of a sudden now the pen. Freddie.

Freddie Peralta. Freddie Peralta. Former brewer Willie Peralta. Yes, who is also a pen guy now as well. I think the Royals maybe? Yes. But those guys are just all former starters. Wasn't the Penn last year turned him into a starter?

Hayter or someone? Corbin Burns. Hayter was a starter. Yeah, Corbin Burns. So this is not new. This is something that you're seeing teams do. And we've talked a lot about the upside. Speaking of which, and we'll get to the whole weekend.

What do you think of Velasquez out of the Penn? Obviously, one great outing and then one horrendous outing. Yeah. Don't know which one is really the real Vince there. It's probably somewhere in the middle. Look, it's tough. If you're somebody who's a starter to pitch two out of three days, it's tougher, I would think.

Yeah, I mean, this is the first time he's really had to pitch. I mean, he pitched on Friday, came back Sunday. Probably the first time he's had to do that. That is hard to do. I mean, it just is. Especially if you're not used to it. Especially if you're not used to it. And the one thing I...

I think that Real Muto pretty much has to catch him. I think he trusts Real Muto. That's interesting. And I think there's that level of trust to where he... I think Real Muto has to catch everyone personally, but sure, go ahead. Well, I mean, he owns Brandon Woodruff, Andrew Knapp, so... Oh, man.

So, I mean... So many people tweeted at me when Andrew Knapp hit that home run. I'm like, come on, man. You're one homer. What are you doing here? Do you think Brandon Woodruff has slept since when Andrew Knapp hit that home run? I'm like, come on, man. You're one homer. What are you doing here? Do you think Brandon Woodruff has slept since he knows that his perfect game was broken up? Do you think he's reliving that hole at bat in his mind? Of course he is.

It's Andrew Knapp. He's like, dude, if I just threw any other pitch, I'm throwing a perfect game. If I had just thrown anything that wasn't that one pitch. Yes, literally. That Andrew Knapp teed off on. That's unbelievable. that wasn't that one pitch. Yes, literally.

That Andrew Knapp teed off on. That's unbelievable. But I think Real Muto just, what I saw Friday night from the bullpen was Real Muto was putting down something and they were just going with it. And we need Vince to think less on the mound. Which we've talked about. Yeah, and you have a guy in Real Muto

that you can trust. And you can trust he puts in the work and all that stuff. He's a great, he's turning into a better game caller. I think he's really taking a nice step forward in that standpoint. So we'll get that from Velasquez. I, he's turning into a better game caller. I think he's really taking a nice step forward in that standpoint. So we'll get that from Velasquez. I think he

has to throw to Real Muto. I also think that like, he has to throw fastballs up. Like, that has to be only way, only place you can miss is high and higher. Because if you miss down the middle, the way his fastball rises, it's going right into people's barrels. So what happened on Friday was it was starting up

and then keeping going up, and then guys were just swinging right under it because it's just— Just teeing off. It was nasty. Yeah. But what happened Sunday was the ball— Sunday, I mean, yeah. The ball was down, and it was getting crushed.

So fastballs up, real Muto. But, I mean, you can't not be encouraged by what he did on Friday because it was like, that's what we've been waiting for. And they need guys that can come out of the bullpen and throw 97. And give you two innings. And give you two innings. As we've seen sir anthony can't and one thing franza mentioned that i thought was interesting was that um he feels like that velasquez has to come in with the lead and it gives that little bit of extra adrenaline running type of thing because if you're

behind if you're behind it's like yeah whatever i mean we're already losing anyway yeah no i get that look i think it's one of those things you see, and this is totally anecdotal, but it feels like every time a closer is brought in to get work in a blowout, they can't do it. They can't pitch. So I definitely think there's something to that. That's interesting. Yeah.

So, but I'm definitely willing to make sure, like, I just want to see it work out. Like, I just want to see more of it. Me too. I want to see what else he can do. I'm happy they're committing to it. Yeah, because jerking him around. We thought he's not a starter. For as long as we've talked, we've talked about him not being a starter on this team.

Well, it's here. Finally, it's finally here. What a beautiful day, Jay. I know. I'm just excited for guys in the bullpen now. I mean, we'll talk about J.D. Hammer, but guys that actually throw hard. We will talk about J.D. Hammer. I want to see guys that throw hard.

Alright, so you guys did the pot on Thursday last week, so you didn't get to react to that last game of the Cubs series. No, we did it right after the win. Oh, okay. Perfect. Alright, so then let's move to the Brewers series. Start with Friday, game one. Friday? Yes. Friday. Yes, game one. Okay, big win.

Six to four, exciting win. Another great game. Like like this whole road series six innings six scoreless from the pen right well gabe can't manage a pen so yeah he doesn't know what he's doing um but yeah it's just another exciting baseball game like it was just back and forth big home runs big clutching with that big hit hoskins the homer oh hoskins someone's eating up why why is that jack because I put in my bio for 30 seconds and the stupid mush gods

could not see what I was doing they're dumb I told you they're dumb they don't they may be in my head but but they can't

they can't they the power of the bio is so fierce that all I have to do is put it in there physically save it take it out

and boom Reese Hot Streak happens Reese Hoskins Hot Streak it's a beautiful thing yeah well you know I'm trying to use my powers for good i did with arietta on saturday i mean i said that he can't get out lefties right now and boom eight innings he was awesome let's talk about arietta because i go you know i think you're i think i go settling into what i cough is six innings three ons four runs something like that well i got one thing i like off is that his

so the reason he's struggling so much for me right now is that his slider is back to not really... It's kind of just eh in there. His slider in that St. Louis Cardinals game was moving just like his curveball, but it was harder. So now he's pretty much just back to a fastball, which is flat,

and a curveball that is 74 miles an hour, but he doesn't have that in-between pitch. And when E when when eikhoff was good he had an in-between pitch and it was that slider and now it's kind of just spinning up there it's not diving like in that cardinal start it was he would go 90 of this fastball and then you have a slider that move you know four inches down straight down and then his curveball would which would move six to eight inches ish so he had those three pitches all working off of each other. Right now, his slider's not moving. It's moving completely different than his curveball,

so hitters are able to recognize it easier. Okay. All right, so you're so bullish on Eikhoff. Yeah, I mean, they don't really have a choice. I'm not putting Cole Irvin in the rotation. Were you surprised they sent Irvin down so quickly? Yeah, well, if they were going to put Velasquez back in, I would have been more frustrated by the fact that it's my son. Were you surprised by sent Irvin down so quickly? Yeah, well, if they were going to put Velasquez back in, I would have been more frustrated by the fact that it's my son.

Were you surprised by it, though? Obviously, you're all right with Nick Pavetta finding a way back to the majors. I think we all know that. I don't think – I think it was a quick trigger on Cole. I really do because he made two bad pitches that turned into absolute moonshots. But I don't know. I think he was tough enough to where he could figure it out, and I wasn't going to hold a game in Wrigley with that crowd.

Against a good team. Yeah, they're good. But I think the Phillies, it's so funny listening to Gabe talk about Cole Irvin because he's always like, yeah, we'll see. Meanwhile, every other pitcher or every other position player is like, this guy's the best player I've ever seen in my life. It's very clear where he stood on him. So it was a very quick hook for the Cole Irvin experience. That's what I'm saying.

I know, it was surprising, but I'm fine. I'm okay with it, yeah. Obviously, Pavetta or not, I'm okay with it. I never was a huge believer in Cole Irvin. I mean, it just goes back to what we talked about before, is that if you're going to throw that soft, you have to be pinpoint accuracy. Because if you don't, then the Rizzo home run

happens. Albert Amora Jr., who stinks. Who stinks. Who stinks. Not great. Went deep center field. So I'm fine with it. For Pavetta, I would have been upset if it was Velasquez. All right, Arrieta. What did you think?

I mean, obviously, he's best outing in a while. Yeah, it was great from Arrieta. His slider cutter thing, whatever it was, I've never seen. That was unbelievable. Yeah, it was nasty. I swear to God, it was moving like 10 inches like it was just like schwack and it was it was so like it was wipe out yeah it was nasty so uh i think the shadows had a lot to do with area to help i think that helped them to uh the shadows are like franzen was like it's almost impossible to hit a year when the shadows get going a little bit so but uh yeah listen he got into a he got into a nice little cliff lee like rhythm there where it was where i was just getting

the ball back go rocking and get moving i know i love it i love quick just get out it's great he should he should honestly do that if you if you if you get into a cliff lee like rhythm just keep rolling with it because then it throws batters off there like batters don't like it when you pitch like that no they don't at all. They hate it. But he was right around the zone. I mean, I think... I don't think we're ever going to know what we're going to get from Arrieta until he's out there. I think he's one of those guys

where you'll see it early. You'll see where he's just... You can tell if the ball's moving or not. You can. Yeah. It's moving, but if he's just not even competitive, like they're not even competitive pitchers, well, he doesn't have it. But in that in that start i mean the slider was disgusting um i thought he had a good sinker change up balance but really what separated him was that slider yeah i was it was awesome to see and interesting uh obviously nine one not much to get into with the the sunday

game they just got their doors blown i don't think anyone in the world expected them to sweep the Brewers in that spot, and the Brewers said, your Brewers said you're not sweeping on us. Sunday was the most classic. I mean, you could have seen that coming from a mile away. If I could have bet everything I have on the Phillies losing that game, I would have. Perfectly fine. It doesn't matter. It happens.

It was a great series, just from a standpoint. They looked just as good as the Brewers. Well, and that's an interesting thing, because it also, after that series, after the second game of that series, you're starting to hear guys on the team talk that way. You're starting to hear Jake Arrieta comes out and says, we're one of the best teams in baseball. Of course he said that. But Segura did too. You hear other guys coming out and saying that stuff

and obviously you want them to believe that. Do you think they're one of the best teams in baseball? I would say they're the fourth best team in the NL. Okay. I think the Dodgers are better. Well, the Dodgers are the best team in the National League, bar none. Right. There's no argument against it right now. If I had to handicap a playoff series right now, I would, or whatever, the NL playoffs,

the teams I would bet on the most to win. I would pick the Dodgers. I would pick the Cubs. I'd pick the Brewers. And then the Phillies. Okay. I think that's fair. But here's the thing.

I might put them ahead of the Cubs. I might. Okay. That's fair. But here's the thing, is that the Phill ahead of the Cubs. I might. Okay, that's fair. But here's the thing, is that the Phillies have so much room to get even better. Like right now,

out of the bullpen, I feel good about Neres, I feel good about Morgan. That's about it. That's it. Well, I think Sir Anthony, Sir Anthony for one inning. Sir Anthony,

please, one inning. Only one. I think, and, and, and, J.D. Hammer? We're going that far? Dude, I need J.D. Hammer to close a World Series. Like, I need, like, dude, how, that guy, that guy could be a folk hero here.

He's awesome. He already is. Just by being named J.D. Hammer and wearing those glasses, he's already a folk hero here. I can't wait for his first home debut, too. If he doesn't come out the wild thing, I mean, just get out. He has to come out. I mean, that is an ultimate no. Well, that or Hammer Time, one of the two.

Yeah, but I just like Wild Thing better. Well, yeah, it's more baseball-y. It's more fun. And obviously, he's got the look. What did you think about Hammer Time? I mean, look, dominated the heart of the lineup. One inning, one inning. I know, look.

They had no book on him. All right, so when you look at the pen i mean it is an issue and robertson but on the 60 day dl looks like my read of that situation a little bit more on point than your read of that situation yeah well i can't tell if they were just like let's put him on there because he's probably not going to come back till june anyway so it might not mean he's done for the year it's uh i'll be surprised when he's back okay everything from my person and look I hope he's back. I hope he is.

And he could. I just don't feel great about it. No, me either. So you have a bullpen right now, which you feel good about. Two guys. About two guys. Naris. We're healthy right now.

Naris, Morgan, and then Sir Anthony is getting there. Just not two innings of Sir Anthony. Oh yeah, Jose Alvarez, don't forget. He's pitching well. Lights out. He's pitching well. He's got a great heartbeat. Here's what I'll say with Jose Alvarez. I'm at the point where he comes into the game. Don't feel awful.

I don't feel like we're conceding anymore. I'm like, okay, sure. Let's go with Jose Alvarez right now. I feel better than Juan Acasio when he comes into a game. Yeah, I don't feel great about Acasio. No. Edgar Garcia, I do have one thought on Edgar Garcia. Is that he needs to create more uh like downward power like he needs to create more tilt in a way so like his way he pitches right now his

shoulders are very even and i i need to see him get a little bit uneven and get him up a little bit interesting observation because i think i think his i think his slider would be even more devastating if he created more tilt and i think his fastball would have a little bit more deception because his fastball is a little too flat. But Edgar Garcia kind of, to me, looks like a major league pitcher. It's not there yet. Okay. I like that. That's good, though, at least.

I mean, the fact that he looks like a major league pitcher to you, I think he's stepping in the right direction. I think he's going to be a guy. I think Hammer's definitely going to be a guy. I mean, that fastball is just hard to square up, I think, consistently. Slider was decent. Again, he's another guy. Like, just go think Hammer's definitely going to be a guy. I mean, that fastball is just hard to square up, I think, consistently. Slider was decent. Again, he's another guy, like,

just go talk to Hector and learn that splitter. I mean, it would be disgusting. Please. It would be game over. Everyone should be talking to Hector to learn that splitter.

Hector is so easy right now. It's crazy. It's like a breath of fresh air. He is in such a hot streak. He comes in, I'm like, we're good. No doubts.

There's like no stress either. No doubt Neris. That's what he is. He was ninth inning Neris, now he's no doubt Neris. Yeah, we used to joke around about high leverage. I said I never wanted to see him pitch a ninth inning again. Like a hundred times on this podcast. And now he's the best closer baseball.

Nine for nine. Nine for nine. So, yeah, the Phillies right now. Other than Kirby Yates. What? And Josh Hader. But he's up there He's getting there

That splitter's one of the Better pitches around right now It really is It's a legit Legit Wipeout type It's always funny Seeing Hector face these

Like guys who just come up Because Like they've never seen A pitch like that before No and you don't know Where it's going You don't know what to do You have no chance

Like you need to get lucky Or hit a fastball When he throws one Like Keston Hira Has no chance When it comes to that splitter And and he's a really really solid hitter just like it's funny watching these young guys come up and then like see that pitch for the first time there's like nope all right in a second we're gonna get to an official statement but uh anything else from that brewer series you want to hit on before we move on to the official statement that

must be made from Jack Fritz about a particular Phillies player. One last thing is that I really do believe that JT Romito is developing into our Dutch Dalton and he's developing into our Chase Utley. He just has this quiet leadership about

him that is like... No nonsense. He hits a home run, head down, gets around, comes back in the dugout i love it i just think you know i'm a fan of bat flips and all that but i'm also a fan of just putting your head down and acting like you've been there before and like both and now he's just showing contradiction jack now he's just showing off with the back picks like like he he is such a quarterback back there you see i didn't this is not what i expected when they traded for him like i thought i was getting an elite offensive catcher and a good defensive catcher i did not know about

his leadership prowess i didn't i didn't know about that and i've just been blown away and now i think i think the bullpen's gotten to a point where it's like just follow his game plan yep and i think he's getting to the point where if someone shakes like you saw with edgar garcia edgar garcia shook him off he put it on fastball two more times he's like no you're not you're throwing you're not shaking me off like that's not you're edgar garcia on jt romito listen right yeah it's great right and i just i'm so i'm extend him jack can we please extend him for the love of god like don't let him go anywhere no he's and i just think he's only getting i think he's only getting better i i do believe that he spent the first month learning this pitching staff, and now he feels comfortable with them.

Now he's just focusing on the plate. What a bargain. Even for, like, what, $6 million this year? Think about that. Yeah, it's great. It's absolutely great. And I'm so glad he's here. And just, like, he is turning into what you want from your catcher.

Exactly, from that position. Like, if you could pick one position on the field to have that guy at, it's that position. It's why you see so many catchers who make great managers. You have that perspective on the game. Real Muto's going to be a great manager. I think so, too. He's that type of guy.

I'm very with you. No nonsense, just straight-up business. It's all about business, baby. And he works hard, and he plans, and all that type of stuff. All right, it's time. We've waited too long. Over 30 minutes into this podcast, I can't believe it. Yeah.

The official statement on Bryce Harper from the man who brought Bryce Harper to film. The only reason he's here. That's it. Some would say that. Yeah, some. So I'm watching Bryce this weekend. I'm watching Bryce this weekend.

I'm getting flooded in the DMs like, oh, what's going on with Bryce? And my DMs. I love this. I'm getting flooded, man. People won't leave me alone bryce what's going on with bryce what's going i can't even open my dms right yes it's that level of a real picture that level of of distraught that i'm facing this is like one or two dms or something yeah it's

enough it's enough okay uh and you know in my mentions like oh bryce is horrible and whatever i mean the official statement is that i literally don't care like how he plays i am so glad that he is here he has made this philly's team interesting and like him figuring it out this year and being an elite hitter an elite power guy is like the icing on top of the cake for me like Like everything leading, like he, I am, I am so happy Bryce is here. He is a face of this franchise. He's part of this franchise. Put him on the map in a way that they weren't before.

He has made everyone around him better. He's tried his ass off. He works his ass off, man. Like have you seen him not hustle in any situation yet? He's playing great defense. And here's, here's where I'm at is that I will bet on a guy like that to figure it out.

He's a guy that I would bet on to get in the lab and figure out how to hit fastballs again. I'm so sick and tired about the freaking... The strikeouts are infuriating. I'm just as mad as everyone else. Nobody likes strikeouts. But I just don't care. I don't care about this year.

I am willing to give him a pass. He is too important to this team. And I just do not think that a 26-year-old cannot catch up to fastballs anymore. Well, especially, there's a 26-year-old who has been in the major leagues

for seven years and has a long track record now of high-level success. And he's heading into his physical prime. The idea that he would just all of a sudden suck at baseball is pure absurdity like it is it is ridiculous to think about the much smarter thing to think about is oh this guy changed teams he signed a 330 million dollar contract his wife is pregnant he's getting sent to a new city a new team there are a million different human reasons why bryce harper could be struggling right now the fact that or the belief

that he sucks now is not one of them like that is just not an option like that is not unless there is an injury that we don't know about or something like that there's no reason to believe that he's not going to figure it out he's gone through slumps before in his career he's always figured it out there's a lot going on in his life. And to your point, Jack, he has done so much already for this team, for this franchise, and just the attitude, the clubhouse that he's fostered, that he's been a main part of everything that has gone on down there in terms of the camaraderie, in terms of the excitement for the team, in terms of the fans' excitement for the team, all of it is all a credit to that guy.

And just because he's struggling right now doesn't mean that he's not a valuable guy to have on your team. Right, and just him figuring it out would be icing on the cake for me. Look, if they're 31-22 and Bryce Harper sucked, think about that. I mean, the guy we counted, the best player on the team has sucked and they're in first place by a game and a half, and they're 31-22. Just took 2-3 from the Brewers. What are we doing here?

I'm more of the standpoint of just wait until he figures it out rather than freaking out about the next 13 years of my life. That's a really good way to put it. Just wait until he figures it out. This Phillies team hasn't even peaked, okay? They haven't even come close to it. You could even argue they haven't even gotten to their normal echelon of where they should be yet.

I totally agree. And listen, this stuff happens, man. This happens with hitters all the time. Every hitter ever. Bryce Harper is 26. I tweeted this yesterday, or Sunday. His bat speed is not the issue. It's that his bat path is just not where fastballs are being thrown these days.

Fastballs are being thrown up and up and up more and more because it gets right above players' launch angles. I'm not saying not to do the launch angle stuff. It's just that what made him so dominant in 2015, 2016, or 2017, whatever, was that his swing was almost flat in a way, and when he was going right, it was line drives that turned into home runs, whereas now it's just absolute tank shots but it it hurts the average so what i would like to see him get back to a more level swing um i didn't say i think that i think when he's a line

drive hitter that's the best version of bryce harper well especially going with what you talked about last time with it where it's like when bryce hits it out like we might have overrated the ballpark factors because a home run for bryce is a home run in any ballpark in baseball. Yeah. I mean, that's part of it, too. If you can hit the ball that hard, you don't necessarily need to launch it in the same way, right? I mean, hit it hard and it'll go far, whether you're swinging flat or not, you know? Yeah. And I understand the launch angle stuff.

And believe me, I understand. Like, Reese is a great launch angle. He's a perfect case for it. Like, he is a launch angle guy. I just think Bryce. J.D. Martinez, a launch angle guy. Like, there are guys like that. I think Bryce is a great launch angle. He's a perfect case for it. Like his, he is a launch angle guy. I just think Brady Martinez, a launch angle guy. Like they're guys like that. I think Bryce is a line draft guy and I think he should be a line drive guy.

Um, so, and also I thought this the other day, I think the reason he does so well against lefties this year is because lefties can't consistently get up and away with their fastball. They end up just leaving it over in the middle of the plate and he crushes it. That's interesting. Whereas righties,

I can just pound up and away and he'll just swing over it. That's his coldest spot. Or swing under it. That's an interesting point. I think that's very interesting. It has been interesting. It's been so good against lefties. Unexpected. I want to know if you can name this player off the top of your head. I get a little nervous when I do these

blind... This was his overall numbers last year. He batted 260 with a 343 OBP, an 814 OPS, 25 homers, and 76 RBS. That's his surface level numbers, okay? On a full season, like 160? Yes. Okay. Yeah, so 160, 162.

Oh, wow. This was his numbers against four-seam fastballs last year. He batted 230 against them. He struck out 71 times on four-seam fastballs in 234 plate appearances uh so basically he struggled with the fastball you have any idea well i'll give you bryce harper's numbers this year against fastballs against 14 fastballs this year he's batting um 247 um and his ops against fastballs this year is 823 this player's ops against fastballs against 14 fastballs this year is 823. This player's OPS against fastballs, against four-seam fastballs last year was 806. Basically the same kind of numbers against fastballs

in two different years. So do you have any idea who the player is that I laid out first? It's like a shot in the dark. Give me A-L-N-L. N-L. Is it a Philly no okay um it's someone who's off to a good start so christian yelch no this is last year oh someone no i know i thought you meant someone's off to a good start this year no this year but those were numbers against fast

balls last year right right that is off to a good start this year yelch was a monster last year oh bellinger bellinger yeah duh i duh. I misread what you were saying. Of course it's Bellinger. So Bellinger last year couldn't hit fastballs. Yeah, it's a really good point. And now he's having one of the great seasons of all time through June. Now he's batting 390. So do you think that a 22-year-old Cody Bellinger was losing bat speed last year?

It's a great comp. This is very good. No, I don't think that Cody Bellinger lost bat speed. It's a really good point. It's just all approach thing. It's all swing path thing. He changed hitting coaches this past offseason. That helped unlock

this next level Cody Bellinger. I think Bryce is starting to, his swing is starting to get closer and closer to Bellinger's. I mean, just from where his hands are placed and all that stuff. I thought Bellinger was a decent comp and his numbers against Fastballs last year were actually worse than how Bryce has been doing against Fastballs this year. I like that. Alright, that's actually, that makes

me bullish. I like that a lot. I was already bullish, but now I'm Bellinger bullish. Alright, Jack, big week coming up. Nine straight games for the Phillies. They play three at home against St. Louis. We'll dive into that. Then head to L.A. Sure, that'll be fun. Three in L.A. and then three in San Diego

before day off and coming home to face the Reds. So St. Louis coming to town. Obviously they had some success going to St. Louis, winning two of three there. Pavetta versus Wainwright tonight. Nola versus Cabrera tomorrow, and then Eikhoff against Dakota Hudson in the day game on Thursday.

What are your general thoughts heading into this series? The Cardinals, I believe, 500 right now. Haven't played as good baseball since the series with the Phillies as the Phillies have. Where are you at? I feel good. I feel good about the Phillies in this series. I mean, Wainwright.

I know. I'm not worried about Wainwright anymore. He stinks now. Yeah. And Dakota Hudson, I think, is just brutal. I think this team will... Dakota Hudson walks everyone. He does.

He's had a couple good starts in a row, but a lot of bad ones prior to that. Yeah, the Phillies will, I think they'll grind out Dakota Hudson, and I'm not sure who the middle pitcher was. Cabrera. I don't even know who it is. Look it up. It just says Cabrera, and I was trying to think. I'm like, a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher

named Cabrera. No idea who it is. None. I would know the Cardinals just from fantasy. That's what I mean. Genesis Cabrera. Genesis Cabrera? Major League debut. There you go. That makes sense because I've never heard of him before in my life.

Okay. Well, if you want to feel better about facing Genesis Cabrera, he is a- I already do by the fact that I led Genesis Cabrera. He is a 635 ERA in AAA. In AAA. Okay. So you feel really good about that. So I feel great about this series?

No, actually, I feel really bad about this series. Yes, you feel terrible about it. It is, though, a low-key important series in the sense that they do have to go out west. This team, as we've seen, can struggle early on road trips. This is a tough road trip coming up, obviously facing the best team in the National League. And then the Padres, over 500, solid squad. I wonder how the dugout's going to be today with the Oduble stuff.

It's a good question, what it's going to be like down there. I mean, you know, I think this is the type of thing, they're professional athletes, they encounter these types of things, it's probably, you know. I could see them being a little somber, though. Should be, you know. One of your guys you didn't know was like that is like

that, and it's a bummer. I think it's a bummer for everybody. I can see that. But yeah, I think the Cardinals have just been meh. They don't really impress me. They have not impressed me as much. And really, from a pitching perspective, the lineup's talented. They've got some talent there.

They've got guys who can hit. But Philly's lineup's better, and the pitching's been better. Well, and I mean, Marcelo Zuno, he's going to get his this weekend. This week, he always just rakes here. I always justuno, he's going to get his this weekend. This week. He always just rakes here. I always just feel like he's going to hit three home runs in a game. Yeah, well,

last time you chose him is the... Well, I know. Yeah, it was good. Paul DeYoung's going to rake again, too. Paul DeYoung? It's going to be awesome.

Oh, wait, I can't do it. It doesn't work for me. No, it doesn't work for you. No, I think Zuno's going to have a big one. He always crushes here. Yeah, he does. He does.

Every time. I feel like he always Is a home run In the Citizens Bank part Are we doing the Kurt Suzuki award No we shouldn't Yeah I think we should be doing it We did a really good road trip

That was the best road trip They've had under Kapler Yeah so let's Let's We'll table it We'll take the signs And say Who hit a home run

That was like Ian Desmond No no no I know But it was on the road trip Might have been like Grant Oh Moose Well Moose hit the home run

Against Arrieta Yes Grandall hit one I mean yesterday Everyone hit one It was almost like a like a re rehashing yeah so you can't just kill the kurt suzuki award you know it keeps living it will live in infamy forever i'm sorry for even bringing it up yeah sorry we mentioned dude's name we won't do that again um any other uh note uh message uh dumping of the notes as you like to say before we get to final thoughts Mickey Moniac's betting 323

since coming out of the bio bring him up play center you should start taking like Venmo I tried for people put him in the bio for a minute and help people out yeah Bryce hit two homers when he came out of the bio Reese went up back

on his hot streak. I saved that. So I'm taking Venmo requests if you need it. I like that. I like that. No Alec Boehm thoughts or Adam Haisley thoughts or anything else? No, Boehm's just been fine. On the Oduble thing, what do you think is their long-term answer? Obviously, it's Kingery now.

I think we can assume that he'll get the lion's share of the starts there. Do you think they're going to trade for someone? Or do you think, could it be giving Haseley a chance? Like, what's in your mind the next step for this team at center field? Well, what I will say is that I don't want Andrew McCutcheon playing there every day. Can't. I've seen that idea floated around. He can't do it in 2019.

No, no, no, no. And you're seeing how good he is in a left field. Yeah. I mean, at the plate, he's on fire right now. Why did that happen, Jack? Did you tweet about something? His OPS is like over 1,200. It's getting weird.

Jack's like, oh, he doesn't have any X-rays hits in May. And then literally since that tweet, he's batting like 380 or whatever. Yeah, and he had a 1,200 OPS. So I don't really want McCutcheon in left. If you want to do it for a couple games with McCutcheon in center, Williams in left, that could work. But I was looking at some center fielders today, and there's just not

any good ones that would be available on trade. I mean, like Kevin PR, I don't know. He was DFA'd earlier this year. He was picked up off waivers. He's a good defensive player, and if you want a good defensive center fielder that won't kill you out there, they'll be smart. Which is fine.

But he'll get 250 OBP. It's not great. There's just not many good ones. I mean, maybe Roman Quinn, now he's just batting from the right side. Stop it. Just stop. What else are you going to do? Roman Quinn for two games, then I'll get hurt again. What are we talking about? I'm not saying you can trust him, but they don't really have any other options. It's a tough spot. Next for next

pod, let's look at some potential center field trade candidates. I was trying to look today. Like Nico Goodrum? Really? Maybe. It's the best spot. For next pod, let's look at some potential centerfield trade candidates. I was trying to look today. Nico Goodrum? Really? Maybe. It's the best we could do. Jacoby Jones? I know, but Jacoby Jones also his overall stats are terrible. He's been good the last year. I understand he's hot. But overall, he still has 280

I don't want Jacoby Jones either. There's just no good centerfielders. That's what we're coming down to. There's no good centerfielders. Hopefully Scott can do it. Hopefully Scott can do it. Hopefully Mike Kell can step up a little bit. By the way, Mike Kell batting 220. Yeah. People might not have noticed, but very quietly, Mike

Kalfarango is batting 220 with a 285 OBP. It's not great, Jack. Well, I mean... Who could have seen it coming? Nah, we don't need Moose. They're the same player. Moose raking. Mike Moustakas is the same player as Mike Alferonco. Just raking.

In our faces, no less. Yeah, it was moonshots. All right, Fritz. You don't have to look at my face anymore. What's your final thought? I got two final thoughts. My first final thought is kind of an is it weird, but it's also a...

It's also, I just want to know, maybe am I weird or is this the way a lot of our fans diehard baseball fans handle this kind of situation okay

I'm excited for this so I've come to realize that the only way I make it on time or even go to family parties

at this moment is so I can sit down and make sure I'm there right in time for the Phillies game I exclude myself from the family. They're all chatting on the back patio, and I'm inside watching the Phillies. Yes.

Is that wrong? Is that, like, I feel like a half. You have a choice. It's what I like to do. Like, I like going to family parties and watching the Phillies. And, listen, I feel bad not being out there socializing, but also my other family is in here. Yeah, I think you're doing the Phillies. Listen, I feel bad not being out there socializing, but also my other family is in here. Yeah, I think you're doing the right

thing. Thank you. I think it's not weird. I think it's the right thing to do. I'm not sure all of our listeners have the same exact problem. We all do. There's nothing worse than going to a family or friend outing of some kind and not being able to watch. There's no TV

or there's no option. It's like, why did you invite me here? Why am I here right now? Right. When the Phillies are playing and I could be watching. Right. So that's what I did on Sunday.

Not weird. Great take. And they got, they got blown out, but I was, I was sitting there. You were there for it. I was watching.

You were ready. I may have stepped out. Usually is there someone from the family who comes and watches with you? Well, it's usually me and Joel's granddad just sitting there watching the films. So that's good. At least you're not alone. It's weirder if you're like by yourself in the room watching.

Well, the thing where I noticed this was becoming a problem was that last year it was Jill's sister's baby reveal or whatever. Everyone's outside, you know, popping the balloons and figuring out if it's a boy or a girl. I'm inside watching Phil's Mets in April. I love it. I'm not a baby reveal guy, so I totally co-signed that one. It's good work.

All right, gang, got to do it. Yes. We got to do it. No, if you're missing the wedding or whatever, we're not taking it too far. Yes, okay. I mean, I did watch Nola Scherzer on my honeymoon last year. We remember.

And my final, final, final, final thought is that this morning, Matt Gelb of The Athletic, he put George Kirby as the Phillies' first-round pick at number 14. I mean, Matt, I appreciate you reading my Twitter and you've seen the increase in George Kirby tweets the

last couple of days. Is he your top guy at this moment? June 2nd, by the way. June 3rd. June 3rd, is it? For those who don't know, Jack might love the MLB draft more than he loves anything else in the world. I get so giddy.

Like, anything else in the world. It's unbelievable. I love it. I love it so much. I think Jackson Rutledge is going to go top 10, so he's not going to be there

for the Phillies. I think the Braves are going to take him to number 9, actually. But George Kirby, he's an Elon pitcher, right? Listen to this K to walk this year. 107 Ks in like 82 innings.

Six walks. Tops out at 97. Is that good? Tops out at 97. Sits 92 to 95. Righty or lefty? He's a righty. And I was talking to someone today who coached a kid that was on Elon the last couple years.

And that kid told him that that guy's going to be in the league in like a year great makeup guy yeah and I think I think if you went to a bigger school he's probably a top 10 pick but the fact that he's at Elon and not only knows about it his his the way he pitches and the small schoolness he reminds me of Jacob deGrom like he reminds me so much of deGrom. I want him so bad. He said that every time he steps on the mound, he wants to be a savage. Like, that's what you like to see. There's another guy. I'm in on that. I like that.

I really hope they pick him. It's trending towards that. May be happening. I mean, I'm seeing Kirby and the Phils linked up a lot. Knowing this now, I bet Kirby goes number 12 overall probably. Or 13, like the pick right before it would be more likely yes yeah that's what's gonna happen yeah it's gonna happen so you should tweet about how you hate him and then maybe i'll get no i can't

you just love him too much you invest with it i like that all right my final thoughts i also have to want a shout out uh today in 1998 for the first time barry bonds got walked with the bases loaded which also allows me to shout out that Today in 1998, for the first time, Barry Bonds got walked with the bases loaded, which also allows me to shout out that in 2004, he had 120 intentional walks. What's funny is that this weekend, Gene Zagora also walked with the bases loaded. If so, in fact, though, Gene Zagora is better than Barry Bonds. Yes, not intentional, but sure. Can you intentionally walk a run in?

Oh, it was not intentional. Yeah. I mean, the Zagora thing was not intentional. Lots of people get walk a run in. Barry Bonds got not intended. Yeah, I mean, the Segura thing was not intended. Lots of people get walk or run in. Barry Bonds got walked intentionally with the bases loaded today in 1998. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They said, the bases are loaded. We'd rather give up a run than face you. That's pretty crazy. Pretty crazy. Also, my other final thought, my real final thought,

as you know, I like to watch a lot of baseball. And over the weekend, I was watching the Astros broadcast. And I've watched multiple Astros broadcasts, but I was really struck this time because not only were they talking about

x-fip jack but they put up a graphic they explained what x-fip was and then they're talking about dra and all these other stats and it was just so refreshing to see a broadcast that was so forward thinking with the way they talk about the game and it's not to rip any other broadcast or whatever i just was really impressed with the level of um you know forward thinking and and where baseball is at now that they put into that astros broadcast which obviously mirrors the team as well but shout out to the astros broadcast it's a really good product well tune in tune in at 730 tonight for the Phillies trying to have John Kruk eat

a thousand I will say I it's very funny because my wife will watch games me every once in a while and she is under the impression that they talk about nothing but food she's like why are they always talking about food every time I watch her talking about food they love food I love food too so I can get down with that and one last thing is

shout out to my third baseman in high school he got engaged food they love food i love food too so i can get down with that and one last thing is uh uh shout out to my third baseman in high school he got he got engaged last week shout outs now yeah but but it's to his girlfriend now fiance carly both went to villanova she loves the podcast okay shout out to carly congratulations yeah so they are they uh that's you know he doesn't listen to the podcast which i think is a little messed up it's really weird actually you actually. Carly, are you sure you want to marry this guy? You would think that the battles we went through on the field, he'd be supportive, but it's just not happening. It's just sad, really. Here's the question.

As long as he downloads, I'm fine. Subscribe. Subscribe. Just throw us a subscription. Just be there. Just know that it's happening. I mean, your future wife loves it. Carly, set your man straight. Yes. Also, you rule, Carly.

Yes. All right. We'll be back later in the week. We'll look ahead to Dodgers series. That should be fun. Dude. The West Coast road trips suck especially worse for me. Oh, yeah.

Me too. I have to stay up until the end of the game and do a podcast after. I got to produce all. I got to hear it for six. Yes. Six to ten. And then a Phillies game on top of that. And you, what I will say, Jack, dedicated.

If you start a game, you won't leave it. You're off at midnight. You're staying for the end. Except the one time. One time I niche-ed it. That was like 13 innings or whatever. You're like, I got to go. Yeah.

It was the Charlie Pluth walk-off against Kike Hernandez. You missed it. What a disaster! I don't care. I don't care. All right, we'll be back to talk about that later in the week. Until then, thank you for listening. He's Fritz.

I'm Seltzer. Talk to you later. All-Star Closer, Kenley Jansen. We have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball isn't boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game.

It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is. Another fact, so jump aboard the BIB Express. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring, presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.