High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Don't You Just Hate The Phillies Offense?

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the Phillies' tough start over the weekend and try to find some points of encouragement in the offense and the bullpen. Presented by Miller Lite. To purchase Ring The Bell by Jack Fritz and Kevin Reavy go to RingTheBellBook.com 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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On the Odyssey app and Sports Radio 94, WIP. The crowd is singing, High Hope. I feel a little less alone. Yo, is another edition of the IOS podcast, sponsored by Miller Light, official partner of the Philadelphia. Phillies taste like Miller Time, Philadelphia.

Celebrate responsibly. Fritz. You're not a lot of celebrating this weekend. No, no, not a celebratory. It's one of those where it's like, you know, the whole off season, people complain about one thing. And the Phillies were like, you know what? We're going to give it to you.

We're going to give you the exact thing that everyone's concerned about. perfect start to the season. How you're doing? Don't you just hate this offense? I mean, aren't they just? Watching them get no hit back-to-back days

for five, six innings, where everyone was felt so familiar. It was like, yep. As soon as DeGrom went out, we should have known like they're going to get no hit by this guy. Lock it up. Bet your life on it, you know? Wait till you see what Foster Griffin does tonight. I know. The guy's got an 879 ERA.

It's like great. The worst kind of guy would give face. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's our kryptonite. I mean, a no-name lefty. Now, he did have pretty good numbers in Japan last year, but mostly a no-name lefty against this Phil's offense, that feels like at least five-shotty. That feels like at least five-shoddy. I mean, if Jake Berger just catches that ball, you're right, yeah.

It's a disaster weekend. I mean, a disaster weekend for the offense. I don't know how. I don't know how to enjoy the ride. I just don't know how to do it. I would love to sit here and just enjoy the ride and kick my feet up. And hey, when they win, super duper, when they lose, oh, well, on to the next day. But oh, my God, and I try to do it every year, every year.

I'm like, this is the year where you're not going to overreact. You're not going to overreact. And then you see Bryce strike out with the base is loaded. You see Trey just have just horrible bats all weekend long. And you're like, nope, can't do it. Can't do it. can't do it. What are you doing?

Like this is where we're right back. It's like right back in October. Maybe because it's like 50 and sunny. Maybe that's why they thought it was October. Maybe it was 42 on Saturday. And they're like, oh, this feels right. This feels right. No need to score.

No need to score. And then any time they face a pitcher with a pulse, with a real pulse. Like their sweet spot is the pitcher can't be too good and the pitcher can't be too bad. But if they're right in the middle, they make it. They could dominate him all day. But the second that guy has a pulse, it's just a laydown, laydown city. Oh, my God, I hate this all. Every year, I hate this offense.

But 159 games left. Yeah, I know, right? Again, it's, it is unbelievable. Because, you know, I mean, how long do I go by saying, small sample size? Doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. It's so annoying that they did the one. thing this weekend where we come in and be like, well, it's a problem. Yep, look at it. I know it's only three games, but they're doing the same freaking thing. Oh, my God. And I wish I could do, I wish I could do, A, when the weather heats up, the office is going to be fine. It's okay. It's cold in October, mostly. So I don't care. I don't care. I don't know, man. Like, there was, uh, there's, well, I mean, offensively, there's not really many things that are all right. I mean, I thought, I thought Marsh looks good against Rydies. I thought Stott was fine. I actually thought Adolese, I felt bad for him.

He smoked some balls all weekend. Justin Crawford's been all right, you know? The most Crawford hit the other day to have the first hit of the game. The little squibbler down the line. Yep, yep, yep. J.T. looks like he can't. Both the first hits. The first hit on Saturday was the Trey went up the middle

or the guy almost made the play or was something, whatever. JT, whatever. Up the middle almost made the play on it, you know? Yeah, yeah. Man, they, uh, for, for, for it really would have been good for them and the old narrative ball to get off to a much better start offensively because you can just tell you can just tell people are ready to pounce and say there it is that's why they can't win in october uh and i mean listen they easily could be right it's well they have to prove they have to prove it like no one can say no they can win in october this way until they do it because we haven't seen it you know it's you know what you know it's even more jarring i felt watching the offense this week again is, we talked about this a lot last year,

it's not bringing up anything new. It's just seeing it again. It's so funny and talking about the team all the offseason and then feeling it again and being the totally different, you know, I guess feelings that those are. But man, their lack of pop is astounding.

It's shocking, dude. It's Turner who like, I feel like might be trying to hit more home runs again, which I don't, we don't want. We want him to do what he did last. year and be a great lead off hitter and hit over 300 and do that kind of thing and then it's schwirber mostly harper but even he is gone down power wise and then it's boom no uh stott or marsh

in the five hole no adoles hopefully j t no crawford no i mean that's that's the like the thing that jumped out to me the most this weekend is oh my oh my goodness they have just no no deep threats. And if they go down by five, it's going to take a death by a thousand paper cuts for this team to come back and win. Well, I mean, the only way they won a game this season was on two home runs, by the way. That's how they won the opener, a two run shot and three run shot, and you win. And even that was barely enough at the end of the day. I'm with you. And this was a problem last year. We didn't talk about it tongue because it's a trooper at 56. But 56, hardbread at 27. Then the next most was Castellanos with 18.

Kepler was 17. Not only is that horrendous, but both those guys are gone. You know what I mean? And one was on PED. Yeah, exactly. So, like, I'm with you, man. And here's the thing. You know, we talked, another thing we talked a lot about and what we kind of hope

the Phillies would move more towards in the off season was the whole Blue Jays thing of, all right, you know, and the Blue Jays hit home runs too, you know, which is nice. But listen, if you're not going to have power as a lineup, you better put the ball and play all the time. You better, you better never strike out. You better be a lineup that puts pressure on the defense and forces defenses to continually make plays against you. And this, the problem is there neither. They're neither thing. Like, you can be an offense that just hits the ball of the park and strikes out a lot.

If you hit the ball out of the park, you can win that way. You can. You can be an offense. It doesn't hit a ton of runs. It's harder to win that way. But if you, if you keep putting the ball and play, if you're guys who don't strike out and keep, you can win that way too. if you've got neither thing, you're in a lot of trouble. And that's where they are.

I mean, it's, they don't put a bunch of base sets together. They don't, they don't do the, those kind of things. They do strike out. I mean, Harper, Schwerber and, and Turner, uh, 17 times, I believe or something like that. Yeah, 17 straights and five for 37 so far or something along those lines this season. Something like that. So, I mean, yeah, like we could pretty much end the pod.

They, all right. I'm going to talk to you guys after the national series. better. It's just, it's only one weekend. I understand it. But it's also at the same time, it's, now they're going to need Harper to really get back to being Harper. Trey, now I, I liked what he said. Clearly, to research, by the way, which is hilarious when he said that, you know, I'm actually pretty happy with my bad spring because I mean I have my best seasons, which means he was freaking out probably after his spring and started looking at the numbers. Someone said that to him, or yeah, exactly. It's like, don't worry, man, don't want to look at your spring numbers. You never do

Oh, really? Look at them. But then it's, but we also know these guys. So, BOM's not most likely. Maybe it's 20. I have no idea. But who knows? But probably not. We probably have a good idea that.

Stott, you pray for 15. Yeah. That's where you're at. Adolese is a huge swing guy. Like if Adolese, and again, I thought it was a good Adolese weekend. I know he popped up the Jake Burger. I think it was okay Adolese. Let's not go good.

There was a strikeouts and. Oh, well, yeah, dude. And even the fielding, I know he had the one really nice way, but that was a way to. I'll give a pass. There was one, there's color balls where I was like casting on his dives for that. Yeah,

no, no, he's definitely, he's so much clearly. And that one play made was, was terrific. But yeah, he's clearly better out there.

But I, like, you had the hit, which was nice, but to the point being that if burger caught it, it's not a hit, the bat's over. Look,

I'm, I'm with you. I, I didn't think it was like as bad. is the number of show for Adolus, but I'm not, you know, jumping on joy. No. And the one thing is I certainly saw more chase than I saw in spring, which was, I saw, I saw a right fielder swinging at a 59 foot breaking ball and a cold shiver went down my spine.

I felt familiar. I was like, oh, we're back. This is fine. This is where we usually are. So no big deal. But he's. I got so many were back taxed during the Saturday game where they're getting no hit through five.

Just people like, oh, we're back now. This feels like the Phillies. feels right. This feels right. Now again, again, if that series happens in July, no one cares. It just happens to be the first series of the weekend or first series of the year. So yeah, no, but he, yes, there's more chase from Adolese, but he's such a huge swing guy. Like, if he can get back to being a 25 home run guy, which I think is in there. It was only two years ago. He was 25. You know, granted, he was horrendous offensively outside of that, but he did it 25 home runs a couple years ago. But if he can do that, I mean, there's, there's at least, he, he changes the dynamic of

the lineup from the standpoint of, like, in the postseason. There's someone who can exit the ballpark. They need guys that can exit the ballpark because they don't think they have enough of the grind out of that, you know, base hit guys. And I think that's a hard way to, to go in 2026 with these pitchers being as nasty as they are. It's just harder and harder to string together base hits. Now, in a perfect world, right? In a perfect world, the top three of the top three and they're fine, we don't have to worry about him. Like, Boehm can do his 280 and Yeah, again, Bome is

a, is a, uh, the Bome like criticism is a circumstance. Look, he's not as good as we hope, but he's, it's, it's, like a circumstance of, of how important he is in the lineup. If he were the six or seven it or we'd all be fine with Alec Boe. Hey, maybe, maybe if Hidales does prove to be back

in a way, he can bet for it. Who knows? But like, theoretically, they could have a contact guy, contact guy in five, and then a power throw. And then back to like contact guys to close out the lineup. Like it could, it could work, but they need him to be a real power threat. Like it's not to put all the pressure on Adelaus Garcia because he's a one year, $10 million a year guy, but like that's kind of.

But that's what happens, right? When you don't, when you rewrack the lineup and the lineup is flawed in the way it is, the one guy you bring in, especially when the other guy is a rookie who doesn't hit home runs, there's going to be an abnormal amount of pressure on Adoles Garcia to provide what you signed him to do, essentially. Yeah, get some thump in there. Get some thump in there. But yeah, it really, really stuck out because they're obviously losing. Like, if they're starting pitching, the good part for them is, is.

And it's a lead to hold it. Yeah, I mean, it was, you know, part of the reaction this weekend is, it's funny because it's like, no one's freaking out about Lazzardo because they trust Lazzardo. No one's, like, I think, I think Nola was fine on Saturday. But, no, again, I was much more upset about the getting no hit that Noah five runs, three innings, five innings three rounds. It's not great, but it's like, okay, I can accept that from Noah, you know? Totally. So it's just no one trusts his offense.

So that's why the reaction is so strong that way. No one's saying, why did they give Lazardo that contract on today? And to be fair, I thought, I just thought the stuff was great. I thought he was, I thought it was all over the place and his mostly money. you just made a couple of mistakes. And that is the biggest difference between him and Sanchez is, it feels borderline impossible to hit home run against. Whereas Lizarro.

The numbers say it is. I think last season was like he gave up like a 0.5 home runs per inning or something like that. I mean, per nine or something. Yeah. I mean, it checks out. I feel like he allowed three. Like off the top of my head. I can count.

Like, I think he might allow like three or four home runs on all year. But Lazzardo certainly is more prone to it. Like Lazzardo can. strike out 12 and six innings, but he also could be prone to more of the long ball. But overall, like, not concerned. I think the stuff was still,

the stuff was still the stuff. But I really do think the biggest thing that's jumped out to me is that if they go down, it's, it's harder for them to come back because it has to be a certain way, unless Schwerberg can pop one or unless hard work can pop one,

because there's really no other power threat that can get in there and do a job. All right. Let's get to some specific guys. And I do want to get to some of the bullpen stuff later and all that. But specifically, we mentioned his name. Let's get to some of the guys in the lineup. It's three games. So again, you know, it was a unique three games where it feels like it's more like predictive than it probably.

It's three games. But let's play the three game thing. Harper, the weekend, I think, you know, we all wanted him to come in and kind of get started, play off the WBC Homer. And, you know, feel confident that obviously didn't happen. The strike out with the base load, I think was the worst. bat of the weekend for him. Your thoughts on what you saw from Harper so far. And, you know, again, three games, but where you at?

Yeah, I mean, the one thing I want to AS monitor this year with Bryce, because it's, because it's something that hasn't really been an issue. I think it showed up at times last year, really for the first time in his Philly's career, is, man, he just, his at-bats against lefties, I feel like the quality of them that have gone down so much. it's either a first pitch flail like you know short pop up in the left field or I mean he in the 9th 9th on Saturday he broke his back and got a base hit that was that was good to see it and really locked in but it's almost like he goes up there as like I don't feel like hitting against the lefty

right now it does it almost feels like he goes up he's like I'm going to take some pitches maybe I got to walk I don't know like you'll say he'll do like the kind of flail thing a little bit where he's almost doesn't expect to touch the ball almost Like, I'm with you. It is against those tough lefties. And remember that bad? It was against Manaya, whatever, in the Mets playoff series where there was one of that, where it just felt like he was just like, I'm not going to hit it.

So I'm just going to kind of go up there and stand and hope he doesn't throw strikes. I feel like that vibe has, as happened more and more. And it was kind of frustrating to me was that in the 9th on Saturday, he was a third lefty face on the day. And he, like, really locked in and did a job. And so him against lefties is something that I am now. I mean, I'm unfortunately given the current discourse around Bryce and maybe the lead host of my show, I have to be. You have to be more protected. You're like extra, you know, like your blockers are on your wrist, you know, your shin guards, your chest guard, the whole thing, your right roll.

I have to be more obsessed with Bryce and looking for positives. So, yes, I would say that I would defend Bryce currently, like, he's one of my children. But also just in watching, because now I get more frustrated. I don't have this like, so it's just the, it's my own mental makeup currently. And you could tell even being there on opening day that there's a, there's like a tightness towards Bryce, I think, from the fan base where people, are like wanting to start producing it at the because he talked about production and the whole elite not elite thing get offended getting offended by it even though i don't understand how you still how people still don't understand the issue with vowsky saying it i i don't understand

that um and why brice can't take it personally i also don't understand but it seems like that that has that has been missed and people are now like see dave was right which is a problem why Dave said it is that now everyone's going to say, see, see, see if he if he if he does not come through and do his job. So so yes, the the Bryce protectiveness is up. But also against lefties, we're monitoring that. We've been monitoring the the fastball situation and issues against the fastball. But it's one of those things where I just, I'm not going to freak out say that he's cooked, done whatever on March 30th. Like I'm going to-

Sure, yeah, yeah. I'm going to give him grace, and I'm going to let him work his way through it. And I thought in the World Baseball Classic, the last couple of bats, like, he got there. And in spring, he hit over 300. So, like, I'll give him some time here. I'll give him some time here.

And I think we should give him some time here. And, hey, if you got to adjust and see where he's at in July, and maybe it's not going. the way that we we'd hope, then you got to adjust how you feel. But I think that there's a lot of anxiety around Bryce and

certainly was not the most didn't calm any of those fears this weekend, even though he did walk twice, so we're 138 walks away from 140. How much you, because this is something that, and it's something we can't know, you know, we're all inferring every person is guessing unless you are Bryce Harper.

But the number one thing that I hear on the radio about Bryce is he's pressing, he's clearly pressing, he's pressing, he's clearly pressing, this, the lead thing, this. How much stock do you put into that? The Bryce pressing, the Bryce trying too hard, the Bryce kind of trying to hit a grand slam every time he steps to the blade

even if there's no one on, that kind of thing. You know what I mean? Yeah, I mean, I think it's there, you know, and I think the, I do believe in the Schwerber thing last year where Swarber, like, he just wanted to join the party and be a part of it and maybe try to do too much and it led to some chasing. So, yeah, I can't, so I think, think some of it is maybe some physical decline to where the fastball thing is going to be a thing

for a little bit. And it's on him to adjust back. And some of it is, this is the first time, this is the first time he's really been questioned. And I think it started with, with Dave saying what he said. And now it's almost like his baseball mortality is, is, is there. And I'm sure he feels it. I'm sure he feels like I still, first off, not, yeah. He has team goals, but I think he also has personal goals. I mean, this is a guy who wants to hit 500 home runs. He wants to, you know, cake walk into the Hall of Fame. He's got personal goals. And I think that I do believe that he's putting a lot of pressure himself. Now, at the plates, I haven't seen like pressing pressing. I've seen more struggling than pressing. But I don't know. It's one of those things that he's just going to have to, like I thought he was pressing or I think this is all happening at the beginning of last year, too. And, and. and it never really got right. Like, he never had that stretch where, in the past, in the past, in like 19, 20, 21, 21, 22, 23. He would go on like a three-week tear where he's ripping everything.

We should ever got that last year. I know the overall numbers at the end were like 27 home runs and this stuff. But like, it never felt as if he was just carrying them for a little bit. Yeah, I agree. And, I mean, like, that's almost what we have to get back to. Get back to feeling like he's helping, you know, care. carry them because it's it's been a been a little while yeah I'm with you uh all right two more on on the lab then I want to go bullpen then we get to take back uh look I think my biggest concern

from an offensive perspective and I expected coming into the year we saw him struggle half a year last year and then be somewhat better but is it possible that like jT's just fully cooked as a hitter because I mean I like he was for half of year last year and then ended up raising the average two seven he wasn't a robust 270 but he did you know do better over this second half. He looked horrendous, horrendous this weekend. And look, he's 35. You know, like he's Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it really looked like he was struggling to drive the baseball for sure. Big time, big time. The one thing that I am interested in is apparently he went to drive line in the offseason and it increased his bat speed by like a couple ticks. So maybe that's something.

like bat speed increase is something that really helped the blue jays last year i know that we are now all obsessed with the the blue jays offense so and like royce lewis he also went to drive around the office and he increased and he uh he hit two home runs over the weekend which was good to see so i think he's trending downwards offensively 100% but if the bat speed increases are real and that's something that has helped hitters out in the past. I'll give him more than a weekend in the cold. But again, I just, I want him to not obviously be a black hole offensively,

but I really just, I almost don't care. Yeah, it's not why he's back. He's here to catch and handle the staff and all that, but still, you, you want, you know, something out of us, you know. Yes, I would agree. He can't, he can't hit a 11, you know. you can hit 2.30, 40, 240, and 10, 15? I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. Talk to me after the national series. Last one. And again, I don't think it was a bad weekend for this guy compared to others. But this is the first time that we have had a podcast where we could talk about Justin Crawford playing in the major leagues. Oh, yeah.

You want to thought? I thought that was a good enough lead. I figured I didn't say your thoughts. Yeah. Your thoughts on JC. Yeah. About what I expected. You know, he'll put the bat on the baseball.

Not much, not much pop. And the catch on Saturday was really good to see. It was really cool. It was a great catch. That was tough play. So again, you know, he's batting nine. That's fine. He's not going to be Rojas.

He's going to get more hits than Rojas. And I think defensively, he looked apart. I didn't see much. I didn't see like he didn't. belong out there. And there's one play, I think, though, that Marsh, I think just took a, like, I think Marsh just took over and said, I'm going to go get that ball because Crawford wasn't going to get there.

So that was kind of noticeable, but that's why you have Martian left and why you have a Dolese is to help him in center field. So it doesn't get exposed too much. But, yeah, I mean, he's, he's hitting knife. It's going to be a lot of, it's not going to be the hardest contact in the world. He's not going to be ripping balls into the, into the gaps or, or, he's going to be. hitting the ball into the into the into the seats he's just going to he's going to be a solid solid ball player and and as his career goes along hopefully more of the the slug comes but for right

now it's going to be a lot of singles and and hopefully there's some good defense uh out there in centerfield all right the bullpen not a uh a great weekend for the new pen not a horrible you know well yeah it was a mob of guys yeah and dorana you know obviously the bit of a struggle coming into the extras on Saturday and whatnot. But yeah, the mob of guys, I mean, Back is obviously Thursday, the issue. Sure. You know, Pop ran in a sit.

It would look good in the first one, ran some issues. Where are you at with that? What we saw him to spend? Yeah, people are ready to give up on Zach Pop already, which is, you know, he's the last guy in the past. He's the last guy, yes. He's the 26 guy on the roster, you know?

And when Kirk rings back, it won't be an issue. Exactly, yeah. And by the way, Kirkman looks really good. You know I was grinding iron pick stables. Oh, of course you were. I mean, Wheeler, you were probably locked in. I'll get more thoughts on Wheeler. Yeah.

But the, but yeah, so pop, whatever. Backus. So this is going to sound pretty high-opsy, but whatever, that's why we're here. Literally. I thought Mays' stuff took an uptick. Maze looked good. Maze looked good. A little more depth on that sinker.

He's up to 95. So where Bacchus may struggle, I think. I think he still has options, but I'm not sure. But, like, maybe Mazza can just be the third lefty if Backus is just not ready or not good enough to hack it up here. So definitely disappointed. I thought Backus was really going to be someone that could be a weapon for them, but really seems like he can't get ready out, which is evident because he had...

Not good so far. They hit, like, 353 against him, I think, last year. So, hey, maybe that's Mesa. Either way, he's a third lefty in the bullpen. pop we'll see I mean again last guy so but of the regular's like I thought Alvarado was great I thought Keller looks great wouldn't look good on Thursday yes big bowling big balling big boy yeah you look good I'm just saying heavy baseball look like a heavy baseball exactly they should call his fast ball it did it did they should call his fastball a bowling ball

a bowling ball yeah come on man we work those into your analytics really good So I do want to talk about Duran because Duran is so interesting to me because he is, he's clearly, like, he's, he's, he's, he allows too much contact. He is also really good. And like I, I still, but also in a one run game, I feel like I'm going to get nervous watching Joanne Duran. But it's really, he doesn't really walk. Like, he's, he does throw strikes for a reliever. And like, like on, on, on, on, on, on, on. Saturday, like here should be the plan for Gawandron.

You should never throw your fastball at the knees. Like, his 100-mount-hour fastball at the knees, that ball's going to get smoked. Like, that ball should always be up. Like, the pitch to the Seeger, there was a hundred that he blew right past them and exploded up in the zone, that's where he has to live with that pitch. So fastball up. Sinker, down. Sinker, down.

That pitch was disgusting. when he throws it. It was. Down. Knuckle curve. That is one to get hitters off of the fastball and want to maybe surprise him. Maybe in like a two-two count. That's where you break off the knuckle curve and maybe don't throw with a runner on third base. And a splitter has to be off of the hundred so that it can be on the same plane as the fastball and then dive off a cliff. Like that is the tunneling there. So no, this is the plan, J-T. The J-T. Fastball. up, sinker down, split her off fastball, knuckle curve in, it's a surprise, and maybe sneak a K in.

That's it. That's it. So, like, I think he's working through some arsenal things. He did strike out two guys, which was good. Like, he should be more of a strikeout guy, given the stuff that he has. It's a lot of contact for a guy that has the stuff that he has. So I'm fascinated by Duran. I think in pure closer situations. He's, he's good. It's just like if you need him to come into a dirty inning. Yeah. Which the extras are a dirty inning now. Like they just are. I don't permit, you know. Ed and Phoenixville called the show today and said he would have brought Keller in that spot. And I hadn't thought about it in the moment, but it's an interesting call. Like, I don't, like, you have to be able to use Duran in that spot theoretically throughout the course this season. But I, like, it's an

interesting thought. Yeah. Yeah. So I saw, so the, the clean knife with the league. lead one run I feel like I'll be a little shaky, a little worried, but I mostly trust them and I do trust them, but there's just little things that have to get ironed out. And I don't know why pitchers don't back up bases anymore. And this is crazy. No one does it anymore. It's wild. They just stand on the mound. Why are you standing on the mound? Yeah. This is little league, little league stuff. I mean, when you first learn. Get behind the catcher. Get behind the catcher. And they didn't score an extra run because of it, but they could have. So like, if the balls hit to the outfield, get behind home plate, and just in case it gets past JT, you're there.

It's not that hard. Everyone just back up bases. We're supposed to be teaching our kids this game, you know, taking walking study to the ballpark one day. I need to see the pitchers busting their hump to get behind bases again so that. Remember when catchers used to ground ball to third catchers are hustling down to first base to back up with them? I mean, we used to do that back of the days. I'm not. All the backing up of bases. There's every basis to get backed up, not in today's game.

Come on. Would the analytics tell you you don't have to do that? But that's my rant on the backing. I just, it drives me nuts. Are they worried about tiring your legs out because a little bit around? Well, they're not Spencer Howard, right? So it should be fine. Ah, man.

What a bad name. What a bad. Yeah, just bad. What a bad. Where are my gloves? Love's. Come on, heat. Winter is hard, but your groceries don't have to be.

This winter, stay warm. Tap the banner to order your groceries online at voila.ca. Enjoy in-store prices without leaving your home. You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store. Many promotions are available both in-store and online, though some may vary. All right, let's get to take back. All right. Painter night tomorrow.

Obviously, looking forward to that. It's going to be a little bit of a moment. I mean, it's been a long journey for a 22-year-old that we feel like spent on our lives for. I know, it's so true. For 10 years. He's 30 by now, yeah. Yeah, it feels like he's been around forever. So that'll be a cool moment.

Getting crushed by Andrew McHatchen all weekend was in. Unbelievable. You see him apologize to the vans like, Andrew. I know. I love him, too. I love him. I can't look at him and think anything other than you're awesome, dude. I know.

I know, I know. But he has a, he signed a minor league deal in February, you know. and he said five for that team and doing that. So that was not great. That was crushing. All right. So Lehigh Valley. I can't believe how good Zach Wheeler looked.

Yeah, buddy. So the fastball is only 93, 94, which obviously has to come up, but also he's just starting to pitch. So we're not going to freak out about that. What's crazy, though, is if he had to pitch at 93, 94, he's still pretty damn good he's he's still like I was impressed by the curveball I thought the splitter was

maybe the best it's been since he's since he's been affiliate I feel like the splitter's always been just a get me over or like it's just a show me pitch and I thought he actually was pitching as if it was a weapon over the weekend I just he looked so

freaking good the command was fine like little thing that can it's just going to take a little bit longer. But for his first outing against, like, real hitters, I know he's faced a minor league guys, but I know it's AAA, but like Max Clark's in the lineup and Jace Jung's in the lineup. And, uh, like Thomas Nito stinks, but like he's a,

he's a big leaguer. So, uh, I just, I was really, really impressed. And obviously you want to see the velocity take up, but even if not, he's still a high, high, high quality big league starter. Um, And if the velocity does tick back up and he's back to 9798, it's, it's, it's game over. It's game over.

It's amazing. Honestly, this is, it was the best news of the weekend. It is, you know, the single best thing going on with the Phillies is how quickly he is recovered or is recovering and how positive this all seems. I mean, I, when it all happened and the obviously, I'm like, we have no idea. This is like the biggest question mark you could possibly have. And it's like every single step along the way, it's been amazing. It's so exciting.

And also just as an aside, one of the coolest things about baseball we never talk about is when, like, we have assignments and like these stars go down and just play in a minor league game that doesn't happen in any other sport. It's such a cool thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's different than anything else. Yeah. It's awesome. And he has to wear like the minor league uniforms, which is hilarious. So it's great.

They're celebrating 250 years of the country on Saturday. And he's wearing that. So that was funny. And then, dude. So, Kirkering also, I'm trying to remain calm on the Orion Kirkering thing because I so badly want him to turn into a dominant reliever because he can. And it's funny, you know, in all the minor league games or minor league rehab things he's had down in Clearwater, it's like, ah, Ryan Kirkering, 10 pitches, 8 strikes perfect inning. I'm like, all right, this is good, this is good. Then he gets the AAA and it's the same thing.

It's 10 pitches, eight strikes, you know, hits that lefty with a two seamer that runs back and like has this cocky little strut off the mountain. Like, I love that. And it was even more exciting. So he threw two splitters, I believe. One was eh, just a spinner. The second one was nasty. And it's such a game changer. I mean, it is just such a game changer.

If he can really, really, really, really pitch, like make that a pitch. It just completes its arsenal. It completes his arsenal. So a very encouraging out. It's so funny how he's just as ditched that four seamer pretty much. He'll throw it every once in a while. But he's a two seam guy. Imagine being able to throw 99, 100 and just being like,

I'm going to ditch it. It's not good enough for me. It's such a crazy thing. But it's right. I mean, you've talked about it since the beginning that, that, you know, how it was flat and all the type of stuff. It's just, it's such a wild thing to me. I mean, when we were growing up, when I was growing up, not to age you with me,

I mean, even in the, movie Major League. They make him throw 99 at the end. They don't even make it a hundred because they're like, well, that's ridiculous. He doesn't act. You know what I mean? Like, it's just nuts to me. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's and it's where modern baseball is. I mean, modern baseball is everyone throws 95 to 100. It's unbelievable.

It really is. It's crazy. And then things that only sickos care about. It was a disappointing start for the, for the Ryan Cusick train. Oh, no. After all the hype, the hype train was rolling. Just all over the place. But it's early.

It's early. And I will say, if they might not need him, they are transitioning him back to being a bullpen guy. Really impressive Griff McGarry is showing. Oh, buddy. One of the patron saints of the high ups, bud. He was in the strike zone. He was flashing all the stuff.

Nasty. If they need them, hey, if they need them, they might have a guy up there in Griff. So we'll monitor the grip situation for sure. but other than that, can't wait to see what Foster Griffin does tonight. Oh, buddy. Before we get to,

no name lefty. Before we get to two of three or three of three, the rare potential, one last thing I want to get on with you before we get out of here, because first weekend of the new ABS thing, and obviously there were a lot of videos going around,

Buckner getting his, we had our first ejection, which is fun. Your thoughts on like the first weekend of how it all worked out? Eh, eh, I don't know. I don't love it.

I don't love it. I really don't. I don't. I thought it was fine. I had no issues. It's quick. It's like they get to it. I get to it.

I thought it was fine. I'm not saying I loved it or anything, but I thought it was fine. I loved all the other rule changes. I really did. I like pitch clock and runner on second and, you know, and X rings and things like that.

This one, it's just a little annoying to me. It's just like, ah, let me just have that. Let me just have that. I don't. I liked it. It was weird because I,

loved it in spring training last year. I was like, oh, this is great. And it's just something, something about it this year. I don't, I don't like it. I think it'll be one of those things you'll get used to, obviously, but I get it. I, I was all for it. I'm still all for it. It was fine. Like, it wasn't, you know, it was okay. It didn't have, you know, it didn't impact me as much I thought it would. Which is like, you get a big strikeout. It's like, you got to see if it's, if, if they're going to challenge it or not. A little annoying. I agree. A little flow of the game gets interrupted. I don't disagree. They do a good job of doing. It's, it real quick with the yeah but i'm with you not i i it's still out jury still it's fine i'm not

i'm not thrilled with it but yeah would have liked it in game for yeah when christopher sand just did a pitch it'll tap tap tap it'd be much better wouldn't it yeah yeah that one well it's fine too because you see that when they show the graphic it's almost always like right on the line these ones where it's like oh it's a strike because it's right on the bottom line or oh it's just missing like the sanchus would have been right down the middle they've been like well that's obvious yeah yeah yeah Yeah. Yeah.

So it's a little Mickey Mouse. It's a little Mickey Mouse. I got you. And then overall, I mean, are you ready for the, you're ready for it to bring back Ascout Trout? Oh, buddy. I'm not surprised. He's going to be hurt in a week, so it'll be fine.

Yeah. Dude, he looks. He looks so good. This is the classic drought thing. He did this last year. Oh, it looks so good. He looks so good. He's not as good as Chase the Lodder, but he's up there.

Love Chase the Lodder. I know. Guardians doing it again. Freaking Jillio. too. Frick and Delia. Took me, took them right before me. So mad.

So, so man. So two of three or, I mean, we, we are a two of three pod, but yeah, yeah,

any thought to, you know, a national stink. This is, this is the, the division could be one at the end of the day by who beats up

on the Nats the best. Any party is saying, just, just freaking sweep this team. They're losing, well, because they're losing tonight. So,

so two of three. Yeah. Joey Weimer is the National League MVP the season, the season, the season, an end today. So he's an issue. I think his OPSs and the threes. So, no, no. They actually fought against the Cubs this weekend, but

they're losing. They won yesterday. Yeah, they're losing tonight. So, so we'll take two or three. There's no way there's no way they're getting foster grip on. Great. Great. Just, just preparing everyone for an excruciating offense. I can't wait. I can't wait to talk about it on Thursday. It's going to be a blast. All right. They'll win the next two and Painter's going to go six innings of Shove City and we'll be All right. Two or three, we'll react to Painter. It's going to be great.

Make it happen. At least two and three. All right. We'll be back. Until then. He's fritz himself.