High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Final Out: Jack reacts to Phillies extra-inning loss

Episode Date: April 13, 2023

Jack Fritz deals his three big takes from the Phillies 3-2 loss to the Marlins and doesn't think it is time to push the panic button yet. Presented by Miller Lite. 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

Welcome on in. It is the final out here on Sports Radio 94 WIP. Jack Fritz hanging out with you on this Wednesday evening. If you're coming home from the game, stuck in traffic, all that good stuff. Although it's a little bit, you know, worse to be stuck in traffic after a brutal loss. Would love to hear from you. 215-592-9494. What were your takeaways from what was yet again another frustrating loss for this team. Another frustrating loss for the Phillies this afternoon. The final out is sponsored by Regency Furniture.

Affordable never looked so good. I have a lot to get into tonight. My three takes in the game. Something I need to see Rob Thompson do immediately starting tomorrow. And we'll look ahead to the series in Cincinnati before handing things off to Tom Kelly. But it was a frustrating afternoon. And in the first of my three takes, jumping off here is that good teams don't continue to lose games like this. At one point last year, this is kind of what the Phillies were.

This loss and yesterday and Sunday, it felt a lot like early last year. And I know this hurts to hear, but it felt a lot like the Joe Girardi-led Philadelphia Phillies. It feels Girardi-ish. And I agree with when Rob Thompson says after the game that they played pretty good. They came out of this homestand and they started playing better baseball. But at the same time, the goal is not to beat the Reds and Marlins at home. The goal is to get back to the World Series. And what is killing me right now is that had they not come back on Sunday against the Reds, they would have had two straight homestand series against the Reds and Marlins,

who are not world beaters. They are not great teams. I know the Marlins have great starting pitching. I know the Reds have talent in starting pitching. But those are teams that are going to finish 4th and 5th in their respective divisions. And my biggest takeaway and my biggest fear is that the Phillies looked

closer to being on par with those teams than a massive step ahead of those teams. The goal is not to beat these teams in April. The goal is to rack up wins over these next five series. We talked about this the first week when the whole city was melting down

it was like, okay, well they have a couple get right series coming up on the schedule. Well, they're only get rightable if you go out and do your job and take care of business and they are finding ways to lose games that they are in, that are

50-50, that are coin coin flip that if one player steps up you're winning that game rather than a player letting them down and today was the bullpen today was Jose Alvarado today was runners in scoring position but it just continues to look like a team that is not ready to go at the beginning of the season I think they battled a little bit harder this week I thought they played tougher. But the ultimate result is they lost 2-3 to the home to the Marlins. 2-3 to a Marlins team heading into the series. It was 29th in baseball, and Ron scored.

And for the Phillies and where they want to be and where all the excitement was pouring into the season, to be sitting here having to react to a comeback loss to the Marlins is a tough spot to be at. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. Good teams don't lose games like this. Good teams find a way to win games like this. Good teams hold on to a one-run lead. We shouldn't have to feel like a one-run lead is now this massively terrifying thing.

That's how it felt two years ago. That's how it felt at the beginning of last year. That's how it felt when we were watching the worst bullpen in the history of the sport. And with the amount of talent that they have out in that bullpen, and I can't crush Jose Alvarado. I mean, the guy's been unbelievable, and going out for a second inning was a mistake. But there's too many good pitchers out there

for the bullpen to be as shaky as they have been so far. Every single night, it feels like one part of the Phillies is letting them down at this point. Today was the bullpen. It's been starting pitching all throughout. It has been runners in scoring position. It's been situational baseball. It's been the manager.

I mean, like all five of those things have cost them games at some point. They're not a good baseball team right now, and they got to figure it out. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. Terrible situational baseball again today. Christian Pache in the 10th

was terrible. 2-12 with runners in scoring position. This is becoming a problem for this team. And a frustrating part of the beginning of the season and where this team is at is that they're getting hits. I mean, eight more hits today, but they're just not bringing them home. And I know eventually

it should yield positive results. But right now, it is just brutal to watch. So you talk about all the phases of the game, clutch hitting, clutch pitching, starting pitching, situational baseball, defense, base running, starting pitching. The Phillies haven't really been great at any of them. I mean, Wheeler was the first time they went into the sixth for a starter this year and got through the sixth inning. So every little aspect is kind of letting them down right now. There's bright spots.

We know the bright spots. But good baseball teams cannot continue to lose games like this. It's not Panic's button season. It's not season's over. I'm nowhere near that. But when you're talking about competing at the top of divisions and you talk about getting back to the World Series, having to be 4-8 and already digging yourself out of that

to get back over.500 is a frustrating place to be at. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. My second big take from today is that the topper magic touch is running out. You know, everything that Rob Thompson kind of did last year when they fired Joe Girardi seemed to work out. You know, everything that Rob Thompson kind of did last year when they fired Joe Girardi seemed to work out until, you know, the World Series. But besides that, you know, this year it feels like every decision has backfired. It feels like when a decision works out, it's like, oh, man, what a sigh of relief. I didn't like the answer in the postgame about Jose Alvarado in the two innings.

Like, we got him answer in the postgame about Jose Alvarado in the two innings. We got him hot in the sixth. We pitched him in the seventh, even though it wasn't the best spot to use him at. And we wanted to use him two innings because at the end of last year, he showed that he was able to do that. It's like, hey, Rob, it's April. And I am a proponent of guys having to pitch more so they stay healthier. I think that's generally how pitchers get healthy and they have length in a season.

But it's April. We don't need to run this guy into the ground. And at that point in the game, when he came out for the second inning, Sir Anthony was warm. He was good. He was ready to come in. I know Sir Anthony has been shaky, but you're letting him face Jorge Soler,

who has been great against lefties in his career. And I know I rise up next. I understand that. But the most important thing in that position is getting out number one. So letting Sir Anthony just sit in the bullpen until the game's tied up instead of bringing him in to give you the best chance to get out number one, that was frustrating for me. And then in the 10th, they go down.

First off, they bring Kimbrel into the game. It's extra innings. You're already down a couple of relievers. They've been overworked because starters aren't going deep into games. I probably would have left Soto in because I thought Soto was on a good run and let him kind of cook there for a minute. Because every time Kimbrel comes in, I just feel bad. It was a bit of an inside-out lucky hit at that point for Brian De La Cruz.

But, you know, whatever. They're down 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 10th. It's Christian Pache. And I know, like, the whole idea of postgame, Rob Thompson saying, well, I want to go for the win there. How about we at least extend the game? What gives you the better chance to win there? Christian Pache up with a runner on second base against AJ Puck, or Christian Pache giving up the at-bat, getting a bunt down, getting a runner over to third base with a one-out, and Bryson Stott, your best contact hitter,

coming up next with a chance to put the ball in play to get a job done. I mean, at some point, we just got to start thinking about smart baseball, and that wasn't smart baseball by Rob Thompson. And the answer post-game was, I'm going for the win. How about we at least tie it up before we worry about going for some kind of win there?

Like, you're worried about burning out pitchers? Really? I mean, come on. The alternative doesn't match what the reality of that situation is. My take number two is the Midas touch that Rob Thompson showed last year. It hasn't been there this year. It feels like decisions have backfired more than they've actually helped. And right now it's hurting this baseball team.

And it's not all his fault. His starters, again, Zach Wheeler was the first time that a Philly starter has pitched through the sixth inning so far. That's not great. He has had to overwork the bullpen earlier in the year. But these little decisions are coming back to bite them. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. It wasn't all negative today.

It wasn't all negative. My third and final take before we hit some phones here and get on to everything else going on with the show is that this whole idea of Bryson Stott can't hit lefties, so let's bat him eighth or whatever, it needs to stop. I mean, Bryson Stott needs to bat leadoff every single night until he proves he can. And at this point, I think he's going to continue to prove that he can

more than he can't. Nine multi-hit games so far, 12-game hitting streak to start the season, consistently good at bats, and I love Trey Turner, but I don't love having his over-aggressive nature batting in the leadoff spot. I want a guy who can at least work a pitcher. And Trey Turner so far, it was a lot today, again,

of just being so aggressive for the sake of being aggressive and trying to have his first kind of big Citizens Bank Park moment. I'm perfectly fine with him batting two after Stott kind of does his thing batting leadoff. But at this point, I think the debate needs to be over. And tomorrow, when they face Nick Lodolo in Cincinnati,

I hope that it is Bryce and Stott batting leadoff and they don't keep juggling the lineup around. Let's get some reaction. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. Those are my three takes on the game from today. What were yours? You're stuck in traffic, you're on your way home, or you watch the game at home.

What are your main takeaways from the Phillies dropping two of three at home to the Miami Marlins? Rob's in Upper Darby. What's happening, Rob? What's going on, man? First of all, you need to relax. I mean, seriously. Rob's in Upper Darby. What's happening, Rob? What's going on, man? First of all, you need to relax. I mean, seriously, it's April 12th. They played okay today.

I like what I'm seeing from Marsh, from Bowman, from Stott. I agree. I mean, our young bats are getting it done. I mean, you know, now we got Turner. He's got to start playing like, you know, like the contract he just got. Schwerber's got to turn it on. And we got to get Bryce Harper back contract he just got. Schwarber's got to turn it on. And we've got to get Bryce Harper back. So,

I'm fine. Pache's not going to be in this lineup in the long term. Once they get Harper back, they're going to put Schwarber back out in the outfield. Pache's gone. The lineup's going to be fine. But I like what I saw today from the pitching. Alright, fine.

Alvarado gave up a home run. Sir Anthony looked really good. I like what we got today from the pitching. All right, fine. You know, Alvarado gave up a home run. Sir Anthony looked really good. I like what we got out of Wheeler. You know, I think we're getting things to start to gel, and that's all you can look for. It's like starting up an engine on a cold morning. You can't just, like, start the thing up and expect it to run. It's going to take a little time for this thing to get warm,

but this is a good team, and they're going to be really good. I like what I see in the young core. Alright, Rob, and I think that's a fair way to look at it. Again, I'm not pressing the panic button. I'm not saying season's over. There's just little frustrations, and when you're evaluating

how good a team is and how good a team can be, they find ways to win that game today rather than finding ways to lose it. And there's been too many times at the beginning of this year where they have found more ways to lose games than win games. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94 is how you get in and react to a Phil's loss today at Citizens Bank Park.

Day game, another good crowd. Felt like the lower bowl was kind of filled up there. So good to see. And hopefully they go out of Cincinnati and take care of business. 215-592-9494 is how you get in. On the other side, the one lineup change I need to see Rob Thompson make tomorrow. What is it? And I have some thoughts on another positive from today.

We'll get to all of that coming up next. But the NBA playoffs are here, and you can turn crossovers into cash with FanDuel in partnership with Valley Forge Casino. Just visit fanduel.com slash fritz right now and place a $5 bet and get an instant $150 in bonus bets, win or lose. Here's what I got for you tonight. A parlay a day keeps the doctor away.

I'm excited to watch some NBA playoffs tonight, watch some play-in games. Here's what I got for you tonight. Parlay a day keeps the doctor away. I'm excited to watch some NBA playoffs tonight. Watch some play-in games. Here's what I got. I'm taking Brandon Ingram 30 plus points. C.J. McCollum 3 plus 3's. Pelicans Moneyline. C.J. McCollum 20 plus points.

And Isaiah Joe. Former Sixer, great! Isaiah Joe tonight in the Pelicans versus Thunder game, $10 can win $145 on that bet. So I'm excited to watch that tonight and hopefully win some money. Fandle Sportsbook is the official partner of 94WIP. I obviously really like the Fandle app. There's no better place to bet all the playoff action

than America's number one sportsbook. Just go to Fandle.com slash Fritz and sign up to get $150 in bonus bets back when you bet your first five bucks. Fandle, official sports betting partner of the NBA. Two balls, one strike. Here's the pitch. Swung on and hit well. Left center field and deep.

Going over is Pache, and that ball is gone. Game is tied on a solo home run by Jorge Soler. His fourth of the year. Up the alley and left center. And we start over 2-2 here at the top of the eighth. Yes, that is the Mike's Amazing

play of the game presented by Mike's Amazing, the official mayo, mustard, and vegetable oil of the Phillies. Jack Fritz hanging out with you here on the final out on this Wednesday evening. A beautiful Wednesday evening that would be way more beautiful had the Phillies come out on top this afternoon down at Citizens Bank Park. 215-592-9494. The final out is sponsored by Regency Furniture.

Affordable, never looks so good. Brutal. And I'm not going to sit here and crush Jose Verado. Jose Verado has been unbelievable at the beginning of the season. I think the decision to go for him for two innings there was a mistake. It is April. We don't need to push our best reliever into multi-inning roles.

If you wanted him to face you know, if he was getting... I know the ramifications of getting hot and then sitting down and then trying to ramp back up and getting hot again. That is not an easy thing for pitchers to do.

I totally understand that. And it's unfortunate that at the point of the game where they were and the portion of the Marlins lineup where they were, that it would have been Jose Alvarado against the bottom of the lineup. But tough. You know, Sir Anthony is ready to go in that game. And I know Sir Anthony has had a tough start to the season. But righty on righty to Jorge Soler versus lefty on righty,

and we know the most important out is out number one. It's a mistake. And I know a rise is up on deck. I understand that. But you got to get the best chance to get out number one. And they didn't do that. So that makes it 2-2. We know how the rest of the game kind of plays out.

So tough. And the bullpen has been just one portion of this team that has been letting them down so far this year. Another portion of this team that has been letting them down so far this year. Another portion of this team that is letting them down so far in this year and something that I want to see Rob Thompson make the lineup change tomorrow. And it's not Bryce to stop batting a leadoff, even though I think he should. And the numbers would bear out that he probably should. But the runners in scoring position problem and JT Real Muto.

JT is not the only one that has been up with runners in scoring position, but it's been a tough start to the season for JT. And I think at this point, while he's struggling and while it feels like there's a lot of runners in scoring position opportunities for the Phillies that come up every game and they're not getting it done, I need Alec Boehm and him flip-flopped in the lineup. up every game and they're not getting it done. I need Alec Boehm and him flip-flopped in the lineup.

Alec Boehm batting seventh again today is just infuriating. It is infuriating given his start to the season. I think Castellanos has been pretty good. I'll keep Schwarber at the top of the lineup just because of the home run pop they have.

They don't have much home run pop right now. You need to take it when you can get it. But Stott, Turner, Schwarber, Castellanos, Boehm, and then you get to JT, whatever. Or if you want to put Marsh there and then put JT, but right now those two have to be flip-flopped when you're having the kind of struggles they have had with runners in scoring position. And I think Boehm, at this point, just gives them a better chance to do that. So, you know, I know JT's a respected vet. I know he's the best guy to do in baseball. But at this point, he's just killing them.

So flip JT and Boehm and see if that jump starts the offense. And just get this lineup closer to what it should be. I mean, Boehm and Stott, given what they have done at the beginning of this year and two guys that are young that you need to count on to kind of turn a corner and help carry them while Bryce and Reese are down, get them up towards the top of the lineup. You're not going to kill their confidence. They were just in the World Series last year.

It's April. I'm sure they can handle April baseball. So I would like to see Rob Thompson make that switch as soon as tomorrow. And the other positive from today for me, besides Bryson Stodd and Castellanos had another hit. So, you know, those are two good things to look at. Was the Zach Wheeler look good? Like it wasn't a dominant Zach Wheeler start, but I think him getting into the sixth, him still flashing 96-97 in the sixth. him getting into the sixth, him still flashing 96-97 in the sixth. Rob Thompson entrusting him to go out there again in the sixth rather than just pulling him after five when he walked three

in that fifth inning. I talked about this last night and I've talked about it with your ace and your 1A in him and Aaron Nola. You have to let those guys work through things, even if it might cost you some runs. Because those guys ramping up and being good to go in the middle of summer and towards the end of the year, that's the most imperative thing for those two guys specifically. And eventually when Ranger gets back, they have to work through some tough periods. You don't have to yank them the second anything goes wrong.

So I was glad Rob Thompson let Zach Wheeler go out there after a shaky fifth and kind of readjust himself and gave them good quality six innings today and left with a really, really good chance to win a ball game. The offense let him down.

The bullpen, yeah, it let him down, but they should have probably had more runs than just two at that point. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94 is how you get in. Blake is in Narberth. What's happening, Blake? Hey, Jack. I know it's a long season.

It's just April, but that was a very winnable game, and that is just part of a home stretch, where they could have been 5-1 easily, 4-2 easily, but they lost that, and they're back to where they started after they came back for opening day in Philadelphia. That was a missed opportunity against, at best, a mediocre Marlins team slightly above average and a bad Cincinnati Reds team.

And the schedule isn't going to get much easier into the home stretch. It's just not. Well, and, you know, I think they played better baseball. Like when Rob Thompson says that, and I do agree that they kind of got blitzed to start the season with the Rangers series and the Yankees, and they needed to kind of regroup here. And I thought they did for the most part.

We know baseball games can, can be coin flippy in a way, but it's like you're having coin flip games against the Reds and Marlins. That doesn't make me feel great. And I agree. And what Rob Thompson said after the game, and I didn't like it, I thought it was ridiculous. He said he thought the team was hitting well.

And I think on paper they were hitting well, but the fact is that first inning perfectly encapsulated the problem with this team in runners in scoring position. Runners on the corner, Kyle Schwerber, he's facing a pitcher who has the most walks of any pitcher in the National League. First thing he does, swing on the first pitch. And it wasn't just Schwerber. I see Jake Cave, a guy below the Mendoza line, swinging at the first pitches. They're not working counts against a pitcher who we knew coming would be wild.

That is not good hitting. Yeah, and it's a bad situation on baseball, Blake. And, you know, I know that Schwerber's looking to hit one of the seats there, but given their struggles of runners in scoring position and given the beginning of the season where they've been getting hits, and I think what Rob Thompson's talking about there is that they're getting hits, they're just not executing, and they're not coming across the plate. But you do have to get runs home at some point,

and Schwarber has to be a run producer. And sometimes you've got to do a job and sacrifice the home run pop to get a job done. And there's been a little bit too much of that. You know, last night, JT, 5-3 game, bottom seven, the momentum's back on their side, and bang, a double play on the first pitch after a walk. Like, just bad situational baseball

and not really thinking through the situation. Yeah, and then one last point. I've heard some people say, well, they're going to get Bryce back, they're going to get Ranger back, and I understand that, and that's going to help in the home stretch, and I don't think they're going to play this way

of baseball through the summer, but if you look at a team like the Braves, which is already four games ahead of us, Darnell is out, Michael Harris is out, Max Freed is out, Ian Anderson, the closer is out. They're playing above average baseball, and they're just going to keep taking that lead. The Padres,

Patis is out, and they knew that. We knew Harper would be out, and they're taking advantage. They're winning games, and the Phillies are not. So just because there's injuries doesn't mean that's an excuse when other teams that are playing for a World Series and a pennant are winning games, and the Phillies are not. So just because there's injuries doesn't mean that's an excuse when other teams that are playing for a World Series and a pennant are winning games without players. Yeah, Blake, and thanks for the call.

A lot of truth to that. One of the things I talked about a lot in the preseason was like, I watched Ronald Acuna go down and the Braves still win the World Series. The message is still the message. The goal is still to win a World Series here. It's something that's a convenient excuse,

but when you're playing the Marlins and Reds at home, it kind of goes out the window. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94, rolling into the final segment here on the final lap before handing it off to Tom Kelly. We'll look ahead to tomorrow. A big, obviously, a four-game series out in Cincinnati. We will preview all of that and take your phone calls here on the

Final Island Sports Radio 94 WIP. 0-1 the count. There's one out in the inning. And the pitch. Ground ball. Fair. Pass first down the right field line. And the Marlins will take the lead. DeLa Cruz around second. Or first. he'll try for

second to throw and he is out at second base as Nick Castellanos to Trey Turner who put the tag on De La Cruz so the Marlins get their free runner home and they have a three to two lead how do you think that I, if I could have a live cam on whether you're in the ballpark or watching at home, I would have loved to see your face when Craig Kimbrell was coming into that game. And I would have loved to

see if your confidence level in the Phillies still winning that game. Because, I don't know about you, I was like, well this feels about over that is your player of the game sponsored by South Jersey Gas committed to providing safe reliable affordable natural gas make the switch at southjerseygas.com slash love my home Brian Brian De La Cruz Three hits and the go-ahead RBI for the fish today. And, you know, again, the Kimbrell thing, I thought he looked better today.

I liked that his fastball was up to 96, and hopefully he can get on a roll here. But just in watching him and knowing how he's been the last couple of years, it feels more like Familia Brad Hand rather than like some kind of a steal of a signing. And every time he comes in, I just, I get nervous and I don't think it's going to end well for the Phillies. And unfortunately today it did not end well, but funny part about that play and the funny part about the beginning of the season, besides Bryson Stott's nine multi-hit games and 12 game hitting streak and Aleehm looking like he's breaking out and Brandon Marsh having a monster start to the season, the most shocking part of the beginning of the season

has got to be Nick Castellanos having like six outfield assists now. I mean, this guy's going to win a gold glove this year. Gold glove Castie? I mean, as we all know, they signed Nick Castellanos for his defense and his on-base percentage, but at least he was hitting today. Some bad at-bats late, whatever. He had another hit today, so another double down the line. Heading back to Cincinnati this weekend,

and that's a team that he has hit well. Even though last year he wasn't great, it felt like whenever they played the Reds, Nick Castellanos wanted to prove them wrong for letting him go. Let's preview this upcoming series before handing things off to Tom Kelly and sneaking in some phone calls. Falter vs.

Lodolo tomorrow. Gotta be honest, not excited to see Nick Lodolo again. Dominated the Phillies in the game last Saturday. It was Falter vs. Lodolo again. Official PSA about Bailey Falter. When you're freaking out on the first

after he allows a home run or allows a run and think he's terrible and think he's trash, wake me up in the fifth six when he keeps it within reach with generally giving them three runs or less. Bailey Falter, he's never going to wow you. We need to stop thinking every pitcher that comes in needs to be like 97 with crazy movement. runs or less. Like Bailey Falter, he's never going to wow you. Like we don't, we, we, we need to stop thinking every pitcher that comes in needs to be like 97 with crazy movement. Bailey Falter

is more of just a pitcher and it's 91. He's never going to wow you, but it's, but I feel like he gives them a better chance to win more often than not. So Falter versus Lodolo in Cincinnati tomorrow night. Then it goes Tyrone Walker versus Conn Roverton. Matt Strom, the savior of the early season for the Phillies, versus Graham Ashcraft. And then Aaron Nola versus Luis Sessa closing it out on Sunday. So the Reds aren't great. They have played the Braves tough down in Atlanta this week,

but they are not a great team. You're facing Lodolo and Ashcraft, but you're avoiding Hunter Green. So that is a win for them. And, you know, it's a four game series against one of the battered teams in baseball. You need to take advantage of this. So you let down here.

Losing two or three homes in the Marlins is a let down spot. Now you got to go in and rebound and do a job on the road. Mattson Malvern on the final lap. What's happening, Matty? Hey, Jack. How are you doing? I'm doing all right.

Could be better. How about you? Hey, first things first, I just want to say congratulations on the kid. My wife and I just took our seventh-month-old to her first Phillies game today. Oh, I'm so sorry. I mean, it sounds awesome, but also a bit of an excruciating outcome. took our seventh-month-old to her first Phillies game today. Oh, I'm so sorry. I mean, it sounds awesome, but also a bit of an excruciating outcome. Well, I just wanted to say congrats to you as well.

Thank you. I appreciate it. We actually grew up playing baseball against each other. I went to Great Valley, and you went to Ruston, right? I did. I did. Yeah. Is this setting up for you dominating me? No, it is certainly not.

What it's setting up for is you go back to any high school level of baseball, you're down one in an elimination inning. You've got a runner on second with no outs. What are you going to do? You're going to bunt. I do not understand. That's how we grew up playing baseball, Matt. That's exactly how we grew up playing baseball.

That's a chess month right there. If you've got a runner on second and it's an elimination inning, how do you not bunt that runner to third, especially when it's Pache and you know he's not going to get a hit? Yeah, and it's one of those spots where it's like, we don't have to overthink this thing. And the idea of, well, after the game, Rob Thompson saying, well, I wanted to go for the win there.

I mean, how about we extend this thing out? Because then it kind of feels like you're just conceding, like we don't have enough pitchers in our bullpen to really compete in this thing. It's like, hold on. Like, McKinley Moore is out there. I know he's okay or bad in his first outing in his major league career. But at the same time, like, give him a shot. We don't need to just concede with Chris Impace up there.

It made no sense. That exclamation really annoyed me. Exactly. All you're trying to do is extend the ballgame at that point. We can contend with anything beyond that, but if you don't extend the ballgame, it doesn't matter. The only way to extend the ballgame is getting that runner from second to third. It's the Marlins.

It's the Marlins. And we're like, we've got to go for the kill here. It's the Marlins. It's the Marlins. And we're like, we gotta go for the kill here. I mean, come on. Come on, Topper. I don't get it. I don't get it. We've seen Rob shy away from small ball throughout the entire second half of last year, and we're

seeing it now. Small ball is an integral part of the game. I know analytics try to stray away from small ball, and I don't get that, but Small ball is an integral part of the game. I know analytics try to stray away from small ball, and I don't get that, but small ball is an integral part of baseball, and if you won't embrace that, you're going to get losses like today

that could have been avoided. Matt, I appreciate the call. Love the good chess mom throwback. I know small ball is definitely on its way out in baseball, but I do fundamentally believe that you need to know how to do it. Christian Pache, so far, has shown that he can't hit. I know he had a double last night. He had a hit the night before.

I get it. But he gives the Phillies a better chance to win if he gets a bunt down, gets the runner over to third base, and you have a chance to extend that ballgame rather than lose that ballgame. That's going to do it for me. Another final out in the books here on WIP. Tucker Bagley produced the program tonight.

As always, I'll be back tomorrow with Marks and Reese from 2-6. We'll get you set for Philly's Reds tomorrow, Nick Lodolo versus Billy Falter, and I'll have you for postgame reacting to it all, and hopefully the Phillies can get on a bit of a roll here and make Rob Thompson look smart for saying that he felt like they played well during this homestand. I mostly agree with him,

but good teams have to start figuring out ways to win games that they've been losing so far this year, so hopefully the Phillies can get on a bit of a roll here. 215-592- 9494 is how you get in. Tom Kelly's going to take your reaction for the rest of the night. That's going to do it for me here on the Final Hour on Sports Radio 94 WIP.