High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Final Out: Phillies Stage 9th Inning Comeback vs Orioles

Episode Date: July 26, 2023

Jack Fritz reacts to the Phillies' thrilling walk-off victory over the Orioles on Tuesday night's Final Out. 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

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. The righties pitch. Swing and a ground ball through the left side. It's a base hit, and the Phillies have won it. Alec Boehm walks him off.

Three straight hits to close out the game as the Phillies wake up in the ninth to win it 4-3. And wake up they did. Welcome in Jack Fritz hanging out with you here on the final out, which is as always sponsored by Regency Furniture. Affordable never looks so good. I mean, I don't think there's any coincidence here. The second I get back in the final out chair phil's come back and win a ball club uh win a ball game

and thank god because i was in a dark spot like i was in a dark place heading into that ninth you know i was fully prepared because i listen i see canel coming in the game he's been one of the best relievers in the al this year they found found him. They traded Jorge Lopez for him. You know, a diamond in the rough. He's just been unbelievable this year. And I was like, no shot. They catch a break because Felix Bautista has not been available the last two nights because they want to give some

rest to the bullpen. So they catch a break and not having to face him. And they face Cano. And they battle and they find a way to win a game. And thank God because tonight, and this is my biggest takeaway of the game, which is brought to you by Morgan & Morgan, America's largest injury firm. My biggest takeaway from the game tonight is that that was a season saver. I mean, I understand there's a long year.

I understand that they're right outside the wildcard spot. But when it comes to the vibe of the team, when it comes to thinking like, man, are we ever going to be able to get one? It felt like this was kind of just spiraling. And I have been on the mindset for a little bit here where I think that for the last week, they've essentially, you know,

lost very, very winnable games and eventually that'll turn. But as you keep losing winnable games, I think it wears on a clubhouse. And it wasn't a season saver from the standpoint of like making the playoffs or, you know, the season being over if they lost that game. I understand it's July.

I understand it's for the trade deadline. But for the season where it's currently at right now, I think that was just a much-needed exhale. You could feel the pressure kind of mounting on these guys. The boos were loud for a majority of the game, and I don't blame you. I mean, the offense has just been dreadful for a little bit here, and being able to steal a game like that against the best team in the AL, like, those are kind of wins that I think can just relax

a clubhouse, and right now, that's what I think they need. I think they need to be relaxed. I think Trey Turner needs to be relaxed. I think Bryce, even though he's great tonight, he needs to relax. Castellanos needs to relax. Schwerber's pretty relaxed, but you know, there's obviously, he's the new guy that everyone's mad at all the time. That was a much needed win. And thank God, 215-592-9494 if you're leaving the ballpark would love to talk to you again um one of my other big takeaways from tonight is like it's very rare that regular season crowds make a difference postseason crowds they make a difference it was undoubtable what happened in the postseason last year.

The Phillies fans down there, Citizens Bank Park, it was loud. It was called the jungle. It was a tough place to play. It was referred to as four hours from hell or four hours of hell. And I think even last night, even last night when they came back Cassiano's tied it up Bryce got thrown out at home plate I had this feeling of like man the crowd is putting pressure on opposing teams again and that's how it was really oh nine through eleven like oh seven and oh eight we were still uh falling in love with the baseball team again.

But after they won and the years after that and the sellout streak, when games got close late and the crowd felt like they could make a difference, they turned into difference makers. And I think tonight they ended up coming out on the winning end of it. I don't think they win that game without the Citizens Bank Park crowd. I really don't. Because I could feel it. And I don't think there's a bigger shift in sports than regular season baseball to postseason baseball when it comes down to the intensity of the games.

And that and last night truly to me felt like postseason games where the crowd's on top of you and they're making differences and they're putting pressure on the opposing team. That's what Citizens Bank Park can do for a ball club. And that's what I hope tonight helps make this team realize that, that we don't want to be against the Phillies. But when we see the lineup just being feeble over and over again, and some defensive miscues and this, that, and whatever, it's hard not to have that feeling. But this team needs to learn how to use that crowd to their advantage.

I thought tonight they did that in a massive way. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. The other big takeaway from tonight is that I've talked about it a lot on this show, and it's so refreshing. For years, all we talked about was, man, are we ever going to have a young star? Are we ever going to have kids that can just come up and play the game the right way and be winners and be part of our next core? Alec Boehm is a long way to go from a power standpoint.

The kid's clutch. I mean, he doesn't lead the team in RBI for no reason, especially given that he's been batting 6-7 in the lineup for a majority of the season. And Bryson Stott, I can't say enough about the kid. I really can't. I just, I love him. I love Bryson Stott.

And what the Braves would do with Bryson Stott right now is they would sign him to an extension. And the Phillies should do that as well. I mean, that kid is a winner. He is clutch. He puts the bat on the baseball. He is an incredibly smart player. You saw that over the weekend in Cleveland. You know, like knew the rules better than the umpire.

Stole second to set up a go-ahead run coming home. That's him. Tonight, facing a tough pitcher throwing 97, which is something he struggled with last year. Just ropes a double down to the right field corner for a game-tying double shot. The Bryce being able to score from first there. I think Dusty Wathen, again, he probably could have put up a literal stop sign, and Bryce

is running through it. I can't say enough about him. Five hits for the bottom of the lineup tonight. Stott, Boehm, Marsh, Rojas. Five hits. Bryce and Stott is so good. He is so good.

Second full year in the big leagues, he's batting over 300, has had numerous big hits, and you start dreaming as to how good can Bryson Stott be. What is his upside? Are we talking about a year, like 28-year-old, 29-year-old Bryson Stott? Is he going to be batting 320-something and competing for a batting title? His kind of skill set doesn't just diminish. Like, he can put the bat on the baseball,

and as this team stays in big games and stays in postseason moments, I think that by the end of Bryson Stotts' career, we're going to say he is one of the most clutch Phillies of all time and the best big game player on this team. That's the feel I have for him. The Utley comparisons have been thrown around and you try to hold him off because it's hard to compare him to a Hall of Famer, in my opinion. But it's just, he's got it. We all know what it is, and Bryson Stott has it. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94 is how you get in.

It was ugly. It was a dark spot for a majority of the game. Definitely heading into the ninth, it was worrisome. But they were able to sneak one out, and they were able to squeak it out late, and they fought to the end against a good Orioles team. And really, you know, for, again, I mentioned this earlier, before a week now, minus the game Sunday in Cleveland,

they have been finding ways to lose games that they could have won. Being able to get that game tonight, I really hope, is a big, deep breath in that clubhouse and say, let's just go play because that's what they need to do. The talent is in there. They need to go play. Gary's in Whitehall. What's happening, Gary?

Oh, backdoor slayer. Jack, what's happening, buddy? It's good tohall. What's happening, Gary? Oh, backdoor slider. Jack, what's happening, buddy? It's good to be back on Final Out, Gary. And it's good to be talking about a Phil's win. Hey, I'm glad to see that you took some credit. But I give the credit to the guy in the studio there. But Nick's on and they win. I don't know.

It's lucky Nick there. Yes. I mean, listen, whatever it takes at this point. Yeah. I'm with you. I do see a comparison with Guttlieb. Maybe not the power, but the way he goes about the game with Bryce and Scott.

He plays the game fundamentally. He's not afraid to have two strikes on him at the plate. He doesn't make boneheaded mistakes. I love the future of this kid. They need to re-sign him. I totally agree with you.

Yeah, Aaron, I appreciate the call. Luckily, in baseball terms, he's not going anywhere. But they could buy out some arbitration years and have him sign through. I don't know. They can give him a little bit of an extension here. Not really let him hit free agency. It's exactly what the Braves would do with one of their young players. Now, I'm sure the Phillies don't want to add a 20-plus million dollar,

you know, kind of contract to their books, but it's something that I think the Braves would consider. And if the Braves are considering it, the Phillies probably would too. 215-592-9494 is how you get in. If you're leaving the ballgame, we'd love for you to get in. Just tell me what the atmosphere was like down there because sitting here on my couch, now the first eight innings, a lot of boos.

It was a struggle. It wasn't the most fun. But I just keep thinking about the crowd, and I think about a regular season baseball crowd making a difference, and I think they did that tonight. Obviously, the young kids are performing and whatnot, but there's a special feel in that ballpark when it gets loud. And I think the crowd has a massive, massive part in doing that.

Our play of the game, which obviously we open the show with, is, I mean, there's never a doubt here. The Alec Boehm walk-off, that's our play of the game. Brought to you by Mike's Amazing. The official mayo, mustard, and vegetable oil of the Phillies. On the other side, have to get into one of my other big takeaways from tonight and a big, big conundrum that is currently facing the Phillies. What is it? We'll talk about that and get to all of your phone calls coming up next

here on the Final Out. Hey, fantasy football owners. The road to winning your fantasy football championship starts now. I'm out. you need to draft the best wide receivers. As you prep for your draft, let us give you the coverage you need. Follow and listen to Reception Perception on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And the pitch. Stott swings, rips it down into the right field corner. It'll roll all the way to the wall.

Harper is off to the races, into third. He's being waved home. There will be no relay, and this game is tied on a two out RBI double by Bryson Stott. 3-3 here in the bottom of the ninth. Welcome back. It is the final out. Sponsored by Regency Furniture. Affordable never looks so

good. Happened really quick, frankly. I mean, all of a sudden, I look up, bang. Ball's going to the corner. Harper's flying around the bases. Bills tie the game up. In the trust tree here. Didn't see it coming.

I'm just being honest. Obviously, never a doubt. But there was 100% some doubt heading into that. But either way, what a comeback win. What a massive win. And one that they needed. We throw around biggest win of the season a lot throughout a baseball season. It's 162 games. But for where this thing kind of felt like it was trending,

all the doubt creeping in of, like, are they going to make this difficult again? Because that's what the last week and a half has been. It's like just when you could kick your feet up and be like, yeah, they're a good team. I don't need to stress out that they're going to totally crater here. You know, they start doing it again, and especially the way they were losing. And, you know, being able to squeak that one out, steal it, and hopefully just ride that momentum into tomorrow.

I know that momentum is only as good as the next day starter, but that's one of those wins where I feel like I'm always big on – I love the Phillies video yearbook. And that is a classic video yearbook moment where it's like things are going bad here. There were some boo birds out, and we were able to come back against the O's and steal a game, and hopefully it's just something that can jumpstart this team and get them going.

215-592-9494. I'll give you some thoughts on what is, I think, the biggest problem with the team right now here in one second, but obviously our player of the game, which is brought to you by South Jersey gas committed to providing safe, reliable, affordable, natural gas,

make the switch to South Jersey, gas.com slash love my home. And I'm going to go with Bryce tonight. He had the big home run to tie it up. And it was, it was good to see. Thank God. I mean,

that's what second since May 23rd. If you missed it, the Ordeals broadcaster, literally the sentence before he hit that out, was talking about how he has no pop anymore, and then bang, see ya. And then, you know, late in the game, in the ninth inning, he's able to get on base.

Didn't hit a home run, but gets on base and is able to score from first on a spot double. Winning stuff from Bryce Harper tonight. But still, it was good to see. Now, Bryce is a part of the top of the lineup. And Bryce is not the problem with the top of the lineup at all. But I can't just sit here and not talk about what is currently the biggest thing that is ailing this team right now.

And it's 100% the top of the lineup. And they can make whatever trade that they're going to make at the deadline. Outside of a Shohei Otani, Juan Soto, big swing, I think that this is a Phillies organization that is going to rely on getting Trey Turner back, getting Kyle Schwarber into a better spot, getting 2023 Nick Cassianos, not 2022 Nick Cassianos, and relying, JT Romito needs to be thrown in there, relying on its stars rather than going and getting another stud.

Now, I think they need to go get a bat, 100%. That is obvious. But I don't think that they're going to go get like a super-duper bat. I think they'll go get an upgrade and someone that can play maybe left field as a right-handed option. I know Tommy Phan's been throwing around.

But it's more marginal, and it's more filling out the edges of the roster rather than adding a difference maker. Part of it is that i don't know if there's that guy on the on the on the block this year a lot of teams are going for it not many teams are out of it um and it feels like starting starting pitching is gonna be more of the premium kind of pictures that are players that are moved this team is only going to go as far as the top of the lineup takes them. It's as simple as that.

And simply put, those guys are not getting the job done right now. I am a Kyle Schwarber fan. I think that the criticism of Kyle Schwarber is over the top because people just look at the batting average and say, nah, he sucks. He doesn't suck. I think Turner's been worse this year. I think turner's been worse this year i think jt's been worse this year the current version of cassianos is not giving me much hope i will say that the first

half of the year he was the mvp of the team but post all-star game nick cassianos has not been great um you know like kyle schwerber is is a problem. I'm acknowledging that. He is not the problem. He has 25 home runs in the year. He's fourth in the league in walks. People will say the OBP is only 315 or whatever. That's because the batting average is so low. He gets on base a lot for the batting average being as low as it is.

He's a problem. He's not the problem. And I think he gets crushed a lot in this town for the strikeouts. I get it. They can be frustrating. And he can be a frustrating player. And right now he's in a funk, for sure.

But when I see what Troy Turner does, and I see what JT does, and I see the current version of Castellanos, I just, I can't do the whole, this is all Schwarber's fault. The problem that is going to face the Phillies right now, and then you heard Rob Thompson post-game talk about it, is they win games with him batting leadoff. It's not just because he bats leadoff, but I just think it's going to be very tough

for them to buy into the notion of, we're 28-14 since moving him back to leadoff full-time. We got to get him out of there. I think they're going to ride him out. Now, the Turner thing is going to be interesting to me because it's just nothing right now. He just is going up there. He looked tonight like he's pressing again.

Off of last night when he gets ejected and makes two errors in the field, the guy needs a breather. If I'm Rob Thompson, I'm sitting him tomorrow. And I'm getting him two days off his feet and just saying, take a deep breath. We'll get you back out there Friday. Because, again, they're not going anywhere if Trey Turner can't figure this crap out. Because it's just maddening right now.

It is just maddening. JT, I just hope, can figure it out. JT, I just hope can figure it out. Castellanos, again, 2022 versions kind of creeping back in. I hope this is more of like a bit of a slump than what we're going to get for the rest of the year because he was so, so good in the first half. But it's as simple as that. Like, I'm glad they won tonight.

And the daycare is doing their thing, and the young guys are doing their thing, and that's great. The biggest conundrum is how do you balance being too late and not getting those guys up there and letting them feast? Also, if you move those guys up there, then maybe you don't get the results that you're getting right now out of them. I think Stout would be fine moving up. He did at the beginning of the year.

Boehm, I think he's kind of going to hit wherever. You know, there was that one point tonight when the offense was struggling. I was thinking, listen, just put them all up there and just flip-flop the lineups and just see what happens. And, like, if the young kid's going to run, whatever. The top of the lineup is a massive problem. It's something that they have to figure out.

They're only going to go as far as those guys go. It's going to be the biggest question mark surrounding this Phillies team. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. Jared's in battle. What's happening, Jared? Hey, I'm doing good. How are you? I'm doing great, man. Great win tonight.

It was an awesome win. You're asking a lot about the vibe at the park. I'm not sure the crowd gave them the win because I'll say this. When Harper gets up at, everyone gets excited. But, you know, those three guys you had at the bottom of the ninth were Trey, who, like you were just talking about, has been trash all night, and then you had Castellanos in three,

and you didn't really hear the crowd believe in when Castellanos struck out. Yeah. So I think Stott did it on his own. Once Stott hit that beamer then the crowd was in it then you kind of believed with Boehm up there and JT getting that safe call

you believed at that point and Boehm definitely maybe got a boost from that but Bryce did it on his own what would you do at the top of the lineup? yeah I mean I – I think this whole thing that we win games with Schwarber at the leadoff spot, I don't really believe it. I saw a stat that he's hitting like – he was hitting 240-something

when he was in the three or four spot wherever it was and he's hitting 180 something in the first spot so it seems to be more incidental i'm with you get him out of the first spot um i would uh putting spot there sounds great to me um and trey give him give him a few days off totally agree with that um keep harper there yeah. I mean, Harper's not going anywhere, Jared, and I appreciate the call. I just, like, it's just going to be, when you look at the overall record, and again, I know it's not just because Schwarber's in the leadoff spot. I totally understand that. But it's just, they're going to, I know that they're sitting in the clubhouse

saying we're 28-14 with a mid-leadoff. Like it is what it is. And it's going to be maddening if he doesn't figure it out. But that's – the overall record is the overall record. And sometimes – I mean, listen, we saw Nick Foles win a Super Bowl. So we're not strangers to random things working out and helping out one of our teams. But, I mean, if they believe that they can get a better result

and a similar result, putting Stott up there, or if they want to just try it for a little bit of Stott, Baum, Harper, and just see if that goes. Because it's really, it's been two years of the top of the lineup in both Hoskins and Schwarber where it's a lot of 240-ish and below hitters. So it wins. It wins, but at some point you've got to wonder, are we being negligent here and just going to be too late here rather than get out in front of this thing?

And listen, if you bump Turner down or you sit him for a couple games, maybe it gets him going and you can put him back up there. I just think the second spot in the lineup is such an important spot. It's where your best hitter is supposed to hit, and right now they have a.245 hitter with an under.300 OBP that doesn't hit for any power. Not what you want. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94 is how you get in.

On the other side, we'll look ahead to tomorrow before handing things off to Jody Mack here on the final lap. ...the second baseman plays to pull. 1-0. Harper dribbles one off the end of the bat. Foul. It's that same recognizable violent uppercut swing by Bryce Harper, but it's not the same quality of contact.

Foul out to third and a weak ground out to second. He's just not barreling up balls. Gibson's one and one. Harper barrels this one up to right, deep, and gone. Right on cue. Bryce Harper ties it with just his fifth home run of the season. Bryce Harper ties it with just his fifth home run of the season. No matter what the numbers say,

the danger zone always exists when you throw to Bryce Harper. I tell you what, you can feel the pain in his voice on the right on cue. Welcome on back. It's the final out. Sponsored by Regency Furniture. Affordable. Never looks so good. Jack Fritz hanging out with you.

Reacting to, again, what I think at this point is the biggest win of the field season. You know, that was one of those games where the momentum, the feeling in the city, the vibe around the team, and the goodwill that really they built up for, you know, ever since the beginning of June was starting to slip away. For me, and I'm relentlessly positive with this team, probably to an annoying extent,

but I wouldn't have faulted you if you had this feeling of the season slipping away when they come out tonight and Kyle Gibson, who we know isn't that good, is sort of just mowing them down and doing his thing. And the top of the lineup just looks so feeble. And you just hope and you pray that the top of the lineup can figure it out because you know that if they don't, this team's not going anywhere. So a win like that with the young kids sparking them,

it's what happened a lot last year. It happened with the back-to-back home runs off Hayter in Milwaukee, the Nick Matons of the world, the obviously boom, Marsh coming over, Stott being Stott. It was a lot of young guys stepping up and frankly picking up the teammates who, at the top of the lineup, are making all the money that

have just been okay. I mean, again, they only have one... Again, you look at this lineup, top to bottom, and you can make the case on paper, one of the best lineups in the NL, at least the top three, they have one guy with an OPS over 800, and that's Marshy. Now, you don't worry about Bryce, because Bryce, I think the power's coming,

and he's starting to look much more dangerous at the plate. But still, I mean, it's been mostly lackluster. And hopefully tonight, the kids are just like, all right, we got you one. Now it's time for you guys to carry them. And, you know, it's just what makes it frustrating is if they could just get on a roll and, like, get Schwarber going and get the real Trey Turner

or even close to the real Trey Turner. And Harper starts hitting the ball in the ballpark again and you get the beginning of the year Castellanos and you get post-Toronto series last year JT the lineup's just lethal it's just like they're all cold right now outside of Bryce and maybe Bryce gets going here and he kind of has one of those periods where he puts the team on his back and wills them down the stretch here because he has that capability. But man,

just this top of the lineup has to get going. They won. I'm very happy. But I can't just put the blinders on and say they won. Everything's fine. The top of the lineup is certainly, certainly not fine. Jordan's in Collegeville. What's happening, Jordan?

Hey, what's going on, Jack? First of all, credit to you. 1-0 back in the chair. Yeah, I mean, sometimes you've got to come back and right the ship. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, it had been teetering here and, you know, all is well. The Phil's knew who was doing fine a lot tonight.

Yeah, and you're absolutely right about the crowd. I mean, that stop double down the line reminded me exactly of game three, Strider, last year. That's a big comp. But, yeah, I mean, it certainly – I mean, not the moment. I know. No, I know.

But, yeah, I mean, the crowd got into it. And once, like, they had that – once they had the feeling, like, they can make a difference here, they pounced. And I think the players fed off that as well. Yeah, absolutely. The other thing I wanted to ask you, are we going to have to take the Strom button away from Topper? I mean, it's not even about his performance, but is this sustainable?

Yeah, and I appreciate the call, Jordan. It felt like a lot of Strom tonight. You know, he got out of the one inning, gave you a full inning, and then came back out, you know, for an extra inning. And it felt like he pushed him a little bit. But I guess if you're Rob Thompson in that spot, now there was O'Hearn who let off the inning. Unfortunately, he had a home run, but I guess if you're Rob Thompson in that spot, now, there was O'Hearn who let off the inning. Unfortunately,

he had a home run, but he's a lefty. You bank on Strong being able to get the lefty out. You have Mountcastle, who is pretty terrifying for being Ryan Mountcastle. I didn't expect to head into the series being terrified every time Mountcastle swung the bat, but I

am now. So you have to kind of play the risk-reward every time Mountcastle swung the bat, but I am now. So you have to kind of play the risk-reward game versus Mountcastle, and you have Adam Frazier. So you have two lefties in the inning. I don't think you want to bring Gregory Soto into that game. You already have a lefty in the game. Just kind of

stretch him. And you already pitched an inning in the third which probably takes him out for the rest of the series well it definitely takes him out for tomorrow and maybe the update may be available again friday so i think he used that as an opportunity to stretch him and and try to see if he'd get through it unfortunately um ryan o'hara let off the inning with a home run and it completely backfired. But I didn't totally fault the logic there from Rob

Thompson. But they have to down the stretch here. And I think once Alvarado gets back, it's good to see Sir Anthony back tonight, even though he didn't get into the ballgame. I think they're going to need to manage Matt Strom's innings as best as they can.

Because he's already way over his number from last year and the year before. So you're starting to see signs of wearing down here. So they need to manage it as best they can. I think tonight was him just kind of taking a shot and leaving him out there and C2 lefties in the lineup and trusting his guy to get the job done there. Bronson's up on WIP. What's happening, Bronson?

What's going on, Jack? How are you? I'm doing well, man. Big win. What's going on? Well, I'm super excited because I was at the game and it was electric. Let me tell you why. So the past two years, I've been to some crazy games.

Two years ago, I was at Zapier Mets, the complete game shutout. And then last year, I was at the Bruce Hoskins Badwoods, so I've seen some crazy moments. And the first eight innings, you know, it felt like the same old, same old, the last week of baseball. You got Trey Turner. So basically the only electric thing was just us doing Trey Turner. But the ninth inning, man, they really flipped the switch.

All starts with Bryce Harper, man, that guy. Even when he's got Tommy Johns, I don't think he's a human. But what I want to say was something about Trey Turner. You know, he's a lost puppy out there. I think I'd rather have D.D. Gregorius at the two hole. What do you think? We're going D.D.? Yeah, I don't even know.

I was thinking, even this is something interesting I was thinking of, because we can't have too many lefties, so I was thinking maybe even moving something like Boehm at two. Yeah, I mean, Boehm does look like a two-hole hitter. You know, he traditionally doesn't strike out a ton. And if he's not going to hit for a ton of power, I mean, at least he can put the bat on the baseball. Yeah, I mean, listen, if things get dire here

and it continues to do what one and two in the lineup are doing, I mean, Stott, Boehm, Harper isn't the worst way to start a lineup, I'd say. Yeah, also, I had a question about the trade deadline, but before I said that, I really like Marsh and Rojas together. They're amazing defensively, and I feel like they're one of our, they're always seen to be on base. Well, you saw it early. I mean, Marsh being able to come in and get that, you know,

play early in the game, I just, I know if Schwarber's out there, that probably falls in. So you saw the dividends being paid there. Rojas and Marsh, I mean, we haven't seen, frankly, good defensive outfield on the team for a while. Those guys are good out there. And Marsh, you know, his centerfield defense is definitely pretty good. I think it's been a little overstated how good his glove is.

In left field, I think he's really, really good. He's definitely a plus left fielder. Rojas, we know, is plus in center field. Frankly, I've been surprised by Rojas' bat. I thought he'd come up here and really struggle, but as long as teams keep throwing him fastballs and not breaking balls, it seems like he can maybe stick here for a little bit. And he plays with a ton of energy, too.

And they need that. They need that right now. And I also think we need Bellinger at the deadline. I think he's some belly-bombing center in the Sissons' big part. Yeah. And I appreciate the call, Bronson. He kind of fits the need of, obviously, first base and outfield.

It would be another lefty bat, which I don't love. Some of his numbers, you know, the analytics community say is unsustainable. The thing about Bellinger now is like, I think Bryce is the first baseman. And he looks, again,

just for a guy who just started playing position, a little scary. You know, when he ran over the bag and almost tackled, was it O'Hearn running to first base? A little scary. But yet again tonight, you don't really notice it. It's just like, okay, Bryce Harper's the first baseman now.

There's no fear of, wow, he's going to mess up this play. Or he's a liability out there. He's just showed up, figured out how to play first base. And it's taken the need away from him. And the plus of this is hopefully, obviously, as Schwarber is just a DH going forward now, it lets him settle into a role, just worry about hitting, get going from that standpoint, don't worry about the field anymore. And the defensive impact of Rojas and Marsh is

just massive. I mean, you go from a massive negative in left field, like maybe it has to be the worst defensive left fielder in the sport that plays every day, to a plus defender there. Like how many runs does that save you a game? So they've been hesitant to play Bryce back-to-back at first base, but I'm done with that. He's got to play first base tomorrow. We've got to knock off this back-to-back thing, get him used to it, even off day the day after. Bryce better be at first base tomorrow.

It's as simple as that. Speaking of tomorrow, we have Rangers-Wars on the mound versus Kyle Braddish. Kyle Braddish has been really good this year. Rangers-Wars on the mound versus Kyle Braddish. Kyle Braddish has been really good this year. Overall, he has a 3.05 ERA. Not traditionally going deep into games, but in his last five starts, six innings, seven and a third,

six innings, six innings, seven. So it's five straight starts of six-plus innings or more. In the last two months, he's pitching to a 2-3-6 ERA. He is not a household name, but he is a guy that strikes out a lot of guys and is just pitching really well. And the Orioles, they keep finding these guys that they turn into dudes, and they've done that with Kyle Braddish. So I'm glad they won tonight

because I think they have their work cut out for them tomorrow with Kyle Braddish. So I'm glad they won tonight because I think they have their work cut out for them tomorrow against Kyle Braddish. Obviously, Ranger opposing him. And again, I keep waiting for Ranger to flip the switch and get back to June Ranger. It just hasn't looked right. Something's a little bit off. Looks like he's fighting his mechanics

and he hasn't got like, he was compared a lot to Cliff Lee. And I've thrown out that comparison as well. He hasn't gotten into that rhythm, into that role for a little bit now. And when he does get into that role, it's usually after he allows, like, three runs in an inning. So, again, it's starting to become important for these Ranger starts because heading into the deadline, I think

if he said a month ago, okay, we have a 1-2-3 in Ranger, Nolan, Wheeler, we don't need to go find a third starter. If Ranger continues to struggle, it amplifies their need to go get a top three type pitcher in the rotation

and let Ranger be the four and tie one on the five. So again, he's got to start getting on a roll and getting back to the range that we've seen in June, not only for this team to reach its potential, but also it does affect the deadline plan. So let's hope Ranger goes out tomorrow. Let's hope they ride the momentum from the game tonight. I would sit Trey Turner tomorrow and keep Bryce Harper at first base

and just let me have an outfield of Marsh and Rojas and just not let a fly ball sink and fall in. Either way, 6 o'clock tomorrow night, a little bit earlier, Marks and Reese, we will lead you into the game. And I'll be back for the final out. I'm back. I took a good amount of vacations in July. Don't worry. I'm back here with you reacting the game. And I'll be back for the final out. I'm back. You know, I took a good amount of vacations in July. Don't worry. I'm back

here with you reacting to what is hopefully a good, good end of the season. Nick Garnshaw produced the final out tonight. Jody Maxx got you coming up next. I'll be back with you tomorrow reacting to what is hopefully another Phillies win. That's going to do it for me. Jody Maxx got you coming up

next here on Sports Radio 94.