High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Final Out: Phillies Take 2 of 3 From Baltimore

Episode Date: July 27, 2023

Jack Fritz reacts to the Phillies taking two of three from the Orioles thanks to a big game from Jake Cave. 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. And it's 1-2. Swing and a miss. He struck him out. And the Phillies win a hard-fought series with the Baltimore Orioles,

a first-place team out of the AL East, and the Phillies win 2 out of 3 as they pick up a 6-4 win here tonight. They sure did. Welcome on in is the final out, sponsored by Regency Furniture. Affordable never looks so good. Jack Fritz hanging out with you, reacting to a just massive series win over the Baltimore Orioles. Listen, I know the Orioles heading into the series were not a household name

by a lot of people, but that is a very, very good ball club. Do they have some flaws? Sure. They need a starter. They're without Gunnar Henderson tonight. They didn't hit the ball all over the ball yard. Their starters are okay. Bullpen is mostly down in the middle of the pack.

They didn't have Felix Bautista the first two games of the series. But you can have all the qualifiers you want. I don't really care. What matters is the Phillies took care of business and got this thing back on track. They had to stop the momentum that was building. And that's my biggest takeaway of the game, which is brought to you by Morgan & Morgan.

My biggest takeaway of the game is that they survived the tough stretch. There are stretches throughout a baseball season where all of a sudden your pet's heads are falling off and everyone's freaking out and everyone's wondering what's going on and, oh, here comes the collapse and this team sucks and fire the manager and this guy's a bum, whatever. The Phillies, to me, survived that. And, frankly, they didn't really let it snowball.

I talked a lot last night, by the way, back in the final outshare. Two straight wins. Coincidence? I think not. But they, you know, for the week and a half before these last two nights, and even Sunday, I mean, they won three of the last four. But they were finding ways to lose games rather than finding ways to win games. And I know that sounds simplistic

but it matters because you know when they when the season first started and they got off to the brutal run and and there were six games under 500 when games got close late they'd find a way to give it away and then when they got hot and they got on the roll starting June 2nd, starting with Schwarber back in the leadoff spot, they started to eke out close wins. And that's what they did a lot of last year. I mean, a lot of last year was one-run games and keeping it close late and having just enough offense to get over the top. And the thing that switched and the the problem they had during this

downturn where again i mean they had lost uh you know they'd been four and five in their last nine series before heading into this o series is that they were really just in it it was close and then they gave it away like early in the season i mean I mean, they went to Texas and got destroyed. They went to the Dodgers and allowed 36 runs in three games. Why I remained mostly hopeful after the recent downturn in play was because they were playing okay baseball. They just weren't getting the breaks that would go their way. I mean, a perfect example is Monday night where, you know,

the runners on first, second, late, they smoke a ball, they get picked off. Like, they had little things that were going against them. But what happened last night and being able to come back in that spot and against Cano, who has been an all-star this year, against the best team in the AL, and steal a game like that, and really, to me, kind of get the monkey off the back from that standpoint of like, okay, we're good, we survived it, exhale, we didn't lose another series. I think that translated over to tonight. Tonight looks much more normal. It was pretty crisp. Pitching was

pretty good. Offense did their job tonight for as much as the offense has struggled the last little bit here. I thought they were good tonight. And for me, biggest takeaway from the night is the tough stretch, the week and a half of a lot of losing. I think they weathered that storm. It was a storm that was going to happen. It was a storm that was going to come. But I think the Phillies weathered it. That's my big takeaway from tonight.

2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94 is how you get in. If you're leaving the ballpark, we'd love to hear from you. Another really, really great crowd. And that was my other takeaway. I got four takeaways from the game tonight. It was a lot to react to, a lot of fun, just a good baseball atmosphere, good baseball game, some home runs, some clutch hits. It had a lot.

It was a good, solid game. But I feel like I do this every night. And frankly, I feel like I have to do it every night because I am someone who waxes poetically and gets romantic when thinking about the crowds at Citizens Bank Park in the middle of summers in 09, 2011, 2010. I don't know why I did that out of order. I don't know why I went 2009, 2011, and then 2010. But those were the days, man. Those were the days when CBP was the place to be.

And every single night, being close to a sellout, every single night, the crowd being into it. That's what made it so much different than other ballparks that do well attendance-wise is that the stadium felt like it was on top of you. And the crowd felt like it was right on you. And you talk to anyone from that run, J-Roll, Utley, Rollins, I don't know why. J-Roll, Utley, and Howard. Man, getting everything all mixed up tonight. But you talk to any of those guys from that run,

and they talk about what the crowd is like late in those games and how they affect other ball clubs. It's not just the postseason around here when it comes to baseball. And I have felt this way for a long time. Philadelphia is a great baseball city. It is a great baseball city. The Phillies mean something here. I know when they go

through their down spells and no one's at the ballpark and it takes a little while for the city to believe again. But when they start believing again, that place is special. That place is a special place to go see a ball game.

And again, late in the game tonight, they have the go-ahead run. They have a chance to have some insurance runs. Crowd is all into it. And Bryce rises to the moment and gets a key insurance run. Then you get Kimbrel with the electrifying eighth. And then in the ninth, it was loud in there. It legitimately had a playoff feel to it. And for those of you that don't remember what Citizens

Bank Park was like, 09 through 11. It was just like that. And there's been great crowds all throughout the year at Citizens Bank Park, and people have been showing up. But I feel like this Orioles series is the first time where it's felt loud, where it did feel a lot like the playoff run last year. So I know I do it a lot on this show, but I just can't help it. Because it makes me so happy. It fills me with so much happiness seeing that ballpark back and into games.

And affecting the outcome of it. And late in the game, these last two nights, I think the crowd has made a legitimate difference. So, I'm just so happy. It's great to see this fan base rally around the team. There's been, of course, some boos the last couple nights. Trey Turner has been the receiving end of a lot of them. The top

part of the lineup, definitely not helping from that standpoint. But it's been a supportive crowd um even during the downturn they're still showing up and and i thought tonight was another just a really strong great example of that um speaking of the lineup again 215-592-9494 if you would like to get involved if you're leaving the ballpark or just watch the game at home I'm not in the camp of of thinking Trey Turner's baseball career is over um I I think he's going to be a good player I think he'll actually be in the MVP discussion next year like I think I think it's just been a season from hell for Trey um I don't think the Phillies can make the mistake that they did last year

with Castellanos leaving him in the four spot, even when he was struggling as much as he is. And I don't think they can make that mistake with Turner this year. And on Friday night, when they go to Pittsburgh, I'm leaving Nick Castellanos in the two spot. Everything, it's one game, and I get it, but it just felt more normal watching the lineup spot. Everything, it's one game, and I get it, but it just felt more normal watching the lineup tonight. Having a guy in the two hole that at least I felt like was going to do some damage,

that has been an all-star this year. I know he's had a struggle ever since the all-star game, but I'm leaving Castellanos in the two spot. Move Trey down to five, six, whatever. If he gets hot, move him back up. But for the time being, for the importance of the two spot in the lineup, I'm leaving Castellanos there. He gets Harper to hit behind him. Maybe that kind of heats back up Castellanos, and maybe he starts hunting more fastballs, and he gets more fastballs.

I mean, he's hitting great against fastballs in the first half. Now pitchers are just throwing up sliders and curve balls and seeing if he can do any damage against them or if he can lay off of them. So on Friday night and for the foreseeable future, I'm batting Castellanos too and I'm bumping Trey Turner down. I'll leave Schwarber the leadoff spot. But for the two hole, for the importance of that spot, I'm going to move Castellanos there for the time being. I know that we talk about Schwarber's record at the leadoff spot. I know that Turner has pretty much been batting to that entire run.

I just think it's too important of a spot in the lineup. And I'm going to put Castellanos there. I'm not putting Trey Turner back in there on Friday night and for the foreseeable future. I think that's Nick Castellanos' spot for the next little bit here. And the positive of that is it moves Bowman Stott up the lineup. You know, I thought JT had a good night tonight. I just keep waiting for that classic Real Muto kind of hot streak to get his overall numbers back to like 265-ish.

But if you just move Trey down, whatever, get Nick Castellanos in the tool hole and leave him there for a little bit because tonight felt much more close to how it's supposed to feel. And last takeaway here is Ranger Suarez, who, you know, outside of Wheeler in Cleveland over the weekend,

it feels like every starter at this point, I mean, Sanchez was great against the Pirates on Monday. But every starter, it feels like they have that one inning, and then they're just good the rest of the night. Ranger, it's just been pretty good. You know, it's not been as good as it was in June. It's been fine. He's pitching more to me.

It's like a low-end three, high-end four level right now. And tonight wasn't, like, when the home run to Rutschman happened, stunk. But he was also really good after that. And that's kind of been the problem with Ranger for the last little bit here is that really good at the beginning or whatever allows like three runs in an inning and then it's that's all he allows for the rest of the outing um it's frustrating but again the starting staff is doing their job we haven't had many eight innings one run dominant outings in the last month but it's been a lot of six innings, three runs or less,

which in the dog days of summer, you just kind of take, and you hope that he can get on a roll here. I do wonder, heading into the deadline, if it affects their plans, if they now think, all right, we've got to go get a three rather than a four or five piece, or we've got to go get a two. It's going to be a tough decision for Dave Dombrowski. Which pitcher is Ranger Suarez? Is he closer to the guy that we've seen in June,

or is he closer to the guy that we've seen in July? That's going to be one of the biggest questions heading into the trade deadline. 2-1-5-5-9-2. 94-94 is how you get in. Adam, was that the game? What's happening, Adam? Hey, man, great, great game. Just love the sort of intro.

Let me sort of wax poetic with you for one moment. Yes. Went to the game with my buddy, and I'm sitting next to a kid who's maybe, I don't know, 10 years old. He's keeping score with his grandpa, who was an Orioles fan, which is great. Oh, that brings a tear to my eye. It was awesome. And, like, my buddy and I are joking with him that he's not keeping the score right.

But it was fine. But one thing that you didn't highlight, which I think is really, really critical, is the versatility of this bullpen. That they went Kimbrough-Soto tonight, which I thought was brilliant. And both of them just had such pop on their pitches tonight. And Sir Anthony, too. I mean, he was, I thought, very good as well. Yeah, I totally agree.

I thought that was the most, like, for as great as, for as great as Kimbrel's been this year. He's an all-star. I thought that was the most pop he's had all year. I mean, he looked downright dominant. Soto, same thing. he's had all year. I mean, he looked downright dominant.

Soto, same thing. And, man, it was so refreshing having Sir Anthony just back in our lives again. I mean, Jeff Hoffman's done a good job. Marte's done a good job. Sir Anthony's just different. And it was so nice having him back. And, yeah, I mean, maybe it was a bit of a tough stretch for the bullpen. You know, like Kimbrell's been okay, shaky. Soto's been kind of shaky.

Tonight felt much more normal. I'm totally with you. The last thing I would say is what I find just amazing and refreshing about Harper playing first is that outfield alignment in the ninth was just so good with Martian Wright. He just gives Thompson so many options to get Kyle Schwarber out and off of his feet. It just makes me, I felt like it was the best team win they've had all year. I thought he was close.

Well, listen, they've had some really, really good team wins. But I'll say this, I mean, they haven't had really many. That was a complete baseball game. And that's all you can kind of ask for from this team right now is just playing complete baseball because that's how you get back in it. That's how you make the playoffs. You know, it's not very often lineups can be clicking, starting pitches can be great, and bullpen's really good.

But tonight they pretty much got all of that. Obviously, you would like Ranger to be a little bit better. Tonight was just a good, solid baseball win. And it's one of those that if you're a baseball fan, I'm giddy tonight. I'm just straight up giddy. They took two or three from the

Orioles. The Orioles are hot. The Orioles are playing great baseball. They've chased down the Rays. The Rays are off to a historic start to the year, and everyone's like, oh, the division's over. The Orioles chase them down. I know it's not a ton of household names, but they played good, solid baseball. They hit the ball hard.

And the Phillies, they could easily swept this thing. That's what has made the last week and a half so frustrating. It's because this downturn didn't have to happen. It didn't. They were right in so many games. They were just finding ways to lose them. I think last

night, being able to come back, steal a game, and have it translate over to tonight, it felt like a big exhale moment for this team, and they played like it tonight. I think a part of the exhale was not having Dre Turner bat too, but we'll see what Rob played like it tonight. I think a part of the exhale was not having Trey Turner bet, too.

But we'll see what Rob Thompson does on Friday. I would leave Castellanos there and see what happens. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94 is how you get in. Don't go anywhere because on the other side, we will get to all of your phone calls. But also, the stretch of games that the Phillies have coming up is absolutely juicy. I didn't realize it until I saw Matt Gall tweet after the game.

We'll get into that next. It's a reason to get excited. We'll get to that. All your phone calls coming up next here on the Final Lap. Hey, fantasy football owners. The road to winning your fantasy football championship starts now. I'm Matt Harmon from Reception Perception. Join me and James Coe as we take a deep dive into the position that's going to

make or break your fantasy roster. Wide receivers. We analyze route running, target share, and all the metrics that matter, giving you the insights 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 it swung on, hit deep to left.

This one's got a chance. Cave is back at the wall. He jumps. Oh, he caught it! He bangs into the wall and he's got the baseball! What a play by Jake Cave! Smashing into the outfield fence.

That's Cave. Saves a run and keeps the Phillies in front. I mean, what a play. Welcome on back. That is the play of the game, which is obviously brought to you by Mike's Amazing, the official mayo, mustard, and vegetable oil of the Phillies. And, I mean, catch of the year. I mean, catch of the year from Jake Cave. And, listen, he's had a tough year at the plate.

He obviously made the opening day roster by being unbelievable in spring training, was just not good enough at the beginning of the year. And I think that was a lot of pressure to put on a guy who's been more journeyman-ish than not to be on the opening day roster and starting for the team that was in the World Series last year. He went down to AAA literally mashed. I believe he had a 1300 OPS

in AAA. He was like the best hitter in the entire sport in AAA. And, you know, the last couple nights we've seen some signs of life from him at the plate, and obviously we know that the Schwarber to DH thing is already starting to pay dividends because he makes that play. Well, Schwarber didn't make a leaping catch last week in the outfield,

but in all likelihood, Schwarber probably doesn't make that catch. Schwarber probably doesn't get to the ball early in the game yesterday that Marsh is able to track down to not allow more runs. You're starting to see some of the dividends of getting Schwarber out of left

field early, which is good because he was really bad out there. You don't need to sugarcoat it. I love Kyle Schwarber, but this has been brutal in the field. And you're starting to see some early returns. And Jake Cave with possibly the catch of the year there. And, like, no fear for the wall.

I mean, Aaron Rowan would be so proud of the effort that Jake Cave gave there. And you are starting to see some signs of life from Jake Cave at the plate. Had a couple hits tonight. So, a good Jake Cave game. I'm still more in the camp of I want to see Johan Rojas play as much as I can because I think he adds good energy and I like his

speed on the base pass and the defense. Listen, I think Kay's a good defensive player but Martian left and Rojas in center is pretty special defensively. But I guess against righties, it's not the worst thing in the world to have Cave out there and left. I think he's a pretty good defensive player.

And man, his emotion after that was cool. And you're starting to see random guys step up and help this team out win ball gloves, which is what it takes to get to where they were last year. We'll go back to the phones here in one second. But their next 14 games, i mentioned this before the break and you want to talk about time to go on a run and cement yourself as um a playoff team listen division probably out of reach but getting in the playoffs and securing that spot and not having to stress

if this next 14 games, but really it's all of August that this team has to separate itself, has to separate itself, has to go on a run coincides with a trade deadline. We'll see who the end up with next 14 games, pirates, Marlins, Royals,

nationals. That is runtime pirates, Marlins, Royals, Nationals. That is run time. Pirates, Marlins, Royals, Nationals. They beat up on a lot of bad teams last year to get into the postseason. It's time to do that again. They've been good against those kind of teams. This year, again, that is with the trade deadline. It's not even just the next 14 because after the Nationals,

it's the Twins here who I think are pretty good. A two-game series in Toronto. I mean, the Blue Jays have been up and down. We know they're talented. That's a tough series. Three more against the Nationals in Washington. A big series. A big series.

August 21st, 22nd, and 23rd at home against the Giants. The Giants are, these two are neck and neck for a postseason spot. That's going to be a good, good time for hopefully this team to, you know, win two or three of that series. Home against the Cardinals and then home versus the Angels, who apparently, according to Tom Ferducci, are not going to trade Shohei Ohtani.

Apparently, according to Tom Ferducci, they're not going to trade Shohei Ohtani. So August is a time for the Phillies to truly start separating themselves and get squarely in playoff position. They have 19 home games. They have some cake series that they have to take advantage of. And I'm excited to see what Dave Dombrowski does on Tuesday. Tuesday, as we all know, is the trade deadline. We'll see how big he can go because, frankly, I don't know who the stud really out there is that he can go get.

I don't know who's going to really be on the market. It's probably going to be more like last year's deadline where they look for more fringe players. Maybe they can get a third starter. We'll see how good of an upgrade they can get in left field. I like what Rojas and Cave are doing right now. It's fine. I think they're going to go out and try to get a more pop-oriented, right-handed bat to play left field. But they have some options. They have some positions where they can get filled. I would like another bullpen piece

just for my own sanity. But either way, it's going to be go time. Next 14 games, Pirates, Marlins, Royals, Nationals. It's go time. It's run time. Blake is in Narberth. What's happening, Blake? Hey, Jack. Really good win

tonight, particularly given the fact of how disheartening this entire series started in that first game and how the game started today. I would have loved if they had not fallen behind. Oh, that's all they do now. I think they've had the lead once in their last 14 games. Yeah.

First, yeah, against the Brewers and then Cleveland on Sunday. That's it. The entire All-Star break. It's just, it's not great. But at least tonight, with runners in scoring position, they actually came through, whether it be with the big guys, Harper, Castellanos, Ramuse Hill. And I think it also helped that we didn't have that giant black hole

at the number two spot tonight. Yeah, I mean, listen, I'm not writing off Trey Turner, but for where this team is at right now they got to get him out of there cassianos who i know is scuffling post all star break i just trust them more in that spot and it felt like a it just felt like a stronger lineup i know it's because they scored more runs tonight but when it's so many strikeouts, one, two, and listen, I will defend Schwarber. I always defend Schwarber. But it's Turner, just a lot of feebleness in that two spot.

At least Castellanos, I have some faith, is going to be able to get a job done. He got an RBI tonight. He had a big hit on Monday night. Hopefully he's starting to come out of this thing. I want Castellanos in the two spot on Monday night. Hopefully he's starting to come out of this thing. I won't cast the honors in the two spot on Friday night. Definitely. I think you have to keep him there. Trey Turner has a worse on-base percentage significantly than Schwarber.

But I do want to talk about the trade deadline real quick. And with so many teams still somewhat competitive, not a lot of teams that are just dead at this point, the best pieces, whether it be Bellinger, Robert Jr., Soto, whoever's traded, are going to be very expensive. With the Phillies having questions next year about starting pitching with Noah as a free agent, Tanner injured, I don't think the team should be cavalier about trading away

top prospects like Abel and McGarry. The current team has the pieces to go on a run. They just need to perform like they did tonight and come through. If you add solid veteran bats, Tommy Pham or Teoscar Hernandez, Dirksen Profar, guys like that, you add a third starter and a bullpen piece or two, his team is positioned to go on a nice run

and it's the exact same formula they did last year and it worked. They can do that again this year. The pieces on the team just have to come through that they currently have. You're totally right there, Blake. Their only way to get back to the World Series, outside of trading for Juan Soto at the deadline, the only way they're going to go on a run is if the stars show up. I mean, it's as simple as that.

And hopefully tonight was kind of – hopefully tonight was a step in the right direction. I also think that you're starting to see Bryce get back to being, you know, Bryce level. I mean, the home run last night, big hit tonight. I just feel this kind of Bryce run coming. I think that's going to ease a lot of tension at the top of the

lineup. But you're right. At this point, I'd probably only move I would probably move Mick or McGarry if it meant I was getting a Dylan Cease back. A guy that is under contract for the next probably move maker mcgary if it meant i was getting like a dylan cease back you know a guy that is under contract for the next two years after this year um that i think that in a non

dinosaur organization could be a yeah i mean a legitimate high upside one who was in the run last year who's had a bit of a downturn this year. I just think that if he gets back to a smart organization, he'll get the best version of Dylan Cease. But yeah, the painter injury, the NOLA contract thing, we don't know where that's totally going. It does affect if you want to move those guys. I still think they would move one of those guys in the right deal,

but it probably does change their plans and um you just hope that they can have a deadline like like the Braves had in um you know 2021 or whatever where you know they got just a bunch of players to come in and help them win jock peterson jorge soler adam duvall um and they just fill out the edge of the roster. They all play to a superstar kind of level. It's going to be fascinating, and this is what you hope you have a difference-making kind of GM. He knows what wins. He knows what loses. He knows what to look for. He knows what prospects to give up. Hopefully they don't trade a Mickey Moniak for a Noah Syndergaard,

who somehow got traded for a Med Rosario tonight. But regardless, it's going to be fascinating. I don't think it's going to be as splashy with the big names, but I think they're going to go out and try to fill in the edges of this roster obviously as best as they can. Derek is in Pennsylvania. What's happening, D? Yo, so I just wanted to say, well, first off, great win for the Phillies tonight.

Great win. Totally. But then the other thing is the energy in the ballpark, they seem to be getting really back into it. It seemed not exactly up to the level of the playoffs last year, but they are getting into it. Totally. I mean, obviously, it's not going to have the same energy as the postseason.

But for a regular season, for that crowd to be in it the way they are, it felt like the heyday for sure. Yeah. I was at the NL champs ring thing, and I predicted coming out of the All-Star break, the way that team was playing going into the break, the energy for that first home series back was going to be electric and it lived up to the expectations yeah i mean like the crowd so i

think the difference between where the crowd has been for majority of the year is for majority of the year they were there but it didn't feel like they were making a difference and i just think these last two nights and even even uh, the Castellanos hit, the crowd was building for that moment as well. These last three nights have been as close to the playoffs as it's felt like all year. And it's just great. It just makes

me so happy. And I think the more and more the ballpark feels like that, the more and more you have the kids wanting to go down to games. And I think that during the stretch run here, $40, 40,000 a night, I don't think is out of the realm of possibilities. Yeah. And it feels like the players are really starting to feed off the energy

and they're making the plays. Yes. Like the Jake Cave play today. Like that play just feels like he's hustling. He's feeding off the crowd and making those special plays that you don't normally make without like the energy you're getting from cbp yeah i i agree derrick and you know a lot of guys from that run talk about you know what the crowd was like and how it helped them raise their their

game and and put pressure on opposing defenses or opposing teams. And you hear Rob Thompson talk about how he's talking to opposing bench coaches, and they're like, yeah, it's four hours of hell. That's what playing at Citizens Bank Park in the playoff run was like last year. It's exciting. And that's the kind of stuff that, you know, really separates this city from most is the passion and being behind the teams again. And I'll just keep harping on it. The last couple nights have just – it's felt heyday-ish.

There's been great crowds all year long. They feel louder now, and that's exciting. 215-592-9494. We'll run through all of your phone calls on the other side, but also we will look ahead to this weekend out in Pittsburgh before handing things off to Tom Kelly. All that's coming up next here on the Final Out. 0-2, hit well, right field.

This one definitely has a chance. Santander at the wall. It's gone. Edmundo Sosa with an opposite field home run that unties the game here in the bottom of the seventh inning. His seventh of the year, and the Phillies are back in front 5-4. How about that, Edmundo Sosa? Welcome on back.

It is the final. I'll sponsor by Regency Furniture. Affordable never looks so good. Edmundo Sosa is my player of the game, which is brought to you by South Jersey Gas. Committed to providing safe, reliable, affordable natural gas. Make the switch at SouthJerseyGas.com

slash LoveMyHome. I watch a lot of baseball. I don't remember the last time I've seen a guy hit a ball foul, a home run foul, and then next pitch hit a home run. Because usually what happens

is a batter will do that, then next pitch hit a home run. I mean, that's because usually what happens is, you know, a batter will do that. They'll be disappointed and they'll usually get themselves out next pitch. I feel like it's rare that you go from home run to locking back in and, you know, they start getting chirped from the dugout about how, you know, it's just a long strike. But Edmundo Sosa did it. And frankly, when he hit it and he dropped the bat, I was not confident it was a home run, but Edmundo was. Maybe I'm just a little scarred from Game 6 when I thought he had one down in Houston when he did the same kind of thing.

And it was caught in this stupid corner in Minute Maid Park. I'm not here to bring up bad memories, but the Mundo Sosa game six home run trot is definitely one that lives on in my brain. Either way, tonight, he's able to do that big spot, untie the game after the Phils give it up, and then they got some good insurance after that. So again, just a

good, solid baseball win. Starter pretty good. Bullpen pretty good. Offense does its job. Gets a home run late. Defense does its job. Jake Cave catch. It's a fun game. All around good, solid win by the Phils.

And a big, big series win over the Orioles. We'll look ahead to the series in Pittsburgh before handing it off to Tom Kelly here in one second. But let's go back to the phones and talk to Isaac in Cherry Hill. What's happening, Isaac?

What up, Jack? How you doing? Nothing much, man. How was the ballgame tonight? It was awesome, man. Let me tell you, the vibes were very, very high tonight. And I think it really has to do with taking Turner out of the lineup tonight. Honestly, it just felt more comfortable without him hitting. Totally. I didn't expect him to strike out and swing at some crap in the dirt. It just felt better watching the game tonight.

Well, yeah, and I guess my thing is, like, you know, there wasn't any angst tonight. Because it feels like every time he gets out, bang, here comes the boos, and people are just putting all kinds of pressure on him. And, you know, in a way, obviously, I feel bad for him. Like, Trey Turner's in his first year of a long contract. Like, I want it to all work out. But at the same time, you know, I don't blame the fans.

He's been brutal. So just taking that out of the lineup. Now Rob Thompson, I think it was smart. He gets the off day tonight, gets in the off day tomorrow, and then you put him back in on the road in Pittsburgh in a nice long road stretch to where hopefully he can build some momentum so the next time he comes home, you know,

if he goes on a run here for the, for the foreseeable future, they're on the road here for a little bit. Um, you know, they go, uh, they go to Pittsburgh and then they go to Miami,

um, before returning home the Friday, the fourth against Kansas city. If he can just have a nice stretch here, maybe even get the standing ovation and come back from home, and we can just welcome him back, and you get the best version of Trey Turner for the rest of the year. I thought it was a smart, philosophical move by Rob Thompson tonight.

So I wanted to ask you, so you said earlier that you would like to keep Castellanos in the two-hole at least for this weekend. Where would you drop Turner in the lineup because I just don't see Rob dropping him you know any further than like fifth or sixth in the lineup at that like at least yeah but even that's fine like I I bet I'm fifth or sixth um you know I go Schwarber Castellanos Harper um maybe keep Bo I'll probably keep bone there. Um, and then maybe just go, you know, Turner JT or, or, uh, Turner Scott or Scott Turner.

Um, I keep JT a little bit lower for the time being, but obviously I don't want to drop trade Turner to like ninth. Uh, I still bat him in, in, in five, six and to see if the top of the lineup can get going here a little bit, and maybe you find something. Yeah, I know what you mean. Just one last question about the trade deadline. So I know that the Pirates have said that they are willing to trade their all-star closer, David Bednar,

who actually just got another save tonight against the Padres. How would you feel about maybe bringing him in, if possible, to add some added insurance in the bullpen? Yeah, I appreciate the call, Isaac. This probably should be the deadline that the Pirates move David Bednar. You know, he's been pretty good for the last couple years, 28 years old. The only thing with him that would not, it doesn't scare me off, but he's got three more years of arbitration after

this year so i would assume that the pirates want to haul for him and i i would like another back-end bullpen option for rob thompson to have but at the same time like i don't want to give a ton when it's not a super priority like kimbrough's pretty much got the ninth lockdown at this point uh sir anthony's on his is back and hopefully can get on a roll here. Soto, I think, has been pretty good this year, and Alvarado was throwing yesterday. It's more of a luxury move for me, and with that much arbitration, I just don't want to give what I would have to perceive as able plus

for a back-end option at this point. Marlon is in South Jersey. What's happening, Marlon? Jack, love the show, man. I got one question for you. Yep. Are the Phils back or what? I mean, listen, I think the Phils are back question I think was answered in June.

I felt like this is a bit of a blip in the radar the last week and a half. They survived the tough stretch, and they are currently back for sure. I felt like this was a bit of a blip in the radar the last week and a half. They're definitely they survived the tough stretch and they are currently back for sure. Well, look dude, the series was electric. The crowd was great all week. All I can think about is an October World Series

40 years later. Orioles-Philips. A little rematch where we get the upper hand this time. Yeah, I mean Marlon, obviously it was not even close to being alive for the 1983 World Series. But, yeah, I mean, listen, it's – Camden Yards is obviously a cool ballpark. It was cool, you know, to see the Orioles fans travel up here.

You know, they've been bad for the last couple years. They're playing good baseball, and they're supporting that team again. They made – I think they made the ballpark that much more jumpy this week as well. Usually we're fighting with Mets fans when they come down here, but the Orioles fans in the ballpark, I think, added an extra little edge to the fans this week. It was great, man. I mean, they're an hour and a half down 95, right?

It's great. So, you know, this team is just the energy's back. We got Eagles training camp starting today. It's just the vibes in the city are back, and it's just a great time to be a Philly sports fan, man. Yeah, and we haven't talked about the Sixers in, what, two weeks? That's a good thing. That's a good thing.

Let's keep it that way. That's exactly right. Appreciate the call, Marlon. Yeah. Yeah, it's good times. It's good times. The Eagles obviously back and a lot of Super Bowl aspirations and vibes high around them.

And thankfully, even though the Phillies, it seemed like they were kind of turning towards ruining the summer, aren't ruining the summer. They steadied the ship, and that was a big, big thing to do. And, yeah, the crowd's been great all week. It's been a fun, fun week of baseball. And they should have won Monday night. If they didn't blow up Monday night,

we're talking about a sweep over the first place of Orioles. But, nevertheless, that's baseball. Bam is in Upper Darby. What's happening, Bam? What's up, Jackie? What's going on? What's going on, man? What do you got for me?

I don't know. Trade deadline. I got a question for you. You think, remember, I think he's on the Pirates now, Andrew McCutcheon? Yeah. There were some talks about him going after him. Would you like him to see him back?

Frankly, it doesn't make sense at this point because Harper's going to play first, Schwarber's your DH, and McCutcheon can't really play the field anymore. He's more of just a DH. And there's a lot of reports out of Pittsburgh that he doesn't want to go anywhere. He just wants to remain a Pirate for the rest of his career. And I think they plan to honor that.

So, it doesn't seem like McCutcheon is kind of going anywhere at this point. Gotcha. And you know what? Good Phillies win for the last two nights. But you know what? Thanks, Curtis here at McDonald's. Curtis here at the Phillies win. I got two free six-piece nuts from McDonald's.

Courtesy of the Phillies. Oh, man. They're giving out free food. Look at that. Never a doubt. That's exciting stuff. Maybe I'll catch on like the Chick-fil-A brick-in-for-chicken that the Sixers have. So this weekend out in Pittsburgh, the Pirates, after being kind of the story of baseball,

the first month, month and a half of the season, have just totally cratered. So they're back to being the Pittsburgh Pirates. So the Phillies need to go out there and simply take advantage. And they have the horses on the mound to do that. You have Zach Wheeler going on Friday night versus Mitch Keller, who was an all-star this year and kind of had a bit of a breakout year, but now he's apparently on the trading block, whatever. ERA of 5.11 in his last 11 starts. He's been getting hit around pretty good. I thought Zach Wheeler in Cleveland was just brilliant.

I thought he was – it was the most – it felt like the Zach Wheeler of years past is what Zach Wheeler looked like out in Cleveland. The zip was back on the fastball. And my hope is that the extra rest that they gave him after the All-Star break really starts to pay off here. And you start to get that zip back on the fastball. We talked about the zip that Soto had that, um,

Kimbrel had tonight that Sir Anthony had tonight. Zach Wheeler had that also, um, in his last start. And hopefully they, they found some mechanical tweet tweaks, um, and can get Zach Wheeler to be the Zach Wheeler they've seen the last

couple of years, because if they get that guy, like there's, there's two massive things that have to happen. And can get Zach Wheeler to be the Zach Wheeler we've seen the last couple years. Because if they get that guy. There's two massive things that have to happen. I don't think they're going to go out and trade for a pitcher better than Zach Wheeler. And I don't think they're going to go out and trade for position players better than what they have. For this team to do what they did last year. They've got to get Wheeler to the ace level he's been the last couple years.

And obviously they need the stars in the lineup to produce. It's pretty much as simple as that. And if they don't, they're probably going to come up short. I thought the start for Zach in Cleveland last weekend was a positive step in that direction. On Saturday, Aaron Nola takes the hill against Quinn Priester, who was a top prospect.

He made his Major League debut I think his last start or two starts to go. Either way, the early returns. He's only a 9.5 ERA so far. So he's a guy that has a lot of talent, throws hard, has some good stuff, was a good prospect, but is probably not ready for this kind of spot yet. So a young pitcher against a veteran late in Phillies lineup should help the Phillies out and hopefully

Aaron Nola. Again, he's just he's it's like the one inning that just comes back to bite him. A lot like how Rangers been for the last, you know, all of July pretty much. It's like they allow three runs in an inning and they're pretty good. Aaron Nola allows a couple runs

and then settles in and is really good. Like the first couple innings, everyone's melting down. Here we go, terrible Nola. And then you wake up in the sixth, seventh inning, and Nola's through that and he's allowed three runs or less. So it's kind of been that year for Nola. I keep waiting for the month stretch where he just goes out and bang, here's seven inningsnings one run six innings

two runs like just going on on a classic nola kind of hot streak just haven't gotten him this year so um nola versus priest on saturday and then christopher sanchez versus rich hill um on sunday rich hill's like 43 years old somehow uh still pitching in the bigs and taking down the thing. So good for him, but obviously should be a bad weekend for him. And Chris Sanchez, just a revelation. I mean, he's been really good for them, and he's pitched well enough to where they don't need to really worry about going and trading for a fifth starter. You know, he's perfectly serviceable.

And it's just like there's been people who are still like, wow, it's a bullpen game when he's out there. No, it's not. If you still think the Christopher Sanchez thing is a bullpen game, then frankly I don't think you're paying attention. Real quick here on the trade deadline, one of the starters that has been rumored to be moved because he can't get a qualifying offer is Marcus Stroman.

Three and a third tonight against the Chicago White Sox. Seven earned. It's across ERA up to 3.5. So not the best start you would want heading into the trade deadline. Some of his underlying numbers paint a very different picture to how well his ERA suggests he's thrown this year. So maybe a bit of proceed with caution for Dombrowski and Marcus Stroman. That's going to do it for me tonight.

Thanks for hanging out. Big Phil's win. Taking two or three from the Orioles, the best team in the AL this year, is a really, really big thing. And they have righted the ship. They've survived their tough stretch. And, again, next 14 games. Pirates, Marlins, Royals, Nationals heading into

August where they have 19 home games and some really, really juicy opponents. So it's time for this team to go on a run and truly, truly cement themselves as a playoff team. Exciting stuff and thank God, thank God they did

not lose another series and they're able to come back and win this one tonight. Tom Kelly will have you through the rest of the night. He will obviously be taking a reaction to this Phillies game and a whole lot more. Start of Eagles training camp, all that good stuff. Either way, Nick Earnshaw, the birthday boy, 23rd birthday, the young kid back there. Did a great job producing the final out, as always. I will be back Friday night reacting to what is hopefully a Phillies win out in Pittsburgh. Thanks for hanging out. Tom Kelly's got you next here on

WIP.