High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Final Out: Phils Drop Opener In Atlanta

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

Jack Fritz reacts to the Phillies' bats going silent in a 3-1 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night. 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

Miller Lite, the official beer partner of your Philadelphia Phillies, is proud to serve as presenting sponsor of WIP's High Hopes Pod. So whether you're listening to the game, catching off on the latest High Hopes Pod, or at the ballpark, remember it tastes like Miller time, Phillies fans. Celebrate responsibly. What's it like to trade crypto on Kraken? Let's say I'm in a state-of-the-art gym surrounded by powerful-looking machines. Do I head straight for the squat rack?

I could, but this gym has options, like trainers, fitness pros, fodders to back me up. state-of-the-art gym surrounded by powerful looking machines. Do I head straight for the squat rack? I could, but this gym has options, like trainers, fitness pros, fighters to back me up. That's crypto on Kraken, powerful crypto tools backed by 24-7 support and multi-layered security. Go to kraken.com and see what crypto can be. Non-investment advice, crypto trading involves risk of loss. See kraken.com slash legal slash ca dash pru dash disclaimer

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Order now. Alcohol in select markets. See app for details. Iglesias. Ready to work. Two and two. Here's the pitch. Iglesias. Ready to work two and two. Here's the pitch swung on line towards right center field, Harris and Laureano in the gap. And that ball is caught on a sinking liner by Laureano

in the backhand and that ends the game. Braves win it as the Braves pitching dominates the Phillies tonight. The last 17 Phillies retired in order. A late homer for Ozuna, the difference and the Braves win it three to one. Yes. The retirement home Braves win tonight down in Atlanta. Welcome on in. It is the final out sponsored by Regency furniture affordable Never look so good. I mean vintage right? I mean just absolutely Vintage you leave the homestand feeling pretty good. You're like, okay

You have the yeah, the Schwab or home run they win a couple straight. They went for straight they lose on Sunday Whatever like you're resting up you're gearing up for this for this series down at land Oh, big you get your your your rotation set, right? You are all firing on all cylinders ready to go and you lay an absolute stinker an absolute stinker tonight in

Atlanta the game wrap-up is sponsored by bluzoster Swiss lube and crevice the metal working fluid Specialist providing professional CNC machine cleaning coolant maintenance programs and waste coolant disposal crevice dot online two one five five nine two ninety four ninety four to get in Obviously a lot of us watch that one on our couch If you're at Truist Park tonight, we'd love to hear from you as well, as you had a tough night in enemy territory. But again, 215-592-9494 to get in and react

to a whole bunch of bleh tonight by the Phillies. And it's so funny because, you know, I express confidence in the Phillies. And I feel like when I express confidence in the Phillies and I feel like when I express confidence in the Phillies Because again, I think that if people have listened to me enough I tend to be positive about them and for majority of the season I mean, I mean if you found a smarter guy on baseball than me I mean, it's just like this guy just gets it and it's been obviously a tough go of it

But I just there's this it's almost like when I'm too positive on the Phillies Everyone that is maybe I don't know over 45 or 50 like when they're listening I feel like the kind of like oh, honey, you know what I mean? It's almost like a like buzz. You're back there Do you kind of agree? It's so much just like ah, there goes Jack again. Thank all it's it's very cute You haven't seen enough to really know what this what fool's gold looks like. You're so naive. You're so young You're so has such an optimistic viewpoint on the world You haven't become negative alphines like us that have been hardened yet by by real Phillies baseball you don't know what I've been through but

tonight's Tonight's one of those games where, again, I probably said this before in the final out, where I sit here and I'm like, oh, that's what they mean. That's what the older generation means. We watched 20 years of that. Because again, I'm always trying to learn. If you're not learning, you're not improving. Let's get into the biggest takeaways of the game brought to you by Morgan & Morgan, America's

largest injury law firm. I don't want to hear I I cannot handle the Rob Thompson stuff like I just we'll get to the Alvarado decision but holy like talk about missing the point like can we just focus on what matters? The top three in the lineup went 0 for 12 with seven strikeouts in a marquee series. Like, you have a chance to go down there and essentially step on a throat and end this thing.

You could end it if you want. And they didn't show up ready to go Kyle Schwaber Atrocious at bats tonight like almost like he walked up there with no plan chasing I think at one point I think Ryan Spader tweeted is out like they They chased 22 of 27 pitches out of the strike zone or something like that like an absurd amount pitches out of the strike zone or something like that like an absurd amount So much swing and miss that's not being ready to go. That's being unprepared. That's on the hitters. That's on Kevin long Trey Turner hit a bull hard in the first inning and then you know, not much after that whatever he's been really good for the for a little bit here, so I'll give a pass and Bryce like I

Something looks wrong Bryce and I just refused to believe that There's not something ailing him and I said this in the open in leading off I said the the gel tweet was worded so vaguely if you missed it before the game that gal tweeted out The lamps not out yet. Rob Thomas said he's trying to get the feeling on the wear and tear on his players after After bp that screams to me the star players is is trying to decide if he can go or not And it's a game time decision a lot like what the sixers do at jewel and b like I don't think this was one of the the lower players on the on the roster, I think this was about bryce and again like

So on and someone actually Messaged me this like when he slid into second base on the 13th three game You know when he sprinted after whatever Hit the right field and it's you know got to second base Look like kind of jammed his wrist then he had tape on his wrist Saturday And they didn't play Sunday and in an obvious pinch-hitting situation, he wasn't there, and it feels like Rob Thompson's been covering for him by saying,

hey, I just wanted to give him the full day, rather than he's dealing with something. I'm not saying I know this, I don't know this, but it's the thing that makes the most sense to me. I think Bryce Harper is dealing with a wrist injury, but like what we're seeing at the plate right now and really since that game has been pretty brutal. I mean, obviously one game and tonight three strikeouts with the fourth was hit pretty hard but right at a guy. Regardless, last 17 straight in the game retired. The top three

in the lineup, 0 for 12 with seven strikeouts like in a big game Listen Renato Lopez good pitcher first game back off the IL blah blah blah He's also had the game in in what this the the sixth like he pitched the the five And then they had the bullpen guy for two innings then they went to Jose Rami He went to Jimenez and then they went to a glacius like he pitched five innings zero me they went to Jimenez and then they went to the glaciers like he pitched five innings Jimenez is gettable the guy they brought in holmes for two innings he's gettable it was brutal like it's it's again it's everything that hits that pit in your stomach as to why you don't want to believe in them it's that kind of offense and offensive performance because we've seen that offense

performance like over and over and over and over against the nationals and marlins i know blah the nationals and marlins but they looked like they were breaking out of that and to their i guess credit tonight i didn't think they were looking to hit home runs they just weren't doing a good job of putting bat to ball. So the offense was a joke tonight. And it's just so disappointing for those top three, because we know how this lineup works. When those top three aren't doing anything, they're heavy in a sense, like most lineups are.

But when those top three aren't doing anything, it's just especially hard to watch. But in a big series to go down like that, 17 straight, that's brutal. Now, the Alvarado thing. Listen, I mean, you heard Rob Thompson postgame. If you didn't, he sounds about as lost on Alvarado as all of us are.

I mean, he said that he was just hoping he would get out there. Like, we've got to the point where it's it he said that he was just hoping he would get an out there like we've got to the point where it's just like, he's, I mean, sounds like all of us, please get it like, please get an out here. And it is a tough situation. Like I know people are gonna melt down Alvarado, how do you leave them out there? Like, in defense of Rob Thompson, this would be my defense of Rob Thompson, the would be my defense of Rob Thompson,

the Alvarado thing. One, I think you lose them for good if you pull them there. Like I just think that all the confidence or whatever confidence he has left, pretty much shot if you pull them there. Now, he might be shot regardless. It looks like it's shot regardless, but I think that that would have been

a really, really tough blow. And the other reality is that Max Lazar, like that's a tough situation for him as well. I know he did the job against Whitmaryfield, but it is a tough spot for a kid who's barely been up here coming into a 2-1 game in Atlanta with the bases loaded. Be interested to see how he did, but still, that is a tough spot. So that's my defensive Rob Thompson. I wouldn't have batted an eye if he did pull him. And Brodden Lazar will get to maybe some other thing that could have happened in the bullpen that's definitely

something to monitor coming up next segment. But the Alvarado thing, he's just done. Like he's just done. And when you watch him, stuff doesn't pop as much anymore. He's lost his confidence and he's lost command. Like, at worst they have to put him on some kind of phantom eye elstin.

Like at worst they have to do that because they have to stop bitching him. They're obsessed with like this idea that he just has to work through this. Like, no he doesn't. He doesn't have to stop pitching him. They're obsessed with this idea that he has to work through this. No, he doesn't. He doesn't have to work through this. He doesn't have it right now. And I don't think it's a matter of

keep putting him out there. The guy needs a reset. So maybe tonight was eye-opening from that standpoint. The problem is, is when you approach the deadline the way they did, where it's Estevez and you're just banking on Alvarado figuring it out rather than thinking there might be a real problem here, that's how you end up in the situation you're at where it's Tanner Banks, you're going to have to ride Strom even more, which I don't really want

to do because I think he's starting to leak oil a little bit. The bullpen is so, so concerning. It feels like it's kind of hanging on by a thread here, and that thread is almost Jeff Hoffman who, might as well just get to it. He was warming up, and then all of a sudden, down. They're warming up Max Lazar. What's that in a two one game is there an injury there I have no idea I hope it's not an injury but still

that's concerning like this bullpen is is just teetering right now and I would love to phantom I a lot of rato I don't know you're going to I don't know who I don't know who you're more banks I I don't know who, more banks? I don't think there's anyone in Lehigh Valley. I don't think there's a lefty at Lehigh Valley they could bring up and he could do anything. So it's like, it's a double-edged sword. On one hand, I think he needs it.

On the other hand, they kind of need him. It's like, it's a disaster, the Avarado thing. And it comes back to the deadline of, hey, maybe get Tanner Scott and Carlos Estevez. Crazy idea, crazy idea. We're gonna look back, if this season doesn't end in a World Series, we are going to look back at the deadline and it needs to be studied, it needs to be studied.

It needs to be studied. And the final thing here is that Zach Wheeler, I thought, looked brilliant. Zach Wheeler, he's wheels and he made a bad pitch to Azuna. I mean, it wasn't that bad of a pitch. It was just a little bit high. Azuna, it's ridiculous. I mean, he might legitimately win the triple crown.

I mean, he is two home runs behind Shohei Otani. He's up there with the batting title leaders. I mean, it is ridiculous what Marcel Ozuna's doing. And then the Whitmaryfield thing. I mean, like of course, a triple and a double, the triple obviously led to a run and like Just watching him sprint around the bases after what we had to endure with first half Whitmary field

It was like it was the most classic thing of all time I mean tonight was maybe the most classic Phillies game that we've ever watched Momentum back people believing a little bit again still kind of skeptical go down. They get shut down seven 17 straight retired Whit Mary fields doing things like it was it was just absolutely vintage and it was in total 97 pitches for Zach Wheeler tonight the pitch count sponsored by the plumbers union local 690 protecting the health of the nation visit visit plumbers 690 org like His stuff looks really really good

like it's there's a bit of a lull there a couple starts ago where Stuff just wasn't popping and he was getting through games, but it it wasn't like dominant dominant Zach Wheeler I think the last two starts you're starting to see that zip on the fastball He's nasty nasty like bowling ball sinkers into some other righties tonight that was a treat to watch, but ultimately the offense stunk tonight, so whatever. But it was a good Wheeler start,

and that's not exactly the most dominant, dominant Braves lineup of all time. 215592, 94.94 is how you get in on the other side. A staggering stat about one Philly, 5592 9494 is how you get in on the other side a staggering stat about one Philly plus That more your phone calls with all that kind of next on the final out on sports radio 94 WIP All-star closer Ken Lee Jansen. We have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? This boy 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

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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. Welcome back. It is The Final Out, sponsored by Regency Furniture. Affordable never looks so good. Jack Fritz hanging out with you on this Tuesday night reacting to a

Phil's loss down in Atlanta like we talked about last segment just about his vintage of Phil's loss We've seen in a good amount of time I've got a couple of these in the last couple weeks where it's like that feels like old times It feels like it feels about right frankly in a way because this team While more majority season I mean, it's like we had to keep saying that. I mean, for two and a half months, it was like, ah, it's the greatest thing ever. They've packed a lot of pain, you know? And now they've built up a huge lead,

so it hasn't like, or they've built up a good record. The lead is now down to six, but you know, it just, if things were more tight, like really tight, these games would be absolutely painful. But yeah, this team, I mean, it's sort of baseball in the way, but man, I just, 17 straight retired, top three, 0 of 12 with seven strikeouts. And we're gonna meltdown about the Alvarado decision.

Like how about the star players show up ready to play like like I Don't know why we always do this, but it's always The coach the manager like and some instances I agree But like we're just missing the bigger picture here like this is a an offense that has enough talent to be top to bottom the best in the NL. Are there other teams that might have better players and might have more star players or top heavy and whatever? Sure. But top to bottom, when they're doing things the right way, it's a really good and deep lineup. But there's so many freaking times where they go out and they do stuff like this to where it's like,

what's going on down there? And the strikeout stuff, that's that NLCS stuff. I mean, how many total strikeouts was it tonight? I mean, there's seven from those guys. Well, this is a big one to also mention. Like, Brandon Marsh has struck out 69 times in his last 160 at-bats. 43% strikeouts, strikeouts.

That's egregious. And the one tonight was the 58 footer. Marsh, he hasn't been good for a little while here. He had the home run on Sunday that he felt, okay, come on, come on Brandon. Because Brandon Marsh could be a good player, but striking out at 43% of the time is something. So seven, nine, 10, 13 strikeouts tonight for the offense.

Seven from the top three. Brutal. The Player of the Game sponsored by South Jersey Gas Conserve helping customers in the community save energy and money. Visit southjerseygas.com slash conserve. I'm giving it to Whitmary Field because this is my fault. Cause I said, I'm gonna be furious if he kills us tonight. And of course he did.

Of course he did of course he did because Again when they released him he's picked up by the Braves. It was like there you go classic He said go down there, and he's gonna have a good game against the Phillies Hopefully doesn't translate tomorrow night, but who knows this point all hell could break loose Let's go to the phones and talk to Mike in Westchester. What's happening Mike? What's going, Mike? What's going on, Fritz?

First off, that Brandon Marstat is shocking. Have an approach one time that maybe we're not going to strike out this time. That is crazy. That just kind of feels like a whole of the offense right now. Yeah. Obviously, he's someone that they need to get going here, but it's like, you know, like listen He's a part of it and 43% strikeouts in his last 160 at bats is brutal It's just you know on top of that with the top three ahead of him. It's just it's it's it's unbelievable

Like how do you let that happen? How do you strike up 13 times in a game? Crazy and here's my overall thing though the offense. I mean, it's not good, but at this point, I think we know this is who they are. You kind of got to ride the highs, you got to ride the lows. I'm okay with accepting the bats will get hot, but they'll go through stretches like this. The starting pitching, I have a lot of faith in. I think they're exceptional, especially compared to a lot of other teams in the league even playoff teams

I mean you got kind of a big four at this point that you really trust more or less this bullpen Over the last three months. I don't think I've ever done such a 180 I mean all of a sudden it is it feels like we have no depth. It feels like you trust Jeff Hoffman and and Matt Strom, but Matt Strom but also on the same coin. Matt Strom I feel like is getting very overused. And then like Kirkering Estevez, Alvarado, Banks. They're tightrope. They're tightrope. I don't know who to trust.

I know. No, I mean the bullpen has done a complete 180. You know heading into that London series we were like making fun of how Jose Ruiz has like a he's the high CRA and it's like 2.8. You know what I mean? And Jose Ruiz has like a he's the highest CRA it's like 2.8 you know what I mean and Jose Ruiz has been good the last like month but like everyone now even even Hoffman I love Hoffman he's still more like I trust him with my life than not but even he is been bitten by the home run bug but all of them like it's all flipped at the same time. I don't get why, at least bullpen and lineup wise, they all just go cold at the same time. And it's just crazy.

It's crazy right now. And here's what I don't want, I need. I need them to show a little urgency here. Especially the division, I think we're OK. But for this buy, because I feel like fans are in this mindset that we're just always going to win the Wild Card Series. We win it.

That check is going to come due one day. Let's show a little urgency and just go on a run here one time. Thanks as always, Fritz. Yeah, I appreciate the phone call, man. And I'm with you. And especially with how they look right now, they need the buy. Getting this team off their feet for a couple of days I think would really help them.

And is there a potential side effect of all these great teams or all these good teams that get these one or two seeds and they have this time off and they lose, yeah, the history is there, but they just, they look worn down. Well, especially on the road. At home they look fine, but they're six and 11

since the All-Star break on the road, and it's been a lot of performances like this where it's almost lifeless in a way and Like on the road, you got to have a little bit of a backbone and I feel like this team has just lacked that for a long Stretchier like two months it feels like they haven't really had their backbone and what makes tonight so disappointing is that again after that home stretch You're like, all right, they get it, they got it. Like they're showing urgency.

But then again, on Sunday, certain players were not pinch hitting, so how urgent really were they? But still, like you felt like, okay, they got the message, they got the wake up call, they got booed, you know, and now they're gonna go up and they're gonna remind themselves how good they can be and Tonight it brings back all the fears all the they're not as good as we thought it's all fluke first half You know pre London was was not who they really are. They're really closer to a 500 team like

Definitely feel you on the on the sense of urgency thing for the manager to the players front office wise like it all feels like they're on cruise control and I really hope tomorrow they they Get back to doing what they were doing, you know more than nationals and and and Marlin series and They remember that it's go time, because it is go time. Because you need that one and two seed. You're not facing the Marlins in the first round again. The NLs is much, much better this year than it was last year.

So yeah, they have to start finding and playing with a sense of urgency. And for a team that's supposed to be a World Series contender to get retired again, 17 straight tonight, and have their top three go 0 for 12 with seven strikeouts is just not good enough. It's not even close to good enough. On the other side, we'll look ahead to tomorrow.

Get to your phone calls and a whole lot more, plus the play of the game All here on the final out on sports radio 94 w IP Welcome back it is the final out sports radio 94 WIP the final out is always sponsored by Regency Furniture affordable never looked so good So I just this Whitmary field stat is is going around never looked so good.

So I just, this Whitmaryfield stat is going around Twitter right now. So he had more games with multiple extra base hits tonight against the Phillies than he did in any game for the Phillies. Which is classic. It's just classic. It's just absolutely classic. 2-1-5-5-9-2-94-94 is how you get in here. Larry's in Glen Olden. What's happening, Larry? Hey, how are you? Not too great tonight. Well, I haven't been great. I think, you know, that's an illusion when you're playing Miami and Washington. It's also not good when you have a chance to win in the ninth inning of a game and decide the game is not that important. Now my question is confidence. I have confidence in one man on this whole

organization. That's Don Browski. I think what he did during the trade deadline was excellent. He got rid of nobody. He kept the prospects, he kept the future. What if this team is going to win in the future? I don't believe, I don't have the confidence that they can win today. Too many injuries, not enough full-fence, not enough right-hand pass. I don't know what they got that guy to play, let's go for it. He can't hit Hayes. Well I hope that the prospects turn out to be great. Obviously I'm a prospect guy, but I don't think I can sit here and say the David M.

Browsky deadline was great. I think they paid a premium for a pretty good in Carlos Estevez. I think they gave away Sir Anthony for Austin Hayes. I mean, Sir Anthony had a bad night last night, he's been really good. Austin Hayes, I liked what I saw. So it feels like a bit of a toss-up, at the same time, like Weston Wilson's also showing that he'd been able to hit left handed pitching. And I could use another bullpen on him right now.

But, and the other thing is like, the whole, my whole feeling about the deadline was, if this isn't the year, then when is the year? And again, it really felt like that they chose window over World Series and there's a quote from all the Beat writers they had a sit down with Middleton and he recounted a conversation he had with Pat Gillick in 05 when they hired him they asked him you know like what to take the winner World Series and Pat Gillick answered luck. And of course for someone that is analytical and is a business guy,

I'm sure that drives John Middleton crazy because there should be a solution to everything. I think he's a solution-based guy. But the whole luck quote being brought back out here, what they did at the deadline was they improved. I think that they improved, but they didn't separate themselves from those other teams in the NL. Sure, ultimately it comes down to the stars being the stars, and the rotation holding

up and the lineup and those guys being good to go But you look at the bullpen. It's like alright well if the baths were too expensive then why not just just give up a little bit more and and try to build the most souped-up bullpen that you can get like I Just think they made a miscalculation on Trusting the Alvarado is gonna bounce back that trusting that some of these guys were gonna figure it out giving away sir, Anthony Which I don't want to kill him for because I think Austin Hayes is is gonna be a good pickup but like you're just they gave away a Bullpen arm for a bat which is a trade you make but you only brought back one real piece and banks is

Whatever. We'll see what Tanner banks can be so I think they made some bad bets and I think they treated it as we want to keep our window open we don't want to go through what we went through in 2012 to 2021 and my old pushback the entire time was you should trust the guys you have in place to keep replenishing the talent because this core is getting over and they only have so many shots of this thing and As we've seen they are you know, they're starting to get more and more injured, which is not great. So Yeah, it was a it was a frustrating one to play the game Obviously the Ozuna home run the mics they play the game sponsored by Mike's amazing the official mayo and mustard of the Phillies

Marcelo Zuna, I just I can't believe it. He might win the Triple Crown. It's it's It's something tomorrow Nola versus Max Fried again No, it was good his last outing is one of those times where I watched him And I've said this a couple of times where I wonder how that goes against a better team He pitched 111 pitches and six innings wasn't exactly crisp Pitch it pitches way in and out of jams, but ultimately against team with the Nationals. That was fine He did his job So hopefully that gets him moving the right direction and you get some early season Aaron Nola tomorrow in Atlanta

I feel like I've watched Aaron Nola pitch at Truistus Park more than I've actually seen a bitch at CBP Obviously, I'm joking, but I feel like I always watch Aaron Nola pitch at Churus Park He's facing Max Fried who's got a 7.9. Er a since coming up the IL obviously a very good pitcher But has not exactly been his usual Max Fried self since coming off of the IL so an opportunity for the Phillies tomorrow night to hopefully capitalize on a pitcher Working his way back from an injury, but regardless a frustrating night again 17 straight retired Offensively to end the game top 3 0 for 12 with 7 strikeouts. It was a tough one. It was a brutal one I'll be back tomorrow as we will be back

We'll be out at dining with the stars in media or dining under the stars in in media outside spazos on State Street Robbie he was coming up next we'll be hanging out from four to five with us and you know We we're gonna give him the Delco quiz now We got change the questions around because you know, we've given this quiz twice So there's a lot of pressure on Robbie. But if there's one guy who I trust to come through, it's Robbie. Do you think Robbie knows what county the king of Prussia mall is in? I, if he didn't think he would have to move.

I think it's as simple as that. Like you would have to leave where he lives in Delco and, and never return. But it was a shocking answer. But it's OK, because Radner is never, ever really Delco. It'll be a fun day tomorrow. So come on out if you're in the area. I got you for leading off tomorrow. And I'll have you for final out as well.

Buzz Wilson produced the program tonight. Great job, as always, Buzz. Another win. We'll be back tomorrow. Robbie, he'll take you through the rest of the night here on sports radio 94 WIP.