High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Final Out: Ranger Suarez and Brandon Marsh Win It In Wrigley

Episode Date: June 28, 2023

Jack Fritz reacts to the Phillies' 5-1 win over the Cubs 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

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 B.I.B. 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. Swing and a drive into right. Castellanos has it measured. He'll make the catch, and the Phillies open the road trip with a 5-1 win tonight in Chicago.

Two homers by Brandon Marsh and Ranger Suarez with a dazzling performance on the mound as the Phillies go back to four games over.500. They take this one against the Cubs 5-1. Welcome on in. It is the final out sponsored by Regency Furniture.

Affordable never looks so good. Jack Fritz hanging out with you reacting to what was a good solid professional win by the Philadelphia Phillies tonight out in Chicago. Ranger Suarez is brilliant. Brandon Marsh is great. And after a weekend that I left kind of feeling unsatisfied, I know they took two or three from the Mets.

I know the Mets are a bit of a dumpster fire. They won tonight. But regardless, I didn't leave the weekend feeling, wow, I'm watching a team starting to round into form and start getting back to truly winning style of baseball. Tonight felt closer to that. Was there some strikeout problems? Yeah. James and Tyone, I felt like they should have jumped all over.

They ended up getting to them late rather than early, which is fine. I mean, it's baseball. Not everything's going to be perfect. For the most part, I leave tonight feeling very, very satisfied with the win. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94. Let's get to the biggest takeaway of the game. The biggest takeaway of the game is brought to you by Morgan & Morgan. The biggest takeaway of the game is brought to you by Morgan & Morgan,

America's largest injury law firm. And my biggest takeaway of the game was brought to you by Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. And my biggest takeaway of the game is pretty obvious, and that is that Ranger Suarez is the number two for this team. Zach Wheeler is the ace. Sometimes he doesn't always, you know, it's not always the prettiest of efforts. And Zach Wheeler, I believe,

is in a little bit of a funk right now. But Ranger Suarez is this team's number two. And there is just no doubt about it. And I feel like he never, even heading into this season, after what he did last year, I never felt like Reiner Suarez was talked about in the same level

of Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler. And while I don't think he's on the level of Zach Wheeler, to not put him in the category as one of the Phillies' aces, best starting pitchers, and someone that you could trust, frankly, felt wrong to me. And ever since he had to iron out some of the problems that come with not really having a spring training and essentially having your spring training in the big league level, he has been brilliant. A 1.35 ERA in his last six starts. Great in June.

Had an inherited run that happened to score tonight. Hasn't allowed over two runs in a start in June. Just been phenomenal. And he has assented his way towards the top of this Phillies rotation. And it's just beautiful baseball, beautiful pitching to watch. Like if you are a, if you are a pitching nerd and you are someone that just loves watching good pitching and yeah, listen, I love watching the high velocity guys i love watching the high spin rate guys with the the wicked sliders and all that stuff but man like am i just a sucker for for watching a nice throwback you know commands the strike zone pitches to both

sides of the plate sets up hitters the fastballs in and chain jumps away like has a plan it's like the ranger suarez it doesn't blow you away with his stuff he can he can reach 95 but it's all deception it's all cat and mouse and if you are want to teach your your your young kid how to pitch, what pitching is, watch Ranger Suarez. Watch this guy pitch on a night-in, night-out basis because it is pure and simple pitching. That is what Ranger Suarez is. That dude is a pitcher. He has 95. He has 95. He has 96. But it's all cat and mouse, set up, up, down, both sides of the plate. It is pitching to its core. And I was proud of the broadcasters tonight,

finally throwing the comp out there that I've been at for a little bit here. The guy just reminds me of Cliff Lee. He reminds me so much of watching Cliff Lee, where it's just quick, quick pace, get the ball back, firing strikes on top of hitters, great defensively, always looking calm, cool, collected on the mound. I love Ranger Suarez. I freaking love that guy.

And he just reminds me a ton of Cliff Lee, and eventually I anticipate him aging into the next Jamie Moyer. But regardless, he is phenomenal. He's absolutely phenomenal. And I thought we were trending towards a complete game shutout. Didn't happen. Some bleeders fell in in the eighth, and it wasn't

meant to be. But I continue to believe that at some point Ranger Suarez is going to throw a no-hitter for the Phillies. I felt it tonight. He had no-hit stuff tonight. Even the sinker, it's like 94 was sink, but it's like, oh, he's just the best. I love Rangers Juarez. 2-1-5, 5-9-2, 94-94.

Brandon Marsh, he's been heating up, obviously, over the weekend. He had a great weekend, but still has a lot of singles, which is fine. He was down there for a little bit, and it's time to get his stuff going again. But Brandon Marsh has now joined Stott as the young guy that started the season on an absolute scorcher, cooled off, and is now well on his way back. And it's crazy. For even as much as Brandon Marsh has struggled-ish for the last month, I mean, that was his first home runs in June tonight. His numbers are back up to 285,

365 on base percentage, and an 834 OPS. So even though this last month has kind of felt eh with Brandon Marsh, his overall numbers still suggest he's had a really good year. I feel like his defense has taken a step forward in center field. And there's a part of a healthy competition here with Brandon Marsh that the second that Christian Pache was brought back from the IL, I feel like you started to see early season Brandon Marsh, where I don't think he was ever fearful that Christian Pache was going to

take his job full time, but there was conversations about it and I'm sure there was a part of him like, man, I got to get my stuff together or else this guy's going to start eating into my playing time. He has responded really really well. Brandon Marsh has

joined Bryson Stott as the young guy that started hot, cooled off, and is now back to getting hot. I could really use Alec Baum getting there. Could really use Alec Baum getting there because he kind of is that linchpin to the bottom of the lineup before you get to the Clemens and Sosa and tonight's Stubbsy. He's the guy at the bottom of the lineup that kind of helped drive in some runs. So good to see Brandon Marsh on his way back, which is a good sign for this team. And then my final takeaway here in the open is, you know, I love Gregory Soto's stuff, and I was happy they made the trade this offseason. I felt like they got rid of two bench pieces for a guy that has a chance to be a weapon late in games.

And for a majority of the season, every time he came in, I still had this pit in my stomach where it was like, man, I don't know if he's going to throw enough strikes. I think this stuff is wiped out. I think it's great when he's on, but it feels like he's too in between his mechanics to where he can't repeat them, thus leading it to more walks and not being as effective as he could. Tonight, and I want to say the last week,

week and a half, is the most that I have really trusted Gregory Soto. Credit to Caleb Cotham. Seems like they've had him committing to just pitching from a sidestep. He's sitting like 99 tonight, but it looked way harder than that. So with Sir Anthony going down, the Phillies have had to use more of Soto,

Kimbrell, Alvarado in situations like tonight where it's a 5-1 game. They've had to trust a Jeff Hoffman, a Junior Mart in in tie games where they probably shouldn't be in those games but the fact that Gregory Soto I believe has taken a step forward here definitely helps mitigate the loss of Sir Anthony Dominguez and and I'm starting to have a little bit of last year Alvarado feel to Gregory Soto, where I go from I don't ever really trust him to like, okay. And tonight was the first time it really hit me that, okay, I think it's okay to trust Gregory Soto. Craig Kimbrell for the majority of the beginning of the year, I was like, no way.

Now it's just when it comes to the game, it's kind of good morning, good afternoon, good night. So good to see those three guys picking up the slack with Sir Anthony going out. 215-592-9494 is how you get in. Let's kick it off the phones with Mateo in South Philly. What's happening, Mateo? What's up, boss? You hear me okay?

Oh, yeah. What's up, man? All right. I just had two Phillies points. All right. You know us Philadelphia fans. We usually – it's either we jump to conclusions quick or we don't so basically where Ranger Suarez got me on the on the bandwagon I would say which

was last year in the playoffs so in five appearances in the playoffs he's 2-0 with an ERA of 1.3 with 13 strikeouts and even one save in those five postseason appearances. So I talk to my buddies about this all the time. They still tell me, oh, Ranger, he's just another. No, he's showing us more than our two aces have shown us within the last year and a half you know what i mean he's only 27 years old he's younger than both of our aces so it's like as a philadelphia fan i'm just trying to think like what more is there for us to see well and that's the interesting that's

an interesting part about it mateo and i appreciate call, is that even though he's been really good for a better part of a year now, and I'm pretty sure since 2021 that he has a 2-7-1 ERA or something like that to where it's like – but he never feels like he's talked about in – yeah, so since the start of the 2021 season, Ranger Suarez has pitched 327 innings. This is as a relief pitcher, as a starter, in big games, whatever. He's got a 2-7-2 ERA. I mean, he has just been flat out great for the Phillies. And I mean, again, tonight, it's just like,

I don't ever stress a Ranger Suarez start. Like, if he goes out there and gets shelled, I would just be shocked, frankly. Shocked. Like, that's where we're at with the Ranger Suarez. It's been an amazing development and I just, I can't say enough good things about him. 215-592-9494 is how you get it.

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 at southjerseygas.com. Slash love my home is Ranger Suarez. Brilliant tonight. And just more than deserving of being the player of the game. On the other side, we do have some negatives from tonight. What is it?

And we'll get to your reaction on the game tonight and everything that's going on with the Phillies. All that is coming up next here on the Final Out. Here's our Mike's Amazing Play of the Game presented by Mike's Amazing, the official mayo, mustard, and vegetable oil of the Phillies. Brandon Marsh, two home runs tonight, getting his stash line back up to.283,.365 on base percentage, and an.834 OPS and he just again one of these young guys that obviously made adjustments this offseason came into spring

training ready to go got off to a hot start and then the league adjusted back and Brandon Marsh talked last week about how he was stuck in between swings. And I think he was a sitting heater and then guys started breaking, balling to death and he was struggling to adjust back. And I guess he talked about how like he was stubborn and thinking that he could just do it that way the rest of the year and wasn't really willing to adjust back. Seems like he's adjusted back pretty well. And the fact that even with the dip that he went through for his numbers to

be like where they are, damn good baseball. And, you know, the the dip that he went through, for his numbers to be like where they are, it's damn good baseball. And, you know, the defense he provides in center field, I feel like he's cut down on the kind of bad reads and just kind of dumb plays every once in a while. I feel like he's been more locked in from that standpoint, and it's good to see. And I think, I don't know if it all directly correlates to christian patrick coming off of the il but i definitely think that friendly competition is a good thing in all instances yes this is the final out which is sponsored by regency furniture affordable never looks so good jack frets hanging out with you 215-592-9494 is how you get in we'll

go back to the phone lines here in one second but i thought it was a cool start you know i've i feel like i've talked about Ranger and Cliff Lee pretty much every single start, you know, at least the last month. So in five starts in a month with six innings pitched and one earned runner fewer. So the pitchers in Philly's history that have had five or more starts in a month, gone more than six innings per start start and have allowed one earned runner fewer it goes ranger suarez nola did it in may of 2018 and then cliffley june of 2011 now cliffley in june of 2011 i believe had a 0.21 era so

again cliffley went before like 2013 or, was just stupid for the Phils. I mean, 09, we know what he did when they traded for him regardless. But again, every time I watch Ranger Suarez pitch, I can't help but be reminded of how I felt watching Cliff Lee pitch. It was just like, bang, easy, this game's over. He is a stress-free watch. And frankly, if I saw him get shelled at this point I would be surprised now the one negative tonight actually doesn't really

have much to do with the Phillies I could complain about running scoring position that's been a problem all year um I do think that they were struggling early and I felt like as the game went on they did break through and and that was at least good to see and something that hopefully they can build on. But the negative for me tonight is that the Marlins and Giants just won't lose. They won't give the Phillies an inch here. The Phillies are playing good baseball. I mean, the Phillies, obviously in their last 10 or 7-3,

if you stretch it out, it's better than that. I mean, the freaking Giants are 8-2, and the Marlins are 7-3. If you stretch it out, it's better than that. The freaking Giants are 8-2 and the Marlins are 7-3. Right now, the Phillies are chasing the Dodgers, who've been the best team in the National League for the last couple years. It's just so annoying. Now, obviously

all the Phillies can do is just take care of what's in front of them. Still, mixing a loss every once in a while. I mean, I keep waiting for this Marlins thing to fall apart, but I mean, this is what he did in 2020. It was just like, oh, I guess the Marlins just aren't going to go away this year.

And they're doing this all without Sandy Alcantara being very good this year. I mean, Uri Perez has come up as a rookie and I believe is pitching to a 1-3-5 ERA. So like, whatever. They're just, Luis Arias is batting over 400. The Giants, you know, I think they're good. I think the Giants are legitimately good. They're just – Louie Syrides is batting over 400. The Giants, you know, I think they're good. I think the Giants are, like, legitimately good.

They have good pitching. They figured out the bullpen. Every one of their hitters, I feel like, come up with a good approach and stuff. So, I don't think they're going away. It's just frustrating when the Phillies are winning games and winning series, and it feels like they can't make up. They can't make it up in the wildcard chase. So I know it's tough doing the whole scoreboard watching at the end of June,

but it's where we are. It's where we are. It's what happens when you dig yourself into a six-game under.500 deficit, but still, mixing the loss, Marlins and Giants. The Cubs, heading into this game, you know, two games under.500, they had better playoff odds than the Phillies, who were two games over.500, three games over.500.

So, it's just frustrating, because every time it's like, oh, here we go. Phil's playing well. The freaking Giants and Marlins just keep winning. Let's go back to the phones. Henry in Glassboro. What's happening, Henry? What's going on, Fritz? What's going on, man? What do you got? Nothing, man.

I just want to praise Ranger a little bit. And I heard you talk about the Cliff Lee comparison on High Hopes and tonight earlier in the show. And I heard Franski compare it to the June stretch of 2011 that Cliff Lee had

where he had like 37 scoreless innings. And Bringer has a lot of those vibes tonight. Like, and for the last month. Well, yeah, I mean, he's just been, he's been free and easy. He just gets the ball back and goes. And the pitch clock, I actually think has worked to his advantage

because he was already a quick worker, but now it just gives him an excuse to be even quicker and get more on top of these hitters. Yeah, I agree. I was just going to say in my next point, I think he has benefited from the pitch clock more than any other pitcher on the Philly staff or on any staff for that matter, at least that I've seen.

And I just want to touch on the defense a little bit. They look very lackadaisical. And I don't know if I admittedly, I hadn't watched Trey Turner a ton before, but his transfer on ground balls is just really slow. Yeah, it is. It is.

And his arm is not like the strongest. It's just really slow. Yeah, it is. It is. And his arm is not like the strongest. It's just, I think people thought because he was $300 million that he was going to automatically be a great defensive player. I watched Trey Turner. I never really saw a plus defender. I saw a pretty good defender. And it's kind of bearing out that truth. He's a pretty good defender, but he's not like a game changer out there exactly and i mean schwarber in left field just kills me well

every time i have to watch him his fall tonight was so funny i mean he fell down like a stack of potatoes i mean like he at least he laughed about You know, I think that's part of what makes Schwarber Schwarber, and I think that's why the guys love him. But, man, it is – it is tough, man. I think every time he gets a triple and they add the Pirates of the Caribbean theme to the clip, it's just – it's the best. It's the best. Yeah, it is, Henry, and I appreciate the call. I mean, I just – so, Reese Hoskins was the worst left fielder I've ever seen

play for the Phillies. But this year's Schwarber. Now, I got to a ball late that was good. But also, I mean, in the eighth inning, the bleeder – I forget what it was. I think it was Magical. That's a ball that probably should have been caught. And there was a part of me wondering, like, why is Pache not out there? A 5-0 lead in the eighth, ninth.

Is an extra run really worth it rather than the better defense? I kind of got it because he was batting, I believe, fifth in the ninth inning. So if he gets up, it's probably with runners on and he can do some damage. But I thought maybe that was a mistake by Rob. But either way, it's just, man, short of where left is an eyesore at this point. Cliff Lee in June. In June of 2011. The first

start of that month, seven innings, no runs, ten strikeouts. Second start of that month, eight innings, one run, seven strikeouts. Then, he goes three straight complete game shutouts in in june of 2011 unbelievable june of 2011.21 era for uh for cliff lee it's ridiculous and rangers been

brilliant this month has not allowed more than one earned in a start in his last five um but june cliff lee was just out of this world uh colin in north wales is on wip what's happening colin what's going on how you doing what do you got so i was saying this to my buddies watching the entire game um and i i didn't say it out loud because i feel like i always jinx it i did it the other day when Wheeler and Nola were dealing. But it wasn't a jinx because he didn't have a no-hitter or a perfecto, but I was saying, like, I want him to go all nine. Like, it just feels like a minute since we've seen someone

in a Philly uniform go all nine. And obviously he did, you know, let in those, like, bloop singles, like, whatever. And something just clicked in my head that Topper may never let him do that. I don't think that's Topper's style. I think he always wants to go to the closer, always that. Even after the runner got on first and second, also those baby singles probably had like a 50 exit velo.

I thought Rangers should have finished the inning, to be honest. I wanted to shut out. I didn't want the earned run charge to him. And I thought Marte was coming in, to be fair. But even when Soto came in, I was still kind of livid as soon as they scored because I thought Topper should have just let Ranger finish it off. Yeah, Colin, and I appreciate the call. And I was the same kind of way.

I was like, man, I just want to see Ranger kind of do this. But at that point, he was at 100 pitches. And it is frustrating, and it's kind of funny. I've watched a lot of the College World Series. I mean, these guys are throwing like 120 pitches, and they're in college. And, like, Paul Skeens is still hitting 99 in the eighth and ninth innings. So that's mildly frustrating. I think these guys can handle it.

But if I remember correct, I mean, like, Ranger did throw, like, one curveball that was out of the zone. It was kind of the, like, oh, maybe he is getting tired here. I'm always a proponent of kind of letting guys go for it. But at the same time, you know, if you have Gregory Soto coming out of the bullpen throwing 99 or that version of Ranger, Soto probably gives you the best chance in that situation.

But I think Thompson would. I think Thompson would go for it. And I think he would let a guy go and go do it. And tonight, it did feel like it for most of the night that Ranger is going to go and throw a complete game shutout. Didn't happen. But I'm sure that it's not a big fear of mine that Rob Thompson won't allow that to happen. 2-1-5-5-9-2.

94-94 on the other side. we'll run through your phone calls, look ahead to tomorrow before handing things off to Rob Cherry. It's the final out here on Sports Radio 94 WIP. Welcome back. It is the final out sponsored by Regency Furniture. Affordable never looked so good. Reacted to a nice Phil's win tonight out in Chicago, which again has been a place that they have struggled.

It's been a place where last couple of years when it felt like they needed a series win, they would go out there and get sweats. I mean, again, last September is the perfect example of that. So it was good to see them at least get one out of the way in mean, again, last September is the perfect example of that. So, it was good to see them at least get one out of the way in, again, a smoke-infested ballpark. I mean, what's going on, Canada? But, either way,

Phil's win, Rangers' war is great. Brandon Marsh, two home runs. Schwarber almost had a triple, but Schwarber also fell on himself trying to go pick up a baseball. So, it was a bit of an adventure, to say the least. Let's go to Joey in Center City. What's happening, Joey?

Hey, Jack. How's it going? What's going on, man? Not much. That was a great win tonight. Great vibes from Ranger and from Brandon Marsh. I don't want to switch up the vibes too much, but I got to say, at this point in the season,

I'm a little concerned with Alex Boehm. You know, it's year four from him. He's 27 years old now. At this point, I would have hoped to see more power. And, you know, when I just look at the lineup, he's starting to feel more like a sort of letdown out. And so, I don't know. How are you feeling about him going forward and how we can project him as part of this team long term?

Yeah, and what stinks is that he had an opportunity going over to first base to put himself there and say, okay, I'm the first baseman of the future. I mean, third base's defense has definitely come a long way. It's just really disappointing that he hasn't – I feel like he doesn't really want to try to hit the ball the ballpark and like i know pure hitting is great and i know hitting close and he's not even hitting close to 300 he's batting like 265 right now so like if you want to do that at least bat closer to 300 but at the same time, you're 6'5". You have the potential to hit the ball in the ballpark.

And I'm with you, Joey. It feels like a letdown. It does feel like a letdown because the spring he came in, everything looked fluid, everything looked connected. The first game of the year, the home run he hit down in Texas, it's like, all right, here we go. You're finally getting it and even the game he had

on Sunday he hit a ball like straight down the right field line for a double it's like yeah I've seen that a lot that's good that's fine but like in order for him to become an impact player and a valuable player like he's got to figure out how to hit the ball in the ballpark

because right now it's just like you're a serviceable player. Yeah, I don't want to say Mikel Franco because obviously they've got different games and a different sort of skill set. But career trajectory-wise, I'm getting some vibes. So thank you. Yeah, and I appreciate the call, Joey. And the Alec Boehm thing is frustrating because you see it. I mean, he works pretty good at bat most times, doesn't strike out,

hits the ball hard, can use all parts of the field, but it just feels like it hasn't totally clicked that, hey, you do have to drive the baseball. And even like tonight, it's late in the game, it's the first pitch of a bat against a reliever's first time in the game, just like rams it into the ground, hits it to the second baseman. I mean, either he's going to get it or he's not, but he is 27, or he's going to be 27.

I hope he figures it out before it's too late. Connor is in Easton. What's happening, Connor? Hey, I just came from the ballpark. It was awesome. Man, how are you feeling? The smoke, was it too bad, or are you all right? You know what?

I would say the smoke wasn't that bad. But ambiance-wise, yes. In terms of breathing, not that bad. Like, you could definitely play a baseball game and be fine. But, yeah, it was awesome. Feeling good. Ranger looked good. I'm really concerned about Trey Turner.

I feel like I've hit that point where it's just like, is this just a lost year on his contract? Like, it was bases loaded. He comes up to bat. My dad's excited. And it felt like an out. It just, like, didn't. And it felt like the Dodgers' Turner would get a run there.

Yeah, and the frustrating part, Connor, is that it felt, every time it feels like, okay, there's the Trey Turner. He walks, steals second and third, and eventually gets home. He's driving in some runs over the weekend. It's like, okay, he's coming out of it. Here's the real Trey Turner. And then, again, tonight, bases loaded. He fouls off, what, 95 down the middle?

And then strikes out on a slider. It's like every time I want to be like, bang, there's Trey Turner. He has a game like tonight. I know he got the hit, and he drove home Schwarber, and it's good. But it's beginning to feel like we should not really believe he's back until it's a way, way larger sample size. Yeah, I couldn't agree more, which sucks because when we signed him, I don't know if I could have felt happier as a Phillies fan.

It's like we go to a World Series, we sign Trey Turner, the hottest guy on the market. We get Harper and Trey Turner. Philly as a whole, sports-wise, we don't get those guys. And we get both, and now it's just like, is this what we're paying for? Yeah. And are you going to the game tomorrow? You staying out there all week or what? Sadly, I'm not.

I'm actually, I'm moving to San Francisco. I just lived in Philly for the past year. Job relocated me and it just happened that when I was in Chicago, the game was on. Well, my dad and I were like, you're going from Wrigley Wrigley games to, I mean, Oracle Park games are pretty cool as well. So, I mean, you're choosing some good baseball cities there, Connor. You know what?

I was at the Pirates-Mets game like two weeks ago, and we had the Phillies game up on our phone. So, I've been able, in this last month, I'm checking off a million great baseball parks. It's awesome. Couldn't be more jealous, buddy. Have a safe move and all that good stuff, and thanks for the call. I tell you what, Wrigley is awesome. If you haven't been, it's a great time.

Tucker Bagley was there tonight, so, you know, making his first appearance, I believe, at Wrigley Field. Dan Wilson, have you been to Wrigley Field before? I have not. It's on the bucket list. Yeah, I mean, you're a baseball nerd, too. I mean, so, like, that's something that you got to do. It's next up on the bucket list for me i've been to fenway i've been to oracle park i've been to like all of the other ballparks that i like absolutely have to get i mean it's my

goal to get to all 30 at some point my lifetime list is like 11 right now if you include veterans stadium and cbp but wrigley is like by far at the top of the list right now i'm already planning on my future trip with Walker, for sure. You and Walker going to Wrigley? Well, we'll get there. I need to make sure he's old enough to appreciate me. Are you guys going to drive the 30 ballparks? How are you going to do this? I don't know how I'm going to do it yet.

Again, it's very in the early stages. He is three months old. Really quick ruling from you. For someone to cross a ballpark off, does it have to be a physical game that you see there or does like a tour count uh see this is fair because i've never seen a game at right at uh fenway but i did go to like two ballpark tours and i did see the ted williams seat so i but i don't think that counts i think you have to experience a game does a world baseball

classic game count oh good question i'm gonna go with no. Okay, then I've never been to Lone Depot Park. You saw it in Miami, which, I mean, first of all, that's the biggest crowd they've had in 10 years. That place gets loud if they actually fill the place. It's never happened. I know. It's such a shame. Oh, well. One more call, and then we'll

look ahead to tomorrow. John is in Benton, Salem. What's happening, John? How are you? I'm doing great. How are you? My John is in Benton, Salem. What's happening, John? How are you? I'm doing great. How are you? My topic is Noah Song. Perfect. I'm your guy.

Well, listen, I have two. First of all, I just assumed he was pitching while he was in the Navy like they have a baseball team. On the ship, you thought he had a mound and everything? I don't know. But I'll say, if he hasn't pitched in four years how realistic in 30 days could he be on the phillies no i mean and it's so funny john because i you know i talked to noah song like with or talk about noah song with my buddies and it's like yeah he's just kind of pitching in clearwater and they're

working like the way they talk about him i think they think he could be in the big leagues, but I think it's almost impossible. Like, frankly, I'd be shocked, but the way they talk, I mean, he's barely picked up a baseball in four years. That's what I'm saying. Can you explain this one out? He has 30 days for rehab. Right. But they said he has to be on the active roster for 90 days.

So I'm not sure what that – what does that mean? Does that mean the 40-man? Yeah, they have to have him on the 40-man. That's next week, right? Yeah, so they're going to have to activate – I believe they're going to have to activate him. I think it's 60 days, though. I just read – it's in the Inquirer.

90 days or he goes back to Boston. Okay. To be on the active roster in 90 days sometime early July, he has to be on the 40-man. And like I said, and then within 30 days, he has to be in the major league. So, again, it was all of this. I mean, I've been reading about this guy for months. Well, yeah, I mean, they're a game.

I mean, they are at was all of this. I mean, I've been reading about this guy for months. Well, yeah, I mean, they're a game. I mean, they are at game 78 right now. So, I mean, they are getting close to the 90-day kind of thing. And as long as he surpasses that, like that's why the injury thing was sort of a blessing in disguise because they could do that. But, yeah, it's just I'm excited to see him because I think like the Red Sox thought they got a steal and through manipulation, it's just, I'm excited to see him because I think the Red Sox thought they got a steal. And through manipulation, it seems like, Dave Dabrowski was able to get Noah Song here.

They seem to believe in him. I think it's a reach, but I mean, it's certainly enticing to think about. Would he be better on the roster than Kobe, I think? I think he'd be a better long man than Kobe. Until Nick Nelson's healthy or, man, maybe know a song, Kobe's going to be here. And it's not the most appetizing role or whatever being the mop-up guy, but someone's got to take down innings.

If God forbid one of the starters could be bad. But with the way the starters are going right now, they haven't needed big game Covey. Let's get to tomorrow. So, tomorrow, 8.05. All games at 8.05 out in Wrigley this week, which kind of stinks. I would like to mix in one day game. That's a crime to have an all-night Wrigley series.

I mean, come on. Give the fans what they want. Day game at Wrigley. Aaron Nolan on the mound versus a man that Gabe Kapler once referred to as, you know, if he squinted you saw Cliff Lee in Drew Smiley. I think that Ranger Suarez

is probably a better comp. But last seven starts for Drew Smiley at 423 ERA. Five innings and no runs in his last start against the Pirates. So Drew Smiley's been pretty good. He was flirting with a no-hitter early in the season, which was fun. And then he ran into Jan Gomes, and that was not to be. But either way, Aaron Nola, who was great against the Braves.

I would say good against the Braves. He was six innings of shutout baseball, which would suggest that his pitch count was still pretty high. Regardless, at this point we take it. I've been kind of harping on how the Diamondbacks start wasn't that bad, even though I know he led the home run to Quetel Marte. But regardless, Aaron Nola hopefully can keep this train rolling, and the starters have just been great.

And in a series in which you have three of your better ones going, no bullpen games out in Chicago, go set a tone. Aaron Nola on the mound tomorrow. Either way, looking forward to it. I will not have you for leading off tomorrow or final out because I will be down at the Kelsey Bash

down in Seattle. So looking forward to that. Either way, Robbie will have you tomorrow leading into the game and all that good stuff. That's going to do it for me. Dan Wilson produced the final out tonight. Phil's win 5-1. Rob Cherry will continue to take your reaction coming up here on WIP.