High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Final Out: Will Bryce Harper Hit Leadoff Tomorrow? (Probably Not)

Episode Date: July 9, 2026

Jack Fritz and Tucker Bagley react to the Phillies' 11-5 loss on Wednesday night and give their thoughts on the Phils' lineup changes and what needs to be done to fix a struggling bullpen. Presented by Miller Lite.To purchase Ring The Bell by Jack Fritz and Kevin Reavy go to RingTheBellBook.com

Miller Light, 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. As the U.S. men's national team takes center stage at a home world cup, make sure you're listening to Call It What You Want, part of the CBS Sports Podcast Network, where you can join me.

I'm Jimmy Conrad, alongside Charlie Davies, Tony Miola, Marcella Balboa, and Benny Fieldhover, throughout this tournament for previews, instant reactions, and analysis of every U.S. match. Then all summer, we're back every Tuesday and Thursday covering all things U.S. Men's national team. Download and follow, call it what you want, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. This is the High Hopes podcast. I hope. On the Odyssey app and Sports Radio 94, WIP.

Gotta be honest, I thought they were going to take it. come back and win that game. And then Tanner Banks happened. Welcome on. It is the high host podcast, a little post-game edition as there's no final out this week because I'm on vacation, which means we can go five minutes after the game rather than a half hour after the game, which gets everyone to bed that much quicker. Tucker Bagley joins me tonight. And Tucker, it kind of, kind of felt like a win. It felt like a win.

I mean, there was a shot. They had a shot. I know. I know. I know. But what's what kind of is hitting you after that one tonight? You know, we mentioned it briefly last night about, you know, kind of the dire situation of the bullpen. And I think tonight made it hit even harder, right?

I mean, your two top lefties out of the bullpen, like, notwithstanding whatever you think of Tim Mesa. But you came to the season with Tanner Banks and Jose Alvarano is your top two lefties. They both have an ERA over seven after tonight. They both looked incredibly ineffective. They have looked ineffective for most of the year. And now you kind of look at where this bullpen is. And you have Duran, you have Kirkering, who's been up and down, but he's carrying a 2.5 ERA right now.

That's really about it. I mean, outside of, like I said, Tim Meza, especially on the left side, like Bacchus is stunk, Alvarado has stunk, Banks is stunk. And even with that, like you had a situation where Kyle Shoreberg came up with two on, down three runs representing the tying run. You know, you had a shot to tie the game. And it just, it felt like a game earlier in the season where when one thing went wrong, it kind of snowballed and got out of control.

And that's kind of how their losses have felt. Like, that's how Monday felt against Kansas City. I mean, they're a team that I don't know if they do enough good things correctly to where, you know, they can limit damage because when other teams, I mean, they gave up back to back to back home runs. Thanks to Tanner Banks. But they're a team that when. things start to get out of control, they don't necessarily find a way to get it, get themselves

back into the game. Well, they, they certainly struggle to stop the bleeding. I'll tell you that. And they're not helping the run differential the last couple of games. And the way that the bullpen is pitching right now, and you mentioned it, it's Duran, it's Kirkcaring, a huge spot for Brad Geller tonight. You know, I'm so glad that he was in the 11-4 game and maybe not a little bit earlier. But they struggle to have the guys in the bullpen right now that can just keep the game close and keep it within striking distance for the offense to be able to come through and feel like it's within reach.

What's happened in the last, I mean, little bit here is that when it's tight, late, these guys are giving it away. I mean, Seth Johnson and Kyle Backus on Saturday. sorry on Sunday the 15 to 1 game now that was Sanchez related more than anything but still they could not keep that game close

and then today I mean even some of the Pittsburgh games where you would love to say that hey we're still in this thing we might be shaping up to where they need two bullpen arms and a lefty

a lefty is imperative it feels like every single night we are playing trade deadline roulette. When the starter sucks, it's like you got to get a starter or else you have no chance to win. And hey, if you get a starter, you know, it kind of limits what you need in the bullpen anyway. And then when the bullpen sucks, like, well, actually the most important thing for this team is the bullpen. And then when Gabriel Rincona, it's at about 130 miles an hour off the bat, off the right field wall, you're kind of like, hey, I don't know. Could we, if we get time and fam up here, is there some kind of platoon there in right field where everything could be okay?

and let's go make a Super Bowlpen. It's the roulette wheel that this team is on heading as the trade deadline. It's trade deadline month. I know it's technically August. But if your takeaway from the night is not this bullpen you're hitting the panic alarm on, then you're just, it's the only takeaway from the game. They had a chance to come back and win it. Had that game remained close, I feel like with the Reds bullpen being the way that it is,

at that ballpark, which by the way, Tucker, it felt a little like 2019 with some of those balls tonight going out. You hear that they called a Great American Small Park? That's good. That's good. Which I thought was clever. Was that a Ravi production or no? Yeah, he said they call it that as if I've never heard it before.

He credited, I guess, just, you know, society in general. That's a nickname it goes by. But I've never heard of that before. Yeah, no, that's good stuff. And tonight, you know, in Jackie, in Jackie Battles Walker. for bed time. I was listening to the game while laying down. I think I was reading,

I think I was reading Little Blue Trucker Good Night Moon. You know, and all I hear. A couple classics. Well, you know, this, I hope when Walker gets older, he's going to say, yeah, my dad has put me to sleep.

We just listening to the Phillies game on my phone. I think there's so many stories growing up, I was like, I used to listen to WIP on my radio while I fell asleep. Walker's going to be listening to the Francke and Stocker. And it was the stocker play-by-play. of things. And all I kept hearing out of the corner of my ear

was, and that's another home run. And that's another home run. It was I was sitting there trying to remain calm. Of course, you know, we've got to remain calm and try to get the port asleep. Yeah, bigger fish to fry at that point. We do. I still didn't have to

roll over and tweet that Tanner Banks would struggle to get outs in the B-Sack. We had to focus on the important things per usual. But, man, it bullpen all of a sudden and I it sucks that we're here because I really felt heading into the year the bullpen's going to be one of the strengths of this team but heading into the deadline

Chapman I think is you want to go get the combo of Chapman and Whitlock it's the it's the 2026 version of workman and Embry and and let's let's build ourselves a little bit of a super pen and knock this nonsense off well it's funny because on the TV broadcast they kept bringing up you know, how bad the Phillies needed a right-handed bat, which they do. They also pointed out this note, Philly's right-handed hitters lowest on-base percentage among right-handed hitters for a team since 1974.

Seems bad. Seems bad. It's 271. That's not great. I mean, if Derek Hills, kind of your best right-handed hitter against lefties at this point, that's an issue. But, yeah, I mean, you just look at, if we're looking ahead to October, obviously they need help with the back end of the rotation, but that's not really going to be a huge factor when you

make the playoffs. Obviously, you need a right-handed bat, but really, we've seen this team when they succeed in the playoffs. It's because Shorebert, Harper, the guys at the top of the lineup carry you. You need help in the bullpen because if these guys are going to be going, you know, five or six high leverage innings and turning it over, you just don't have the arms right now. And, you know, you lost the Mets series partially because your bullpen kind of fell apart. You lost the Dodger series last year, partially because your bullpen fell apart. And right now, I mean, thank goodness for Durand being, you know, in the ninth inning. And at least you have that.

You have that big piece moving forward. But other than that, I mean, there's just no one that you can trust right now to get a big out. Maybe Jonathan Boland, like if it's seventh inning, two guys on, two outs, you need to bring a guy in. He might be the guy that you trust, right? Like, is there somebody else that you would turn to? Well, and two weeks ago, John the Boland allowed the home run to Curtis meet and also had a, there's a bad outing after that, if I remember correctly. So, you know, Boland's on a little bit of a hot streak, but I agree with you.

Like, he's, he's one of those guys. And the thing that they have to be debating within the walls of Citizens Bank Park is, because there is a case for a starter. Like, if you go get a starter, if you go get a real guy, you go get a sunny gray. Because we've seen them get the back end guy who then doesn't even play. Like, you don't need a Michael Lorenzen who takes down eight regular season starts and then doesn't get to pitch in the postseason. Sure. But, like, if you wanted the case to be made for.

for a starter, it's go get a sunny gray to have a real guy. And that kind of limits how much you need the bullpen because, you know, those guys should give you six or seven quality innings and then it kind of falls into form there. I guess my case is, first off, a starter is going to cost way more in the trade market. And I know that reliever market has gotten crazy. I mean, Carlos Estevez as a rental two years ago cost him, George Collison, who, I mean, he's at a couple golf in the big leagues. But, I mean, he's like a top 100 prospect or was top 100 prospect. I haven't checked in a while.

And then Samuel Adagari, who is pitching at the big league level. I mean, that's a pretty hefty price for a half season of Carlos Sondis. So I do think the reliever market has changed. But I guess you could be making the case of a star is going to cost a lot. Why not to try to make this bullpen as good as we possibly can? And maybe it costs a little bit less prospect-wise. you feel good about the three you have it's it's still that it's still that one game four that they're going to have to get through that is that gives you a lot of cause for pause to where if you did go

get a real starter first off you could get a little creative with some bullpen options there but getting a real starter and having game four pretty locked down and how that could affect the rest of your bullpen i mean Tucker they haven't want to they haven't want to start by their game or number five starter since May 18th. Yeah. It's crazy.

It's crazy. You would think eventually you would just outscore the other team. Just luck into one. You know, you know, when Carlton pitched back on the 72 Phillies, he used to call it Wind Day.

I wonder what they call it when, when they know it's number five starter day. It's like, well, do we even need to show up tonight? And the shame of it is, I don't know how it's fine. Like, I've been pretty,

pretty impressed with Alan Ron Hell. I know he allowed some home runs tonight. But what you're looking for out of a fifth starter, he kind of just does his job. He's, he's, he's, he had some swing and miss stuff. He did. He got a few swings and misses. He got some strikeouts. Like, he was fine. Unbelievable arm angle. I've really looked at his arm angle before. Most over the top arm angle I've ever seen. He used to move his head in order to let the ball go. Trey Savage would have something to say about it, but I agree with you. I agree with you. It's pretty over the top.

He is mini you savage, as many are saying. Many are calling Alan Rondel the mini you savage. But yes, I agree. If you want to fix the backhand of the rotation, like I guess the template for that success would probably be the 2019 Nationals. I mean, their bullpen stunk in the

regular season. And they kind of just rode their starters and Sean Doolittle in the postseason. Like Patrick Corbyn, I think, had five or six outings out of the bullpen during that World Series round. I mean, You can do it. And maybe it's just a matter of figuring out the most quality arms you can get into that bullpen

and trusting Don Mattingly to kind of put the pieces together. When you said it, there's a nice little cold shiver down my spine. I don't know. We'll see. We'll see on old Donnie baseball. And, you know, the most extreme case is last year's Dodgers who just brought glass now out of the pen. Sasaki, I know, is not at the same level of starting pitcher as as. Isn't it cool? He was the best pitcher in the world for just the NLDS and then went back to sucking.

I know. It's really, it's one of the most sick jokes of the last. Between that and like Kodi Sanga being unbelievable and then just falling apart again. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, no one is better making Kodi Sanga look like the best picture on the planet. What, like the Philadelphia Phillies? There's, there's no doubt about that. Sasaki is, is infuriating. It's not as infuriating as the two-two call to Alex. call. But it's up to there. It's up there. I mean, it's pretty up there. He is horrendous. When he looks at it like, I watch

him, I was like, man, this guy is going to be the best pitcher in baseball for a decade. And it's like, oh, never mind. He might not have major league talent anymore. Yeah, he stinks. He stinks. Yeah. So, and you know that Dombrowski is a starter's guy. Totally. He always

wants to go get the, the pitcher. And, you know, man, I am, there's been, we always say, like this is going to be the most fascinating deadline. It's like this is the most important election of all time. That's what is every election. So like that's how I feel about this trade deadline is it's obviously an important trade deadline.

But it is also just a really, really interesting deadline because it does feel like Tucker every single day, the calculus changes as to what they should do and what they can do. and I know they lost tonight, but like Ranconis is at least showing a real pulse. I mean, hitting a ball 113 miles an hour off of Chase Burns is not nothing. And I can't this, the tough part of the next month is going to be, and I would not make this bet to be clear.

But can he just be the left-handed option against right-handed pitching? and you go get some other real right-handed bat that can supplant him in right field when necessary. Can he do that? I think it's going to be a huge question for the next month. Yeah, because I mean in theory, you don't need that much help against right-handed pitching,

right? That's the one thing that this offense does well is it mash his righties. And even their first rally where they score their first two runs where he hits that double off the top of the wall, Crawford drives him in, Crawford scores on a wild pitch. Those were the things you kind of expected from those guys. I think Ranconis has played really well, has hit really well, the last week or so.

But, I mean, the flip side is, like, I don't want to turn down a real difference making that because you have Gabriel Rincones, right? But you kind of look at all of the holes this team has, and obviously you would say, well, maybe they should go fix them all, but where are you trading from, right? Outside of Gage Wood, like, you don't have enough impact process. down in the farm system where you can add two, three, four. I know, I know you're giving me that look.

But you don't have the depth, right? To go out and really get, you know, three or four difference makers and turn this team around. Yeah. I mean, to make like a, to make a trade, let's say with the Red Sox, who, by the way, seemed like they're kind of back in it with the AL being as bad as it is. I think everyone's in the AL, except for the Angels. So everyone's kind of in the AL. Yeah, yeah.

Like, if you want to make a trade with them and you want to get all three of those guys, I agree. Like, that's a depleting of the farm system, you know, type move. Being able to get all three, it's a pretty tall task. Like, you might just have to, you might just have to, like, say a prayer for one of those three that just, hey, hopefully this works. And I think that that's going to be the hard part heading into the next month because I agree with you from the standpoint of like they can't go out and trade everything. I don't know if any team could say, hey, I need to go get a starting right fielder, a number four starter for the postseason that's good enough to start a playoff game and go get me like a real late inning relief.

I don't know how many farm systems are capable of being able to say, hey, go do that. So, yeah, I mean, not to make it all by the trade deadline, but it really feels like this next. month. It's just going to it's going to be so much trade deadline conversation because it's really, really fascinating. But it's just crazy. They look like a different team every night. Oh, yeah. They look like last year's team when they go

out and win 4-1 and they routinely put together good ball games. And then you have games like tonight, you have games like Monday where, you know, they can look overmatched pretty pretty easily. And they aren't exactly playing playoff teams right now. No, it gets ugly pretty quickly. It gets ugly

pretty quickly. Now, there's some other interesting stuff that happened tonight out of nowhere. I wasn't sure how much we were going to have to talk about tonight after an 11-5 game. Big Schwerver home run to make that 11-5 there in the 9th. Mayor may not have already made the WIP live stream tomorrow, saying 11-4. So if you see that, just let it be known. It was made in the eighth inning because I didn't feel like waiting. Just say, oops, you know?

That's all right. We don't need to be all about accuracy on the WIP live stream. It did get me thinking, though, about how I do think Schwerber, is Schwerber going to be the only member of the 16 Cubs that's going to make the Hall of Fame? Think about that team. At that time, Rizzo. Do you think Chapman gets in? I don't.

I don't. I don't. Lester's the only one that I really think has a chance to get in besides Schwerber. Like, Rizzo will fall short. Wolf Contreras will fall short for as much as I need Wilson Contreras. he's will fall short. Chris Bryant should be, but he's played 170 games in his last four years. A total, total bummer.

Are you glad we got Shorebur instead of Bryant? Yeah, believe it or not. Who could forget Bryant, after Harper lent? You never do a sequel. Never do a sequel. Never as good as the original. That's why there's, it will never be another ovation. Jason Hayward, no, no.

Jake Arrieta, obviously. obviously not. Chapman's a good one. Chapman's definitely a good one. I don't think he would get in, just first reaction to you saying that. But I think that Schwabber might be the only, and like his Cubs career will be a

factor, but he's not going to make the Hall of Fame off of being a Cub. Like he'll have a title because of a Cub, but he got DFA'd as a Cub. So, you know, him and Wheeler, both coming here and possibly turning into Hall of Famers is

is pretty dang good, pretty dang good as he climbs the charts. But a couple things. So first and foremost, Harper did hit lead off today. And according to Don Mattingly, he volunteered the idea. And I don't know. Tucker could bullying have worked yet again with Bryce, the online and call in podcast. Gaster saying, hey, you should probably

bet leadoff, if not second. Did it finally work or tomorrow? Is he going to be right back to hitting third? I think he's probably back at third tomorrow. If Tray Turner's in the lineup, Rice Harper's hitting third because Tray Turner likes sitting leadoff

and Price Harper likes hitting third, so everyone's happy when that's the case. But it was interesting. I actually didn't look at the lineup before the game started and I saw him up and I thought I must have missed the first out. I must have have must have just missed the first out because there's no way that he would be batting lead off. But I mean, at this point, like, it makes sense.

He's probably the best profile. He takes a lot of pitches. He walks a ton. If you're not going to put Schwerber there and, you know, keep Schrober behind him, it makes sense. And he gets that protection that I think he's desperately needed. Yeah. And he is also going through a, I think after tonight is now a four for 28 slump. You know, he did walk twice.

his walk has the walk rate's been fine even though he's been slumping um how many walks we're supposed to get this year 190 but between 130 and 140 is what he was saying that he wanted to get that 81 so walk watch is on oh man this is exciting this is big stuff um yeah so he will 100% be betting third tomorrow of tray's back in the lineup i like the idea that he volunteered to bet first because you know Don or Rob Thompson before him would not just put him at first. He would need it. He would need the go ahead to say, it's okay. You can bat me first.

I will do it. So it was appreciated that he did it. We'd like to see more of it. I mean, to start a lineup, if you can go Harper, Schwarber, Turner, Marsh, I'll take it. Now, it splits it up a little bit. I know Turner hasn't been great, but at least from a standpoint of, splitting it up and not having three straight lefties and Turner does that are pretty good OPS against lefties this year.

Who cares? I feel like I'm wasting breath even talking about it, Tucker, because there's a zero percent chance that he is going to be batting lead off tomorrow. No thanks. If Trey Turner, if Trey Turner is in the lineup. But for one night, for one night,

it was good to see, it was good to see Bryce say, hey, I'll do it. And maybe, just maybe, this will make him think about, I'll play right field for a year and a half.

just so you can go get Wilson and Jerez. Yeah, I feel like good guy Bryce needs to make a comeback. I've been thinking about a lot this year. Like, he really hasn't been in the spotlight a whole lot. Like, it might still be his team, but, you know, Schwerberg gets a lot more headlines. Wheeler's gotten a lot more headlines. Sanchez has been, you know, arguably their best player this year.

And, you know, Bryce Harpre has to go out and sell these septicletes that he just released yesterday. So that means getting, you know, more at bats by batting at the top of the lineup. So be it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Philadelphia's own. the southeastern Pennsylvania

I don't know how it ends whatever Transit Association Transit Association if I had to guess whenever you think of Philly I just think of how much we just walk around talking about how much we love it how much everyone talks about how much they love SEPTA

and man if there was one thing that serves honoring in this this great area it's SEPTA oh man like the fans are chatting the fans are chatting septa septa what do you think it's

what do you think sells better his metz cleats or his septic cleats I don't know man well I'm not gonna make that joke I'm not gonna make the joke but the sept thing I didn't even know what it was I saw the I saw the cleats and I'm like

yeah they're cool whatever like I don't I'm like oh it's cool they're like blue and orange like that's weird and then I saw it's for septa and I just said why for what not the not decepta

but it seems the best one's they post he posted a photograph of himself sitting on top of a septa bus wearing the cleats which is obviously photoshopped he's never gone out of his way to go sit on top of a bus but I appreciate the commitment to the bit

like I guess there's only so many years that you can pander with a fanatic before you have to go out around the city I don't think he's ever seen a septa bus if I'm being completely honest with you. He's driving from Haddonfield to the ballpark and back. He's not going through any septa hotspots. Maybe right outside the ballpark.

But I don't know, man. He's a good marketer. The last two years between the rivalry pack and septic leads. I don't know, Jim. I don't know if this is landing, I don't know if this is landing the way that we thought of it was in a lot. land. So either way, the guy did bad lead off tonight,

and we much appreciate that. We'll see if he's doing it tomorrow. There's a 0% chance he is. My only hope is that maybe this could lead to him being like, hey, I'll go play right field and you can go get Wilson Contrars. That's all that I really, really care about.

A couple other things. Zach Wheeler, still very, very mad about not making the All-Star game, says last night after the game, I and I appreciate it. I love because I think there's I think that pitchers get better

when there's a little bit of a chip and there's nothing like I don't know there's a feeling in sport like watching a pitcher that has a chip on a shoulder. Like I love it because pitching is one thing in all the sports that you dictate the entire game. In a team sport you dictate how that game is going to go. And he

him saying after the game that I hope the vote basically saying I hope the voters saw that like that was for them I appreciate it I really do and him saying to Busteroni before the game that I'll pitch on two days rest I don't care I just want to make the team it's pretty intense I'll say that but man I don't think I've seen an athlete be so mad about a snub than 2026, Zach Wheeler. It's crazy. And be so right about it, right?

Like, you see guys or say, like, I'm deserving or, you know, it might come off a little selfish. But, I mean, he deserves it, right? And I think his attitude about it is kind of such an old school, like, an endearing way where he's based to say, like, I do deserve it. I am the best. I don't care. I'll pitch on two days for rest. It doesn't matter to me. I'll go out there.

I'll go sit in the bullpen. I'm ready to go. I think it's really cool. I don't think a lot of athletes are going out there saying that or doing that. So when Tobias Harris screamed at a empty Wells Fargo Center at the time, COVID crowd, that he's an all-star. It didn't hit the same as when Zach Wheeler was making his campaign in 2026. No, it didn't.

And Tobias yelling, have fun in the play in this year, as him and the Pistons beat a week six or team at any of the year. Yeah, that didn't do much for me. me either. Really? That's interesting. Yeah. So, it almost feels like Major League Baseball should, well, you know, Tucker, to be completely honest and

be a smidge, selfish for a second, I kind of hope he doesn't make the All-Star team. Because I think that he would go on a revenge tour, second half of the season. Just a crazy, crazy pace in the second half. And ultimately, I care

more about winning the World Series than Zach Guller making the All-Star team. I think he deserves I wanted to be an all-star, but it could be the best thing for the team if he does not make the all-star team, which is-strazing's numbers are better than 20-24 when he was second and Sal Young voting. Like ERA's lower, K-P-9's identical, his FIPP is almost identical, his whip is like a half a point lower. It's insane. Yeah, man, I was just breaking down the FIPP this morning. It's like, oh, so much FIP, more FIP. Anything I can get to get more FIP in my life, I'll take. And what makes even more impressive to me is, again,

I thought some of those home runs tonight were nonsense. Like clearly the ball being a little bit juiced, being that ballpark, the weather heating up. Like from Utah's home run? Like, hold on, that was kind of a shot. That was kind of a shot. It's a shame that no one's going to wake up tomorrow thinking about the JT home run because it was kind of in a big spot.

He's got like three in the last couple weeks. You see it? It's big stuff. It's big stuff. but I mean like the South Stewart one down the line I didn't appreciate that one but it makes what Zach Lewis did last night that that much more impressive is striking out 14 with a clearly clearly juiced baseball and I'm still pro juiced baseball because I do think we need more offense in the game I there are some Mickey Mouse stuff in 19 that I didn't like at all I haven't

noticed much Mickey Mouse tonight was a smidge Mickey Mouse that we need to knock out But yeah, a part of me is like, I'm okay if you don't put Zach Wheel in the All-Star game because I think he'd be pretty dang sick for the rest of the year if he didn't. Yo, it's Jay Uso from WWE. And I'm Jimmy Uso. Chumba Casino and WWE are hyped for the biggest event of the summer. SummerSlam. I know. I can't wait.

There's nothing better to do while we'll wait than playing Chumba Casino. Sign up today and you could win a VIP experience. With Chumba Casino and WWE for SummerSlim. So what are you waiting for? Play Chamba Casino. And enter for your chance to win. Let's Chamba. New purchase necessary.

VGW Group. Void for prohibited by long. CTs and Z is 21 Plus. Sponsored by Chamba Casino. The other newsy thing, Don Madameley officially says that he wants to be the manager next year, which does throw a wrench in this whole thing and certainly makes what he said this entire offseason. Now, I understand why he said it.

Rob Thompson is a friend. work together with the Yankees. He doesn't want to come in and say, I have aspirations to manage again because immediately from day one, all anyone will say is, you know, fire Thompson and get Maddenly in there.

Not with any merit besides he's done Mattingly. And no looking at the previous records with the Dodgers and the Marlin. Just get him in there. He's done Maddenly. He knows what he's doing, knows the game, played the game. Play the game. That's a big part. But,

He, after Dave Uram, the Bulldog last week with the urging of the afternoon show to ask him, hey, what do you think about managing next year? He said, we'll wait and see. There's something along those lines at the end of a one and a half minute rambling answer about nothing. He said, we'll see. And then tonight with, again, Busteroni, he said, I would like to manage the thing next year. And that's noteworthy, especially because Bob Nightingale reported that they are. still have their eyes set on Alex Cora.

And I tell you what, if they go on and run and they make the playoffs and they even win a first round series, I don't know. I think it'd be really, really hard to go look these guys in the mirror and say, hey, we're moving on from Don Maddenly. I think he's done such a good job that I don't know how it'd be received if they moved on from Maddenly at the other day. Yeah, I don't think the team could move on from him, right? It would have to come from him to say, you know, this was a temporary thing, which is

funny because we did this with Rob Thompson. We didn't kind of know about it until after the fact, but, you know, he was planning on retire. And he got the interim manager job, took it all the way to the World Series and said, eh, this is kind of fun. I'll stick around for a while and, you know, stuck around for what, four more years, three and a half more years. So, I don't know, maybe Madingley is kind of in the same boat as Topper was. I mean, with each win and as, you know, they continue to go towards the playoffs. And like you said, if they go deep at the playoffs, it's going to be harder to oust him from that post. but yeah, I think it's kind of interesting because unlike the Rob Thompson situation, they clearly do have a preferred plan A, and it's not Don Mattingly. Like they clearly do prefer Alex Corr. They offered him the job before they even fired Rob Thompson. They're still interested in him, according to Bob Nightingale. So if they're going to keep courting this guy for the next six months, while Don Mattingly leads the hottest team in baseball,

it could lead to like a really awkward, situation in mid-October where you have to decide whether to keep the guy who everyone in the clubhouse probably adores at that point or move on and say, ah, this is the guy we wanted all along. He just wanted to spend the summer of his family. Yeah, by the way, I like the Freudian slip there of Bob Bitengale. Bob Mitengale. Yeah, I think that's pretty good. I think that's pretty good. So on one hand, I'm like, hey, stop leaking that you like Alex Cora so much. take it down a notch. You guys are playing great baseball.

It's just, and it's a manager. I appreciate managers, but we're going a little overboard. And I do like I'll score a lot. And I think he's a potential difference making a manager. On one hand, I can't tell if Dave Dombrovsky is playing 3D chess again. Like he did with Price, where I said, that was a throwaway. He didn't mean it. maybe he did to get him going and maybe by leaking that we still want Alex Cora it's a little

you guys better keep it up like you guys better if you want to keep down maddenly we'll keep down maddenly but you guys better win and you better win at a high clip bad guy Dumbrowski like we might be is villain era I mean maybe you know take it a little page out of the 1980 Philly Phillies, where, you know, really Carpenter, now it's not, it's not the owner, but, you know, really Carpenter saying, hey, we're going to break the team up if you guys don't win the World Series this year or make the World Series this year. Maybe, just maybe, the old dog, Dave Browski has a new trick up his sleeve manipulating the Phillies through press conferences and a bunch of media stuff. I don't know. Just emotional manipulation from Dave

Dumbrowski. It'd be interesting. It'd be like it would be, you know, the first new thing he pulled off in a while. Well, like we mentioned last night, his tenure's kind of heating up a little bit. It's heating up a little bit. He's figuring it out. Well, tonight sucked. It was a brutal loss. Tanner Banks, again, would shrunk. Oh, and we didn't even mention him. I can't believe that we've been 33 minutes on this podcast. And that's just like, where is Seltzer? Just not keeping this thing on on track. Dude, Jose Alvarado is, is just dreadful. I mean, a, a dreadful experience watching him pitch now. How many, Tucker, have you seen, have you seen a lefty miss the inside corner with a fastball more times than an outing than Jose Alvarado did

tonight? Every fastball in, he almost hit the guy. It was crazy. What a dreadful. dreadful experience. I think of his first 20 pitches, 18 were balls, 10 were strikes. You walk three batters and obviously gave up the big hit. I mean, what's weird is like his stuff is still there. His caper nine is still over 12. Like he's still the same guy. He's just far more erratic than he ever was before.

And he was incredibly erratic when he was good. It's just, I don't know what you can do with him. It's not like you can, do you just send him down? like no one would claim them off waivers unless they think they could really, you know, recapture his glory of 2022. But I don't know. I just, you obviously don't have any other lefty options to bring up right now.

But I mean, you're going to go into a game tomorrow with him and Tanner Banks. I don't know if they'll both be available because of how much they pitch today. But your top two lefties on the bullpen have an ERA north of seven. Not ideal. Yeah. Well, and the guy that you kind of were thinking, hey, he's going to come back.

Maybe he works his way into. A leverage spot is Kyle Bacchus, and he's been so bad that he got sent down for Alan Ron Hell today. So, you know, that hasn't worked out. Tim Meza, perfectly fine. He could get outs in the P-Sack. I could confirm that firsthand. Can't get out to the big league level as well. But he's, I think, a third lefty in the bullpen that can be an opener and a fifth, six-inning guy.

I don't think he's a- He's fine for the role he's in. I don't think he's a high- leverage guy. Yeah, but they simply don't have a choice, but they keep rolling Alvarado out there and seeing if they can find anything. Will they? I don't think they will. But, man, that finding a lefty, maybe it's Chapman. If it's not Chapman, they'll find someone else. But getting a real lefty of the deadline is imperative. ERAs over seven from your two, quote unquote, How did Banks have an ERA of 3.06 last year?

He had stones, man. I mean, Tanner Banks had stones. He had confidence. I, the stuff never impressed me at all. And I have no idea. It's one of the most smoking mirrors year. It's like the stoots year of 2011. Remind me a little bit of Brad Hand.

Like, he's just flipping these sliders up there and people are missing them. Bradham, you're not. Brad Hand was atrocious in 22, just atrocious. and his numbers would suggest that he was not, but he was. Man, it's a bit dire. But, you know, Brooks Rally is out there. A.J. Minter. A.J. Minter.

He's got a 0.51 E.R. for the Mets. He's back healthy. We could use them. We got to make a trade with the Mets. Luke Weaver and A.J. Mets are the deadline. Let's get crazy. Let's get crazy. All right. Tucker, I appreciate you joining as always.

I don't think we need any final thoughts because we are 37 minutes. to a post-game show of an 11-5 loss as normal people would do. So that's going to do it for us. We will be back tomorrow reacting to what is hopefully, hopefully, a series win out in Cincinnati for Tucker Bagley for Jack Fritz. This has been the Iowa's podcast presented by Miller Light. We'll talk to you tomorrow.