High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: What We're Still Worried About

Episode Date: June 4, 2023

Jack Fritz and James Seltzer discuss the issues still plaguing the Phillies after their wins over the Nationals this weekend. 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

So I'll say this. I'll say this. There's still a lot. Obviously, there's a ton to be concerned about. There's a ton to be concerned about. Ranger, the way he's thrown, the way he's thrown the last two outings is really important. With Wheeler having the setback start.

Now, I could argue that there's a lot of little things that went wrong for him. You know, like some bad defensive plays and whatnot. But at the same time, he wasn't striking anyone out. And that's kind of been the issue with him a lot this year is he's not striking enough people out in some outings. So you don't know what you're getting from Wheeler, which officially is back on the burner here,

is that you don't know what you're getting out of Wheeler. No, you have no idea. And we did the whole thing that last ball you're a 200 million dollar guy go beat the mets man go show up against the mets and nope nope like of course not like why would we expect him to show up in that spot like why why tywon walker again no idea yeah he's just yeah he looks like gay and i know a lot of people talked about it but it did look like the the back or i don't know what's going on but he looks so uncomfortable out there you know so he left the he left the game or a locker room with a wrap around his legs so legs whatever it was he looks super uncomfortable out there so you know that's

great it's good yeah yeah so with those four and then you get to the fifth spot which like i they can't that was what they're that's like a roulette wheel like just spin it and see who pops up well dylan covey can never throw another pitch for this team like that's no doubt about it um but they did improve to two and nine in games started by their 5-starter yesterday so that was a good sign but they have that concern that's still there

lineup, I think JT was a really positive JT weekend he has been just bad in a lot of situations going through one of those JT phases where it's like, like, what are you doing,

man? Like JT goes through this where it's just like, it was the exact same last year. The exact same. It was that Toronto series. Whenever I think it was maybe a little earlier than this was, I don't remember exactly when it was, but it was right around.

I can't remember if it was a little earlier, a little later. I thought it was later. I thought it was like June 15th was the thing I've had in my head. But then I was like, no, it sounds too late. Either way, like, you know, and then he took off, and then he was literally off for the rest of the season.

So, you know, yeah, you hope that this is the weekend where that kind of turns. Yeah, so, and I guess Saturday, I think Ben Davis was talking about it, about how all he heard was JT just taking BP. All he saw was JT working with Kevin Long. So it seems like the early returns are obviously paying off. Cassie Ons is going nuclear.

June Schwarber is obviously, it's the funniest thing in the world. I have no idea why it happens, but whatever. And at this point, and I'm sorry to everyone that doesn't want this to happen, but that's your leadoff hitter. I'm sorry. Yeah, well, now it is. Now it is, yeah. That's your leadoff hitter.

And look, unlike last season at the time when everyone was complaining, he is walking a ton this year as opposed to like he's getting on at a much higher clip than he was when he was doing his struggles last year comparatively. You know what i mean yeah so schwarber is is going to be a lead off hitter although i will say so uh obviously i think stock can do it but someone that i'm that i'm definitely interested in if this keeps up is is marsh yeah i mean i think he can do it i mean he i feel like he works a ton of 3-2 counts. He does. And he's obviously super fast. He rarely, I feel like, gets out early in counts.

He usually is battling. He had like an 11 pitch at bat today. So, again, whoever the chiropractor was that fixed his back, and we don't need to believe it. It's a body part. Yeah, and we've got two references. Yeah, but in the right way, in the right context. Yeah, it's called sk part yeah we've got two two references this is yeah but but in the right way in the right context yeah it's called it's called skirting the line it's exactly right here yes exactly right so

um yeah so like if if shortboard does can go back to being the short we've seen the beginning of the year um i think marsh can get up there and do a job as well. So what's frustrating about the starting staff, because it feels like I just refuse to believe the offense is going to be this bad the rest of the year. Look, Harper still hasn't turned on the power. You know we're going to have stretches where he carries him for two weeks. Schwarber's going to carry him likely for a period here. You're totally right.

They will get guys who lift them up. And look, I don't think Trey Turner is going to suck all year. I don't think he's obviously going to be what people thought, but I don't think he's going to suck all year. So I agree with you. But, you know, let's go. Right. So the thing with the starting staff,

which is hard to believe at the moment, and the lineup is more just like you hope they figure it out rather than like i don't know there's no tangible evidence they will um is is that like the bullpen's been one of the best bullpens in baseball for for a month and a half now you know like at this point brogdon is probably the biggest question mark. Like, you feel pretty good about Vasquez. Jeff Hoffman is such a freaking, like, it's like we did it. This is what smart teams do. We unlocked and unleashed Jeff Hoffman. I mean, it is what it is.

Andrew Vasquez, same kind of thing. Throwing, like, 97% sliders, I feel like. You know, that's the bottom of the bullpen. And then you get to the top. And it's like Saranthi, I think, is really good. Like, it's just the bullpen. And Alvarado's coming back. I mean, they've been doing this without Alvarado.

I mean, their best stretch in terms of bullpen ERAs, but without Alvarado, which is stunning, considering he was the best believer in baseball until he got hurt. Phil's bullpen better without Alvarado? Seems like a big topic. 2-1-5-5-9-2. 94-94. Do you bring

back Alvarado with how well they're pitching right now? Good question. We should check with Middleton and see if it compares to the fourth best era bullpen era for the second half that season or whatever the uh the car let's not let's not bring up bad times let's not let's not revert back into that phase it's not the one to blame right now so yeah no he's not it's no he's not no he's not it is an unfair shot per usual from a wip host you know me that's

what i do take shots that's i'm a shots guy yeah um or is jonathan gannon said pew pew pew pew uh yeah i don't know it just it's they're still but like how did they get five how are they five games under 500 still like how how did you let that happen like how did you as a baseball team let this thing get to where they are right now and having to climb like climb out of this again like that's that's what's so annoying about infuriating annoying isn even... It's infuriating. You didn't have to do it this way. Just go out and be good. Just be good.

You are a good enough team on paper. It's not like we're relying on a bunch of rookies to step up and do their job. You guys have been around forever, man. There's no reason... Friday night was a disaster for a couple of reasons. Obviously, your ace being one of them but also like i mean like rob thompson putting in brogdon instead of sir anthony and

the eighth was also egregious but either way it's like you shouldn't get swept up in new york the new york the mets aren't playing well that must have been a disaster this weekend like you shouldn't be losing the amount of runs scoring position that have. Like what annoys me about where they're at and what is infuriating for you is that like, especially the runners runners in scoring position thing and the playing type thing. It's like most of you, most of you put around baseball forever.

Like most of you have been in like big ish kind of spots. You just weren't them. Y'all were just in them like the vast majority guys literally were just in the biggest of spots why did it why did it not translate into like you don't have to have this a massive amount of pressure on your back all the time to like figure it out i mean like it just it just doesn't it just it doesn't make sense to me you shouldn't you shouldn't have this overwhelming sense of pressure. Last year should have been the exhale. Last year should have been the deep breath.

Okay, we're really good. Let's go freaking play. They're acting like they haven't made the playoffs for 11 years like they had last year. Yeah, well, that's what's infuriating to me. And we talked about it going into the season. And I can't stop thinking about it every time we think about this and look at this team is like the opportunity that was in front of them

and has been. I mean, like the ballpark has been great. Like I have been so impressed considering how bad or marginal to bad this team has been this season with like people keep showing up to the ballpark and go to the games and like you know that's gonna stop if they're terrible you know but they had such an opportunity to really build on this excitement and this belief and it sounded like they were gonna do it they made us look like idiots we're like oh two more wins they they got this like this ethos that like

they're like a team a culture let's go and then they come out and play like crap. And just, there's no urgency. There seems like there's no accountability. Like the whole thing, all the stuff that annoyed us about the Phillies before the run last year was just like on display again. I mean, the fact Jack, that they have what, like four separate four or five or more game losing streaks this season already.

Like, how does that happen? How do you have like two, six game losing streaks this season already? Like, how does that happen? How do you have like two six game losing streaks already? How do you like have the Trey Turner moment that we all were like, Oh, look at that. And then lose like five of seven or seven of nine or whatever the hell it was. Like, how does this keep happening? Like you guys are better than this. Like you're losing to crappy teams out there.

And, and even if you're losing a good teams, like the spots, there's like no momentum. There's no like building on anything. There's no sense of urgency. There's nothing. And I think that's why I get,

I'm, I'm, I'm infuriated and frustrated because it feels like there's been so little to grab onto from a positivity. Like other than Castellanos, like my guy like thank you i love you buddy you're awesome like it's been so little to get excited about you know there's so many questions and so now i'm sitting there all through freaking april and maybe like don't worry

don't worry they're too good to be out and then it's all of a sudden it's like all right you know what like enough like play better you you we don't curse on this pod, but I was about to, I'm like, you blanks, you bleep, whatever. Like play better. Like, cause this is infuriating cause you're way better than this.