High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - HIgh Hopes Chapter 2: Can the Phillies Fix Their Rotation?

Episode Date: May 21, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz discuss Ranger Suarez's struggles since returning and what it would take to bring in another starting pitcher. 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

I want to hear your thoughts on Ranger and his outing on Friday because it was frustrating, but also he's working his way back. But I think the thing that really stood out there is the lack of command from Ranger, where that's obviously his hallmark, and I don't know if that's just working his way back in. But what did you think of Ranger's outing on Friday that obviously turned into a disaster game once?

Shout out, Slider guy. Tough outing for our guy Slider Guy. Didn't watch it. Don't know what happened. He's still great. He had a strikeout where it was a couple, like six sliders. I was like, ooh, Slider Guy! Then it was off a cliff

from there. He was nervous. In watching Rangeranger it's almost like i i know the command thing is there clearly not like where it should be but i i wonder if the new plan for teams against ranger is make him get into the strike zone like if it's a ball out of hand, don't even swing at it. Because then watching the Cubs at bats and watching how they were attacking them, it was like anything that was close or around the corners

didn't even swing at. It didn't even look like they were attempting to swing at. And it looked to me like they were waiting, forcing him to get in the zone. And if he gets in the zone, then you were able to hit him. Whereas what makes Ranger good is obviously he has good command, both sides of the plate, whatever. But he also gets guys to chase on the changeup.

He gets guys to chase outside the zone on his sinker. The curveball's not there yet. But what they're doing this year to him is either trying to get him up, you know, cause he's a guy that tries to live with the knees and saying, okay, if it's down, we're not even taking a swing at it because it's not worth it for us. Um,

and, and now they're trying to force him to get in the zone. Um, and then when he's in the zone, he's up, obviously his sinker is not going to be as good because it's going to flatten out his changeup's not going to be as good because it flattens out um so i don't really know how you like combat it other than um you make

quick worker guys and they have to expand the zone or he has to get corners um but that looks to me like the new the new plan of attack against Rangers Suarez. And frankly, I think it's pretty smart. Force him in the zone. Don't chase. If it's down, let it go. And bring him up into the strike zone because when his stuff is up, everything flattens out and they can take advantage of it.

Yeah. All right. Well, hopefully it can. I mean, look, that can be combated by pinpoint control and that can be combated by throwing pitches that they think is going to be out of the strike zone and is on the edges of the strike zone or whatever, you know. So, you know, we'll see. But, you know, hopefully it's not a cheat code against.

Yeah, I picked him up in like every fantasy league and use the waiver claim on him. So hopefully not either. Yeah. All right. That's the reason you're right. By the way, your boy, your boy bet the Phil's minus one and a half today. So, yeah, sweet. Thanks for that, Homer Craig Kimball. All right. What else you got to take back?

So they claimed Dylan Covey off waivers? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel?

How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel?

How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel?

How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel?

How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you feel? How's that make you start the game on Tuesday take the over

whatever it is take the over but hold it it's not great because then we got Zach Gallen on Wednesday so you know aware well aware so the rotation concerns are a real thing you know especially with the

fifth spot essentially being up in the air the funny part about the rotation problems right now is that i think i think wheeler and nola are on their way back to being good and then yeah potentially very good so that's obviously very important but when you don't know what you're getting out of tyler walker when you don't know what you're getting out of ranger suarez and dylan covey is currently your fifth starter. Certainly not a good spot to be in. Believe me, I know how hard it is to make a trade right now. I like that Dombrowski the other day said that they're exploring it and teams seem like they're open to doing it.

Dylan Covey can't be the answer. There needs to be something. I've been a proponent of trading for Lance Lynn, even though he's currently ruining my fantasy team. I know I have too. Just like with the chance that you can figure him out, he's on an expiring contract. They're already 14 games under 500.

I don't know what his value is going to even be in the deadline. You give up whatever to go get him now and just see if you can can work on his arsenal and whatnot and he gets back to being one of the best pitchers in baseball so whatever outside of that like i know that the the bigger name guys you're just gonna wait till the deadline because there's no point to trade him now so whatever um to me the best path going forward is Griff McGarry. He's in double A right now. He pitched two and two thirds the other day and struck out five, which was enticing. But I want Griff just from the standpoint of,

I think he can open a game, and I think he can give you a solid three, four, and then you can hand over the bullpen rather than whatever the plan is now with giving, you know, Dylan Covey a shot or Chris Sanchez or bringing Bailey back up. Like at least with Griff, you bring them up and there's the upside that as he gets rolling,

he can, he can turn into something. And I just think that like, this has the best stuff of those guys without a doubt is the point, you know? Yeah. And he told him, Hey Griff, like give us three innings of your max stuff and then we'll figure it out from there and then we'll work on me or whatever yeah for sure yeah i mean he's coming back from from an injury right now which obviously stinks um but like he shouldn't be a

double a that long um his he he could get big league hitters out right now. He's 24, 25 at this point. Mick Abel, I understand not bringing up. He's 21. He's still walking a lot of people. Fastball Command isn't there yet. With Griffin McGarry, just bring him up and see how it goes. It might be that spark. You're starting Dylan Covey.

Yeah. And this team needs a spark somewhere, you know, like you can't fire the manager this year. You can't fire them, you know, like, or should you,

despite it, you know, he's been frustrating at times, but nor should you. So they need something to kind of jumpstart. We're not going to talk about that series anymore, but how do you not judge? But Josh Harrison in that game,

he came back and then ended up like, how do you not like, what are you doing? What are you came back and then in a blue like how do you not like what are you doing what are you doing in that spot all right all right anyway well and then to make matters worse gabe capler had uh joey bart who no way he should be able to bunt get a bunt down and then how about the fact that there's three and twelve against capler since he's left like there's three and twelve against capler uh i mean whatever um all right um back to to the point you're making i i'm right there with you They're 3-12 against Kapler. I mean, whatever. All right. Back to the point you were making.

I'm right there with you. I actually think I'm happy they're looking. And we've said for a while, we both said, make the trade now. Kind of no matter what happens, you hope Painter is able to contribute at some point. But you don't have a fifth starter that you can count on in any way shape or form like if you're saying like let's hope the 19 year old who has had some elbow issues this this early season comes back in july and saves the season like that's a horrible strategy like that's like icing on the cake hope like they're gonna have to go get someone like they don't and and we gotta hope ranger is better we gotta hope taiwan's better like all that stuff and obviously nolan wheeler are back to where we hope they are.

We have to hope for all that stuff. It's all hope in a lot of ways there. But you can't leave this fifth starter thing the way it is that much longer. You just can't. And the trade deadline is still two months away, over two months away. Like you can't do that. You can't do that. You can fall too far.

And look, I know, they are lucking out because the NL is pretty kind of clumped up there outside of, you know, of course, the freaking Braves and the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, actually, and the Diamondbacks, you know, not that many games above. But, you know, everyone's kind of the same, everyone other than some bad teams. So, you know, a lot of the teams in front of the Phillies

aren't teams you worry about long-term, like the Pirates, the Marlins, whatever, but you never know. But the point is you can't just keep losing games. You can't keep giving away games when, if you're ultimately in for this season and you're going to trade for a pitcher at the deadline anyway, like, you know what, I'm okay overpaying a little bit to get that extra two months of starts from that picture, you know? So there's, you know,

I think this team really has to consider being aggressive here with this spot because I'm right there with you. Cause I think, you know so there's you know i think this team really has to to consider being aggressive here with this spot because i'm right there with you because i think you know we think the offense will get better and and you know like yes it's not ideal that that you know reese hoskins isn't coming back but you know derrick hall could come back who knows there's other opportunities potentially there where some guys can step up and they have enough talent offensively and and i think you know even though there have been hiccups, I think both of us, as we've talked about many times, feel good,

especially with strong back there about the bullpen over the span of the season and moving forward, it really comes down to that spot. Like that's, that's the spot. That's the biggest Achilles heel on this team is the, the three, four,

five starters on this team. And two of them, you just got to hope they get better. And once you'll come back from injury, and we'll see. But that fifth spot ain't going to get better. Not in any time in the near future. And you can't afford to ride with Dylan Covey or Christopher Sanchez. Or even, look, give Griff a shot.

But Griff probably can't be the long-term solution there either. So, you know, I'm right there with you. I think like the, I think they really need to make a trade. And the, the, the struggle of this all is that maybe teams don't want to do it right now. And that's like a,

a very fair is a problem. Yeah. Yeah. So you'd have to meet what they want or give up a little bit more. And I'd be curious to see if they want to do that teams that are willing to trade now have more leverage because of that because you know exactly so go ahead so in

the meantime I give Griff a shot to see how it goes I appreciate that yeah no problem at all nice of you to give him a shot