High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 2: Good Luck Hitting the Phillies' Pen

Episode Date: April 23, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the Phillies bullpen regaining its form recently, including dominant outing from Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez. 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 right, let's talk before we get to the bats. Let's talk about the bullpen because I mentioned it before, but really, we talked about it on the last spot, about how you're starting to see what it can look like at the end of games. Unsurprisingly, in case you missed it, Andrew Bilotti put on the IL with an arm falling off of his body because of overuse. But the bullpen looked flat-out awesome.

Jose Alvarado is actually, everyone's saying it, but, you know, we're Phillies fans, we'll say it, but he actually is the best reliever in baseball right now, legitimately. Soto has been unhittable for his last few outings. You mentioned it last time, even Kimbrell's getting big outs, got big outs last night. Sir Anthony looks back. I think of all the things we saw this weekend,

the bullpen was the thing where you could be like, yo, buddy, that looked impressive. Yeah, and we said it last podcast, and, you know, James, part of what... So I love everything about doing this podcast. It's, again, my favorite thing in the world. Me too. But the part of this podcast that

makes me the most nervous because like again i watch the phillies for multiple reasons one it's my favorite thing on earth two like i need two is that i need my takes to be right like i just need what i say to be because it's just like a crush dude like when people start getting all worked up in my i know it's just it's just like relax anyway um don't say how many times i can tell you for years not to read them and you'll never not read them but god yeah but like most of the time they're good it's just like everyone's like you said anyway um it's a good impression i feel like that is perfect a person every mean twitter person yeah you said anyway um, but, but, but, but.

What made me nervous is that last podcast, we went so hard. Oh, yeah. Good morning, good afternoon, good night. Good luck coming back against Soto, Alvarado, Sir Anthony Kimbrell, and even the Kimbrell's a little bit shaky, but whatever. Not anymore, baby. He's a Phil. Craig Kimbrell's really great. What words I um about a bullpen pitcher you know yeah oh yeah bullpen pitchers come here to be great that's what happens i just want to know

the lat like dude i they were up seven three in the seventh or eighth today and i was just like i i was i wasn't even stressing like there was so little i went and i i missed it i missed the batter i don't miss batters i went to go and like hang out i had to grab something for jill I wasn't even stressing. Like, there was so little. I missed the batter. I don't miss batters. I went to go and, like, hang out. I had to grab something for Jill. And I was like, I'm not even worried. I know when I get back, there's going to be an out.

Like, I know it's not going to be a disaster. Look at you. Because what those, like, again, good luck coming back against those guys. Like, just good luck coming back against those guys. Like, just good luck. Between Soto having 98 in his back pocket with that wipeout slider, yes, we're going to completely ignore the two balls to the wall today. Yeah, you know what happens.

Well, because, listen, Charlie Blackman also got a little, you know, bleeder that ended up being a hit. So that was BS. That was BS. So you should take his head off. Yeah. That's very, very fair way to go about it.

And then, and then like, dude, I mean, sir, Anthony's back. I just like, I was worried at the beginning of the season, but I think they fixed his mechanics.

You know, I know that you live for mechanical pitching talk. It's literally all I want. I mean, we could just do an hour of mechanics talk and leave, and I would be happy with every episode. But as I said, when he gets out of whack, it's when he's opening up way early,

and his stuff just is all over the place. And what he's done his last three outings is keep that back leg or keep the front leg closed, and it is allowing his 98 to be just a freaking bowling ball. Yeah, it's so heavy. It looks so heavy when he's on. You just feel like, how does anyone lift that baseball? It feels impossible.

Correct. And then I think Kimbrel is, at least he's pitching with confidence now. He's looked, the last three or four outings, he's looked, or two or three, whatever it's been, it is eye test-wise, he's looked better. He's looked the last three or four outings. He's lower two or three, whatever it's been like he is. It is. I test wise. He's looked better.

There's no. He's actually generating whiffs. He's not walking the ballpark. He is fastballs up to 96, I believe, the last time. So that's good sign. The slider staying in the zone long enough to be, you know, tunneled. Okay.

Off of a fastball. So whatever. Like Kimbrell is going to call some games. I've just, I feel that way. tunneled okay off of a fastball. So whatever. Kimbrel is going to call some games. I feel that way. But I think at this point, I believe you can trust him. He's going to be good more often than not. And then you get to Jose Alvarado,

who I legitimately believe is going to get Cy Young consideration this year. Wow! Bro! Because, dude, he can come in 7th, 8th. He can come in the 9th. If Edwin Diaz is getting Cy Young consideration last year, I will raise you a guy that can pitch any inning and multiple innings. And that is striking out 55% of his batters right now. He's pitched like over 19.

I think he's got I'm sorry. He's pitched nine innings. He's got 19 strikeouts and zero walks. He's like nine and a third or's got 19 strikeouts and zero walks. He's like nine and a third or something. 19 strikeouts, zero walks. I mean, we don't curse on this. I don't know how to describe it without cursing. That's how ridiculous it is.

Well, now they flashed something on the screen in the ninth that he's thrown 100% strikes on 90% miles an hour pitches, but that can't be true like he's throwing 100 strikes on 90 miles an hour pitches but that can't be true yeah because he can't definitely throw balls so yeah maybe not many though that's the point like very few i think he's lost one guy zero walks he's walked zero walks zero walks unless one today i went like i was in the car so but i don't know i was listening i didn't think about i don't i think he has zero walks he's just the best he's just the he is he is morphed into the best reliever in philly's history like just when it comes to stuff and and in this moment this guy right now he's got to do it all season and stuff but like right now like

just today i would take this dude today against anyone we've ever seen in philly like philly wagner in his heyday like i'm trying to think of like you know man yeah but but even then we talked about last time like it goes it's like last year lidge madsen uh romero for that little bit there i thought was like alvarado wish um billy wagner wasn't quite the same like billy wagner is the only one where you could look at and be like oh like obviously like the only one who throws this hard but i mean like i mean alvarado stuff is insane dude it's insane just think about it this way right like billy wagner threw pretty much just 100 like i know he like had a slider but like alvarado is 100

but it's like it cuts and like it moves yeah all over the place. In, out, yeah. Wagner threw 100 when most guys didn't. Now everyone throws 100. Wagner's 100 was faster than everyone else, but I'm with you. He didn't have the arsenal that Alvarado has. He just didn't. I would put 2014 Stutes in there. I don't think many people would. Of course.

I can't believe we didn't mention him off the top. It's a bad job. It's a bad job it's a bad job bad job but the thing that the bullpen is right now um at least is so these guys are obviously though like those four you feel good about right you feel good about soto alvarado uh kimbrough and and sir anthony and i i feel like we're a mere what two weeks away from that being put on a t-shirt I mean like I feel like I feel like it should be um but you feel good about those guys and then I think Brogdon's continuing to like he is such a confidence pitcher that like he needs some good outings he needs fastball you need like he can't just be cutter change-up guy like he needs that 95 mile an hour fastball, I believe,

to continue to develop into one of the guys that they can fully trust back there. But I think with Brogdon right now, and you talk about important aspects to a team, I think they have their guys for when they have leads. But just as important is guys when they're either tied or down. Yeah, like down 3-2, 3, three, two, three, one, those kinds of games. And what they have to find now, James, in order to get this team back to being like top of the NL is they have to find guys that won't extend leads.

You know what I mean? Where it's like you're down to and keep up in games. Just keep you in games. I think Brogdon is one of those guys like Baladi getting hurt. Like isn't the worst thing from the standpoint of like i think he needed a break and i think that he i agree he was clearly not what we saw last year he's you know he threw a slider like a million give a million feet out of the strike zone the other day so um and then and then the one wild card that we haven't totally factored in yet

which we talked about a little bit but like dude matt strong when he gets put back there well that's what we talked about last time yeah it's such a difference maker they don't have anyone like him there so again we talk about why is it okay i think to think that this team is more back than not back the bullpen's rounded into form i think the lineup's coming i mean they had four home runs today uh there's a couple more balls at a ballpark. Their average is still really, really good. Starting staff's like probably the one thing right now that's a bit up in the air.

But also, like, Wheeler and Nola were good enough to win them ballgames at this point. And it's almost like you have to hope that a month from now, it's like, okay, bang, there's Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola. And you got Ranger coming back. You know, and we are both big Ranger Suarez fanseler and Aaron Nola and you got Ranger coming back you know we are both big Ranger Suarez fans and we think that you know assuming you know he can get healthy and stay healthy I think that's a real bonus for this team and for the rotation