High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 2: Where is the Power?

Episode Date: June 4, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz discuss the Phillies' offense and the lack of home runs coming from the lineup. 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

Well, and I thought actually, you know, obviously at the two homers today, I thought the most interesting Schwarber moment of the whole weekend was the single to start off the first game, the Friday night game, because he gets a single and he goes to first base and he like puts his hands up in the air. Like he's like, thank God. Like and it was like, you know, it I think it showed how much I've been weighing on him. Like the stats about like 10 hits in May or whatever. And I think he had two singles.

Yeah. Yeah. And a double or something. And then the rest were homers. I get to get disaster. Like, so I think I think it showed that it was weighing on him, too. And, you know, he had a couple hits that night. And then obviously today gets the power going.

So, you know, I think that of all the things that happens, we can obviously outside of, you know, Drew Ellis, you know, if you're saving the Ellis name outside of, you know, Drew Ellis, you know, Drew Ellis saving the Ellis name outside of remembering where I was when Drew Ellis's hall of fame career began. You know, Schwarber to me is the thing that I'm, I think is most important right now, especially for a team like we just talked about where Harper's been really good, but still only three home runs has not had a lot of power since he's been back, you know, well, like, and this team just doesn't have power is kind of where I'm going and,

and at all, like shockingly and, you know, Schwar back, you know? Well, like, and this team just doesn't have power is kind of where I'm going at all, like shockingly. And, you know, Schwarber, you know, kind of carrying them to that perspective is even more important. Well, the most interesting part about them is that, like, if you look, if you just look at the whole numbers, right, and you look at the offense top to bottom,

and it was like, okay, Schwarber, you can see 161 and it's like that's bad we know that's bad uh but it starts for all numbers good uh bryce's raw numbers good cassiano's raw numbers good um uh turner obviously bad um you know bohm's raw numbers are mostly fine marsh's raw numbers are definitely good. Like all the, all the kind of, if you just put the lineup on the screen, you're like,

ah, the Phillies offense is pretty good. It's the, it's the runners in scoring position thing that just kills him. I mean, I mean, Bryce, if you look at his numbers,

it's like, ah, he's had a pretty good year since coming back. I believe he's two for 20. He's two for 21 on Friday with Ron in the scoring position. I don't know what he did over the weekend if he added to it. But when you're batting under, there's so many guys when they have a chance

to get the kind of back-breaking hit or get back to a game that aren't coming through, that's what's sinking the offense right now. It's clutch hitting. It's not number of hits. it's clutch hitting it's not it's not broad it's not number of hits it's clutch hitting and home runs i mean like the home run thing is runs and and mistakes you know and like whether it's been base running mistakes or whatever in the past like they've done less of that but they're still playing well i mean guess the honest guy

yeah exactly it's my point they're still playing dumb baseball and they have not hit enough with runners in scoring position to give up outs when they're not, you know, so it's. God, I just I just I need I need this to be the week. I need this. I mean, honestly, honestly, before the last two games, if you had asked me on Friday or Saturday morning or whatever, I would tell you that in the moment right now, this the most disappointing philadelphia sports team that i remember at least since like maybe the dream team or something but even then like like after like i thought they were going to the world series i said it before the season like i thought they were going to win it this year and like right now you know obviously i just want them to to get the 500 just get to the playoffs yeah yeah just get to the playoffs and and look that is the you threw

all this that the biggest saving grace and like it or hate and and look that is the you threw all this that the biggest saving grace and like it or hate it and i know there are a lot of people who don't like it in general but but the third wild card makes a difference even the second wild card like that does keep the phillies you know because look if they if it was like old school baseball you know they'd be out of it by now you know they could their their season could be over if it was just like division winners make it you know they'd be in in a by now. You know, they could, their, their season could be over if it was just like division winners make it, you know, they'd be in, in a lot of trouble right now, trying to climb out of that type of deficit. And, and I, again,

the division is probably unlikely. You never know what can happen, but unlikely just for that reason. And that's frustrating. And to your point, Jack, it's like, they didn't, this didn't have to happen and you almost have to wonder. And again, you know, I don't know, but you almost have to wonder if if you know them doing it last year almost gave them a false sense of security where you know as they're kind of struggling stuff they're like i will figure it out you know we'll be fine instead of being like yo like let's figure it out right now like and i don't know if that's true and i'm just saying psychologically

all that type of stuff you have to at least you have to at least consider it that that that could have been part of the pressing, the struggles or that, or, or the lack of it early on or whatever. I think definitely, I think definitely to begin the season, I believe there is a lot of that of, of we figured it out last year.

We'll be all right. And it is going to be annoying if they do go on, on a similar run. And it's like, hold on. Like, no, please don't,

please don't make us do this every year. Please don't just do better. But I. Please don't. Just do better. But I will say how they've responded, at least through the media and what they've said to reporters and had in articles, they seem genuinely upset with what they've been putting on the field. So if I felt like there was a sense of like, whatever, tomorrow's a new day maybe not anymore my point was maybe you know uh three weeks ago for and two two and a half weeks

ago before like because it's been a while since we've you know they probably should have put a little more urgency on the way they play baseball and and they haven't you know yeah um and you know it the way they've talked the way that they at least played the last two nights and for the most i mean friday was just bad because the starter was bad friday just yeah wheeler got roughed up and again to your point i was especially now since they won the last two if if they had not, maybe look at it differently, it was crushing in the moment to come back and then just give up the run like that and then lose. But now with them winning next two,

it's like if they do go on a run, we'll look back at them fighting back in that game as part of the turnaround. You know what I mean? Even though they didn't win it, which is lame. Sick thing, yeah. Well, again, honestly, if this season continues the way it has they're gonna lose the next two to the tigers so we'll see you know they got a long way to go here well uh uh uh wentz is starting tomorrow

night so there's no way they lose that game i think honestly are you gonna are you gonna go buy tickets and boom just to get the satisfaction? That is hilarious. This poor guy. That is so funny. This guy does great stuff. Beautiful. He has no idea why Philly fans are going to be so hostile tomorrow.

Philly fans need to fly Jalen Hurts in to throw the first pitch. That would be hilarious. Joey Wentz tomorrow with his 728 ERA. Or Foles or something like that. Hilarious. Yeah. Seltzer will be there booing. It's going to be great.

Yeah, well, you know, I probably won't be, but I will be booing him at home. Just win. Like, just beat these freaking teams, man. Like, jeez Louise. Like, I watched some Marlins out there. Like, just beat the crap out of the A's. Like they win the first two by like 30 combined runs or whatever. And then they, you know,

they're down five one today and they battle back and they went again. And it's just like, you know, like take advantage of these teams like that. And the Tigers have not been close to as bad. No one's been as bad. Like we honestly, we, as a, a, a baseball media in general are not talking nearly enough about the a's being the worst team we've ever seen potentially like they're on base for like 33 wins or something like that jack dude they have a like going into today and i guess

they'd be lower now but like the royals had the second lowest run differential at minus 75 like the second worst that's the second worst the royals then the second worst record minus 75 heading into today the minus 75 the a's were minus 199 like what is that are you freaking kidding me like they're all-time horrible but like the tigers are not a good baseball team like beat them up man take advantage like to the point you made before like this has to be a turning point. There has to be one at some point or else this season's not going to happen. Right. And like,

you're playing a very dangerous game if you wait until August to make it turn and look, teams have done it again with the Braves. Like I said, you know, won the world series being under 500 until August two years ago. But you know, it's just your margin forever is way, way smaller. And then on top of that, Jack, I think the biggest worry in relation to that too, is not just starting pitching, like you said, but also the injuries have mounted up.

Like losing Hoskins before the seasons mattered. Like we talked about Derek Hall and coming back, but who knows, you know, that mattered. They get Pasha. He's like, Oh, this is good. He gets her, you know, now Alec Bomer and a hamstring, you know, those things can linger. We know that. So, you knowache. He's like, Oh, this is good. I gets her, you know, now Alec Boehmer and a hamstring, you know, those things can linger. We know that. So,

you know, I think there's, there, there's a very, a much smaller, again, threshold there in terms of margin for error. So that's,

that, that concerns me. That's why I need them to, to really start winning some games with some urgency. And the other thing is that I, I think that this year, and especially with the new scout, the new schedule is that I think that this year, and especially with the new schedule, is that I think it's going to be harder

to have those nine-game win streaks or 10-game win streaks. This team needs that in the worst way right now. Well, with the starter situation they have, it makes it hard to get out in any sort of win streak. So now, with the fifth starter spot being as bad as it is, it makes everyone else in that rotation, you pretty much got to go out and win whatever game that you can now the good part about the bullpen games is that their bullpen is not a disaster so like they can kind of work

their way through it if they want it just sucks so much because it like i'm sure that that rob didn't want to use Sir Anthony on, on Friday because he figured I got to use Sir Anthony on, on Saturday. And it ended up costing you a game. You know, it ended up costing them a game on Friday night. There's a lot of that,

like a, like Strom, like I'm sure they, you know, coming into the season, the way they had wanted to use Matt Strom, it would have been, he'd be pitching in a lot of different spots and games that maybe could have

won Phillies games or, or, you know, close games, kept them close to burn or whatever. But instead he's, you know, being forced to be this Jack ball trade starters,

you know, opener starter guy, all this stuff. Yeah. You're absolutely right. Like it's, it's all cascades, you know?