High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Just When I Thought I Was Out... They Pull Me Back In

Episode Date: August 17, 2020

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz are back as the guys talk about a series SWEEP over the New York Mets. Finally a happy pod! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. 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

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Just when you're out, they pull you back in, Jack. We were despondent after a horrific series against the Orioles that ended with a lifeless 11-4 loss. And now, a mere three days later, a sweep of the Mets. And if I know my good friend Jack Fritz, you're all the way back in, aren't you, buddy? I just hope that you feel – I hope you feel bad for doubting this team. Because I – well, I have to let you know that I never, ever. You would never. You would never.

You could never. It's not a would, it's a could thing. Like you physically could never. Exactly. So I hope that you feel bad. Hope that you continue to feel bad. Here's what I'll say. I'll get over it.

All right. You gave up on this team just when they were really starting to find it um yeah i mean the nice part about the med series was that you like barely had to use the bullpen and like the bullpen that he did use was the guys who are at least decently competent at their jobs well at least they look decently confident for a couple nights yeah it's all it all needs baby but like man i don't know i'm all the way like i they rake they they they just they straight up rake um and honestly this is the best phillies lineup since 08 like the best phillies lineup since 2008 and so what if they're like the the 2006 phillies or whatever they're just the you

know hit a thousand homers and whatever, and their bullpen was terrible and whatnot. So what? At least the offense is back. At least the offense is good. At least we have a fun offensive team. We have Nolan Wheeler. That's good.

I think Eflin's in that mix. I think Arrieta still leaves a little bit to be desired. Howard's going to come along a little bit. But at least one through, I would say, six now that Bum's up. Like, at least they're a really, really good offensive team. I don't know, man. If they can out-hit teams, if they can just have Nola Wheeler and Eflin, there's a makings of this team kind of stabilizing a little bit. and like there there's a makings of of this team kind of stabilizing a little bit and honestly i think i think the the the oriole series might have been good for them because they seemed like

like bryce after the game friday night or maybe or uh not friday night uh yeah friday night he said basically like we were embarrassed like we were embarrassed after that oriole series and rightfully so and just that brutal honesty i think i think the whole team was kind of embarrassed i think gerardi was embarrassed and i think that they knew that they were better than that and they came out and they showed the mets that they were they were better than that and they they showed glimpses of the team that we were thinking we were getting when we opened the season yeah i think it's a great point and that was you know the word that that kind of came to mind to me at with this weekend was was resilience was coming back after that horrendous series and and not just folding and and and fighting and fighting. And especially, you know, when that first game on Friday night is the one that Hector Neris blows and,

and you come back and win it and you come back in that game already with the JT home run, um, that, you know, it just feels like, like you said, that they, they fought and it feels like they, they kind of found themselves a little bit, hopefully. And look with a thousand playoff teams, you know, in each league, you know, they are really in it. And with a lineup like that and a potential rotation like they have, and obviously we'll get into what we saw from Sainola and all that stuff and Howard and all that. But I'm with you, man.

Like, if nothing else, you know, they don't feel like the best team in baseball or anything like that, but they feel like a team that could be one of eight playoff teams legitimately. And to the opposite, I mean, they really do rake. And that's the thing. It's like, and yes, Harper and Romita are a big part of it. Bryce Harper and his 493 on base percentage what a sexy beast he is I love this guy and obviously JT is a monster right now but I mean

just as a team really I mean the numbers are crazy I think they've struck out less than any other team in baseball they're you know top two or three and and you know a bunch of offensive metrics like woba and stuff like that um they've actually you know the the offense has not been the problem it's been inconsistent at times but i'm with you jack i think you can like for like in this weird season the way it's set up you can can, quote, unquote, compete to a point with this offense. 100%. And it's, what you said there about the striking out, I think, is the most interesting part of this. And I think a lot of this traces back to Joe Dillon

and the work that he's put in. Because that's what made that Nationals team so tough last year was that it never felt like they were going to strike out you know and i understand strikeouts are not the most important thing anymore um you know it's kind of gotten to the point where it's like well strikeout doesn't really matter you know you're not whatever i just think that i think striking out always matters and i think it it leads itself to problems in bigger games if your team has strikeout issues.

Like, sure, in the regular season, striking out might not be a huge deal because it's 162 games and water usually finds its level in the baseball season. But when it comes down to the postseason and it comes down to every pitch mattering and all that, you need guys that are going to put the ball in play. And you need guys that aren't going to just take daddy hacks and just try to always hit the ball at the ballpark. Like you're going to need guys that can grind out at bats

and put the ball in play and put some pressure on the defense. And I think the Phillies have done a really, really good job offensively, especially in the Mets series, of just putting some pressure on the defense and i think the phillies have done a really really good job offensively especially in the met series of just putting some pressure on the defense you know i i don't i don't like the bunning you know i'm not i'm not a big bunt guy but you know what you know what always bothers me with with you know how people talk about bonding and how they talk about the beginning is you know they say well you know by bunting there it's taking away from a chance at a home run it's like yeah i get it but like home run. It's like, yeah, I get it. But, like, here's the thing, and this is what the analytics never, I think,

can account for is the pressure that having base runners on base can do to a pitcher, and it can get into a pitcher's head, and it can just kind of make him think a little bit more, whether it's a fast runner, you know, making fast runner, making him think about guys at first base, like holding him on, and they leave a pitch up and whatnot. Like having traffic on the base pass is always a good thing. That's the one thing, one of the things, I disagree a lot with it,

with what analytic people talk about, is they act like base runners don't matter, and it's like they do. It puts pressure on everyone out there to be perfect so what i saw from them this whole series was they were just doing a really good job of of putting the ball in play and sure sometimes it didn't work out but it just felt like it felt like they were the relentless ones this series and it wasn't the orioles like the series before they kind of put the pressure on the Mets. And yeah, like now that Boehm's here, and I'm sure we'll get to him, but, you know,

the length of this lineup is just so beautiful right now. You know, they needed that one guy behind Didi, or maybe even behind JT, who could consistently drive in runs and it felt like there were one guy short there one guy short in the offense from getting that back-breaking hit like Bryce and JT had been unbelievable but the guys behind him had been a little bit inconsistent and if teams are just going to pitch around those guys you need someone behind them that can drive in those runs and it seems like boom is is ready pretty much right away to step up and be that guy from jump street which is which is awesome and it just makes the lineup that much deeper it should theoretically give bryce and jt even more things to pitch at um and i don't know what i saw what i saw this weekend was really just the makings of what I think could be a really, really good offense to watch for the rest of the year.

Yeah. And now I'm with you. I think, you know, bomb looks super comfortable. That double in was it today's game before the McCutcheon? Yeah, that was today's game. I think they all spun together. But that double, like, that was just a great piece of hitting. I mean, that's the kind of stuff,

and we're going to obviously dive into this guy as well. But that's the kind of stuff we want to see from Reeves, you know, where he just takes a ball where it's supposed to go and doesn't try and pull it or, you know, swing over it or whatever and just takes it somewhere. And it just seems like he's a very confident, smart, intuitive hitter. And, you know, it's like you could see why everyone's like, oh, he's going to be a 300 hitter. He could be a 290 hitter or whatever.

You see it. You know, he feels incredibly comfortable for his age and his experience level in this spot, in these spots. So I've been really impressed with Boehm. We'll get back to the offense in a sec. Quickly, let's get to the pitching from the weekend, and then we'll come back and talk about a few specific guys in the offense because I think Spencer Howard is, you know,

obviously with Boehm coming up, you know, not the only top prospect. But Spencer Howard, two starts, has shown flashes, has looked good, but has also ultimately results have not gone his way. What did you see from Howard, and are you at all concerned, or is this just some early rust? I'm not concerned. I mean, it's his second start in the big leagues. Yeah, and I don't mean long term. I mean, like, for this season, really. uh i'm not i'm not concerned i mean it's his second start of the big leagues um yeah and i

don't mean long term i mean like this season really yeah i think he i think he's learning that it's not going to be just stuff that's going to get you out to this level um and honestly like i've been i've been a little bit disappointed um because i i think this stuff is better than what we've seen i think because like in following him throughout the minor leagues like his stuff is better than what we've seen i think because like in following him throughout the minor leagues like his stuff is his stuff pops more than it's popped so far you know it's it's looked okay you know the fastball's only been 95 he's been up to 97 um and even touching 98 99 and some of the the playoff games he was in down there um and it's been it's been decently located you know he could he he has control but he doesn't have command like i don't think he'll walk many guys but he doesn't have command within the strike zone yet um and he but it has good life to it it's heavy

and i think once he figures out the other pitchers it's gonna be a real plus pitch for him um but i mean right now guys are just teeing off on the fastball because he can't locate his other stuff, and his other stuff is good, not great. I don't like his curveball at all. I mean, it's got to get sharper, and it's got to get tighter because it's just kind of, at this point, it's a get-me-over pitch. It's a you're down 2-0 in a count.

Here, let me break off this Carter ball and surprise you with it and whatnot. I just think that eventually hitters are going to catch up to it. The changeup I've actually been a little disappointed in. You know, I think it's a, I think his changeup has the potential to be a plus pitch for him. And it just doesn't look like it right now. And then the slider, the slider's disgusting. He doesn't throw it enough. I don and then the slider the slider is disgusting he doesn't throw it enough i don't know why i think he's only throwing like six percent of the time and it's definitely a way better pitch than this curveball um it's hard it has late biting action

you know honestly when i watch benzer howard i i can't help but kind of dream on you know three years down the road or three years down the road or two years down the road because I think all this stuff is going to get tighter. It's all going to get better because he's one of those guys that started pitching late in his career. He's a volleyball player in high school, and he almost got cut from his college baseball team.

He kind of is learning how to pitch right now and i think as as as he grows and as he goes along like his stuff's only going to get better it's kind of like it's kind of like what a lot of scouts said about and bead coming out was like he's learning to play basketball minute to minute and that's how i feel about sp Howard. That's a fascinating comp, Jack. That's a really fascinating comp. Well, because, I mean, he's learning how to pitch right now, and he's learning through two starts that you can't just blow guys away with your fastball. These are major league hitters.

They will catch up to anything, especially in today's game where they're figuring out how to barrel up every pitcher. So I just think that right now it's it's not great and it's it's maybe it's because he's first time being up here he had the blister issue i don't really think that matters too much you know i think he'll be out there his next start but you can just see the feel he has for all four of those pitches. And you can just see where it's going. And you can just kind of believe and dream on that. And I think it could be a little bit of a bumpy road for the rest of this year.

But I really think as he continues to grow and continues to get confidence, he's just going to develop into a really, really good pitcher. And I think he's eventually going to be the ace of the staff. For this year, I think he's going to have some trouble. But I think in the offseason, he's going to go and tighten up all his pitches, and he's going to be really good. So not worried right now, or not worried long term. But, yeah, right now I'm just excited to see the growth process.

All right. Saturday, again, NOLA's last three starts against three good teams teams against the Yankees, the Braves and Mets. I believe it's 21 innings, 30 strikeouts, three walks. He has a.86 ERA over those three games. He's been like magnificent is really the word that comes to mind but here's the question i have for you jack is he even better right now in these three games and obviously he needs to extend it throughout the season and and whatever but is he better right now than he was in 2018 that's a tough one um that's definitely a tough one but i i think you could i think you could make that case because of um because of the the change up you know the change up's been a real equalizer for him you know it was a it was a okay pitch back at 18 but now it's developed into a pitch that he can throw pretty much in any count whenever he wants and and have really good good action on him and his his change up is now it's it's moving in the same way

that is that his fastball moves it has a nice little two seam run to it um and which like back in 18 i'm pretty sure it just kind of it kind of just dropped but the change up he's throwing now is kind of it's kind of running and dropping so So, I mean, just from a, just from a tunneling perspective, I mean, if you have the ability to throw a two seam fastball and you throw from the same arm slot and throw this as hard as you try to throw your fastball, and then you come out with a, with a two seam changeup that has the same exact action to it, but it's 10 miles an hour less, like that's just stupid. I mean, that's,

that is, that is ridiculous and he he he's just it i said a lot but it all comes down to that that fastball location if he's locating his fastball i mean he's he's just he's just really really tough to hit because he can just throw it wherever he wants and for right-handed hitters i mean a right-handed hitter facing an aaron nola fastball when it's when it's when he's thrown into the outside corner i mean it's starting three inches off the plate so you have to basically extend your zone to to go out and get that pitch you know and what happened with his fastball last year a lot was he would try to start it out there, but it ended up just, just coming right down the, right down the middle of the plate.

And he was getting crushed. I mean, his fastball was not a good pitch last year. This year it's back to where it was. So, you know, I think, um, I think it's fair to say he's back to, to maybe even better than 18 Nola. Um, but you know, that changeup has been just an absolute game changer for him. It seems like he's gaining confidence in him. And I think that's one of the things that Brian Price has definitely brought to this pitching staff is the emphasis on a good changeup. I mean, we thought it was going to help guys like Velasquez and Pavetta, but as we're seeing it's

it's helping the ace of the staff be even better than he was i mean it's so funny because there's so many people that are like oh i'll see nola's like actually a two three and it's like how about relax let's everyone relax here i mean aaron is still insane and uh yeah it's he's he's definitely back and like all his pitch values on, like, fan graphs are, like, through the roof. I mean, just some ridiculous stuff by Nola. And it's not like he's facing chump teams. I mean, it's Yankees, Mets, and the Braves. The Braves.

All in three straight starts. And he's just mowing them down um and just a just an absolute joy to watch um and honestly the most the most impressive thing I saw from Nola uh the other night was it was like a it was like a one-two count I think one-two or two-two and JT calls for a fastball away but he like literally told him don't throw for a strike so he puts it like two inches off the plate and god doesn't go for it it's a ball out of hand and the next pitch he comes back with a curveball starting in the same spot and just like like pete alonso just completely whiffed at it so like to be able to have that much command of your pitches to where you can

throw a fastball purposely for a ball and then start a curveball at the same spot and have just fall right out of the zone it's just it's like it's like i can't i can't even i can't even talk about it because it makes me so excited it's like how can i how can a guy be so good at this that it's like it I don't know. I love him. I love him. Well, look, the way he's pitched the last three games, that is ace-level pitching.

Like, I don't care what team, whatever. I mean, that's top, top-tier stuff. You know, you need to do that consistently night in, night out, for the most part, to be a true ace, obviously, but that's the type of stuff like he was in 2018 doing night in, night out. I mean, that's an ace in any way you want to slice up an ace. I mean, he has been absolutely, like you said, dominant, confident, command of everything. It's been impressive. All right. Wheeler, before we move on to some offensive related questions I have for you, uh, Wheeler, um, you know, kind of just keeps

plugging along, uh, nice outing again, seven innings to earn whatever, but, um, the strikeouts aren't, haven't really been there. A lot of ground balls, it seems. Is it something at all to be worried about with the no strikeouts, or is this the Zach Wheeler we should kind of be expecting? Yeah, I think this is the guy we should be expecting. Strikeouts aren't everything,

but if you throw 98 and have his stuff, I would like to see a little bit more. See a few more swings and misses, exactly. Yeah, and that's honestly how I feel about Howard, too. Spencer Howard hasn't really had many swings and misses either. He's given up a lot of hard contact, which is a little bit disappointing. But, yeah, I mean, Wheeler's like a 98-mile-an-hour ground ball pitcher.

It doesn't make any sense to me. He's definitely good. He's pitching well. You'll take seven innings two earned every time. I mean, give me seven innings. Are you kidding me? Please. Vincent Velasquez hasn't done seven innings two earned in five years.

I mean, how dare you disrespect the Padres, Doug? How dare you? How dare you disrespect the padre star how dare you how dare you um yeah i mean again today i thought he did a really good job with his fastball um he was behind the uh he was kind of slower to the plate and he's definitely staying behind his his pitches which is always the key when he's rushing to the plate, I mean, that's when he's just going to, like, everything's going to kind of flatten out for him. But, yeah, it's weird because with that stuff, it should be a lot better. It's just, you know, he doesn't get swings and misses. Maybe there's some kind of – because, like, his curve, like,

his fastball's electric, and then everything else is – I guess because he throws his fastball all the time and, and people are kind of hunting for it. Then the, he's kind of getting a lot of early contact on it. So it's not like a bad thing. It's definitely just weird. It's, it's definitely weird. And I, I hope, um, I hope that it doesn't regress and, and regresses to the mean. And, um, you know, he starts getting hit around a little bit

here but yeah i mean listen we've watched a lot of bad pitching and i won't complain about having a guy that throws 98 and goes seven innings and allows two oh my god no we were dude yeah i will i will take it i mean really we want them all to go nine for obvious reasons. But all right, Jack, a lot of guys I want to ask you about offensively speaking quickly with Boehm, though, because we kind of touched on him. feel so confident that he is going to be able to just keep this up. You know, I mean, we've seen a lot of rookies come up and, you know, start off a little hot and then quiet down. And look, baseball is a game of streaks. Everyone's going to get hot and cold and all that. But what makes you so confident in Boehm's ability to be a successful

major league hitter, like right off the jump? Well, I think for me it's it's just it's just he's always putting the barrel on the baseball um you know he's getting a little ground ball heavy right now um you know he had a couple ground balls at the middle that you know double plays and whatnot and that's not great you know eventually he's gonna have to turn and launch on those pitches um but i think eventually that's going to get there. You know, same kind of thing with Howard. I'm kind of looking two or three years down the line.

And it just seems to me, you know, Boehm, they're still working on unleashing some of that power, unlocking some of that power. And right now he's still not really driving the baseball where they need him to be. But other than that, he just barrels it up. He has competitive at-bats. I mean, you saw the at-bat last night, I think, where it was a 7-8 pitch at-bat against someone in the Mets bullpen that was pretty nasty.

And I was like, this is different. You know, this is different. You don't really see many guys come up and their ability to just work a strike zone and have that kind of an at-bat. You know, it's kind of like when Reese came up. You know, Reese was hunting within the zone. He was working his counts and working his walks, but when he got to 3-1, he was able to unload on some pitches

and do some damage. And I think a lot of people, like Alec Boone was the third pick in the draft. I mean, there's some level of pedigree here. It's not like a fifth-round pick and you're worried about it about it maybe not lasting you know what was the third pick in the draft like there there's uh there's a legit legit bat in there and i just his his ability to consistently barrel up the baseball and you saw him go the other way um today down the line it's like this is different i mean it's it's really is a lot like watching what worth was like i mean they might have drafted jason worth literally jason worth the third pick in the draft and if you're getting great are you kidding me yeah if you're getting

his like uh age 29 seasons you know i mean he again he seems like a 280 to 300 hitter with 25 home runs and and one like maybe two years he'll have like 35 plus and just go bonkers but like the bat is just so it's so good and he just consistently makes contact he hates striking out i mean he's just he's just a really really polished hitter and i think the power is going to continue to come but like he is going to be the guy that other teams just hate because he's just he's going to be like rendon was where it felt like rendon was always going to have the back breaking hit and that's why i feel about bone i feel like bone was always going to have that hit that's going to just break another team's back. Like, I think Harper's great.

Obviously, he's the MVP candidate. JT, great. They're both great. But I think eventually Boehm's going to turn into the guy that's like, are you kidding me? We've got to go through Boehm now. And, like, pitchers are going to have such a hard time going through. Now, obviously, this is contingent on JT resigning and this not being a total nightmare.

But, like, pitchers having to go through Harper, Real Muto, and then Boehm is just going to be a pain for these guys. Because that's three really, really high-level outs that you're going to have to get in most first or second innings. So you can just see it i don't know like a lot of people who have been talking about bone over the weekend have said the same thing like he just looks like a baseball player he just looks like like the dude and honestly i couldn't be more in uh after i saw his pre-game eye routine i mean the pre-game eye routine that's something that's the stuff of legends i mean he has to look at the has to look at the flag or find something and do those weird eye things to like stretch his eyes i mean that's that's what elite elite hitters do it was pretty funny it was super weird um all right you mentioned

him in your answer about boom uh reese uh had his biggest hit of the season on saturday that the bases loaded double um still a couple one for threes and one for five you had a nice rbi single where he kind of just went with a pitch and and floated it uh for a single in the center in today's game but um above the mendoza i guess that's something to celebrate. Where are you at with Reese? I I'm good with Reese. I look at you. Good.

I never did. All in. All in. I'm not, I'm not all in. I think people, I think people were a little, little too worked up. I mean, the Homer streak is, is annoying. I mean, it's been forever. Um, he literally hasn't hit a home run since, like, September 17th of last year.

And, you know, don't love that out of our supposed-to-be-run-producing first baseman. But, like, at the same time, work's a good count. I understand people get frustrated with it. It doesn't seem like he's—or it seems like he's just going up there looking for a walk. And it is funny because maybe I i noticed it last night but he he drew a walk and he was like jogging down to first base and it almost seemed like he was like smiling or or sighing like did it again worked another one so maybe he really does just love to walk um but here's the thing it's like his his on-base percentage is over 400,

which is pretty nuts for a guy who's been struggling like he has, and I just think that if he still has the elite eye that he still has, he's eventually going to put the barrel on the baseball. The eye is still there. Where guys like Don Brown and prospects like that fell off is that they just didn't have an eye didn't have an eye, you know, they just start chasing every single pitch up and, and whatnot. Reese at least has a really good eye.

He knows the pitches that he needs to unleash on. He just hasn't done a good job with them. And I know that's frustrating, but I think, I mean, like it's a, it's a 60 game season. So everything's magnified. But I think what I learned from this Mets series is that we just can't do the every single night is, like, we've got to just melt down. Totally. Totally.

Because ultimately it's baseball. Well, and here's the thing. It's that because every game is rightfully amplified because there are less games and every game matters more and all that. I think that and because we obviously didn't have Versola, every game got over amplified. Like it became too much where we were way, way overreacting to far small sample size. And again, a sample size that matters. We're over a quarter way through the season and all that. It matters that they win games.

But I think the night-to-night insane reaction was probably a little over the top, Jack. Yeah. Yeah, which I mean, it's hard not to be when you're in the moment. Yeah, it's hard not to be. And to be the moment. Yeah, it's hard not to be. And to be fair, to be fair, through that period of games, it was a historically bad bullpen. I mean, the bullpen has been every bit as bad as we have talked about it being up until the last couple games.

You know what I mean? Yeah, but I think my takeaway from the bullpen is, like, Girardi did have to figure out who he could go to and where he could go to him and what spots he can bring guys in. And, unfortunately, it takes a little bit to kind of figure that out. I mean, it's going to take you some maybe 10 games at the beginning of the season to kind of figure out who you can trust and who you can use. And, unfortunately, it was very painful i mean it was literally awful watching the phillies was not a fun a fun time but i i i think over the weekend we kind of are starting to see where he wants to use guys let's not get carried away

though because those guys have still struggled i mean tommy hunter just because he had a good outing last uh whatever it was two days ago it doesn doesn't mean I trust him. Adam Morgan's had a couple clean outings. I don't trust him again yet. Like, I'm not there yet. I know what you're saying. I don't think I have to trust him, but I think he started to figure out where he can, like, use guys. Like, it takes a little bit to figure out where he can use guys.

I agree. I think that's fair. I think that's fair. But ultimately, I don't trust the guys to get the outs in any situation. Consistently. Consistently, yeah. But someone's got to get the outs. Well, yeah.

Thanks, Jack. Someone's got to get them. All right. Kingery. Sucks. Sucks. Absolutely sucks. So two hits back-to-back nights not doing it for you at all?

No. They weren't hits. I mean. You mean he's your starting center fielder? Yeah. Yeah. So Quinn, let's hope it's not COVID. Obviously, good for him for reporting it early.

Misses the game because he reports, I think it was a sore throat and earache or something. Hopefully, it's something else because obviously once it's in the clubhouse we know that that can spread quickly as we've seen um so uh regardless um hazley has the risk thing um it's kingery now he's your your center fielder yeah yeah so nothing the two it's not even a sign of progress it's just i mean luck honestly what i what i the only thing i've talked myself into with kingery is he's still coming back from covid and he's not 100 yet and i hope that there's something that can kind of click with him and yeah i mean he's he's gonna play center field for at least a little bit here that i guess quinn can come back whenever as long as he tests negative um so maybe it's not every day but yeah i mean he's gonna be

he's gonna be the center fielder um and honestly dude gene sagora's defense is like really good it's been wild he's a good second baseman he's like a really really good second couple terrific plays where it's like wait what just happened you know gene and i mean dd is such a joy to watch defensively like just joyful to watch i love having dd out there um quickly um a couple more guys i want to get to and uh and we can get to a couple kind of in the same breath because you just mentioned Gene. Gene and McCutcheon it feels like of the guys

who had kind of been struggling more so the Rees Kingery, McCutcheon, Segura like the guys they really were counting on it feels like those two have started to pull out of it a little bit obviously McCutcheon finally gets on the board home run wise with that monster shot today.

Oh, it's beautiful. How are you feeling about those guys? And you were never worried about McCutcheon to begin with, but how are you feeling about Segura and McCutcheon? Yeah, you're right. I mean, it feels like those guys are starting to climb out of it a little bit. And you know what I love? And I think it's important, and I think it's important,

and I think it's something to notice, I guess, going forward when these guys slump, is all of those guys, even Kingery, Hoskins, Kutch, Segura, they've all made a conscious effort to go the other way to kind of get their swings back a little bit. I think Segura's done a really good job going the other way mccutchen same kind of thing hoskins i mean we saw the the basis clearing double on saturday night was a was a rope uh into the right center field gap which i didn't know if he knew how to do anymore i thought he kind of just said only i thought he forgot how it all worked and did he did realize that there's a whole other side of the field.

But, yeah, so Kutch, I feel pretty good about where we're at with Kutch. You know, it seems like he's moving a lot better. Seems like some of that rust is starting to come off. And, yeah, that ball today, he wasn't even close to hitting two weeks ago. Oh, no, for sure. Yeah, not even close to hitting two weeks ago like not oh no for sure yeah not even close and he knew it was gone immediately we knew it was gone immediately i'm with you it's great to see because he is such a uh catalyst for this team when he's rolling at the top of that lineup so i think that could be really big like you said i think the offense really is starting to click a

little bit um all right couple last things for you and then we'll get to your, uh, take bag, David Robertson. Uh, like I can't believe it, but it seems like the Phillies and him seem pretty optimistic that he's going to be able to potentially help this team in September, I would guess. Um, but again, you know, how good could he actually be? Will he actually have Kenny command coming back in, you know, just about 12 months from the Tommy John? Um, how realistic is this in your mind? Um, I mean, it's, it's, it seems pretty realistic. I mean, Franski on the radio broadcast that I said that the coaches were raving about his bullpen. And it seems like, it just kind of seems like he's been super determined to get back because he's, again,

the annoying thing about last year with Robertson was that Robertson had never been hurt before. I know. Same with McCutcheon. That was like neither of those guys ever get hurt, you know? Exactly. So I think he was really, really pushing to get back um and yeah i mean yeah he it could happen the thing is i don't know i think he could physically get back to to get on the mound again i just don't know about the effectiveness you know it takes a it takes a

good amount of time to get the effectiveness back like Like he might be back to throwing 93, 94, whatever. I just don't know about the sharpness of his breaking balls. It would be a nice boost, but I don't think I can fully trust it and be like, all right, Robertson's back day one. He's going to be my setup guy. Like I just, I can't, I don't think I can do that yet. But hey, I mean, you never know. And I think his track record is that he'll be a good pitcher when he's on the mound.

Yeah. Would just be massive for this team. But I can't. At this point, I mean, I'll take what I can get in that bullpen. If David Robertson can contribute, let's roll with it, buddy. What about the animal? I mean, the animal's up to 98. Hey, I was going to bring that up.

It's a great point. I mean, look, if I were the Phillies, I would talk to him too. I mean, if he's throwing 98, like, yeah, buddy, let's go. Look, this team needs all the help they can get, Jack. They need everything they can get. All right, last thing for me, and then we can check your take back and see if there's anything else from the weekend you want to hit on. Matt Wilcox.

I almost said Matt Wilcox. That would have been less good. I'm tired, Jack. I know. Matt Wilcox. I know, but listen. They just swept the Nets. I know.

That's why I'm here. It's time to get back in. I'm here for the IELTS listeners, but I will never lie to the IELTS listeners. I'm tired. I'm gutting it out. I love them, and that's why I'm here. And thank God the Phillies swept, because I'm tired, and I'd be in a bad mood if they didn't. Right. And I am battling a hangover.

I mean, I was battling. What a hero you are. It was a nasty hangover all day i gotta i gotta i gotta watch the phils which is great and this is this is my this is my hangover pod i'm locked in i feel good all right well let's answer matt's question uh you keep you know uh filibustering and not letting me actually ask our listeners question. If you care about the listeners, Matt says dilemma for high, high hopes,

pod nation, which is the better powder blue Jersey purchase Aaron Nola or Alec boom, Jack, I see the floor to you. Uh, it's obviously boom. I mean,

it's, he's playing every night it's 28 it's a beautiful number i'm i'm all in on the powder blue bone and listen you can stick out a little bit always gonna stick out always good to make your presence felt and yeah i'll go with the i'll go with the bone jersey i mean sure the nola one feels like more of a lock but you know pictures are boring i've always said that uh aaron noah is absolutely the correct answer i mean come on he's an ace we just talked about it uh i love foam too but noah's here he's our guy nope it's noah it's definitely noah it's i need i mean ultimately you should

down the road try and get both then you have 27 and 28 and you got the little you know numerical combo going but uh it's nola it's nola i i need bones first homer i got this i didn't i need to tweet out bomber so bad i know you're you're probably have it saved in your draft there you go yeah um all right uh what do you got in the take back? I really like Ruben in the booth. Me too. I think he's doing a terrific job. I think he's great. You know, I think he, I think, well, he did have the benefit of the doubt,

or not the benefit of the doubt, but he did have the benefit of being on that Mets team, like, what was it, two years ago? Yeah. So he kind of been around a lot of those guys which is making it's kind of like when romo like his first couple weekends uh doing the nfl games was like transcended because he literally just got done playing in the national football league and he just kind of knew all the plays and and how it all worked and that's how i kind of feel about rube i don't know if he's going to be like a tony romo in the broadcast booth but um like he kind of he just got out i mean he was on the the red sox staff last year

so definitely has some benefits of of being around those teams and being around that mets team and kind of where the thought process was um but just some like really fascinating insights yeah and even though different perspective like he brings a different perspective than the other guys that are in that. Yeah. Well, and he just sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Totally.

Like he just sounds like a real baseball guy. Yeah. And it was just, it was just really refreshing. I mean, he's got to, got to bring up the energy a little bit, but it seemed like he was,

he seemed like he was like locked in and, you know, on the home runs runs he was getting excited and just felt like a real Philly guy. So, yeah, all in on Ruben the Booth. Just some really, really good insights, and I'm excited for the next one. 100% agree. I literally couldn't have said it better myself.

I think it provides a unique insight. Look, he's been a player. He's been a general manager. he's worked in the front office he's uh you know an assistant general manager to pat gillick one of the great general managers in the history of baseball um he has been a first base coach uh he's been on the field level like he has a wealth of knowledge about this game that literally very few people on the planet do. And I think he's well set up to be good at that job because I think he's very good at conveying that knowledge, stories from his time and experiences from his time into, you know, conversational type of things.

I agree. I think the energy level needs to go up a little bit. I'm sure he's a little nervous. experiences from his time into you know conversational type of things i agree i think the energy level needs to go up a little bit i'm sure he's a little nervous he hasn't done a lot of games and all that stuff too so uh i'm with you jack i think uh he's got a really high ceiling and and he isn't close to it he's he's really good so far i'm excited i mean just so many prospects debuting howard boom amaro it's been it's been great uh uh bohm's defense on the other hand not great not great yeah yeah but if he rakes whatever at least at least he should be able to make like the simple plays he's just never gonna wow you i don't think um so it's it's it's fine but it's definitely not smooth i mean mean, he looks awkward out there.

Yeah, he's just too tall. I mean, he's too tall. But the thing I like the most about him is he has a pretty ridiculous work ethic. And I think he's going to work his way into being good enough. I don't know if he's ever going to be a stud over there, but, yeah, it's definitely a work in progress, as they say. On the other hand, Reese Hoskins is, like, might be good at first base. You know, I thought he was a butcher, you know, last year,

but it seems like he's putting a lot of work at first base, and I've been really impressed you know i would like for him to maybe put in the same kind of work at the offensive side but on the defensive side i mean that throw today was perfect um you know he's he's made some nice scoops over there i'll say he's fine he's better like a cat yeah yeah let's not get carried away there looking like a cat he's been better he's been better than that than he was last year i think he's i think he's solid i think he's fine you know you can get by with him he's not good let's not get carried away he's fine see yeah you guys are getting on you guys are jumping on boards way faster see this is what what do you think about what do you think about

nappy wearing number seven good for him man good for nappy i'm just happy i just i literally was about to say i'm just happy for nappy let's move on jack good i'm glad you're happy for nappy let's move on um i don't know if i have anything else i think that's about it i think that might be it that means i get to go to bed buddy i'm really happy for you i'm really happy to get to go to bed i'm pretty tired man why did the phillies have an off day tomorrow right when they get hot so nice so yeah off day tomorrow then uh some al East action. They got two in Boston, then two in Buffalo in one day. So we have an off day, but we still have seven games this week. And then it's Atlanta in Atlanta this weekend.

So interesting because there's a Phillies team that, you know, Jack, it's kind of crazy that they've only played two road games so far. Was it one road game, actually? One road game so far in New Yorkork so uh we'll see what they do when they travel we'll see how that goes yeah i'm gonna need them to blow the doors off this red sox team like for as much as we talk about the phillies pitching like the red sox pitching stuff might be the worst thing ever assembled franski today and he said that uh the red sox starter tonight mazara or whatever his name is,

was their 11th guy they've started in 22 games. That's nuts. That's nuts. So for as bad as things are here, it could be worse. Yeah, so let's take them down. Yeah, just an absolute beatdown. Yeah, we need it. We'll be back to talk to you about it later in the week.

And any final thoughts, Fritzy? No. But we are over 700 reviews, so I appreciate it. And we're on the march to 1,000. I don't know what I'm going to do when we get to 1,000. Oh, we'll come up with something good. I'm going to cry tears of joy. If you told me we're going to get a thousand ratings when we started this

podcast, like I would have said you were crazy. So, um, it's been a, it's been a joy ride. Uh, I hope everyone enjoyed the sweep and James,

you may finally go to bed. It's only 10 15. So it's a little early and I'm disappointed in how tired you are. If you could please suck it up a little bit, but James, you can go to bed now. I had a long weekend all right um we love you high hopes nation um stay safe stay healthy we'll be back later this week he's for it's himself