High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Official Pivetta Demotion Position and the Mets Hate is Back

Episode Date: April 18, 2019

James Seltzer and a dead Jack Fritz are here as #BreakoutPivetta has been put on hold. The guys react to the Mets series and have a lot of general baseball discussion on why pitchers are getting crushed early this season.  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

This episode is brought to you by Mazda. When you drive a Mazda, you'll find out why RSUVs won more 2024 IIHS Top Safety Picks than any other brand as of June 2024. Find out what makes Mazda different at Mazda.ca. Travel better with Air Canada. You can enjoy free beer, wine, and premium snacks in economy class. Now extended to flights within Canada and the U.S. Cheers to taking off this summer. More details at aircanada.com.

This is the High Hopes Podcast. High Hopes. It's a bunch of baseball nerds. Well, without the computers. Talking about the Philadelphia Phillies. On Radio.com and Sports Radio 94 WIP. Oh, it is another edition of the High Ops Podcast. Jack, we've been sent to the bad room for this one. I feel totally out of place right now.

We got bumped for a wrestling podcast. For a wrestling podcast. Yeah, it's like, I mean, come on. Let's talk about a real sport. Literally. Literally. One is a real sport and one is not a sport. Unless they're breaking down grapple moves and college wrestling and Penn State wrestling.

Yeah, that's a sport. Big Ten wrestling. That's a real sport. I'll get bumped for that. I'm guessing they're not. No, they're talking about... Fake sports. Fake sports. Yes.

So, you know, it's just disrespectful. Now I'm all thrown off. Normally we're on the other side. You know, you're on my other side. I got a whole area. I get on my notes. I don't do a computer thing like you. I look better when you're looking at me from my right side.

Oh, big time. I know. This is this roughness. Now I'm looking at you dead in the eyes. I don't know what's going on right now. I don't like it at all. It's really uncomfortable, but... Well, at least you're talking to a dead man today.

Well, I was just about to get there. I was about to say. But it can't get any worse than it was earlier this week for you jack jack i think the high hopes nation needs to know that you are alive you were okay no yeah i'm not alive well here's the thing you're technically alive but on the inside dead dead just pure dead on the inside so i so yesterday, I went to the ballpark. Oh, man. Well, it was, listen. All right.

Can I do a Jack? The funny thing, real quick, is that there is no one listening to this podcast who did not think of you when they heard this. Yeah. Well, I thought of myself, too. I did, too. And then I thought of my Twitter mentions. Like, people literally thought my dog died.

Like, people were texting me like dude are you okay and I was like yeah it's a baseball player like I'm fine but can I just can I just can I just do a Jack Fritz spin real quick

please Roy Halladay got sent down once and look what happened to him he came back and won a Cy Young you're right Brett Myers got sent

down in 08 and he came back and saved the season you forgot about that how about on this team right now someone who got sent down Victor Arano I was gonna say someone who got sent down and came back to saved the season. You forgot about that. How about on this team right now? Someone who got sent down. Victor Arano?

I was going to say someone who got sent down and came back to win a Cy Young. Jake Arrieta, but sure. Arrieta, listen, guys. Arrieta had a career of getting sent up and sent down with Baltimore. Yeah, so guys, listen. This happens to future Cy Young winners all the time. And Nick Pavetta is going to join a long line. Listen, here's where I'm at with Nick Pavetta.

I can move the goalposts as much as you want me to move the goalposts. We know that about you. You are the king. It may be my best trait. I think it is. No matter what, he's going to be a very useful pitcher, whether or not he's a starter or in an Archie Bradley or Ryan Madsen or that kind of role.

He's going to be disgusting in some way, sometime. He will be a valuable pitcher. It's just not right now. He's in AAA, disgusting in some way, sometime. He will be a valuable pitcher. It's just not right now. So he's in AAA, probably not working on a third pitch, and my Twitter mentions are on fire. So are we going to say breakout is on hold? Is that what we're going to say?

What else would we say? I don't know. Breakout is never going to friggin' happen. That's another option. It was never going to happen unless he learned a third pitch. So I went to the ballpark yesterday, and I'm like- Shout out to the one guy who tweeted, I saw Jack Fritz walking around. He looked like he's dead inside. This is where this is going.

So I get there, and the first thing I do is go get food because that's me, and I'm standing in line. Oh, yeah, you got big guy today. Yeah, I got big guy. What up, big guy? How do you react to the big guy? It's not great. Well, like, I was in a salad line, and the guy was enthusiastic. He wasn't, like, being an a-hole about it.

He's like, thanks, big guy. He's like, what do you want, big guy? And I was like, listen, I don't know what I'm going to do with that. I'm not really going to get offended by anything, but I felt like, should I be offended by this? I didn't know how to react. Called you fat. Yeah. Let's be real.

That's what it was. Let's be real. It's not like I'm jacked. I'm just a big guy. I mean, he's calling it like it is, which I appreciate. I like when people call it like it is, but I still didn't appreciate being a big guy. A little offensive. A little offensive.

Anyway, back to your story. So I go to the ballpark yesterday, and I'm standing in line, and the first person I see is Scott Lauber, and he comes over and he makes fun of me for Pavetta. And I'm in line with Jim Jackson. He makes fun of me for Pavetta. So the beat writers are the laughingstock of the press box. I felt like when I was walking to my seat in the press box. It's like a walk of shame.

It was like Cersei in Game of Thrones. It felt like everyone was pointing and laughing. A little shame bell going on. Yeah, Corey Seidman was laughing. It was a tough day for me. So while I'm down and morose about Nikolai, also if he comes back

with Giancarlo, I'm back in. If he goes by Giancarlo Bovetta, we're all the way back in on breakout Bovetta. So I am in the press box and it got to the third inning

and I'm kind of just watching. Honestly, I know more about the game what's happening on tv because i can actually see balls moving and stuff whatever it makes a difference so i hadn't really seen anything with the ballpark yet so i was like you know what i'm gonna go check out the new features of the ballpark so i walked around and uh it felt like a sad walk it really did like it wasn't intended it's the it's the the incredible halt music it's playing and you got the bag over your shoulders like or the char, doo, doo, doo, doo.

Or the Charlie Emanuel walking out of Citizens Night Park with the Wawa bag. That's a good one, too. Yeah, that's what it felt like. They're all images that I am imagining you as right now. I was just like, it wasn't meant to be a sad walk, but it was like, you know, sometimes you got to go on a walk. The truth just came out. Yeah.

It was a sad walk. Yeah. I was like, you know, I was just walking around. Head down. Very sad. I was waiting for around. Head down. Very sad. I was waiting for someone to be like, yo, is that that idiot that said Pavetta was going to break out? I was really waiting for that moment.

But it's okay. It's a minor setback for a major comeback. Tough times don't last. Tough people do. Quick question. Major comeback. Are you talking about Pavetta or you in this case? I feel like we're one and the same at this point.

I do too. I do too. It's like it's the only thing you said this year. You said nothing else, just Pavetta. That's it. I've literally been right about everything else with the Phillies, except for Pavetta. Everything else has been like, oh, yeah,

that's been pretty close to being right. And then Pavetta happens. Do you even know baseball? Knuckle dragger. Jack's handling this well, guys. I put out a statement yesterday. Nick, Nick, Nick. I put out his statement.

Who are you? Nick Pavetta did not talk to reporters, but I felt like I, as Nick Pavetta's PR guy, I was the, so I said, I said, I said it lobs. Like I put out my statement this morning. He's like, all right, well, since we didn't get a confirmation from Pavetta, can we use your video as the official statement from the Pavetta PR campaign? And we'll see if he uses it.

But, yeah, it's been an interesting 24 hours. I think it's a good thing. I'm glad he got sent down. Yeah, let's actually talk about it for real. For real. The thoughts about Pavetta getting sent down's a good thing. I'm glad he got sent down. Let's actually talk about it for real. The thoughts about Pavetta getting sent down on a macro level. It's a good thing. This is going to make or break Nick Pavetta. Because either one goes down...

Like you just said, the tough people thing. He's either tough or he's not. And we'll find out. And if he's sulking down there, and if he's just not going to react in a positive way, then guess what? I don't want him on my team. If you're going to go down there, and you're going to sulk, and you're not going to pitch in a positive way, then guess what? I don't want him on my team. If you're going to go down there, and you're going to sulk, and you're not going to pitch well,

and you're not going to come back with a vengeance, and in some sense, it's a third pitch, because you are embarrassed right now, and if you're just going to take that embarrassment and sit down there and do nothing, then guess what? You're not a winner, and you don't deserve to be on this team.

That's an honest fact. You don't want that kind of guy on this team if he's not going to go down there and come back looking to have revenge for what happened. Real talk from Jack Fritz right there. But that's a fact. I agree with you. Would you want someone on your team?

Absolutely not. There's no way you'd want anyone near your team when you're trying to win seriously that goes down to AAA, sulks, doesn't pitch well, and expects to have a job rather than earning a job. I 100% agree with you. And taking it a step further, I applaud the Phillies for doing it. Yeah, they're not messing around. They're not messing around. They're saying every game matters.

We need to win every game we can. And Nick, sorry, you're just not getting out to the major league level right now. We'll see if they send down Aaron Nola, but... I'm guessing that's not going to happen anytime soon. A little bit longer leash. Just a touch longer for Nick.

The Phillies have been, I think you can tell through their words and their actions and everything so far, they are severely disappointed in Nick Pavetta. It's not a big deal. We said it. I think that's the most critical we've ever heard Gabe Kapler be about anyone on the team ever. Yeah, and because he was completely different than what he was in spring training. Spring training Pavetta was a guy that was going out throwing 99 and like was attacking and had good tempo and was like aggressive and the guy who pitched this year was the exact opposite

it was 94 and like please don't hit this yeah it's a great way to put it it's it was it was like it was it was please don't hit my ball as far as you possibly can. And he was getting teed up on. He just was. It was infuriating to watch. If you had a camera on me here at the station, you would have heard many a curse word and yelling at the television. I got many an angry text, that's for sure. So ultimately, it's a good thing because we're going to figure out who the real Nick Pavetta is.

If he is tough-minded and wants to be better and wants to be great, we can get a really talented pitcher. I mean, the talent is all there for Nick Pavetta to be a really good pitcher in this league. The problem is that he might not be mentally tough enough to get the job done. We'll see what happens when he comes back from AAA. All right, for more on Nick Pavetta, check out the official Nick Pavetta statement on Jack Fritz's Twitter account. Yeah, it's like for the 20,000 views, which I think is hilarious.

Look at you, Whiskey. You make videos and people just watch them. People need it. You've got to see those big guy videos. People, yeah, the big guys. Should I just change my name to Jackie Big Guy? Jackie Big Guy. All right.

Speaking of big guys. Yes. Not really that big, but he's important for us now. Let's talk the other side of this. Yes. Jared Eickhoff looked awesome. And I know, look, a 14 to 10 run lead for most of the time he's important for us now. Let's talk the other side of this. Jared Eikhoff looked awesome. And I know, look, a 14-10 run lead for most of the time he's pitching, but eye test-wise, his stuff was moving.

He looked really good. Where are you at with Eikhoff? Obviously, I think that people are a little overreacting to the ninth inning when he struck out Cano, which I know is great, but it was a blowout. Look, in that game, again, they're human beings. They're not as locked in. They're just not having the same type of at-bats. They're looking to get out of there.

They want the game over. So you can't take everything away from it, but I did think the ball moved. Yeah, no, I thought Ike off was great. And I thought this is exactly what we kind of saw at the end of spring training. It was 91, but it was like a zip on the 91. It wasn't like the 88 to 89 that was kind of soft in there and you knew that he was about to get teed up on um and for the best thing i saw out of eickhoff was he had a pretty close to 20 20 20 all throughout the board so he had 20 fastballs 20 curveballs 20 sliders and in order for him to be a good

major league pitcher he needs to have that kind of rotation that kind of breakdown because if he is just a fastball guy or whatever throws a lot of curve balls like eventually hitters figure it out sure they just do so the fact that he was able to keep guys off throw strikes that way um and had a little bit of zip to his fastball rather than the 88 89 that we had been seeing when he was hurt uh it's big because because the jared eickhoff in 2016 was a guy who was six innings, three runs or less. That's about where he was.

And I did not expect my prediction of Jared Eikhoff saving the season to be for this quickly. Or this quickly, but yes, for sure. But there's no reason to believe that Jared Eikhoff cannot be a good major league starter. I mean, that curve is a plus pitch. It's a legit plus pitch. And for long, when I watched him,

I thought his ceiling could be that of Ross Stripling. And what I saw on Saturday, or was it Tuesday? It was Tuesday. Was what Ross Stripling pretty much is. Yeah, I think it's a really good comp. Yeah, a big curve ball, a fastball that kind of sneaks up on you, and a slider that moves away from you. And Jared Eikhoff did that.

And I think he could be our Ross Stripling. And if Pavetta comes back, the Dodgers rotation is so freaking deep that they can just do whatever they want with it, it feels like. Maybe we have the same kind of thing happening here where you have a 4, 5, 6 really good-ish starters. Yeah, and that'd be huge. And look, you can never have enough starters. We talk about it every

year. You see it. Guys will get hurt. Guys will need rest. Guys will have dead arm periods. It's going to happen. So that's a real positive on Eikhoff. And I think he had 11 swings and misses in 60 pitches. I mean, it looked, again, it was an eye testing and it wasn't the most competitive at bats against him, but eye

test wise, his stuff looked a lot better than it has in a couple years, like you said. And one thing about Eikhoff, too, with this pitching staff that, you know, we've seen a heightened focus, it seems, on control, on not trying to walk guys, trusting stuff. From that perspective, Eikhoff has always been an elite control guy, which is something else you like. Yeah, for sure. So, I'm glad, listen jared eickhoff's a

great guy and when he and i felt bad for him with all the injuries that have happened to him so tough even though it's at the expense of of my son it's uh it's a good thing because eickhoff's a great guy and i always thought he had talent and if he can realize the talent that he has and stay healthy and help this team win that's all i care about like yeah ultimately this is all just about the ph Phillies winning. Yeah. And I think Eikhoff right now, the guy that pitched in that game

is a guy that can go six or seven innings and help this bullpen. And right now they need to help this bullpen. Big time. Especially since they're heading in. Well, I mean, just that, him giving them four innings there was... Massive.

It was everything. I mean, I thought it was... Exactly. I think it was the most important thing that happened in that series was Jared Eikhoff giving you four innings there, considering all the games. There are six games into their 17 straight days.

Such a nerdy statement by you. It is. It's so nerdy, but it was huge. Well, especially after Nola doesn't, what did we say on the Monday podcast? We said, you have to get seven from Nola tonight. He has to give you seven. He gave you four. Yeah, it was bad.

Eikhoff was monster. Well, and especially because they're going into Colorado this weekend, which i mean i i don't trust anyone going to colorado it's a high scoring games baby i just don't like i first i i think the philly's business staff is fine i don't think they're great i think they're fine i don't trust them at all going into into colorado i just don't at this point like maybe arietta i would trust but other than that i just don't you're trying you're trying to outscore them yeah colorado yeah so and you can your lineup is better than the rockies lineup you can outscore them in Colorado. And you can. Your lineup is better than the Rockies lineup.

You can outscore them, but you're going to have to outscore them. For sure. And we'll get to that series. Ike off saved the

series a little bit. If he didn't do that, it just would have thrown everything out of whack. So for him to kind of take the... He played, what,

25 innings the two days before as well, in addition. You had extra innings. 25 innings over two days. And that's almost

three baseball games over two days. And you used a lot of arms. And Robertson's down now. Yep. Remember we talked about it on the Monday pod. We're like, why is he dropping down? And neither... It's so funny because we had so many explanations and neither of us said...

Maybe he's hurt. Yeah. Neither one of us said that. And then I went back and thought about it. It's like sometimes you have to... It's like, duh. Sometimes you change your arm slot because you're not comfortable and you have to find any way to get through it.

And that's clearly what he was doing. Yeah. The other thing that was an embarrassing moment for the podcast on Monday was that we didn't know why the All-Star game was coming in 2026. Yeah. That was, yes. Because it was, was that on Monday or the last one on Thursday? Either way, we're like, oh, it's the anniversary of the 96.

Yeah, that's why they're here. It was really dumb. It was very dumb. It's a 250 year anniversary of the country. Why'd they have it in 96? A little bit bigger deal. Why'd they have it in 96? A little bit bigger deal. Why'd they have it in 76? Exactly, yes.

So, our bad. Hey, all right, we talk baseball here. Don't expect us to know about other things like, you know, the country and whatnot. Yeah. History of America, come on. I pride myself on only knowing baseball. I can tell you about the history of the Phillies, all right? Yeah, absolutely.

Nothing else. But yeah, no, it was a cool ceremony on, what was that? Oh, it was neat. On Tuesday. Tuesday? Tuesday also. Yeah, because we were wrong on Monday. Yes.

All right, so let's get, we were so wrong. Okay, let's get into some more stuff from the Mets series. I'll throw some stuff at you. Let's go game by game first. Nola, we haven't talked since that start. We said give us seven innings. He stunk again. Where are we at?

Man, Nola has been just... Well, here's the thing. I don't totally blame him for the start on Monday because it was super windy. It was like crazy wind. And it was cold. It was cold der. And it was blowing crosswinds. So if he's trying to throw a fastball

way to a righties, it's just getting hung up a little bit because the wind was so fierce that it wasn't spinning as much um so i could see that as being effective why it was happening again he had no fastball command like his fastball command was nowhere to be found so um that was frustrating again and like the numbers numbers against nola just are so much different than we saw last year like right now hitters are slugging 607 off of his four seamseamer. It's crazy. It was 336 last year. Yeah. And off his curveball, they're slugging 522.

Last year, it was 249. Like, that is not good at all. And what I realized, well, not what I realized. What I thought was maybe his release point is higher than it has been. And it's higher on every single one of his pitches. So where he's releasing the ball is higher than where it was last year when he was getting the crazy movement and being able to find...

He has prided himself on being the guy that has the lowest release point amongst starters, and it helps him get the movement, get out in front of it, and spin the ball how he needs to spin the ball. And if his arm angle is up a little bit on each one of those pitches,

it can cause your ball to flatten out a little bit. It just does. That's just pitching. That's just figuring out the kinks. So I'm not scared about Nola. So you think the point being, to boil it down, that it could be just more of a mechanical issue

right now. I think it's all mechanics. I don't think he's hurt. He's throwing just as hard. I think it's just that he has to lower his release point a little bit because it's a pretty, like, on a graph, right, you have where he was last year in 2018. Jackie Numbers coming back out. Where he was in 2018, it's a pretty, like on a graph, right? You have where he was last year, 2018. Jackie numbers coming back out.

Where he was in 2018. It's like this. It's like a, it's like a pretty steep incline. Um, it's like a, maybe a 45 degree incline from on a 90 degree axis. Okay.

Um, so not great. And I think it's, but if it's like the fact that that's a better thing to hear that you think it's a mechanical issue, then you think there could be something wrong with him. Yeah. I don't think that that's, that's it at all that you think it's a mechanical issue than you think there could be something wrong with him yeah i don't think that that's that's it at all i think it's strictly mechanics and he'll be fine i will keep saying he'll be fine until he's until there's some kind of injury that comes out but i'm just i can't i'm not worried about the guy like i'm just not i think the fastball command will come back the guy's always been a command pitcher and i don't think

he forgot how to have fastball command overnight okay um offensively not much to take away you know you wish there were a couple spots where they could have driven in an extra run and taking that game it happens they come back the next night they obviously bring it we talked about the Pavetta Eikhoff part of it the one thing on Friday that was frustrating was like in the extra innings um McCutcheon was up Kingery was on first there was already two outs and Kingery should have been stealing there. And he would have been on second. And then McCutcheon doubled. And if he did get out, McCutcheon could have let off the next inning. That is the correct move there.

Yeah. So I was a little frustrated when that happened. I think that was a way to steal a ball game when they didn't have a great all-around game. Although, listen, man, they came back three times in that game against Syndergaard, which I think is impressive. Yes. And it felt like, to go back to how we talked about the 14 inning game and how I felt like they were going to win

and you said it felt like a loss, that Mets game felt like a loss to me the whole time. At no point during that game did I actually think the Phillies were going to win it and they didn't win it. Yeah. And one more thing on Nola is the pitch that I think is killing him right now.

He did throw more change-ups on Monday, but I think that was a product of the wind and that he couldn't spin his curveball. So I think that was more product of that because it still didn't look great his curveball. Couldn't hit the curveball. So I think that was more product of that because it still didn't look great. The pitch that I think is killing Nola outside the changeup right now is that fastball down and away to righties

and into lefties because he can't locate it right now. And that's a massive pitch for him, obviously. Right, because to lefties, so when he's trying to hit that spot down there right now, since he can't get down there, it's just leaking over the middle of the plate. And when you throw it down and into a lefty and it's leaking over the

middle of the plate that ball gets crushed i mean i wouldn't know and and i love self-deprecating when it comes out there and when you're throwing it to righties it's leaking right back over the middle of the plate for them to absolutely unload on so the fact that he can't get that outside down away fastball to a righty and into lefties. Turning them against both sides. Crushing them. It's absolutely crushing them because I kept watching them and it kept just leaking. These guys were teeing off on it in a way that I'd never seen before. I think it's so weird. This is just a philosophical thing about the whole sport in general.

And the thing that I'm so confused by. Very talented pitchers just look mortal. And like Jack Flaherty's getting destroyed this year. And Jack Flaherty is disgusting. Scherzer looks okay. Chris Sale is getting destroyed. Corey Kluber is cooked. He looks like he's cooked.

Yeah. But it's just, like, all these great pitchers all of a sudden are all bad. Like, Syndergaard got ripped on Monday. Yeah, even DeGrom had a bad outing. DeGrom's had two straight bad outs. I know. It's like, what is happening here? Like, I thought if there was anyone who was good to go, it's Jacob DeGrom.

Tyler Glass now is the best pitcher in baseball. So I can't tell what it is. I think they're juicing the baseballs again. My one theory is that they're tightening the seams even harder so the ball's not moving as much, but they look like they're moving the same.

There are guys who are making it look like it's moving. We've discussed Jose Alvarado and that pitch. It was like, I've never seen anything like it. I mean, Blake Training's still getting the ball to move. Right, so maybe it's not that. Yeah. You know what it might honestly be? Guys know how to hit 98 now.

That is a good point, man. People have adjusted to the higher level of fastball velocity on a consistent basis. And you better have a pitch that moves now. Because fastballs are out. You can't throw fastballs anymore. Fastballs are out. You can't throw fastballs anymore. Fastballs are out. You can't throw them. I mean, you can mix them in.

Like, Neres yesterday was a perfect fastball use. It was perfect. It was perfect. And we talked about this on Monday. We talked about how the bullpen, they're just breaking, balling, and sinkering, and having a ball that moves people to death. Like, they're not throwing four-samers. And then that's what allows you to have success with the fastball

when you're playing off your off-speed stuff and you can use the fastball to mix it in the way Neris did against Broxton. Now, the one thing that I will say is sure the balls are moving as much, but if they're more tightly wound, they're a little slicker. And that's maybe why the control is not

totally there. That's why the NOLA control is not there. I think that it's a mixture of guys can hit 98 now, and even though the ball's moving, they can't get the same grip on it for the location. That might be what it is. It's possible. If I'm being honest, I think that's probably what it is. There is one guy who has not

had an issue with that. Ace Arrieta, Jack! Imagine signing Hugh Darvish over Jake Arrieta. Man, I'm glad I can bring that back. It's been a while, baby. It has. That was like the first two months of last year. It was.

Every podcast would open up with, imagine signing you Darvish over Jake Arrieta. You Darvish, by the way, threw a ball the other day. Hit three guys. Hit all three of them. I know everything I like. It bounced off the batter, off the catcher, off the umpire, and all three guys just go down. It was like a magic bullet or something.

It was amazing. Right, right, right. Jake. So Jake has just been He was awesome. I know we're kind of jumping around here. We're trying to jump around.

Yeah, we're jumping around. Let's talk about the Mets series in general. We don't have to go game by game. Yes, exactly. I mean, look, there's not much to say. They won the series

which was awesome. I do have something I want to say. The blowout game was great. We'll get to the injuries and we'll get to the greatest player in the history of baseball coming up as well. I have one general Mets thought that I would like to just get out there later. Jake. We'll get to the injuries and we'll get to the greatest player in the history of baseball coming up as well.

I have one general Mets thought that I would like to just get out there later. Jake. Jake. So Jake, the ball is just dancing. It is just dancing. And I don't know if you saw my tweet today. I kind of hope you didn't because I want to throw it on you. No, I didn't. I did not see a Jake Arrieta tweet today from you.

He reminds me so much of early 30s Derek Lowe right now. You've said, you've made this comp to me before. I mean, I love the comp. If he could be Derek Lowe, I mean,

Derek Lowe, we should say World Series hero of Derek Lowe. Yeah, but that was 04 Lowe, so that was like still 20s Lowe.

But he was with the Dodgers. Yeah, he was still great with the Dodgers. So I'm looking at, I was looking at, Well, I guess not a hero

in the World Series. No, he was a fine pitcher. So in Derek Lowe's age 33 season, he had a 363 ERA, pitched 34 games, 200-plus innings, and he struck out 5.1 and walked two and a half a game. That's about where Arrieta's numbers are right now. A little bit better on the strikeouts, but slightly.

He's like 5.8 to 6 right now in strikeouts, and the walks are around like 3. They just remind me so much of each other. The ground balls. The nasty sinker that goes down and in. And Arrieta threw a slider a lot more yesterday. But he's also, so Arrieta right now, this is like one of my joys in life, is watching a pitcher age and figuring out how to pitch it.

Me too. I love it. I think it's the coolest thing in baseball. Tom Glavin is one of my favorite examples of it where he just realized, he's like, I can't throw hard anymore. Jamie Moyer, another perfect example of a guy who just totally just used changes of speed and just was able

to be so smart as a pitcher that whether it was 79 to 91, even if that was his verse, 70 to 91, that range, he could just make it work by being such a smart pitcher. Right, and Kershaw's going through the same thing right now. So Kershaw's like 88 to 90 right now, which is crazy. I think Bumgarner's starting to learn a little bit. Like the notion that these guys don't know how to pitch anymore

is not totally true. They just have to learn how to do it again. Like Sabathia had a horrible season like three years ago. And then he figured it out. And he figured it out. Yeah, totally. But when you watch a guy like, I'm worried about a guy like Kluber

because he's not, unless he turns into a hardcore two-seam guy and a change-up away guy and still that sweeping curveball when he can, I don't totally know how he's going to change. You know what I mean? Well, I think it's also better for guys who are natural single-ball type pitchers.

I mean, ground balls never go out of style. Ground balls will never go out of style. I guess Sale's going to have to turn into a slider guy. He's going to have to, man. He's going to have to throw it all the time. Which with his delivery and his arm. I mean, the fact that Chris Sale hasn't had a major arm injury is one of the most crazy, unexpected things in history.

Science miracle. It is. It's all we ever talk to. Oh, he's great, but he'll never last. Yeah. He's lasted a long time already. So it's really cool seeing Arrieta. He had a down year last year.

He was not great last year. And all the underlying stats would show that. But this notion that just because you don't strike out guys anymore doesn't mean you're a good pitcher, I always thought was a little bit crazy. He's generating so much soft contact right now. Weak contact, man. That's been great. Yeah, and he's in the zone longer.

He's not nibbling like he was last year. Last year he wasn't striking anyone out, and he was walking a ton of guys. And guys were crushing his balls that were in the zone. And I was watching some clips of him from his Cy Young year, and it was like, like, Arietta was disgusting. It was like 97, and now he's 93.

I mean, like, we always talk about, like, the best we ever saw, and Pedro in 99 is the best I ever saw, but Jake Arrieta, the second half of that 2015 season, is among, like, the best stretches I've ever seen in my life. Yeah. From a pitcher. It was crazy. Like a.70 or.78 over that stretch or something insane like that.

I know. It was nuts, and he'll never get back there, which is perfectly fine. Because the pitcher right now that is pitching for the Phillies, obviously he's pitching for the Phillies. This is a Phillies podcast. Why would we not talk about Jake Garrianna? Great point, Jack.

You nailed that one. Thank you. That was like your classic, let me fill this in with BS when I'm trying to make my next point. Yes. But the pitcher we're seeing right now is a sinker, hard sinker, and a changeup that both come out of the same arm slot that guys have no idea where the ball is going to go. I mean, a bat to Pete Alonzo yesterday where he swung at a 1-2 changeup that was like a 56-footer.

Unbelievable. It was like a Donovan McNabb pass. He swung at that. And it was like, this guy's back. Yep. And Pete Alonzo's a really good hitter, as we talked about in the last pod. He's got a good eye. Yes.

So I am really, really impressed with Arrieta. I think him pitching like this, I think, is going to give more confidence to the rest of the guys, not even in the rotation, but throughout the whole lineup. Like, the fact that they can say, hey, Arrieta's back, and they're probably whispering to each other in the dugout. Jake's got us tonight. Like, Jake's back.

Jake. Because, I mean, Arrieta, obviously, he's had a short stint of greatness, but Arrieta is a guy that won a Cy Young that had put together one of the best second half in baseball history.

In history, yeah. Right. Literally. And when you have that guy And also a guy who won a World Series, a guy who pitched in the World Series,

made big outs in the World Series. That matters to a younger team without a lot of guys like him. For sure. And I just think it's going to enhance their level of competitiveness.

And I think how the Phillies are going to view this as they're going to be saying to each other, hey, when we get Nola right, I mean, what's the upside of this team? The upside of this team is a World Series caliber team. If you have Arrieta back and Nola being back to Aaron Nola, I mean, the guys are going to be beaming with confidence. So I'm so excited for watching Arrieta start now because he is comfortable.

He's in the zone. And I just think if he can turn in an early 30s Derek Lowe kind of season, then we're getting a very good pitcher. And honestly, $75 million might be a steal. It's a shame that you didn't say you thought Jake was going to be back and you just talked about Pavetta. Didn't say it at all. It's really a shame, man.

I think people would remember that. I should have stuck with that take. Because I did have it. It's a great take. That's why I'm saying it. You said blatantly, Jake Arrieta is back this season. You called it. I was more in on Arrieta than I was at Pavetta for one podcast.

Yep. And then I went away from it. And then you left it. It's a shame. Very sad. But it's okay. It's a good take. It's a good take. It turned out to be a good take. And then he left it. It's very sad. It's a shame. Very sad, but it's okay. It's a good take. It's a good take.

It turned out to be a good take. One of my only ones. Also, his battery mate, JT Real Muto, finally arrived. Locked in, brother. Yes. Locked in. And this is the Real Muto that we have been waiting for. By the way, you're jumping my notes.

See, it says Real Muto locked in on my notes right after someone as best ever, but go ahead. Best ever, wow. In the history of baseball. I'm obviously kidding, but we'll get there. Real um realmuto i can't believe you took that seriously like scott kingery's not the best player in the history of baseball well his ops right now he's pretty pretty up there okay let's we'll get to that one second yes i can't wait realmuto just this is the real muto that we gave up six of sanchez for today yes i saw a video of six hitting 98 today and got a little reminisce and started tearing up

a little bit. But... Skipping to Pedro in 99. But it did help that JT Real Muto carried them against the Mets. Harper had a bat. Harper's in a bit of a funk.

Hoskins in a funk. You know what's great about Harper's funk? Is that he gets on base and scores runs. Always. It's unbelievable. He's been on base

every single game. He scored three runs in the 14 to 3 game like quietly like no one talked about only just three runs no problem i mean like we could have gave 330 million to carlos santana but i'm just kidding do you know carlos santana is batting right now he's like 440 400 he's batting 400 on this carlos santana has been freaking awesome baseball is so weird this season so far. This is a side tangent, but you have guys still batting 400.

You have guys batting 180. You have guys striking on everyone. You have great pitchers who pitch like crap. It's a really unexpected first almost month of the season.

It's so weird to me. We're almost a month into the season here. Tim Anderson, who blows, is batting like 430. Tim Anderson, now the poster child will let the kids play movement.

You know, I'm seeing a lot of people talking about the unwritten rules of having played the game. Yes, we'll get to that because I think you and I are somewhat opposed on that. But we'll get to that. All right. Real Muto, locked in. We both agree. It's awesome to see the other guy who's locked in. And I'm joking around a little bit, but Scottie breakout season, Jack.

Scottie Kingery breakout season. Two homers in the series against the Mets. My man is locked in. Five RBI the other night. Another homer yesterday. Hitting the opposite field. You said on the last podcast when Scottie's taking it to the right center field, you know he's locked in.

Scottie's locked in, Jack. I feel like I don't want to say Scottie's taking it to the right center field. You know he's locked in. Scottie's locked in, Jack. I feel like I don't want to say Scottie breakout season because breakout seasons haven't worked out for me in recent memory. Yeah, don't say it. Don't say it. Great point. Don't say it. The most annoying thing about my Twitter mentions right now is like,

stop jinxing the players. Oh, no. I'm just going to keep giving my opinion. I'm just talking about it. You can unfollow if you want. Jack, here's a little tip. Don't look at the mentions. Yeah, but I like the I'm just going to keep giving my opinion. I'm just talking about it. You can unfollow if you want. Jack, here's a little tip. Don't look at the mentions. Yeah, but I like the mentions.

I know you do. I mean, listen, I grew up in a different era than you. You sure did, buddy. You sure did. So, Kingery, I would just say that Scott Kingery has arrived. Yes, I think that's a good way to put it. He looks very comfortable to play. He's a major league baseball player, finally.

His K rate right now is 12.5%. Wow, is it that low? Was he like mid-20s last year? 26%. 26, yeah. Now, obviously the reason that is is because he's swinging way earlier in counts and not letting him get to 0-2. Oh, like what we talked about? Like, hey, let him actually be the player he is and see a pitch he wants to hit and hit it kind of guy?

What a shocker. And the one thing that was frustrating about watching Kingery last year was that it seemed like he just chased out of the zone all the time. Because he was always behind the count, too. Right, right. So his O-swing percentage right now is 40% last year. It's down to 33% right now. So positive situations there.

Right now, his OPS is... It's like 17-something, right? I got one even better for you. Ooh. It's six points below what Barry Bonds was in the 2004 season. That is from our good buddy, Ryan Spader. Shout out to Ryan Spader

because obviously like Kingery will not finish this season with a 1700 plus. No, you never know. Yeah, you can't be so sure. How is that possible that Barry Bonds had a full season with that? Like that's, I mean, the Barry Bonds, like, it's unbelievable, man.

So Scott Kingery has had two weeks, the best of two weeks is probably his life hitting-wise. Yes. Below what Barry Bonds did for a whole entire season. It's, I'm speechless. Yeah. I'm literally speechless. It's freaking insane. All right, Kingery. Two questions.

One, obviously he's not going to bat 480 or 520 or whatever he is this year. Probably. Probably. Probably. Let's not say that. It is the breakout season. I can tell you that you can't. But what do you...

Break... No, I'm not going to say it. Just stop. Okay. Just check. Nick Buffett is in the minors right now, all right? Can you please... You're talking to a dead man, so it doesn't matter what I say anyway.

All right. two questions. One, do you expect Kingery to keep it up for all intents and purposes and not to bat for you, but keep it up? And two, how much should he be playing? Who should he be playing for? What's the right amount he needs to be in the lineup right now? Well, the Segura injury kind of takes care of itself a little bit. Let's say four to five days, whatever Gabe said.

Let's say Segura's back middle of next week. He's good to go. How are you moving forward with Scott? Well, the problem is that now Cesar's playing better. Cesar's been good. A couple homers in the last week. He's been much better. He had that 11-pitch at-bat yesterday that changed the entire inning, so that was awesome to see. And listen, I want

Kingery to play as much as possible. I think eventually he's obviously going to be our second baseman, but Cesar's helping the team right now. Yeah. Geez, getting a little excited about Cesar Hernandez over here. It's because we're in this studio. It's all messed up

in different spots. I'm a big guy. Real quick, you are a big guy. While we're at it, 34 minutes in, I guarantee you it's been 34 better minutes than the Wrestling Podcast.

Always. I bet my life on that. I think Kingery right now, I would say get him, if you play six games a week, start him at least twice. Yeah, I was even going to go three. And look, it's a tough balance.

You're right. Because Cesar deserves to play. You're not sitting Franco on a consistent basis right now. Yeah, that's a tough take so far. I know, but yay. The man's doing it. Now, we didn't talk about this from the Monday night game. The home run he hit against Syndergaard, that was the swing. No, it was against Mets.

The Mets home run. Yeah, the Tuesday night. That was the swing I've been waiting for from Franco. Every home run he's hit so far this season has been a missed pitch up and in that he just hasn't missed on. That was a pitch that was a way that he waited on and took the deep center field. Yep. If you want me to fully buy in to break out Mike Hill. More of that?

Yeah, I need to see the ball to the opposite way. Just don't say break out Mike Hill. Should I say it, though? Because I want Kingery to play? Should I just tank Mike Hill right now? Oh, no. Should I tank him? No, I want the Phillies to be good.

I want the Phillies to be good. I won't say it. I won't say it. More hitters is better than less hitters, Jack. Okay, I won't say it. I won't say it. Good looking. Stop.

You're really testing our patience here. So, but that was the swing that I. Everyone's like yelling at their iPhone. No. Yeah. Slow motion. Yeah. Slow motion.

Yes. No. Yes. Exactly. But that swing on Tuesday, that's the swing that if you want me to believe in Mike Cal as a long-term piece on this team, that's the swing I need to see more of because that's sustainable. Beating up on bad pitches in that are just missed out over the plate

and high that you can easily crush, that's not really doing much for me. I know they look great and whatever, but I look for sustainability. I look for over long-term success. And him being able to take that ball to center field, that's long-term success for me. So if Mike Kell struggles a little bit, Kingery can slide right in. The fact that Kingery looks this good and is forcing his way into the Phillies lineup is only a good thing.

It's a great thing. It's because if one of those guys starts scuffling, Kingery's ready to go. Which, again, back to the old you-never-have-too-many-pitchers thing, it happens in the lineup, too. Guys will get hurt. Guys will get nicked up. Guys will need days off. And, man, the injuries are starting to pile up a little bit.

And the thing with Kingery, too, is that he really is a versatile guy for you. We've seen how many different positions he can play. He's a great base runner. He's fast. He does a lot of different things. But I just didn't think it was possible for him to possibly be able to physically swing the bat. How do you do that if you're playing all these different positions? It's impossible, Jack.

If he's just moving all over the place, how is he even able to focus at the dish? It's a miracle. It's a miracle, really. The fact that he's miraculously batting.480, playing third base, shortstop, second base, a little bit of outfield, it's just, I'm shocked by this. It makes it that much more impressive, Jack.

That much more impressive. All right, one other thing from the Mets game. We kind of mentioned it, but is Hector Nurse our closer, Jack? I hope not. How is this possible? How many times? I made a call, but I said on this podcast, I never, ever, ever, ever need to see Hector Neris pitch in the ninth inning ever again.

And since then, it's been what? Twice? Two for two. Two for two? So, I'm wrong. Two for two and six? I guess I'm wrong. Well, I don't know if you're wrong.

I don't know if saying you don't. I mean, it's not like they've been like clean or easy like yesterday I literally almost like I'm holding my daughter as I'm watching I'm like fist pumping I'm like ahhh

yeah don't squeeze too hard though no I didn't yeah you can't you can't be doing that she's a big Phillies fan so she wants to watch can't help it

that's good but Hector I thought he actually pitched that was the best I've felt about Hector in a ninth inning he had the unfortunate

little slow roll to Franco that was just unlucky. Especially when you throw splitters like that, that's going to happen. Yeah, and the cool thing about his splitter right now is that... It is splitting like crazy. What else? Is that he doesn't fully know where it's going out of the hand. I know. So it's either cutting a little bit, it's either going straight down,

or it's either going in like a sinker to righties, which is a good thing. If you can have that pitch go three different ways, that's a devastating pitch. Huge, and it makes his fastball way harder to pick up. You saw with Broxson, Broxson, especially in the first fastball, looked lost on that first strike. Really glad it was Key. I'm really glad it was Key on Broxson. Dude, me too.

I said the same thing. It was so funny because we were talking about it on the air today, and DeCamara was like, yeah, I was really worried with the fastball. And I was like, I wasn't. It was Keon Broxson. If someone else were up, I might have been worried. But with Keon Broxson, I was not worried. It was literally anyone else.

Literally. I thank God Brandon Nemo was hurt bad enough that he couldn't pitch it because that was a classic Brandon Nemo comes in, and we hate Brandon Nemo even more than we already did. Yeah. So, yeah, if he wants to be a splitter-only guy that mixes in his fastball, I think that's the best way for Hector Neris to be a competent late-inning guy. And they need Hector Neris.

With Robertson down, they need him immensely at this time. And I know people probably want to ask us about Kimbrell. The only way I'm really going after Kimbrell is if Robertson's done for the year. And even then, I know he's not going to have a one-year deal. He's not taking a one-year deal. No, fine. Two max. As I've said from the beginning, the more we get deeper in, the less I want Craig Kimbrell.

It's just the more I think about it. And your point has stuck with me. The line that you said, when you just think about it rationally and say, they had to bring their starter, Chris Sale, in to close out the World Series. I mean, if that doesn't tell you where they were at with Craig Gimbrell at that moment,

I don't know what else does. Well, I'm not a Red Sox fan. You're not a Red Sox fan. No. I was scared crapless watching Craig Gimbrell in the postseason, so I couldn't imagine

how a Red Sox fan would feel. Well, and it's funny because if you talk to any Red Sox fan, like an Al Morgani or whoever, they will say that they want nothing to do with that guy. They're done. Yeah, and the most hilarious thing is like, people act like if you sign Craig Kimbrell,

it's like, wow, he's going to be disgusting from day one. Super star close. He hasn't been good since 2017 or like 2018. Well, and that's the thing is like 20, it was that he was great in 2017, like otherworldly, but he sucked in 2016 too. He really sucked in 2016. Then he sucked again in 2018.

Which one of those three is the mirage? Probably the one in the middle, right? I mean. Yeah. So, um, so listen, if, if Robertson's so bad, obviously you never want that kind of injury. It's just, especially with a guy that's. You hear elbow soreness that, I mean, nine times out of ten, it's Tommy John.

Yeah, and he's never had a track record of being hurt. That's why they signed him. I mean, the Phillies this offseason, they prioritize guys who are going to post whenever they need them to post. Whoops! And unfortunately, Robert's a guy. And what hurts even more, I know Tommy Hunter's a laughingstock. 60 day now. But he's,

there's no way he's pitching this year. Oh, he's done. Oh, I don't think we're ever seeing Tommy Hunter this year. No. I agree with you. I think he's already pitched his last game in a Phillies uniform. I agree with you. Which for most people, they're happy about. Most people are fine.

I like Debs. I've been fine with Tommy Hunter. So we'll see what happens with Robertson if they make a panic move. It's nerve wracking. Look, Gabe was on with Angelo this week and he said that they fully still expect Robertson to, as Gabe puts it, get big outs for them this summer. He said the postseason, too. And in the postseason was what he said.

But he said, we're going to take it slow with Robertson. So it doesn't seem like they're sure he needs Tommy John or anything like that. It didn't seem like that type of answer, that he could be back. But it also didn't seem like, hey, he'll be back in 10 days type of answer. So I think it's going to be some time, one way or another. And look, if he's got elbow issues, take time. Yeah. If he gets back at all, I'll be happy.

Yeah, don't rush it back. All right. Real quickly, before we look into the Rockies, there was one interesting nugget out there this week. Mike Miner. Mike Miner threw a complete game. Yeah. Three hitter.

Granted against the Angels, who are terrible, but still. Mike Trout's in the lineup. Yeah. So they should win every game, apparently. Yeah, sure. Traitor Mike Trout. Whatever. Traitor Mike Trout. Traitor Trout. Wait, hold on. Benedict Trout. Mike Trout's in the lineup. Yeah. So they should win every game apparently. Yeah, sure. Traitor Mike Trout. Traitor Mike Trout.

Traitor Trout. Wait, hold on. Benedict Trout. Benedict Trout. Look, let's spin it back around. This is great. Even though he never played here so it's a little different than Benedict Trout.

Yeah. Benedict Trout. It is funny though. I just, you know, he did the whole like Ben Simmons sent him the Sixers stuff and he's tweeting out.

It's the kind of thing that I used to get like, so like, yeah, tweet out about my teams, Mike. Yeah. And now it just feels dirty. I'm still out on it. I am too. It just, not endearing anymore, bro. He did the freaking Eagle schedule.

Not endearing anymore. I'm out. Yeah, I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. I'm out.

I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. I'm out. It is amazing, but I am out. Sorry, Mike. Sorry, Benedict. You let me down.

Big time. Broke my heart. Mike Miner, yeah, apparently they're interested in Mike Miner. We talked about Mike Miner last year. The deadline was a potential name that was thrown around, all that. In the offseason as well. Yeah, so they've been long interested in Mike Miner, and it's good to see him pitching well.

I mean, he went through so many injury stuff. Dude, I mean, if you go back and look at Mike Miner's story, it's pretty amazing that he's pitching in the major leagues at all right now. Yeah, I liked Mike Miner a lot when I went back and watched some of the starts from last year. A good slider, good fastball, knows how to pitch, it seems like. And I believe I did utter the sentence that I believe more in him than Andrew Miller this year. Obviously, he's starting, so that kind of hurts. But if you put him in the bullpen, I thought he'd be good.

Yes. And Andrew Miller's another guy who a long track record of being great. Looks bad, again. He's been terrible in that kind of hurts. But if you put him in the bullpen, I thought he'd be good. Yes. And Andrew Miller's another guy who a long track record of being great. Looks bad, again. He's been terrible in Sample so far. Small Sample size with relievers this early. I don't know how much Mike Miner would really cost, though. That's my thing. Well, it depends on the other suitors out there, obviously.

Value is all relative, of course. But I don't think it's going to be cheap, Jack, is my feeling. Well my especially because the starting market right now is just so bad let's put it this way i think they're asking for adonis medina i don't think the phillies should give up adonis medina to get mike minor but i think the rangers it's a package based on adonis medina i think that's the type of deal they're looking for and minor signed all through next season only earning um nine and a half million perfect for a team that doesn't want to go over the luxury tax. Perfect for a team. So I think where the Phillies are right now,

they're about $18 million under the luxury tax. And if they brought in Baumgartner and brought in Mike Miner, they're both still under the luxury tax. Baumgartner's $12 million this year. I think the best pitchers available at the deadline this year, as it sits right now, are going to be Ray, Bumgarner, and Mike Miner, which is crazy, and the Phillies need a lefty. So all lefties.

Which is a good thing for them. It's a good market. They want lefties. And Robbie Ray would cost them most. I think so. Based on age and contracts. Someone's going to really, really overpay for it. I mean, Bumgarner's a free agent at the end of the year,

so that diminishes his value for the Giants. And we're not sure he's that great anymore. He looked better on Saturday, like I said. Baumgartner, someone will pay something for Madison Baumgartner. Someone will convince themselves that guy's going to pitch in the playoffs for me. Yeah, yeah. And hey, I'm cool with it being the Phillies. As we talked about last time,

I would love to see Madison Baumgartner pitching in a playoff game for the Philadelphia Phillies. So let's go. Agreed. It last time, I would love to see Madison Baumgartner pitching in a playoff game for the Philadelphia Phillies. So let's go. Agreed. It's something that I would like to very much see. Can I have one

more thing on the Mets series? Yeah, sure. I freaking loathe Jeff McNeil. Oh, again. You loathe him

more than last time. It's like, they're so classic. Jeff McNeil really is. Here's the thing about Jeff McNeil.

He looks like a rat. Yes. He looks like he shouldn't be a baseball player. He looks like he looks like he's like a homeless person or is. Here's the thing about Jeff McNeil. He looks like a rat. Yes. He looks like he shouldn't be a baseball player. He looks like he's a homeless person or something. He's their new Daniel Murphy, but when Daniel Murphy is actually good rather than when he's

bad for the Mets. Yes. Yeah. Except for the last two seasons. Jeff McNeil's been like 400. Dude, it's crazy. He's been like 480. It's really annoying.

He's impossible to get out. I'm with you. I'm already out. And then Nimmo with his freaking sprinting to first base after a walk is a try hard move. Hunter Pence. You said that? Yeah. It's all I see first base after a walk is a try hard move. Hunter Pence, you said that? Yeah. It's all I see now.

All I see is a left handed Hunter Pence. I do love what you said last week though. It is very true. Like the Mets hate his back. Just like that. Conforto. That 7-6, 11 inning game. After that, I was just like, I freaking hate the Mets.

Yeah. I hate them. All right. Edwin Diaz is untouchable. How about a team that, yeah, dude. But how about Mickey Calloway just being a horrendous manager? I mean, that was embarrassing. And then they had to come out after him and say, we're saving

Diaz. We're not letting him go four outs all year. Ho ho! Smart baseball! Great! You paid all this to get a guy who's 25? An under contract for the next four years. They're like, oh, well, he's under contract so we can't waste him. He's a relief pitcher! What are we talking about here?

Mickey Calloway. The Mets organization. Just a disaster. But talented somehow. They are talented. They're going to be a thorn in our side. They're going to be there. They're a good team.

Brody Van Wagenen walked past me twice yesterday. Did you? Did he? Yeah. He's just striking. I was going to say. He has a presence about him. Yeah.

I felt out-alphaed by him. I feel like if your name is Brody Van Wagenen, you're just alone. That can going to say. He has a presence about him. Yeah. I felt out alpha by- I feel like if your name is Brody Van Wagenen, you're just, I mean, alone. That can't be his real name, right?

Like, that's too good of a name. It's like Leonardo DiCaprio. That's like you literally got off the boat from Martha's Vineyard and said, oh,

Brody Van Wagenen here. Yeah. Like, it's the Leonardo DiCaprio theory. His name can't possibly be that. I like that. It's too great of a name. Yeah,

you're right. Way too great. Oh, God, I hate that guy. So two guys that. I like that. It's too great of a name. Yeah, you're right. Way too great. Oh, God, I hate that guy. So two guys I've been out alpha'd by. Still should have hired Chaim Bloom as far as I'm concerned. Two guys I've been out alpha'd by. Jim Salisbury and Brody Van Wacken. It's quite a list. And Brody Van Wacken. It's quite a list. I like that. Alright, looking

ahead. Rockies. Head now to Colorado. Four game series in Coors Field. take the overs take the overs uh pitching matchups Eflin versus Freeland Velasquez versus Herman Marquez who as you know as I've talked on this show I love him he's so good he almost threw a perfect game the other day he's so good wait till you see this guy he's so good he's a big dude well we saw him last year when he struck out the first 10 batters I forgot about that well the 10 or was it like nine Jack here's the thing most Jack. Here's the thing.

Most Phillies fans weren't paying attention at that point. So now they'll get to see. Yeah, sadly I was too. Nola versus Antonio Sensatella. I have no idea if that's the right way to say that or not, but I'm going with it. It's probably not. And then Eichhoff versus John Gray.

General thoughts about the matchups and the series in general. Freeland's been shockingly bad this year. Yeah, surprising. I really... I'm out in front in my Marquez versus Freeland bets that I made prior to the season. I did like Marquez more than Freeland, but I also liked Kyle Freeland a lot. Yeah, but Kyle Freeland's a really good pitcher.

Also didn't realize, drafted by the Phillies. Did you realize that? Yeah, no, he was. I didn't know that. He was. Scott Franski told me that. So Freeland, he's a good pitcher. I always expect good pitchers To figure it out

Against the Phillies It's just my It's what they do It's what they do It's what they do So I'm not going to say They're going to rock him Because I just

He's going to figure it out Against our They'll figure it out So big Eflin bounce back start I want to see how he's using His fastball I hope he just Gets back to

Four teams up in it Well especially in that ballpark Right I mean Do you think That was my thought generally, is they've been, Phillies have been breaking balling people to death. You go to Colorado, you have to adjust a little bit, right?

Well, because the balls don't break. Balls break, so throw more fastballs, you would think. And then now fastballs are getting crushed more than ever. So perfect! Things are going to go great. And yet somehow the Rockies are 6-12 on this season. Yeah, they're bad. They're a bad baseball team right now.

Just shocking. 6-12, they went to the playoffs last year. Well, it's a good thing that Nolan Aranato only on this season. Yeah, they're bad. They're a bad baseball team right now. Just shocking. 6-12. They went to the playoffs last year. Well, it's a good thing that Nolan Arenado only cares about winning. Yeah, right? Yeah, buddy! Garrett Hampson batting like 180 in the two hole. It's great.

I'm totally not shocked that Scott Kingery 2.0 is struggling. Well, next year is his year. Don't worry. Freeland, he'll probably bounce back. Eflin, we want to see where he's at with this fastball. Velasquez I For as much as I liked Where Vince was

Against the Marlins Terrified of him in Colorado Yeah I do not expect him to go deep Terrified Especially going against the Rockies Especially going against German Marquez

And then Nola It's Herman by the way Herman Marquez It is It's Herman Which is a great name Go ahead

I've watched Sensantella like once I know nothing about I've seen him pitch but I've never paid any real attention he's the worst of the four pitchers

the Phillies will face for sure well they haven't announced a Sunday starter yet it's John Gray oh it's John Gray yeah it's John Gray I'm in on

I'm in on bounce back John Gray John Gray I own him in my fantasy Sensatella easily the one and you like that because Noel's going against him that's the best pitcher

or worst pitcher we'll see how Noel's going against him. That's the best pitcher, or worst pitcher. We'll see how Noel's ball's moving in Colorado. So we'll see. All right, Jack. We're going to get to final thoughts in just a sec. Did you have anything else before final thoughts? No, I don't think so. Okay, good, because I haven't noticed this weird.

Okay. It's been a little while. The game that's sweeping the nation. Is it weird, Jack? And it's a baseball, is it weird? It's a Phillies, is it weird? Is it weird that in that 14-3 game, the Phillies just won, that I was maniacally rooting against the Mets scoring any more runs

because I care so much about the Phillies' run differential and it got so screwed up by that Washington game and then that Miami game that I genuinely, really, truly cared that they kept that 11 run lead because of run differential. Is that weird? It's very nerdy of you. I mean, it means nothing. It means nothing, but when you're talking about power rankings, everyone's like, well,

they're run differential. It's because people always bring it up. They're like, well, they're not that good a team. They're run differential is only this. That's why I did it. You did it for the National Writers? Yes. And all the a-holes who always are, oh, look at the run differential.

Because they don't really watch the team. Yes, yeah, the run differential is backstages less 15-1, alright? It's one game. Yeah, alright. And speaking of run differential, the Rays are like 40. Rays are the best team in baseball. Who saw this coming? It's pretty crazy. It's absurd. Kevin Cash

for president. Well, everyone for president down there. I mean, their whole front office. Oh, Chaim Bloom. And getting Yandy Diaz. Could have hired that guy. They paid $5 million for Yandy Diaz, and they don't spend money on anyone. I know.

They stole Tommy Pham away from the Cardinals. I mean, it's like they just make the best moves. It's really, really impressive the way they run the organization. Teams I'd be most afraid of trading with if I'm the Phillies. Rays, number one. Rays, Astros, Indians. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Dodgers. Dodgers, Yankees.

Yes. I think that's a very fair list. Yankees would be a distant fifth on that. I know Cashman's really good. Yeah, well, you're right. I mean, look back at some of the moves that they've made. They've made some good trades. The Glaber trade is one of the great trades in the history of baseball.

Jason Shreve for Luke Voigt. Yeah. No, it's true. I mean, you know, yeah. Look, Clint Frazier coming around. They traded Justice Sheffield to get Paxson's, that Andrew Miller trade looking good. Yeah. No, Cashman's good.

Cashman's really good. You know who I put 30th? Theo Epstein. What? I knew you were going to do that. Did he just give Kyle Hendricks $50 million, and is Kyle Hendricks Nick Pavetta 2.0 this year? Yes, he is. All right.

Final thought, Fritzy. All right, I got two final thoughts. Where are you at with Kingery Dingery? Oh, good. I'm happy you brought this up. I hate it. I think it sounds so dumb. Kingery Dingery. Oh, good. I'm happy you brought this up. I hate it. I think it sounds so dumb. Kingery Dingery?

That's the best we got? I like the Kingery in the North. Ooh, I haven't heard that. I love that. A thousand times. Kingery Dingery, it sounds like a bad commercial. It sounds like the Dilly Dilly thing, which is fine. I don't have a huge problem with Dilly Dilly. Kingery Dingery,

it just sounds goofy. Kingery Dingery, it just sounds goofy. Kingery Dingery Doc. Yeah. The Doc fellow. It sounds goofy. It sounds goofy. Yeah. I used it last night.

I tweeted it out. I was like, ah, this feels weird. Not a fan. Yeah. Strong not a fan. Find it out on the Kingery Dingery. Okay. And.

Official High Hopes position out on Kingery Dinger. And another thing that we have influenced with the Phillies is that Bryce Harper is no longer fist pumping. He's only bowing. Really? Yeah. Bryce, thank you for listening

to the show, first of all. We appreciate it. Now, come on. Thank you. Now, come on with us.

Yes. And thank you for, you know, listening to us, like, heeding our advice. We're only here to help you, Bryce.

It's what we want to do. Yeah, we only care that you're getting on base and scoring runs and eventually the power will come. You're clearly pressing

and it's okay. It's fine. And my second final thought is that the NFL is scheduling their season around a Phillies playoff run. We know who the most important team in this city is, folks. Thank you very much, Roger Goodell. Thank you for—I mean, that is essentially the NFL bowing to the Phillies. Yes. Right?

John Middleton turned into Jack Middleton again. Bryce Harper liked a bow. Yes. Here we go. Okay. My two final thoughts. Not Phillies-related. They? John Middleton turned into Jack Middleton again. Bryce Harper like a bow. Yes. Here we go. Okay. My two final thoughts. Not Phillies related. They are baseball related.

First one. The last two years. Do you care to take a guess what Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s stat line is? His slash line in double and triple A? It's the same exact as his dad's when he got called up. It's 382,446,45. He has an almost 1,100 OPS in the minors over the last two years. He's going to be good.

My final final thought. His numbers are literally the exact same. Are they exactly the same? Yeah, so they're the exact same as his dad when his dad got called up. Wow. That's crazy. That is crazy. He's going to be awesome.

And my real final thought, my most important final thought. Jack, if I say 6,829 plate appearances, what does that mean? Oh, yes, yes, yes. How about that? Joey Votto, for the first time in 6,829 plate appearances, finally popped out to the first baseman. You know what we call that?

What do we call it? Baseball. Baseball. Baseball. You can't predict it. That's what I love about it. One last baseball point. Lay it on me. I am all for the Let the Kids Play movement. I am all for bat flips. I love bat flips. I'm 100% for all of this. Tim Anderson deserved to wear one yesterday.

I don't care what anyone says. Why? Because he flipped a bat. He did not flip the bat. He threw it and clapped in the catcher's face. You know who threw a bat at a dugout recently and we applauded it? You were in the ballpark for it? Bryce Harper. It's a home run in Washington and he chucks his bat right at the Nationals. Flips

it at the Nationals. I would have had no problem if he wore one. I would have no problem. Okay. Listen, there's so much talk about the unwritten rules from people who never played the game. I don't care about your opinion about the unwritten rules if you've never played baseball. That's fine. I think I'm going to cede

my comment to Joe Sheehan. Great baseball mind if you don't follow him you should. Joe Sheehan. Hey Major League Baseball. If you want to build a marketing campaign around letting the kids play then you need to start suspending and I don't mean for five games the pitchers who get their fee fees hurt when the kids do just

that. He's right. If you're going to build your game around letting the kids play, you've got to enforce let the kids play. And a five game suspended for a pitcher is so silly. It's like, oh, you're suspended for your rest? Great. Awesome. You have to push your start back one day?

So he wants to suspend people for hitting guys? Well, in these situations where they are retaliating, suspend for retaliating. He threw it his hip. He's fine. He's perfectly fine. Of course he's fine. That's not the point.

The point is that you want the kids to have fun. You're going to do a marketing campaign and let them play. They actually have to let them play. And guess what? If you're going to show up and act like you haven't been there before, you're going to get plunked. I'm sorry to hear it. I'm sorry. What do you want me to do? Lie about like you haven't been there before, you're going to get plunked. I'm sorry to hear it. School Jackie here. I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?

Lie about it? No, I want you to evolve. I want the bat flips. Then you have to be okay with them and not hit guys because they flip a bat. And enough with the whole, like, if pitchers celebrate. Pitchers don't really celebrate. Yes, they do. They piss their, they pump their fist.

Marcus Stroman's got his little K-dance. He does. Come on. It's fine. Let the little K-dance. He does. Come on. It's fine. Let the kids play, Jack. Everyone can celebrate. I don't think it's a problem if someone wears one for it. I think it's ridiculous.

Jackie tough guy over here. I was pro-punking people. Did it all the time. I bet you did. All right. Phillies in Colorado. Go Phillies. We will be back.

What do you think is better than wrestling, my guess? We'll see. But I like Turtle. I like Bill. I like Kevin Keenan. Give him a listen if you like wrestling. Okay. We'll get that.

It was magnanimous there. Split in Colorado and I'll be happy. Okay. I want to win three or four. We'll talk to you guys later. All-star closer, Kenley Jansen. We have a question. What's the best podcast of all time?

Baseball isn't boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is. Another fact.

So jump aboard the bib express follow and listen to baseball isn't boring presented by wasabi hot cloud storage on the free odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts