2025 Phillies Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Nice to get the key members of the bullpen a rest. They've been pretty taxed of late, starting when Sanchez had to leave his last start early due to the forearm issues.
Topper announced after the game that Suarez will start on Sunday -- his 1st start of the season.
It will be interesting to see how things evolve with the starting pitching.
It will be interesting to see how things evolve with the starting pitching.
I normally start evaluating at the quarter mark, so it’s a tad early but here we go-
1- Big Picture - As of this morning, the Phillies have 13 losses. The Mets and Dodgers have 10, SD has 11, and SF has 12. One point that bears mentioning is the home and away records of all the teams. The Dodgers are 15-3 at home, 6-7 away. The Pads are 14-4 at home and 5-7 away. So, these two teams have had favorable home and away schedules to date. SF and the Mets are balanced home and away. Let this play out a bit longer and the picture of exactly where everyone is will become clearer. The Phillies won’t see the Mets again until near the end of June.
2 - Pitching - The Phillies path to success is still based on their starting staff. A healthy and successful Ranger can be a big boost. One tidbit that I was delighted to see was Nola throwing his change up more last game. I’ve been asking for that a LONG time. Nothing works without Nolan being good and I believe a third pitch behind the fastball and knuckle curve is paramount to him being All Star level good. Wheeler, Luzardo, and Sanchez are fine. If Nola can have another pitch in his tool box and Ranger can be good, they still have a formidable rotation. The pen is another matter. They are not good and it’s clear that they will go hunting for relief help. The real issue will be how much they offer to get the pen piece they want.
3- Offense. The biggest story is the top of the lineup. I’d still go Turner and Stott but the order there is whoever is wanting to run more should be leadoff. I thought Turner - Stott was always the better result if Trea is going to run. They are treading water with Bohm and Harper not contributing presently. That has to change and offers the best chance for improvement. I also think that Max is an upgrade over the rotation last year. But we all see what we see. They aren’t slugging and absent more power, they will have spells like what we’ve seen. I have concerns but I think there is still one more squeeze of the orange this year and that Bohm and Harper will be much better.
I still believe they make the playoffs and their starters and experience will still make them dangerous once there. I’d call Oakland and St Louis to ask about Miller and Helsley. A middle of the road pen arm is not going to move the needle.
They are not a lock but I still believe that they will be playing in October.
1- Big Picture - As of this morning, the Phillies have 13 losses. The Mets and Dodgers have 10, SD has 11, and SF has 12. One point that bears mentioning is the home and away records of all the teams. The Dodgers are 15-3 at home, 6-7 away. The Pads are 14-4 at home and 5-7 away. So, these two teams have had favorable home and away schedules to date. SF and the Mets are balanced home and away. Let this play out a bit longer and the picture of exactly where everyone is will become clearer. The Phillies won’t see the Mets again until near the end of June.
2 - Pitching - The Phillies path to success is still based on their starting staff. A healthy and successful Ranger can be a big boost. One tidbit that I was delighted to see was Nola throwing his change up more last game. I’ve been asking for that a LONG time. Nothing works without Nolan being good and I believe a third pitch behind the fastball and knuckle curve is paramount to him being All Star level good. Wheeler, Luzardo, and Sanchez are fine. If Nola can have another pitch in his tool box and Ranger can be good, they still have a formidable rotation. The pen is another matter. They are not good and it’s clear that they will go hunting for relief help. The real issue will be how much they offer to get the pen piece they want.
3- Offense. The biggest story is the top of the lineup. I’d still go Turner and Stott but the order there is whoever is wanting to run more should be leadoff. I thought Turner - Stott was always the better result if Trea is going to run. They are treading water with Bohm and Harper not contributing presently. That has to change and offers the best chance for improvement. I also think that Max is an upgrade over the rotation last year. But we all see what we see. They aren’t slugging and absent more power, they will have spells like what we’ve seen. I have concerns but I think there is still one more squeeze of the orange this year and that Bohm and Harper will be much better.
I still believe they make the playoffs and their starters and experience will still make them dangerous once there. I’d call Oakland and St Louis to ask about Miller and Helsley. A middle of the road pen arm is not going to move the needle.
They are not a lock but I still believe that they will be playing in October.
trading 20-year-old minor league pitcher for a 30-year-old minor league pitcher (who pitched in the bigs last season)? not something you see too often.