WEBVTT - Pushing 'Next Man Up' Principle 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:17.480 Hi, This is Chase Utley and this is the Phillies Show. Hi, everybody, 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:21.119 Welcome to The Phillies Show with Ruben Tomorrow Junior, Jim Salisbury. 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:22.000 I'm Todd's lucky. 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:26.400 It is Friday, June twenty eighth, twenty twenty four. The 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:29.720 Phillies Thursday night reached the halfway point of their season. 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:32.120 They played eighty one games. They have the best record 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:35.400 in baseball. They are on pace to win one hundred 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:37.400 and six games for the season, which would be a 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:38.479 franchise record. 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:40.800 But it was kind of a disaster of a night 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:41.840 for the Phillies. 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:45.720 Potentially probably Spencer Turnbull earlier in the day goes on 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.720 the fifteen day injured list with a strained right lat 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:50.640 He's gonna miss six to eight weeks. 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:52.000 And then late in the game. 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:56.279 Kyle Schwarber leaves because of left groin tightness. And then 0:00:56.320 --> 0:01:01.120 in the final play of the game, Bryce Harper pulls 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:03.320 up lame as he's running the first base with a 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:06.600 left hamstring injury. The Phillies said they will know more 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:11.160 on Friday, which is today, But man, oh man, and 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:13.640 talk about it coming fast and furious. You know, you 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.320 lose Turnbull, you already have Walker on the Angel list. 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:18.720 Now you're gonna have Michael Mercato get into the rotation. 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:24.120 But losing Harper and Schwarber potentially that that's going to 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:25.119 be tough to overcome. 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.319 It was your proverbial ship show yesterday on so many levels. 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:32.360 I mean we're talking about I mean, we're talking about 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:35.800 on so many doves from nine o'clock on. I mean, 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:40.479 things discuss disastrous on on the for the country and 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:43.440 and for the Phillies. But I gotta say, I gotta 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:48.480 say this, if there's a team that can handle the 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.920 and be resilient enough to be able to handle this 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:55.000 kind of stuff, I think it's the Phillies that said, 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.320 you know sometimes you know, this is a war of attrition, 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:02.200 and you know, one of the biggest concerns that Rob 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:05.640 Thompson had, I'm sure as a GM Dave Debrowski, you're 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:09.440 a president of Baseball offs all those guys in the 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.880 front office, is okay, we got to worry about injury. 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:16.760 Now you've got them piling up at a ridiculous rate. Now, 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:20.320 the fact that they happen this early is actually not 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:22.800 the worst thing in the world. JT happened early. He 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:28.240 should be back. Turner's stuff happened early. He's back and playing, 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.880 but you know, keep losing guys like this, and it 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:33.639 makes it very, very tough. I mean, the rest of 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:36.000 the rest of the league at some point may be 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:40.399 catching up again. I say this in so much that 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:43.800 they're the Phillies, have the ability and have had the 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:46.639 next man up and mentality. But when you start getting 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:49.520 like the next three men up or four men up, 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:52.480 it gets a little daunting. My biggest concern is a pitching. 0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:56.680 I'm less concerned about the offense. I'm more concerned about 0:02:56.680 --> 0:02:59.240 the pitching because now you've lost Taiwan Walker to a 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.560 blister or a hot spot and he can't throw a 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:04.840 split and it's not very good, and he hasn't been 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:07.960 very good. And then you have Spencer Turnbull, who's going 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:10.240 to be sort of like the savior in that rotation, 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:15.400 and now he's down. So the next man up and 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:18.600 mentality becomes a little bit more difficult when you have 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:22.160 to go with the Michael Mercado, who's I like him, 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:25.600 but he's not a you know, proven guy, and so 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:28.720 you start talking about starting pitching depth. It becomes a 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:31.040 little bit more daunting for the guys, Jim. 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:34.600 Well, yeah, next man up is a beautiful thing to say. 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:37.480 It's a great quality for a team to have, and 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:39.920 this team has indeed had it. You know. He lost 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:44.440 Harper for a good stretch in twenty twenty two with 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:46.760 the thumb injury, the broken thumb, and then he had 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:52.560 the elbow. But they've overcome losses to key players before. 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:55.960 They are tough. They are resilient. But even the toughest 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:59.119 and most resilient team has its limits. And you're looking 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:03.320 at real Mudo Schwarber for all the handwringing early in 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:05.480 the season about you know, is he a good leadoff man? 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:07.480 Can this team survive with him in the leadoff man? 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:10.160 He's been exceptional. They've done a great job. Look at 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:12.640 the record, Look at the basis centers they've done. Look 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:15.320 at the Knights. They jump out to one nothing leads 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:19.080 or have big first innings and demoralize the other team instantly. 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:23.160 And Harper been the best player in baseball pretty much 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:25.200 since May one. He was the player of the month 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:27.160 in May, is maybe going to be the player He 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:29.000 might be the player of the month in June. Even 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:36.039 with this huge losses. There are limits, you know, the 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:38.120 goofiest cliche. Guys are going to have to step up, 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:42.480 but you can only absorb so many losses. They have 0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:44.400 to hope neither one of these is serious. I think 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:48.080 there's a chance that Schwarber's is not. That seemed to 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:51.960 have a precautionary bent to it, but it was quite alarming. 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.320 As you know, Harper's accelerating to the bag, all of 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:57.599 a sudden, he's grabbing his left hamstring that had the 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:01.560 look of a pop or something acute, even if it's 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:04.280 mild like the old grade one. You're looking at three 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:07.400 to four weeks, right, so we have to wait till 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:11.560 what comes back in terms of the evaluations. But it 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:17.040 didn't look good. Injuries continue to test this team, Injuries 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:22.120 to core important important pieces. But this team has been 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:25.400 built since day one on starting pitching and knock on wood, 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:29.200 and thank goodness, you know, just this week they've had 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:31.480 a couple of setbacks in the starting pitching, but not 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:35.279 to the bedrock of that rotation, not to the elite 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:40.200 level talent that has that you've built this team on it, 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.360 that has carried this team so far. But you know 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.679 there are limits. You have to hope these things pass 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:50.560 quickly and they are not serious. But I love where 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:52.760 the team is at the halfway point. Eight games up 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.279 pays for one hundred and eight wins. But these are 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:57.719 little things. Yeah, you gotta you gotta take them serious, 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:59.560 and you've gotta be a little concerned about it because 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:00.839 these are such important guys. 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:03.520 Rubin, So you said you're more concerned about the pitching. 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:07.080 Is it because you're concerned about if something happens to 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:09.480 the other four guys, who's going to step up? 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:11.480 Or are you more concerned about the number five? 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:13.479 And I don't say that because I feel like the 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.560 first four guys in that rotation are so good they 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:20.320 could you know, they can handle Michael Mercado potentially right 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.880 or whoever, however long it goes. So what's what's your 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:25.800 concern with the rotation? Because when I looked at I 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:28.040 was like, oh Man Harper and if they lose Arpurn Schorber, 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:29.440 that's a killer for the offense. 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:33.080 But you feel differently, Yeah, to me, it's about whether 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.640 or not they lose one of the core play those 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:38.599 other core four. And when I say four four, you 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:41.920 know we're talking about Nola, Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez. I 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:44.960 mean we lose one of those those Phillies who lose 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:48.159 one of those guys, and you're talking now, we're starting 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:49.440 as talk disastrous. 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:54.240 Right now, it's it's really super concerning. But then you 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:58.479 start losing, then you start losing multiples of those pieces, 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:03.480 and especially in the rotation, then it becomes disastrous. And 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.760 I think that's one of the reasons why it's so 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:11.240 important for Dave Dombrowski to wait and to settle in 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:15.560 and to surmise what his real needs are going to 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:18.680 be as we get closer and closer to that trade deadline, 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:21.760 because these are the things that happen. It's one hundred 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:25.440 and sixty two games. And you know, when I was 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:27.840 in this position to be a buyer, you know, you 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:31.200 sort of, Okay, we needed a right fielder, we needed 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:33.880 a new starter, we needed whatever. But you sort of 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:37.480 have to wait to see as close to the deadline 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:41.080 as you possibly can, and sometimes you're forced to do 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:43.280 it because there's so many teams, especially now there's so 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:47.200 many teams sort of in the wild card race, and 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.040 you don't know who's going to be selling, who's buying. 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:51.920 But in this case, in the Phillies case, I mean, 0:07:51.960 --> 0:07:55.200 you got to really assess what do I really need. 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:58.760 God forbid they have a blowout in one of those 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.880 core for starters, then you're gonna go get a start. 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.880 That's what you're gonna do, because if you got Turnbull down, 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:09.240 you got an ineffective Taiwan Walker. Now you have to 0:08:09.320 --> 0:08:12.880 build for if you're thinking about winning the World Series, 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:17.880 you need another start first and foremost. Right now, I'm 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:20.280 you know, I'm all about pitching. I'm always about pitching, 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:23.280 because at some point those players who pulled their hamstrings 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:29.000 or got those soft tissue injuries, they'll be back. That 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.520 doesn't worry me nearly as much as making sure the 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:34.600 guys on the mound can keep guys and they can 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.760 keep this team in the in the game, as they 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:38.160 have done so well this year. 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:40.440 So Michael Mercato, I guess they haven't. 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:42.319 Phillies have an off day on Monday, so they could 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:46.360 skip the fifth starter, so Mercado could make two or 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:48.559 three depending on what they do with the rotation before 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:50.560 the break, and then after that, who knows. But you 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.320 talk about like depth behind you know that your concerns 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:55.040 with depth. I was looking at just the Triple A 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:58.520 performers right now, maybe the next guy up if something 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:00.839 would happen, you know, is Rob Thompson likes to say, 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:03.679 if somebody takes a shinberger, a line drive comebacker off, 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:05.840 you know, it has to leave a game earlier, miss 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:08.559 a game or two or something like that. Colby Allard, 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:14.120 he's on the forty man roster. He was not good. Yeah, 0:09:14.160 --> 0:09:16.600 they took him off the roster and put him on 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:20.000 the He's back now, uh four one five ERA in 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:22.400 his last seven appearances in Triple A two four ninety 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:24.240 eight his last four games. So based on the fact 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:26.959 that he's on the forty man and he's pitching relatively well, 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:28.760 he'd probably be the next guy up. But then you're 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:32.120 looking at Tyler Phillips, who Dave Dombrowski loved in spring 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.760 training seven and three fourty eight nine with the Iron Pigs, 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:39.360 David Buchanan four and three, five one nine ERA. 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:41.800 That would be an awesome story, but you know we're not. 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:45.080 Phillies are trying to win games, not you know, make 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:45.960 awesome stories. 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:49.240 The killer, I think is just Mick Abel. He's he is. 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:52.400 It's it's killing him. It's killing him. Like he would 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.959 be the guy right now. That would be up if 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:56.959 he was doing what everybody expected to do. He's one 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.960 in seven seven point zero eight e RA in twelve 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.120 starts the season, and his last five starts a nine 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:08.920 points seven zero ARA, eighteen walks, seventeen strikeouts in twenty 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:10.800 one in the thirty innings in this last five games, 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:13.280 he's walked more than he has struck out. 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:15.800 So that's that's a that's a that's a kill. 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:18.520 This is the time he should be knocking at the 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:24.079 door and blowing down the door in terms of he's 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:26.240 been around enough a little bit where there should be 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:29.400 some signs of readiness. I'm not saying all the way, 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:31.800 but from signs of readiness, and there is a need, 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:34.280 you know, and he's just not doing it. I think 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:38.800 back to Kyle Kendrick in OH seven. You know, he 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:41.840 came up and filled the breach when they had a 0:10:41.840 --> 0:10:45.960 problem there. They need kind of somebody like that at 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:50.800 least at the ready. If another need arises, and certainly 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:53.160 if Mercata is not the answer, there will be a 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:56.319 need because uh, you know, Turble's going to need more time. 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:58.280 This is how injuries go. He comes out of the 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:00.199 game the other day with a little tightness and out 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:01.240 at six eight weeks. 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.720 Or six weeks yeah, six eight weeks yeah. 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:07.800 Kids, So you never know until the evaluation happens. But uh, 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:12.480 Mick Abel's inability to throw strikes at the core of pitching, 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:17.800 throws strikes right at the most fundamental thing the pitcher 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:19.600 needs to do is throw strikes, and he's not doing it. 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:21.199 It's just really a head scratcher. 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:24.120 So here's so, here's where if I'm sitting there, I'm 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.600 a GM and I have another injury and I have 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:32.000 to replace a player, especially on the mound. I need 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:34.600 to get somebody I can trust. And when I say trust, 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:36.760 someone I know will be able to step on the 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:39.240 mound at a major league game and be able to 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:43.319 throw a strike. And it doesn't matter with two different pitches, 0:11:43.440 --> 0:11:45.680 whether it's a fast ball or slide. I need somebody 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:47.840 who can throw strikes, and I need somebody who can 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:50.160 keep me in the baseball game for five innings with 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:53.600 this offense. Now, the offense is taking a strike, taking 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:56.880 a couple of hits. But I'm going to go to 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:59.280 a guy like Buchanot because I know the guy's going 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.240 to get up there and throw a strike, or somebody 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:06.280 that I know is going to or someone else. But 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:09.760 I say like Buchanan because just as you said, Jim, 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:12.120 you know, we brought Kyle Kendrick to the big leagues 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.240 because we figured, you know what, he's gonna throw a sinker, 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:16.840 We're gonna catch it when they hit it on the ground, 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.440 and we're gonna get it out. And that's exactly what 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:22.840 Kyle Kendrick did. And he didn't do anything dazzling, little sinker, 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:26.160 little slider, occasional change up, but he got the ball 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:27.719 on the ground in the eight up innings. And that's 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:31.079 what you needed somebody to do. And I think a 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.560 guy like David Buchanan, that's why you have a guy 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:37.280 like that. Hopefully a Kobe Albert. Albert can throw enough 0:12:37.320 --> 0:12:40.280 strikes to get on the mound and throw a strike. 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:43.120 And if they can't, and they you know, they have 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:46.640 somebody who cannot do that, then that's troublesome. And so 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:48.800 if somebody were to go down, I think that's the 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:51.800 at least short term answer, someone who who they can 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:57.160 feel they can trust. Rob Thompson, Caleb Cotham, Dave Dombrowski, 0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:00.520 the guy can stand on that bump it all strike 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:01.240 all right? 0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.040 Can I can I ask this question, Uh, just to 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:06.320 backtrack and get off the pitching from me, go back 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:09.240 to Harper and give me a quick answer, because this 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.640 very well could be probably will be dated. But as 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.440 we sit here on Friday morning, how long do we 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:15.960 think Harper is going to be out? Ruben? 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:19.640 The man doesn't bruise, and the man doesn't swell. He's 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:23.599 never fit. I mean, he's a superman. And so if 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.720 it's if it's a it's a Grade two, it's six weeks. 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.000 If it's a Grade one, it's three weeks. 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:31.200 Todd, how long is price Hopper out? 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:33.520 I'm gonna say three to four weeks. If it looked 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:35.760 I mean it just it looked really bad. But you 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.840 were right, Ruben, He's had some injuries where it looks. 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:40.480 Awful and next thing you know, he's back. 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:41.640 You know, he's a cyborg. 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:44.559 The man's a cyborgs a cyborg. Jim, what do you think? 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:51.319 I I and what I know about hamstrings? And he's 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:53.679 an explosive guy with his legs. I mean, I know 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:56.160 Marsh made it back quick, but his was quite mild. 0:13:56.200 --> 0:14:02.160 But you know, turn are still he's not running full speed, 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:05.320 which is a little arksome. I know he's protecting it, 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:09.040 but I'm gonna guess, as we sit here at having 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.719 not heard the medical evaluation, they're gonna be without him 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:13.800 for a month. I kind of hope I'm wrong that 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:17.720 it's short of there. I think that's if it's. 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:20.880 Not a crap, if it's not a cramp, it's six weeks. Okay, 0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:22.960 it's not a cramp, and it's a Grade two, it's 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:26.040 six to eight weeks, So what do they do? And 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:28.520 if it is a Grade one, as I said, it's 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:29.400 going to be three weeks or. 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:32.160 Four weeks, Okay, So say Harper goes on the injur list, 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:35.600 which we all kind of expect, Cody Clemens probably gets recalled. 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:38.080 He's on a rehab assignment. He is healthy, so he 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:42.440 probably gets recalled. That's how do you handle first base? 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:44.440 You go with Clemens and Alec Bohm. I hate moving 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:46.800 Alec Bohmer to first base. And I know that that 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:51.760 defensive metrics aren't they're very scattershot. But I think he's 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:53.640 a better third baseman than he is a first baseman. 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:55.280 I would love to keep him at third base, but 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:56.760 you can't have I don't know if you can have 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:58.960 Cody Clemens hit against left hand of pitching. What do 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.200 you how do you handle first base for how however 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:04.040 long Harper might miss with Marriorfield. 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:08.280 With Marrorfield plays first base, and they're playing him at 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:11.640 first base, and they're against the lefty, and Cody Clemens 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:13.160 is going to do it against the righting, that's what 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.800 you're saying. That's where I and I know with Marriorfield 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:17.800 hasn't swung the battle that well, but he's gonna have 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:19.320 to continue to get I mean, they got to try 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:22.720 to find a way to get him hot or viable 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:26.040 or someone who's productive. And I think that's the way 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:26.720 to do it right now. 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.880 Even with the way Sosa swung it while Trey Turner 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:32.320 was out, you're not gonna put Sosa at third, you know, 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:34.160 more often and and. 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:38.160 Move Bome over the first I don't I they may 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:42.680 do that, but I feel and I think Sosa can 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.520 still get starts at shortstop and at second base. I 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.080 think Maryorfield's gonna go play first base because they got 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:50.280 to the against something out of. 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.840 It might be a you know, it's certainly an interesting 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:57.880 idea and has merit as a way, almost like an 0:15:57.920 --> 0:15:59.880 investment to try to get him some pitches, get his 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.600 eyes going, get his hands going, and get his bat going, 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:04.760 because you really need to get something out of this guy. 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:06.960 Yeah, because then you've gotta make a decision because if 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:09.120 the guy doesn't, it doesn't produce, you may have to 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:13.600 release the player. Because I mean, I love with Merrifield. 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:15.560 I love the idea of having them, but it's about 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:17.720 a production. If and if they give him enough at 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:21.160 bats and he is now not you know, now he 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:23.680 is not right using, then they're gonna have to get 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:25.920 somebody who can do that job, and someone from the 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:27.360 right side, because. 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:30.960 Maybe the right side, the reps, the extra reps, the 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:35.280 pick up and gained reps help him. If you do that, 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:37.160 you bring him in, you sit him down, and you say, hey, 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:39.440 I don't want you to worry about a damn thing 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:41.080 and putting me out there every night, and you're gonna 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:45.360 be our first basement for And mean, you're a veteran, 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:48.280 you know you don't scare. You know you're gonna help 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:50.720 us get through this tough time. Just what happens. 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:52.400 It's not going to be against the lefty, it's not 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:54.080 going to be against the right. He's I think he's gonna, 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:56.640 like Cody Clements said, because Cody's did a nice job. 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.320 He's done a nice job against the right anders when 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:02.040 he's got a opportunit. But if there's any lefty and 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:04.080 there's a chance to get him at bats, they're gonna 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:07.879 they gotta find out. They got to find out really ultimately, 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.040 whether he can be a productive at bat off the 0:17:10.040 --> 0:17:13.399 bench for this team because they need to win a 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:15.720 World Series and they need to win with twenty six 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:19.199 really good players. And if Maryfield is not producing in 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:20.600 any way, shape or for him, I don't feel like 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:22.840 they have comfort in him to be able to come 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.679 off the bench and do some damage. They may have 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:26.560 to make him a change. 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:28.440 They might prove it either way. 0:17:28.480 --> 0:17:30.760 So, you know, Schwarber after the game last night said, 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.080 I don't think it's anything super serious. 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:35.440 You know, there's maybe, like I. 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:38.200 Think somebody said, precaution more of a precautionary vibe to it. 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:40.720 But let's say he goes on the injured list as well, 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:42.399 just they just want to protect him because he's so 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:44.960 valuable as well. You don't want him running around blowing 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.280 out his groin or something like that. 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:49.680 Now you're really digging deep into the bench. 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:52.600 You've got Buddy Kennedy, who they just picked up, the 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:57.119 grandson of Don Money Millville High School. He's been swinging 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.720 a good bat in Triple A for the Iron Pigs. 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:00.760 You got Wes Wilson. 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:01.639 Uh. 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:03.800 And you've got Johann Rojas who could come back. 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.040 He's he just got sent down, but he could come back, 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:08.959 you know, because of the injury. So you know, did 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:12.119 did do you bring? How would you handle that? If 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.080 Schwarber got down with the d H spot, with the 0:18:15.119 --> 0:18:18.960 outfield spot, just yeah, the leadoff spot. 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:21.159 You know, you have Stott hit lead off, you'd have 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:22.200 Turner hit lead off. 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:26.960 That's that doesn't seem to be as serious, but that's 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.200 that that's an interesting, interesting one as well. 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:32.000 Sure, Jim, I. 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:35.560 Wonder if you may look at Stot there a little bit. Yeah, 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:39.399 but I think you'd have you'd have other options Turner, certainly, 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:42.640 depending on maybe Alrighty left you or how you set 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:45.119 up your lineup. But I mean Stott's another guy that 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:48.320 I think needs to you know, they're halfway through the season. 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:53.560 He's sputtered at times. Yeah, you know, when when when 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:56.400 players go down, other players need to pick up the slock. 0:18:56.440 --> 0:18:59.320 It would be really good if he could get it 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:03.240 going too, more toward what we expected of him this season, 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:06.359 and we all, I think know it's in there, but 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.760 they could certainly use more out of a guy like that. 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:11.560 So I might be tempted at times to take a 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:13.640 peek at him up in the leadoff hole. 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:19.320 I mean, there's I think Scott's probably the guy. And 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:22.280 if they don't think that, the if they don't think 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:27.720 that Johann is ready to go now, he has done 0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:30.520 a pretty good job of getting some sacrifices down and 0:19:30.800 --> 0:19:34.040 and done some things. But I mean, ultimately, if you're 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:40.359 not if you're not producing, man, you're you're it's not 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.120 a gonna happen. I mean, you've got to leave him 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:45.159 down there and let him and let him continue to develop. 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:49.080 It's a tough position to put everybody in. And we 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:52.160 talked about the next step, you know, the next guy up. 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:55.480 I don't know that there's necessarily the next guy up. 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:59.639 Turner's the guy. Put Turner in the one hole, let 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:03.360 him go. Yeah, put Turner in one in the one hole, 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:05.600 let him go, can do it? 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:06.960 Yeah, who hits third? 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:08.520