WEBVTT - Chasing Chase Rate 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:17.760 Hi, everybody, Welcome back to The Phillies Show with Ruben 0:00:17.800 --> 0:00:20.960 Tomorrow Junior Jim Salisbury. I am todd z A lucky 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:26.440 It is Thursday, April eleventh, twenty twenty four. Guys, how 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:34.360 are you doing well? Double Buenos? This is fantastic Philly. 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.520 Philly's had a nice little road trip. They go four 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:39.440 and two, They win two out of three in d C, 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:43.760 they win two out of three in Saint Luis. Some 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:47.360 good starting pitching, some timely hitting, not a lot of 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:50.120 timely hitting. But what kind of jumped out at you? 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:50.440 Guys? 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:53.120 Do you think about this road trip. 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:56.000 When series win series that jumped out at me win series? 0:00:56.840 --> 0:00:58.240 Yeah, you win two out of three the rest of 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:00.000 the way, going to sell some records. 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:02.200 Very succinct, Jen, very succinct. 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:04.559 I'm striving to be succinct today. 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:05.959 You don't want you don't want to be You don't 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:08.119 want to elaborate. I'll elaborate. 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:15.679 You know, Uh, got some good starts, Spencer Turnbull, nice 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:21.600 job in that five spot, continues to be uh A 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.360 nice little story here. Uh, and they're gonna need that. 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:28.360 And you know, I think the last two days and 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:30.640 you know, the offense is kind of doing just enough 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:34.640 to be six and six. It's not you know, caught 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:38.600 fire yet. I mean one of the things that jumped 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:43.679 out on me in the last few days is, you know, 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:46.320 sixteen singles. I think it was no extra base hits 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:49.040 the last two days in Saint Louis, which is fine. 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:50.680 I mean, it takes all different ways, but this is 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.440 the lineup that has built the slog. I think the 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.800 three game series they were twenty six hits, only three 0:01:55.840 --> 0:02:00.800 extra base extra base hits. Not a arming at all, 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.760 but interesting, not alarming, because I do think the slug 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:11.200 will come, and it's probably reasons why it is not 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:15.799 there that some of them that I believe Todd articulated 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:20.000 in a story on MLB dot com. But you know, 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:25.079 six and six, twelve games in, I'm fine with it. 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:26.720 No panic here, boys, no panic. 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.320 So let's let's actually jump into this because I think 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:31.760 in Ruben, you know you can jump in right away. 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:32.840 So I thought. 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:37.320 There were three very illuminating comments from players and manager 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:43.840 this week. Starting Monday night, Joan Rojas had one hit 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.600 all season. He crushes a double down the left field 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:48.680 lines at first step bat one o eight point one 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:51.400 off the bat. His hardest hit base hit ever in 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.680 the big leagues and kind of following up what we 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:56.840 were talking about in Monday, guys being tentative on the 0:02:56.880 --> 0:03:00.960 bases and and Johan Rojas also be tentative. I asked him, 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:02.200 I said, do you feel like you've been a little 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.399 tentative in the box as you've been trying to cut 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:06.600 down your chase rate? And he said, I think that 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:09.160 I was a little shy at the plate before. Right now, 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:12.959 what I can do is be myself now. Tuesday afternoon, 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:17.399 we're talking to Nick Castianos, and he said, we asked 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:19.520 him how seasons going. He said, it's crappy, but he 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:23.560 didn't say crappy. He said, can we say that? Can 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:23.840 we say? 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:24.160 Yeah? 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:24.840 He did say that. 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:27.960 So he said, what was the worst part about her? 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.679 What's the you know, the crappiestiest part about it? And 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:35.640 he said, I think I that I put too much 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:38.600 stress on my chase percentages and wanting so so much 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:40.280 to swing at good pitches that I feel like I 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:43.720 lost the whippiness and the looseness I had attacking the ball. 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:46.280 I feel like I'm not getting my swing off. I'm like, 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:48.080 all right, get him in the zone. Get him in 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.480 the zone. Oh, it's in the zone, and I take 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:53.080 a soft swing. And then Rob Thompson basically said the 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:55.360 same thing. He says, you know, we players have been 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:57.840 hearing a lot about don't chase, don't chase, don't chase. 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:01.840 You want to have a balance there. So that to 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:04.240 me could be why this team is not slugging. 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:04.320 No. 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:07.320 Yeah, So here's here's my take on this thing. 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:11.040 I see an indecisiveness of some guys, and I think 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:14.440 that's the reason, because everybody's focusing on the swing decisions 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:16.320 that we talked about a little bit before, like whether 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:18.000 they're going to swinging a strike or swinging a. 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:18.600 Pitch in the zone. 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:24.080 And I do think that there's you know, you do 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:28.080 your work and you get your work done, and I 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:31.000 think k Long was talking about this a little bit. 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:33.720 You get your work done in the cage, and you know, 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.279 pregame and do whatever you gotta do. But when it 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:37.240 comes time. 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.400 To hit against a guy who's throwing a ninety four 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:42.680 mile an hour cutter and a ninety nine mile an 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:46.119 hour fastball and an eighty six mile an hour hook, 0:04:46.839 --> 0:04:49.320 you better just be concentrated on hitting the baseball and 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:52.960 let your work sort of happen naturally and be athletic 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:53.520 in the box. 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:57.119 And I think if I see some guys not doing 0:04:57.120 --> 0:05:01.760 that just because, and I think it's casting and Johann 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.440 Rojas in the early part of the season, but. 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:08.120 I think there's more than just those guys who are 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:10.880 sort of in between right now, a lot of in between. 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:12.480 Even Harper's a little in between. 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.040 I mean, Harper is not really other than a three 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:18.719 home run day. Harper's not you know, he's not himself 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:22.200 yet now. I think the reasons why he's not himself 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:24.200 for a little different. I think the reason why he's not 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:27.000 himself and we can go off on a Tangentlell go 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:28.400 off on Tangentiera is because he's. 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:31.040 Playing first base and it's a whole different deal being 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:31.720 at first. 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:35.200 Baseman every day, not dhing got another DH and Kyle 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:38.919 Schwarber that I think that's a totally different deal and 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.560 adjusting to that. But I think the guys just it's 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:44.680 like a golfer, right if you start thinking about your 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:48.880 swing and you're in competition, you better not be You 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:51.160 better be athletic in the box, man, You better be 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.599 athletic and just let your you got to let the 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:59.080 work that you did, you know, happen and I don't 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:03.320 see that happen name very consistently with a lot of 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:06.160 guys in the lineup, not just Casti and Johann. 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:08.320 But it'll get better. 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:12.359 Yeah, when we talked about this a couple episodes ago, 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:17.839 the difference between a swing decision and a pure natural reaction. 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:21.480 You want a pure natural reaction because if you're thinking 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.279 too much, think long, think wrong, and it happens in 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:30.240 all sports. Those comments Todd in your story, Matt Gelb's story, 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:35.240 they really jumped out at me. Rob Thompson, Castianos Rojas, 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:38.600 I just suggested that, you know, guys were thinking too 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:42.320 much about the chase and it almost becomes paralysis by analysis, 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:46.320 very defensive swing and you know, not yourself, and I 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:48.720 don't know how. It's kind of only human though, when 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:52.320 you consider this. They would bounce from the postseason because 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:55.320 they chased a lot of pitches last season. It was 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:59.159 talked about all off season. It was almost like the 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.840 way the Eagles collapse is being talked about now and 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:06.040 dissect it and it won't go away. Well, the Phillies 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:09.440 collapse and the reasons for it didn't go away all 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:12.119 winter and everybody talked about you. They stop chase and pitches. 0:07:12.120 --> 0:07:14.880 They gotta be more selective. It can't be so much 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:17.320 free swinging. They heard it was on their mind. They 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:19.440 got to spring training, and oh what happened. We've added 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.880 two hitting coaches. Now we're up to three. So you've 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:25.240 got three hitting coaches. Everybody's in each other's ear. How 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.160 can you not think about it? How can you not 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:31.480 think about it? You know? I just think it's another example, 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.960 And I'm all for all the coaching and instruction and 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:39.360 information you can get, but you can't over engineer the athlete. 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:43.320 You got to let him be natural. And I mean, 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:47.240 some guys want all that information and can process it 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:49.640 and still be natural. But I think a few years 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:51.600 ago on the mound, Aaron Nola there was a lot 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:53.680 of information floating around his head and he was having 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:58.520 trouble executing. He was more, you know, kind of just 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:01.880 let natural take over. Stanos appears to be that guy, 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:06.680 so I do, and Robi Thompson alluded to it. Just 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:10.440 it's so much talk about it is bombarding them and 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:12.800 and paralyzing them a little bit, and just you know, 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:16.760 in terms of paralysis by analysis and just not not 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.320 firing at the ball, not swinging at the ball like 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:21.920 and I honestly think it's all going to mitigate and 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.360 come together at some point and they'll get that balance between. Okay, 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:30.880 since since synthesized the information, Sorry, I first streed with 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:35.000 the new tongue, and you know, and then the natural. 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:37.240 Well, you're a writer, you're not a speaker. I mean 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:40.959 I'm not speaking. We know that. Yeah, now I think 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:44.959 I think I think you make great, great points. Uh, 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:46.000 no question about it. 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:48.560 There is probably in in this day and age, a 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:50.040 little too much information. 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:53.800 Uh. There's a balance between being John Kruck and what 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:55.920 rolling out of bed and take getting a. 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:59.880 Knock and not knowing the picture but not really caring 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:01.520 because you can adjust. 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:04.240 And then there's a JD. Martinez who wants all. 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:08.520 The information and he processes it all and he understands it. 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:13.600 And you know, even a guy like the left fielder 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:14.400 Albert Bell. 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:16.040 That I play, I mean he used to write down 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:21.400 every very meticulous. There's a balance, and each guy processes 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:22.679 information differently, right. 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.720 Everybody's just like you know, a teacher. Teacher has to 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:29.079 sometimes you know, the kid's visual. 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.960 Or the kids you know, oral or you know, whatever 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.960 the case may be, but the people process stuff differently. 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:39.240 I have a theory that I'm going to talk this. 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:39.400 Is a. 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:45.080 This is one of those takes that that may sound 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.360 a little funky, but I think I think about the 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:52.320 segmental psyche a lot. Nick Casianos has hit in the 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:54.960 middle of a lineup his entire life, and he made 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:57.560 a little bit of a comment about, you know, the 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:00.360 protection and where he is in the lineup and getting 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.679 pitches and thinking about he's sort of like, you know, 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:07.359 a little bit of a deep thinker and a little emotional, 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:13.600 and which is fine, it's cool. I think that there 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:17.600 is something going on in his psyche. I don't know 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:20.680 what it is, but the fact that he's hitting in 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:22.720 a seventh hole as opposed to. 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:27.600 Hitting in the four, five, six, three. 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:30.959 Like for most of his career, I think that that 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:33.640 I think that that sort of messes with him a 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:37.240 little bit, and I think he is a I mean, 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:39.280 you know, one of the things I did notice about 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:41.640 him like when he when he's feeling really good and 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.120 comfortable about himself, he plays much better right when his 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:48.480 son's around and his families are near him, and stuff 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:52.640 like that I think he plays better. I think I 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:58.199 think when he is at peace with himself outside of baseball, 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:02.120 I think he plays much much better baseball and has 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:07.840 a lot more success. And I'm not sure that I'm 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:11.040 not necessarily suggesting he should be moved up. I just 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:15.200 think it's just another adjustment that he has he has 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:17.760 to make, like, hey, I'm still an important part of 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:20.520 this lineup. It's not I'm not in the seventh hole 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:23.200 because Rob Thompson doesn't think I'm an important part of 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:27.320 the lineup. I'm in the seventh hole because I haven't 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.559 been as productive as I have been in the past, 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:32.160 and there's other guys in this lineup who are productive 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:34.520 and can be more productive. 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:35.960 And that's maybe one of the reasons why. 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:38.760 Plus Rob Thompson might be wanting to drop him back 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:42.600 there to give that back into the lineup a little 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:43.120 more punch. 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.400 So that said, that's a little bit of a take 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.839 that I have. I think it's an adjustment that he's 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:49.640 going to have to make. 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:56.559 Mentally and emotionally, and when he does, hopefully does soon, 0:11:57.040 --> 0:12:00.199 and he's starting to do it now. I lost I've 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:01.959 seen some things over the last couple days where I've 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:04.360 seen him start to become a little bit more of himself. 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.560 I think that it's going to really length it out 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:07.960 that line. 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:10.240 It was interesting that he said that, and I can 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:12.559 tell you that he was not happy when he did 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:15.840 get dropped down. I think it was early early September 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:17.959 last season. I think he dropped as far down as 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:22.640 eighth in the lineup. Then he hit seventh. He's been 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:25.600 in seventh open since opening day. I remember I asked 0:12:25.679 --> 0:12:27.719 him in spring training about that. I said, you were 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:29.520 not happy when he dropped down. He's like, I was 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:31.960 not happy. I did not like being dropped down, And 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:34.400 he did make that comment. So it is an adjustment. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:38.800 The problem is is, boy, he's really gonna have to 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.200 start hitting and making better contact to move up in 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:45.880 the lineup because Rob talks a lot about how he 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:49.400 likes Bom and Real Muto up higher, especially Boom because 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:51.240 he makes a lot of contact with runners on base. 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.679 So I it seems like it's a difficult path now 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:55.440 that he's down there. How does he get back up? 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:57.280 So you know, he's got to He's got to figure 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:57.600 it out. 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.720 Do you either either gets backed up or he just 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.240 he learns to live bit and love it. Yeah right, Yeah, 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:05.160 that's exactly right. 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:07.959 I mean you talk about lineup balance and having a 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:10.480 little bit of thunder down low and bottom third. There 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:13.480 are RBIs to pick up in that seven hole. It 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:16.960 doesn't have to be an unglamorous spot in the order. 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.720 But so do you would you consider if you were 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:22.120 a skipper, would you consider moving him up into the 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:25.400 middle as a way to kickstart him and you know, 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:28.600 make him, you know, feel good and ignite some confidence 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:31.160 and maybe kickstart him by putting him in in that 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:33.160 really meaningful hole in the in the middle of the 0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:36.120 lineup where he has been comfortable in the past, or 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:37.800 do you make him kind of earn it? What's what's 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:38.440 the take there. 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:41.760 It's a great question, and for me it's a it's 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:42.680 a super question. 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.199 And I think if he starts hitting the ball a 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:49.400 little bit better, I feel like that kind of a 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:53.400 move to move him up and to move say JT 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:57.200 back out to five or six or something like that 0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:03.400 would have less of an impact on JT emotionally, because 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:04.960 I don't think JT gives a. 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:09.640 Crap where he hits. And maybe it makes him a 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.200 little bit better, maybe it makes him feel like he's more, 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:15.600 you know, I don't know, more important in the line whatever, 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:16.840 Maybe it makes him. 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:19.840 I don't know the answer because I can't get into 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.520 people's I don't have a crystal ball one and two. 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:23.800 I can't get into people's psyche. 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:28.640 But I do know that if JT got moved back 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.760 and Nick Guck moved back, I don't think it would 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:38.160 affect j T as far as the emotion of it comparatively. Now, 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:40.800 you have to have a productive player in there, but 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:42.280 you know that productive. 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:43.000 That player is not. 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:47.320 Productive, then what's the point we're not about. We're not 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:51.320 making we're not making people happy. I wouldn't because he's 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:53.760 such a much better hitter. He drives in runs with 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:57.880 the he drives and runs. He's the best driving runs 0:14:57.920 --> 0:14:59.680 with two you know, two outs. 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:04.640 He's he's he's he drove in ninety seven runs last 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:08.280 year or whatever it was. Right, there's a lot of runs. 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:11.080 Man, he didn't you know Nick drove in one hundred plus? 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:11.440 Right? 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:14.120 He did, and and and in that seventh spot, I 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:16.720 mean he did basically help carry the phillies past the 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:18.840 braves in the NLDS. So it's not like you can't 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:20.720 do damage in the seven hole. But I know he 0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:23.160 does not. Oh yeah yeah, So I mean, I don't 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:25.280 know if there's an acceptance that's ever gonna come with him, 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:29.320 or if he's gonna if he's gonna hate that spot forever. 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:34.240 But it seems like he has gotten past the obsessing 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:35.560 over the chaser part. 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:36.760 He's just he. 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:39.320 Seemed like he was over it. You know, he's he's 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:41.800 the other day he was. His chas rate last season 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:45.120 was forty one percent. The entering Tuesday was thirty four 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:45.640 point four. 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:47.800 Is that good? 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:49.640 I don't, you know, Like, what's the what's the number 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:50.920 that they want him to get to? If they want 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:52.480 him to get to that number, that's the thing. And 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:54.440 I think he's kind of like kind of over it. 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:55.240 He's kind of over it. 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:58.440 The numbers are overblown. Man to see it and hit it. 0:15:58.920 --> 0:15:59.960 Seeing hit it if it's. 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.080 A ball, try to take it. If it's not a ball, 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:05.560 whack it. I mean, I don't know. Sounds ridiculously simple. 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:09.560 He's a streaky feel guy. And honestly, one of these 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:12.480 days we're gonna be sitting here and we're gonna be 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:15.080 talking about him hitting a bunch of two hoppers off 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:16.680 the wall. For about a week he's gonna get a 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.320 no doubt, he's gonna go knots. He's gonna be standing 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:21.640 on second base all the time because he's hitting doubles. 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:25.600 And you know, it's when he flashes that bath heead 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:29.040 you can tell he's really confident. You know, like when 0:16:29.040 --> 0:16:31.040 he flashes that bath heead, it's out there and the 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:33.400 balls boom. He'll get going. 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:37.720 And he's been killing a hitter for a long time. Dude, 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:42.240 he can hit, and he can hit the ball out 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:42.880 of the ballpark. 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:45.680 You can hit two three hit games, he says. It's 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:47.520 you know, and everybody's gonna forget about this. Or he 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:49.880 had a two hit game that night after we after 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:52.240 we talked to him pregame, and he looked over as 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:54.000 he goes, should have talked to you guys about my 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:57.720 hitting earlier, almost like we jinxed him out of it 0:16:57.840 --> 0:16:58.200 or something. 0:16:58.280 --> 0:16:59.720 He's a little eighth emotional. 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:00.600 Yeah, he's. 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:06.160 Thinker, Yeah, no doubt, which is okay, Which is okay. 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:09.960 I mean that's just who he is. Ruben. 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:11.800 You're emotional. You cry at a sunset. 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:17.040 I am very emotional, James, I am a woos no question. 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:22.800 I cried at finding Nemo dude, with my kids, I 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.960 am not I am not bashful about it. My friend, 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:27.080 that's great. 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:28.240 That's a good movie. 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:32.879 Yeah, great movie. That was crying like a baby, I 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:35.680 think a baby. Yeah, And they did a sighting on 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:38.480 I P on I P because of it. Someone said, oh, yeah, 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:39.600 we saw ruben of borrowings. 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:46.080 That's what that's that's when they used to not like you, 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:46.720 w I P. 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.159 Now they like you. That's also, well, they never not 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:53.399 like me. They ripped me, but they always sort of 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:54.960 like me because I always used to go on there 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:56.080 and say, go ahead and rip me. 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:01.359 You know, how come you're not ripping me when you do. 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:04.800 Have in addition to being emotional, you do have very 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:05.680 very thick skin. 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:10.320 Yeah, it comes with the territory, dude. 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:13.120 Yeah, we're on a tangent. 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:17.160 Let's go back to baseball. 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:19.800 So I was really impressed. 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:20.200 I thought. 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:23.399 What I thought was really fun about yesterday's game was 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:29.919 Aaron Nola's performance and just how he pitching in just awful, 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:33.159 rainy conditions, just totally dialed gear back everything just to 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:36.080 try to be competitive and got got them six innings. 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:38.560 Is his Vela was so down early in the game 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:40.560 because of the conditions. I was getting text from people 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:43.360 not at the game going because of all the UCL 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:46.159 stuff saying, oh my gosh, is this and is he 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:49.920 about the something badgeting about happened? What were you guys impressed? 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:51.720 As impressed as I was with why we kind of 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:55.240 geared everything down the shortness stride and just tried to 0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:56.800 get the ball over the play yesterday. I thought that 0:18:56.840 --> 0:18:57.440 was pretty cool. 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:01.480 Yeah, it was very impressive because I think that's what 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:04.560 a good athlete does. He adjusts in the moment, depending 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:07.240 on maybe what's working that day. Like let's say it 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:11.199 was perfect pitching conditions seventy eight degrees and dry, but 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:13.960 maybe something wasn't working something, so you adjust your game plan. 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:17.800 He adjusted to the weather and the feel on the mound. 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:19.800 He was very smart about it. You don't want to, 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:23.920 you know, blow out your push leg or your land 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:27.040 leg because the conditions are bad. So it was a 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:30.280 smart athlete adjusting to what was in front of him 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:33.280 on that given day. I once upon a time I 0:19:33.320 --> 0:19:36.280 covered David Cohn when I covered the Yankees, and you know, 0:19:36.320 --> 0:19:39.400 he would talk about I can distinctly remember him after 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:44.280 games talking about almost like inventing pitches during the game 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:48.800 based on finger positioning and finger pressure and where he 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:50.720 was holding the ball and what was feeling good and 0:19:50.760 --> 0:19:53.920 how it was coming out. And he's like mutating pitches 0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:57.000 like in a laboratory in real time on the pitcher's 0:19:57.040 --> 0:20:00.520 mound because he's just so smart. And he was, you know, 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:04.399 reading real time feedback that he was getting from hitters 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:06.280 and hitters swing and how the ball felt out of 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:10.040