WEBVTT - Is Aaron Nola back? 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:04.400 Aaron Nola and welcome to the Philly Show. 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:09.959 Ruben Amar Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todds, the Lucky, It's the 0:00:10.000 --> 0:00:14.760 Philly Show. It's Friday, August twentieth, twenty twenty six. Phillies 0:00:14.800 --> 0:00:18.560 have won a season high six games in a row. 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:25.319 Fellas they win on Wednesday Night. Aaron Nola with a 0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:30.600 big performance. Some might call it a monster performance. It's 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:37.400 time for our monster moment. Monster moment is powered by 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:42.440 monster energy. How'd you like that little singe? 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:45.839 I like to do it. I love when you do 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:47.560 it well. 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:54.920 Aaron Nola guys Wednesday, seven innings, one run. You know, 0:00:54.960 --> 0:00:56.760 a bunch of strikeouts, no. 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:01.080 Walks, no walks. 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:03.120 You can win a lot of games if you're doing 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:06.520 that type of stuff. And Nola has been pitching great. 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:08.880 I want to show you this real quick, his little 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:11.440 bounce back. You know, he's got like what a two 0:01:11.520 --> 0:01:15.440 six ERA in his last five starts. But look at 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:18.800 going back to July fifth, I think that says his 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:22.800 last nine starts, Aaron Nola has a three point six 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.600 y three e RA, so a longer body of work, 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:28.720 not such a small sample size since July fifth. Jim, 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:31.360 we were there that was that Sunday afternoon started. All 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:33.920 started in Kansas City. Remember he threw his kind of 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:36.039 didn't throw as many curveballs, that threw a lot more 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:38.480 change ups, had some success. He's really kind of kept 0:01:38.480 --> 0:01:41.720 it going. And one hundred and sixteen pitchers have made 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:44.880 six or more starts since July fifth. Aaron Nola is 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:47.400 fifty fifth out of those one hundred and sixteen pitchers 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:49.640 in era three point sixty three. If you're watching us 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:54.160 on YouTube, you see Jesus Lozardo is tenth two point 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:57.640 one one, and then behind Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez three 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:01.680 eight three sixty fourth. Seventy third is Zach Wheeler four 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.680 point zero two, and Andrew Painter has made four starts 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:06.280 since his return. He's got a four to four to 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:09.760 three EIRA. So encouraging in a lot of ways. I mean, 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:13.480 because if if you don't have Wheeler sharp, we'd spend 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:15.800 all last show, much of last show talking about that. 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:20.520 If you don't have Wheeler sharp, If Sanchez is as sharp, man, 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:24.079 it's huge right now to have Aaron Nola pitching well, Reuben, 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:24.480 isn't it. 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:27.359 I mean we've talked about this a lot. I mean, 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:28.359 starting pitching is. 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:31.200 Still rules today, right, I mean really put you in 0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:34.320 a position if you have starting pitching depth that it 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:36.240 puts you in a position to be able to win 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:39.959 with the top three that they have. Even though Wheeler 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:44.480 and Sanchez have not been as dominant as they have 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:50.280 in previous parts of the season, they're still really, really good. 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.400 It's what's buoying this team, right. 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.600 But there's a lot of concern obviously about the fourth 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:56.440 and fifth slot. 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:59.000 Now, we all of us collectively, the. 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:02.600 Three of us were hopeful, did not know whether or not, 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.680 you know, they those two guys, the Nola's and the 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:10.720 Painters of the world, could right the ship. The concern 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:14.000 that I have about Nola is that why did it 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:16.840 take this long to get the mechanics right? So we 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:24.360 have all types of different ways to measure issues. And 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:30.760 when I watched Nola pitch, his stuff was better, There's 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:33.800 no question about it. But why, I mean, he hasn't 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:37.040 had any arm issues. It's not like he's throwing harder. 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:40.680 Why did it take this long to. 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:44.680 Analyze and to get him to the point where he's 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:46.920 throwing like he has been like the last eight or 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:52.880 nine starts, As you showed his fastball and his breaking ball, 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.000 the way the ball was coming out of his hand. 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:59.200 When his breaking ball is not working well, it pops 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:02.880 up out of his hand and you sort of can 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:10.360 recognize it. Yesterday or Wednesday, his breaking ball was so 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:15.480 tight and it didn't pop out. It came out looking 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:20.880 like a fastball and snapped off. With all the edgitronics 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:26.680 and all the the information and all the analytic tools 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:29.240 and things that they have, why did it take so 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:33.080 long for them to get to this point? And my 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.599 feeling is this, in this day and age, many of 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:41.080 a lot of the people who are teaching pitching understand 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:44.680 the spins and understand that kind of stuff, but I'm 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:48.080 not sure if they're understanding what it feels like to 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:52.479 make the pitch. And that's where I get sideways with 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:55.760 the analytics stuff. Great to recognize it, but how do 0:04:55.839 --> 0:05:00.640 you get him to get back to those mechanics physically. 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:04.960 That's where I think the rubber hits the road. And 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:08.200 I'm not trying to bag on anybody necessarily, but it 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:10.720 just doesn't make any sense that it took this long 0:05:11.160 --> 0:05:15.480 for them to figure out why he was not getting 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.200 to that point in his release points so that he 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:22.040 can spin that breaking ball the way he has always 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:23.800 spun it, because that has been his. 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:24.559 Bread and butter. 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:28.040 Why did it take so long for them to get 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:31.719 to it when his doesn't have arm issues and that 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.760 breaking ball was different than the breaking balls that I've 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.720 seen over the last several weeks. 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:44.680 I mean, that's fascinating commentary to which I don't know 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:49.440 the answer. But could it be as simple as sometimes 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:54.360 athletes perform well and sometimes they slump for lack of 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.680 a better word, and don't perform well. I mean, if 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:01.480 answers were that simple, would we know why Zach Wheeler's 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:05.120 last five starts have been subpar? You know, I just 0:06:05.160 --> 0:06:08.600 don't know, but it's very interesting. But you're right about 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:12.840 the curveball, and you know, the way I understand it 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:17.120 comes up, it's a difference between coming out here and 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:22.160 rolling or coming off the fingertips and snap dragon. And 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.000 it just seems like that's what he's got going right 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:28.880 now with that spike curve. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:31.760 Spiker, not knuckle curve spiker. 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:35.080 And we know that because he said it right on 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:36.680 our show and he showed it to us. 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:42.240 Right's exactly right, And uh, you know, whenever he does 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.400 throw a bad curveball. He always he always uses that word, Ruben, 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:49.400 what you used it popped out, popped out, curveball, popped out, 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:50.960 popped out? 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:51.920 What about I mean? 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:55.520 He's also his pitch usage has changed over those last 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.600 nine starts as well. I know I've showed you guys 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:02.760 this these charts before, but I got some updated ones. 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:07.560 So this is before July fifth, knuckle, curve, spike, curve, 0:07:08.360 --> 0:07:10.480 throwing it more than a third of the time, thirty 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:11.360 four percent. 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:11.559 Of the time. 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.720 You see his four seam fastball usage around twenty three 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:15.560 and a half percent. 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:16.240 Sinker. 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.800 Okay, to keep an eye on the sinker boys, twenty 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.520 point nine percent of the time, change up twelve point 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:28.360 six percent now in the last nine starts since then, gegah, curve, 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:31.360 the curveball now little less than a third of the time. 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:36.160 Four seamers basically unchanged. He's throwing that the same amount, 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:39.640 but the change up usage is shot up and the 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:43.360 sinker has dropped off considerably. So you're seeing a little 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:47.880 a lot more change up, a lot less sinker in 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:51.280 the pitch usage. And maybe that's played a role. 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:54.360 I don't know, and I've talked about this, honestly, Todd 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:55.760 this is great, that's great stuff. 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.200 And I've talked about this. I mean, he's had to. 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:01.560 Make a sort of a paradigm shift and how he 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:04.800 pitches because he doesn't he can't rush the pass ball 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:09.360 pass guys consistently anymore. The vosity's just not there and 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:12.400 the life of it is really not there. But he 0:08:12.440 --> 0:08:14.240 needs to do He needed to do a couple of 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.560 different things. One, he has to keep the ball down consistently, 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:20.000 show the fastball up every once in a while just 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:26.880 to change the eye level his But his overall consistency 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:29.480 and his success is going to be by driving the 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:32.080 ball down in the zone. How does he do that. 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:34.800 He gets on top of it with his fingers. He 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:38.440 works that change up consistently, and we talked about it 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:40.720 a million times, and I've talked about it on NBC. 0:08:40.840 --> 0:08:43.200 I've talked about it on the podcast. You have to 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:45.280 drive the ball down with your change up. He's going 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:47.199 to mix in more change ups and keep the ball 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.679 down and try to get ground balls. And then he's 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:53.120 got to get that breaking ball down, which he did extraordinary. 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:54.320 Job of in both games. 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.200 And the sinker has to work right, the sinker down 0:08:57.640 --> 0:08:59.800 And so when he's working down and he's staying out 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:03.040 of the middle of the zone. They make contact on pitches, 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:05.560 but it's ground ball contact or swing and miss in 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:10.400 the case of the breaking ball, and it limits damage. Yes, 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:12.440 he's going to make mistakes because he throws a lot 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:14.920 of strikes and balls are going to get hit out 0:09:14.920 --> 0:09:15.560 of the ballpark. 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:16.959 But if he keeps the. 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:19.160 Ball down, then he can limit the contact on the 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:23.760 ground as opposed to the ball going into the air 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:27.079 and being driven out of the ballpark. Throwing strikes is 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.200 a big one for him, and I think he's just 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:31.520 a much better pitcher when he's driving the ball down 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.839 in the zone. And that's that's why he's had so 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.720 much success. And I'm sorry for stealing so much thunder 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:39.480 during the course of this podcast. 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:41.440 No, that's great stuff. 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.120 He's always been, always been a guy that needs to 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:48.080 pitch at the knees, as a lot of pitchers have 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:51.880 migrated up in the zone and try to work that 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:57.000 top border of the strike zone and get it above 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:59.240 the bower. He's a guy that needs to be at 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:02.760 the knees and has his entire career since he arrived 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:05.800 in the big leagues and correct when he's not he 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:08.280 doesn't have the gidda up to get it by somebody. 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:10.439 He threw a two steamer last night. 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:17.160 Late in the game, and he an umpire called it 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:20.000 a strike. It was like he was so good last night. 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:22.760 He was getting calls, you know, like you'd see at 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:28.120 times with pictures back in just pre abs, like this 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:31.160 guy is, this guy is dealing all of a sudden. 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:33.000 Now the strikes sowed all of a sudden. The plate's 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:36.360 now eighteen nineteen inches and he got one of those, 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:38.760 and the umpire rang up the hitter and and the 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:42.439 hitter tapped and it was two inches off the plate. 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:45.480 But it was like even the umpire you could tell 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:49.800 was buying into the movement on those pitches and the 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:54.120 way he was executing. So I'm very I'm very happy 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:55.920 for Aaron in the last two months. I really am 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:59.920 knowing is more respected in that room. There's no finer gentle, 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:05.200 no better competitor, no harder worker. And I think we 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:09.360 all were wondering if he was headed for big problems 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:12.680 earlier this year, and he has shown a lot of 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:18.000 guts and getting back on track here and becoming a huge, 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:20.840 huge contributor to this team that did not add starting 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:23.880 pitching at the deadline, and all of a sudden, now 0:11:24.120 --> 0:11:28.000 it looks like they they've added another real quality guy. 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:30.600 So good. Can I just add this? 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:34.640 I mean, I know I'm happy that he's bucking the 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.600 fans right now, because the fans out there are basically 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:40.160 we're basically ready to trash him and throw them aside. 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:44.280 And this is not a guy that just having known 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:46.800 him over the years and know who the person is. 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.760 To me, if there's somebody's going to figure it out, 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:53.760 it's Aaron Nola and someone who is. 0:11:55.160 --> 0:11:58.040 Who doesn't make excuses, doesn't you know that's. 0:11:57.840 --> 0:12:00.800 Not that's you know, he's one of those guys that 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:02.079 at some point is going. 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.640 To figure it out. And uh. 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.640 And I love the fact that he's bounced back for 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:13.840 him and for the organization, but also you know, for 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.760 the fans who doubt it, and so pooh pooh on 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:18.520 those folks. 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:20.760 He may end up having a terrible end of the year. 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:22.920 But the reality of it. 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:27.280 Is that he's working hard to I'm sure and I 0:12:27.360 --> 0:12:31.240 know that he's working hard to be a success and 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:32.120 to help this team. 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:35.240 Ruben full disclosure, I was worried. I was worried. 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:38.840 I remember saying, of course, you know, he was having 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:40.920 trouble getting through the early innings and I was I 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:43.400 remember saying once what are they going to do? Because 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:45.439 he would be good for a couple of innings that 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.080 he sort of hit an early wall and I was like, 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:50.959 maybe they have to piggyback him with someone. But I mean, 0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:54.120 he has just totally changed the narrative and he's had 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:56.320 a lot of good ballgames with Garrett Stubbs. 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:03.960 Stubbs caught that first game in Kansas City that Sunday, remember, 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:05.080 and go to Miami. 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:08.080 He's pitched three three really good ones against Miami and 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:09.840 Stubbs has been behind there for all. 0:13:09.720 --> 0:13:10.280 Three of them. 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:13.760 They've developed a really good chemistry. So yeah, I mean 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:16.559 that's a team within a team in the battery, and 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.560 you know, Stubbs deserves a tip of the hat as well. 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:21.600 I got a little bit of a theory about that. 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:25.120 Stubbs is a smaller guy and he's got a lower 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.400 target because he's a lower body, he's a smaller person. 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:34.160 It's a great and perhaps him being lower and smaller, 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.880 he has to dial into a lower target, which is 0:13:37.920 --> 0:13:41.320 where his success is going to be. Maybe that has 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:44.000 something to do with it. It's possible. I don't know 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:47.880 that for fact, it's real. Certainly can't hurt it. 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:51.640 I mean conversely, Zach Wheeler loves throwing a j T 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:53.720 because JT provides a bigger target. 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:54.679 I mean, he. 0:13:56.920 --> 0:14:01.120 JT's going to catch Zach Wheeler. You know, yeah, all absolutely, 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:04.280 that's Zach likes the target that he provides. So there's 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.120 something real there, you know. So that's that's a great point, Ruben, 0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:14.000 excellent point. Okay, that was that right there. That's a 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:18.160 monster moment brought to you by Monster Energy. Unleash the Beast. 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:22.200 Fuel your game day. Grab a Monster Energy drink at 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:23.840 your local retailer. 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:26.120 Today. 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:29.400 We're back, and we got some questions. We asked for 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:33.320 some questions from from all you and got some good 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.360 ones and let me fine, Oh here we go. 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:38.080 Let's let's go big picture. 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.720 You want to go big picture? Big picture? 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:43.720 This is from Instagram. 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:46.400 This is from Baseball thirty four fifty. 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.440 Do you really believe. 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:53.200 That this team can win a championship? They haven't proven 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:56.000 that they can. Do you really believe? 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:01.920 I mean, to me, though, I was all championship teams, 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.000 so all championships teams have to do it. 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:05.240 Once for the first time. 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:07.680 So exactly, that was my first thought. 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:09.800 Jim, the same thing is like, well, yeah, I mean, 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:13.240 the Dodgers didn't prove that they could win a championship 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.720 until two years ago. I know, Dave Roberts was almost 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:18.680 going to be fired because they kept collapsing in the postseason. 0:15:18.720 --> 0:15:21.480 I mean, people, Dodgers fans hated Dave Roberts and now 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:23.600 he's probably gonna go to the Hall of Fame because 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:25.320 he's won two in a row with the Dodgers. So 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:28.760 until you do it, you haven't done it. Doesn't mean 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:30.320 you can't do it. 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:32.840 The easy answer, the easy answer is to say they 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:37.360 will not win a championship. Correct, that's the easy answer. 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:40.720 But the real answer is who knows. Nobody knows. You 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:42.640 got to get in and then you got to play 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:44.800 your best three weeks. With baseball, you can't run into 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:47.400 outs on the bases, you can't give extra bases, you 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:50.120 can't walk people, hit batters, make errors. You gotta have 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:53.000 timely hitting, good starting pitching, and you can't blow leeds 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:56.080 early in five game series like the bullpen did in 0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.360 Game one the last two years. So you gotta have 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.760 your best three weeks. If they do that, they could 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:02.400 win a World Series. Did we think the ol White 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.000 Phillies could win the World Series? I didn't going into 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:07.400 that postseason, but they climbed on the back of a 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:09.800 twenty four year old left hander and a really good 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.440 bullpen that was peaking, and they did it. They had 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.360 better teams later in that run and didn't win. 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:19.000 Absolutely. 0:16:19.760 --> 0:16:23.320 Absolutely, I think anything's possible, and I think it really 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.720 depends on this, and I think that has a lot 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:29.080 to do with it. Before August first, this team was 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:33.480 last in on base percentage. They were twenty fourth in 0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:39.680 batting average. They were eighteenth in run scored. Since August first, 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:42.560 I have the numbers right in front of me. They 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:46.360 are second in runs only to Boston. Boston's going haywire right, 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:50.320 They're going nuts. They are first, and on base percentage, 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:54.360 they are third in ops. If they played closer to 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:58.080 the last from the last three weeks than they do 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:01.760 from the last three months, then they do have a chance. 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:06.119 If they play much closer to what they did prior 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:10.840 to August first, then the chances of them doing it. 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:11.880 Are very slim. 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:16.320 But I will tell you that for whatever reason, whatever 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.199 paradigm shift was created, whether it was. 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:21.840 Luis or Rise or their overall. 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:25.440 Team philosophy of making sure that they have a better 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:28.880 approach at the plate, whatever the case may be. They 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:33.080 are a much better offensive team. Yes, they have not 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.560 played like you know, number one starters and all that 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:38.639 other stuff, but you have to play who you have 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:42.800 to play. And for them to have been so much 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.480 better now in the last three weeks than they were 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:47.920 in the first three months or four months of the season, 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:53.400 that's that's that's big, that's huge. And if they finished 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:56.879 off the season playing like they have been this this 0:17:56.920 --> 0:18:00.000 whole month of August, then they have a really legitimate 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:03.280 chance because of their starting pitcher and because of their closer. 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:05.399 They're starting pitching and because of their closer. 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:10.080 I agree, and they've they've what we're talking the other 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.680 day about the Braves in the Analy East, and now 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:15.920 they get another game on the Braves. 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:18.879 Four and a half games back as of I guess 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:20.600 Thursday afternoon. 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:22.560 Right, you never know it's gonna I think it's gonna 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:25.800 be five because the Braves were winning on Thursday afternoon. 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.120 Full disclosure, we're taping on Thursday afternoon. 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:33.520 Sorry, now that's all right, Okay, Yeah, that's all right, 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:36.119 But I mean the point being that you keep playing 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:37.920 like this and the Braves keep playing like that. 0:18:39.600 --> 0:18:40.760 As said, those. 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:42.840 Six games are going to be those six games. 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:50.680 You never never ever know Tony Montanas here, but those 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:53.680 six games in September are gonna be ah. 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:58.239 Against the Braves. That's what you want, right, That's what 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.640 you want in baseball. That's what we're looking for. Absolutely. 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:07.359 Hey, Phillies fans, listen up. When the players need elite 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:11.520 orthopedic care, they turned to Rothmand Orthopedics, and for good reason. 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:14.679 Rothman was named the number one physician practice in the 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:18.440 nation by Castle Conley, recognized for having the most top 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:22.920 doctors in orthopedic care. 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People don't Some people 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:11.560 don't like the word swag. I love the word swag. 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:14.960 Well guess what it's coming, brand new swag. It's gonna 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:16.120 be swag delicious. 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:20.119 If we can pull the right strings. There might be 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:25.359 a Jim Salisbury gardening themed T shirts available soon. 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:29.840 I will be the first to purchase. 0:20:30.600 --> 0:20:34.760 I cannot wait to wear it. That's all I can say. Buddy, 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:36.440 Pat Krit's gonna hook us up. 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:42.800 Oh my god, here we go. 0:20:43.080 --> 0:20:47.719 It's happening. Jim Talent's happening. Oh my gosh. All right, 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:49.240 let's get back to some questions. 0:20:50.680 --> 0:20:51.040 Let's talk. 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:53.359 Let's get some questions in the offense. This was the 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:57.480 one for Ruben. Can you this is from Xander Hunt 0:20:57.560 --> 0:21:00.719 forty four. Can you explain the thought process of first 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:05.119 pitch swinging, especially Alec Bohm, do you have any thoughts 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:05.320 on that? 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:05.680 Ruben? 0:21:05.720 --> 0:21:06.360 What's the thought right? 0:21:06.440 --> 0:21:09.320 Because it's funny guy swings at the first pitch, he 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:10.640 makes it out. 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:13.160 What hits it over the wall? 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:14.520 It hits it the wall. 0:21:14.680 --> 0:21:19.720 I love how he ge attacked ambushed that fastball. 0:21:20.520 --> 0:21:22.800 He pops up to the shortstop with guys are moron. 0:21:23.400 --> 0:21:25.720 Sometimes the first first one is the only good one 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:28.200 you get. I mean, you can see everything both ways 0:21:28.240 --> 0:21:28.760 in this game. 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:33.080 Ruben, what's the thought process on swinging at the first pitch? 0:21:33.080 --> 0:21:34.919 I mean, if you look, if you look at the numbers, 0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:38.919 I believe, if I'm not mistaken, first pitch, first pitch 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:42.040 swinging is like the highest percentage of actually getting a 0:21:42.119 --> 0:21:46.040 hit in baseball. I think it's still the first I 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:48.920 do believe it's the highest percentage of getting a hit. 0:21:49.280 --> 0:21:51.120 I'm not quite positive about that. 0:21:52.280 --> 0:21:55.760 To me, for Bomb, it's always been I always felt like, 0:21:56.000 --> 0:21:58.800