Well, well, well. What a difference a week makes
With all the commotion that was made by the trade deadline, it’s hard to think that it was just this past Thursday that it occurred. It feels like it was forever ago. Last week, we were thinking of rumors and things left unsaid about how the team would improve itself for the stretch run. Now, we know.
And boy has it been a debut.
Three up
Jhoan Duran
I mean, did you think we would lead this with anyone else?
It’s been so long since the Phillies have had a reliever that brought as much of a sense of “this game is over” than what has washed over the fanbase in both of Duran’s appearances. While Jeff Hoffman was quite good, this is on another level. With one trade, it has made people feel solid about the bullpen again, that it won’t be a liability when the chips are down. There will still be hiccups as there are with any bullpen and questions do remain. How will Duran look on back to back outings being one of them. At least he presents the team with a sense of calm that hasn’t been present once this year.
Cristopher Sanchez
Every time Sanchez takes the mound, there are baseball sites that put out some kind of “is he the most underrated pitcher in the game?” followed by a list of stats in his favor. This is all well and good, but anyone who has paid attention the past two and a half seasons knows he’s been one of the best starters in the game. The “underrated” term is no longer necessary. He’s that good and firmly in the Cy Young conversation.
Meanwhile, Curtis Mead was just traded again.
Brandon Marsh
This was a good week for Marsh. Eight hits in 18 at bats, including two home runs and only four strikeouts. These are the kinds of numbers that can be useful at the bottom of the order, so it’s high time that Rob Thomson ends the Max Kepler playing time charade and simply runs out Marsh and Harrison Bader each game to see what they have. It’s why they traded for Bader in the first place and Marsh has proven to be a better option than Kepler. There’s no shame in doing it; it’s what’s best for the team and it’s long overdue.
Three down
Johan Rojas
I feel comfortable saying that this season will be Rojas’s last with the organization. There really isn’t any reason to bring him back up to the major league level this year even. If there is to be a promotion in September when rosters expand, he will have had to look exceptional at the plate in Lehigh Valley for the team to consider him. His defense might still border on elite, but now with Harrison Bader in center and Brandon Marsh in left field, there really is no reason Rojas to be on the roster at all.
Zack Wheeler
Let’s up be upfront. On a list of things to worry about with the Phillies, Wheeler is at or near the bottom. He’s still one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s just been very un-Wheeler like of late. We’re used to the explosion on the fastball; that’s not there. He’s been a little homer happy. Might be a dead arm, might just be the dog days of August, but you can’t look at his last few starts and not list him here as someone who is “down”. He’ll be fine.
The bottom of the bullpen
Remember when I wrote about Max Lazar being good?
Whoops. That’s on me.
Turns out the bottom portion of the bullpen – Lazar, Seth Johnson, Daniel Robert – are not that great and didn’t have a great week but they won’t ever pitch in the playoffs