Trailing 7-0 after three innings against the Cubs today, the Phillies ended up rolling to a 17-8 blowout win. It wasn’t a perfect day for the Phillies, however, as J.T. Realmuto is “sore” after being hit by a pitch in his left elbow/triceps area, manager Joe Girardi told NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury and other reporters. X-rays were negative on Realmuto though he might be held out of the lineup tomorrow as a precaution.
Realmuto already had to hit out Tuesday’s game after receiving an injection in his bothersome right shoulder, and needless to say, the Phillies can hardly afford to lose one of their best hitters while in the thick of the playoff race. Realmuto was 1-for-4 with two RBI in today’s victory, bumping his slash line up to .267/.353/.443 over 479 plate appearances this season.
The latest from Philly….
- “It’s been frustrating basically the whole year with what’s going on,” Didi Gregorius told Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer, as the shortstop said a misdiagnosed elbow injury and then lingering elbow soreness have led to his underwhelming performance. Gregorius spent over six weeks of the season on the injured list due to a form of arthritis in his right elbow known as pseudogout, though he was initially listed as having only an elbow impingement, and the pseudogout diagnosis wasn’t known until Gregorius had already missed around three weeks. Even after returning from the IL on July 2, the Phillies shortstop said he continues to feel lingering soreness in his elbow. Gregorius said his personal doctor felt that a COVID-19 vaccine could be responsible for the elbow issues, as Gregorius said the soreness developed shortly after he was vaccinated in late April. However, Gregorius also noted that his doctor “didn’t give me like 100%” certainty that the vaccine was the cause, and Breen quotes two other medical experts who state that there was little to no evidence that vaccination would lead to gout or pseudogout, and certainly not a case that continues to linger for months. (Breen writes that the Phillies “declined to comment on Gregorius’ claim about the vaccine.”) Gregorius’ own doctors have recommended an arthroscopic procedure to fix his elbow once and for all, though somewhat curiously, Gregorius hasn’t yet discussed offseason treatment plans with the Phillies or their medical staff. Gregorius came into today’s action hitting only .217/.276/.377 over 351 plate appearances.
- In another COVID-related item, the Phillies announced that 85% of players and staff at the big league and Triple-A levels have been fully vaccinated. This meets the league threshold for relaxed coronavirus protocols, such as less social distancing within the clubhouse and less travel restrictions. The exact number of MLB teams to meet the 85% threshold isn’t officially known, though the Phils are known to be one of the last teams to reach that number.
- Hector Neris is a free agent this winter but “I have been available all the time” for a potential reunion with the Phillies, the reliever tells The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. The struggling Phils bullpen figures to undergo a major overhaul, so re-signing Neris could be a possibility just because he has pitched well on the whole this year, if not well enough to keep his job as closer back in June. Neris has posted a very strong 31.4% strikeout rate but a below-average 9.5% walk rate while posting a 3.39 ERA over 63 2/3 innings. Neris is open about pitching in any bullpen role with his next team, saying “You have to try to help the team where you are….If you are flexible, if you are a guy a team can use everywhere, you are more valuable.”
Much has been made in Phillies land about the Didi comments, and I disagree with similar comments by Bradley and Kintzler, but the very odd nature of Didi’s injury makes me believe he might have a case. and I dont say that as an anti-vax dig, just postulating. sometimes you get fluky side-effects.
Didi has been the most disappointing player on the Phillies this year, and on a roster with Aaron Nola, Alec Bohm, and Zac Eflin, that’s pretty impressive. I don’t buy that the issues were vaccine related, but something is definitely up with him.
well I would bet it has to do with the pseudogout, regardless of the cause of it. from what has been said about that condition, i cant imagine it’s easy to play with at all.
Yes. Exactly my thoughts.
I don’t understand this narrative that Zach Eflin has been disappointing, he was always considered a backend starter and that’s exactly how he performed this year, injuries aside.
He made strides last year and was looking like a solid #3. This year he pitched like a #5.
you’re trying to argue a shot in the arm led to months of long term, structural damage that needs surgery to fix?
Check yourself man. Jeez
what, to categorically assume a vaccine could never do that. when a vaccine is given to so many people, its possible it will have some rarer side-effects, and Didi already has health issues of his own, so that could be a complicating factor. im not assuming the assessment is correct, just saying to categorically deny it is absurd.
Darkside, you must have missed the memo, it’s “Believe the experts”…unless their opinion differs from yours, then you need to categorically dismiss anything they said and label them as crack pots.
If Tatis carries the overrated Padres to a playoff game, he deserves the MVP.
Playoffs should have nothing to do with it. But both Tatis and Harper are deserving.
I’ll rephrase. If Harper carries the Phillies, anchored by their putrid bullpen, to the playoffs, he deserves the MVP
Didi nuttier than a fruitcake.
They need to sign a witch doctor in the offseason to remove that voodoo hex living in their bullpen.
I hope J.T. and Didi feel better soon. It must suck to be injured during the home stretch of a tight race.
They need to rebuild the Phillies organization from the ground up. They are terrible, there is so many holes on the team and there is little hope in the minor league. Try sitting down and comparing this roster to 2008 or 1980. They are bad.. Please trade Bryce Harper while he has value. Maybe new ownership is the key and they really need a 76’ers type of rebuild with this team. . .
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They’re not terrible (they havea winning record), but they have glaring holes. They have tremendous strengths, but the huge holes are too big to overcome. They honestly don’t need any huge signings; they have their stars. They need to plug in better complimentary pieces. A real CF. A real SS. And a real closer. That makes them a contender, but easier said than done.
We will not be going through a full rebuild again. Dombrowski will continue to clean house and put the right pieces in place. They will remain competitive while simultaneously rebuilding the farm. It’s the only option. Only a fool would want to endure another decade of losing after the last result lead to a .500 team.
It will take a few years to fix the problems and Bryce Harper and the other 2-3 players that are any good, will be on the downside of their careers. No, they need to rebuild or spend a ton of money to fix the problems. We know they aren’t spending any money.
If you enjoy .500 teams, good for you, I rather the teams of the late 70’s and early 00’s..
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“We know they aren’t spending any money.”
This is a common sentiment from the fanbase, and quite frankly it’s baffling. The Phillies have been spending quite a bit of money, and I think for the right moves, they’d go over the luxury tax threshold for a year. I have a lot of FO complaints, but at least the owner is trying to put a quality product out there on a yearly basis.
Right now the focus should be on adding solid complimentary pieces to the core while trying to scout and develop new talent. No easy task, but I think DD is the right man for the job. I think they’ll be a very different team next year with some shocking trades in store.
Not sure what trade value they have but hey, it’s nice to dream
You are correct, the Phillies are not cheap. What I meant to say, the Phillies will not spend into the luxury tax and for that reason,, they need to rebuild.
I think they will go over the tax threshold for the right moves. It hasn’t made sense to do so yet.
How is he going to do that? Do you expect the NL East to continue to be awful for the next few years?
Trade Harper, lol. For who, ‘prospects’? Other than Zach Eflin, name one prospect the Phillies have acquired in the past 20 years who has actually been at least semi helpful.
Medical “professionals” have proven they only know what is in their text books. period. ” Gregorius also noted that his doctor “didn’t give me like 100%” certainty that the vaccine was the cause, and Breen quotes two other medical experts who state that there was little to no evidence that vaccination would lead to gout or pseudogout, and certainly not a case that continues to linger for months.” I had a shattered left elbow and I felt “things” in it right after my second shot, and still do 5 months later in the other prior injured areas of my body. As these vaccines are completely outside the box and have nothing that these medical “professionals” can read up on, we are all in deeeeeep trouble…
Didi looking for excuses he is a snowflake and needs to be traded eat some of that contract and get over it.Neris don’t resign him that would be a big mistake doesn’t deserve a contract.See if you can move Realmuto somehow.The one they will not do is Replace Girardi
he did everything in his power to lose to the Cubs JD Hammer come on
“Sweet Little Sixteen”, once crooned by Chuck Berry amply defines the next two or so weeks for our Phillies. We’re two games over .500, three games behind the Braves, 2 1/2 games away from the last wild-card spot and have sixteen games remaining.
How the Phillies play over these next 16 games will indeed have to be sweet for us to have any shot at enjoying post-season baseball again. Seems like eons ago when we fans were scrambling to buy playoff tix.
However, reality is cruel, and it’s gonna take a swoon, albeit not a major one, by the Braves for our Phils to get to the dance. Losing Hoskins once again for the stretch run is hurting us. Having to use the bullpen to start games instead of Eflin is a big downgrade, too.
Though last night’s come-from-behind win was exciting, we’ve had fewer of those than games lost by an inept bullpen: And specifically, the closer.
When 2021 is over, three bright spots stand out. 1. Wheeler being Wheeler. 2. Harper’s performance and, 3. The emergence of Ranger Suarez as a solid and reliable starting pitcher.
The disappointments, you ask? Too numerous to mention.
2022 will be no better if Girardi is here and 100% of the bullpen is not gone.At least 2 good starters hopefully a 2..Nola is a 4 or 5 at best.
I hate Girardi’s moves, but blaming the manager is a fool’s game. Look at Kapler. Nola regressed big time, but he’s a #2-3, not a 4-5 and maybe he turns it around.
Girardi is part of the problem time to move on.
I remember the Phillies fans complaining about Kapler.
They were right, any team that he manages underperforms.
Look how he ruined the Giants. He was the cause of all the Phillies woes.
Exactly. The Phillies have a weak offense and a horrible bullpen. That’s a recipe for disaster. Every decision by Girardi looks ten times worse because the team is unreliable. It’s not the manager.
dodg,
Your comment is absurd. Gabe Kapler was an inexperienced manager while in Philadelphia, and his first place teams faded badly at the end of both seasons. San Francisco was in the running for a wildcard spot last season, and Kapler’s Giants faded badly just like his previous Phillies teams.
This season, every move by Kapler has worked. While the Giant’s pitching has been solid, this is one of those magical seasons that somewhat defies logic. Good for the Giants and good for Gabe Kapler, but the Phillies fans had every right to complain during each of Kapler’s September fades.
They need someone for 3rd, shortstop and two outfielders on top of a bunch of new pitchers. Would love to see us switch franchises with Oakland and we’ll be the Philadelphia A’s again!
Replace 100% of the bullpen? And replace with who? Signing free agents and trading for relievers has worked out just so well in the past. The minor league system isn’t a gold mine for pitchers.
Relievers come and go. A good season one year does not guarantee a good season the following year. Phillie reliever acquisitions have proven that over and over again. Running out and replacing everyone will not miraculously fix everything unfortunately
Thanks for coming to the Bryce Harper show.
Don’t forget to tip your bartender on the way out.
Harper is overrated. I would take the outfield in 2000 and 2008, if I was offered him as a replacement for one of those players.
That’s ridiculous. Harper is one of the best players in baseball this year. If Harper replaced someone on the 2008 team, that lineup would be even better.
Harper and Lindor of the Mets both have 10 years left on their contracts. Harper is only one year older. His contract calls for 78 million less over ten the 10 years. They both have the a .279 lifetime batting average. Harper has 110 more lifetime homers. Lindor is currently batting .228.
I’ll take my chances with Harper over the next 10 years.
Neither will be with their teams in the next 3years cause neither team will be any good and both will want out Harper sooner than Lindor
Bad take. Harper wanted a longterm contract in a big market. He wanted family stability. He has no opt outs. The Mets and Phillies are having disappointing years, but both teams are still alive and are not that far off from a playoff spot, but they aren’t legit contenders. They also aren’t terribly far away. A few moves and some lucky breaks, and either franchise will be contender. I get it. A long playoff drought for a big market is unacceptable, but it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s Gibson and Suarez in the rotation. Wheeler turning into a legit ace. Harper’s MVP-like season. A lot needs to be fixed, but with some money coming off the books, I think the Phillies can potentially make the right moves to compete next year. Not a full-blown rebuild, but a retooling.
I can’t predict what might happen in the future, but right now Harpers contract is looking very affordable. If you watch him play night after night you would conclude that he is not a selfish ballplayer. Gives 110 percent every timeout.
Now you never know about injuries or overall decline of the ballclub, but I suppose that’s why the Phillies hired Dave Dombrowski.
Every team must have a good mix of good young and cheap ballplayers and a few high priced stars to compete. Otherwise your the Pirates with no chance.
Neither the Phillies or the Mets are going to get in the playoffs this year or if they do by some miracle sneak in there they’ll be quickly swept out. Next year we will find out if they have what it takes to be a serious contenders in the future or the same sad story for both teams.
Here we go again. These are professional athletes with contracts they willingly signed with their respective teams to play for their respective teams for the duration of the contract. They are well aware that their team is not going to win every game and win championships every year. They are not little pouting 10 year olds who are going to cry about not being on the team that wins everything.
Geez, what nonsense is this Bob guy going to post next?
Phills you are one of the fans that are part of the problem and they can do no wrong.Yes these players are spoiled little brats like a 10yr old if things don’t go their way.If you think they are not you need to come in touch with reality and see what is going on out in the real
world.You are one of the fans that if they do nothing to the roster next year that would be ok.
I bet you are a Brad Miller fan too and want them to sign Neris to a long term contract.Im sure you think Nola is good too.What a joke!!!!!!
Nah, you are the unrealistic one. Your answer is to trade, release, DFA, or otherwise just throw away every player you get mad at or upset over. It isn’t the players who pout – it is some ‘fans’ like you. So your answer is to trade everyone you don’t like for more prospects, like Phillipe Aumont, Jerad Eikhoff, Ben Lively, Jake Thompson, Nick Pivetta, Nick Williams, Alec Asher, Vince Valesquez, Thomas Eschelman, Tom Windel, Darnell Sweeney? That has worked just so well in the past.
Phillls you will never get it you they have your head so far up their ass you can’t stand hearing anything negative.This team should have been blown up at the trade deadline and
got some GOOD young players.We have seen the act of Hoskins being good only to come back to being average time to move on from him.Same goes for Nola we have seen this average pitcher for too long.Move those 2 and maybe you can turn things around.The bullpen SUCKS again.Keep changing until you get it right.SF got lucky with the arms they signed this year.Stop doing the same thing over and over.Those trades you mentioned were done by previous regime not Dombrowski.I don’t know what world you live in but if you feel this players are not spoiled brats you must be one of them.
Ah, Dombrowski the savior. Joyce, Anderson, Moore, Alvarado, Coonrod, Kennedy, Bradley. Doing so much better than Klentak. Changed the bullpen like you said but hasn’t gotten it right either.
So what GOOD young players were available at the trade deadline the the team should have been blown up for? More ‘prospects’ or other team’s rejects who would be so much better than Hoskins and / or Nola? Trade Nola, so the Phillies can have 3 starters and 2 bullpen games a week?
Bring Neris back for a setup role, not a closer. And Miller’s batting average is the only thing important – nothing else matters, right? I’m sure the Phillies could just go find another utility / backup player who plays multiple positions, hits 19 home runs as a part time player, but will bat .300 just to please you and others obsessed with batting averages.