We are back once again with the 97.3 ESPN Phillies Mailbag. Each week we take your questions and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill. Tune in each Tuesday afternoon to hear your questions answered on the air.
What would your playoff roster look like?
~Katie
Assuming the Phillies can win two more games (or the Dodgers lose two games or some combination of the two), the Phillies will have a bye through the Wild Card and begin with the National League Division Series. As such, I would pick the following roster:
Pitchers (13): Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Johan Duran, Matt Strahm, David Robertson, Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering, Walker Buehler, Tim Mayza, Lou Trevino, Taijuan Walker
Catchers (2): J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan
Outfielders (6): Kyle Schwarber (primarily as DH), Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader, Max Kepler, Nick Castellanos, Weston Wilson
Infielders (5): Alec Bohm, Trea Turner, Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott, Bryce Harper
Taxi Squad: Garrett Stubbs, Otto Kemp, Max Lazar
I think the Taijuan Walker spot on the roster is out of courtesey; it was a choice between Walker and Otto Kemp primarily. But either player probably does not see the light of day unless there is an injury. Should there be an injury, Kemp and Max Lazar would be in the dugout on the taxi squad.
I think Kemp’s play at second base showed that Weston Wilson can do a little bit more on the roster, if need be.
Johan Rojas has been spoken about by some as a roster possibility, simply for use as a pinch runner. I actually prefer Wilson, even though Phillies Tailgate notes that Rojas is almost 2 feet per second faster. I think he has a better baserunning acumen.
Should the Phillies be worried about Aaron Nola heading into the playoffs?
~Gary
After coming off an injury that kept him out much of the season, the Phillies have been doing their best to stretch Aaron Nola out. There was the first inning blowup a few Wednesdays ago. But since then, Nola seems to have been bitten later in the game. That, to me, is encouraging.
First, I would not start Nola until the NLCS, should the Phillies make it. Thanks to off days, the Phillies need just three starters to get through the NLDS. I would give those starts to Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Jesus Luzardo.
But in game four of the NLDS, or whichever game Nola would land given the timing, there will be a quick hook. In the playoffs, thanks to off days, the entire bullpen is essentially available every night.
If Nola gets through four innings and starts leaking oil, then the Phillies can turn to the bullpen. Even three innings, they probably would be okay. They will have insurance in Walker Buehler if they need someone to come in early.
And, with three lefties in the bullpen, someone could come in to get them out of whatever inning Nola finds trouble, and have two left.
So really there is a lot less pressure heading into the playoffs. What we’ve seen from Nola the last couple of starts is not a worry, because he will not be left in long enough to have a rough sixth inning.
Who would you rather the Phillies face in the NLDS, the Mets or Dodgers?
~Alan
Don’t look now, but the Wild Card race is pretty much open. As it stands today, the Mets and Reds are tied for the final Wild Card spot. And the Arizona Diamondbacks are just a game behind them. It’s going to be a close one.
So, I will expand this answer to all of those teams.
The Reds hold the tiebreaker over the Mets. If the season ended yesterday, it would be the Reds or Dodgers facing the Phillies. I actually tend to think that either opponent the Phillies could do just fine. I think the Reds have holes throughout the roster, and Terry Francona has done a fine job working around them.
I would heavily favor the Dodgers in that series, but I think the Phillies can take care of the Dodgers, as evidence by their recent series in Los Angeles. The Dodgers bullpen is very beatable.
Should the Phillies face the Mets, I think they would hold the advantage. That’s even though the Phillies have been swept at Citi Field this season. The Mets have shown that despite having a great deal of talent, they cannot put it all together.
Still, it would be nice if the Phillies do not face them, even if last year/this year’s losses are in their heads. But the last memory of the Mets was the four-game sweep that de facto kept them from winning the National League East.
The one team I don’t like the matchup is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Granted, the Phillies faced the Diamondbacks without a second baseman and with the second baseman playing shortstop – making them weaker at both positions – which allowed the gritty, speedy Diamondbacks to take advantage.
It’s been a couple of years, but we saw that matchup in the NLCS in 2023.
Ultimately, it comes down to this: Are you the best team? Are you fit to appear in the World Series? If so, then the Phillies should beat any opponent. I tend to like this roster much better than last year’s and still better than 2023.
So I think the Phillies can take on any team right now and compete with them. Will they win? That will have to play out on the field.