Now that is what I call roadtrip.
Going to Colorado and Sacramento and taking care of the business in front of them is the thing good teams do. There are times when unexpected lapses happen (ask the Dodgers about what happened when last they played the Angels), but good teams will usually beat bad teams. Good for the Phillies.
Three up
Trea Turner
Turner had himself a week.
34 plate appearances, twelve hits – six of which went for extra bases – eight runs scored, eight runs driven in, four stolen bases.
This is what the Phillies were looking for when they signed him.
When Turner is able to show off his dynamic game in its totality, it shows why he is considered to be an elite talent. It’s all there: power, speed, hitting. Even his defense was good this week!
It all just makes that lineup look so much better when he is rolling along.
Platoons against right handed pitchers
I’ve railed against the platoon situations in Philadelphia. I don’t believe that a playoff team can expect to win with two (three?) platoons in place. If there is an opportunity to improve at one or both of the outfield spots, the team should explore it. I’ll also admit that, for this week at least, the left handed hitters in the platoons did their jobs, particularly Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh. Both outfielders hit well this week, Marsh particularly looking revitalized with two healthy hamstrings on his legs. I’ll remain skeptical that it can work, but this week, I’ll eat my words.
Tanner Banks
With Jose Alvarado out for quite a while thanks to a drug suspension, Banks was going to have to step up as the other left handed pitcher in the bullpen. The team cannot rely on Matt Strahm the entire time whenever a tough left handed hitter gets into the box, so having Banks pitching well is somewhat imperative. Four appearances this week in which he didn’t allow a run to score or a hit to be had, even earning himself a save, is a good start to climbing the bullpen hierarchy.
Three down
Platoons against left handed pitchers
Those left handed hitters? They were good!
The right handed hitters? Not great, Bob.
Weston Wilson and Johan Rojas were particularly rough this week, but they also had fewer opportunities to play. Does that play a role? Probably, but maybe my belief that platoons won’t work later in the season isn’t totally unfounded.
Yes yes yes small sample size, I know. Maybe it also just comes down to needing better players to do the platoon?
Major league mounds
If there were a person on the Phillies that I wouldn’t want to make angry, it would be Zack Wheeler. He seems like the person that would have no issue pulling a vital organ out of an opponent’s body for simply looking at him in the wrong way. So when Wheeler is visibly irritated by the mound in Sacramento, that’s a bit intimidating. Cristopher Sanchez also had issues with the mound too and in the first inning of his start, Jesus Luzardo also looked uncomfortable with it. Get it together, A’s.
Jose Ruiz
Listen, last year, Ruiz was a serviceable middle innings reliever. He’s the type of guy that every team needs, one that will do a decent job of either keeping a game close or not letting it get too far gone. He was also cheap, something high payrolled teams value. This year, Ruiz is bordering on unpitchable, possibly even not worthy of a roster spot. He’ll continue to get chances so long as there is little reason to move on from him in the first place, but boy has it been not much fun to watch.