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thesportssoundoff · 4 years

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Playoff Droughts And Who Can Break Theirs

Joey

Baseball season is approaching and in the interest of breaking up the monotony of what figures to be a LONG and painful spring training, I wanted to take a peek whimsically while looking backwards. There's no more enjoyable story than when a team that's been excluded from the postseason dance for quite some time gets their invite. Sometimes it's years of hard work and team building and other years its due to ownership just throwing money around and sometimes? It's just a fluke luck circumstance not to be repeated for quite some time. For the sake of doing something of a bit of a project, I decided to take a brief look at teams that have not made the playoffs in over five years. I chose five years arbitrarily I suppose because to me five years or more without a playoff run is a genuine drought whereas four or less just feels like a lull regardless of expectations. Yankees fans may consider three years without the playoffs to be a drought whereas that's if anything a lull or a break in tradition. Teams that have been out of it for five years or more are teams that are either mired in long term BAD baseball or embracing mediocrity at best and so five years just felt right. Also I wanted to do it since the invent of the two game wild card but then it would be literally just three teams and nobody wants that.

Of the eight teams who have missed the playoffs for five years straight or longer, who are most likely to break that streak and join the dance? Well...

1- Philadelphia Phillies Last Playoff Appearance: 2011

Last year's darling picks, the Phillies have been out of the playoffs since 2011. For fun facts, 2011 was also the first year of the Chromebook, snapchat and the release of Elder Scrolls: Skryim. If you read this space for MMA? 2011 was the year Jon Jones beat Shogun for the LHW title, the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix started and Alistair Overeem's UFC debut. It's been a while and to the credit of Philadelphia, they've tried a multitude of ways from riding out the final years of aging veterans to rehauling their farm system to spending and spending big. It's not for a lack of trying they haven't made it back to the playoffs! Last year they seemed armed to roll through a perceived weak NL East with big names and big money across the board. Of course little did we know the Nationals would be better without Bryce Harper and the Phillies wouldn't even crack the top two of the division. Out goes Gabe Kapler and in comes Joe Girardi who will be tasked with VETERAN MANAGING his way through this ultra talented and underachieving roster that has added the likes of Zach Wheeler, Didi Gregorious as well as Andrew McCutchen who was lost early into 2019 with a torn ACL. The Phillies boast an insane line up as if Didi and Cutch are healthy and productive then you've got a core of Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, Didi, McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. The rotation is pretty damn spiffy (health permitting) with Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin and Jake Arrieta plus flostam as a fifth if need be. The Phillies are always going to be a team that has slumps magnified and streaks glorified (such is life with Bryce Harper) but I can't see them not cracking the playoffs in some form or fashion this year. If they don't make the playoffs, we may need to try and discuss if there's some kind of a curse out there on the Phanatic.

2- Cincinnati Reds Last Playoff Appearance: 2013

Gotta admit I had no idea the Reds had a playoff cameo back in 2013. Guess that's just one of those years lost to time. Fun facts of 2013? Grand Theft Auto 5 came out that year, Yahoo purchased this hell site and the UFC brought women into the organization for the first time ever. The Reds spoke openly about wanting to spend a bit in the offseason and so they did, flexing some financial muscle with deals for Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to help out a lineup featuring the likes of Joey Votto, Nick Senzel and Eugenio Suarez. If the Reds are going to make a serious run of things, it'll likely be on the arms of a rejuvenated Sonny Gray, mercurial Trevor Bauer and the league's best kept secret to casual fans Luis Castillo. There's obviously going to be concerns about a team that hits a lot of dingers but strikes out a bunch and a somewhat unheralded bullpen but the Reds have power, they've gotten better and they've got a cadre of arms to flex at any time. Also? The NL Central figures to be up in the air as the Cubs seem to coast with the core they have until the rebuild comes around, the Cardinals and Brewers underwent massive changes and the Pirates figure to be flat out bad. There's never been a more clear path for the Reds to make some October noise.

3- Los Angeles Angels Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The year is 2014. In the real world, Colorado legalizes the purchase of wacky tobacky, selfies became "a thing" in need of forever going away and the occulus rift creates a youtube grift genre. Sports wise? The MLB struggles through record rating woes, the Cowboys finally break through in the Jason Garrett tenure with a 12-4 record, the UFC is undergoing massive upheaval as stars retire or are suspended for PEDs, Bellator hosts its first PPV which in turn leads to the ousting of Bjorn Rebney for Scott Coker and LeBron James leaves Miami to go back where it all began in Cleveland. That's the last time the Angels saw a playoff game and it's been beaten to death at this point. "WHY DON'T THE ANGELS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS DURING MIKE TROUT'S PRIME?!" is tired and done to death but for those of you who feel the same way, 2020 marks the BEST chance for that to become a fad question (or perhaps just morph into "WHY CAN'T THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL WIN THE WORLD SERIES ON HIS OWN?!") since the Angels are pretty damn loaded for bare. With the Astros about to endure a pretty weird season and the A's always lurking, the Angels will roll into the year with three bonafide superstars in Anthony Rendon, Shohei Otani and Mike Trout. The pieces around them aren't bad shakes either as Andrelton Simmons is a defensive whiz, David Fletcher is one of those solid under the radar types and the rotation isn't flashy but it should be competent with minor league depth to make moves if they see a big fish out there. The Angels would've been higher up had they gotten Ross Stripling and Joc Pedersen in a deal but since that fell off, I feel like 3rd behind the Reds and Phillies is a fine spot to put them in.

4- Chicago White Sox Last Playoff Appearance: 2008

2008 will probably best be known as the year of change headlined by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was the year Fidel Castro stepped down in Cuba. China got the olympics in Beijing and people were TOTALLY cool about that with nary any controversy whatsoever. Beyond that? 2008 was the year I got into MMA and that was a special time, dudes. It was also the year where the White Sox saw their last real sustained succeed with its last postseason appearance. The White Sox feel like they've been in a rebuild since pretty much the end of the Ozzie Guillen tenure and despite multiple managers, multiple attempts to figure it out, rebuilds aplenty and some damn good talent coming through the organization, it's been a rough go of it for the majority of 2010 to 2019. Put it this way, the LAST time the White Sox made the playoffs, Chris Sale was a 22 year old rookie and Paul Konerko was still an active player. They've got a chance to kick off this next decade as a bit of a sleeper team in the Central. This team can hit and one can assume that another year of development for phenom talents like Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jiminez can only help. Tim Anderson for better or worse has a style and swagger that generates attention but it is fair to remember that for at least one half a season, he was a phenomenal player worthy of the acclaim. The White Sox have tried hard to secure elite free agents (Manny Machado and Zack Wheeler) but it's been a bust so at this point it's going to be up to them to draft, develop and trade for it. It would not surprise me if the White Sox are good enough in June and July to make a big deal to try and push them over the hump and chase for the second wild card.

5- San Diego Padres Last Playoff Appearance: 2006

The Padres last made the playoffs in the year of the Nintendo Wii. Floyd Mayweather hadn't even come up with his Money Mayweather gimmick yet! Lost to baseball obscurity, the Padres had at the very least an interesting team out west. The likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, arguably the worst defensive outfield in the history of the universe and freakishly good young arms like Chris Paddack and Joey Luchessi at least made them fun to watch. They weren't "good" but this is a team that was still struggling to balance expensive veterans with clout (Machado, Eric Hosmer, Will Meyers) with really good young talent trying to figure things out. The Padres figure to be better with a full season of Tatis Jr, more production from guys like Hosmer and Machado plus improvements in the outfield with Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham (hold your jokes, Nats fans) figure to give this team a chance. There's a pretty good bullpen (Emilio Pagan is a sneaky nice pick up) and plenty of talent in their 26 man roster. The NL West has so much legit top talent with the D-Backs and Dodgers figuring to be really good that it's hard to make an argument for the Padres to be a playoff contender but they figure to try and trying is truly half the battle.

6- Miami Marlins Last Playoff Appearance: 2003

It's kind of a bummer that we didn't get our decennial Marlins "The fuck?" World Series win but they made up for it by giving us Jeffrey Loria and David Samson fucking things up for most of the decade leading to Derek FUCKING Jeter opting to get into the management game much to the chagrin of most folks on all sides. The Marlins are in the midst of rebuilding....again. Don't expect them to compete but they've got some good talent to at least want to see play. Brian Anderson, Caleb Smith, Jorge Alfaro and a bundle of veteran signings that will at the very least make the Marlins a fun trade partner in July will keep this team relevant. Wouldn't surprise me if the Marlins flirt with a 20 win swing from where they were last year.

7- Seattle Mariners Last Playoff Appearance: 2001

My god man. The Mariners were SO close in 2018, winning 89 games and finishing a few spots out of a Wild Card spot. As if they decided that this core couldn't do it, the Mariners went to work tearing their team apart and were rewarded with a pretty blegh squad that was once again picked apart at the deadline. To their credit they have some spiffy talent worth watching, namely the infield duo of JP Crawford and Shed Long. They’ve also got some fun young arms who might take the next step. Just don't expect them to win many games.

8- Detroit Tigers Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The Tigers are aways away from being contenders. They're not trying to be contenders. They're in the midst of what could best be described as a multiple year rebuild after riding out the end days of the core from the start of the 2010's. They will be bad but god bless 'em for embracing it.

#MLB #playoffs #baseball

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junker-town · 5 years

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Phillies home underdogs vs. Braves on Friday MLB odds

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Atlanta Braves in an important NL East rivalry matchup, with the home side the underdog on the MLB odds for Friday night.

The Philadelphia Phillies are 5-1 over their last six games and have narrowed their deficit in the NL East to just 5.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies will try to close the gap further on Friday when they host the Braves in the first game of a three-game series.

Philadelphia is a +115 home underdog on the MLB odds for this series opener at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Jake Arrieta gets the start against Mike Soroka and the Braves as -125 road favorites.

Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies

When: Friday, July 26, 7:05 p.m. ET

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Betting Line / Total: Atlanta -125 / 10 Runs

Braves at Phillies OddsShark Matchup Report

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Notes

The Phillies fell to 48-46 on the season in embarrassing fashion earlier this month when they got blown out at home 16-2 by the Los Angeles Dodgers. That loss seems to have triggered something in the Phillies as the team is 6-2 over its last eight games including a perfect 4-0 record in one-run games.

Philadelphia is suddenly finding ways to win in close games and appears to be building some confidence.

There should be no shortage of confidence for the Phillies in this series as they are 16-6 in their last 22 home games against Atlanta including a current 5-0 run per the OddsShark MLB Database.

Atlanta Braves Betting Notes

The Braves appeared to be running away with the top spot in the NL East, but now they’ve gone just 2-6 over their last eight games since going 8-1 in their previous nine. Atlanta’s offense has hit a snag over the eight-game slump averaging just 3.4 runs per game.

Rookie Mike Soroka could help the Braves get back on track; he has a 2.46 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP this season, and Atlanta is 8-1 in his last nine starts.

Braves at Phillies Betting Total

Friday night’s total is set at 10 runs. The UNDER is 5-0 in Atlanta’s last five games.

If Philadelphia hopes to make a push for the National League East, now would be the time to do it. This series continues on Saturday with Max Fried facing Zach Eflin and then wraps up on Sunday as Kevin Gausman squares off against Aaron Nola. Nola has given up one earned run or less in six of his last seven starts and the Phillies are 5-1 in his last six starts.

For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.

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flauntpage · 5 years

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Phillies Look Like Bad Bet Against Dodgers Again Tonight

So the Phillies lost to the Dodgers by a 16-2 tally last night in what was a nationally televised game. Those of you that take part in online sports betting in PA and had money on the Phillies know this all too well.

They twice left the bases loaded early on before allowing the Dodgers to execute both a suicide squeeze in which nobody covered first base and a steal of home.

Somehow, that wasn’t the most embarrassing part of LA’s six-run fourth inning.

youtube

When Zach Eflin finally recorded the third out after the Dodgers sent 10 men to the plate, well, you see, the Phillies forgot that there were three outs.

#Phillies Manager Gabe Kapler on what looked like confusion over how many outs there were in the Top of the 4th vs the #Dodgers Monday pic.twitter.com/rZdRpsVGVH

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) July 16, 2019

Ah yes, question asking. Here’s a question: How does that happen? Come on, Gabe. Light them up! Do it.

Naturally, things got worse from there as a depleted bullpen was obliterated by a potent Dodgers lineup. Just ask Yacksel Rios.

So phresh and so clean. pic.twitter.com/A1BCp5vGuO

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 16, 2019

Rios was ejected a batter later, leaving centerfielder Roman Quinn to mop things up in multi-inning appearance, which is what you always want – particularly from a guy that has a lengthy injury history. But hey, the beautiful thing about baseball is that no matter how bad things may seem, there’s always an opportunity to get back on the horse and try again the next day.

Then again, maybe that’s not a good thing.

The Phillies are once again a monster underdog tonight as they will send Vince Velasquez to the mound to square off against the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler. Let’s take a look at what to expect.

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Those of you in Pennsylvania, find out more about how to get in on the action on our PA sports betting page.

Those of you in New Jersey, hit our NJ online sports betting page.

Phillies-Dodgers Odds

Here are the Phillies-Dodgers odds for tonight’s game. Odds listed are as of 10:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.

DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-103) +165 O 9 (-122) Dodgers -1.5 (-115) -190 U 9 (+100)

BetRivers Sportsbook

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-103) +165 O 9 (-120) Dodgers -1.5 (-115) -190 U 9 (+104)

PointsBet

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (+105) +165 O 9.5 (+100) Dodgers -1.5 (-125) -196 U 9.5 (-121)

Want to grab the under? Get it at PointsBet where the total is currently set at 9.5 runs. If you like the Phillies, you can grab them at either SugarHouse Sportsbook (BetRivers), DraftKings Sportsbook, or PointsBet. Currently, they are +165 at all three books. You can also get the best price on a Dodgers moneyline bet at SugarHouse Sportsbook (BetRivers) and DraftKings.

Phillies-Dodgers General Betting Trends

Keep an eye on this moneyline. The Phillies were as much as a +170 moneyline underdog this morning before dipping to +165. If that number jumps back up over the +170 threshold, this game will mark the largest moneyline home underdog the Phillies have been during the Gabe Kapler era.

In fact, they’ve only been a +170 or greater home dog 32 times since the start of the 2005 season and all 32 of those games were played between 2013-2017. They are 12-20 (+476) in those games. If the line sits at +165, they have played one game at that number under Kapler, which they lost 6-0 to the Yankees last June.

The Dodgers, despite having the superior club in recent seasons, are only 7-7 overall at Citizens Bank Park dating back to 2015.

The Phillies are 28-20 at home this season, while the Dodgers are 26-21 on the road. Neither team has been profitable in these home/away roles.

Depending on what data source you go by, the Phillies have been a home underdog either three or five times this season. Either way, they haven’t won in this role yet. They have struggled as an underdog in general going 10-22 (-$913). Overall, they have been one of the least profitable underdog bets in all of baseball this season.

The Phillies are also only 4-11 when a moneyline underdog of +135 or more and 2-5 when a moneyline underdog of +148 or more.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, have been profitable as a favorite at 59-29 (+$676). More specifically, they are 22-17 (-$178) as a road favorite this season. Los Angeles is also 6-2 when a road moneyline favorite of -180 or more and 5-1 when a moneyline favorite of -185 or more.

Interestingly, despite the Dodgers’ significant pop from the left side, they are only 15-14 (-$384) on the road in games started by a right-handed pitcher this season, though one of those wins came in convincing fashion last night.

In terms of the pitching matchup, the Phillies are 4-6 (-$213) in Velasquez’s 10 starts, while the Dodgers are 12-5 ($+191) in Buehler’s 17 starts.

Phillies-Dodgers Prediction

Pair the information above with the eye test. Is it possible the Phillies rebound tonight? I guess. But I can’t possibly recommend backing a demoralized team with the inferior starting pitcher and a depleted bullpen against the Dodgers lineup.

The post Phillies Look Like Bad Bet Against Dodgers Again Tonight appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Phillies Look Like Bad Bet Against Dodgers Again Tonight published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 5 years

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Phillies Look Like Bad Bet Against Dodgers Again Tonight

They twice left the bases loaded early on before allowing the Dodgers to execute both a suicide squeeze in which nobody covered first base and a steal of home.

Somehow, that wasn’t the most embarrassing part of LA’s six-run fourth inning.

youtube

When Zach Eflin finally recorded the third out after the Dodgers sent 10 men to the plate, well, you see, the Phillies forgot that there were three outs.

#Phillies Manager Gabe Kapler on what looked like confusion over how many outs there were in the Top of the 4th vs the #Dodgers Monday pic.twitter.com/rZdRpsVGVH

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) July 16, 2019

Ah yes, question asking. Here’s a question: How does that happen? Come on, Gabe. Light them up! Do it.

Naturally, things got worse from there as a depleted bullpen was obliterated by a potent Dodgers lineup. Just ask Yacksel Rios.

So phresh and so clean. pic.twitter.com/A1BCp5vGuO

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 16, 2019

Then again, maybe that’s not a good thing.

The Phillies are once again a monster underdog tonight as they will send Vince Velasquez to the mound to square off against the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler. Let’s take a look at what to expect.

Bonus

PENNSYLVANIA

$250 DEPOSIT MATCH

CLAIM $250 DEPOSIT BONUS

Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. Only 1x Wager Applies, Playable in PA Only

Bonus

NEW JERSEY

$250 DEPOSIT MATCH

CLAIM $250 DEPOSIT BONUS

SugarHouse Sportsbook review

Those of you in Pennsylvania, find out more about how to get in on the action on our PA sports betting page.

Those of you in New Jersey, hit our NJ online sports betting page.

Phillies-Dodgers Odds

Here are the Phillies-Dodgers odds for tonight’s game. Odds listed are as of 10:15 a.m. Tuesday morning.

DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-103) +165 O 9 (-122) Dodgers -1.5 (-115) -190 U 9 (+100)

BetRivers Sportsbook

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (-103) +165 O 9 (-120) Dodgers -1.5 (-115) -190 U 9 (+104)

PointsBet

Run Line Money Total Phillies +1.5 (+105) +165 O 9.5 (+100) Dodgers -1.5 (-125) -196 U 9.5 (-121)

Phillies-Dodgers General Betting Trends

The Dodgers, despite having the superior club in recent seasons, are only 7-7 overall at Citizens Bank Park dating back to 2015.

The Phillies are 28-20 at home this season, while the Dodgers are 26-21 on the road. Neither team has been profitable in these home/away roles.

The Phillies are also only 4-11 when a moneyline underdog of +135 or more and 2-5 when a moneyline underdog of +148 or more.

In terms of the pitching matchup, the Phillies are 4-6 (-$213) in Velasquez’s 10 starts, while the Dodgers are 12-5 ($+191) in Buehler’s 17 starts.

Phillies-Dodgers Prediction

The post Phillies Look Like Bad Bet Against Dodgers Again Tonight appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Phillies Look Like Bad Bet Against Dodgers Again Tonight published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 5 years

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Phillies Blow Early Chances to Score (Again) as Bullpen Falters (Again)

Didn’t stay up to watch the Phillies game last night?

No worries—I come with good tidings. If you’ve watched this team on an even semi-routine basis since June 1, you’ve already seen this game.

It had all of the familiar ingredients that you’ve come to know and despise about the 2019 Phillies: terrible situational and clutch hitting to go along with a mind-numbingly bad performance from a tattered bullpen, paired with frustration, regret and just a hint of apathy.

The Phillies lost to the Diamondbacks, 8-4 last night, failing for the seventh time to reach seven games over .500 since June 19. Indeed, they are now 0-7 in such games.

Come, let us together relive the magic of this instant classic.

Corey Dickerson, who appears to have some pop, welcomed Mike Leake to Arizona with this housewarming gift:

Dingers in the desert 🌵#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/MTyuPBKBcD

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 7, 2019

That was a 463 ft. shot to center field, good for the 34th longest homer of the season and the second longest one hit by a Phillies player this season. The leader remains a 466 ft. Bryce Harper bomb at Citizens Bank Park back on May 18.

It was a fun start, but then, well, you know.

Things played out in an eerily similar fashion to the Phillies’ debacle against the White Sox last Friday night as they again failed to capitalize on a number of early scoring chances.

Consider this progression:

The Phillies had eight hits and nine total baserunners through the first four innings, managing only two runs.

They had 11 baserunners through five innings, producing only three runs.

They had 14 baserunners through six innings, still producing only three runs.

The sixth inning was particularly frustrating as Rhys Hoskins and Harper both struck out to kill the Phillies’ last true threat. By the end of the sixth, they were a pathetic 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position. They would finish the night 2 for 16 with RISP. And since we’re on this topic, let’s take it a step further. Since last Friday night (5 games), the Phillies are 12 for 62 (.194) with runners in scoring position. Just nightmare stuff – the same nightmare stuff – again and again.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s bats were quiet early as they were held hitless through the first three frames by Jake Arrieta, but quickly tied the game in the fourth with two runs on their first two hits of the game. A single by Ketel Marte was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Eduardo Escobar.

That’s efficiency.

Two innings later, Ranger Suarez, who threw only 11 of his 25 pitches for strikes, gifted Arizona a golden scoring opportunity. Previously unbeknownst to the Phillies, producing a clutch hit with runners in scoring position is an option that is also available to baseball teams:

Thank you, Alex Avila. This is really swell. pic.twitter.com/IvVX8fAxrt

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 7, 2019

And welp, that was pretty much it.

The Phillies reached the roll over and die phase by the seventh.

I particularly enjoyed J.T. Realmuto’s late swing on a 3-0 fastball that produced a weak fly out to right as the leadoff guy in a one-run game to start the seventh. Jean Segura’s careless throwing error in the bottom of the frame that allowed Jarrod Dyson an extra base on what should have been an infield single was cool, too. Of course, he came around to score.

Luckily for Segura, Blake Parker and Zach Eflin made sure that a single insurance run wouldn’t be the difference.

The Phillies are now 12-34 on the road against NL West teams since the start of the 2017 season. Somehow, they remain clinging to a wild card spot.

Something Positive

The pitching has been bad, and the hitting has been infuriating, but at least the Phillies’ defense has been (mostly) better this season.

Christian Walker hit an 89.4 mph liner to a perfectly-positioned Rhys Hoskins to begin the bottom of the second inning. That play got me wondering about the team’s overall defensive play this season. One metric commonly used to determine overall fielding quality is “defensive runs saved.” It isn’t a perfect statistic, but it provides a decent overall indication of how many runs a player has saved or cost a team relative to a league average player.

If it feels like the Phillies are a better defensive team this season than they were a year ago, that’s because they are. This play, which saved probably two runs and temporarily preserved the lead, is indicative of such improvement:

bRYcE HarPeR iSn’t eVEn tHaT gOoD dEfenSiVeLy pic.twitter.com/QxHZE1FIFH

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 7, 2019

According to FanGraphs, the Phillies’ combined -148 defensive runs saved were last in all of baseball in 2018. By comparison, they are +8 this season. They are by no stretch a “good” defensive team (they entered the night ranked 17th overall in DRS), but they are markedly improved from the almost impossibly bad defensive team they were a season ago. Here’s the two-year breakdown by position:

Position20182019 Pitcher-202 Catcher-107 First Base-2-3 Second Base-150 Third Base-14-1 Shortstop-23-3 Left Field-279 Center Field-16-10 Right Field-93

Some observations:

Holy shit, the 2018 Phillies outfield defense was bad.

This year’s team is currently better in eight of nine positions. There have been monster improvements behind the plate, on the mound, in the corner outfield spots and the left side of the infield.

What the hell were the pitchers doing last season? I mean, -20 DRS? How?

Still, like I wrote above, defensive runs saved isn’t a perfect metric. Case in point: Arizona came into the night second in baseball with +88 DRS, including +4 DRS at first base:

So yeah.

Jake Arrieta, Tough Guy (Really)

As for Jake Arrieta, who’s clearly limited by the bone spurs floating in his right elbow, he lasted only five innings, allowing just two runs on five hits to go along with five strikeouts. It seems the popular thing to do is give Arrieta a bunch of shit because he hasn’t pitched to the hype of his contract. Plus, there was the whole tough guy act with Todd Frazier after a loss to the Mets just before the All-Star break which was admittedly kind of lame, but he has stepped up for the Phillies in the second half. The numbers over his last five starts:

25.2 IP, 24 H, 10 BB, 20 K, 3.16 ERA

What’s Next

It will be Jason Vargas vs. South Jersey product Zac Gallen in the series finale. The Bishop Eustace grad will be making his first start with the Diamondbacks after being traded by the Marlins prior to the July 31 deadline.

The post Phillies Blow Early Chances to Score (Again) as Bullpen Falters (Again) appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Phillies Blow Early Chances to Score (Again) as Bullpen Falters (Again) published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 5 years

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Phillies Ace Aaron Nola is a Man Without a Rotation

As Aaron Nola mowed down the hapless Mets en route to an 8-3 victory Sunday, it was difficult not to think of the ineffectiveness of the rest of the Phillies’ starting rotation.

Nola didn’t need to bring his best stuff to the ballpark. His teammates jumped on Mets starter Zack Wheeler in the top of the first inning, plating four runs and building a comfortable lead before Nola even toed the rubber. Nevertheless, he delivered a performance befitting his status as the best pitcher on the staff.

For nearly seven innings, he was dominant; for five of those frames, he was unhittable. Nola kept the Mets off balance with a steady diet of fastballs, curveballs, and changeups, never giving them an opportunity to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves at the beginning of the game. Any signs of fatigue from a 120-pitch, 8-inning outing five days prior in Atlanta were not evident.

After a disastrous April that saw his ERA peak at 7.45, Nola has improved with each passing month; at the conclusion of Sunday’s outing, his ERA sits at 3.74. Carving up New York’s lineup was a fine follow-up to the start in Atlanta, which served as Nola’s most impressive start of the 2019 season.

The Phillies front office is undoubtedly ecstatic as Nola reverts to his 2018, N.L.-Cy-Young-Award-finalist form. And yet, Matt Klentak and company must be wondering why their organization seems unable to develop any of their other young guns into a dependable rotation piece for an aspiring contender.

This past offseason, which culminated in the signing of Bryce Harper, was supposed to mark the end of the Phillies’ long journey through the baseball wilderness. Moreover, the spending splurge in the winter was meant to add to a solid foundation rather than usher in a complete overhaul. The various seeds the franchise had planted in the fruitless years of 2013-2018 were overdue to bloom.

We were told during those years to be patient. The team had to let its young talent develop, and what better way to hone one’s craft than in the crucible of the big leagues?

We watched as Vince Velasquez learned to become a pitcher instead of a thrower. Four seasons into his tenure, we are still waiting for the transition.

There are times when Velasquez dazzles the opposition with his overpowering fastball. The most compelling evidence of this ability came in one of Velasquez’s first starts in a Phillies uniform, when he struck out 16 San Diego Padres en route to a 3-hit, complete game shutout:

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All but three of Velasquez’s punch outs came via the fastball. Also, take note of how frequently he hit catcher Cameron Rupp’s glove. When Velasquez commands his fastball, he’s in control. When he loses his feel for the pitch, or when opponents catch up to the heat, the wheels fall off. Velasquez’s inability to develop even one secondary pitch that he trusts and on which he can rely has prevented him from taking the next step in his development.

In truth, Velasquez has thrown more sliders thus far in 2019 than he has in the past. Per Fan Graphs, Velasquez has gone to his slider 22.3% of the time. This increased usage has come at the expense of his other offspeed pitches, however. In fact, Velasquez has called on his fastball more this season than at any point in his career, featuring the pitch 68% of the time. Without a quality offspeed pitch to keep them honest at the plate, hitters can key in on the fastball. Too often against Velasquez, they do.

Despite Nick Pivetta’s inauspicious 2018 campaign, we were told that 2019 would be different for the young hurler. Citing spin rates and a preponderance of soft hits, the disciples of sabermetrics targeted Pivetta in the preseason as a candidate for a breakout year. NBCSN’s Corey Seidman laid out a compelling case for Pivetta:

These days, it’s common to see teams, writers and commentators refer to pitchers as being unlucky when their batting average on balls in play is higher than the league average. It’s not always the case. Sometimes it’s the easy way out.

Pivetta, though, actually was unlucky.

According to Sports Info Solutions, the Phillies’ range and positioning cost Pivetta 24 runs last season — seven runs more than anyone in the majors. The Phillies, with their league-worst defense in 2018, had three of the top five pitchers in this unfortunate category, with Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin tied for third at 14 runs.

It wasn’t just the analytics community that was bullish on Pivetta. Jim Salisbury wrote a preseason column focusing on the pitcher’s improvement, which was bolstered by the laudatory whispers of a few anonymous scouts.

Notwithstanding a two-start stretch in June in which Pivetta quieted the bats of the mighty Dodgers for six innings, and then tossed a complete game against the Reds, 2019 Nick Pivetta has looked a lot like 2018 Nick Pivetta. To be sure, he’s been the recipient of bad luck. But Pivetta has a knack for making a bad situation worse.

Take his most recent start against the Braves on Wednesday. Pivetta made quick work of Atlanta in the first three innings. In the fourth, a throw by Rhys Hoskins to second base on a double-play attempt hit runner Dansby Swanson in the shoulder and bounced off Jean Segura’s chest. Instead of two outs and the bases empty, Pivetta was forced into a high-leverage situation against Josh Donaldson. Donaldson promptly deposited an 80 mile-per-hour curveball into the Braves’ bullpen. Pivetta would concede another three-run home run to Austin Riley in the sixth inning. Resident Crossing Broad beat writer Bob offered up a succinct assessment:

Not sure I’ve ever seen a pitcher worse at navigating himself out of trouble than Nick Pivetta. Then again, if nobody is going to hit, I guess it doesn’t matter.

— BobCrossingBroad (@BWCrossingBroad) July 4, 2019

Perhaps the most confounding of all the Phillies’ development projects is Jerad Eickhoff. In 2015, the Phillies acquired Eickhoff, among other prospects, from the Rangers in a trade for Cole Hamels. It’s worth taking a quick detour to revisit the Phillies’ spoils from that trade, especially as Klentak considers which of his minor league treasures with which to part in exchange for an asset that can bolster the Phillies’ ability to contend for a playoff spot. In exchange for Hamels and Jake Diekman, the Phillies received the aforementioned Eickhoff; catcher Jorge Alfaro; outfielder Nick Williams; pitchers Jake Thompson and Alec Asher; and veteran pitcher Matt Harrison.

Harrison would never don a Phillies uniform, having suffered a back injury that would end his career. His inclusion in the deal essentially increased the prospect haul the Phillies were able to ransom from the Rangers. Alec Asher is currently pitching in China, while Jake Thompson has taken his talents to South Korea. Alfaro was included in the deal that brought All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia. Williams is toiling in Lehigh Valley, while Eickhoff continues to struggle with his health and consistency on the major league roster. Keep all of this in mind in the next few weeks as debates rage over which prospects are “untouchable” or “can’t miss.”

Eickhoff is the anti-Velasquez. He features a “show me” fastball that sets up an effective slider and a devastating, 12-to-6 curveball. When he’s at his best, Eickhoff can dominate a lineup. Most of the time, especially lately, Eickhoff has not been at his best. Before his demotion to the bullpen in June, Eickhoff served up 5 home runs in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Shortly thereafter, Eickhoff landed in an even more familiar place: the injury list.

Last, but certainly not least, we come to the curious case of Zach Eflin. The best word to describe Eflin’s career thus far would be erratic. Very rarely does Eflin retreat to that bastion of pitching mediocrity- the quality start. Instead, he will either turn in a remarkable effort or a regrettable performance. One month of exceptional outings might convince an observer that Eflin has turned a corner in his development. Sure enough, though, he’ll follow a hot month with a multi-start cold spell.

The only consistency Eflin offers is inconsistency. So it seems to go with the rest of the young horses in the rotation stable.

As the front office prepares for the second half of the season and a looming trade deadline, GM Matt Klentak must consider whether the club he has fashioned for the 2019 campaign is worthy of reinforcements that will deplete his prospect pipeline. If he decides to make midseason roster upgrades, the first item on the shopping list must be a starter. It should probably be the second item as well.

Indeed, the Phillies have suffered through a rash of injuries that have depleted their bullpen corps and stolen key contributors from their everyday lineup for stretches of time. The extended absences were a major driver of their June slide, which drove them from first place in the NL East to third. If it weren’t for the lifeline the Mets offered in the past week, the Phils quite possibly would have been sitting below the .500 mark heading into the Midsummer Classic.

During a 162 game season, the offense will endure dry spells. The bullpen might not always offer effective relief, especially when the injury bug bites. The one ingredient that can carry a team through the rough patches and propel them to the playoffs is quality starting pitching. Even matchup-happy managers like Gabe Kapler learn to appreciate the value of a pitcher who can regularly deliver six to seven innings every outing, thus saving the innings a bullpen might need to work. Overtaxed relief arms can spell disaster for a contender in August and September, as Kapler learned the hard way last season.

Klentak should not need to go to the trade well to augment his staff, but the collective output of the starters outside of Nola has forced his hand. Which of these pitchers would you count on to make the start in a one-game wildcard playoff, assuming Nola were unavailable and Jake Arrieta is unable to return to form? Each one boasts undeniable talent, but neither Eflin, Eickhoff, Pivetta, nor Velasquez has been able to put together the puzzle pieces of their potential to unlock the mysteries of consistent big league performance.

Klentak has been at the poker table long enough to realize the one ace in his possession will not be enough to win. It’s time to deal in for a better hand, or fold and wait for the next draw in 2020.

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flauntpage · 5 years

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Your Thursday Morning Roundup

Two out of three ain’t bad. Especially when the rubber match gives us a fantastic outing from Jake Arrieta.

Arrieta went eight innings and gave up two runs off six hits with three strikeouts and two walks as Adam Morgan and Hector Neris were able to just do enough to finish the job in a 3-2 Phillies win. This was the Arrieta people have waited to see. He stayed in the game into the ninth before getting into some trouble. Gabe Kapler explained why he kept Arrieta in the game in perfect Gabe Kapler fashion:

Why did Jake Arrieta stay in the game?

"He was kicking ass and taking names." pic.twitter.com/byl5NmGbBc

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 17, 2019

The Phils got on the board early in the bottom of the second with a Maikel Franco sac fly. In the fifth, Scott Kingery continued his hot-streak and hit a solo homer to center. Cesar Hernandez hit a solo shot of his own the following inning.

Arrieta has pitched seven or more innings in three consecutive starts. He’s one of two pitchers to do that this season, joining Mike Minor of the Rangers. Speaking of him…

The New York #Mets and Philadelphia #Phillies are showing strong interest in Texas #Rangers ace Mike Minor, who is off to a dazzling start. He pitched a 3-hit CG shutout Tuesday vs. #Angels, and has a 1.27 ERA in his last three starts. He's owed $9.5 million this year and in 2020

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 17, 2019

I’ll take that. There’s some uncertainty with the pitching staff now with Nick Pivetta being optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Jerad Eickhoff, who pitched well on Tuesday, will start in Pivetta’s place on Saturday against the Rockies.

And speaking of the Rockies, the Phils start their four-game series out in Colorado tonight at 8:40 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. Zach Eflin will get the start against Kyle Freeland.

The Roundup:

Game 3 between the Sixers and the Nets is tonight at the Barclays Center. Tip-off is at 8 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia and TNT.

Expect a little more chippiness after Joel Embiid’s game two elbow against Jarrett Allen. The Nets weren’t happy with Embiid or Ben Simmons’ comments and chuckling at their postgame press conference Monday night. The intensity should escalate tonight.

A kind of sort of developing storyline is Chris Sheridan’s article on the Sixers and Brett Brown. Sixers VP of Communications Dave Sholler called it a “steaming pile of trash” and Sheridan promised more later. Which he did on a different website for some reason.

Also, the team tried to lure Warriors GM Bob Myers away last season.

The Eagles’ 2019 regular season schedule is out. Five of their games are in primetime (three on Sunday and one each on Monday and Thursday night), and four straight against the division to end the season. They also play three straight away games in October.

Online sports betting in Pennsylvania was thought to have been scheduled to launch before July. Well potential good news, that could be only three weeks away.

In other sports news, prosecutors wanted to release the Robert Kraft video but a judge has put a temporary halt on that.

Boston, Houston, and Milwaukee won their games to take 2-0 series leads.

Boston and Dallas tied their NHL series at two games each, while Mikko Rantanen scored the overtime winner to take a 3-1 series lead against Calgary, the top team in the Western Conference.

The AAF has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

In the news, two people were shot in a home invasion in Parkside.

The Mueller Report will be released today.

The post Your Thursday Morning Roundup appeared first on Crossing Broad.

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flauntpage · 6 years

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No, Gabe Kapler Didn’t Disgrace Baseball Yesterday

There’s a tweet that I read this morning. Kevin mentioned it in his Eagles story. And here’s the thing–I know better, right? I know I shouldn’t take the bait on this tweet, but I can’t help myself. I can’t help myself because I know this tweet doesn’t represent the misguided views of just one man, it represents the views of many. Here is the tweet in all of its dumbassery:

I am embarrassed to be a Philadelphia sports fan today. Mets 24, Phillies 4. Patriots 37, Eagles 20. Gabe Kapler made a mockery of baseball by using by Quinn and Kingery as pitchers. Pederson did not have his team ready to play. Disgraceful.

— Angelo Cataldi (@AngeloCataldi) August 17, 2018

The Phillies put on an embarrassing display in the first game of yesterday’s double-header against the Mets. It was a terrible brand of baseball and a concerning effort by a team that is in the thick of a playoff hunt. Their play was sloppy, lethargic, and miserable to watch. It was most certainly not playoff quality baseball. Perhaps you could even call what happened through the game’s first five innings, to borrow a term from Cataldi, “a mockery of baseball.” I subjected myself to the misery once more by cutting up this “highlight” package of yesterday’s bonerfest, so that you can come up with your own descriptions of what transpired over the course of a game in which the Mets scored 10 unearned runs. It will be like Mad Libs:

Forget Kapler using position players, the focus should be on what led up to that point. pic.twitter.com/tnL4d5wc9L

— BWanksCB (@BWCrossingBroad) August 17, 2018

A mockery, an embarrassment, a ________. What say you?

But the gripe of Cataldi, and the many I heard on the radio and read online throughout much of today, isn’t with the shit show that was Ranger Suarez and the Phillies’ deficient defense, it is with Gabe Kapler. Because of course it is. Why? Because he took a good old fashioned ass beating and turned it into a historic loss by handing the ball to Roman Quinn and then to Scott Kingery.

It did not go well:

Phillies SS Scott Kingery throwing GAS from the mound pic.twitter.com/TexehspT4N

— Charm City Wire (@charmcitywire) August 17, 2018

Seemingly a surprise to many, the margin of the defeat did not have an impact on the standings. A 1, 10, or 20-run loss is all the same. What did have an impact on the standings was the team’s ability to win the night-cap and close to within 1.5 games of the Braves while also maintaining their lead in the hotly contested National League wild card race. That happened, in part, because they were able to adequately protect their lead after Zach Eflin departed in the seventh inning. There is Kapler to thank for that.

And, by the way, have a look at the paragraph above. The Phillies have a legitimate chance to win the division. Win the division. If the season ended today, they would be in the postseason. How many people back in March thought that would be this team’s reality on the afternoon of August 17? Anybody?

The Phillies allowed 30 runs, 34 hits, and 12 walks to Mets hitters in two games. They also committed five errors. Gabe Kapler, despite this team’s obvious limitations and deficiencies, has helped return the Phillies to relevance. Is he perfect? Absolutely not. I thought it was both delusional and tone deaf how Kapler discussed the Zach Eflin demotion. But you also can’t argue with the overall job he’s done to this point. The people who are so offended by his tactics yesterday will be the first to tell you that it should be all about winning. That a manager must do everything possible to win. I would argue that’s exactly what Kapler did. After all, maneuvering to win one game is better than foolishly trying to instill some archaic “never say die” rah-rah bullshit and losing both.

It might be time to find something else to complain about.

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