Ad Disclosure
The Phillies Need Help
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies are a rollercoaster that is only going down right now.
They’ve lost 4 straight series out of the All-Star Break, most recently a sweep at the hands of the Marlins, who entered on a 12-game losing streak. In six of the 12 games out of the break, the Phillies offense has scored one run or less. Bryce Harper said the team needs help. Zack Wheeler was pulled after the third inning on Monday night. Don Mattingly fired back at Bryce Harper.
Nothing is going well for the Phillies.
Now, if you want me to try and pull a positive out of this (somehow), a skid happening before the trade deadline isn’t the worst time. In fact, it’s actually one of the better times. But that’s not why we’re here today.
We’re here because everybody in the organization, from top down, needs to get it together.
The Roster
Harper said “we need some help” after Tuesday night’s loss. Unfortunately, he’s not wrong. He’s actually spot on. This Phillies team needs help. Sadly, the portion of the fanbase that hates Bryce Harper will just come back at you with “well, look at Bryce Harper’s stats in July.” What they don’t know is what they just said proved Harper’s entire point.
Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, and Jhoan Duran have carried the Phillies to where they are this year. 7 players on a 26-man roster. They’re currently platooning all three outfield spots. The shortstop is making an error nearly every night. The bullpen is falling apart.
This roster needs serious help. People have complained for years about how bad Dave Dombrowski’s roster construction has been. Everybody is thinking exactly what Harper said, and deep down they agree, but the cult-like hate towards the Phillies star comes out whenever he opens his mouth, even though deep down, those fans know he’s saying exactly what needs to be said.
The (Interim) Manager
Don Mattingly has had a bad few weeks. Wednesday’s decision of having Jesus Luzardo face Otto Lopez for a 4th time in a tight game, then going to Seth Johnson in a 2-run game, was the tip of the iceberg-like disaster that the last few weeks have been. That was Jonathan Bowlan’s spot. Seth Johnson should not be pitching in 2-run games.
Mattingly also took what seems to be a shot at Harper before Wednesday’s game, mixed with an attempt to defend his team from Harper’s comments. I think it was a little bit of both, but it came off more as a shot to the star player of the team for speaking the truth with just five days until the trade deadline.
With the way this Phillies team is playing at the moment, this 2 minutes just didn’t really feel needed. It certainly doesn’t help anything. Mattingly, in this moment, was probably more trying to defend his team, like a manager should, but it didn’t really come off that way.
Bryce Harper vs Dave Dombrowski
Bryce Harper and Dave Dombrowski have not repaired their relationship and “don’t particularly care for each other,”according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Dombrowski challenged Harper after last season, saying he doesn’t know if Harper can get back to an”elite” level. Harper took that personally, as he should, after everything he’s given to this team over the last 8 years of his career. The comment wasn’t needed. Now, it seems like Harper is challenging Dombrowski back ahead of the trade deadline.
The Trade Deadline
The Phillies need help! They need bullpen arms, they need a bat, and they need a backend starter, or even a higher-end starter that could make this rotation even better. They’ve reportedly had scouts around the league over the last few weeks, watching pitchers like Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray, Freddy Peralta, Tarik Skubal, and more.
Moves need to be made if this team wants any shot at a World Series. While they don’t have the best farm system in baseball, or even one in the top half, they have intriguing pieces for teams. They could also get creative and deal off of their major league roster. Guys like Alec Bohm and Edmundo Sosa are free agents after this season.
It’s a deadline that will require creativity, something that hasn’t been the case over the last few years. But the Phillies need help. They’re falling hard. They currently hold the 3rd wild card spot, and if things continue to go south, they could be out of a playoff spot at some point this upcoming weekend when they open up a 3-game series in Baltimore.
Kinkead: The Phillies needed help even when they were winning games. They’ve needed bullpen arms and a right-handed bat for a long time. This isn’t exactly some revelation. We all knew it and agreed on this before they began slumping and before Bryce said anything. They’re not winning anything this year without deadline reinforcements and we knew that back in May.
Luke Arcaini has been writing about the Phillies for 6 seasons, and is now in his 2nd year covering for Phillies down at Citizens Bank Park for Crossing Broad. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke