KP

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

JT has a stellar reputation for how he handles pitching staff too, though. Sad to see him go. But they have to start pivoting and getting younger somewhere. There will also be the persistent OF questions arising again.

That is kind of an ideal outcome. Explains recent outings that weren’t horrible, but also not Wheeler-esque, if he has some fatigue in there that just needs some rest and light rehab. Best to do it now when you have that day off Thursday so you don’t have to do a bullpen game.

It just keeps repeating on ya, right?

Gotta be honest: keep hoping Kepler starts tearing it up. Seems a good dude… the whole time. And there’s something about him I relate to. (Overthinking? Yeah, baby!) Also, unsure how roster construction works to keep Crawford playing e’ryday if he comes up, and pennant race might not be best time.

I couldn’t stop laughing last night during the game when they showed this

Pleased for Kepler that he had a good game. AND keeping in perspective it’s the Orioles who have been oddly bad even before they sold off pitching. Are there any rules about who can be on the postseason roster? (It would not be great to have Crawford debut in postseason.)

Sorry, but you are a bit of a wacko if you are upset that the Phillies win so decisively that they don’t need to overwork Duran.

He’s been a solid soldier and teammate. Back and forth between pen and starter. Always accountable. He obviously worked hard in the offseason.

The bullpen did well. And I like Lazar and happy he’s recovered from the one horrendous outing. That game was largely the guys who everyone rants about. Taijuan, Kepler, Stott, Marsh. Good to see. Hope they sleep well.

If I squint the right way, I can see why they chose to send Rojas down instead of cutting Kepler. Besides the irreversible thing, Bader is Rojas with a better bat. But Kepler seems extraneous. Like Kody early in the year. (Would rather have Kody than Kepler, btw)

Blackmail? Holding him til next week cuz he’s more likely to get picked up? Just trying to give Marsh and Bader some rest? They are seeing some change and convincing themselves that now, after 4 months, he’s about to break out?

Get ready for the churn in pen next few weeks. Robertson, Alvarado, Nola bumping Walker. And just the regular fringe guys bumping up and down while they decide how long to keep Ross and Romano.

There’s probably gonna be some bullpen churn for next few weeks.

I wonder what his performance level will be without the PEDs and with the emotional aspect of the suspension. Jose is an emotional player. His speed and accuracy were great this year before the suspension, but some percentage might be attributable to PEDs.

Yeah, but other than that….
👀 👀 👀

Are these all like Mercado? Asking to be released to free agency?

Phillies Release Oscar Mercado A veteran outfielder triggers an opt-out clause and will now return to free agency. Visit MLB Trade Rumors for more.

Enjoyed Mercado is spring training. But… gotta admit he’d have been another good D, no bat guy. Best of luck to him. Maybe one of the deadline-seller teams will pick him up. www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/phil...

Sanchez’ ERA splits are still better at home, but not nearly as different as last year.

It really looked like he might have been kneed in the head on that play.

I was almost laughing as his pitch-count averaged less than 10 per inning for most of the game. Only dinked above in the 7th. But still finished w only 84? That’s ☄️☄️☄️

58 pitches through 6 innings! Shhhhh!! 🤫🤫

I think we should brace for possibility: they keep Kepler on roster. Crawford up before end of August so he’s eligible for postseason. This lets them see if Kepler finds it/gets hot, and allows them maximum flexibility to choose playoff roster based on who is hot at end of season.

And Aaron Nola on Friday, 8/15.
All this results in 3 on pitching staff bumped. Someone from starting rotation will go on 15-day IL, keeping Walker in rotation, and 2 guys cut from bullpen. Romano, Rangel, Johnson are candidates. Ross and Robert are on IL currently, so they may be in shuffle too.

Rando predictions: David Robertson comes up Friday, 8/8, Justin Crawford comes up Thursday, 8/14 or Monday, 8/18, Jose Alvarado returns Thursday, 8/21. Rob wants to give Kepler a bit more time + avoid bringing Crawford up during wknd series at home. The pitchers take a while to find their command.

Side note: I don’t expect 🔥, but would be very happy with consistency and an ERA around 3.50🤞🏼

Not seeing a lot, and yet conflicting reports on timing of him coming up. Can we get more detail? How often is he pitching at LHV (this past week and plans for the next several days/week)? What will they look for before bringing him up?

@lizroscher.bsky.social @justinklugh.bsky.social … from a USA Today article on trade deadline. Based on your Hittin Season commentary on Pirates, thought you’d find it compelling.

I was curious about this. I thought maybe he couldn’t come back and play ball at all until the 19th, and would need a couple weeks rehab. So it’s good news that he’s permitted to start rehab beforehand so he’s up and running on the 19th and can be back on the MLB roster.

I think so too. Some ads on the mound are clearly digital, others look sprayed on. With the latter, I’m never sure. If this is digital, pretty amazing that the rosin bag so realistically appears to be sitting atop the ad.