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New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies takeaways: Pitching roles in flux with Wheeler's sore shoulder, Romano's struggles
PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler played catch for a few minutes Wednesday morning and did not want to talk about it afterward. He's pitched through some soreness for the better part of three weeks, according to team sources, but none of it had escalated above the normal wear-and-tear of a six-month season. Advertisement Then, in the days following a 10-strikeout, no-walk performance in which Wheeler lobbied for an extra inning, the ace reported more shoulder soreness than usual. The Phillies sent him for an MRI. 'It's clean,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. There was enough concern to bump Wheeler's start back two days, but not enough to skip him in the rotation or give him a two-week break on the injured list. At least not yet. Is there an inclination to protect Wheeler even further — either through a six-man rotation or a pause on his season? 'No, because he's fine,' Thomson said. But there is concern whenever a pitcher, especially one of Wheeler's stature, has a shoulder issue. Wheeler was scheduled to pitch Friday; he'll now go Sunday. And Thomson opened the door to Wheeler getting even more time if he needs it. The Phillies can push him another two days without disrupting anyone else. There is a larger question about how the Phillies handle the rotation over the season's final seven weeks. They would love a few chances to provide Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez some extra rest. In previous summers, this would be the time of year when the club considers a six-man rotation. Aaron Nola made another rehab start Wednesday at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He's scheduled to pitch again next Tuesday in Buffalo, N.Y., with the IronPigs. He will then join the Phillies in Washington. It puts him on track to return either Aug. 17 or 18. Taijuan Walker authored one of his better starts in two years with six scoreless innings in a win over the Baltimore Orioles. He's been a fine fifth starter. The Phillies have enough fungible relievers to reserve one bullpen spot for constant churn if they were to go to a seven-man bullpen with the six-man rotation. And, come September, they are permitted 14 pitchers. Advertisement Wheeler's health is paramount. He threw a 108-pitch complete game on July 6; soon after, he made a decision not to attend the All-Star Game. Thomson said the complete game affected Wheeler. He has a 4.94 ERA in his last four starts with 34 strikeouts and four walks. His control has been fine. His command has wavered some. He hasn't had the typical zip on his fastball. There will be extra attention on Wheeler whenever he pitches again. Before appearing Wednesday afternoon to inherit a four-run deficit, Jordan Romano had thrown 13 pitches in 11 days. His infrequent usage has raised doubt about where the club's biggest offseason bullpen addition fits. Romano's roster spot could be in jeopardy later this month as the Phillies anticipate adding Nola, David Robertson and José Alvarado to the pitching staff. What is Romano's current role? 'I see him as, you know, sixth inning,' Thomson said. 'I see him as coming in and shutting down an inning with runners on base. He's done a pretty good job getting guys out of the zone.' That sounds much like the role expected of Robertson, who pitched Wednesday in his fifth game at Triple A. Robertson signed a pro-rated contract that will pay him about $5.5 million. He expects to join the Phillies next week. He's thrown harder in recent outings, closer to his typical 93-mph fastball average. 'I physically feel pretty good,' Robertson said this week. 'My results have not been great. … It's just a matter of easing back into it. It feels like spring training for me. I don't really take too much of what happens in the game. Just trying to get better.' He added: 'I'm as close as I can get to being ready.' Alvarado is eligible to return from his suspension Aug. 19, and Thomson expects to use his hard-throwing lefty in lower-leverage situations to begin. But Alvarado should slot at some point with the setup men, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm. Jhoan Duran has the ninth inning. Tanner Banks is a trusted lefty for middle relief; Robertson figures to be the first righty for the middle innings. Advertisement That's six 'leverage' relievers, leaving two spots for Romano, Max Lazar, Joe Ross and Walker, if he's moved to a long reliever role. The Phillies have demonstrated more trust in Lazar than Romano over the last two weeks. Whether the Phillies retain Romano or not, his signing was a miss. Results aside, his stuff never came close to bouncing back like the Phillies expected. Romano's 95.5 mph average fastball velocity is his lowest since 2019 — and a full 1 mph lower than last season when he pitched with arm trouble. When possible, in recent games, Thomson has turned to Edmundo Sosa over Otto Kemp at third base. The manager said it's to prioritize defense. On the infield, that has grown into a team strength this season. 'I don't want to jinx it,' Bryson Stott said. 'I'm just going to say there's been a lot of cool-looking plays recently.' The second baseman has struggled at the plate, but he's probably been the club's best and most consistent defender all season. Trea Turner has made real strides in his fielding; he would grade as one of the better shortstops in the National League by advanced and traditional measurements. Alec Bohm, who will begin a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend for a cracked rib, has made himself into a close-to-average defender. Bryce Harper has been steady at first base. The play from the entire infield has been crisp, especially in the last month. It is needed because Phillies starters have the second-highest groundball rate in baseball. 'It's really improved,' Thomson said. 'And it's improved every year for the last three years, really. And that's (infield coach) Bobby (Dickerson). And it's the work ethic of the players. They really pay attention. Bobby is very detailed in what he does. And they work hard at it.' During the homestand, Stott made a few ranging plays that required bounce throws. He made a key one in the eighth inning Sunday night's win to protect a one-run lead. Another, in Tuesday's win, Thomson called 'unbelievable' just because of the way Stott made the throw. Stott's .654 OPS ranked 144th among 155 qualified hitters entering Wednesday's games. It's been a major disappointment. He will not hide from that. He said it's easier to prevent those struggles from seeping into his defense when he thinks about in a certain way. 'I can control every part of defense,' Stott said. 'Hitting is all luck, I think. I'll get angry now and again, but you take your best swing, you hit it on the barrel, and then once you decide to swing at said pitch, it's luck. Advertisement 'But on defense, I have control over pretty much everything, unless it hits the base. Just knowing that I can control it, it makes it a lot easier to separate the two and make sure that you don't take one side into the other side.' — The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes contributed to this story. (Photo of Wheeler: Al Bello / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
CBS News
a day ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler's next start pushed back due to shoulder stiffness
The Philadelphia Phillies are pushing Zack Wheeler's next start back at least two days due to the club's ace reporting right shoulder stiffness. Wheeler was sent for an MRI, which came back clean, Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters Wednesday. Wheeler was scheduled to start Friday's series opener against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, but is now expected to start Sunday. Cristopher Sanchez (10-3, 2.40 ERA) will now start Friday's game against the Rangers. The 35-year-old Wheeler took the loss Saturday in the Phillies' 9-5 defeat to Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers. Wheeler allowed three earned runs on three homers and nine hits in six innings. He threw 98 pitches in the loss. Since July 1, Wheeler has surrendered seven homers across 32 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA in five starts. In his previous 17 starts, he allowed just 10 homers in 107 innings. Wheeler is 9-5 with a 2.64 ERA, ninth-best in MLB, and leads National League pitchers with 182 strikeouts in 22 starts. He trails only Boston Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet for the MLB lead. The Phillies will look to complete a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday Gallen contributed to this report.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Realmuto, Phillies give props to Sanchez after dominant start in win over Tigers
J. T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and more Phillies shared their thoughts on Cristopher Sanchez's performance in the team's win over the Tigers on Sunday night. Realmuto, Phillies give props to Sanchez after dominant start in win over Tigers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Reuters
4 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez dominates Tigers in shutout
August 4 - Kyle Schwarber belted his 38th homer of the year and Cristopher Sanchez threw eight scoreless innings to help the host Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-0 victory Sunday night over the Detroit Tigers. Sanchez (10-3) allowed five hits and struck out six over eight innings. He was dominant throughout, throwing only 84 pitches and allowing the Tigers to reach third base only twice. It is the 17th time this season that the left-hander has allowed two or fewer runs. Jhoan Duran came on in the ninth inning to register his 18th save of the season and second on the weekend since being obtained from Minnesota on Wednesday. He threw 10 of his 12 pitches over 100 mph, including one at 103.3 mph to Riley Greene. Philadelphia has won three of its last five games and moved a half game ahead of the New York Mets at the top of the NL East standings. The Phillies opened the scoring in the second inning when Max Kepler grounded out to second base, allowing Nick Castellanos to score. Philadelphia had a chance to add to its lead in the sixth inning with Schwarber reaching third after his one-out double and fielder's choice, but the Phillies left him stranded. Detroit had an opportunity to score its first run in the seventh inning with runners on second and third and one out. However, Jahmai Jones was thrown out at home when Andy Ibanez hit a grounder and third baseman Edmundo Sosa threw to catcher J.T. Realmuto for the tag. Following that play, Detroit loaded the bases, but Wenceel Perez grounded into a forceout. The Tigers were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position for the game. Schwarber blasted his homer 435 feet to center field in the eighth off reliever Tyler Holton to close the scoring. It was his eighth home run since the All-Star break. Tigers starter Charlie Morton (7-9), a 41-year-old right-hander who was obtained from Baltimore on Thursday shortly before the trade deadline, struck out six while allowing one run on four hits over six innings. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gamethread 8/3: Phillies vs Tigers
The Phillies earned a comeback win against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, but couldn't complete the job on Saturday. They'll try to earn a series win when they play the finale on Sunday Night Baseball. The Phillies will send lefthander Cristopher Sanchez to the mound. Sanchez will try to rebound from a rare poor start his last time out. The Tigers give the ball to a familiar face in Charlie Morton. The former Phillie, pitching in his 16th major league season, was recently traded to the Tigers from the Orioles. Game time is 7 PM and will be broadcast nationally by ESPN. More from The latest odds on where Bryce Harper will land are out. Where are the Phillies? Hittin' Season #219: Which Phillies will NOT be here in 2019? FanPost Friday: You can be the Phillies (assistant) GM in the SB Nation Offseason Simulation Phillies Stat Notes: Analyzing The Collapse Real World: A Phillies Postmortem One last mess at McFadden's Are the Phillies trying to lower expectations on free agency?
