Post by Commissioner Erick on Jul 16, 2022 23:38:13 GMT -5
Philadelphia Phillies (60-46) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (59-46)
PHI: Michael Bates (5-4, 6.57)
ARI: David Labrador (3-3, 6.23)
Phillies 5 Key Stats
69: The number of home runs by Isaiah High and Bobby Siegel: Philadelphia has been able to get younger, while still maintaining a competitive team thanks to the development of High and Siegel. Instead of needing to rebuild, Philadelphia has plugged in the two youngsters and had them complement Seth Beer on the way to the NL East lead.
5: The number of games against winning teams Philadelphia has more than Atlanta: This number doesn’t include two games with Texas, who are a game under, or four with San Diego who were over .500 most of the season. The Phillies have a tougher slate than Atlanta going forward and wins over winning tams will go a huge way to securing the division. More than half of Atlanta’s 17 games against winning teams are against the Phillies.
5: Seasons Seth Beer has had an OPS over 1.000: Beer is on pace for season six if he hangs on to his 1.017 mark through the end of the year. Beer isn’t quite the force he was earlier in his career as his average and on-base numbers are lower, but he’s on pace for season seven of 40+ home runs. He’s still a force under team control for at least four more years as he attempts to deliver an elusive championship to Philadelphia.
10.29: Michael Bates’ ERA in July: Bates has been roughed up, and mostly in home starts. Getting touched up a bit for four runs in 5 innings against Arizona isn’t a shame—though it is concerning for today’s game—but Bates got hammered by Washington for eight runs in 1.1 in his last start. There’s a little bit of bad luck there—Bates’ FIP is 2 runs lower than his ERA—but his inability to get left-handers out is a huge problem. With the deadline fast approaching, one wonders if a deal is on the horizon.
3.31: Philadelphia’s bullpen ERA: Almost a cruel irony from prior Phillies teams, Philadelphia is third in the league in bullpen ERA despite their rotation being terrible. The middle relievers have been reliable, and A.J. Masucci has been a weapon putting out fires with 28 shutdowns against five meltdowns and a 1.99 ERA. If Bates gets lit up though, Masucci won’t have a chance to work his magic.
Diamondbacks 5 Key Stats:
6: Pitchers on Arizona’s IL: Despite the loss of their ace and top pitching prospect Jim D’Amico, plus numerous others, Arizona is fifth in run prevention. That fact is even more impressive than their top ranked offense. A few decent relievers have allowed the bullpen to be fine, and the staff has been generally competent. The club is likely missing one more arm to be truly dangerous, but their system is deep enough that they may get one internally.
3: The number of NL players to ever have 9+ RBIs in a game: Tony Sierra joined Ralph Porter in 2025 and Randal Grichuk in 2022 when he clubbed 9 RBIs against the Twins on July 24. More impressively, he did it on 6 hits in 6 plate appearances, doubling and homering twice. It was one of the most impressive hitting displays in PBA history. Porter had three homers and a walk in his explosion, while Grichuk homered twice, doubled, and walked three times, reaching base six times in 7 appearances. The six hits likely gives Sierra the edge in the pantheon of offensive eruptions.
21: Home Runs by DeShawne DeLaine: DeLaine is one of the more underrated extra-base hitter in the PBA: Two seasons ago he clubbed 12 Triples to lead the league. Last year he bashed 52 Doubles to lead the league. He’ll likely never lead the league in home runs, but he has 21 this year, easily a career high, while still maintaining a healthy number of doubles and triples. A former Rule 5 pick, DeLaine is an example of an Arizona development success even before they started pouring more resources in the last two years.
.850: Dominic Smith’s OPS: Smith was picked up off the scrap heap in June for about $4 million pro-rated. At that price, he’s given Arizona a ton of production at a reasonable price. He has 10 home runs and 10 doubles in 196 Plate Appearances, with a .285 Average. The four-time slugger has been a fixture atop NL leaderboards for year and was an excellent signing for the Diamondbacks.
2023: The last year Arizona finished out of last place: Arizona won the title in 2022, then made the playoffs and got bounced in Game 7 of the NLDS by Chicago. They spent four years rebuilding, losing exactly 96 games three times and 109 games in 2026. Their turnaround to a potential NL West winner has been sudden and striking.
Questions for the GMs:
For Matt Grubs, Michael Bates hasn’t been good of late. Any thoughts of putting Massuci back in the rotation?
Mickey Moniak and Jorge Becerra are both nicked up. What will be the plan for your corner outfielders today?
Juan Herrera has been one of your less heralded second year players. What are you looking for from him today?
For Andrew Frisbie, you took over Arizona mid-season. What have been your thoughts about the club you inherited?
Slugger Gary Ford has been on the bench a lot recently. Will he start today?
David Labrador is coming off a gem against Minnesota, but has generally been rough this year. How much confidence do you have in the Florida International graduate?
TRIVIA: Juan Gestoso was the 2022 World Series MVP and the NLCS MVP. Who was the MVP of Arizona’s 4-1 NLDS win against Chicago?
PHI: Michael Bates (5-4, 6.57)
ARI: David Labrador (3-3, 6.23)
Phillies 5 Key Stats
69: The number of home runs by Isaiah High and Bobby Siegel: Philadelphia has been able to get younger, while still maintaining a competitive team thanks to the development of High and Siegel. Instead of needing to rebuild, Philadelphia has plugged in the two youngsters and had them complement Seth Beer on the way to the NL East lead.
5: The number of games against winning teams Philadelphia has more than Atlanta: This number doesn’t include two games with Texas, who are a game under, or four with San Diego who were over .500 most of the season. The Phillies have a tougher slate than Atlanta going forward and wins over winning tams will go a huge way to securing the division. More than half of Atlanta’s 17 games against winning teams are against the Phillies.
5: Seasons Seth Beer has had an OPS over 1.000: Beer is on pace for season six if he hangs on to his 1.017 mark through the end of the year. Beer isn’t quite the force he was earlier in his career as his average and on-base numbers are lower, but he’s on pace for season seven of 40+ home runs. He’s still a force under team control for at least four more years as he attempts to deliver an elusive championship to Philadelphia.
10.29: Michael Bates’ ERA in July: Bates has been roughed up, and mostly in home starts. Getting touched up a bit for four runs in 5 innings against Arizona isn’t a shame—though it is concerning for today’s game—but Bates got hammered by Washington for eight runs in 1.1 in his last start. There’s a little bit of bad luck there—Bates’ FIP is 2 runs lower than his ERA—but his inability to get left-handers out is a huge problem. With the deadline fast approaching, one wonders if a deal is on the horizon.
3.31: Philadelphia’s bullpen ERA: Almost a cruel irony from prior Phillies teams, Philadelphia is third in the league in bullpen ERA despite their rotation being terrible. The middle relievers have been reliable, and A.J. Masucci has been a weapon putting out fires with 28 shutdowns against five meltdowns and a 1.99 ERA. If Bates gets lit up though, Masucci won’t have a chance to work his magic.
Diamondbacks 5 Key Stats:
6: Pitchers on Arizona’s IL: Despite the loss of their ace and top pitching prospect Jim D’Amico, plus numerous others, Arizona is fifth in run prevention. That fact is even more impressive than their top ranked offense. A few decent relievers have allowed the bullpen to be fine, and the staff has been generally competent. The club is likely missing one more arm to be truly dangerous, but their system is deep enough that they may get one internally.
3: The number of NL players to ever have 9+ RBIs in a game: Tony Sierra joined Ralph Porter in 2025 and Randal Grichuk in 2022 when he clubbed 9 RBIs against the Twins on July 24. More impressively, he did it on 6 hits in 6 plate appearances, doubling and homering twice. It was one of the most impressive hitting displays in PBA history. Porter had three homers and a walk in his explosion, while Grichuk homered twice, doubled, and walked three times, reaching base six times in 7 appearances. The six hits likely gives Sierra the edge in the pantheon of offensive eruptions.
21: Home Runs by DeShawne DeLaine: DeLaine is one of the more underrated extra-base hitter in the PBA: Two seasons ago he clubbed 12 Triples to lead the league. Last year he bashed 52 Doubles to lead the league. He’ll likely never lead the league in home runs, but he has 21 this year, easily a career high, while still maintaining a healthy number of doubles and triples. A former Rule 5 pick, DeLaine is an example of an Arizona development success even before they started pouring more resources in the last two years.
.850: Dominic Smith’s OPS: Smith was picked up off the scrap heap in June for about $4 million pro-rated. At that price, he’s given Arizona a ton of production at a reasonable price. He has 10 home runs and 10 doubles in 196 Plate Appearances, with a .285 Average. The four-time slugger has been a fixture atop NL leaderboards for year and was an excellent signing for the Diamondbacks.
2023: The last year Arizona finished out of last place: Arizona won the title in 2022, then made the playoffs and got bounced in Game 7 of the NLDS by Chicago. They spent four years rebuilding, losing exactly 96 games three times and 109 games in 2026. Their turnaround to a potential NL West winner has been sudden and striking.
Questions for the GMs:
For Matt Grubs, Michael Bates hasn’t been good of late. Any thoughts of putting Massuci back in the rotation?
Mickey Moniak and Jorge Becerra are both nicked up. What will be the plan for your corner outfielders today?
Juan Herrera has been one of your less heralded second year players. What are you looking for from him today?
For Andrew Frisbie, you took over Arizona mid-season. What have been your thoughts about the club you inherited?
Slugger Gary Ford has been on the bench a lot recently. Will he start today?
David Labrador is coming off a gem against Minnesota, but has generally been rough this year. How much confidence do you have in the Florida International graduate?
TRIVIA: Juan Gestoso was the 2022 World Series MVP and the NLCS MVP. Who was the MVP of Arizona’s 4-1 NLDS win against Chicago?
