Game of the Week: June 3: PHI @ SD

[Zigmo-Whitesox]

Philadelphia Phillies (37-22) @ San Diego Padres (31-28)


PHI: Kevin Gibson(1-1 5.67)
SD: Jordan Sheffield(3-0 1.93)

Phillies 3 Key Stats:

50: The number of runs the Phillies have(370) over the second highest in the league (dodgers @ 320).  This is nearly a full run of offensive production higher than anyone else in the league due in part to the....

5: Hitters the Phillies have on pace for 5 or more WAR.   There is a bonus stat here along the same lines: 10:  The Phillies also have 10 hitters on pace for 1.6 or more WAR.  Top to bottom they give no rest for opposing hurlers.  Led by Seth Beer who once again is doing nothing but raising his outstanding 1.018 career OPS.  This will be a tough team to keep off the scoreboard.

5.67: Kevin Gibsons ERA.  If there is a weakness to this Phillies squad it has been their starting pitching(or defense).  Some of this is to be expected when you have two rookie starters in Jose Quesada(he's been good) and the aforementioned Gibson.  Some not to be expected in the 25 year old Luis Detres.  Most of this is due to some poor defense -8.1 ZR, 21st in efficiency.  Some can be attributed to playing in a hitters park and perhaps the mound changes.  Getting their top 4 stabilized prior to October would go a long ways for the health of the Philly faithful and tonight is an opportunity to do that in a pitchers park.  Hard to mention the Phillies starting pitchers without also mentioning their incredible bullpen production.  If the Phillies get a lead on SD today it could spell bad news for the Padres.  Even with a few of the phillies starters struggling their team ranks 5th in ERA(3.85).

Padres 3 key stats:

22: Wins by the Padres at home.  This team is night and day different at home (22-9) vs on the road (9-19).  Luckily for San Diego this series is at home.   Their park is extremely pitcher friendly and should create a very intriguing matchup when the Phillies bring their top rated offense into Petco tonight.  Speaking of wins and lossses:

4: Number of teams who have record is above .500 in the NL West with Colorado stumbling in at .483 or two games below .500.  This division is a bloodbath.  One could make the argument that the Padres record is quite deceiving.  They sit at 3.5 games out of the wildcard and need to win a lot of tough games to get where they want to go.  Tonight is one of those games.  They may be the favorite depending on how Vegas views Jordan Sheffield and his...

1.93: Jordan Sheffields ERA.  Slated to get his first start of the year tonight Sheffield has been spectacular in relief on the season.  While he may not maintain his stellar ERA as a starter.  His strikeouts have went up a tick from his aaa campaign in 2029 and he is walking no one(1 walk in 28 innings).  Not allowing opponents free bases and throwing strikes will ease the consequences of his .103 Babip certainly gravitating closer to his .287 career average.  The padres did it once already this week with similar pitcher Imani Abdullah transitioning to starter after impressing in the bullpen.  Imani went out and clubbed a baby marlin team 3-2.  While the Phillies are not a defenseless fish the Padres will hope for a similar result.


Questions for the GMs



For Matt Grubs, With Kevin Gibson struggling a bit how long is his leash?  Will you let him continue to work through it in a starting role or will Matt Meyers get a shot or someone in the bullpen perhaps?

Are you surprised with how well your offense has done this season?  Whats Seth Beers secret to longevity?  Budweiser?  Guiness?  

The draft has just concluded who would you say, outside of your top pick, is a player you thought was really a steal for your team in the draft.


For Creig McBride, With Raymond Gil struggling thus far manning the hot corner and #44 prospect Jason Fulton pummeling baseballs in AAA how much longer until we see Fulton mashing in the majors?

With Sheffield possibly not being stretched out and historically not  having the highest stamina in the world how confident are you in your bullpen if this game is a one score game in the sixth?

The draft has just concluded who would you say, outside of your top pick, is a player you thought was really a steal for your team in the draft.




TRIVIA: This former Tampa Bay 1st round draft pick has won an all star game MVP in his only trip to the game.

[Grubs - Philly]

With Kevin Gibson struggling a bit how long is his leash? Will you let him continue to work through it in a starting role or will Matt Meyers get a shot or someone in the bullpen perhaps?

Gibson was the bullpen guy who stepped in after Alex Valencia's injury, which came at the same time as Chris Cammett's, meaning we instantly lost an established replacement. On top of John Martel's UCL tear, we're hurting for starters more than we expected going into spring. In addition, Brian Hyslop didn't work out as a Rule 5 addition, so we're down to two lefties in the bullpen.
We'll stick with Kevin for now, but expect Matthew Cosgrove to get the call this week to add another lefty arm. He's produced at every level, had a dynamic spring training run, and his development has ramped up the past three years. We're a little concerned about Matt Meyers' stuff, but he knows how to pitch and might get a look.
I'm generally pleased with our starting pitching. Our starters' ERA is top-third in the NL and our FIP is elite. Luis Detres has had to make some adjustments and he's still not done with that.

Are you surprised with how well your offense has done this season? Whats Seth Beers secret to longevity? Budweiser? Guiness? 

After a decade at the helm, I've come to believe Philly needs to hit its way to a championship. This team was built to hit, but what's happening now is special. Allen Whitmore is thriving in a more prominent role and showing the kind of all-around skill that we hoped for when we pried him loose from the Mariners. Charles Galimberti took huge strides forward in his approach. We're down Luis Morales, but I designed the team to have some flexibility and while we sorely miss Stud, it's afforded us the chance to better evaluate Jayden Mingo.
As for Seth Beer, what's to say, other than "Cheers"? He's been resilient for us and his ability to adapt to what the game gives him seems second to none. In years when his average is down, his power is up. And now we're getting both. Seth's been known to knock back a Yuengling and the occasional Terrapin Los Bravos, but his Budweiser contract means he does that in private.

The draft has just concluded who would you say, outside of your top pick, is a player you thought was really a steal for your team in the draft.

Love this question. We went into the draft expecting to target pitching, but this year's class pushed us more toward hitters in the early rounds. We're high on 2B Rashid Kavkasidzev, who has an advanced approach for an 18-year-old hitter and the footwork to play multiple positions. In the fifth round, he represents a great value. We're also intrigued by Josh Williams, who at 6 feet, 11 inches could be an impact arm out of the bullpen — if we can sign him.

[CMac - Padres]

With Raymond Gil struggling thus far manning the hot corner and #44 prospect Jason Fulton pummeling baseballs in AAA how much longer until we see Fulton mashing in the majors?

Interesting that this question was poised to me. I have been waiting for the Super 2 to come, and go, so I was waiting to bring up Fulton until after the calendar flipped from May to June. So Fulton will be in the starting lineup, and playing SS against the Phillies. Gil was a place holder until Fulton was able to be brought up. Fulton needed some more "seasoning" on his fielding before he was brought up to the show. (Wink, Wink) I thought Gil would play better, but he just hasn't. So it is now time to show the world what the #42 ranked Prospect in baseball can do!

With Sheffield possibly not being stretched out and historically not having the highest stamina in the world how confident are you in your bullpen if this game is a one score game in the sixth?

Well, since the bullpen is SD is ranked #1 in the NL, I am quite confident in the bullpen coming in and being able to help shut the door. The biggest problem I see is Sheffield allowing the bullpen to come in with a lead. He (Sheffield) is on a strict pitch count, so we will see how the #1 ranked bullpen fairs against the #1 offense in the AL. It will be an interesting dichotomy, and one I'm sure the baseball purist will be, anxiously, awaiting. (side note - I think the thing that has helped SD this season, over previous ones, is the defense that is happening behind these pitchers. We are ranked 3rd in Defensive efficiency, and 3rd in ZR rating. This is something that hasn't been the case in SD for years.)

The draft has just concluded who would you say, outside of your top pick, is a player you thought was really a steal for your team in the draft.

You know I really tried to put a lot of effort into this draft class, because I was tired of picking the first 2, or 3, rounds and letting the game do the rest. I looked into these prospects and really went for personality traits, character, and stats. So I love my draft from pick #1 to my pick in the 9th round. Who I really am looking to see if they come together are 2: Nathan Price - who I believe can be closing out games in SD for quite some time once he is ready; & Paul Ewing - who is a RF that I got in the 2nd round. My scout is IN LOVE with him, and thinks he can flourish in the bigs in RF, and make many a All-Star games. He will mold nicely with my First Rounder Huertes who I was shocked was still around @ 17.

[Zigmo-Whitesox]

Padres 11 - Phillies 6


WP: J.Thacker (4-2)

LP: K. Gibson (1-2)


This one went sideways for Phillies rookie Kevin Gibson early and he was mercifully pulled having recorded just 5 outs allowing 6 runs.  The padres weren't finished there.  Fellow rookie Justin Link was also given a rude welcome surrendering another 3 runs as the Padres unrelenting ambush continued into the 3rd.  Like a boxer stunned the Philly offensive juggernaut finally came to their senses and roared to life in the fourth, battering Padres starter Jordan Sheffield for 5 runs.  The damage was done though. The Phillies were out of gas, and the reliable Padres bullpen showed up and put things away. 

Surveying the carnage: Greg Kelly had a great game going 3-5 with 4 runs a homerun and 4 RBI and Jordon Adell would also poor on the hits going 3-5 with a homerun and 4 rbi.  The Phillies entire lineup was able to record at least one hit in the game.  Jayden Mingo and Bobby Siegel each tallying a homerun.

Side Note: Padres SS Jason Fulton made his MLB debut going 2-4 with a run scored.

Questions for the GMs:

For Matt Grubs, Rough game.  It was Royce Lewis first game back in San Diego after a long productive career there.  He seems to be turning back the clock in Philadelphia and making a strong case for the all star game.  You went out and invested big in him and it's paying off.  What went into the decision to bring in Royce on a big multi year deal?

With the Mets hanging around and only one bad series away from your heals.  Have you, or will you look to perhaps make a trade to bolster your team.  Is it too early for that?

The rest of your June schedule looks to set up pretty nicely for you what upcoming series are you looking forward to?  Any bad blood or rivalries for the Phillies we should be looking at for a bit of drama?


For Creig McBride,  Seems like your team maybe had a chip on their shoulder after fielding so many questions about the Phillies offense leading up to this game.  Only two all star game appearances combined in your lineup today but several guys getting it done this year.  Who are the guys should we really look hard at when casting our votes this year?

Sheffield started off well, then hit the fourth and really struggled today.  Any worries about him starting going forward?  Will you perhaps make a move to bolster the pitching staff?

Your schedule is really tough the remainder of the month, luckily it is nicely dotted with rest days.  Any series that you are particularly looking forward to?  Any bad blood or friendly rivalries to watch out for?


TRIVIA: This former Tampa Bay 1st round draft pick has won an all star game MVP in his only trip to the game.


TRIVIA: If you went 1:1 in the draft between 2024 and 2027 things have not went well for you but you still are in a PBA organization. What former 1:1 pick never made it to the show, and has taken his talents to sunny kenya to play for the Diamond Kings? (LOL his nickname is "Hard Times")

[Grubs - Philly]

Rough game. It was Royce Lewis first game back in San Diego after a long productive career there. He seems to be turning back the clock in Philadelphia and making a strong case for the all star game. You went out and invested big in him and it's paying off. What went into the decision to bring in Royce on a big multi year deal?

Bad time to miss an export, though blowups happen and who knows if it would've made a difference.

My M.O. with shortstops the past couple offseasons has been to wait and see what falls my way. That hasn't worked. The Bobby Witt experiment is over at short — and maybe at third base, too. With Amed Rosario on the market since 2028 – and with our guys tantalizingly close to the World Series last year – I knew I wanted better, especially when it came to fielding. Sometimes you just have to spend. Royce and Ozzie Albies were the only two guys I'd considered, but Royce fits our team vibe and was willing to negotiate. He's ultimately the only guy we approached and has stabilized defense up the middle. He and Galimberti have hit it off and this is a 90th percentile outcome for us. We're thrilled.

With the Mets hanging around and only one bad series away from your heals. Have you, or will you look to perhaps make a trade to bolster your team. Is it too early for that?

We've been too busy patching holes to consider anything more than deals we nibbled at in the offseason. We made a run at Andre Stinson, but Mike got an offer that worked better for him. With Seth Beer out until at least the All-Star break and now with yet another pitcher out for the year (Justin Dean), we don't have a lot of pieces to deal. That said, there's an immediate need. The guys have pulled together really well this year, but when you keep losing guys, you keep losing pull.

The rest of your June schedule looks to set up pretty nicely for you what upcoming series are you looking forward to? Any bad blood or rivalries for the Phillies we should be looking at for a bit of drama?

I'd say the four-game series with the Mets will be big. There's no bad blood with Ryan, but the teams are solid rivals and we'll both be coming off at least 10 games without a break. Anyone who looks past Arizona usually regrets it, in my experience, and that's what's right in front of us. I predict one of us will take two games. From there, we need to win every other series and at least play the Mets even. Atlanta's rebuilding, but Sonny Badillo is terrifying.

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: Erick guessed Royce Lewis

TRIVIA 2: Erick guessed Josh Simpson