The Show 20 Phranchise Episode 10

Alright, this isn’t baseball related, but I’m sure we all watched the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Someone has to say it… It was absolutely painful to watch Roger Goodell try to act like a human. Someone at the NFL headquarters needs to update his software because he’s not fooling anyone. If I made $30 Million each year (don’t worry, I don’t and I won’t) my Man Cave wouldn’t look like my grandmother’s guest room. Come on Rog. That wood paneling is far more egregious than just about anything you’ve dealt a suspension for in the last decade.

Okay, now that that’s off my chest, time for some baseball. I’m going to have to regretfully announce that there will be no live stream this Sunday night, but we’ll return to Twitch next weekend and keep it going from there. Last week’s stream was a good one and it was a great homestand for the Phranchise, let’s recap it!

5/26/2020: Phillies 5, Mets 1; W: Brad Peacock (5-1), L: Steven Matz (5-3)

Bryce Harper (10) launched a 2-run shot in the opening frame and doubles from Jean Segura and Didi Gregorius tacked on additional runs as the Phillies ran away with this one. Matz only lasted 4.2 innings and allowed 4 earned while only striking out 2. Brad Peacock, who seems to be the real deal, went 6.1 strong shutout innings to secure his fifth win on the season. His ERA continues to sink, sitting now at a respectable 3.58.

5/27/2020: Phillies 10, Mets 4; W: Zach Eflin (4-2), L: Rick Porcello (4-5), S: Arrieta (1)

Some players have hot starts and streaks. Didi is just a hot player. We’re about a third of the way through the season and he has done nothing but dominate opposing pitching. He collected another solo shot (13) and a double along with extra base hits from Cutch, Haseley, and Kingery. Arrieta came in with a big cushion (it’s a sim, I don’t know) but worked himself into a save situation before finally closing the door on the Mets rally.

5/28/2020: Mets 3, Phillies 1; W: Jacob deGrom (3-5), L: Spencer Howard (0-0)

Realmuto (9) provided the only run support on the day, but Spencer Howard allowed runs to cross in each of the first three innings in what would be his last start prior to being sent down to AAA. So long, Spencer; we’ll see you when you learn to control that curveball.

5/29/2020: Phillies 3, Nationals 1; W: Aaron Nola (6-2), L: Max Scherzer (4-6), S: Osuna (16)

Aaron Nola only allowed one run on seven hits in 6.2 innings, striking out ELEVEN Nats. Back-to-back longballs from Hoskins (14) and Kingery (6) in the home half of the fifth chased Scherzer and the bullpen held strong as Osuna continues to be one of the top closers in baseball. That Osuna & Peacock trade is definitely paying off to this point in the season.

5/30/2020: Phillies 6, Nationals 4; W: Zach Wheeler (6-0). L: Stephen Strasburg (6-4)

In our Twitch Game of the Week, the Nats jumped out to an early lead thanks to a Trea Turner solo shot on the second pitch of the game. This one looked more like a Home Run Derby as the teams combined for six home runs, but the Nats were limited to solo shots while Cutch (8) and Didi (14) each had two-run bombs. Side stat: Bryce Harper collected his 69^th, 70^th, and 71^st strikeouts on the season in this game – making him the league leader. Wheeler stays perfect, though, and he’s an emerging Cy Young candidate – who would have thought?

6/1/2020: Phillies 10, Nationals 9; W: Brad Peacock (6-1), L: Patrick Corbin (2-6), S: Alvarez (1)

10 total pitchers came and went before this one was decided, shocking since Peacock lasted 6 innings himself. The Phillies led this one 9-0 going into the seventh inning thanks to a Bryce Harper 3-run shot (11) and bases-loaded doubles from Didi and Garlick (a recent call-up), but the wheels came off for Peacock as he allowed 5 earned in the seventh without recording an out. The bullpen would perform some impressive damage control anchored by Robertson, whose ERA remains at 0.00 in June. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it’s a sweep of the Nats!

The Phils hold a 7.5 game lead in the N.L. East as we enter June, and are emerging as an early favorite to be playing into late October:

Some additional AA and AAA notes from the past month for your consideration:

AAA: SP Adonis Medina posted a 1.89 ERA in May and struck out 33 batters in 33.1 innings; LF Mikie Mahtook batted .367 in May with 21 RBIs in 79 at-bats.

AA: SP Francisco Morales pitched 30.0 innings and earned an ERA of 3.30 while recording 39 strikeouts.

We’ll have a full statistical rundown in our next article, but the Phillies look to expand their league in the N.L. East with a six-game road trip to Miami and Atlanta followed by a nine-game homestand.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay tuned to The Phranchise!