Rise and Phight: 7/27/2021

Should we be worried about Spencer Howard?

Last night, yet again, we saw a velocity drop from the beginning of the game to the third inning. Once again, he was unable to complete four innings. Once again, the team was left wondering what they actually have in Howard. While there is no denying the talent, it just seems like there is excuse after excuse why he isn’t able to get the job done. Wasn’t a starter in college, shoulder issues, the unexplained velocity drops after ~30 pitches and now we can add blister problems. 2021 is lost, but what can we expect in 2022? What has he demonstrated that we can trust going forward, banking on his becoming a top of the rotation starter that had been envisioned for a while now.

It’s a disappointing, yet all too familiar, story when it comes to a Phillies pitching prospect.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Zach Eflin hasn’t responded well to treatment, so it looks like he won’t be able to make his next start.
• Ranger Suarez is finding success “the old-fashioned way”, bucking the trends of rising spin rates.
• In more sordid news, the owner of the franchise has to testify against his son in a nasty legal battle.
• Whether they are buyers or sellers, the team really needs to get the organization pointed in the right direction.

MLB news:

• Seems Max Scherzer is willing to waive the no-trade clause to join a contender.
• One name the Cubs aren’t dangling to other teams is Kyle Hendricks. Which is weird because he could probably net them a decent return.
• Could two of the NL West powers be battling over something other than the division title?
• Not gonna lie, I first read this article about a way to combat sign stealing and thought it was from The Onion, but then I read it again and started to get scared.