Hittin’ Season #581: Optimism on the Phillies (before the 7-0 collapse)

Well, maybe we should have just kept recording until the whole dang game was over.

On Episode 581 of Hittin’ Season, Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and I couldn’t say enough good things about the Phillies.

• Playoff odds from Fangraphs and Baseball Reference all but make it seem like the Phils reaching the postseason is a foregone conclusion.
• Bryce Harper is back, lengthening what should now be a potent lineup.
• The Phils got good news on the injury front on Monday.
• They’re clearly in the second tier of teams and a top-10 squad in MLB.

And although we mentioned their recent struggles at Chase Field, the vibes were flowing as the boys piled up seven runs in the first four innings, culminating with a Kyle Schwarber three-run bomb off the cratering Madison Bumgarner just as we signed off.

So in this episode of the pod, you’ll hear us being very happy. That’s because we didn’t stick around for the last five-plus innings where Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Andrew Bellatti choked the game away.

You want to blame someone, other than the players I mean? Go ahead. We’ll wear it.

Anyway, you can listen to this episode of the podcast or download it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else podcasts are consumed.