Rise and Phight: 9/16/2022

Heading into Atlanta for what is increasingly looking like a playoff preview, the Phillies begin a stretch of games where they need to simply not embarrass themselves. Out of the next eight games they have where they play the Braves, then the Blue Jays, then the Braves again, a winning record would be very nice, but isn’t mandatory. Since they have built themselves a bit of a cushion, the sky won’t be falling if they don’t play as well as they have lately. Will their spot be a little more tenuous? Of course, but there wouldn’t be any reason to panic. They should still be in fine shape.

It helps that they have played rather well against the Braves this season, so there isn’t some kind of mental hurdle they have to clear. It would be helpful if the offense got going a little bit more, but we’ll have to see. These are tough games, but unlike in the past, this roster is a bit different. They should be able to handle it.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Intrepid reporter Matt Gelb did a chat yesterday and talked about a lot of different topics, which was quite interesting ($).
• It’s not really about who we prefer to play in the playoffs. It’s really about who the Phillies prefer to face.
• With Zack Wheeler and Seranthony Dominguez healthy, the team is better positioned than they were in 2007 ($).

MLB news:

• The Rays yesterday made a little bit of important history when they put out a lineup where all nine positions were manned by players who are Latino.
• There is apparently an art to telling a prospect he is headed to the major leagues. Here is an article about that ($).
• The infield dirt is about to become much more discussed with the rule changes in 2023. A primer to get you ready ($).
• Sandy Alderson is stepping away as team president once a person is found to take over that role in the Mets’ organization.