Phillies News and Discussion 2025 Season

[VoteForKalas]

Visiting the sites in between - zoo, air & space and African American history and culture. Want to see the later before they rewrite history…

Amen, have a great time

[allentown]

It's not that simple though. There actually has to be an injury,

Wheeler has spoken of on-going, I think it was shoulder, discomfort.

[zambonir]

Yeah he said it had been bothering him for a while but he had an MRI that showed nothing and said he felt "perfectly normal" and "not concerned" after the game Sunday. Granted, these are the kinds of things people still say before putting off the inevitable. Maybe they will skip a start, maybe they will go to the six-man.

https://www.mlb.com/news/zack-wheeler-velocity-down-phillies-sweep-rangers

[zambonir]

Phillies are listing Luzardo/Wheeler/Walker/TBA for four-game series in Washington. Sunday is likely Aaron Nola, who struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings at Triple A last night.

— Matt Gelb ( @mattgelb.bsky.social ) August 13, 2025 at 2:29 PM

[andyb]

I suppose they'll see how both will throw in the next day or two, but imagine Nola is just fresher and he does not mind the heat (11:35 start).

Other question is still whether there is an IL move coming. Imagine they'll use Lazar over the weekend and send him down Sunday absent other injuries, but Alvarado will require another move.

[EastFallowfield]

But, the two teams--AT PRESENT--are moving in different directions at this point in the season, 2024 was coming down from its June high

If you do the math on last year's record moving forward from game 118 it was 26-18, which was a .591 pace. You have to reach back for more games to get a more negative picture of how the 24 team finished the season.

[zambonir]

15-11 (.577) in September even!

Any team can lose a series to any other decent team at any time, whether it's 3 or 5 games. Best-of-7 is a bit less random. What happens from here is of course going to determine the standings, but not necessarily the post-season.

[David_Criss]

After watching Wheeler and Suarez struggle, I am looking forward to seeing one of the following transactions:
Romano DFAed Nola recalled
Kemp optioned, Bohm recalled
Ross DFAed, Alvarez recalled

Then either a six-man rotation or Suarez moved to the pen, that is where he would be best in the post season as Wheeler, Nola and Sanchez will be the starters

[BostonRoss]

I don't see the Phillies going with a six-man rotation for more than one turn because it decreases the bullpen by one pitcher.

[zambonir]

It will be interesting to see if they are willing to lose Lazar for 15 days versus a DFA to make room for Nola. Barring an IL move. Romano looks injured doesn't he?

I assume Bohm will be back Monday. Ross probably stays. And it's Alvarado.

You still need four starters in the post-season. We don't really know what Nola, who had an ERA of almost 7.00 before he went on the IL, has. It would be great if he's the same old Nola, though I don't recall people always being happy with that either. Luzardo has still been just as shaky if not more so than Suarez, so I wouldn't write off Ranger just yet.

I think they could run a six man for 3-4 weeks, but definitely two (they have 13 games in 13 days now). The eighth reliever would otherwise be Walker. They did it in 2023 for a while, the problem was the sixth starter wasn't any good, as a reliever either [Lorenzen]. And back then it wasn't even clear whether Sanchez or Walker was the #4 (which came to head in October).

[Philsmania]

But, the two teams--AT PRESENT--are moving in different directions at this point in the season, 2024 was coming down from its June high

If you do the math on last year's record moving forward from game 118 it was 26-18, which was a .591 pace. You have to reach back for more games to get a more negative picture of how the 24 team finished the season.

45-19 (.703, 114 win pace) through game 64 then 50-48 (.510, 83 win pace) thereafter (51-51 if you include the Postseason). 24-30 (.444, 72 win pace) from game 65 to 118. I guess a bit of a revival after that but nowhere near the same mojo as earlier.

Interestingly, that .591 you mentioned would be a 96 win finish over the course of an entire season and we finished with 95 wins. So, it almost seems like games 65 to 118 neutralized games 1 to 64 and in games 119 to 162 we were what we really were.

[andyb]

It will be interesting to see if they are willing to lose Lazar for 15 days versus a DFA to make room for Nola. Barring an IL move. Romano looks injured doesn't he?

They need 2 pitching moves though, so Lazar is the easy one and you want to do it before the 17th so he can be back on the 1st. Then one more IL move or DFA which still could be Ross or Romano. Lazar is pretty much of a given with his option and the extra roster spot that comes back in September.

[zambonir]

I'm sure that is how it will go barring an IL move. Then you are looking at either a six-man rotation or Walker in the pen. Walker and Romano (if Ross is the one who goes) would still probably pitch in a few spots where you might have preferred Lazar, but it's not like Lazar is perfect, and they will have both Robertson and Alvarado. Kind of surprised Robertson didn't pitch in Romano's spot last night. The fact that Romano pitched in a 4-0 game and Ross in an 8-0 game says it all about their place in the pecking order (even if Ross needed work).

[andyb]

Not sure coming into a 4-0 game or an 8-0 game means as much as making a 4-0 game an 8-0 game.

I think they do the 6-man rotation but shift things around or skip people to get the better starters (Wheeler and Sanchez) in the bigger series (i.e. Mets). Then Ross going 2 innings is probably more valuable than Romano going 1.

They could still do an IL move of course. It just will be really hard to not do one move with Lazar even though he is more important to the team now than either Ross or Romano. I suppose they could push Alvarado to September 1 too though there is no indication of that now. Guessing Alvarado is the one guy that will be fresh so could be really important down the stretch. Banks, Strahm, and Kerkering all at the 50 outing mark so we probably want them to have 12-15 more outings ideally the rest of the way and not 18-20.

[Austinfan]

The weird thing is Romano has his velocity back, but is totally ineffective.

[andyb]

The weird thing is Romano has his velocity back, but is totally ineffective.

Not really.

2023 96.8
2024 96.5
2025 95.5

[Philsmania]

Not sure coming into a 4-0 game or an 8-0 game means as much as making a 4-0 game an 8-0 game.

I think they do the 6-man rotation but shift things around or skip people to get the better starters (Wheeler and Sanchez) in the bigger series (i.e. Mets). Then Ross going 2 innings is probably more valuable than Romano going 1.

They could still do an IL move of course. It just will be really hard to not do one move with Lazar even though he is more important to the team now than either Ross or Romano. I suppose they could push Alvarado to September 1 too though there is no indication of that now. Guessing Alvarado is the one guy that will be fresh so could be really important down the stretch. Banks, Strahm, and Kerkering all at the 50 outing mark so we probably want them to have 12-15 more outings ideally the rest of the way and not 18-20.

I tend to agree that Ross may be of more use than Romano with his ability to go multiple innings. And--yes very SSS--but Ross seems to have done better since he's come back from the IL. Every time Romano appears to be settling down, he has a blowup.

[schillingfan]

For those at the game, let me know if you had National Guard deployed outside the stadium to protect you? Whoops. Wrong thread!

[schillingfan]

I don’t understand what AF is trying to argue. Yes, guys who don’t throw at least 95 can suceeed like Nola. But most don’t. So what? A guy without velocity in the minors is going to be cut in the roster crunches, because there is more to work with when velocity is here. Is he arguing we shouldn’t cut or should draft more low velocity guys because some do succeed?

[BaseballCat]

Saw national guard in Union station and DEA walking to the metro after the game!