The New Exchange / The Phils 2017

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/05/2017 2:19 pm

Off to a good start. Like Larry Andersen said, "You can't win 'em all unless you win the first one."

Although I do have some reservations about Gomez as the closer.

**Posted by TheLagerLad** 4/05/2017 2:37 pm

My know-nothing-know-it-all prediction for the number of Phils' wins this year is 74. I think Gomez will be fine as a closer but the pitching staff as a whole is going to be shaky.

I'm going to be at next Tuesday's game against the Mets. It's Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts night so my kid gets to run the bases before the game. Should be fun.

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/06/2017 6:46 am

Uh, oh ........... I hope that anemic hitting performance isn't a harbinger of things to come. We've seen this before: Pitcher allows 1 or 2 runs and takes a loss. Reds 2, Phillies 0.

**Posted by Brady Bunch** 4/06/2017 7:36 am

I think Lager's prediction of 74 wins seems pretty solid. I think the starting pitching should be solid, about league average. Who knows what the bullpen will produce.

The offense as currently constructed will have games where they struggle to score, last night being a good example. I am hoping we get to see the youngsters this year and what they can do. I'm excited for Alfaro, Crawford, Williams, Quinn, Cozens and eventually Kingery.

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/11/2017 7:00 am

Well, off to a so-so start .......... 3 - 4 as of now. But, what's most important to me is the Phils are more exciting to watch. I think Matt Stairs is making a difference. I saw this stat: Last year after 7 games, the Phils walked 12 times, while this year they have worked the pitchers for 29 free passes. Stairs said in the beginning that he was going to emphasize patience at the plate.

That old saying, "Sometimes a walk is as good as a hit" is true.

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/18/2017 10:52 am

Let's talk about the performance of the 'closers'. So far, they've cost the Phils at least 3 games, and it's early in the season. Quiz question for Philly fans: Do you feel comfortable going into the 9th inning with a 2 or 3 run lead?

**Posted by TheLagerLad** 4/27/2017 7:56 am

Hard to believe that the Phils are going to end April at or near the .500 mark. Good for them.

They have a tough road trip coming up. Dodgers, four games against the Cubs, and then back at home versus the Nats.

Let's see how they hold up through that.

**Posted by Just Fred** 5/03/2017 8:38 am

Well, we're still hanging in there (12-13 record as of today). A couple of factual tidbits: The bullpen has blown 5 chances of winning. The bullpen's ERA is one run worse than the starting pitching staff. And finally, last night during the post-game coverage, Ricky Bo said he didn't even know Gomez was still on the team.

**Posted by Just Fred** 5/31/2017 8:28 pm

Ok, we stink. It's so frustrating for me. We've scored more that 4 runs once in the last 16 games. We now have the worst record in all of baseball, and on track to finish 55 - 107 at this pace.

I have no answers. I'll repeat what Casey Stengel once said while managing the Mets: "Can anyone play this game?"

Last edited by Just Fred (5/31/2017 8:29 pm)

**Posted by Brady Bunch** 10/04/2017 6:55 pm

Brady Bunch wrote:
I think Lager's prediction of 74 wins seems pretty solid. I think the starting pitching should be solid, about league average. Who knows what the bullpen will produce.

The offense as currently constructed will have games where they struggle to score, last night being a good example. I am hoping we get to see the youngsters this year and what they can do. I'm excited for Alfaro, Crawford, Williams, Quinn, Cozens and eventually Kingery.

In reflection, the starting pitching was spotty, and the bullpen started off a hot mess but ended up pretty decent.

After the All-Star breakm they basically played .500 baseball and the young players I was excited for did well. Alfaro, Crawford, and Williams played well, Hoskins continued to mash and has a great approach at the plate and Kingery appears ready to be called up early next year. If they get a veteran starter or two, they may be a .500 team next year.

Future looks bright