Scott Lauber Joins Us to Discuss the Return of Bryce Harper
Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer joined “The Best Show Ever?” to discuss the Phillies ahead of Bryce Harper’s first game back. He touched on the Phillies changing up the lineup, if we should be concerned about Zak Wheeler being IL’d, and more. Here is some of what he had to say.
On if he is Surprised to See Bryce Harper Batting 4th
“A little bit yea, we know how much he likes hitting in the 3-spot. Honestly, I think it’s a testament to how much they believe in Alec Bohm right now. I know the last few weeks he hasn’t been as hot as he was late in July. But he’s a high-average guy and a guy who can drive in a run. Not necessarily with a home run, but he seems to understand how to drive in runs. That’s what you like in the 3-hole… I am a little bit surprised though. We will see how long they stick with that going forward. Harper is so good in the 3-hole, and he is so comfortable ther, maybe that is where we end up again.”
On Wheeler’s injury and if we Should be Concerned
“Anytime a starting pitcher has to miss starts it’s a concern. it seems like they tried to downplay it. Dombrowski made it fairly clear that they’re expecting him to miss a couple of starts, then maybe come back when he is eligible. But you don’t just IL a guy to do that. There is a reason he is the IL. A forearm strain always raises my antenna a little bit, cause you worry about whether it’s more complicated than that. But for now, we take them at their word. And maybe it ultimately benefits Wheeler. In a weird way, it helped Ranger Suarez. He missed a couple of starts before the All-Star Break, and he’s been lights out since. But I never like to see forearm strain, and I never like to see a guy miss starts.”
You can listen to the full segment here…
