Jayson Stark- Poor Pitching, Fielding, and Hitting, Oh My

Things have not gone great for the Phillies so far. Every time it looks like they are turning it around, they go on another losing streak. Most recently, it has been out west vs the Giants. Poor starting pitching, awful fielding, and an inability to hit with Runners in Scoring Position have killed them these past few games, and all season to be honest. Bailey Falter has been sent down after his bad outing. Bryson Stott only just broke up a long 0 for streak with RISP, and the fielding has been specifically sloppy these last 3 games. And to talk about all of those issues, The Best Show Ever talked to Jayson Stark.

The Phillies Sloppy Play in The Field

“We knew this team would be defensively challenged. They are one of the worst teams in baseball in converting fly balls into outs.  But there is a difference between that and sloppiness. I don’t think you can excuse the sloppiness of the last few days… Reality is this team was not designed to leatherwork its way to October. It was designed to mash its way to October. That can still happen. The concern is that may be the only way it can happen.”

Not Hitting with Runners in Scoring Position

“They have got a worse AVG with RISP than the Royals… A worse SLG % with RISP than the As… They have got 5 HRs with RISP all year, the Braves have 15. I don’t know how you explain this… This should be a better situational hitting team than this. But hitting in those situations is contagious, and so is not hitting.”

Them Not Having Enough Starting Pitcher

“We have talked about how you need more than 5 starters to get through any season. Right now, they don’t even have 5.  That is a little terrifying. They need to survive until July. But there is nobody to trade for right now. You have 40 games between now and July 1^st. That is 8 times that 5^th starter comes up. I don’t see how they can do any worse than they were with Bailey Falter.”

But It Is Not All Bad News, Because Jayson Stark Also Discussed How The Phillies Are Not Alone in the NL When It Comes To These Early Struggles

“They are lucky that the league isn’t that good… The Mets are a mess. The Cardinals are a mess, the Padres are a mess.  Look at the Phillies nd look at these other teams, who else is more talented than  he Phillies roster?  Baseball Prospectus still has the Phillies playoff odds at 70%. That is considering the Phillies have not played well yet, or hit well. They will need to do both, but if they do, they are a playoff team.”

You can listen to Jayson Stark’s Full Conversation with The Best Show Ever below…

6 Biggest Takeaways From The Daryl Morey Press Conference

• Joel Embiid Was Not Happy About Doc Rivers Being Fired

  Stephen A Smith reported that Joel Embiid was not happy that Doc Rivers lost his job. And Daryl Morey confirmed that in his press conference. He noted that Embiid was very close with Doc Rivers, and was shocked and disappointed by the trade. He also noted that Embiid was upset by a certain player being traded, though he did not say who that was specifically. Hopefully, Embiid will take that as blaming himself for someone he likes losing their job, and pick up his play when it matters.

• Championship Pedigree A Factor, Not a Litmus Test for Next Coach

  Daryl Morey was asked how much having experience winning as a head coach will factor into who he hires. Morey stopped short of outright saying the next coach has to have that experience. But it certainly seemed to be important. He said having a guy who won before, can lend a coach credibility. Morey compared it to bringing in PJ Tucker last year, and that being able to tell guys you have won it before has a lot of value in the locker room. So don’t be surprised if whoever Morey hires is someone who already has a ring on their hand. Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer, and Nick Nurse all fit that criteria.

• Wants Harden Back, But Prepared If He Leaves

  Morey could not get into his actual plans without violating tampering rules, but he was asked about James Harden several times. Harden opted out, with the news breaking during his press conference. Morey said they would like to have Harden back, and will make that a priority, but thinks the team can stay competitive if he does leave. Morey pointed to the fact they have an MVP on the roster, which is a jump over most rosters to start

• Don't Expect a Quick Hire

  Morey also noted that they will not rush this process (and apologized for using the word process). Morey said they will take a careful approach with the next hire. There are a lot of candidates, and they want to look at all of them before rushing into a hire. Morey noted it should be a popular job opening given the fact the roster has Joel Embiid on it. So it may be a while before we hear who is replacing Doc Rivers.

• Players Wont Have Imput In The Next Head Coach

  Morey is not going to be running candidates by Joel Embiid or any other Sixers players on the roster. He did say he will be looking for a coach who fits what they already have. But also said that the players will not be consulted on who they want to be the coach. So while he may look for a coach who has experience with teams where the big man is a Star, he won’t run that choice by Joel Embiid himself.

• Embiid Did Take Accountability To Front Office

  Morey said he had discussions with a lot of the players since the game 7 loss happened. He said they all took accountability for what they did wrong. he also noted that Embbid specifically wanted to work on ways to improve his performance in the playoffs. And Morey said that he does not think it is necessarily fair to judge players by what they say directly after a loss like that when they have a mic in their face.