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Can This Phillies Team Compete in The Playoffs? Larry Bowa Weighs In

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Author Anthony Gargano and Dylan MacKinnon
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 28: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 28, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Phillies season has been a bit of a headache for fans. On one hand, they have one of the best records in baseball since June. On the other, even the wins don’t feel too good for the Phillies. The lineup is struggling, especially the star plays like Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. Not to mention the fielding is a disaster at times. Scwarber and Turner are the main culprits there are well. Despite all of that though, they are still in a good position to make the playoffs.

But should we feel good about their chances in the playoffs if they make it? They managed to turn it on at the right time last year. Can we count on that again? Larry Bowa joined The Anthony Gargano Show today and had some mixed emotions on that topic.

“I’m not worried about getting into the playoffs — I know we’re going to be in the playoffs — but I want to get deep into the playoffs, and the way we are playing right now, that is going to be difficult.”

Not a glowing endorsement. But at the same time, he also saw some advantages the Phillies could have in the playoffs. Starting with their ace, Zack Wheeler.

And Larry has a point. As frustrating as the lineup is, the pitchers on this team are very good. Zack Wheeler is looking more and more like himself, Taijuan Walker has been dominant, and Ranger Suarez finally had a bounce-back outing his last time out. Aaron Nola? Well, he is still an enigma. But the Phillies’ pitching staff should be able to compete with any lineup. And the bullpen, despite blowing 3 saves last night, has been even better. Those two things can take you a long way. But if they can’t score runs, their ceiling is going to be limited.

The potential for the lineup is still there. If Trea Turner somehow figures it out at the plate, they could suddenly put up a lot of runs. But we have been waiting 4 months for that, and it has not come yet.

You can listen to the full conversation with Larry Bowa below:

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Bryson Stott and 15 Other Philadelphia Athletes We Have Supreme Confidence In

Some players just put Philadelphia fans at ease. When they get a chance to make a play, we have supreme confidence they will come up big in the moment. Whether they are taking a last-second shot, at the plate with a chance to win it, or going up to make a big catch. These guys always get it done, or at least it feels like they do. We saw an example of that last night. The Phillies were trailing the Orioles in the 9th. But then Bryce Harper got a single. Bryson Stott knocked him in with a double. And late in the inning, Bohm sent Stott home with a single.

Both Stott and Bohm are becoming those types of guys who always seem to come up clutch. It is not the first time this season those two played a big part in a comeback win. And we already knew from the playoffs last year that Harper was made for those types of moments. Those 3 saved the night, and the sanity of Phillies fans, to finally give us something to cheer for.

And that had Andrew Salciunas and Jamie Lynch thinking. Who are the guys in Philadelphia Sports right now that we have that Supreme Confidence in? Is Bryson Stott already there for them? What about Alec Bohm? They went through the Philly teams and named the players on each of them that they have Supreme Confidence in.

Here are the players they picked:

  • Bryson Stott

    Last night was not the first time Stott came up big. He had a walk-off vs the Reds earlier this year. Last year he hit a walk-off HR vs the Angels. In the playoffs, it was his long at-bat that led to the big inning vs Spencer Strider. Every rally, every comeback, always seems to have Bryson Stott involved. Even if it’s not him getting a hit, he still has a long at bat, moves a runner over, or does something productive.

    He was the guy who inspired the list, so of course he had to be the first name that comes up. Jamie gushed almost all show about his love affair with the Phillies’ young 2nd baseman. And can you blame him? Stott is fast becoming the fan favorite on the Phillies. While many of his teammates have struggled, he has consistently played well for them all season.

  • Alec Bohm

    Bohm’s lack of power given his size is a bit confusing. But you can’t argue with the other results. Anytime he is up with runners in scoring position, it feels like he gets it done. He is hitting .347 this season with RISP. He leads the team with 62 RBIs, including the game-winning one last night. And given the rest of the team’s struggles with RISP, they really need that from him.

    Bohm has become a fan favorite ever since the “I ****ng hate it here” situation. He owned up to it, and Philly fans love him for it. But they also love him because he tends to come up clutch. Which is why both Andrew and Jamie put Bohm on their list.

  • Bryce Harper

    Harper showed how clutch he was vs the Padres last year. In the biggest at-bat of his life, he had “the swing of his life.” And he was great all throughout those playoffs. And he played a big part in last night’s win. First, it was the HR that tied the game. And then when they were trailing in the 9th again, his single started the rally that led to the win.

    His time in Philly has been defined by big moments. The walk-off grand Slam vs the Cubs. It was his HR that set up Stott’s walk-off slam vs the Angels last year. Harper feels like he is built for big moments. Which is why both Andrew and Jamie put him on their list of guys they have Supreme Confidence in.

     

  • Zack Wheeler

    Jamie did not initially have Wheeler on his list. But Andrew talked him around to it. He has struggled a bit this season. But his recent starts have been much better. And his track record with the Phillies speaks for itself. Wheeler gave them great starts all throughout the playoffs, game 1 of the World Series aside. He probably should have been Cy Young two seasons ago. And he has reliably filled the role of Ace for the Phillies. Which no one had really done since the days of Halladay, Hamels, and Lee.

    CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 22: Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio.

    (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

  • Lane Johnson

    Lane Johnson has not given up a sack in over two seasons. Hard to get more trustworthy than that. He has lined up against Super Star edge rushers like Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa, and he shut them down. Not to mention he is tough as hell and played in the playoffs with an injury that eventually required surgery.

  • Jason Kelce

    Speaking of not giving up sacks, Jason Kelce has allowed 0 the last two seasons too. He has been the First-Team All-Pro Center in 5 of the last 6 seasons. And he never misses games. His streak of 139 straight regular-season starts is 2nd in the league right now, and the 2nd longest in Eagles history. If he plays 6 straight games this season, he will pass Jon Ruynan to move into first place. It does not get more trustworthy than a guy who never gets beaten, and always plays.

  • Devonta Smith

    What gets Smith on this list is that it feels like he catches everything. He has quickly made a name for himself by making acrobatic catches to keep a drive alive. He did it in the 49ers game last year. And although further review will show he probably did not catch it, the face Smith knew enough to get up quickly and let his teammates know they had to get the snap off, makes him look even better. Even as the 2nd option, he still racked up 1000 yards last year. Smith does not look like a WR2. He is more of a WR1B alongside AJ Brown.

  • AJ Brown

    If Hurts threw the ball up deep last year, we felt pretty confident AJ Brown was going to make a play. They connected 3 times for long TDs in traffic vs the Steelers last season. The guy just catches everything, not matter how good the coverage is.

    Andrew did leave him off his list. Only because he had a little bit of a fumble problem last year. But it is hard to argue from the results in his first year with the Eagles.

  • Jalen Hurts

    Hurts got the ball back, down 8, at one point in the Super Bowl. The game was falling apart for the Eagles after they once led by multiple scores. Hurts did not blink. Hurts led the team down the field, scored a TD, and then tied it up himself with a 2-point conversion. He did not get another chance after the Chiefs took the lead with an FG with not enough time left on the clock. But every Eagles fan was thinking that if the defense can just get a stop, to get the ball back to Hurts, that he would get the job done.

  • Haason Reddick

    Reddick terrorized opposing QBS last year. 16 sacks. And his best moment probably came in the playoffs vs the 49ers. He pretty much won the game for the Eagles before it got going. Getting right to Brock Purdy, forcing a fumble, and unfortunately hurting him. Whiny 49ers players and fans still insist that if that moment didn’t happen, they would have won. So if that is the case, we have Reddick to thank for getting the Eagles to the Super Bowl. He is so unblockable he wrecked the 49ers’ entire gameplan.

  • Josh Sweat

    The only player Jamie may love more than Stott is Josh Sweat. Full credit to him because he has been on the Josh Sweat bandwagon since long before Sweat was racking up double digits sacks. Last year the potential finally paid off. So Jamie was not going to leave his guy off his list. Reddick overshadowed him a little bit, but Sweat was nearly just as dangerous from the other side of the line.

  • Brandon Graham

    Speaking of double-digit sacks, Graham accomplished that feat last year for the first time in his career. And it was as a rotational edge rusher, not an every-down player. But the Eagles have been counting on Graham for long before he reached that milestone. He will always be remembered for making one of the biggest plays in franchise history. The Eagles might not have ever won a Super Bowl if it was not for his strip sack of Tom Brady.

    MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots fumbles as Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles strips the ball in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

    (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

  • James Bradberry

    James Bradberry allowed the lowest pass rating against in the NFL last year. Does it get more trustworthy than that? He shut down nearly every WR he faced. And had 3 picks to go with that. Thank you again Giants for cutting him for no reason.

  • Jake Elliott

    Do kickers count as athletes? Elliott has been nearly automatic on field goals and extra points the past two seasons. He missed just 3 FGs last season, and one came in a bad weather game while injured. And on FGs over 50 yards, he was 5 of 6.

    We don’t usually count kickers as Football players. And very few people are going to rock a Jake Elliott jersey. But when Elliott comes up to kick an FG, we can be mostly comfortable that he is going to hit it. That trend started with his 61-yard FG to beat the Giants and has continued since then. The punter is another story. But Elliott we can trust.

  • Joel Embiid

    This one will be controversial. Andrew said yes, and Jamie said no. Before the Celtics series, nearly everyone would have said yes. But it is hard to get the taste of his Game 7 performance out of our mouths. And suddenly there are questions about a guy we all would have had absolute confidence in a few months ago. Do you still trust him, or has that trust been broken?

  • Tyrese Maxey

    Is Maxey a star yet? Hard to tell. We will learn a lot about him this season. But it does feel like he can score almost at will at times. And he is the one guy who came out of the other side of that Celtics series still beloved by Philly fans. He has been able to thrive in a smaller role. But with the Sixers roster in limbo, there will likely be a lot more pressure on Maxey this season, and we will learn exactly who he is. For now, it is hard not to be confident in the guy.

 

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