The Phillies have momentum and hope despite the lingering stench of the Pete Rose visit
"It's exciting," Bryce Harper said. "There's a buzz in there," Rob Thomson said.
If not for the public relations disaster that always will be known as Pete Rose Day, the Philadelphia Phillies and their city would have entered the off day Monday with a universal feeling of good tidings and positive vibes. Fortunately, Rose’s cretinous past and creepy presence won’t affect what has become an absolutely glorious atmosphere in the clubhouse.
In there, everything’s coming up roses.
» READ MORE: The day Pete Rose proved he does not belong in baseball. Or anywhere in public.
They’ve won five in a row, the new guys are contributing, the young guys are playing well, and Bryce Harper’s return is on the horizon. They’re 12 games over .500 for the first time in four years — since Aug. 19, 2018 — and they entered Monday in the second National League wild-card slot, a half-game ahead of the Padres.
“There’s a buzz in there,” said interim manager Rob Thompson.
He should know. He helped create it.
Since he replaced Joe Girardi on June 3, Thomson, a 58-year baseball lifer but a first-time big-league manager, has afforded young players opportunities with minimal pressure. They have seized them.
Last week, two-time world champion Dave Dombrowski massaged the roster by importing three exciting players, all of whom carry caveats. He snagged closer David Robertson, who is 37; defensive centerfielder Brandon Marsh, who has a big beard but a small bat (.228 average, .630 OPS); and Noah “Thor” Syndergaard, whose name carries more punch than his pitches these days.
Still, the Phillies got better, and the veterans entered the dog days of the summer and the season with resurgent energy and, most of all, hope.
“It’s exciting. It’s been great,” Harper said. “Nobody in this clubhouse didn’t think he was going to do what he did.”
What Dombrowski did resonated.
When Syndergaard showed up Thursday, former Mets teammate Zack Wheeler gave him a heartfelt hug. Dombrowski soon thereafter greeted him, then walked over and chatted with Robertson, who, the day before in Atlanta, had locked down Zack Wheeler’s latest scintillating start.
“Getting David back in the trade — it’s big,” Wheeler said.
» READ MORE: The Phillies didn’t have to bring back Pete Rose. But they could make things easier on themselves.
They proceeded to outscore the Nationals, 36-12, in a four-game sweep that secured their second five-game win streak in their last 11 games. Everybody got in the mix. Kyle Gibson came off the bereavement list and was perfect through six innings Friday. They sat two starters but hit four home runs Sunday. The bullpen gave up three runs in four days.
These Phillies are built to win, and they know it.
How they got here
Thomson’s mood and Dombrowski’s moves created a fertile environment for success — the Phillies are 38-19 since Thomson took over — but the astonishing thing is, they have surged despite getting little help from several key players. Harper, second baseman Jean Segura, shortstop Didi Gregorius, No. 4 starter Zach Eflin (knee), and relievers Jeurys Familia and Corey Knebel have either been hurt or generally useless. That’s about $76 million in salary, or more than 30% of their record $247 million payroll.
Harper, the team’s best left-handed hitter, was hitting .318 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .985 OPS when a 97-mph fastball from Blake Snell fractured his left thumb in San Diego on June 25 and has been on the injured list since. He joined Segura, the team’s best right-handed hitter, who fractured his right ring finger in a failed bunt attempt June 1.
The Phillies are 22-13 without Harper, who is the reigning NL MVP and was a contender to repeat when he got hurt.
How?
Because, since Harper got hurt, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins have combined to hit 25 home runs.
Because Alec Bohm is hitting .372 with a .952 OPS since then.
Because rookie Bryson Stott, who was hitting .161 to that point, is hitting .256 since, and has played brilliant defense at second base and shortstop.
Because Seranthony Domínguez, Brad Hand, and Connor Brogdon have allowed six earned runs in their last 30 appearances.
And, of course, because Wheeler and Aaron Nola have continued to pitch like the 1-2 punch the Phillies hoped they would be. They’re 8-4 with a combined 3.06 ERA in their 14 starts, in which they’ve lasted an average of 6⅔ innings. Wheeler starts Tuesday when the Marlins visit for a three-game series.
Simple math
The Phillies’ winning formula wouldn’t be complete without computing the addition by subtraction.
The Phillies last week rid themselves of Odúbel Herrera, whose controversial presence and whose erratic play they should have been rid of three years ago. They also cut loose Gregorius, the injury-addled shortstop on whom they wasted $42 million over the last three seasons. Finally, they recognized that $6 million reliever Familia, a superb mentor for the young Latin pitchers, was not valuable enough as a big brother to justify his 6.09 ERA.
These players weren’t clubhouse cancers, exactly, but they weren’t contributing. Every player now has a role, understands that role, and contributes; that is, except for Knebel. The Phillies have strong pitching at the front of the rotation, talent at the back of the bullpen, improved defense, and power up and down the lineup.
They got Segura back Thursday, and he got three hits Saturday. Harper hopes to be back next month. So does Eflin.
You might argue that outscoring a depleted Nationals team by 24 runs is no reason for optimism. You might dismiss the seven wins in two sweeps in Miami and Pittsburgh last month. But that’s what good teams are supposed to do: Roll bad teams.
The Phillies now are a bona fide good team. It is a team that has an excellent chance of reaching the postseason. It is a team with a decent shot to make a little noise in October.
The clubhouse is alive. Thompson called it a “buzz.”
It’s a buzz that will not be affected by the buzzkill that is Peter Edward Rose.