The Jays will start a two-game series with the Phillies tomorrow at Rogers Centre.
The Phillies are 81-56, in first place in the NL East, seven games ahead of the Braves.
They are fourth in the NL in runs scored per game at 4.81. And they are third in runs allowed per game at 4.01.
I sent some questions to Ethan Witte, Supreme Blog Lord of The Good Phight, SB Nation’s Phillies blog, and he was kind enough to answer.
I have to ask about a couple of old friends. How are Taijuan Walker and Jeff Hoffman doing?
Well, with these two, you’re talking about polar opposites. For Hoffman, he’s an All-Star reliever who has been about as lockdown as one can be. As of Sunday, he’s fifth among all relievers with a 1.8 fWAR. He strikes out way more than he walks (26.6 K-BB%, good for ninth among all qualified relievers) and is on his way to receiving a handsome payday once free agency begins. Besides Matt Strahm, he is the reliever manager Rob Thomson trusts most. For Walker, if it could have gone wrong this season, it has. He has regressed in a very real way. His velocity is down, he has no real clue where pitches are going, and he has just recently been removed from the starting rotation as a pitcher making $18 million a year. He’ll be a low-leverage reliever the rest of the season, but in 2025, there is a very real chance he will be released if he cannot find his velocity again.
I guess you added another old friend, Kody Clemens. What will his role on the team be?
Clemens was just recently added to the roster as part of the September roster expansion rules, where he’ll function as a left-handed bat off the bench. Alec Bohm is nursing a sore hand right now, so he might get some playing time in Toronto, but once Bohm is healed, he’ll likely see few plate appearances.
Can I have a quick scouting report on the starting pitchers the Jays are likely to see?
On Tuesday, the Phillies will send Tyler Phillips to the mound in Walker’s stead. He is a rookie this year and had a gangbusters start, putting up a 1.80 ERA over his first four starts, including the increasingly rare complete game shutout on July 27. In his following three starts, he allowed 17 runs over 11 innings and was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he also struggled. The guess is that when he starts, it’s a glorified bullpen game, but we’ll see. On Wednesday, there is no scheduled starter yet, but chances are it will be Cristopher Sanchez. Sanchez has been a revelation this season for the Phillies, making the All-Star game on the back of a big first half, and once he got past the sophomore wall (2024 was the most innings he threw), he’s been excellent of late. If Toronto struggles with hitting changeups, Sanchez will be a difficult matchup for them as his is one of the best in the game. The saving grace they have is that Sanchez really struggles on the road.
Who is your favourite Phillies player to watch?
Offensively, it’s easily Bryce Harper. He’s a bit banged up right now, but when he’s right, he’s a top-five hitter in the game. Defensively, Johan Rojas will put on a show. He’s one of the best defensive center fielders in the game (8 OAA this season) and will remind many Toronto fans of Kevin Kiermaier in his prime. It’s not an exact comp, but it’s close.
The Phillies are 6 games up on the Braves for first in the NL East, how confident are you that they will finish first? Are Phillies fans thinking ‘World Series or bust” or would they be satisfied with making the playoffs?
They should capture the division with the schedule that they have remaining, but stranger things have happened. As far as “World Series or bust”, that question has changed as the season has gone on. Earlier, when they were running roughshod over the opposition, I’d have said yes. Since they’ve had a rough run since returning from London, I’d say a successful season is making it to the NLCS. I’d expect them to do so, but the playoffs now are such a crapshoot it wouldn’t surprise me if they did not.
This is Bryce Harper’s sixth season with the Phillies. Is he a ‘Top 10 All-Time Phillie?” Top 20?
Bryce Harper, top 10 Phillies player? He’s getting close, but I’m not sure he’s there juuuuuuust yet. Presuming good health the rest of his career, he’ll end up top three easily.
What else should we know about the Phillies or Philadelphia for that matter? How big a faux pas is it to ask for swiss cheese on your cheesesteak? Or is it worse that I ordered it with Whiz?
The Swiss cheese on a cheesesteak thing is a crime worthy of jail. There are those that say “to each his own”, but no. That’s awful. For Phillies fans, if you follow them on social media during the games in Toronto, you will notice that there is no happy medium for their emotions. It will either be on one end of the spectrum, one we refer to as “cocky”, or it will vacillate to the other, one we call “distraught.” It will go from one end to the other almost within a single at-bat. It’s truly something to behold.
Thanks, Ethan.