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Are you ready for a fanfare run, Phillies fans?
Of course, you are
It's been too long.
The Phillies return to work Friday night and for the first time since 2011 find themselves in a legitimate position to make a race to a playoff spot. They lead the National League East by half a game on the Atlanta Braves and 5½ on the Washington Nationals
as players return to town for a weekend series against the Padres from San Diego, let's look at some of the important
Manny's hangover
Fans are disappointed that the team did not land the man-eating manny manha machado in a shop. The front office must be disappointed. But the disappointment can not infiltrate the clubhouse. This mostly young Phillies team has shown resilience and toughness all season long and this needs to continue as the intensity of the games increases.
Machado is still a great long-term adjustment for this team to stop short for a while, then to third base and finally to the first goal at the end of a long contract. The Phillies had two windows to catch him. We closed. But we remain open because Machado will test the market of free agents in the offseason. The Phils were reluctant to empty their prospecting chest for him, but you know they're going to make a big check this winter.
Machado could end up loving Los Angeles and try to stay there. But, for now, it just seems a short-term fit with the Dodgers, who have lost short-stop Corey Seager to injury and are desperate to win a World Series with a mature core. Machado comes from Miami. He told friends that he wanted to play on the East Coast with a team that was formed in the spring in Florida. He has "one thing" for the Yankees, so they will be a team to watch. But the Phillies also fulfill many of his criteria, and winning the division, or at least making the playoffs, will help make Philadelphia attractive to Machado. The money will be huge wherever the guy goes. He wants to win and although he is concentrating on winning with the Dodgers, he looks at what is happening the rest of the season in other potential destinations
. What is the plan B.
In pursuing Machado, the Phillies were trying to improve their attack. Yes, the team sees throws, grazes and walks, but the overall attack is below average. The batting average of the team is only .236 and the .390 slugging percentage, both in the lower third in the majors. The lack of attack hurt Phils during their recent 11-game road trip. They would certainly have been able to finish better than 6-5 if they had not averaged less than three points in the last 10 games and that they had been laundered twice.
Improving the offensive is a must. Shortstop could be the place to do it as the pursuit of Machado confirmed. Eduardo Escobar from Minnesota was mentioned as a commercial target and that would make sense. Landing a short stop could improve the bench since Scott Kingery could be used in the role of super-utility that was envisioned for him early in the season.
Message to Maikel
Maikel Franco. He was relegated to eighth place in the batters' order and this can be humiliating for a player, no matter how important the alignment is in a carefully crafted composition.
Whether the message is intentional or not, Franco seems to have understood it. He is in the middle of his most productive segment of the season, hitting .352 with a 1,106 OPS in 22 games since he sat on June 22 in favor of the man from the # Jesmuel Valentine's Day. Now, the possibility exists that Franco, at least for the moment, has gambled baiting status. If it continues to produce, it could be better than any of the third manpower in the commercial market who are considered to be updates.
It is always difficult to see Franco become part of the long-term plan of this front office, but in the short term. It could be the best option
Other ways to improve
Unable to improve the offensive with the addition of Machado, the Phils could seek a global upgrade by improving their race prevention. Bullpen is clearly an area that the team would like to address with the addition of an upper arm. The team sued Zach Britton, the Orioles' closest southpaw, in a Machado pack and will stay on top of him. Brad Hand was on the radar of the Phils before being sent to Cleveland. Felipe Vazquez of Pittsburgh, another left-hander, and Jetsys Familia of Mets could also help shorten the game.
Another way to help the bullpen would be to acquire the J.A from Toronto. Happ in an exchange. This could eventually turn Vince Velasquez or Nick Pivetta into a force-armed exercise piece.
The Importance of Jake
With an average age of 26 years and 7 months, the Phillies are the youngest team in the majors. They arrived in a pennant race a year before most expected, but this does not mitigate the need to capitalize on this unexpected position. All this makes it imperative that Jake Arrieta continues to produce quality startups. He has awarded just four earned runs in 19 innings in his last three starts and the Phils have won all three.
Arrieta is 32 years old. He participated in pennant races and won a World Series and a Cy Young Award. Aaron Nola has emerged as the ace of the Phillies' staff, but the experience and presence of Arrieta will be vital in the second half. The pennant races have a different intensity than a large part of this team has ever felt. The experience of Arrieta that has been made there will be precious. Carlos Santana, too.
From the day of his arrival, Arrieta said that he wanted to direct and that he was comfortable doing it. Proudly, he gets the ball Friday night and the game will be a set of parameters.
Reward Race
The Phillies will give Nola a few extra days of rest on the way out of the All-Star Game – he will not be facing the Padres this weekend – and that's smart considering his importance to the team's chances in the playoffs. When he was drafted 7th in the LSU in 2014, Nola had to be a fast-paced player who could eventually be a mid-rotation quality pitcher. He has become so much more and has a legitimate chance to become the first Phillies Cy Young Award since Roy Halladay in 2010. With 2 and a half months to go, Nola is there in conversation with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, who won Nola is tied for the Dutch standings with 12 wins and is second in ERA (2.30), in innings (129), in quality (16) and in the WAR pitcher (5.9). He gave the lowest points in nine innings (0.42). He is third on average batting the opponent (.199) and WHIP (.98) and fourth in batting outs (131).
Seranthony Dominguez, Gabe Kapler's favorite shotgun, is about to seriously look for NL Rookie of the Year, and Kapler himself is able to get votes for the manager of the year of NL. The Phils only won 66 games last season. They are on the way for 90 under the first year manager.
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