Via: motorcitybengals.com
Dombroski lands Lorenzen and Castro for minimal prospects at the trade deadline
Via: theathletic.com
Looking for a more complete roster, the Phillies’ front office had little room for error at the 2023 trade deadline on Tuesday. With spots in the outfield and rotation to fill, the market had a variety of names to pursue. Some of these options included outfielders Tommy Pham, Adam Duvall, Teoscar Hernandez, as well as pitchers like Eduardo Rodriguez, Jack Flaherty, and Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen, an Anaheim native, as well as the young utility piece of Rodolfo Castro would be the Phillies’ acquisitions.
Michael Lorenzen was drafted out of the first round by the Reds in 2013, coming straight out of California State University. He made his debut at age 23 in 2015 as a starter, but transitioned into a decent bullpen arm for the Reds for 7 years. After a mediocre stint with the Angels in 2022, the young, upcoming Tigers signed the 31-year old on a 1-year deal. Having transitioned back into the rotation in Los Angeles, the Tigers were looking for a cheap, reliable starter. In Lorenzen’s first 8 years, he had a 4.10 ERA, 1.356 WHIP, and 1.0 HR/9, which didn’t net him any accolades.
Despite his prior mediocrity, Lorenzen has broken out in 2023, becoming an all-star for the first time with a 3.58 ERA, 1.098 WHIP, and 3.07 strikeout-walk ratio. His consistency hasn’t shown to be the best though, having six games this season with 5+ runs, but also having ten games with a run or less. The Tigers, 8-10 in his starts, had started to realize their roster wasn’t fleshed out enough for a playoff run, sitting at 3rd place in the AL Central with an 48-60 record. Lorenzen, poised to leave in the offseason, became a prime trade piece for Detroit at the deadline. On Tuesday, the Phillies scooped him up in exchange for the 20-year old Taiwanese prospect, Hao-Yu-Lee.
Lorenzen fits perfectly into this Phillies rotation. As a 4-5 starter, this possibly can relieve a lot of pressure off of Ranger Suárez or Cristopher Sánchez. Additionally, his experience as a reliever can be extremely beneficial if needed in a deep playoff run. Lorenzen will be able to pump out a large number of quality starts in Philly in the back-end of the rotation, evident by his 8-inning, 2-run, 5-K start in his debut on Thursday. The return package being sent to Detroit isn’t too much either. Lee in 3 minor league seasons has hit .285 with a .811 OPS. He’s juggled between rookie-ball and A/A+, amounting to 155 games so far. Though he seems to have some potential, trading him for a valuable starter that will make a large impact at the major-league level now seems to have been the right move from the front office.
Via: espn.com
Along with Lorenzen, the Phils picked up Rodolfo Castro, a 24-year old Dominican infielder. In exchange for Castro, struggling pitcher Bailey Falter was shipped to Pittsburgh. Castro’s bat isn’t something to go crazy about, having a below-average 90 OPS+, and .226 BA. However, his speed, utility, fielding, age, and control all make him a pretty solid asset. While he’s not anything that will contribute much during struggles, he’s something we got for cheap and under control until 2029. He seems reminiscent of Edumundo Sosa from last year’s deadline.
Overall, Dombroski and the rest of the front office showed up and ultimately delivered at the trade deadline. Though an outfield slot to put some finishing touches and well-round this roster wasn’t acquired, minimal talent was unloaded from the farm system for players that will be impactful. Lorenzen, an all star pitcher, will be a very solid starter or reliever during a deep playoff run, while Castro is a decent utility infielder that will get some playing time as needed.
Phillies fall apart in Pittsburgh, lose 2 of 3.
Via: baseballprospectus.com
As the Phils traveled to Pittsburgh to face the bottom-dweller Pirates, they looked to get a favorable position in the wild card standings. Unfortunately, they left with an embarrassing series loss that ultimately could’ve been a Philly sweep.
Zack Wheeler’s game one brilliant pitching performance was just what the Phillies needed to fuel a strong series. Wheeler, who has a 3.71 ERA this year, went 6.2 innings while striking out 11. Though Mitch Keller of the Pirates did a good job of shutting down the Phils’ lineup, a Kyle Schwarber 2-run bomb into the Phillies’ bullpen in the 3rd would be enough for them. Wheeler would allow his only run in the 4th, a Ji Man Choi double down the right field line that scored Bryan Reynolds. Andrew Mccutchen could’ve possibly scored from first on the play, tying the game, but he was held at third. As Wheeler got out of the jam, the bullpen and defense held them down through a rain delay and the rest of the game, winning 2-1.
Phillies player of the game: Kyle Schwarber; 2-2 with a 2-run HR
The second game was a rough one for Aaron Nola and the defense. Down 1-0 thanks to a home run by Liover Peguero, the lineup actually did its work. They scored 4 in the 4th off Quinn Priester off of RBI doubles from Brandon Marsh and Jake Cave. But the defensive shortcomings from the Phillies would eat them up later. The bottom of the 4th started with a misread line-drive by Castellanos, putting Ji Man Choi on second with no outs. On the next play, Castellanos couldn’t reach another line drive, scoring Choi on another double, this time by Endy Rodríguez. With a ground ball that trickled into the outfield, the defensive blunders allowed the Pirates within one, and wouldn’t stop here.
The next inning, with Nola still on the mound, Bryan Reynolds and Andrew Mccutchen both reached base early. A ground ball which should’ve been the second out turned into disaster at first base, bobbled by Harper and loading the bases. Endy Rodríguez and Phils defensive blunders again struck for Pittsburgh, as Marsh let a ball bounce right by him, clearing the bases and allowing Rodríguez to advance to third. After another RBI hit scored Rodríguez, Nola was taken out at 7-4 Pirates. The following inning, a bases loaded opportunity spawned with no outs, but only one run would score from a walk by Schwarber. With the defense improving and the bullpen getting the job done, Johan Rojas put them within just one run in the 8th off of an RBI single. Nothing else would come out of it, as Schwarber and Castellanos both struck out to end the inning. A Realmuto double play in the 9th sealed their fate, as the Phillies lost a disastrous game two 7-6. Nola allowed 7 runs, 2 of which were unearned, and the defense backing him, as well as missed opportunities by the lineup, brutally fell apart.
Phillies player of the game: Bryson Stott; 3-5, one of few solid defenders
Like the second game, the final game of the series crumbled apart in painful fashion. Cristopher Sánchez took the mound, and to say he threw a gem would be an understatement. Sánchez pitched 5 innings with 73 pitches, no hits, and only 2 walks, but Rob Thomson made one of the worst decisions of his managerial career, pulling him. Leading 2-0 from an early Bohm 2-run shot, the bullpen couldn’t continue Sánchez’s excellence. In the 6th Bryan Reynolds hit a 2-run bomb into deep right-center, a near mirror replica of Bohm’s shot a few innings prior. Thankfully, Jeff Hoffman came in the game and got out of the bases-loaded jam from Seranthony Domínguez.
Though they had blown the lead, Harper and Bohm helped in the 7th, making it 4-2 on a pair of RBI singles. Disaster struck off of defensive blunders in the bottom of the inning, just like it had the previous night. Trea Turner and Edmundo Sosa both went for a popup, which hit Turner’s glove and dropped. With Connor Joe on first base after the error, a misplayed ball in center by Rojas off of a single by Bryan Reynolds scored Joe, putting them within one. The game would be tied in the 8th, as Yunior Marte allowed a sac-fly, making it 4-4.
Going into the extras, the Phils quickly got two runners in scoring position with only one out. A Trea Turner lineout to right was gunned right in by right-fielder Henry Davis, halting Harper from tagging up at third. Though Harper didn’t tag up on the lineout, Alec Bohm did at second, almost getting picked off at second as Harper went for home and was thrown out by a mile. The awful baserunning mishap would kill them, as in the bottom of the inning Andrew Vasquez allowed a walk-off 2-run homer to Josh Palacios, losing the game 6-4.
Phillies player of the game: Alec Bohm; 3-5 with 3 RBI and a HR
The series honestly should’ve been a sweep, but countless missed opportunities from the lineup, a handful of costly errors, mediocre pitching, and bad coaching calls would hand the Phils a loss for the series.
Alec Bohm starts heating up offensively in the late summer
Via: inquirer.com
Phillies’ fourth-year 3B Alec Bohm has gained a lot of attention recently, becoming one of the Phillies’ most valuable players since the all-star break. Bohm, a 27-year old Ohama native, was marked as a top prospect in the Phillies system after being drafted 3rd overall in 2018. After an impressive minor league stint, Bohm was called up in the shortened 2020 season and placed 2nd in ROTY voting. In the big-leagues, he’s hit 0.280 with a 0.728 OPS. Though he’s had a solid career so far at third and first base, his -49 DRS has hurt him and the Phils defensively, along with his inconsistent bat. Last year, the spotlight shined hard on him after a rough stretch early in the year. “I f***ing hate this place,” said Bohm, frustrated with the criticism.
Despite some previous shortcomings and hate from fans, he’s periodically shown to be a top-tier player for Philly. Last year from the all-star break through August, Bohm hit .327 with 27 RBIs and 54 hits in 40 games. This year since the all-star break in early July, he’s been even better. In 20 games from July 14th through August 3rd, he’s moved back to 3rd base with good defense, while hitting .329 with an 0.827 OPS. Even though the Phillies are 11-9 in the hot stretch so far for Bohm, multiple of his hits have been key contributors to keeping them over .500 since the all-star break and staying in the wild card race. With 7 RBIs, a homer, and 11 hits in the past two series, it doesn’t seem that he’s going to slow down any time soon.
Phillies take 3 out of 4 against Marlins on the road
Via: miamiherald.com
After an embarrassing series loss against the Pirates, the Phillies traveled to South Florida to face the division-rival Miami Marlins. The Phils have been historically bad against Miami, and went into this series 2-4 against them this year. Both teams are currently battling for a top wild card spot in the NL East. Starting in game one was Taijuan Walker, who had a good game. After allowing a monstrous 2-run homer to left field by Jorge Soler in the 2nd, Walker settled in and pitched great. He threw 6.2 innings, striking out 4, and allowing 6 hits. He wouldn’t allow another run for the rest of his outing, as the offense looked to pick it up.
After failing to score with 2 runners in scoring position in the 3rd, they finally scored their first runs in the next inning. Johan Rojas drove in 2 runs from an RBI-double down the left field line off of Steven Okert. With the game tied, neither team would be able to score until a bases-loaded sac-fly by Bryson Stott gave the Phils a 3-2 lead in the 7th. Alec Bohm added on with another RBI-hit, a single into right field scoring Rojas. As Matt Strahm and Craig Kimbrel came in, they continued shutting down the Marlins’ lineup, as the Phillies won 4-2.
Phillies player of the game: Alec Bohm; 2-3, 2 BB, 1 RBI
The Phillies looked for another win on Tuesday behind Ranger Suárez. Suárez, struggling so far this year with a 4.01 ERA, pitched a rocky game. He allowed 10 hits, 2 walks, and only struck out 3 batters in 6.1 innings, but surprisingly only allowed a single run. On the other end, the Phillies were shut down by former-Cy-Young winner Sandy Alcantara. Through 8 innings, the Phils only had 4 hits, as they entered the 9th scoreless. In the 7th, Miami threatened again with a ball that stopped right at the wall, but Castellanos gunned down Jacob Stallings to prevent a run from scoring. Along with the defensive highlight, the bullpen allowed only one hit in the rest of the game, keeping the game at 1-0 and setting up a Phillies rally down 9th.
Facing former-Phillie David Robertson looking to close out the game, the Phillies started up the offense on a walk by Schwarber, followed by a deep opposite-field double to tie it up at 1-1. On an 0-2 count to Nick Castellanos, he pounded a 2-run homer into deep left, giving them the 3-1 lead. As Seranthony Domínguez put the top of the Marlins’ lineup down in order, the Phils snatched their second win in a row in a tense pitching duel.
Phillies player of the game: Nick Castellanos; 1-4, Go-ahead 2R HR, prevented run in 7th
Though making a remarkable comeback on Tuesday, it would be a more notable, crushing blown game the next day. Zack Wheeler took the mound, coming off of a strong prior start. The offense gave him quick run support, putting up 5 runs in the first 6 innings while Wheeler allowed none. With runners on first and second in the 4th, Nick Castellanos shot a single up the middle, scoring Alec Bohm and putting Harper on third. A Bryson Stott single into left made it a quick 2-0 game in favor of the Phils. Two innings later, 2 walks, a HBP, and another walk scored their third run, before Bohm’s RBI-double drove in Turner and Sosa.
Up 5-0, Wheeler started to crack, as he allowed back-to-back solo homers to Bell and Chisholm in the 6th. With Matt Strahm coming in, he aimed to keep his solid 3-run lead. In the 8th, Miami struck again with their own bases-loaded walk, and a groundout scored Avisaíl García from third. Up 5-4, Gregory Soto came in to keep the fragile lead, but promptly allowed a solo shot to Jorge Soler to deep right-center. Though Soto finished the 9th, the Phillies had blown a 5-0 lead, and headed to extras. The 10th was a battle between the teams, as Marsh hit a 2-run bomb in the top of the inning, but it was tied again right at 7-7 off of an RBI groundout by Avisaíl García, and sac-fly by Jon Berti.
Up 8-7 heading into the bottom of the 11th, this time thanks to Alec Bohm’s RBI-single to right field, Dylan Covey recorded a quick two outs. Josh Bell hit a ball on the ground, getting right by a sliding Trea Turner. The misplay by Turner would cost them another run, and eventually the whole game, as Miami loaded the bases and Jesús Sánchez walked it off in the 12th.
Turner, 0-5 in the game, blamed himself for the loss. His struggles have been heartbreaking, and sympathetic fans plan to give him a standing ovation tonight as they return home. The game was nothing short of a disaster for the Phillies, completely blowing a game they should’ve won.
Phillies player of the game: Alec Bohm; 4-6, 3 RBI, 1 R
Trying to rebound from the embarrassing 9-8 loss the previous night, Michael Lorenzen made his Phillies debut on the mound as they looked to win the series. Lorenzen started dealing, and continued through 8 solid innings. He allowed only 6 hits, 2 runs, while striking out 5. His only runs allowed came from a Jazz Chisholm RBI-double in the 4th, scoring Josh Bell, along with a solo homer by Bryan De La Cruz in the 7th. The Phillies lineup had no issue scoring with Lorenzen’s pitching excellence, taking an early 2-0 lead from a JT Realmuto homer. With the bases loaded in the 7th, Brandon Marsh hit a single that trickled out of the infield, scoring Castellanos and Stott, and making it 4-1. As Seranthony Domínguez came into close, up by 2, he put down the Marlins lineup to win the game 4-2, and the series 3-1.
Phillies player of the game: Michael Lorenzen; 8 IP, 2 ER, 5K, 1 BB
Though the Phillies ultimately came out with a sweet, much needed win over the Marlins, the third game’s loss has left a sour taste in fan’s mouths. They sit at 59-50 with a one-game lead in the wild card standings. They host three series in a row at home, first against the Royals starting tonight, followed by the Nationals and Twins.
Adam Cooke Journalism 