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Do the Phillies have a Kyle Schwarber problem?
On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies offense continued its three-game slump, eking out only four hits in a 2-1 loss at the Toronto Blue Jays. The first four batters in the Phillies' lineup combined to go 0-for-16 with nine strikeouts.
Leading the charge as usual was left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who turned in a particularly egregious performance. Schwarber went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and committed a crucial fielding mistake in the bottom of the eighth inning on a fly ball hit by Blue Jays left fielder Whit Merrifield. The play was strangely ruled a single rather than an error, but either way, it continued a Toronto rally that ultimately produced the winning run.
go phillies. pic.twitter.com/HkEge1DpA3
— Absolutely Hammered (@AH_Pod) August 16, 2023
Schwarber's third straight hitless game lowered his batting average to a ghastly .181. Some may be quick to point out that his 88 walks are second only to San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto for the most in baseball. His 30 home runs also rank fourth among National League hitters, a year after he led the N.L. with 46 homers.
But Schwarber also leads in another category for the second straight season: strikeouts. His 200 last year were the most in the major leagues, and so far this season, he sits atop the leaderboard with 157. His aforementioned .181 average is the lowest of any qualifying batter (minimum 3.1 plate appearances per game).
Despite these numbers, Schwarber remains locked in as the Phillies' leadoff hitter. He has shown this season that if he isn't leading off, his confidence plummets. From May 7 to June 1, Schwarber was demoted to hitting fifth, and his average in that time was a dismal .130.
Schwarber's shortcomings in left field are obvious as well. He is the only player in the major leagues with a defensive WAR of -2 (-2.2, to be exact). In layman's terms, Schwarber's defense - or lack thereof - is estimated to have cost the Phillies two wins. He holds his team back more than any fielder in baseball.
On 29 other teams, Schwarber would be a designated hitter. The only reason he isn't the Phillies' DH is because Bryce Harper still hasn't been cleared to play full-time at first base following offseason Tommy John surgery. Once Harper is able to become an everyday fielder, the Phillies can move Brandon Marsh from center field to left, rookie Johan Rojas can become the full-time center fielder and Schwarber can take his place as designated hitter. That can't happen soon enough for the Phillies' sake.
This still wouldn't solve the predicament of Schwarber as a leadoff hitter. Yes, the Phillies went to the World Series last year with Schwarber leading off and batting just .218 with 200 strikeouts. There's no guarantee that lightning will strike twice, though. How can a team be taken seriously if their leadoff hitter has the worst average in baseball?
More must-reads:
- Has Phillies baseball returned to its former glory in 2023?
- Every MLB team's most disappointing player in 2022
- The '30 or more home runs in 2021' quiz
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Dodgers make bold decision on closer role for rest of postseason
The Los Angeles Dodgers will play a decisive Game 3 of the National League Division Series at home on Wednesday. If they beat the Philadelphia Phillies, they will advance to the National League Championship Series for the second time in two seasons. After getting great starting pitching from Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell, the bullpen has finally become a well-oiled machine, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing eight hits, three earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts in the first two games of the series. Finding their groove, every member of the bullpen appears to have their own role, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seemingly allowing that to happen and designating Roki Sasaki as his "primary" closer. Dodgers have their closure moving forward Moving forward for the rest of their series with the Phillies and throughout the playoffs (if they advance), Roberts officially announced that Sasaki will be the one who gets the ball in the ninth inning, stating he's "definitely the primary option," according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Roberts said that Sasaki "won't close every game," meaning others will fill in when he's down. "There’s a component that, we still have to win X amount more games," Roberts said to Harris. "And he’s not gonna close every game. It’s just not feasible. So you’ve got to use other guys. But if it makes sense, he’ll definitely be finishing games." Roki Sasaki has been good when given the opportunity Sasaki has done well in his opportunities this postseason when given the chance to close, tallying two saves in 2.1 innings. A four-seamer (50.2 percent of the time) that hits near 100 mph, paired with a splitter averaging 10-15 miles per hour slower (used 33.5 percent of the time) and that tumbles off the table, is a deadly weapon to have as a closer. Choosing Sasaki to be the closer against the Phillies is the right move, with only four Phillies players having one hit against him: Max Kepler (1-3), Kyle Schwarber (1-2 and a strikeout), Bryson Stott (1-3) and Trea Turner (1-3). Having decent numbers against them could help him if he's called upon to get the final three outs to clinch Game 3.
North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
Cowboys list 18 players on their injury report but a couple of names steal the spotlight as their return appears very likely
The Dallas Cowboys just revealed their first injury report of Week 6 on Wednesday and it's a long one. The team listed 18 players on it ahead of their matchup against the Carolina Panthers, five of which were non-participants while 10 were limited. The remaining three players on the report were listed as full participants. Two of latter stole the spotlight amid the bitter updates as their "full" participation means they're close to making their 2025 debut very soon: Cornerback Caelen Carson and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. Neither of the them are currently on the 53-man roster but the Cowboys activated their 21-day practice window last week. Carson and Mingo were limited participants in each of last week's practices. To be upgraded to full on the first practice of the week is a promising sign for their chances of playing against the Panthers. The coaching staff would need to open up roster spots to place them on the 53-man roster. Other notes on Cowboys' initial injury report for Week 6 CeeDee Lamb was a non-participant once again as his chances of playing Week 6 remain up in the air. KaVontae Turpin also missed practice and told reporters he wasn't expecting to play. Right guard Tyler Booker also missed practice. The new additions to the non-participants were LB Jack Sanborn (concussion) and S Donovan Wilson (elbow/knee). Safety is starting to look like a serious concern. Malik Hooker was placed on Injured Reserve last weekend and now Wilson missed practice while Juanyeh Thomas popped up on the injury report as a limited participant. Other starters that were limited participants: CB Trevon Diggs, CB DaRon Bland, OT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer suggested Guyton will start at left tackle if cleared. Thursday's full Cowboys' injury report window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
Packers could see breakout star emerge on defense in weeks ahead
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LeBron James & Steve Nash Send Strong Message to Adam Silver Over Long-Standing Kawhi Leonard Issue
The NBA is facing a growing injury crisis, and many believe it’s tied to the demanding 82-game schedule. While some, like Steve Kerr, have long advocated for change, he even emailed Commissioner Adam Silver before last season, urging a reduction to 65 games! On the other hand, some do feel 82 is a sweet spot. The debate continues to divide the league, as concerns over player health and performance intensify. Now, LeBron James and Steve Nash have stepped in to share their perspectives. While discussing the sheer amount of superstars injured for the upcoming season on their ‘Mind The Game‘ podcast, Nash asked James about how much of it has to do with the number of games today’s players have to play each year. The Los Angeles Lakers forward gave a very balanced reply: “I mean, I don’t know, I can’t sit here and say that I have the direct answer to that. But we are at this point in the era that we’re playing in, it’s a lot more running.” While LeBron played it safe, Nash did not hold back. The former Suns star sent a strong message to the NBA, especially to commissioner Adam Silver. “When the acceling-deceling in space, there’s no getting around the wear and tear that causes. Like, we were talking about elite athletes covering elite athletes in bigger spaces, longer rotations, more closeouts, more possessions. Unfortunately, it just is a factor,” Nash pointed out. If you take an ideal scenario, a team can play around 110 games. 82 and then if you take 7 games (ideal situation) in each of the 4 rounds of the playoffs. “And then, so I hate load management. But it’s a part of the equation. We have to be smart. We don’t want guys to miss when LeBron James goes to Atlanta, we don’t want some kid to be sad ’cause he’s got to sit up. But sometimes that’s the reality. It’s that we have to be smart about it. So I don’t know, I feel like it’s an important part of the puzzle is managing the rigors of the game.” Well, Steve Nash does present a fair argument, because we have seen the Clippers star dealing with this issue. Although many fans criticize players like Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid for sitting out a significant number of games each season, it might be the result of the immense amount of stress their bodies have taken over time. After all, there’s a huge difference in playing 82 games back in the day compared to today. Then, players did not have to run 20-30 feet to cover a shooter, which might not seem much during one game, but takes a toll on an athlete’s muscles over the season. Teams will have to lean on load management because they do not have any other way of protecting their players. It’s not like the franchise and players like to disappoint the fans, the former Nets head coach revealed, but they don’t want to risk losing their stars for key games. Nonetheless, while LeBron James and Steve Nash have sent strong messages through their statements, what can be the solution? Is there a way to solve the NBA’s load management crisis? Well, in the past few years, load management has become a massive issue for the league, with fans frustrated with the situation. Although the NBA did come up with a way to combat the issue, as they issued a minimum threshold of 65 games for them to become eligible to be considered for the end-of-the-season honors, that doesn’t solve the root cause. You see, while this might prompt players to not sit out every game, the real problem, as Lakers superstar LeBron James and former NBA guard Steve Nash pointed out, is the wear and tear of muscles. The only, or rather an immediate solution, is to reduce the number of regular-season games unless there’s a solid alternative. That’s because any other solution than that will not help the players’ health, which should be a priority for the association. In fact, as mentioned, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has already raised this concern before. “I’m concerned about the product because I think we are asking way too much of our players,” Kerr said back in November last year. “The game has never been more difficult to play at a high level night after night after night. We should account for that. We all need to be thinking about that, for sure.” The Dubs boss pointed out that, given how difficult the game has become for players daily, teams have no choice but to sit out their players for certain games. As disappointing as it might be for the fans, it’s something the franchises have to do to avoid risking their players suffering a serious injury. Now, with more players and coaches joining Kerr, such as James and Nash, the league might finally be forced to look into this issue. However, reducing the number of games is easier said than done. So, will Adam Silver and Co. finally take some action to solve the NBA’s load management issue, or not? That’s something we can only wait and watch as the new season approaches.
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