Brewers (Koenig) vs Phillies (Wheeler): 6/3/24, 5:40pm

[Brock Beauchamp]

Gonna be a tough series, especially starting off with Wheeler.

[Brian]

I heard on TV last night that Murphy may use an opener, (Koenig} tonight in this series with the Phillies. 

[treego14]

The Phillies will need a healer

after we deal with Wheeler!

TBD will display his specialty

as he shuts down every Phil-ly!

 

[rickh150]

Phillies’ 4 of 5 first batters were lefties.  Brewers could list Koenig as starter next three games! Or Koenig, Milner, and Hudson. 

This either makes Phillies move lefties down in order or make switches with righties. With a hot team like Phillies, get them doing different things.

Also, this allows Brewers starters who maybe go 5 innings the opportunity to face the bottom of the order three times and not face the top of the order three times. 

[groyce]

Pitching matchups are seldom to the Brewers advantage. Perhaps the opener strategy can be helpful, again. I don’t know how they keep winning behind that rotation.

[Brian]

1 hour ago, groyce said:

Pitching matchups are seldom to the Brewers advantage. Perhaps the opener strategy can be helpful, again. I don’t know how they keep winning behind that rotation.

I agree it looks like an opener day tonight but it seems to be working out so far.  We definitely need one more quality starter with I believe 5 pitchers on the IL still.  Crazy! 

[MDCrew]

I might start Milner as the opener today as I would like the option of having Hudson or Koenig available later in the game and able to pitch more than 1 inning.

[igor67]

With as left heavy at the top, I'd be inclined to go with Hudson or Koenig in game 1 and be content with only getting 1 inning but hoping to snag 2 innings and setting yourself up to do that again in game 3 or 4 of the series while still having good options to bring in a lefty for key innings late.

[BruisedCrew]

3 hours ago, rickh150 said:

Phillies’ 4 of 5 first batters were lefties.  Brewers could list Koenig as starter next three games! Or Koenig, Milner, and Hudson. 

This either makes Phillies move lefties down in order or make switches with righties. With a hot team like Phillies, get them doing different things.

Also, this allows Brewers starters who maybe go 5 innings the opportunity to face the bottom of the order three times and not face the top of the order three times. 

I doubt if the Phillies would tinker with their highly successful batting order much just because of facing a lefty opener and knowing that the next pitcher will be a righty. 
 

Having 4 of their first 5 as lefties is not their normal lineup when Realmuto is catching. With Turner still on the IL he has been hitting second between Schwarber and Harper with Bohm fourth. 

Marsh has often been 5th against RHP but I will be surprised if he isn’t placed on the IL today after how he looked after apparently pulling a hamstring last night. Castellanos would probably be moved to fifth against a LH starter; they have done that even with Marsh in. 
 
The advantage to be gained with a LH opener seems to be limited to getting a LH facing Schwarber and Harper in the first inning. It still might be worth it, though it does reduce the options for later in the game. 
 

 

[Kripes - Brewers]

This team relies on that bullpen too much to burn a few of them on an opener, especially Hoby. Bryse Wilson maybe?

[willie key]

I’m could see this being like the Yankees series.   Try to eke out one game and have our pitching staff get mauled in the other games

i wonder who is available of our young players to trade for a real starting pitcher

frelick?

mitchell (always hurt probably has no value)?

quero?

[brewerfan82]

Tonight's Phillies lineup (https://www.mlb.com/phillies/roster/starting-lineups) vs. RHP since 2023:

Tonight's Phillies lineup vs. LHP since 2023:

These guys have really been mashing lefties. The top of tonight's order against lefties is Schwarber (126 wRC+), Realmuto (134), Harper (137), Bohm (136)... I like the idea of having the "starter" miss those guys so he can potentially get through the bottom three times while only facing Schwarber, Realmuto, and Harper twice as others have advocated, but I think I might prefer it be a right handed opener opposed to a lefty (where the top of the order would have wRC+'s of 117, 93, 148, and 106 instead).

[Team Canada]

1 hour ago, Kripes - Brewers said:

This team relies on that bullpen too much to burn a few of them on an opener, especially Hoby

But it's a zero-sum game - if the bullpen covers inning 1 instead of inning 6, how is that burning them?

[tmwiese55]

1 hour ago, willie key said:

I’m could see this being like the Yankees series.   Try to eke out one game and have our pitching staff get mauled in the other games

i wonder who is available of our young players to trade for a real starting pitcher

frelick?

mitchell (always hurt probably has no value)?

quero?

I haven't done any digging on what SP might be available.  But I'd guess we'd just be grabbing a mid level guy who hopefully costs very little to acquire.  I'd question if higher level guys needing high prospects is really even out there, but even so with the gap from LA/Phi/ATL to us I don't think they should be forking over anyone significant.    Get a league avg ok guy to hopefully eat some innings along with our guys coming off IL, hope you can get lucky in the playoffs. 

[Brian]

Koenig is opening Pitcher

Turang

Contreras

Yelich

Adamas

Frelick

Hoskins

Bauers

Ortiez

Perkins

 

[wiguy94]

I get the L/R/L/R/L/R/L/R/S thing but man Frelick hitting 5th and Ortiz hitting 8th just feels wrong.

[Brian]

Joey Ortiz, MIL, NL Rookie of the Month.

 

I agree but we have been successful as of late. 

[willie key]

37 minutes ago, tmwiese55 said:

I haven't done any digging on what SP might be available.  But I'd guess we'd just be grabbing a mid level guy who hopefully costs very little to acquire.  I'd question if higher level guys needing high prospects is really even out there, but even so with the gap from LA/Phi/ATL to us I don't think they should be forking over anyone significant.    Get a league avg ok guy to hopefully eat some innings along with our guys coming off IL, hope you can get lucky in the playoffs. 

It’s hard to tell what the market value of even a mid tier starting pitcher is anymore.   That’s why I have no idea of what type of prospect you have to give. 

[BruisedCrew]

2 hours ago, willie key said:

I’m could see this being like the Yankees series.   Try to eke out one game and have our pitching staff get mauled in the other games

 

The Phillies have won something like 20 of their last 24 home games, so there’s no question it’s going to be a tough series, especially facing some of the Phils’ top starters. 

But the Phillies are missing two top starters (Turner and Marsh) and the Cardinals showed last night that they aren’t unbeatable. One game at a time. 
 

 

[wiguy94]

2 minutes ago, BruisedCrew said:

The Phillies have won something like 20 of their last 24 home games, so there’s no question it’s going to be a tough series, especially facing some of the Phils’ top starters. 

But the Phillies are missing two top starters (Turner and Marsh) and the Cardinals showed last night that they aren’t unbeatable. One game at a time. 

Cardinals also faced Walker who sucks.

[BruisedCrew]

6 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Cardinals also faced Walker who sucks.

They also held the Phillies to 4 runs, all of which were unearned because of misplays on bunts,. 

[82brewcrew82]

2 hours ago, willie key said:

I’m could see this being like the Yankees series.   Try to eke out one game and have our pitching staff get mauled in the other games

I can live with this outcome given the lead they have built.

[Jim French Stepstool]

The added challenge is that this isn't just a good team, but a good team that's been playing very well. Maybe a little evidence of them cooling off in the STL series though. Their losing Marsh for a spell certainly doesn't hurt us.

Couldn't help but think watching their game last night if there were any "Thomson is a moron" threads on Phillie fan boards after Realmuto was given a full day off, even though there was a spot or two late where he could've helped.

[Oxy]

Pfffft.

I say we sweep the bums!

[82brewcrew82]

Great start