Latest news with #RobThomson
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Groundballs galore as Sanchez and Kerkering finish off Marlins
Groundballs galore as Sanchez and Kerkering finish off Marlins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia Rob Thomson has talked since spring training about managing his starting pitchers a bit differently in 2025. Advertisement With the long game in mind and the goal of keeping their workhorses as fresh as possible for October, the Phillies have dialed their starters back ever so slightly. Rather than extend them one more inning when their pitch count is nearing the upper limit, the Phils have played it safer. The fact that they trail only the Braves and Rays in innings per start speaks to the efficiency and overall productivity of one of baseball's best rotations. Thomson could have sent Cristopher Sanchez back out for the ninth inning of Thursday's 2-1 win in Miami but went to Orion Kerkering instead for the save. Sanchez had retired 10 in a row and was at only 91 pitches, but the Phillies' manager stayed true to his word. While every starter wants to finish his own work when the opportunity presents itself, Sanchez didn't seem too bothered by the decision in the dugout after his eighth and final inning. He was terrific, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and picking up 16 of his 24 outs on the ground. The lefty is 6-2 with a 2.87 ERA through 15 starts and is on pace to exceed 180 innings. Advertisement The Marlins gave the Phillies a scare in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a one-out error by Alec Bohm, which extended the inning for Miami to later put runners on the corners. Dane Myers popped up to Bohm to end it as Kerkering picked up his second career save. The Phillies (45-30) took three of four at loanDepot Park, the dullest venue in baseball. They'll come home to substantially more energy this weekend against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, a battle for first place in the NL East. The Mets had lost five in a row entering Thursday so the Phils will be either tied or one game back when the series begins. Every bit of Sanchez' mastery was required in the finale in Miami because the Phillies didn't score until the seventh inning. They were gifted their first run on a bobble by Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who still had a force-out at the plate but chose instead to race to third to unsuccessfully attempt a 5-3 double play on Bryson Stott. Kyle Schwarber tattooed his 23rd home run of the season in the top of the eighth and Sanchez and Kerkering finished off the series win. The Phillies have responded to a 2-10 stretch by winning six of their last seven. Their ace, Zack Wheeler, kicks off the weekend looking to maintain momentum. The Phils have played poorly against the Mets for a calendar year but have a chance to help themselves out in a big way. It's an important head-to-head opportunity, one that won't come up again until the final week of August.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies Call Up Buddy Kennedy, Send Down Weston Wilson Ahead of Marlins Series Finale
Phillies Call Up Buddy Kennedy, Send Down Weston Wilson Ahead of Marlins Series Finale originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Ahead of the series finale against the Miami Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies announced a roster move. With Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh turning things around, along with Otto Kemp providing strong value at the plate, the Phillies decided to switch up their bench bats. Advertisement According to an announcement from the Phillies on Twitter/X, they have called up infielder Buddy Kennedy from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and sent down Weston Wilson to Triple-A to make room for him. Also, to allow Kennedy to be placed back on the 40-man roster, the Phillies put Aaron Nola on the 60-day injured list. This decision comes on the heels of Kennedy exercising an upward mobility clause in his minor-league deal, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. If that had gone through, Kennedy would've been available to all 29 teams in baseball. Instead, the Phillies call up Kennedy, and put him in Wilsons' spot as the last guy off the bench. In 2025, Wilson was batting .194 with seven hits and one home run. The 30-year-old wasn't making an impact off the bench, and was not getting much playing time. Advertisement His struggles at the plate made his demotion likely, whether it was upon Bryce Harpers return or another move, like this Kennedy meanwhile, has been solid down in Triple-A for Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) reacts in the dugout after a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Ross-Imagn Images In his 61 games, and 226 at-bats, Kennedy has 64 hits, 35 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 40 RBIs, 31 walks, and 41 strikeouts. His .283 batting average and .835 OPS were strong numbers, making his call-up a bit easier to make. Back in 2024, Kennedy had a brief stint with the Phillies in the Major Leagues. He had just 11 at-bats, two hits, one run scored, one double, two RBIs, and two walks. It wasn't anything special, but he became a fan favorite player as he was a local kid. Advertisement Now back in the big leagues, the 26-year-old Kennedy expects to be come off the bench as a righty bat when needed. He might not get a lot of opportunities, but with Harper out, and other lefties struggling, he could get a start against a left-handed pitcher. Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Defended By Wife Jess on Social Media Amid Benching Related: Phillies' Matt Strahm Claps Back at Fan Amid Callout for Recent Struggles This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies' Nick Castellanos says benching, remark to manager Rob Thomson is behind him
MIAMI — Amid season-long defensive struggles, including being lifted from right field in the eighth on Monday and a benching on Tuesday, Nick Castellanos came to Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies president of baseball operations, with a request. 'I told Dave to start giving me a packet with all my numbers, so I can understand it,' Castellanos said. 'That way I can know how to be competitive with it.' Advertisement The advanced metrics agree: Castellanos is among MLB's worst outfielders. He ranks last in the league with minus 8 outs above average. He is third-worst in the league with minus 10 defensive runs saved. Defensive concerns prompted Phillies manager Rob Thomson to lift Castellanos against the Marlins on Monday, bringing in Johan Rojas — whom Thomson called an 'elite defender.' Castellanos, unhappy with the decision, said he 'spoke his mind' to Thomson, who told the right fielder that he'd crossed a line. Thomson benched Castellanos on Tuesday for the comment, ending his streak of 236 straight starts — the second-longest active streak in MLB and the longest Phillies streak since Pete Rose. Thomson, prior to Wednesday's game, said he felt the situation with Castellanos was 'gone.' Castellanos said Thursday that he also felt it was behind him. 'We're two grown men that show up every day for work with a common goal of winning a World Series,' Castellanos said. 'If everybody just agrees on everything and doesn't speak their mind, there's not going to be passion. Emotions drive people, especially passionate people. To think that there's going to be eight months of consistently being together and not butting heads at all — it probably doesn't happen, right?' Thomson said removing Castellanos once more could be on the table going forward. Would Castellanos understand if it happened again? 'Yeah,' he said. 'It's not my decision.' Castellanos, 33, was granted a day at DH last weekend to keep him in the lineup but get him off his feet. It also kept his starting streak alive. Now that it's over, Castellanos said he is not more inclined to take a day off. 'I've always been open to taking a full day off if I needed it,' he said. The only change to Castellanos' routine, perhaps, is trying to better understand defensive metrics. Starting Sunday, Dombrowski said the Phillies will present Castellanos metrics at the end of each trip — 'all the types of defensive metrics that we look at all the time.' Advertisement Castellanos, however, isn't interested in evaluating his play. 'I don't know,' Castellanos said. 'It's not for me. I just go out there and play. It's for everybody else.' Defense remains a concern. But Castellanos' return to right field Wednesday might have saved the Phillies' win. He hunted down a fly-ball that, off the bat, looked like it could have been out of the park. It would have been a walk-off for the Marlins, who had two runners on and were down two runs. Castellanos made the catch near the wall, lifted his shirt in celebration and joined the handshake line as the Phillies won 4-2. 'It's an amazing game, isn't it?' Thomson said. 'I'm so happy for him.'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Nick Castellanos' Wife Jess Calls Out Fans Amid Benching, 'Watch the Game'
Phillies' Nick Castellanos' Wife Jess Calls Out Fans Amid Benching, 'Watch the Game' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Phillies fanbase saw one of their fan-favorite players become the center of attention, and not for a good reason. In the middle of the series against the Miami Marlins, Phillies manager Rob Thomson benched Nick Castellanos for inappropriate comments made after getting pulled for a defensive substitution late in the game. Advertisement Afterwards, Thomson and Castellanos put it behind them. After Castellanos made a game-winning catch in right field in his first game back since his benching, there were plenty of comments about his defense. Devan Kaney of 94 WIP made a post on Twitter/X that said, "Ok Casty! Proving he can play RF just fine." A little while later, Jess Castellanos, Nick's wife, commented on that post from Kaney, which called her and others questioning Nick Castellanos out for their criticism of his defensive performance. "414 straight games no errors," Jess Castellanos posted. "National league record holder. Eyes off the computer, watch the game." Advertisement In his first game back, Castellanos made a great play to win the game, which prompted this response from Jess. While Castellanos does have a solid record of not committing errors, with how games are scored in today's game, it's not as impressive a stat. Scorers give out hits significantly more frequently, and it doesn't account for plays Castellanos can't get to a ball due to a poor read or jump. Jess's mention to get their "eyes off the computer" is about the advanced defensive metrics, which paint a very negative picture of Castellanos' defense. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) fields a fly ball against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Ross-Imagn Images According to Baseball Savant's Fielding Run Value, Castellanos is the worst defender in the league with a negative nine FRV. By Outs Above Average (OAA), Castellanos is the third-worst defender in the league with a negative eight OAA. Advertisement Between the two stats, Castellanos is graded out as the worst defender in baseball. His defense doesn't allow him to rack up errors because he isn't able to get close to as many balls as other outfielders. His range, arm, speed, jump time, and glove work are all below average at best. He's not the best defender, but if he does get to a ball, he typically makes a play. That's his strongest trait. The issue is that he can't get to a lot of balls in right field. While Castellanos returned to the field, his wife, Jess, took to social media to defend him amid the fans' complaints over his defense. With his defense still an issue, there will likely be plenty more moments throughout the year that will spark heated debate. Whether it leads to Jess defending Nick on social media again is left to be seen. Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Sends Six-Word Message After Rob Thomson Benching Related: Phillies' Rob Thomson Sends Heartfelt Message to Nick Castellanos Despite Latest Development This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Joe Maddon Defends Phillies' Rob Thomson's Nick Castellanos Decision
Joe Maddon Defends Phillies' Rob Thomson's Nick Castellanos Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Ahead of the second game against the Miami Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies lineup came out with a surprise omission. Nick Castellanos, the team's right fielder for the past three years, wasn't in the lineup. He had been benched. Advertisement Before the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Castellanos said something inappropriate when he was pulled late in the game Monday night for a defensive substitution. Castellanos backed up that statement and moved forward past it. But, there were still a lot of Phillies fans irate at Thomson for benching Castellanos. The next day, during an appearance on Foul Territory, former MLB manager Joe Maddon defended Thomson's decision to bench Castellanos, emphasizing his enhanced respect for Thomson. "The situation with Rob, he had a choice there. He could've chosen not to say anything at all. He could've just taken what Nick said after the game, called him to the office, yelled at one another, and then figured it out after that. But he made up his mind to do what he did. I do respect what he did, that is, he was honest with the press. He didn't give it any executive talk, and I love that about him." Thomson's decision to bench Castellanos and come forward, not mincing words, was something that stood out to Maddon. He respected Thomson for his integrity in benching Castellanos, because if he had made up a random excuse, then there could've been more backlash. Advertisement It's been a tumultuous ride for the Phillies in 2025, with plenty of ups and downs. The Castellanos situation is another factor that will have an impact this year. Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) walks off the field against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Hartline-Imagn Images However, based on how Thomson handled things, it's unlikely to carry over and have a massive impact down the stretch. Being honest with Castellanos and the media is a sign of a good manager. Maddon, someone who has years of experience managing MLB clubs himself, also acknowledged how vital Thomson's handling of the situation was. Managing a team and its diverse personalities is one of the toughest challenges in MLB. While plenty of fans may not have agreed with Thomson's approach, the outcome could have been far worse if he hadn't chosen transparency. Advertisement Maddon's assessment of Thomson's handling is correct; if he had botched this drama, the Phillies' season could have begun spiraling out of control. Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Sends Six-Word Message After Rob Thomson Benching Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Defended By Wife Jess on Social Media Amid Benching This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
