I agree the Phillies have the pitching, IF and its a big if that Nola can be closer to his Cy Young contention year and Ranger has figured it out. The bullpen should be good enough. If you run Banks,Strahm, Kerkering, Robertson, Alvarado and Duran out there from the 6th inning on you feel good about that. Romano, Ross and Lazar should never see a late inning for the rest of the year unless the Phillies are getting blown out 10-1.

So the real issue is the lineup and its woeful inconsistency. When the lineup goes cold it’s not 1 or 2 guys it’s the ENTIRE lineup and in particular the TIMING of its coldness. I reference 2023 vs the DBacks and 2024 vs the Mets.

The lineup. That is the greatest concern.

One of the many things I really respect about Salisbury is that he resists easy narratives. He’s maybe the only regular Phillies commentator who hasn’t taken shots at Bohm the last few years for his “attitude.” (On his podcast, Jim talks about that energy actually being a positive that Bohm just needs to learn how to focus.)

Couldn’t help but think about that as I read Bohm’s numerous, thoughtful quotes in this piece. Almost like treating a man with respect gets you respect back!