Phillies on Fire — How Will They Fare in the World Series Rematch Against the Astros?

Dick Groch is a famous scout who signed Derek Jeter to play for the Yankees. Before doing that, he coached college baseball and his catcher was Rob Thomson. Now, Mr. Groch is still scouting but in a different way – he sends Rob Thomson, who is now the Phillies’ manager, reports on how he’s doing every couple of weeks.

Thomson laughed as he said, “My dad is tough, so I’m wondering what I’m doing right and wrong.” The most recent review wasn’t great at first because the Phillies weren’t performing well either, but it got better. Before their 1-0 win over Seattle on Thursday which took them above .500 for the first time, they had started 0-4 and 5-10. Now, they are about to go on a six-game road trip starting with Houston and then moving on to Los Angeles for three games.

Last year was exciting for the Phillies because they had their first playoffs in ten years. However, they ended their season in Houston while the Astros won the World Series. Even though this may be a bit disappointing, winning some baseball games in Houston during this season could get them closer to another postseason run.

Nick Castellanos, the outfielder for the Phillies, said he’s a bit nervous about returning to his last match, since his team had lost with him as the last out. However, he’s still excited to come back! Unfortunately for them, Rhys Hoskins may not be able to join this season due to a swollen knee and Bryce Harper needs time to heals from his elbow surgery.

“We still don’t know what’s going on yet,” said Castellanos.

When the Phillies get back home, things might be looking up for them.

The Phillies should have a better idea after Harper sees the orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Neal ElAttrache) on May 1st – who did surgery on him last fall – whether he’ll be able to go back and play again.

Harper looks good when we watch him. He can hit like Bryce, throw without hurting himself, practice fielding at first base, run smoothly and even change how he slides, all in order to beat the odds and come back from his surgery faster than six months.

Thomson is hopeful that Harper will be given permission by the doctor because in his mind it could work, but no one knows until the doctor has seen Harper for himself.

Harper needs to take a test on Friday and Sunday in Houston. Castellanos stated that he thinks Harper is very smart when it comes to his job. According to him, no matter what Bryce says about the time such that he can get ready for games, Castellanos will trust him fully.

The Phillies have had a few great performances recently, beating the White Sox, Colorado, and Mariners in three straight series. The team is now counting on their best pitchers Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler to help them face the Astros. Although both of these players have had some not-so-good games this year, with their Earned Run Average (ERA) over 4.00 marks, they are still the ones that Philly wants most for their important upcoming game against Houston.

The Philadelphia Phillies recently signed a baseball player named Trea Turner to an eleven-year, $300 million deal. During the 5-2 homestand at Citizens Bank Park he only hit .138 (4-for-29) and about his first homer only as a Phillie.

Phillies’ coach Mike Thomson believes that everyone expects more from Turner and will get it soon enough. He provided the team with five tips for playing well such as respect for the game, preparation and competing, selflessness, and being themselves.

Thomson said they are going to be alright as long as they do their job properly. Don’t forget that the Phillies had a bad record of 22-29 last year, but then found success in nine consecutive wins and made it into October games. Ultimately, they travelled to Houston where the pain from the World Series loss was not too noticeable.

He said, “It’s just like any other game or competition. We won’t be able to win without our best player, Harper.” You can find out more information about Major League Baseball on the websites ‘Bigbignews.net/mlb’ and ‘Twitter.com/AP_Sports’.