How the Phillies plan to stay current during their first-round bye before the NLDS

WASHINGTON — Dave Dombrowski has been thinking about it for years — an extended layoff in October without baseball. He managed the Detroit Tigers in 2006 when they won the American League Championship Series and played six games, only to lose the World Series in five games. In 2012, they took a five-day break after sweeping the ALCS again. Then the San Francisco Giants defeated Dombrowski’s Tigers in that World Series.

At that time, executives from other clubs in a similar situation called Dombrowski to question him. What did the Tigers do? What did he regret? Is there a way to compensate for an irregular schedule in a sport that is ingrained in routine?

“There are things that we have researched ourselves,” Dombrowski said. “Probably the hardest part for me as a team is keeping the bats rolling.”

After two more games at Nationals Park this weekend to close out the regular season, the next time Dombrowski’s Phillies play is Oct. 5 – Game 1 of the National League Division Series. They’ll take this five-day break because the idea of ​​a best-of-three series isn’t appealing this year. The National League is strong.

“The good effect of all this,” said Kyle Schwarber, “is that we have no chance of being eliminated in a three-game series.”

This is not the mentality of a loser. That just means being realistic about how weird things can dramatically impact a three-game series. Things like a six-run ninth inning powered by two walks and a hit batter.

But staying sharp without playing is a challenge. It will be the dominant storyline until the Phillies begin the postseason. This is new territory for them. They have Monday off, followed by training on Tuesday afternoon. They’ll play an intrasquad game on Wednesday – complete with referees, a working scoreboard and walk-up music. They have voluntary training on Thursday and mandatory training on Friday.

The Phillies will have a taxi squad — pitchers Max Lazar and Spencer Turnbull and hitters Rafael Marchán, Aramis Garcia, Buddy Kennedy and Cal Stevenson — assisting them during practice at Citizens Bank Park. While there is only one scheduled scrimmage, the Phillies could have batters pitching live on three days next week.

“I know if this team gets to those five days, we’re going to use them the way we need to use them,” Kyle Schwarber said. (Brett Davis/USA Today via Imagn Images)

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the club would model itself after Kevin Long, whose Washington Nationals had a six-day break between the NLCS and the World Series in 2019. As the “Ruy after a bye” narrative permeates baseball following major failures by the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, players in the Phillies clubhouse have pointed to the Houston Astros. They achieved this with a bye in the first round. Rafael Peña, one of the Phillies’ assistant hitting coaches, was with the Astros organization for five years. He played a small role in the preparations for the farewell week last October.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations about it,” said Dombrowski, the club’s president of baseball operations. “I don’t think you can just sit back and think, ‘Oh, everything will be fine if you sit around and do nothing for a week.’ Well, we won’t do that. But it is a challenge. … Some men will benefit more from rest. But I think you have to focus on continuing to keep the intensity up.”

Regardless, simulated attacks against teammates do not resemble reality.

“I mean, for me it is,” Phillies lefty Matt Strahm said. “Every time I face a batsman, I want to break his bat or crack his ticket. So I don’t care if they wear pinstripes to a back field game or not. That’s what I want to do.”

Maybe that’s all it takes.

“Yes,” said Strahm. “No doubt.”

The whole thing requires players to take their work seriously. It’s not that the Phillies need a reminder: Some were upset in spring training when Atlanta manager Brian Snitker cited his team’s firings to explain why it couldn’t beat the Phillies in the NLDS for a second straight year.

“I don’t think anyone needs extra motivation,” Schwarber said. “We know what we are playing for. We will remain as ready as possible.”

Dombrowski expects it to be a common theme next week.

“I think it would be a very big memory,” he said. “We benefited from that. When you come this time of year, people will ask me, ‘Oh, who do you think will win?’ Who would you most like to play?’ I say: The reality is that everyone is fine. I mean, there are no bad teams that make it to the postseason. Every team we play against will be really good.

“So you have to be ready to give it your all. We know how good teams are. But we have an experienced club with good leadership and a good managerial and coaching team who I think will steer our focus in the right direction.”

These games against the Nationals will be the last games against another team. The focus is on avoiding injuries. But Friday night’s 9-1 defeat was a sloppy game in sloppy conditions. Ranger Suárez, who could have used a better performance to inspire confidence, needed 42 throws to record the first three outs of the game. He was sent off after two uninspiring innings.

He will be the club’s starter for Game 4, Thomson said. But Suárez has experienced a steep decline since June, when he was considered a candidate for the Cy Young Award. He hasn’t looked his best since returning from a month on the injured list with back pain.

The Phillies can use him as they have in previous postseasons; In his four starts last October, he threw no more than 75 pitches. They will be aggressive with their bullpen deployment behind him.

Suárez has improved his game in recent Octobers. The Phillies have to trust he can do it again. They believe their advantage is their sturdy staff – four deep in the rotation and at least five deep in the bullpen. Suárez could go 12 days between starts; he was able to participate in Wednesday’s scrimmage. Thomson said the Phillies believe Suárez is healthy.

“Maybe he needs a little break, which he gets, so that he can continue with adrenaline in the playoffs,” said Thomson. “Maybe that’s it. I don’t know. But it wasn’t very fresh tonight.”

Ranger Suárez allowed six runs in two innings against Washington. (James A. Pittman/Imagn Images)

According to Dombrowski, it will be more difficult to keep batsmen sharp. The veteran manager admitted there had been technological advances since his Tigers teams failed. Some Phillies hitters like the expensive Trajett machine, which shows a pitcher’s wind-up and duplicates his arsenal. But the arm movement is not the same as the original.

Three of the club’s star hitters – Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and JT Realmuto – have abandoned traditional batting practice and instead work in the underground cages against high-speed machines before games. This routine is designed to help them during the five-day break.

“There are better ways to deal with this than before,” Dombrowski said.

Schwarber agreed. The Phillies can see speed without games. But again, it’s not the same as the original. Plus, this is a lineup that has been crushing fastballs all season. They must be disciplined about breaking balls designed to make them chase them.

That’s the challenge – with or without a break.

“I know when this team gets to those five days, we’re going to use them the way we need to use them,” Schwarber said. “And when we get to this series, no additional motivation is needed. We are playing for the chance to move into the next round. There will be no apology. If we win and move on, that’s great. And if we lose, it’s because we lost. There is no other reason for it.”

---

Go deeper

In his first base office, Bryce Harper is paying it forward with the MLB’s young hitters

Go deeper

The attitude that led the Phillies to their first NL East title in 13 years

Go deeper

For Aaron Nola and the NL East winner Phillies, a reward for their hard work after so many years

(Top photo of Brandon Marsh during batting practice: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)