Hittin' Season
By John Stolnis
Hittin' SeasonApr 12, 2023
Hittin' Season #710: The Phillies' Vibes are Solid After that Giants Series
They lost the last game of the series, but as Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher of Yahoo! Sports discuss, the Phillies' play against the Giants still gained them some momentum. And with five MLB franchises threatening to move, what if the Phillies did the same?
Hittin' Season #703: Michael Lorenzen No-Hitter Reaction Show!
On Episode 703 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis and Mike Robertson of @FranzkeLA Twitter fame talk about a historic night at Citizens Bank Park, the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history, thrown by Michael Lorenzen in his first ever start at home in a Phils uniform. Also, Weston Wilson homers in his first career at-bat in the Majors, Nick Castellanos hits his 200th home run, and thoughts about the team's bullpen usage heading down the stretch.
Hittin' Season #702: Did Phillies Fans Save Trea Turner?
On Episode 702 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis of The Good Phight and Liz Roscher from Yahoo! Sports discuss the Phillies' weekend series against the Kansas City Royals and the thrilling love affair between a city and their superstar shortstop, Trea Turner. Did the fanbase help Turner break out of his season-long rut? Also, the Big 5 do damage in the series while another veteran star, Aaron Nola, continued to struggle. If the playoff started today, would he start a game? And Cole Hamels announced his retirement this week, so John & Liz reminisce on the left-handed superstar's time in Philadelphia and whether he's Hall of Fame worthy.
Hittin' Season #701: It Would be Great if This Was When Trea Turner Started Hitting
The Phillies won a series against the Marlins in Miami, but the conversation was mostly about Trea Turner's role in their game three loss. As Turner and the Phillies come home for ten games, what happens next? Honestly, do whatever you want.
Hittin' Season #700: The Phillies have Acquired Michael Lorenzen at the Trade Deadline
It's all in the title. Let's talk about who the Phillies have acquired, where they go from here, and what is going on with the Mets' sudden pivot into a rebuild.
Hittin' Season #699: Trade Deadline Chatter & Phillies Pirates Recap
On Episode 699 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis and Liz Roscher run down the list of failures the Phillies experienced in losing two out of three games to the Pirates over the weekend, and what it might mean for the MLB trade deadline, now just hours away! Who might the Phils get and should they be targeting a relief pitcher? Also, laughing at the Mets is always good for the soul.
Hittin' Season #698: What Will the Phillies Do at the Trade Deadline?
After a well-played series with the American League-leading Orioles, the Phillies are watching the trade market take shape as they determine their best course of action. Also, the Mets??
Hittin' Season #697: Phillies Bounce Back w/ Series Win Over the O's
On Episode 697 of Hittin' Season, the Good Phight's John Stolnis recaps the Phillies' series win over the best team in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles. Also, why Trea Turner was forced to take a day off on Wednesday, why the time is NOW to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the NL Wild Card rabble, and a conversation with Brian Michael with the Philadelphia Negro League Baseball Exhibit, now featured at Cherry Hill Street Pier until the end of August. Check out the website at A League Apart!
Hittin' Season #696: Can the Phillies' "Big 5" Turn it Around?
On Episode 696, hosts John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher discuss the Phillies riding the struggle bus once again after a lackluster weekend in Cleveland and a rough opening-game loss to the first place Orioles. Can the Phillies' "Big 5" free agent signees, (Harper, Realmuto, Schwarber, Turner and Castellanos) pick it up and score consistently? Which outfielders should the Phils target at the trade deadline (don't say Tommy Pham), and why telling John to "relax" about the Phillies is apparently a trigger.
Hittin' Season #695: Scott Rolen and Mickey Moniak are Phillies Success Stories, in a Way
The Phillies lost a lethargic series to the Brewers this week. Let's talk about that, as well as Scott Rolen's Hall of Fam induction, Mickey Moniak's success in Anaheim, and the complexity of Bryce Harper taking over at first base.
Hittin' Season #694: Andrew Painter Tommy John & Juan Soto Trade Talk w/ ESPN's Kevin Negandhi
On Episode 694 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis of The Good Phight and BillyPenn.com breaks down the disappointing news that pitching phenom Andrew Painter will need Tommy John surgery, likely keeping him out of action until 2025, as well as whether the Phillies would and/or could trade for Padres star Juan Soto, with ESPN Sports Center Anchor and Philly native Kevin Negandhi. Also, John recaps the first two games of the Phillies-Brewers series and responds to trade proposals submitted by Hittin' Season listeners.
Hittin' Season #693: The Resilient Phillies Have Their 2022 Vibes Back
On Episode 693 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis from The Good Phight and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher recap the Phillies gleefully enjoyable series win as they once again rip the hearts out of the San Diego Padres. Are the 2022 playoff vibes back? Sure feels like it! We talk Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, Johan Rojas' debut, Shohei Ohtani trade rumors and preview the upcoming home series against a Brewers team that features one of the very worst offenses in baseball.
Hittin' Season #692: Rob Manfred Still Wants to be YOUR MLB Commissioner
The Phillies' second half begins TONIGHT with the Padres. Liz and Justin preview the four-game series, talk about the fun at the All-Star Game, and how Rob Manfred wants to be re-elected your commissioner of MLB!
Hittin' Season #691: Phillies & Nolan Arenado?
On Episode 691 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis from the Good Phight takes a quick look back at the performances of Nick Castellanos, Craig Kimbrel and Rob Thomson in the NL's 3-2 All Star Game win this week. Also, the Phils could be interested in Cardinals star Nolan Arenado, a chat about Reading Fightins' prospect with broadcaster Jake Starr, and John and his 12-year-old son play baseball's hottest new game, The Immaculate Grid.
Hittin' Season #690: Phillies 1st Half Grades & 2nd Half Preview
On Episode 690 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher gather together to discuss the up-and-down first half of the Phillies season, hand out grades for the players, and discuss the vibes heading into the second half. Also, it's great getting to know Nick Castellanos a bit more, Rob Thomson's managing the All Star Game, and lots more!
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Hittin' Season #689: Closing Out the First Half with Those Crazy Marlins
It really happened. The Phillies swept the Rays for their 12th road victory in a row. Justin talks to Tim Jackson of Baseball Prospectus about Bryson Stott's ability to infuriate opposing pitchers, and Ely Sussman of Fish on First helps preview the upcoming Phillies-Marlins series.
Hittin' Season #688: Admit It; You Didn't See the Phillies Winning Two Straight Over the Rays
The Phillies have beaten the Rays twice in exactly the ways no one imagined they would: Once with a strong Aaron Nola start, and once with a resounding and unrelenting offensive attack.
Hittin' Season #687: The Phillies Probably Should Have Won that Nationals Series
The Phillies' weekend included a lot of blown chances to sweep a bad team. Also, Nick Castellanos is an all-star, and what else has happened on (or near) the 4th of July in Phillies seasons of the past?
Hittin' Season #686: How Many More Phillies Series Wins Before Bryce Harper Homers?
Leo Morgenstern of FanGraphs talks about the positives of Bryce Harper's homerless streak, and Liz and Justin break down the Phillies' sweep of the Cubs in Chicago.
Episode 685: Ranger Suarez is My Favorite Phillie
On Episode 685 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis recaps the first two wins of their series against the Cubs in Chicago, another outstanding pitching performance by Ranger Suarez, mailbag questions on the trade deadline, available options, Bryce Harper's timeline for playing first base and so much more!
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Hittin' Season #684: The Gleeful Breakdown of an Epic Mets Collapse
On Episode 684 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher recap the unfathomable collapse by New York that led to the Phillies' incomprehensible 7-6 win and a series victory over their rivals to the north. What was Buck Showalter thinking? Does he want to be fired? And are the Mets dead and buried? Also, despite winning two games, the Phils' offense continues to struggle, Trea Turner looked pretty good, and the starting rotation looks great. But is that enough for the Phillies to grab a wild card spot?
Hittin' Season #683: Way to Waste a Great Aaron Nola Start, Phillies
Why talk about the Phillies losing two games to the Braves when we can talk about what their City Connect jerseys might look like? Additionally, the Phillies are going to play the Mets, both in South Philly this weekend and in London in 2024. They also lost two games to the Braves.
Hittin' Season #682: Just How Close are the Phillies and Braves? & Reliving a Phillies Classic 20 Years Later
On Episode 682 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis chats with SB Nation's Kris Willis from the Atlanta Braves site Battery Power to chat about the Braves' fast start to the 2023 season, his take on the gap between the Phils and Braves, and whether or not it'll be the Phils, Marlins, Reds or Giants that end up making the postseason. Also, trying to figure out what happened to Bryce Harper's power stroke, and reliving a classic Phillies game from 2003, "The Todd Pratt Game."
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Hittin' Season #681: Red-Hot Phillies Beat Up on the A's as the Braves Come to Town
On Episode 681 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher recap the Phillies' series sweep against the woeful A's in Oakland and wonder if the Phils can continue their winning ways when the equally red-hot Braves come to town for a three-game series this week. Also, discussion on potential trade scenarios involving Paul Goldschmidt and the wisdom of trading for a No. 5 starter, and which of the Marlins, Giants and Reds are most likely to sustain their early season success.
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Hittin' Season #680: The Phillies Are Officially Red Hot and Get to Play the Sad Oakland A's Next
On Episode 680 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis recaps an outstanding series win against the Arizona Diamondbacks and lists all the reasons the Phillies have won 10 out of their last 12. How big a deal is the re-introduction of "Dancing on My Own" to the vibes right now? Also, could Mick Abel be a solution to the Phils' No. 5 starter problems? A bit on Bryce Harper's power outage, and a lot of takes about MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's insulting remarks about A's fans as the Phillies get set to play three games against perhaps the worst team in baseball.
Hittin' Season #679: The Phillies + June = Wins & Runs
On Episode 679 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis of The Good Phight recaps the first two games of the Phillies' series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona and the positive regression to the man by a lineup that is mashing the ball in the month of June. Also, the Good Phight's Joe Edinger joins the show to chat about the issues have had with the No. 5 starter and whether there are any solutions to this glaring hole, we check in with the latest All-Star voting, laugh at the misfortune of the Mets, dive into some incredible J.T. Realmuto cycle stats and answer some of your listener voice memo questions!
Reminder, you can record a voice memo on your phone with a question and email us at hittinseason@billypenn.com.
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Hittin' Season #678: The Phillies Beat the Dodgers and Turned a Corner (We Think...)
On Episode 678 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis from The Good Phight, Liz Roscher from Yahoo! Sports and Baseball Prospectus' Justin Klugh discuss the Phillies' weekend series win against the Dodgers, noting outstanding starting pitching (outside of Aaron Nola) leading the way. Also, whether Trea Turner has officially turned his season around, Nick Castellanos' is the team's MVP, how many Phils are All-Star worthy right now and a preview of this week's match-up against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
Hittin' Season #677: A Sweep of the Tigers Will Cure What Ails You
The Phillies looked great against the Tigers for the most part and will now face a tougher test in the Dodgers. Meanwhile, MLB teams struggle to get their houses in order during Pride, and the Mets are the trendy new team to give up on.
Hittin' Season #676: Are the Phillies Getting Better or are Their Opponents This Stinky?
On Episode 676 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis from The Good Phight recaps the first couple games of the Phillies series against the woeful Detroit Tigers, noting outstanding pitching performances from Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker against the worst offense in MLB. Also, it's June, which means it's time for Kyle Schwarber to hit a million dingers, but is Trea Turner also figuring it out? And John is joined by Washington Post National Baseball Writer Chelsea Janes for her analysis of the Phils and a look around the National League at which of the four struggling NL playoff teams from last year will return and which of the overachieving squads will falter down the stretch.
Hittin' Season #675: The Nationals and Tigers are a Tonic
On Episode 675 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis from The Good Phight and Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus break down a satisfying weekend of baseball in the District of Columbia and thank the baseball angels for bring the Phillies the Washington Nationals multiple times a year. The offense, particularly, Kyle Schwarber came alive as the calendar turned to June, as the Phils finally get ready to stack some home games after spending more time on the road than any other team in baseball this year.
Hittin' Season #674: What Moves do the Phillies Have to Make?
Another sweep, this time at the hands of the Mets, has Justin and John once more shaking their heads. Get into the gritty details of the Phillies' tepid-at-best offense during the Mets series, as well as talk about the reaction to Scott Rolen joining the Phillies Wall of Fame.
Hittin' Season #673: The Phillies are Borderline Unwatchable Right Now
On Episode 673 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis recaps the first two games of the Phillies' three-game set against the New York Mets as an awful month of May draws to a close. John is joined by Grant Hill, the host of the outstanding podcast "Serum," from WHYY's The Pulse. A die-hard Phils fan, Grant joins the show to offer his take on what we've seen from this disappointing and maddening baseball team here in 2023.
Hittin' Season #672: Memorial Day Phillies Check-In
On Episode 672 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher recap the Phillies' split of their four-game series with the Braves in Atlanta over the weekend. Zack Wheeler shoved, Aaron Nola didn't. Taijuan Walker was fine, Dylan Covey wasn't. Did we learn anything new about the Phillies? Also, how MLB is wasting Memorial Day weekend as a showcase for its sport, Shohei Ohtani-to-the-Phillies rumors are hot and heavy! (no they're not), and lots more!
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Hittin' Season #671: This Could Be an Ugly Holiday Weekend for the Phillies in Atlanta
The Phillies dropped another game in frustrating fashion to begin their NL East gauntlet against the Braves and Mets. Let's distract ourselves from it with Phillies fan groups throughout history and Phillies takes from the outer reaches of fan-sanity.
Hittin' Season #670: Trea Turner May Have Just Save the Phillies Season & a Chat with Gregg Murphy
On Episode 670 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis recaps a wild Wednesday, walk-off victory by the Phillies, staving off a demoralizing three-game sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks. Does this give the Phils some momentum heading into a huge four-game series against the Braves in Atlanta this weekend? Will Trea Turner's 9th-inning, two-out, two-run home run be the spark that lights his, and the team's, fires? Also, Phillies Radio Pre and Postgame Show host Gregg Murphy joins the podcast to talk about the up-and-down season, starting pitching issues, and whether the team is pressing as they struggle to put together any sustained success.
Hittin' Season #669: Schwarbombing, Stott, Nola, Walker and Finally Beating the Cubs
On Hittin' Season Episode 669, hosts John Stolnis of The Good Phight, Justin Klugh from Baseball Prospectus and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher recap the Phillies' weekend series against the Cubs. After a nightmarish game on Friday, the Phils found two very different ways to win on Saturday and Sunday as their Dance with .500 in 2023 continues unabated. Also, this week, the schedule gets tougher as the Phillies search for a No. 5 starter, and hope the offense can find their footing.
Hittin' Season #668: And Just How Does One Hit with Runners in Scoring Position?
Liz and Justin have three questions for each other about the Phillies' struggles with runners in scoring position, the Phillies Phantastic Auction, and what sort of additions you'd like to see at Citizens Bank Park. Then, get set for a weekend home stand against the Cubs!
Hittin' Season #667: Don't Ever Let the Phillies Play in California Ever Again
On Episode 667 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis recaps a brutal series in San Francisco in which the Phillies went 2-for-2 jillion with runners in scoring position, made a ton of fielding mistakes and had two starting pitchers combine for four outs. The answer is simple. No more games in California. Also, MLB Senior Writer for The Sporting News Ryan Fagan stops by to share his thoughts on the Phils' early struggles and to chat about the other playoff teams from last year who are having a tough time so far, too.
Hittin' Season #666: Bryce Harper Really Seems to Hate the Rockies!
On Episode 666 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher recap the Phillies' successful weekend series in Colorado against the Rockies, Bryce Harper's ejection and jawing at Rockies players, his monster weekend at the plate, and a discussion of whether Harper is the most perfect marriage of athlete and Philadelphia in the city's history. Also, starting pitching has been pretty good, the bullpen has been awesome, and the gang wonders if strong emotions regarding Gabe Kapler are still warranted as the team begins a three-game series against his San Francisco Giants this week.
Hittin' Season #665: When Phillies Players Try to Change Positions
On Episode 665 of Hittin' Season, hosts Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher of Yahoo! Sports chat about Bryce Harper's eventual move to first base, and take a look back at other instances in recent Phillies history when other, lesser players tried to change positions. How did they all work out? (Hint: not all that great). That plus chatter on the state of the Phils as they begin a weekend series in Colorado against the Rockies.
Hittin' Season #664: Phillies Sweep the Jays & Avi Wolfman-Arent on Being a Phillies Fan in Sixers Mania
On Episode 664 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis recaps a fun couple of games against the Toronto Blue Jays to finish up the Interleague homestand, including outstanding performances by Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, the bullpen and Nick Castellanos. Also, Jose Alvarado hits the injured list, but it could have been a lot worse, the Phillies are heading to London next year, and WHYY's Avi Wolfman-Arent joins us to talk about making room for the Phillies as the city is obsessed with the 76ers, which Phillie he'd most want to have a beer with, and whether John Middleton's claims that injuries are the reason for the team's slow start are valid.
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Hittin' Season #663: Hittin' Season Tailgate Recap & Phillies Help Save Boston Weekend
On Episode 663 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher recap a rough weekend of baseball against the Boston Red Sox, discuss the issues with the starting rotation, how it's NOT OK for multiple members of the veteran lineup to simply take the first two months of every season off, the plethora of young people at Phillies games and highlights from the Inaugural Hittin' Season Tailgate last Saturday afternoon!
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Hittin' Season #662: Your Complete and Total Evaluation of Aaron Nola
On Episode 662 of Hittin' Season, Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and Liz Roscher of Yahoo! Sports devote nearly the entire episode to answer this one simple question. What is Aaron Nola? Pitcher? Certainly. Human Being? No doubt. Ace? Ehhhhh. Bad Pitcher? No way. Something in between? You betcha. Justin and Liz went through his history, each start of 2023, and developed a definition for his varying performances that will ultimately not please anyone.
Hittin' Season #661: A Phillies Disaster in Los Angeles Even Though Bryce Harper Is Back
On Episode 661 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis from The Good Phight recapped a truly brutal Phillies series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Here's the good news... there is no way the Phils will play another series as bad as that one, right? Right? Also, Leo Morgenstern of Fangraphs joins the show to discuss Bryce Harper's return to the lineup, Aaron Nola's velocity drop, and some of the other top storylines around baseball through the season's first month.
Hittin' Season #660: Bryce Harper is Back!!!
On Episode 660 of Hittin' Season, John Stolnis of The Good Phight and Liz Roscher of Yahoo! Sports in NO WAY discuss Taijuan Walker's disastrous series opening start against the Dodgers. Instead, John & Liz chat excitedly about the return of Bryce Harper from Tommy John surgery faster than any human being in the history of the world and wonder, is Harper a Metahuman? Also, the positive developments from Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in last weekend's series against the Astros, and some other baseball thoughts as the season's first month came to a close.
Hittin' Season #569: Phillies World Series Rematch with the Astros Bring Back Memories
On Episode 569 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis of The Good Phight and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher preview this weekend's World Series rematch between the Phillies and Astros, the place the Phils' season ended last year just two steps shy of a world title. Will you be feeling any sense of pain, sadness, frustration or anger watching Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier again this weekend? Also, John discusses the pain of reliving Kevin Millwood's 2003 no-hitter that he almost went to and shares stories from other fans with similar tales of woe, and a spirited debate on whether Matt Strahm should be in the starting rotation or the bullpen once Ranger Suarez is back.
Hittin' Season #658: Mailbag Episode! Trea Turner's Start, Rotation Problems, Just Eat Your Hot Dogs
On Episode 658 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis of The Good Phight recaps the first two games of the Phillies' series against the Mariners, including the rebirth of Nick Castellanos as a power hitter, a potentially worrisome injury for Taijuan Walker, Trea Turner's slow start, and the first official Mailbag of the 2023 season!
- Are we going to lose Dollar Dog Night privileges?
- Kevin Long, super genius.
- Which Phillies from the 1983 and 1993 teams would you put on the 2023 Phils?
- Altering expectations after a slow start?
- Injury updates
- Needs at the trade deadline
We'll also throw a Stat of the Week your way, too!
Hittin' Season #657: "Maybe I Just Need To Relax About the Phillies a Little."
On Episode 657 of Hittin' Season, hosts John Stolnis from The Good Phight, Liz Roscher from Yahoo! Sports and Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospecuts recap the Phillies encouraging series win over the Rockies last weekend and discuss the most positive, pleasing or otherwise enjoyable aspect of a weekend containing three straight victories. Also, John attempts to regulate his mania a bit, some discussion of the eye-opening early season attendance numbers, and a glance a look around at the surprise teams in Major League Baseball in the early going.
Hittin' Season #656: Matt Strahm Ruminations, A's Relocation, & Good Team or Bad Team?
On Episode 656 of Hittin' Season, hosts Justin Klugh of Baseball Prospectus and Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher play Good Team or Bad Team regarding the up-and-down 2023 Phillies, discuss Matt Strahm's hot start and a former Philadelphia sports franchise appears to be on the move again.
Hittin' Season #655: Did the Phillies Find Something in Chicago?
On Episode 655 of Hittin' Season, host John Stolnis of BillyPenn.com and The Good Phight recapped the Phillies' series win against the White Sox in Chicago this week, discussing...
- Trea Turner has his first signature game as a Phillie.
- Good starting pitching and timely hitting in their two wins... the Phils' blueprint for success.
- The incredible performance from the bullpen.
- Is it too late to win the NL East?
- Why a sweep against the Rockies this week is the only acceptable outcome.
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