Phightin' Words: A Phillies Podcast

Bob and Ant Jr. discuss where the Phillies stand entering the All-Star break. Follow Anthony on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Bob on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Bob and Ant Jr. discuss the Phillies' five All-Stars, as well as key things to watch for entering the All-Star Break. Follow Anthony on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Bob on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Bob and Ant react to another series win by the Phillies, one that was a little too close for comfort against the woeful Mets. But a win is a win - and now they are only three games out of first place, which is amazing to say while it's still June. Kyle Schwarber hit his 30th home run of the season, which brings up a very fun possibility - that we may have our own, Philadelphia-only version of the...

Bob and Ant recap the wild, impossible, yet incredibly memorable four days in Washington between the Phillies and Nationals that just might have told you everything you need to know about the 2026 Phillies. Of course they discuss the ring finger heard round the world and the ninth inning heroics, but there were other little nuances from this series - both on the positive side and the negative side...

Bob and Ant discuss the Phillies weekend series win against the hated New York Mets, but in specific the historic Saturday night that Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper had as a tandem. On top of that, they had a pretty great encore performance - both on National Television, by the way. The guys also look at some surprises in the bullpen as it's new look is taking shape, a subtle change for Trea Turn...

Bob and Ant dive into the problem with left-handed relief pitching for the Phillies, highlighted by the demotion of Tanner Banks and the continued struggles of Jose Alvarado. Hey, at least there's Tim Mayza! Also, Is Bryce Harper's current slump going to cost him an All-Star spot? The guys will dive into the comments about Andrew Painter being sent down and Dante Bichette's openness about his nego...

Bob and Ant look back at the weekend that wasn't for the Phillies, as they were shutout twice by the Brewers, discuss how Jacob Misiorowski blew past Cristopher Sanchez in both the N.L. Cy Young race and the nod to be the starter in the All Star game, discuss the rumors of the Phillies interest in Seiya Suzuki and Jo Adell, and get down to brass tacks on the problem that is Trea Turner. Plus a who...

Bob and Ant look back at the Phillies series win over the Blue Jays and look ahead to the big series in Milwaukee (Misiorowski vs. Painter! Yikes!) through the lens of the Adolis Garcia injury and how ill-equipped the team is to handle even the smallest adversities as far as personnel is concerned because they are way too top heavy and have a pretty bare cupboard of reserves. The guys also wonder,...

Bob and Ant discuss a mostly successful weekend series win against the White Sox as the offense showed up, finally. The question though is, did it arrive to stay with the warm weather, or did it just take advantage of a subpar White Sox pitching staff? Speaking of pitching, Andrew Painter continues to struggle, but the Phillies may not have a choice other than to let him work through it. What are...

Bob and Ant break down anther sweep of the Padres and are amazed that the Phillies are actually tied for a playoff spot so quickly. Cristopher Sanchez's streak came to an end, but man, was it a cool thing to witness. That said, how many All Stars do the Phillies have? Sanchez and Kyle Schwarber seem to be a lock. But can we make a case for four others? Also, is Adolis Garcia turning the corner? A...

The Phillies had a winning road trip in Southern California, yet it doesn't quite feel that way. That's because a weekend series against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers showed just how much of a chasm there is between these two franchises at the moment. And the Phillies appear no closer to figuring out how to bridge it. Bob and Ant discuss that, and look ahead to a homestand ag...

On this abbreviated episode of Phightin' Words, Bob and Ant marvel at the run the Cristopher Sanchez is on and wonder if he can challenge the Major League record of 59 socreless innings held by Orel Hershiser. Also, credit eill be given to Trea Turner for waking up a little bit, props to Aaron Nola for an encouraging start and J.T. Realmuto homered, so all is right with the world of Phillies baseb...

Bob and Ant tackle another stretch of offensive futility for the Phillies, who have split their four games since the last episode, but have scored a total of eight runs in doing it. But, are the Phillies offensive woes because they are underwhelming or disappointing, or is this what baseball has become these days? Also, the Starting Pitchers are starting to shove. How much can they carry the load?...

Bob and Ant try to come up with some solution ... any solution... for what to do with a pair of long-time Phillies who have a lot of money and term left on their contracts. They look back at the disappointing Reds series, And look ahead to the weekend set with the Cleveland Guardians. Follow Anthony on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The Phillies took exactly 21 days to get back above .500 after being 10 games under on April 26th. Bob and Ant look at the most recent three games - a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates - where the offense finally showed signs of life, and Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler turned the early-season Cy Young race in the N.L. on its ear. The guys also talk about the possibility of both Bryce Harper and...

Bob and Ant marvel at the Phillies somehow winning five consecutive series (most recently over the Boston Red Sox) despite the fact that they don't one right-handed hitter in the lineup with an OPS over .635. They also discuss Kyle Schwarber's home run tear and take a stab at what total he will finish with, look at some good pitching performances by Andrew Painter and Jesus Luzardo, reassess the b...

Bob and Ant look back at a mostly positive series against the Rockies (Jesus Luzardo and Brad Keller aside). They also discuss Alec Bohm's slow climb to recovery, Cristopher Sanchez and his scoreless streak, the Phillies newest outfielder... again, the National League's leading hitter - Brandon Marsh, and wonder if Kyle Schwarber can actually hit 60 homers this year. Finally, is Elmo the 2026 vers...

Bob and Ant dive into what's wrong with Andrew Painter, break down the curious week that was from Bryce Harper - and wonder if he has as much pull as he once did with the Phillies; in conjunction with that, try to answer the age-old question - is Bryson Stott an every day player? They also wonder why Don Mattingly is going to the nth degree to defend Alec Bohm, take a moment to appreciate Brandon...

Bob and Ant reconvene after missing an episode on Friday to talk about the Phillies turnaround which includes Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm hitting, Brandon Marsh continuing to mash and the pitching coming around. Although is Brad Keller still underwhelming? How close is Jhoan Duran to returning? And will Kyle Schwarber set an ignominious franchise record? They also talk about Don Mattingly's manager...

Bob and Ant react to the Phillies decision to fire manager Rob Thomson, their courting of Alex Cora and the eventual decision to name Don Mattingly the interim bench boss. Follow Anthony on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Bob on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The Phillies keep losing. Bob and Ant struggle to find an explanation for what is going on with this baseball team. They talk about inexplicable quotes from President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and hitting coach Kevin Long, wonder about why Cristopher Sanchez is giving up a ton of hits, weigh in on Brad Keller, and eulogize the Taijuan Walker era in Philadelphia. Follow Anthony on ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

On today's episode, Ant & Bob recap the Phillies getting swept by the Braves and how everything is going bad for the Phillies right now. More talk about if Rob Thomson deserves to be fired, and if Phillies fans should start pointing fingers at ownership rather than the front office? Follow Anthony on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Bob is back from vacation, and feeling pretty surly about the Phillies. He and Ant dive into the chronic baserunning issues that seem to jump up and bite the team, a need to reconfigure the leverage for the lefties in the bullpen, more noncompetitive at bats in key moments, but do look at the bright side of Andrew Painter shaking off a migraine to give them five scoreless innings in bulk relief. T...

Bob is back from vacation, and feeling pretty surly about the Phillies. He and Ant dive into the chronic baserunning issues that seem to jump up and bite the team, a need to reconfigure the leverage for the lefties in the bullpen, more noncompetitive at bats in key moments, but do look at the bright side of Andrew Painter shaking off a migraine to give them five scoreless innings in bulk relief. T...

With Bob still on vacation, Ant turns to a fan - OK, it's his son, Ant Jr., who used to fill in for either Bob or Ant on the old version of this podcast (Remember Crossed Up?) - to get the perspective of the Phillies mediocre, at best, start to the 2026 season. They will dive into the issues with the middle of the lineup, what seems off for Cristopher Sanchez, come to the defense of Aaron Nola aft...