Aug 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) crouches on second base after his RBI single during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Streicher
The Phillies held a simulated game Wednesday to stay sharp during the bye. The game was closed to the media and wasn't streamed, but manager Rob Thomson later revealed some details of the events at Citizens Bank Park with reporters on a Zoom call.
- Bryce Harper's team tied Kyle Schwarber's team 5-5 in an eight-inning game.
- Third base coach Dusty Wathan managed Harper's team, and first base coach Paco Figueroa managed Schwarber's team.
- Schwarber's team was winning 5-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, but Nick Castellanos and Harper hit back-to-back homers to tie the game.
- Harper's team wore the powder blue uniforms, while Schwarber's donned the pinstripes.
- Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggested Tuesday there was some sort of wager between the two teams, but that didn't ultimately come into play with the tie.
- Of the intensity of the matchup, Thomson said "I thought they played it almost exactly like a normal game." There were four umpires, pumped in crowd noise, the scoreboard was turned on and walk-up songs were played as guys were introduced.
- Everyone in the Phillies' bullpen pitched in the game other than Jeff Hoffman, who came in with some neck stiffness from sleeping awkwardly. Thomson made clear he expects Hoffman will be good to go for Game 1 on Saturday.
- Ranger Suárez started the game, and Thomson said "I saw a big improvement with him." Suárez pitched two innings but was efficient as he only needed 21 pitches to record six outs. He "sat 92, 93 [mph] for most of the day." Thomson sat in the stands when Suárez pitched, and said he was impressed by the command the lefty had of both his fastball and breaking pitches.
- Weston Wilson homered off of Kolby Allard.
- Spencer Turnbull "touched 92 [mph]" in the game, but Thomson acknowledged he was "a little bit erratic." His high pitch count limited him to one inning. Thomson said he wasn't going to put a ton of stock into the performance, but said "in my opinion he still needs a little bit of work, but you never know."
- Austin Hays played well in the game, going 2-for-4, running the bases and making a strong defensive play in the outfield, per Thomson. The manager indicated he thinks Hays could play every day.
- Bryson Stott was 0-for-4, but he "hit two balls right on the nose."
- Cristopher Sánchez welcomed his first child earlier this week, but did play catch before the game. He didn't pitch in the sim game. Thomson declined to say whether Sánchez will be the Game 2 starter, but does seem to be taking the difference in home/road splits seriously. That leads you to believe Sánchez will start Game 2, and Aaron Nola will start Game 3.
