Lights Out

 

A week or so ago I was at a Phils game at the Bank. Went pretty well, team looked good, outdid the Baltimore Orioles, Walker and Kepler looked better than they have all year. It was a week or so after they'd gotten Jhoan Duran, and so everyone was anxious to see if the Phils would roll into a save situation, so they'd get to see the new closer and his killer entrance. It was 4-0 most of the game, and mid-8 Duran did start throwing, as did Max Lazar. The mentality was that if the Phils nicked another run away, there'd be no reason to put on Duran, and if they didn't it'd still be a save situation, or close to one. 

Well, Brandon Marsh hits a solo homer in the bottom of the 8th. It's now 5-0. And so Duran sits down. I tell you, by the time Max Lazar got up to the mound, the fans started booing. How DARE they not give us the reliever we came to see? How dare they not need their closer tonight? As much as Rob Manfred would have you believe this is the case, you're not paying to see a show. It's a game. And the Phils were thinking practically rather than spectacularly. 

But that still really intrigued me. The fans in Philly can be so entitled sometimes. We paid all this money to see Jhoan Duran save a game, and what d'you mean it's not the right situation? Relax, it'll be on twitter tomorrow night, that'll be enough.

All of this to say that Jhoan Duran in Philly has been as dominant as advertised. We needed a truly trustworthy ninth inning man, cause we weren't getting anywhere with Jordan Romano, and Duran has been that guy. 4 appearances, 4 saves. And honestly, the lights going red when he gets a save, or when he runs out, just really fits. The mystique and ferocity of the 'Durantula' walk-out is perfect for a pressure cooker stadium that is the Bank, and if we get to start home games in the postseason, it's gonna scare people shitless. Edwin Diaz and his trumpets can be ferocious and all, but he's not known for his closing abilities anymore. He's better as just a solid enough reliever who can also get saves. Duran can close games and do it with an exclamation point. 

The Phils themselves, though not as unstoppable as they were earlier this season, look good. Harper's heating up, which is always a good thing. Schwarber has 42 homers and wants to chase Howard. Sanchez and Walker are stepping up in moments of struggling from Wheeler and Suarez. And now Nola's in the mix, seemingly rehabilitated and ready to rock again. Harrison Bader and David Robertson have both been everything we needed them to be. And we swept the damn Rangers right at the point where they could have soared to a wild card spot. It's looking good, but the whole rest of the month consists of really tough divisional matchups and a tight Mariners series. We need to keep moving and halt any spoilers, because what happened last year could happen again, and people are waiting for that downfall.

For now, all we can do is hope they keep the game close and wait for the bell to ring. And then we'll be alright.

[UPDATE: Man, I really hope he's okay.]

Coming Tonight: The weird part about this guy, who hits lots of homers for the Tigers these days, is that he was hitting lots of homers for the Tigers before they were good.