NL DIVISION SERIES: METS VS PHILLIES

October 7, 2024

Rob Thomson

Citi Field

Philadelphia Phillies

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. When your bullpen has been a strength all year, especially a guy like Strahm, how do you balance the last couple nights with trusting your guys?

ROB THOMSON: I think you have to trust them, you know. They've been performing all year long. It's just a matter of execution. But these guys adjust all the time and they've been so good all year, I think you have to trust them.

Q. Strahm at times has lost his control, if anything, he's throwing a ton of strikes. Is he leaving a few too many pitches up right now? What have you seen from him?

ROB THOMSON: Over the middle of the plate a little bit, a little bit more than normal. He's usually got pretty good command and the ball goes where he wants to throw it usually. Again, it just gets down to some execution. He'll get it.

Q. How much does a win like last night give the team sort of a release? Did you notice the energy was different than it was yesterday morning?

ROB THOMSON: Well, first of all, the win is huge. Obviously any win in the playoffs is huge. Getting down 0-1 in your own ballpark, that was a pretty big game. Really big game.

But I don't really get a sense of anything changed with them today as opposed to yesterday. They come in, they have fun every day, and a workmanlike-type atmosphere. I think everything is pretty much the same.

Q. Bullpen has been a strength. Can you think of any reason why they might be struggling as a group right now?

ROB THOMSON: Not really. I think like hitting, your starting rotation, your bullpen is contagious one way or the other. We just have to snap out of this thing and start executing pitches and hitting our spots.

Like I said, they will. I have full confidence in them.

Q. What is your sense of Bohm's current head space and do you still intend to play him tomorrow?

ROB THOMSON: Oh, yeah, he's playing tomorrow. I think he's in a good spot. He was just in there hitting in the cages and getting his work in. I'm not sure if he's going to hit on the field today or not. But, yeah, I think he's fine.

Q. Will both Stott and Marsh sit tomorrow?

ROB THOMSON: We'll see.

Q. Is Ranger definitely your Game 4 starter? Is there a chance depending on how that goes that Wheeler could come back Game 4?

ROB THOMSON: No, Ranger will pitch Game 4.

Q. The one high-leverage guy you haven't used yet is Alvarado. Command has been his issue. As each time passes that he hasn't pitched, how much more concerned do you get that it will be a problem when he does?

ROB THOMSON: Yeah, a little bit. I think we need to get him into a game, for sure. When he pitched in the intrasquad game on Wednesday he was really good, really efficient, hit his spots. But, yeah, he's a guy that needs work, consistent work to maintain that command.

Q. He threw eight pitches in the eighth inning. What was your reasoning for not maybe going back to him there for a ninth?

ROB THOMSON: Just because he hasn't done that in a long time. That's really what it came down to. He did his job and I felt really good about Strahm even though he had a little bit of a struggle the night before. I felt really good about him in that pocket. And it just didn't work out.

Q. Do you intend to use Ruiz in bigger spots, or just because you were down in that game at that moment that you weren't going to turn to maybe one of your higher-leverage there?

ROB THOMSON: I consider Ruiz somewhat of a high-leverage guy. I really do. He's pitched well for us. He just left a pitch up in the zone, but other than that he threw the ball pretty good. We had to cover four innings one way or the other, and it was still tight. We were going to use all our leverage guys there.