Hittin' Season: A Phillies Podcast

On Episode 117, hosts John Stolnis, Justin Klugh and Trevor Strunk of The Good Phight talk about nothing but happy things, even after the Phillies lost 2 out of 3 from the Pirates in Pittsburgh, their 7th series loss in a row. Even though Maikel Franco & Odubel Herrera are struggling mightily, there was no discussion of bad news. Even as Vince Velasquez' cry for help and the hot seat getting hotter for Bob McClure, Episode 117 was nothing short of a party! Listen now and get in on the good times!

On Episode 116, host John Stolnis talks to Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs beat writer Greg Joyce about The Bash Brothers, Iron Pigs Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins, who are recreating their homer duel from last year in Reading. Also, is Phillies pitching Bob McClure on the hot seat? Phillies beat writer Meghan Montemurro joins the show to talk about McClure and his job security, as well as a rough month of May that got even rougher.

On Episode 115, hosts John Stolnis and Justin Klugh say good riddance to the Washington Nationals. The Phillies are finally done with their NL East rivals until September, and not a moment too soon. Also, a trio of Phils hitters are scalding the ball in May, pitching coach Bob McClure's interesting decision to call out Cameron Rupp's pitch calling publicly, the Odubel Herrera benching, and why one of us thinks Bryce Harper isn't going to leave DC in free agency after the 2018 season.

On Episode 114, host John Stolnis talks to Phillies beat writer Matt Breen about the decision by the Phils to extend Pete Mackanin through the 2018 season, with a team option for 2019. Also, reliever Joaquin Benoit says the lack of clarity of roles in the bullpen have led their struggles. Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs starter Tom Eshleman joins the show (36:02) to talk about his very successful first start and his hopes for 2017. Jay Floyd of PhoulBallz.com interviews Lakewood outfielder Cord Sandberg (47:35), and why on earth are baseball officials considering allowing MLB games to go no further than the 12th inning (54:18)?

On Episode 113, host John Stolnis is joined by The Good Phight's Justin Klugh and Liz Roscher as they recap the Phillies-Nationals series over the weekend and open up the Twitter mailbag. Important items discussed include the state of the Phils' bullpen, when Rhys Hoskins should get the call, and ranking Phillies players by their handsomeness.

In Episode 112, host John Stolnis recaps a tough road trip against the Cubs in Chicago and the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but notes there are many reasons to be optimistic about the team. Also, Jay Floyd of PhoulBallz.com interviews Phillies outfield prospect Nick Williams, and SI.com's Jay Jaffe joins the show to talk about a controversial series between the Red Sox and Orioles that took place in Boston, as well as big-name pitcher injuries around baseball.

In Episode 111, hosts John Stolnis and Justin Klugh take a look at a disastrous weekend in Los Angeles for the Phillies, including continued poor performances by the Phils bullpen. What can Pete Mackanin do to fix it, and has he had too quick a hook with his relief pitchers? Also, which was worse, the Mets' weekend or the Phillies? Aaron Nola suffers a setback, two young starters look good against L.A., a preview of the upcoming series with the defending World Series champs. and we grade the Phillies' April.

On Episode 110, host John Stolnis talks with ESPN's Keith Law about his new book "Smart Baseball," diving into the statistics that need to be thrown away forever, the new ones you should be embracing and the future of baseball and analytics. Also, Law shares his thoughts on J.P. Crawford. Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs beat writer Tom Housenick also joins the show for a first-month report card for the Phillies' AAA affiliate. The Phillies enter the weekend having won 6 in a row... Maikel Franco has a hot bat... Jeremy Hellickson continues to deal... and the schedule turns brutal starting this weekend.

On Episode 109, hosts John Stolnis & Justin Klugh discuss Aaron Nola's trip to the DL, who might replace him, the struggles of J.P. Crawford and if and when the Phils would consider sending him down to AA. Also, baseball has a problem on its hands with unwritten rules, one it doesn't seem to concerned with at the moment. Lots of Jeremy Hellickson & Aaron Altherr talk, too.

On Episode 108 of "The Felske Files," John Stolnis hosts a special edition of the podcast, a Facebook Live town hall Q & A, in which he takes questions from Phils fans live. Also, Phillies owner John Middleton says he wants to win badly, so how far will he go to make it happen? Which prospects should we be worried about and which ones should we be excited about? And will the Phillies ever trade for Mike Trout? (No.)

In Episode 107, we speak with the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft last year, Phillies outfield prospect Mickey Moniak. Jay Floyd of PhoulBallz.com interviewed Moniak and will be providing the podcast with prospect interviews all season long. Also, hosts John Stolnis and Justin Klugh analyze a disappointing series in Washington, DC as the Phillies lose 2 of 3 games culminating in a Bryce Harper Sunday walk-off. Ugh. Cesar Hernandez continues to star for the Phillies, is it time to admit he's a really good player? And are you losing patience with Maikel Franco? And listen to an exclusive interview with last year's No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Lakewood's Mickey Moniak.

In Episode 106, host John Stolnis assesses the beatdown delivered upon the Phillies by the New York Mets this week with Phils beat writer for Comcast SportsNet Jim Salisbury. Also, we are getting our first look at the top prospects in minor league action. PhoulBallz' Jay Floyd joins the show and we ask whether these prospects would do better if we didn't focus on them all so much. Also, Clay Buchholz could be out for the season, who's up next to take his place? The Phillies are the most profitable team in baseball, and how more of baseball's rising revenues should be going towards minor league players.

In Episode 105, hosts John Stolnis and Justin Klugh discuss the Phillies' weekend series against the Washington Nationals, which culminated in a blown save by Jeanmar Gomez on Sunday. Who will take over as the team's closer? Among the other items discussed is the Phils' 17-run explosion on Saturday, Aaron Nola's encouraging first outing of the 2016 season, an injury scare with Jeremy Hellickson, the maddening Vince Velasquez, and LOTS of talk about Bryce Harper.

On Episode 104, host John Stolnis breaks down the first week of the Phillies 2017 season with SportsRadio 94 WIP's Jon Marks. Marks also hosts the Phillies pre and post-game shows for the team's flagship station. Also, Graham Womack, baseball historian and contributor for "The Sporting News" drops by to talk about his piece detailing the difficulties facing Dick Allen to get into the Hall of Fame. Plus, baseball is more international than ever before!

In Episode 103 of The Felske Files, hosts John Stolnis and Justin Klugh of The Good Phight preview the 2017 Phillies season. They talk about their concerns (Aaron Nola), optimism (Jerad Eickhoff & Aaron Altherr), when the prospects will arrive, make some bold predictions, play a little over/under and hand out their win totals for this season.