Philadelphia Phillies Create Plan to Stay Sharp During First Round Bye

With some time off before they get their playoffs underway, the Philadelphia Phillies have created a plan to stay sharp.

Sep 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) and shortstop Trea Turner (7) stand on the steps before the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park / James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished one of their main goals this season by winning the NL East division for the first time since 2011. That allowed them to earn a bye and avoid the Wild Card round they had to go through the past two years when they defeated the Atlanta Braves both times.

There are some concerns when thinking about this extended layoff, something that was brought up by Braves manager Brian Snitker after he was eliminated for the second time in a row by the Phillies in 2023.

But for Philadelphia this season, they are going to fully take advantage of this time by getting healthy, something they desperately need with Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, and Austin Hays recently coming off the injured list, and Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto being two players with known bumps and bruises.

So how can the Phillies avoid what happened to Atlanta?

They have a plan in place.

According to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, they are getting a day off on Monday before working out on Tuesday and playing an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park that will feature umpires, an active scoreboard, artificial crowd noise, and walk-up music to simulate a real game.

It will be up to the players to lock in and prepare during this period so they can step onto the field in the NLDS and be ready to get off to a good start.

"I would just say, even though you're not playing games, just be locked in on the work that you are doing. Right? Don't be just so happy-go-lucky and think of these five days as a vacation, per se, rather than some down time. Still remain focused and concentrate on whatever it is that we have scheduled that day," Nick Castellanos told Lauber.

With a veteran-laden group that Philadelphia has in place, there should be no excuses when it comes to being ready to play or not.

Still, there are concerns how this team might look following their long layoff.

They will have five days off, the same time away that took place during the All-Star break when their season almost came completely off the rails during the second half by losing five straight series in a row.

Trea Turner is someone who has had experience navigating a bye in the playoffs when he was with the Washington Nationals and had six days off before getting things underway in the 2019 World Series.

"I feel like the adrenaline of the postseason kind of locks you in and makes up for that five days off. You're not going to feel sluggish or you're not going to feel like you haven't played for a long time. It's so different [in the playoffs]. You're going to play a good, quality team. Everything's on the line. Guys are going to pitch a little different. Coaches are going to manage a little different. It's a little bit different game. Once that postseason starts, it's about competing in that moment. I think we're ready for it," he said.

The Phillies are viewing this break as a positive instead of a hinderance, but until they get back on the field and start playing in the NLDS, only time will tell if they are able to overcome some of the challenges that this bye has presented other teams in the past.