There are eight days remaining before the July 30 trade deadline, and the Phillies have needs

One of them popped up on Friday, when José Alvarado blew a save in Pittsburgh. Alvarado hasn’t been as sharp as seasons past, perhaps reinforcing the front office’s belief that it needs to fortify the bullpen with another late-inning veteran reliever. The Phillies need a right-handed-hitting outfielder, too. Weston Wilson has played well since he replaced Whit Merrifield. Could he actually step up and fill that role, or must the Phillies find somebody else?

Fortunately for the Phillies, Tyler Phillips has stepped up as the team’s No. 5 starter. The local kid shut down Pittsburgh in Sunday’s series finale, snapping the Phillies’ three-game losing streak to avoid a sweep. There are a few things that have impressed Ruben, Jim and Todd’s about the rookie’s early performances. They discussed.

The Phillies open a three-game series on Monday night in Minnesota. Ranger Suárez and Zack Wheeler are back. What do we hope to see from both of them?

Plus, some late-inning food talk including walleye-on-a-stick and Juicy Lucys.

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