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Phillies finish season today; Testimony in ex-South Jersey police chief’s hate crime trial set to continue | Morning Newsletter

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Phillies' Bryce Harper celebrates his walk grand slam beating the Cubs 7-5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Thursday, August 15, 2019
Phillies' Bryce Harper celebrates his walk grand slam beating the Cubs 7-5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Thursday, August 15, 2019Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Happy Sunday! While the date screams fall, Philly’s weather still feels like July. But a long summer for the Phillies finally comes to an end this afternoon. The team’s final game of the 2019 season is at 3:05 p.m. In today’s Q&A, our Phillies reporter Matt Breen gives us some insight into what went wrong for the team in a season that was once imbued with hope and expectations of a postseason appearance. Reminder: no Eagles game today, as they earned a dramatic victory over the Packers on Thursday night.

Tauhid Chappell (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

The week ahead

  1. The Phillies host the Marlins at Citizen Bank Park for their final game of the season today. While their playoff hopes are dashed, at least they have a winning record.

  2. Testimony in the trial of an ex-Bordentown, N.J. police chief who called President Trump “the last hope for white people” is set to continue tomorrow.

  3. Look for our story tomorrow that focuses on how police arbitration payouts have cost Philly taxpayers millions of dollars over the last decade.

This week’s most popular stories

Behind the story with Matt Breen

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with Matt Breen, one of our Phillies reporters. He has kept an ear to the ground throughout the team’s roller-coaster season.

The Phillies are officially out of the playoff race. At what point in the season did it feel like this might have been inevitable?

You could start to see in June that this team might miss the postseason. They started the month in first place but fell behind Atlanta. Their starting pitchers were struggling, their lineup still wasn’t hitting for the power that many expected it to, and their bullpen was beginning to be hit with injuries. And then Andrew McCutchen tore his ACL. That was the month that did them in.

What kinds of warning signs did you observe earlier in the season that may have indicated the season was not going as expected?

The Phillies opted against upgrading their starting pitching this winter, which caused them to enter the season with a rotation of Aaron Nola and four question marks. They bet on their young pitchers, who showed some promise in 2018 but entered 2019 with some obvious flaws. If that bet failed, it would be nearly impossible for them to overcome it. That was a warning sign from day one.

Which position(s) or personnel will the team have to critically evaluate to stay competitive next year?

First, they’ll have to look at their manager and determine if Gabe Kapler is the right fit for the job. There’s going to be at least three managers available this off-season with track records of success. Replacing Kapler with Joe Maddon, Buck Showalter, or Joe Girardi could be tempting. They then need to upgrade their starting rotation and almost completely rebuild their bullpen. It will be a busy off-season.

What should disappointed Phillies fans look forward to next season?

Bryce Harper will be back. That’s one thing. They also have a ton of money to spend this winter and owner John Middleton is desperate to win, maybe even more so after how this season turned out. The Phillies will be in on the top free agents, most notably third baseman Anthony Rendon and starter Gerrit Cole. A strong off-season could make up for what happened in 2019.

You can stay in touch with Matt by following him on Twitter at @matt_breen or by emailing him at mbreen@inquirer.com. And to get Phillies analysis straight to your inbox, sign up for the Extra Innings newsletter.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Longwood Gardens is as beautiful at night as it is during the day! Thanks for this lovely shot, @bobmcw53.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

#CuriousPhilly: Have a question about your community? Ask us!

Have you submitted a question to Curious Philly yet? Try us. We’re listening to our readers and doing our best to find answers to the things you’re curious about.

Our readers’ latest question: What happened to “Penny Franklin”?

The answer: This iconic Philly sculpture had to be removed from its original location at Fourth and Arch Streets. While it’s not in its original form, you can find its new version at Girard Fountain Park.

What we’re…

  1. Eating: Sweetzels and Ivins spiced wafers, which signal that fall is quickly approaching.

  2. Drinking: Chinebuli by Do-Re-Mi, a natural wine made from Georgian grapes. Don’t let the smell scare you. Our restaurant critic Craig LaBan notes the wine has a “mouth-coating nectar richness of dried fruits, acidity, and spice.”

  3. Exploring: the Museum of the American Revolution’s new “Irish Soldier” exhibit, which documents a wealthy Anglo-Irish nobleman’s foray into the Revolutionary War and the horrors he witnessed as a British soldier.

  4. Watching: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which is now entering its 14th season. For those who may remember what happened at the end of last season, don’t think Mac is changing despite his revelation.

Comment of the week

Way back when, we didn’t realize how dangerous smoking was, but today we all are aware how bad nicotine is. Why we would allow vaping for anyone except those attempting to quit smoking is beyond me. — Gary15, Vaping risks scare local teens, but many are too addicted to quit.

A Daily Dose of | The UpSide

Jake Loburak has been color blind since early in grade school. But he was able to see reds, greens and blues last December when his classmates raised hundreds of dollars to buy him a special pair of glasses.