Wins don't equal success in fantasy
By sweeping the Padres over the weekend, the Phillies extended their season-best win streak to five games. More intriguing than the wins themselves is the way in which the Phillies have been winning. In those five games (one against the Brewers and four against the Padres) the Phillies totaled just 16 runs. And their fantasy owners felt the burn.
One of the hardest things about being a fantasy owner and a fan is the bittersweet feeling you get when your team loses at the hand of one of your fantasy players. Conversely, there is the feeling when your "real" team wins, but your fantasy players struggle, like the Phillies did this past weekend.
While wins are great, they belong to the team, and have no bearing on your fantasy results (unless of course you're talking pitchers - We'll get to them later). Extra-base hits, RBI, and especially home runs, will help you win your fantasy matchup.
In 46 innings, the Phillies totaled 35 hits, but just 12 went for extra bases.
Ryan Howard, who had been one of the Phillies' hottest hitters, accounted for six of those hits, three of them for extra bases, while striking out eight times. I'm no math major, but that's not good production. But hey, a win is a win is a win.
On the Bright Side
While numbers like those might scare a Phillies' fan, there is a reason the Phillies' won all five of those games: Starting pitching. The Phillies allowed just 6 runs in those five games, good for a 1.17 ERA. Not only did they keep the offense off the scoreboard, but the pitching staff also compiled 46 strikeouts, averaging one per inning.
I understand that a majority of these games were played in spacious Petco Park, so that could have accounted for some of the offensive lull, but boy, they are some solid fantasy numbers, no matter where you're playing.
That's the way it seems to go in fantasy. When one half of a team is struggling, the other half is there pick them up. Unless of course, it's the Mets - and yes, I know they just swept the Diamondbacks. But sweeping the Diamondbacks is like beating Kramer in a Seinfeld-esque "contest."
Here is a look at how the Phillies hit as a team during their win streak:
*Inside-the-park home run - Shane Victorino
Matt Mullin is a sports producer at philly.com. You can reach him by e-mail at mmullin@philly.com. Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin