Reason to be Concerned?
The Phillies came up small against the Boston Red Sox this week. They haven't been playing well for more than a week, either. Reason to be concerned?
Reason to be Concerned?
Todd Zolecki
The Phillies entered a killer stretch in their schedule June 6, when they began a 24-game run in which they played 18 games on the road. That stretch included games against first-place teams like the Red Sox and Angels, and second-place teams like the Marlins and Cardinals.
It is a good test for a team with World Series aspirations.
But they’re at the halfway point of that stretch and they’re 6-6. They’re 3-0 against the Braves, 1-2 against the Marlins 1-2 against the Cardinals and 1-2 against the Red Sox, which included yesterday’s 7-4 loss at Citizens Bank Park. They've lost three-straight series for the first time since last August.
They certainly lost some games they should have won, but so far they certainly haven’t thrived like fans had hoped.
Jim Salisbury takes a look at some of the flaws that have prevented the Phillies from extending their lead in the NL East.
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Chase Utley is hitless in his last 20 at-bats, the longest hitless streak of his career. But if there’s any hitter on the Phillies that doesn’t concern me when he’s in a slump, it’s Utley. He’ll be fine. His swing is just too good to stay in a funk like this too long. But it might not be a coincidence that the Phillies are 1-4 during his hitless streak.
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Fans still are angry with J.D. Drew, who killed the Phillies yesterday.
Maybe it’s time to move on.
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In the Phillies Notebook, Kyle Kendrick’s struggles and more.
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I might be out of commission for the next few days. If I can post, I will. Otherwise ... talk amongst yourselves.
Comments (89)
I really don't get why we have such bad luck when we acquire such good players in the off-season. Don't get me started on Freddy Garcia! LOL! Bruntlett and Jenkins have adjusted pretty well. But Taguchi was going to be our savior off the bench. Best record, off the bench, in MLB last year! What the heck happened? Not enough playing time? Definitely bring up Snelling! (He's off the DL KarenA) I've been a supporter of his since Spring Training. Or T.J. Bohn. And no comments from you, Clinton, NJ! LOL!— Norma- RAS......I agree with you about Franzke/Anderson. I don't usually listen to the radio broadcasts except during day games on my way home from work. But Frantzke is definitely doing most of the work. Unfortunately, almost the same could be said for the TV broadcast. At least as far as *fluff* goes. I absolutely HATE the pieces that Tom McCarthy does in the stands! Constantly missing plays in the field. At least they should use split-screen. And how many times did we have to look at the "Matthews Family Album" during the Angels series???!!!— Norma
KarenA, I always enjoy reading your posts. I'm glad you brought up Scott Franske and Larry Anderson on the radio broadcasts. I couldn't disagree more with your opinion.(sorry :=)I think they are really bad together - because Franske does BOTH jobs, play-by-play AND COLOR, leaving Anderson nothing else to do but be a goofball. They constantly go off on wild tangents and jokes instead of calling the game. And woe to the later tuner-inner, you'll get previous at-bat stats,on maybe HALF the batters if you are lucky. In contrast, when Harry Kalas and Larry do the fourth inning together, Harry calls the game and Larry does color like it's supposed to be. I occasionally tune into a Mets' game to get another reality check on radio boadcasting, even though I loathe the Mets. Those guys do a great job up there calling the game. Anyone else care to weigh in on the Franske- Anderson radio gig? I'm interested in other opinions besides mine and Karen's. Thanks.— RAS- I actually listened to most of the game on the radio---LA and Scott Franske are terrific and I often think I should turn down the volume on the TV and have the radio announcers on as I watch. When Taguchi came to bat, Franske said how he was so terrific as a pinch hitter in a previous life, but was 0-12 (now 13)for the Phillies. LA then said when the count was 2-0 something to the effect that if he should walk and load the bases, Utley would then hit a grand slam and really get out of his hitting slump! Wouldn't that have been sweet?!? RAS: I was thinking the same thing about Taguchi being traded and bringing in Snelling (who I think might be injured).— KarenA
- Reasons to be Concerned about the Phillies: 1. So Taguchi is no longer a major league ballplayer, he is an embarrassment. 2. Flash Gordon is no longer a major league ballplayer, he is an embarassment (who hasn't played in over a week, thankfully). 3. Eric Bruntlett is easily the worst baserunner I have ever seen. Not the slowest just no instincts or judgements on the basepaths. He is a liability as a baserunner. 4. Ryan Howard is the worst fielding 1st baseman I have ever seen and I have seen no effort to improve his skills or his judgements at 1st. 5. Steve Smith is the worst 3rd base coach I have seen, making repeated poor and thoughtless judgements at third. 6. Chris Wheeler will evenually drive many of us mad, like making lame excuses for Steve Smith or for Victorino not advancing on a passed ball that ricocheted off the back wall and half way up the 1st base line, only for him to steal 2nd base on the very next pitch.— jrquixote
- Looks like bski is looking for a job as a sports writer :) It's a long season and the Phillies are still in first place after this ugly run of losses. Things could be worse. This team needs to finds some consistency. Whenever we get good pitching, the offense looks anemic. or.. when the back end of the of the pitching rotation pitches well, then the front 2 tank.. Oh well.. I'll tune back in in August and see where they are then :)— roque32
- I saw Howard Eskin on the Sports Wrap Up last night. I can only take him in short doses and I rarely agree with his opinions. However he did make a salient point... Taguchi should have been the pinch runner and Bruntlett should have been the pinch hitter yesterday. Taguchi has zero pinch hits this year and the last time Bruntlett pinch ran he did his best Mr. Ed imitation, costing the Phils a run that would have tied the game. Since the previous batter had walked, Why didn't Taguchi have the take sign with a 2-0 count and Utley on deck? Even so, a little leaguer knows not to swing in that situation. Between the misplayed fly balls (at least three this year) and the ineptness at the plate, I also concur with Eskin that Taguchi will be traded or released before season's end. I'd like to see Chris Snelling on the roster instead.— RAS
- Who ever thinks strikeouts dont matter is loco. The first inning was the difference in this game. If Howard just hits a decent fly ball, at least, he gets an sac fly rbi, instead he K's and so does Burrell. If the Phils pick up just one run in the 1st, could have been a whole different ballgame folks...Oh well!!— Clinton, NJ
- so taguchi couldn't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. He stinks. I would like to see them get rich harden.— dildojones
- they're tanking, name a few Howard, Utley(he's comfy in the all-star ballot) Meyers oh lordy he really wants outta Philly, Eaton he's a washout player, heck with his era. Hamels I think is playing with the FO— xdelco1
- Right before the Phils started this stretch against good teams, I siad this would be a good test to measure the Phils up. Well they are failing miserably so far, and unless they they somehow sweep the next two series, will fail the test! I hope they can get it together and catch fire again sometime soon or they are in trouble.....— Clinton, NJ
- Good News: Gordon has played since his debacle last weekend. Bad News: It hasn't helped. Losing is comfortable and Wheeler will make excuses for them.— Nick from the Northeast
- If there is a more worthless player than So Taguchi I have yet to see him— Burnsy
- Clinton, NJ......I was at the game last night, and TOTALLY blame Charlie! AND Steve Smith. Brett was having one of his best outings this year. Forget about Vlad's 2 HR's. He homers against all Phillie's pitchers. Charlie should have pulled Brett at the end of the 7th. I'm not necessarily a proponent of pitch counts, but Brett was at 100. And it's not like the 'pen has been overworked the last couple of games. And Steve Smith should have let Feliz try for home. It would have been a bang-bang play, but at least it would have given us the lead and totally different decisions for the rest of the game. Can't blame Bruntlett for trying for 2nd. Where he was tagged out. I'm sure he figured Feliz was heading for home. Couldn't quite tell, but I think Steve Smith waved Feliz and then changed his mind and put up the *stop sign*. Again! Poor managing all around. I'm glad Chase got the day off, but he sure looked unhappy in that dugout. And he gave Charlie quite the look when Feliz wasn't waved home. Like...."What the h***?!"— Norma
- That's not a bad opinion Clinton....but Cholly was trying to get him all his confidence back in one game, and that neccesitated him staying in and proving to himself that he could do it. I, like you, probably would've taken him out...now he's just another loser with another loss on his record, which probably doesn't make him feel real good today. Maybe they should try to get his confidence back for him in measured doses? Like 1 inning at a time in middle relief? Until he stops throwing gopher balls to guys that have only 2 (LIFETIME!)he's gonna keep losing. And so are we.— Mark1npt
- I kinda blame last night on Charlie, he should have taken Myers out as soon as that guy reached in the 8th inning. Even if it was for confidence, because if he takes him out, Brett pitched a good game to that point, and maybe Brett takes that confidence to the next game. Also the Phils really need a win, and going to the bullpen at that point would have given the team the best chance to win that game. Just one mans opinion...— Clinton, NJ
- The psyche of this team is really shining thru right now....they know whay they are.......they know in their hearts what they are capable of...and we're seeing it on average which is very....average. The occasional blowout this offense generates is when they play way above their heads or the other team's bullpen way below theirs. We've gotten way ahead of ourselves talking about World Series matchups....and as I 've said all week and all year, we have yet to beat a decent pitcher or even a medioce one who's on his game that day. You have to do that to be considered an elte team. Average is not Elite, no matter how many sell outs you have at home!— Mark1npt
- Can Charlie give the entire team a night off? Oh yeah, that's been happening pretty much the last 10-11 games. Seriously, the Phils' management cannot continue to let a few good games here and there cloud the view of what is a very average to below average team right now. It seems like teams cannot wait to play the Phillies because they know they'll at least win the series. Also, never liked Chris Wheeler much...I'm just sayin'. Well, we can hope Hamels pitches a good game tomorrow, but the offense will still have to show up and at least try. I hate that the team continues to put so much pressure to perform on a only few guys (Hamels and Utley). I keep saying to myself, "The team's slump HAS to end soon, right?"— MrPhillie
- Another disappointing loss. Myers pitched so so tonight, but if he were any other pitcher we might give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm at a loss as to what to do. The offense also was very so so. The bad run play by Brunlett killed a rally as did the SO by Howard?? UGH!!! Let's hope they can pull off a "W" tomorrow and not get swept before hitting the road. Glad to see Utley having the night off. I hope it helps clear the cob webs......— KarenA
- Anybody see Robin Roberts on Comcast this week commemorating his 60th anniversary in baseball. Pitchers were judged on whether they could "dominate" and "win their games". Pitchers were never judged on pitch counts, how close they kept their team, quality starts, and they certainly were not judged on how well Chris Wheeler could make a litany of lame excuses when you pitched poorly each game. Myers cannot win in the big leagues. Period. Sayonara, Brett....goatee and all. Style points don't win games.— Nick from the Northeast
- Is it really coming up on a week since the Phils had their last lead in a game?? This offense is horrible right now!— Clinton, NJ
- Puff puff give....dont f[]ck up the rotation!!— Clinton, NJ
- bski...no Gavinfloyditis...we saw him pitch up here and he was not very impressive. I don't want to see Carrasco, Bastardo, Golson, etc. traded for a rent a player. I'll trade Howard for Oswalt and some some new bats though.— jimmymack
- Don't be concerned with Eaton. He is what you see he is. I'd worry more about Ryan "Three Run" Madson taking up a valuable roster spot. He should be in "A" ball! And Cholly for even bringing him in. But he's only playing the hand he was dealt!— joedugan
- The BSKI ZONE. Karen A and others are not getting published because BSKI is outta control! He needs a friend. Who wants to be BSKI's friend and email him, text him, and call him? I nominate Norma and Clinton. For his part, Clinton nominates Mrs. Puff. In any event let's take care of BSKI so he doesn't drive us out of the blogosphere.— jrquixote
- Yeah Joe, very weak! It seems as if our fairy tale starting pitching may be coming to an end. We'll see what happens this time around, lets hope that Hamels and Moyer aren't the only starters that pitch well. If thats the case, considering this is the first day of summer, it could be a very long summer if these guys pitch like they did in the past week or so.— Clinton, NJ
- Wow. Weak effort on Friday.— Joe in Haddonfield
- bski, get a job! You definetly have too much time on your hands.— pat h
- MARK: This blog has been balky all day. I've lost a few myself. Just retry and hope it posts.— bski
- bski, sent you a response earlier but somehow it didn't show up here, guess they didn't like my answers?— Mark1npt
- ErikT.....you make a lot of sense....call PG right away would you?— Mark1npt
- ErikT.....you make a lot of sense....call PG right away would you?— Mark1npt
- ERIK T: No way. It is beyond dispute that pitching and defense wins championships. The Celtics just won the NBA title. They were the #1 defensive team in the league. They didn't outscore the Lakers, they shut them down. Jordan(who was first team all defense for like every year of his career) and his Bulls teams certainly won their titles with defense. The Giants just won the super bowl with defense by limiting the high powered Patriots to 14 points. The 2006 Cardinals held the high powered Tigers to 11 runs in 5 games while winning the world series 4 games to 1. The 2001 Diamondbacks certainly beat the potent Yankees with pitching(Schilling and Johnson). There are many, many examples of defense and pitching winning championships. I'm sure if you checked you would find that each year the champion in each league is at least in the top half defensively/pitching-wise. Any team having two pitchers like Schilling and Johnson, who will start at least four games of the seven in the series between them, is almost a lock to win it all. No question.— bski
- CLINTON NJ: Thanks— bski
- Im surprised Charlie boy left Eaton into bat in the bottom of the 5th. It seems Eaton never pitches well after 100 or so pitches, Charlie should have know better, but I guess he was seeing what Eaton was made of. Eaton pitched ok up until the 6th,he just threw too many pitches. The sad thing is the Mets just took 2 of 3 from this team. Well its a good thing we have our #1 going tomorrow...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA— Clinton, NJ
- bski, good reporting, and good blogging. That article hit the nail on the head. I think trading Myers is our best option, and even though his numbers stink, they should shop him as a closer if possible. I am against trading away prospects, and I think PG is too. Myers is a better closer than he is a starter, in my opinion. He did a good job closing last year, considering the short amount of time he had to prepare for it. I also think thats why he got hurt, he went from starting the previous 4-6 years, at least, to pitching almost every day. So I'd say, if possible, to trade Myers for a good starting pitcher. Will it happen...doubtful! And once again they are doing nothing on offense, its becoming to frequent!— Clinton, NJ
- Zo, you should know better. Philles fans will never move on from J.D. Drew. Nor should they.— slabold
- I think it's silly to move a star everyday player for a starting pitcher. The Phillies would be foolish to move Ryan Howard for a guy who MIGHT help you win once every 5th day. There is a fallacy in baseball (and in general, in all major sports) that you win with pitching/defense. While that may be true for a single season like the Ravens in 2001, long term success involves outscoring your opponents, whether we are talking the Yankees, Reds, the Edmomton Oilers, San Francisco 49ers or the Chicago Bulls. Considering the ballpark the Phillies play 82 games in, offense is even more important.— ErikT
- The second part of the article didn't post....here it is: To make a trade like that, they’d probably have to give up both of their two most advanced starting-pitching prospects, Carlos Carrasco and Antonio Bastardo. So if they lose Brad Lidge and their rent-a-starter to free agency, and Jamie Moyer retires, Brett Myers doesn’t rebound and Adam Eaton’s first half turns out to be a mirage, the Phillies’ pitching staff next year would essentially consist of Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson, an uncertain Myers and seven question marks. “So that’s a tough call,” said one NL executive. “Do you say, ‘Go for it, and the hell with next year’? Or do you think big picture, but maybe not have enough [pitching] to win this year? It’s a scary choice to have to make.” See, I told you. It's just what we are debating here. What would you do?— bski
- HEY EVERYBODY: Jayson Stark just wrote an article in his Rumblings and Grumblings that deals with exactly what we are talking about. Here it is: Phretting in Philly: With the help of a number of clubs that have spoken with the Phillies, we’ve assembled this shopping list of starting pitchers it appears they’ve at least kicked tires on: Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo and (surprisingly) Jarrod Washburn. Bedard just hit the market, so you can add his name any minute now. But those same clubs say the Phillies might have the hardest decisions to make of just about any team with win-the-World Series upside. If they go for it now — and decimate their still-thin system to deal for a big-name rent-a-pitcher like Sabathia or Burnett — this might be the only year they’d be capable of contending.— bski
- NORMA, JIMMYMACK, MARK: Thanks for the responses. I see that adding a top of the line pitcher is the preference, which isn't surprising. I have a few more questions.****NORMA: Management may know that we need another very good starter, but I'm more concerned if Ownership will allow Gillick to go get one. Did you happen to read the article about "The Teflonics" in Philadelphia Magazine a couple weeks ago? If not, I can give you the link. It's worth the time. The usual course for them is to wait until the end of the season, see how much money they made, and then determine what the payroll will be for the next year. My hope is that they will loosen the purse strings now. Attendance is up and will stay there as long as we're playing well. It would be nice to see them spend some of next year's money this year.*****JIMMYMACK: You specifically mention holding on to Carrassco. Is he the only young arm you would like to see us keep, or have you contracted a bad case of GavinFloyditis which prevents you from parting with any pitching prospects? (BTW, Thanks for the support)*******MARK: Sorry for compelling an answer from you, but since you did....Trading offense for pitching is your preference. Does that mean offense exclusively? Would you be ok parting with some pitching and, if so, whom? Who would be your untouchables on offense beyond the obvious guys like Utley and Rollins?(I would trade Howard as well) Who would be your untouchable pitchers, other than Hamels and Lidge. Or do you have no untouchables when it comes to getting a #1 starter?— bski
- NORMA, JIMMYMACK, MARK:— bski
- Bski...not that I really wanted to answer my own question but.....more pitching, then more pitching. I would sacrifice offense and trade some of Werth, Jenkins, Golson , Ruiz..oh wait I said offense, didn't I?..... heck I'd trade Howard if it brought me a true "Ace" for the rotation long term, and I don't consider Bedard for 3 years that ace....we can put Chase on 1st and get Cardenas up to play 2nd.....if Myers stays he should be in the pen, but I wouldn't upset the status of Durbin, Romero, Lidge. Let him pitch middle relief. If not, pawn him off on the White Sox and call it even for the Garcia trade....maybe they'll give us Thome back, we're still paying him anyway aren't we?.....Jim could take Howard's place at 1st....I'd take Maddux for one reason only and that is because he's won...divisions, world series, gold gloves, cy youngs, etc. He may teach the rest of our pitching staff stuff about winning that Dubee never could.....Sabathia? How do we afford to sign him? How many do we give up to get him, knowing that he's only 1 more cheeseburger away from a coronary?......time to pull some triggers and get it done, no waiting til the trade deadline. This team is still coasting, expecting to win, they appear lackadaisical most games....that doesn't cut it most nights, not against good teams, only lousy ones.....every player fearing for his job and the possibility of NOT playing for the Phils in the post season should be good motivation.— Mark1npt
- mick314.....My arm's not what it used to be. Rotator cuff injury. LOL! I'd be more than happy to do the "Mom" thing to whip the guys in shape. Maybe play bad cop to Charlie's good cop.— Norma
- What an uncompelling lack of vision. It was obvious the P.G. didn't do enough in the offseason mos ago. Everyone thought Myers was the answer except TRUTH. Now no one is holding mgmt repsonsible just crying for a top tier pitcher. TOO LATE!— Truth
- bski, keep posting, good stuff. I am not nearly as in love with Sabathia, as some are. Certainly not enough to trade Golson, Carrassco, etc. for any rent a player. But I'd be interested in what trades people think are out there and what we would have to give up. Or as Jim Salisbury suggests, find a way to get Myers back on track, although I still think we would be weak on SP, even if he does come back to to pitch effectively.— jimmymack
- Bench Brett and put Norma in the rotation. That will fire things up !— mick314
- I definitely think we need to add at least one more great starter to our rotation if we have any hope of a championship. I think management knows that, too. Hopefully they'll make some decisions by the trade deadline. Except for a couple of games, Flash has done a good job as set-up man. But he still makes me nervous. If we don't have a decent lead, he definitely feels the pressure. I vote using Myers to set-up and bringing Durbin in to start. Maybe see what Eaton does his next couple of starts, before deciding what to do with him. If he's not pitching well, I imagine he would be pretty hard to trade since we still owe him a ton of $$$$. I think our offense is fine. As long as no one slumps in late Sept.!— Norma
- KAREN A: Thanks to you, as well.*****I believe I'm correct in stating that the general consensus here is the Phils, as constructed, do not have enough to win the WS. In that case, I think Mark asked the $1 million question: What do we do? I would like everyone to answer that question. Do you think we should stay with what we have? If so, why? Do you think a little tinkering by Gillick will improve the club enough to make a run? If so, what kind of minor upgrades will help us that much? If you truly feel that our only shot is to make a big time move(like getting a #1 starter), how much would you be willing to give up in order to get it. Understanding that we will have to give in order to get, how many of our top players or prospects would you be willing to part with in order to make a major trade, and who would they be? Who in our organization is untouchable? I look forward to hearing what each of you thinks.— bski
- bski: A couple of my posts from yesterday never made it for some reason, but I agreed with a couple of your suggestions. I'd also like to second Norma's support. I thought your comments did just what this blog is supposed to do, discuss our beloved Phillies amongst us bloggers here at the "Phillies Zone". I think we are so close to that world series championship promiseland that would break our 25 yr. champship draught here in the City of Brotherly Love that we hope that the Phils' management is actively pursuing whatever it takes to get the team there. Myers for Sabbathia??? GO PHILLIES!— KarenA
- NORMA: Thanks. My intention was, and always is, to engage everyone here in a more involved conversation about our Phils, not to take over the blog.— bski
- I guess we hope the team finds some consistency and a very good pitcher fall in our lap. The reality we most likely will not get a #1 or even a #2 type of pitcher. So if that is the case, I say we get a #3 pitcher, because at least he will give us a better chance to win on a consistent basis. I know he is way past his prime, but I think Greg Maddux could really help this team. He is professional, a good worker, a positive influence in the clubhouse, and still a pitcher with an ERA under 4.00. That is #2 status on the Phils' roster. While I like Kendrick and Moyer, neither guy is a #3. Plus we have our Opening Day #1 pitching like a #4....for Lehigh Valley. If some team wants to trade for Meyers as their closer, I think the Phils need to seriously consider that possibility. As for offense, I'm afraid the consistency problem will....consistently be a problem. At this point, we just have to live with it because the current lineup will not all-of-a-sudden find that consistency. I guess we take the bad with the good.— MrPhillie
- Clinton, NJ.......How dare you blame Chase's slump on me!!! LOL!— Norma
- I like the following lineup because of its balance.Rollins,Victorino,Werth,Utley,Howard,Burrell,Coste,Feliz. Utley should be in the cleanup spot because he is a better contact hitter and strikes out less than Howard.— penn state man
- bski......Post away! All opinions welcome!— Norma
- MrPhillie, you hit the nail on the head......so what do we do?— Mark1npt
- I like the Phils' basic team this year, but you have to be concerned about a team that talks big (World Series contenders) but fails to show up. Losing two to the Cardinals and Red Sox in itself isn't horrible, but losing to them while they are both missing their best players (Pujols, Ortiz, and Ramirez for part of the series) and not facing their best pitchers is not the stuff of champions. Whether the problem is pitching (SP average at best...even WITH Hamels) or poor situational hitting (RISP is poor; no consistency; $11 mill 1st baseman continuing to hit .215 and ready to break the K record yet again...by August), the Phillies just do not look like a serious threat in the post-season. At their current pace, they may win the division but promptly lose in the 1st round. Heck, five years ago I woul've taken that possibility and been happy. But now that we have a decent team, we get greedy and want more while we have the chance. Maybe it's the 25 years without a championship in Philly that causes that to happen.— MrPhillie
- I blame Utleys slump on NORMA!!!!!!! Norma=JINX!— Clinton, NJ
- NICK: Just killing some time on an off day and let my thoughts run. So sorry to offend.— bski
- Nobody gets my baby!!!— Clinton, NJ
- The BSKI Zone. Maybe he can borrow Clinton's blow up doll when he isn't using it. That would cut down on his 10 posts per hour. BSKI, freedom of speech notwithstanding, find a new toy. Enough is enough. 'Nuff said.— Nick from the Northeast
- Bottom line...can our offense beat the D-backs pitching staff???? I can see it now, come October, thats what the dilema will be!— Clinton, NJ
- CHEWY59: The same message goes for you, as well. In addition, with regard to the disparity in ERA between Coste and Ruiz; I believe that Coste has caught most, if not all, of Myers' starts. If so, I attribute any difference in catcher ERA to Myers and not to Coste. As far as Jenkins and Werth, I just get the feeling that neither one of them is playing enough to really get comfortable. This limits what each of them gives us individually and in turn what we get from the position of right field collectively. Werth, for one, played much better when he was the everyday centerfielder in Victorino's absence.— bski
- BOBBY & TRDOUGHERTY: I agree completely that pitching is the name of the game, especially come playoff time. Let me explain where I'm coming from. The reason I started this whole plan B debate is because I doubt very much that we will pick up a #1 or #2 starter. Two years ago Gillick picked up Moyer. Last year he picked up Lohse. At best I expect more of the same this year. If I read both of you correctly, neither of you would say that adding a Moyer/Lohse level pitcher will set us up for the playoffs. While it's always possible Gillick may surprise us with a big pick up(he may have another McGriff/Fernandez for Carter/Alomar up his sleeve), I find it unlikely. A couple weeks ago, a lot was made about the fact that the Phils had a pile of draft picks. We were told it was very important for them to restock the farm system. Do either of you think Gillick is going to turn around and package the few prospects we have to pick up a top of the rotation starter now? Do you think he should? I don't, especially if he's only getting a half-year rental in return. If we have a few prospects who can truly help us starting next year, I'd rather hold on to them and just go as far as we can this year with what we have. That's where my plan B of adding another bat came from. I realize that pitching wins championships but, in lieu of that, outscoring people may be our best option this year. Maybe I went with the wrong plan B. If we're going to roll the dice, I'd prefer to bring up a starter from the minors to take Myers' spot in the rotation. That will allow us to move Myers to the pen where he can pitch the 7th or 8th inning and help out Gordon, who can't handle as much work as he is getting. I think that would be a better, less costly gamble than trading several prospects for a pitcher at the deadline.— bski
- Regarding the Phils' chances, I agree with the bulk of the posters here; they're competitive and probably contenders and I expect them to make the playoffs, but their SP (while not at all bad) has to be about one front-of-rotation guy better for them to have realistic chances of going all the way. I'd expected Myers to be that, and he still might be, but he's yet to prove it. No need to change the offense at all. There will be some appropriate SPs available at (maybe before) the trade deadline; question is, at what price? And should the Phils pay it? This team is very close to its peak years right now; Howard will be gone in a couple of years, Burrell might be gone after THIS year, and Rollins FAs in 2012. Of the core, only Utley is around for a while (until 2013). So maybe this IS the time to trade the upcoming talent for a stud rental SP (though that would mean the Phils will enter a losing mode soon for a few years). I personally am against that; I like the idea of having a team that'll be a continual postseason threat, but I completely understand the opposite viewpoint.— marty
- Truth, your like those green head flies on the beach. Nasty,annoying,makes you stay away from the beach. Were 10 games over .500, 1st place survived injuries to Rollins and slumps from Utley and Howard , our #1 pitcher has been terrible. Our leader is Manuel, the players love him they won't quit on him. Besides look at the big picture, we need money freed up for Burrell, Howard and Hammels. How's Rowands leadership in San Fran ? Thier in last place.Were in great shape to run away with this division. As for the play-offs thats mostly whos hot and gets the breaks anyway. ALL WE NEED IS TO GET THERE ! The problem with green-heads flies, they don't go away. So I guess will have to put up with your negativity ...— pat h
- Thankfully someone has mentioned the main source of the ill's facing this team, Aaron Rowand. They miss him dearly. They could have signed have signed him 3/40mil and overpaid to win a series this year but didnt. CHEAPNESS will destroy you everytime. How good would his .300 plus avg look in our 6 hole? Not to mention his leadership.— Truth
- Thankfully someone has mentioned the main source of the ill's facing this team, Aaron Rowand. They miss him dearly. They could have signed have signed him 3/40mil and overpaid to win a series this year but didnt. CHEAPNESS will destroy you everytime. How good would his .300 plus avg look in our 6 hole? Not to mention his leadership.— Truth
I've been a Phillies fan for 40+ years and have been reading this blog (painful as it is at times) for 2. Yes, there are high hopes for the Phils, but I don't recall a single instance of anyone here claiming that they are "an elite team." On the contrary, I think we all see the weak spots very clearly and most of the talk on here involves how to improve the club so we can be playing in October.— bobby
Don't we all think it's time to put away any talk about the Phillies being an elite team? Yes, they are a very dangerous team. And, yes, they have quite a bit of talent .. in some areas. But, once again, this team will only go as far as its pitching will take it. Right now, any of us who has followed the Philles for 40 or more years will say that this team's pitching is not very good. The big guy with the weird eyebrows has proven again and again this year that, as a starter, he's regressed. His concentration is awful. Hamels has been good, and Moyer is servicable. But, this pitching staff isn't fearsome. And, in October, it's all about the pitching.- I don't see any way around the need for a 2nd strong starting pitcher. No news there, right? And I really don't see a "Plan B" if we can't get one. The Phils bench players (Werth, Jenkins, Dobbs, Bruntlett, Toguchi, and yes, Coste) should be able to provide enough offensive punch. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pick up a solid bat that's proven (think Jeff Conine of a few years ago), but to me that's a very small part of the puzzle. A quick look at this pitching staff and trying to come up with a playoff rotation, and it becomes very apparent that there's a huge hole. The steps Phils management takes (or doesn't take) to fill that hole will likely determine how far this team goes this season.— bobby
- Also glad today is off day. Gives everyone a chance to regroup/re-energize and getting ready to kick some butt tomorrow. bski: nice analysis--lots of positive and constructive ideas.— KarenA
- CHEWY59: Thanks for your input. I did say that adding a bat would be plan B, right? I threw this out there as an "in case we can't land another starter" scenario. I would love to pick up a bona fide #1 or #2 starter. It's just that at the deadline there usually isn't much out there. When you add the fact that we will be involved in a bidding war and most likely give up a lot in order to get one of the few decent offerings, it doesn't seem to be a very likely scenario. The only guy I feel would be worth going after is Bedard. We will give up a lot to get him, but he's still got a couple years left on his contract so we'll have him for a while(Mark, I know you don't want 3 lefties on the staff---no good for CBP). I don't like picking up 1/2 year rental pitchers at all. Too pricey for what you get. You know, after all that typing it occurred to me that what we are really missing is Aaron Rowand. He would be the ideal solution to the lineup. Werth and Jenkins may turn out to be fine, but they are not giving us what Rowand did. The dip in productivity from him to them is noticeable. I'm not saying that I would've gone the 5 years to keep him, but I wish he was still here.— bski
- It may not be time for panic as much as people think..... there are 66 games after the all-star break; currently only 23 of them will be against teams with a winning record. Of course, this assumes that teams like the Mets and Braves stay below .500, but for now the softest part of the schedule is upcoming. If the Phils have 50-55 wins by the break, they'll be fine.— drbob1
- I too am glad today is an off day. Hope they can regroup/reenergize and come out kicking butt tomorrow. Great insight, bski!— KarenA
- Although I put some blame on the front office for the JD Drew situation I will continue to hate him for the rest of my life. As for the Phils I'm not sold on them being a World Series contender just yet. If somehow we could clone 4 more Hamels and keep the bats at least lukewarm, then I would say we have a real good shot (Gotta remember though these Phils dont hit in cold weather=BIG problem come October). As for realistically becoming a World Series contender and not just backing into the thing because the NL is a little soft, we need at least 1 more great starting pitcher, we need a rookie or someone who isnt on the team right now to come up and shine, and we need to be consistent throughout the entire rest of the year. Do those things and maybe just maybe i'll have to take off for a parade this year.— davemarsh
- bski, I got to disagree with you on a few things. First, I love Coste's bat, but the team ERA is a half a run lower per game when Ruiz starts. His bat sucks right now but I really don't care, all that bothers me is how he hits into inning ending double plays... if he can cut down on that then he is fine. Jenkins hasn't been bad. He is a bit of a slump right now, but a couple weeks ago he was hitting .290 and no one complained then. Jenkins will get hot again and be fine. Same with Werth. We are getting good production from those two, we will be just fine. Also, breaking up the lefties. Your comment makes sense as conventional wisdom, but when you look the numbers it doesn't as much. Utley actually hits for a higher average vs lefties (.307 compared to .286 vs RHP). Howard, well he just has sucked against them. So think about this, if teams only have 1 lefty to use... they will save him to use against Howard. Right now they are actually doing us a favor but using him against Utley. But ultimately, I don't like your solution of trying to improve the offense. We cannot make a run through the playoffs trying to outslug teams. Our pen is good, and our rotation is good enough to eat innings and get us through the regular season. But we need a #2 starter to make any noise in the postseason. I hoped Myers would be that guy but so far no dice. Good pitching beats good hitting in the playoffs. We need that 1-2 punch.— Chewy59
- Regarding Drew - we need to let that go. What people fail to realize is that half of the problem was with the Phillies Front Office. They knew his demands before they drafted him....and weren't willing to move on their offer.— CRK
- Now we’re down to the nitty gritty. I would like to see the Phils add a really solid, productive, right hand hitter(or switch hitter), every day, difference making outfielder(centerfielder or rightfielder—Victorino can play the other spot). Do what you must to clear Jenkins out. If we can make this addition, we can have a lineup like this: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, New Outfielder, Howard, Burrell, Coste, Feliz, Pitcher. My hope is that this would separate our left handed hitters, bring more balance to the lineup, make us less vulnerable to left handed pitching, bump a couple lesser hitters lower in the lineup, all of which should translate to incresed and more consistent offensive production. Another selling point is that we would have a solid outfielder on the roster for next year, which would help if we don't re-sign Burrell. Well, that is my thought process. Let me know what you think.— bski
- I really think that one of the biggest differences between the AL and NL teams is the fact that most AL teams have a much tougher bottom of the order than NL teams do. Even taking the DH out of the equation(the DH replaces the pitcher in the 9 spot), the 6-7-8 hitters in the AL are better than the 6-7-8 hitters in the NL, for the most part. Who would we replace. When you look at what I’ve just laid out, I’m talking about replacing someone in the 6-7-8 spots. That means Feliz, Jenkins, and Ruiz.(Werth and Dobbs are bench guys). To narrow it further, I don’t see us getting rid of Feliz. Manuel has raved about his defense and 3rd base has been a trouble spot for us since Rolen left. If he can solidify 3rd base I’m ok with him. I just don’t really want him hitting 6th. So we are down to Ruiz and Jenkins. I would love to get more out of both spots but if I have to choose one, I’ll choose Jenkins. Catcher needs to be addressed and upgraded, but for now I would rather see Coste catch 3/4 of our remaining games. His extra offensive production should make a difference.— bski
- I don’t think we can expect much more from either Rollins, Utley, or Burrell. Howard could give us more, but I’m really starting to believe that 2006 was just an out of sight, career year, and we are going to continue getting more of what we are seeing now. I’m ok with what Victorino is giving us. He may be able to do a bit more, but I’m not expecting big increases in his numbers. At most his avg and obp could climb as he becomes a more mature hitter and that would be great. The production we are getting from those guys is not our major problem. The problem is that they are our first five hitters in the lineup and after that it gets dicey. For the last few years we’ve had a 4 spot gap in our lineup. That’s why we don’t score if we don’t hit homeruns. It is impossible to consistently keep rallies alive(or start them for that matter) and keep pushing runs across when you aren’t getting much out of 4 consecutive spots in the batting order(after all you only get 3 outs per inning). Think about it. Most of the time we score when the top of the lineup gets on and the middle drives them in. We don’t score that often or that much when the middle guys get on to start an inning. When the bottom of the order starts an inning, we’re in the same situation. Rollins comes up with 2 outs and the bases empty. It’s tough to start a rally then.— bski
- Its not time to move on with JD Drew. Sure I dont think anyone is still really upset with what he did in the past, but when you havent won a championship in 100 season, sometimes booing is all you got. We cant all be as lucky (or as good cheaters) as the Boston teams.— Greg S
- As I have stated here several times, if we are talking about making a championship run, I am concerned. If we are worried about giving up too much and gutting the farm system in an attempt to add another starter from the pool of less than stellar possibilities, maybe we should go with plan B and add a bat. I know it sounds a bit off to suggest adding a bat to our already potent lineup but, as we've been seeing, our already potent lineup struggles to score consistently against good teams. You know, like the ones we'll be facing in the playoffs. I am going to lay out my reasoning and then you can all let me know what you think. This is going to take more than one post, so stick with me. Here goes:— bski
- geektothecorenj........Excellent point about "struggling while on top". Glad this is an off-day. Not just for the players' sake, but for mine, too! LOL!— Norma
- I'm not worried about Chase, himself. He'll definitely turn it around soon. The thing that concerns me, is our losing record during this slump. I would hate to think he's carrying the team, but no one is really picking him up like the team has done during other players slumps. Not that I really believe in *picking up* a player. EVERYONE should be playing 110%, every game!— Norma
- Great to see positive comments- I agree- this team shouild make for an interesting summer & I hope an interesting fall as well. GO PHILLIES!— Molly
- Id rather be struggling while on top then having to dig out of a hole that was dug early on. The bats will come a live again its just a matter of time. Only true concern is Meyers.— geektothecorenj
- Not worried about Utley. I really think he'll come around soon (hopefully starting Friday!). Defensively opposing teams are also playing against him differently of late also. I too am not worried about the Phils. I think they're too good of team to faulter (God I hope so!) Go Phils— KarenA
- I'll commence the talk amongst ourselves--Your Phillies are 6-6 against pretty tough competition. Stop complaining all this means is that gm 7 or gm 5 of a playoff would decide it. Unless the bats go completely flat or the pitching tanks...RELAX— Truth
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
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