It's a Tough Watch

The Phils return home this week after a west-coast trip that saw them play two teams playing better baseball than them. They took two of three from the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants and salvaged a split in a 4 game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks. A 4-3 road trip against good competition is nothing to complain about, but I’m going to anyway.

These Phillies are just a tough watch, whether they win or not. As a fan, the two wins they got Saturday and Sunday were great but man it was painful watching them get there. After winning the first two games of the trip 6-2 in San Francisco the Phils’ bats basically went silent for 5 games save an inning or two here and there. It’s getting close to the point where we can say if Chase Utley or Ryan Howard are not carrying this team offensively then nobody else seems willing or capable to get this team wins, other than the starting pitchers.

Let’s first take a look at the run production during the trip after the initial two games, which I’ll admit came out of nowhere after splitting a home series with that disastrous ball club they call the Marlins. On Wednesday the Phillies did not score until the 4^th inning, a solo home run by Kevin Frandsen. They did not score again until a dramatic 9^th inning rally that saw them tie the game 3-3 only to lose it in the 10^th. They showed some fight there, but scoring once in the first 8 innings is not a recipe for success.

I stayed up and watched the entire game Thursday night. I felt robbed of an extra two hours of sleep getting to bed just before midnight to watch that shlop. Cole Hamels started the game Thursday and his season is becoming the 2013 version of Cliff Lee’s 2012 season. The Phils flat out don’t hit when their best pitcher (technically, I guess?) is on the hill. The Phillies are 1-7 when Hamels starts and they have scored a total of 6 runs in his last 6 starts. Read that sentence again and try not to claw your eyes out. In his last 6 starts Hamels has allowed the following earned run totals: 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 2. He got the win in one of those games and that stands as his only win of the season. These numbers I’m throwing at you are a main reason why you should not look at pitcher’s win-loss record as an indicator of how he is pitching. Hamels has certainly walked far too many batters this season but thus far it hasn’t cost him and he’s the tough luck recipient of a 1-5 record through his first 8 starts. It makes me sick.

Friday night, let’s see. I feel like Harry Doyle here. The Phils dropped a tough one Friday after leading for just about the entire game behind great pitching from Triple A call-up Tyler Cloyd. Antonio Bastardo allowed an inherited runner to score to tie the game in the 7^th and Mike Adams came in for the 8^th to promptly allow the winning run to score. Once again, the Phils bats were silent virtually the entire game. Much to my chagrin, Jimmy Rollins hit the first pitch of the game out of the ballpark. That raises Jimmy’s average when swinging at the first pitch to just over .075. Just kidding, but seriously. The Phils pushed another run across the plate in the first with a Dom Brown single and that was all she wrote for the Phils scoring any runs Friday night. Pathetic.

Saturday night Cliff Lee was Cliff Lee. He went 7 strong and did not allow a run. I joked to my buddies that Cliff would need to pitch the Dbacks down to a score of -1 or the Phillies would not win. It took them until the 5^th to get a run across and they added an insurance run in the 7^th and 8^th for good measure to take the ball game 3-1. Lee figured in both of the first two runs by getting sacrifice bunts down. Lee finished the game 0-0 with 3 sacrifice bunts. That’s doing your job. Guess who else did their job in this game? Charlie Manuel and Jonathan Papelbon. Bastardo was called upon in the 8^th but struggled to get outs so with men on the corners and 1 out in the 8^th out came Charlie and in came Pap. To quote Lebron James, “Its about damn time”  (Charlie did this). Pap has been a step above solid in save situations this season and Saturday was no different when he was called upon to get 5 outs. Pap allowed the man on 3^rd to score on a sac fly in the 8^th and worked out of a men on second and third one out jam in the 9^th to earn his 6^th save.

Then came Sunday. Man oh man, Sunday’s game was painful, until is wasn’t. To illustrate my point of Howard and Utley carrying this team I’ll point out that Utley was 3 for his last 14 entering Sunday’s game and Howard... Oh, The Big Piece. Howard was busy this road trip dropping his average from .282 to below .250. Howard was mired in the midst of an Ohhh forrr Seeveeennnteeeennn! That included a marvelous 0-5 4 K performance Saturday night. The Phils swung early and got hits in this game, but basically none when it counted until the 9^th inning. Entering the 9^th it looked just a bit worse than bleak, but somehow the Phillies figured out how to win like it was 2007 and not 2013. Chase Utley led off with a double for his 3^rd hit of the ball game and scored on a Delmon Young opposite field double to right. Dom Brown followed with a big time clutch single that scored pinch-runner John Mayberry. This game was headed to extras. In the 10^th Rollins singled and Utley followed that with his 4^th hit of the game and second double. The Big Piece waltzed up to the plate carrying that horrific Oh fer 17 slump on his shoulders against lefthander Matt Reynolds. Howard is hitting .184 against lefties this season. No matter, he found a pitch up in the zone and with the infield in he found a spot in right field for a game winning 2 RBI single. What sweet redemption for Howard and the Phillies on the road trip. Papelbon came in despite the 29 pitch 5 out effort the night before and shut the door in the bottom of the 10^th. Phils win 4-2.

So obviously it was a successful road trip but like I said it’s just a tough watch. If you are the kind of baseball fan I am and you’re watching these games you know it can be excruciating. The Phils just don’t make good baseball plays. Take Thursday night for example when John Mayberry was forced out at second on (what would have been) a base hit to the outfield. It killed the only Phillies rally in that game. Also, I’m not sure where everyone stands on this, but as far as I’m concerned the Phillies should outlaw swinging at the first pitch of an at bat. Jimmy Rollins does this all the time. I don’t have the stats on it, but they can’t be good. Another great example comes from Thursday night’s game. Delmon Young led off the 9^th inning of a one run game and grounded out to second on the first pitch he saw. What is the thought process there? The Phils desperately need a base runner so why not see if you can work the count, maybe draw a walk or get yourself into a hitter’s count where the pitcher most likely has to throw a fastball for a strike for fear of a walk. No, let’s not do that they must think. Let’s think about myself and what I think is the best chance for the team and swing at the first pitch. I just don’t get it.

The Phils continue to tread water at 18-21 and are miraculously only 4 games back of the slumping Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. Things could certainly be worse. The Los Angeles Angels have all kinds of talent up and down their roster including reigning Rookie of the Year Mike Trout, a well-known man by the name of Albert Pujols, and the crown jewel of the free agency off season Josh Hamilton. Hamlton is hitting .203 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI. He is owed 17 million in 2014, 25 million in 2015, 32 million in 2016, and 32 million in 2017 – guaranteed. Maybe Ruben Amaro finally made the right call not to splurge there. Pujols meanwhile is hitting .234 with 5 home runs and 20 RBI. I can’t get into every year remaining in his contract but know that he will be making 29 million in 2020 at the age of 40, and 30 million in 2021 at the age of 41 – guaranteed. Yikes! The Angels are currently 14-23 and 10 games back of the Rangers. The Astros, a team stuck in a battle with the Marlins for worst team of the last 20 years, are the only thing keeping them out of last place. This is Schadenfreude at its best, if you will.

Until next time, #LetsGoPhils

Also, here's some up to date standings which you can't be too upset with:

Braves 21-16 -

Nationals 21-17 1 GB

Phillies 18-21 4 GB

Mets 14-20 5.5 GB