Salvage Yard

I had been building the narrative for this post for the better part of the past six days. The last week was like a crime scene for the Phillies offense. There was a mountain of evidence and a lot of carnage in those box scores. The Phils entered today's series finale against the Rockies trying to avoid a sweep and trying to score more than one run for the first time since Monday. Yikes.

Then today happened and the Phillies managed to salvage a win as well as some dignity with a solid offensive display.  As opposed to the completely offensive display from the prior four games.

Somehow the dormant Phillies offense showed signs of life. But before we get to today, there are some stats that must be pointed out about the four games the Phillies played before putting up 10 runs (they needed all 10).

The Phillies scored 3 runs in the last 4 games entering Sunday.

The Phillies had 18 hits in the last 4 games, none of them for extra bases.

The Phillies had 4 walks in the last 4 games.

After lauding them for seeming much more patient at the plate through two weeks of the season, they  retreated to their same old tricks. Here are the pitch totals and the amount of pitchers used during these four games. 

115 - 1 - Braves

103 - 1 - Braves

110 - 3 - Rockies

114 - 3 - Rockies

I can't go any further on this topic because it makes my head hurt when I try to comprehend.

Also, you can see from the tweets by  Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) some really outlandish things the Phils managed to accomplish during this four game stretch.

But let's talk about what allowed me to alter the narrative, if ever so slightly. They got off the extra base hit schnide in the first inning with a Jimmy Rollins line drive home run to right field. Jimmy finished the day 3-4 with a walk and 2 RBI. His second run batted in of the game was a clutch two out hit in the bottom of the 8th that gave the Phils some extra insurance that the bullpen obviously cashed in right away. And Jimmy didn't even have the best day at the plate for the Phightins.

The Big Piece delivered today. Ryan Howard went 4-5 with a home run, a triple (You can't teach speed," Larry Andersen quipped), and 3 RBI. Out of the four hits he may have actually only hit one ball on the nose and that was a triple to the left center field gap. Howard's home run was an old-fashioned pop-up that managed to clear the fence in left. The thin air in Colorado aside, every part of Coors Field is deep so it was impressive to see the Piece capable of muscling that ball out of the park when he clearly didn't get all of it.

The offense churned out fifteen hits, including seven for extra bases, but they still only managed to squeeze out a one run victory over a Rockies team that just mashes the ball in their home stadium. Entering the game they were hitting .349 at home and .249 on the road. It's early but telling.

Roberto Hernandez had easily his worst start of the season, giving up six runs in 4+ innings after not allowing more than three earned runs in his first four starts. His ERA went from 3.86 to 5.75. He left the game with the Phils trailing 6-3 but then the offense turned it on to the tune of seven runs over the course of the next three innings. 

Hernandez, as well as the bullpen, did about the worst job you could possibly do sustaining momentum for a team who's offense remembered how to hit after awaking from a coma in the first inning. The Phillies scored in five of nine innings today and Phillies' pitching gave up runs in the bottom half of those innings four out of five times. That's a recipe for disaster. 

 

The usual suspects let the Phillies down yet again. BJ Rosenberg was unable to make it out of the seventh inning even when gifted a double play after back-to-back brilliant plays made by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. Rollins cutting a runner down at home after making a diving stop with the infield in, followed by Utley winning a challenge tagging the Rockies runner with his foot off second base. After this kind of play you figure it might just go your way today.

When Jake Diekman came in and missed his down and away location with an up and down the middle breaking ball that Michael Cuddyer sent into the seats in right tying it at 8-8 you thought, maybe this day isn't going to go your way today. Some how, the offense was resilient and clawed out the much needed win. Jonathan Papelbon came on in the 9th and allowed two men to reach base but he completed his fourth save in a row.

Despite the historically bad stretch the Phils only lost three of the last five games and have to be feeling good about sending Cliff Lee, AJ Burnett, Cole Hamels, and Kyle Kendrick to the mound for a four game set with Yasiel Puig and the Dodgers. Here's to late nights this week.

NL East Standings through three weeks of play:

Braves - 12-6

Nationals - 11-8

Mets - 9-9

Marlins - 9-10

Phillies - 8-10

Bringing it back like baking soda - Werth Watch 

Jayson Werth

Avg: .262 OB: 351 Slg: 446 HR: 3 RBI: 11 R: 11 

I'm also going to keep running tabs on several other former Phillies that may be of interest for you stat geeks like me. Let me know if you'd like me to add any one to the list in the comments section.

Shane Victorino

Has yet to play this season. On the shelf with a hamstring for the defending champ Red Sox.

Hunter Pence

Avg: .188 OB: 291 Slg: 290 HR: 1 RBI: 3 R: 9