WORLD SERIES HANGOVER OR BROKEN MACHINE?
by John Leon
Pundits, radio talk show hosts, ESPN and God knows who else, are wondering what’s wrong with the Phillies this season. The problems have been numerous and before we even get into what is wrong and possible fixes, let’s remind ourselves of one thing.
They’re STILL in first place as of June 26th! Not by much but still….
THE PROBLEMS
First and foremost are the injuries and although every team, at one time or another goes through it, not one team will publicly make excuses for them. Now you and I know that, in private, the thinking is, “Boy, if this guy or that guy hadn’t gotten hurt….” Well, history will show that teams that stay healthy usually win or at least make a run at a championship. Last year was a case in point. Yes, they lost Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, etc. for short periods of time, but this year is a different animal. The laundry list is long and takes a major toll on the reserves. Hamels (twice), Brett Myers, Scott Eyre, Brad Lidge, Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz, Clay Condrey. Add in the suspension of J.C. Romero and M.A.S.H looks tame compared to them. Antonio Bastardo went down last night and that didn’t look good at all. The bullpen has been taxed, the troubles of Jamie Moyer and the inconsistency of Hamels adds up to disaster if they don’t get it straightened out.
CAREER YEARS
Last year everything fell into place offensively. Howard carried them in September, Utley gutted out a hip injury to play stellar defense, Rollins won another Gold Glove, and Jason Werth earned himself a new contract. The bench with Greg Dobbs and Matt Stairs was phenomenal, but this season…well, let’s just say the engine’s only hitting on 5 cylinders.
Jimmy Rollins has been laboring offensively and it’s starting to affect his glove. Mental mistakes, errors and over-thinking have led to a benching of the former MVP.
Werth has struggled, but at times has looked like he’s starting to come out of it and his defense has been tremendous. Ruiz, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz have been consistent both ways while Utley has been the All-Star after the hip and is emerging as a leader on and off the field. Howard will get his numbers and Ibanez has to be seriously considered an MVP candidate.
Dobbs has struggled, Stairs is OK but Eric Bruntlett and Chris Coste have been disappointing. Lou Marson pick up the white phone, your call to Philly awaits.
BAD BASEBALL
For a veteran team that prided itself on making the right play and shutting teams down defensively, they have been playing horrid situational baseball. Not getting runners over, failing to score with bases loaded and none out (See Jason Werth’s 5-2-3 DP vs. Tampa Bay) and Pedro Feliz forgetting how many outs there were in, at the time, a 6-4 game with Stairs on first and a Bruntlett fly ball with one out. Huh? Just some of the most inconsistent (notice a pattern here) baseball so far. Shooting themselves in the foot has led to losses.
MENTAL FATIGUE
In the beginning everyone was giddy over the ring ceremony, the love and personal appearances of the returning heroes. The team was playing well and then…..Harry. That cannot be understated enough how his sudden departure forced the team to run the emotional gambit. The high and lows of suddenness does take a toll and probably played a part in the early going. Add in the horrid home record, of all things, and the guys pressing trying to please the fans and themselves.
REPAIRS
Every team knows the Phils are looking for pitching and bench, but at what cost does Ruben Amaro want to pay. They have the pieces in place already but they are missing something. Again, the engine just isn’t firing on all cylinders as yet. REMINDER, they’re still in first place amazingly so let’s not consider jumping off the Walt Whitman here.
My Thoughts;
- Ride it out. One would think that they can’t be this bad all year and the All-Star break may be just what the doctor ordered.
- Rollins will not be this bad all year. He will get going at some point and if he hits .250 after his start, the team will take it.
- It may be time to bring up a Kyle Drabek, Joe Savory or Carlos Carrasco. J.A. Happ has been good and you need pitching so why not? It’ll be easier to get an arm for the pen or a bat off the bench, rather than a starter, plus the kids get their feet wet. Shot in the arm maybe?
- Lidge will be better. 48-48 was unrealistic but if he blows only 8-10 saves would you take it? Remember, last season the Mets blew 29 saves and only finished 3 games out. If he’s healthy, the back end is solid with Romero, Durbin, Eyre, Madson, Jack Taschner and Chan Ho Park, who has found his niche in the pen.
- Ibanez will be back, Rollins will hit and the pitching should right itself.
I’m not being optimistic but realistic. Everyone needs to take a breath and settle down. June 26 and they have a ½ game lead over the Mets, who at last look weren’t setting speed records with their dysfunctional team. Florida’s hot right now but we saw how that goes already earlier, win 12, lose 13 and fade away.
Let’s see after the break and then reassess. There are still 90 more to play.
Nice article John. In regards to “It may be time to bring up a Kyle Drabek, Joe Savory or Carlos Carrasco.” I think you may have missed the one guy that might be next in line, Vance Worley. He’s started 14 games already at Reading and has a 3.67 ERA and opponents are only batting .229 against him. Admittedly, his last two starts have been two of his worst though.
I’d love to see Drabek get a chance but I don’t see the Phils risking a shot to his confidence right now or wanting to start the clock on arbitration eligibility. Worley’s a guy they’d be willing to deal, so if he could string together a few nice games, we might be able to package him with some other pieces for a frontline starter.
Good analysis. It seems like this team goes through this aggravating stretch every year. I think Chalie should tinker a bit with Rollins once he’s back in the lineup. My suggestion is batting him 3rd against righties and 6th against lefties. If he is batting behind guys who get on base it could help him shake out of it – instead of trying to do it all himself. Once he gets going, move him back to leadoff, if that is the plan.
How about we switch rotations with Reading. It seems like they have a pretty solid 1-2-3. I can’t remember ever being able to say that. That being said, I think Carpenter should be the guy, at least for now. He has been pitching very well in AAA. I would like Carrasco to have some success in AAA before seeing him up with the Phillies. I haerd he is pitching better recently but he needs to do more of it.
Carpenter might be the best stopgap option but I don’t really see him as being a prospect other teams would gain interest in from showcasing. If you’re solely talking about trying to pick up a few wins, he might be the way to go.
Yeah I do not think the Phillies have to worry much about “showcasing” anybody. Teams that are out of it would just as much take a guy dominating in AA as they would a guy thrown into the fire in the majors. Agreed that Carpenter is not as big a name as some of the others but he may be the most ready – even if it is as an inning eating middle reliever.
Thanks guys. Forgot about Carpenter and also missed the lack of a running game that was so effective last season. But then when your leadoff guy isn’t getting on it becomes a moot point
Agree with all points and just want to throw this in the mix: Lack of a bench. Other than Matt Stairs, who’s hitting? Dobbs is not the same player as the past two years, Coste is struggling as bad as he has since becoming a major leaguer, and Bruntlett is officially stealing money. Who does he have nude pictures of amongst the Phillies Brass?
I do think once Ibanez comes back and Lidge and Condrey return and prove to be healthy they will start to show improvement. (I know Lidge is back, but i’d love to see if he’s healthy.)