Philadelphia Phillies: If the Season Ended Today

The Phillies have owned the NL East since the 2007 season and there is still plenty of time for them to turn things around this season. Typically, GMs and ownership use the 40-game mark to evaluate the team.

Well, Ruben Amaro Jr. rumors of kicking the tires on possibly dealing stars such as Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino surfaced this week and if the Phillies do not have plans to sign them after this season, Amaro should deal them. I’m not saying I want that to happen, but it’s better than losing them for nothing.

So while Phillies fans hope Ryan Howard and Chase Utley return and spark the offense and pray the team can improve on its 3-9 record when aces Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee start, let’s see how the season would look if it ended today around the NL and AL.

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Why Ruben Amaro Jr. May Blow Up Phillies’ Roster Come July

Today’s Captain Obvious statement: This season hasn’t gone very well for the Philadelphia Phillies.

After an encouraging road trip with series wins over the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, the top two teams in the NL East, the Phillies flew straight down for a crash landing and were swept at home by the New York Mets.

That left the Phillies in last place with a 14-18 record, the third-worst mark in the National League. Manager Charlie Manuel saw all he could stand and couldn’t stand anymore after the 10-6 loss that finished off the sweep.

“We have to wake up and play better,” Manuel said to reporters after he called a team meeting. “We don’t like what we’ve been doing.”

“If we want to win and be able to go where we want to go, we better start playing better. We have to hit better, we have to catch the ball better and we have to pitch better. All three phases of the game. I think we need to get back to playing the game the way it needs to play, if we can.”

MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki correctly zeroed in on those last three words. Is there doubt as to whether the Phillies can really turn this thing around? 

Hours later, in a conversation with CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. went to a place Phillies fans surely never expected. 

“July is so far ahead,” Amaro said. “We just have to get on track. But if July comes and we’re playing like this, we’ll be sellers. How we play now will determine whether we’ll be buyers or sellers in July.”

The Phillies as sellers at the trade deadline? This is a team with championship expectations, projected to win the NL East, though perhaps warding off challenges from the Nationals and Miami Marlins. 

 

Impotent Lineup, Imploding Bullpen

Sure, it was bound to be rough in the early going.

Chase Utley wasn’t able to overcome knee injuries during the spring and his return is uncertain. Ryan Howard is out until at least mid-June, recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Placido Polanco dealt with a finger injury and seems to be aging rapidly. Juan Pierre didn’t make the team until the end of spring training and is now the regular left fielder.

But if offensive struggles were expected, troubles from the bullpen were not.

Chad Qualls has allowed four runs and nine hits in his last three innings of work. Jose Contreras carries an 8.59 ERA. Kyle Kendrick has become a walking meltdown. Michael Schwimer and his 8.53 ERA were optioned to Class AAA, as was Brian Sanches and his 11.53 ERA. Joe Savery also boarded a shuttle to Lehigh Valley. 

Amaro could upgrade both of those areas if he was to start selling off pieces. That would be one reason to start breaking this thing down in July. 

 

Old and Busted

The Phillies’ roster also just needs to get younger. With an average age of 31.5, it’s the oldest club in the major leagues. Amaro has been able to plug holes with aging veterans like Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix and Jim Thome, but it’s caught up with them as those players continue to break down with injuries. 

Trading away some of those veterans, especially the ones whose contracts expire after this season, would help replenish a minor league system that’s been tapped out by Amaro’s blockbuster dealing. This season has shown that the Phillies are in dire need of reinforcements, but none are available.

 

Who Could Go?

Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino would be the obvious places to start, since the Phillies risk losing them in free agency anyway. Not so coincidentally, the Toronto Blue Jays have already inquired about both players, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.  

But which contenders wouldn’t relish the chance to add one of the best pitchers in baseball? Even better, he’s left-handed. Teams on the fringes of the race might decide Hamels could provide a major boost, too. 

Victorino could help several teams in need of outfield help and speed, such as the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. I’d say the Nationals too, but Amaro likely isn’t going to make a deal with a division rival. 

That could also apply to Hunter Pence, who could supply some outfield pop for any team in need.

If the Phillies don’t envision signing Pence to a long-term contract, he has one more year of arbitration eligibility that would keep him under club control until 2014. That’s a luxury that could allow Amaro to ask for more in trade. Although that’s the kind of player the Phillies should keep right now. 

 

Yes, much can change between now and July. And Philadelphia fans would surely hate giving up on this season when so much was expected.

But the early signs are not promising for the Phillies. Though they’re hardly out of the race from where they stand now, there are still four teams to leapfrog for the division lead. That’s a hurdle looking increasingly too high to clear. 

With Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, along with Howard and his albatross of a contract, the Phillies aren’t going to go into full rebuilding mode. There’s no need for that. But if the feeling is that the team can’t win this year, Amaro should do what he can to improve those chances for next year. 

Sacrifice 2012 to come back stronger in 2013? It gets easier to imagine with each Phillies loss.

 

Follow @iancass on Twitter

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MLB Rumors: Trading Cole Hamels Would Be Major Mistake by Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies find themselves in a tough position after a slow start. They currently sit in the NL East basement, leading General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to say he might have to consider selling at the trade deadline.

Even though the Phillies aren’t happy about their poor play after winning five straight division titles, it’s way too early to make selling an option. That’s especially true when you consider one of the names being floated around is starting pitcher Cole Hamels.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports the Toronto Blue Jays have already contacted the Phillies in hopes of landing Hamels, who will be a free agent at season’s end. He states that no deal is imminent, but that talks have taken place.

While losing Hamels without getting anything other than a compensation pick for him is obviously a major concern, waiting until his contract year makes things extremely difficult on Amaro. Since the ace can enter free agency after the year, his open-market value is well below his actual value.

Hamels finished last season with a career-low 2.79 ERA, which ranked sixth in the National League. He’s shown even further improvement in 2012. He sports a 2.45 ERA and the peripheral numbers suggest it’s sustainable, mostly due to improved strikeout and walk rates.

Trading a superstar like him so early in the season—or at any point, really—would be a sign of surrender for the Phillies. While they envisioned a better start, no team has been able to run away with the division early, leaving Philadelphia just 5.5 games back despite playing well below expectations.

Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are both working their way back from injury and would provide a gigantic boost to a lineup that’s been been wildly inconsistent so far. If they can stay healthy, there’s no reason the Phillies can’t go on an extended hot streak.

They will need Hamels to make that possible, though. The drop-off from him to his replacement would be enormous, because the Blue Jays—or another team that steps up—probably wouldn’t be looking to deal any of their top-notch pitchers to get Hamels. They are looking for a deadline-year bargain.

So even though there are some obvious risks involved, the Phillies should keep Hamels. Getting him to re-sign would be the ideal scenario, but at the very least he will help them stay in contention and should give Philadelphia a hometown edge if he does enter free agency.

That’s likely better than any package teams would offer for him before the deadline. Ultimately, he’s worth more than the Phillies could get right now.

 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Each Player’s Trade Risk If They Fall out of It in July

Well, things haven’t gone as expected for the Philadelphia Phillies this season.

Coming into this season, they were expected to be the bunch of grizzled veterans that would be able to ride out the injury storm and keep their heads above water, playing like a force to be reckoned with at the top of the National League East and striking fear into the hearts of the rest of the division with the return of their All-Star right side of the infield.

That won’t be happening.

It’s been a long time since the Phillies found themselves in the cellar of the NL East for an extended period of time, and that is what is happening early in the season. The lineup is floundering, the bullpen is in shambles, and injuries are taking their toll on this team’s morale. 

While it’s still way too early to suggest that the Phillies won’t be in contention by the trade deadline, it is no stretch to suggest that this team is a shell of its former self.

What happens if the Phillies are still in the cellar when July rolls around? Will they look to trade some of their big roster players? You can bet your bottom dollar they will, but who is safe and who goes?

Time to find out.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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Cole Hamels: If the Phillies Are Sellers, Could He Go to the Dodgers?

If you want to take Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. at his word, then the team with the second highest payroll in baseball might be sellers this season.

In some regards, it would make sense.

The team depleted its farm system to obtain Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee (the first time) and Hunter Pence, for example, and are currently 5.5 games out of first place in the NL East.

True, it is still early, but it sure feels like it’s been a long season in Philly.

Naturally, those interested in buying would be the “haves” of baseball: teams that are just missing a piece here or there to put their team over the top for a long playoff push.

The Dodgers are just such a team.

While sitting a comfortable five games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West, the Dodgers are currently tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in the National League.

Cole Hamels would take the Dodgers from being a really good team to a great team, if they chose to pursue him.

Hamels currently owns a 4-1 record with a 2.45 ERA and 1.107 WHIP in six starts. That places him ahead of Clayton Kershaw in both wins and ERA, and tied with Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly for wins on the Dodgers.

How would that be for a starting rotation?

Kershaw, Hamels, Chad Billingsley, Capuano and Lilly. The team could bump Aaron Harang or use him as trade fodder.

It’s still too early to tell if the Phils will be sellers. If if it ends up that way, the Dodgers need to be in on Hamels and be in on him in a big way.

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Which Philadelphia Phillies Prospects Are Part of the Long-Term Plan?

Midseason and offseason trades in recent years have seen a number of prospects leave the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor-league system.

However, despite 16 prospects being traded in deals for Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence, the Phils’ minor-league system still contains prospects projected to contribute at the major-league level.

For every prospect, such as Travis d’Arnaud and Jarred Cosart, whom the team has traded in recent years, prospects such as Trevor May and Jesse Biddle have emerged as players with the potential to one day contribute for the Phils at the big-league level.

Of course, that’s barring any future trades.

And although he’s lost his prospect status after playing in 56 major-league games with 184 at-bats last season, Domonic Brown still has the potential to contribute for the Phils after rising through the team’s minor-league ranks.

A number of these prospects may not simply be part of the group that is left following recent trades.

Throughout their minor-league system, the Phillies have multiple prospects who may be part of the team’s long-term plan.

Here are 10 prospects who may be part of that plan.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Next 2 Months Will Determine Future of Phillies

Has time run out on the Philadelphia Phillies dynasty in the NL East?

The five-time defending champs are currently sitting in last place at 14-18, and have already dug themselves into a five-game hole. A 5-8 home record is a shocker, considering they were 52-29 at Citizen’s Bank at year ago.

As Ryan Howard and Chase Utley continue to slowly comeback from injury, and patience appears to be running thin in the Phillies’ front office.  

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly spoke with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. recently, and he didn’t sound like a man that was exactly comfortable with the direction his team was heading:

July is so far ahead. We just have to get on track. But if July comes and we’re playing like this, we’ll be sellers. How we play now will determine whether we’ll be buyers or sellers in July.

Every part of the team aside from the starting pitching has been horrific. Entering action on Thursday, the Phillies bullpen ranks dead last in ERA (5.47) and has blown six saves—third worst in baseball.

Jimmy Rollins (.230 avg, six SB) and his brand new contract have struggled, and Shane Victorino isn’t much better (.244 avg, .298 OBP). Aside from Carlos Ruiz, no player on the team is hitting better than .275.

The biggest problem, aside from the shoddy product on the field, is the sky-high payroll. Philly is just under the $178 million luxury-tax threshold. Obviously the front office doesn’t want to get dinged by paying the penalty for crossing it, so the odds of adding any payroll are incredibly slim…unless they start winning.

That means the next two months are going to be monumental for the future of this franchise. If they continue to struggle, a star like Utley may be sent packing. They may even have to trade a player due for a raise like Cole Hamels.

If they turn things around and begin to challenge the Washington Nationals, the team stays intact and adding payroll for a World Series run becomes an option once again.

Tense times in Philly.

 

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter

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MLB Rumors: Philadelphia Phillies Could Be Fated for Fire Sale at Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies are floundering at the bottom of the National League East and may find themselves among the sellers at the MLB trade deadline on July 31 if their fortunes don’t shift soon.

According to Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is acutely aware of the team’s struggles and will strongly consider offloading big-name players to replenish a depleted farm system should the current pattern of impotence continue:

“July is so far ahead. We just have to get on track. But if July comes and we’re playing like this, we’ll be sellers. How we play now will determine whether we’ll be buyers or sellers in July.”

At this point, the prospects for improvement aren’t exactly promising. The starting pitching is still phenomenal, as one might expect from a rotation that features Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels at the top, and the defense is still relatively strong.

But the offense has been subpar, to say the least.

The absences of swinging stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the everyday lineup have considerably hurt Philadelphia’s production at the plate, to the point where they now rank as a merely middle-of-the-pack offense in the NL. Utley is due back soon but, as ESPN’s Buster Olney points out, he shouldn’t be counted on to save the day, especially at the age of 33 and given his lengthy history of injuries.

Howard, on the other hand, could prove to be a bigger help to a Phillies team that’s slugging just .370 so far, with all of 22 home runs in 32 games. Unfortunately, Howard’s timetable for a return is much more uncertain than Utley’s, given the more severe nature of the Achilles injury he suffered in the final at-bat of last year’s NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the meantime, the Phillies should be able to skate by, so long as the likes of Hunter Pence, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco can continue producing at the plate.

The bigger concern for Amaro and the Phils rests with their bullpen, which has thus far compiled a worst-in-the-majors ERA of 5.47. Jonathan Papelbon has settled into the closer’s role as expected (3.00 ERA, nine saves), but has seen the rest of the reserve arms—Jose Contreras (8.59 ERA), Kyle Kendrick (7.32 ERA), Mike Stutes (on the DL) and Chad Qualls (three blown saves in his last four outings)—crumble around him.

Bullpen arms are a dime a dozen, but with their minor league system devoid of quality prospects and a payroll pressing up against the upcoming salary tax threshold, the Phillies may not have the flexibility or the leverage to pursue many options, if any.

That’s not to say that the Phillies are necessarily doomed for a fire sale just yet. As bad as a 14-18 start and a five-game deficit in the division may seem, it’s still only May and the NL East, while seemingly replete with quality teams, lacks a single dominant force capable of running away with the crown.

Still, if the Phils don’t get their act together within the next month or two, don’t be surprised if names such as Hamels, Victorino, Pence and Joe Blanton start popping up amidst the rumor mill more frequently, with an eye toward a fresh start in the City of Brotherly Love.

 

Follow Josh Martin on Twitter.

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Philly’s Horrible Sports Week: Is It Ever Totally Sunny in Philadelphia?

As I write, it’s only Thursday morning, but what did I and numerous other Philadelphia sports fans do to deserve such a hellish week? Please don’t reply; this was designed to be a rhetorical lead. Yes, it’s not lost on me that some of you may invoke the vision of a snow-bombarded Santa Claus…from 1968.

But, I digress. Philly has had some superb players and almost superb teams over the years and once in a rainbow-colored moon, we get to attend parades (1983…2008), but the most passionate sports city in America knows quite well what it’s like to get kicked in the ribs, and lower. Still, experiencing numerous cruel kicks hardly prepared Philly Nation for Black Tuesday—a day in which our hockey team got eliminated, our basketball team couldn’t win an elimination game against a shell of an opponent and our baseball team, to be kind, channeled the worst of the ’62 Mets…without the “lovable” factor.

To fully appreciate Black Tuesday, one must recall the feeling that was in the air just 38 or so hours ago. At 7 p.m., the Phillies were hosting the Mets, who had improbably (well, not all that improbably this season) gotten two runs with two outs in the top of the sixth off ace Roy Halladay to tie the score at two, and then had someone named Jordany Valdespin (for his first career MLB hit) golf a three-run homer off new closer Jonathan Papelbon to take a 5-2 win and snap our one-game winning streak.

More on that winning streak in just a bit. But, there was no doubt that the Phils would get revenge behind Big Joe Blanton, who was coming off the game of his life: a Greg Maddux-like, 88-pitch, three-hit shutout in Atlanta.

In truth, the Phillies game was only a nice appetizer for the Philadelphia Flyers’ 7:30 home game versus the New Jersey Devils. Was it just yesterday—or about three years ago—that the Flyers were the story of the NHL after eliminating their bitter cross-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins in six exhilarating games. These were games that featured all the hitting and scoring, and more, that one could ever hope for.

Not so incidentally, the series had earned center Claude Giroux a prominent place in the discussion of “greatest player in the world.” His first shift of Game 6, which featured an epic open-ice hit that flattened Sidney Crosby followed by a goal-scorer’s goal to stake the orange and black to a 1-0 lead (the only 1-0 lead that they didn’t relinquish in the playoffs), was the stuff of legends.

It should be mentioned that the Flyers were down three game to one against the Devils, but no worries: This was the night when the Bullies would snap out of their post-Penguins funk, start taking the body, tilt the ice and have their riddle of an enigma of a goalie stand on his head. Eh?

At 9:30, the Sixers were about to finish off the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City. To be fair, the Bulls were a depleted, dispirited unit playing without their two best players: 2011 MVP Derrick Rose and that all hyper defense and offensive rebounding machine named Joakim Noah. Still, whether by merit or luck, a franchise that had been mostly irrelevant for a decade was on the verge of winning a playoff series for the first time since 2003.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the suspensions and controversies that had engulfed these parts on Monday. Perhaps, the least of the controversies was the continued fallout over the alleged classlessness of Sixers fans who had appeared to cheer Noah’s injury (twisted left ankle) in the third quarter of last Friday’s Game 3 victory.

Were some fans cheering his injury…for about 10 seconds or so? It sounded like it, and it did not help matters that some (the same?) idiots also booed the energetic, pony-tailed forward as he picked himself off the court. There was finally a story line of sorts to this series that has been devoid of star power or shooting accuracy.

The Flyers had a bigger controversy on their hands. The aforementioned Giroux, a man who had done and said all the right things all season, had gotten penalized in Game 4 for what appeared to be a blow to the head of former Flyer Dainius Zubrus. Yes, Zubie left South Philly 13 years ago, and new NHL Enforcement Czar Brendan Shanahan decreed on Monday that Giroux would not be on the South Philly ice for Game 5. The script was set: The Flyers were going to take it up a couple notches to win a game for their best player, who in turn, would be back for Game 6 with a vengeance.

These incidents barely caused a ripple in the pond of controversy compared to the Sunday-into-Monday whirlpool generated by the Phillies’ 9-3 victory over the host Washington Nationals. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels was in top form, yielding only five hits and one run while fanning eight in his eight innings of work. But only one of Hamels’ 109 pitches was talked about afterward: the first-inning pitch that nailed 19-year-old rookie phenom Bryce Harper in the lower back.

To most observers, this was not a pitch that got away, and the most shocking aspect of it was that the ultra-candid Hamels not only admitted as much but went a step further, essentially saying that it was his “welcome to the league” offering to the mega-hyped Harper. Depending on your perspective, Hamels was either a hero for drilling the cocky kid and bragging about it (to supposedly show those Natitudinal upstarts that the Phillies are still the beasts of the NL East) or as Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo more or less put it, the lanky lefty was clueless, gutless, new school and…baseball’s version of Chris Bosh?

To stay on this incident for another moment or so, this columnist believes all of the following:

• Pitching inside is part of the game; intentionally hitting someone who had done nothing to provoke it was stupid, reckless and arrogant
• Hamels had more than shed his soft label (kind of deserved after his 2009 World Series) prior to this over the last two-plus seasons
• I hope that the Phillies are able to lock up Hamels long term..debatable?
• This diehard Phils fans loved that the Phillies won Sunday night (which is now their only win in their last six), but also thought it was great that Harper, immediately after getting hit, went from first to third and then stole home! Without hitting a single jack in his first 10 games, he has impressed many with his seeming maturity (after a pre-MLB rep as a showboat), to say nothing of his glove, arm and baserunning.
• Candor from players is admirable. Being candid about doing something stupid does not trump stupidity.
• Speaking of which, who exactly is Mike Rizzo to go all Tony Soprano afterward?

 

The Phillies opened Tuesday evening’s action with a Hunter Pence two-run bomb in the first followed by two more in the second for a 4-0 lead. With the new, Slim Joe Blanton on the hill, this win was in the books, giving plenty of time to concentrate on the Flyers who…

…got a jolt of energy from center Zac Rinaldo who, seeing his first action of the series, plastered defenseman Anton Volchenko into the boards with a clean hit that even Shanahan (the suit) would have loved. Rinaldo, known more for his fisticuffs and dumb penalties more than anything else, had welcomed Volchenko to South Philly and before you knew it, Max Talbot put the first biscuit in the basket for the orange and black.

Given the Flyers’ predilection for come-from-ahead losses, one did not know whether to cheer or boo the 1-0 lead. As fate would have it, there was only about two minutes of ice time to ponder this dilemma, the rumination broken by a long deflection off the stick of Devils’ defenseman Bryce Salvador, who scored as many goals as I did in the regular season.

Had enigmatic Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov given up a soft goal here? If so, it was nothing compared to what occurred three minutes later: one of the softest, strangest, most puzzling and aggravating goals ever scored against the Flyers. Aptly described by Philadelphia Daily News hockey writer Frank Seravelli as a Bryzaster, I will utilize his description of this atrocity:

 

KIMMO TIMONEN twirled and dished the puck back, deeper into the Flyers’ zone to try and shake a pressuring attacker.

The puck landed on Ilya Bryzgalov’s tape and by the time he could look up, David Clarkson was bearing down hot and heavy. With panic in his eyes, Bryzgalov tried to saucer the puck out of harm’s way.

It was a Bryzaster.

Ultimately, Clarkson’s series-clinching gift – after Bryzgalov’s pass deflected off his outstretched stick and into the net – will be the forgettable, lasting image of the end of the Flyers’ spring dreams.

 

 

Yes, a full 47 minutes and 15 seconds still remained in the game, but Bryzgalov’s own goal (yes, Clarkson got credit) sapped all life from what is usually one of the loudest buildings in the NHL. The Flyers barely made an average-looking Marty Brodeur sweat the rest of the way, and the Devils went on to win 3-1, sending the Flyers to the golf courses instead of North Jersey with momentum and a revved-up Giroux for a Game 6.

But at least the Phillies had that 4-0 lead. The offense seemed to be back at Citizens Bank Park and the crowd even enjoyed a rare sighting of little-used second baseman Pete Orr driving in underachieving (in 2012) John Mayberry, Jr. The Mets got one back in the fourth, and as it turned out, the Phillies, even with the likes of Mayberry and Orr on their side, scored as much as the post-Bryzaster Flyers did the rest of the way. They were done, and left it to slimmed-down Joe, their bullpen and their defense to hold the 4-1 lead. How did that work out…

The top of the seventh inning started well enough, with Blanton retiring two of the first three hitters before spit hit the fans once again. Please just suffice it to say that the Mets scored four runs with two outs to take the lead, aided and abetted by a botched rundown play by Orr. This boneheaded act almost managed to make the Bryzgalov blunder look like a heads-up play. The Phils’ bats never recovered from the turnaround and the Mets would extend the lead to 7-4.

 

It didn’t help the mood of savvy Phillies fans to note that while the Phillies were losing and getting very little pop from left field, Raul Ibanez launched two homers for the Yankees. The Nationals were also losing in Pittsburgh because of a walk-off homer by former Phil (hardly a favorite here) Rod Barajas.

Well, two games were lost, but Philly still had the rest of a basketball game to watch, one in which the young Sixers would be able to win their first playoff series since…well…a long time ago. And who cares that we were doing it with the Bulls’ two best players out of the lineup? (Note: would you rather have Boozer or Deng than Noah? Not me.)

To cut to the chase, what do you say about a game (a 79-74 loss) in which the winning team shot .415 from the floor and made 4-of-11 from the charity stripe? They were hot compared to Philly’s 25-of-78 from the floor (an incomprehensible .321 field-goal percentage), including 2-of-11 from behind the arc. Yes, team leader and first-time All-Star Andre Iguodala showed the way by shooting 4-of-19, and 1-of-6 from from three-point land. I know he’s playing hurt, but did he also share a pre-game strategy discussion  with Ilya Bryzgalov and Pete Orr?

Black Tuesday had ended with one team eliminated, another with two more chances to throw a few in the ocean (Bulls come to Philly tonight for Game 6) and a third that still had another chance at redemption the next night against the rival Mets.

The good news in all this? Cliff Lee, the people’s choice, would be pitching for the first time since he toed the rubber in San Francisco on April 18—a gem in which he threw 10 innings of shutout ball in a game that his team would end up losing 1-0 in 13 innings.

If you don’t recall this oddity, it’s been an extreme example of this early season in a microcosm. Lee, once again, pitched well enough to win last night (two runs on five hits, while striking out six in six innings) and even drove in the first run of the ballgame, but watched in horror as the bullpen yielded eight runs in the final three innings. Lee’s record is 0-1 despite a 2.17 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and a .375 batting average.

 

Weeks like this test one’s resolve as a sports fans and even as writers. But this is Philly: We don’t always win, but we always go all in and we’ll be back imploring our teams to earn us another championship parade, even if these seem to come along with the frequency of Halley’s Comet sightings.

Yes, we’ll bounce back, even if our ex-favorite right fielder now hates our guts enough to threaten to return early from an injury to deny us a shot at another parade. Or something like that. Do I have to explain, or just wait until he steps in the box again versus Killer Cole Hamels?

As always, thank you for reading. Please check out my site, tipofthegoldberg.com and new fan page for more info.

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Philadelphia Phillies Are 0-8 in the Last 8 Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee Starts

All along, the rally cry was, “Don’t worry, as long as the Phillies have Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels at the top of the rotation, all will be OK.” Pfffffft.

That didn’t last very long, did it? 

Halladay got off to a terrific start, winning his first three starts. But since then, for the first time since he’s been in a Phillies uniform, the team has lost four straight games with Roy on the bump. 

Lee, who hasn’t pitched badly while healthy, is still seeking his first win on the season.

More concerning is that the bats really aren’t killing them like they did in the first three weeks of the season. In the first 20 games, the Phillies went 9-11 while averaging 3.2 runs per game. In the last 12 games, they have gone 5-7 while averaging 4.8 runs per game.

This is not an indictment against the performances of Halladay and Lee. 

Without a doubt, they both have pitched well enough to win ballgames during this combined eight-game skid. Lee carries a very impressive 2.17 ERA, while Doc has a 3.28 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. 

But it’s a major concern when the team’s record is 3-8 when two-thirds of its aces are taking the hill. Take away games started by Halladay/Lee, and the Phillies’ record is 11-10.

While the offense is showing signs of life, the bullpen is in absolute shambles. 

Is there really anyone closing out games that Charlie Manuel should have confidence in besides Jonathan Papelbon? 

Even Antonio Bastardo looks like a different pitcher than what he was in 2011. Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee aren’t putting him into similar pressure spots as they did last season.

Kyle Kendrick has been a beach ball-throwing torch. Journeyman Chad Qualls started off well but has been getting ripped the last week, and he’s probably miscast in the eighth inning, but who else do they have? 

Jose Contreras has a 8.59 ERA, and opponents are hitting .345 off of him.

So, it’s great to have Halladay/Lee at the top of the rotation, but it’s not enough. The Phillies and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. need to figure out Plan B and quickly. 

When Chase Utley and Ryan Howard return, that’s not going to turn Kendrick and Contreras and Co. into Cy Young. At this point last season, Halladay and Lee already had seven wins between them. That’s more than twice the amount of wins the Phillies have this season when those two take the hill. 

That trend needs to stop for this team to sniff .500.

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