Over the next two and a half weeks, the Phillies are going to face a number of strong teams in interleague play.
They’ll be matched up against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Minnesota Twins, the Cleveland Indians, and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Indians are the only team on that list that isn’t a quality team.
The Phillies have struggled in interleague play over the last 2 seasons, going a combined 10-23 against the American League in 2008 and 2009. They were 4-11 in 2008, and 6-12 in 2009. The quality of baseball that the Phillies played in those games is comparable to how they are playing now.
Now the Phillies enter interleague play already playing bad baseball, trailing the Braves by 2.5 games in the division, and they have slipped below the surprising Mets to third place.
Both the Braves and Mets have significantly easier interleague schedules than the Phillies. The Braves face the Twins, White Sox, Rays, and Tigers. The Mets have the Orioles, Indians, Twins, Tigers, and Yankees.
Both the Mets and Braves have also fared better against their American League opponents in the past two seasons, Atlanta going 15-15, and the Mets going 14-16 (5-10 last season, however keep in mind they were crippled by injuries).
I know it’s hard to take the Mets serious as a contender for the National League East title but if you look closely at the Braves and their pitching staff, you’ll see that they should be taken seriously.
I don’t want to start to panic but the Phillies inability to score runs is starting to concern me, as it should every other Phillies fan.  I know that’s there’s plenty of season left but it’s time that this team come to life.
If the Phillies don’t find a way to solve their problems very soon, they could easily be more than 5 games out of the division by the end of June.  That’s not an insurmountable amount but there’s no guarantee that this club can overcome that deficit in this season.
The Phillies and their fans need to know that the rest of the division, and the National League aren’t going to sit around, stand still and wait for the Phillies to start hitting again.
The World Series title of 2008 and World Series appearance of a year isn’t going to help them if they don’t start playing the way they’re capable of playing.
Seriously, this is tough to see. But, as Denny points out at the end there, isn’t it interesting that at times like these, having the World Series in your back pocket doesn’t make it feel any more tolerable? So many of the Eagles haters and even some of the non-haters think that getting a superbowl championship will change everything. It will for a while, but not once the next season starts.
I dont get it..How can a team so good stink so bad lately…Whose their hitting coach? Is he any good or what?
I posted a few times recently that the next stretch of games leading to the All-Sta Break was going to put the Phils probably too far back to make the Playoffs in 2010.
Out of the next 27 games, 22 are versus teams with Winning records and teams that are playing relatively well.. (Red Sox,Yankees,Twins,Indians,Blue Jays,Braves,Reds twice and the Pirates)
With they way they are currently playing ,I expect them to be 7-8-9 games out.. There will be no wildcard team from the NL East this year due to the balance in the division, so if they don’t win it, they are out of the playoffs, I expect the Widlcard to come from either NL CEntral (Cardinals/Red)
or the NL West (Dodgers,Rockies,PAdres or even the Giants) who are all playing better than this current Phils team… Take out Phils hot start 9-2 (versus the basement Nationals and Astros)
and they have been playing below .500 ball ever since, and with this nest stretch of tough games coming up, They will be done as far as post-season goes.
I would do the FOllowing Immedaitely
#1) Trade J Werth to the Red Sox for Reliever Bard,3B M Lowell and pitching Prospect..
(they will lost Werth aftger 2010 season anyways)
#2) I would have Utley get his Hip checked out for he is obviously hurting and not helping the team and probably needs to stay off if it for a while (Have 3B Polanco move to 2B in the interim and play Lowell at 3B)
#3) With reliever Bard in tow, flat out release D Baes, and once Happ returns, demote Kendrick to minors.
#4) Bring up OF D Brown to replace Werth and platoon him with Gload/Francisco
Batting Coach for Phils is Milt Thompson who has held this position for a few years now and was looked at as an up and coming “Manager” material before this current funk that the Phils are in.
I haven;t seen Manager Manuel panick or do anything different than he has for the last 3 years..
I do think some players have become a little lathargic and lack some energy.. I point at the play
(or lack of play of C Utley) being critical to the success/failure of this offense.
It is kind of odd that the Phils starting playing like a mediocre/below average team once the announced the signing of R Howard to a long-term deal, seems like they were playing decnt up until this annoucement.. I stated back in Feb/March, that I didn’t think the Phils had it this year and that other teams in the NL had improved quite a bit (Braves,Giants,Reds), but I never thought they would play as poorly as the have the last couple of weeks and it’s going to be even uglier thru the All-Star
break so they better do something big and something quick or this season will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in Phillies history…