The stage was set up perfectly for the Philadelphia Phillies to turn their season around.
In the middle of 10 game homestand, the team had already won a series against the Colorado Rockies, and put together an exciting victory on Saturday night, capped by a walk-off home run from Jim Thome. On Sunday, they had their two best pitchers (Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels) set to face the Rays in a day-night doubleheader.
They had a great chance to not only win another series, but to win one against a quality opponent. Entering the Tampa Bay series, the Phillies were just 11-26 against teams with winning records. The better teams in the league have pushed the Phils around all season, and this was their chance to make a statement and generate some serious momentum for the rest of the homestand, and perhaps the coming weeks.
Instead, they fell flat their faces, dropping both games.
Things started out well for the Charlie Manuel’s group, they had a one-run lead in the afternoon game, and Cole Hamels had thrown seven shutout innings. And then Antonio Bastardo hit the self-destruct button, and allowed three runs in the top of eighth inning, sentencing his team to a crushing loss in the first game.
Then, winless Cliff Lee took the mound in the nightcap, and put the team in a 3-0 hole after just two innings. The former Cy Young Award winner once again failed to be the stopper the team needed him to be, and gave up more than four runs for the third straight start. The hapless offense was only able to generate four hits, and the Phillies dropped the second game of the day 7-3. 
After the day’s losses, Manuel was asked about his team’s struggles to put together solid winning streaks.
“We’re dysfunctional at nights,” Manuel said. “It seems like we can’t put together good games.”
Every time the Phillies get close to going on a roll, something terrible always seems to happen to destroy that momentum. Whether its a bullpen pitcher liking Bastardo flushing a winnable game down the toilet in the late innings, or a starter like Cliff Lee underachieving, or a day when the offense isn’t interested in hitting, the team has had critical breakdowns at the worst possible moments of the 2012 season.
Manuel was also asked about what the Phillies could do to improve their current situation.
“I talk to Ruben a lot,” Manuel said. “Every day that we talk, I know that anyway we can help strengthen our team, I know we’re trying to do it. We’ve got more problems than we’ve had in the past.”
If Ruben Amaro can drastically improve this team, it will be his most impressive work as a general manager yet. The Phillies have a large list of needs, but have little to offer from their farm system and even less flexibility on their payroll.
The season is still far from over, but the Phillies’ hopes are becoming dimmer with every backbreaking loss.
I’ve tried to sty-full, my criticisms, for the last few weeks, but this team is nauseating. They are finished, I don’t give a rats @$$, if the Pope is coming back. They have ZERO shot, to get into the playoffs. This team is full of a bunch of self entitled, overrated, overpaid BUMS! They can’t win at home, they can’t come from behind, they have no power, can’t knock runners in, they are ANCIENT & injury prone, they are devoid of young talent, they have very few trade pieces, & they are losing value by the day, they have no heart, no balls & are an embarrassment to this city. I can’t take watching this bunch of garbage anymore. I went to both games of the DH, & for the first time, in my life, I was embarrassed to be a Phillies fan. If anybody still, waves pom-poms for this trash & still thinks they have a shot, are absolutely FREAKING NUTS!!!!! I don’t want to hear anything from you dopes! No more excuses! This team is done this year, & needs to be broomed clean, from the GM to the Bat-boy!
ALSO, our BP is an embarrassment to MLB! BTW, will Cliff Lee, the so-called $25M ACEm win a freaking game already. I’m gettin sick & tired of the lack of run production excuse, when he has pitched like $#!t his last 5 starts! TRADE HIM & resign Hamels DAMN IT!!!!
Very easy to criticize after the fact…
Don’t panic just yet, help is on the way!! Rumors circulating Chase Utley and his single A batting average of .156 could be on the active roster this Wednesday!! WooooooooHooooooooooo
hac, I’ve been saying the same $#!T for a year now. Anybody with a brain, & actually lives in reality, could of seen what needed to be done with this team. Take your pom-poms, & stuff them. Don’t be mad at me, because of all of your failed BS arguments, excuses, & pom-pom waving, made you look closed minded & stupid. I was trying to be real with you, but you are too much of a delusional, unreasonable, stepford, to grasp the reality of this teams situation. Don’t you think, this team is killing me? I love the Phillies, but the window started closing, with the conclusion of the 2010 season, & Amaro did a $#!T job putting together this team, & based his decision making on hope, rather than using his brain & common sense. Their were TOO many ???, & if’s, for this team to succeed. They have been rapidly aging & declining skill-wise, for 3 years now, & your hero, golden boy, Amaro, has ruined this team, that will take a long team to fix. So unless, he can get immediate young help & top tier prospects, at 3B, 2B, C, OF & the BP, for Lee, Victorino, & possibly Pence, we have ZERO trade chips! Blanton, Polanco, are worthless! Thome & Pierre might get us some pine tar. Utley, Howard & Rollins are UN-TRADEABLE! Chooch is going to be 34 & IS NOT, worth a big extension (BIG MISTAKE). As much as it pains me, Hamels is as good as gone, now! I’m sorry if the truth hurts & you can’t deal with reality, but it is what it is, & unless Amamo has dirty pictures of all the other GM’s, it’s going to be an uphill battle (Mt. Everest), to rebuild this team. Start by firing Amaro & Manual, & move on from their. It has now become insulting to the intelligence, nauseating & embarrassing, to our fanbase. It’s not even fun, or exciting to go down there anymore, & now the boo-birds are getting more & more prevalent! Some heads HAVE TO FALL, because it is now embarrassing & unacceptable!!!!!!
*there*
Right 3 or 4 years ago you would have let chase and Howard’s go for what? You are a second guesser… We have/had a core you had to give them chances to get more pennants and ws you had to add lee and doc…. You had to give the team a chance… That is not Pom Pom that is sports AND business you imbecile… O guess in 2009 theyl should have gone with a youth movement. Good move genius
The Season ended (unofficialy of course) back on june 2nd qhwn Cole Hamels coughed up a 3-0 Lead versus the Florida Marlins after they were on a 5 game winning streak.. The 2012 Season is nothing but about players Stats at this point.. I thought *% Wis was possible,but now I don’t believe they will Top *0 Wins and will probably battle it out for 4th/5th Place in the NL East.. This 2012 is not a Playoff team nor do theyeven deserve it
hac, learn how to comprhend what you read, you freaking nitwit! Where did I say, to get rid of Howard & Utley 3 or 4 years ago? DON’T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH, YOU JACK@$$. I’ve stated before that Howards contract, WAS NOT WARRANTED AT THE TIME, WITH 2 YEARS LEFT, STILL UNDER CONTRACT & I SAID UTLEY HAS BEEN ON THE DECLINE, & INJURY PRONE, FOR 3 YEARS NOW. You are the only imbecile on here, you step-ford foolish, stooge. This team needed to start adding good young players, & start making better future preparations, 2 years ago, not add more overpaid, has-beens. That’s proper sport & good business. No matter how you spin things, no matter how you deflect things, no matter how you protect Amaro, you are WRONG! For God’s sake, get your head out of your bunghole!!! I had no problem bringing Halladay & Lee in. But if the moron Amaro didn’t trade Lee to begin with, he wouldn’t of had to bring him back, at what we paid for him, because at the time, he said he’d take less to stay here & we also wouldn’t of had to waste a trade for Oswalt, & his balky back. So protect your golden boy, all you want, because you are absolutely, unequivocally, without a doubt, WRONG, about everything, you say about this team. DEAL WITH IT! So if that’s sports & business, the way you say it is, you are a nitwit & are probably on Welfare, because, I’m a very successful person, in a few fields, & if I handled any of my affairs, the way this team has, under Amaro’s lead, I’d be broke, divorced, & on a street vent up town. You wouldn’t know business & sport, if it was smacking you in the face, you DUMB@$$! Go spew your verbal diarrhea, to someone who cares what you think, because clearly you are clueless & don’t have a clue of what you speak!