Coulda' Been Worse

Carlos Zambrano?  Well, it coulda' been worse; the Phils could have tried and tempt Pedro Martinez to come out of retirement.

Seriously, folks, Carlos Zambrano couldn't convince 31 other clubs he can still pitch so it's hard to imagine what, other than desperation, motivated the Phillies' alleged brain trust.

But back to more important things....

The Phillies have been maddeningly inconsistent for two seasons in a row but on one front they have never wavered:  they hide injuries or simply lie. The Roy Halladay saga was basically laid at his feet.  Roy never said he was ailing.  Right, and I have a bridge for sale. 

The Phillies, especially the press-friendly pitching coach Rich Dubee, insisted he was fine.

Last winter there were reports Cole Hamels was experiencing discomfort in either his shoulder, arm or elbow.  (I can't recall which and I am not interested in looking it up.  The point is the reports were of some discomfort in an area of significance to someone who throws a ball for a living.)  So far this season Hamels has been wildly inconsistent.  The only area of any regularity has been his propensity to serve up home run balls.

At some point in the next few weeks we may just get word of a "precautionary" MRI or other such test.  Meanwhile, Carlos Zambrano will be working himself back into shape, hopefully as a pinch hitter.  As Ben Davis put it, "the dude can hit".  As a former catcher, Davis is also convinced the dude can no longer pitch.

If all of these things come to pass, Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick will head the staff.  Now, before you three readers jump down my throat, it's not certain Hamels is injured; he may simply be off his game.  But given this team's track record, I wouldn't bet on it.

Time In...Again

The mood struck me.

Last night's hero, John Mayberry, is one of my annual crusades and now I am armed with a great example:  Domonic Brown.

Brown, a former phenom, has been a disappointment for most of his brief big league career because he hasn't lived up to expectations...nor been healthy.  As a consequence, he was yanked in and out of the lineup, sent down to AAA for more seasoning, and generally saw his confidence undermined at every turn.

This season he won a starting job due to a very good Spring and a terrible off-season by his GM, Ruben Amaro.  Failing to really address their outfield needs, Amaro handed Brown a starting job by default via his manager, Charlie Manual.

So, Brown started the season knowing he had a job and he has kept his job knowing the Phils had no one to replace him.  The results have been a fairly good start for Brown, who is showing power, batting a decent albeit middling .257, and not butchering everything hit his way.  In short, he is confident and collar will not get him the hook.

Which brings me to Mayberry.  If John Mayberry knew he were going to start every night he would produce the same results, that is, decent hitting, good power and a very good glove.  But Mayberry has never been able to take the field without looking over his shoulder.

Confidence is everything in sport...indeed in life.  Mayberry hasn't had much because the Phillies have always undermined it.  Give him the job, Charlie, and sit back and see what he can do for a stretch.

Time Out...Again

Here we go again.

The "euphoria" (let's not get too carried away) over the two wins in San Francisco has already evaporated.  Another good outing by Cole Hamels was wasted by meek, indeed pathetic, support.

Let's face it, this is at best a .500 team so these swings should be expected.

Speaking of "swings", Jimmy Rollins appears to have left his in Florida.

That's all for now, folks.  I'm as bored writing about these guys as I am watching them.  I'll be back some day, perhaps soon, when the mood strikes me.

I Give Up

I give up.

Who can figure this team out.  Blown out at home by Miami, the Phils fly across the country to face the streaking Giants in their cove by the bay and beat them two straight.

I give up.

Bad news just keeps on comin' and still these guys keep on keepin' on.  Roy Halladay is indeed injured.  A partial tear of the rotator cuff  and a worn labrum and he was still pitching.  No wonder he couldn't get much on the ball.  I've suffered from similar injuries and had trouble lifting my arm altogether let alone throwing a baseball sixty feet six inches.

I give up.

Just when you think these guys won't ever score a run again they bash a few home runs, play a little small ball, and lo and behold beat Mssrs. Bumgarner and El Freako.

I give up.

Kyle Kendrick is officially the most reliable starter the Phils run out there on a regular basis.  A nice guy who has persevered, Kendrick is proof nice guys can finish first...at least for now.  Hats off to him.  No one is more deserving.

I give up.

Anyone who thought Carlos Ruiz would save the day has forgotten last year's numbers were an aberration.  So far, Chooch is struggling to hit his weight...really!

I give up.

Instead of reacting negatively to Cliff Lee's semi-calling out, the Phils have responded by supporting him with some offense for a change.  I guess it really isn't a calling-out when someone simply states the obvious.

May Day

.318
.275
.263
.250
.244
.219
.212
.100

In no particular batting order, those are the averages of the Phillies's regular lineup.

Add in the horrendous middle relief and dreadful starting pitching from some but not all the big names and you have a team spiraling out of control.

And it could get worse.

Oh, sure, it's difficult to imagine anything worse than giving up twenty runs to the Indians in two games and seventeen to the Marlins in three (at home, no less) while watching the team's batting average plummet, but wait.  The Phils open a three-game set in San Francisco tonight where they will face some serious starting pitching.

It's been just a little curious to learn Doc Halladay is suffering from various injuries only after he has some bad outings, but, then, the Phillies have never been considered forthcoming about injuries.  Who are they hiding the truth from?  The Marlins figured it out in the very first inning.  By the third inning Doc's ERA had exploded and he was headed for the showers and possibly the Disabled List.

Between denials by Cliff Lee he was doctoring the ball, brouhaha's about Mitch Williams' relationship to the Phils in general and Rich Dubee in particular, Doc's mysterious ailments, Cole Hamels' lack of support (and proclivity to serve up home runs) you have a miserable situation growing more dismal by the day.

Pride And How To Get It

Cliff Lee sort of called out his teammates after last night's shutout loss in Cleveland.  I said "sort of" because he used the royal "we" in saying the Phils should have "a little more pride".

Well, Cliff, the problem isn't pride.  It's just that the Phillies aren't very good including the once-proud pitching staff.

The way to have "a little more pride" is to play better and, frankly, that doesn't look likely. So, maybe the Phils need to acknowledge they have a lot of deficiencies before they go looking for more pride.

Just a thought, Cliff.  Run that by the boys in the clubhouse and see how they respond.

Two Mistakes By The Lake

Anyone believing the addition of Carlos Ruiz would restore the Phils to respectability must have been hoping Chooch took his enforced holiday as a golden opportunity to develop a cutter.

If nothing else, he probably has more on the ball when he returns it to the pitchers than when he first receives it.

The Phils didn't just limp out of Cleveland, they tucked their tails and sneaked out under cover of darkness.  Everyone boarding that charter wore sun glasses to cover his swollen eyes and bruised egos.  The last place Indians smoked the Phils, no destroyed them!  Twenty runs in two games while the Phils "bats" "erupted" for two runs, all in game one.

Cliff Lee returned to the site of his glory and stunk up the joint.  Fortunately, not many fans go to Cleveland games any longer.  Lee joins Roy Halladay as an official sore spot in the rotation.  Cole Hamels also has a spot reserved, a single win over the lowly Mets hardly enough to remove him from the ICU.

The Phillies have faced a lot of newcomers this season and must surely be tempted to resort to that old excuse that the first time a team faces a newcomer the pitcher has the advantage.  There must be lots of budding Cy Youngs out there, at least according to the Phils.

The Phillies have been historically slow starters, but with this walloping in Cleveland, including the first of May, it's safe to assume their pace isn't going to pick up any time soon.

Is There A Doc In The House?

The short answer is an emphatic NO!.

I guess I reversed cursed the Doc a few days ago.  Just when Rich Dubee thought he could sit back and relax because the media he seems to hold in perpetual contempt was no longer questioning whether or not Roy Halladay was done, Cleveland showed up on the schedule.

Now, mind you, coming on the heels of their sweep of the Mets, the Phils probably looked at these two games in Cleveland as a chance to pad their stats and get back to sea level for the season.  Instead, they were torpedoed right out of the slip and went down to an ignominious and ominous defeat.  Halladay was savaged by  a lineup filled with players who hadn't known him in his earlier days as an American Leaguer.

Welcome back, Doc.

Naturally, the Phils' bats were also largely silent, as it their habit when not facing the Mets.  And just as naturally, the bullpen poured gasoline on the fire lighted by Doc.

The Phils are a mess and no three-game sets in Queens are going to set them straight.  Halladay really does appear to be cooked.  Cliff Lee hasn't been so dominating of late.  Cole Hamels finally won a game on the last weekend of April.  Kyle Kendricks has been the lone positive spot in the rotation.  The fifth spot is being handled by a rookie who wasn't even that highly touted by the Phils' own alleged brain trust.

...and Delmon Young is the starting rightfielder as soon as the team leaves the AL and the DH.

Tickets anyone?

Pepper

Be grateful for Kyle Kendricks.  And be mindful that is a potentially troubling development. 

Kendricks is a seasoned veteran now.  His development and maturation has sneaked up on us.  A perennial back-end-of-the-rotation guy, he has been the most steady performer thus far this season.

Meanwhile, the Phils' bats have awakened versus the Mets.  Too bad they cannot play lousy teams all the time.  It's hard to feel confidence about a team that bashes lousy pitching.

The biggest surprises among the position players have to be Michael Young, who is hitting well, and Chase Utley, who is hitting well and holding up well.  The biggest worry remains a gimpy Ryan Howard and an underachieving Domonic Brown.  The biggest flop has been Ben Revere, who has already been given a few days off to clear his head.

Cole Hamels gets the start this afternoon and tries to avoid going 0 for April.

MLB released attendance figures for the season to date and to no one's surprise including the Phillies alleged brain trust, the locals lead the league in drop-off from the previous year.  Those turnstiles are not turning fast enough to fund the huge payroll in place.  The alleged brain trust will be in the unenviable but predictable position of having to raise ticket prices for a diminished product.

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, across the street, the Flyers finished their disappointing season with a flourish to finish over .500.  Better things were expected of them, but serious injuries out of the gate, especially on defense, wrecked their chances.  In the end, a lot of newcomers and sophomores from 2012 underperformed.  The other huge problem was the overuse of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov because the coach didn't trust his backup until a late season trade brought in Steve Mason.

No single person, GM Paul Holmgren, or coach Peter Laviolette, is to blame for the dismal season, but on the other hand, they assemble the team and schemes, so it is reasonable to hold them accountable.

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, next door to across the street, the Eagles surprised a lot of people by drafting Matt Barkley in the 4th round.  Nearly everyone around here who bleeds green is in the process of convincing himself the Eagles stole one and Barkley will turn out to be a franchise quarterback.  Thirty-one other GM's were not convinced.  Those are long odds.

WYSIWYG

It hardly took a genius or for that matter a genie with a crystal ball to predict the 2013 installment of your Philadelphia Phillies were going to struggle for runs and middle relief.

On the other hand, if someone had put money down that Cole Hamels would enter May winless, just about anyone would have taken that bet.

It's no crime to grow old.  Heck, it isn't even punishable by imprisonment or a fine to be lousy.  But to be so damn boring is more than offensive.

What we can say is Charlie Manuel is already panicking.  He gave Ben Revere, admittedly a flop to date, twenty games to get going and resorted to his favorite leadoff hitter, Mr. James Rollins of Oakland, CA.  Domonic Brown has shuffled between left and right fields.  He may still have a starting job, but even he isn't sure where to go without a scorecard.

Meanwhile, all of the so-called experts including yours truly gave up on Roy Halladay.  It looks like we were wrong.

Ryan Howard looks so over-matched these days we can expect to see more days off.  He moves with such caution these days one has to wonder if that Achilles tendon is bothering him.

Anyone who thinks Carlos Ruiz will return and save the day is dreaming.

Phillipe Aumont is never going to be a reliable reliever.

The hardest ticket in town has gotten progressively easier to find.  By mid-summer it should be downright easy to walk up to the gates a few moments before the first pitch and get just about any seat in the house.  All of those big salaries assumed a full house every night.  So much for the collective wisdom of the Phillies alleged brain trust.

I Take It Back, Miami.

I apologize to the Marlins.  After all these years of excoriating the franchise located in Miami I realize there is at least one benefit to their presence in the league: without them the Phils would be wallowing in the cellar.  So, thanks, Miami, for just being around and being lousy.  But watch out, boys, these guys are starting to win now and then.

The Phils are certainly an equal opportunity club these days.  Nearly everyone is giving a chance to stink.  Some, of course, stink worse than others.  Domonic Brown appears to really be the bust he's been since arriving as a phenom.  He cannot hit.  He cannot field.  He cannot stay healthy.

Ryan Howard has actually pulled his average up over the last week, but don't worry, it will fall again.  Let's face it, Howard's decline has been steady.  At this point his manager is sorely tempted to sit the big guy against all lefties, tough or not.  Howard has one home run after seventeen games.  Teams no longer even put a shift on him when hard-throwing righties are on the mound.  They just figure he cannot get around on them.

Jimmy Rollins has seen his average sink, too.

Erik Kratz really is the career minor leaguer we thought he was.

Cole Hamels has yet to win a game.  Roy Halladay has yet to convince me he is back.  John Lannan has the feet of clay we suspected all along.  His knee is made of the same stuff, too.

Ben Revere really was the cheap alternative.  He can field as advertised.  He hasn't done much else.

Right field is a revolving door.  Brown is in left; enough said.

Carlos Ruiz is eight games away from returning.  He won't make that much of a difference...if at all.

Ryne Sandberg is coaching third, presumably moving closer to managing the team.  Perhaps he should consider offers from the outside while he can still get out.

Trifecta

Here's all you need to know about the Phils' three-game sweep by the Cincinnati Reds:  they didn't draw a single bases on balls the entire series.

You already knew they didn't hit or score because that's who these Phillies are.  You also knew John Lannan wasn't going to continue his world-beater imitation once he faced a team other than Miami.

The Phils did waste some fine starting pitching by Cliff Lee and especially Kyle Kendrick.  Both pitchers received no support though truth be told the offense wasn't singling (bad pun) them out in particular.

So, the boys in red pinstripes limped home literally with Domonic Brown clutching his back after swinging at a pitch closer to Covington, KY, than home plate.

They're aging.  They're unexciting.  They're losing. 

Time In

OK, five days are up and what better occasion to rejoin the festivities than during the Phils weekend journey to the worst city for major league baseball in the civilized world?!

That's right, folks, "the worst".  No sandlot in the Dominican Republic or aging bleachers in Havana nor the most basic diamond in the Dutch Antilles can compare to baseball in Miami.

Have you ever noticed that baseball telecasts from Miami have their own sound?  The sound of those vuvuzelas reverberating off of the 40,000 plus empty seats.  The PR system that seems to originate from a mine shaft.  The sound of a foul ball rattling off all those seats.  Boos that don't cascade (there is a minimum number to reach "cascade" level.  See Citizens Bank Park for reference.)


Placido Polanco batting cleanup.

Chris Wheeler making at least 100 references per game to the size of the park, made larger by the absence of occupied seats.  Last night's game was probably seen by more tourists from Quebec than residents of Florida including the vendors, ushers and grounds crew.

The sheer extortion of it by the Marlins' ownership, getting the local citizenry to fund the new stadium only to watch him trade away most of their best players.

It almost makes one wish for Bowie Kuhn.

Take Five...As In Days

One week into the season and we know even less about these Phillies than we did when they broke camp and headed north.

The starting pitching is even more suspect than anyone imagined, especially with Cole Hamels sporting an ERA north of ten.

The middle relief is in near-complete disarray.

The defense is lousy.

One pitch separated the Phils from being swept by Kansas City at home.

The Phils took 4-0 leads in two of their weekend games against the Royals...and lost both of them.

Chase Utley is healthy and hitting.  Ryan Howard is healthy and is not hitting.

After one week this observer finds the Phillies astonishingly boring to watch.  Barring any important developments, I already need time off.

That's Baseball

WOW!

One pitch.  Down to their last out.  Hitless and phutile throughout the evening.  Wasting a good start by John Lannan in his debut with the club.  On the brink of starting the season 1-4 including two straight losses at home.  Phillies nation edging toward the ledge if not poised to go over it.

Kevin Frandsen pinch-hitting in a tough situation.  Frandsen, who earned a starting spot based on his 2012 performance but who didn't get one because the alleged brain trust decided his position requires, no demands, power and a glove at least as good as Brooks Robinson.

Having loaded the bases with two outs and watched the next two guys go down on strikes, Frandsen, whose parents were in from California for the game, probably went up their looking for the proverbial good pitch to hit, a fastball if you please.  And, lo and behold, he got one.  And, lo and behold, he stroked a double into the gap in right clearing the bases and giving the Phils an improbable last AB 4-3 win.

One pitch away from an even more dismal opening week than even this blogger expected (and my three loyal readers know I am not your garden-variety optimist).

So, what can we say? 

That's baseball.  Fortunately.

Record Setting

Google engineers report there were a record number of searches in the Delaware Valley yesterday afternoon for synonyms for the word "slaughter".

Funny, I wasn't among those searching.  The word "humiliating" immediately leaped to my mind and I found it more than satisfactory to express my feelings about the Phillies home opener.

As I predicted earlier, while troublesome, the starting pitching wasn't their chief concern; nor were the late innings (who happily for them, never got a chance to appear).  No, the big problem would be middle relief and sure enough it was (wait, I need to consult my Thesaurus) pitiful.  No, wait.  How about "beerleague"?  No, wait.  I don't won't to cast any aspersions on that estimable blog.  Let's settle for non-existent.

Now, 33 years is a long time to harbor a grudge, but the Royals apparently did just that.  And with George Brett in the house, the newest incarnation of the "other" team that used to play in Philadelphia, roared back from a 4-0 deficit with the aid of some lousy (and expected to be so) fielding by Domonic Brown and some, well, non-existent middle relief.

Surely the Phils' alleged brain trust is already scouring the waiver wires.  You would have thought they had sufficient time since early February to work these things out, but they came north with these retreads, never-weres, has-beens and pretenders in the first place.  Help is probably not on the way.

Early Interleague Play. Very Early.

Thanks, Cliff, we needed that.

The Phillies staved off being swept in Atlanta when Cliff Lee pitched a gem in the final game of a three-game season-opening series for a 2-0 win.  The victory halted a potential 0-3 start and could be an indication of things to come. Some of the starting pitching (yo, Cole!) will sort itself out but the offense is going to struggle to score runs.

So the Phils return to Citizens Bank Park to begin their home season against the...wait...what league are we in?  The National?  So, why are the Phils opening against the Kansas City Royals?  Hang on.  I had to look this up in the paper this morning.  I couldn't remember who their opening day opponent was and when I read George Brett and Mike Schmidt were throwing out the ceremonial first pitch I blinked a few times.  Just a minute, I thought, what is George Brett doing in town?  That WS was 33 years ago, not exactly a round number.  MLB couldn't find a worthy NL opponent?

Go figure.

Interleague play is bad enough, the novelty having worn off long ago and the inequality of the schedule (as in who plays whom) quite annoying, but since when does it begin in April?

I'm sure the alleged brain trust is thrilled with this opponent for the opener.  How many fans would come to see Kansas City in, say, June? 

Ouch!

OK, sports fans, it's official; you can worry with impunity.

The Phils had their collective hats handed to them for a second straight game in Atlanta and in the process saw Roy Halladay justify all the pre-season worries about his velocity and other diminished attributes.

Following the game, Halladay vowed he would fix things.  His determination is to be admired.  His professional mortality is another matter.

While we are on the subject of worries, Jonathan Papelbon did nothing to dispel them in this corner.  It's feast or famine with the Phils' closer.  Last night the Braves were feasting.

Among other things, Ryan Howard is hitless in the first two games and has struck out three times in eight official AB's.  Ah, but it's early.  Meanwhile, Michael Young looks like a guy who hasn't played third base for quite a while, not the sort of thing you want to see in your third baseman.

Chase Utley continues to look like the hustling player of old.  Mike Adams looks to be all he was cracked up to be.

The Phils try to salvage a game before returning to Philadelphia for their home opener tomorrow.

The Bright Side

There aren't many cities in which the home team can lose its opening game in a 162-game season and see panic set in, but we're talking Philadelphia here.

The alleged brain trust of the Phils rewarded newly-anointed ace Cole Hamels with the opening day start (in Atlanta) and sat back and watched him get pummeled.  Hamels was just about the only starting pitcher on this squad about whom there had been little worry (if you throw out the pre-season scare about arm soreness), so it couldn't have calmed the natives to see him batted around.  There may be some consolation in past results predicting future performance.  Cole has lost most of his opening starts since arriving in the big leagues.

On the other hand, Phanatics had to be thrilled with Chase Utley's opening day performance.  He homered and tripled and even more impressively began the season in the starting lineup.

Ryan Howard began with a collar.

Chad Durbin looked like the retread he is.  That bridge to Adams and Papelbon looks like one of those hemp jobs over a jungle river gorge.

But let's look on the bright side, eh?  (Yes, folks, I may not mention the bright side often but I do know one exists.)  The Phils have 161 games remaining, some of them against Miami.  See!  Told 'ya!

Drum Roll, Please

The moment all of you have been waiting for....


The Phillies will finish third in the NL East this season, failing to make the playoffs for the second straight year of what promises to be a long hiatus on the outside looking in.

Built to win last year, they are surely more desperate than ever to try and win this season.  Unfortunately, they haven't got the horses, especially in the starting rotation.  Their top three starters feature a Cole Hamels on the continued way up, Cliff Lee who is enigmatic and unpredictable, and Roy Halladay, who is in decline.  Behind them are Kyle Kendrick, a perennial hopeful at best, and John Lannan, who could be a textbook example of a fifth starter were he not really a sixth one at heart!

The offense contains its own bevy of question marks, headed of course by a recovering Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.  Howard needs more plate discipline.  It's a worrisome sign the Phillies have announced before the first game of the regular season they plan to sit Howard against tough lefties.  Howard needs to adjust and he needs to adjust now.  The trends have been downward for several seasons now.  If he cannot alter the trend line now, he never will.

Utley appears healthier than he has in a few seasons.  How long he will hold up is anyone's guess.  This is the final year of his contract.  Will he be one of those aging stars who puts together a banner season in the final year or will he wear down under the strains of every-day playing?

Jimmy Rollins and Michael Young man the left side of the infield.  Rollins may need more range than ever to cover for Young, whose better fielding days are probably behind him; but Rollins isn't any younger either.

The outfield will be makeshift for what seems to be the billionth year in a row.  Ben Revere mans center.  He should do fine.  Domonic Brown, finally handed a starting job with no visible strings attached, gets his third chance to live up to the hype.  No one expects him to be a star fielder; indeed, he is the starting left fielder, not his more "natural" or at least accustomed position in right.  The Phils preferred right fielder, Delmon Young, starts the season on the DL.   There, at least, he cannot botch any plays.

The teams's catcher, leader and most likeable player in the last few seasons begins the year in banishment for testing positive for a substance for which he could have received an exemption.   The unfortunate fallout forced the Phillies to hand the job to Erik Kratz, who is not Carlos Ruiz' equal in any respect except, apparently, determination.

The bullpen is stronger in the eight inning than it has been for years with the addition of Mike Adams.  Jonathan Papelbon should do fine as the closer.  Getting to these two is still going to be an adventure.  The sixth or seventh inning could prove to be the Phils' undoing.

The bench is mediocre.

The manager and coaching staff don't matter unless the Phils are forced to make double switches every game.

Over the last five or six seasons the hardest ticket to find in these parts included one for a game at Citizens Bank Park.  By August of this year they could be easy to find.