PHILLIES: Simply Summing It Up..

To sum it all up, the Phillies are not a World Series caliber team right now.

Yes, they do have a virtual lock on their third straight NL East title, with a team who statistically has the most prolific offense in the NL, but it’s very clear. The Phillies were surpassed by the St. Louis Cardinals in the popular vote for NL supremacy some time ago, and while the reasons aren’t necessarily controllable, it’s hard to deny those reasons as the obvious.

If you follow this blog, you know the reasons. Brad Lidge, injuries, inconsistency with both the starting and relief pitching, and the inability hitting with runners in scoring position have been they concepts frequently touched upon in past posts.

With that said, it’s undeniable that the Phillies, great in some areas but shaky in others (see above) when it comes to playing the game of baseball, have to get just drastically better in those areas of concern.

Unfortunately, if they Phillies can’t improve these eye-popping flaws that they possess virtually every time they step on the field in the next 10-14 days, the combination they currently have is the worst possible recipe to repeat as champs. 

Look at last year.

It wasn’t gaudy offensive statistics (4.5 runs a game in the 2008 playoffs) that led the Phillies to the promise land. To be honest, It was a combination of a healthy and confident bullpen (Lidge), dominant and consistent starting pitching (Cole Hamels), and timely hitting (Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins) that eventually led to the defeat of the Milkwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and lastly the Tampa Bay Rays. How many of those attributes do the Phillies possess right now?

That’s right, zero.

With that said, it’s not likely, but timely hitting can be outdone by the offensive barrages (a.k.a blowouts) that the Phillies are indeed capable of this season. Also, while the starting pitching doesn’t have “dominating” season stats, they have been a top-3 pitching staff since the all-star break in the NL when it comes to wins and E.R.A.

So..that leaves the relief pitching as the “x-factor” of this playoff recipe to success.

First and foremost, the Phillies need to get their members of their pitching staff healthy.

Fast. 

Going into the playoffs without reliable arms who have been their before like Chan Ho Park (Hamstring) and J.C Romero (Forearm) in the bullpen would be bad, while going into October without potentially dominant arms like J.A Happ (Oblique), Brett Myers (Shoulder), and Pedro Martinez (Neck) would be worse.

 

The potential kryptonite to the Phillies' playoff chances is the performance of those in the bullpen

All are possible due to current injuries to each of the five players (who are or could be main contributors to the Phillies post-season bullpen) mentioned above.

Most importantly, while I am spending time talking about those who are unable to pitch, it’s become clear that those who are healthy enough to actually get on the mound and try to earn their paycheck are the playerswho I should direct my sometimes reserved, but in this case justified criticism towards.

Quite frankly, those who reside in the ‘pen for the majority of the game are just not getting the job done. Even worse, It’s not just the now-demoted closer Brad Lidge, who now has an unprecedented MLB-high 11 blown saves, that is doing the damage. Ryan Madson has almost as many blown saves (6) as he does actual saves (8). Both Jamie Moyer (blew the lead) and Tyler Walker (blew the game) played a crucial role in the Phillies collapse on Saturday against the Milwakuee Brewers.

Now that everyone is in on the party, who is going to play the role of the cop that shuts it down (note the phrase “shuts it down”)?

Lidge? Too many chances.

Madson? Too inconsistent.

Myers? Too unstable.

Walker? Too boring (and believe me, boring is bad if you are a closer).

Yes, this may seem very drastic. In some cases, it is. While I am sadly turning into a realist/pessimist at my old age, my optimistic section of my split-personality will say that If the Phillies starting pitching can go deep into games or the the Phillies offense can spare the bullpen pressure with runs, which each are capable are doing, than this whole discussion will be a non-issue. 

I hope it is.

But to those who agree with this optimistic stance, I show you this.

That is what a good bullpen can do for a team, which is the same good bullpen that the Phillies just don’t have right now.

Now at this point, I guess Phillies fans should cling to the possibility that Brad Lidge and the rest of the Phillies bullpen will get their mojo back so this potential trip down memory lane can actually occur. 

Without that possibility, the Phillies are not a team that deserves to represent the NL in the Fall Classic.

It’s as simple as that.

PHILLIES: Francisco Plays Hero

Out of all people to hit an eventual game-winning homerun for the Phillies in a crucial game versus the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night, I doubt that anyone would have guessed the source of the late-game heroics.

Ryan Howard?

Nope.

Jimmy Rollins?

Well, he hit a game-tying HR earlier in the game, but it wasn’t him.

Chase Utley? Raul Ibanez? Jayson Werth?

While all are good players, and 2009 all-stars for that matter, none were Tuesday’s star of the game. You have to go down the roster to the bench players, where you’ll find a player who is most likely between the portly Matt Stairs and the career-pinch hitter Greg Dobbs on the potential list.

So, Ben Francisco?

DING DING DING!!

 

After Tuesday's late-game heroics, Ben Francisco will be a fan favorite in Philadelphia

If you don’t know the name, you may not be alone. Ben Francisco has not been in a Phillies uniform for long. You might recognize him as the OTHER guy sent to the Phillies in the trade that brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia. Even though Francisco’s name was looked over by almost ever single Philadelphia fan after they looked away once they saw the name Lee, his contributions have been felt in a big way.

Since sent to Philadelphia two weeks ago, Francisco has fulfilled the role that the Phillies organization had set for him when they pulled him into Charlie Manuel’s office that first day. His ability to play all three outfield positions and hit anywhere from 2nd to 7th in the lineup has given the Phillies the utility outfielder and the strong right-handed hitter off the bench that the organization had been looking for since the start of the 2009 season.

Case and point?

On Tuesday night, Francisco did what neither John Mayberry Jr. nor Eric Bruntlett have been able to do the entire season. He delivered.

While Francisco’s solo homerun in the top of the 12th inning barely cleared the ivy on the left field fence in Wrigley, he got enough Kevin Gregg’s hanging breaking ball to hit his second long-ball in a Phillies uniform. More important than the “HR” number in his personal statistics, Francisco’s solo shot was the eventual game winning-run that snapped the Phillies 3-game losing streak.

During last year’s historic World Series run for the Phillies, it’s undeniable that the contributions from the players who usually resided on the bench were major reasons why the Phillies were able to parade down Broad St. with some jewelry when all was said and done.

You want proof?

Remember Matt Stairs’s homerun of Jonathan Broxton that finished off a comeback of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS?

Definitely.

Remember Geoff Jenkins’s leadoff double in the 7th inning when Game 5 of the 2008 World Series resumed after a 46-hour weather delay?

Probably.

Remember So Taguchi game-tying two-run double to cap off a six-run ninth against the New York Mets?

Eh, that’s questionable. I’m almost positive fellow Philly Phour writer Josh Getzoff does.

The point of this wasn’t just for a trip down memory lane. These three scenes from the Phillies 2008 perfect story just prove that bench players can play the role of hero as well.

Just like Ben Francisco did Tuesday night with his 12th inning game-winning HR against the Cubs.