The Phillies have played half their season. Let’s hope it’s the bad half, cause they looked absolutely awful this weekend as they were swept by the Marlins.
After 81 games, the Phils are on pace to 72-90 for the season and win 30 games less than they won in 2011.
Blanton pitched okay yesterday in game three of the series, but Bastardo allowed a two-run homer in the eighth that opened up a one-run game, which the Marlins went on to win 5-2.
The Phillies are 36-45 on the year after losing to the Miami Marlins 5-2 last night. The Marlins sweep the three-game series. The Phils are nine games under .500 for the first time since July 25, 2006. They are 11 games out of first place and have lost five in a row.
Blanton got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, two doubles and a home run. Blanton has been un-terrible over his last two starts, allowing five earned runs over 13 innings (3.46 ERA and a 1.23 ratio). Still way to many home runs — he’s allowed 17 over his last 55 1/3 innings. The Phillies have won four of the last five games he’s started.
Up 1-0, he set the Marlins down in order in the bottom of the first.
Logan Morrison singled to right to start the second. Justin Ruggiano was next and singled to left, but Pierre threw Morrison out at third for the first out. Greg Dobbs grounded to Blanton for the second out with Ruggiano moving up to second. Omar Infante was the next batter for Miami and he doubled to left, scoring Ruggiano to tie the game at 1-1 with two down and a runner on second. John Buck followed with a double to right. Infante scored. 2-1. The pitcher Ricky Nolasco flew to center to end the inning.
Again, Blanton isn’t walking anyone but he is giving up way too many hits. No walks but four hits in the frame gets the Fish two runs. Would have been more without the throw by Pierre. Buck doubles home the second run in front of the pitcher with first base empty.
Blanton got the first two in the third before Giancarlo homered to right to extend the lead to 3-1. Blanton walked Morrison before striking out Ruggiano to end the inning.
At least he walked someone.
Dobbs led off the fourth with a single, but Blanton struck out Infante, Buck and Nolasco in a row behind him.
Blanton struck out Hanley Ramirez and Stanton in a 1-2-3 fifth.
It was 3-2 when he started the sixth. He walked Ruggiano with one out, Blanton struck Dobbs out swinging for the second out and Ruggiano was caught stealing for the third.
Schwimer threw a 1-2-3 seventh with the Phils still down a run. Righty Austin Kearns hit for Nolasco and struck out for the third out.
Over his last nine appearances, Schwimer has been charged with one earned run over 11 innings (0.82 ERA with a 1.00 ratio). Yesterday he was throwing for the second straight day.
Bastardo started the eighth. He walked Reyes. Reyes stole second before Ramirez homered to center, extending the Miami lead to 5-2. Bastardo got the next three, striking out Stanton and Ruggiano for two of the outs.
Bastardo has a 9.45 ERA and a 2.25 ratio over his last seven appearances.
Two innings for the pen in which they allow two runs on a hit and a walk. With the off day today, everyone should be ready tomorrow.
The Phillies lineup against righty Ricky Nolasco went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Pence (4) Ruiz (5) Victorino (6) Polanco (7) Wigginton (8) Fontenot. Pierre in left against the righty and the lefty Fontenot at second. Victorino continues to play center against righties despite a 230/299/317 line against them for the season coming into the game. I’d guess we might see the lefty Pridie get some chances in center against righties before too long. Wigginton plays first and he came into the game on-basing .307 and slugging .364 against righties.
Pierre tripled to right with one out in the top of the first. The Marlins played the infield back, but when Pence grounded to third, Ramirez fielded and threw home. He would have had Pierre with a better throw, but it was high and on the first base side of the plate. Pierre slid in safe to put the Phils up 1-0 with Pence safe at first. Ruiz hit into a double-play to set the Phillies down.
The Phils went in order in the second.
Down 2-1 they went in order in the third.
They were down 3-1 when they hit in the fourth. Pence and Ruiz both struck out as the Phils went in order.
Victorino singled to right to start the fifth. Polanco and Wigginton both popped out before Fontenot moved him to third with a single to right. Blanton stuck out swinging to leave both runners stranded.
Rollins struck out to start the sixth, but Pierre bunted for a single up the first base line behind him. Pence was next and rocketed a single into left, moving Pierre up to second and putting two men on for Ruiz. Ruiz flew to shallow center for the second out with the runners holding. The runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch before a 2-1 pitch skipped through Buck’s legs, allowing both runners to advance again. Pierre scored and the Miami lead was cut to 3-2. Victorino grounded to first 3-2 to leave Pence at third.
Fontenot reached on an error by Reyes with two outs in the seventh. Pridie hit for Blanton, making his debut with the Phillies, and flew to left for the third out.
Lefty Mike Dunn started the eighth for the Marlins and got Rollins on a fly ball to center for the first out. Mayberry hit for Pierre. Righty Steve Cishek came in to pitch to Mayberry and Mayberry singled to center. Pence struck out for the second out before Ruiz singled to left, moving Mayberry up to second. Victorino flew to center to leave both runners stranded.
Righty Health Bell got Polanco, Wigginton and Fontenot in order in the ninth.
Rollins was 0-for-4 in the game and 0-for-11 in the series. He’s hitting 259/313/404 for the season.
Pierre was 2-for-3 with a triple. He was 3-for-7 with a triple in the series. 318/357/390 for the year.
Pence 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts in the game and 6-for-12 with two home runs in the series. He’s 14-for-his-last-35 with five walks, three doubles, a triple and three home runs (400/475/800). 285/350/495 for the year.
Ruiz 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 3-for-12 with two doubles in the set. 356/420/579 for the year.
Victorino was 1-for-4 in the game and 3-for-11 in the series. He’s hitting a miserable 254/322/386 for the season. 231/298/315 against right-handed pitching for the season.
Polanco 0-for-4 yesterday and 2-for-12 with two singles in the series. June was his best month of the year — he hit 284/361/392. 273/317/353 for the season.
Wigginton was 0-for-4 in the game and 0-for-6 in the series. 167/219/283 over his last 64 plate appearances. 243/312/387 for the year. 252/300/352 against right-handed pitching in 170 plate appearances against righties for the year.
Fontenot was 1-for-4 with a single yesterday and 1-for-4 in the series. He’s 2-for-his-last-12 with three singles. 315/359/370 over 78 plate appearances for the year.
The Phillies don’t play today. Mets tomorrow night.
July 2nd, 2012 on 3:05 pm
Don’t even know what to say anymore. Besides Chooch, there is no aspect of the Phillies’ game that is reliable, from the top down.
With a tip of the hat to Doc’s not wanting to call it a season, these guys are not going anywhere. They sure aren’t in the so called hunt for red October any longer, not as presently constituted.
And Victorino’s yukking it up in the dugout yesterday while on the edge of losing says a lot about where these guys are. Do they even give a hoot?
July 2nd, 2012 on 3:16 pm
One thing seems to be clear is that Chase Utley isn’t going to save the Phils by himself. The Phils are 0-4 in the games in which he has appeared. Another thing that’s clear now is the Phils aren’t getting anything for Thome. That’s too bad.
They’re really looking awful. Starting pitching was okay in the last two games and the bullpen good two of the three games, but the Phillies scored a total of six run in the three-game series.
July 2nd, 2012 on 3:46 pm
It’s a really weird time in the life cycle of this club. Go for it? Blow it up? It’s the latter that is being bandied about by all the local “experts”. Of course, the only voices that count aren’t talking. Nor should they, I suppose.
It’s just that these guys are really hard to watch. Especially the core guys. I expected more from them in terms of keeping everyone attuned to the job at hand. Kind of sad.
July 2nd, 2012 on 4:08 pm
We will see, but I don’t think they are going to blow it up. They haven’t lost enough yet and they haven’t lost with their core intact yet. They’ve invested a huge amount of money. Their manager is old and won’t be staying around to rebuild. Still just one year away from being the team with the most regular seasons in baseball.
July 2nd, 2012 on 5:27 pm
I know you keep referring to the most wins in baseball, but given that they have now, every year since ’08, accomplished less in the postseason (where it matters)than the year before, how much does that mean? One could argue easily that 102 wins was underachieving, given the pitching and the payroll.
I agree that blowing it up is the wrong way to go. Losing Hamels to a trade would almost make a lie of the last 5 years of marketing their tickets.
But I would trade Victorino tomorrow. Some player HAS to get hurt, big time, to try to wake up the troops.
July 2nd, 2012 on 7:36 pm
I think most wins in baseball means a lot. The playoffs are great, but what the teams do over the course of 162 games is a better reflection of how good they are over 15. Or four or five in the case of the Phillies, but you get the point.
If the Phillies trade Victorino, they have to play someone worse than Victorino in center with virtually no hope of finding a replacement in the organization. I hope they don’t trade Victorino without a plan. Given the in-house options, I can’t imagine what that would be.
The team and the minor league system is built for winning now. They can’t dip into their systems and pluck out much of anything. That’s why I’d still guess they dance with what brought ‘em.
July 2nd, 2012 on 10:11 pm
Oh absolutely. Trading Vic means there is a plan. But somewhere there has to be a guy. Isn’t there?
July 3rd, 2012 on 9:47 am
No argument that he’s been awful this season. But. Coming into this year he had been an All-Star two of the past four seasons and won a Gold Glove in three of them. Top 20 in the NL-MVP voting in two of them.
Terrible this year and terrible at the end of the year. But I think he’s pretty good and if you try to replace him with Jason Pridie or John Mayberry I don’t think it’s going to work. I do think the Phils need to give him a lot of rest against right-handed pitching in the short term until he stops on-basing .298 against righties. He wasn’t that great against righties last year, either — 270/333/455 and tanked at the end of the year. So there may be cause for real concern. Still, I think the upside is big enough we should just hope he snaps out of it.