Phillies Report

There has never been so much concern over a first-place team. The Phillies don't just own first place in the NL East, but they have the best record in baseball as well, at 37-25. But the offense has people worrying.

The Phillies have the second-best team ERA in the league at 3.17; only division rival Atlanta's is better. Roy Halladay has been his usual self and Cole Hamels has been spectacular. Roy Oswalt hasn't been dominant but solid enough, and Cliff Lee has been inconsistent even though he leads baseball with 100 strikeouts. All four have ERAs under four, with Lee's being the highest at 3.63.

The bullpen, particularly the back end, has been stellar. Ryan Madson is 14/14 on save opportunities and looks like he has the tools to be the closer for the years to come. Jose Contreras has picked up where he left off last season, and while he's been injured a good part of the year, his ERA is at a sparkling 0.77. 25-year-old Antonio Bastardo has really come into his own this year, and has allowed just three runs and eleven hits in 23 innings on the year. Charlie Manuel has shown faith in the young southpaw, inserting him in late-game pressure situations, and Bastardo has come through for him repeatedly.

But the pitching isn't the problem. Not at all. The offense is 17th in baseball in runs scored. The Houston Astros have put up more runs so far than the once potent Phillies offense. Fans and manager alike are becoming antsy over the lack of run production.

I attended last night's game against the Dodgers when the Phillies offense was bailed out by Cole Hamels in a 2-0 win. The stud lefty threw eight scoreless. That has been Phils baseball this season. It is not nearly as flashy as the high scoring games of a few years ago, but I see no problem with it. If the Fightins remain atop the standings winning 3-2 games, what does it matter? It is still possible to win a World Series that way.

The injuries have plagued the offense to a large extent. It seems like every one of the starters has had a DL stint already. Jimmy Rollins was gone awhile, Chase Utley just came back, and Dom Brown as well.

Injuries are by no means an excuse, however. The guys in the lineup simply are not hitting like they should be. Yes, opposing teams have finally discovered throwing more breaking balls against the Phils is the correct approach, but a team average of .247 is just not acceptable for a team of this caliber. Placido Polanco has been the only consistent bat throughout the season. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez have been hovering in the .240 range. While Howard is third in the NL with 48 RBIs already, he is on pace to strike out over 200 times for the first time in his career (though he has struck out 199 times twice).

While the offensive stats do not look pretty on paper, the worry seems a bit exaggerated. When everyone comes back to protect each other in the order is when this offense should start to be evaluated. In the meantime, I am perfectly happy with letting the pitching carry the Phillies.

The Phantastic Phour...and Joe Blanton

"How does it feel?" is the question athletes are redundantly asked after winning a championship, losing a pivotal game, etc. But it is guaranteed no one has ever been asked how it feels to be in Joe Blanton's situation; a mere man among beasts, the guy who no one really cares about. The highly acclaimed 2011 Phillies starting rotation includes Roy Halladay, a two-time Cy Young Award winner (most recently this past season); Cliff Lee, the 2008 AL Cy winner who won the only two games for the Phils in the '09 World Series against the Yankees; Cole Hamels, the '08 World Series MVP; Roy Oswalt, while the 4th starter in this rotation, would be an ace on over half of the other MLB teams; and Joe Blanton, who is the definition of an average MLB starter.

"The four Phillies aces...and Joe Blanton," was the way Around the Horn host Tony Reali described the Phillies' staff. And this description is realistic. Blanton has a 4.30 career ERA and no All-Star appearances or distinguished personal awards. He's never won 20 games or had an ERA under 3.50. But what he does do is give a ballclub solid innings (as high as 230 in 2007), and give his team a chance to win almost every start. You won't see him pitching shutouts like Halladay routinely does, but giving six or seven inning, three run starts every five days. For a fifth option, he sure isn't bad.

But how must it feel to be in his situation? It seems as if every time he's brought up as a member of the Phils' rotation, it's by poking fun at him. It was different last year, when there was a Jamie Moyer/Kyle Kendrick in the rotation as well, another "normal" pitcher. But now he stands alone as a symbol of mediocrity. It's said in literature when to bring out a trait in a character, place them next to a complete contrasting one; it will bring out the differences. This situation brings out Blanton's pedestrian credentials as a pitcher. Blanton could do one of three things: let the situation get to him, ignore it, or use it to try and improve, and if possible, become less distanced from his peers.

Many guys in Blanton's situation would simply crumble, back out, let this drastically lower their self-esteem, the "I'm not good enough" attitude. Blanton could give up in Philly, ask for a trade to become a three or a four in another city, but not have a shot at another World Series ring. This in unlikely. He could also be indifferent to the entire situation, just go on his business as a decent MLB starter and make a comfortable living, and be thought of well but generally ignored by the fans in Philadelphia. He could also option to use the situation to his advantage, and learn from the other starters. The glaring problem to this is that Blanton is not a rookie coming up, but a 30-year-old established pitcher, and learning the ways of 27-year-old Cole Hamels would be a punch in the mouth to his pride. What Blanton could do is pick up Halladay's highly acclaimed work ethic, and routinely ask arguably the best pitcher in baseball for advice. However, maybe Blanton really has reached his plateau. Regardless, he hasn't shown any indication of wanting out of Philadelphia, and while he is a rather expensive fifth starter (8.5M), he is welcome to stay.

Reunited

Cliff Lee is back in Philadelphia. With his acquisition, the Phillies rotation for 2011 is regarded as one of the best ever. His Phillies contract is approximately for 30 million less than what he was offered by the Yankees, but Lee wanted to play in Philly.

The Phillies rotation now features Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. With this rotation, three game losing losing streaks will almost disappear entirely, regardless of offensive slumps. The Phillies have turned into most people's pick to win the Series.

I know I was one of those fans who, when the Phillies traded away Lee in order to acquire Halladay, with wishful thinking thought of how awesome it'd be for the Phillies to keep both. Now the dream of many fans in Philly has come true. Lee, from day one, was a fan favorite over here, and him taking a 30 mil pay cut will only endear him to Phils fan even further.

With now sky-high expectations in Philly, what does this mean for the Yankees, whose 7-year offer for Lee didn't happen? Well, now they go into the spring with only two definite starters, C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes. It does free up more space in terms of signing other players, but the depth of 2011's free agent class is especially weak.

Lee's deal surprised almost everyone in the baseball world, and the Phillies couldn't be happier with the return, this time for five long years.