A winning record on the seven-game homestand that opened last night at the Bank won't put the Phillies in the playoffs. But a losing record certainly can kill their chances. And, with another flat and lifeless offensive performance against the Marlins, the Phils' playoff hopes suffered another blow.Rookie starter J.D. Durbin gave the Phillies only 4-1/3 innings, and his defense let him down, too. Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard committed errors that allowed runs to score in the Marlins' four-run second inning. But, to me, the most telling aspect of last night's 6-3 clunker was the offense's ineptitude. The Phils' went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, with Burrell's three-run homer in the third inning standing as the only clutch hit.
Asked if he's prepared to concede the NL East to the Mets, Charlie Manuel said, "You don't concede anything. We were seven behind when we swept them and cut it to two. Stranger things have happened." Not this strange. The Phillies (73-67) are six games behind the Mets (79-61) with 22 to play. If the Mets go 11-11, the Phillies would have to go 17-5 just to tie them. That won't happen.
But now, suddenly, even the wild-card race is looking bleak. The Phillies are three games behind the Padres (76-64). If San Diego goes 11-11 down the stretch, the Phils would have to go 14-8 (.636) to tie them. Also, the Dodgers (74-67) have moved ahead of the Phillies, and the Rockies (73-67) have pulled even. Colorado comes to the Bank for four games, starting Monday.
So, you tell me. Are the Phillies finished?
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Cole Hamels will begin tossing today, but it might be too late. The real test of his strained elbow will come next week when he throws a bullpen session. Also within the notebook, there's news of the surprising decision to start John Ennis today against the Marlins. And on the day Shane Victorino got cleared to resume playing, Aaron Rowand got hurt. Go figure.
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At least some Phillies teams make the playoffs. In fact, not only did the Class A Clearwater Threshers make the Florida State League playoffs, they actually won a round. Clearwater faces Brevard County (Brewers) in Game 1 of the best-of-five FSL Championship Series tonight. Nate Johnson will start for Clearwater, but the Threshers will be tough to beat if they keep getting quality starts from Andrew Cruse, Andrew Carpenter and Antonio Bastardo. Carpenter, a 22-year-old right-hander from Cal State Long Beach, is my pick for Phillies' Minor League Pitcher of the Year and should draw some attention in spring training next year.
2 comments:
They are finished for this year. I feel bad for players like Jimmy Rollins and Aaron Rowand and Chase Utley who played their tails off all year only to have an inept pitching staff let them down. The Phillies have to do it in the next 2 to 3 years because Rollins and Utley are in their prime now. It would be ashame not to even make the playoffs with them on the team. But that is looking like a real possibility.
done... and I'm almost not excited for the phils/nats tickets I have now. hopefully Utley still has MVP chances!
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