Oct. 23 -- OFFENSIVE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Talk about a bad time for a slump.

Watching the Phillies go 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position here tonight (they're 1-for-28 in the series) reminded me of this summer when they went through a 10-week offensive swoon. There were times, many times, when they'd get runners on base. They just wouldn't drive home those runners. Jimmy Rollins alluded to that tonight after the game.

"We've done this before, unfortunately," he said. "But, fortunately, we've done this before, so we know how to get out of it."

Rollins and Shane Victorino shrugged off the notion that the 1-for-28 performance was caused by the week-long layoff. To them, that would be an excuse. To me, it seems logical. Think about it: From the time they report to spring training, baseball players rarely get a day off. They get three days off for the All-Star break. They never get six days off. Not until the offseason. Simulated games are great, but as Charlie Manuel often says, there's no substitute for actual game conditions. And there's really no substitute for World Series game conditions.

A few of the ugly numbers:
Jimmy Rollins- 0-for-10
Pat Burrell- 0-for-6
Ryan Howard- 2-for-9

Until Victorino legged out an infield single in the fifth fourth inning tonight, beating the throw by a step, the Phils were 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position in the series. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the second-longest hitless streak with runners in scoring position in World Series history. The Dodgers went 0-for-22 in the 1966 World Series against the Orioles.

And it's only by the grace of Cole Hamels' left arm that the Phillies aren't facing a 2-0 deficit as they head home tonight.

Speaking of which, I have to catch a flight in six hours in Orlando, which is an hour away. So, I better get going. More tomorrow (or later today, I suppose) from The Bank.