When the hell did the Phillies forget how to hit

As you'll recall from my previous post, "I've been sucked in" I told you that I would get caught up in the Phillies playing so well and that ultimately they would disappoint me. I just didn't expect that disappointment to arrive so soon.

The Phillies have been playing some really putrid baseball for almost the entire month of June. At the beginning of the year, everyone was concerned about their pitching. We need another starting pitcher or we need another arm in the bullpen, etc. Well, by in large, with the exception of our buddy Mr. Brett Myers (3-9, 5.84 Era, 1.56 Whip) the starting pitching has been fairly decent. Cole Hamels will anchor the rotation for years to come. The bullpen, despite featuring the likes of Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson, have the best era in the majors. The hitting was supposed to be the strong point. I don't care if you have Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Nolan Ryan all in their primes. If you score 2 runs or less almost every game, you won't win.

We knew they were going to strike out a lot, but we also knew they were going to score runs, hit for power, and pick up men in scoring position. Well, all that is now out the window. Prior to their win last night, the Phillies had left a total of 77 (Seventy Seven) men on base during their six game losing streak. 77 men! I don't think Madonna had that many on her "Like a Virgin" Tour. Now we get to the projected strike out totals for the year. Let's start with honorable mention: Mr. Chase Utley, 101K. It used to be Chase was the best hitting second baseman in the game, and he has put up some respectable numbers this year. But for a hitter that has a .299 career average, 101 strikeouts is too many. He has looked very badly in the last three weeks. Second place goes to Mr. Pat "The Bat" Burrell - 132K. He was as hot as any Philly during April and May, but hasn't done anything in the last month, aside from creating a lot of breezes. Our Gold Medalist, of course, is Mr. Ryan Howard - 224K. 224K in a projected 608 at bats! Less than 1 out of every three at bats, he strikes out. Last year, he set the record with 199Ks, which he seems destined to far surpass this year. Since his MVP season in 2006 (which he still struck out 181 times, but hit .313 with 58 home runs and 149RBis) his production has slowly gone south. 2007- Fewer home runs, runs scored, RBIs, and lower batting average. The aforementioned 199Ks. 2008 - .214 average. It looks to me that he is just guessing at the plate. If I was pitching against him, I would throw him, hook after hook, slider after slider. It used to be that if a pitcher made a mistake and left a pitch up or threw one right down the middle, you knew Howard would take you yard. He's swung through way too many of those pitches this year.

The production woes don't end with those players, however. Let's talk about last year's MVP, Jimmy Rollins. First, he misses most of April and half of May because he tried to come back too soon from an ankle injury. Secondly, his numbers, when he has been in the lineup, are simply pedestrian. .265, 6HRs, 27RBIs. He's been as cold as anyone during June. Other players, ranging from average to awful have done nothing to ease the burden. Jeff Jenkins was 0 for his last 27 going into Thursday's game. Werth has been inconsistent. Why they would ever play Ruiz over Coste is anyone's guess. Coste's batting average is about 65 points higher than Ruiz's, plus he hits for more power and is better with runners in scoring position. Pedro Feliz, who was expected to help improve the offense at third base, has also done little since May. Right now he's hitting .264 with 9Hrs and 39 RBIs. An improvement over Wes Helms for sure, but still not great. Victorino has also been inconsistent. He was the lightning rod that helped them win the Braves' series, but has not even shown up on the radar for the past month. I know every team hits cold snaps, but this one is beyond anything I can remember.

The good news is is that despite how horrible they have been playing, they are still in first place - only because the Marlins have been playing terrible ball as well. Shuffling the order is not the answer. Maybe Milt Thompson, the hitting coach, needs to go. Maybe everyone needs to take some extra BP. Maybe they need to see a sports Psychiatrist. Whatever they need to do - they better start soon. Their heads and their hearts are just not in it right now.