The Phillies have evoked a wide range of emotions from Phillies Nation. We've experienced the dizzying highs of series sweeps against the teams in the NL East with the top two records (Braves, Mets). We've witnessed a demoralizing sweep by the D-Backs, and the depressing loss of two of three to the doormat Royals. There have been brilliant individual performances (Cole Hamels, Pat Burrell), mediocre individual performances (Wes Helms, Pat Burrell), and horrid individual performances (Freddy Garcia, Pat Burrell). We have stared in puzzlement as the Phillies braintrust has "fortified" the bullpen with an old table they found abandoned by the side of the road (Jose Mesa) and something called a "Zagurski." And this is just in the past three turbulent weeks.The Phillies seem almost tethered to the .500 mark, unable to escape their own mediocrity. They have gone 6-4 in June, so far, but they could have done much better. So much better. Those missed opportunities have kept them on the outskirts (currently 4.5 games out, behind 4 teams) of the Wild Card race. But with only 39% of their schedule in the books, there is still time for the Phils to get their acts together. It would be swell if they did so in the immediate future. But they've continued their erratic ways in June.
June 1st: Giants 13, Phillies 0 (Phillies record after game: 26-28)
Highlights: Darth Vader performed "Casey at the Bat" from the pitcher's mound.
Lowlights: Phillies got their first hit of the game with two outs. In the 6th inning. That hit was half of their total for the game. Giants SP Matt Morris had three hits in the game. The Phillies got robbed in the 2nd inning, when Morris bunted through a two-out, two-strike Adam Eaton offering. It should have been an inning-ending whiff. The pitch was called a ball, Morris singled, and the Giants scored five runs in the inning. It was never a contest after that blown call. Curses!
Phillies Performance in a Word: Absent
June 2nd: Phillies 5, Giants 2 (Phillies record: 27-28)
Highlights: Phillies SP Cole Hamels was magnificent, winning his eighth game (in ten decisions) with a complete game, five-hit, zero-walk effort.
Lowlights: Phillies only had six hits in the game.
In a Word: Cole-tastic!
June 3rd: Phillies 9, Giants 8 (28-28)
Highlights: Phillies trailed 7-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, before putting up a five-spot in the frame, giving them an 8-7 lead. The Giants tied it in the 9th, but Phillies RF Shane Victorino hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the inning. The Phils rewarded the 39, 293 fans with four home runs and Shane Victorino Hula Bobbleheads.
Lowlights: Phillies SP Freddy Garcia pitched 5.1 innings, allowing nine hits, two walks, and seven runs (six earned). He was not as effective as his line would indicate.
In a Word: Inspirational.
June 4th: Giants 8, Phillies 1 (28-29)
Highlights: This nightmare of a game ended after 3 hours and 1 minute.
Lowlights: Phillies SP Jon Lieber lasted only five innings, permitting ten hits, three walks and five runs. The Phillies left twelve on base, and failed to gain any momentum from their come-from-behind walkoff win of the previous day.
In a Word: Craptacular.
June 5th: Phillies 4, Mets 2 (29-29)
Highlights: Chase Utley hit the eventual game-winning HR in the 11th inning. Phillies SP Jamie Moyer held the Mets to only two runs in his seven-inning outing. The Phillies bullpen was exceptional, delivering four scoreless frames.
Lowlights: Phillies 3B Coach Steve Smith made a questionable decision in the sixth inning, inexplicably holding Utley at 3rd on a Rowand single. Pat Burrell magnified the error by not paying attention to the runner in front of him. The result was a messy rundown, during which Burrell slid into 3B twice, while Utley was standing on the bag each time. Not exactly textbook baserunning.
In a Word: Solid.
June 6th: Phillies 4, Mets 2 (30-29)
Highlights: With the Phillies trailing 2-0 in the seventh, Jimmy Rollins hit a three-run HR. Adam Eaton held the Mets to two runs in his six innings. The Phillies bullpen followed with three scoreless innings.
Lowlights: 8 LOB.
In a Word: Workmanlike.
June 7th: Phillies 6, Mets 3 (31-29)
Highlights: The Phillies completed their sweep of the Mets, propelled by the solid (on this night, at least) bat of Pat Burrell. Trailing 3-2 in the 9th, and facing ace closer/personal nemesis/"rat" Billy Wagner (who brought a 1.44 ERA into the game), Burrell slammed a solo HR to tie the game. Burrell followed that with a 10th inning double, sparking a game-winning three-run rally. Cole Hamels (3.57 ERA) was effective, allowing only three runs in seven innings, all on consecutive solo HRs in the sixth inning.
Lowlights: The aforementioned three consecutive, two-out HRs by the Mets in the sixth.
In a Word: Heroic.
June 8th: Royals 8, Phillies 4 (31-30)
Highlights: Phillies scored the first three runs of the game, keyed by HRs off the bats of Ryan Howard and Greg Dobbs. Clay Condrey pitched 3.1 shutout innings of relief.
Lowlights: The Phillies had a great opportunity to move to three games above .500, with a matchup against one of the worst teams in MLB. They blew it. Phillies SP Freddy Garcia was atrocious, as usual, allowing six runs on seven hits (two walks), while only recording five outs. His ERA is now 5.90. The Royals bullpen shut out the Phils over the last four innings, permitting four hits, and striking out six.
In a Word: Discouraging.
June 9th: Phillies 4, Royals 0 (32-30)
Highlights: Phillies SP Jon Lieber was sensational, striking out eleven Royals in a complete game three-hit shutout. He lowered his ERA to 3.72 and improved his record to 3-4. He retired the last fifteen Royals in a game that was played in two hours and ten minutes.
Lowlights: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Abe Nunez each went hitless in four ABs, combining for seven strikeouts.
In a Word: Brilliant.
June 10th: Royals 17, Phillies 5 (32-31)
Highlights: Luckily, this game was not chosen to be aired on ESPN. Hopefully, no one noticed...
Lowlights: Where to start? The offense left eight on base, and had twelve (!) strikeouts. But they did score five runs, which should be enough to win. Or to at least come within twelve runs of winning. Not this time. Phillies SP Jamie Moyer was bombed for six runs on seven hits, in three and two/thirds fun-filled innings. The bullpen combined to allow eleven (!) runs, while obtaining thirteen outs. (That, my reader(s), is not a good runs-to-outs ratio.) Phillies MGR Charlie Manuel, inexplicably, used setup man Geoff Geary in the eight inning, with the Phils trailing, 11-5. A senseless waste. (Charles Fuqua, Geary is supposed to pitch the 8th when the Phillies are winning.) Exciting new acquisition Jose Mesa gave up two runs, while obtaining four outs. His ERA for the season was a horrific 12.34, entering the game. Yet, he managed to increase it. Hard to do, that.
In a Word: Repugnant.
Pat Burrell has followed up a .179 May (.770 OPS, .360 OBP) with a .182 June (so far, .706 OPS, .282 OBP). He is batting .156, with a .602 OPS, on the road. Yet, he seems to come up with a disproportionate number of "big" hits, considering that he gets so few hits to begin with.
Phillies 3B have a combined zero (0.0000) HRs this season. Freddy Garcia was just DL'd with a sore shoulder, joining Opening Day starter/closer Brett Myers on the sidelines. (The fact Garcia's fastball packed less heat than Moyer's should have been a clue as to his physical state. It's a shame that there was no test that the Phillies could have performed on Garcia's arm, prior to acquiring him. But once polio gets cured, the medical community will be working on some sort of magnetic resonance thingy. Sounds rather intriguing.)
Phillies GM Pat Gillick pledged to leave "no rock unturned" in looking for bullpen help, and managed to find Jose Mesa under a rock somewhere. On the minus side, Mesa's AL ERA (with Detroit) was 12.34. (This translates to 11.43, in NL dollars.) On the plus side, Mesa is wicked cost-effective (pro-rated major-league minimum), has a cool blue mitt, and has rather intricate facial hair. Obviously, the pros outweigh the cons here.
But, alongside so much ugliness, there is so much beauty. Cole Hamels. Chase Utley. Ryan Howard. Carlos Ruiz. Mike Zagurski. (OK, perhaps not so much that last one.) If they can remain within striking distance, and Brett Myers makes a strong comeback, and the Phillies go on a tear, the Wild Card is viable. Perhaps even a division crown. There is much talent here, and plenty of time to dream of the playoffs...
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