Hustle and flow

Chase Utley’s bat may have gone missing in the series loss to Cincinnati, but his spirit was alive in a team that never quit.

If the Phillies miss the playoffs, poor starting pitching will absorb most of the blame. However, don’t forget the first two months where deficient glove work and obtuse base running proved costly. Probably "4-games out of the Wild Card" costly.

It wasn’t long ago that readers issued serious concern over Ryan Howard’s glove. In a town like Philadelphia, lapses in the field won’t go unnoticed, no matter how many balls clear left field. It’s hard to believe Howard went through a stretch of May games that caused fans to grumble about his cool and casual approach. Words like "outfield" and "platoon" flew like darts. Radio hosts were worried he’d cross into "the Dark Side," where Bobby Abreu apparently played the role of Darth Vader.

Today, Howard – once rated the best defensive first basemen when he played in Triple-A – is probably the most improved fielder since the first half of the season.

If Chase Utley is the new face of the Phillies, Howard is the poster boy for the team’s metamorphosis under their new captain. In the words of Baseball Tonight analyst John Kruk, the former Phillies first baseman said the team is taking on the personality of their best player:

"Every time you think of the Yankees, it starts with Derek Jeter, and everything with the Phillies starts with Chase Utley," Kruk said. "I came to the Phillies two weeks before Mike Schmidt retired, and everybody on the team had the attitude of Schmidt, which was laid back and cool. It works if you are Mike Schmidt because he is a Hall of Famer, but the others on the team weren't great players. Bobby was a great player, but he was laid back, and the others on the Phillies often acted like that. Now the younger kids will see Utley busting his [behind] every play, taking out guys at second, never giving up, and they feel that is how you play the game."

Poignant commentary from Krukker. This is clearly the hardest they’ve played in 2006. On any given night, the lineup is peppered with players with something to prove: David Dellucci, Shane Victorino, Abraham Nunez. The real beauty is that players with job security - Howard, Rollins, and of course, Utley - are bleeding right there with them.

Giving 110 percent is more than lip service for the blue collar mob. Defense is a huge part of baseball, especially with a starting staff like the Phillies, where pitchers like Jon Lieber put an awful lot of balls in play.

After the Reds series, there can be no doubt that the team is grinding. While the one-on-one match-ups between pitchers and hitters prove difficult to measure in these terms, hustle and focus are plain as day in two important areas: defense and base running.

Starting with base running: The defining moment of the second half came when Utley scored from second on a high chopper to the pitcher (pictured above). What a beautiful scene that must have been. Since then, I dare anyone to identify a player who hasn’t busted it on the bases. They’ve rallied for big innings and have scored runs at an enormous rate.

Defensively, Rollins and Nunez are shutting down the left side. What a treat it was to watch J-Roll live yesterday. He absorbed every strike his way.

Shane Victorino has the gift of turning doubles into singles. He did this yesterday on a bullet hit by Ken Griffey Jr. Between Aaron Rowand and Victorino, the gaps at Citizens Bank Park have never been smaller.

Ever notice how Utley is always in the right place at the right time. I doubt this is a coincidence. He plays with a cat-like awareness I’ve only read about in David Halberstam books.

If the Phillies indeed miss the playoffs, starting pitching will rightfully absorb the blame. However, it’s interesting to think where they’d stand if the torch was passed a little earlier.

Comments

[enrico]

The real beauty is that players with job security - Howard, Rollins, and of course, Utley - are bleeding right there with them.

:cough: left fielder :cough:

great post though, and the kruk commentary is right on point in my opinion. i think that this will prove to be the best thing to come of the abreu deal.

[J. Weitzel]

Burrell must have slipped my mind.

[enrico]

Like a fastball right down the middle slips past Pat's bat with a full count.

[That Dude]

Ok, RyHo is The Reaper and Utley can be Cap, Cappy or The Captain!

[enrico]

Or wait, that analogy doesn't work because it would mean Pat would actually have to *swing* the bat.

[J. Weitzel]

Chase is Chase, the way Elvis is Elvis.

[Tom G]

I don't know who is responsible for it, whether it is Rollins or the coaches or a combination of the two, but its amazing how often Rollins is positioned perfectly to field a grounder.

[RickSchuBlues]

Why does the sense of urgency not appear until August, again? In the spring I pronounced a certain confidence in this team because surely it would have learned its lesson to turn on the jets from Game One. But this year, they've repeated the patten from last year and suddenly gotten hungry after it's (probably) too late. Despite the endorsement I posted yesterday of the heart they showed against the Reds and of late in general, I'd be far more impressed if I were seeing this in April or June.

On a side note, I'm glad the Inquirer published the transcripts from the 911 calls from Myers' assault in Boston. People need to be reminded of just how dispicable of an act was committed by the overgrown, balding, wannabe-ace pitcher they see on the mound. It is still my hope that the Phillies will see fit to dump him out the door sooner than later.

[Jon]

I agree RSB. In a perfect world Myers would have never pitched for the Phillies again, but I can see why they want to hold on to him. I just hope it doesn't cost them in the long run. He would not be on my team.

Anyway, back to the positives. I'm am really curious to see the Hamels-Martinez matchup tonight. I have a feeling the Phils just might pull this one out.

[Lake Fred]

Jason, thanks for link to Myers article and 911 transcripts. Those calls just reinforce what a jerk he is.

[Bob D]

Pat has shown some agressiveness lately. last night he could have shown some more instead of a check swing SO. He would probably be more valuable with more agressiveness at the plate.

In reference to Myers: I'll wait til the trial and/or to hear what his wife says. We never know about some of these people that call 911 (I know I'm a 911 operator myself). Its not always what the person states that is true (although there is likely atleast some merit to what happened that night). Lets also not forget that he was a visitor and both callers knew each other (boyfriend/girlfriend). It could be over stated and its not helping Myers that he won't comment on the incident either. I do recognize that the police reports state the marks his wife had and that does say that there was atleast something that happened.
So Sept 5 and we may know more on this from all sides here.

[BloodStripes]

"Poignant commentary from Krukker".

Indeed. Excellent story. Utley really is leading from the front. Considering the Phils are looking to build on a young line-up, who better to have leading them than Chase. Busting their butts on every play is what us Phils fans want to see. Going hard is the only way to go.

Go hard or go home!