Sunday chat: Flat Phillies seek series victory in SD

If the Phillies' offense wishes to be taken seriously, they'll beat right-hander Anthony Bass and the Padres this afternoon and take this series 3-1. Following another uninspiring night of measly run production, Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel rejiggers the lineup: Pierre LF, Victorino CF, Rollins SS, Pence RF, Thome 1B, Wigginton 3B, Ruiz C, Galvis 2B, Blanton. Different recipe, so we'll see if it results in the same bland taste. Ty Wigginton now leads the club in OPS (.789) as several regulars, including Hunter Pence and Jimmy Rollins, have had an awful roadtrip. As a team, the Phils rate second to last in baseball with a .599 OPS. A win would pull the Phils back to .500. [Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[MG]

Maybin has to be one of the faster guys in MLB down the 1st line.

[Fatalotti]

TTI, I think you're wrong. Baseball players are always told to sit fastball, but to keep their hands and weight back, so that they can react to an off-speed pitch.

You actually point out why a hitter shouldn't sit on an off-speed pitch, as it's hard to catch up to a fastball. This is why hitters are told to sit fastball, react off-speed. It's an easier mid-swing adjustment to make. Not saying it's easy, but that's they way I've always heard it taught, and it makes sense.

[Sophist]

Offense!

[Fatalotti]

Nice to see a good swing by Jimmy.

[Meyer]

Great pitch by Blanton to end the inning. The Phillies should hammer this guy. Nice swing Rollins.

[MG]

Wheels certainly thinks JRoll is capable of hitting the ball over OFs heads. I hope so.

[Fatalotti]

Pence is just doing nothing for this team right now.

[GBrettFan]

I don't think he's a full Pence right now.

Maybe a tuppence.

[Sophist]

In both AB Pence puts the ball in play, like you'd want, but to the one spot where it does no good.

[Return of The King Of The Bop]

OH MAN....I AM GETTING STEAMED!!!!

[Meyer]

Pence and Mayberry should find some middle ground approach to hitting.

[GBrettFan]

Oops, that means 2 pennies. Make it a ha'pence.

[Fatalotti]

I could use a HR from Thome here.

[MG]

Wheels is right to harp on Pence and his lack of situational awareness there.

Given that and how he is a guy who heavily depends on his athletic ability to compensate for ugly swing mechanics and shaky routes in the OF, some team is really going to regret signing him to a huge deal long-term in his 30s as his athletic ability diminishes.

[GBrettFan]

Our hitting with RISP has GOT to improve, right?

[Fatalotti]

Thome better be careful. he might knock his career OBP under .400 if he keeps this up.

[Meyer]

Jim needs glasses.

[KoolEarl]

Folks, I am back. Things will pick up. Show some sac and drink some Jack

[Fatalotti]

Offense = pathetic

[MG]

Ugh. Leadoff double wasted.

Struck out 4 times already in the first 3 IP against a guy who is having trouble finding the zone and is nibbling away on the outside all day especially RHP.

Jabronis indeed.

[Meyer]

Blanton is a breaking ball beast.

[gobaystars!]

Jesus Christ Pence just keep giving away bases out there.

[Fatalotti]

Boneheaded play by Pence. You have to play that ball on the hop, and not let the run score from 1st.

[EastFallowfield]

This is the Hunter Pence I was afraid we were getting last year. Swing at everything, bad defense.

[NEPP]

Has Pence had a day off all year?

Maybe that could be it.

[gobaystars!]

You could see that coming. Sit down Jim.

[Sophist]

No way

[Fatalotti]

Hahahahahaha

[Meyer]

Well Jim, that wasn't close. Holy S8it.

[GTown_Dave]

Maybe this team flat stinks.

[sdphillie]

Think we could get Ed Wade to talk the Astros into taking Pence back? They're up 12-0 on the Dodgers, and perhaps we could get 2-3 guys to hit the ball.

[MG]

Defense breakdown will drive Cholly insane!

He's definitely get tossed today if there is something worth arguing about.

[connie mack]

Jim Thome is an American League Player at best

[gobaystars!]

Any time Pence is the best player on your team, you are in trouble. The Phillies are in trouble.

[Fatalotti]

Vic is probably the best position player on this team, but I get your point gobay.

[Scotch Man]

I've got it. Cut and trade who you have to and call up the Reading Phillies.

[curt]

The good news, and the bad news, is that only 3 or 4 of the guys on the field today will be with the team next year.

[NEPP]

Its going to get worse before it gets better.

We honestly could be out of it by Mid-May if we keep playing like this and the Nats and Braves keep winning.

[MG]

Pence is like Iggy on the Sixers. Solid overall player who has questionable fundamentals and isn't good enough to carry a team.

[EastFallowfield]

Dom Brown not good enough defensively to be on the field, yet we get to watch this crap today.

[Season Over]

Does anyone really still think that Utley and Howard are going to save this team?

[The Truth Injection]

Fata- You are off base. Nothing else to say. Go see if you can find an article on it.

This team is just scuffling right now in this game. It doesn't mean anything catastrophic for the season but it is frustrating to watch obviously.

[connie mack]

MG, seriously, do you think Cholly even notices the defensive breakdown? He finds a spot in the dugout and stands there and stands there and stands there, hell he even wears a watch during the game, what is that about? He and Thome should be sitting on a bench in the park talking about the good old days in cleveland

[Meyer]

Phillies win when Galvis hits. Come on Freddy.

[Meyer]

Galvis is pressing.

[Sophist]

NEPP - how could it get worse? We'd have to lose either Doc or Hamels for it to get worse. The team's two best position players over the last several seasons are on the DL with uncertain futures. Lee is, even in the short time, on the DL. Wigginton has the best OPS on the team. One of the worst performing offense in the NL to the point (and they're even worse with RISP). Somehow they are 7-8.

[NEPP]

***Somehow they are 7-8. ***

Soon to be 7-9 and now we'll be running KK out there every 5th day.

It'll get worse. At least with Lee, we were muddling along around .500.

[Willard Preacher]

What's a more emphatic way of saying "This game feels like a loss?"

This game is a certain loss??

[What Stupid People Think]

Jim Thome's 15 AB and 1 error are the reason the Phillies aren't good.

[awh]

"We honestly could be out of it by Mid-May if we keep playing like this and the Nats and Braves keep winning."

Yeah, NEPP, I know. We were out of it on September 12, 2007 when they were 7 games out.

I just don't get the "season = over" crap. At least not now. It's waaaay too early.

Yes, this team is playing like absolute dogsh8t right now. But they're not this bad - and the Nats arent'e this good.

Relax. 146 more after this one.

[JRide]

Lance bass is really keeping the Phillies out of synch.

[let's eat]

whoever said it was like the bad news bears was right!

[The hook]

Wow can't believe watching this heaping pile of SH8t being put out on field. I don't know what's worse? Watching this team play or wheels bitching about everything they do wrong? Wheels we get it they suck don't have to point it out genius

[Rich D]

I have lowered by win total expectation. I'm down to 75-80 at best. We're not going to win many games with this roster.

[awh]

Jride, who?

[Rich D]

Galvis could be a legitimate ROY candidate if he would just hit a little.

[Sophist]

NEPP - I meant to include the loss of Lee in saying it couldn't be worse than what we have now. As for the record, we'll have to wait and see. Hard to see this offense being worse than they've been.

[Sophist]

Galvis wouldn't be Galvis if he could hit a little.

[let's eat]

the phillies are playing bass-ackwards.

[Marc H]

I understand that the Phillies have asked Thome to play the field when he hasn't done so for 6 seasons. So he gets a pass on that.

His at bats have been terrible. Thome needs to sit down, look in the mirror and realize that he is doing more harm than good. Great player in his prime and a certain Hall of Famer. But he is done. He's swinging through fast balls and not even fouling off pitches

[Willard Preacher]

Galvis has a better shot at Gold Glove.

[curt]

If Galvis could hit a little, he'd be in the Astro or Blue Jay system now.

[let's eat]

Marc - Your;re right -- he is the kind of player that should be the first to recognize to hang it up - would be the dignified thing to do,

[The Truth Injection]

awh: You have to remember that people on here have limited attention spans.

[Fatalotti]

Who cares if the offense can't get worse? It could stay the same, hell it could get slightly better. But now that 3 out of ever 5 pitchers we start are going to be Worley, Blanton and KK, it's not even close to good enough to win us probably even half of those games. Figure that you cant win every Halladay and Hamels, and we're looking at what could be a rough month ahead.

When you go 7-9 against the likes of the Pirates, Padres, Mets and Giants, it doesn't make one too optimistic about facing the Red Sox, Cardinals, Braves and Nationals over the next month. If Lee is out during that time, things could get rough.

[Sophist]

NEPP - And I didn't mean what I was saying in the record sense. I meant it more in the general state of the team sense. From what we've seen on the field from the offense, what you can expect from Howard/Utley, loss of Lee, this game today -- hard to imagine it being worse.

[let's eat]

awh - could you repeat that, what was that you just said?

[Rich D]

I can't remember seeing such feeble at-bats as I have this season. Lousy at-bat by JRoll.

[Willard Preacher]

Anthony Bass settling in and plowing through this lineup now. That about says it all.

[MG]

TTI - "This team is just scuffling right now in this game. It doesn't mean anything catastrophic for the season but it is frustrating to watch obviously."

Its more than scuffling. This offense is just flat out catatonic right now. This includes most of the regulars today too including Chooch. Not like it is a normal Sunday lineup with Schneider/Orr/etc

Doesn't spell catastrophe for the season but it is going to be tough for them to say at .500 let along over it especially with Lee out.

This is a bad team right now and you just have to hope they don't really dig a big hole for themselves over the next 4-5 weeks looking at a double-digit deficit in the NL East race.

[limoguy]

Just got in and checked the score. Can anybody give me a good reason to turn it on the game and watch the rest of it?

Didn't think so....

[Meyer]

The metric on Thome missing balls is in inches.

[Willard Preacher]

What's the combined record of the teams the Phils have faced?

What is it without the games vs the Phils?

[Marc H]

Thome doesn't deserve to be embarrassed by being released. He needs to come to this conclusion on his own. Schmidt did it that way and so should he.

[MG]

My early 'smell' test for the Phils were this series and the Cubs either next weekend. If they can't even win one of those 2 series against two of the worst 5 teams in baseball, they're in trouble.

[Sophist]

Remember too that I was saying before they lost Lee that the goal should be to stay around / slightly above .500 over the first 1-2 months of the year. Without unexpected contributions or some early return of Utley or Howard, this isn't a dominant team (and the East isn't an easy division).

[Meyer]

Hang'em Joe.

[Scotch Man]

I just threw up in my mouth

[awh]

OK, this game officially feels like a loss.

[Willard Preacher]

Ross Gload is all the evidence you need that Thome will not be released. That's Charlie's boy, too, and we haven't even hit Interleague yet.

[gobaystars!]

Game.

[GTown_Dave]

MG: Including the Pirates, that would be a failure to win even one series vs. three of the worst 5 teams in baseball.

[Rich D]

Damn it, Blanton!! You had two outs and no one on. 6-1 hole. Game over.

[NEPP]

Wait a minute...you're allowed to hit the ball over the outfield fence?!?

Why doesnt our team try that?

[let's eat]

Pierre should not be leading off- [maybe he shouldnt be in the lineup - cost them a run (maybe more) in the 1st inning].

here is a lineup idea-

Put JRoll back there. Vic 2nd, Pence s/be 3rd and maybe Wiggy 4th? Ruiz 5th, Nix 6th, Galvis 7th, Pierre =- 8TH

[MG]

Phils' opponents wining pct coming into today was .463. 23rd in MLB.

Radio rest of game and cooking/laundry for me.

[Willard Preacher]

You could give the Phils all the runs they'll score in the next series and they wouldn't be enough to overcome this deficit.

[Meyer]

I would have Blanton pitch the full 8 and pack. Maybe it will rain in Phoenix.

[limoguy]

Looks like my decision not to turn the game on was a good one.

[EastFallowfield]

Record in other games:

Pgh 4-8
Mia 6-6
NYM 6-5
SF 5-6
SD 3-10

[Willard Preacher]

Thanks MG. that's about what I was expecting.

[Jack]

"If Galvis could hit a little, he'd be in the Astro or Blue Jay system now."

That's pretty good.

[sdphillie]

If there's a silver lining, at least we don't have Boston's bullpen.

[curt]

So much for all of those sentimental folks who couldn't stand 39 year old Ibanez but loved the idea of 41 year old Thome in the lineup.

[let's eat]

Maybe Bowden was right -- no playoffs for Philadelphia - at least the way it's constructed right now..

[MG]

Another start, another ho-hum game for Blanton. Defense did let him down in a notable way but he didn't look good today either.

Fastball wasn't hitting his stuff and he was leaving stuff up including his sinker/changeup.

Guess the only positive is that Blanton is a notorious slow starter too.

[GTown_Dave]

The 2012 Philadelphia Phillies: Crappy Teams Play Us When They Need A Boost!

[Willard Preacher]

So, opponents with a .407 win % in games not against the Phils.

Including the Phils, they improve to .463.

[Rich D]

I'm glad I appreciated 2007-11. This mess looks like the beginnings of another dark ages circa 1995-2000. Watching this game today reminds me of the awful 1988 team.

[Fatalotti]

cut, could have something to do with this:

Jim Thome:
2009-2011 OPS+: 140

Raul Ibanez:

2009-2011 OPS+: 111