How Are the Phillies Not Leading the NL East?
Before jumping on the Philadelphia Phillies, let’s first applaud the Atlanta Braves who have spent the last several seasons stuck in the middle of the NL East division and are currently leading it.
Now one must ask the question, how can the Philadelphia Phillies not be leading the NL East division?
After all, the Phillies have won the division the past three seasons, winning the World Series in 2008 and winning the NL Pennant again last season. They have not looked back since overcoming a huge deficit to snatch the division crown from the New York Mets in 2007.
This past offseason, the Phillies emerged victorious in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes as they acquired perhaps one the best pitcher in the game right now. The whole reason for Halladay eying a trade was that he wanted to have a chance to pitch in the playoffs, but so far, the Phillies have not really helped him fulfill that goal.
Halladay has been everything the Phillies have needed him to be. He is 10-7 so far, having pitched a perfect game and several complete games, but just as the story was in Toronto, he has not had any run support in many of his losses.
He has already pitched 148 innings and has an incredible 2.19 ERA, but his teammates have let him down.
For the talent that the Phillies have, they should not be chasing anybody, and Halladay should see his first playoff on the horizon.
The Phillies are ranked 23rd in the league in hits and 21st in batting average. Their spectacular pitching has compensated for their heavy bats somewhat, but if the team wants to go to the World Series for a third straight season, the bats will have to start connecting.
Philly may also look at injuries as a reason for its slow start this year. Injuries to second baseman (2B) Chase Utley (right thumb); left handed pitcher (LHP) J.A. Happ (left forearm) and third baseman (3B) Placido Polanco (left elbow) have not helped the team either. Utley isn't expected back anytime soon and key relievers Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin have also been hurt.
The NL East is improving and the Braves are the best example for that. The Braves are seen as an early favorite to win the NL pennant. The Braves have also recently acquired Alex Gonzalez from the Blue Jays in an effort to maintain their lead over the East.
The Braves hope to give departing manager Bobby Cox one final trip to the World Series, as the Phillies try to regain their dominance over the division and the league for that matter.
So what will the Phillies have to do to rise back to the top of the NL East? Well, it’s going to be very difficult without Chase Utley until late August. The Phillies have to address their needs by the trade deadline if they don’t wish to fall any further behind in the NL East.
The bottom line is, though, that the Phillies have to show that they’re better than this. They traded one ace away in Cliff Lee to acquire perhaps the ace of aces in Roy Halladay, and have to give the 33 year-old a chance at starting in a playoff game. If they don’t, Halladay will have to wonder what it was all for.
Philadelphia has to pick things up offensively and give their pitchers more run-support. A lot of good outings from the pitchers have been wasted by poor offensive productions and the Phillies will have to turn it around for the second half of the season.
Tags: