Ryan Howard and Chase Utley make little difference to Philadelphia Phillies’ winning percentage-MLB
Right throughout the season the experts kept harping on the mantra of missing Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the Philadelphia Phillies' line-up and passing judgments that their absence is the greatest reason why the team's offence became the undoing of the
whole club.
However, the trend of watching a pitcher completing a quality spell of innings and witnessing little response from the offence resulting in the team’s defeat continues even with the presence of Utley and Howard.
The starting pitcher Cliff Lee who is considered to have borne the brunt of the poor offence of the team still faces the same hurdle in his way to record wins.
While it is understandable why at the start, when he finished 10 shut-out innings and yet ended up on the losing side but as Utley and Howard join now his misery remains unresolved.
Off-course Lee himself can be blamed partially but the level of run support which was expected and if the same has been achieved he certainly will have improved his win-loss record in the season.
It is easy to find other weak-links to justify the continuation of the dismal performances by the Phillies’ offence but never all of them can hide the fact that both Utley and Howard are not the same as were seen in the past. Perhaps injuries have plagued
their ability to produce at a faster rate and if not completely eliminated it certainly they have brought them down to the level of mediocre hitters from the prestigious position they enjoyed in the past.
There is no denying in the fact Utley still is hammering home-runs as is Howard. But at what rate?
As they are taking the gap of five to six games to do so every time, it is clear that they cannot change the fate of the Phillies substantially. Furthermore, it is not about hitting a home-run as it is about striking it at a time when doing so is needed
the most for the team.
Unfortunately along with the rest of the hitters, they have more often than not struggled to connect hits under pressure. Thus, effectively they have made no difference to the team.
Meanwhile it is hard to ignore the impact of the trade of Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino. If they were present, it can be believed that along with Utley and Howard, the proper run support to the pitchers will have been made consistent at least.
The kind of surrender the remaining hitters resort to whenever Utley and Howard fail will not have been the case. However nothing can be discussed about it more as the Phillies have sent them for a motive which is the building of the Minor League infrastructure.
The strategy is not bad even if it has come at the worsening of the team’s winning percentage.
One thing must be noted that by the time the Phillies acquired prospects from the trades they had not taken their eyes off the objective to sign off the season on a positive note. They had actually thrust major responsibilities on the shoulders of Utley
and Howard in their calculations. They had hoped that offensive contributions from their part will go a long way in ensuring this.
Therefore, they must be disappointed as the reality at the moment is far from what they envisioned.
Irrespective of the performance of Howard and Utley so far, it can be believed that as they play more games, they will start hitting as fluently as they are known for.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: