The Philadelphia Phillies went 2-5 over the past week, with all seven of the games coming while home at Citzens Bank Park.
It was a rough week for the Phillies. The team was 26-21 on May 27th, but lost seven straight games to drop their record two games under the .500 mark.
The Fightins managed to split a four game series with the Brewers this past weekend, but they are going to have their work cut out for them to get back to a winning record any time soon.
The Phillies next ten games begin with three against the Chicago Cubs, who currently sport the best record in baseball, the NL East-leading Washington Nationals, and the heavy-hitting Toronto Blue Jays.
Let’s take a look at the hitters and pitchers to see who is going into this tough stretch surging and who is struggling.
SURGING BATS:
This week Pete Mackanin announced that he was going to sit Ryan Howard for a few games so he could get a better look at first base prospect Tommy Joseph.
The 24-year old Joseph has made the most of his opportunity, hitting .318 over the last seven days with a homer, a double, and 2 RBIs.
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If Joseph keeps hitting, it could make it very hard for Mackanin to sit him for Howard at any point. The biggest weakness for the 2016 Fightins has been a lack of offense, and Joseph might be able to provide some of the power this team is so desperately lacking.
Odubel Herrera has done well atop the lineup for the last few games with five walks, a stolen base and three runs scored.
Herrera hit .292 this week, and continues to provide solid outfield defense. The 2014 Rule 5 Draft pick was a heck of a steal for the Phils, and he has continued his 2015 success so far this season.
After struggling for a few games and being moved down to the bottom of the lineup, second baseman Cesar Hernandez had a nice week at the plate, hitting .273 with a homer and two triples.
Catcher Cameron Rupp has also been swinging a hot bat of late, batting .400 with 2 homers and 2 doubles over the last 7 games. Yesterday he went back to back with newly acquired outfielder Jimmy Paredes in an 8-1 rout of the Brewers.
STRUGGLING BATS:
Peter Bourjos continues to perform poorly at the plate for the Phils, hitting just .091 over the last seven games. Bourjos provides excellent defense, but his bat has been a liability for a team that is in desperate need of offense to stay competitive.
Maikel Franco hit just .231 for the week, but he did hit a couple of homers. Maikel has been off to a slow start so far this year, but hopefully his power surge means a hot streak is just around the corner.
Cody Asche has struggled since his return from the DL, hitting just .167 with 3 strikeouts in four games played.
Tyler Goeddel had been heating up in May after a disappointing April, but he had a rough week at the plate to start off June. Goeddel hit just .118 over his last 7 games with a homer and 2 RBI. Hopefully the 2015 Rule 5 pick can regain his swing in this upcoming crucial 10-game stretch.
SURGING ARMS:
Jerad Eickhoff bounced back after struggling early in the season. Eickhoff pitched 6.2 innings this week, giving up just 2 runs against the Brewers, but ultimately took the loss as the offense struggled.
Aaron Nola finished the week with a 1.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts against just 3 walks over 12 innings pitched. The Phillies top pick in the 2014 MLB Draft continues to impress in his sophomore season.
Jeremy Hellickson had a nice week for the Phils as well, with a 3.00 ERA and a dozen strikeouts over his 12 innings pitched. If they Phillies are not in contention at the trade deadline, Hellickson could be a nice chip for them to give up for some prospects.
STRUGGLING ARMS:
Adam Morgan continued to struggle this week, giving up 6 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. The lefty has had a tough season since his call up in late April. If he doesn’t turn things around in the next few starts he may be assigned back to Triple A.
Steady reliever Hector Neris had an off week, giving up 4 runs over 3.2 innings. Three of the runs came in a poor outing against the Nats on May 30.
Reliever Colton Murray also had a bad week, giving up 3 runs over four innings including two homers.
Tonight the Phils begin their tough 10-game stretch against the Chicago Cubs at Citizen’s Bank Park. It will be interesting to see if they can hold their own against some of the toughest team’s in baseball.
They failed the test last week after being swept by the Cubbies in Chicago and the Nats in Philly. They have an opportunity to turn things now after an offensive outbreak against the Brewers on Sunday.
Hopefully the surging bats and arms continue to put up strong numbers, and the struggling players turn it around to get the Fightins back over that .500 mark in what was an exciting, winning season just a couple of weeks ago.