Phillies Still a Long Way From Competing With the National League’s Best
By John Town
The Phillies were riding high before crashing and burning in a series with the Dodgers, showing they still have a long way to go.
The Phillies had a six-game win streak heading into Los Angeles last weekend. They took a series from the Mets, then picked up two straight sweeps over the Marlins and the Nationals. The Phils were on the top of the world, with fans excited about another great start to the season.
Then it all fell apart once they actually went to Los Angeles. The Dodgers, who have the fourth-best odds of winning the World Series this season, swept the Phils in three games. Philadelphia held leads in each of the three games, but they still lost each win.
No loss stung more than Saturday night’s 6-5 game. The Phillies held a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth as Hector Neris came to the mound hoping to clinch the win. That fell apart when Neris surrendered three straight home runs to tie the game. A ground ball kicked off the tip of Maikel Franco’s glove and skirted into the outfield, allowing the winning run to score.
The loss was a harsh, humbling blow to the team, as manager Pete Mackanin told reporters: [quotes via Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly]
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"“It’s one of the worst losses I’ve ever been associated with, the way we lost,” manager Pete Mackanin, looking shellshocked, said moments after it ended…“Those weren’t windblown home runs,” Mackanin said. “They were bombs. It’s tough to take. I’m not real happy with the outcome…“What a way to lose,” Mackanin groaned. “A real letdown.”"
Several things hurt the team throughout the series, none more than the bullpen.
To their credit, they didn’t allow any runs in Friday night’s game, but that wasn’t the case in the last two games. There was Neris’ aforementioned implosion in the ninth Saturday, as well as Jeanmar Gomez giving up another home run Sunday. The bullpen has been unable to keep the team in games for much of the season.
The ninth inning has been an especially large issue for the team this season. Their 8.83 ERA in the ninth inning is the worst in all of the league this season. The team has already lost on walk-offs twice and has four blown saves in the ninth innings.
Philadelphia has already gone through three closers, and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported that Mackanin was considering using Pat Neshek in the ninth had the Phils had a lead in Sunday’s game. Neshek would be the team’s fourth closer this season. Instability in the bullpen is certainly hurting the team.
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Beyond just the bullpen, the team has struggled on offense, especially with runners in scoring position. In their series with the Dodgers, Philadelphia went 4-for-28 with runners in scoring position, including a 2-for-15 mark in Saturday night’s loss. Philadelphia’s collective .726 OPS with runners in scoring position places them at just 19th in the league this season. If you can’t score when given the opportunity, you’ll never win games.
In addition, several players who were expected to be offensive contributors this season have struggled mightily.
Tommy Joseph, one of the positive surprises of the 2016 season, has a meager .179/.222/.254 line so far this year. His -0.6 fWAR is the worst on the team.
Michael Saunders has struggled as well, posting a .639 OPS so far this season. With Daniel Nava and Aaron Altherr both surging off the bench, Saunders’ playing time could be cut.
Cameron Rupp has failed to hit consistently as well with a .222/.328/.407 line to go along with a 31.3% strikeout rate. Without consistent offensive numbers, Rupp doesn’t have the defensive skills behind the plate to warrant a spot in the lineup behind the plate. Andrew Knapp or Jorge Alfaro could take over his spot by the end of the season.
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With struggles both in the bullpen and offense, the Phillies just can’t compete with the cream of the National League crop. With another tough series versus the Cubs starting Monday, it could be more of the same for Philadelphia.