Dullsville: Phillies searching for a good script

Besides offense, defense, pitching and coaching, the Phillies are missing a good story for fans to embrace.

It’s a sad, sad thing to check the Red Barons Web site and read that Chris Coste, the wannabe 33-year-old rookie, is hitting .160 after nearly making the club as a non-roster invitee. I keep scanning the minor league transactions, waiting for Coste to go on the DL with a broken heart.

The Chris Coste story is one of several good dramas that dried up on Opening Day. Days later, Jimmy Rollins’ hitting streak came to an end. Ryan Howard, who clubbed a Phillies record for home runs in spring (11), has been held to five buzz-killing dongs. Gavin Floyd and Ryan Madson, the most promising pitchers of spring, have been major disappointments. The closest person to being profiled in a human-interest story is Sal Fasano, the first player to acquire his own fan group entirely based on facial hair.

Quite frankly, even the negative storylines have grown stale. Charlie Manuel’s bad tactical managing is old hat, and isn’t nearly as juicy as the Chase Utley/Placido Polanco platoon of a year ago. Even the goats – David Bell and Mike Lieberthal – aren’t playing horribly enough to get fans 100 percent worked up.

The schedule hasn’t helped them, either. Since the opening homestand, they’ve been on the road at Atlanta, Colorado, Pittsburgh and now Florida. They’ve hosted Washington, Florida and Colorado. Nothing breeds excitement like watching Jamey Carroll seven times in one month.

Most people expect the on-the-field stories – offense, defense, pitching – to pick up rather than stay constant, but the Phillies are now faced with another concern: staying above the fold in light of the recent NFL draft. The Flyers may be close to dropping off the map, but the Eagles are more important than they’ve been since December.

Winning would certainly help, but good stories wouldn’t hurt, either. Here are a few possibilities.

Phillies call up Cole Hamels: Hamels’ first Triple-A start is the most significant performance this season: 14 strikeouts, 3 hits, 0 runs is heavy at any level. Hamels is known to be tough. Gavin Floyd, by comparison ... more like a wet noodle.

Phillies fire Charlie Manuel: Goes without saying. Axed managers are good press. It’s also significant because it would represent Pat Gillick’s first big "theoretically" uninhibited move.

Phillies release Alex Gonzalez, purchase the contract of Chris Coste: This very, very minor move might be smart baseball more than good print. The cinderella of spring is a catcher who can play first and third. The Phillies have been pulling their starting catcher early to pinch hit, and Coste would offer more insurance. Alex Gonzalez has been a flat dud without any real purpose to the Phils. Danny Sandoval provides all the insurance they need for Jimmy Rollins and is probably a better hitter than Gonzalez, who is 1-for-18 in a Phillies uniform.

Comments

[J. Weitzel]

Some other notes to pass along. These are from the Beerleaguer senior correspondent:

-- Tomas Perez has struck out 8-straight times with the D-Rays, one short of a major league record.

-- Former center-field prospect Reggie Taylor took the collar in his first 3 games for the independent Lancaster Barnstormers. He is now 0-10.

-- Like many, the Beerleaguer SC wonders why minor league vet John Castellano is playing for Low-A Lakewood, where he is now hitting .528 after 10 games with a 1.605 OPS. What's the point, he asks.

Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle offers the latest on the Reading Phillies (there is a link to his blog on the right side under 'Phlogs'. Highlights:

-- Julio Santana will make two rehab appearances this week for the R-Phils.

-- Pitching prospect Scott Mathieson turned seven innings and struck out seven to beat the Harrisburg Senators 3-1 Sunday. Drago reports that Mathieson's start was the seventh straight by the R-Phils that has seen a starter go at least six innings and allow one run or less.

[clout]

Coste & Sandoval might be perfectly decent fellows but there is zero evidence that they should ever be anything more than career minor leaguers. There is also zero evidence that they can hit any better than Gonzalez. Their skills are quite limited which is why they are old players in AAA. Gonzalez has a decent glove, mild pop and will end up around his career average of .243 if he spends a full season here. Weak? Yes, but what you see is what you get.

[kdon]

It's weird, I know I've argued against this kind of interpretation, but it really seemed to take the life out of the squad (or maybe just me) when Bell returned from injury and Coste had to be sent down.
I know I certainly feel complete and utter despair anytime Bell comes up, so maybe that translates to the club?
Clearly, Coste had the wind knocked out of him. I really do feel for the guy, when you read his quotes in spring training, you could tell how much it mattered to him.

On the +Bell side, the new "Fielding Bible" rated him as the best 3B in the NL in 2005.

[kdon]

Oh, and please don't show that picture of Jamie Carrol EVER again. Does G-Cobb still have his all-ugly show?

[J. Weitzel]

I'm just glad he's out of the division and the season series is over. He's exactly the type of hitter Phillies pitching can't handle: A guy looking for a walk.

[richwise]

Phillies fire Manual

That gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

[Carson Book]

Phillies are going to start May off on a positive note, and begin a nice streak of good baseball played, leading to winning series. That would be the warm and fuzzy story I'm looking for.

Phillies minor league pitching is looking nice.

[Tim]

the phil's are two or three major moves from competing. that could be bringing up hamels and moving a pitcher for a starting position player or could be moving one of the outfielders for another starter. then, it doesn't even need to be said, they need a major league caliber manager. i believe gillick will do this. it may be the deadline, it may be next offseason.

[RickSchuBlues]

Is Alex Gonzales really such a bad player, or have the Phillies just not used him effectively? Here's Jason from early Frebruary upon learning that the Phillies were close to signing Gonzalez: "Done correctly, the Phillies have the potential to field one of the most productive infields in baseball."

It hasn't been done correctly. Bell has been over-used and Nunez and Gonzalez have suffered for it. It appears that these two were signed primarily as insurance in case of another injury to Bell, but whereas we all thought their signings would put pressure on Bell to perform or play less, that has not been the case. Gonzalez has mostly been a starter or platoon player in his career, and he is *not* as bad as his 1 for 18 to start the season. He is a decent major-league infielder, not quite good enough to start, but definitely more worthy of eighteen stinking at-bats in a month.

I still believe the Phillies would be better off platooning him and Nunez over playing David Bell every day. The problem right now with the Phillies bench is that it might be *too* good: Nunez, Dellucci, and Gonzalez were all starting at the end of last season and they are perhaps not suited to the limited pinch-hitting roles Manuel has assigned to them this season.