It's probably best to forget this ever happened, to forget how the bats left Cole Hamels high and dry, or how Placido Polanco played his worst game of the season, or how the heart of the lineup can't produce. What more can be said about this historic cold spell that hasn't already been said. But let me level with you. Take a look at those goose eggs. Shocking, isn't it? It's one thing to go cold. It's another for a previously hot offense to mysteriously flatline for five games. Three straight shutouts, on the road, against a team that implicated the Phillies in sign stealing. I would be lying if I said this sudden, uncharacteristic dearth of scoring wasn't curious. Whether it means the supply line has been shut off at the source, or that the accusations somehow made the Phillies sheepish and tentative, whatever the case, and in my opinion, I do not believe these circumstances are unrelated.
Turns out no one in the Phils lineup can actually hit. They just always knew pitch, speed, and location of every pitch thrown based on their use of binoculars at a game once in coors field.
Not one of the most believable scenarios I have ever heard.
Posted by: Gsl | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:43 AM
You are kidding, right? You cannot be serious in implying that they can't score because they can't steal signs! C'mon now.
Besides, more than one team has accused the Phillies of stealing signs. The Rockies and Dodgers have also complained. Why would they freeze up against the Mets, of all teams, and why now??
And why can't they steal signs? It's part of baseball, you just have to be discreet about it (i.e. don't stand in the open with binoculars).
Posted by: Mrs. Pine | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:44 AM
If you pair the zeros, they kind of look like binocular lens'. Maybe the Phils are sending the league a big up yours in their own unique way.
Posted by: Gsl | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:45 AM
I'm not even upset about this shutout streak anymore. Almost fascinated by it at this point. Seems impossible.
Posted by: Brian G | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:48 AM
Here ya go, JW. Tomorrow night's graphic is on me:
Fifty-Five Of Fifty-Six
Also, I'll be expecting our resident intellectual betters to promptly call out JW as a reactionary moron who has never watched an entire baseball game -- let alone a full season -- in his life, as they undoubtedly would to any other poster suggesting part/all of the above. After all, what's good for the goose ...
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:48 AM
If I were in a fantasy baseball league, I would definitely try to pick up Chris Volstad between now & tomorrow.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:53 AM
Gtown - Not only is that impolite (you don't insult your host), it would be wrong. JW is more circumspect in his analysis (even if I disagree with it).
Karma, reversion to the mean. It's all the same. The off-break is exactly balanced by the leg-break; the googly by the doosra.
Posted by: Sophist | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:55 AM
I think Jeff Francoeur said it best in the postgame.
"I hate to be the Marlins." He's right you guys have a great offense and their just going through a funk.
But I will say it doesn't help to have KK on the mound 2m.
Posted by: Jay | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 12:55 AM
Sophist: That one flew right by you, like a pitch past ... well, anyone in a Phillies uniform right now. Thanks for the misdirected scolding, though.
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:01 AM
I don't think GTown was insulting the host at all. I think it was just sort of a gentle dig at those who jump all over anyone who rants a little during a miserable slump. GTown's point was: where are these people when our host is the one doing the ranting?
Personally, I love it when jw rants a little. Seems to me part of the whole point of this blog is to do just that &, when an even-keeled guy like jw starts ranting that so-and-so sucks, it makes it harder for the usual suspects to go ballistic when someone else makes the same rant.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:18 AM
BAP - sorry if unclear. "that" was referring to Gtown's apparent expectation that I would call out JW. Not that what Gtown was doing was wrong or impolite.
Posted by: Sophist | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:24 AM
A bit of good news:
33IP 9ER 11BB 27K 3HR 2.45ERA 1.667WHIP
Those are the numbers for Cole's 5 starts this month. Tonight is the first of those 5 starts the Phillies have lost. Although his WHIP is disconcerting, Hamels has not given up more than 3ER in any of those starts, gave up 2 or less ER in 4 of the 5, & did not surrender a HR in 3 of the 5. Cole had a 5.28ERA by the end of April. It has since dropped to 3.82 on the season. Now if the Phillies can just remember how to hit, their situation ought -- ought -- to be looking pretty good.
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:30 AM
sophist: Ah. Got it. Although I'm not sure GTown was specifically talking about you.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:32 AM
Sophist: For what it's worth I was not referring to you, although in retrospect I should have been more aware that you might think so.
This is the second "conspiracy theory" topic of the season, by the way. I can only assume JW throws these out to stir the pot. If any of us actually believe that the Phillies can't score runs because of a lack of stolen signs, we should all pick a new team to follow.
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:37 AM
Gtown, Hamels has given up 34 hits and 11 BB in 33 IP this month, yeah? That's not a 1.667 WHIP.
Posted by: Sophist | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:37 AM
Sophist: You're right. Forgot to carry a number. 1.367. Still a bit higher than it should be for him (Career High was in '09 at 1.400), but a step forward nonetheless.
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:46 AM
Edit: 1.364
Grrrrr ... It's not my night for typing.
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:47 AM
... or for math. 1.286 in '09 was his high. My point's the same. Also, the stats on Yahoo! Sports are not entirely accurate. From now on I'm gonna stick w/ B-R.
Posted by: GTown_Dave | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 01:55 AM
Let's just say Cole is pitching well and leave it at that.
Posted by: Old Phan | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 02:38 AM
Whats a Phillie season without a bit of phutility? Come october when we are waving the NL pennant around we will look back and laugh. Its all good fodder for JW's next champs book. Hard to believe! by the way is awesome. The best book on the 2008 season and I got 'em all. Thanks JW. Whatever happens they can never take that away from us.
Phillies phorever!!!
Posted by: BloodStripes | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 05:11 AM
I tried to stay up late enough to see the Phillies score a run last night. That went well...Seriously, I'm starting to find it sort of comical and fascinating to watch. Just how long will this go on?
Posted by: Kevin from Macho Row | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 05:29 AM
It completely sucks but at the same time its funny. Its so horrendous you just gotta laugh. Especially with all the wise cracks coming from G Town and BAP et al during the game. But in saying all that......please Phils come good next game.
Posted by: BloodStripes | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 06:25 AM
It is no mystery. It is a lot harder to hit when you DON'T know which pitch is coming.
Posted by: Murph | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 07:30 AM
Yup, the Phillies are absolutely gonna be shut out for the rest of the season now that the league has cracked down on their sign stealing.
Who could guess that the knuckleballers were gonna throw knuckleballers without the signs?
Posted by: EastFallowfield | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 07:56 AM
All i can say...WTF?
Posted by: Jason | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 07:57 AM
Better now than in Choochtober
Posted by: Jbird | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 07:57 AM
Happy I went to bed after the Polanco error. Now, I'm only half-exhausted at work instead of completely exhausted.
Posted by: NEPP | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 08:05 AM
Skipped the 9th, went to bed, and missed nothing.
After the weekend, I suppose they'll reveal to us that the entire Phillies team has been on vaca in the Bahamas, and we've been watching the Reading Phillies posing to let them have a little R & R.
Posted by: philwynk | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 08:30 AM
One thing everyone's forgetting is that we swept the brewers and scored a ton of runs on them and that was AFTER we were "caught" stealing signs. That argument holds no water...Its a slump and this team has shown in the past that they slump together. Thats the ultimate team - one slumps and they all slump.
Posted by: Phill Lee | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 08:42 AM
Wake me when the NHL playoffs are finished. Till then I pay no attention to the Phillies in their current state. Let's hope the Blackhawks do their best Phiilies impersonation.
Posted by: ozark | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:01 AM
You can ascertain the baseball IQ of anyone by simply ascertaining whether they think sign stealing has anything to do with the past week.
JW, I'm hoping your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek.
Posted by: curt | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:02 AM
In the 8 games in between the Colorado series and their current streak of futility, the Phils scored 47 runs, or almost exactly 6 per game. If this shutout stretch was due to their lack of sign-stealing, why were they scoring prolifically in that stretch?
It's just a cold spell. Maybe the worst I've ever seen this team suffer through, but that's all it is.
Posted by: Chris in VT | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:22 AM
JW: So what happened at home vs the BoSox? Did we only steal signs on the road according to your opinion?
I am actually heavily pulling for a shutout tonight so the Mets can't claim it had anything to do with them. And then hopefully a torrid pace after that.
oh and JW - I think their shipment of steriods got lost in the mail... that makes more sense than your post.
Posted by: thephaithful | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:33 AM
Might this be the first time the team has felt the need to panic in the last 3 years?
Posted by: gobaystars | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:37 AM
"EFF: Who could guess a knuckleballer would throw a knuckleball without stealing signs"
nice.
Posted by: thephaithful | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:39 AM
Perhaps Rollins' presence is more important to this team than any of us realize?
There is the old saying that "speed never slumps." The Phils used to be a great base-stealing team and have lost that this year. Maybe the stretches of futility we've seen in the past weren't quite as bad because they could still rely on their legs to jump-start the offense when necessary, and that is no longer a weapon for them. We always complain that when they don't hit HRs, they don't score; well that may be truer than ever this season.
Posted by: Chris in VT | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:42 AM
Whatever happened to Vic, Werth and Utley stealing bags? All 3 are well off their typical numbers even without factoring in Rollins.
Nobody on the team is running (other than Ibanez) and its showing up in the box scores.
Posted by: NEPP | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:47 AM
How can you say that speed is no longer a weapon for them? Did you see Ibanez burning up the basepaths last night?
Posted by: timr | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:50 AM
Even Howard had 8 steals last year (i believe)...
The whole team has stopped running, and there's no valid explanation for it. A team with speed and power is extremely difficult to shut down. A team with one or the other? Not as much.
Vic seems to have fallen in love with his newfound power stroke and given up on SBs. Werth and Utley just don't seem that interested in stealing bags. From what I've read in the past Lopes usually leaves it up to the runner whether or not to steal, but if I were him or Charlie I'd be ordering them to go at every reasonable opportunity.
Posted by: Chris in VT | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:51 AM
Yup, I posted in the previous thread that we've been average under 4 runs per game since binocular-gate, even with all the shutouts. We score 3 or 4 last night we might have salvaged the game.
Posted by: EastFallowfield | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 09:57 AM
Does anyone get the feeling that if Jimmy were healthy, he'd have gotten a leadoff HR in one of the last couple games?
He always seems to get that big hit to break the team out of a funk like this.
Posted by: NEPP | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:00 AM
Since the the baseball gods won't let the Phillies hit in New York, let's go fishing in Florida!
Posted by: Lake Fred | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Guys usually steal less bases as the get older. We've invested a lot in players who are getting older. Get used to it. These are the Amaro Phllies.
Posted by: Jack | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:09 AM
They'll probably score 14 runs tonight
Posted by: Phill Lee | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:12 AM
Primary factors for what has gone wrong of late:
* Rollins is more necessary to the team's offense than previously realized. (Many of us have noted that Rollins makes the team go, but now it seems more apparent than ever.)
* Utley and Ruiz playing hurt. Ruiz somewhat confirmed, Utley a guess.
* Poor fielding. If Dobbs doesn't make the error in the Halliday game, it's still a close game and the offense feels still in it. Once those floodgates open, the offense suddenly feels it's in an inescapable hole and presses. Errors have abounded of late from all parts of the field for the Phils, and that has put them in a hole.
* Collective press mentality. Once the zeroes start piling up, the psychological factor kicks in. I am sure they'll be fine once they explode for 4 or 5 runs here or there -- it will give them their swagger back.
* Target practice. Let's not forget that the Phils are the two-time National League champs, and that every team gets up to play them more than the Phils can possibly get up for their opponents. Beating the Phils is entirely meaningful for every team in the MLB. Only the Yanks have the same meaning for the Phils, psychologically, at this point. Someone needs to step up and be a team captain and motivate this team. It's a spot that has been filled by J. Roll in the past, more indication of why we need him back. He gives us better D, better offense, more speed, and more swagger.
Posted by: Voice of Reason | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:12 AM
Jack - This is a pretty dramatic drop from 1 season to the next; I would buy the aging thing if it was gradual, but to be 1 of the top teams in baseball to one of the worst in a single season, when most of their players are still in their prime, doesn't make any sense.
Posted by: Chris in VT | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:12 AM
It's easy to understand an individual player slumping, but it's impossible to explain a whole team slumping at once.
This will pass but baseball is very tedious to watch right now.
Posted by: Bubba | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:22 AM
The aging of the team will show up more in down time due to injuries. The Phils have never had any depth, but lack of depth only hurts when the front 8 can't go, which will inevitably be more and more often.
Of course there are those who think playing time for our benchwarmers is a feature, not a bug...
Posted by: curt | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:29 AM
The team needs Rollins, but his absence is not the reason for the slump.
The reason for the slump is....no one knows.
Posted by: Old Phan | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:42 AM
Ryan Howard is certainly worth $25 million a year.
Posted by: ScrewYork | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:51 AM
JW, stop being such a donkey.
Posted by: Xyz | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 10:54 AM
Yo, new thread
Posted by: EastFallowfield | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 11:00 AM
It's called a slump, this team has a few every season. This is no way to draw traffic to your blog. Wait, actually it is. This is the first time I've been here. Good work!
Posted by: Jonny5 | Friday, May 28, 2010 at 11:42 AM