Phillies already show what they can't afford

If the Phillies want to get back to the postseason or even contend in 2014, they can’t do what they’ve already done just one week into the season.

And that’s waste strong starting pitching by coughing up leads late.

Take away a Jonathan Papelbon implosion and another loss charged to the bullpen, and the Phils are 5-1 instead of 3-3 after a season-opening six-game road trip.

In Texas, A.J. Burnett and Kyle Kendrick combined for 13 innings and two earned runs (1.38 ERA), but both starts went for no-decisions and two Phillies losses.

That can’t happen. When the Phils receive starts like those from their third, fourth and fifth starters, they must capitalize. As evidenced Sunday, Burnett can be brilliant and then brutal. Same goes for Kendrick and Roberto Hernandez.

So, bullpen, win the ones you get.

In 2012, the Orioles went 29-9 in one-run games to clinch a postseason berth. In 2013, they went 20-31 in one-run games and missed the postseason.

Of all the things the Phillies need to go right, the bullpen may be the most critical.

“Not a bad week,” Jimmy Rollins said Sunday after the Phils' 8-3 loss, per CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury, “but it could have been better.”

The Phillies better hope that’s not the theme of their 2014.

Comments

[Phillibuster]

I'm thinking he's coughing so hard that his lung is visible when he opens his mouth.

[Yawn...]

So...Cesar gets the starting nod then?

[Steve]

Revere
Rollins
Ruiz
Howard
Byrd
Brown
Hernandez
Asche
Kendrick

[Phillibuster]

Thank goodness it's not Nix.

[bay_area_phan]

"Thank goodness it's not Nix."

Amen. When I heard that Utley was out, I was overcome with horror, thinking that we were going to be treated to Jayson Nix's 4th start in 7 games.

[can_of_corn]

Speaking of, is there any way Nix is NOT the one to leave when Galvis returns?

[bay_area_phan]

can: That is a harrowing thought. But we all know that RAJ loves versatility, and Nix is surely more versatile than Cesar (i.e., he can suck at more positions).

[MG]

Nix will start at 3B and SS (at least until Galvis is back) but Hernandez clearly is going to be the starter when Utley sits.

[Willard Preacher]

Still holding hope for Asche after that season opener, but that 7,8,9 has shades of the black hole we've been accustomed to in the Abe Nunez days. May need another gem from KK today.

[MG]

Willard Preacher - Really? Brown has been hitting well and I would group Hernandez/Asche in the pure 'stiff' category like No-Hit Nunez.

[awh™]

bap, so you're saying MG was referring to a sample size of only ONE game?

Sheesh.

[awh™]

CoC, I believe Hernandez has one option left, and I don't know Nix's status.

Look, this team used to have a guy on it nicknamed mini mart, so I'm not going to predict what they'll do.

[Yawn...]

Personally, I'm pretty happy that our #6 bitter has a .863 OPS so far and our #8 hitter has an .807 OPS.

[Jack]

awh: It seems pretty obvious what MG was saying--he was saying Sunday reminded him of last year, where the team did not have much power, and was worrying that the team this year would not have much power either.

You then decided that his fears were unfounded because the team had good HR numbers through the first six games of the season.

[Willard Preacher]

"Willard Preacher - Really? Brown has been hitting well and I would group Hernandez/Asche in the pure 'stiff' category like No-Hit Nunez."

MG, Brown is batting 6th (hence doesn't qualify for the 7/8/9 "black hole")...?

[Yawn...]

Hernandez is in his final option year so he can be sent down at will. Nix would be likely be exposed to waivers if he was DFAed...but I cant figure it out one way or the other.

[NEPP]

Personally I am quite worried about how poor our pitchers are hitting in the 9 hole.

[Phillibuster]

Part of the problem is that Galvis is good at 2nd, not terrible at SS, and mostly an enigma (a poor-looking one so far) at 3rd.

Hernandez doesn't seem to have much 3rd or SS ability, but he can play 2nd and (only mildly embarrassingly) CF.

Nix can play 2/SS/3B, making him seemingly the only legitimate backup 3B on the roster at the moment.

I'd be all for DFAing Nix and keeping Cesar, but his option (plus replicable skill set) would seem to earmark him for the trip to Lehigh.

[Cyclic]

Any word on Ruf's oblique?

[MG]

WP - My bad. Still isn't as bad as the slash line though No-Hit put up over 2 years here:

.221/.310/.277 (.587 OPS) in 656 PAs.

Philibuster - Kind of makes you wonder if the Phils didn't make a mistake by not keeping Frandsen to start at 3B when Asche sat vs LHP.

More and more I think the answer is 'yes' even though I don wonder how much of a difference it would have made given Frandsen's subpar defense at 3B and baserunning.

[Steve]

I think they're still waiting for the results of the ultrasound, Cyclic. They're making their way via Pony Express from Clearwater.

[Willard Preacher]

".221/.310/.277 (.587 OPS) in 656 PAs"

That's just effing awful. I still think that if Mini Mart never hit our radar, Abe Nunez would be the poster child for egregious ineptitude (offensively, anyway) for the Phillies.

[nonamePHame (founder, Cody (SM)Asche fan club. No scout lovers or MAIKEL FRANCO allowed)]

opening day at CBP. Going tomorrow. First, last, and only time this year I am paying face value for tickets. I'm interested to see how robbie fauxsto plays at the park.

[bay_area_phan]

"bap, so you're saying MG was referring to a sample size of only ONE game?

Sheesh."

I'm saying he referred to a sample size of LAST YEAR. His statement was that Sunday's game resembled what we saw last year. Duh.

[MG]

I really hope that the fans notably boo Braun the first time he is up.

[Phillibuster]

MG: Eh, I don't really think so. Frandsen was probably about as good at 3B as Hernandez is, and while his bat had more power, it had lower average.

Also, I reject the premise that Asche should be sat against LHSP. He's young, and he's not done terrible against them (overall) before, so he should be getting the opportunity to prove he can (or can't) face them now.

[Herbie]

Utley coughed up his skeleton?

[awh™]

"You then decided that his fears were unfounded because the team had good HR numbers through the first six games of the season."

Jack, we can play semantics all day if you want, but if pointing out that the team was displaying more power in the early going than they showed last year is me "deciding" something, then sure, that's exactly what I did.

BTW, you obviously agree with bap, that MG's sample size of ONE game was enough to elicit valid worry, no?

[clout]

The MRI on Utley's lungs looks like a plate of shrimp fra diavolo.

[awh™]

By MG's, bap's and Jack's standards, Yankee fans should all be worried about their disturbing lack of power because they only have 1 HR in 7 games, and are on track to hit 23 AS A TEAM for the season.

[clout]

WP: Hernandez can hit MLB pitching. You could not say the same for Nunez or Mini-Mart.

[awh™]

Utley's lung MRI:

[clout]

awh: That should clear up in a week or two.

[timr]

Just gotta twirl it.

[johnnyd]

OK, no new thread for Opening Day?!?

[Dickie Thong]

> Any word on Ruf's oblique?
> Posted by: Cyclic

I hear it's neither perpendicular nor parallel.

[Phillibuster]

It's rather bemusing that he likely had an acute oblique issue.

[bay_area_phan]

awh: Don't you have anything better to do with your life than frenetically bouncing from blog to blog all day long, in search of statements that you can misrepresent to start an argument?

[Cyclic]

'buster-- You're being obtuse.

[Dickie Thong]

> I really hope that the fans notably boo Braun the first time he is up.
> Posted by: MG

Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki)
Ryan Braun gets big boos from Phillies fans during pregame introductions.

Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki)
Jonathan Papelbon hears a few boos, but not on the Ryan Braun level.

[Phillibuster]

Cyclic: When you're right, you're right.

[Steve]

Yo New Thread

[Phillibuster]

For some reason I feel like the Phillies games have been inordinately affected by MLB.TV issues this season.

I've been able to see more Orioles games without trouble, and they're in-market for me!

[jr]

Rupp HR #4
Cam Perkins
Galvis played 3rd for Clearwater today.