Why the Phillies' next seven games are crucial

It’s not time to push the panic button on this 2014 Phillies season.

But depending on how the team fares over its next seven games, it soon could be.

After the next seven at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils head west for what sure looks like a difficult 10-game road trip. If the Phillies go limping into those 10 games, it will spell trouble — and not just for the trip, but the season.

The Phils — especially the bullpen — just got done showing their vulnerability against deep and powerful offenses.

Here’s what they’ll get on this 10-game road trip:

· The Rockies, who lead baseball in batting average (.320), on-base percentage (.371), slugging percentage (.494), and feature MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez (.389 avg.), Troy Tulowitzki (.407 avg.), Michael Cuddyer (.415 avg.) and Justin Morneau (.387 avg.)

· The Dodgers, the defending NL West champions with names such as Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier sprayed throughout their order, not to mention quality starting pitching to go with it

· And the Diamondbacks, who have an MVP candidate of their own in Paul Goldschmidt (.370 avg.) and one of baseball’s early home run leaders, Mark Trumbo (5 HRs, 13 RBIs)

That’s power, power and more power on tap for the Phillies’ leaky, questionable and inexperienced bullpen.

One nightmare road swing can crush a season. Entering July 20 last year, the Phils were 49-48, in second place and 6½ games out of first. They then lost eight straight to finish their nine-game trip away from home and the season was gone.

Given the circumstances, the Phillies can’t afford a bad April. They need to play well enough before the July trade deadline approaches to convince management to keep this going.

And that brings us back to these seven upcoming games. If the Phils don't stem the tide before going west, April could be disastrous and the season unsavable.

Comments

[MG]

Love watching sidearmers and submariners delivery. Bradford might have been my favorite to watch though.

[MG]

Even Papelbon can protect this lead.

[rockain'tdeadyet]

I want to see Howard and Byrd race each other in a cone drill.

[NEPP]

That's Paptastic!!!

[bittel]

OK then.

[MG]

Bullpen did a nice job tonight and bailed out another horrendous outing from Burnett.

[kuvasz]

What an amazing turn around from last night; now if they can play the Marlins for the remaining 152 games they have a chance, of .500 ball.

[NEPP]

Win attributable to the bullpen.

[Conway Twitty]

Some fun SSS stats: Revere has a higher SLG than OBP, and Howard, Brown, and Ruiz all have higher OBP than SLG.

[Iceman]

I can't believe the bullpen had to record 13 outs and only gave up one run. Miracles do happen.

And if it coughed up 5 runs instead, they'd have been absolved because the offense should have scored more, anyway.

[NEPP]

***And if it coughed up 5 runs instead, they'd have been absolved because the offense should have scored more, anyway.***

No, as stated, this one was on the bullpen one way or the other once the offense did its job with 5 runs off one of the best pitchers in the game.

[bittel]

Justin Grimm of the Chicago Cubs just entered the game and threw 8 consecutive balls. This after Jose Veras blew a 2-run lead in the 9th.

And since he's playing the Cardinals, no one swung.

[GBrettfan]

One thing about fewer posters: it's easy to read through the entire game thread when you've missed the game.

I'm very happy for a win, especially since the BP pitched! Although it's feeding into my superstition that they win when I can't tune in.

Going to go watch the highlights now. Hopefully AJ's groin injury is slight. He may not be Cy Young caliber, but we need him.

[NEPP]

The removal was supposedly "precautionary" and given that he was already scuffling and over 100 pitches, hopefully it was just one of those cramp type issues rather than an actual injury injury.

[M. Martinez]

Nice job by Gwynn. Hope he sees more PT.

[groin soreness]

Mr. Amaro although injuries can happen anywhere to anyone the chances are higher the older the player is. Please you must know this by now. I have over 2300 innings pitched. Im like a Yugo with 99k miles on it. The fact that i even hit 99k miles is a surprise on its own.

[Dragon]

And that's why they play the game! Good win tonight. Let's hope it sparks a bit of a roll.

[Coach Kent Murphy]

Lets win a series

[GBrettfan]

"I'm not too concerned about it, but then again you never know," Burnett, 37, said. "I'm not a spring chicken anymore."

from: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/mlb/phillies/2014/04/11/burnett-exits-early-phillies-top-marlins/7628381/

[Rally Red '67]

Tremondous team effort - really tainted by the A.J. Burnett injury? Old rooster breakdown?

...Hopefully AJ's groin injury is slight. He may not be Cy Young caliber, but we need him.

Posted by: GBrettfan | Friday, April 11, 2014 at 11:57 PM

Truer words were never spoken. Hey, how about that Martin guy? Do they have to groom him for the bullpen? Maybe he does some extra cardio to get through a lineup like, twice?

Let's see now, Lee, Kendrick... hmm. Not much else.

[johnnysanz3]

Not sure if anyone linked this video from espn yet, but its one of their sports science videos on Ben Reveres catch against the Brewers:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:10771846

Pretty neat watch.

[bullit]

awesome, johnnysanz3. thanks. the right arm propulsion in mid-air after taking 800 lbs of pressure on it was amazing. bennie's got some jets.

[MG]

Speaking of awesome:

Utley is at .469/.541/.750 with 2 HRs. It would be great to see him have really amazing season before his career winds down with say a .290/.370/.500 and ~25 HRs and 80-90 RBIs.

[MG]

Iron Man

Chooch has started 9 out of the 10 games and in the lineup tonight.

Does Sandberg think Nieves is a complete stiff too and is only going to use him when he absolutely has to?

Only problem is Chooch is 35 and I can't see him holding up if Sandberg plans on having him start 110+ G this year.

Only catcher I would find quickly that did routinely catch that many games at 35+ was Fisk. Even then Fisk ended up a bunch of those starts as the DH when he was 35 and 36.

[MG]

Crazy as it sounds too when Adams comes back the Phils should demote either Rosenberg or Lincoln instead of Hollands or Manship.

[jr]

Get to see Cole pitch tonight.The Easter bunny,10,000 eggs and Cole,what more could you want?

[Conway Twitty]

Chooch will get tomorrow off. Day game after night game. We've had 2 off days besides the game he didn't play.

[bay_area_phan]

Brad Lincoln, RAJ's signature off-season acquisition, optioned to AAA.

[PLM]

I think Sandberg is going to have the best player available in the midst of a 3 game losing skid. That is why Ruiz was trotted out there again.

[Iceman]

MG talks pretty much every day about how Nieves is a stiff. Reminder: he wanted to sign J.P. Arencibia for twice as much.

Arencibia has gotten off to a torrid start in Texas.

[M. Martinez]

Gwynn in center again tonight. Strengthens the defense. Nice versatility.

[Cyclic]

Revere and Asche hurt? Aren't they facing a RHP tonight?

[NEPP]

No game thread? Seriously?

[bay_area_phan]

I see this place is brimming with enthusiasm tonight.

[NEPP]

***It would be great to see him have really amazing season before his career winds down with say a .290/.370/.500 and ~25 HRs and 80-90 RBIs.***

That would go a long way towards strengthening his HOF case.

[NEPP]

Its odd that Asche is sitting tonight. Eovaldi is the ideal guy for him to get going against. He's a RHP that throws nothing but fastballs.

Even odder since Galvis doesnt hit RHP very well but I'm guessing Sandberg wanted to get Galvis into a game and went with defense over offense tonight expecting a lot of groundballs with Pettibone on the mound.

[bay_area_phan]

Oh for f*ck's sake.

[bay_area_phan]

I guess when the moderators gave us their, "Why the Next 7 Games Are Important" header, it was intended as a game thread for the next 7 games.

Still, where is everyone? Cyclic? Phillibuster? GBrettfan? Iceman? MG? clout always shows up around the 7th inning. Until then, is it really just NEPP & me?

[bay_area_phan]

He was out, but I don't know if it was definitive enough to get reversed.

[Meyer]

At least the replay will give the aging defense a rest.

[Curt]

Replay saved us from a loss attributable to Howard.

[Kevin]

Yay, it went the Phillies way. I still despise replay.

[NEPP]

Yup.

I dont care if it goes our way, I hate this current replay system.

[bay_area_phan]

I honestly don't see how anyone can be against getting the call right. If the game weren't being delayed by replay, it would be delayed by Sandberg coming out of the dugout and throwing a temper tantrum. Except, in that case, the bad call would stand.

[MG]

Pettibone doesn't look comfortable out there. Stunned if he can go 3 more without giving up a run .

[Curt]

I'm sad that manager/ump arguments are a thing of the past. It's all so bloodless now.

[Docjoe]

Howard looks done. Anybody disagree? Tmac comment about his knee alarming. Looks like his knee is bad. Can't bend over or plant to swing. Expect a DL soon for ryan

[Kevin]

Yeah, and now every single close play is delayed by the manager slowly trotting out while his bench guys decide whether or not to protest.

So, we've traded the very occasional slow down in play for multiple slow downs every single game. Huge improvement.

[Curt]

Well, if Howard can't catch anything that requires him to bend over, he's gotta go. That last error was appalling.

[MG]

Even TMac realizes Howard has a bum knee.

[Little Ollie]

Where does Utley rank in the best Phillies of all time? Great hitter, power, good fielder, good runner, runs bases well. Everyone loves him. And he's doing it now on a bum knee. Not sure i know of anyone better.

[MG]

Nice Job JRoll.

[NEPP]

The Man.

[NEPP]

Bum knee? What bum knee??? He CRUSHED that single.

[Docjoe]

Howard's swing isn't right. That hit was all arms . His lower body is gone. No power

[Little Ollie]

It was a double, NEPP.

[NEPP]

Where does Utley rank in the best Phillies of all time?
***************************

For position players, he's easily behind:

Mike Schmidt
Ed Delahanty

I'd put him ahead of everyone else like Chuck Klein, Richie Ashburn, Jimmy Rollins, Bobby Abreu, Larry Bowa, etc. The Phillies havent really had a ton of elite players who played most of their career in Philly.

[NEPP]

***It was a double, NEPP***

Crushed that double then. I was more joking about the roller that he hit than anything.

[NEPP]

***Howard's swing isn't right. That hit was all arms . His lower body is gone. No power***

Blown achilles and bum knee...not really a surprise.

[clout]

Comcast employees don't work on weekends.

[Docjoe]

Surgery on both and a long off season. Shouldn't still have a bum Achilles and knee.

[Gsl]

Gwynn has been more pleasant to watch the last two nights than Revere.

[NEPP]

Sometimes Achilles injuries simply don't heal 100%. Its a very low success surgery by most standards...especially the older you are. Its not a surprise that it never bounced back. The knee is similar with injuries. Depending on the nature of his specific knee issue, he might simply be what he's gonna be now. There might not be any more "rehab" he can do.

[Curt]

The Fish look a lot like the Phils.

[MG]

Pettitbone has had a pretty good change up tonight and little else. Missing routinely on his fastball and leaving a lot of fastballs up and over the plate.

Gwynn gets such better jumps in CF compared to Revere it isn't even funny, if revere had that initial reaction, he would be a potential gold glove in CF.

[Little Ollie]

NEPP - Mike Schmidt, okay. Ed Delanty? You just can't compare such different eras. My view is the competition and the athleticism cannot be compared from then and now, and I don't know how you can put Delahanty ahead of Utley.

[bay_area_phan]

I have to say: that Stanton homerun was impressive.

[clout]

That landed in a Tony Luke's cheesesteak

[NEPP]

I'm just going by stats. Delahanty was one of the best players of his era (basically the best position player of the 1890s)

If we're gonna look at the entire history of the franchise, you have to put him up there.

[NEPP]

Stanton can really crush a HR when he makes full contact.

[Kevin]

I like Moyer, but how is a home run a "rally killer"?

If that's the case, could the Phillies please kill more rallies?

[NEPP]

If we're gonna go by the "modern era" post 1900...Utley would be #2 behind Schmidt...and then there's a decent dropoff to guys like Rollins and Klein.

[clout]

Looking at all eras you can't forget Sliding Billy Hamilton.

[NEPP]

That's a good point, clout. Hamilton definitely needs to be up there too.

[bay_area_phan]

These "all time best lists" don't mean much unless they're clear on the criteria.

Phillies Nation did a top 100 list back in 2010 & ranked Utley & Howard 24th and 25th. To me, that seems absurd for both and beyond absurd for Utley -- especially when you start looking at some of the guys they ranked ahead of them (i.e., Tug McGraw, Jim Bunning, Curt Schilling, Pat Burrell, and a bunch of guys who played around the turn of the century).

[NEPP]

I think the only thing you can hold against Hamilton is that he only played in Philly for 6 seasons.

[NEPP]

Sherry Magee too...another turn of the century guy that we shouldn't forget.

[MG]

Phils desperately need their starters to start going at least 6 IP.

[Little Ollie]

Chuck Klein has to be up there.

[bay_area_phan]

Personally, I don't think it's possible to even begin comparing guys across multiple eras. My own rule of thumb is: if there's hardly anyone alive who saw the guy play, he can't really be compared to modern players. Doesn't mean he wasn't as good as the stars of today. It just means there's no way to make a meaningful comparison.

[kuvasz]

Kevin:

"I like Moyer, but how is a home run a "rally killer"?"

It clears the bases and lets the pitcher go to the windup, which usually is harder to hit as opposed to the stretch

[Little Ollie]

I was around for Mike Schmidt. Great player obviously, but I like Utley better. He struck out more than Utley and Utley has a better career batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, and that's in spite of the home run differential. Schmidt probably a better fielder, but Utley holds his own.

[NEPP]

Schmidt is the greatest 3B in the history of the game and one of the best players in MLB history period.

Utley is not. Be serious.

[clout]

If the bullpen gives up 4 runs this loss is on the offense.

[NEPP]

Gray area here...I mean, Pettibone only going 5 really hurts an already thin bullpen.

I'd say this is a team loss so far...if they lose.

[clout]

That pitch by DeFratus was the fault of the offense.

[bay_area_phan]

For three years, I've been defending DeFratus and saying that I still believe he'll eventually be a solid major league reliever. But, man, is he making it hard for me to stick with that position.

[Curt]

No shame in being abused by Stanton. The Phil's probably couldn't get him in trade for their entire 25 man roster.

[bay_area_phan]

"Gray area here...I mean, Pettibone only going 5 really hurts an already thin bullpen."

Howard dropping that throw is looming pretty large too.

[kuvasz]

BAP, I hate the guy and his Beetle Bailey stupid look.

[MG]

This is all because of the starters not going deeper into games.

Asking De Fratus to go multiple innings is just asking for trouble.

[Curt]

Asking anyone in our pen to get outs is asking for trouble.

[M. Martinez]

Let's hope Gwynn is Wally Pipping Revere. Tough adjustment watching a CFer who can judge a line drive. Requires fan versatility.

[EDGE]

Worst bullpen in baseball.

[MG]

Curt - Yeah but De Fratus did his job and got 3 outs.

It doesn't help that the Phils sent down Lincoln, didn't call anyone up, and apparently are going to play a man short for a couple of days until Burnett's next start.

More brilliant roster management by Amaro and the FO.

[EDGE]

I don't remember the last time there was no game thread. Really pathetic, coming from someone who is mostly a lurker.

[MG]

I meant leaving the bullpen short for the next few days since Lincoln was sent down went Pettibone was recalled.

[bay_area_phan]

Why, Sandberg? Sending Chooch has to be one of the dumber things I've ever seen.

[clout]

With Hernandez gone, it's Mayberry PH vs. RHP.

[EDGE]

Is the bullpen really short though? Pettibone just became the 5th starter, since they were rolling with 4 until tonight.