OK, that's clearly an exaggeration, but there's no question the Phillies' 10-game homestand is a big one.
4-6 or worse? Sound the alarms.
5-5? Treading water.
6-4? They must at least finish this homestand with a winning record.
7-3 or better? Ideal.
There's no better way to move up in the standings than to beat the teams directly in front of you. The Phillies have that opportunity when they play the San Diego Padres this weekend and the New York Mets next week.
But first it's the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are just behind the Phillies in the NL wild-card race.
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The latest Philliescast is up.
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Chase Utley can start swinging a bat again, so the Phillies have that going for them. They hope he's back for next week's series against the Mets. And Shane Victorino could be back at some point this week.
The Phillies currently have 12 players on the DL. I have to believe that's some sort of team record. How the heck did Yoel Hernandez get hurt?
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In this week's Phillies Report, we look at Jamie Moyer's season, Ryan Howard's slump, the las time the Phillies scored nine runs in a three-game series and the bittersweet homecoming for Randy Wolf and Mike Lieberthal.
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I picked the Phanatic as the face of the Phillies. Crazy? I don't think so. When ESPN asked me to contribute they simply asked me who I considered the face of the Phillies. I basically could interpret that question any way I chose. So to me the question was: What do you think of when you think of the Phillies? (Besides 10,000 losses.) Jayson Stark chose Chase Utley, which was a fine choice. I immediately thought of Mike Schmidt. He embodies the Phillies. But I started to ask around and when I asked people, "What do you think of when you think of the Phillies?" I got quite a few people to say the Phanatic. While baseball fans, and especially Phillies fans, might pick Utley or Schmidt or Ryan Howard, I think the average person knows the Phanatic better than anybody.
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The Diamondbacks lead the NL West despite being outscored this season. Ken Rosenthal thinks run differential isn't an absolute truth.
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Is the Phillies' pitching really that bad? A Citizen's Blog examines.
Comments (6)
"I feel like I let them down because I haven't stayed healthy," Wolf told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "I'd love to be back. It's really up to them. Being a Dodger is important to me."
Glad he finally has a conscience, didn't bother him stealing money from the Phillies...what a fraud. Just shut up Randy.
Maybe Hernandez did us a favor, he wasn't that impressive last time up. And please baseball God, give Ryan Howard his eyesight back.
What do we do with Iguchi when Chase comes back? He's too good to sit, can't be any worse than Helms at 3rd, I say play him there.
Gotta go 7-3 on this homestand. And for this season, I don't think it's that much of an exaggeration. This homestand is huge. Go Phils!
Posted by jimmymac | August 21, 2007 10:47 AM
Posted on August 21, 2007 10:47
Todd,
Nice job on the Howard stats. I'll try and lay off for a few days.
I'm totally with JM on Iguchi. He's maybe no Polanco offensively - my dad still laments his departure at least a few times a week - but I'd love to see him at third, and then back next year (not sure of his contract).
Huge next few 10 days, for sure. Seeing them regularly, the Dodgers have amazing young talent in Martin, Ethier, Kemp and Loney, a solid rotation, plus the bullpen can be devastating with Beimel, Broxton and Saito. We do miss Penny, which is nice. Really tough team - when they're on - but it literally changes from day to day, and when they're bad they're reeeeeeeaaaly bad. We'll see.
Todd, off the subject: Would you be willing, at some point, to maybe give us a minute-by-minute breakdown of what you do on a typical gameday, what your interaction with the team is like, what travel is like, whether or not Pat the Bat ever plays your wingman, all that stuff. Seriously. I had a buddy who, years ago, started as a Royals beat writer before moving on to that behemoth where "experts" either scream at each other - it's entertainment, right? - or make up lame nicknames and say "Back, back, back" and "The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field." Why exactly does Chris Berman still have a job? Anyway...
Posted by John in LA | August 21, 2007 12:10 PM
Posted on August 21, 2007 12:10
Iguchi, not a bad problem to have. We still need Dobbs, against righties . He ,(Iguchi)
is a free agent, and were in the middle of a playoff run, not the time for experimenting ! He can still play a big part, with his bat control, as a pinch hitter ! Anything less than 6-4 ,would be trouble . Randy, doesn't just speak through his mouth......
Posted by Pat H | August 21, 2007 12:44 PM
Posted on August 21, 2007 12:44
I don't get it. You're mad at Wolf because he didn't sign with the Phillies in the offseason for two years, blowing out his arm in midseason and joining the rest of the starting rotation on the DL? What a traitor, that guy, accepting fewer guaranteed years to return to a city where he's close to his family! And boy oh boy, he's really cashed out on the gamble too! The truth is, if Gillick had signed Wolf, you'd be crucifying them both right now.
Posted by Andrew | August 21, 2007 2:08 PM
Posted on August 21, 2007 14:08
No, Truth is, if Gillick had signed Wolf, he wouldn't have signed Eaton....
Posted by aaron | August 21, 2007 4:38 PM
Posted on August 21, 2007 16:38
Prediction 4-6 for this stretch of games.
Why is everyone surprised that Howard is struggling? He had issues in the minors. He had holes in his swing. The pichers, teams with scouting departments, have found them. I amnot surprised. It is scary because someone
compared him to Kingman. Wow, what a frightening and possibly accurate comparison.
Pineiro is now 3-1. He could have helped. Where was his former GM?
Managers take a lot of heat. That is part of
coaching or managing, but I say it again this
manager does not handle a pitching staff very well. What is track record?
A win is possible tonight. The pressure of wild card leaders is gone. The Dodgers moved
Penny because they thought the Rockies game was more important.
Posted by Dennis | August 21, 2007 5:38 PM
Posted on August 21, 2007 17:38