IS THIS THE MOST FRUSTRATING
TEAM EVER?
By John Leon
Philadelphia has always had teams that fans and media have thought to be underachievers or overachievers. Recent memory serves that the 1993 Phils were certainly overachievers with the Daulton-Kruk-Dykstra team that we all wanted to see win the Series. The throwbacks were at least fun to watch and at best one of the most feared teams in baseball. You know it’s a good team when the immortal Tommy Greene wins 16 games.
But this year’s team is an enigma in my opinion. The talent level is certainly better than ‘ 93 and they have better hitting, but not better pitching. They seem to get in their own way when there’s a chance to put a team away. They rest on a couple of runs instead of putting a foot on the jugular, as Saturday night’s game will attest. Two runs in the first and a sweat job throughout the rest of the game. It makes for good television but frustrates even veteran Phils fans.
Jimmy Rollins looks like he’s starting to play his way through the MVP rust ands Shane Victorino will be a great leadoff man someday. He’s a high wire act and causes havoc, almost Dykstra-esc. But Chase Utley definitely has an injury or something, Ryan Howard for all of his run producing, almost seems like he’s waiting for God knows what and Pat Burrell, is well, Pat Burrell. He has been Mr. Consistency and who would have ever thought that about him, but the numbers back it up. 25-30 homers and 75-100 RBI every year for the past eight years.
They are frustratingly inconsistent. They should be able to manufacture runs as they did earlier in the season and they do have enough speed to do so. They have at least 5 or 6 players that can run well, with all of the outfielders, save Burrell, Rollins and Eric Bruntlett, capable of pilfering some bags and pressuring the defense. It hasn’t happened lately. I would add Carlos Ruiz in there but he may be the epitome of this team, talented but inconsistent.
Brett Myers seems to be coming around to form, witnessed by his last 3 starts, Jamie Moyer is always a 10-13 win starter and Kyle Kendrick is becoming the right handed Moyer with better stuff. But Cole Hamels can’t get any run support and the jury’s still out on Joe Blanton. The bullpen, managed by the Dali Dubee, begins and ends with J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin and Brad Lidge. Anyone else is very questionable and is Ryan Madsen this year’s Geoff Geary?
So the frustration mounts, the Marlins won’t go away and the Mets are breathing heavily down their necks. A tough road to the West Coast awaits and maybe, just maybe they can bond on this trip to get some breathing room.
Otherwise there may not be enough oxygen to keep the patient alive.
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