Look Who's Lowly Now

The Marlins can no longer be referred to as "lowly" after sweeping the Phillies in Philadelphia. The offense continues to stink and the Phils have lost 7 straight and are plunging further into obscurity. 

Enough Already

Reliever Edubray Ramos' first pitch out of the bullpen in the 7th inning was smacked into right field for a two-run double by a guy who hadn't had a hit in a major league game in 10 years. Phillies radio guy Larry Andersen let out a a deep sigh, along with fans all over the region.

The Phils lost their sixth straight game on Saturday and have dropped 15 out of their last 21. They've plummeted 7.5 games in the standings since June 1. They're not hitting and have wasted two straight great starting pitching performances, the bullpen has an ERA of 7 this month, and the base-running is atrocious.

This is the second straight year the Phils have slid into oblivion under the watch of Gabe "Dr. Feelgood" Kapler. At least he got ejected yesterday. Maybe it's time for a new manager. Maye Bryce Harper needs to shave his beard off. Maybe Matt Klentak needs to make a major trade to get some pitching help.

People are already foaming at the mouth for Eagles training camp to start. Something has to give. We've seen this movie before and everybody is sick of watching it.

Searching for Silver Linings

In the wake of yesterday's beatdown in Atlanta, I was searching for positives about this team. There aren't many right now. Everyone is injured, and the guys who are healthy aren't exactly setting the world on fire. And the team is sinking in the standings.

But there is a bright spot. Scott Kingery has been absolutely amazing for the last month. For the season, he's hitting .344 with an OPS of 1.049. Over the last seven games, he's hitting .423 with a slugging percentage of 1.077. That's absolutely insane and unsustainable but let's enjoy it while we can.

Because of all the injuries, he's been moved to third in the batting order. I'd love to see him lead off, but as long as he keeps hitting, I guess it doesn't matter. And his defense has been solid as well. Whether at third base or in center field, he's handled just about everything hit his way.

He's a completely different player from the rookie that looked overmatched in every facet of the game. This season's version is the guy the Phillies knew they had when they signed him to a six-year contract. 

Stay healthy, Scott. This team needs you.

Hope Everyone is Wearing Their Cup Today

The wheel of misfortune took another spin and landed square on the Phillies last night. Jay Bruce tweaked a hamstring running the bases and JT Realmuto got hit right in the, uh, Realmutos by a pitch. He finished the inning but was replaced later in the game. And the oft-inured Roman Quinn was injured again-in a rehab assignment game. That poor kid is more fragile than Samuel L. Jackson in an M. Night Shyamalan movie.

So today's lineup has a distinct spring training split squad feel to it.
Segura
Harper
Kingery
Hoksins
Hernandez
Williams
Franco
Knapp
Velasquez

Williams, Franco, and Knapp are all hitting under .205 and Hernandez, even with his game-winner last night, has just 7 hits in his last 57 at-bats.

If the Phillies are going to win today and move to within a half-game of first, Scott Kingery and Rhys Hoskins are going to have to keep doing the same kind of damage they've been doing over the last 10 days or so.

But there is good news. Reliever Pat Neshek is back from the injured list and he'll probably be called on to close things out today should the Phils have a late lead. I seriously doubt we'll see Hector Neris doing Hector Neris things for the third straight day.

The Phils say Bruce is day-to-day (like the rest of us) with his hamstring and Realmuto is getting the day off to let the boys recover.

Put Down the Bats and Slowly Step Away

I always thought of myself as a baseball purist. Yes, I find artificial turf an affront to the baseball gods. But I'm slowly coming around to the idea that it's time for the National League to adopt the designated hitter.

Why the change? I'm tired of watching pitchers trying to "hit." Especially Phillies pitchers, who are slashing a meager .102/.152/.102 this season. Meager doesn't even cover it. They stink like feet. Twelve hits in 118 at-bats with 63 strikeouts and a whopping 4 RBI. No extra-base hits. I'd rather see the Phanatic hit than watch a Phillies pitcher come up with runners on base.And besides, the Phils can use all the offense they can get.

I want the DH for selfish reasons. Let's say the DH comes to the NL next season. With Andrew McCutchen coming back from a season-ending ACL injury, DH is the perfect way to work him back into the lineup without worrying about the wear and tear on his legs early in his return. Jay Bruce is under contract through the end of next season, so he can stay in left field.

The DH would also give the Phils a chance to rest the legs of JT Realmuto and Bryce Harper every once in a while. And we wouldn't have to watch the pathetic efforts of pitchers trying to hit any more or worry about them running the bases, if by some act of divine intervention by the baseball gods, they somehow managed to find themselves on base.

Looking Up (in the standings)

For the first time since April 25, the Phillies are not in first place. They're a full game behind the Braves, who they happen to face in Atlanta for three games this weekend.

The Phils have had a lousy June, which has included injuries to Andrew McCutchen, his replacement, Adam Haseley, and reliever Seranthony Dominguez. They're 5-6 this month and have been shut out twice. And Vince Velasquez ate a baseball (see above).

The offense remains inconsistent. You have to hope manager Gabe Kapler moves Cesar Hernandez out of the leadoff spot. You see, I come to bury Cesar, not to praise him. Since replacing McCutchen there on June 5, Hernandez is an absolutely brutal 3 for 27 with 3 walks, good for a .130 batting average and a .226 OBP. He's been terrible for the last 30 games, slashing .221/.273/.389. He needs to be buried deep, deep, deep into the lineup until he starts to hit again. He was hitting .310 on May 20 and his average has plummeted down to .264.

This is a big weekend for the Phils. Sweep the Braves and they're 2 games ahead. Get swept and they're 4 games back. This series marks the first of 24 straight games with division opponents, with 16 of them on the road. They need to get their act together and quickly.

Beware of Baseballs Leaving the Field of Play

The Gopher Ball Gang, also known as the Phillies pitching staff, was at it again last night. But it was a break from Monday, when they allowed a record eight home runs. Rookie J.D. Hammer allowed just one HR last night.

Phillies pitchers have allowed a staggering 109 home runs in just 67 games, which is 1.6 per game. They're on a pace to give up 264 home runs for the season, which would be the most since 2017 when they allowed 217.

How quickly are they giving up home runs? One every 5.5 innings. Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez are the biggest offenders, allowing 2.5 and 2.3 HR per 9 innings pitched. Eickhoff and Velasquez have been removed from the starting rotation. I'm not sure there's anyone in the minors who can keep the ball in the yard, so the Phillies will need to trade for a starter.

I'd target younger, controllable guys, who unfortunately, would cost a lot in a trade. But you have to spend to get what you want. Some names to consider:
- Spencer Turnbull, Tigers. He's 3-5 with a 2.78 ERA and a WHIP of 1.262 and just 6 HR allowed in 77 innings.
- Frankie Montas, A's. No chance Oakland trades him but it never hurts to ask. He's 8-2 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.184 WHIP.
- Tanner Roark, Reds. 4-5, 3.74 ERA and 1.411 WHIP.  He's 32 and doesn't fit the young arm profile, but might be worth a look. For his career, he's allowed less than 1 HR per 9 innings.

No Relief in Sight

With the addition (or subtraction) of Serathony Dominguez, the Phillies now have seven relief pitchers on the injured list. The others are David Robertson, Tommy Hunter, Pat Neshek, Victor Arano, Adam Morgan, and Edubray Ramos.

Dominguez might be out the longest and might be facing reconstructive Tommy John surgery. Surely there has to be an explanation to all these injuries. Bad luck? Did someone piss off the baseball gods?
New pitching coach?

Last year's pitching coach, Rick Kranitz, was let go when the Phils learned other teams were interested in hiring assistant pitching coach Chris Young. They thought so highly of Young that they let Kranitz go and made Young the pitching coach. Last season, the Phils had eight pitchers on the injured list–over the course of the entire season. There are seven guys currently hurt and it's only June 8.

"It may be that a bunch of shit happened to us at once," GM Matt Klentak said when trying to explain the rash of injuries. Maybe it was bad luck. I'm not saying that it was bad luck but it's certainly possible. I can assure you all and I can assure all Phillies fans that we're looking into it and if there's anything we can do to adjust it, we will do that. But right now we have not found the exact reason."

It's a long season. Guys get hurt. Just seems odd that so many of them are relief pitchers.

Let's Tweak the Lineup

With leadoff guy Andrew McCutchen gone for the season, the Phillies need stability. They also need a leadoff hitter. Last night, it was Cesar Hernandez. He went 1-for-5 with a meaningless single in the 8th inning.

Hernandez has also been struggling big time. In his last 7 games, he has just 4 hits in 28 at-bats and zero walks and an on-base percentage of .172. No thanks.

A month ago, I would have said shortstop Jean Segura would be the perfect leadoff guy. Nope. He's hitting just .190 with a .266 OBP in the last 15 games.

My nominee for leadoff guy is Scott Kingery. He's slashing .321/.345/.607 in the last seven games. He's been about the only one getting on base while the Phils have been struggling.

Here's my lineup:
Kingery 3B/CF
Segura SS
Harper RF
Hoskins 1B
Bruce LF
Realmuto C
Hernandez 2B
Haseley/Franco CF/3B

Let's give it a go and see what happens.

Cutch Done for the Year

Word just came down that Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Bryce Harper is now the only outfielder on the current roster that was on the roster on Opening Day.

This is a really big blow at a really bad time. McCutchen is an on-base machine and the Phils will turn to rookie Adam Haseley and Scott Kingery to fill the void for the immediate future. Add in the fact that the Phils have lost five straight games and things look pretty bleak for the barely-in-first place Phils right now.

The Phils signed McCutchen because he's been healthy for almost his whole career. And the injury came just a day before the 10th anniversary of his first MLB appearance. Ouch.

Now we get to see how this team handles adversity. It'll be up to the veterans, manager Gabe Kapler, and GM Matt Klentak to save the season. Look for rumors to pop up about the Phils trading for any and all available outfielders.

I feel awful for McCutchen. He's a good player and an even better person.