Thirty (30!) blown saves. A closer who has allowed six homers in 13.2 innings. And 3.5 games behind the first-place Braves with 22 games to go in the season. It looks bleak.
I don't see a 2007-style comeback, where the Phils overtook the Mets from seven games back with 17 to play. There's no Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, or Cole Hamels to come to the rescue. All the 2021 Phils have is Bryce Harper (who deserves MVP consideration), a banged-up JT Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen (who can't hit righties), Zach Wheeler, and Aaron Nola, a shell of his former self.
Harper can't do it all, as much as he tries. As long as boneheads like Odubel Herrera overside bases and the defense plays with the effectiveness of a slice of Swiss cheese, this team will fight to finish at .500.
They were one strike away from beating the Rockies last night when closer Ian Kennedy hung a curveball that got hit to Gloucester City. Those same Rockies had all of 20 road wins going into last night.
And tonight will be a bullpen game, one of five more the team will throw out there in the next three weeks because of injuries and ineptitude. What in the name of Brad Lidge is going on here?
Only 18,000 people bothered to show up at last night's game. I was one of them. And the place was deadly silent all night. Until Kennedy surrendered back-to-back homers, that is, and left to a cacophony of well-deserved boos.
The end is near. And man oh man does this team need help.
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