Phillies Sweeps and Strikeouts Cannot Hide Stench of Offensive Offense

It has been an interesting few days for the Philadelphia Phillies.

On Sunday, they finished off a four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres, scoring only 12 runs total in all of those games. An inside-the-park homer by Shane Victorino helped seal Sunday’s sweep.

That same day, closer Jose Contreras was sent to the DL with a strained right flexor pronator tendon in his elbow. As a result, Michael Stutes joined the club to fill the roster spot and made his major-league debut on Monday.

Also on Monday night, the Phillies‘ five-game win streak ended with a 4-0 shutout loss to the D-Backs.

Cliff Lee pitched an odd game where he struck out 12 batters, but still allowed four runs in seven innings. However, Lee’s performance was basically rendered irrelevant as the Phils offense did absolutely nothing to help out.

The three-hit shutout by the Diamondbacks‘ Ian Kennedy, where he struck out 10 batters and did not issue a walk, matched an Arizona team record.

Only two other pitchers in team history tossed a shutout while allowing three or fewer hits with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks. One was Curt Schilling, on April 10, 2001, against the Dodgers (two hits allowed, 10 SO), and the other was Randy Johnson, when he pitched a perfect game on May 18, 2004, against Atlanta (13 SO).

While that feat by Kennedy is very impressive, the Phillies offense certainly made it a little easier on him by swinging at bad pitches and watching good ones fly by.

The Phils’ offensive offense has not scored more than four runs in 14 consecutive games this season. They currently rank 28th in baseball for runs scored since April 9.

The worst offender amongst the starters has been Raul Ibanez, who is hitting just .179. He should be benched in favor of John Mayberry Jr. until he figures things out. Maybe at almost 39 years old, Ibanez needs to be in a platoon with Mayberry to get him more rest.

Team leader Jimmy Rollins is also not producing. He got off to a hot start and has seriously cooled off. Rollins has not had a multi-hit game since April 12. He has batted .182 since.

But a few players are not to blame.

The entire team is just not hitting, as if they all caught the same virus at once. If the disease continues to spread, who will be the fall guy? Last year, it was hitting coach Milt Thompson.

Frankly, the players themselves need to be held accountable. Play the bench guys until the starters find their swings.

While the bench is solid, it is not the long-term solution. However, maybe benching a few guys will light a fire under them—because the Phillies have few other options.

Their payroll is maxed out. The Phillies will never be a team that decides to pay the luxury tax along with the Yankees. So as far as getting new blood into the lineup, they are out of options. Besides, it is only April and no teams are ready to trade anyone yet.

Then again, it is only April. The team is still winning, despite the offense, thanks to a solid starting staff.

But even the pitchers are going to get weary of the lack of support very soon.

So, choose your most relaxing yoga pose and just keep telling yourself, “It’s only April. It’s only April…”

 

D-Backs stats courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau via ESPN.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why They Can Win Title Without Chase Utley, Brad Lidge

The Philadelphia Phillies have suffered some early blows to start the 2011 season. Even without Chase Utley and Brad Lidge, though, the Phillies are in first place and are tied for the best record in baseball.

Here are six reasons why the Phillies can still win the title without Utley and Lidge.

 

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Philadelphia Phillies Are 15-6, but are There Concerns With Team To Beat in NL?

The Phillies lead Major League Baseball with a .714 winning percentage after three and a half weeks into the 2011 season.

The starting pitching has lived up to the hype and the bullpen is one of the most reliable in the National League.

Placido Polanco continues to swing a hot bat in April and Ryan Howard is second in the National League with 19 RBI.

In spite of all the success the Phillies had in the beginning of 2011, have fans ever seen a 15-6 team with so many issues? Charlie Manuel’s squad has a few problems they need to solve as the club heads into one of the toughest portions of the schedule in a few weeks.

 

1. Will Jimmy Rollins continue to bat third?

Rollins had early success hitting for average in the three-hole, but the overall results have been sub par.

J-Roll is batting .256 with no home runs and two RBI.

Brian Schneider, the backup catcher, has more RBI than Rollins through 21 games.  

Rollins is failing to produce timely hits with runners on base and fails to give legitimate protection for Ryan Howard.

Manuel may not have to force Rollins out of the third spot if Chase Utley returns by mid-May.

 

2. Will Raul Ibanez be relegated to a platoon role?

Ibanez has not been the same player since his torrid start at the beginning of the 2009 season.

After hip surgery led to a slow start in 2010, Ibanez does not have that lingering over him in 2011.

Raul is hitting an abysmal .187 with one home run and 10 RBI. He continues to struggle with his timing at the plate.

Manuel most likely will continue to stick with his 11.5 million dollar man, who will become a free agent after this season. However, John Mayberry is showing he belongs in the major leagues.

Mayberry is batting .350 with no home runs and two RBI in only 20 at bats this season. He has an above average arm and his defense has vastly improved since his last stint with the Phillies.

Giving Raul some rest against lefties (.143 avg. against LHP) and playing Mayberry would balance the lineup with a power bat to protect Howard.

 

3. Who’s the closer?

Brad Lidge is out until the all-star break. Jose Contreras was recently placed on the 15-day DL with a strained flexor pronator tendon in his throwing elbow.

Now, Ryan Madson will get the opportunity to prove if he is the Phillies’ closer the rest of this season and beyond.

Madson is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.00 and converted both his save opportunities this season. Contreras was dominant in the closer role before his injury with five saves, a 0.00 ERA and nine strikeouts in eight innings pitched.

All three of the players can close, but who will Charlie Manuel go to when Contreras comes off the DL? How about Brad Lidge?

This problem is a good one to have, but it has to be solved sometime this season.

 

4. Which bench player(s) will see more playing time as the season goes on?

The most likely candidates to see more playing time are John Mayberry and Pete Orr.

Orr has excellent base-running ability and is a solid contact hitter. He has a decent arm and a good glove in the infield. 

Pete is hitting .333 with zero home runs and an RBI in just 21 at bats this season.

Mayberry can platoon with Ibanez, but also is the team’s top pinch hitter. He can also play first base and give Ryan Howard a well-deserved day off.

John can play either of the corner outfield positions, which allows him to make a spot start for Ben Francisco along with filling in for Ibanez.

Charlie Manuel has to find out if Mayberry can start for the Phillies in the future, so getting him more at bats will provide  an answer.

 

5. Will the Phillies upcoming schedule be a speed bump?

The Phillies have a tough May ahead of them.

After the Nationals series ends on May 5, Philadelphia plays seven consecutive series against teams that finished over .500 in 2010.

Two of those series are against the Braves and their excellent pitching staff, with the Marlins sandwiched in between. This nine-game swing could put the Phillies in a dogfight for their fifth straight National League East title or separate them from the contenders.

After the second Braves series, the Phillies play the Cardinals (road), Rockies (home), Rangers (home) and Reds (home). All these teams will be tough to win a series against so the Phillies must step up to the plate.

The starting pitching will continue to perform at a high level, but will the offense score some runs during this stretch? 

How about the bullpen? Will they continue to get key outs in late innings?

Fans will find out if the Phillies are the team to beat in the National League over this stretch of games.

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Philadelphia Phillies: In Need of a Closer, Is Joba Chamberlain an Option?

Worrying about who will close games for the Phillies seems almost comical. When you have Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels as your front four, there’s not much else to be concerned with.

The Phillies lead baseball in shut outs (5), and rank fifth in baseball in starter’s ERA (3.32). They’d be even higher if not for Joe Blanton’s 5.92 ERA.

However, while the Phillies would love to get complete games every night, that’s not exactly realistic.

Someone has to close out these wins.

Brad Lidge landed on the DL during spring training, and could be out as late as the All-Star break.

But have no fear, because Jose Contreras took to the closer’s role like a duck to water, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA and five saves in as many chances.

That’s all over now, as Contreras joined Lidge on the DL yesterday with a strained tendon in his right elbow.

Oh woe is the Phillies!

Ryan Madson will now take over the ninth inning duties for Philadelphia. Madson has pitched well so far this season. He’s 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in nine innings. However, Madson has never been very effective in the ninth inning. And with very limited options, the Phillies might have to look elsewhere for a closer until Lidge returns.

Madson finished last season with a 2.55 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 53 IP, but his ERA was 4.42 in 19 1/3 innings in the ninth. Not a huge sample size, but compared to his 1.52 ERA in the eighth inning, the contrast is worth noting.

Madson is off to a good start as the Phillies closer. He’s 2-for-2 in save opportunities, both coming on back-to-back games against the San Diego Padres over the weekend.

But depending on how long Contreras and Lidge are out, the Phillies may find themselves in need of a closer. Madson is better suited to pitch the eighth inning. The Phillies can probably get away with Madson in the ninth for a while, but if he struggles, the Phillies will need to find a replacement.

Could they get Joba Chamberlain from the New York Yankees?

Chamberlain was supposed to be the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera. He certainly looked the part, posting a 0.38 ERA in 19 games in 2007. He’s served dual roles as both a starter and reliever for the Yankees, but has never really found a home in either role.

This season, Chamberlain has a 4.91 ERA in 11 innings.

Rivera has blown back-to-back saves, but he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The Yankees also added Rafael Soriano this offseason, who can easily step into the closer’s role if needed.

The Yankees’ bullpen was supposed to be their greatest strength this season, and while it hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations (15th in MLB with a 3.58 ERA), they do have plenty of solid arms.

But Chamberlain is the bullpen’s weakest link.

It’s very possible that Chamberlain could find himself included in a mid-season trade if the Yankees decide to seek out a starting pitcher. If the Yankees are willing to deal him, and there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t, the Phillies could be a team interested in adding Chamberlain.

It’s very possible the Phillies will give Oswalt his walking papers at the end of this season, but there’s no way they’d trade him to a team they might meet in the postseason. The same goes for Hamels.

One of the Yankees’ biggest problems in the bullpen is a lack of left-handed relievers. They signed Pedro Feliciano this offseason, but he couldn’t make it out of spring training without landing on the DL and is likely out for the season.

Right now, Boone Logan is the only lefty option in the bullpen, and the Yankees could be interested in adding another. They intended on carrying both Logan and Feliciano this season anyway, so having two isn’t a new plan.

Logan currently sports a 3.86 ERA, which is respectable, but lefties are hitting .273 against him, so he’s not exactly fulfilling his role.

Perhaps the Phillies could simply pull off a one-for-one trade with the Yankees that would send Chamberlain to Philadelphia and left-handed relief options to the Bronx.

All of this, of course, is dependant on Madson proving unable to close out games. It’s no guarantee he’ll even have to serve that role for an extended period of time, and with their starting rotation firing on all cylinders, there’s no reason to even be concerned with the ninth inning.

If the Phillies trade for Chamberlain, and Lidge returns healthy, Chamberlain simply slides back into a relief role as he’s already doing now for the Yankees.

If Madson struggles, the Phillies could simply employ a closer-by-committee, as many teams are doing this season, and wait for Lidge’s return.

But if they do find themselves in need of a ninth-inning arm, Chamberlain is a player the Phillies could have an interest in.

 

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Too Soon to Upgrade? 10 Early Trade Targets for the Philadelphia Phillies

With just 19 games in the books to date for the Philadelphia Phillies, it’s very early in the season and any trade rumors you hear at this point in time should be taken with a grain of salt. For a lot of teams it is simply too early to start dismantling their clubs, with the hope of postseason glory still within reach.

Take for instance the two teams atop the American League Central—the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. Both were supposed to be cellar dwellers throughout the season and sell off their top stars at the trade deadline. In full fledged “rebuilding mode,” people around baseball believe the Tribe will turn the likes of Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Fausto Carmona into top prospects and ditto for the Royals and veteran players like Jeff Francis.

Early in the season, however, we wonder where the Indians, who have a better record than the New York Yankees and the same record as the Phils, will be come the trade deadline at the end of July. That sentiment is echoed around the league, where every team in baseball is still in contention. There is a lot of baseball left to play.

That said, it’s not too early to notice some of the best teams’ greatest weaknesses, and in the case of the Phillies, those flaws are quickly becoming obvious. As I wrote here the other day, with Brad Lidge on the disabled list and Chase Utley recovering slowly, the bullpen and offense could become problem areas for the Phils.

Outside of Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras, the team lacks a reliable arm out of the bullpen. As the seventh inning carousel continues to turn and the likes of Kyle Kendrick, David Herndon and Danys Baez continue to get shelled, we fans are left wondering if a trade could be in the works sooner rather than later.

Of course, the same sort of woes ravage the offense. Without Utley the Phils are missing some spark and power and without Jayson Werth the need for a right handed bat has become apparent. As the likes of Raul Ibanez and Ben Francisco continue to struggle, could the Phillies make a move if for nothing more than to shake things up?

At the very least, it is worth taking a look at some of the players who could be wearing a Phillies uniform this season and making an impact down the stretch run.

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MLB Projections: What If the 2011 Season Plays out Like It Started?

The 2011 MLB regular season is nearing the conclusion of its first month—what if the season unfolded just as it started?

Please permit me a not-so-insignificant disclaimer here. I realize that all teams have only played (roughly) 20 games, and that the full season is 162. I’ve known all the clichés for longer than I care to admit. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

On the other hand, a game in April is worth the same as in October, right?

When it comes to player stats, one has to think that Hanley Ramirez (.182 / .299/ .247), the Florida Marlins‘ best player, will start to heat up, even if his team can’t keep up their pace. Carl Crawford can’t continue to be the highest paid player to ever hit .171 / .218 / .244, can he?  Can Vernon Wells (.169/ .213/ .258) have declined to this degree?

Even if MLB teams have only played the equivalent of two NFL games (which, come to think of it, may be more than NFL teams will play this year), let’s do a little math and see what the numbers project to for the full marathon.

 

AL East

The New York Yankees (12-6), led by the slugging exploits of Curtis Granderson (63 home runs…Roger Who?), will cruise to the division title with a record of 108-54. They will do this, despite their ace CC Sabathia winning only eight games and all-world closer Mariano Rivera blowing 16 saves.

 

AL Central

The Cleveland Indians (13-8) take the division with 100 wins. If their best player of the last few years, Chin-Soo Choo (batting .207) gets going, look out.

 

AL West

Those Texas Rangers (14-7) cruise to the title with 108 wins. Cliff Who?

 

AL Wild Card

Kansas City, Detroit and LA (led of course by Vernon Wells, er, Jered Weaver) will finish with 88 wins apiece. Maybe Bud Selig will let them all in, or use All-Star Game stats to determine the finish.

 

NL East

The Philadelphia Phillies (15-6), to nobody’s surprise, will out-pitch those pesky Marlins on the way to 116 wins. They will do so without their best all-around player, Chase Utley, seeing any action. They may also do so scoring only three runs per game.

 

NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals will win a tight division with 88 victories—Adam Wainwright will miss the whole year, Chris Carpenter may never win a game and Albert Pujols may only hit .250 (albeit with 52 homers), but they’ll find a way. Hey, the modest Tony LaRussa would be the first to tell you that he’s a genius.

 

NL West

Those Colorado Rockies (14-7) will also notch 108 wins. 23 year-old righty Jhoulys Chacin will go 24-8 with a 2.67 ERA to join Tulo and Car-go as a household name (baseball-wise) from the mountain state.

 

NL Wild Card

The Florida Marlins, behind the superb Josh Johnson (19-0, 1.06 ERA and a WHIP of 0.65), will earn a spot with a 105-57 record. (With Johnson’s nasty stuff, he may approximate those stats, if healthy.)

 

A Disclaimer?

If you were expecting postseason projections, you have come to the wrong place. Sorry.

But for what it’s worth, who said that the .400 hitter is dead?

In the NL alone, there are two guys named Matt who will hit .400 this year—the Dodgers‘ Kemp will bat .402, and the Cardinals’ Holliday will hit .400 even.

In the coming days, this Matt will take a look at some individual’s projections. If he does not fall into a slump.

 

For more information on Matt Goldberg’s new books, as well as writing, speaking and interview requests, please e-mail: matt@tipofthegoldberg.com or contact him via his Bleacher Report homepage.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Reasons Kyle Kendrick Should Be Fifth Starter

The Philadelphia Phillies continue to lead the NL East and sit at an impressive 15-6 in the early going. It seems highly unlikely that this team will finish the season without at least 100 wins.

They have struggled to hit for power and yet they continue to win. They lead the NL East in runs scored with 88 and are second in BA at .265. They have shown that their lineup can play a little small-ball by being in the top five in MLB in singles since Opening Day.

But let’s be honest here, the Phillies are not the Vegas favorites because of their ability to hit singles. They are the smart pick to bring home another World Series down Broad Street because of their dominant pitching staff. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee have combined thus far for a record of 9-3 with three of the “Phour Horsemen” posting ERA’s below 3.00.

Then there is Big (Fat?) Joe Blanton. While he has looked solid at times this season, his early-season woes and inconsistencies have continued in 2011. We all know Joe Blanton will most likely return to the three- to five-run, six-innings-of-work pitcher he is after every All-star break, but why should Philadelphia wait?

This is the most anticipated baseball season in the entire 121-year history of Philadelphia Phillies baseball, and the Phillies fans deserve better than Joe Blanton and his hefty contract (we’ll get into that later) stepping onto the mound every fifth day.

Ruben Amaro has proven in his short tenure as Phillies GM that he can pull off masterful trades when no one thought such things were possible. Let’s get creative here and find a way to fix some glaring holes that have poked their heads through already.

A good way to start is by making Kyle Kendrick the fifth starter, and here are five reasons why.

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Philadelphia Phillies: With Lineup Slumping, Rotation Lives Up to Hype

On the eve of a four game sweep of the Padres, the Phillies rotation have shown fans why there has been so much buzz around them.

In this series, they held the Padres to a total of three runs—yes, three runs in four games.

Roy “Doc” Halladay doesn’t even amaze me anymore, tying a career high 14 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. Cole Hamels threw eight scoreless innings and also struck out eight batters, and even Big Joe Blanton stepped up only allowing two runs in seven innings.

On the other hand, with the rotation shining, what is going on with the Phillies lineup?

Over the last nine games, the Phillies have scored an average of less than three runs per game. Luckily, the Phillies have won six of those nine games solely because of their pitching. Coming into the season, a point Phillies fans and analysts stressed was production from Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins with Chase Utley injured.

Howard is striking out less than expected, but has only hit three HR and and drove in 13 runs. He is hitting .284, which is better than expected.

However, Jimmy Rollins has underproduced. Charlie Manuel moved Rollins third in the lineup, and he has not performed like a three-hole hitter. He has hit .256 with no HR and two RBI. From a former MVP and three-hole hitter, more RBI are expected.

In order for the Phillies to succeed, these two players need to produce more.

What most people don’t realize is that the Phillies are in a tough position. Their star second basemen, Chase Utley, is injured. With bench players like Wilson Valdez, Pete Orr and Michael Martinez platooning at second base, it is hard to get the production they would out of an all-star like Utley. Also, the injury forces Rollins to the three spot in the lineup, where he is not comfortable.

Look to see the Phillies lineup start to produce more when Utley comes back.

All season, the Phillies will have to deal with an inconsistent lineup. They will win games like today’s, 3-1, all season long. Pitching duels where one of the “Phantastic Phour” goes eight plus innings.

The bottom line is the rotation will continue to carry this team that lacks offense. 

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Jose Contreras Lands On the Disabled List in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Phillies have placed closer Jose Contreras on the 15-day DL with a right flexor strain. There is no timetable for Contreras’ return.

With Brad Lidge and now Contreras out with injuries, the Phillies will go with Ryan Madson as their closer. Madson has a 1.00 ERA and has K’d 10/9 in nine innings of work in 2011. He saved games for the Phillies on both Friday night and Saturday night.

He is a must pickup in all fantasy formats. However, don’t be surprised if Madson blows a couple of saves every now and again. He has struggled in the role in the past.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Philadelphia Phillies 1/8th of the Season Completed Review

The season is already an eighth of the way over, the Phillies are 14-6 and leading the NL East by 1.5 games over the Florida Marlins. Their record is also good for a tie with the Colorado Rockies for the best record in all of baseball.

With the aid of an unsustainable, league-leading BABIP, the offense got off to a blistering start scoring 54 runs in the first eight games. In their last 12, their BABIP has regressed to a more sensible .299, and as a result they haven not scored more than four runs in a game. Overall, their 94 runs scored entering April 24th are good for sixth in the National League. However, there are signs suggesting they were not quite as good as that number suggests. Their low 7.6 percent walk rate has led to a mediocre .322 on-base percentage, and they haven’t shown enough power to make up for it. A .379 slugging percentage and .119 isolated slugging percentage are fifth and fourth worst in the National League, respectively. On the positive side, their 18.8 percent strikeout rate is good for second in the National League.

Individually, Placido Polanco has gotten off to the best start on the team. Even though he’s been BABIP-fortunate (.370 vs. career .313), it’s led to a sizzling .367/.425/.494 line. He’s also posting career best marks in walk rate and strikeout rate. ZIPS projects .297/.342/..398 for rest of the season.

Aside from Polanco, no other offensive player has gotten off to a hot start. You can make a case for Mayberry, but 18 plate appearances is hardly enough to make a judgment on. Shane Victorino is currently leading the position players in wins above replacement with 1.0. He’s had a solid start, posting a .295/.360/.462 line with a career-high 9.2 percent walk rate.

Of the regular starters, Raul Ibanez has gotten off to a horrendous start and Charlie Manuel should seriously consider platooning him soon. I don’t want to delve heavily into his poor start as I recently wrote a more in-depth article on him.

Ben Francisco has not been impressive. He’s been a bit unlucky posting a .259 BABIP, leading to a low .247 average and .309 on-base percentage. Surprisingly, and sadly, he’s second on the team in isolated slugging percentage. His rest of the season ZIPS projection of .265/.327/.436 with 11 more homers in 359 plate appearances looks pretty accurate.

Many people are complaining about Jimmy Rollins’ lack of RBI, but like many intelligent baseball people know accumulating RBIs in itself is not a good way to judge a player’s abilities. His glove is still superb and his 11.2 percent walk rate is a continuation of last year’s career best 10.2 percent walk rate. His power has not appeared yet, but I expect it to rebound soon.

Valdez is again showing he is nothing more than a replacement-level player. The GIDP machine is posting an absurd 68.1 percent ground ball rate, second highest in the majors. Expect more GIDPs and barely above .300 on-base percentage with little to no power. It’s amazing the love such a bad player gets in Philly. I can’t wait for Utley’s return.

Ryan Howard is a notorious slow starter, so I’ll give him a slight break for now. But a .330 on-base percentage is unacceptable.

Fortunately, as expected, the Phillies have lived off of their strong pitching. Their 68 runs given up is second best in all of baseball and leading the National League. Even though their ERA is third in National League, their 2.90 FIP and 3.42 xFIP are good for first and second, in the league. Limiting walks and home runs allowed has been a huge part of that success. Giving up only 2.7 walks per nine inning leads the league and their 50.3 ground ball percentage is behind only the Braves.

Not surprisingly, when you break down those numbers by starters only, the Phillies have been head and shoulders above the rest of the league. They lead the league in: Strikeouts per nine innings, walks per nine innings, strikeout-to-walk ratio, home runs per nine innings, WHIP, FIP and xFIP.

The big four of Halladay, Hamels, Lee and Oswalt have been as advertised. Oswalt’s been a bit lucky .210 BABIP, resulting in a lower than normal 1.88 ERA. On the other hand, Blanton and to a lesser extent, Lee, have been a bit unlucky. Blanton has suffered from a high .357 BABIP and 63.5 left on base percentage. His 3.58 FIP and 3.47 xFIP suggests he is pitching much better than his 5.92 ERA suggests. His impressive 55.6 percent ground ball rate is a huge jump from last year’s 41.9 percent.

As far as relievers go, Antonio Bastardo has been nothing short of dominant against both lefties and righties. 14 strikeouts per nine innings, .78 WHIP, 1.27 FIP and 1.92 xFIP is just silly. I wanted him to be used as the lefty out of the pen last year instead of Romero. Hopefully Manuel finally realizes how much better Bastardo is than Romero.

Jose Contreras has done very well as closer. A 2.30 FIP, 3.32 xFIP with 10.13 strikeouts per nine innings are all very impressive. 

Danys Baez, Kyle Kendrick and David Herndon have been much worse than their ERA might indicate. All three have the fabulous combination of an inability to strike people out and walk too many. Combined, they have a 5.17 FIP and 5.78 xFIP. They are as replacement-level as replacement-level can get.

Ryan Madson has been his usual self, not much else to say.

May holds a tough stretch of the schedule as the Phillies have two series against the Braves in addition to the Marlins, Cardinals, Rockies, Rangers and Reds. It makes it that much more important to beat up on the Diamondbacks, Mets and Nationals coming up.

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