Steve Carlton Couldn’t Make the Philadelphia Phillies the Second Time Around

Steve Carlton refused to give in.  He never gave in when he was the best pitcher in the game and he wasn’t giving in now. Carlton was trying to make the Philadelphia Phillies nine months after they had released him on June 24, 1986.

There were some moments during spring training in 1987 when it appeared that the old Carlton was returning, but he was generally ineffective. He didn’t make the Phillies the second time around, but the first time had been fantastic.

Carlton was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Phillies in exchange for Rick Wise in February 1972. It was one of the great trades in history for the Phillies. Only Grover Cleveland Alexander had ever been a greater pitcher for the Phillies than Carlton.

In his first season in Philadelphia, Carlton had one of the greatest seasons any pitcher ever had. He was 27-10 for a team that finished last with a 59-97 record. Carlton accounted for 46 percent of his team’s wins.

As a comparison, the 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116 games. Jamie Moyer, who was ancient even then, won 20 games. To win 46 percent of the Mariners’ games, Moyer would have had to win 53 games. Shades of Old Hoss Radbourn.

From 1972-84, Carlton was a top-flight pitcher. Actually, he probably was the best pitcher in the game most of those seasons.

During those years, he was 236-145 with a 3.01 ERA, a 1.23 ERA+ and a 1.190 WHIP. In 1980, he beat the Kansas City Royals twice in the World Series.

Following the 1984 season, Carlton struggled. After the Phillies released him, he played, with little success, for the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins.

At the age of 43, Carlton was forced to pack it in. His former teammate with the Phillies, Bill Campbell, said that most players couldn’t summarily retire. The reason was that it would be terrible to wake up one morning and realize that you still might be able to play.

Carlton won 329 games in his career, which is more than Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson and the greatest left-hander of all, Lefty Grove.

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Cole Hamels Followed in the Tradition of Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale & Sandy Koufax

Cole Hamels continued the old baseball tradition by deliberately throwing at Bryce Harper. When Hamels watched baseball as a youngster, pitchers routinely initiated rookies to the big leagues by throwing at them.

“That’s something I grew up watching, that’s kind of what happened. So I’m just trying to continue the old baseball because I think some people are kind of getting away from it,” the Philadelphia Phillies left-hander said to the Associated Press.

When asked directly if he had thrown at Harper, Hamels didn’t pull any punches. “I was trying to hit him. I’m not going to deny it.”

It is amazing that in 2012, a pitcher still thinks that a rookie, especially a much-heralded one, must be welcomed by being thrown at. What is more unbelievable is that a pitcher would admit it.

Players have never been less loyal to the franchise for which they play or friendlier to the opposition than they are today. Management and players have always been adversaries and almost all players have been loyal to their teammates.

The difference today is that free agency and fantastically lucrative contracts have forced players to realize that today’s opponent could be next season’s teammate.  Few players want to injure an opponent and cost him millions of dollars.

Hamels might have gone a little too far. Perhaps when he watched games as a youngster, he misunderstood most pitchers’ concept of how to treat rookies. Maybe he didn’t.

Bob Gibson’s attitude was not too different from Hamels’. After Gibson hit John Milner the first time he faced the powerful left-handed power hitter, Hank Aaron asked Gibson why he hit him.

 

“I heard he could hit,” responded Gibson.

Hamels is on target when he states that “old baseball” is gone, but it’s been gone for a while.

A few years ago, Red Schoendienst made a comment about Gibson that will soon be tested by Hamels’ actions.

“He couldn’t pitch today because they wouldn’t let him. The way he’d throw inside, he’d be kicked out of the game in the first inning, along with guys like Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax.”

Veteran pitchers have always thrown at rookies, but the question—which will always remain unanswered—is how many of the pitchers actually wanted to hit the rookies?

The brushback pitch has always been part of the game. It will always be part of the game. But there is a tremendous difference between brushing back a rookie and trying to hit him.

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Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels Won’t Be Enough for a Phillies Pennant

I know it’s early in the season, but there is a good chance that the Philadelphia Phillies’ lack of offense is not an aberration. Last night’s loss to the San Francisco Giants might be the template for the 2012 Phillies.

Not quite the equal of Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn but close, Cliff Lee shut out the Giants for 10 innings; Matt Cain blanked the Phillies for nine innings; and when the dust had cleared, the single run the Giants scored in the 11th inning won the game.

Though Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels rank among the best pitchers in baseball, too many low-scoring games takes a toll on even the best pitchers. There must be some breathers, but they will be few and far between this season.

The Phillies have averaged 2.92 runs a game. It will increase, but not enough for the Phillies to be considered a real pennant contender. They may make the playoffs only because there will be a second wild card.

No one is certain when Ryan Howard will return, and no one knows if Chase Utley will return. Significantly, how close to the Ryan Howard and the Chase Utley of past seasons will they be?

Although Howard was productive in 2011, batting .253/.346/.488 with 33 home runs and 116 RBIs, his offensive contributions have declined since 2009, when he slugged .571 with 48 home runs and 141 RBIs. 

Howard is 32 years old and coming off a torn Achilles tendon. There is no timetable for his return. Ty Wigginton and friends don’t frighten anyone.

Utley is working with a physical therapist and will meet management when the Phillies get to Arizona. The 34-year-old Utley hasn’t had an Utley-like season since 2009.

Not too many players not named Barry Bonds get better when they reach their mid-thirties.

When the Phillies had Jason Werth, Raul Ibanez and a healthy Jimmy Rollins, along with Howard and Utley, they had enough power to play Placido Polanco every day. Polanco is a winner, a clutch player and comes up with the big play on defense, but having him and Juan Pierre and Freddie Glavis play almost every day cuts into the Phillies’ power production tremendously.

Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino are the only two Phillies that are power threats, or at least solid offensive threats, without Howard and Utley in the lineup. Carlos Ruiz is probably the most underrated catcher in baseball.

The other Eastern Division teams have improved. There is no great team among them, but the division is competitive.  If Howard and Utley cannot made major contributions the second half of the season, the 2012 Phillies will be the 1973 New York Mets.

That season, the Mets averaged 3.78 runs a game, which was 11th best among the league’s 12 teams. Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack and George Stone, along with relief pitcher Tug McGraw, overcame the lack of offense to win the pennant.

The significant fact is that the Mets won only 82 games. Eighty-two wins in 2012 will result in the Phillies watching the playoffs.

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Pete Rose: The Most Respected and Admired Player in the Game

The last time the Philadelphia Phillies had won the World Series was…never.

The Phillies were getting ready to face the Houston Astros in the 1980 NLCS, which was a best-of-five series.

Shortstop Larry Bowa walked over to Pete Rose, who had batted “only” .282 with 185 hits, and told him, half seriously, “We got you here. You take us the rest of the way.”

The Phillies won the National League’s Eastern Division title in 1976 and 1977 and again in 1978. They were swept in the ALDS by the Cincinnati Reds in 1976 and managed only one win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in both 1977 and 1978.

To say the Phillies and their fans were frustrated is an understatement.

Officials, fans and players expected that Pete Rose would make the Phillies a team to be feared—not only in the regular season but in the post season as well.

Pete Rose would lead them when it counted the most. He was the most respected and admired player in the game that could lead by both word and example.

Joe Morgan, Rose’s Cincinnati teammate, knew him well.

“Pete’s what every player ought to be,” said the future broadcasting great. “In Pete’s mind, every game is a World Series game. I wish everyone had Pete’s attitude toward the game. And it’s a thrill just to be on the same field with him.”

In the 1972 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Rose had nine hits in 20 at-bats. Against the Phillies in 1976, he was 6-for-14.

It was in the 1976 World Series that Rose, playing third base, messed with Mickey Rivers’ head.  The Yankees‘ fleet lead-off batter and catalyst for their offense couldn’t cope when Rose moved to within about 65 feet of home plate, daring Rivers to try to slap the ball by him.

The Phillies beat the Astros to move on to the World Series, but they had to come back after losing two of the first three games.  In the fourth game, Rose was on second base in a tie game in the 10th inning. Greg Luzinski was at the plate.

Luzinski hit a drive to left field. Larry Elchel of Knight-Ridder Newspapers wrote:

“…the one image that will remain in the memory…comes from the 10th inning of that fourth game. It is the image of Rose, representing what would become the winning run, charging around third on Greg Luzinski’s double to left.  As he heads for home, it is written on his face that he will score the run even though the throw may beat him home.”

That was Pete Rose. He led the Phillies into the World Series. He then led them to the first world championship in their storied history.

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Lenny Dykstra Explains Why 1993 NL Champion Phillies Weren’t Winners

Lenny Dykstra was sitting with his back to everyone, facing his locker in the visitors’ clubhouse.  He still couldn’t believe it. He certainly would never accept it.

Joe Carter’s three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning won the World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays.

“It always seemed that somehow, some way, we were going to get out of it,” Dykstra said. “It was a weird feeling, seeing that ball fly out of there. I felt helpless. I can’t really describe it.”

Dykstra’s seventh inning, three-run home run had put the Philadelphia Philllies back into the game after they had trailed, 5-1. At the conclusion of the inning, the Phillies held a 6-5 lead.

“I really believed after we took the lead that it would go seven games. I thought, ‘Wow, this was meant to be.’ I didn’t say it out loud, but I believed it. I thought it was destiny.

“Everyone thought the game was over in the third inning,” Dykstra said.

Dykstra had helped the New York Mets win the 1986 World Series. His view of what constitutes a season is identical to the one that George M. Steinbrenner held.

“Just getting to the playoffs isn’t enough,” Dykstra said before the playoffs started. “I know what it’s like to go to the playoffs and win it all, like I did with the Mets in 1986, and I know what it’s like to lose and go home. I don’t want to go home.”

There was only one playoff round in 1993. The winner of the best-of-seven NLCS went on to the World Series.  The wild card didn’t exist and only four teams made the playoffs.

In 2012, there will be a total of six division winners and four wild cards.

Now there will be 10 teams that can claim they had a successful season. To Lenny Dykstra, only one of the those 10 teams will be the real winner.

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If He Played in the 1990s, Would Richie Ashburn Still Be a Hall of Famer?

Richie Ashburn is the greatest outfielder in Philadelphia Phillies history.  He was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans’ Committee in 1995.

Ashburn was an excellent defensive center fielder with outstanding speed. He was a fine base runner, and was one of the greatest of all lead off hitters.

Until Pete Rose and Rickey Henderson came along, a solid argument could be made that Ashburn was the greatest lead off hitter of all time.  He averaged 89 walks and only 42 strikeouts a season.

Once, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds, Ashburn fouled off 14 Corky Valentine pitches before getting his walk.

Today, walks are valued more than when Ashburn played, although astute managers realized they often were the difference between winning and losing.  Frankie Frisch knew what he was saying when he lamented, “Oh, those bases on balls.”

Ashburn played from 1948-59 with the Phillies and was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Jan. 11, 1960 in exchange for pitcher John Buzhardt, shortstop Al Dark and third baseman Jim Woods. 

The New York Mets purchased Ashburn’s contract from the Cubs on Dec. 8, 1961.

Ashburn played 15 seasons. If his career had started in 1992 instead of in 1948, he would not make the Hall of Fame because players are evaluated by different standards in the 21st century.

Ashburn won batting titles in 1955 (.338) and in 1958 (.350). he led the league in on base percentage four times, in walks four times, in triples twice, in hits three times and in games played twice. 

He led the National League in putouts nine times, despite the presence of Wilie Mays and Duke Snider.

The problem is that center field is considered a power position, and Ashburn didn’t hit with power. He batted .308/.396/.382 with 29 career home runs.

A tremendous negative is that Ashburn’s on-base percentage was 14 points better than his slugging average. Only 455 of his 2.574 hits went for extra bases. Although Ashburn didn’t have a strong throwing arm, he made one of the most important throws in baseball history.

The Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers were tied for first place on the last day of the 1950 season. With the score 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn had the speedy Cal Abrams on second and Pee Wee Reese on first with no outs.

Duke Snider hit a line drive single to center field.

Ashburn was playing shallow because the situation called for a bunt to move the potential pennant winning run to third base with only one out. Yes, in 1950, managers sacrificed with players who batted third.

Ashburn picked up the ball as Cal Abrams raced for the plate. He was out by 15 feet, and the Phillies won the game in extra innings.

Nineteen sixty two was the Mets inaugural season. They lost the most games any team ever lost, but there were a few bright spots.

Ashburn appeared in 135 games, batted .306 with a .424 on-base percentage and managed to steal 12 bases. It was his final season.

There is no doubt that Richie Ashburn is a Hall of Famer, that Richie Ashburn was one of the greatest lead off batters in history and that Richie Ashburn was a wonderful broadcaster.

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Philadelphia Phillies Are an Aging Team with Major Problems

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a lot of trouble. They are an aging team that has seen better days. They’ll make the playoffs again, but a lot has happened since 2008.

It is an old axiom that pitching wins championship. The Phillies’ problem is that it applies more to the playoffs and World Series than to the regular season.

Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee give the Phillies three of baseball’s top starting pitchers.

Halladay will be 35 years old in May and Lee will be 33 in August. Halladay is starting his 15th season while Lee will be in his 11th.  Barring injury, they should do at least as well as they did last season.

Vance Worley and Dontrelle Willis are the other starters, although general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. stated Joe Blanton, who has had elbow problems, would probably be the Phillies’ fourth or fifth starter with Willis working out of the bullpen.

Antonio Bastardo was expected to be the closer until the signing of Jonathan Papelbon.  Bastardo wore down near the end of last season while Papelbon has had some major problems during his Boston Red Sox career.

The rest of the bullpen is no better than average.

Overall, the Phillies’ pitching staff ranks among the league’s best, but the drop off after Halladay, Hamels and Lee is significant.

 

Too many of the Phillies’ regulars are old, injured or both.

Ryan Howard’s offensive production has decreased steadily the last two years. He suffered a torn left Achilles tendon when he made the last out of the Phillies’ 2011 season. His return for 2012 is unknown. Howard is still a top player, but he no longer is in the Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder class.

John Mayberry and Ty Wigginton are expected to fill in at first base until Howard returns. Wigginton, who batted .242/.315/.416 for Colorado, plays first, second, shortstop and the outfield, none of them very well. Wiggington is no Michael Cuddyer. 

Sadly, Chase Utley has seen better days. He is 32 years old, has lost range at second base and batted only .259 with 11 home runs upon returning from injuries.

Placido Polanco is underrated, but now, at the age of 36 and a player with little power at a power position, he is no longer an effective table setter for the sluggers.

Who is the shortstop? Jimmy Rollins will probably return, but he, like Howard, is no longer the great offensive threat he was a few seasons ago.

UPDATE: Rollins and Phillies agree to a three-year, $33 million deal.

Hunter Pence in right field is a star and Shane Victorino is Shane Victorino, but who is in left field?

John Mayberry may be adequate, but he might play a lot of first base. Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix are jokes. Nix is with his fifth team and is no better than a reserve. Domonic Brown is the hope.

Finally, Carlos Ruiz is a winner that is terribly underrated. He has some fine seasons ahead of him. Backup Brian Schneider can catch, but hitting is another issue.

 

The Phillies are almost certain to make the playoffs. With Halladay, Hamels and Lee, they will win playoff games.

The problem is that the offense can be stopped, which, as in 2010 and 2011, puts too much pressure on the three aces.

The San Francisco Giants lead with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner.

The Atlanta Braves start Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens and some highly prized youngsters.

The world champion St. Louis Cardinals have Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and probably Adam Wainwright.

It doesn’t matter if the Phillies’ big three are better than their main rivals. The Giants, Braves and Cards starters can stay with them.

The answer is to improve the offense with some youth.  That’s not easy to accomplish.

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Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies: 3 Starts in 5 Days in 1950

Let us go back to the thrilling baseball days when pitchers finished what they started. When pitchers weren’’t coddled and when the ace of the staff pitched when his team needed a win, regardless when he last pitched.

Let us go back to one of the most exciting of all pennant races, the one between the Philadelphia Philles and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950.

At the close of play on Tuesday, September 26, the Phillies had a seemingly safe five-game lead over Brooklyn, but as experienced baseball fans never seem to learn, no lead is safe.

The Philadelphia Phillies were in New York to play a doubleheader against the Giants on Wednesday.

Now, “doubleheader” meant that fans paid one admission to see two regularly scheduled games. There was about a 20-minute break between games.

Today, “doubleheader” means that one game is played in the afternoon, fans leave the ballpark and then another game is played at night. Those who want to see the second game pay a second admission.

Sometimes, the home team requires fans who want to see both games to remove their cars from the parking lot and then re-park it before the second game. Of course, there is a second parking fee.

Robin Roberts started the opener against the Giants, yielding five runs in four innings. The Phillies lost, 8-7, with Jim Konstanty being charged with loss. Big Giants right-hander Jim Hearn shut out the Phillies in the nightcap, 5-0.

A few miles away, Brooklyn was splitting a twin bill against the Braves to shave a game off the Philadelphia lead, but the Dodgers’ loss reduced the Phillies’ magic number to two games.

Any combination of Phillies wins and/or Brooklyn losses totaling two would give the Phillies their second pennant and first since the 1915 glory days of Grover Cleveland Alexander.

The next day, the same things happened. The Phillies lost another doubleheader to the Giants while Brooklyn split a doubleheader with the Braves, cutting the lead to three games. The Phillies were assured of no less than a tie for the pennant.

Who was the Phillies’ starting pitcher in the second game of the second twin bill? Robin Roberts, that’s who.

Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer reasoned that since Roberts had pitched only four innings the previous day and since Friday was an off day, Roberts should be able to pitch. He would have Friday and Saturday to rest.

Roberts pitched effectively, but a Whitey Lockman bloop hit did him in. He lost. What is fascinating is that newspaper accounts do not even mention that Roberts was starting with no days’ rest.

Although the Phillies were not scheduled on Friday, September 29, Brooklyn had another doubleheader against Boston. It was the third consecutive doubleheader for the Dodgers and Braves.

Facing elimination with a loss, the Dodgers swept the doubleheader, cutting the Phillies’ lead to a mere two games. The Phillies were coming to Brooklyn for the last two games of the season.

Bob Miller started for the Phillies against Brooklyn’s Erv Palica. The Dodgers won, 7-3, which meant that they could force a three-game playoff with a win on Sunday against Phillies’ starter Robin Roberts.

You read that right. Roberts started on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Roberts started the final regular season game. With the Phillies leading 1-0 in the Dodgers’ sixth, PeeWee Reese hit a towering two out fly ball to right field that lodged in the screen. It was ruled a game-tying home run.

The game remained 1-1 until Dick Sisler hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning. Roberts retired the Dodgers in the bottom of the 10th.

Robin Roberts had his 20th win. The Phillies had their pennant.

 

References:

Sheehan, Joseph M. “Giants Turn Back Whiz Kids, 8-7, 5-0, Scoring the Winning Run for the Giants in the Tenth.” New York Times 28 September, 1950: p.52.

Effrat, Louis. “Giants Turn Back Whiz Kids, 3-1, 3-1; A Blow That Helped the Giants Beat Phillies Yesterday.” New York Times 59 September, 1950: p.35.

McGowen, Roscoe. “Palica Takes 13th; Snider and Campanella Drive Dodger Homers Against Konstanty; Timely Triple for Reese; Four-Run Fifth Defeats Phils and Catcher’s Four-Bagger in Eighth Adds Three; Dodgers Top Phils, 7-3; Need One to Tie.” New York Times 1 October, 1950: p.159.

McGowen, Roscoe. “Phils Beat Dodgers for Flag; Win 4-1 on Homer in Tenth.” New York Times 2 October 1950: p.1.

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Grover Cleveland Alexander Might Have Been a Greater Phillie Than Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt is the overwhelming choice as the greatest Philadelphia Phillies player of all time. Steve Carlton is considered the greatest Phillies’ pitcher ever.

In a recent poll by a national newspaper, the players selected as the greatest Phillies were Richie Asburn, Steve Carlton, Ed Delahanty, Robin Roberts and Mike Schmidt. It was no contest as Schmidt received 64 percent of the votes. Carlton finished second with 22 percent.

A player who might have been the greatest of all Phillies was not even listed.

In 1911, 24-year-old Grover Cleveland Alexander joined the Phillies. He set a rookie record that will never be broken when he won 28 games. Alexander pitched 367 innings, had a 2.57 ERA and a 133 ERA+.

Alexander pitched for the Phillies from 1911-17. During those eight seasons, he was 190-88 with a 2.12 ERA and a 143 ERA+. He averaged 27 wins a season.

In 1915, “Pete” won 31 games as the Phillies won the pennant. He followed that by winning 33 games in 1916 and 30 in 1917.

During the offseason,  Phillies’ owner William Baker sent Alexander to the Chicago Cubs. The excuse was that the Phillies thought that Alexander would be drafted to help the imperialistic goals of Great Britain and the United States, but Baker admitted that the deal was made because he needed the money.

Steve Carlton played for the Phillies from 1972-86. He was 241-161 with a 3.04 ERA and a 123 ERA+.

A strong case can be made that Alexander, despite pitching for the Phillies for only eight seasons compared to Carlton’s 15, was the greater Phillies’ pitcher.

Alexander topped Carlton with respect to ERA, ERA+, games won, innings pitched, and wins per season. Carlton led the league in strikeouts five times. So did Alexander, but Alexander did it in five of his eight Phillies’ seasons.

Mike Schmidt is another story. He was a great defensive third baseman who hit 548 home runs. Schmidt batted .267/.380/.527 over 18 seasons, 16 of which were full seasons.

It is impossible to credit any player with the victory when his team wins, even the pitcher.

When Mike Schmidt hit a “game-winning” home run, we tend to ignore the contributions his teammates made to put him in the position to hit the home run. When Carlton pitched one of his six one-hitters, he needed help from his teammates, without which he would have had no better than a tie game.

Whether Alexander was a greater Phillie than Schmidt is a matter of opinion.

Alexander averaged 40 starts a season, completing 31 of them. He pitched about 356 innings a season and was credited with an average of 27 wins.

Schmidt averaged about 134 games a season, with 30 home runs and 89 RBIs.

Schmidt’s Phillies played approximately 1,450 innings a season. Schmidt played approximately 1,200 of those innings.

Alexander’s Phillies played approximately 1,390 innings a season (154 game schedule). Alexander pitched 356 of those innings.

Now to use statistics to make a point. Remember, Mark Twain quoted Ben Disraeli when the latter pointed out there are “Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Mike Schmidt played defense 1,200 innings a season, but he batted 678 times a season, which averages to four plate appearances a game. 

Taking 1980, which was Schmidt’s best season (48 home runs and 121 RBIs), he made 652 of the Phillies 6,265 plate appearances. That is 10.4 percent of his team’s plate appearances.

Taking 1915, which was Alexander’s best season, he pitched 376 and one-third innings. He faced 1,435 of the 5,478 batters the Phillies faced. That is 26.2 percent of the batters his team faced.

The above points out that pitchers such as Alexander, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Mordecai Brown, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson are involved as much as regular star players over the course of  season.

It is a baseball axiom that great pitchers stop great hitters more often than great hitters succeed against great pitchers. Or not.

Maybe Grover Cleveland Alexander really was the greatest Phillies’ player of all time. Maybe not.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Struggles to Continue Despite Strong Pitching Staff?

With about one-fourth of the season over, Roy Halladay (5-3), Cliff Lee (2-4), Roy Oswalt (3-1) and Cole Hamels (4-2) have a combined record of 14-10, which is good but below preseason expectations.

It’s not that the Philadelphia Phillies quartet has pitched badly. It is just the opposite. They have pitched pretty much as expected, but the Phillies have become an offensively challenged team.

In 2011, the Phils have averaged 4.10 runs a game, which ranks ninth among the 16 National League teams.

Last season, they averaged 4.77 runs a game, and in 2009, when they won the pennant, the offense averaged 5.06 runs a game.

Most teams are struggling to score runs this season. Pitching has dominated even more than it did last season, which is a key to why the Phillies are struggling and will continue to struggle.

When Cliff Lee joined a starting rotation that included Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, comparisons were made with the greatest rotations of all time. The Phillies were the overwhelming pick to not only win the Eastern Division, but to win the pennant.

The problem is that the Phillies’ perceived pitching advantage has not been as great as expected. Because of a league-wide lack of offense, the Phillies’ pitching is brought back to the pack.

National League teams have averaged 4.17 runs a game in 2011, with a 3.79 ERA.

In 2010, teams averaged 4.35 runs a game with a 4.02 ERA.

In 2009, teams averaged 4.43 runs a game with a 4.19 ERA.

The number that stands out is that since 2009, the league earned run average has increased by 0.40 runs.

The last time the National League had an ERA below four was 1992.

This season, only five teams have an ERA above four.

It’s not that the Big Four are pitching poorly, but that other teams are pitching nearly as well, and the Philly offense is not good enough to establish separation.

When Jason Werth went to Washington, the Phillies had a huge hole to fill in the outfield. Dominic Brown has been hurt, and the combination of Ben Francisco and John Mayberry is not the answer.

The loss of Chase Utley has hurt more than expected because nobody has picked up the slack. 

Catcher Carlos Ruiz, who had a career year in 2010, has been hurt and is batting .208 with two home runs. Ryan Howard is batting a .252 with nine home runs, and is on his usual pace to strike out 200 times.

Thirty-nine year old Raul Ibanez has three home runs to go along with a .223 average. Ben Francisco is down to .218.

The Phillies have lost four consecutive games, but the old baseball adage that “you’re never as good as you look when you win and you’re never as bad as you look when you lose,” holds up.

Last night, Roy Oswalt pitched five solid innings. The bullpen was good, but all the Phillies could manage was one unearned run in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The night before, an erratic Cliff Lee allowed three runs in six and one third innings, but the bullpen shut down the Cardinals the rest of the way. Usually, that should be enough to win, but the Phillies managed to score only one run in a 3-1 loss.

A team that doesn’t score many runs puts tremendous pressure on its pitchers, who realize that one or two mistakes could cost them the game. They must bear down constantly and not allow even the so-called easier outs in the opposition’s batting order to hurt them.

The Philly Four are experienced veterans who have been through it all. Each of them should win 15 or more games. They rise to the occasion, but it is too much to ask them to rise to the occasion every start.

Almost every team in the league has one, two or three pitchers who can often stay with the Phillies Big Four. The Phillies’ problem is that most of the teams score more runs than they do.

The Phillies should win the division, but it will be a struggle to the end.

Reference:

Baseball Reference

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