Philadelphia Phillies Need Their Bats To Wake Up For Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels is back. The World Series MVP we had come to know and love is pitching the way we know he can. There is no more of that mental crap from last year. He has been on fire. His stats show that—well, at least in every category except wins.

This season, Hamels has an ERA of 3.33 going along with 157 strikeouts (good for eighth in Major League Baseball), but somehow, he is 7-9. The Phillies just don’t seem to score when Hamels is on the mound. He hasn’t had a win since July 11th. In his last two starts, he has gone seven or more innings and given up one run, in losing efforts. It is ridiculous.

This is inexcusable by the Phillies. They will score ten runs in games in which Kyle Kendrick or Joe Blanton pitch, but none whenever Hamels pitches a gem. To put it in perspective, Kendrick and Hamels have the same number of wins, while Hamels has an ERA 1.27 points better than Kendrick’s. It disgusts me.

The Phillies are in an unfamiliar place this year. They’re not six games up in the division—they’re two games back. They need to be clicking on all cylinders to win the NL East. That includes winning for Cole Hamels. If the Phils had managed just two runs in Cole’s last two starts, they would be tied for the division lead. These losses can come back to bite them.

And if this team makes the postseason, what are they going to do averaging one run for this guy? The Phillies need to play their absolute best baseball in the postseason if they want to be in the hunt for the pennant.

An ace is no use if he has no run support. It is time for the Phils to wake up and score this guy some runs. 

 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Why Jayson Isn’t Werth a Mega Contract

When free agency begins, many Phillies fans will be interested in what happens to outfielder Jayson Werth. Werth has been a key bat in the Phillies’ lineup and a very good defensive outfielder for years now. He is in his contract year.

Many teams will be interested in Werth, and for good reason. In his career in Philadelphia, Jayson has hit .283, with 83 homers, and 271 RBI. While those stats look great on paper, there is more than meets the eye.

Since coming to Philly, he has hit behind some of the best hitters in the game. He has been featured in the same lineup as Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard. The three of them have combined for 11 all star appearances, six silver sluggers, and two MVPs. He is in pretty good company.

Werth has never been “The Guy.” He simply has never had to be. He has had the luxury of playing with Hall of Fame-caliber players. He has been a very, very good player, but he’s never had to carry a team on his back. That should be a cause for concern for certain teams.

The worst situation would be this: a non-contender signs Werth to a huge contract, expecting him to be their superstar. He won’t be able to do that. Jayson needs other players around him for him to play the best baseball he can.

The Phillies are in a pretty tough situation with him. He is a very important player to them, but he won’t be worth the money he will demand. And the Fightins do have Domonic Brown, who they plan to have patrolling right field for years to come. Brown has looked pretty good in his first few games. It just doesn’t seem very likely that Jayson will be with the Phillies in 2011. 

Jayson’s free agent experience will end in one of two ways, either a key asset to a contender, or a disaster to a bad team. It would be in his best interest to stay with the Phils, but chances are he will go for the money and leave Philadelphia.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Look Geared to Repeat as National League Champions

Currently four games into the season, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking good, very good.

Just about everything looks great. The starting rotation seems to really have been positively affected by the presence of stud Roy Halladay. Further, Cole Hamels looks like he may be back on track, Kyle Kendrick had a decent outing, and J.A. Happ has picked up right where he left off last season. The starting rotation will only be better when Joe Blanton returns.

While the starting pitching looks very good, the real strength of the Phillies team is their offense. In each of their first four games, the Phillies have recorded 10 or more hits. Their lineup is stacked and one of the best in baseball. Let’s go through that red-hot lineup…

Leading off – Shortstop Jimmy Rollins: J-Roll has left the disaster that was last season far behind. He is getting on base more frequently already. In four games he has scored six runs. This is a great sign for the Phillies. They are a much better team when Rollins gets on base and scores runs, a key for any lead-off hitter.

Second – Third Baseman Placido Polanco: Polanco is another guy that is making Ruben Amaro, Jr. look like a genius. He is thriving batting second in the lineup. He is even doing a good job at third base, where many experts worried that he may struggle.

Third -Second Baseman Chase Utley:  Does this even need to be written? We all know Chase Utley is a legitimate star. In his seventh season, Chase is off to a good start to the season.

Fourth – First Baseman Ryan Howard:  You have to love watching the big man Ryan Howard hit a home run. Howard is feasting off of having runners on base. If the top of the lineup can continue to get on base, look for Howard to have a MVP season.

Fifth – Right Fielder Jayson Werth: Werth is hitting .333, yet he hasn’t knocked in a run yet. With power like his, Werth will likely get quite a few RBI before season’s end.

Sixth – Left Fielder Raul Ibanez: Rrraaauuulll isn’t off to the same start he had last season. He has four RBI in as many games, though. I was worried about Raul this season,for he is an aging veteran coming off an all star season. Sometimes guys just fall off. Raul seems to be fine.

Seventh – Center Fielder Shane Victorino: The Flyin’ Hawaiian was unhappy moving from second to seventh in the lineup—maybe with good reason. Shane is off to a slow start to the season. He is struggling to get on base so far. But hey, they’ve only played four games. He may just need some time to adjust to batting later in the lineup.

Eighth – Catcher Carlos Ruiz: Carlos is probably never going to be a good offensive player. He is great defensively, but his offense has always been subpar. I doubt Chooch will be able to hit the way he did last postseason.

Granted, it has only been four games, but I am excited about this team. There are very few holes in the lineup, or the whole team in general. The only weakness seems to be the Phils’ very battered bullpen. Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero will be returning to the bullpen soon which should help. Other than the bullpen, this team is elite.

It may be only four games, but the Phillies appear ready to make a run to the World Series. Can they win the World Series? Of course they can. Will they? Only time will tell.

 

 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com