Phillies Phrustration

After a full week of watching the Phillies lose every game to AL teams, I have to admit I’m getting frustrated.  Yes, we’re still in 1st place with a slim lead over the Mets.  Yes, we sucked this badly last year against AL teams and still won the division, then the World Series.  And I know it’s still early, so why panic?

Well, some of the things I’ve been complaining about for a long time are finally starting to show their ugly side.

Case #1: Jimmy Rollins.  Just watch his swing.  If you watch where the bat goes, he ends with it over his head, causing a lot of pop up and fly ball outs.  As a leadoff hitter, your job is to get on base by whatever means necessary.  I believe Jimmy is trying to be a power hitter, which is obviously not.  His OBP is pathetic, and I believe the primary cause of the Phillies recent lack of run production.  The numbers clearly show when he gets on base and scores in a game, their record improves dramatically.

Case #2: Charlie Manuel.  Even after last year, I’m still not totally satisfied with him as our manager.  Of course, now it’s taboo to say anything bad about anyone because of what they accomplished, but I still feel like I can speak my mind.  I’ve never been a fan, and should we get back to the WS this year and face a team like the Yankees or Red Sox, I don’t believe he can outmanage the other guy to steal a win when neeeded.  But the players love him, and now even most of the fans, so…

Case #3: Ryan Howard.  He strikes out too much.  I know it’s obvious, but it’s true.  Now, with the shift he so fully expects to see, I would love to see a guy making that much money learn how to poke a ball into the opposite field and make the other team be honest.  It would greatly improve his average, as well as force pitchers to pitch to him more, which would mean he could hit even more home runs.  Everybody wins, right?

Case #4: Management.  Now that Pat is gone, we are once again putting our trust in a guy to make the right moves at the right time who has yet to prove himself.  Of course, I can’t really complain until after this year’s trade deadline comes and goes.  But, I can’t say I’m thrilled with who is going to be making those phone calls to other teams in a few months.
So, the Phillies now have to face another week of interleague play.  All we can hope is that they do better this week than the last.  Facing the AL defending champs and one of the teams who just swept us sure doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in me, though.

We desparately need Howard, Ibanez, and Lidge back in this lineup.  And sooner then later, please.