Game 99 - Sunday Afternoon, July 21st in Flushing
Record - 49-50, 2nd Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves
One Sentence Summary: The Phillies were completely baffled by Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, getting shut out in a 5-0 loss.
What It Means: It means the team is back below .500, and they'll start a six-game road trip against the first place Cardinals and the first place Tigers, beginning on Tuesday night.
What Went Wrong: The Phillies were held to four hits by Harvey and reliever Scott Atchison. Cliff Lee surrendered all five Mets runs, with all the runs resulting from Mets home runs. Marlon Byrd hit the most impressive of the three home runs, with a second deck bomb to left in the first.
Featured Card: So are the Phillies buyers or sellers at this point? Asked on almost an hourly basis to try to explain his plans for the next ten days, general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., has been consistent in maintaining that the Phillies are in fact buyers. But he's been quick to add that his stance could change depending on how the team plays.
I'd love to see the Phils go on a tear and creep back into the Wild Card picture, but my brain tells me that what I've watched on the field isn't really a playoff-worthy team. Then again, my heart reminds me that anything is possible and wouldn't it be fun to watch this team shock everyone with a late season run. Maybe all this team needs is a boost from the return of Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay from the disabled list. Maybe they could trade Michael Young for a more reliable late-inning reliever. Maybe we're enjoying a parade in October, marveling at the moves that were made in the last week of July to put the team over the top and deliver yet another pennant . . .
Maybe I should just sit back and hope that Amaro has this all figured out.
2 comments:
I'd feel better if Amaro wasn't making the moves. I don't trust his judgment at this point. I just don't want them to trade Utley. I also think they should trade both Youngs whether they are buyers or sellers. I think getting Asch and Hernandez up might inspire some of the vets.
I'm with you. I want them to hang on to Utley and Lee. I'd be fine with trading Papelbon now and getting a return of prospects and perhaps a Major League-ready reliever. Bringing up Asche and/or Hernandez could help provide a little more energy - which this team definitely seems to need.
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