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To say this was the worst series in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies is probably an understatement. I’m sure there was some series somewhere along the line that was more frustrating, more pathetic, and more embarrassing.
I just don’t remember it.
The Phillies had a terrific opportunity to gain ground on the Los Angeles Dodgers in this one, and they completely gave it away, losing four consecutive contests to extend their losing streak to six games.
What This Means: The Phillies (28-31) are three games under .500, 4.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins, and six games back of the Washington Nationals. The Phillies have the game’s longest losing streak, twice as long as any other team in the game, and they’ve now been outscored by one run this season.
Grading the Offense: The Phillies lost all four games, scoring just 12 runs overall, and averaging three per contest. They still don’t have a ninth inning comeback yet this season, and their offense from the sixth through the ninth inning in the four games was atrocious: one run to show for in 16 frames. The Phillies averaged eight hits per game, a fine total, but they just didn’t score runs.
A breakdown of their offensive players:
Jimmy Rollins 7-for-16 (.438), 3 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Shane Victorino 3-for-14 (.231), R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
Juan Pierre 1-for-13 (.077)
Hunter Pence 4-for-17 (.235), R, 2 RBI
Carlos Ruiz 2-for-12 (.167), R
Ty Wigginton 6-for-14 (.429), R, 2B, 3 RBI
John Mayberry, Jr. 1-for-11 (.091), R, 2B
Placido Polanco 2-for-7 (.286), R, HR, 2 RBI
Freddy Galvis 2-for-9 (.222), R, RBI
Mike Fontenot 3-for-7 (.429), R, RBI, 2 BB
Hector Luna 0-for-3 (.000), BB
Brian Schneider 0-for-4 (.000)
Jim Thome 0-for-2 (.000)
Rollins and Wigginton had a fine offensive series, as did Fontenot in limited at-bats, but look at some of the numbers from the regulars: Ruiz hit .167, Pierre hit .077, Pence hit .235 with no extra-base hits, Mayberry, Jr. batted .091, Victorino hit only .231, and the bottom three backups combined to go 0-for-9 at the plate. Grade: D
Grading the Pitching: Like the offense, the pitching was extremely subpar. Vance Worley threw just four innings, allowing three runs in his first outing back, and he gave up five hits while walking three. Cliff Lee struck out 12 in 7.2 strong innings and was exceptional except for one late pitch. Kyle Kendrick was extremely mediocre, walking five and allowing five runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Cole Hamels finished it off with a less-than-expected outing, allowing four total runs in six innings. That gives the starters an 0-3 record to go with a 5.01 ERA. The bullpen got the job done, fashioning a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched, which really isn’t too bad when you consider Chad Qualls is the best right-handed non-closer out of the ‘pen. The lefties were phenomenal, pitching 9.2 scoreless innings while allowing just six hits and three walks, and recording 13 strikeouts. That’s terrific except it means the righties – two outings of Qualls, a poor performance by Jonathan Papelbon, and a single batter from Michael Schwimer – combined for a 12.00 ERA. Grade: D+
What’s Next: The Phillies play an interleague series on the weekend against the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles, a series that the Phillies really need to win. Then again, that’s been the story for quite some time.
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