After 90 games, it surprises me how much trouble this baseball team has had scoring runs.  They’ve gotten pretty decent starting pitching
for most of the year.  The bullpen has been up and down. 
And the bench that general manager Ruben Amaro thought he improved so
greatly, has been a disappointment.  Injuries to key players throughout
the first 90 have hurt the team.  Jimmy Rollins has missed a significant
amount of games, Placido Polanco has missed some, Ryan Madson, and currently,
the team is waiting for the return of star second baseman Chase Utley. 
Utley may not be back until September.

       I don’t think the Phils can win the division this season.  I do think they can make the playoffs.  But if they do, it will likely
be as a wild card.  I am not saying the team absolutely cannot
win the division.  It’s just that the Atlanta Braves are firmly
in first place at the moment.  And they are an extremely solid
club.  They have excellent pitching and they seem to score as many
runs as they need most of the time. 

     If the Phillies are going to surpass Atlanta before season’s end, they are going to need to be more consistent with their bats. And they must
make the games against the Braves count in September and October. 
The problem is that they only play the boys from HotLanta 6 more times. 
It would also help if the Braves stopped being so consistent. 

     But as I said, I think a wild card berth is much more realistic.  Making up 5 games in the standings doesn’t sound like much, but it is once
you get beyond the All-Star game. 

     Ryan Howard is among the league leaders in homeruns and runs-batted-in again.  The first baseman also boasts a very good batting average.  Howard
has improved his scooping of the baseball on throws from his teammates
and fielding the ball.  But his Achilles Heel remains his throwing. 
He [Howard] is simply erratic at best when it comes to tossing the ball
where it needs to go.  I’m sure some of you cringe when it comes
time for Howard to throw the ball. 

     As I said, second baseman Utley is currently injured.  He was inconsistent with the bat before he got hurt.  But his numbers were certainly
respectable at .277, 11 homeruns and 37 RBI in 72 games. 

     Shortstop Rollins missed a lot of games with a calf injury.  But he is struggling offensively again.  His average is currently below .240. 
Not very good for a lead-off  hitter.  His defense is solid
as always.  But Rollins needs to be more consistent with the stick
if this team is going to make the playoffs.

     Remember how we all wondered if Placido Polanco could make the transition to third base and be respectable as a fielder over there?  Well, we
can stop wondering.  Not only has he done a decent job fielding
at the hot corner, he has been a better fielder than Pedro Feliz was
last year.  Polanco is more reliable fielding the ball and he has
more range than Feliz.  He won the Gold Glove at second base for
the Detroit Tigers in the American League last year.  If he’s
not careful, he may win the Gold Glove as a third baseman with the Phillies
in the National League this year.  Polanco has been that good. 
I haven’t seen a third baseman field his position better this season.
Polanco is an outstanding hitter. He always was.  He is clutch
and he rarely strikes out.  Polanco never should have left the
city when he was with the team the first time. 

     Right fielder Jason Werth seems to be pressing.  He has really struggled with runners in scoring position.  Werth has come up in a lot of
key situations with runners on base and not delivered on too many occasions
this season.  Werth’s overall numbers are estimable, but he should
have more RBIs.  One has to wonder if his upcoming free agency
is on his mind. 

     Shane Victorino has played center field as well as he always does.  He gets to balls that a lot of centerfielders do not.  But he, like
many of the Phillies at the plate this season, has been inconsistent
with his offense.  Victorino’s power numbers are good. 
But his batting average is unacceptable for a guy with his skills. 
Victorino makes too many mistakes on the bases.  His baseball I.Q.
is not the highest. 

     Raul Ibanez sure got old over night.  He has had an extremely poor year at the plate.  Not that he was ever a great fielder, but his range
in left field seems to be less than it was in the first half of last
year.  Ibanez is simply not earning his pay check. 

     Catcher Carlos Ruiz was hurt for a good portion of this year.  Ruiz has been solid defensively.  And his average is respectable. 
But his power numbers are never going to blow anybody away. 

     The bench players have not done very much at the plate.  Ben Francisco, Ross Gload, and Greg Dobbs have struggled.  Juan Castro was released
after hitting just .198 with the team this year. 

     Roy Halladay has shown that he is a very good pitcher.  When he’s on; he’s dynamite.  But he has had some bad games as well this
season.  He was terrible against the Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs. 
And let me just throw this out there.  Cliff Lee is a better pitcher. 
What am I using for criteria?  Nothing more than Pete’s eye test. 
Lee is better against good teams.  The Yankees couldn’t touch
Cliff Lee on the biggest stage last year when he pitched for the Fightin’
Phils.  The Red Sox and Yankees belted Halladay all over the place
this year.  Lee pitched complete games and allowed just 2 runs
in both games he faced those teams this season.  Some of you may
think I’m splitting hairs here.  Because Halladay is a terrific
pitcher.  But he is being paid $20 million a season to beat teams
like the Yankees and Boston, not just the Marlins.  If I need to
win one big game.  I’m picking Lee over Halladay.  It was
a huge mistake to trade Lee.  I wrote it in December.  And
I only feel stronger about it now.

     Cole Hamels is born again hard as a pitcher.  He looks a lot like the Hamels that carried the Phillies to the title in 2008.  Hamels
has developed a cut fastball.  And it is definitely becoming a
reliable pitch for him.  The Phillies need Hamels to continue pitching
this well if they’re going to have a chance to get back to the Series.   

     Joe Blanton has been better as of late.  But he has had a poor year.  His ERA is currently over 6.00. 

     Kyle Kendrick has been much improved this year when compared to the last two seasons.  He needs to be extremely fine with his location. 
But his location and changing of speeds have been a good bit better
in 2010.

     Jamie Moyer just continues to win games.  He needs the umpires to be gracious with the strike zone.  But when he locates his pitches,
he gets guys to do things they don’t want to do at the plate. 
You could do far worse than Moyer as your 4^th or 5^th
starter.

     I’m not sure closer Brad Lidge will ever be as good as he was in 2008 again.  He has shown flashes of it this year.  But he has struggled as
well in different situations.  Lidge’s main problem is when he
hangs his slider. 

     Ryan Madson missed much of this year with an injury.  When he has pitched, he hasn’t been very reliable. 

     After an off year in 2009, Chad Durbin is closer to what he gave the Phillies in 2008.  He has the bite back on his slider.   

     J.C. Romero has had trouble with his command.  You never know what you’re going to get with him.  Romero is a key to the Phillies bullpen
that lacks an abundance of left-handers. 

     Jose Contreras was great in the beginning of the season.  But he has been leaving too many pitches over the middle of the plate as of late. 
Contreras has real good stuff.  He has to locate it. 

                                                               Tainted Achievements 

     Alex Rodriguez will soon hit his 600^th career home run.  How much validity do I give to that achievement?  Next to none. 
Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, including
steroids during his career.  I get very angry when I think about
players like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Mike Schmidt who accomplished
what they did on a baseball diamond without the use of PEDs. 

     Players like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and A-Rod have cheated the game.  They have taken PEDs for an edge.  And their inflated
statistics were put up in part because of the unfair advantage they
received from these drugs.

     Some people wonder what steroids and other PEDs actually do.  Doctors have done trials on patients with muscular dystrophy in which they were
given steroids.  These people experienced increases in strength,
stamina, energy, and hand-eye coordination.  Their eyesight even
improved.  These enhancements occurred in folks with seriously
debilitating diseases.  Imagine what unfair gains healthy athletes
like Rodriguez experienced.  And for those that think you lose
that strength immediately after you stop taking PEDs.  You do not. 
People who have taken these agents will tell you that they maintained
much of their unnaturally gained muscle. 

     I don’t have a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  But if I did.  Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez and any other
player who tested positive for steroids or various banned PEDs, would
never sniff the Hall if my vote was the deciding one.  I don’t
think any player who cheated from a physical standpoint deserves to
be among the all-time greats.