How Bad Have the Phillies Been? Really Bad

by David S. Cohen on Jun 8, 2010 12:20 PM EDT

I've spent the past couple of weeks trying to reassure you that things aren't so bad. That this team has been here before and will pull out of it. And that this is just a slump, albeit a slump in which multiple players are simultaneously being atrocious.

As much as I continue to believe that, I'm also just as intensely frustrated as you are about this team right now. The Phillies have been awful for the past three weeks. There's just no sugarcoating it at this point.

How bad have they been? Well, this standings chart of all teams for games played after May 17 (when the Phillies last showed offensive life by beating Pittsburgh 12-2) puts things in perspective.

NL East	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF
Atlanta	15	5	0.750	-	111	70	41
NY Mets	11	7	0.611	2	87	73	14
Florida	8	11	0.421	6.5	80	75	5
Washington	7	12	0.368	7.5	85	87	(2)
Philadelphia	6	13	0.316	8.5	41	74	(33)

NL Central	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF
St. Louis	11	8	0.579	-	99	76	23
Cincinnati	11	9	0.550	0.5	112	89	23
Chicago Cubs	9	9	0.500	1.5	62	62	0
Houston	9	11	0.450	2.5	77	109	(32)
Milwaukee	8	11	0.421	3	76	107	(31)
Pittsburgh	7	12	0.368	4	54	84	(30)

NL West	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF
LA Dodgers	13	7	0.650	-	83	81	2
Colorado	11	8	0.579	1.5	85	67	18
San Diego	11	8	0.579	1.5	89	77	12
San Francisco	10	9	0.526	2.5	77	83	(6)
Arizona	7	12	0.368	5.5	78	103	(25)

AL East	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF
Boston	15	5	0.750	-	115	63	52
Toronto	10	8	0.556	4	94	68	26
NY Yankees	10	9	0.526	4.5	95	84	11
Tampa Bay	10	9	0.526	4.5	95	93	2
Baltimore	4	14	0.222	10	53	104	(51)

AL Central	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF
Chicago Sox	9	10	0.474	-	83	99	(16)
Kansas City	9	10	0.474	-	94	85	9
Minnesota	9	10	0.474	-	79	76	3
Detroit	7	11	0.389	1.5	71	73	(2)
Cleveland	6	14	0.300	3.5	84	122	(38)

AL West	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF
LA Angels	14	6	0.700	-	120	89	31
Oakland	11	9	0.550	3	81	82	(1)
Texas	9	9	0.500	4	95	91	4
Seattle	9	10	0.474	4.5	82	91	(9)

Hey, at least we're not Orioles fans, right?

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Comments

And we’ve been allowing less than 4 runs per game over that 19 game stretch. That’s the other awful thing. We’ve been wasting some really good pitching.

by FuquaManuel on Jun 8, 2010 12:32 PM EDT reply actions

Yup… it is at the point where I just ache for the pitching staff— every one of them other than Blanton has lost games in this stretch that they deserve to have won— it is why I almost do not want to watch Halladay or Hamels pitch any more— I know that they are very likely to do a very good job, and very unlikely to get rewarded for it.

by dannijd on Jun 8, 2010 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s ok…I’ve ached for the pitching staff, or at least Hamels, for a long time.

Remember the Phitans

by RememberthePhitans on Jun 8, 2010 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions

It is weird— last year, I felt a lot of pity for Hamels at moments— particularly in the playoffs when one look at him told me he was in trouble, yet he was left there— it was like a mix of feeling sorry for him and annoyed with whoever should have had someone getting ready in the bullpen to bail him out of trouble. It got to the point where I did not want to watch him pitch because I knew that it would not end well. I was glad when they brought in Cliff Lee, as I believed that he would take a certain amount of the pressure off of Hamels and allow him to develop without the stress of having to be the number one pitcher in Philadelphia. After the season, I hoped that he would be able to get it together this year— while I knew that he may never again be as dominant as he was during the 2008 World Series Run, I hoped that he would return to form. From what I have seen this year, he appears to have done a very good job for the most part— yet he has both had bad luck with balls in play and with run support— I can count 4 wins that he should have had, but wound up settling for 3 losses and a no decision. I want to see him do well— in part because of what he meant to this team in ’08 and what he means to their long term future (assuming that they can get the offense clicking again), and in part because I tend to root for people trying to bounce back from a bad year.

by dannijd on Jun 8, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Man too bad were not in the AL central. The whole division looks like their shacking up with the same skanky slump bunnies. At least when every one around you has a verenal disease you don’t look so bad.

by j reed on Jun 8, 2010 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

venereal dammit, venereal

by j reed on Jun 8, 2010 4:37 PM EDT reply actions

So I’m not likin’ that the B.Sox will be strolling in here playing .750 BMW baseball while were pushing a .316 Yugo with Utley, Werth and Howard in it around the field. If we happen to see Lester put another one in the loss column.

by j reed on Jun 8, 2010 4:56 PM EDT reply actions

I am at the point where I am looking at every game up until the Cleveland series and believing that it will take a small miracle to win them. I know (or at least I want to believe) that the Phillies are better than what they have been over the past 3 weeks… Yet I see no sign that this team is anywhere close to righting the ship— even looking at batting stats over the past 3 weeks, I have not seen much hope that the team is righting the ship. At what point is this something more than a slump?

by dannijd on Jun 8, 2010 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I ran my sums for this stretch too….here’s what I got (and a lot has already been said)
During that stretch, the Phils are 6-13. In those 19 games, the starters have complied 12 quality starts, averaging 6.4 IP/start, with an ERA of 3.99. The Phils surrendered on average 3.89 runs/game, with a median of 3. Of particular disgust are the following losses by the Phils staff:
5/18: Halladay, 9 IP, 2ER
5/19: Moyer, 7 IP, 2 ER
5/30: Moyer, 7 IP, 2 ER
6/2: Kendrick, 7 IP, 1 ER
6/7: Hamels, 8 IP, 3 ER

Flip side (the offense):
Averaging 2.16 RPG with a median of 1 RPG. That’s right….the Phils have scored more than 1 run 9 times during that stretch, and 1 run or less 10 times

by Bilzo on Jun 8, 2010 4:58 PM EDT reply actions

YAY! MLS

by j reed on Jun 8, 2010 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed— However, Hamels only gave up two runs last night (the third was given up by Danys Baez in the 9th). I also felt bad for Hamels on 5/27 when he gave up only 2 earned runs in 6.1 innings— not as bad as last night, but bad, just the same.

by dannijd on Jun 8, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions

oops my bad on that. is was 2 runs last night.

by Bilzo on Jun 8, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions

that drops the starters era to 3.92 over the span.

by Bilzo on Jun 8, 2010 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

While were bashing...

Jayson Werth during this stretch:
67 PA
23 K (34%)
7 BB (10%)
2 HR, 3 2B, 6 1B (13%)
Batting Average dropped from 0.336 to 0.278. OPS from 1.073 to 0.913.

Werth’s career totals:
636 K / 2511 PA = (25%)
303 BB = 12%
574 H = 23%

He’s moved 10% of his PAs from ‘hits’ to ‘K’ during this stretch. OUCH!

by Bilzo on Jun 8, 2010 5:07 PM EDT reply actions

Ok… I am beginning to believe that he wins the award for most slumptacular player during this stretch… Others are not hitting, but at least they are putting the ball in play, which sould give some hope for them eventually getting some luck from the BABIP fairies.

by dannijd on Jun 8, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions