When the Wheels Fall Off

[1] [2] [3] On June 13th the Philadelphia Phillies were on top of the world. Coming off a week where they swept the Mets and White Sox, nothing could go wrong for the Phillies. They found themselves four games over .500, two games behind the Mets for the lead in the NL East. Maybe Jimmy Rollin's preseason rants about the Phillies being the team to beat the the NL East weren't a farce. That was until the Phillies forgot how to play baseball. Since then, the Phillies have fell apart, going 8-13.

The Phillies did have high hopes coming into this season. New GM Pat Gillick was expected to build [4] a winning franchise and give the fans of Philadelphia more to look forward to then the franchise's 10,000th all time loss (with last night's loss they are at 9,999). Talks of a big bat, possibly Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Lee, and a front line starter were rumored to be added to a team that already had two solid starters in Brett Myers and Cole Hamels, and a lineup that included three of the NL's best players in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins. Unfortunately, they were unable to land Soriano or Lee, so they took the next best thing, third baseman Wes Helms, which is a far cry from a big bat. The front line starter was less then front line in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, acquiring oft-injured Freddie Garcia.

The Phillies started off the season very slow finishing April three games below .500 in fourth [5] place. The team was complete chaos and rumors swirled about the dismissal of manager Charlie Manuel, he responded by challenging members of the press to a fight and moving ace Brett Myers to the bullpen. Surprisingly, this inspired the Phillies and they started winning. From June 4th to June 13th, the Phillies cut their lead from eight games to two games out of the lead. That didn't last as they've again hit a road block and are sitting five and a half games back of the Mets, in third place. What has happened to the Phillies? The answer is simple, injuries, and one of the worst contracts in baseball.

The Phillies came into 2007 with a luxury no team had; too much starting pitching. Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels, John Leiber, former White Sox pitcher Freddie Garcia, and the newly signed Adam Eaton. With the overflow of starting pitching, manager Charlie Manuel sent Leiber into the bullpen to begin the season. That didn't last long as Freddie Garcia began the season on the disabled list. Upon Garcia's return he was ineffective and placed back on the disabled list, out for the season. Garcia's not the only member of the Phils pitching staff who's visited the DL this season. Jon Leiber, Brett Myers, Tom Gordon, Fabio Castro, and Francisco Rosario are all [6] currently on the DL, with Leiber joining Garcia out [7] for the season. With the injuries to the rotation, rookie Kyle Kendrick was recalled from AAA Ottawa and has filled in nicely. Former Twins cast off JD Durbin has also filled in but has been less than stellar. The bullpen has been effected more by the injuries, with Antonio Alfonseca filling in as closer (who has blown his last two save opportunities), and the Phillies being desperate enough to sign Jose Mesa. Mesa & Alfoneca at the back of your bullpen??? That would be a strong if it was 2001; unfortunately it's not. The good news is Brett Myers will be back just after the All-Star break and Tom Gordon shouldn't be too far behind Myers.

Prior to the 2003 season, the Phillies took a gamble, and signed promising left fielder Pat Burrell to a six-year, $50 million contract. Burrell, who was still an arbitration eligible player, was coming off a .282 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI's, in only his second full season as the Phillies left fielder. This was a gamble that hasn't paid off. After signing the big contract, he rewarded the Phillies with a floundering campaign in 2003, where he hit a mere .209, with 21 home runs, and a lowly 64 RBI's. Hardly worth the money given to him in the offseason. Burrell has responded at times and does post career averages of .255/30/103, but in this season it's more like his 2003 year then his career average. In 80 games this season, Burrell is hitting .209 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI's, and is turning into the Phillies 50 million dollar bench player, with Greg Dobbs and Michael Bourn starting so see action in left field. This is a contract the Phillies will most likely have to eat. No other team is going to be willing to take on Burrell's inflated salary of 13.25 million this season, and 14.25 for 2008. That and the GM who signed Burrell, Ed Wade, gave Burrell a full no-trade clause in his contract allowing him to veto any trade made (last season it was rumored he nixed a trade sending him to Baltimore for pitcher Rodrigo Lopez). [8]

It's going to be an interesting second half for the Fighting Phils. If they can get their bullpen [9] healthy, and Burrell decent second half numbers, they might be able to make a run at the Mets. If the team falters right after the All-Star break, it might be wise for Gillick to reconsider the season, and bring in some youth for next season.

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