After Nearly One Month, Phillies Have a Lot to Be Proud Of
By: Mike Reisman
It's not easy living up to high expectations, especially when these expectations include a championship-or-bust mentality. However, I think that after the first month of the MLB season, it's safe to say that the Philadelphia Phillies have done an incredible job so far of living up to the expectations given to them. For starters, they are 16-8 sitting atop the NL East, and their record is the second best in the majors, just .5 games behind the Rockies.
The Phillies, as expected have been lead in this first month by their starters who have given the Phillies an NL leading 17 quality starts, and average
game score of 56. The big five also lead all MLB starters with a
fielding independent ERA of just 2.67, almost .40 better than the second place Braves, and they account for 11 of the teams 16 wins.
Of course, though the stats could go on forever, one thing that sets the Phillies apart is that each pitcher, with the exception of Joe Blanton, has thrown a shutout, and none of those starters has had more than one game with more than four earned runs. There is absolutely no doubt that the Phililes starting rotation has not only helped the team to their April success, but they were probably the main reason for the team's success.
Though the starters may get most of the credit, the team's bullpen should not be overlooked.
Even though closer Brad Lidge was put on the DL to start the season, the Phillies have had no problem with ending games, as they are third in the MLB with 8 saves, and have only blown a single save. The Phillies relievers also have the third lowest ERA in the majors. Of course, the Phillies relievers have pitched a combined 64.1 innings, the fifth lowest, but so far they have gotten the job done.
Probably the biggest question mark coming into the season was the Phillies line-up, especially with all-star Chase Utley starting the year on the disabled list. However, the offense answered these questions early, scoring more than five runs in six out of the first eight games of the year. Though the team has flat-lined more or less since then, they have had some impressive stats like an average of .281 with runners in scoring position.
Players in the line-up have stepped up like Ben Francisco with four homers and 16 RBIs, or Placido Polanco who has 16 RBIs while maintaining the MLB's second best average at .389. However, some players like Raul Ibanez and last year's hero Carlos Ruiz, haven't quite held their weight.
Ibanez has been playing pitifully as of late with no hits in his last 23 at-bats, his last hit coming April 18th. His average has fallen to .169, and he is dead last in the MLB in WAR, with a god-awful -1.1, meaning that even a minor league call up player would be better than him right now. If Ibanez can't pick up the pace soon, I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie sent him down or let Dominic Brown replace him when he returns to the line-up.
The other player doing poorly this April has been Carlos Ruiz who is batting just .226 with two homers and nine RBIs, and one of those homers and four RBIs came on a pinch-hit grand slam. To make matters worse, Ruiz left yesterday's game with back pain, something that can't be good for the aging catcher. Though it seems to be a little too early to start worrying about Ruiz's performance, it should be monitored because if the Phillies want to have offensive success, they will need Ruiz to be a consistent contributor.
Now it has only been one month, and there is still plenty of time for things to change, but given the injuries and expectations, the Phillies have performed incredibly well. Though there are things they will have to fix to reach the ultimate goal of a World Series title, the Phillies have shown promise in a time that is usually problematic for the franchise. With many of the Phillies injured players beginning rehab assignments and playing again, the Phillies will get some help soon, and hopefully, can continue and improve on their early success.