A national writer suggested that the Philadelphia Phillies most significant issue is trying to win without a closer. Is that truly their biggest issue?
For those of you who missed it, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo put together a fairly interesting article June 21 called “Most Pressing Questions for NL East clubs.” The overall focus here, however, is on the alleged most pressing question for the Philadelphia Phillies.
It could be said that DiComo’s question is a kind of midterm exam only one question deep, and most students can tell you that kind of exam isn’t either fair or wide enough to cover half a semester (or baseball season).
DiComo’s question is: “Can Phils survive (or thrive) without a closer?” It isn’t a bad question, and certainly isn’t wildly off the one-question format he set up for himself, but neither is it a key by itself to the Phillies rising in the second half.
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In fairness to DiComo, he does suggest other “issues” on the left side of the infield he might have formulated a question about, but there he seems to be narrowing his focus for only one of a set of problems the Phillies have to address with relative seriousness and quickness.
They are in order of seriousness:
An offense that only dribbles runs across the plate for the most part – this is a team that went over a month prior to June 14 with only one four-run or better inning. It isn’t that they don’t drive in runs in scoring position.
They’re tenth in MLB as of June 22 at that. It isn’t that they aren’t patient. They are. It’s thoroughly documented – they began the season as MLB leaders in pitches per plate appearance; on June 14 they were ranked second overall.
June 14 was a recent day they scored four runs in an inning, sealing a 9-3 win over Colorado. Since then they’ve done it one more time, in a first inning, but didn’t score in that particular game again until the 10th inning. (The box scores are all readily available on the Phillies website through their schedule.)
Their 4-2 record in that stretch since June 14 is a kind of miniature portrait of a team supposedly pulling out of a month-long funk and pretending to “contend,” but the fact is the Phillies just don’t have enough innings posted this season with the larger “crooked numbers.”
Or as Scott Lauber noted after the big win last week over the Rockies, “the Phillies are at least one middle-of-the-order hitter short of having a truly dangerous offense.” This remark reflects the eight Phillies regulars or semi-regulars batting under .245.
And supposed superstar-in-training Rhys Hoskins only very recently moved past that mark and up to .257. Two regular Phillies are hitting .299 and .262. Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez are the top and second rows of the pyramid, respectively.
It is time to find the money for Manny Machado. Worry about re-signing him at the season’s end later. Win him over between now and then.
(Issue two) the uncertain starters behind Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta – for a while one guy looks like the third solid starter; for another stretch another guy does; another day the third guy nearly throws a no-hitter, but Nick Pivetta, Zach Elfin, and Vince Velasquez are still uncertain quantities. It may be time to consider a trade for a promising starter on a very weak team.
How about Dylan Bundy? (Why not call July Raid and Rebuild the Orioles Month?)
(Issue three) that closer thing suggested by DiComo – let’s face it, he may be right. The Phillies may well need to designate a closer, and that may work out to be Seranthony Domiguez, but even if it does, that doesn’t guarantee the sort of success he had in his very first games.
Those game log lines for games one through 11 (all of May) are eye-popping, however, and games 12 through 18 don’t come close to suggesting NL batters have figured him out. He is a young pitcher, though. (Would the Orioles let us have Zach Britton too?)
Issue four might have been stabilizing the infield against Gabe Kapler’s instinct, but for now, an injury has decided for the Phillies Maikel Franco will play third and Scott Kingery shortstop.
By the time J.P. Crawford returns from a broken hand in about six weeks, it should be evident whether or not Franco should stay at third. By then, perhaps, Machado will be in Philly and playing short, and Kingery and Crawford can platoon at third.
Next: Tony Gwynn: Mr. Padre’s legend and legacy
The Phillies are nine games from the technical midway point of the season. They seem to need a road trip to Baltimore for some crab cakes and players.