Phillies pitching now actively angering their fans and media
By Rick Soisson
The Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff that had been merely concerning a few weeks back is now actively angering their followers.
A fellow Philadelphia Phillies fan had begun to be angry about “our” team a couple of weeks ago, sending texts and replies to social media posts insisting the Fightin’s are going to fight their way into third place by the end of the season.
His reply to my recent title question, “At the halfway mark, who ARE the Philadelphia Phillies?” was: “A talented team with potential, an inconsistent pitching staff and no real leadership. They are not fundamentally sound and lack discipline.”
Another Phillies fan and fellow Twitterverse inhabitant opined a week later: “In the space of about one month, the #Phillies have managed to destroy all this year’s pre-season excitement. We’re looking at a 3rd or 4th place finish, 6 games under .500.”
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That same evening, July 4, NBC Sports Philly post-game commentator Ricky Bottalico expressed perfectly the frustration that had built as the Phillies literally did fall into third place, half a game behind second-place Washington: “This team cannot survive like this throughout the whole season.” He noted sarcastically that “Johnny Allstaff…stunk again.”
He went on to call the pitching staff “atrocious” after those two analytical nuggets, noting the five home runs and ten extra-base hits accumulated that night by the Braves against Zach Eflin and others in the Phils 12-6 loss. The Phillies surrendered-home run total reached 150 on Independence Day, putting them on a pace for almost 300 for the season.
Nonetheless, the team manager, Gabe Kapler, declared: “We get back to work tomorrow. We’ll turn the page quickly. One game in isolation is not going to kill us.” This remark, his declaration that he wouldn’t “scapegoat” anyone, and a realization that the Phillies record for homers given up is “only” 221 (in 2017) likely sent many fans out to scream at the fireworks.
Or as Chris Kilian tweeted in response to Bottalico’s rant: “Ricky needs to walk across the street and start yelling at [GM Matt] Klentak and his team of nerds.” (The NBC Sports Philly studio is within spitting distance of Citizens Bank Park.)
On the other hand, another Phillies fan, Christian Monsu, responded to Bottalico’s takedown, “Sometimes, Ricky’s rage is the only thing that makes me feel better.”
Next. Takahiro Norimoto may not come to majors after all. dark
Wait, that’s not really on any other hand. Both remarks seem to be about the poker hand held by Phillies management that includes the two of spades, a four and a nine of hearts, a GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL card, and a Joker.