Phillies are handed brand new, ridiculous row to hoe
By Rick Soisson
The Phillies have struggled for nearly a decade to push themselves over .500, and now they face a massive roadblock in mid-September.
A few days back, or maybe a month – who knows anymore? – it was suggested in this space that the Philadelphia Phillies season could depend on how they play against the Blue Jays in their six scheduled games this season. It is now time to say “Nonsense!” to that notion.
Apologies are offered.
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Of course, at the point that theory was offered, who would have predicted a massive outbreak of COVID-19 among the Miami Marlins on their first visit to Philadelphia?
As all baseball fans know, this totally messed up both the Phillies and Marlins schedules, and both teams are now making up lost ground in terms of games played.
On Aug. 6 late in the day, MLB announced all the make-up games so far unannounced this season, including those for Miami and Philadelphia.
And speaking for all Phillies fans to Fish lovers, regarding their schedule, I’ll say, “Pound sand – look your games up on your own.” The Phillies have enough to worry about without discussing all those Typhoid Marys.
While the games against Toronto-Buffalo are still important, the Phillies now not only have to worry about climbing over .500 this season, they have to figure out how to manage the massive challenge they’ve been given for Sept. 10 through 14.
In that five-day stretch, the Fightin’s will have to face their principal nemesis, Miami, seven times. This charming bit of scheduling wizardry includes two double-headers in three days the weekend of Sept. 11-13, starting at 5:10 p.m. on a Friday evening.
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OK then, as the saying goes.
The first thought running through Phillies minds surely is, “Well, of course, by then Spencer Howard has to be with the team.” The assumption there, naturally, is that Howard will be a successful MLB pitcher by September, with two or three wins under his belt.
Does that matter in this situation? Of course it does. What team wouldn’t be happy with a new pitcher winning three games in his first month? But, really, given the rate of injuries this season, can the Phillies be sure all their current starters will be healthy then? What about their horrid bullpen? How many of those five games will not be caught by J.T. Realmuto?
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On the other hand, by then, the Phillies may have been stewing in their annoyance at Miami for enough time to clean their clocks.