The Phillies' current slump seems as never-ending as higher gas prices and the writer's strike over the winter. Just a week ago there was a lot of optimism about the Phillies heading into the hyped-up Red Sox series. And, now 6 days, 5 losses, and just 9 runs later they are just a game ahead of the Marlins for first place.
Also-don't look now, but the Muts-err the Mets, that team we all thought was deader than a piece of liver is just 3 1/2 games behind the Phillies.
At one point the Phillies were 13 games above .500. They are now just 7 games above the international mark of mediocrity after dropping 9 of 12 games including 5 of 6 during their recent homestand.
They will now head out west to face the Oakland A's-another good team. I'll say this much about interleague play, it's a lot like fantasy sports. You always have that guy in your league who everybody bitches about because they have cupcake matchups. And, there's always somebody in the league who has a good team but their record stinks because they have what seems to be the most brutal matchups every week. And, the Phillies have certainly been dealt some brutal AL opponents to play against.
The Phillies are not a good team right now. Their record might state it, but they aren't losing by a hair to these good teams they've been falling to; they're getting their heads bashed in.
Word around the grapevine is the Phillies are said to be after C.C. Sabathia. The Howard Eskins of the world will tell you there's no way in hell they do it because they won't add to their payroll. But, Ken Rosenthal-a respected baseball writer said they are interested, but it will take Carlos Carrasco to get it done.
Remember Carlos Carrasco's name because he's the key to the Phillies' success this year. He's their top-rated pitching prospect and the player that teams covet most in the Phillies' farm system. In other words, they won't land a quality starter without moving him.
Let's just hope we don't look ahead in two years and regret them making that move much like the Freddy Garcia trade. After all, that Gavin Floyd guy is pretty good; he did nearly pitch a couple no-hitters this year.
And, the Phillies shouldn't stop there. When I was on WIP yesterday I stated that the Phillies should consider moving Pat Burrell if they can acquire a player who doesn't strike out as much and can do different things on offense ala the Angels' Chone Figgins. Not that I dislike Burrell, but this offense needs an injection of new blood. Think what Boston did back in '04 when they traded Nomar. It was unpopular, but they improved their team tremendously on defense and they got a guy in the lineup who did some different things.
So, can we say for sure that the Phillies' have hit rock bottom yet? Don't hold your breathe yet because the Flyers had a 10-game losing streak back in February. If the Phillies keep (not)hitting like they're doing they very well could lose 10 in a row.
Even then they won't be a seller in the trade market because there's so much parity that teams can remain "in it" for almost the entire season if they even hang a little above .500.
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