For the second game in a row to start off a young season,
the Phillies came up with only one run. This time, it was in 11 innings instead
of only 9, and it left a lot of questions out there on the table.
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| "So... you're telling me its NOT GOOD to hit the ball right to the SS with a guy on first?" |
This game, like the season opener in Pittsburgh on Thursday,
showed how dominant and talented these Phillies’ pitchers truly are. The other
side of the coin is that, it also showed how inept our offense could truly
be. Despite being able to put up 7
hits, they were mostly scattered and gave the pitching staff little to no room
for error. Even Kendrick pitched effectively enough out of the bullpen to hold
the game close for the Fightins, but no cavalry was coming in to save this team
in Pittsburgh. Even though 7 is not an low number of hits and 8 was not a bad
number on Thursday, can anyone tell us how many extra base hits have come from
that 15?
Answer: 1 double by John Mayberry.
That is roughly 6.7% of our hits for you math enthusiasts
out there.
If that isn’t scary enough, the clutch hitting also is
proving to be a bit of a problem in the early going. There was a failure to
drive in runs on Thursday (See Galvis double play above), and even tonight some
opportunities were squandered.
Just look at the first inning in which we had two guys on, one out, and
only managed to come away with one run. When you have Clifton on the mound, and
a chance to crush the throat of the opponent early, you have to take the
opportunity. Also, in the ninth inning when our leadoff runner, Hunter Pence,
reached base, we were unable to use our “newly acquired” sense of small ball to
get the runner into scoring position. Nix may not be the best bunter in the
league, but MLB players have to be able to bunt when called upon. If Nix is
that awful at bunting, Charlie should have brought in Cole “The Lumber” Hamels
to get the sac bunt down and give us a chance to win in the 9th.
A couple final statistical tidbits to throw out there at
you:
Phillies are currently 2-15 with RISP so far this season (.133)
Freddy Galvis is 0-8 in the first two games of the season.
Galvis grounded into 2 double plays in his first two career
plate appearances. He is the first player to do that since 1990, and the only
Phillies player ever.
Pence is 1-8 to start off the season (.125)
What does all this mean?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
The first two games are meaningless in the grand scheme of
things to come. The Phillies are starting out slow like many perennial major
league teams seem to do (See: Yankees and Red Sox). The pitching looks spectacular
as we all thought it would, and the offense is looking a little rusty like we
all assumed that it may. Lets not turn the slow start into an Armageddon
however. Pence started 2-8 in his first two games last year and we all remember
how he finished last year (.317 22 HRs). Also, Galvis is just a kid who has to learn how to hit in the majors, and that isn't just going to happen overnight. It is going to take time for him to round into a solid MLB hitter.
All those who may be panicking, relax, take a step back, and realize it is the second game of a long MLB season.
Have a good night, sleep well, see you back out on the diamond tomorrow. Go Phils.
