It’s their party, they’ll cry if they want to. And they have. Like a 6 year old girl stomping her feet and throwing a tantrum, the Phillies have tried to justify their poor play and offensive ineptitude recently on anyone but themselves. Claiming that the Umpires were largely to blame in their first two losses to the Houston Astros, the Phillies are starting to show signs of fatigue and frustration. First it was the Michael Bourn play, then it was Ryan Howard’s check swings the following night.

The Phillies need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and understand that they, not the umpires, are in control of their destiny. A game should never come down to one call, and if the Phillies were playing well, they wouldn’t be putting themselves in a position where an umpire’s mistake loses them the game.

The character and heart of this Phillies’ team has played an integral part in their success over the last few years. They’ve carried with them a certain swagger and confidence that makes other teams take notice when they come to town. But recently, they’re not playing well, and their crying about it and blaming the umps. This is not the Phillies team I’ve come to love and respect so much. I know they’re a mentally strong bunch, but they’re not acting like it right now.

Due to the talent level and experience on this team, they’ll probably sneak into the playoffs despite their recent setback. But if they want to make a run at a third straight World Series berth, they’re going to have to recapture the mental toughness and resilience that made them such a feared opponent in the first place.

When the Phillies take the field tonight as the open a four game series against Houston, they will be putting out their opening day lineup for only the 8th time all year. The Phillies have recovered just in time to make a run at their 4th straight NL East crown. After last night’s victory over the Nats, the Phillies sit 2.5 games back in the division and hold a 2 game lead over San Francisco in the wild card race. Oswalt (9-13) exacted revenge over the team that spoiled his Phillies’ debut a only few weeks ago, pitching 7 scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory.

Tonight, the Phillies will face in old friend in Brett Myers. The former first round pick of the Phillies was essentially told to take a walk this off season after his contract expired and Ruben Amaro Jr. made it perfectly clear that he no longer wanted such an immature moron roaming his clubhouse. A Kenny Powers wannabe, Myers’ off the field issues overshadowed his success on the diamond, a major reason Amaro Jr. was happy to show him the door. Had he shown a little more class and maturity in his final years in Philly, he might have been worth a decent contract. His injury towards the end of last year made it an even easier decision for Amaro to let him go.

In all fairness to Myers, he pitched well during his time in Philly, and he’s been the Astros most consistent starter all year. Up until two weeks ago, he had pitched a minimum of 6 innings in every single one of his starts this year, pretty impressive. The talent was always there with Myers, but he’s a classic case of someone with a million dollar arm and a 2 cent head. It’s a shame because anyone that followed him closely during his time here knows how much he loved his time in Philadelphia, and he could still be here contributing to the first place team that drafted him if he wasn’t such a hothead. Well, his loss, and if nothing else I’m sure he fits right in with everyone down south.

The Phillies, on the other hand, certainly have not missed Myers this year. Their starting rotation continues to be their biggest strength down the stretch as they gun for the streaking Braves.

Over the past few seasons, August and September have been very successful months for the Phillies. They will need that trend to continue this year as they find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being in second place. Considering the plethora of injuries and the fact that their opening day lineup has only seen the field 7 times this year, they’re lucky to find themselves only 1.5 games back. Having won 13 of 15 and playing their next ten at home, the Phils are prime to make a move right now. The key, however, will be keeping the Braves in close enough striking distance until Howard and Utley make their return.
Uncle Charlie has done a masterful job managing these Phils the past few years, but this may very well be his best so far, as he’s been forced to mix and match with bench players that have been unexpectedly called into starting duties.

Here are the 3 biggest keys to the Phillies making a fourth straight postseason appearance……

1) The Bullpen-The pen has been by far the Phillies biggest issue of late, especially with the struggles of J.C. Romero. Romero is the Phils only left handed option right now and he’s not simply not getting it done. If Manuel continues to put him in key spots late in games, the Phils are in trouble. The return of Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin has helped, and Lidge has been pitching well of late. But I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Phillies fan that says they’re comfortable with Brad “lights on” Lidge as the anchor of this bullpen. Manuel will continue to go with matchups late in games, even if it means using multiple pitchers in the 9th.

2-Howard/Utley return from DL- Jimmy Rollins may make this team go, but the Phillies are simply not the same without the big man in the middle of the order. Luckily, Werth and Ibanez have turned it on as of late, and the Phillies have done a nice job manufacturing runs recently without the home run ball.

3-Roy, Roy and Cole- The big three at the top of the rotation need to continue to pitch like they’re capable if the Phillies want to keep this division close heading into September. Without their starting pitching this year, the Phils might be 10 games out by now. Halladay and Hamels have both pitched better than their records indicate, but they’ve given the Phils a chance to win virtually every single one of their starts this season. Kendrick had a rough April and early May, but has been their most consistent starter after Halladay and Hamels since then.

They’re certainly in a good position to make another run, but we all know the Braves won’t be easy to catch this year, as they are playing inspired baseball for their legendary skipper, Bobby Cox.

by James at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Philadelphia Phillies need a reason to be optimistic. They have optimism now, after completing a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds had a team record of 49-37 going into the series as division leaders. After these four wins, the Phillies have a record of 47-40, still finding themselves 4.5 games out of first place in the National League East. While the Phillies won four games straight, there is still some room for panic.

For the most part, the pitching can be credited with why the Phillies took this series. The last two victorious were both 1-0 wins. So while the pitching heavily stepped up, the batting still looked pretty miserable. And with Utley and Polanco still on the disabled list, that will not get any better.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Phillies need to make a move. There is no point in acquiring a pitcher if the team cannot score runs. Adding a bat to the lineup should be a higher priority on Ruben Amaro’s list.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Despite not thinking that having both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee was necessary, surprise, the Phillies are looking for starting pitching. Halladay has a 2.33 ERA, but the rest of the starting rotation has not looked too sharp. And thus, the Phillies are targeting Arizona Diamondback Dan Haren.

Haren has been very mediocre, at 7-6 with a 4.38 ERA. It is his highest ERA since 2004. Normally, Haren is an all-star caliber player. This would be a good acquisition for Philadelphia, but not one that should require the Phillies to give up top prospects. But with four games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia is starting to slowly panic.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Many signs can be pointed as to why the Phillies are struggling. For the most part, their bullpen has been solid. The starting rotation has been shaky. While Roy Halladay has been great, and Cole Hamels has been decent, the rest have not been too good. But with J.A. Happ eventually coming back, and likely bringing Pedro Martinez back, the starting rotation will get better.

But three men, along with the Jimmy Rollins’s injury are responsible for the Phillies lackluster batting. Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, and Raul Ibanez are all batting over 30 points below their career batting average. This could be expected from Ibanez, as he got a severe injury last year, and is climbing up there in age. With Rollins gone, Victorino is the leadoff hitter. A .250 batting average in the leadoff spot will simply not cut it.

For someone that has a .293 career average, a .260 average for Utley is not very good. He is usually the most consistent hitter for the Phillies, and gets on base for Howard to knock him in. With these three struggling, it has taken a toll on the Philadelphia lineup. The three of them are a combined 100 points below their career batting averages. We can only hope it improves. If not, the Phillies could be watching the playoffs on TV.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

After getting embarrassed by the Yankees, the Phillies avenged Tuesday night’s loss by taking Wednesday’s game, 6-3. After a Shane Victorino 3-run triple, the Phillies never looked back. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth hit back-to-back home runs. Jamie Moyer only let up a handful of hits, as he pitched a great game. In the ninth inning, the Yankees attempted a comeback off of Brad Lidge. Jorge Posada, the tying run, was on base. However, Lidge struck him out, and the Phillies tied this series up.

Tonight, Kyle Kendrick takes the mound against Andy Pettitte. Clearly this match-up favors the Yankees, but the Phillies will try to pull out the victory if their hitting can show up for two straight games.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

In 2009, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Pedro Martinez to strengthen their starting rotation. One year later, history could repeat itself. Philadelphia has had some discussions with Martinez and his agent about making a return to a team that is desperate to help. Unfortunately, Pedro won’t bring a big bat with him, as the Phillies could use those.

But outside of Roy Halladay, the pitching has been shaky. With Happ on the DL, it forces Philadelphia to use Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton as starters. All have extremely high ERA’s.

Realistically, Martinez would not be pitching within the next month. It is not a guarantee that he will sign, but he will want work, and the Phillies will be looking to hire.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

After battling the AL East in the last two World Series’, the Phillies find themselves in familiar territory. This past weekend, Philadelphia did not fair too well when they visited Fenway Park to take on the Red Sox. Although they won the last game, they got outmatched in every way possible the first two times.

Now, Phillies find themselves visiting the Yankees for the second straight spring. Philadelphia is looking to partially avenge their previous World Series loss to New York. On Tuesday, two of the MLB’s best go at it as Roy Halladay and C.C. Sabathia both take the mound. After that, the Phillies are stuck with Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton pitching.

One thing is for sure; there will be a lot of home runs hit. That is, if Philadelphia’s lineup decides to show up.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Philadelphia Phillies have been struggling as of late, and many people will pin it on their batting. Statistics don’t lie; aside from Tuesday night, their batting has been pathetically bad as of late. But overall, it is the starting pitching that may ultimately let the team down.

Roy Halladay has been stellar, with eight wins, five complete games, and a low ERA of 2.08. There is nothing to critique about it, as he has been easily worth the investment.

To the surprise of some, Cole Hamels is not doing too badly this season. His numbers are fair, but what sticks out is the fact that he has let up 13 home runs in 12 starts. And just like in his last start, he pitched beautifully, and then proceeded to let up multiple home runs. When the Phillies send Hamels out on the mound, nobody knows which Hamels they are going to get. There is the Hamels who was the World Series MVP, and there is the Hamels who wanted last season to be over.

Like Hamels, 47-year-old Jamie Moyer has an ERA of 3.98. Moyer got off to a terrible month of April. But after posting a 3.66 ERA in May and a 2.00 ERA in his only June start, Moyer looks to be on the rise. But at Moyer’s age, injury and endurance will always be a risk. While he is playing well right now, who knows how reliable he will be in a few months.

Despite being above .500, Kyle Kendrick has been far from stellar so far. Opponents are batting .277 against him, which is not exactly something to brag about for Kendrick. He has walked 19 batters, next to just 27 strikeouts. Nobody is asking for him to be good. But being mediocre would be a start.

Lastly is the debacle that so far is Joe Blanton’s 2010 season. With a 1-4 record, nothing seems to be going right for Blanton. He loses control early, and certainly does not regain it. His 6.07 ERA makes him look like he should not even be in the majors. This is clearly not the Joe Blanton that the Phillies signed up for, and it is not the Joe Blanton that the Phillies are used to. A trip to the minors, or back to the DL would probably be best at this point.

The Phillies are underachieving so far, but it is only June, and there should not be too much worry. They are still a dangerous team, and could all catch fire at any given time. The batting has been struggling, but will absolutely come around. However, the starting pitching, aside from Halladay, could take a turn for the worse. Another phone call to Pedro Martinez could be in order. Or maybe Ruben Amaro can come up with another good trade as the season goes along. But whatever happens, this starting rotation is not looking too sharp. The rotation has come a long way since Robert Person and Brandon Duckworth, but it is not what it needs to be if the Phillies want to add another World Series Championship to their resume.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network