The Phillies should get down on their knees and thank God for the Flyers.
The guys in red pinstripes are taking a back seat these days to their pals in orange and black.
They probably don’t mind all that much. That’s because they’re in the midst of one of those offensive funks that seems to grip them each year.
Unfortunately, they’ve picked a trip to the Big Apple to go impotent this year.
The Phillies got shut out again last night, 5-0, by the Mets. It was the same story. They would get runners on base, then fail to get a key hit.
The Phillies did not get a runner to third base until the sixth. With runners at the corners and one out, the Phils had Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth lined up to do some damage. Not exactly. Howard flailed helplessly at a breaking ball. Werth flied out weakly.
The Phils have now failed to score in 37 of the last 38 innings. Last night they stranded another six runners and were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
It was enough to push skipper Charlie Manuel over the edge. He closed the door to the Phils’ locker room after the game to talk to his struggling team.
Apparently, Manuel did not go on a rant. Several players indicated he did not rip into the team.
But he did want to give them a reminder that it is now late May.
“I wanted to say something,” Manuel told the media after opening the room. “I felt it was time.”
Tonight Cole Hamels goes to the hill. He will be opposed by Mike Pelfrey. He’s 6-1 on the year.
Like I said, the Phillies just might be the Flyers’ biggest cheerleaders these days. It’s taken them out of the spotlight at a time whey they are clearly struggling.
They eventually will snap out of it. They almost always do.
Tonight would be a good time to start.
The guys in red pinstripes are taking a back seat these days to their pals in orange and black.
They probably don’t mind all that much. That’s because they’re in the midst of one of those offensive funks that seems to grip them each year.
Unfortunately, they’ve picked a trip to the Big Apple to go impotent this year.
The Phillies got shut out again last night, 5-0, by the Mets. It was the same story. They would get runners on base, then fail to get a key hit.
The Phillies did not get a runner to third base until the sixth. With runners at the corners and one out, the Phils had Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth lined up to do some damage. Not exactly. Howard flailed helplessly at a breaking ball. Werth flied out weakly.
The Phils have now failed to score in 37 of the last 38 innings. Last night they stranded another six runners and were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
It was enough to push skipper Charlie Manuel over the edge. He closed the door to the Phils’ locker room after the game to talk to his struggling team.
Apparently, Manuel did not go on a rant. Several players indicated he did not rip into the team.
But he did want to give them a reminder that it is now late May.
“I wanted to say something,” Manuel told the media after opening the room. “I felt it was time.”
Tonight Cole Hamels goes to the hill. He will be opposed by Mike Pelfrey. He’s 6-1 on the year.
Like I said, the Phillies just might be the Flyers’ biggest cheerleaders these days. It’s taken them out of the spotlight at a time whey they are clearly struggling.
They eventually will snap out of it. They almost always do.
Tonight would be a good time to start.
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