It’s gut-check time for the Phillies.
At least most of them. Cole Hamels had his yesterday – and he passed with flying colors.
Hamels, often criticized for his laid-back California cool that some interpret as being soft, took the hill in Fenway Park yesterday and led the charge as the Phils salvaged out of a savage weekend in Beantown.
Hamels had one of his best outings of the season, allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings. The Phils held on to win, 5-3.
For the first two days of their weekend set, the Red Sox toyed with the Phils, making the two-time defending National League champs look more like chumps. Getting pasted by 12-2 and 10-2 blowouts two days in a row will do that do you.
Phils’ starters Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton, in a word, got torched.
Friday night was the worst outing of Moyer’s career. He got just four outs and did not make it out of the second inning. Blanton was not a lot better on Saturday.
In the meantime, the Phils’ bats continue to be anemic.
All of which tells me this team is in more than a slump. This much talent doesn’t go dead silent for this long without something else being at play.
A lot of people believe that something is Jimmy Rollins, their leadoff man and heart beat who sets much of the tone for this lineup.
The Phils have off today and then open a three-game set against the the new Yankees Stadium.
The Phils need to make a statement of their own. Anyone get the feeling that maybe the biggest break this team ever got was facing the Rays in that World Series a couple of years back. They seem to fold every time the face one of the premier AL teams.
That had better change, starting Tuesday night.
If it doesn’t, it might be time for Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr.
to thing about changing things for them.
At least most of them. Cole Hamels had his yesterday – and he passed with flying colors.
Hamels, often criticized for his laid-back California cool that some interpret as being soft, took the hill in Fenway Park yesterday and led the charge as the Phils salvaged out of a savage weekend in Beantown.
Hamels had one of his best outings of the season, allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings. The Phils held on to win, 5-3.
For the first two days of their weekend set, the Red Sox toyed with the Phils, making the two-time defending National League champs look more like chumps. Getting pasted by 12-2 and 10-2 blowouts two days in a row will do that do you.
Phils’ starters Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton, in a word, got torched.
Friday night was the worst outing of Moyer’s career. He got just four outs and did not make it out of the second inning. Blanton was not a lot better on Saturday.
In the meantime, the Phils’ bats continue to be anemic.
All of which tells me this team is in more than a slump. This much talent doesn’t go dead silent for this long without something else being at play.
A lot of people believe that something is Jimmy Rollins, their leadoff man and heart beat who sets much of the tone for this lineup.
The Phils have off today and then open a three-game set against the the new Yankees Stadium.
The Phils need to make a statement of their own. Anyone get the feeling that maybe the biggest break this team ever got was facing the Rays in that World Series a couple of years back. They seem to fold every time the face one of the premier AL teams.
That had better change, starting Tuesday night.
If it doesn’t, it might be time for Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr.
to thing about changing things for them.
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