The Phillies have now limped back across the state after a less-than-scintillating opening weekend against the Pirates at PNC Park.
The Fightin's went 1-2 and put exclamation points next to all the worries fans have been harboring all spring.
Anyone else ready to admit that this team will direly miss the presence of Ryan Howard in the middle of that lineup? The absence of the fan’s favorite target because he was the unfortunate Phil who made the last out in the last two seasons is now a gaping hole in the lineup as he continues to mend from Achilles surgery, a reminder of the last play of that series against the Cardinals.
Fans griped about Howard because of the lucrative deal he signed with the team. They whined when he ended the season before last with the bat on his shoulder against the Giants. They moaned last year when he grounded out to end another season, and they didn’t stop when he crumpled to the ground after his Achilles exploded. They vowed he would not be missed.
But the numbers don’t lie. And Howard delivered the numbers. You don’t replace that kind of presence in your lineup.
You adapt. You play “small ball.” Or at least you try to.
Which brings me to my biggest pet peeve from the Phils’ lost weekend.
In the ninth inning Saturday night, with the score tied at one, Hunter Pence led off with a walk. Jim Thome was on deck. He got called back in favor of Laynce Nix. Clearly the Phils were looking for a little small ball to get Pence into scoring position.
Only one problem with that strategy. Nix isn’t comfortable bunting. He popped out to the catcher for an easy out.
This is a team that talked all winter about how they were going to change their approach at the plate. And also how they would embrace small ball – working counts, hitting behind the runner, laying down a sacrifice bunt.
Did I miss something? Did this team not just spend six weeks in the Florida sun? What exactly was Nix doing every day other than working on his bunting?
In the immortal words of Richie Ashburn: Hard to believe, Harry.
Enough of my whining. It is the home opener, after all. The Cardinal O’Hara Marching Band will lead the Phils’ parade onto the field.
Cole Hamels will be on the mound.
But Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will not.
It says here Freddy Galvis flies out at least once. Am I the only one who believes Galvis should be fined $500 every time he flies out?
The Phils are 1-2. There are 159 games left. How many of them will Howard play in? And how long will it take before the fans realize what that means to this team.
Small ball? I’ll believe it when I see it.
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