Usually, a Phillies trip to the West Coast is something akin to a Bataan Death March. The Left Coast has not treated the Phils well in recent years.
That's why I expected this team to slide into oblivion with this early-season road trip to Denver, L.A. and Phoenix.
But that's not the way it has played out.
The Phillies won again last night, 7-3, with Carlos Ruiz again playing the hero.
The win allows the Phils to climb back to .500 again at 11-11.
The Phils took three of four from the Dodgers, rallying last night in the 9th inning.
With the return of Cole Hamels to a starting rotation that already features Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett, the Phils will have the ability to be competitive.
The problem is two-fold. Their starters have a tendency not to run deep in games, Lee being the exception to that rule. Last night they got just 5 and 2-3 innings from Kyle Kendricl. That leaves them at the mercy of their bullpen. And that's going to be a problem.
The Phillies entered last night's game with a bullpen ERA of 5.64. That's the worst in the majors.
Beat writer Dennis Deitch notes that right now, the Phillies bullpen just isn't good enough.
But I'd be lying if I told you I expected them to play this well, and sit at .500, on the current West Coast Trip.
On to Arizona.
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