myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
The World Series champions certainly don’t look like world beaters these days. The World Series rematch with the Tampa Bay Rays this week reminded us how far the Phillies went last year and how far they still need to go in order to return to the Series this season.
It should be acknowledged that the World Series championship changed the Phillies’ definition of success. The Phillies are no longer judged by whether or not they make the playoffs. Expectations are higher. It’s not if the Phillies make the playoffs, but how far they go.
So, yes, the Phillies are in first place. Yes, they have a winning record. But, no, they’re not playing very well. They lost six straight games, including the final six of a horrendous 1-8 homestand, before winning their series opener at Tampa Bay.
Some may chalk up the Phillies’ slump to injuries. Closer Brad Lidge was sidelined until Thursday, Ryan Howard has been hospitalized twice in the past week and first-half MVP Raul Ibanez is on the disabled list.
But the Phillies’ woes go beyond injuries. Perhaps their recent slump was a product of facing teams from the superior American League East. They lost two of three to Boston, then were swept by both Toronto and Baltimore.
But anyone who thinks the Phillies’ problems will disappear after this weekend’s series in Toronto ends the Phillies’ stretch against the AL East isn’t watching very carefully.
Injuries and the opposition may have contributed to the Phillies’ slide, but the problems started long before the injuries started to mount. For example, the Phillies, who have the best road record in the major leagues, have not won a series at home against a team other than the putrid Washington Nationals.
The Phillies say they are searching for answers to their inconsistency. I suggest they look in the mirror.
One player who needs to look in the mirror and hold himself accountable is Jimmy Rollins. Just two years removed from being the National League MVP, Rollins is limping along with a .214 average (through Wednesday’s game).
Rollins’ on-base percentage was just .257 entering Thursday’s games. That’s an abysmal number for a leadoff hitter. If Rollins doesn’t improve, manager Charlie Manuel should move him down in the batting order.
But even moving Rollins in the lineup doesn’t answer the Phillies’ biggest question: their pitching staff.
When Brett Myers was lost for the season due to a hip injury that required surgery, it was a big blow to the rotation. One of general manager Ruben Amaro’s main tasks will be to acquire a No. 2 starter before July 31, the non-waiver trade deadline.
Amaro, however, might also need to bolster the bullpen. The bullpen made the difference for the Phillies last season. Brad Lidge’s perfect save record received all the attention, but Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero were tremendous in the setup roles. Add in a fine season from Chad Durbin and the Phillies may have had the best bullpen in baseball.
The psychological advantage of knowing your bullpen can preserve a lead can’t be overestimated. The Phillies knew that if they held a lead entering the seventh inning, they were almost assured of leaving the ballpark with a “W.”
But that’s not the case this year. Through Wednesday, the bullpen had already blown 12 save opportunities, six of them by Lidge. Even when they don’t get a save opportunity, the relievers haven’t been very good. Wednesday night in Tampa, the bullpen – with some help from a bonehead play by Rollins – turned a one-run game into a six-run deficit.
So what’s the problem? Aside from Lidge, whose problems may be related to his knee injury or confidence problem (or both), the bullpen’s problems are related to the starters’ problems.
Even when the Phillies were winning more frequently, the bullpen was getting a lot of work. The Phillies won a lot of games earlier this season with their offense. But lost in those slugfests was that the bullpen was logging lots of innings.
Madson has been excellent most of the season. Many people attribute his recent slide, including a horrific ninth-inning blown save last Saturday, to stepping into the closer’s role.
Here’s another theory: Madson was due to struggle regardless of which role he was filling. He’s already made 36 appearances this season.
Durbin has made 34 appearances. Clay Condrey, who had pitched very well for the first two months of the season, began to break down before being placed on the disabled list this week. Condrey has made 33 appearances. Left-hander Scott Eyre, with 25 appearances, is also on the disabled list.
Getting a No. 2 starter should reduce the number of innings pitched by the bullpen. It would also help if Lidge finds his old form and Romero finds the plate, but that might not be enough to solve this problem.
The problem with the bullpen fatigue is it might not go away. The relievers’ arms may already have been worn down by making so many appearances.
In other words, the damage may already have been done.