myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
Before we dissect the Phillies and their World Series performance, let’s take a few moments to celebrate their tremendous season.
OK. That’s long enough. (Just kidding!)
Disappointment over the ending is understandable. But we should remember that, by reaching the World Series in consecutive years, these Phillies did something that no previous team in franchise history had accomplished.
All right. Those are enough platitudes. Now it’s time to talk about what went wrong and how to fix it.
The bottom line is pitching. Perhaps you’ve heard me say this before. The importance of pitching is a theme I’ve been focusing on since the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee at the trade deadline.
How important is pitching? Think of it this way: How would the Phillies have done during the playoffs without Lee and Pedro Martinez, neither of whom was with the club the first half of the season?
The importance of pitching is also evident by looking at the Yankees. With the exception of Game 5, when the Phillies chased A.J. Burnett early, the Yankees received very good starting pitching.
Left-handers CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte kept the Phillies’ left-handed bats tied up in knots. Chase Utley had a terrific series, but Ryan Howard set a World Series record by striking out 13 times and Raul Ibanez wasn’t a major factor. Of all the Phillies’ regular starters, only Utley, Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz and Jayson Werth hit above .250 during the Series.
By contrast, with the exception of Lee’s two outings and Martinez in Game 2, the Phillies’ starters were either mediocre or poor. You’re not going to win the World Series with three quality starts in six games.
The other aspect of the pitching staff is the bullpen. Once again, the Phillies came up short.
If there was a defining moment in the World Series, it was the ninth inning of Game 4. The Phillies had just tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on Pedro Feliz’s dramatic home run. Emotions were high. The crowd was roaring. The momentum appeared to be on the Phillies’ side.
Then Brad Lidge entered the game. I’m still puzzled as to why manager Charlie Manuel didn’t leave Ryan Madson in the game, especially because the pitcher’s spot in the batting order was coming up in the bottom of the ninth, but that’s a separate issue. The problem here is that Lidge gave up three runs and the Phillies lost, 7-4.
Instead of tying the series, the Phillies fell into a 3-1 hole. That’s a difficult hole to climb out of against a team as good as the Yankees.
This isn’t meant to single out Lidge. As a whole, the Phillies bullpen didn’t consistently maintain leads or keep the Phillies in the game.
Consistency is what you need from your bullpen. Yes, there will occasionally be blown saves or bad outings. Nobody’s perfect – except Lidge last season. But there was far too much uncertainty in the Phillies bullpen this season.
Whether Lidge can return to his old form will be a key to the Phillies’ fortunes next season. If Lidge returns to his role as the anchor, the rest of the bullpen can fall into place. Madson can resume his role as the “bridge to Lidge.” Having a defined role and a reduced workload from this season should be beneficial to Madson.
The rest of the bullpen needs work. Assuming Scott Eyre recovers from his impending elbow surgery, he is a valuable left-hander. The big question is whether J.C. Romero will regain his effectiveness. If not, the Phillies need another left-hander in the bullpen.
Manuel is confident that Lidge can once again be a solid closer. He also said he’s confident that Cole Hamels can be a good pitcher once again.
Hamels, a playoff hero in 2008, became a whipping boy in 2009. He followed up an inconsistent regular season with a poor postseason. One reason for the change may have been the huge increase in innings he pitched in 2008 compared to previous years.
If Hamels returns to his 2008 form, the Phillies’ rotation could be outstanding. They’ll have Lee for a full season. Add Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ to the mix, and the Phillies have an excellent rotation.
The Phillies must improve their bench. Nobody the Phillies send up to pinch-hit scares the opposition. Along with bullpen insurance, upgrading the bench is a major offseason priority.
Otherwise, there isn’t much to fix. With Howard, Utley and Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies have a terrific nucleus. I’m not sure you can count on Jayson Werth to hit 36 home runs next year, but he’s developed into a very good player. Ibanez, Ruiz, Feliz and Shane Victorino all make solid contributions.
The Phillies are still in their prime. They could get back to the World Series again next season. Or the year after that. Or the year after that.
We can’t allow our disappointment over a World Series defeat to overshadow the fact that this may be the best Phillies team of all-time.