After coming alive last week against the Nats (Battle Of The Bulge) the Phillies have succumbed to a lack of hitting (clutch or otherwise) and have signed an unconditional surrender. Today is the 66th anniversary of the Germans signing an unconditional surrender to the Allies that took effect on May 8, 1945.
In last night's game the locals managed but two hits against Lowe and the Braves, spoiling a sixteen strikeout performance by Cliff Lee. Lee pitched just seven innings and except for his grooving a few pitches in the third was amazing. Even Koufax grooved a few but, when you fan sixteen, you should have the expectation of putting one in the left column. Lee learned last night that expectations mean nothing here in the greatest city in the world.
Lee came within five K's of the MLB record for the most K's in a single game. Tom Cheney K'd 21 Orioles in a 1962 game to set the record, but that was in sixteen innings. I guess nobody was counting pitches in that one. The record for a nine inning game is co-held by Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood at twenty, which is the pace Lee was on when he left the game. Despite leaving early, Lee came within three of the record for most K's by a lefty, held by Randy Johnson at nineteen - who did it twice in a nine inning effort.
MLB keeps records on most everything, but I was unable to find a record for most K's in a losing effort. I can't imagine there have been too many pitchers who have fanned sixteen and still lost. If someone did, I assume it would have been years ago before the era of using relief pitchers the way they do today. Perhaps someone out there could do some research and find out if Lee has set a record because the LSF would like to know and doesn't feel like doing the work.
In one of this morning's papers, Cliff was philosophic about the game and suggested that he wasn't worried by the lack of hitting. The not-being-worried attitude sounds like a good sound bite for a guy not wanting to throw his teammates under a bus but, if that is true, then Lee hasn't noticed that the Phils have scored but ONE run in his last three starts. If it were me, I would DRIVE the frigging bus!
Through it all, our hometown heroes have won 21 games and are still in first place in the division. Being in first place is a good thing despite the lack of production, isn't it? Yes it is, even if the first thirty games were against mostly AAA-caliber opposition. I wonder where the candystripers will be after the next nineteen games against the Braves, Marlins, Cards, Rangers, Rockies, and Reds - most of whom are teams that are either in first or second place in their respective divisions. The Braves are currently in third but can certainly change that after the next two games here and the upcoming series in Atlanta against the Phils.
Somewhere, the baseball gods are smugly sitting and watching the Phillies' troubles while laughing their asses off. They have set us up for the BIG FALL. The gods seemingly blessed us with the BEST ROTATION OF ALL TIME and then arranged for the Phillies' bats to die. They got us singing Four Aces songs even though the lead singer of that 50's elevator music group has been dead for years. Remember all the hoopla? Remember the photos of the guys with capes on? The baseball gods created all of that and then decided to make our disabled list look like an all-star line up. The gods know that injuries are a part of every game but they certainly have "blessed' the Phils with more than their fair share of visits to the DL - especially given how early it is in the season.
With Oswalt joining the ranks of the disabled and Ruiz about to, the Phillies will have no choice but to give Worley at least another two starts, and are even giving Kendrick another start today. That's sort of like trying to draw an inside straight in poker. With Ruiz saying "Oy Mein Back" in Spanish, Schneider and Sardena will have to handle the catching chores, and we can have no expectations of any offensive production from these two if what they have done so far is any indicator of what they will do in the future. Neither one of them seem to know how to hit with anything resembling consistency.
The baseball gods have decided that Polanco was having too much fun and I am convinced they arranged for the foul ball hit off his foot and cause him to have to leave the game last night. He is now on the dreaded day-to-day status ride which, given the way things are working out for the team so far, will mean a trip to the DL, followed by an Ibanez type slump upon his return. In the meantime, I suppose we'll have to watch Valdez, Orr, and Martinez make it onto Charlie's line up cards on an everyday basis.
I am quite proud of myself that I have not spoken ill of Superstar in this posting. This guy needs to pick up his game if the Phils have any shot of surviving the next nineteen games.
There is some good news to report. Former Phillie Lenny Dykstra was indicted for fraud and obstruction relating to his 2009 bankruptcy filing. Dirt is facing up to eighty years if convicted. Shit, just spare us the cost of a trial and send him away since we all know the guy is guilty. It's too bad that they don't have chain gangs any more because Dykstra belongs on a dusty Mississippi highway with a ball chained to his leg. Sorry Dude, no more unhappy maids for you!
I wouldn't be me if I didn't at least mention that hockey season is now over here in Philly. What can I say except, HOW 'BOUT THEM FLYERS!
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