PHILLIES PHODDER

The long, sad season of the last-place Phillies continues..

* Wow..the Phillies did even worse than I imagined over the weekend. Iporedicted the team would lose two out of three in St. Louis. Instead they got swept by a Cardinals squad that had lost seven games in a row before Philadelphia came to town.

The Phils have now lost five in a row and have the worst record in baseball at 21-40. And it's not mid-June yet.

* Don't expect Matt ( Boy Genius) Klentak to do anything immediately with this woeful team. The Major League Baseball Draft is tomorrow. Last year, Klentak holed himself up and wouldn't give any interviews until after the draft. Apparently he can't do two things at once.

This is where President Andy MacFailure needs to finally step up. I called for MacFailure to speak to the media and fans weeks ago. Someone needed to take responsibility for this disaster and reassure the fans that someone in the organization is listening and this unacceptable season won't be tolerated. Changes will be made sooner than later.

Instead, MacFailure remains silent, leaving the fans- and Klentak out to dry.

Owner John Middleton, earlier this year bragging about how he wants to win and spend some of the horded case he has accumulated, also is nowhere to be found. So, he comes off as a jerk, a know-it-all who is all talk and no action.

* With 2B Cesar Hernandez on the disabled list for the foreseeable future, who is the Phillies' leading candidate to make the All-Star team?? It's clearly a stupid rule that every team, no matter how bad, must have at least one player on the squad.

I guess if Hernandez is out a while, Aaron Altherr would be a logical choice, even if he has been a part-time player for most of the season. Plus, there is a glut of outfield talent in the National league.

Maybe reliever Pat Neshak would be the lone representative? But hardly ever is a middle reliever deemed that honor. Making the All-Star team would boost Neshak's value for a possible trade in July. In fact, as sad as it sounds, he may be the Phillies best trading chip at this point.

The starting pitchers have been dreadful. What other everyday position player is worthy enough to akae the team? Please, not Odubal Herrera.

Really embarrassing.

* The young pitchers continue to struggle. Were they over-evaluated to begin with> Why does a hurler like Nick Pavetta shine at Lehigh Valley yet suck in the majors? Is it a mental problem? Or is infamous pitching coach somehow involed? Maybe these young pitchers subconsciously feed off the bad vibes on McClure and wilt under pressure?

Jake Thompson, once a promising prospect obtained in the Cole Hamels deal from Texas, is struggling mightily with the Iron Pigs. Can't blame that one on McClure.

The power arms in the Phillies system, guy like Sixto Sanchez and Franklin Kilome, are several years away in lower A ball.

The organization will need to look to trades and/or free agency to find starting pitching help. As I advised recently, after the 2018 season, the Phils should make Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw a target. He would give them that stable anchor in the rotation, a chance to win every 5th day.

Until then, it's a scary thought of what may or may not happen. Everyone knew the current Phillies roster wasn't going to win many games. This year was another rebuilding campaign. But hopes were for next season and beyond, with a  young and promising staff leading the way. Now it may seem like the house of cards may tumble and the organization may have to reshuffle-again.

* As sick as it is, I have tickets to not one but two Phillies home games this week. The Red Sox play at Citizens Bank Park Thursday night. I'm sure there will be more Boston fans in the stadium than Phillies fans, especially sitting behind the third base visitors' dugout.

Next Sunday, Father's Day, I have seats to the afternoon clash against those Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have been a  surprise in NL West so far, and it's always fun to watch 1B Paul Goldschmidt play. The Father's Day giveaway is a powder blue Hawaiian shirt for the guys. So, it may not be a total loss.

I can see the rest of this long, painful summer being full of promotion nights. How else will they get people to take in a Phillies game this summer?

* Michael Saunders- what's the point? Please Boy Genius and MacFailure- pull the plug on Michael Saunders already. Have some mercy on the fans. Bring up OF Nick Williams, let him play everyday for the res tof 2017. Give the fans something to watch.

Like injured pitcher Clay Bucholtz, Saunders has been a huge bust, a $ 9 million mistake. Klentak has said, one -year players lke Saunders and Howie Kendrick won't block a young player in Philadelphia. So, release Saunders now. You're not going to get much for him in a July deadline deal.
What message does it send to the prospects playing well in the minors when they still can't get promotions/ What do they have to do? frustrating!

take 2B Scott Kingery in Reading, for instance. If the season ended today, he may well be the Most Valuable Player in the eastern League. he has nothing left to prove at double-A. yet he remains at Reading, even though second baseman Valentin got hurt at Leigh Valley and is on the disabled list.

With Hernandez injured, I can't see the Phillies making a bold move by bring up Kingery to Philly. But why not progress him to the Iron Pigs for the rest of the season? Makes no sense.

The Phils' organization has always been conservative with their young players. But their current ultra-slow approach, when help is needed in the big leagues, is stupid.

* The draft is tomorrow night. The Phillies need help everywhere. They need to hit on this 8th overall selection in the first round.

The organization needs to draft a ready-to-pay college guy instead of a high schooler who will take years to see Philly.

Most notable positions of need are left-handed starting pitching and third base.

Finally, rather than bitch about a hapless team destined to lose over 100 games for the frist time since 1961, I don't give a damn anymore. I don't turn them on Comcast as regularly as before. I used to look forward to summer nights with the Phillies. Now, not so much. Even if they lose, there was always hope of a brighter future. Now, not so much.

Apathy from loyal fans is more serious to an organization than a bitching fan base.

Go Eagles!