PHILLIES PHODDER

 So, the Phillies lose again ( as expected) to the Houston Astros. Losing is an after-thought  in this dismal season of woe. Our friend, Odubel Herrera, once again made the news.

He did a bat-flip on a fly ball last night, one which brought ridicule and jeers from the Houston dugout. Then he again failed to run out a dropped third strike.

OK,, giving him the benefit of the doubt, maybe Herrera didn't see the Astro catcher drop the ball? But shouldn't he try to run when he finally realizes the fact?

It was bad enough for manager Pete Mackanin to take him out of the game at that point. Finally, the manager takes a stand. It will be interesting to see if Herrera is in the line-up tonight.

GM Matt Klentak should've demoted his ass to Lehigh Valley long ago. Another Klentak blunder was giving Herrera a big contract extension. Herrera didn't always hustle before he got the money and ran..er..strolled. Why should he care now?

He's got a smug attitude. He won't change. He is what he is- a Rule 5 guy. He's got talent, but he's not that good in center field. He's no Garry Maddox, or even Aaron Altherr.

The media in Philly, aside form Angelo Cataldi, are shills for the Phils. Totally clueless.

Herrera is a cancer on the team. God forbid a Nick Williams starts dogging-it because of Herrera. You don't want a guy like that around the clubhouse, especially with even younger players on the horizon.

I could excuse Herrera for his stupidity on the bases, in the field and at the plate. Everybody makes mistakes, even if they are the same damn mistakes over and over.

What I can't forgive is the lack of hustle. It doesn't take talent to run a ground ball out. It's probably the easiest thing he will do each time he plays.

Herrera makes the effort to go the the stadium each day. He became a ballplayer, I suppose, because he was good at it. He has family and friends and fans back home who must follow his exploits daily.

So why isn't he always busting it for them, if not for himself?

Let's not allow the Herrera issue to cloud what is really going on with the Phillies this week: Klentak has yet to make a move on the trade front.

Forget the low-hanging fruit that are the one-year contracts he should unload- Neshek, Nava, Hellicksopn, Kendricks. Forget the bolder moves he could make- Herrera, Joseph, Hernandez. What's the point of these one-year deals if you can't flip them in July and get something for them? What was the point of signing deadwood like Michael Saunders, while keeping a young player like Nick Williams down at Lehigh Valley? What's the point pf not clearing roster spots for Rhys Hoskins to come up to Philadelphia?

Herrera needs to go, that's a given. But don't let Klentak off the hook so fast. He's got until Monday to make some moves. Even then, it may be too late to get real value in trades.

Or maybe baseball knows what the Phillies refuse to see: these guys aren't worth a damn, and the Phillies have once again over-evaluated their personnel?

You gotta wonder where Andy MacFailure and John Middleton are during this mess. Maybe they are laying low, letting Klentak hang himself? Maybe they will make changes after the season ends? Or maybe they are enablers, and they are bigger dopes than what we believed?

So, back to Herrera. Do you really think he will wake up one day, see the light and error of his wicked ways, and change the way he plays , along with an attitude adjustment?

Maybe if you're Matt Klentak, you do.