PHILLIES PHODDER

As we head towards 108 losses...more Phillies talk..


* The Phils lost 3 of 4 this week to the Pirates- not a surprise. One team is jockeying for a playoff run in the second half while the other is wallowing around in chaos and confusion.

Again, the Phillies play stupid baseball, getting thrown out on the base paths three times, by the same Pittsburgh outfielder, all at second base, with Phillies trying to stretch singles into doubles.

Aaron Altherr was the victim twice. His aggressiveness is great, but his baseball instincts stink, getting tossed out by at least 10 feet on his first failed attempt.

What's most alarming is his lackluster, apathetic response after the game, that "all is good", ala Cliff Lee ("That's Baseball").

Seems like this lazy attitude is invading even the most positive players now. Maybe all the negativity and all the losing and hopelessness is contagious and infecting other players than Herrera and Franco.

I once thought bringing up the kids from Lehigh Valley was a good idea, giving the fans something to watch and giving the prospects experience on the major league level.

But do you really want to bring the young players into such a toxic environment?

I hate this Phillies team. They suck, plain and simple. Their play stinks, a team with little talent. But their attitude reeks even more.

Maybe the inept front office needs to clean house of the cancer in the clubhouse instead of sheltering the kids. Start by trading Herrera for anything at this point- addition by subtraction, ala Jonathan Papelbon.

There is a meeting today between Manager McKannin, the coaches and members of the front office ( Klentak? MacPhal? even Middleton?) to talk about the horrid first half and game plan for the second half.

Instead of a meeting with Pete, MacFailure should call a news conference and announce the firing of McKannin and GM Klentak  effective immediately.

I'm not totally blaming Mckannin for this disaster. He can only manage what he has to work with, and in this case, it's slop.

But there is no discipline or consequences on this team. The line-up isn't consistent yet Mckannin preaches consistency.

Can you really justify bringing back in 2018 a manager who will lose over 100 games?

So, make the move now- Mckannin is currently a dead man walking- make Larry Bowa the interim manager, and name Lehigh Valley  skipper Dusty Warthen manager next year.

I like Pete, but he has lost control of the team and he seems clueless. It's sad to see him so bewildered in the post-game chats, making excuses for his historically-awful squad.("The entire league is striking out..we aren't alone..").

While they are at it, Klentak needs to go as well.

He's the one who constructed this mess. Signing  free agents Saunders , Kendrick and Bucholtz were total bombs. Re-signing Hellickson was a major #17 million mistake. Even his trade- sending Ken Giles to Houston can be criticized now.

This team has gotten worse, not better. What is alarming is that even the so-called building block- Herrera, Franco- have regressed.

Nerdy, geeky Klentak can't relate to the fans, talking goofy topics like "exit velocity."He was the one who brought in busts like Bucholtz and Saunders.Kendrick has been hurt most of the year. Even Klentak's trades- dealing Ken Giles to Houston- can be questioned now.

 The fate of the coaches- all of them- should be addressed after the season ends. Simply put, all should be let go.

The Phillies are what they are. They deserve to lose over 100 games. No clutch hitter. No true lead-off hitter. No real clean-up hitter. No ace. No closer.They can't play small ball, by bunting or moving runners. They don't steal enough bases because overall they lack speed. They don't have enough power for a team that plays in bandbox Citizens Bank Park.

Otherwise they are fine.

Yes, there is a lack of talent, and you have to hope the front office hasn't over evaluated the prospects as well. But MacFailure and Klentak helped to construct this bunch of losers, so somebody needs to take responsibility.

The coming weeks will be big, as the front office needs to move veterans to open roster spots. They may not get what some of these underachieving bums are worth- or maybe Baseball won't over evaluate the talent ( or lack of) on the Phillies like the Phillies themselves have.

Vince Valasquez continues to struggle in his rehab. There's talk of moving him to the bullpen I've said he should be tried as a closer, but the Phillies won't do that right away, keeping in mind their conservative approach. I'm thinking the Valasquez experiment will begin in spring training next year, not now.

The Phils end the first half with a weekend series with the almost-equally pathetic San Diego Padres. Losing a home series to the Padres would be the perfect way to cap the first half.

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Next week I will rate the Phillies by position and talk about who should be in the starting line-up Opening Day 2018. Also, during the All-Star beak, I will breakdown the standing and analyze the pennant races, making my mid-season predictions. Stay tuned.

Fireworks went off last night amidst the rain and dreary weather. That sad, gloomy fireworks spectacle perfectly summed up the state of the disgraceful Phillies.