Three of our teams played at the exact same time last night. Here are my thoughts..
- Phillies looked listless in losing to the Mets, 2-0. I'm tired of losing to New York. Despite only getting three hits, goofy manager Gabe Kapler praised the offense after the game. But the offense didn't hit well even in spring training. Who is the hitting coach? Or is it because the line-up is so inconsistent? Guys are playing out of position and the batting order changes daily.
Sooner or later Scott Kingery needs to hit at or near the top of the line-up. Still way too many strikeouts ( Alfaro looks over-matched, whiffing 5 of 6 at-bats). The team isn't clutch, leaving runners in scoring position. They are lacking in simple fundamentals. They don't look crisp and sharp.
- Listened to Kapler on WIP this morning. He is still stubborn, insisting that pulling Aaron Nola on opening day was the right thing to do and he would do it again. He is throwing a coach under the bus for the bullpen fiasco, but won't name names.
He and GM Klentek are way too involved with analytics. Common sense comes second. Kapler spewed a pile of BS on the radio. Look at this realistically. Do you really think this guy is going to turn this team around? The players are going to rebel and tune him out. Kapler will lose the clubhouse if he continues to manage the team in this disorganized fashion. Who can blame them for not keeping the faith?
Is Klentek making most of the weird decisions form upstairs? Or is this really Kapler, the reason why he was hired in the first place, and is over-matched, inexperienced and unqualified?
Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park will be interesting. Will the fans lustily boo the hell out of Kapler during pre-game introductions?
- The Phils play the Mets this afternoon at 1:00. Syndergguard vs Nola. The Phillies are 1-3. It's early but with the Nationals getting off to a fast start, losing touch with Washington and the rest of the division is possible if the club doesn't start winning soon.
- The Sixers won their 11th game in a row, beating up on the lowly nets. This is the longest winning streak for a 76er team since 1990. The Flyers looked disinterested in a 5-4 loss to the Islanders. The orange and black have not clinched a playoff berth with two games to go. Missing the postseason would seal the fate of Coach Hakstol for sure.
- The Eagles added depth to their linebackers by signing ex-Detroit Lion Paul Worrilow, who is reportedly a fine special teams player as well. Is Mychel Kendricks going to be dealt for draft picks? Corey Nelson adds LB depth as well.
- Meanwhile, the LA Rams may be a team to be reckoned with this season. Already NFC West champs the young Rams got wide receiver Brandon Cooks form the Patriots yesterday, as Los Angeles sent their 1st round pick ( # 23 overall) to New England. LA continues to build on their already explosive offense. The Birds again travel to the Rams next fall in what very well could be an NFC Championship Game preview.
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