The Phillies salvaged a game with Washington on Sunday with a walk-off homer by Maikel Franco. The Phils remain 8 1/2 games behind Atlanta, 1 1/2 games in back of the Nationals. Jake Arrieta, bone spur and all, gave the team 5 innings. The bullpen failed to hold the lead again.
The Braves swept the Padres in San Diego over the weekend. They stay red-hot The Phillies, despite team president Andy MacPhail's bizarre attitude of not caring, should focus on the wild card now. There's plenty of time left to catch Atlanta but it won't happen. The braves are too good.
The club needs more than one player to compete. Fault GM Matt Klentek for failing to stock the staff with pitching depth. Yesterday, when the team needed a starter to fill-in for the injured Arrieta, instead they pitched Arrieta because, as Manager Gabe Kapler said, "An eighty percent Arrieta is a better option than anything else we have."
The bench sucks. Once again Kapler sent weak-hitting Andrew Knapp up to the plate in a crucial situation Saturday night. Yes, the bench should've included Jay Bruce and Scott Kingery. Injuries forced the Phils to use both as starters. Regardless, Klentek did nothing to bolster the bench.
The bullpen sucks. Yes, injuries have hurt as well. But again, lack of depth is killing the team.
Klentek had a chance to get reinforcements in Hamels, Cashner and Kuechal. He let all of them pass by. Klentak will once again get a July pass by his boss, MacPhail, who is equally clueless.
I don't even focus on Kapler anymore. The problems go way beyond analytics and bad decisions by the manager. It involves poor scouting and player development as well as lack of aggressiveness by the front office.
The Dodgers come in tonight, the best team in baseball. Clayton Kershaw pitches tonight, with Walker Buehler starting on Tuesday. If the Phils split the series consider them lucky.
I don't see any easy way out for the Phillies. This wasn't supposed to be another rebuilding year. Owner John Middleton, to his credit, spent a lot of money during the off-season- for what? Middleton needs to clean house after the season, starting with the team president, turn away from analytics, and get back to the basics of good scouting and player development.
If only they were younger, Charle Manuel could be manager, Larry Bowa General Manager and Pat Gillick is President. I would settle for Joe Girardi as Manager to begin with.
Whatever, Middleton needs to do something- and soon. The fans don't deserve another summer collapse.
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