“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily.” –The Importance of Being Earnest
No, this is not a term paper on the Oscar Wilde play. This is, however, a critique on the Mets-Phillies quick two game jaunt in Philadelphia.
When game one of the series ended, the Mets were on the unhappy end of a seven-run implosion, capped by a Chris Coste game-winning single in the 13th inning. The good ended happily for the Phillies who looked dead after the first three innings, but fought back to grab the W and the NL East lead for the time being.
Game two culminated much the same way the first had. A blown lead, this time by the Phillies, led to a relatively thrilling match-up that gave us no definitive answer on who holds the upper hand on this division. If you want to get scientific, the Mets have the percentage points lead, but the Phils have a game in hand. All of that equals very close.
How important is first place in the National League East? Pretty damn crucial if you ask me. And right now, as of Thursday afternoon, the east is separated by just a half game.
If you saw any of the two games the Phils and Mets just played, then you know how insane this race intends to be. You saw the passion, the intensity and the come-from-behind victories by each team. You saw great hitting, terrible hitting, beautiful pitching and awful pitching. You got your money’s worth, if you’re a betting man.
Grabbing first place this late in the season and holding it will be critical to the psyche of either team. The Wild Card right now seems to be an afterthought as the surging Brewers stake claim to that berth at this point. The importance of being first is now essential.
After winning 6-of-10, the New York Mets stand 14 games over-.500 at 74-60. The Philadelphia Phillies boast a 73-60 record, and have won 8-of-10.
- B/R Ticket Guide
To grab the upper hand for good, a few things need to go the Phillies direction.
First, they cannot have their lineup disappear for long stretches. We have seen the transformation of Ryan Howard as the year progressed, but in the same breath have watched Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell struggle as of late. One player (Burrell) leaving 19 runners on base during a two-game stretch is absurd. Chase Utley has been an MVP-caliber player this season, but has been inconsistent in the second half, lacking the power he showed early on.
It can’t be expected that the Phillies offense will put up a ton of runs every night. However, a little more consistency would be welcome. Beyond the big boys at the top of the order, the platoon of Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste needs to give them a jolt every once in a while (the burden now lies with Ruiz in that category, as Coste put together a brilliant performance in the late stages of Tuesday’s victory). Beyond that, if the bottom of the lineup does their part and the bench continues to play solid ball when called upon, then the offense should spark a bit as the season winds down.
Assuming the offense figures it out, the starting pitchers need to keep doing what they’ve been doing; and that’s pitch deep into games. The pitching staff as a whole has the fourth-best ERA in the National League and the starting rotation has put together 73 quality starts this season, tied for second-most.
For those who are unaware of the stat, a quality start is six innings or more with three earned runs or less for a starting pitcher. Basically those numbers mean that your team will be in the game when the starter gives the ball off to the bullpen. The Phillies staff has done a great job of helping keep the ‘pen healthy and rested throughout the season. For this to be a repeat performance of 2007, the rotation will need to keep up the quality performances they have strung together in ’08.
Lastly, and perhaps most significantly, the Phillies need Charlie Manuel to preach the fundamentals to a team that sorely lacks them. The 3-0 swings and the reckless double-switches need to be examined with a tinge more delicacy by the coaching staff, Manuel first and foremost.
The worst move that Manuel continues to make is taking Pat Burrell out of the game in late inning situations for So Taguchi. With Geoff Jenkins on the disabled list, they have one less able body in the outfield, so they cannot take Burrell’s bat out of the order for a so-called “defensive replacement”. If I am reading the stats correctly, Taguchi has the same amount of errors (two) in 35 games as Pat the Bat does in 128 games in left field. Burrell’s D is just Charlie.
Manuel also needs to keep one lineup for the rest of the season. Let it ride out and make everyone comfortable knowing where they will be. Keeping Shane Victorino in the five-hole seems to make sense and the offense has started to show some signs of life after a few brutal weeks.
All in all, it shouldn’t take much to keep up with the Mets. Playing the rest of the season efficiently and intelligently may give the Phils the advantage. They have had the more explosive offense over the past few years and have had the steadier pitching this season.
First place is within reach, boys. Go out and grab it so that this season of so much good can end happily.
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