Last night I got so frustrated by the outcome of the Phillies game that it became difficult for me to sleep ... even to the point where I was up at 4 AM still thinking about it. I’m an idiot that way, as a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan wins and losses have an effect on me that I’m sure any psychologist would say is not a healthy approach 🥴. “Hard to imagine Harry ...🤔
That being said taking a glance at today’s MLB standings and knowing that in this strangest of seasons that sixteen of the thirty teams qualify for the playoffs all hope is not lost. That’s despite the bad feeling that remains in my gut. 😏
The Phillies start the day at 5-9, last in the NL East yet only four games behind the division leading Marlins and three behind the second place Braves. Keep in mind that the top two from each division qualify for the playoffs plus two wild cards ... with those rules in place the Mets would be the NL’s 8th playoff contender with their 9-11 record ... the Phillies also presently only trail them by three games.
As Matt Gelb pointed out in his article in the Athletic yesterday there are some positives thus far ... the team leads the National League in OBP and is second in slugging ... the starting pitching has performed well.
We know that our bullpen has been very bad but for those of us who watch this game day in and day out we also know that that’s an area that can have wide sways in success ... e.g. they aren’t as bad as they’ve performed and there likely will be a stretch when they do quite well. It’s staying out of the really bad runs going forward that’s key.
The enthusiasm of play ... a seeming lack of having fun and my perception of tightness in approach bothers me ... perhaps being the host for all but one of their games thus far is a bigger drain without fans in attendance than anticipated ... the Philly Phaithful not being there to spur them on ... that impact that may be bigger than believed 🧐 ... of course there are the few that gather outside the center field fence.
In the most recent series the Orioles outplayed them, out hit them and had far much more fun as a team ... that was my take. The Phillies play tight, the only smile I saw yesterday was Alec Bohm’s after he hit his double ... that’s gotta change. Just sayin ... can’t win if squeezing the bat into saw dust when gripping it 🤷♂️.
Other Tidbits :
Baseball America it seems has come out with a new ranking of Minor League systems ... they put the Phillies in 26th place amongst the 30 clubs. I dislike rankings with a passion, they are only subjective interpretations and often done by folks who rarely if ever see the players in person. I won’t do rankings nor address them in any regard. I’ll chat about individual players but to me it’s thinking in a self serving vacuum to rank and make lists ... meaningless from my perspective ... had to say that ... makes me feel better 😂.
Two of the young arms I’ve been writing about over the past couple years didn’t fare so well in their major league debuts ... Connor Brogdon and Ramon Rosso. Not everyone has a stellar debut ... actually the norm is to struggle. Both young men are very talented and I have every confidence they will do well. As a fan base I ask that we all give them a chance ... I know what I’ve seen from them and others to come in the minors ... their stuff and approach will play in the majors as well ... as Ben Davis would say “ I truly believe that” 🤓
That’s it for now ... let’s hope the fellas turn it around against the Mets in the upcoming series ... that they have fun, relax and play like I believe they can ... I need them to so I can sleep 🤪.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
