There’s no good reason for the Phillies to sell right now

By Jul 2, 2012, 6:54 PM EDT
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It’s easy to see why the Phillies are discouraged. Despite possessing the highest payroll, they currently have the 12th-best record of the 16 National League teams. They’re on pace for 72 wins, which would be their lowest total since 2000 and a whopping 30-game drop from last year.

Still, a shakeup just doesn’t make much sense.

Chase Utley is back. Ryan Howard is on target to return immediately after the All-Star break. Roy Halladay is throwing without pain and could be back within three weeks.

Carlos Ruiz is having a great year. Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence both excelled during June. Juan Pierre is still hitting, believe it or not, and even Placido Polanco has gotten his act together of late.

On the pitching side, the bullpen aside from Jonathan Papelbon has been a mess. However, Cole Hamels is an All-Star. Vance Worley has a 2.92 ERA. Cliff Lee may be winless, but he has an 89/19 K/BB ratio in 89 1/3 innings. For that matter, Joe Blanton is at 89/15 in 104 innings.

Despite the absences of Utley and Howard, the Phillies rank seventh in the NL in runs scored per game. Last year, their 102-win team ranked seventh in the NL in runs scored per game. The problem is that the pitching has taken a major hit. However, there’s no reason to think the rotation won’t finish strong.

Look at my standings column from earlier this afternoon; no NL teams are running away and hiding. The Mets and Pirates are on pace to tie for the second wild card with 87 wins, and in all honesty, it seems optimistic that either team will really finish that well. The Phillies won 63 percent of their games last year. If they can do that over their final 81 games of 2012, they’ll finish with 87 wins. Even 85 could make them a possibility for the postseason. It’s an uphill climb for sure, but it’d be crazy to write them off. Instead of thinking about trading Hamels and Shane Victorino, the Phillies should go get themselves as setup man and try to make a run.

Nationals blow 6-run lead, rebound to beat Phillies 8-7

Associated PressJun 3, 2023, 12:55 AM EDT
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WASHINGTON (AP) Lane Thomas singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals sent the Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth straight loss, winning 8-7 after blowing a six-run lead.

The defending NL champion Phillies have just five victories in their last 18 games and are tied with the Nationals at the bottom of the NL East at 25-32.

“We’ve got to overcome it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to play better, get consistent in all phases and keep moving forward.”

Alex Call drew a two-out walk against Connor Brogdon (2-1) in the eighth, stole second on a low pitch that catcher JT Realmuto couldn’t make a throw on and scored on Thomas’ single to right center.

“The way Lane’s swinging the bat, if you can get on second base, we can win the game,” Call said. “I look over and the ball’s in the dirt, he doesn’t catch it. Now I’m saying: ‘All right, Lane. Come on!’”

Kyle Finnegan (3-2) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory, stranding the tying run on second in the ninth.

Nick Castellanos homered twice, singled, doubled and drove in five runs for Philadelphia, which had scored just three runs in its past three games.

“There’s definitely a lot of positives as a group,” Castellanos said. “Showing some fight. It would have been really, really easy to lay down and allow the way the game started to be the way that it finished.”

Down 7-1 after four innings, Philadelphia tied it at 7 in the eighth. Brandon Marsh worked a nine-pitch walk against Mason Thompson leading off, and Drew Ellis singled with one out. Finnegan came on to face Kyle Schwarber, who hit a ground ball up the middle. Shortstop CJ Abrams fielded it behind it behind second base, touched second for one out, but threw wildly to first and Marsh came home with the tying run.

Castellanos’s second homer, a two-run shot to center in the sixth, pulled the Phillies to 7-3 and Marsh added an RBI single in the inning.

In the seventh, Schwarber doubled with one out and Bryson Scott reached on an infield single. Hunter Harvey came on and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases. Castellanos singled to center scoring two runs to make it 7-6.

Luis Garcia homered and Jeimer Candelario doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who have won seven of 12.

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler, coming off eight shutout innings against Atlanta, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“This one’s on me really,” Wheeler said. “Guys battled back. Just couldn’t finish it out. We know who we have in this room and what we’ve got to do.”

Josiah Gray gave up four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Washington.

Candelario doubled just beyond the reach of left fielder Schwarber to drive in the first of Washington’s two runs in the first.

In the second, Abrams hit a one-out drive to deep center that Marsh misplayed into a double. With two outs and two on, Candelario doubled off the wall in right center to make it 5-0.

Garcia ended Wheeler’s night with a solo homer in the fourth.

“When you come out the way we did, you’ve got to tack on,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “It didn’t happen tonight, but we got one more than the other guys.”

CANDY MAN

Candelario is 9 for 26 (.346) with four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs, five walks, and seven runs scored in his last seven games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Thomson said RHP Taijuan Walker played catch Friday and there are “no worries about his next start.” In a four-inning outing against the Mets on Thursday, Walker’s sinker velocity averaged 90.6 mph, down from 92.7 mph for the season. His fastball, splitter and curveball velocity also dropped.

Nationals: OF Victor Robles (back spasms) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the injured list. … LHP Sean Doolittle (elbow) gave up a run on two hits and struck out two batters in 2/3 of an inning working his second straight night for Class A Fredericksburg.

UP NEXT

Phillies: LHP Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.20) will start a bullpen game on Saturday.

Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57) went seven innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his previous outing – a no decision against the Royals.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports