Heard in the Cheap Seats

The human psyche is a funny thing. That is why I am a little worried about tonight’s Sixers game. The Orlando Magic will be without their “Mr. Everything”, Dwight Howard, and with out Courtney Lee, their starting two guard who has played very well in this series. So, on paper, naturally the Sixers should win. The odds say they should win and most fans and experts can’t see how they could lose a home elimination playoff game to a team that is missing two starters. I mean, it has seemed like without Dwight Howard, the Magic wouldn’t be a very formidable opponent, and tonight he will be in street clothes (although it remains to be seen if anyone is injured by his elbow when he is getting in and out of his chair). I am like most people in that when I think about tonight’s game I realize this is a game the Sixers should be able to win. But, my experience in playing and watching sports has me a little worried.

Yesterday, on 950 ESPN Radio, Mike Missanelli referred to what he called “the back up goalie syndrome”. I had the same thought in my mind. Most people, including professional athletes have a hard time controlling their mind. Unfortunately, when the mind isn’t entirely focused, the actions of the body follow suit. You see, everyone expects the Sixers to win tonight. The Sixers have been battling and trying like hell to figure out a way to conquer Dwight Howard, and now they know he won’t be on the floor tonight. They can breathe a little easier. Two things can happen in a scenario like this: 1) The team who is playing short handed and is given no chance to win collectively plays above their heads and out of their minds because they all know they have to at least twice as good as usual to have a chance; 2) The team who is playing with a decided advantage feels too comfortable and confident, expects the other team will just mail it in, and their lack of intensity and focus causes them to play poorly. Like I said, it’s a human nature thing. It isn’t something that can be explained, but we all know it happens. The human psyche works both ways in this scenario because on one side a team fails to play up to its normal capabilities due to an over confidence, and on the other side you have pride. From the time we are young kids, we as people do not like to be told we can’t do something. It fuels our fire. If games were merely about talent, the same team would always win. But, they don’t. That’s why in sports we have phrases like “letdowns”, and “trap games”, and “playing down to the competition”. It is also why there are so many occasions when teams adopt a mantra that “nobody believed in us”. Tonight’s game has all the criteria for any of the above phrases. If the Sixers had Michael Jordan on their roster, I wouldn’t be the least bit worried. But, they don’t, and I am. I think back to games that I played in over the years where what I am talking about took place. I think about the countless times it has happened in every professional sport. How many times have you uttered the phrase, “How the hell did they lose that game?”

I am going to the game tonight, and I, like everyone else, am already thinking about the possibilities of a Game 7. I just hope that the Sixers players have a completely different mindset, because if they don’t, then my worry could become a reality.

According to George Diaz, a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, Dwight Howard has been suspended for Game 6 because of his elbow to Samuel Dalembert’s grill during Game 5. The NBA was left with no other choice.

They certainly loathed the idea of suspending one of the best players in the game and absolutely the best player in this series. As the old adage goes: “let the players decide the outcome.” But I agree with this decision. Howard decided his fate when he thought it wise to pop Dalembert in the face with a pretty viscious elbow. There was very clear intent on the elbow and he now needs to pay for his actions.

Is it a shame? Sure. I would much rather face an Orlando Magic team at full strength than have the built-in excuse of a suspension should the Philadelphia Sixers find a way to advance. The NBA has set a precedent in these types of incidents and was left with no choice but to suspend the star center. It made the right call.

Here it is again for those of you that have not seen it yet.

It’s pretty simple: There are a few things that I have liked about the Sixers play against the Magic, and a few things I haven’t liked.  I have refrained from writing about this series until now, because I wanted it to play out a little bit.  I didn’t want to just breakdown each game on its own.  Coming into this series, I picked the Magic to win in 5 games, so obviously I didn’t see much that led me to believe the Sixers could pull off an upset.  The Sixers have won more games than I thought, and have made this an interesting series.  I give them credit for that.  But, I have to say that I have doing a lot of reading during this series.  I have been reading a lot of the blogs out there that I respect, and there is a lot of stuff floating around that I just don’t agree with.  So, let me just kind of run through some different points that I have on my mind regarding this series.  It’s easier for me to do it this way because they are all over the map, so it just makes more sense.

-          I want to start off on a positive note.  I am happy the Sixers have made this interesting.  I give them credit for coming into this series believing they could win and playing hard.  I have no doubt that they will come out in Game 6 and fight the Magic tooth and nail.

-          With the above being said, I think a lot of people are missing something.  There is one reason why this series has been interesting: The Magic allowed it.  As tough minded as the Sixers came into this series, the Magic were the opposite.  They aren’t a playoff tested team, and they started this series playing as if the Sixers would just roll over.  They didn’t play smart basketball and the Sixers outworked them.  In the last 2 games, that has changed.

-          I like the Sixers defensive strategy in this series.  They decide that for the most part they would not send a double team Dwight Howard’s way when he had the ball on the low block.  The Sixers know that meant they would have to shuffle big men in and out due to foul trouble, and that Howard would have some big games.  The strategy is a sound one because it has allowed the Sixers to stay at home on the shooters.  For the first 4 games of this series, the Magic did not really hurt the Sixers from long range.

-          Like I said earlier, an NBA playoff series is full of adjustments, and the Sixers and Tony DiLeo are losing that battle.  It was clear early in the series, that guarding Andre Iguodala was a problem for the Magic.  The adjustment they have made is to double and trap Iguodala as much as possible.  Now, there are times where it has seemed like this strategy isn’t working for the Magic, but I think it has.  You need to look no further than the fact that the Sixers have struggled mightily on the offensive end ever since the double team was employed.  You can look at stats until you are blue in the face, but I know what I see.  Yes, Iguodala had 26 points and went to the line 13 times in Game 4, but many of his trip to the line came when he forced the issue.  The Sixers have one primary offensive weapon and the Magic know it.  I would never watch a game where the Sixers can’t score 80 points and say that the double team isn’t working.  When the Sixers have screened high for Iguodala, the Magic are now using Howard to double aggressively.  It has largely forced the ball out of his hands in those sets.  The Sixers have not adjusted much to this at all.  They are still getting Iguodala the ball in situations that make it too easy for the Magic to defend.  This is what I mean when I say that DiLeo is losing the adjustment battle.  I’ll have more on adjustments in a minute.

-          The above defensive strategy has turned the Sixers into a jump shooting team.  That is exactly what the Magic wanted.  The Sixers have really done nothing to change this.  They are playing right into Orlando’s hands.  Most of the time, the Sixers are trying to play one on one basketball and it isn’t working. 

-          I just don’t understand why the Sixers think they can do the same things in every game of a seven game series and have success.  This is going back to the adjustments.  Stan Van Gundy saw how the Sixers were defending the Magic and has made a huge adjustment and it paid big dividends last night.  The Sixers have been switching on almost every screen, so the Magic have started using Rashard Lewis in those screens.  It has allowed Lewis to have a mismatch on the block, and he is either abusing his defender or kicking for a wide open 3 when the Sixers sent a double team like last night.  Where are those types of adjustments from DiLeo?  The Sixers have made a few small ones, but nothing to write home about.  Why not dictate to the Magic, rather than play right into their hands.  Maybe use Young and Miller in post up situations more, since neither Alston nor Lewis can guard them down on the block.  That would make Orlando have to adjust.  How about letting Iguodala bring the ball up some of the time, so that if the Magic want to double they will have to bring that double team from far away and if they don’t Iguodala can easily penetrate and get the Magic scrambling.  I just feel like the Sixers are making it easy for Orlando, and from what I have seen from the Magic, if you make them earn it, they may wilt under the pressure.

-          Other than in Game 1, Lou Williams has been awful.  I am a huge fan of Williams, and I think he can help the Sixers in a ton of ways.  There are two reasons he is struggling: 1) He is falling into the trap that most of the Sixers are and that’s settling for jumpers; 2) He needs to get stronger because even when he has been able to get to the rim, he isn’t finishing when he takes a hit, and you aren’t going to get those calls in the playoffs.

-          In 2 of the Sixers losses, they have been crushed by the Magic on the offensive boards.  That is inexcusable to me.  Orlando is one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the NBA, so to allow them to get a ton of second chances just can’t happen.

-          I don’t want to make this a huge issue because it will be a discussion for the offseason, but can everyone please stop thinking the Sixers will go anywhere with no low post presence?  I am not saying Elton Brand is the answer, although I think he will prove to be a huge addition next year, but I think everyone gets caught up in the excitement of how good the Sixers are in transition.  Sorry to tell everyone, but if that is the only way they can consistently score, they have no chance to win an NBA playoff series.  It is another reason why the Magic have figured out an easy way to defend the Sixers and Howard can roam the paint.  Think about this series for a second.  Who would guard Brand in the post?  Lewis?  Turkoglu?  They certainly wouldn’t use Howard because that tales away his best asset as a defender on the weak side.  This is also the reason why I would like to see the Sixers post up Miller, or Young, or anyone who has an advantage on the low block.  When you are able to create that in your offensive set, it forces the defense to make a decision.  Instead, the Sixers hardly ever post up and allow the Magic to keep them on the perimeter.  Too easy.

-          I realize Dwight Howard is a beast, but I won’t accept that as a reason the Sixers aren’t getting to the rim.  He is on the Orlando Magic, deal with it.  Figure out a way to get the Orlando defense to move around and scramble.  Having Iguodala come off screens and then try and beat a double team himself or kick it to a guy who can’t shoot, won’t get it done.  You can’t play a drive and kick game if you have terrible outside shooting.

I could probably go on forever, but I won’t.  The Sixers have had their chances to upset the Magic in this series, but have not taken advantage.  It is disappointing as a fan, but I won’t sit here and make it sound like this Sixers team deserves to win.  They haven’t earned it.   But, the Sixers came to play and I won’t take that away from them.  I just feel like there are a lot of similarities between this series and the entire season.  The Sixers can go into L.A. and beat the Lakers, but lose all 4 games to the Nets.  They don’t seize opportunities when they are there, and in facing the Orlando Magic there was an opportunity.  I didn’t realize how soft and undisciplined this Orlando team was.  I hope the Sixers can come out with a great performance in Game 6 and then see what happens in Game 7.  In order to accomplish that, though, there will have to be some major changes, because at this point, Orlando is very comfortable on both ends of the floor.

It’s time for another installment of “Inside the Numbers”.  We are looking at the stats from the Phillies series against the Florida Marlins, as well as the season stats.  I think we are getting close to the point where we can use these stats to determine what areas the Phillies may need to address going forward, in order to make a run at a repeat World Series Championship.  But, for now, let’s look at another snapshot, this one coming from the first series sweep for the Phillies.  It was a much needed sweep against a team that started off on fire, was leading the division, and is now in a tailspin.

Phillies @ Marlins- Phils sweep the 3 game series

TEAM BATTING

29 for 112, 26 Runs scored

.259 BA, .380 OBP, .420 SLG

RISP

11 for 34, 21 RBI

.324 BA

STARTING PITCHING

1-0

19 IP, 20 H, 8 ER, 8 BB, 16 K, 3.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP

BULLPEN

2-0

1 Save

9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 13 K, 1.00ERA, 1.11 WHIP

VERSUS RHP

23 for 88

.261 BA

VERSUS LHP

6 for 24

.250 BA

BENCH

1 for 8

.125 BA, 4 RBI, 2 Runs

2009 Season (not including last night’s game vs. Washington)

TEAM BATTING

98 Runs, 5.76 per game

.262 BA, .342 OBP, .446 SLG

RISP

.265 BA, .388 OBP, .437 SLG

77 RBI

STARTING PITCHING

4-6

6.48 ERA, .322 BAA, 1.65 WHIP

BULLPEN

5-2

4 for 6 Save Opp., 67%

4.42 ERA, .217 BAA, 1.27 WHIP

VERSUS RHP

.262 BA, .337 OBP, .462 SLG

VERSUS LHP

.264 BA, .365 OBP, .377 SLG

BENCH

.222 BA, .310 OBP, .528 SLG

11 RBI, 8 Runs

There were some nice developments in the Marlins series.  The starters went at least 6 innings in all three games, and overall pitched pretty well.  Anything would be better than they have been in the first few weeks of the season.  This is something that the starting staff is going to need to do.  So far, the Phillies have the worst numbers from their starters in the league.  The bullpen’s numbers don’t look great either, but that is skewed by a few bad outings.  My personal opinion is that the bullpen is fine, especially when Romero returns.  But, if the starters can’t eat up any innings, I don’t care how good the bullpen is, because they will wear down in August and September.  Another good sign is the Phils propensity to get big hits with runners in scoring position.  The interesting thing is, they will fail in a number of occasions, but when they get their hits it always produces runs.  The Phillies are able to drive in a ton of runs in those situations.  We will continue to monitor the starters, because at this point that seems to be the key.  But, with as bad as the starting staff has been, to have a winning record right now says a lot about this team.  They look like they have shaken off their early season hangover, so now the 2009 season is officially on!

As the Eagles continued to stockpile fifth round picks in the 2009 NFL draft, it became evident that they would not be using all of those picks.  It seemed as though they would either be packaged in a deal for Denver Broncos Tight End Tony Scheffler or used to move up into the fourth round.  I don’ think anybody saw this coming.

The Eagles dealt two fifth round picks to the New England Patriots in exchange for 25-year old cornerback Ellis Hobbs.  Hobbs is an undersized CB at 5’9” and 198 pounds but he plays much bigger than his size.  He is a willing tackler in the run game and has surprising pop when he meets the ball carrier. 

The obvious question is whether this is a move to add depth to the secondary or a prelude to a move involving disgruntled cornerback Sheldon Brown?  The Eagles have already unloaded CB Lito Sheppard so there was a roster need to add some depth.  However, many expected that depth to come in the form of Jake Ikegwuonu.

The answer probably lies somewhere in between.  I doubt the Eagles have any active plans to unload Brown but likely want to safeguard against his contract dispute impacting the play of the team. 

By adding a veteran CB, the Eagles have effectively purchased an insurance policy for a Sheldon Brown meltdown.

The Philadelphia Eagles did something out of character in the first round yesterday—traded up to take a wide receiver.  Ironically, this was probably the only year in recent memory when the Philadelphia fan base was not screaming for a WR with the first pick.  Jeremy Maclin stands a shade over 6’0” tall and is close to 200 pounds.  While he is not huge, the comparisons to DeSean Jackson are off base.  Maclin is a full two inches taller than Jackson and has significantly more bulk. 

Where Maclin is similar is he is an explosive player with elite top-end speed.  He excels in the kick-return game and can provide immediate help to the Eagles in that aspect of the game.  As a WR, Maclin is still a bit raw.  From most accounts, he is a below average route runner that is better suited for vertical and drag routes.  He also struggles to separate from man coverage, something that could prove costly at the NFL level. 

With DeSean Jackson and Maclin on the field, the possibilities in the passing game are scintillating.  Both players have the deep speed needed to stretch the defense and an opposing secondary will have a difficult choice to make as to which side to roll the coverage.  It also provides the Eagles with a dynamic and young WR duo for years to come.

All of that being said, I don’t think I would have gone in this direction.  I get the fact that Maclin is a top-10 talent that slipped into the later stages of the first round.  I also don’t doubt that he will be a good player that will help this team.  My concern is that with the first pick, the Eagles should be getting a guy that can get them over them hump by addressing a pressing team need.  The current Eagles roster allows little room for Maclin to see the field.  With Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and Reggie Brown, it is unclear where Maclin fits into the fold.  With such a logjam at WR, Maclin will have a hard time getting the needed reps in order to make the impact a first round pick should make for a team looking to get to the Super Bowl.  The Eagles might move Reggie Brown or outright cut him to make room for Maclin.

Grade, B: Good player and an exceptional value at 19; but where does he fit on this roster?

In the second round, the Eagles nabbed Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy.  McCoy will see the field quickly as Brian Westbrook’s understudy and occasional backup.

When you think of McCoy, you need not look any further than Westbrook for a comparable player.  McCoy is 5’11” and close to 200 pounds.  On paper, he does not have elite speed with a 40 time slightly above 4.5 but the game film tells another story.  McCoy is explosive through the hole and extremely elusive in the open field.  And like Westbrook, McCoy has the ability to get lost behind bigger offensive linemen—making it difficult for opposing defenders to locate him.  What makes him an ideal back for the Eagles system is his pass-catching ability.  McCoy is the elite pass-catching RB in this draft and has very soft hands out of the backfield.  Again, like Westbrook, McCoy is dangerous after the catch with the ability to make people miss. 

In addition to serving as Westbrook’s change-of-pace back, look for the Eagles to use formations that involve both players.  It will be difficult for the opposition to key in on the pass or the run in a formation that involves both players.  Andy Reid is surely salivating at the possibilities. 

Grade, A: Excellent player that fits perfectly into the Eagles system and can help this team immediately.

Day One Overall Grade, B+: The Eagles appear to have taken Donovan McNabb’s appeal for more weapons to heart.  In Maclin and McCoy, the Eagles have added two dynamic playmakers that can expand the versatility and explosiveness of this offense.  Good first day. 

6:21: The Eagles select Jeremy Maclin after trading up to the 19th pick.  Maclin is a dynamic playmaker but a little undersized.  To be honest, I am puzzled with this pick.  WR was nowhere near the team”’’s biggest need and Maclin is not the physical presence the Eagles needed.  In addition, if the Eagles were chasing a WR, why not make the move for Boldin?  Maclin is too similar of a player to DeSean Jackson and ignores other more pressing needs at RB and TE.  The obvious answer is that Andy Reid stock to a best player on the board philsophy and Maclin fit the bill.

Poor pick in my opinion.  I don””t think that Maclin is a bad player, but not the right fit for this team.

5:34: There you have it Eagles fans, Knowshon Moreno is off the board as the first RB selected.  Now the question is what do the Eagles do?  Do they make a play for Brandon Pettigrew, trade out of the first round or stand pat and take the best player on the board?

4:55: Drew Rosenhaus told Suzy Kolber that he expects Boldin to be traded by the end of the first round today.  Of course, Rosenhaus has a vested interest in Boldin getting a new deal so he could possibly just be greasing the skids to get some draft-day chatter started.  But if Rosenhaus proves correct, we could get some answers to the Eagles plans in short order.

4:18: The Rams go with OT Jason Smith with its first pick.  Spags stays in the mold of his former boss Andy Reid and looks to build a team from the trenches.

4:11: As expected, Stafford goes with the first pick by the Lions.  He was greeted by a chorus of boos—sort of like another QB we know.

January 18, 2009. The day the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Arizona Cardinals in a bid to earn the right to play for the Super Bowl crown. It’s also the day that the speculation, analysis and rumors began all with an eye toward this day—NFL draft day.

Today is the day the speculation ends. Today is the day the Eagles roster begins to take shape and questions begin to be answered. And there are no shortage of questions. Will the Eagles take a RB in the first round? Will the tight end position be addressed? Will the Eagles make a draft day trade? Will that trade bring in a top-flight wide receiver to provide Donovan McNabb with the weapons he desires?

These are the questions running through the minds of nearly every Philadelphia Eagles fan.

97 days. That’s how many days Eagles fans have been waiting for this day all with an eye toward making sure a repeat of January 18, 2009 does not occur.

Check back here throughout the day as we provide our live thoughts on how the draft is unfolding and the moves the Eagles make on Day 1 of the draft.

UPDATE: Mike Misineli reported today on ESPN radio that Sal Palantonio informed him the Eagles have offered the Cardinals a second round pick in next year’’s draft and a third round pick in this year’’s draft along with Winston Justice for Anquan Boldin.  This begs the question on why the Eagles would even play games with offering a second round pick next year.  Why not just flip flop the offer?  Perhaps if the Eagles are the only team in bidding right now they don”t want to outbid themselves and are playing it cautious.  And the fact that they have offered Justice is just comical.  That is akin to me offering the Cardinals a 1982 Chevy Nova.

Updates will be posted as we hear them.

UPDATE: Accoring to Howard Eskin minutes ago on WIP the Eagles are the only team that has made a formal offer to the Cardinals for Boldin.  He does not have details on what the offer is at this point.

The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly lowered their asking price for Anquan Boldin from a first and a third round pick to a second round pick and future considerations. The Philadelphia Eagles are rumored to be among the teams that have expressed interest in the wide receiver.

With Andy Reid’s propensity for holding on to draft picks, it was clear that the Eagles would not be willing to part with a first and a third round pick for Boldin. But now that the demands have softened, will they change their stance and get a deal done? The Eagles still have the ammunition needed to make a deal for Boldin and have plenty of cash in the vault to pay him once he arrives in Philly.

The Eagles brass was unwilling to part with a second round pick for Tony Gonzalez. Will they take the same stance on Boldin?

Today we are continuing our Q&A with Scott over at Inside the Iggles on some interesting questions as draft day draws near.  Be sure to hop over to ITI to check out Scott’s answer to our question yesterday on what player has not been mentioned in any pre-draft speculation that may wind up on the Eagles roster.  His answer may surprise you.

To close out our portion of this discussion, Scott posed this question: Most of the draft buzz in Eagles Nation has surrounded the running back position. Give me the name of a sleeper running back you think would fit the Eagles’ offensive scheme?

Another good question Scott.  Probably the only two areas of significant need for the Philadelphia Eagles are at running back and tight end.  In what order those needs are addressed remains to be seen but there is little doubt both positions will be checked off before the draft is concluded. 

It’s unlikely that the Eagles will take the risk of relying on a sleeper to fill in as Brian Westbrook’s primary backup.  If they do take a so-called sleeper it would probably be as a third RB—possibly as a scout team player.  Scott already identified one potential surprise RB in Rashad Jennings out of Liberty that is emerging as a trendy pick in this year’s RB class.  For my sleeper pick, I am going deeper into the running back pool with Arian Foster out of Tennessee.

At 6 feet tall and 226 pounds, Foster possesses ideal size for an NFL back.  He does not have elite speed but he plays faster than his 4.69 40 time would indicate.  Of course, any back in Andy Reid’s system needs to be a willing pass blocker and a solid pass catcher.  Foster is both of those.  As a productive runner and an above average pass catcher, Foster would fit into the Eagles system well.

Foster is so much of a sleeper that he might not even be drafted and if he is, it will surely be on the second day.  His stock is being hurt by an arrest for disorderly conduct and underage drinking.  To me, that sounds more like college indiscretion than a major character flaw.  In addition, Foster had a poor senior year that caused his draft stock to plummet.  Had he come out after his junior year, he might have been drafted in the late second round or early third round. 

Despite his poor 40 time and lack of production in his final season, Foster has a real chance to be a productive player in the NFL and would be a high-value pick in the late rounds. 

Over to Scott for the final question.  We’ll go the conventional route on this one to satisfy our loyal readers: “Most NFL experts feel that the Eagles two biggest areas of need are tight end and RB.  Which direction will they go with the first pick and why?

Another Phillies series has concluded, which means another installment of “Inside the Numbers”.  The first stats are from the Philles series against the Brewers, in which they lost 2 out of 3 once again, and the second set of stats are the season totals.  I think we are getting to the point where we can start address problem areas for this team.  There seem to be quite a few, but I will try and zero in on the biggest issues based on the stats I am following.  It is still April so a lot can and hopefully will change, but it is better to identify a problem early and correct it rather than wait.  Once again. If you haven’t been following, these statistical categories come directly from areas of the Phillies that I identified before the season as possible concerns.  Statistics aren’t everything, but I believe that if the Phillies are lacking in one or 2 of these areas, it will be very hard to make it back to the postseason.  These are all areas that are crucial to winning baseball.  While it is easy to just check the standings and see how the Phils are doing, the whole point of tracking these numbers is that I believe it will be a great indicator of how the season will play out.  For example, even if the Phillies are in first place, yet their starting pitching and bench numbers are terrible, my belief is that we will see that come back to bite them.  Hopefully you are following what I am getting at with all of this, I know I can be confusing at times.  On to the numbers…

Brewers @ Phillies (Brewers took 2 out of 3)

TEAM BATTING

23 for 98, 7 XBH, 14 BB, 13 Runs

.235 BA, .342 OBO, .367 SLG

RISP

6 for 20, 8 RBI, .300 BA

STARTING PITCHING

1-2

15 1/3 IP, 19 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 13 K

5.36 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

BULLPEN

11 2/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 7 BB, 11 K

3.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP

VERSUS RHP

14 for 68, 7 Runs, .206 BA

VERSUS LHP

9 for 30, 6 Runs, .300 BA

BENCH

2 for 6, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, .333 BA

2009 Season Totals Thru yesterday’s game

TEAM BATTING

72 Runs, 5.14 Avg. per game

.263 BA, .333 OBP, .453 SLG

RISP

.259 BA, .371 OBP, .455 SLG

STARTING PITCHING

3-6

7.18 ERA, .333 BAA, 1.69 WHIP

BULLPEN

3-2

3 for 5 in save opportunities

5.04 ERA, .225 BAA, 1.30 WHIP

VERSUS RHP

.262 BA, .332 OBP, .466 SLG

VERSUS LHP

.268 BA, .337 OBP, .390 SLG

BENCH

.250 BA, .313 OBP,.643 SLG

It is pretty simple when you look at these stats where the biggest problem lies.  Yes, the offense was terrible in the last two games of the Brewers series, but that offense will be punishing teams once Jimmy Rollins starts to hit.  Teams who struggle at the top of the order, will struggle overall offensively.  I’m betting Rollins will be just fine.  The problem is pitching.  April is almost over and the starting staff has just 3 wins!  Last year, Jamie Moyer finished with 16 wins.  Let’s assume Hamels will build off a decent few innings against the Brewers and he turns it around in May.  Is anyone really confident or comfortable that Blanton, Myers, and Moyer are going to be able to pitch well consistently?  A lot of fans felt like this would be a year where Myers would put all his talent together, which would make the starting staff look a whole lot better.  But, have you seen a different Brett Myers so far this year?  I haven’t.  I feel like a broken record, and I know it is early, but it is extremely alarming that the Phils starting staff ranks dead last in almost every single major statistical category.  I can tell you right now, if that doesn’t change drastically, there won’t be any pennants this year. The Phils head to Florida for a 3 game set against the division leading Marlins.  Maybe being away from Philly and matching up against a very good starting pitching staff will motivate these guys to start to get things heading in the right direction.  People always say that pennants aren’t won in April and May, which is true, but they can certainly be lost.  I will keep an eye on these stats all season, but if things look the same towards the end of May, I don’t care what the standings say at that point, there will be trouble.