phrustrated philly phan

The last act was the team fighting back into playoff contention. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley led offensively but more importantly the pitching began to get more consistent. Randy Wolf returned after missing 13 months because of Tommy John Surgery. He was not in top form but rounded out the rotation nicely. Even though Gillick believed this season was over, he never surrendered. As the team heated up and started clawing their way back, Gillick kept his options open. The first reinforcement came in the form of 43 year old LHP Jaime Moyer, a native of Soudertown, PA. Moyer was very consistent winning 5 games down the stretch for the Phillies. Then Jeff Conine came over from Baltimore to provide help offensively. Gillick also added Jose Hernandez and Randall Simon to help the bench. All these additions made for a very exciting last month and half of the season.

Cole Hamels began the evolution to “ace.” After Brett Myers overcame a dead arm period, he reminded everyone why he and Hamels can be a dominant 1-2 punch. Jon Lieber made his usual late season charge. Jamie Moyer provided a second veteran presence in the rotation. Moyer pitched very well for the Phillies after coming over from the Mariners. Moyer won five games down the stretch for the Phillies. He was also a great mentor for Cole Hamels. Randy Wolf returned from Tommy John to round out the rotation. Although, he was inconsistent, Wolf showed some improvement. Pitching was the major reason the Phillies turned things around during the last two months and allowed them to fight for the wild card until the final weekend. The bullpen had their struggles after Flash Gordon went on the DL with shoulder problems.

Ryan Howard put up some amazing numbers during the last two months as the Phillies challenged for the wild card. He hit 23 home runs and drove in 62 runs. Also he batted .387 in August and .333 in September. Quite impressive numbers that should propel him on to win the NL MVP. Chase Utley struggled to hit after his 35 game hitting streak was broken, but continued to play at 110% everyday. Shane Victorino provided a spark at the top of the lineup after Rowand broke his ankle in a collision with Utley. Jimmy Rollins also had an enormous final two months of the year.

The Phillies managed to pull a half game ahead of the Dodgers with seven to play. Unfortunately, this is where it all fell apart. Many skippers quit pitching to Howard putting more pressure on Burrell and Jeff Conine. Burrell and Conine were inconsistent in the job of protecting Howard. There was energy in Philadelphia about the Phillies chances. I think everyone knows how the final week played out so there is no need to write about the heartbreak. To me, the future looks bright.

Coming up: I will write about what should be done about Charlie Manuel and his coaching staff. That should be up in a day or two. That will be followed by articles about the infield, outfield, and pitching staff. Stay tuned.