Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies were rocked by the Reds, 10-0, at Citizens Bank Park.

Charlie Manuel had just watched the Phillies turn a four-run deficit into a 10-0 blowout loss this evening at Citizens Bank Park. He had something to say about it. “You can get down if you’re not careful,” he said. “That’s what you don’t want. You’ve got to stay together. You’ve got to keep plugging at it. You’ve got to grind it out. Actually, that’s how you build heart and strength about your team. That’s how you become a team. A lot of times in the second half you notice we play a lot better baseball. And that’s because we stay together and we don’t give up and quit and things like that. Almost every team goes through periods where they’re down. If you’re not careful you will get depressed and you will forget about the main object and that’s winning and you give in and you quit. But if you’re good and you’ve got heart and you want to win and you want to try, just stay together. It’s not how many times you get knocked down – I think Vince Lombardi said it – it’s how many times you get back up. When you’re struggling that’s when you really stay together.” It sounded like he was saying the Phillies are showing those tendencies, getting down, getting depressed, giving up. “I’m not saying that we’re quitting,” he said. “Not at all. I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is we’re in that period right now where we start doubting ourselves instead of just keep firing. You stay aggressive and keep working on trying to find a good ball to hit and not try to overdo it. Just stay within yourself and do something. Just try to score one run. Do something. Just keep going. Never get down. Play 27 outs. A lot of times when you’re young and there’s not a lot of expectation for them they’ll keep playing and you’ll say, ‘Hey, they hustle. They battle. They keep playing.’ A lot of times when you’ve got a lot of experience and things get tough you kind of get in position because of how long you’ve played and how many years you’ve been in the game that you kind of look up and see the score and you say, ‘It’s going to be hard for us to win.’ That’s kind of a negative. Say we’re talking about hitting. You don’t give no at-bats away. I’m not going 0-for-4. If I’m 0-for-2 or 0-for-3 the last time I’m up I want 1-for-4 or 1-for-3. I don’t care what the score is. You stay together and you keep fighting. And that’s what you’ve got to do. But if you don’t well that’s kind of sending a message of what kind of player that you are. That’s how I look at it. Like I said, I played for 20 years. I’ve been on a lot of teams. Your character is revealed. They say the game builds character. I don’t know about building, but it’ll definitely reveal your character. Does that makes sense? And that’s kind of what you see. You’ve got to fight to really not go there. Once that you get there you’ve got to do some real hard searching to get back to where you should be and things. That’s what I believe.” A couple facts: The Phillies have been shut out six times in 43 games. They were shut out six times last season. They have scored two or fewer runs in 17 games. Only the Marlins (26) and Nationals (20) have had more punchless nights. They have allowed 10 or more runs six times to lead the Majors. The bullpen has allowed a mind-blowing 25 of 52 (48 percent) base runners to score, easily the worst mark in baseball.

So today was kinda crappy. This recap will be accordingly crappy, also because I couldn't watch (because, really, Fox, people in Alaska love Baltimore...), and I couldn't get At-Bat to work properly. So. Kyle Kendrick pitched somewhat less than awesomely, being tagged for four runs on eight hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out two, and those guys must feel especially sucky. As mediocre as Toolbags was, though, the bullpen came on and took a giant dump in everyones' Cheerios. B.J. Rosenberg, called up to solve all the problems, recorded four outs, but allowed four hits, a walk, and three runs. Phillippe Aumont gave up two hits and a run; and Chad Durbin, pitching where he belongs in garbagetime, allowed two more runs on two hits. Bronson Arroyo, on the other hand, pitched exactly like we expected. He was like Nolan Cy Johnson Koufax Halladay Martinez Clemens Johnson Carlton Maddux Grove Alexander. He was lights out. Four hundred strikeouts, zero hits, negative seven runs, Arroyo did it all. The Phillies offense can be excused for failing to produce against the Greatest Pitcher of All Time; but still, today's performance was unpleasant. Jimmy Rollins went 1 for 3 with a walk; Domonic Brown went 2 for 4, including a double that he failed to stretch into a triple (you know, guys, maybe just stop that?); and Michael Young, Ryan Howard and Erik Kratz each recorded a hit. That's about it. Everyone else kind of sucked. Chase Utley drew a walk, but made out on the first pitch a few times and looked bad. I dunno. Scott Franzke mentioned something interesting on the radio. When Sarge Matthews is in the radio booth, the Phillies have been outscored 30-2 this year. Thirty to two. Maybe Continued Success should go sit in with the other team? Charlie described the game thusly on the post-game press conference: When you lose, like, and uh, uh, you, like, forget about the goal, like, which is winnin' and things like that. And you kinda lose heart and stop trying and things like that. I'm not saying that we quit, that's not at all, not at all, but I'm saying like that were in that area where we like stop trying, and things like that. Gotta try to just keep going, and, uh, just stop trying to do too much and things like that, try to get a pitch to drive and like just score some runs; but you gotta play the whole game and things like that, all 27 outs. I don't care what the score is, and things like that, you just keep fighting and things like that, whether its 0 for 2 or 0 for 4, you I've been playing for 20 years, and things like that, and you gotta fight to really not go there, and do some really hard searching to get back there, and that's what I believe. You tell 'em, Chuck. Anyway, that's about it. Fangraph of Ineptitude: The Phils drop to 20-23, which is the moral equivalent of being a billion games out of first. They'll try to lose in less embarrassing fashion tomorrow by sending Baby Bone to the mound against the Reds' Homer Bailey.

You could say that Kyle Kendrick kept the Phillies in the game on a cloudy, drizzly afternoon in which he did not have his best stuff or command. Then the beleagured bullpen put a match to it.

Kyle Kendrick was due for lackluster outing, and that’s just what he had today. (Photo: AP) On April 15, Bronson Arroyo dominated the Phillies for eight innings in Cincinnati, allowing just two runs and five hits in a deflating 4-2 defeat. Today’s ballgame felt eerily similar to the one that took place at Great American Ballpark last month, only this time the Reds more than doubled their output, while the Phillies didn’t bother scoring any runs–though they did equal their five hits–in an 10-0 defeat. The damp weather was a perfect accompaniment to the sleepy feeling this game had, a long and painful loss. The game got away from the Phils quickly. The Reds went up early, and the bats never had an answer for Arroyo. It was the perfect formula for a dull drubbing, the Reds asserting their will over an overmatched Phillies team. KENDRICK’S STREAK COMES TO AN END Kyle Kendrick hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any start since he allowed five to the Royals in his 2013 debut. That streak swiftly came to an end today when he served up a second inning meatball to Ryan Hanigan, who sent it into the seats in left to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. The homer looked to be a portentous sign of how things would go for Kendrick today. He would calm down, though. And while Kendrick didn’t pitch a great game–the Reds hit a lot of balls hard off him–he did manage to limit the runs after Hanigan’s long ball. In fact, I’d even argue that the fourth run Kendrick allowed was more on bad managing than Kendrick himself. It looked like he’d be lifted for a pinch hitter after five when he had over 90 pitches, but Charlie Manuel inexplicably let him hit with a runner on first and two outs in the fifth. Kendrick struck out to end the inning, and went on to allow another run in the sixth. There was absolutely no reason to let Kendrick pitch in that spot and it cost the Phils a run–not that it would matter in the end. Kendrick’s final line looked like this: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. It was no doubt a battle for KK, as he failed to record a single 1-2-3 inning. A definite throwaway game. BLAME STALE OFFENSE ON THE RAIN… …or bad at-bats and a complete lack of power. Whichever you decide is the culprit (it’s the latter), one thing is for sure: This Phillies offense has not been getting the job done, and it’s become quite a nuisance. So far this season, the Phils have been shutout a whopping six times–as many as they had all of last season. That’s simply not acceptable, especially because in three of those shutouts, the other team scored four runs or less. Arroyo is the latest pitcher to find success later in his career by becoming a softballer, and it’s a technique the Phils really struggle with. For the second time this season, he dominated them deep into the game, unleashing a plethora of curveballs and sliders to keep the fastball-inclined Phillies off balance. It wasn’t as though Arroyo was unhittable– he threw strikes, but the Phils just couldn’t square any balls up. The hardest hit ball of the day came from Domonic Brown–who went 2-for-4, making him the only Phillie with multiple hits–on a double down the right field line. Brown was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. That was about as exciting as it got for the offense. The Phillies one through five hitters went a cool 3-for-15 with two singles and a double. That statistic pretty much speaks for itself. BULLPEN LETS REDS PILE ON A combination of B.J. Rosenberg, Phillippe Aumont and Chad Durbin would be the bullpen goats on this day, combining to allow six runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively. The extra runs were painful to watch, the bullpen clearly not capable of consistently getting outs. Today’s loss was a complete team effort, every facet pitching in to ensure a negative outcome. UP NEXT - The

Obviously, Reading isn’t much of a team to watch right now with the obvious exception of number one prospect Jesse Biddle. On the other hand, Clearwater is a very exciting team to watch right now, with a bunch of talented youngsters. While it’s only May, you have to that somebody will get a call-up to Reading from Clearwater sooner or later. I’m not sure who, but I have a few possibilities in mind. Pitching Perci Garner- Garner has had an unexpectedly great season so far. As of now, he’s 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA. Not bad. But there has been one big problem- his control. So far through 47.2 innings pitched, he’s given away 20 free passes. Thankfully, he’s been able to limit the damage by keeping the ball in the park, only giving up 2 homers. While Garner has pitched well, the Phillies should wait a bit to see if they can sort his control problems out. Gabriel Arias- another pitcher who has been pretty dominant so far. 5-1 with a sparkling 1.69 ERA, Arias started off the season as a reliever, but he’s recently started starting for Clearwater. All of his numbers look good right now- WHIP (1.125) HR/9 (.4) BB/9 (2.5) K/9 (7.0). Case in point- if Arias keeps pitching like he has been, a June/July call-up would definitely seem likely. Hitters Maikel Franco- it’s hard not to be impressed with Franco. This year, he’s overcome his usual early-season slump, notching 8 homers (25 XBH) and 32 RBI. Furthermore, Franco is hitting .291/.341/.557. All the numbers are impressive, but the Phillies should take their time with Franco- let me remind you that he’s still only 20. Kelly Dugan- Dugan was injured to start the season, but now that he’s playing again, he’s tearing the cover off of the baseball. In 79 PA, he’s hitting .307/.359/.500 with 3 homers and 12 RBI. However, if you look at his stats more closely, you’ll find some uglier ones. As of now, he has 3 walks compared to 20 strikeouts. To say the least, that’s not too good of a ratio.  Dugan has missed a lot of time with injuries, so he’ll need to accelerate his way through the system faster than Franco will have to. But I’d keep Dugan in Clearwater only if tomake sure this isn’t a hot streak, as this is his first year in A+ ball. Cameron Perkins- In a team full of hot hitters, Perkins may be the hottest of them all. The 6’5″ 195 pound outfielder has been on fire, hitting .361/.383/.561. While his lack of walks (5) has been discouraging, he’s partially made up for it with his lack of strikeouts (19). For safe measure, he’s added on 3 HR and 3 SB.  Like many others on this team, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a mid-summer call-up. Aaron Altherr- another 6’5″ outfielder, Altherr has been ripping as of late. Altherr is hitting .333/.393/.566 with 4 homers, 8 stolen bases, and 25 RBI. A toolsy outfielder, this seems to be the year that Altherr is pulling everything together.  It’s unlikely that Altherr is called up this summer as the Phillies organization will want to make sure this isn’t a case of somebody catching lightning in a bottle. For the most part, it seems as if the prevalent theme with these guys is that a mid-summer call-up is most likely, unless injuries force the organization’s hand.

Michael Young played a critical role in the Phillies’ 5-3 victory last night against the Reds. He hit a two-out triple to score Cliff Lee in the fifth inning to give the Phillies a three-run lead. He then turned a 10-pitch at-bat in the eighth inning into his third walk of the game, which sparked a two-run rally. Young has walked 22 times this season, which is tied for seventh in the National League. His .399 on-base percentage is eighth. Young walked just 33 times last season. He walked a career-high 58 times in 2005. “I’ve made an effort to really make sure I lock into the strike zone,” Young said. “Right now the walks are up. Last year they were probably really low for me, too. I don’t think necessarily think last year was indicative of how much I’ve walked. I’ve never really walked a ton of times in my career, but the goal is still the same: get a good pitch to hit and hit it as hard as I possibly can. But at the same time, if there’s something outside the strike zone I don’t want to bite on it.” Young, who has grounded into 10 double plays to tie for the league lead with Matt Holliday, has showed a little more power recently, too. He had just four extra-base hits in his first 95 at-bats through May 1, but has five in his last 41.

What was most confusing about Charlie Manuel’s post game press conference last night was the chuckles. May 17, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) celebrates scoring beating the tag of Cincinnati Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan (29) during the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Reds 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports He smiled, he answered questions, he read the lineup; probably mispronounced a word or two.  But when he chuckled, he seemed to indicate the idea that preceded his actions was laughable; impossible; ridiculous. Let’s back up for a moment.  The Phillies lost their lead last evening when Antonio Bastardo entered the game.  Not literally when he entered – that would be insane.  But about 60 seconds after he entered the game and threw his second pitch, Joey Votto quite easily took him deep. This put the Phillies in a 3-3 stalemate, and required them to **gasp** score more runs to win the game.  How would they do this?  Was a miraculous comeback victory in the works? Sort of! It was through a Michael Young walk, a Ryan Howard swinging bunt, a Delmon Young HBP, a Domonic Brown reached-on-error, and a blown call at the plate by the umpire that the Phillies quite involuntarily took a two run lead and wound up winning the game. So let’s zero in on what Charlie was talking about – Howard’s bunt.  For years and year, we’ve asked: What if Howard responded to the shift by bunting away from it? “Just once,” even people smarter than me have wondered out loud.  ”I’d like to see him try it.” He never did.  And I’m sure it was never considered.  After all, he’s a power hitter. Lord knows he can’t do anything but hit for power up there.  Or, you know.  Strike out humiliatingly. May 12, 2013; Phoenix AZ, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel (41) inside the dugout prior to the game against Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports Last night, we saw what happened.  The bunt even caught Howard off guard.  But he reached, bum ACL and all.  He was aided by the infielder not successfully getting the ball out of his glove, but it was a success, and indicated at least a few times in the future, were he to try it again, he might get away with it.  Other teams must be so ingrained with him not even considering a bunt that they hesitate in shock. But Charlie nipped that in the bud last night, suggesting “That’s how you beat the shift.”  Then laughing and making sure everyone knew he was kidding. “Some people think you might be serious right now,” one reporter suggested. “Actually, if he’d get a bunch of hits, I would be serious,” Manuel replied, his finger twisting in his ear. “Yeah?” “No,” Charlie said with another laugh.  ”No.”

Cincinnati Reds (25-17) at Philadelphia Phillies (20-22) Bronson Arroyo (3-4, 3.76) vs. Kyle Kendrick (4-1, 2.47) TIME: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park TV: Fox Weather: 70, cloudy Media: Twitter and Facebook BIG Z UPDATE: Carlos Zambrano made his debut in extended Spring Training today, throwing two innings, allowing one hit and striking out five. A pretty good return to professional baseball for Big Z. With last night’s win, this series is already going better for the Phillies than the one they played last month, when the Reds swept them out of Cincinnati. It’s been a struggle to get back to.500 for the Phils, but with ace Kyle Kendrick on the mound, they could actually pull to within one game of that mark for the first time since April 15 when they were 6-7. Kendrick has pitched at least seven innings and allowed two runs or less in his last four starts, and five of his last six. In fact, since his rocky 2013 debut, he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any start. Against the Reds, he has posted a career 4.19 ERA, but much of that came when he was a less seasoned pitcher. He hasn’t started against the Reds since July of 2010. He’ll have his work cut out for him against a Reds lineup that is third in the NL in runs scored. It’s the rock star, Bronson Arroyo, on the bump for Cincy. Hard to believe the 37-year old is still pitching the way he is, as he’s consistently given the Reds solid seasons over the course of his 30s. But even at 3.76, Arroyo has the highest ERA of any Reds starter. The Phils need to get to this guy. Over the course of his career, Arroyo’s had trouble when facing Philly, posting a 6.00 ERA. Surprisingly, much of that has been done is his home ballparks, as his ERA is a very respectable 3.33 when pitching at CBP. John Mayberry gets the start in center for the fourth consecutive game, while Erik Kratz gets a look behind the plate. Lineup: Rollins SS, Utley 2B, M. Young 3B, Howard 1B, D. Young RF, Brown LF, Mayberry CF, Kratz C, Kendrick P GAMEDAY BEER: Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre The box on this brew from Dogfish Head proclaims, “American beer of the year!” I’m too lazy to verify whether that’s actually true or not, but I can tell you the Raison D’Etre is one hell of a craft beer. It’s a mahogany ale, brewed with Belgian beer and green raisins. Like most Dogfish Head selections, it’s got a rich flavor and is quite heavy. At 8% alcohol by volume, it’s a great beer to get your night started. Enjoy! – RD

For those of you on the Darin Ruf bandwagon, it sounds like you’ll have to wait a while longer until he gets another chance in Philadelphia. And rightfully so. “I don't know where he is going to play, not right now,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “… we have to be fairly patient. Everybody wants to make moves today. We can still be somewhat patient.” Many people complain about Ryan Howard’s strikeouts. I get the frustration. He entered play on Saturday tied for the fifth-most strikeouts in the N.L. (46 in 147 at-bats). But Ruf’s really no better in that department. His 44 strikeouts (also in 147 at-bats) are tied for sixth-most in the International League. One of the biggest differences, stat-wise, is their on-base percentage. Howard’s sits at .283 (he’s walked only nine times). Ruf’s isn’t great, but it is a much more respectable .351 (he’s walked 17 times). Keep in mind: While Howard has had his struggles, he does have proven success in the big leagues. Ruf doesn’t. He has appeared in only 12 major league games. Plus, do you really think the team is ready to bench the 33-year-old Howard, who is in the middle of a five-year, $125 million contract? “He's getting a little bit better,” Amaro said of Ruf. “He's improving. He had a slow start and he got hot for a while. He's cooled off a little bit now. He's on the radar screen.” I agree that at some point he should be called up. But I’m actually with Amaro on this one. This isn’t the time for Ruf right now.