Inconsistency highlights Phils' first half

Baseball Betting Lines

07/18/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies sure are a tough team to figure out. One day they can put up 20 runs in a dominating effort and the next they can put up a doughnut while struggling all night at the plate.

Despite the hot-and-cold offense, the Phillies entered the All-Star break in first place in the National League East, a half game up on the New York Mets. That edge, though, was erased on Thursday when the Mets defeated the Reds while Philadelphia sat idle.

With both the Phillies and Mets now holding identical 52-44 marks, the slate is wiped clean for both clubs entering the second half. And don't forget about the Florida Marlins, who sit just 1 1/2 games back and begin a three-game series with Philadelphia on Friday.

In hindsight, the Phils should be enjoying a solid lead in the division. However, going 11-16 over their final 27 games before the break allowed the Mets to get back in the race and the Marlins to stick around.

Pitching was thought to be the Phillies main concern this year, and at times that was true. After all, the club's Opening Day starter, Brett Myers, is in the minors trying to work out of his slump, while fifth starter Adam Eaton has an earned run average of 5.71.

On the other hand, emerging ace Cole Hamels is shutting down opponents every fifth day while 45-year-old Jamie Moyer and 23-year-old sophomore Kyle Kendrick have eight wins each. Not only that, but the Phillies bullpen has an MLB-best 2.71 ERA on the season.

To top it all off, the Phillies were able to acquire innings-eater Joe Blanton from Oakland on Thursday for a trio of minor league players. The right- hander's addition likely spells the end of Eaton's run in the rotation, assuming Myers can return from the minors and be effective.

"We've been attempting to upgrade our rotation and we feel like we've done that," said Phillies assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle. "We think Joe is a very strong, competitive pitcher that has the mental makeup to pitch productively in a pennant race. He pitches a lot of innings and takes some burden off the bullpen."

Instead, the Phillies inconsistent offense has troubled the club. The bats have scored 20 runs in a game twice this year and are second in the NL in runs scored (481) and homers (132). However, the club has also been shutout six times this year, or three more times than all of last year.

Ryan Howard is the poster child for the Phillies' offense this year. The slugging first baseman leads the majors in home runs with 28 and is tops in the league with 84 runs batted in, setting a record for most RBI at the break by a Philadelphia player. Yet, he is batting just .234 on the season and leads the majors in strikeouts with 129.

The good news is that the Phillies are a second-half club. Over the past three seasons, Philly is 133-89 after the All-Star break, the best record in the NL and second behind only the Yankees (147-81) in the majors during that time.

FIRST HALF STUDS

Chase Utley put together a solid first half that saw him bat .291 with 25 homers and 69 RBI. The All-Star second baseman is one of just four players in MLB history to hit a homer in five straight games twice in one season, joining Harman Killebrew, Frank Thomas and Barry Bonds. He is also hitting .295 (23- for-78) with three homers and six RBI since snapping a career-high 24 at-bat hitless streak. Utley is making a strong case to be the third straight Philadelphia player to capture the NL MVP award.

In a contract year, Pat Burrell is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. Burrell, a lifetime .259 hitter, is batting .275 with 23 homers and 57 RBI, and besides Utley, has arguably been the Phillies most consistent player. Though he was snubbed from the All-Star team, he is second in the NL in walks with 69 and is just the second player in team history to have eight or more consecutive seasons of 20 or more home runs (Mike Schmidt, 14). The Phillies are 15-7 this year when Burrell homers in a game.

Hamels leads the Phillies in wins (9), ERA (3.15) and strikeouts (126) and has embraced the role of ace since Myers' struggles. The 24-year-old lefty is holding opponent batters to a .214 average this year and has often been the victim of poor run support. In his six losses and five no-decisions this year, he has held the other team to three runs or less in six of them.

Closer Brad Lidge is the main head of the Phillies' solid bullpen. Though he took the loss in Tuesday's All-Star game, Lidge has 20 saves and a 1.13 ERA in 40 games this year, and has yet to blow a save opportunity. He has allowed just five earned runs and zero homers in 40 innings this year, walking 19 and fanning 55. The right-hander has converted 23 straight save chances dating back to last year and didn't allow an earned run in his first 17 games this year.

FIRST HALF DUDS

Myers tops this list easy. The right-hander posted 21 saves last year after moving to the bullpen, but the club's offseason acquisition of Lidge allowed it to move Myers back into the rotation. However, the 27-year-old is just 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA in 17 starts, having allowed 24 homers in 101 2/3 innings. Myers is currently in the minor leagues working out of his slump and needs to return to form as a starter for the Phils to have success.

Eaton is another starter underperforming, but with the Phils recently getting Blanton from Oakland, his stint as a Philadelphia starter could be ending. Eaton is just 3-8 in 19 starts and was at least able to keep his team in the game earlier in the year, as he posted six straight no-decisions to open the 2008 campaign. However, he has a 9.64 ERA over his last five outings, going 1-4 in that time.

Geoff Jenkins was signed in the offseason to give the Phils a left-handed power threat in the outfield, but the former Brewer is batting only .237 on the season. Jenkins is hitting just .109 over his last 64 at-bats, managing just seven hits in that time.

ON DECK

The Phillies will try to create a little breathing room at the top of the NL East with a three-game set against the Marlins. Moyer (8-6, 3.95 ERA) goes in Friday's opener against Ricky Nolasco (10-4, 3.70), while Kendrick (8-3, 4.47) follows on Saturday versus Scott Olsen (5-4, 3.77). Sunday's finale pits Hamels against Josh Johnson (0-0, 5.40).

After an off day on Monday, Philadelphia then heads to New York for a big three-game set with the Mets.