Series Recap- Phillies Falter Against the Inferior Rockies
The Phillies ended another disappointing series with a 12-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies in disastrous fashion. Chase Anderson collapsed in the 4th, and the offense was nonexistent besides from Bryce Harper. We'll get into that and more in today's series recap.
Back End of the Rotation
Deep down, we all knew this would be an issue heading into the season. Some of us tried to give Matt Moore and Chase Anderson a chance, but after a few weeks it is clear to see they just aren't good enough. Anderson started today's game well, but then self destructed and was taken out early in the game. Matt Moore has been on the COVID-19 list for a little, but he has definitely not shown anything positive in his time here. Oh, and I am not even going to talk about Vince Velasquez. He is not an option. So where do we go from here? The Phillies are going to have to consider all options. That means Free Agency(Cole Hamels or Anibal Sanchez) or someone in the trade market, which is nonexistent as of right now. The only other options are Spencer Howard, who has been coming out of the bullpen, or even Adonis Medina. We'll see what happens, but I cannot see Dave Dombrowski staying put for much longer.
Bryce Harper, Again
Anyone who thought Harper would have an MVP-type season this year is looking pretty good at the moment. Harper has been killing it lately, as I predicted in my last series recap. This is not a product of Coors Field however, as Harper is hitting these homers 450+ feet. Harper is hitting .338 with an OPS of 1.132, the latter of which is the 4th best in the entire MLB. His home run total of 6 ties him for first on the Phillies(alongside Rhys Hoskins), and has him tied for 9th(technically 2nd) in all of baseball. Stats aside, the dude just finds a way to get on base every time he gets to the plate. He has been drawing walks at a career high rate, and it seems he is striking out less. Obviously the rest of the lineup has to produce for the Phillies to be successful at the plate, but Harper is absolutely carrying the offense right now. Speaking of Hoskins, his Home Run total has skyrocketed, and he is now back to his hot start to the season.
The Leadoff Spot/Center Field
One of the largest issues to the Phillies failures in Colorado was due to the performance of Andrew McCutchen. Cutch is batting .154 on the season, with only 3 hits in his last 7 games to go along with 7 strikeouts. Not only that, his performances in the field really havent been great ether. I'm sure a lot of people had the game off at this point, but McCutchen made a complete misplay in the bottom of the 5th that allowed for a run to score. I am incredibly intrigued to see the lineup today, as I think there is a chance we could see Brad Miller in the lineup for McCutchen. Miller has seen little time this season, but when he has played he has been a beast at the plate. In terms of centerfield, not much has changed. Mickey Moniak has become the everyday starter for now, but that is more from a lack of options than performance. The clear solution here is to play Nick Maton the second that he is ready. Maton has been raking since his debut into the majors, while moving towards Phillies records. Joe Girardi said himself that Maton has been taking fly balls at centerfield during practice, so it really seems to be in the realm of possibility. There is no guarantee Maton's hot streak continues, but as of right now he is the best person for the job. We really don't know when Jean Segura will be back(he was played on the 10 day injured list around 5 days ago), but once Maton is done filling in for him I think he should get the nod in center.
What's Next?
The Phillies will continue on their road trip with a 4 game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Here are the expected pitching matchups:
Game 1: Wheeler vs. Wainwright
Game 2: Eflin vs. Martinez
Game 3: TBD(most likely Matt Moore) vs Oviedo
Game 4: Nola vs. TBD
Can we please get at least split here? Thanks.