Kendrick would finish out six innings today, allowing eight hits, and four runs. Did he give the Phillies a great performance today? No not even close. But for once it would have been nice if a starter could go out and have a bad day, and the offense could bail him out once. But that wasn’t today, as Bronson Arroyo was locked in from the word go, and no one on the Phillies offense was able to step up, as Arroyo was able to toss 7.2 scoreless, allowing only five hits. And if that doesn’t sum up how well Arroyo pitched today, all you had to do was watch some of the breaking balls he was dropping in on the Phillies lineup, and the fact that he didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position until the eighth inning. Yeah Arroyo was locked in, and more than that, the Phillies lineup wasn’t.

And as off as Kendrick was today, in his time in the game he kept it within four runs and gave Phillies fans reason to watch after he exited the game. And then B.J. Rosenburg, Jeremy Horst, Phillippe Amount, and Chad Durbin gave Phillies fans reason not only to turn off today, but maybe not even come back and watch tomorrow, as they allowed six runs over the course of the final three innings to put the game out of reach.

Joey Votto delivered the final two runs off of the Phillies bullpen with his second bomb in as many days. Votto has reminded me in his two days in Philadelphia that with the exception of Miguel Cabrera, there isn’t a better overall offensive player in the MLB. Votto reached base six total times today, on four hits and two walks, while also walking twice.

Joey Votto goes yard in the ninth inning for the second time in as many days. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

And Joey Votto reminded us all today, not just how good he is, but seeing someone that good, and having the Phillies shut out for the sixth time this season, reminds you how bad the Phillies offense truly is. This is already the sixth time the Phillies have been shut-out in 2013 which already equals the amount of times that the Phils were shut-out last year, and it isn’t like the 2012 Phillies were offensive juggernauts.

Coming into this afternoon’s game, the Phillies had won four of five games and had given Phillies fans reason to believe that they may be turning things around. But it seems like once a week (at least), the Phillies deliver a pitiful performance like this and it just brings us all back to earth. A sad but increasingly real earth.

Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Friday, Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr spoke to the media, and addressed the idea of potentially making a trade in hopes of improving a Phillies offense that has struggled mightily this season.

 “I don’t see us making any trades any time soon. There’s too many teams that are in it, not enough teams that are out of  it.”

Amaro does make a fair point that, there isn’t much in the way of trades that can be done in May when very few teams are ready to give up on their season. But as these stats, courtesy of Jim Salisbury at CSN Philly show, the Phillies offense needs a spark right away if they are going to contend.

20th in the majors in batting average (.246)
24th in walks (108)
23rd in homers (34)
25th in on-base percentage (.304)
26th in slugging (.379)
26th in OPS (.683)
27th in runs per game (3.61)
25th in times on base (448)

Darin Ruf for many, including Jim Salisbury, seems to be a logical call-up at this point because he would provide some much needed power into the lineup, but Ruben Amaro seems to feel that Delmon Young and Ryan Howard heating up, is the spark that the Phillies offense really needs.

“Right now we have to be patient to see if Delmon starts swinging it. And Ryan [Howard] is going to have to start swinging it. If those guys do then we’ll be OK. If they don’t we’ll have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

Ryan Howard may very well heat up, but him getting hot still might not be enough to propel the Phillies into the playoffs, and I’m not holding my breath on Delmon Young at this point.

That is until now. As I posted earlier, Matt Barkley was at the Topps Football Station getting pictures taken for his NFL rookie card today, and now a video has surfaced of Barkley actually throwing a pass to second round pick, Zach Ertz.

Eagles fans got their first glimpse of Matt Barkley wearing midnight green today, as he posed in his Eagles midnight green number two jersey for Topps to create his rookie football card. It still seems strange to see someone other than David Akers wearing number two, but seeing Barkley actually in an Eagles jersey makes you wish Week one was a little closer.

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA Today Sports

In an interview with the NFL Network’s Albert Breer Friday, LeSean McCoy addressed numerous topics including Chip Kelly’s fast paced practices. McCoy had high praise for Kelly calling him “a great coach”, and explaining how the different looks that Chip Kelly’s offense will give opposing defenses will make the Eagles a potent offense in 2013.

The most interesting part of the interview actually had nothing to do with how to do with how the Eagles will perform on the field in 2013. If you remember earlier this month, Mike Vick tweeted and Colt Anderson confirmed, that Vick beat LeSean McCoy in a forty yard dash race after McCoy had been taunting Vick and calling him old. However when Shady was asked about the reported loss to Vick in the forty-yard dash, he had a different side to the story.

“This is a promise, if I can convince Mike to race me again I’m going to call NFL Network myself, so you guys can film it and you can be the judge, because he cheated. Mike is fast, he is athletic, but he can’t beat me in a footrace and we did it for publicity.”

According to Breer, McCoy told him off camera that has refused to race Shady a second time, so the chances that we will ever get to watch this race on NFL Network are not high. And with Mike Vick in a three way battle to be the Week One starting Quarterback, that is good news for Eagles fans. But damn, even though it proves absolutely nothing as far as playing football is concerned, I want to see if Vick, at this point in his career, can still defeat LeSean McCoy in a footrace.

The first two innings, were pitching centered as neither team got on the board, and the Phillies didn’t even get in the hit column. But in the third inning, Jimmy Rollins backed up his talk about how the offense needed to step up and carry the team, with a two-run shot.

Cliff Lee nearly hit his third homerun in two years in the fifth, but the hit fell a bit short and Lee ended up with a stand-up double as a consolation prize. Either way not bad for a pitcher. And the fact that Michael Young was able to triple Lee in made it easier for Lee to accept just missing out on a longball.

On the mound Lee was stellar again, with the exception of allowing a two-run homerun to Jay Bruce in the sixth inning. Lee exited tonight’s game after seven innings allowing only two runs and six hits, while striking out seven.

May 17, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee (33) delivers to the plate during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Of course the Phillies had the dreaded eighth inning nightmare to deal with, and because Mike Adams is still day-to-day, Charlie Manuel was forced to give the ball to Antonio Bastardo, which didn’t prove to be a very good move as Joey Votto hit a tomahawk shot off of Bastardo to tie the game at three in the eighth. Justin De Fratus was able to work out of the eight inning, and give the Phillies a chance to take the lead in the bottom half of the eighth.

The Phillies didn’t get a three run homerun, or a bases clearing double in the eighth. Instead, Michael Young got on base for the fourth time tonight on a walk, Ryan Howard reached on a swinging bunt, and Delmon Young got hit by a pitch. Dom Brown then ripped a ball up the middle which Zack Cozart made  a nice stop on and flipped to Brandon Phillips, who tried to barehand and fire to first but dropped the ball, which allowed the Phillies to score, and all runners to advance. As Jimmy Rollins pointed out after the game, the only way that the Reds were going to get out of the eighth was by Phillips bare-handing that ball and completing the double play. Fortunately for the Phillies, Phillips dropped the ball. The Phillies were able to tack on another run on a sack fly from Carlos Ruiz, which scored Ryan Howard. Let’s just say, the Phillies got a favorable call at the plate, because Ryan Hannigan blocked the plate, and Ryan Howard never appeared to touch home plate.

In the ninth, although he appeared to be a bit off his game tonight, Jonathan Papelbon finished off the Reds to get the Phillies a win in the series opener, and their fourth win in five games. And as an Irish Phillies fan, it was a great finish to Irish Heritage Night.

Tomorrow the Phillies will send Kyle Kendrick to the mound, looking to clinch a series win against the Reds and climb within one game of .500.

During tonight’s Phillies-Reds game, after a  riveting 15 minute conversation about why the announcers aren’t wearing their green shirts for Irish Heritage night, Sarge Matthews actually made a good point about how Shin-Soo Choo has been a great pickup for the Reds. That he has Sarge, as Choo is hitting .318 with nine homeruns and 19 RBI’s. Tom McCarthy then mentioned how Choo is an impending free-agent, which is a relevant point, but he continues on and makes this week’s dumb quote of the week “Someone is going to pay that young man a lot of money this offseason.” Shin-Soo Choo is 30 years old. In baseball terms, 30 isn’t old, but I certainly wouldn’t define 30 as “young man.”

This 30 year-old young man is going to get paid. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t know why this bothered me as much as  it did, but listening to this announcing crew is just wearing on me. And Tom McCarthy is in year one of a new five year deal. And you thought Ryan Howard had a bad contract…

If Greg Oden can prove that he is healthy, could Philadelphia make sense as a potential landing spot? Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you thought that you wouldn’t have to deal with a seven foot center with chronic knee problems anymore, I’m about to drop a bomb on you Philly. Not literally of course, and in today’s day and age I guess I need to clarify that. But today our parent site Fansided, did a piece on Greg Oden potentially making an NBA comeback, and the piece intrigued me. And the way my mind works, I have convinced myself that Greg Oden may be a low-risk high-reward type risk, that new Sixers General Manager Sam Hinkie should consider making.

If healthy Oden would produced better than any other player the Sixers could potentially have, unless it is Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, and indications are that Oden has looked good working out recently. Ohio State Foward DeShaun Thomas, had high praise after working out with Greg Oden according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 

 “Man, he looks unbelievable,” Thomas said. “He’s down there working out. He’s running, lifting weights. You might be seeing a comeback. He looks like he’s ready to go. He’s running, getting in shape. I’ll tell you one thing. For a big 7-footer that’s all he does — running and getting in shape. He’s looking right.”

Look I have no idea if Greg Oden really is healthy, and I understand that he hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2009-10 season, but Oden always was a defensive stud, and his offensive game appeared to be budding prior to going down with another knee injury in 2010. He would be an upgrade of Spencer Hawes on defense and in the post. And Oden is deemed to be “attempting a comeback”, so it isn’t like the Sixers would have to guarantee Oden much of anything, especially if the signing didn’t work out due to Oden getting injured again.

The Sixers are a team that with the exception of Jrue Holiday lack NBA starters, and if Oden could find a way to stay healthy or even get out of the court for 50 games next year and produce, he could prove to be a steal. I don’t know if Greg Oden would fit into Sam Hinkie’s plan of analytics, but I know that the idea of signing Greg Oden is intriguing at the very least, if not a very smart idea.

May 15, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) hits a two RBI double during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to opening up a three-game weekend set with the Cincinnati Reds, Jimmy Rollins sat down with Todd Zolecki, to address the Phillies first month and one half of baseball. The biggest point of discussion between J-Roll and Zolecki, was the potential that many long-time Phils (including Rollins) could be dealt at the July 31st trade deadline, if the Phillies don’t demonstrate that they can truly compete for the playoffs over the course of the next couple months.

“We’ve just got to make sure we do what we need to do before they blow it up,” Rollins told Zolecki.

It’s interesting to here J-Roll talk about the possibility of the end of this era in Philadelphia, because his prediction that the Phillies were “the team to beat”, prior to the 2007 season is what sparked the magical five year run from 2007 to 2011, that even produced a parade down Broad Street. Still Rollins believes that the Phillies could turn to the same spot that they did in 2007 when the Phillies playoff run began.

“It’s like ’07,” Rollins said. “That’s what it’s like. Pitchers go down. You’re like, ‘Gosh darn it, man. That’s not expected.’ Then our offense had to kick it in with some crazy numbers. It looks like that’s where we’re going to have to go.”

As nice of a fix as that sounds, Todd Zolecki points out the obvious-this team isn’t half the team hitting wise that they 2007 Phils were. But when Zolecki brought up that notion to the current longest tenured Phillie, Rollins showed off some of his old confidence.

“We’re healthy enough to be that good,” Rollins said. “We’re starting to have more good days than bad days. And that’s where it starts. Everybody likes to talk about little things, but what’s small and what’s little is actually big. Scoring runs, getting two-out hits, etc. — those are things we’re starting to do better, more efficiently. And over the course of the season, as the season gets even deeper, that’s going to be even that much bigger. So just because the record is where it sits now, those things get overlooked. But when you look at baseball, those are things that start turning and going your way.”

I think the consensus feeling around Philadelphia is starting to be that, while we hope the Phillies have one more run like Rollins alluded to above, it just feels like it is time to turn the page and begin the next era of Phillies baseball. I hope I am wrong, and most observers of the Phillies for that matter, but if I’m not I think it would be foolish for Ruben Amaro not to consider moving long-tenured Phillies like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Carlos Ruiz at the trade deadline if it helped the Phillies to be a better team in the future.