Philadelphia Phillies Philes Vol 1.13: What is going on?

A shift atop the power rankings, plus remembering Philadelphia Phillies teams that actually played with zest in this rain-soaked edition of Phillies Philes.

Leading off

Wow. This week was absolute garbage. From not running out the ball, to throwing hanging sliders that get clobbered into the outfield seats, the Philadelphia Phillies collectively stunk up the joint.

In the midst of a six game losing streak and having lost their last four series and 15 of their last 21 games overall, the Phillies sit just two games above .500 and closer to fourth place than first.

Where do I even start?

You’re Outta Here!

For the first time in his managerial career, Gabe Kapler was ejected from a game. It all went down in the bottom of the fourth after Scott Kingery was ruled to have struck out swinging by first base umpire Mike Everitt on a pitch that clearly hit him as he was checking his swing.

Kapler, who was tossed by home plate umpire Chris Guccione, received a standing ovation as he walked back to the dugout. This after a hefty argument which included some good, old fashioned dirt kicking.

Unfortunately there wouldn’t be much more to cheer about after that as the Marlins came back to beat the Phillies 5-3.

Run, [Enter Name Here], Run!

In Little League players are taught to run after hitting the ball. Why then, for Major Leaguers, does that concept sometimes seem so hard to comprehend?

Cesar Hernandez hit a sinking fly ball down the left field line in the eighth inning yesterday afternoon, and instead of hustling out of the box, preceded to stand and watch as the ball dropped in for a hit. Mind you his team was down by two runs as he led off the inning after having lost five in a row. Rather than standing on second base, he was forced to settle for a single.

The next batter, Bryce Harper, hit a hard hit grounder towards the middle that was fielded and converted for a double play. Had Hernandez been on second base like he should have, the team would only have had one out with a runner in scoring position.

Then there’s Jean Segura, who casually jogged down the line after hitting a sinking flare into left field to start Wednesday’s game against Max Scherzer and the Nationals. He thought the ball would be caught.

Only problem? It wasn’t.

Had he run he would have been on second base with no one out. Instead he’d be left stranded as the team would go on to lose, 2-0.

For an offense that has been struggling to pick up runs, every opportunity is valuable, and situations like each of these need to be rectified.

Speaking after the game on Wednesday, Kapler called Segura’s lack of effort “unacceptable” and said he spoke to him about it. Hopefully the message sinks in across the board.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before…

Pat Neshek is hurt. Again. (No need to expound.)

And stop me if you’ve heard this before…

Roman Quinn returned from the injury list Monday. The 26-year-old, out since mid-April with a groin strain, has played in just nine games this year due to injuries. He began the year on the IL while recovering from an oblique strain suffered in spring training.

The Phillies could really use his services as the team struggles through injuries and unavailable outfielders. Loaded with talent and incredible athleticism, Quinn showed glimpses last year of how he can impact a game in a variety of ways. Gabe Kapler would sure love this versatility now.

Of course…if only he can stay healthy.

Chase Utley is STILL the man

On Friday night, the Phillies celebrated Chase Utley for everything he gave to the city over the course of his 13 years here. The celebration included  a brief speech, his old walkup music – Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir – and a final time leading the team out onto the field.

The sold out Citizens Bank Park crowd gave the former first round pick (2000 out of UCLA) a standing ovation as he jogged off the field. There will be many more as it’s only a matter of time before his plaque is hanging on the Phillies Wall of Fame. A Hall of Fame plaque could soon follow.

Most Valuable Phillie Power Rankings – Top 15 (through 6/22/2019):

1. Zach Eflin (SP) – Previous Rank: 3 (↑ 2)
2. Rhys Hoskins (1B) – Previous Rank: 2 (↔)
3. Hector Neris (RP) – Previous Rank: 4 (↑ 1)
4. J.T. Realmuto (C) – Previous Rank: 1 (↓ 3)
5. Jean Segura (SS) – Previous Rank: 5 (↔)
6. Scott Kingery (OF/INF) – Previous Rank: 8 (↑ 2)
7. Cesar Hernandez (2B) – Previous Rank: 9 (↑ 2)
8. Jake Arrieta (SP) – Previous Rank: 7 (↓ 1)
9. Aaron Nola (SP) – Previous Rank: 10 (↑ 1)
10. Bryce Harper (OF) – Previous Rank: 6 (↓ 4)
11. Nick Pivetta (SP) – Previous Rank: 11 (↔)
12. Jay Bruce (OF) – Previous Rank: 13 (↑ 1)
13. Adam Morgan (RP) – Previous Rank: N/A (↑)
14. Maikel Franco (3B) – Previous Rank: 12 (↓ 2)
15. Juan Nicasio (RP) – Previous Rank: N/A (↑)

“Ring the Bell” Award Winner of the Week

Well…I could give it to the weather for sparing us the task of watching horrific baseball several times throughout the week, but instead I’ll give it to the fine folks at NBC Sports Philadelphia who used those delays as a chance to remind Phillies fans everywhere of what inspired baseball looks like, as they aired the 1993 and 2008 Philadelphia Phillies video yearbooks – two teams whose grit and determination are lacked today.

From Dave Hollins playing after only missing two weeks with a broken bone in his hand (an injury that was supposed to sideline him six weeks) to Brett Myers battling C.C. Sabathia in the NLDS eventually leading to a two-out walk that would set up Shane Victorino for a grand slam, those teams did what it took to win.

And they certainly hustled, from Chase Utley sprinting around the base paths to Lenny Dykstra crashing into walls, there was never any doubt about which team wanted it more. No surprise both teams would play to the Fall Classic.

Nowadays it seems players are more interested in being coddled and looking for reasons not to play, which brings me to this week’s “Pholly.”

Phillie Pholly of the Week

Pat Neshek.

Yes, I could have given it to Cesar Hernandez and Jean Segura for their lack of hustle. Yes, I could have given it to Edubray Ramos for throwing a hanging slider that Victor Robles crushed into the left field seats at Nationals Park. Yes, I could have given it to just about every player on the field this past week as the team went winless in their most crucial games of the year.

But at least those guys were out there. As the team is fading fast, those players are at least competing, even if doing a poor job of it.

Back on the IL with a hamstring strain after tossing just 11 pitches, Pat Neshek once again reminded everyone of why he needs to go. He epitomizes “soft., and it’s time the Phillies sent him packing.

Trade him for a bag of balls. Trade him for a pack of gum. I don’t care, just get him out of here. He’s taking the roster spot of guys that actually want to play. Neshek is selfish, unreliable, and not worth the aggravation. He’s a good pitcher when he wants to be; the problem is – more often than not – he wants to be sitting on the sidelines.

Get lost, Pat. You despise me.

Phillies Phlashback

While watching those video yearbooks, I was reminded of so many incredible moments. From Lenny Dykstra’s outstanding ’93 season – and in particular, postseason run  (“Didn’t I?” off the Braves‘ Mark Wohlers) – to Matt Stairs‘ two-out, two-run pinch hit home run “into the night” off Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the ’08 NLCS.

As awesome were the memorable calls from Harry the K. With so many in his Hall of Fame career – from “Chase Utley, you are the man,” to “There it is, number 500 for Michael Jack Schmidt!” – his absolute best call was this legendary moment from October 1993 (see clip here).

It still gives me goosebumps every time I hear. (The Richie Ashburn “Whoa’s” in the background only make it better!)

On Deck

The Phillies host the New York Mets for four games this week. This marks the first matchup between the teams since this memorable encounter:

Afterwards the Phillies head to south Florida to take on the Marlins for a weekend set. Hopefully they’ll be there to win ball games rather than hit the beach and night clubs.