I realize that we are a whopping seven games into the 2013 MLB season and it is far too early to write off any team, well all except the Houston Astros that is. Even the Philadelphia Phillies who are off to a horrific 2-5 start cannot be ruled out, even in the ultra-competitive National League East; but after seven games there are some telling signs of trouble for the Phillies.
The season in Philadelphia started with great optimism as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley were healthy and the pitching staff was stocked with big-name talent. Ben Revere and Jimmy Rollins were being looked at for their speed and ability to get on-base ahead of the sluggers; however, early season optimism faded quickly as the Phillies dropped their opening two series against division-rival Atlanta and Kansas City.
It is painfully evident that the Phillies have some serious middle-relief issues as Chad Durbin, Raul Valdes and Jeremy Horst have been horrific. This lethal combo of soft-tossers have allowed 8 runs, 11 hits and two walks in only 3.1 innings. Not to be out done by his cohorts in the bullpen, Cole Hamels is struggling mightily as he has been hammered for 16 hits and 13 runs in only 10.2 innings. He has given up four long balls and issued five free-passes on his way to a whopping 1.97 WHIP.
Even with these obvious calamities, the biggest concern for the Philly Faithful has got to be Roy Halladay. His first two starts this season have been abysmal as he has surrendered 12 earned runs, 12 hits, three homeruns and six walks in only 7.1 innings pitched. For the first time in Halladay’s career he has posted back-to-back outings where he failed to get into the fifth inning, while allowing at least five runs. Through the firs-two games Halladay has an ugly 13.50 ERA and has struggled to find the strike zone with any consistency. He is walking hitters, hitting batters and going deep in the count against batters; all of which is very un-Halladay like.
Two starts does not make a season; however, the early results for Halladay are alarming. The stats speak for themselves, but anyone watching the now 35-year old pitch can see that he is struggling with his mechanics, arm angle and possibly even arm-fatigue. Halladay’s arm angle is much lower than it used to be and for a pitcher who relies on ball movement a low arm angle will flatten out the pitch which makes it generally easier to hit.
Halladay’s next start is slated to be a road start against the Miami Marlins. The April 14th game should be telling. If we see similar struggles against a weak Marlins lineup, then it is time for the Phillies to pause and reassess Halladay’s ability to continue making regular starts. If the issue is arm-fatigue then a quick trip to the disabled list will be needed, if the issue continues to be mechanics then buckle up and ride it out.
It might be too early to be in full-on panic mode in Philadelphia, but those knowledgeable fans who love to support their teams...so long as they are winning, are sensing doom. After the season home-opener which drew a capacity crowd of 45,000-plus fans the following three games have not been sell-outs and have in fact drawn less than 40,000 fans to each game. Granted the home-stand was against Kansas City, but the Philly Faithful have long shown their commitment to the team regardless. During the entire 2012 season, there wasn’t a single home game that drew a crowd of less than 40,000.
Already this season Ruben Amero must deal with a disgruntled fan base who aren’t shy about voicing their opinions and have plenty of options when it comes to spending their hard-earned money elsewhere. If the Phillies aren’t moderately relevant when opening day for the NFL rolls around then there are going to be a lot of empty seats in Citizens Bank Park come September.