The Philadelphia Phillies lost their second straight game on Tuesday night, falling to the Angels 4-3. Their record drops to 17-20.
- Cliff Lee threw seven innings, and allowed four runs, though all of them were unearned. Lee gave up six hits, and struck out seven.
- Two errors from Cody Asche in the sixth inning helped open the doors for the Angels to score all four of their runs.
- The Phillies took a two-run lead in the fourth inning after Chase Ultey hit his third triple of the year to score Ben Revere. Utley then scored on an RBI single from Ryan Howard.
- The Phils managed another run in the seventh inning on a sac fly RBI from Carlos Ruiz.
- The Phillies offense as a whole however, was pretty mediocre once again. The team managed just four hits.
- Domonic Brown went 1-3 with his first triple of the year.
- Mike Adams pitched a scoreless eighth.
- Jake Diekman threw a clean ninth.
Final Thoughts
Games like this are why its hard for me to take the Phillies seriously as any kind of threat to make the post season.
We know this team has a faulty bullpen and an unreliable batting order, which are two significant flaws in their own right, but this team’s problems go beyond that.
They’ve got a lot of basic defensive problems in the field as well. Ben Revere and Domonic Brown have terrible natural instincts in the outfield, and Revere has one of the weakest arms in the big leagues. Cody Asche is an inexperienced third baseman who is just going to make his share of mistakes. Ryan Howard also has had well documented struggles at first base.
These weaknesses create errors, and errors help extend innings and give the other team a much better chance to score some runs.
Even on days where the offense is decent and the pitching is solid, it can only take a botched routine play for the fate of a game to turn around, and the Phillies’ defense has proven many times this year that its a pretty bad one.
The Phils have always be known as a Solid Fundamental Defensive Team
But this 2014 Club (along with last season’s) with it’s aging Infield Corp and below average OF’s are probably the weakest Defensive Team since the early 90’s.. Just a lot of holes on the Corners and up the middle where both Rollins/Utley don’t have the range they used to and simply cannot get to balls like they used to when they were in their primes..
It’s called Age & Inexperience which is not a good combination
Another Sleepwalk Game tonight..
Does anyone else think the Phils are throwing in the towel already?
Something has to happen here soon, where’s the energy, the passion, the grinding it out for 27 Outs we used to see .
This Team is not even fun or entertaining to watch..
It’s as if too many players are going thru the motions and waiting for someone else to make things happen.. A very boring Team
Whose Season is slipping away…
i don’t think its that at all paul… i really think big problem is production out of left and center. D brown i am ready to declare a bust… he has had ample opportunity. his 24 HR last year were a mirage. revere… likeable kid but wow– i enjoy watching a good singles hitter but he aint one!
the holes in his swing are enormous.
Ruf in LF and Hernandez in CF?
Also think that you have to include lack of production at 3B. I don’t want to give up on Asche yet, but Franco is starting to come on now. .328 in May.
It is hard to watch.