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Written by: Kevin H.
The key to any lineup is for
the leadoff batter to get on base to set the table for the power
hitters. So far on this
10-game roadtrip, Marlon Byrd and Jimmy Rollins have been swinging the
bat, causing havoc for the opposing pitcher. The team has also started to run
more as evidenced with Rollins and Abreu stealing a combined 8 times in
the last 6 games. But more
importantly, the runs have not all come from the long ball. Including today’s game, which
the Phillies won 16-5, the team has raised its average with men in
scoring position from .196 to .213.
The roadtrip started last
Friday with a 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks coming from behind
in the late innings against Randy Johnson. Billy Wagner got the save, his
last save before landing on the DL.
With Wagner on the DL, the offense needed to step up in the
remaining games in order to minimize the number of save opportunities in
the 9th inning. Now
that Tim Worrell has stepped into the closer’s role, the ninth inning
isn’t as automatic as it used to be.
But Worrell has last year’s experience to build off of, a year
in which he saved 38 games for the San Francisco Giants in 45
opportunities. The days of
Jose Mesa seem to have temporarily returned.
 Jimmy Rollins’s
breakout game came last Sunday on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball where
he helped the Phillies beat Arizona with his 4-5 game. That game was a turning point in
Rollins’s season because both Marlon Byrd and Jimmy Rollins hit 1-2 in
the order and succeeded in that order.
The two young batters were projected to hit 1-2 at the start of
the season, but Manager Larry Bowa never turned in a lineup card with
both of them at the top. It
was either Marlon Byrd or Jimmy Rollins leading off with the other
hitting in the bottom of the order.
Slow starts for both of them in April didn’t help either, but
Byrd has been getting on base and has shown some power in the lead-off
position.
The first game at SBC Park,
formerly known as Pacific Bell Park, was a pleasant surprise as far as
offensive output. The
Phillies have a bad history in the ballpark with the Giants dominating
in the past 3 years. But
the Phillies really knocked San Francisco’s pitching around (whatever
pitching they do have) and scorched them for 10 runs on 15 hits, the
team’s first time scoring double-digit runs.
The rest of the series
wasn’t as offensive because let’s face it, SBC Park is no Coors
Field or Citizen’s Bank Park. Runs
don’t come easy, especially when facing a great pitcher in Jason
Schmidt and a good pitcher in Kirk Rueter. But as the Phillies have done
all week, they found a way to win the series.
The offense has been
impressive in Colorado, but what has impressed me most is the pitching. Eric Milton and Brett Myers have
stayed out of the big innings that come so frequently in Colorado. But the Phillies aren’t just
scoring runs with homers; hitters are actually hitting well with runners
in scoring position, a problem the team has had last year as well as
last April.
 Looking further
down the lineup (because it hasn’t just been Jimmy Rollins and Marlon
Byrd; someone had to drive them in) Bobby Abreu has gotten hot, hitting
.375 in his last 6 games with 2 home runs. Pat Burrell has been especially
hot hitting .409 in his last 6 games, raising his average up to .311.
With
Placido Polanco on his way back from injury, it will be interesting to
see if he reverts to the older lineup, but I will be surprised if Bowa
decides to mess with the lineup since its doing so well now. Plus Polanco has been struggling
all season, so batting in the bottom of the lineup may be just what he
needs to get back on track. Nevertheless,
the Phillies are getting into the swing of things.
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