High hopes for the Phils
this season are slowly sinking

In the Batter’s Box
By Matt Godfrey

In a perfect world, a baseball season would be smooth sailing for your favorite team.
Reality, of course, has something different in mind. Every team has to deal with injured players, slumping hitters, losing streaks and just plain bad luck.
Going into a season, most teams are pretty optimistic about their chances. They like to believe they can overcome any soft spots. Sometimes they do. Most times they don’t.
Just consider the Philadelphia Phillies, who already have had to deal with more lows than highs in this still-young season.
First there was the slow start.
Then the bullpen issues.
The injury issues followed with Freddy Garcia, Ryan Madson, Tom Gordon, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers . . . I think you get the point.
The Phils countered all of that with a few personnel switches and charged back to .500 on the season, where they have been hovering for the last week or so.
The challenge now is getting over that hill . . . and moving on.
I’m not entirely sure that this team is capable of making winning a common occurrence, but the time is at hand for the Phils to either back up Jimmy Rollins’ preseason claim that they’re the team to beat or blandly take fans on yet another coaster ride to nowhere.
Over the past week, they have played like a team that doesn’t know how to lead. By that I mean getting ahead in the standings and staying there.
One of the sayings my old rowing coach used to drill into our heads was that you should never sit on a lead. It’ll give the other boats a chance to efficiently gain on you.
The New York Mets aren’t sitting on their lead; they have an eye on the other boats. They took control of the division early and keep moving ahead of the pack. They keep winning ballgames.
Forget, for a moment, the physical demands of sports. The mental aspect is what separates the leaders from the followers.
The Phillies of the last few years have grown accustomed to the Mets and the Atlanta Braves being so far ahead that they seemingly accept this fate. Which is why I pause now when anyone talks about the Phils chasing down the Mets and winning the National League East . . . or even chasing the Arizona Diamondbacks (who recently swept the Phils in three straight games) for the wild-card lead.
They’ve shown flashes of what they’re capable of doing, but it’s typically when Cole Hamels is pitching. Or when Ryan Howard comes to the plate and slams a pitch to remind fans that he’s still the player they fell in love with last year.
But a team pretty much achieves its success by playing as a team, and not putting it on the shoulders of one pitcher or one power-hitter.
For the Phils to pull off a successful season, they must shed the inferiority complex of the past and execute on the field, believing they have what it takes to catch the Mets.
The Phillies have to start rowing, and fast. It won’t be long until the Mets are a speck in the distance. ••
Columnist Matt Godfrey can be reached at 215-354-3113 or mgodfrey@phillynews.com