It may be a bit premature to talk about a team being in a slump just two weeks into the season, but it’s not out of the question.
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley feels that his team is definitely in something right now.
"It’s a funk," Utley told www.mlb.com. "You have offensive slumps, pitching slumps and defensive slumps, and right now, we’re not catching the ball and throwing the ball that well."
He raises a good point. But to be honest, with the way everyone was expecting the Phils to begin the season — much like last year’s early 4-11 hole — the fact that they’re winning with some consistency is satisfactory to a lot of fans.
Not good, not great, but satisfactory.
After 13 games last season they were a miserable 3-10.
This season they are a more reasonable 6-7 and only a game and a half behind the Florida Marlins in the division.
The "funk" that Utley speaks of is more of a nagging problem for the Phillies than a glaring shortcoming. The defense definitely needs to find itself, which I am confident is only a matter of time.
Especially when Jimmy Rollins comes back and restores some order to what is quickly becoming a "plug-the-holes" kind of lineup.
The 15 errors they have committed in these first 13 games are rather alarming, ranking them behind only the Pittsburgh Pirates for the most in baseball at this point.
Expectations for the Pirates this season are nowhere near what they are for the Phillies, so that definitely has to make you wonder. And though the errors need to be addressed, there are some bright sides to this early season.
The starting pitching has to be at the top of that list. With this third trip through the starting rotation, opening-day starter Brett Myers decided it was time to act like the staff co-ace that he’s supposed to be.
After Charlie Manuel had to use the bulk of his pitching staff in a 12-inning loss to the New York Mets last Thursday, Myers stepped up.
He gave the bullpen a night off by pitching eight solid innings against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, giving up only three runs in his first win of the season.
If he keeps performing like that, the prospects for this season look promising. The other staff ace, lefthander Cole Hamels, pitched similarly the following day by throwing a dominant seven innings with five strikeouts and no runs.
The game improved Hamels’ record to 2-1. His earned-run average is a scorching 0.86, third best in the National League.
The relief pitching, with Brad Lidge back, has seemed to solidify. The bullpen has performed nearly every time it has been called upon.
In that 12-inning game against the Mets, starter Adam Eaton went six strong innings, giving up three runs.
The bullpen came in and combined for another 5-2/3 innings of shutout baseball before setup man Tom Gordon gave up his first run in the last five innings he pitched.
The offense has not yet kicked into high gear, but some players have been shining brighter than usual. Pat Burrell, for example, has continued his offensive rampage. He added another double and a home run to produce four more RBIs.
His batting average was .361, ranking him in the top ten in the National League.
While a lot of fans are talking about a blown call in Sunday’s game that cost the Phils the series sweep against the Chicago Cubs, the important thing is that the Phils have won their first series.
After losing series against the Mets and the Washington Nationals, and splitting their series against the Cincinnati Reds, the Phils took two out of three from the Cubs.
It’d be nice to see them take two of three from the Houston Astros this week. And then two of three from the Mets this weekend.
And on and on.
The road to winning the division is not about riding a huge winning streak. It’s keeping yourself ahead of the pack by approaching each series as its own challenge —and coming out on top each time. ••