GaryMrMets
06-01-2004, 03:15 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/8807492.htm
Posted on Tue, Jun. 01, 2004
Phils can't find their way home
Runners in scoring position often stranded
By MARCUS HAYES
hayesm@phillynews.com
THERE'S lots of ugly coming out of the Phillies since their off day.
For instance, after yesterday's 5-3 loss to the Mets they're 3-4 since resting May 24, having fallen two games behind the world champion Florida Marlins in the National League East. They've got four key players hurt and zero palatable options in the leadoff slot.
Yesterday, sitting on a fat sellout gate - "I couldn't believe we even started the game," Mets catcher Jason Phillips said - they had to sit through 3 hours and 40 minutes of rain delays to play the 3-hour, 2-minute game.
But the most telling number, the one that has bitten them worst the past two seasons, deals with hitting with runners in scoring positions. They aren't.
After surging from second-to-last in the league to the middle of the pack 8 days ago, they are since 6-for-57 after yesterday's 1-for-7 performance. That's dropped them right back down to just-better-than-Expos level: .219.
Of their three wins, one came with three unearned runs and another's difference-maker was a hit-by-pitch. Some attack, huh?
"Good teams do it consistently," said foundering leadoff hitter Marlon Byrd, who had two failures yesterday, including a bases-loaded strikeout with one out in the fifth. "We're a good team. I can't explain it. Right there, I've got to make contact."
He wasn't alone. Slugger Jim Thome left the bases loaded, too, when he ended the fifth, and left two on when he ended the seventh. A .309 overall hitter this season, his average with runners in scoring position fell to .140. Mike Lieberthal is worse - his RISP groundout dropped him to .102 - but he's hitting only .224, anyway.
Most of the 43,260 fans made it through the 73-minute rain delay that preceded the game. Few lasted through the ensuing delay after the third inning that lasted a whopping 2 hours, 27 minutes. Neither did either starting pitcher.
Brett Myers, whose lousy start (0-2, 6.64 earned run average) seems to have disintegrated after four outings with a 3-0 record and a 2.60 ERA, left trailing, 1-0. Matt Ginter, who held the Phils scoreless through his six innings on Wednesday, did the same through his three hitless innings yesterday - a two-game, nine-inning shutout for which he got no decisions (the Mets' bullpen and defense blew Wednesday's win for him).
The Mets' lead grew when Amaury Telemaco gave up a run each in the fourth and fifth. The Phillies got a pair back off Orber Moreno when converted catcher Mike Piazza booted Chase Utley's grounder to tie for the major league lead in errors by a first baseman (in just 23 games) to start the fifth. That led to a two-out, bases-loaded RBI single from David Bell to cut the lead to 3-2. Bobby Abreu walked to reload them but Thome popped out to left.
The Mets got those runs back in the eighth - cheaply, perhaps, but they got them. With Roberto Hernandez, the third reliever, pitching, Piazza reached on an infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Joe McEwing, who moved to second on a sacrifice and got to third oddly. Tomas Perez fielded a one-hopper to his backhand at short and, seeing McEwing running, fired to third - only Bell wasn't near the base.
The miscue seemed minimized when Hernandez coaxed Ty Wigginton into bouncing right back to him, which left McEwing in a rundown. The Phils got him out but had runners at second and third with two outs instead of being out of the inning. Mike Cameron doubled for the 5-2 lead.
"I had a chance to make a pitch to Cameron," Hernandez said. "When you're not playing well, the little mistakes get magnified."
Pat Burrell cut it to 5-3 with his 10th homer to start the Phils' eighth, but the Phils didn't even get another runner on base.
Which at least saved their RISP average from sinking further.
Posted on Tue, Jun. 01, 2004
Phils can't find their way home
Runners in scoring position often stranded
By MARCUS HAYES
hayesm@phillynews.com
THERE'S lots of ugly coming out of the Phillies since their off day.
For instance, after yesterday's 5-3 loss to the Mets they're 3-4 since resting May 24, having fallen two games behind the world champion Florida Marlins in the National League East. They've got four key players hurt and zero palatable options in the leadoff slot.
Yesterday, sitting on a fat sellout gate - "I couldn't believe we even started the game," Mets catcher Jason Phillips said - they had to sit through 3 hours and 40 minutes of rain delays to play the 3-hour, 2-minute game.
But the most telling number, the one that has bitten them worst the past two seasons, deals with hitting with runners in scoring positions. They aren't.
After surging from second-to-last in the league to the middle of the pack 8 days ago, they are since 6-for-57 after yesterday's 1-for-7 performance. That's dropped them right back down to just-better-than-Expos level: .219.
Of their three wins, one came with three unearned runs and another's difference-maker was a hit-by-pitch. Some attack, huh?
"Good teams do it consistently," said foundering leadoff hitter Marlon Byrd, who had two failures yesterday, including a bases-loaded strikeout with one out in the fifth. "We're a good team. I can't explain it. Right there, I've got to make contact."
He wasn't alone. Slugger Jim Thome left the bases loaded, too, when he ended the fifth, and left two on when he ended the seventh. A .309 overall hitter this season, his average with runners in scoring position fell to .140. Mike Lieberthal is worse - his RISP groundout dropped him to .102 - but he's hitting only .224, anyway.
Most of the 43,260 fans made it through the 73-minute rain delay that preceded the game. Few lasted through the ensuing delay after the third inning that lasted a whopping 2 hours, 27 minutes. Neither did either starting pitcher.
Brett Myers, whose lousy start (0-2, 6.64 earned run average) seems to have disintegrated after four outings with a 3-0 record and a 2.60 ERA, left trailing, 1-0. Matt Ginter, who held the Phils scoreless through his six innings on Wednesday, did the same through his three hitless innings yesterday - a two-game, nine-inning shutout for which he got no decisions (the Mets' bullpen and defense blew Wednesday's win for him).
The Mets' lead grew when Amaury Telemaco gave up a run each in the fourth and fifth. The Phillies got a pair back off Orber Moreno when converted catcher Mike Piazza booted Chase Utley's grounder to tie for the major league lead in errors by a first baseman (in just 23 games) to start the fifth. That led to a two-out, bases-loaded RBI single from David Bell to cut the lead to 3-2. Bobby Abreu walked to reload them but Thome popped out to left.
The Mets got those runs back in the eighth - cheaply, perhaps, but they got them. With Roberto Hernandez, the third reliever, pitching, Piazza reached on an infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Joe McEwing, who moved to second on a sacrifice and got to third oddly. Tomas Perez fielded a one-hopper to his backhand at short and, seeing McEwing running, fired to third - only Bell wasn't near the base.
The miscue seemed minimized when Hernandez coaxed Ty Wigginton into bouncing right back to him, which left McEwing in a rundown. The Phils got him out but had runners at second and third with two outs instead of being out of the inning. Mike Cameron doubled for the 5-2 lead.
"I had a chance to make a pitch to Cameron," Hernandez said. "When you're not playing well, the little mistakes get magnified."
Pat Burrell cut it to 5-3 with his 10th homer to start the Phils' eighth, but the Phils didn't even get another runner on base.
Which at least saved their RISP average from sinking further.