Before this month is out, the Phillies will probably do one of two things — either drop out of contention or keep fans on the edges of their seats with a roller-coaster ride through the next several series.
The euphoria of charging from two games down to two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves seems like light years away after the weekend sweep by St. Louis, which left the club in second place in the Eastern Division. Sunday's 9-0 loss particularly left a bad taste in my mouth.
A team can lose a game on any given day, but the Phils looked terrible against Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris. The hurler had such command of his breaking pitches that he caught a lot of batters looking at strikes or had them chasing pitches that were impossible to hit.
One issue that has been tossed about lately is having Pat Burrell play winter ball this year. The idea doesn't appeal to the young outfielder, but it may be in his best interests to give it a chance. It could help his career.
An acquaintance of mine used to scout for the San Diego Padres, and he knew Mike Piazza when the New York Mets catcher was playing first base at Phoenixville High School.
Vince Valecce was at the Vet a few weeks ago to visit with his former boss at the Padres, Bill Beck, who is now the traveling secretary of the Florida Marlins. Valecce told Beck and me that two winters in the Dominican Republic helped make Piazza a major-league hitter.
"None of the pitchers down there ever threw (Piazza) a fastball," Valecce said. "They were afraid to because they knew how far he could hit it, so all they threw were breaking balls. (Piazza) saw enough breaking balls that he finally adjusted and learned how to hit them."
Perhaps Burrell could learn a lesson from that book.
Earlier in the season, manager Larry Bowa expressed concern about the lack of production in the middle of the lineup. The weekend sweep notwithstanding, the meat of the order has picked things up since then.
Third baseman Scott Rolen has been on a tear lately, although he insists that it has nothing to do with the recent comments made by Phillies senior adviser Dallas Green in a WIP radio interview. He's now hitting .293 with 17 home runs and 80 RBIs. (All stats are through Sunday's game.) Barring an injury, Rolen could have close to 25 homers before the season ends.
Burrell has 18 four-baggers and seems to hit them in spurts, so he could also reach 25 by the end of the year. Bobby Abreu's improvement, though, has been remarkable. The right fielder has raised his average nearly 70 points in two months. He was at .229 on May 23 and is hovering around the .300 mark now.
"Early in the season, I was pulling the ball too much," said Abreu. "I was hitting too many ground balls to second base, and that made me realize that something was wrong. I looked at some old (video) tapes to compare my swing, and I noticed a big difference. My shoulder was up, and my mechanics were a little messed up."
The outfielder adjusted his shoulder and mechanics, and the results have paid off.
"Now I'm hitting the ball all over the place and using the whole field," he said. "I feel real comfortable at the plate right now."
Abreu entered the current series with Houston with a .295 average, 25 homers and 88 RBIs.
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