After Saturday night's 5-3 loss to Montreal, I was planning to write an obituary for the Phillies. Some might argue otherwise, but there were elements of Sunday's 10-8 victory over the Expos that could breathe some life into a team that still doesn't have much of a chance to win its division.
After Saturday's loss, manager Larry Bowa mentioned that clutch hitting was an Achilles' heel. After Sunday's win, he went off on the pitching.
"As far as talent, the one area that I'm most disappointed with is our pitching," said the manager. "There are too many walks."
Partly because of plate umpire Paul Emmel's small strike zone, Sunday's clash featured 18 bases on balls, eight by Phillies pitchers.
"I know (the pitchers) aren't doing it on purpose, but this can't keep happening," Bowa continued. "Walks are a glaring weakness. Let (opposing batters) hit the ball at one of our fielders. We're very good at catching the ball."
One problem with this team is inconsistency. Two weeks ago, I wrote that the Phillies needed to make up some ground by the All-Star break to stay alive in the Eastern Division. After taking five of seven on a road trip through Florida and Baltimore and two of three against the New York Mets last week, the team was within six games of .500 (38-44) before the 2-1 loss on July 4. Right now, the club is eight games under (39-47) and 16 games behind first-place Atlanta.
Bowa believes that the Braves have to start losing at some point — that it's inevitable — and general manager Ed Wade is on the fence between adding veterans to make another run for the title or trading players to give the prospects a head start on next season.
When the second half begins, 12 of the next 18 games are within the division, including six with the Braves. That stretch ends with a July 28 clash in Atlanta — just three days before the trading deadline. If the Phils aren't within breathing distance by then, watch for the fire sale.
Since middle relief has been a problem all season, it was no surprise when the Phillies sent Jose Santiago packing on Sunday. He was a workhorse last year, but he has been inconsistent in 2002.
Joe Roa is no savior. Although he was 14-0 with a 1.86 earned run average at Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the right-hander hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 1997 and missed the entire 1999 season after having Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic. Anybody could be an improvement in the Phillies' bullpen, but don't expect any miracles. Roa is 30 years old, and his major league experience is limited to 30 games, during which he has compiled a 2-6 record with a 5.40 ERA.
Getting back to Sunday's game, Bowa said he was most impressed with the team battling back after the Expos took an 8-5 lead in the seventh inning. Reliever Carlos Silva gets an assist for the win.
After giving up a single, a double and then a two-run homer, the pitcher brushed back Brad Wilkerson. When the batter stepped out of the box and yelled at Silva, the rookie returned the verbal fire, and several players emerged from both dugouts before calm was restored.
A few Phillies said that the incident may have sparked the team's comeback. Bowa didn't elaborate on it in his postgame comments, but he admires that kind of spunk in a player. Without saying a word, the manager quietly walked up to Silva in the clubhouse and shook his hand.
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