I went away for a long weekend and returned to discover disarray.
One might suppose the Phillies three straight losses in Atlanta would head the list, but no. Rather, I am struck by the complete about-face by the Phillies’ alleged brain trust on the status of Gavin Floyd, who is being sent down to AAA. Charlie Manuel is quoted in today’s Inquirer as saying (I paraphrase here) Floyd needed to know he was starting every fifth day both for his sense of equilibrium not to mention his command.
Why is it every blogger, cab driver, hotel doorman and hot dog vendor knew this was the best decision for Floyd’s future weeks ago? Let us hope the two week misadventure in the bullpen didn’t completely undermine Floyd’s self-confidence. It is noteworthy the usually accessible youngster declined to speak with reporters following his latest disaster in a relief role. Ed Wade & Co. deserve a hearty round of boos for this blunder.
I didn’t see a single inning of any of the losses in Atlanta and can only rely on reports and box scores. They suffice for me to conclude that the other note of special alarm was rung by Randy Wolf. Randy is officially a major source of concern now. He isn’t fooling anyone with his assortment of breaking stuff and average fastball. Even our cab driver, hotel doorman and hot dog vendor could hit him now.
In less than two weeks the Phils have gone from an embarrassment of riches on the mound to an embarrassment period. In less than two weeks the Phils bats have fallen silent. In less than two weeks players have used words like “panic” in their conversation, albeit only to insist there is no need for it…yet.
1 comment:
You should be thankful you were spared of witnessing the games. Unfortunately, I saw most of them, and to make matters worse I saw the games with Braves fans. Fortunately they are some of my best friends and we were in bars at the time (numbed the pain).
Post a Comment