Pepper

Two losses in a row to the Fish isn't the end of the world but the way the Phils lost isn't encouraging either.

The first thing to know about yesterday's ugly defeat is this: Hunter Pence should have been called out. The Marlins outfielder would probably have made that catch. Joe West turned the play into more of a controversy than necessary, but, then, Joe West always tries to inject himself into the action whenever possible. He's a bad umpire who made a bad decision, not "out or safe" but the review. If he couldn't make the call on a play he saw, why ask someone else?

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The Phils failed to capitalize on the opportunities they had yesterday, a reversion to their early and mid-season habit that is distressing.

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The Phils were due for a stinker or two given their impressive record thus far, but to my way of thinking they already had them in the two late losses to Washington. A team can "get things out of their system" just so many times.

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Chase Utley flirted with .290 a month or so again and has fallen off the table into a pretty ugly funk ever since. The worst part of all is he is know popping the ball up a lot or hitting shallow flies and when he swings he doesn't even look up to see where the ball is going. Instead, he just puts his head down and takes off for a futile run to first. His swing is awful right now and his confidence at the plate looks pretty damn shot!

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Placido Polanco looks miserable at the plate, too, and his fielding fluctuates between the sensational and the awful.

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Let's face it, Roy Halladay isn't dominating anyone these days. Indeed, he's only won once in his last five or six starts.

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Cole Hamels moves back and forth between dominant and hittable, especially the long ball.