The Phillies aren't hitting. What's new?
They squandered a golden opportunity in the first inning, getting men on first and third with no outs only to score bupkas! The middle of the order wasn't even close to middle of the road. They were horrible with Jimmy Rollins "leading" the swirl down the bowl toward the Mendoza line. Three more years of J-Roll? Great!
Meanwhile, Roy Halladay suffered his second straight loss and looked less than commanding in doing so. Halladay hasn't looked overwhelming in at least his last two starts. In truth, he hasn't really looked all that overwhelming all year. Those Springtime rumors of loss of velocity, rumors which he hotly disputed, may not be so off the mark. It takes more than velocity to make a winner and Halladay as much as any right-hander in baseball over the last ten years has used movement, guile and an assortment of pitches to reach the top. That said, if his velocity is falling off, it removes one element from his repertoire and anyone who thinks it isn't an important element is sadly mistaken.
So, here we have a team that cannot hit consistently and a pitching staff that looked dominant a month ago and now looks eminently mortal today.
The Phillies are boring to watch right now. They're boring to write about, too.
