Can we really be at a crossroads after one week of the season? Well here we are ... Philadelphia and Florida: the corner of Slump St. and Closer Ave. Will it be the road less traveled, or the path of least resistance? Or will the Phillies and Marlins just be lost without a GPS?For the Phillies, well it's obvious ... in a season when they proclaimed themselves the best team on paper in the division, they're 1-5 after a 6-4 loss to Florida. The Marlins tried to hand the game over to them today with 11 walks (including four walks in the seventh), and the Phillies could only score four runs. They got only seven hits to pair with those 11 walks, only scored one run in the seventh inning after those four walks, and left 25 men on base, which is pretty disgusting if you ask me. And it isn't as if the averages for the week are that bad: Jimmy Rollins is at .304, Chase Utley is at .259, and Ryan Howard is at .217 but he's climbing after two hits today. The Phillies just aren't getting the hits when they need them the most. And don't get me started on their bullpen.
"It's a concern. You can't say that it's not," said third baseman Wes Helms, a newcomer. "It is only six games, but if you go 1-5 in the middle of the season, you don't look at it as much as when you are 1-5 at the beginning. We want to correct this quick. We don't want to get so far down that we have to climb and climb."As for the Marlins, their lineup is hitting their groove, and their starting pitching has been solid. But Jorge Julio is a mess. After a scoreless inning in a meaningless situation, Julio has blown a save, given up two runs in another ninth inning, and was pulled during a save situation after giving up two hits and a walk in five batters, as Lee Gardner had to come in and get his first career major league save. Julio's ERA is a healthy 16.88
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Julio will remain the closer, although he'll likely be given Monday off. "We've got to show confidence with Julio," Gonzalez said. "He's our guy, and we need him. We've got to get him right, and I think he can do it."Is it me or do those words sound like the words of a man who is privately worried about his closer?
Previously on The Fanhouse:
Jimmy Rollins is Confident
Jorge Julio is a Giver
