July 21, 2008

The Phillies went into the All-Star break leading the National League East division by a half-game over the New York Mets. 

The ‘Phils’ started off their three-game series with the Florida Marlins on the right with a 4-2 win, backed by the ageless wonder that is Jamie Moyer.  Game two of the series was highlighted by a slug fest courtesy of Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick.  Then Cole Hamels put on another great pitching performance in game three, which ultimately led to a no decision for Hamels and a 3-2 loss for the ‘Phils’.

So now, the Phillies are tied atop the NL East division standings with the New York Mets and currently the Marlins (as their game against Atlanta is in progress) are only a half-game back of both the Mets and the ‘Phils’.

With the division being so tight, these next three games against the Mets are extremely important.  The ‘Phils’ need good pitching performances from Joe Blanton, Brett Myers and Moyer and the offense needs to score early and often.  Some good news for ‘Phils’ fans:  Blanton has not given up a run against the Mets in 15 innings pitched against them.

Looking at the schedule for the rest of the season, the Phillies play the Mets eight more times (including this series) and they play the Marlins nine more times.  However, the Mets and the Marlins play each other 12 more times.  So by looking at those numbers, the Phillies may have an advantage since the Mets and Marlins may beat up on each other a little bit.  But can the ‘Phils’ take advantage?  That is the key question.

One bad thing about the remaining schedule is that the Phillies and the Marlins both have to make West Coast trips in August, which always takes a toll on the team.  The Mets have already made their West Coast swing, which gives them an advantage.

We can talk about schedules all we want, but what it comes down to is how the teams play. 

The Mets won 10 games in a row and my feeling is that their hot streak is over.  They will stay play good baseball, but they won’t reel off a hot winning streak like they just did.  The Mets lineup is beginning to click a little bit, especially Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.  Mets fans have been waiting for Delgado to come around after a somewhat stagnant first half of the season.  Also, Mets’ shortstop Jose Reyes continues to be very solid at the top of their lineup.

The Florida Marlins are probably the weakest team in the pitching department at this point.  However, the addition of right-hander Josh Johnson (who is coming off Tommy John surgery) and rookie right-hander Chris Volstad may bolster that starting rotation.  If Johnson and Volstad remain consistent, and left-hander Scott Olsen and right-hander Ricky Nolasco continue to pitch well, the Marlins become a very dangerous team.  With hitters like Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermeida, Mike Jacobs and Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins can hit with any team.

So when we stack the Mets and the Marlins up to our ‘fightin Phils’, what do we see? 

On paper, the Phillies may have the best all-around team, especially with the addition of Joe Blanton to the starting rotation.  But the difference between the Phillies and the other two competing squads in the NL East is that the Phillies have many more questions.

Can the Phillies lineup start producing runs more consistently? 

Will Blanton and Myers pitch well in the second half of the season? 

Will the Phillies ever score runs for Cole Hamels? 

Can Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick continue to keep the ‘Phils’ in games?

All these questions are questions that trouble many Phillies fans, including myself.  These questions need to be answers and it all starts with this all-important three-game set against the New York Mets.

Ari Bluestein's articles can also be found at SportsFanBase.com