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Friday, two juggernauts of disappointment square off in Denver, Colorado for a 3-game set that will determine absolutely nothing.
Seriously, how bad have the Phillies been this year? The NL East has been an incredibly competitive division this season, with Miami, New York, Washington, and Atlanta all having competitive seasons (come on, Miami was in first at some point there), but the Phillies were supposed to be the reining powerhouse in the NL. They were the early-2000s Yankees of the NL - or, in other words, the mid-2000s Mets.
They've had their share of lumps, though. Chase Utley has missed almost the entire season thus far due to injury, as has 1B Ryan Howard. Shane Victorino is having a below-average season, considering his strong 2011 campaign. Placido Polanco is looking about cooked over at the hot corner. Freddy Galvis, the 2B stopgap for Utley, had a pretty miserable season at the plate (while fielding the position quite well). Roy Halladay has been questionable and is also hurt. Cliff Lee is having one of those "peripherals say he's much better, though!" seasons.
That all said, Vance Worley has been pretty good, Cole Hamels is Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon has been good, Hunter Pence has been good, and Juan Pierre is being Juan Pierre and batting over .300 in a slightly-above-league-average sort of way.
Of course, I would be remiss if I forgot to mention this guy:
Cooch is having one of those seasons. Batting .350, 13 bombs, and generally solid fielding behind the plate, and is leading MLB catchers in roughly every category except for last name length.
I swear, the Phillies do this every year. They have this rotation of their players where one of their big name guys has a poor season, and everyone wonders what they're going to do to replace that production, and then Shane Victorino steps up! Or Jayson Werth has a great season! Maybe Raul Ibanez clubs the ball! Who knows?! The Phillies keep having their complementary guys to the Howard/Utley/Rollins trio have these individually big seasons that keep the team afloat when they lose a Howard or an Utley and they still make the stupid playoffs.
But not this season, apparently.
No, Cooch's monster year is going to be all for naught. Cooch is typically a solid bat and good receiver, and thereby an invaluable player in MLB, but with the deadline fast approaching, one thinks that the Phillies have to be sellers. That roster isn't getting any younger, and a guy like Cliff Lee could make an attractive trade acquisition for a team near contention that could use another very good starter. Lee DOES have limited trade protection, but that doesn't mean the Phillies shouldn't explore the market. Similarly, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino, and yes, even Cooch, should at least be discussed. Howard is unmovable, and while Jimmy Rollins would be a fine contribution to a lot of teams, something tells me that moving Utley, Howard, or Rollins would end poorly for the Philly front office.
Stuff post jump.
Expected Pitching Matchups:
Friday, July 13, 2012 @ 6:40PM MT
Christian Friedrich vs Cliff Lee
Saturday, July 14, 2012 @ 6:10PM MT
Jeremy Guthrie vs Vance Worley
Sunday, July 15, 2012 @ 1:10PM MT
Drew Pomeranz vs Cole Hamels