Phillies lose ground on western swing

Baseball Betting Lines

05/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the Philadelphia Phillies left the City of Brotherly Love a little over a week ago, they led the National League East by a slim margin. Upon returning back home, the club now finds itself second in the standings.

After a home win over the San Francisco Giants on May 4, the Phillies were up on both the New York Mets and Florida Marlins by a half-game in the division. However, a 3-4 road trip coupled with a recent seven-game winning streak by the Marlins now has Philadelphia 2 1/2 games back of Florida in the NL East.

The Phillies have been battling inconsistency all season, and their recent tour through Arizona and San Francisco was no different. Philadelphia averaged five runs a game on the trek and scored more than five runs in all three of its victories, including an 11-4 win to kick off the road trip.

However, the team scored more than three runs in just one of its four losses, and batted a combined .249 on the trip. Philadelphia was also outscored 12-5 in the final two games in San Francisco, marking the first time since April 18-19 that the Phillies lost back-to-back games.

"We definitely are not hitting the ball," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said after Sunday's loss to the Giants. "We've got to hit better than we've been doing to win."

Strikeouts continue to hinder the Phillies, as they have in seasons past. Philadelphia hitters have fanned a combined 268 times this year, the fifth highest total in the NL. The Phils whiffed 47 times on their seven-game swing, an average of 6.7 a game.

Not surprisingly, the Phillies stumbled on the trek with second baseman Chase Utley struggling a bit. Utley was hitting .357 prior to heading out West, but returns home with his average 30 points lighter.

Utley hit .167 (4-for-24) on the trip, and while he is still tied for the major-league lead in homers with 13, he hasn't gone deep in any of his past eight games, and has totaled just two RBI in that span.

ROLLINS RETURNS

Last season's NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins, returned to the roster on Friday in a big way, going 3-for-5 with a double, homer and three RBI in a 7-4 win over the Giants, falling just a triple shy of the cycle.

Rollins started on Friday for the first time since April 8, when he suffered a sprained left ankle versus the Mets. He pinch-hit four times after that, registering one hit, before finally going on the disabled list late in April.

"He was the hitting star of the game," Manuel told the Phillies' official Web site after Friday's win. "He's strong. He had a lot of rest."

The high-energy shortstop still has some work to do, as he went 0-for-9 in the final two contests of the Phillies' seven-game road trip.

Still, Rollins' return should do nothing but help the Phillies. In addition to his speed, big bat and slick fielding, Rollins also brings a lot of confidence to the clubhouse. After all, it was Rollins who declared the Phillies the team to beat in the NL East prior to the 2007 season, and backed that up with an MVP award and division title.

With Rollins back in the fold, utility infielder Eric Bruntlett now returns to the bench. After a shaky few games following Rollins' injury, Bruntlett morphed into a capable sub, as he ripped off a 10-game hitting streak shortly after Rollins went on the DL. He has a hit in 15 of his last 17 games.

To make room for Rollins on the roster, infielder Brad Harman was optioned to Double-A Reading.

WHO'S HOT

Pedro Feliz enjoyed a solid road trip, going 8-for-22 (.364) with three doubles, a home run and four RBI in six games.

WHO'S NOT

Ryan Howard, the 2006 NL MVP, continues to struggle and has now seen his batting average fall all the way to .171. Though he has a hit in each of his last four games, Howard still batted just .192 (5-for-26) on the trip and has just one homer in his last 10 games. Conversely, he has fanned 15 times in his last 10 games and leads the majors with 54 whiffs.

ON DECK

The Phillies play their next six games at home, beginning with three games versus Atlanta before a three-game set versus Toronto over the weekend in interleague action.

As a team, Philly is hitting only .235 against left-handed pitchers, not a good sign seeing as they face three lefties in a row against Atlanta. The Phillies will face Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0, 2.25 ERA) on Tuesday, followed by Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.03) and Chuck James (2-2, 7.58). Philadelphia will counter with Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 4.93), Brett Myers (2-3, 5.33) and Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.36) in that order.