Record since last Report Card: 3-3
Overall Record: 11-7 (1st in division)
The injuries keep coming, and the Phils play another .500 week. J.A. Happ hit the DL this week, Placido Polanco missed a game after taking a pitch off the elbow, and Juan Castro (J-Roll’s replacement) missed today’s game with a strained hamstring. On the plus side, J.C. Romero came back (and promptly gave up a homer to the first batter he faced), and Brad Lidge and Joe Blanton are both pretty close to making their season debuts.
Position Players: Not an overly eventful week offensively. They still lead the NL in runs, but not by much, and they basically sputtered along this week, putting up about 4 runs a game. The two biggest guns, Chase Utley and Ryan
Howard, had terrible weeks, and when you don’t get production from the 3-4 hitters, that makes it tough.
They continue to play really well defensively, especially in the Halladay shutout on Wednesday. In that game alone, Victorino robbed a home run, Castro made a great play to his left (that was finished by a great scoop from Howard), Utley and Castro hooked up for a key double play, and Howard made a diving play to his right in the 9th.
Grade: C+
Starting Pitchers: Much like the offense last week, the starting pitchers appeared headed for an A+ through the first few games, but it came apart a bit late in the week. Still, all in all, an excellent week from this bunch. Kyle Kendrick started it off with his first good game of the season, going 8 shutout innings. The masterful Halladay pitched his second complete game the following night, without giving up a run. And Jamie Moyer gave up no earned runs on Thursday. In those three games, the starters pitched 23 innings without giving up an earned run.
Cole Hamels ended the hot streak with a dismal outing on Friday, in which he gave up four homers. After a very serviceable spot start from Nelson Figueroa on Saturday, Kendrick followed in Hamels’s footsteps by posting a disappointing effort after a breakout start. He gave up a 5 spot in the 5th for a no-decision.
Grade: A-
Bullpen: This unit is heading in the wrong direction. They from an A- to a C+ last week, and the downward movement continued. The week started off with a stomach-punch loss in Atlanta, when Ryan Madson came into the 9th inning with a 3-0 lead, then gave up back-to-back 2out homers that tied the game. One of the worst things about that inning was the leadoff walk with a 3-run lead and, of course, it came back to haunt him. Atlanta phenom Jason Heyward hit the tying shot. I am NOT gonna like that guy. Jose Contreras came on in the 10th and gave up a walk-off shot to the first batter he faced.
The pen also finished the week on a sour note, today in Arizona. They couldn’t hold a one-run lead, with Baez and Herndon combining to give up 3 runs in an 8-6 loss. The pen does get credit for Saturday’s performance though, when they went four shutout innings to hold onto for a 3-2 win.
Grade: C-
