We are now 7 games into the 2014 Philadelphia Phillies season and predictably, alarms are starting to sound. They are 3-4, the fielding has been notably sloppy, and the bullpen is a disaster. Of the three top starters that have each started two games, each of Cliff Lee, AJ Burnett and Kyle Kendrick have produced one gem and one clunker. This is not a sustainable method, surely, but it is only April.
As such, I am here to cool everyone’s jets. The Phils’ remaining schedule in April includes a home stand hosting the Marlins, and Braves (and the last two games of the current Brewers series), and a lengthy west coast road trip against the Rockies, Dodgers and D-Backs before returning to host the Mets before the turn of the calendar. Not the easiest of stretches to be sure, but there are winnable series here in the early going.
Looking back on the glory years, they were 11-14 in April 2007, 15-13 in 2008, 11-9 in 2009, 12-10 in 2010 and 18-8 in 2011. Solid? Yes. World-beating? Only in their 2011 record-setting season. However, all of these Aprils ended in Division Crowns.
While this is not meant to suggest that this 2014 Phillies team is headed to the playoffs, it is meant to suggest that this April provides the team with an opportunity to end the month around the .500 mark, which considering a lengthy road trip would be an accomplishment. Cliff Lee and AJ Burnett will not supply the team with consistent clunkers, and Cole Hamels will return imminently.
Lastly, it is worth nothing that this Phillies team is hitting again and is healthy! No series problems have caused their core members to miss time (other than Rollins’ paternity leave and Utley’s flu). If you can recall, when the team is together and hitting like they are capable of, big things happen in August and September. This Phillies team was always a second-half, late charging team. This is not a possibility we should discount this season if they can avoid the injury bug and continue hitting like they have been.
Is Revere's fielding become cause for concern? Possibly. Is the bullpen a total disaster right now? Most definitely. Will they be good enough to overtake the Braves and Gnats? It is highly unlikely. But boy wouldn’t a wild-card race be refreshing around these parts after the past few years?
