Through 19 games, the Phillies have scored 85 runs. 44 of those runs (or 51.7 percent) came from home runs.- Of the 30 home runs hit by the Phillies, 18 have been solo shots; moreover, just two (Dobbs’ blast Friday and Utley’s yesterday) were three-run homers, and they’ve yet to knock a grand slam.
- With the bases loaded, the Phillies are hitting a paltry .130 (25 chances). With men on second and third, they’re hitting .091 (18 chances). And with men on first and second, they’re hitting .250 (55 chances).
If you want to find the biggest hole in the team’s play, look no further than these numbers. They’re swinging for the fences far too much — probably trying to take advantage of the homer-happy parks they’ve seen so far (Citizens, Great American in Cincinnati). Of course, the personnel doesn’t call for a lot of clutch line drive hitting (Geoff Jenkins, Pedro Feliz, Ryan Howard).
I can live with a bunch of home runs, but many of them are without substance. It’s especially troubling to see the team’s problems with multiple runners on base. Where a single or sac fly could do wonders is usually cancelled by a home run swing.
Associated Press photo
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