“Lucky” is an HBO documentary that follows the lives of people who have won the lottery and those who strive to be one of those to cash out on a huge jackpot. A family from the Princeton, NJ area won $110 million. A woman from Newark, DE has spent nearly $100 every day for the past 30 years in hopes of those magic numbers coming out.
What’s this have to do with baseball? Well, it could mean nothing. Or it could mean something. Basically, I switched the channel after the Kyle Kendrick 5th inning implosion, but this program shed some light on things.
For two seasons, the Phillies were winning the lottery. Now, it feels as though they’ve spent all the money and are once again back where they started.
Tonight, they weren’t so lucky. Scratch that – tonight, Kyle Kendrick wasn’t so lucky in the 8-4 loss to St. Louis. The Phillies starter was ineffective from the get-go, allowing runs in the first and second innings before the Cardinals struck for five more in the fifth to break the game open. Home runs by Albert Pujols, Allen Craig, and Skip Schumaker turned the tide and sent the reeling Phillies even deeper into their freefall.
Roles have seemingly reversed for this team. The starting rotation that had been the rock is now it’s peg leg. An offense that could do no right is now doing more right than before, although there is certainly still room for improvement.
In the opening inning for the Phillies, it looked like one of those explosive nights the faithful have longed for was on the horizon. The Phillies manufactured runs the old fashioned way; singles and doubles. A three-run first was followed by one run over the final eight innings. By games end, it was back to the way it has been all season. The lineup leaves you longing for more.
Thirteen hits were recorded by the Phillies, including two from Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, and Carlos Ruiz. However, leaving nine on base will bring you losses more often than victories.
And it won’t get easier from here. Chris Carpenter awaits tomorrow night, followed by Jamie Garcia and all-star Adam Wainwright.
The Phillies may have won the lottery two years ago, and won a handsome prize a year ago. They may also still be in an enviable situation, but that doesn’t mean the fan base won’t ask for more. What the Phils need now is some better play out of their high-priced players, and a little luck couldn’t hurt either. As they say just before the Powerball drawing, “goodnight and good luck.”
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