PHILADELPHIA (AP) -When the Philadelphia Phillies return from a much-welcomed road trip, they should consider checking into a hotel.
Being home hasn’t been much fun for the defending World Series champions. They’re 13-22 at Citizens Bank Park following a 1-8 homestand that included consecutive three-game sweeps by Toronto and Baltimore. But the Phillies still lead the NL East because they’re a major league-best 23-9 on the road.
The difference is surprising for a team that went 7-0 at home in the pressure-packed postseason last October. Players are tired of hearing questions about it, and manager Charlie Manuel has no answers.
“We’ve always loved playing at home,” Manuel said. “I don’t see why it should change.”
Some people have suggested that the Phillies play with less intensity in their usually sold-out ballpark because appreciative fans constantly thank them for winning the World Series and ending the city’s 25-year championship drought.
hose fresh-out-of-the-oven pretzels they love to eat?
Consider: When starter Joe Blanton exited Thursday’s game against the Blue Jays with a 5-4 lead and two runners on in the sixth inning, he got such a loud ovation that he tipped his hat to the crowd. Blanton’s pitching line was hardly spectacular – four runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings. He might have been booed off the mound in other years. But fans have given the Phillies a pass so far this season.
There were signs over the weekend that the faithful are finally getting restless. Ryan Madson was booed after blowing a save Saturday night and the slumping Jimmy Rollins heard jeers after each of his four at-bats in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Orioles. It took a second straight June swoon – the Phillies went 3-9 in interleague play this time last year – to get the fans complaining.
“It’s getting ridiculous. I haven’t seen a win yet this year,” said Joe Mascarpetti, a partial season-ticket holder. “At the same time, it’s hard to rip them too much because of what they did for us last year and how much it meant for the whole city.”
No matter the recent skid, Phillies fever is still growing. Team merchandise sales have skyrocketed and sporting goods stores can’t keep enough jerseys and T-shirts in stock. Red has replaced Eagles green as the fashionable color around town.
o, owner of Sports Outlet in Glendora, New Jersey. “It goes fast.”
After winning two of three against the second-place Mets in New York to complete a 7-3 road trip, the Phillies came home with a chance to build a nice cushion in the standings. Instead, they lost two of three to Boston and six in a row to the Blue Jays and Orioles to see their lead over the Mets trimmed to two games.
Poor pitching has been Philadelphia’s biggest problem, with a staff ERA of 4.79 that ranks second-worst in the NL. The hitters have been inconsistent, even though the offense leads the league in runs.
Injuries are a factor, too. Closer Brad Lidge, left fielder Raul Ibanez and No. 2 starter Brett Myers are on the disabled list, and slugger Ryan Howard was hospitalized Saturday and Sunday with flu symptoms.
“We’ve had a lot of things happen to our team and injuries is just one of them,” Manuel said. “We’ve also got a lot of new guys on our team. They’re still in the process of seeing where they fit. It’s not like we’ve got the same team last year that won the World Series. If you walk in there, you’re going to see quite a few different faces.”
o players who didn’t return from the 25-man postseason roster. But the current roster includes six players that weren’t with the team on Opening Day.
“We’re still in first place and that is a good way to look at it,” Manuel said. “That’s a positive way to look at it. Somewhere along the line we had to play good to be there.”
Perhaps a change of scenery will help. The Phillies start a nine-game road trip Tuesday with a World Series rematch against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“We’re a resilient bunch,” utilityman Greg Dobbs said. “This definitely isn’t going to get us down in any way. We know that we can deal with a lot of adversity and we can come back from subpar homestands.”
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