The 5.5-game deficit the Phillies currently enjoy is a direct result of their front office’s business-first approach to baseball. And it’s your fault, too. With an eye toward the 2010 season, this organization correctly leveraged your blind faith against their coffers and they’ve come out on top. They figured they didn’t need to overspend because they knew they’d fill their seats and that your closet would always have room for another maroon and white t-shirt.

After realizing there was no rational way to euphemize the destruction of their farm system, the botching of Cliff Lee and the forced departure of Chan Ho Park, Ruben Amaro wagered the future of this team on a ridiculous contract to Ryan Howard. Why? For the same reason they do everything else the way they do it: as a p.r. move. In the offseason they did nothing to improve their awful bullpen or their shaky starting rotation other than off the remaining prospects in their farm system in order for Ruben Amaro to demonstrate that he had big enough onions to finalize the acquisition of Roy Halladay. And for as good as Halladay is his occupancy of the #1 spot is, at best, a negligible improvement over what they already had.

Fast forward to a few weeks into the season, and you’ll see another marketing move that had to be made once they realized their rest-on-our-laurels approach to personnel wasn’t translating to success on the field. So Amaro pulled his pants down again and made it rain for Ryan Howard. So far this mismanagement of the team has landed them three games over .500 approaching the halfway point of the season.

At this point the Phillies know something the Eagles have known for years: they’ve got you by your balls. The Eagles have left mouths agape for years by refusing to make even the most obvious personnel moves when they’ve needed to and yet you’re still at all their games. Now the Phillies are doing the same thing. Like football, baseball is a show that’s dependent on you buying a ticket. And once the house has punched your stub, it doesn’t matter much to them how good the product on the stage is.

Kyle Kendrick’s career may have been ruined last night. After out-pitching Jamie Moyer in spring training, Kendrick was relegated to bullpen duty to start the 2010 campaign. Joe Blanton’s abdominal injury forced Kendrick into the starting rotation and after two starts he was not looking good, amassing an ERA of 17.47. So needless to say, last night’s start against the Braves was probably a chance for him to right his ship and begin to show the organization that keeping him around makes sense.

But in the end it was the organization that let Kendrick down. All he did last night was pitch 8 complete innings, allowing no runs and giving up 4 hits and 2 walks. Those are numbers that you’d expect from Roy Halladay, not the 5th-and-a-half starter. Kendrick did his part and fans were probably feeling good about his teammates’ ability to get three outs and nail down the win with a 3-run lead going into the 9th.

Sure as turnips fall off trucks, however, Ryan Madson came in to close the game and promptly gave up consecutive home runs in to Jason Heyward and Troy Glaus. Not to be outdone, medieval retread Jose Contreras gave up the game-winning dinger to Nate McLouth in the 10th. The grand irony of watching the Phillies bullpen collapse was the fact that Billy Wagner pitched a perfect 10th inning for the Braves and got the win.

In the offseason when Ruben Amaro was trying to show the world he could imprint his name on a World Series winner, every ounce of energy was poured into signing Roy Halladay. For good measure, Amaro added Placido Polanco so that the Phillies could improve upon their already ostentatious offensive numbers. But in a series of non-moves that reeked of ignorance, Amaro did nothing to improve the one area of the team that has been awful for the past two years: the bullpen.

Had it not been for Brad Lidge’s unworldly perfect season in 2008, that team may well have not won the World Series because of how shaky the pen was (excepting Lidge, of course). And last year’s bullpen was downright awful. So what should the G.M. do as a follow up? Well, for starters lets shitcan our best long reliever, Chan Ho Park. Then let’s go into the season with a closer who blew 11 saves last year, a set-up guy in J.C. Romero who hasn’t seen rubber in ages and a few 54th-round fantasy baseball draft scrubs as offseason pickups.

If this team does not win the N.L. East, it will be because of its bullpen. Plain and simple. It is the part of this team that has been bad for multiple seasons and Amaro’s inability to address it with anything other than Danys Baez and Jose Contreras is a sign of either ignorance of an unhealthy obsession with putting all his eggs in the Halladay basket. So going forward, let’s hope Kyle Kendrick and the rest of the rotation can expect a little more help from organization than they got last night.

 I was at Game 5 of the NLCS, and I have to say that one of the coolest parts of that blowout Phillie win was towards the end, with Chan Ho Park on the hill. The crowd, with a nod towards the T.O. era in Philadelphia, began singing “Chan Ho! Chan Ho Chan Ho Chan Ho! Chan Hooooooo! Cha-an Ho!” He was the rock of a very shaky bullpen last year, and the fans were showing their appreciation. He has taken that appreciation and shoved it down our throats, signing a deal with the hated Yankees, and in the process making a great team even better.

The Phils desperately wanted him back this year, but he turned down their very generous $3.2 million offer to see who wanted him as a starter. The answer was “nobody”, and he just signed a $1.2 million dollar deal with the Yankees to work in the same role he worked in last year. In hindsight, you have to wonder if the Phils should have kept an opening for Chan Ho. If Rube could have signed him now, we would all be ecstatic. Sorry if I don’t show the requisite confidence in Jose Contreras or Danys Baez, but the fact that the Yankees got Park for $300 k less than we got Contreras is ridiculous. It also shows that Park’s got one of the worst agents in baseball. Regardless of what the politics were of this deal, when all is said and done, Park has joined the Dark Side, and I will be expending a lot of my energy this season on wishing him a miserable season and an awful tenure in New York.

Things not to do: get involved in a land war in Asia, mess with Sasquatch, pitch to Manny Ramirez with a man on base and 2 outs when you’re behind in the count 2-0. We don’t know if Hamels got cocky or whether he just missed his spot on that pitch that Manny golfed into the seats, but we do know that the Phils’ brass should have called in the following sequence: intentional ball 3, intentional ball 4. I’m sorry but the all-time postseason home run leader is not to be trifled with in that situation. He’s just not.

Alas, the Phillies won the game because, well, they’re better than the Dodgers. L.A. had several opportunities to get themselves back in the game but couldn’t because their players couldn’t handle Chan Ho Park. Park’s ability to work out of a jam late in the game may be the bright spot to come out of Game 1 as at least one Phillies’ reliever is showing his mettle. A long reliever is an extension of the starting pitcher and with a rotation that had looked shaky of late (with the exception of Cliff Lee), Park’s role becomes all the more important.

Game 2 is just moments away. There’s an interesting piece from yesterday’s N.Y. Times about Jim Thome, Matt Stairs and pinch hitting for home runs. It’s a good read and should get you in the mood for today’s matinee. Go Phils!

We have the 700level.com to thank for this picture of a pre-facial pubescent Jayson Werth. Nowadays he’s armed with a mean landing strip on his chin. I don’t know, I guess he thinks it looks good. In any event, Werth’s 34th homer of the year was of the 4-bag variety last night as he and Joe Blanton (6 scoreless innings) propelled the Phils to a 6-1 victory over the hapless embarrassment that is the Washington Nationals. The Phillies’ magic number is now 11 with 18 games to play.

We’ve all heard it before: the Phillies are an all-or-nothing team, meaning their offense is predicated on the long ball. Traditionally this is not the way that successful playoff teams win largely because their opponents in the playoffs trot-out higher quality pitching than the average seasonal opponent. Whether this holds true this postseason is anyone’s guess. In a season when the 5 teams that comprise the N.L. pennant chase (Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, Rockies and Giants) have starting pitching better than most years’ playoffs, the home run ball may be at more of a premium this October.

What is going to matter for the Phillies is their pitching. The mid-season turmoil surrounding Cole Hamels’ sub-par season and the Moyer vs. Pedro storyline seems to have disappeared as every starting pitcher has thrown extremely well of late and it looks like J.A. Happ will be back as he’s slated to start on Friday night against Atlanta. As the bullpen’s well-documented problems go, Chan Ho Park left the game last night after a scoreless 8th with a hamstring problem though J.C. Romero’s much-needed left arm looks like it’ll be back in form for the playoffs. According to espn.com, Romero says he’ll make 5 appearances before the end of the season.

Cole Hamels will go tonight in the final sleeper against Washington. This weekend promises to see a better opponent (as least in the pitching department) as the Phils go to Atlanta for 3. Their bats will be tested by Tim Hudson, Javier Vasquez and Tommy Hanson which should provide for a few games more similar to a playoff series than the last 3 outings against the team from Chinese Taipei. The playoffs are right around the corner and assuming the Phillies win tonight against the Nationals, they will have taken 8 of their last 10. Playing well going in is key, and it looks like the Phillies should have some momentum heading into the home stretch

In today’s Inquirer the poll question is “Phillies (sic) ace Cole Hamels has a 4.48 ERA. Should the team be concerned?” I voted and found out that 47% of respondents said yes (his ERA was 3.09 last year) and the rest said no big deal. Sure, Hamels isn’t pitching his best but we all know what he’s capable of and he has a history of getting better as the season progresses.

The area where this should be troubling is the relationship Hamels’ performance has to the pitching staff overall. Currently, J.A. Happ has the best ERA among starters with 3.53. The inactive Brett Myers is at 4.66 followed by Joe Blanton at 5.17, Antonio Bastardo with 5.25, and Jamie Moyer with 6.35. The best ERA in the bullpen belongs to J.C. Romero with a 1.08. Other significant bullpen pitchers are Ryan Madson at 2.16, Scott Eyre with 2.57, Clay Condrey at 3.44, Chad Durbin with 3.89, Chan Ho Park at 6.08 and the disabled Brad Lidge with a 7.27. Since his return to the Phillies, Kyle Kendrick has amassed a 13.50 ERA.

On a pitching staff that hasn’t found its way this year, it is concerning that Hamels has been mediocre because a top team needs a guy whose starts can be relied upon. True, the bullpen has had its bright spots but over 9 (or more, as of late) innings, team ERA is more important that starting vs. relief ERAs. The NL average is 4.27 and the Phillies are about a half run worse at 4.75. Only the Nationals are worse in the National League with a team ERA of 5.28.

At some point this season the Phillies are going to have to get this ship righted. They aren’t getting bailed out as much as they were last year by the offense. To boot, Lidge’s perfect season is a distant memory at the back end of the rotation. As it stands, you’d like to see your ace (not J.A. Happ) taking the reins and leading your pitching staff into a stronger middle third of the season.

I’m not ready to go down on Joe Blanton quite yet but I will give him his due for a game very well pitched last night. After his 11 K performance against (um) Florida, Blanton seems to have found a form that has gotten him off the schnide, at least in fans’ minds. The Inquirer sports poll today is “Which Pitcher Should Concern the Phillies the Most Right Now?” and after I voted for Joe Blanton, he’d only begun worrying 1.1% of the electorate (Chan Ho Park is a 6.6%; why Chan Ho Park should concern anyone is a mystery).

Blanton’s line looked like this: 7 IP, 5 H, 2BB and the big one: 0 earned runs. Throwing only 114 pitches in 7 complete innings also demonstrates how much command he had over the Marlins’ hitters. What this performance signals is the end of any interest the Phillies will have in Jake Peavy.

The image above is the logo for the 1944-45 Philadelphia Blue Jays baseball club. I found it on a most peculiar site, entitled “Tom MacMahon: The Strategy of Bingo. The Excitement of Chess.” Anyway, 3 Phillies questions I don’t have the answer to. Perhaps you do.

1. How much longer while grandfather-status protect Jamie Moyer’s roster spot? Seriously.
2. Whom will the Phillies DH this weekend when they play the Yankees (they’ll be facing at least two lefties in Sabathia and Pettitte)? Their bench hasn’t exactly, um, been good.
3. Where will Chan Ho Park fit into the Phillies’ bullpen? This question becomes even more interesting when you consider J. C. Romero’s impending return.

The weather forecast for the weekend looks pretty bad. Which, when you think about it isn’t such a bad thing because the Phillies are out of town. Actually, the weather forecast looks even worse for Washington where the Phils are slated to play a 3 game set. The upside of a shitty weather weekend is limited brunch expectations from your girlfriend.

Another sporting reminder: the Penn Class of 2009 is on their way out so if you haven’t kicked any of their asses yet, hop to. The probables for the Phils-Nats series below.

Tonight at 7:05, Joe Blanton (1-3, 6.82) vs. John Lannan (2-3, 3.89)

Saturday: 1:05, Brett Myers (2-2, 4.81) vs. Scott Olsen (1-3, 7.00)

Sunday: 1:35, Chan Ho Park (1-1, 6.00) vs. Daniel Cabrera (0-4, 4.98)

It’s hard to tell from those stats which pitchers belong to last year’s World Champs and which belong to the worst team in baseball.

Only one NHL game this weekend, Game 1 of the Chicago-Detroit series from Joe Louis Arena at 3:00 on Sunday.

And because the NBA sucks, both series apparently need two days off between Games 6 and 7 so nothing today or tomorrow. I can understand the Lakers must be exhausted from not trying last night so an extra day should help. Oh, and it gives extra travel time for the Three Stooges to rise from the dead and get to the Staples Center in just enough time to ref the game. For anyone who doesn’t already know what will happen, Rockets-Lakers at 3:30. And in the series that resembles a Game 7 from a professional sports league, the Magic are in Boston at 8:00.

Kade Out.

I was just about to mention that with 2 outs in the 3rd, the Dodgers have made Cole Hamels throw 49 pitches. Then on Hamels’ 52nd pitch Rafael Furcal hit a ball to shortstop and Rollins booted it. Now the game is tied and Hamels has thrown 55 pitches; he’s currently facing Orlando Hudson. And just now I hear the Phillies have turned the fewest double plays in baseball. Yuck.

That negativity is a good warmup for the following numbers. I realize there’s nary a soul who doesn’t know the Phillies’ starting rotation stinks but here are the numbers; I’d put them in bold but that would just increase the need for you to fire spicy mustard into your eyes after reading them:

Cole Hamels. 1-2, 5.47 ERA, .308 BAA

Brett Myers. 2-2, 4.81, .286 BAA

Jamie Moyer. 3-3. 8.15 ERA, .344 BAA

Joe Blanton. 1-3. 6.82 ERA, .313 BAA

Chan Ho Park. 1-1, 6.00 ERA .286 BAA

For the cool-down phase of this workout, looks like Hamels is putting together a good start. One unearned run in the 4th, 5 Ks. If there’s one branch on this tree that should lean towards the sun this season, it’s got to be Hamels.