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We all knew that losing Utley and Werth would hurt the Phillies offense, and losing Ruiz just exacerbated the issue. Their injuries have created a gaping hole in the bottom of the Phillies lineup.
But there is a silver lining to the ineptitude of the last four hitters: the 2011 Phillies team is perfectly suited for DVR watching! After Ryan Howard bats, you might as well fast-forward to Jimmy Rollins because you certainly won’t miss any runs crossing the plate.
Is it just in my head? Is it possible that these guys aren’t as bad as they seem? Let’s compare the top of the Phillies lineup to the bottom of the Phillies lineup to see just how far this disease might have spread.
Phillies 1-4 hitters: .294 average, .358 on-base percentage, 17 HR, 81 RBI, 86 Runs
Phillies 5-8 hitters: .225 average, .303 on-base percentage, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 57 Runs
It gets even uglier when you narrow it down to the 7th and 8th hitters.
Phillies 7-8 hitters: .206 average, .279 on-base percentage, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 29 runs
OK, so it is as bad as it appears. The guys at the top are doing what they are paid to do, but you can see the stark contrast with the bottom of the lineup.
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that the main culprits are second base, catcher, right field, and left field. Let’s gaze a little further and see which position is the most to blame. Here are the numbers by position:
Right Field: .242 average, .344 on-base percentage, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 13 Runs
Left Field: .243 average, .303 on-base percentage, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 16 Runs
Second Base: .234 average, .286 on-base percentage, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 18 Runs
Catcher: .202 average, .281 on-base percentage, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 14 Runs
Those catcher statistics include Carlos Ruiz. They get MUCH, MUCH, uglier when we remove Ruiz from the equation:
Catchers without Ruiz: .177 average, .250 on-base percentage, 2 HR, 4 RBI, and 5 Runs.
That means that the Phillies backup catchers have accounted for a grand total of 9 runs. And four of those (2 RBI and 2 Runs Scored) came via two home run swings!
But I am not here to criticize Valdez, Orr, Schneider, and Sardinha. They are what we thought they would be and it is hard to criticize players who are doing the best they can. This simply explains why runs have been so scarce. And our pitching has performed so well that the Phillies have the best record in the NL. That ain’t too bad.
But boy do the Phillies need Utley and Chooch back, or what?
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