135 games on the season, the Philadelphia Phillies are 2 games behind their National League East rival, New York’s Met. Normally the strongest division, it looks like the East runner-up this season will be sitting at home in October. It’s the NL Central that appears to be the best division with the Milwaukee Brewers leading the wild-card race and the St. Louis Cardinals just 4 1/2 games behind. (The Phillies are currently 5 1/2 games behind the Brewers for the wild-card spot.)
So what can Philadelphia do to regain ground at the Met? There were numerous Phillie trade rumors just before the deadline, but they ended without making a move. There were several relievers on the Phillies’ radar, including Rockies closer Brian Fuentes and Royals coach Ron Mahay, but both stayed put. Philadelphia also lost to the Dodgers in the Manny Ramirez draft. They’ve been helped by strong pitching from Brett Myers and a lousy bullpen from the Met, but so far that hasn’t been enough.
Since the trade deadline has passed, the Phillie trade rumors have ceased, but there are still some players who could eventually end up helping the team down the stretch. There’s a chance a deal could be made with the Tigers for veteran reliever Kyle Farnsworth, helping a bullpen that has lost the lead five times in the eighth inning over the past two weeks.
The Phillies are also looking at former Reds catcher Dave Ross, released by Cincinnati and about to approve waivers. Ross is a .223 hitter for life, but he might have a chance to challenge Ruiz and Coste for their playing time behind the plate.
Other than that, the Phillies really need last year’s League MVP Jimmy Rollins to close out his disappointing season with a bang, which seems more of a possibility now that he’s 10-for-20 in his last five games, with two doubles, a triple, a home run and five stolen bases. Rollins is hitting just .266 with 9 home runs on the season, which is a far cry from the pace of his 2007 career, which had him hitting 30 home runs with a .296 clip.
Rollins also didn’t do much to help his cause by calling out Philadelphia fans last month when he appeared on The Best Damn Sports Show and said, referring to Philadelphia fans, “I could get criticism for saying this, but, you know, they are at the forefront. When you are doing it right, they are on your side. When you are doing it wrong, they are completely against you. ” Both he and the Philadelphia fans hope to be back on his side sooner rather than later.
Until then, City of Brotherly Love baseball fans will just have to cross their fingers and hope that the Phillies trade rumors will materialize and Rollins’ recent streak will continue so his baseball club can catch on. those of the Met.