By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor
For a team that started out killing the ball every which way and scoring runs at a historic pace, the last week and change for the Phillies has confused baseball pundits to say the least.
Ten runs in the last 81 innings (84 as of this writing as the Phils trail the Braves 5-0 after three innings on Tuesday). That’s just more than one run per game.
Those are your 1990s Phillies. Your 1990s sorry ass Phillies. That’s not Howard, Utley, Rollins, Werth and Rollins. Is it?
The Phillies are averaging a tad more than one run per game since JRoll went back on the DL. They averaged five runs with him, and 7.2 during his first six games of the year.
Granted, baseball is a marathon and slumps happen. Just as well as the entire Phillies lineup hit early in the year, the team is now in a collective slump. They will hit again and score major runs. You have to feel sorry for the pitchers who face the Phillies when they do hit like wildfire again.
If nothing else, however, the last nine games should prove one thing — the importance of Jimmy Rollins to the Phillies offense. Granted, he’s rarely been the typical high-average leadoff guy. But, he gets on base and makes things happen. When Rollins is involved, the Phils wear out home plate.
With a .341 average in his 11 games this year, Rollins was the spark plug that ignited the motor of the new Big Red Machine. In the first six games of the year, the Phils averaged nearly 7.2 runs per game. Then, during his first stint on the DL with a calf injury, the Phils posted 5.2 runs a game, a two-run per game difference.
Granted, six games is not a great sample. But, it is what it is.
When Rollins came back, the Phillies were scoring about 5 per game and continued that average with him. In fact, they put up a 12-spot in JRoll’s first game back. Overall, they scored 24 runs in five games with their starting shortstop, including two run-run outings. Then, the wheels fell off when JRoll reaggravated his calf injury.
During the 11 games Rollins has played this year, the team averages 6.1 runs. When he hasn’t played, the team averages just 4.28 runs.
In the nine games since Rollins when back on the DL, the team has been shutout five times (and is in danger of a sixth as of this writing). They’ve scored three runs twice and one run another game.
The Phillies are 2-7 since JRoll went down, having won one of those games 1-0 thanks to Roy Halladay’s perfect game.
This isn’t to say that JRoll’s absence is the only reason the team has slumped, but it hasn’t helped and is likely a major root problem.
This team needs its spark plug back. And soon.
He won’t be a complete cure by himself, but the Phillies need a guy at the top of the lineup who can make things happen. No matter what people say about JRoll’s average for a leadoff hitter, he’s always made things happen.
