October 25, 2010

RIP, 2010 Phillies

The Phillies' season ended Saturday night when they lost to the Giants in the sixth game of the NLCS. It's a disappointment to lose, especially to a team filled with journeymen, but getting to the NLCS is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

The Phils' problem this year is one that they've run into periodically since they became good again five years ago- sometimes, the entire team goes into horrible batting slumps all at once. It happens a couple times a year, and on a couple of occasions (the Colorado loss in the 2007 NLDS, and this year against the Giants) it happens in the playoffs. This is one of those things that a team can't really do anything about- it's not like you can try and sign more slump-free playoff.

Some will blame Ryan Howard, especially since he had no RBI in the playoffs and struck out looking to end the series. But Howard's still a great, great player, and he's not going to be traded- the $135 million or so on his contract guarantees that.

What the team does have to do, though, is get younger. Domonic Brown will take over one outfield spot, and perhaps they'll sign a younger right-handed outfielder to take some of Raul Ibanez's at-bat. Cody Ross would've been a candidate, but after these playoffs he's likely to get an unjustly huge deal from some other team.

On a personal note, I'll always remember this Phillies postseason for Roy Halladay's no-hitter, which my son was awake for, and watching it together was the first of what will be many father-son baseball memories.

Strangest fact of all- the Phillies, whose history goes back to the mid-19th century, have never played a Game 7.

Posted by Stephen Silver at October 25, 2010 04:18 PM
Comments

"they lost to the Giants in the sixth game of the World Series"

At least they made it to the World Series.

Posted by: Clinky at October 26, 2010 02:17 PM
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