Philadelphia Phillies Fan Blog

100 Points

Many signs can be pointed as to why the Phillies are struggling. For the most part, their bullpen has been solid. The starting rotation has been shaky. While Roy Halladay has been great, and Cole Hamels has been decent, the rest have not been too good. But with J.A. Happ eventually coming back, and likely bringing Pedro Martinez back, the starting rotation will get better.

But three men, along with the Jimmy Rollins’s injury are responsible for the Phillies lackluster batting. Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, and Raul Ibanez are all batting over 30 points below their career batting average. This could be expected from Ibanez, as he got a severe injury last year, and is climbing up there in age. With Rollins gone, Victorino is the leadoff hitter. A .250 batting average in the leadoff spot will simply not cut it.

For someone that has a .293 career average, a .260 average for Utley is not very good. He is usually the most consistent hitter for the Phillies, and gets on base for Howard to knock him in. With these three struggling, it has taken a toll on the Philadelphia lineup. The three of them are a combined 100 points below their career batting averages. We can only hope it improves. If not, the Phillies could be watching the playoffs on TV.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

June 17, 2010 Posted by David | Chase Utley, Original Content, Philadelphia Phillies | Chase Utley, Phillies, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino | No Comments Yet