Chutley Returns and More Free Phillies Tickets

Doesn't it feel a bit like "Groundhog Day?"

In our 6th week of Phour for Phour, we're still talking about a Phillies offense which has gone from sluggish to slump to historically bad. It doesn't help that the Phills are facing a steady stream of playoff teams during this 20-games-in-20-days stretch.

Should we panic and pick out our favorite spot on the Walt Whitman? Probably not, but there is legitimate cause for concern.

This week we'll take a look at Utley's return, how the Phillies are dropping the ball in their management of Brown and some questionable decision making by the team in regards to pitching decisions, call ups and injuries.

On the bright side, we and the Philadelphia (Chester) Union won on Sunday 2 to 1 over the Fire (I know, it brought a tear to my eye as well.) Plus, we're going to offer another pair of Phillies tickets to another lucky reader. 

The Good

It's About Time!

Monday night's lineup will feature a familiar face playing second base and batting third. You may remember him as the man who dropped a live f-bomb at the All-Star game a few years back, or you might remember him as the guy who dropped another f-bomb after winning the World Series in 2008.

That's right!  Utley is BACK!

After a long stint on the disabled list, Utley went through a series of minor league games in the Grapefruit League. For the most part, he showed all the signs of the man who can be counted on for .300/30/100 a year.

That means names like Rollins, Polanco, and Ibanez can reassume their normal roles within the lineup. It also means one less mention of names like Orr (optioned to triple A), Valdez (back to the bench) or Martinez (see you in semi-pro).

Question: What expectations do you have of Chase Utley for the rest of the season?

The Bad

What Can Brown Do For You?

That depends on when the Phillies decide to quit screwing around and make the guy an everyday player.

Last year, when Werth was injured, I was excited to see Brown get the call up, as he was the highest rated prospect in the entire minor league system, as well as the future of our outfield. He made a wonderful debut, going 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and a couple runs scored. 

Then, the team made a decision that the rookie couldn't hit lefties. So he ended up platooning in right field and ultimately watched his playing time disappear when Werth returned. He only ended up receiving a few at-bats in the playoffs and hurt his wrist in spring training, which derailed his chances of becoming the opening day starter and ultimately landed him back in AAA.

General Manager Rueben Amaro stated early last week that Brown would only be called up when there was a space for him as an everyday player. A few days and a couple loses later, Brown got the call-up as Victorino hit the DL. He played his first game and sat the next because a lefty was pitching.

Seriously, this nonsense needs to stop. Brown is the future. Brown is a kid who has excelled at every single level, yet somehow I am supposed to believe that Francisco is a better option? Really?

Brown may struggle a bit with lefties, but Francisco struggles with everyone. I'll take my chances with a can't-miss prospect over the slop that has been marched out in the outfield. Let the kid earn his wings and do what he's made to do. 

The Phillies need offense and Brown needs experience. I'm not sure how the team fails to recognize this.

Question: Is Manuel is making a mistake by making Brown a righty-specialist?

The Ugly

History Repeats Itself

To understand the sheer futility of the Phillies offense, read the following stat:

The Phillies went seven straight games with 6 hits or less. The last time a Phillies team performed that poorly was 1904. This past week has been the worst offensive performance by a Phillies team in 107 years.

For the week, the Phillies won three and lost four, but a look inside the record shows that they only scored 10 runs all week. That's just pathetic.

Hopefully Utley will bring life to the team and Brown will be allowed to develop, but there is still the issue of Rollins, Ibanez and now Howard not being able to buy a hit. Howard can be streaky, but Ibanez looks finished, and while Rollins is still an ace at short, his bat looks to be finished as well.

Question: Would you oppose trading Rollins at the trade deadline?

Musical Chairs

I know you can't predict or plan injuries, but the up-and-down instability for Vance Worley is ridiculous. Manuel stated that he would rather Worley get regular starts with the Iron Pigs than work the bullpen for the big league club. 

When Oswalt hit the DL, Kendrick filled in and Manuel stated that Kendrick would be in line for Oswalt's starts while Worley would be Blanton's substitute. All this because the manager doesn't want to disturb the pitching rotation.

These philosophies simply don't add up. Worley may not be the reincarnation of Robin Roberts, but he performed extremely well when asked. In contrast, Kendrick has no business being on a Major League team, as evidenced by yet another shelling of Kendrick by the Rockies.

If the rotation gets a little mixed up, so be it.  You can always adjust the rotation during the All-Star break and when your team is hitting as poorly as they are, rolling out people like Kendrick is the equivalent of raising a white flag.

For an organization that has seen so much recent success, they sure don't seem too bright.

Question: Does seeing Kendrick on the mound make your gullet rumble?

Quote of the Week

"I changed my mind and that's about it," said Phillies General Manager Reuben Amaro, when asked about his comments regarding keeping Domonic Brown in AAA.

Video of the Week

It's always fun when assumptions in baseball completely backfire.  Just ask the Cubs, who started to walk off the field as the Reds continued to run the bases.

Fan Submissions

Check out our great gallery of fan-submitted pictures in our photo section.  

Free Phillies Tickets

Once again, we've devised a series of questions for you to answer.  The first reader to correctly answer all five questions and be the first to correctly answer question six will win two Phillies tickets to a game of their choosing.

Please submit all answers to slavetologic@gmail.com.

(Must be 18 years or older. Please use a valid email address and include a contact number.)

Good Luck!

1) According to Lansdale Editor Tony Di Domizio, which store would be his first stop for supplies in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse?

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2) What time was the picture taken in the following article by Abington Editor Mischa Arnosky?

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3) What time did the fire begin at the Lu Lu Country Club?

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4) Norristown Patch holds a weekly "Find Me Friday" photo contest where readers have to identify the location where a picture was taken.  What was the location of the ?

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5) Ambler Patch blogger Mark Picirilli reassures Phillies fans in his latest blog entry. Does he think we need to pick up a "solid hitter"?

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And for all the marbles...

6) This week,  the Phillies have a four game series at home against the Reds, and a three game series on the road against the Mets. How many games will they win?

Remember, email you answers to slavetologic@gmail.com. The winner will be announced during next week's column.

Looking Forward

This week the Phillies continue their 20-game stretch with series against the Reds and Mets and the Union have a game scheduled against Toronto.

Here is your Philadelphia (and Chester) sports schedule for the week.

Monday

• Phillies vs. Reds 7:05 p.m. on CSN

Tuesday

• Phillies vs. Reds 8:15 p.m. on PHL 17 and MLBN

Wednesday

• Phillies vs. Reds 7:05 p.m. on CSN and ESP2N

Thursday

• Phillies vs. Reds 1:05 p.m. on CSN and MLBN

Friday

• Phillies at Mets 7:10 p.m. on CSN

Saturday

• Phillies at Mets 7:10 p.m. on FOX

• Union vs. Toronto FC  12:30 p.m. on CSN

Sunday

• Phillies at Mets 1:10 p.m. on PHL 17

If you questions  you would like to see answered in next week's Phour for Phour column, email them to slavetologic@gmail.com. They may now include the words "doop" and "soccer."