Another wild one at Dolphins Stadium as the Phils lose to the Marlins in extra innings, once more dropping below .500. This time, the benches cleared, and a brawl almost ensued. Scott Olsen is an idiot, and I blame him as the catalyst for the bad blood between the two teams. Barajas, Lieber, and Willis certainly didn't help the situation. I would've liked to see this go further, if only to put a spark in some of these players. The bouncing up and down to .500 has got to depress. Hopefully, Howard's return will mark a turning point of some sorts, if this fight with the Fish (who we won't see again until early August) does not.
1. Charlie Manuel isn't good at his job. What a shocker. Also, Barajas continues to play, and Coste will likely be sent down to the minors.
2. Ryan Howard returns tonight. Not a moment too soon. I'm having a hard time believing we're still hovering at .500 with the way the team has been slumping with the bats. 17 men left on last night. Outstanding.
3. Now that we've talked about Manuel and Howard seperately, Jim Salisbury talks about both at the same time!
4. How are the Phils losing? Well, being fifteenth in the league in ERA isn't exactly helpful to a ballclub. Opponents are batting .267 against us. Florida, Pittsburgh, and Colorado (last in ERA) are worse there. The Mets are 2nd in ERA in the NL.
5. And yet, the Phils are 1st in runs scored, and are tied for the Mets in 1st in OBP. The disparity is incredible.
Hudson and Moyer square off tonight. If we win, we're a .500 ballclub. Again. Yay.
