This weekend's series against the Blue Jays might have been the worst series for the Phillies in quite some time.
In Friday's game, the opposing starter had to leave with an injury in the first inning. Naturally, the Phillies took full advantage, by accumulating only five hits in the shutout loss.
On Saturday, the team once again provided Cliff Lee with a three run lead. And once again, the opponent came back to tie the game. It certainly wasn't all Lee's fault. Jimmy Rollins committed an error, and Chad Qualls did what he does best: Allow inherited runners to score.
After blowing the lead, the team found itself in a familiar position: An extra inning game on the road. The result was also familiar: Their opponent celebrated a walkoff victory.
In Sunday's game, starter Kyle Kendrick never really gave the team a chance to win. But when Kyle Kendrick is the team's hope for avoiding a sweep, something has gone dreadfully wrong.
We can only hope that the Phillies have hit bottom. Because while I've given up hope of this team contending in 2012, it would be nice if they could avoid embarrassing themselves.
Featured Phillie of the Week: Jim Thome
Thome was last week's featured Phillie, but considering how he's continued to hit well, (along with the lack of better options) he seemed like the best choice.
Thome continued to assault the Phillies' American League opponents. He hit three homers this week, including his 100th in a Phillies uniform.
That made him the fourth player in major league history to hit 100 with three different teams. That's a testament to his greatness and longevity.
It also shows just how well-liked Thome is. After homering against the Twins, their fans gave him a hearty round of applause.
Ghost of Phillies Past: Mike Easler
In 1987, the team brought in another accomplished, but past-his-prime slugger.
While Mike Easler was far from a future Hall of Famer, the "Hit Man" had been a feared hitter throughout his career. He had twice hit over 20 home runs in a season, and was named to the 1981 All-Star team.
The Phillies thought that he might be able to help them in a part-time role. At the very least, they figured his power bat would be a good addition to their bench.
Unfortunately, by 1987, Easler didn't have much left. He struggled with the limited playing time, and only hit one home run. The team quickly traded him to the Yankees so that he might play more often as a designated hitter.
Awesomely Obscure Song of the Week
This week, I'm bringing you another great, yet largely unheralded song: Spanked by Van Halen:
The song was on the band's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album, and has largely gone unnoticed in favor of more popular hits like Poundcake and Right Now.
Perhaps if Crystal Pepsi had used Spanked as the center of their marketing campaign, both the song and the beverage would be remembered more fondly today. But probably not.
Regardless, this is one of my favorite songs from my favorite Van Halen album.
Final Analysis
Thome's two week outburst has been a pleasant surprise, but now that the games in the American League parks are done, will he still be able to help the team?
So far, he has not done well as a pinch hitter, and he doesn't appear to be able to play first base without his body breaking down.
He has said he has some ideas about how to stay sharp during games in case he is called upon as a pinch hitter, but it is far from a certainty that he will be any more successful in that role going forward.
Sadly, much like Easler, there is a good chance that Thome will soon be traded to an American League team where he could serve as a designated hitter.
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