Get Moving - Monday, September 01, 2008
229 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: Michael Bradley

   Let's hope Carlos Zambrano's tired arm is in great shape when the Cubs visit the Mets Sept 22-25. That way, he can do the Phillies another favor, as he did Sunday when he sat out his scheduled start. Zambrano's absence from the mound wasn't the only reason the Phils earned a split with Chicago, but it did help. Just as important was a team that realized it's impossible to beat better opponents with just seven innings of work. It takes nine full, and the last two days proved the team understands that.

   The trick now is to keep the same level of competitive fire the Phils showed in rebounding from two ugly losses on Thursday and Friday against the NAAAtionals, who have won six in a row and are resembling (slightly) a Major League Baseball team. This is September, and the stretch run is officially on. No more can the Phillies afford to say that "there is a lot of time remaining in the sesaon." Nope, it's go time, and they have to understand that every game from here on out is going to be tight and stressful. There will be a stray blowout, but that will be a mere oasis amidst a pressure-packed desert of pennant-chase baseball.

   The biggest concerns heading into September are the bullpen's recent propensity for giving away leads and continued power outages in the middle of the lineup. Sure, last Tuesday night killed the 'pen, and it led to the horrible decision to let Rudy Seanez throw to Carlos Delgado on Wednesday -- even though Brad Lidge was up and ready. Although the Phillies survived late scares Saturday and Sunday, with the help of great relief work, the starting pitchers have to go further than five-plus innings. That means Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton must stop using 95-plus pitches to get 15-17 outs. That's ridiculous. The Phils can't keep using four or five pitchers every game and expect to be fresh in late September.

   At the same time, it would be nice if Pat Burrell started to hit the ball a little, too. We know Burrell is prone to streaks of ineffectiveness, but hitting .226 since June 16 is no way to convince the Phils, or anybody else for that matter, to bestow a fat, four-year contract on him during the off-season. If the bullpen has to pick it up, so does Burrell. Ryan Howard, who had three hits Sunday, needs to get on a roll, too.

  So does everybody. The Phillies are just a game back with only 25 to play. They can't afford to be lackadaisical anymore. Each game requires nine innings of concentration and effective pitching, hitting and fielding. Blaming the umpire for a bad call doesn't cut it when you're making errors, failing to deliver key hits and surrendering crushing blows on the mound. Adversity will be the Phils' constant companion from here on out, and how they handle it will determine their ultimate fate.

  They got a break yesterday with Zambrano's scratch, but that may be the end of their good fortune. From here on out, it's up to them to make their breaks.