A Tale of Two Teams

It was the best of weeks. It was the worst of weeks.

One of the things that amazes me most about the Phillies’ 4-game sweep of the Mets is that they did it with absolutely no momentum. In the three series before this one, the Fightin’ Phils were hardly that. They lost six out of nine, including four straight to the Dodgers and Padres. It was a terrible start to a homestand that was supposed to make or break the season.

Then suddenly they blow out San Diego on Sunday, and they go on to take care of business against the Mets. What happened Monday through Thursday of this week was crazy on a lot of levels. Not just because of the double play interference, or an eighth inning comeback, or three stolen bases in one inning. No, it was crazy because all of this came at a time when the Phillies were left for dead. The Phillies picked the perfect time to complete the first four-game sweep in the history of Citizens Bank Park.

But the question I have been going over in my mind is a simple one: What happened? What happened between Saturday, when the team looked as if it was asleep, and Sunday, when the team looked like a waking giant?

The obvious answer to this question is Chase Utley. Utley came back for Sunday’s game, even though he did not play, and the team seemed to have a renewed spark. They put him in the lineup Monday, and the bats really came to life in game one against the Mets. Utley homered for his first hit. Not only that, but the first play of the game was a grounder to Utley, who made a diving stop before popping up and throwing a bullet to first base. His hand looks fine to me.

But it can’t be that simple, can it? Utley did not even play Wednesday, and the Phillies still battled just as hard. Sure, Utley was still in the dugout. But to say that Utley’s presence alone fires this team up would be selling guys like Aaron Rowand and Jimmy Rollins short. Don’t get me wrong: Chase Utley brings a fire to this team unmatched by anyone in recent Phillies memory. But on a team with this many veterans, I would find it hard to believe that it all came down to one player. This team has been there the last three years, right on the doorstep. You can’t tell me the other guys in that clubhouse don’t know what it takes. You can’t tell me they were waiting for Utley.

But if not that, then what? They look like a different team this week, and I’m still racking my brain trying to figure out what did it. Inconsistency is nothing new for the Phils, but this is night and day.

The best answer I have been able to come up with is this: The guys who aren’t exhausted have been stepping up. Because of injuries, this team is tired. Aaron Rowand plays the game as hard as anyone in the league, and so he needs a day off from time to time. With Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn out of the lineup, he hasn’t gotten one. Greg Dobbs hasn’t gotten one either, and considering he’s been thrown around in two positions pretty regularly, he certainly deserves one.

So they guys who are stepping up are the fresh troops. What Jayson Werth has brought to this team in the past few weeks cannot be measured in batting average and runs scored. Not even, as it turns out, in stolen bases. Guys like Werth carried the load for the guys who needed a break, and now the Phillies are healthy again. This week alone, Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton, Victorino, and Utley are all back in the lineup. Read those names again and think about what a significant part of this team that is.

This is all true in the bullpen, too. JC Romero has been nothing short of spectacular, and he’s allowed Charlie Manuel to use him late in games in big spots. This bullpen needed someone to step up, and Romero has done it. Not only that, but he’s a lefty, something this team desperately needed.

Now as they are healthy, guys who are solid everyday players are coming off the bench. Tad Iguchi is going to be an asset to this team down the stretch, because now a guy who just two years ago was a starter on a team that won the World Series is pinch-hitting. He’s been brilliant so far.

What remains to be seen is whether or not the Phillies can get over the hump. They have been two games back at several different times this season, and they cannot seem to get any closer. With 29 games left to go, there is still time. But not much.