Strong start for Phitens-home opener today at 3

by Joseph Birmingham

The Phillies finished thier opening road trip with a 5-1 mark, representing thier best start for a season since 1993 when they started 7-1.  Not only did they win 5 of 6 games but did so by outscoring the opponent 43-18. 

To be fair, the teams they played were not top echelon teams.  The Phillies return for their home opener today at 3pm and face the Nationals for the 4th time already this season.  This time the matchup is Cole Hamels against the Nationals Marquis who gave up 6 runs in 4 innings in his first start against the Phillies down in Washington.

The Phillies started strong, leading the majors in hits, runs, slugging percentage and batting average on their first road trip.  They rank second with a team 2.72 ERA.  They look to continue their success at home. 

Halladay is already paying dividends, going 2-0 with a .56 ERA in his first two starts.  The offense has returned in force with 5 starters currently batting .348 or better.  7 starters have an OBP of .400 or higher.  Polanco, the other off season acquisition is paying equal dividends to Roy Halladay as he is 13-27 with 1 home run and 8 RBI through the first 6 games.   Ryan Howard is leading the team in homeruns (3)  RBI (10) and is batting .357 with only 4 strikeouts.   Jimmy Rollins started the season off looking like the MVP he was several years ago with his batting average pushing .400 and his OBP over .500, exactly what the Phillies need out of their leadoff batter. 

The last time the Phillies started the season this strong, they won the NL East, then won the NLCS against the  Braves, prior to losing to the Blue Jays in the World Series.  More typically of late, this team has started off average and then accelerated through May and June to lead the NL East for the majority of the summer and fall.  This year they actually look to lead the division from start to finish.   Florida briefly held a game advantage but that was swiftly erased when the Phillies went to Houston and swept the Astros last week. 

Even the pitching staff is hitting, with Hamels, Halladay and Moyer all collecting hits on their opening road trip.   When the pitching staff is batting 4-15 you get the feeling this may be the year the Phillies put it all together and set many records en route to another World Series victory. 

The Phillies started the season ranked #3 in the MLB power rankings, behind the NYY and the Red Sox in the AL.   The Yankees are now 4-2 and Boston is at .500 at 3-3 so it is probable the Phillies will move up in the ranking. 

Now I have to sign off, and get moving, so I can get to the park in time for some tailgating before the game starts in 2 1/2 hours.  I was privileged to watch the season opener in DC and am now going to watch the home opener live at Citizens Bank.  I will report on the game once I return home.    If you are my boss, and are reading this, I REALLY am sick, and my doctor prescribed an afternoon of $9 beers and fresh air, so I have to go.  Just don’t ask me for the note, because I think I lost it already ! 

Go Phillies !!!!

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