NLEast_Philadelphia Phillies

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PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 5-YEAR SCORECARD 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 WINS 77 81 102 97 93 RUNS PER GAME 3.8 4.2 4.4 4.8 5.1 RUNS ALLOWED PER GAME 4.6 4.2 3.3 4.0 4.4 OPENING DAY PAYROLL 159 172 165 138 113 Cliff Lee 2014 STRENGTHS: • good top-of-the-order pitching rotation 2014 WEAKNESSES: • aging and injury-prone roster • infield defense If you are a fan of oldies acts, this is the team for you. It’s possible that as many as nine members of the Phillies’ opening-day roster will be at least 35 years old. The team is betting that the core that did so much from 2007-11 has one more run in it, even though evidence from the past two years would suggest otherwise. HITTING As you can see in the 5-Year Scorecard, the Phillies’ offense has fallen off considerably from the end of the last decade, when runs were plentiful. And if you think things were fat in 2009, consider that the team scored 5.5 runs each time out in 2007. Injury has been a huge culprit, since Ryan Howard’s torn Achilles and subsequent knee issues, and Chase Utley’s bum knee have hurt the middle of the lineup. But both had fallen off considerably before they were hurt. In Howard’s last full season, 2011, he hit 33 homers, 25 fewer than his high-water mark in 2006. Utley had 31 dingers in 2009 but only 16 after that. Domonic Brown showed promise and some good power numbers last year, and newcomer (and former Phillie) Marlon Byrd had a strong year with the Mets and Pirates last year. Aging shortstop Jimmy Rollins must adjust to life away from the leadoff spot, while catcher Carlos Ruiz is unlikely to replicate his strong 2012 season, which is considered an aberration. NL EAST CHRIS GARDNER/GETTY IMAGES SPORT


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