The New Exchange / The Phightin' Phils

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/03/2015 12:26 pm

Well, opening day is a couple days away. Playing the Pirates in an exhibition game tonight. How we lookin' after the bumpy spring training season?

Lots of questions to be answered, but in the end I still think we need some bats. I can't go through another season like the last two. The frustrating part for me is the NL East isn't all that good compared to the Central and the West, and I've got this sick feeling we're going to struggle to keep up in the weakest NL division.

Any thoughts from Philly fans out there?

**Posted by Brady Bunch** 4/03/2015 1:13 pm

Fred,

This season won't be like the last two, it will be worse. They are easily the worst team in baseball and if/when they trade Cole Hamels they won't have any good major league pitching.

I was on target with my projections for them the last several years (within a couple of games), my guess this year is they will be around a 65 win team.

Maybe by 2018 they will be competitive again

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/03/2015 1:29 pm

Pretty gloomy scenerio there, Brady. Can't argue with you, though.

As far as Hamels is concerned, why not trade him now while we might get some hitting help? Afterall, if we're going down the dumper anyway, why not try to get some young talent (if there's any out there) while Hamels is still considered a good starter? To be honest, I have felt bad for the guy over the last couple of years ................ he gives up a run or two and leaves in the 7th inning down 1-0 or 2-1.

Brady brought me down. Somebody throw me a bone here.

**Posted by TheLagerLad** 4/03/2015 1:29 pm

We're looking at a hundred loss team this year. No power in the outfield. Broken down first and second basemen. No pitching outside of Chase who'll be traded at some point this year.

Ugly, ugly Phillies season ahead.

**Posted by Brady Bunch** 4/03/2015 2:54 pm

TheLagerLad wrote:
We're looking at a hundred loss team this year. No power in the outfield. Broken down first and second basemen. No pitching outside of Chase who'll be traded at some point this year.

Ugly, ugly Phillies season ahead.

I think that was a slip and you meant to say Cole, not Chase. But you might be right anyway, Chase Utley might be their 2nd best starting pitcher.

I read somewhere that Ben Revere in LF will have the least power numbers of any corner outfielder since the dead ball era. Yikes!

**Posted by Goose** 4/03/2015 3:42 pm

Man, you guys are grim.
How does the American League east look?

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/17/2015 6:55 pm

Well, it's official: We stink.

I'm taking a new approach. I can't take it. Too painful. I'm going to watch and/or listen to the Phils until the other team scores 3 runs, then I'm finding something else to do. I might not even make it that far if they choose to interview Ruben Amaro before the game.

**Posted by TheLagerLad** 4/18/2015 8:52 am

I settle in last night for the Phils-Nats. I missed the top half of the first, but I saw the Phils got two hits, but had no runs, so business as usual this season in terms of getting guys on but not turning them into runs,

So it's the bottom of the 1st and the Nats are up and the Phils have some dead arm named Sean O'Sullivan pitching and here's what happens with the first three batters he faces

Batter 1 - Double off the left field wall
Batter 2 - Hit by pitch
Batter 3 - 400 foot home run to deep center.

And with that, I turned of the tv and went on to other business.

Just an FYI, if for some reason you want to go to a Phils game, there is a Groupon that allows you to get into a game foras little as $8.50 for certain May games. The Saturday May 16th game against Arizona is one of those games and is also Dollar Dog night.

**Posted by Just Fred** 4/18/2015 9:21 am

Just an FYI, if for some reason you want to go to a Phils game, there is a Groupon that allows you to get into a game foras little as $8.50 for certain May games. The Saturday May 16th game against Arizona is one of those games and is also Dollar Dog night.

Thanks for the tip, Lager

**Posted by TheLagerLad** 4/18/2015 9:26 am

Just Fred wrote:
Just an FYI, if for some reason you want to go to a Phils game, there is a Groupon that allows you to get into a game foras little as $8.50 for certain May games. The Saturday May 16th game against Arizona is one of those games and is also Dollar Dog night.

Thanks for the tip, Lager

No problem.