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Keys to the NLCS, part 1: Burrell and Utley
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We need to see some of this Pat Burrell "strength"
against LA.
To exclaim that these two gentlemen were struggling would be an understatement. One has possibly found his way out of the slump, while the other is still trying.
After Pat Burrell’s two bombs in the series-clinching victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, there couldn’t have been a more relieved player on the planet. For a guy who has been sliding down a slippery slope since early in the regular season, Burrell absolutely needed this.
Before the All-Star break, Burrell looked like an MVP candidate, as he smacked 23 home runs and boasted an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .979. But that three-day break for the midsummer classic caused a bit of a breakdown. Burrell’s post-All-Star break numbers were downright hideous, to say the least. A .215 batting average, just 29 RBIs and an OPS of .726 were not exactly MVP-caliber numbers.
On Sunday, we saw a different side of Pat the Bat. We saw the one that does not wave badly at outside breaking pitches like he is trying to sweep under the kitchen table. We saw the Pat of Old, the Pat of Good. The one that waits on those breaking pitches and destroys them.
For the Phillies to have success in the NLCS against the pitching-heavy Dodgers, we will need a few more performances like the last one from Patty Boy. When the Dodgers decide to intentionally walk Ryan Howard (and my guess is they will), Burrell needs to step up and get that timely hit. Right now, Burrell might be the single most important piece in that lineup.
One player who has not yet found the groove is Chase Utley. Your favorite second baseman also came down with the same post-break disease that Pat Burrell was stricken with. Not to the same extent (Utley actually batted a percentage point higher in the second half), but it was rough nonetheless.
Utley gained national prominence by hitting 25 home runs in the first half of the season and was invited to the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. Those 25 became just eight in the second half, and his RBI total dipped from 69 to 35.
In the NLDS against the Brewers, Utley went just 2-for-15 with two RBI’s that were pretty much given to him on a mistake by Milwaukee center fielder Mike Cameron. His three-strikeout performance against CC Sabathia in Game 2 illustrated his struggles with left-handed pitching.
If Burrell is the most important offensive player in this series, then Utley is certainly 1A. Utley and Burrell provide protection for the Big Man and without them being locked in at the plate, the burden is put on the bottom of the Phils order. And they just cannot handle that.1
With the new series could come a rebirth of sorts for both of these guys. And boy, do the Phils need it.
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