Phillies need turnaround in Chicago this week

August 10, 2:21 PMPhiladelphia Phillies ExaminerPatrick Gallen

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  AP Photo/Tom Mihalek

Complacency is an ugly term in baseball.  It points to the fact that you may be getting lazy and not keeping your eye on the big picture; rather, you are focusing on the here and now, which is not always a good thing.

The Phillies, for example, may have gotten caught up in the seven game lead they had going into Friday’s game against the Florida Marlins.  Fast-forward to Sunday night, and that lead had dwindled to just four.  A clean-sweep by their closest division rival (sorry, New York) has to make the Phillies think twice about where their focus might be.

Friday was a pitchers duel won by Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins.  The right hander has been fantastic since his return to the major leagues after a quick stint in the minors.  He shut the Phillies down, striking out seven over seven innings.  In the 3-2 loss, the Phils could only muster four hits, with their two runs coming on a Ben Francisco jack.

Saturday was more of the same.  The offense was sub-par, as the team left 11 runners on-base, and as a whole, went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position.  Cole Hamels has not been the same shut-down ace we first met in the postseason last year.  He allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings, while tossing 115 pitches.  The lefty isn’t locating and isn’t getting deep into games, something this team desperately needs.  Perhaps some rest is on the way for him as the team contemplates a six-man rotation with Pedro Martinez itching to join the crew.

The finale saw Josh Johnson practice his marksmanship in shutting down the Phils over six innings.  He threw just 85 pitches, striking out six batters.  The offense, again, was a problem.

Is complacency the issue?  Or is this just merely another bump in the road we’ve become all too familiar with here in Philly?  If the Phillies were happy with a seven game lead, and balked at the fact they could have put a hurting on their NL East counterparts, then shame on them.  They could have blown the division wide-open with a strong showing, but the ugly truth became that the team did not perform like a world champion.

As they hit the windy city to start a six-game roadie starting Tuesday, the Phillies quest becomes a harsh one.  Three more games follow in Atlanta against the Braves who are only 4 ½ back.  

This team should be very anxious to get back on the field and prove their worth against a potent adversary in the Cubs.  They will need to quickly make up for their losses at home with another fine showing on the road. Either that, or, watch the Marlins and Braves gain more ground.  Remember when the Phillies were running away with it?  Well, they just ran back into it.