Phillies Go 0-for New York

Phightins score no runs in 3-game series vs. Mets

It’s hard to claim that a first-place team has hit rock bottom, but the Phillies did just that this week as they failed to score a run while playing the Mets in New York.

That’s right a lineup that features All-Stars top to bottom came up empty in the Big Apple.

They must have faced Mets’ ace Johan Santana, right?

Nope.

Instead they went ice cold by a journeyman knuckballer (R.A. Dickey), a 35-year-old Japanese pitcher making only his second Major League start (Hisanori Takahashi) and a guy the Phillies have done well against until now (Mike Pelfry).

OK, Pelfry has turned into a really good pitcher posting a 7-1 record with a 2.54 ERA up until now this season, but the other guys?

Add in the fact that this came on the heels of the Phillies being shutdown by two Red Sox pitchers who don’t exactly shrike fear into opposing hitters -- one guy who entered Saturday’s game with a 7.89 ERA (Daisuke Matsuzaka) and the Sunday foe was an aged knuckleballer (Tim Wakefield) who was only starting because of injuries to other starters -- and you gotta really be scratching your head about this offensive slump.

It’s not like they just faced Tim Lincecum, Nolan Ryan and Cy Young.

Yes, this comes after lead-ff sparkplug Jimmy Rollins went down to injury for the second time but they played well without him before so that can’t be an excuse.

Really what it comes down to is that guys just aren’t hitting. The biggest culprits reside in the heart of the Phillies lineup. In the last five games Chase Utley (.150), Ryan Howard (.111) and Jayson Werth (.167) have done virtually nothing but strikeout (16 times combined) for the past week.

Even Werth chopping off his beard didn’t help break the funk -- he went 0-for-4 Thursday night while striking out three times

Maybe manager Charlie Manuel will try to shake things up by moving guys around in the order. Maybe give Howard and Utley a day off. But, maybe he will leave things as is and just hope they start to hit like they normally do.

For the first time since 1983 they failed to score in three-straight. Let’s just hope that these Phillies do like the ’83 Phillies and wind up in the World Series despite the tough stretch.

The Phillies will try to right the ship Friday in Miami when they open a three-game set against the Marlins.

And, look at the bright side, despite dropping five straight, the Phillies are still in first place by 1.5 games.

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