Quit standing there, and hit the ball!

It would be nice and easy to blame the Phillies' starting rotation for their recent skid on the West Coast. After all, they gave up 20 runs in the four losses during that span, so why shouldn't they be blamed? However, during those four losses, the Phillies posted a grand total of five runs, getting shut out twice. And, I don't know how much you people know about baseball, but confidence in your lineup can really be helpful as a pitcher. If you caught Cliff Lee's gem on Friday night, you should know exactly what I mean.

Cliff Lee had the eighth-worst run support on his side while he was in Cleveland. Friday night, he knew he had the backing of one of the best lineups in baseball to get him through nine innings against the Giants. Wouldn't you know it, he threw a complete game. The bats gave him five runs that night, and the Phillies cruised to a victory over San Francisco. So what the heck happened during the rest of that series against the Giants? Let's take it day by day...

Wednesday - Somehow, the Phillies made a guy with a seven-run ERA (Yusmeiro Petit) look like Satchel Paige for six innings, and then they continued to hack at pitches for three more, amassing 12 strikeouts in the game. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez both went 2-for-4, but the rest of the lineup managed little else. What should've been an easy win for the Phils was a nightmare at the plate, and they lost 4-0, spoiling a good start by J.A. Happ.

Thursday - A chance at redemption looked good for the Phils as they scored in the first inning off an RBI double by Ryan Howard. Unfortunately, they didn't score again until Chase Utley's solo home run in the sixth inning. Another mediocre pitcher made the Phils look like little-leaguers, as Jonathan Sanchez totaled 7 K's against the Fightins. Two nights against middle-of-the-road talent, and the Phillies had struck out 15 times against starting pitchers.

Friday - A win... Thanks, Cliff.

Saturday - Tim Lincecum. Eight total strikeouts for the Phillies in this one.

Sunday - This is not the 2002 Cy Young award winner. This is the Barry Zito whose ERA was 5.15 last season. However, the Phillies put him in 2003 form (14-12, 3.30 ERA,) striking out five times in six innings and managing just six hits off the recently vulnerable pitcher.

The moral of the story here? Stop striking out. The Phillies struck out 35 times in those four losses. They got fantastic starts from Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ that were wasted, and they managed little by way of power or even contact. The real problem for the Phillies right now is that they need to get the bats off of their shoulders and start making contact. A little patience could go a long way for the Phils. Maybe they could take a little lesson from this memorable at-bat: