SEATTLE — As the Phillies opened a seven-game West Coast trip here Monday night, they had a higher rate of hard-hit balls than any team in the National League but only the eighth-most runs scored.
Joe Girardi’s engineering degree isn’t required to realize that something doesn’t add up.
But the biggest source of the manager’s frustration is also his greatest reason for optimism. To a man, the Phillies believe they will hit, at least relative to the rest of the league. And if they hit, they think they can finally push through to the playoffs.
