Time is right to start turnaround

PHILADELPHIA >> Out of answers but saturated with lifetime of baseball experience, Pete Mackanin anymore can offer but a wishful opinion about a Phillies season spinning out of control.

“We’re better than this,” has been his wail. “I know we are better than this.” He’d say it, and he’d say it again. He’d say it during a fivegame losing streak. He’d say it as his Phils were losing 20 of 24. He’d say it when the starting pitchers tired, when the power hitters failed, when the bullpen provided no relief. He’d say it, believe it, slam it into the record.

Better baseball. It’s coming. That’s been his forecast. The Phillies are off to a miserable start, a stunt tumble unlike any they’d had since 1961 – and they’ve had some pips. But at least that protects Mackanin with the odds. Few teams will be that inept for too long. They will improve. So what has to give? Where will the transformation start?

When will the torment end?

“Win some ballgames,” Andrew Knapp said. “We’re working on it.”

It’s still May. Late May. But May. And there was that tough early schedule, injuries to Aaron Nola and Howie Kendrick, and some failed if determined rallies. The momentum will change. And, to some point, it must. Before the season, Las Vegas declared as much with a betting-line projection that the Phillies would win 73 games. Even if the slow start has all but assured that the under was the wise wager, it’s almost certain that the Phillies will make that proposition interesting. Here’s how:

Kendrick has returned after recovering from an oblique injury, and he will play regular left field shifts. With Aaron Altherr able to play everywhere in the outfield, that gives Mackanin the option to stop waiting for either or both of two 2016 All-Stars – Odubel Herrera and Michael Saunders – to play back to that form. It also gives the Phils a professional bat, a veteran with winning experience and a different look.

Nola has recovered from a back injury, and though he was staggered early in a 5-2 loss to the Reds Friday, his velocity was impressive, indicating that he yet could be a valuable starter.

Even when they were risking a guaranteed $30.5 million on Herrera last offseason, the Phillies knew they were rewarding an unorthodox hitter prone to streaks. They should budget for at least one six-week blast of production from their center fielder, even if Mackanin hardly can be blamed if he begins to flash impatience. “He’s scuffling,” the manager said. “But he’s got to fight his way out of it.”

While it more likely came from his front office than his gut, Mackanin has given Knapp a regular catching role. Knapp threw out two runners attempting to steal second in the Cincinnati series, and Sunday he drilled a home run into the bullpen. Not that Cameron Rupp was to blame for the early struggle, but the Phils may have stumbled upon a lineup upgrade.

If those occurrences prove stabilizing, the clubhouse atmosphere will improve enough that a promotion or two from the minor league system would make sense. As it is, not only is there no value in thrusting a player like Roman Quinn into such a hopeless situation, but there could be a damaging effect on his development.

If any of that allows the Phils to improve, they’ll have the flexibility to make a move with Maikel Franco. That could be anything from benching him to dumping him to the minors for a tune-up or more.

“He’s searching, both physically and mentally,” Mackanin said. “It’s not easy for him. I can tell he’s down on himself. He’s not happy about what’s going on. But I’ve been there before. You just really don’t know how to get out of it.

“He’s been working on it, and if he takes that into the game, he’s got a chance to get out of it.”

If Franco continues to regress, Kendrick can play third with an outfield of Altherr, Herrera and Quinn. Quinn provided some jump late last season, collecting six hits, including three doubles, in his first four major-league games. The Phils could benefit from his speed. But if Franco returns to his earlier-career form, when line drives could spring from his bat and into the outfield audience, it will add fuel to a turnaround.

There is no reason for panicked trade moves, and there wouldn’t be industry-wide demand for anything the Phils would offer for sale. Should Tommy Joseph become the mandatory Phillies All-Star, it would boost his appeal. And if Matt Klentak can move him for any value, first base would open for a later-season Rhys Hoskins look-see.

Any of those developments would make the Phillies better than they’d been in losing their last nine series. That’s the escape route, anyway. That’s the path to the improvement that Pete Mackanin insists will occur. That’s the one that should prove him correct.