Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘Close’ not enough for Klentak, Phillies
In the new age of Philadelphia sports, where nothing is more treasured than a prospect and no event better captivates a fan base than a draft, the Phillies would like their fair share of leeway.
There they were the other night, having just rolled home from a 1-6 road trip, trying to avoid a thud into last place in the National League East. And that was Matt Klentak, all but tossing around the participation ribbons.
“When you play against tough teams like we’ve done in the last week or so,” the general manager said, “those types of teams will give you a pretty good feel for where your team stands. We went toe-to-toe with both the Dodgers and the Cubs. We were in every one of those games. We didn’t get the bounces or the breaks at the end of the game.”
The Phillies have asked for,
and have been given, some measure of patience. They finished in first place every year from 2007 through 2011, enough to build a comfortable credibility account. But they are into what likely will be their sixth consecutive playofffree season, at least five of them checkered with orange construction-zone cones. At some point, and that point is nearing, they must pass intermediate inspections. That can be done in many ways. That list does not include playing close games against good teams.
In some sports, that would be a useful defense. A college football team that needs to absorb an extra road beating at Alabama for a seven-figure payday can unload such a wail. It might even work in the NFL, were a team to have had an early schedule too difficult to overcome over just 16 games.
But since when is playing close games a consideration in baseball? Most major-league games are close. It’s a low-scoring sport. It’s why closers are vital; the good teams regularly bring them in to preserve narrow leads, not lopsided ones. It’s how the game works. It’s a grind-it-out challenge to survive. It’s never enough to just cover the spread.
Klentak has to know that. Andy MacPhail certainly does. John Middleton, who has vowed to build
a championship contender or die trying, doesn’t seem like he would settle for pressing his nose up to the store window and admiring the Dodgers or the Cubs.
So what was that play the other night, anyway? What was Klentak up to? A theory: He knows the Phillies’ on-field product is not developing as quickly as expected, and so, reading the mood of the neighborhood, has decided to make like Bryan Colangelo and pretend it doesn’t matter.
“That’s something we as an organization will have to learn — how to win, how to overcome adversity and beat tough teams,” he said. “But I can’t fault the heart and the hustle this team showed.”
Hustling is a requirement in the bigs, not a reason to take the players out for water ice.
Klentak inherited a sputtering baseball team. Then again, that’s usually the only kind of team a new general manager can inherit, because if it was a good team, there wouldn’t have been an opening for the position. He’s only 36 years old, is in his second year in charge, and must be
given three, four or maybe five more years to complete his job. But if the Phillies are underwhelming this year, he can absorb some blame.
Klentak was expecting more out of Michael Saunders, who has had a tough time adjusting to the National League. He was expecting more out of Howie Kendrick, who recently projected indifference when asked if he’d like to spread a veteran’s attitude around the room, then landed on the disabled list with an oblique problem. He chose not to keep talented players stashed in the minors. He guessed right on Jeremy Hellickson and Daniel Nava. But his bullpen is shattered. For a general manager unable to spend, Klentak has been acceptable. The Phillies yet could surprise this season.
Soon, Klentak will face a decision on his manager, one he didn’t hire in the first place and whose contract is about to expire. He didn’t need a degree from Dartmouth to comprehend the value of a buffer between himself and the possibility of failure. Any general
manager is allowed to fire a manager or head coach before the blame rises to the executive level. That Klentak has yet to extend Pete Mackanin past this season is an indication that he is not his preferred manager for the length of the construction project.
“Getting back to the initial question about impressions from the early part of the year,” Klentak said, touting the depth of his roster, “that is a far cry from where we were last year. Last year we were clamoring for any offense we could get early in the year. And this year, it’s been a little different.”
In his sport, that will show only in the won-loss record. It won’t show in shin burns or dirty uniforms or crashes into outfield fences or in close games against good teams. It can’t … not even in this, the era of unlimited fan tolerance.