As long as they have the health of their starting pitching, they should be able to survive until their star right side of the infield returns. Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels give them an excellent chance to win every time they are out there and the bullpen is improved with Jonathan Papelbon and Chad Qualls joining Antonio Bastardo in the back end.
The Phillies would gain a piece of mind with a win today against the Mets, a team off to a surprising start. Of course, the Mets could build some momentum with a sweep in Philadelphia, a tall order they have not accomplished since 2006. The Phillies are due for a breakout game, they have scored just two runs in the series (one a gift, as with two outs in the 9th inning on Friday a run scored on a ball that went through 2B Daniel Murphy's legs). The Mets also have Mike Pelfrey on the mound. Despite a respectable 7-7 record against the Phillies in his career, he has pitched to an ERA over 8.00 in Citizens Bank Park. Cole Hamels is still pitching for his next contract, despite his 3-10 career record against the Mets in his career.
Much of the blame has been put on the team's offense. Starting LF John Mayberry Jr is hitting .222 (6-27) with 1 RBI. 3B Placido Polanco is hitting .200 (6-30) with 1 RBI. The 1B platoon of Ty Wigginton (.214, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and Jim Thome (1-9) is a combined 4-23 at the plate. And though there is not a lot production expected, 2B Freddy Galvis is hitting .222 (6-27), but has 1 HR and 5 RBI.
Jimmy Rollins, though, is off to a very good start, hitting .333 (11-33), 1 RBI. Shane Victorino is hitting .300 (9-30), 1 HR, 2 RBI. Hunter Pence is hitting .290 (9-31), 1 HR, 4 RBI and C Carlos Ruiz is hitting .333 (7-21), 1 HR, 2 RBI. So, half of their lineup is hitting, in spite of a lack of runs produced. Yes, there is some concern when Freddy Galvis is leading the team in RBIs and is tied for the team lead in HRs. They need more out of Mayberry and Polanco, but they are getting production from their key guys Pence, Rollins and Victorino. They simply need more hits with runners in scoring position and to score more runs period. It is too early to say this team cannot hit; this is simply a small sample where they are not hitting.
Overall, I think this is no time for this team to panic. They started the season losing two out of three in Pittsburgh, a place where they have struggled to win for some reason. They took two out of three against a Marlins team that some say can compete with them. (Remember, the Marlins are now 3-6 after yesterday's loss to the Astros.) While salvaging a game here against the Mets will help boost confidence, it will not be devastating if they drop this game. Yes, Mets fans could get a couple of laughs (the Phillies still are the five time defending NL East Champions), but the Phillies would not be in dire straights even with a Sunday loss.