MILWAUKEE -- The Phillies entered the final leg of a three-city road trip Monday night with a 1-5 record in the first six games.
They have hit .170 in those games.
Overall, the team has lost nine of its last 10 games (hitting .204 in the process) to fall to 14 games under .500 and 12 games out in the NL East race.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has been with the Phillies on this trip. Before Monday night’s game, he said changes could be coming to this failing team.
“It’s disappointing, particularly the offense,” Amaro said. “What more can you say other than we’re not swinging the bats very well. I didn’t anticipate our guys being this poor. Because they are. They are this poor. We think that they’re better. But they haven’t shown it. So at some point we’re going to have to make some changes. Some guys, once they are ready to play, may be factors for us.”
Amaro indicated that Darin Ruf and Freddy Galvis, both recovering from injuries, could get playing time when they are healthy. Outfielder Grady Sizemore could also be coming in the next week or so.
“Any of those guys,” Amaro said. “Ruf, Freddy, Sizemore, whoever else in the organization may be factors for us. We have to get them healthy and see if it behooves us to make any of those changes.”
How about Maikel Franco?
“He’s swinging the bat well,” Amaro said. “Hey, listen, I’m looking for people who can swing the bat because we’re not doing it here. If he gets to the point where he starts swinging the bat consistently, he’s a guy who could be in play, too.”
Franco plays third base. Is there room for him and Cody Asche?
“Yeah,” Amaro said, “because he could play first base, too.”
Franco, 21, had two more hits for Triple A Lehigh Valley on Monday night. He is 11 for 23 with six RBIs in his last five games, but is hitting just .223 with six homers and 37 RBIs overall.
Sizemore has played eight games in Triple A since signing with the Phillies after his release from Boston. He is 10 for 37 in those games. He can opt out of his minor-league contract during the all-star break if he is not in the majors.
There’s a good chance he will be with the Phillies just before or after the all-star break.
“We’re considering it,” Amaro said. “He’s playing pretty good, moving pretty well. We have some time to make the decision on him, but everything so far has been positive.”
While Amaro talked only about potential changes that could come from within the organization, he continues to talk about trades with other clubs. He is willing to listen on any player. Trading some high-salaried players will be difficult, however. And the Phils have many of them.
The non-waiver trade deadline is July 31.
“There’s still interest in our guys,” Amaro said. “I think that we would be (active before the deadline). Again, being active and actually getting something done are two different things. We’ve been active already. We’ll be active, whether we’ll actually get it done or if there is something that can improve us, it depends on how our club is being evaluated.
“If we’re going to make changes, we make changes to get better. Everything we think about is thinking about how we can improve our club. Will we be better? That’s what you have to analyze.”
