Panic time after Phils drop 8 of 9

This just keeps getting worse.

The Phils have lost eight of their last nine games. They're now eight games behind Washington, and three games behind 4th place Miami.

It's not just the bats costing them lately. Shoddy defense, especially from Ty Wigginton at third and Mike Fontenot at second in the absence of Placido Polanco and Freddy Galvis respectively. Those two players mostly cost the Phillies the last two games in Baltimore, turning what could have been a series sweep into dropping two of three. Wigginton of course allowed the winning run to reach yesterday on his ninth error of the year. He made several other misplays the day before, and Fontenot made a very costly error on Saturday along with two other blunders.

The pitching isn't holding up either. Cliff Lee remains win-less after blowing a 4-1 lead yesterday. Cole Hamels is in the midst of a two-game losing streak. Joe Blanton is in a horrendous slump since his complete game shut-out in the beginning of May.

And of course, clutch hitting remains non-existent. Yesterday alone, the Phils left 20 men on base. 20! That's no typo. Carlos Ruiz left eight runners on in his first three at bats alone. They could have blown the game wide open, but let Baltimore hang around and once again, scored early and then the offense shuts down.

They've reached the point of no return. If they don't turn it around, starting tomorrow when they open a series in Minnesota, this season is going to be a lost one. No one knows when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard will return, and even when they do, how effective they'll be. But those two players, coming off injuries, are not going to help them eclipse a 15 game deficit in the standings.
We kept saying, it's not time to push the panic button. It's still early. It's not early anymore, and the panic button has been pressed. It's do or die time. Let's see what these guys are made of.