Matt Klentak: 'Not Ready To Call It Regression'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — This time last year, the Phillies, believe it or not, were 24-18 after 42 games, just two games out of first place in the National League East Division. Third baseman Maikel Franco was hitting .244, Aaron Nola was 3-3, Odubel Herrera was hitting .327 and things looked promising.

One year later, the Phillies are 15-27 after 42 games. Franco is hitting .221, Herrera is hitting .232, and it seems can't run here to there without a struggle, Nola has been down and back up from the minors, and nothing looks promising.

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But Phillies general manager Matt Klentak is not about to call this freefall a relapse.

"I'm not ready to call it regression," Klentak said on Monday before watching his team get pummeled 8-1 by the over-achieving Colorado Rockies, going 4-18 over their last 22 games, since the Phils were once 11-9. "I think there's been a lack of consistency on our team in general. Some players more than others. There's been a lack of consistency - but, especially for young players, two months is a relatively small sample size to categorize it as regression.

"I do think building a team that performs consistently is very important. I think when we look around the league and we see the teams that year in and year out that are competing for championships, they're consistent. They might have a player that goes 0-for-4 or 0-for-8 over a two-game stretch, but they don't go 0 for 20 or 0 for 25. They somehow figure out a way. And those are some of the things we need our players to start doing, too.

"I'm getting frustrated, too. There is more talent on this team than we've shown in terms of our record. We'll pull out of it. We will. That's what talented players will do. I'm not going to tell the fans they shouldn't be frustrated. We've gone through a tough stretch."

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Not like this.

Maybe it's simply a matter of the players that currently make up this roster aren't as good as the Phillies' scouting department thought they were. The team's ERA is among the worst in baseball (ranked 28th-4.78 ERA) and the Phillies are tied with three other teams with nine blown saves. The Phillies' 40% save percentage is 29th in Major League Baseball, just above the rock-bottom Miami Marlins (36.36%). On the other hand, visiting Colorado has the second-best save percentage in the majors (87.5%--having blown just there saves in 24 save-opportunities). It's a good indication why the Rockies are where they are, and the Phillies season may be over by Memorial Day, sitting 10½ games out of first on May 23.

This team has lost more than 90 games the last two years, after suffering consecutive 89-game loss seasons before that.

July, and Eagles' training camp, can't come fast enough.