With the season winding to a close, there are still a couple Phillies antagonists doing some damage to them. The Marlins have a few players who have been a particular thorn in the figurative side of the Phillies this year, but two of them especially stand out along with some players from other clubs.
Scouring through the memory bank and stat sheets, although there are others of note, here is our 2009 All Phillies Killers Team:
C- Ronny Paulino- The former Phillies player, who was acquired and then traded before the start of the regular season, seemed to take particular delight in beating up his ex-club's pitching staff. He has hit .378 up to the minute against the club that determined that he had holes in his swing.
1B- Mark Teixiera- He continued his dominance over the Phillies from his season with the Braves and batted .462 with 2 home runs in 6 games for the Yankees.
2B- Martin Prado- Phillies pitchers could not have been pleased when Prado replaced Kelly Johnson as the Braves starting second baseman as he proved to be a difficult out. In 2009, he hit .432 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI against our home town team.
SS- Julio Lugo- Lugo's accomplishments were unigue in that he first tormented the Phillies as a member of the Red Sox, and then continued the assault after he was acquired by the Cardinals in July. Between the two clubs, he hit a slow pitch softball-esque .636 with a 1.136 Slugging Percentage.
3B- Ryan Braun- We cheated a little on this one as Braun moved to the outfield, but put him in at his original position. Braun, and three other outfielders inflicted so much pain on the Phillies this season, it was imperative to include them all. He hit a robust .517, with 4 home runs (including a recent walk-off) and 10 RBI.
OF- Matt Diaz- The Phillies may have contained him just as well by giving him a batting tee in 2009 as he owned them. It seemed that he hit the ball hard every time that he batted, collecting 22 hits in 46 at bats, which computes to a .478 average. He also clubbed 5 of his 13 home runs against the Phils and drove in 13 runs.
OF- Hunter Pence- The Astros throw back style player with the socks and knickers look, and the Babe Ruth-like choppy steps, hit .393 with a .500 On Base Percentage. Pence also smacked 3 home runs and 10 RBI's in 8 games.
OF- Chris Coghlan- The NL Rookie-of-the-Year candidate was elevated to the big club in May, and promptly began antagonizing the Phillies. With continued production in the game currently underway, his average against the Phils has risen to .431 with a .500 On Base Percentage. He has also launched a pair of homers and driven in 8 runs.
SP- Derrick Lowe- The Phillies have had a penchant for struggling in single games against unknown pitchers, but Derrick Lowe is being selected by virtue of his 2-0 record with a 1.37 ERA in 3 starts against them.
RP- Francisco Rodriguez- The Mets new closer had great success against the Phillies despite the teams limited save opportunities. In 7 games, he earned 6 saves, while limiting the Phillies to 2 hits and no runs.
If you are like me, you hated to see these players stroll to the plate in 2009. There is some good news here in that they can only face two of them in the post season. Lugo is still lurking on the Cardinals, so they could see him in the National League playoffs. And, it would be great news if they faced Teixiera since that would have to be in the World Series.
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