With one week in the season behind us, the Phillies aren’t where a lot of us thought they would be. The defending NL East champs find themselves at 2-4 in the basement of the division. Given their first six games have been against the Nationals and the Reds a 5-1 or 4-2 record is what most hoped for, but this is the Phillies. They don’t do what you expect them to, and when you’re finally ready to throw in the towel, they surprise.

April seems eternal for Phillies fans and this year is no different, although all isn’t bad.  Chase Utley is tearing the cover off the ball. Utley leads the team in average (.429), home runs (3), and RBI’s (6). Pat Burrell is continuing his hot hitting from the end of last season hitting .421 with 1 home run and 6 RBI’s. What about Adam Eaton (7IP, 3ER), who’s debut is only second to the Cole Hamels gem against the Nationals (in which he lost despite only allowing one run in eight innings).

Sure there’s a ton of negatives, but don’t expect them to stick around. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard haven’t found their stroke. The past two MVP’s have struggled early, but you know it’s only a matter of time they find the groove. There isn’t a pitch that Pedro Feliz doesn’t like, but he’ll still hit 20+ home runs and drive in over 80.  Brett Myers will find command in his pitches, and Chad Durbin won’t always allow the game winning run without allowing a hit.

While I do agree the Phillies have continued to play the lazy sloppy ball that they showed in Spring Training, the team will find their groove.  This team is too talented not too.  As the weather heats up, so will the Phillies.

The seems like a lame excuse, but it is something that should be taken into consideration. April is a funny month and the weather has been cold and damp. Take a look around the league the Phillies aren’t the only “contender” in the league that have had disappointing starts. The Tigers are 0-6, the Rockies are1-5, the Red Sox are 2-4, and the Mariners are 2-4. You can’t expect this trend to continue, and I guarantee fans of these clubs aren’t overly concerned. It’s April 7th.

Would a 6-0 start be great? Of course it would, but this is the Phillies, we’re used to this. Before you know it, they’ll get hot and start tearing the league up. If it’s a month from now and the Phillies are in the same boat then it’s time to panic, but until then, climb back in from the ledge of the Ben Franklin and root the Fightin’s on…