Here’s a scouting report on the Philadelphia Phillies, based on consultation with several major-league scouts.
Quiet, but key: Dave Hollins is the high-intensity but quiet man in the middle of the batting order. He isn’t going to have outlandish quotes like John Kruk and isn’t married to the Hooter’s spokeswoman like Darren Daulton, but he can make an impact, particularly against a right-handed pitching staff like Toronto’s.
He has power from both sides of the plate, but he’s a dramatically better hitter from the right side-a .323 average and .549 slugging percentage compared to .244 and .382 batting left-handed.
No softies: There’s not a soft spot in the Phillies lineup. Manager Jim Fregosi effectively uses platoon outfielders and, as a result, the Phillies got at least 90 RBIs out of the second through seventh spots in the lineup. This team led the National League in scoring with 877 runs even though it didn’t have a player with 25 home runs. The Phils ranked only fifth in the NL in home runs, but led the league with a .351 on-base percentage and 297 doubles. They finished 13th with only 91 stolen bases but ranked second with 51 triples.
The stars: Lenny Dykstra is the consummate leadoff hitter. He gets a lot of innings off to a good start, and he can end a game, too. Playoff Game 5 was an example of what Dykstra can do. He went to the plate with the score tied in the top of the 10th, looking to work Mark Wohlers for a walk. On a 3-2 count, he decided he could sit on a fastball, and he went for the game-winning home run.
Daulton, the catcher and cleanup hitter, led the team with 105 RBIs. He’s the go-to guy. He has extreme plate discipline (117 walks). No. 3 hitter John Kruk works the count and prefers to go with the pitch, but teams can’t overshift unless they pitch him away because he is capable of pulling the ball.
Always a hit: Pitchers can’t let up at any time because no Phil is afraid to hit with two strikes. They all will adjust, making concessions when they get behind in the count and looking for their pitch in their zone when they have the advantage.
Watch out for Jim Eisenreich low in the lineup. By the time pitchers get past the likes of Dykstra, Daulton and Kruk, they can be a bit frayed at the edges. If they get lazy or try to relax against Eisenreich, he can make them pay. He’s not a big-time home-run threat, but he drives the ball well into the gaps and goes first to third in first-class style.
The DH is the ideal spot for left-fielder Pete Incaviglia, and the decision couldn’t be easier because the Blue Jays will start all right-handers in Toronto, where the DH will be used.
Incaviglia is a threat, even against right-handers. He hit .272 with 11 home runs in 206 at-bats against right-handers compared to .278 with 13 home runs in 162 at-bats against left-handers.
No matter how helter-skelter the Phillies appear, they have inner peace when they go up to hit. They batted .337 on the first pitch and .307 when they took ball one. Jays pitchers start out ball one 45 percent of the time.
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Fighting back: Pitchers must get ahead quickly in the count and throw strikes. This Philadelphia lineup is not going to help a pitcher, and that could be a problem for the Jays. Toronto starters make a living getting hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone. Juan Guzman and Dave Stewart have those nasty split-fingered pitches, but they are only effective if the pitcher is ahead in the count and can persuade a hitter to guess fastball.
To keep the Phillies in check, a pitcher has to pound inside with the fastball. Other than Dykstra, who uses such a small bat he can turn on a pitch in a hurry, the burly Phillies can be tied up. But it has to be inside, not just barely in or a little out over the plate.
They intimidate pitchers because, if they get their arms extended, they drive the ball.
Pitch selection has to be varied from batter to batter and at-bat to at-bat because the Phillies adjust quickly to patterns.
Beep-beep: Stolen bases are not a key weapon, but when the Phillies do run-and Dykstra is really the only legitimate threat-they run well. They attempted 123 steals and were thrown out a league-low 32 times.
The hitters are so disciplined, Fregosi doesn’t want to take the bats out of their hands-so the Phillies don’t hit and run much. They do take the extra base more consistently and effectively than any other team in the league.
This team looks big, but it is solid average in speed.
Pitching prowess: There is an effective pitching balance with right-handers Curt Schilling and Tommy Greene and lefties Danny Jackson and Terry Mulholland. hat doesn’t bode well for a Toronto lineup that has problems with mediocre lefties.
Jackson allowed right-handed hitters a lower average (.256) than lefties (.298), and right-handers hit only .246 against Mulholland.
Mulholland pitched only four innings between Labor Day and the postseason because of a pulled left hip flexor. He got in five shutout innings against the Braves in Game 3 but didn’t retire anybody in the sixth. If he’s healthy, Mulholland is a left-handed Greg Maddux without consistent command of his 90-plus fastball.
Schilling, playoff MVP, is a power pitcher who will stay inside with a power curve and hard fastball. He runs a cut fastball in on left-handers but does have mental lapses.
There is no question about Greene’s raw ability, but he has to keep his emotions in check. If he gets too high, his pitches get too much of the plate.
Jackson’s best pitch is a hard slider that runs in on right-handed hitters. He has used his changeup more consistently this year.
Soft in the middle: Fregosi will pray that his starters carry him late into the game because his middle relievers are a major weakness. Ben Rivera, normally the fifth starter, can dominate when he feels like pitching. Roger Mason and Bobby Thigpen are last-gasp hopes at best. Lefty David West dominated early but had control problems late in the season.
Larry Andersen is all slider, a one-inning bridge to closer Mitch Williams.
Never over till it’s over: Don’t ever light a victory cigar for the Phils until the final out. Williams usually gets the job done, but he makes it very exciting. His control comes and goes in an instant. His out pitch is a slider, but he messes with hitters’ minds because of the impression he has an overpowering fastball.
It is really just high average.
Williams has so much movement in his delivery and follow-through that hitters see too much shoulder before they see the ball.
Defensive problems: Philadelphia pitchers led the league in strikeouts, and it’s a good thing because they aren’t going to get that much help from the defense. With a right-hander starting against them, the Phillies have Eisenreich in right, and he’s the only above-average defensive player-other than Daulton at catcher.
With Eisenreich in right, center-fielder Dykstra can cheat to left. Shortstop Kevin Stocker is solid, which makes him a standout in this infield. Mickey Morandini has been playing more at second because Mariano Duncan has a pulled rib muscle, though Duncan will start Game 1. Morandini is only average, but he’s an improvement. Hollins at third has an erratic arm. Kruk at first is bothered by back stiffness and leg problems.
Playing the entire series on artificial turf won’t help the Phillies.
Pick on pickoffs: The Phillies don’t show a lot of concern for rival running games. Schilling, Jackson, Greene and Rivera ranked 1-2-3-4 in fewest pickoff attempts in the NL.
Mulholland has such a devastating move to first that runners rarely try on him. They were successful only once in six attempts. He picked off three.
The Phillies, instead of throwing to first, do hold the ball varied times with men on base. Daulton has quick feet, a rapid release and a very accurate arm. He threw out 40 of 129 stealers.
And finally: The three previous years, Incaviglia was dumped by Texas, Houston and Detroit. He found a home with the Phillies. He fits comfortably into the six hole and is the best home-run threat (24 in 368 at-bats.) Dykstra has been a considerable help.
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Incaviglia drove in a career-high 89 runs-seven more than the last two years combined.
Stocker, a .245 hitter in the minors, stunned the Phillies by hitting .324 in 70 games since July 7. Atlanta pitchers tied him up tight-only four hits and one RBI in 22 tries. He was impatient but only stuck out five times. He did chase too many pitchers’ pitches and made easy outs.