The M-W Phrase

If it's early April, Phillies fans must be getting nervous

Has the second game of the season ever felt so much like a must-win?

That phrase gets thrown around way too much during the course of a season, but for the 2008 Phillies, you can make an argument that Game 2 qualifies:

• The team's inability to get out of the gate fast has been damaging in recent years, and nearly cost the Phils a playoff slot last year.
• Brett Myers's lousy Opening Day outing means that if the Nationals get to Cole Hamels tonight, the Phillies will be 0-2 and facing a significant drop-off in their starting rotation over the next three games.
• Pedro Martinez's hamstring injury last night closes the pitching gap between the Phillies and the Mets. It's critical to take advantage of whatever time Pedro might miss.

Okay, it's not a must-win; even I won't go that far. But a lot of people -- fans, the media, the players themselves -- will feel an awful lot better about the 1-1 Phillies than the 0-2 Phillies. S|C

Tags: Phillies, Cole Hamels, Brett Myers

Comments

[Bill]

I know that baseball is a marathon but do we always have to break our leg at the starting gate and then have to sprint home in the final three months?

[Tom Durso]

Looks like they picked themselves up off the asphalt yesterday, Bill ...