The next nine games could provide the perfect cure to the Phillies' recently woeful brand of baseball.
The Phils, losers of six straight, hit the road Friday to begin a nine-game interleague road trip through Baltimore, Minnesota and Toronto, three places where theyve had success over the years.
The Phils are 43-47 against the Orioles, Twins and Blue Jays since interleague play was introduced in 1997, but theyre 24-18 against those teams on the road. And the road is the only place that has been kind to the Phils in 2012. The Phillies have the worst home record (12-19) in the National League but the second best road record (16-12).
Playing these nine games in AL parks allows the Phillies to use a designated hitter, and with the next five contests coming against righthanded starting pitchers, expect Jim Thome to fill that role from Friday-Wednesday.
And Thome the DH is significantly different from Thome the PH.
Have a look at Thomes success as a designated hitter from 2008-11 compared to his numbers as a pinch-hitter:
DH -- .255.373.516 ... 1 HR every 5.7 PA ... 0.6 BB for every K
MLB
PH -- .208.309.375 ... 1 HR in 55 PA... 0.2 BB for every K
So, theoretically, adding Thome to the lineup will improve an offense that has been held to 2.8 runs per game over the last six.
And runs cure everything. Every time the Phillies have had an extended losing streak this season, theyve snapped out of it with their bats to briefly make the fanbase think maybe everything is OK.
Following a three-game losing streak from April 7-9, the Phils scored seven runs against the Marlins. After a three-game skid from April 21-23, the Phils managed 15 runs over their next two games. Then came three straight losses from May 7-9, followed by a seven-run effort by the Phils offense. Later in the month, the Phils lost four in a row to the Red Sox and Nationals before averaging six runs over the next nine games.
No pitcher the Phillies will face in Baltimore or Toronto is more than a No. 4 starter (its going to take more than 11 starts, Jason Hammel), so this is yet another perfect opportunity for the Phils to get back on track offensively.
If they do, theyll almost certainly pick up much-needed ground in the NL East. The Phils have the easiest interleague road in the division. Look how the next nine games stack up for each team:
Phillies: at Orioles, at Twins, at Blue Jays
Nationals: at Red Sox, at Blue Jays, vs. Yankees
Marlins: vs. Rays, vs. Red Sox, at Rays
Braves: vs. Blue Jays, vs. Yankees, vs. Orioles
Mets: at Yankees, at Rays, vs. Reds
Were six straight losses after the Phillies reached a high watermark of 28-25 wildly disappointing? Sure.
But beginning this weekend, multiple factors are aligned for a streak that could push them back into divisional contention.
E-mail Corey Seidman at cseidman@comcastsportsnet.com