Phillies fans should step away from the ledge

The Philadelphia Phillies have been scuffling a bit and I bet there fans are getting impatient. That's just how it is in Philadelphia. There are reasons why and some that can be solved. I don't have the answers or I wouldn't be writing this. Phillie fans should be patient, they've proven in the past to be a strong second half team.

   First,they need Jimmy Rollins back. For all their offensive talent, Rollins is the man that makes the Phillies go. As I write this, he should be back in the lineup. The offense has been up and down and you can tell they clearly miss him. No offense and no pun intended there, but Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro just don't don't have the same impact.
   Secondly, they need to stay healthy.As they get Rollins back, they lose Placido Polanco and Chase Utley.Two very important cogs in the machine. This year more than any in the past few years, the Phillies have been burned by injury.
   Last but not least,they need consistent starting pitching by anyone not named Roy Halladay. Cole Hamels is good, but he hasn't been the same since his World Series mvp year. And after Hamels who knows. J.A. Happ has seemed to regress, and you never know what your gonna get from Joe Blanton. It looks like they'll be picking up Pedro Martinez after the All Star break again. Maybe they enter the Cliff Lee sweepstakes again or they could swing a trade for someone like Erik Bedard who could use a change of scenery. Maybe pick off one of Arizona's pitchers,maybe Dan Haren. They'll need another arm, because you can't outscore everyone. They also need help in the bullpen, more notably closer, because they simply cannot count on Brad Lidge. I don't know where they can get that kind of help without giving up a king's ransom,but its worth a try.
   Like I stated earlier, the Phillies have proven to be a strong second half team in the past.Ask the Mets about that. The opposition in the division seems to be a little tougher this year as the Mets and Braves are playing good baseball right now. I'm not sold on the Mets. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop for them and the Braves are good but I think they need another bat to surpass the Phillies. Philadelphia still is the team to beat in the NL East and maybe the National League.The fans need to stop grumbling because things could be worse.Fans step away from the ledge.