It's been a gamut of emotions the past week, as the Phils moved from sweeper to sweepee after another late-inning comeback against the Diamondbacks fell short Wednesday night. What's interesting to me is that both times the Phillies have been swept in a 3-game series this year (Arizona and the first series of the season against Atlanta) it has occurred at the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.
This doesn't make any sense. How could the home field favor the visitor more than the regular tenant?
It seems to me that Philadelphia should have more of a home-field advantage for several reasons:
1) CBP has short power alleys, especially to right field, and the Phils are loaded with left-handed power hitting
2) Center and left-center are relatively far away, good for the speed at the top and bottom of the order in addition to the excellent range of the Phillies outfielders (Pat Burrell being an exception)
3) Philly is not the most welcoming place for opposing teams and that raucous fanbase is still intact since the stadium-builders didn't flee to the suburbs or a tony downtown area
Despite these seemingly obvious advantages, why does it always seem like the Phillies play no better in front of their home crowd than they do on the road?
Maybe because that's exactly the case.
Phillies at home since 2004: 142-127 (.528)
Phillies on the road since 2004: 143-127 (.530)
Those records are nearly identical! It's simply staggering to think that the Phillies have had winning seasons every year they've been in their new ballpark with a negative (-.002) home field advantage. In fact, that's not even an advantage. That's the very definition of a home field disadvantage, however slight it may be. Only in Philadelphia.
Maybe the park can't be blamed for all of the Phillies' woes, but it's time to brainstorm solutions when a good team cannot even get a lift from its own ballpark.
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