Well, the great run — the greatest in Phillies history — is officially over. Ruben Amaro Jr. unloaded Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence and probably Joe Blanton (still in the works) before the 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline Tuesday.
As this was all going down, former phenom prospect Domonic Brown was scratched from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and told to report to D.C. to be with the big club. While tonight’s lineup isn’t posted yet, it will presumably include Brown, John Mayberry Jr. and Juan Pierre in the outfield when the new-look Phillies take on the (gulp) first-place Washington Nationals.
Wow, that doesn’t exactly inspire World Series dreams … but this is the new state of the Phillies.
Back to Brown for a second, two springs ago he was supposed to be the Phillies’ future, a five-tool, can’t-miss prospect who was “untouchable” in all trade talks. This past spring, in Clearwater, there was still hope when Metro caught up with him. For the next two months, Brown will have a chance to prove he belongs in The Show — and Phillies fans will find out what (if anything) they have to look forward to moving ahead.
Last note: Expect that consecutive sellout streak at Citizens Bank Park to end real soon. The Phils won’t be contending for anything this year and the Eagles begin preseason games next month.
