Yes, it was great that the Phillies rode Cole Hamels' arm to a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday night. But there were a couple of negatives that need to be fixed for the team to win the series.


First, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, the 2007 and 2006 NL MVPs, need to get out of their slumps. The pair batted 0-for-9 with five strikeouts in Game 1. Rollins hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the second inning when Shane Victorino was thrown out at home on Rollins' short fly ball to center field. Howard struck out 3 times with a runner on third and less than 2 outs.

And then hitting with runners in scoring position. The Phillies were 0-for-13 in those situations, the worst in World Series history. This has been a problem all year. If it's not fixed, this team won't win