The Phillies are getting more and more creative with their losses as the still early season gets seemingly longer and longer.  Today they lost 6-4 to the Marlins to fall to 1-5 on the year.

The loss featured eleven walks resulting in 14 men left on base, the Phils' leaving the bases loaded to end the game (with the last two batters unable to hit the ball out of the infield), and yet another booted ball at third by cement-gloved Wes Helms.  The play cost the Phils one run and though it was scored a double, it should have been a single and an error as the ball bounced off Helms' behind third base.

But it's not like the Phils have not been here before. They started the season 1-5 last year and in 2004.  In fact, 2007 is the 15^th time this illustrious franchise has started the season 1-5:

An average those teams have ended up 73-89, a bit shy of the 75 wins I predicted for this team.

Keep in mind that the Phils became just the 69^th road team in baseball history to draw eleven walks and still lose the game (home teams have done it 110 times).  The last time this happened was last July 9 when the Red Sox lost 6-5 to the White Sox despite drawing eleven walks.  Here are the most walks to a visiting team that still resulted in a loss:

The most walks collected in a losing effort was by—you guessed it—the Phils, 18 in a losing interleague effort (7-6) against the O's on July 2, 2004.

The Charlie Manuel (career) death watch starts next weekend if the team can't pull out of this freefall.  But fear not, Jon Lieber is on the way to resuscitate the starting rotation…And there was much rejoicing.