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Jimmy Rollins says his Phillies should’ve won two more championships | Extra Innings

"Everyone that played on those teams, I would say, would say we should’ve gotten three rings.”

Jimmy Rollins was honored before the game between the Phillies and Nationals on Saturday and acknowledged the crowd as Dan Baker, left, looked on.
Jimmy Rollins was honored before the game between the Phillies and Nationals on Saturday and acknowledged the crowd as Dan Baker, left, looked on.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

For the second straight week, a Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park called for a terrific start by Zach Eflin. The Phillies thumped the Nationals behind Eflin’s seven strong innings and washed away the taste of Saturday night’s stunning loss. The Phillies departed after Sunday’s game for St. Louis to open a three-game series against the pesky Cardinals. Eflin’s next start will be Saturday in Kansas City. Maybe he can just imagine it’s a Sunday in South Philly.

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— Matt Breen (extrainnings@philly.com)

Jimmy Rollins is missing two rings

Jimmy Rollins accessorized his sharp, checkered blazer Saturday night with the shiny, World Championship ring he helped the Phillies earn in 2008. But if Rollins had his way, he would’ve had to find a way to fit two more oversized rings into his outfit for his retirement ceremony at Citizens Bank Park.

“Shoulda, coulda, woulda. But I’d say three,” Rollins said when asked how many titles the Phillies should have won during his era. “Three rings out of those five years where we were really on top. I would say give us a good three. Sometimes, the best team doesn’t always win. You come against a team that’s hot, a team that you’re basically equal to regardless of what your record is, or how the matchup goes.

"That’s how baseball is played. Especially in that first series, five-game series. Team can get out on you, and it’s hard to make up those games. But we got one and I guess that we accomplished that part. Everyone that played on those teams, I would say, would say we should’ve gotten three rings.”

The Phillies earned their ring in 2008 when they might not even have been the “best team,” as Rollins said. The Cubs won 97 games that season but were swept in the first round by a hot Dodgers team, which proved to be a good matchup for the Phillies in the National League Championship Series. The Phillies came two wins away from a title in 2009, but it’s hard to argue that they should’ve beaten the Yankees.

The two titles that Rollins is likely missing were lost in 2010 with Roy Halladay and in 2011 with the “Four Aces.” The Phillies had more talent than the Giants, who beat them in six games in the 2010 NLCS and then won the World Series. A year later, they were shut out by the eventual world-champion Cardinals, 1-0, in Game 5 of the NLDS. The Phillies won 102 games that season to have baseball’s best record by five games. As Rollins said, sometimes the best team doesn’t always win.

“Of course we got the one ring, but not more than one. That’s the unfortunate part,” Rollins said. “But we had great teams. We became an organization that people chased. What are the Phillies doing? They tried to keep up with us. You put all that into a package, and you take that wherever you go, whether you’re in a uniform or out of a uniform. Easily, a lot of great years, my best years, were in this city and in this uniform."

The rundown

Before Rhys Hoskins hit a big two-run double Sunday, he worked a 12-pitch walk and a five-pitch walk. Marc Narducci wrote about Hoskins’ plate discipline, which is more than just being patient. “Some of it is being stubborn to a plan, being selective, but also some of it is me missing pitches I should hit,” Hoskins said.

J.T. Realmuto has started more games than any other catcher, but Sunday was his day off. In stepped Andrew Knapp, who Bob Brookover wrote has been brilliant as the understudy to Realmuto. It was the second straight time that Knapp caught Zach Eflin, who pitched seven strong innings to follow up last week’s complete game. “He knows me extremely well,” Eflin said.

The Phillies created a rule that forbids them from retiring the numbers of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard if they failed to reach the Baseball Hall of Fame. I wrote in Sunday’s paper how the rule must be ignored if the Phillies are to properly honor the three players who defined their greatest era.

Important dates

Tonight: Vince Velasquez opens three-game series in St. Louis, 8:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Aaron Nola faces Dakota Hudson, 7:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Jerad Eickhoff starts against Jack Flaherty, 1:15 p.m.

Thursday: The Phillies are off.

Friday: Jake Arrieta opens a three-game series in Kansas City, 8:15 p.m.

Stat of the day

Rhys Hoskins’ two-run double Sunday gave him an RBI in a career-long seven games. He has a team-leading 31 RBIs, 11 of which have come in the last seven games.

The last Phillies player with an RBI in seven consecutive games? Erik Kratz, who did it in 2010. The Phillies’ all-time record was set in 1931 by Pinky Whitney, who had an RBI in 11 straight spanning the 1930 and 1931 seasons.

From the mailbag

Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.

Question: Any chance the Phillies will save me from a heart attack during their late innings by acquiring some decent relievers? I couldn’t believe Saturday’s game. —Eileen M. via email

Answer: Thanks, Eileen. The Phillies have three relievers — Victor Arano, David Robertson, and Tommy Hunter — on the injured list, and all three have a chance to return within the next month. They also have Nick Pivetta waiting at triple A as a possible relief option.

Saturday night was bad, but it is encouraging that the bad inning was pitched by Pat Neshek and Adam Morgan, who have been the two most reliable arms in the bullpen. The bullpen, especially with just one day off before May 27, will need some relief. First, the Phillies will look internally at those options. But, if the struggles are still apparent in June and July, they will make a move before the trade deadline to add a reliever.