Opposite dugout: Struggling Phillies are ripe for the picking, ready for rebuilding

Manager: Ryne Sandberg (3rd season)

Record: 22-42

Last 10 games: 2-8

Who to watch: 3B Maikel Franco (.282 with 6 HR, 16 RBIs), LF Ben Revere (.277 with 15 SB), 1B Ryan Howard (11 HR, 28 RBIs), RHP Aaron Harang (4-7, 3.04 ERA), RHP Jonathan Papelbon (12 saves, 1.05 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (1-2 in 2012)

Pitching probables:

June 15: RHP Aaron Harang vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 7:05 p.m., MASN
June 16: RHP Jerome Williams vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN
June 17: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. RHP Kevin Correia, 7:05 p.m., MASN
June 18: RHP Bud Norris vs. RHP Sean O'Sullivan, 1:05 p.m., MASN

Inside the Phillies:

It wasn't so long ago that the Phillies were in the World Series and dominating the National League East. But that five-year stretch of playoff appearances from 2007-11 are a distant memory for the Phillies, and the back-to-back World Series appearances in 2008-09 and the world championship in 2008 aren't enough to draw fans to Citizens Bank Park anymore. There are a lot of empty seats there, and fans are calling for the head of general manager Ruben Amaro, who only begrudgingly has begun a rebuilding effort.

Trouble is, guys like first baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley and catcher Carlos Ruiz are locked into big-money contracts that were probably ill-advised when Amaro negotiated them. But back then, everyone wanted him to pay whatever was necessary to keep the core together. Funny what a string of three sub-.500 seasons will do. Not even the arrival of Ryne Sandberg as manager three seasons ago was enough to roust the Phillies out of their slumber - they come into this week's games against the Orioles 20 games under .500.

Amaro will make changes by the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline - he has to, or the City of Brotherly Love will be storming the ballpark with pitchforks and torches to go along with their cheesesteaks - and there's no guarantee that the same team the Orioles see at the start of their four games this week against the Phils will be the team that finishes up the home-and-home two-game series. (For the record, this qualifies as two separate series).

Howard might have some value - he leads the club with 11 home runs 28 RBIs - but he's still owed about $58 million, so the Phillies will have to eat a lot of that in order to move him. An American League team might be interested in him as a DH, but it's all about the money. Ditto for Utley, whose .184 batting average is the lowest among qualified regulars in all of the majors. Still, he's got 25 RBIs, so he's making his few hits count. The Phillies recalled third base prospect Maikel Franco from Triple-A Lehigh Valley last month and he's produced with a .282/.325/.527 line, six homers and 16 RBIs in 28 games. But even the Phillies that are doing well are the subject of rumors, guys like left fielder Ben Revere (.277 with 15 stolen bases), right-handed starter Aaron Harang and closer Jonathan Papelbon (12 saves, 1.05 ERA, 1.01 WHIP) are probably heading elsewhere; it's more a matter of when, not if.

The Phillies have been flat-out dreadful, ranking near the bottom of a plethora of batting and pitching categories. They have the fewest runs (197) and home runs (36) and lowest slugging percentage (.350) in the majors, the second-worst number of total bases (756) and on-base percentage .288), and the fourth-worst average (.238). On the mound, they yield the second-highest opponents' on-base percentage (.336) in the bigs, have allowed the third-most runs (288) and have the fourth-fewest saves (13). Makes you wonder how Amaro has escaped without being replaced, doesn't it?

Harang, who will start Monday night at Camden Yards, had to wait until January to sign a one-year, $5 million deal that has paid pretty nice dividends - enough so that he could be dealt for a decent prospect as we get deeper into the summer. He's run into hard luck, as his team-leading 3.04 ERA and 4-7 record would suggest - but has been very reliable, pitching at least six innings in 12 of his 13 starts. The one outing where he didn't go at least six, he fell one out short of that mark. But he's coming off his worst start of 2015, allowing seven runs - including four homers. matching his total from the previous 12 starts - in six innings at Cincinnati on June 9. The 16-year veteran is limiting the opposition to a .225/.281/.371 line, but is allowing a .317 average with runners in scoring position. He relies on a fastball that comes in between 84-94 mph, which he throws 62 percent of the time, and an 81 mph slider that he throws 18 percent of the time. June hasn't been kind to him; he's 0-2 with a 9.26 ERA this month. On the road this season, he's 2-4 with a 4.07 ERA. He gets in the most trouble from his 46th through 60th pitches, when foes touch him at a .347/.407/.551 clip. He's got some history against the Orioles, going 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in three career starts.

Righty Jerome Williams closes out the two-game Baltimore portion of the series, and his 90 mph fastball and 87 mph cutter haven't been fooling too many people this season. With most teams, he'd already have been cut, but the Phillies' starting pitching depth is so weak that they continue to trot him out every fifth day. At least he's logging five or more innings with some regularity - 11 of 13 starts - but his 0-4 road record with a 7.18 ERA doesn't bode well, especially if it's warm and humid at Camden Yards. Williams has already surrendered 13 homers in 69 1/3 innings (after yielding 12 in 115 innings last season). Right-handers are hitting .343 against him and opponents have an overall .224/.367/.510 line. He's had middling success in his career against the Orioles, going 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA in seven games (five starts).

The Phillies signed veteran right-hander Kevin Correia to a major league deal on June 8 and inserted him into the rotation, and he'll start Wednesday when the series moves to Citizens Bank Park. In his Phillies debut at Pittsburgh on Friday, he spun 5 2/3 innings of scoreless five-hit ball, walking one and fanning four in a no-decision. The 34-year-old Correia is only four seasons removed from being an All-Star with the Pirates, but hasn't replicated his success from earlier in his career, which included four straight seasons of double-digit wins from 2009-12. Expect the Orioles to go up hacking against him, as foes slash .283/.343/.452 in his first through 25th pitches. If he can keep the ball on the ground, Correia can succeed - he holds opponents to a career .227 average on ground balls. In three career games against the Orioles, he's 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA, but in six lifetime games (two starts) at Citizens Bank Park, he's 0-2 with a 14.00 ERA. Once a fastball/slider guy, Correia increasingly has relied on his in recent years.

Righty Sean O'Sullivan will start Thursday afternoon's series finale, and is coming off a June 13 outing at Pittsburgh where he was tagged for four runs on eight hits and four walks over six innings. O'Sullivan is a journeyman on his fifth organization since breaking into pro ball in 2006. He's been mostly reliable this season, working at least five innings in all nine of his starts, but with mixed results, as his 5.08 ERA and .294 batting average against might suggest. At home, he's 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA in five starts. In four games (three starts) against the Orioles, O'Sullivan has posted an 8.64 ERA without a decision. His 90 mph fastball and 80 mph slider, which account for 82 percent of his offerings, aren't fooling anyone.

If the Phillies can get a lead to the eighth inning, they usually fare well. Setup man Ken Giles has shaken off back problems and a horrible spring to post a 2.00 ERA, though his 1.37 WHIP is troubling for a power pitcher. He'll eventually inherit closing duties once Papelbon is traded. Papelbon doesn't have the same velocity or movement that he once had, but that hasn't stopped him from saving 12 games in as many tries and recording a 1.05 ERA through 25 outings.