There is a word that has come to symbolize failure to achieve. That word is “Phillies.’’


Even the players buy into it.


“Underachieving is a good way to put it,’’ pitcher Randy Wolf said Wednesday. “I look at the players we have, and it’s frustrating.’’


“Why haven’t we been to the playoffs?’’ shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. “That’s a great question.’’


The Phillies are losers. It is an article of faith among this town’s determined-to-be-unhappy fans and determined-to-fuel-the-unhappiness media.


That the general manager (Ed Wade) is a gutless moron and the manager (Charlie Manuel) a clueless clod are also articles of faith.


If all of the above were true ... well, how do they ever beat anybody?


Last month the Phils were within one pitch of winning consecutive series against the first-place Cardinals, first-place Orioles, first-place Marlins and perennial division winner Atlanta, the last three of those on the road.


That one pitch was a Billy Wagner fastball Damion Easley of the Marlins hit over the fence in Miami, leading to a hideous 4-3, extra-inning loss.


The fear/assumption, of course, was that Phillie backs would be broken by that, and it wasn’t even June yet.


Further, although no one in the Philadelphia clubhouse called the Marlins Daddy, it was being suggested elsewhere.


On ESPN, John Kruk said his former team was “afraid of’’ the Fish.


But the Phils beat Florida the following night. Since May 24, the Phillies are 12-2, the Marlins 3-12.


Incredibly, the Phillies gained 11 games on Florida in the loss column in two weeks.


All of which had nothing to do with the considerable buzz around Citizens Bank Park Wednesday afternoon.


Ed Wade had made a trade.


In what will be old news by the time you read this, the Phillies dealt Placido Polanco to the Detroit Tigers for relief pitcher Ugueth Urbina and spare-part infielder Ramon Martinez.


In what is even older news, the way modern major-league games are run, championship-caliber everyday players — of which Polanco is one — can be traded for relievers who aren’t superstar closers — of which Urbina is one. Didn’t use to be that way.


There are extenuating circumstances. Figuring Polanco must have read the handwriting regarding emerging regular 2B Chase Utley last winter, the Phils offered him salary arbitration and assumed he wouldn't take it.


Polanco either didn’t read it or misinterpreted it. He accepted arbitration, making himself an expensive semi-regular. Then he opened the season by saying, nonsensically, that if he couldn’t play every day he didn’t want to be here.


Yo Polly: You couldn’t play every day, but had to be here, and you made that happen.


Still, Polanco played well here (.316 in 158 2005 at-bats, with a .376 on-base percentage and good pop for a middle infielder), and allowed the Phillies to platoon Utley.


That platoon, or the failure to play organizational golden boy Utley every day, was seen as Macro Exhibit A that Manuel’s a doofus.


Micro Exhibit A might have come Tuesday, when Manuel let lefty reliever Rheal Cormier hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning, his team holding a four-run lead.


Boo.


The problem with the boos is Manuel was emphatically right, in theory and practice, micro and macro.


As for the micro, since rookie Robinson Tejeda was scheduled for an start the following night that would have been a success if it lasted five innings, an already tired bullpen was on overload.


And Texas’ Mark Teixeira was due up in the eighth. He’s a switch-hitter who kills righties but has no power (0 HRs, two RBI) against lefties.


Cormier is a lefty. Duh. Cormier struck out Teixeira. Phils win.


As for the macro, Polanco vs. left-handers: 19-for-65 (.292) with two homers, two doubles and six walks. Utley: 4-for-26 (.154), all singles.


To which the upper-deck hardcores in the Eagles jerseys would no doubt reply: How’s he gonna learn to hit lefties if he doesn’t get a chance?


Oh, so now player development trumps winning? You’ve been fibbing to WIP all this time?


The 2B platoon was not only smart. It worked.


Which isn’t to say Wednesday’s trade was a bad one. Urbina can pitch. With him, the bullpen went from shallow to potentially deep, from rigid to potentially flexible, from the only gaping weakness to a pootential strength, in one day.


Further, when Wade announced the deal, he said he’d had to work quickly, that other NL East teams were talking to the Tigers about Urbina, by consensus the best reliever available.


After Thursday’s games, 3½ games separated first and last place in the NL East. Many believe the GMs will decide it, and the July 31 trade deadline could be the battlefield.


Who figured Ed Wade would fire the first blow? Mike Gross is a sports writer for the Sunday News. E-mail him at mgross@lnpnews.com.

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