Saturday, June 24, 2006
PHILLIES NEWS
So far this weekend things have gone from bad to worse for the Phillies. As expected today's game between Curt Schilling and Brett Myers provided plenty of enertainment, but unfortunately it did not produce a Phillies win. Just when it seemed like Phillies might actually beat the Red Sox at their own game with a comeback win, the offense faltered and let golden opportunities to seal victory slip away. The game started well enough for the Phillies, as they took an early 2-0 lead on an RBI double by Bobby Abreu, but Brett Myers allowed the Red Sox to get right back in the game, allowing 3 runs in the first 2 innings. The pitchers took over from, Brett Myers and reliever Geoff Geary kept the Red Sox off the board for the next 4 innings and Curt Schilling by himself did the same to the Phillies. In the top of the 7th inning however, Schilling relented and gave the Phillies a golden opportunity to blow the game wide open, as they loaded the bases with nobody out, but from that scenario the Phillies could muster only one run on Jimmy Rollins RBI single, tying the score at 3. The Phillies bullpen continued to shutdown the Red Sox for the next 2 innings and in the top of the 9th the Phillies had another golden opportunity to break the game open or at the very least score the go -ahead run as again they loaded the bases, this time with two out, but this time they could not even muster up one run. The Phils bullpen continued its fine work, sending the game into extra innings, but in the bottom of the 10th inning they ran into a road block in the person of David Ortiz. Tom Gordon came on to pitch in the bottom of the 10th and with 1 out and 1 on, served up a hanging curveball to Ortiz, and you know the rest, game over 5-3 Red Sox. Simply put, the Phillies did not take advantage of their opportunities and the Red Sox did so they won, period end of story.
FLYERS NEWS
The NHL draft was held earlier tonight, yeah I had know idea it was tonight either. The Flyers had the 22nd pick in the 1st round of the draft and used it to pick right wing Claude Giroux. From what I hear Giroux is not an especially big player at apparently 5 foot 10 inches and 169 pounds, but the Flyers seem to think that he can be a skilled playmaker in the mold of Simon Gagne and if they are that excited about him it is good enough for me. Besides, in the new NHL it seems that if you are to go deep in the playoffs then you have to have guys who are small but skilled playmakers. Hopefully, that's what Giroux will be for the Flyers.
PHILLIES NEWS
Tonight(Friday) the Phillies ran into a buzz saw in Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett, who shut them down for 6 innings , retiring the Phillies' first 16 batters, and over 8 innings allowed them just 2 runs on 3 hits, one of them a two-run homer by Chase Utley. It's hard enough for the Phillies to win right now when they do score runs, so you can imagine how badly tonight went for them. To say that this game was never really close would be an understatement. Phillies starter Ryan Madson lasted just 1 and 2/3rd of an inning and by the 3rd inning the Phillies trailed 6-0. Rookie Scott Mathieson came on to replace Madson and pitched well keeping the score 6-0 until the Phillies finally got on the board in 7th inning on Utley's homer, cutting the lead to 6-2, which would be as close as the Phillies would get. Manny Ramirez homered off Mathieson in the bottom of the 7th to up the score to 7-2 and Mathieson was subsequently pulled from the game in favor of Ryan Franklin who was roughed up in the 8th inning for 3 runs on 2 hits, producing a laughable final score of 10 -2. All I can say is Charlie Manuel had better figure out how to get the lineup going and fast because right now their pitching isn't good enough for them to win while scoring 2 runs a night. He has got to find a way to settle down Chase Utley, Bobby Abreu, and Aaron Rowand, because they all seem to be pressing every time they come to bat and they are really struggling right now because of it.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
PHILLIES NEWS
There was no game today but tomorrow they start what should be a tough three game series with the red-hot Boston Red Sox who have won a season high 6 games in a row. Brace yourself Phils fans, if you think things are bad with the Phillies right now, they could get a lot worse this weekend. If the Phillies defense holds up and their pitching is good they might have a chance against the Red Sox, otherwise this is going to be a long weekend for the Phils. The game to watch for in this series is Saturday's showdown between ex-Phillies ace Curt Schilling and current Phillies ace Brett Myers. It has the potential to be as enertaining as Monday's contest was between Myers and Yankees ace Randy Johnson which resulted in a Phillies win. Here's hoping they beat Schilling too and make this series competitive. Well, until tomorrow happy trails everybody.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
PHILLIES NEWS
Today marked the first official day of summer and it did not start well for the Phillies. Last night Ryan Howard had the game of his life with 2 Homers, a triple and 7 RBIs, tonight however he and the rest of the Phils' offense were shut down by a combined 5 Yankees pitchers, including starter Jaret Wright who pitched 5 innings of three-hit ball, but who cares about that. All that really matters, about tonight's game is that those three hits would be the only hits the Phillies would get all night long. This dismal performance, by the Phillies offense, not only cost them the game, but ruined another stellar performance by rookie sensation Cole Hamels, who pitched 7 innings, two more than Wright, and gave up just two runs on 6 hits. On most nights that kind of effort earns you a win, but as I said, the Phillies offense let him down, giving him no run support. Now, the main reason the Phillies lost was their offense, but it's not the only reason. Yes, Hamels pitched well and kept the Phillies close at just 2-0, but for the second night in a row the bullpen did not pitch well, allowing the Yankees to tack on an extra 3 runs in the 8th inning. Thus by the time the bottom of the 8th inning came around the Phillies were behind 5-0 and their chances for a late rally to win the game had passed, as they took the loss 5-0. Now, let's think for a second, Hamels pitched 7 innings, so the Phillies bullpen, which I might add still has the NL's third best ERA, only had to keep the Yankees in check for two innings, and they couldn't do it. Now I ask you why? Why couldn't they keep the Yankees offense in check for just 2 innings? Why? I mean come on guys close games like these are the ones , you've got to win from now until the end of the season if you want to have any prayer of making the playoffs. You just can't go out and perform the way you did tonight. If you guys really want to make the playoffs you had better start going out there every night with a purpose and will to win alright, now get with the program fellas.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
PHILLIES NEWS
Ryan Howard had the game of his life tonight, going 3 for 3 with 2 homers (one into the third deck in right field) and a triple. All told he knocked in a career high 7 runs on the night, but alas those 7 runs were the only runs scored by the Phillies on this night and they were not enough, as the Yankees rallied to hand the Phillies a tough 9-7 loss. It is the Phillies bullpen that have themselves to thank for this loss. Thus far this season they had posted the NL's best bullpen ERA, but on this night they had no answer for the Yankee offense. Not once, but twice they were given a lead, and twice they failed to protect it. First, in the seventh inning with the Phillies leading 5-4 Rheal Cormier allowed the Yankees two base runners with only one out. Geoff Geary came in to replace him and got out of the inning, but not before allowing the Yankees to push across the tying run. The Phillies regained the lead in bottom of the inning on Ryan Howard's RBI triple and sent the normally reliable Arthur Rhodes to the hill in the 8th inning with a 7-5 lead. Rhodes had retired the Yankees in order just one night before, but on this night he could not get an out, giving up three runs before Charlie Manuel finally pulled him from the game and replaced him with Ryan Franklin. As Geary had done, Franklin got the Phillies out of the inning but not before giving up another run to give the Yankees a 9-7 lead heading into the 9th inning. In the 9th inning Ryan Howard got a final at bat and had a chance to produce an epic finish to his night with two on and two out, but revered Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, induced Howard into a weak first pitch ground out to end the game. Last night the Phillies played a complete game, with their offense, defense, and pitching all coming through for a 4-2 win, but tonight they were not able to repeat, as the defense and offense came through, but the pitching did not. Thus, what plagued the Phillies tonight is the maddening inconsistency that has plagued them all year. If the Phillies are to truly turn things around, they will have to figure out how to be more consistent.
SIXERS NEWS
Trade rumors began swirling today that the Sixers were looking to make a deal to get a higher draft pick to go with their 13th pick in the draft. The name that keeps coming up is big man Samuel Dalembert who thus far has been a disappointment. However, if the Sixers deal Dalembert they will have to draft a big man to replace him, and so today they worked out Uconn's Hilton Armstrong, Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, Oleksiy Pecherov from Ukraine and Saer Sene from Senegal, all of which are more than big enough to replace Dalembert. I don't know about you, but I like the sounds of the Sixers getting a high draft pick for Dalembert, to go with whoever they take at number 13.
Monday, June 19, 2006
PHILLIES NEWS
Even if you know absolutely nothing about baseball you would have been enertained by tonight's game. Even before the game started, the specter of a pitching match up between Randy Johnson and Brett Myers provided the intrigue of a potentially tight and exciting game. From start to finish, the two teams (the Phillies and the Yankees) did not disappoint. For about the 8th game in a row the Phillies fell behind early, as Jason Giambi homered in the 4th inning to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead, but like last night the Phillies pitching kept them in the game. In 6 and 2/3rd innings of work, that one homer by Giambi was all Phillies starter Brett Myers allowed the Yankees to get across the plate, as he struck out a season high 11. However, while Myers was shutting down the Yankees, Randy Johnson was doing the same to the Phillies, until the 5th inning as with two on and one out Pat Burrell doubled down the line plating 2 runs to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. They went on to tack on runs in the 6th inning on an RBI double by Aaron Rowand and in the 8th inning on a wild pitch by Kyle Farnsworth to take a 4-2 lead. Arthur Rhodes and Tom Gordon then combined to retire the Yankees in order in the 8th and 9th innings to preserve the lead and finish off an impressive 4-2 win for the Phils. The Yankees had several opportunities to score runs and could have easily won this game, but the much maligned Phillies defense came through time and time again to preserve the lead. First in the top of the 6th inning with two out and a man on second, Abraham Nunez robbed pitcher Randy Johnson of a base hit with a diving stop, turn , and throw and then in the 8th inning with the bases loaded and two outs and the Phillies holding a 3-1 lead Jimmy Rollins made a diving stop of a line drive by Jorge Posada, turning a sure two run single into a one run infield single, and keeping the Phillies ahead 3-2. Yes you heard the right, the Phillies won tonight because of their defense, not because of their offense. Oddly enough the Phillies did not hit a homerun tonight, and yet they still won and the Yankees lost even though they did hit a homer. Here's hoping that the Phillies have officially turned a corner in their season and are headed toward a long hot streak.
WEEKLY POLL QUESTION
In light of the Phillies recent 6-game losing streak should manager Charlie Manuel keep his job ?
a. yes, who else could possibly have done a better job
b. no, anyone could have done a better job
last week's results:
66% C. recall Gavin Floyd
33% B. move Ryan Franklin in from the bullpen
0% A, D, E, and F
a. yes, who else could possibly have done a better job
b. no, anyone could have done a better job
last week's results:
66% C. recall Gavin Floyd
33% B. move Ryan Franklin in from the bullpen
0% A, D, E, and F
Sunday, June 18, 2006
PHILLIES NEWS
It's over baby, it's finally over. The Miracle has happened, the Phillies have finally won a game, snapping a season high 6 game losing streak. Well, okay maybe it's not a miracle that they won, but I mean come on, did anyone really expect them to end their losing streak today. Think about it, after two dismal performances against the Devil rays, there was really no reason to think they would play any better today. Thank god they were playing the D-rays today, because just about any other team would have beaten the Phillies today to complete the sweep of the series. Getting back to game, let's talk about the reason the Phillies finally got a win today. They won because manager Charlie Manuel, finally did what I told him to do 2 posts ago. He shook up the lineup, benching Pat Burrell, David Bell, and Aaron Rowand and starting bench warmers, David Dellucci, Abraham Nunez, and shane Victorino in their place. All three responded positively to their sudden inclusion in the starting lineup by collecting 5 hits and an RBI. Now, I am not saying these three guys singlehandedly won the game for the Phillies, but they kept the Phillies' offense firing all night long and created several scoring opportunities by continually getting on base. When you do that, when you keep giving your team opportunities to score they will eventually capitalize on it, and capitalize on it the Phillies did, especially Ryan Howard who collected 2 hits and 4 RBIs, three on a homerun, and that's after starting the game 0 for 2 and committing a key error that allowed the Devil Rays to take an early 3-0 lead. In the end this persistence by both Howard and the rest of the Phillies' offense payed off for once, as they took the lead initially in the 5th inning 6-3, then hung on for a huge 8-5 win. Now, as the Phillies prepare for a tough 3-game set with the Yankees, which starts tomorrow, we will see whether or not this win is the start of a new hot-streak for the Phils or just an aberration amongst the continuation of this slump that has befuddled them for so long.
WEEKLY TRIVIA QUESTION
Who is the Phillies active leader in homeruns, RBIs , hits, batting average, extra base hits, doubles, strikeouts, games, at-bats, total bases, walks, intentional walks, sacrifice flies, on-base percentage, slugging percentage , and stolen bases ?
last week's answer:
3
Terry Mullholland, relief pitcher Arizona Diamonbacks
Todd Pratt, backup catcher Atlanta Braves
Curt Schilling, starting pitcher Boston Red Sox
last week's answer:
3
Terry Mullholland, relief pitcher Arizona Diamonbacks
Todd Pratt, backup catcher Atlanta Braves
Curt Schilling, starting pitcher Boston Red Sox
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