Saturday, July 07, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
Just like last night the Phils got off to a quick start in Colorado, with Jimmy Rollins leading off with his 100th career homerun, and Ryan Howard hitting a 2 run homer, as Phils scored 3 runs in the 1st inning for a 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, just then after Howard's homer the game was halted by rain for 1 hour and 22 minutes and it washed away the Phils momentum. The Phils did not score again for the rest of the game while starter Jamie Moyer, after allowing only 1 run in the 1st 4 innings, was touched up for 4 in his final inning and 2/3rds of work, including a 2 run homer by Ryan Spillborghs in the 5th inning. The Phils bullpen couldn't do much better, allowing another run in the 7th, and before you knew it Colorado was ahead 6-3. It quickly ended like that as the Phils went down in order in the 8th and 9th innings. So the Phils are now back under .500 at 43-44 and 5.5 games behind the Mets who won a marathon 17 inning game over the Astros. Fortunately, the Braves lost, so the Phils are still only 2.5 games out of 2nd, but Life still sucks again anyway.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers recently began summer league play, in which all of their top younger players get to show off their skills. Currently their record in league play is 1-1 but who cares about that. Big thing right now, is the performance so far, of Louis Williams who scored 32 points in the Sixers last game. Top draft pick Thaddeus Young added 11, and Jason Smith, their second 1st round pick, chipped in with 7 points and 8 rebounds.
Friday, July 06, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
Rookie sensation Kyle Kendrick got the start tonight and came up with another sterling performance against the Rockies, going 6 innings, and allowing just 3 runs on 10 hits. Meanwhile, the Phils potent offense pounded out 6 runs on 12 hits, off Rockies starter Steve Francis. Jimmy Rollins and Aaron Rowand both hit ground rule doubles and the Phils scored 3 runs in the first. In the second, Shane Victorino doubled and scored on a single by Ryan Howard. Howard later attempted to score on a double by Aaron Rowand, but he was thrown out at home, a moment that would later comeback to haunt the Phils. In the 5th Aaron Rowand, doubled again, Pat Burrell walked, and Wes Helms doubled to score both. Thus, as the bottom of the 6th began the Phils lead 6-1, and Kendrick was dealing. After two quick outs though, he allowed 3 straight singles, and the Rockies scored twice, to cut the lead to 6-3. Kendrick struck out Jeff Baker to end it there, but the damage had been done. Kendrick's day was now over, but the adventure was now beginning for the Phils bullpen. After Kendrick left the game, 5 count em, 5 Phils relievers were used, but none of them could stop the Rockies. They scored a single run in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings to tie it at 6. Of course, if Ryan Howard had not been thrown at home in the 2nd, that still would only have been good enough for them to lose 7-6, but Howard was thrown out and Rockies pushed the game into extra innings. Somehow the Phils kept it tied until the 11th, but there J.D Durbin allowed a one out walk to Garret Atkins and single to Brad Hawpe, putting the winning run on second with only one out. With two outs, Yorvit Torrealba singled and Atkins scored to win it for Colorado 7-6. So the Phils are back to .500 at 43-43, but still only 4.5 games behind the Mets for first, and 2.5 behind the Braves for 3rd. Thus, life sucks again.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils had off today, so they would have time to travel out to Colorado for a 3 game set with the Rockies, their last series before the all-star break. If they win the series they'll head into the break in good shape, otherwise they'll head into the break needing a jumpstart to begin the second half. Either way, it will be an interesting second half the season.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
Cole Hamels went 7 innings allowing 1 run on 8 hits while striking out 8 for his 10th win of the season thus far, against just 4 losses. Meanwhile the Phils offense blitzed the Astros for 8 runs on 13 hits. Wes Helms doubled in Pat Burrell in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Wes Helms and Jimmy Rollins both hit solo homers in 5th inning for a 3-1 lead. Chase Utley tripled and scored in the 6th inning for a 4-1 lead. Finally, in the 8th inning the Phils put it away for good. Ryan Howard hit a 2 run homer, two batters later Pat Burrell added a solo shot, and Wes Helms singled and scored on a wild pitch, to put the Phils up by a laughable score of 8-1. Thus, ensuring that no umpire error would cost the Phils another game. Houston tacked a couple runs in the 8th and 9th innings, but despite allowing a leadoff homerun to Hunter Pence, Brian Sanches closed out the Stros in the 9th and the Phils got the win easily 8-3. At the same time the Mets were blown out in Colorado 17-7, so the Phils are now back to within 4 games of first in the NL East. However, Atlanta salvaged a game with Dodgers, so the Phils remain in 3rd place. Life is still beautiful again though.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
It's a guessing game right now whenever Adam Eaton takes the mound for the Phils. You just never know who is going to show up. The shaky Eaton who struggled in April, or the good Eaton who looked like the Phils ace in May. Tonight, it was the shaky Eaton, allowing 3 runs in the second inning. He allowed the Stros to load the bases with nobody out, on a pair of singles and a walk. Then he walked in a run, allowed another to score on a fielder's choice, and then served up an RBI single to Craig Biggio before finally getting out of the inning, and that was after the Phils had just taken an early 1-0 lead on a Wes Helms double in the top of the inning. Fortunately, The Phils scored two to tie it in the 3rd inning on a double by Ryan Howard, and the good Eaton showed up to shut down Houston for the next 3 innings. Micheal Bourn then put the Phils ahead 4-3, with a 2 out ground rule double in the 7th inning. The Phils bullpen kept it that way until the bottom of the 9th. There, Antonio Alfonseca came in to close it out and things got interesting. After getting a quick out, Craig Biggio and Hunter Pence singled, and Alfonseca walked Lance Berkman, loading the bases for the ever dangerous Carlos Lee. However , Alfonseca got Lee to ground into a game ending double play, and the Phils had won, or so they thought. Although replays clearly showed him out, firstbase ump Lance Barskdale called Carlos Lee safe, allowing Biggio to score with the tying run. Somehow Alfonseca got out of the inning with the score still tied but it didn't matter. The Phils had chances in just about every inning after that to get the lead back, but they weren't able to get that last hit they needed and in the 13th inning Hunter Pence finally ended the marathon with a homer, on the first pitch he saw from Jose Mesa. So the Phils lost 5-4, but should have won 4-3. In other words if the Phils wind up missing the playoffs by a game, Barksdale is a dead man. Anyway, the Mets and Braves both lost again as well, so again the Phils didn't lose any ground in the NL East, but life still sucks.
Monday, July 02, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils came into Houston tonight for a 3 game set, having won 6 of their last 9 against the Astros. With Jamie Moyer on the mound things figured to be more of the same. Moyer delivered, allowing just 4 runs on 9 hits, in 6 innings of work. The Phils bullpen on the other hand, didn't do so well allowing 3 runs on 2 hits after the Phils had cut the lead to 1 in the 6th inning. Aaron Rowand put the Phils ahead 1-0 in the first on a sac fly. Then after Houston tied in the bottom of the first, Pat Burrell went deep in the second for a 2-1 Phils lead. Houston tied it again in the 3rd, and then took the lead in the 5th with a 2 run homer by rookie Hunter Pence. The Phils then cut the lead to 1,at 4-3, with a solo homer by Shane Victorino in the 6th. Then Jamie Moyer returned to the dugout for the night and it all got away from the Phils. In the 7th, Brian Sanches walked 3 batters in a row to the load the bases with two outs and force in 1 run, but only after Shane Victorino attempted and failed to make a spectacular catch of a foul ball, lunging into the seats and bruising his side, he says he's fine though. Jose Mesa came in to relieve Sanches and walked in another run, before finally ending the inning. Then in the 8th, Mesa allowed a solo homer by Carlos Lee to seemingly put the nail in the Phils coffin. However, as is their current MO the Phils didn't go down easily. In the 9th, they loaded the bases with only 1 out, and Carlos Ruiz doubled to cut the lead to 7-5, and put the tying run on second. All they needed was one more single tie it, but Chris Coste grounded out, and Jimmy Rollins flied out and that was that. So the Phils lost 7-5 to drop to 42-41, but the Mets and Braves both lost as well, and the Phils thus didn't lose any ground in the NL East. Life still sucks though.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
PHILLIES NEWS
After having swept the Mets in NY back in June, the Phils nearly allowed the Mets to come in town this weekend and repay the favor, as they won the first 3 games of a 4 games set. Today, in their first July game, the Phils avoided the embarrassing 4 game sweep. Rookie sensation Kyle Kendrick got the start , and once again he delivered. In just his 4th start, Kendrick went 6 and 2/3rds innings, and held the Mets to just 2 runs on 6 hits. The Phils meanwhile, got a 2 out double from Greg Dobbs in the 2nd inning, and a 2 run homer from Jimmy Rollins in the 3rd inning to take an early 3-1 lead. A solo homer by Carlos Delgado in the 4th inning, got NY back to within 1 at 3-2. Fortunately the Phils had one last rally in the 7th inning to put it away for good. With two outs in the inning, Shane Victorino hit a solo homer just inside the foul pole to extend the lead to 4-2. Then Chase Utley Tripled, Ryan Howard worked a walk, and Aaron Rowand singled to score Utley and push the lead to 5-2. Pat Burrell could then have extended the lead even further but he struck out rather weakly to end the inning. The Phils bullpen ruled the rest of the way although Mike Zagurski had to be rescued after surrendering a run with two outs in the 9th. Fortunately Antonio Alfonseca came in to get the last out, and the Phils got the win 5-3. So the Phils are now 42-40, just 5 games behind the Mets for first and 1 behind Atlanta for 2nd. Life is beautiful again. Oh and by the way Kendrick is now 3-0 on the season, can you say clutch.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers made some big moves today. First they signed free agent center Daniel Briere to an 8 year $52 million deal. Briere co-captained the Sabres to the best record in the NHL last season and a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. Along the way Briere led the Sabres and finished 10th in the league with 95 points, off 32 goals and 63 assists. He was also the MVP of last year's All-star game in his first ever trip there. Not along after signing Briere, they swung a 4 player deal with the Edmonton Oilers, sending Geoff Sanderson and Joni Pitkanen, to Edmonton in excahnge for veteran defenseman and team captain Jason Smith and winger Joffrey Lupul. Lupul was really just a throw in, and may or may not help to improve the Flyers, but Smith sures up the Flyers defense ,and Briere does likewise to the offensive attack. There is thus a very good chance the Flyers could be right back in the playoffs next year, after finishing dead last in the NHL last year.
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