The Phils continued their series with the Diamonbacks tonight. With J.A Happ on shelf for at least one start, Nelson Figueroa, in front of his off season home, got the spot start and did his job well. He allowed just 2 runs on 5 hits over 5 innings while striking out 4. It could have been worse if not for a heads up double play turned by Jayson Werth in the 1st inning with 2 runners on. Ultimately though 2 runs over 5 innings is about as much as the Phils could have asked from Figueroa on this night and more than enough for them to get the win. It almost wasn't though. Coming into tonight Dback's starter, Ian Kennedy had been having a farely awful season with an ERA over 5.00. Tonight he was electric allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits over 8 innings, both on solo homers by Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth.
Thanks to a combined 3 scoreless innings out of Chad Durbin and Jose Contreras those 2 homers were just enough to get them to the 9th tied at 2. There with 2 out and nobody on in the top of the inning, Werth got the Phils biggest hit season thus far as he slammed a solo homer to dead center. That set the stage for Ryan Madson to get his 4th save of the season. He allowed a 1 out hit in the bottom of the inning but then struck out the side to close out the 3-2 win, the Phils 11th of the season. At 11-6 overall the Phils are tied for the best record in the NL and appear to be headed in the right direction again, if only they could stay healthy. After missing some of yesterday's game Placido Polanco was back full time today, but now backup SS Juan Castro had to leave tonight's with a sore hamstring and he is expected to miss tomorrow's game. So SS #3 Wilson Valdez will get the start. Castro should be back after that though and then maybe the Phils will start to be healthy again.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles finished their draft today with rounds 4 through 7. They had 10 picks in those final rounds so it was a busy day for them. In the 4th round they made 4 picks, Kentucky CB Trevor Lindley, Oklahoma LB Keenan Clayton, Northwestern QB Mike Kafka, and Missouri State TE Clay Harbor. Lindley is a great cover guy, capable of covering receivers just as well as Sheldon Brown. He's not as physical as Sheldon though, and tackling and hitting are said to be weak. Still, he's a nice addition to the Eagle's secondary and could compete for a starting job. Clayton is a small but quick LB capable of covering TEs and pursuing the football all over field. In other words he fits the Eagles system the Birds needed one more LB so that will be Clayton. Kafka is a strong armed mobile QB, who is a little raw now but could be developed in a great QB someday and a legit backup. Finally Harbor is a big 6-3, 243 LB TE who should be a good blocker, something the Eagles haven't had a TE in a while.
In the 5th round they selected Clemson DE Ricky Sapp and Florida WR Riley Cooper. Like Brandon Graham Sapp a versatile DE capable at linebacker as well. If you remember the Eagles released 3 DEs this offseason and now Sapp is 3rd DE they have added so there should be a spot for him on the roster to provide some good depth. Ditto with Cooper. Remember the Birds released Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown this offseason as well and someone has to replace them. Hank Baskett probably replaces one of them, but right now the 6-3 Cooper, a possession receiver who could be a great red zone threat, would appear to be their best option to be other replacement. In the 6th round they selected LSU RB Charles Scott. Scott gives a birds a big back with some speed who could be useful in short yardage situations. He is not known for his receiving skills though and Eagles normally look for backs who can run and receive so selecting perhaps suggests the Birds will try to run more next season. Scott will compete with Eldra Buckley to be the Birds #3 back and there's a good chance he'll beat him out.
Finally in the 7th round the Eagles selected Mississippi State LB Jamar Chaney, Georgia DT George Owens, and Ohio State S Kurt Coleman. Chaney and Owens maybe have an outside of chance of making the team, but there wouldn't appear to be enough room on the roster for Coleman unless he plays out of this world. In any case if any of them make the roster they would only provide depth.
In the 5th round they selected Clemson DE Ricky Sapp and Florida WR Riley Cooper. Like Brandon Graham Sapp a versatile DE capable at linebacker as well. If you remember the Eagles released 3 DEs this offseason and now Sapp is 3rd DE they have added so there should be a spot for him on the roster to provide some good depth. Ditto with Cooper. Remember the Birds released Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown this offseason as well and someone has to replace them. Hank Baskett probably replaces one of them, but right now the 6-3 Cooper, a possession receiver who could be a great red zone threat, would appear to be their best option to be other replacement. In the 6th round they selected LSU RB Charles Scott. Scott gives a birds a big back with some speed who could be useful in short yardage situations. He is not known for his receiving skills though and Eagles normally look for backs who can run and receive so selecting perhaps suggests the Birds will try to run more next season. Scott will compete with Eldra Buckley to be the Birds #3 back and there's a good chance he'll beat him out.
Finally in the 7th round the Eagles selected Mississippi State LB Jamar Chaney, Georgia DT George Owens, and Ohio State S Kurt Coleman. Chaney and Owens maybe have an outside of chance of making the team, but there wouldn't appear to be enough room on the roster for Coleman unless he plays out of this world. In any case if any of them make the roster they would only provide depth.
Friday, April 23, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles continued the draft tonight in prime time with the 2nd and 3rd rounds. They had 2 picks in the 2nd round including the 4th pick of the round obtained in the Donovan Mcnabb trade . They used that pick, the 37th overall, to select South Florida S Nate Allen. Allen is a is a great athlete and a great cover guy, fully capable of running with recievers and filling that centerfield role that Brian Dawkins played so well. He was according to most experts the best safety left on the board. He's not as hard hitter and some question his tackling ability even though he was 2nd on the Bulls in tackles last season. Hard hitting though was really all Taylor Mays brought to the table, and the Birds were looking for a good cover guy, so Allen fits the bill for them much better than Mays would have. Also Allen is one of those versatile safeties the Eagles like, who is capable playing at either safety position or even at CB. So I would say he was a good pick up this late in the draft.
After that the Birds traded their other 2nd round pick and then moved down 2 more times before finally picking Washingon DE Daniel Te'O-Nesheim in the 3rd round with the 86th pick of the draft. Te'O-Nesheim or TO for short like 1st round pick Brandon Graham, is a bit undersized but has a high motor is a relentless pass rusher who piled up a school record 30.5 sacks while starting all 4 years for the Huskies. He may not be as explosive as Graham but he's a guy who can get after the quarterback and the more guys you have who can get to the QB the better. Also Trent Cole is 30 years old now so eventually someone will have to replace him and maybe that someone will be TO. At any rate the Eagles have now built themselves a fast and strong defensive line and at least the start of a good cover secondary. We'll have to wait and see how it pans out but I am feeling pretty optimistic at this point.
After that the Birds traded their other 2nd round pick and then moved down 2 more times before finally picking Washingon DE Daniel Te'O-Nesheim in the 3rd round with the 86th pick of the draft. Te'O-Nesheim or TO for short like 1st round pick Brandon Graham, is a bit undersized but has a high motor is a relentless pass rusher who piled up a school record 30.5 sacks while starting all 4 years for the Huskies. He may not be as explosive as Graham but he's a guy who can get after the quarterback and the more guys you have who can get to the QB the better. Also Trent Cole is 30 years old now so eventually someone will have to replace him and maybe that someone will be TO. At any rate the Eagles have now built themselves a fast and strong defensive line and at least the start of a good cover secondary. We'll have to wait and see how it pans out but I am feeling pretty optimistic at this point.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Arizona tonight to begin a series with the Diamondbacks. Cole Hamels got the start as he looked to build off his brilliant 8 inning performance against the Marlins. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out for Cole tonight. He cruised through the 1st 3 innings, evening striking out the side in the 2nd, but then everything went awry in the 4th. With one out in the 4th Mark Reynolds slammed a 2 run homer and that opened the floodgates. Arizona hit another 2 homers in the 4th, and one more in the 5th, before Hamels' night was over. In all he allowed 6 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7 in 6 innings of work. J.C Romero then added insult to injury as he finally got a chance to pitch this season and promptly allowed Kelly Johnson to hit his 2nd homer of the night.
Before Hamels imploded in the 4th and 5th, the Phils were leading 2-0, with Cole himself doubling and scoring in the 3rd inning, and Jayson Werth reaching base and scoring a rare triple error by the DBacks. After the implosion they never really recovered. Shane Victorino, did reach base couple of times in the late innings, including an RBI single in the 9th, but it wasn't enough as the Phils fell 7-4. There's not much else to say really. It was just bad night for Cole and it ultimately cost the Phils the game. It's not the end of the world though. They can still win the next 2 games and take the series and I am confident they will do so as long as the pitching holds up the rest of the way.
Before Hamels imploded in the 4th and 5th, the Phils were leading 2-0, with Cole himself doubling and scoring in the 3rd inning, and Jayson Werth reaching base and scoring a rare triple error by the DBacks. After the implosion they never really recovered. Shane Victorino, did reach base couple of times in the late innings, including an RBI single in the 9th, but it wasn't enough as the Phils fell 7-4. There's not much else to say really. It was just bad night for Cole and it ultimately cost the Phils the game. It's not the end of the world though. They can still win the next 2 games and take the series and I am confident they will do so as long as the pitching holds up the rest of the way.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Braves tonight. The ageless one, Jamie Moyer got the start and was great, finally avoiding that one bad inning that had killed him in his first 2 starts. He went 6 innings as usual, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits, while striking out 4. It was just kind of performance the Phils needed out of their veteran to finish off this key early season series with a win. While Moyer got it done for the Phils, Derek Lowe got roughed up for Atlanta allowing 5 runs on 6 hits in just 5 innings, as Greg Dobbs, playing in place of Placido Polanco who sat out with elbow soreness, racked up 2 hits and 2 runs scored, and Edgar Prado committed a key Atlanta error in the 3rd inning, messing up a sure double play. The Phils then beat up on Atlanta's bullpen for another 3 runs and 6 hits. Shane Victorino sac flyed in a run in the 6th inning. Then he Ross Gload combined for back to back 2 out singles for 2 more runs in 7th inning.
So amazingly the Phils scored their 8 runs on the night without hitting a single homerun. They also did so with Jroll and Placido missing from the lineup which just proves how deep they are this year. It really was a big statement to up and coming Atlanta that the Phils still mean business in the NL East. Although they didn't need to be thanks to Jamie and the lineup, the Phils bullpen looked pretty good tonight as well. Chad Durbin finally allowed his 1st run of the season in the 7th, but it was too little too late for Atlanta. From there Danys Baez tossed an encouraging scoreless 8th, and David Herndon recovered from his bad luck 9th inning against Florida to toss a scoreless 9th. Oh and J.C Romero, the Phils top lefy relieve, finally came off the DL and rejoined his teammates tonight, but the Phils decided not to take any chances by using him right away. With J.A Happ going on the DL today, for at least one start, the Phils didn't move anyone to make room for J.C. Anyway with the win the Phils move to 10-5 overall and back firmly into 1st in the NL East by themselves.
So amazingly the Phils scored their 8 runs on the night without hitting a single homerun. They also did so with Jroll and Placido missing from the lineup which just proves how deep they are this year. It really was a big statement to up and coming Atlanta that the Phils still mean business in the NL East. Although they didn't need to be thanks to Jamie and the lineup, the Phils bullpen looked pretty good tonight as well. Chad Durbin finally allowed his 1st run of the season in the 7th, but it was too little too late for Atlanta. From there Danys Baez tossed an encouraging scoreless 8th, and David Herndon recovered from his bad luck 9th inning against Florida to toss a scoreless 9th. Oh and J.C Romero, the Phils top lefy relieve, finally came off the DL and rejoined his teammates tonight, but the Phils decided not to take any chances by using him right away. With J.A Happ going on the DL today, for at least one start, the Phils didn't move anyone to make room for J.C. Anyway with the win the Phils move to 10-5 overall and back firmly into 1st in the NL East by themselves.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Devils met in New Jersey tonight for game 5 of their Eastern conference quarterfinal series. With a 3-1 series lead the Orange and Black needed only to win tonight to punch their ticket to the 2nd round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, following game 4 the Flyers were forced to Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter on the injured list so a win tonight would not be easy. it was going to take lot of heart and gutty spirited play to pull out another road win over the Devils without those 2. It turned out though that heart and spirit was exactly what the Orange and Black brought to this ice on this night in an inspiring effort. Of course New Jersey put forth another lackluster effort, but even if they had come to play the Orange and Black might have held them off anyway.
Danny Briere got things going just 3 minutes into the 1st period with a power play tally off an assist from Claude Giroux. Then late in the 2nd period Giroux basically put the Devils away by himself with an even strength goal and a power play within 2 minutes of each other to put the Orange and Black up 3-0. Brian Boucher took it from there, finishing off a fantastic night, saving all 28 shots he faced in a shutout win. The Flyer's defense though, was the real star tonight, limiting New Jersey to 28 shots on goal and killing all 8 of the Devil's power play opportunities. Considering the Orange and Black will likely play the Washington Capitals and their lethal power play in the next round, they can't afford to keep taking 8 penalties a night, but who cares about that right now. I am just thrilled to see the Devils once again exit stage left early in the postseason and to have the chance to see the Flyers play at least one more playoff series.
Danny Briere got things going just 3 minutes into the 1st period with a power play tally off an assist from Claude Giroux. Then late in the 2nd period Giroux basically put the Devils away by himself with an even strength goal and a power play within 2 minutes of each other to put the Orange and Black up 3-0. Brian Boucher took it from there, finishing off a fantastic night, saving all 28 shots he faced in a shutout win. The Flyer's defense though, was the real star tonight, limiting New Jersey to 28 shots on goal and killing all 8 of the Devil's power play opportunities. Considering the Orange and Black will likely play the Washington Capitals and their lethal power play in the next round, they can't afford to keep taking 8 penalties a night, but who cares about that right now. I am just thrilled to see the Devils once again exit stage left early in the postseason and to have the chance to see the Flyers play at least one more playoff series.
EAGLES NEWS
The NFL Draft began tonight in prime time with the 1st round. Not surprisingly the Eagles traded their 1st round pick and both of their 3rd round picks to move up to the 13th overall pick in the 1st round, with Texas S Earl Thomas still sitting on board for them. Most draft experts assumed that's who the Birds had traded up to take. Instead, they surprised everyone by selecting Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham. Graham is arguably the toughest, hardest working player in the draft, and most experts agree the most NFL ready pass rusher in the draft. So he fills the need the Eagles had for DE to pair with Trent Cole. A great pass rush makes every facet of your defense better. You don't worry about covering receivers down the field if the QB doesn't have time to get them the ball. Thomas was graded by most draft experts as a great cover guy and nothing more. He was probably never going to be a Brian Dawkins type safety ,capable of making plays all over the field and really how much better does a good cover guy make your defense if the QB has all day to throw. Moreover, there are still quite a top defensive backs still available for the Birds to draft with their 2 2nd round picks, like USC S Taylor Mays and South Florida CB Jerome Murphy among others. Therefore I think taking Graham was a good pick to start things off for the Birds and I look forward to him revitalizing their pass rush next season.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Braves tonight as they looked to avenge their heartbreaking loss last night. Roy Halladay got the start and Atlanta never had a chance, not even the wunderkind Jason Heyward, who went o for 2. For the 2nd start in a row Halladay went the distance for a complete game shutout, while allowing just 7 hits and striking out 7. At 4-0 now, Halladay is just too much for National League hitters right now. He throw over 100 pitches for the 2nd start in a row and it could be construed as a concern that continuing to have him do that will wear him out, but that's just not the case. Halladay really is a horse, a throw back to the top pitchers of the past like "Lefty", Steve Carlon and "Tom Terrific", Tom Seaver, who thought nothing of going the distance every night. Therefore I don't have a problem with Halladay working so much, even this early in the season.
While Halladay was mowing them down, the Phils managed to scratch out a couple of runs. In the 2nd, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez collected back to back doubles for one run. Werth doubled again in the 6th inning to score Ryan Howard for a 2nd run and well, that was it. Kinda boring, but sometimes boring is good. Still, it wasn't all Roy in this one he did have some help in the form of the Phils defense. Juan Castro, that's Jrolls' replacement at SS, made a couple good plays, including turning a huge double play in the 7th. Ryan Howard amazing stretch finished off that double play and he came up with a pretty nice unassisted out in the 9th. Finally, Shane Victorino made the play of the day, robbing Troy Glaus of homerun in the 2nd. As much as Roy won this one, the defense did as well. It's nice to have a defense good enough to win games for you. Anyway so the Phils move to 9-5 overall and will look to win the series tomorrow.
While Halladay was mowing them down, the Phils managed to scratch out a couple of runs. In the 2nd, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez collected back to back doubles for one run. Werth doubled again in the 6th inning to score Ryan Howard for a 2nd run and well, that was it. Kinda boring, but sometimes boring is good. Still, it wasn't all Roy in this one he did have some help in the form of the Phils defense. Juan Castro, that's Jrolls' replacement at SS, made a couple good plays, including turning a huge double play in the 7th. Ryan Howard amazing stretch finished off that double play and he came up with a pretty nice unassisted out in the 9th. Finally, Shane Victorino made the play of the day, robbing Troy Glaus of homerun in the 2nd. As much as Roy won this one, the defense did as well. It's nice to have a defense good enough to win games for you. Anyway so the Phils move to 9-5 overall and will look to win the series tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Devils met at the Wachovia center tonight for game 4 of their Eastern conference quarterfinals series. The Devils appeared demoralized on Sunday after the Flyer's thrilling overtime victory. Tonight, while they did come out with some urgency and take a quick 1-0 lead, they still appeared to be a bit discouraged, almost in a "here we go again" haze and played the part tonight. They were lethargic on defense all night, taking lazy penalties and allowing the Flyers to overwhelm them the last couple periods, especially whenever the two teams were both at full strength. Of course with the two teams combining for 16 penalties, they weren't at full strength that often, but often for the Orange and Black to dominate. In short they played like they didn't believe they could still win the series and now after their dismal performance tonight they probably can't.
To their credit the Flyers really took it to New Jersey, almost as if they realized the Devils were ripe for the pickings in this one. Sure they fell behind 1-0 but they never got discouraged and they never backed down. After failing to score in the 1st period, the Orange and Black finally took advantage of a Devils penalty, with Jeff Carter registering the power play tally, his first score of the series, just 7 minutes into the 2nd period. Later, with about 3 minutes left in the period, Danny Briere broke away and sent a screaming slap shot past Marty Brodeur for a 2-1 lead. Early in the 3rd period, only about 4 minutes in, Dan Carcillo, the hero on Sunday, scored another important goal as he snuck a fluky sideways shot past Brodeur for a 3-1 lead. 5 minutes later on the Flyer's 7 power play, Carter cashed in again for a 4-1 lead which the Orange and Black rode to victory from there. No the series isn't over yet, and yes Flyer's need to stop taking so many penalties, but it's hard to see this version of the Devils pulling a 3-1 comeback, especially not with the way Brian Boucher and the Flyer's defense have performed so far in the series.
To their credit the Flyers really took it to New Jersey, almost as if they realized the Devils were ripe for the pickings in this one. Sure they fell behind 1-0 but they never got discouraged and they never backed down. After failing to score in the 1st period, the Orange and Black finally took advantage of a Devils penalty, with Jeff Carter registering the power play tally, his first score of the series, just 7 minutes into the 2nd period. Later, with about 3 minutes left in the period, Danny Briere broke away and sent a screaming slap shot past Marty Brodeur for a 2-1 lead. Early in the 3rd period, only about 4 minutes in, Dan Carcillo, the hero on Sunday, scored another important goal as he snuck a fluky sideways shot past Brodeur for a 3-1 lead. 5 minutes later on the Flyer's 7 power play, Carter cashed in again for a 4-1 lead which the Orange and Black rode to victory from there. No the series isn't over yet, and yes Flyer's need to stop taking so many penalties, but it's hard to see this version of the Devils pulling a 3-1 comeback, especially not with the way Brian Boucher and the Flyer's defense have performed so far in the series.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Altanta tonight for their first series of the season with the Braves. After a couple tough losses to the Marlins the Phils were hoping to get back on track with a win tonight. Kyle Kendrick got the start and with something to prove to himself and Phils, after a couple of awful outings, he did not disappoint. Through 8 great innings he held Atlanta scoreless on just 4 hits. It was without a doubt his best start for the Phils in about 2 years. Unfortunately it went for naught in the end. While Kendrick was in the game the Phils managed to construct a 3-0 lead, with Chase Utley doubling and scoring in the 4th, Placido Polanco doubling and scoring in the 5th, and Shane Victorino singling and scoring in the 7th. It should have been game, set and match for the Phils after that but it wasn'.
Having thrown 108 pitches through 8, Kendrick could not answer the bell for the 9th. So in came Ryan Madson to save it for Kendrick. Madson managed to the first 2 outs in the inning, but he walked Chipper Jones, allowing Troy Glaus to get a chance to bat. Glaus took advantage slamming a 2 run homer to cut it to 3-2. Next up was Atlanta's rookie sensation Jason Heyward, who had just slapped a game winning hit on Sunday. On this night he broke the Phil's hearts with a game tying home run instead. Finally after Madson got Yunel Escobar to ground out to end the inning but the damage had been done. The Phils failed to score in the top of the 10th. Then in the bottom of the 10th Jose Contreras replaced Madson and faired no better. He got ahead of Nate Mclouth 0-2, then threw a couple balls, and finally hung a fastball over plate which Mclouth hammered for 4-3 win. So just like that the Phils dropped their 3rd in a row. Still, even with the loss they remain tied a top the NL East so their is nothing to worry about just yet.
Having thrown 108 pitches through 8, Kendrick could not answer the bell for the 9th. So in came Ryan Madson to save it for Kendrick. Madson managed to the first 2 outs in the inning, but he walked Chipper Jones, allowing Troy Glaus to get a chance to bat. Glaus took advantage slamming a 2 run homer to cut it to 3-2. Next up was Atlanta's rookie sensation Jason Heyward, who had just slapped a game winning hit on Sunday. On this night he broke the Phil's hearts with a game tying home run instead. Finally after Madson got Yunel Escobar to ground out to end the inning but the damage had been done. The Phils failed to score in the top of the 10th. Then in the bottom of the 10th Jose Contreras replaced Madson and faired no better. He got ahead of Nate Mclouth 0-2, then threw a couple balls, and finally hung a fastball over plate which Mclouth hammered for 4-3 win. So just like that the Phils dropped their 3rd in a row. Still, even with the loss they remain tied a top the NL East so their is nothing to worry about just yet.
Monday, April 19, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles made another interesting off season move today trading a 5th round pick to the Detroit Lions for LB Ernie Sims. Not long ago Sims was 9th overall pick in the draft out of Florida State, and was touted as the LB to come out FSU since future Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks. He never quite lived up to the hype in Detroit, thanks to injuries and a system that didn't fit him. It's hard to be all that effective when there's no talent around you and coaching staff doesn't know how to use you. With the Eagles on the other hand Sims should fit right in. He's speedy LB who can go sideline to sideline and rack up tackles. In fact he had 100 + plus tackles in each of first 3 seasons, before injuries limited him to 49 last year. In the end if Sims can finally put his explosive talents on display with the Birds, this trade could turn out to be a steal for the Birds. Also bringing in Sims fills the need the Eagles had for a LB so they can feel free to trade up in the first round in an attempt to fill their other needs, like say Safety perhaps, or Cornerback. So one way or other this trade should work out well for the Birds.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Devils met at the Wachovia center in game 3 of their conference quarterfinal series. After dropping game 2 to New Jersey on a late goal, the Flyers looked to regain the series momentum with a win on the home ice tonight. They almost buried themselves early though, with 7 penalties in the 1st 2 periods. Fortunately, the penalty kill came up big and held New Jersey to just 2 scores over those 7 power plays. So like the Orange and Black in game 2 New Jersey did not really take advantage of its plethora of opportunities and it came back to bite them. Brian Rolston did score on their first power play for a stunning 1-0 Devil lead to start the night, but the Flyer's came right back a minute later, with Claude Giroux deflecting in a power play goal of his own to knot things up at 1. Then just a minute into the 2nd period Mike Richards muscled another one by Marty Brodeur, off a perfect feed from Dan Carcillo and the Flyers had themselves a 2-1 lead.
On their 6th power play opportunity Rolston finally cashed in again for the Devils to knot things up at 2 heading into the 3rd period. The Flyers were dominant in the 3rd period out shooting New Jersey 12-3 and would have skated away with the win, but Brodeur got hot. 12 dazzling saves later and the game was in overtime. There just a minute and half in New Jersey committed a penalty, giving the Flyers a power play opportunity they would not let get away. Thanks to Brodeur, the Flyers did not score on the power play itself, but just 5 seconds after it ended, as they finished off their last rush of the power play, Mike Richards got in on net and while he had Marty clinging to one post, he managed to slap the puck through to the other, wide open side of the net, where Dan Carcillo was waiting for the easy slap in and the win! A wild celebration ensued on the ice as the Orange and Black took the 2-1 series lead. They can't get to excited yet though. There are still 2 more games to win before this series is over.
On their 6th power play opportunity Rolston finally cashed in again for the Devils to knot things up at 2 heading into the 3rd period. The Flyers were dominant in the 3rd period out shooting New Jersey 12-3 and would have skated away with the win, but Brodeur got hot. 12 dazzling saves later and the game was in overtime. There just a minute and half in New Jersey committed a penalty, giving the Flyers a power play opportunity they would not let get away. Thanks to Brodeur, the Flyers did not score on the power play itself, but just 5 seconds after it ended, as they finished off their last rush of the power play, Mike Richards got in on net and while he had Marty clinging to one post, he managed to slap the puck through to the other, wide open side of the net, where Dan Carcillo was waiting for the easy slap in and the win! A wild celebration ensued on the ice as the Orange and Black took the 2-1 series lead. They can't get to excited yet though. There are still 2 more games to win before this series is over.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Marlins this afternoon. Cole Hamels got the start and seemed to get his old swagger back, allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8 over 8 innings. Unfortunately for Cole, like Jamie last night, Florida's pitching was slightly better, as Nate Robertson, Burke Badenhop, and Leo Junez combined for a 4 hit shutout. The Phils just couldn't figure out Robertson who's been in the American League up until now, and loves pound the ball inside on both corners, whereas most of the Phils hitters, other than Chase Utley who can hit anything, like the ball out over the plate. So he had lot of guys grounding out and jamming themselves. Badenhop has just been having a great year out of the pen for the Fish and simply continued it tonight. Finally Nunez is the Marlins flame throwing closer. He's frustrated Phil's hitters with his speed in the past and he did again today. So I don't blame them for not being able to come up with too much today, especially with no Jimmy Rollins to spark things at the top of the lineup.
As for Cole, it was great to see him pitch so well and that's one positive the Phils can take out of this game. He made arguably the best hitter in baseball, Hanley Ramirez, look pretty bad in going 0 for 4. Ultimately, he really kept the Marlins from putting much of anything together either. He just made one mistake to Dan Uggla in the 2nd inning and Uggla knocked it out off park. Even he had pitched 8 scoreless though, the Phils would probably still have lost because their lineup just didn't have it today. Over a 162 game season that will happen every once and while and it's nothing to fret about, unless it turns into something long term, which I don't think it will. Anyway with the loss the Phils drop to 8-4 overall which is not the best record in baseball anymore but still at least tied for the top mark in the NL.
As for Cole, it was great to see him pitch so well and that's one positive the Phils can take out of this game. He made arguably the best hitter in baseball, Hanley Ramirez, look pretty bad in going 0 for 4. Ultimately, he really kept the Marlins from putting much of anything together either. He just made one mistake to Dan Uggla in the 2nd inning and Uggla knocked it out off park. Even he had pitched 8 scoreless though, the Phils would probably still have lost because their lineup just didn't have it today. Over a 162 game season that will happen every once and while and it's nothing to fret about, unless it turns into something long term, which I don't think it will. Anyway with the loss the Phils drop to 8-4 overall which is not the best record in baseball anymore but still at least tied for the top mark in the NL.
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