The Orange and Black got demolished in game 3 of the Eastern conference finals so aided by the returns of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere to the lineup, they came into game 4 this afternoon determined not to let that happen again. For Peter Laviolette improving from one game to the next usually means toughening up defensively. Boy did they do that today. From beginning to end they smothered the Habs, holding them to just 17 shots on goal. In the 2nd period alone Montreal had just 1 shot on goal. In the 3rd period when you would figure the Habs to be desperate and come out firing they still could only get 9 shots on goal. When they did get anything through the Flyer's defense Micheal Leighton was there to stop it every time as he recorded his 3rd shutout of the series. As defense goes it just doesn't get any better than what the Flyers did today. If they can play D like that for the remainder of playoffs they might just sip from Lord Stanley's Cup, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still another game to win in this series.
As tough as they have been this postseason it's hard to see Montreal having much will left for game 5 of this series but who knows. The Orange and Black will just have to be sure to continue this effort and sit back like Boston in the last round. Anyway back to this game in case you were wondering about the Flyers scoring in this one, it went through the defense also. First Kimmo Timonen hit Claude Giroux as he rumbled into the zone and around the Montreal defense before beating Jaroslav Halak to his left for a 1-0 lead. 10 minutes later Chris Pronger found Ville Leino in about the same position and he too beat Halak to left before crashing into the net for a 2-0 lead. Finally late in the 3rd Giroux scored again on the Habs emtpy net to finish off the 3-0 win. So the Orange and Black are totally healthy now and one game from the finals. I don't think there is a much better position to be in. Go Flyers!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Good pitching always beats good hitting. That was the case tonight between the Red Sox and the Phillies. Daisuke Matsuzaka cooked up a good one for the Sox taking a no hitter into the 8th inning. Then Juan Castro blooped a single, the Phils only hit of the night, to break it up. Still Matzusaka managed to finish off the 8th to complete his day with 8 scoreless innings on just that one hit, while striking out 5. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick reverted back his bad form again allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in just 4 and 2/3rd's innings. After that the Phils bullpen pitched a solid 4 and 1/3rd scoreless to finish the night but it didn't matter. Dice K matched them all the way and did not allow the Phils to mount any rallies, before Dan Bard finished things in the 9th for the 5-0 Red Sox win.
Although the Phils only had 1 hit on the night, they did draw 4 walks and runners in scoring position a couple times, so you can't say they didn't try. They hit a lot of balls hard but they just happened to find a Red Sox every time. There's really nothing the Phils could have done about that. Sometimes it just isn't your night. Regardless of the loss, the Phils are still 26-16 overall and 3.5 games up in the NL East. As long they win tomorrow they'll still win the series and that's really all that matters. Well, that and getting Jimmy Rollins healthy again as he returned to the DL today for another two weeks or perhaps less. Here's hoping for less because the more of JRoll the Phils have the less of these games there will be.
Although the Phils only had 1 hit on the night, they did draw 4 walks and runners in scoring position a couple times, so you can't say they didn't try. They hit a lot of balls hard but they just happened to find a Red Sox every time. There's really nothing the Phils could have done about that. Sometimes it just isn't your night. Regardless of the loss, the Phils are still 26-16 overall and 3.5 games up in the NL East. As long they win tomorrow they'll still win the series and that's really all that matters. Well, that and getting Jimmy Rollins healthy again as he returned to the DL today for another two weeks or perhaps less. Here's hoping for less because the more of JRoll the Phils have the less of these games there will be.
Friday, May 21, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils began inter league play today with the start of weekend set against the Boston Red Sox. Boston has had rough season thus far and tonight the Phils took advantage of all of Boston's problems. John Lackey, with his ERA over 5, has been a bust as free agent pickup for the Sox this season and the Phils rocked him for 4 runs on 6 hits in just 5 innings. The Red Sox bullpen has not been great this season either, even Jonathan Papelbon has even ERA over 3, and the Phils beat up on them for another run and 3 hits. Finally the Red Sox lineup this season has been hampered by injuries and age and tonight they struggled again thanks to Cole Hamels who went 7 innings while allowing 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 8. They nearly rallied to tie it in the 9th, as David Ortiz hit a long drive to center with the bases loaded, but where that drive would have been a game tying grand slam even 2 seasons ago, it was little more than a long loud final out that died on the warning track in this one.
So the Phils hung on for the 5-1 win. The run came on a leadoff solo shot in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th by Ryan Howard, a 2 run upper deck bomb in the 5th by Jayson Werth and an RBI single in the 4th by Shane Victorino. David Herndon pitched a gem of a scoreless 8th inning, but it was Danys Baez and J.C Romero who nearly combined to blow it in the 9th. Baez got the first out but then allowed the next 2 batters to reach base, leading Charlie to replace him with Romero. Romero retired the first batter he faced also but then plunked Adrian Beltre to load the bases for pinch hitter, who fortunately flied out to end it. Ultimately it was positive night for the Phils, well except for one play. After singling with one out in the bottom of the 6th, Jimmy Rollings pulled up lame again, apparently re-injuring his calf, and had to be replaced by pinch runner Raul Castro. He is now day to day with a mild calf strain. Hopefully he won't too much more time but who knows. Anway at this point the Phils are 26-15 overall, 4.5 games up in the NL East.
So the Phils hung on for the 5-1 win. The run came on a leadoff solo shot in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th by Ryan Howard, a 2 run upper deck bomb in the 5th by Jayson Werth and an RBI single in the 4th by Shane Victorino. David Herndon pitched a gem of a scoreless 8th inning, but it was Danys Baez and J.C Romero who nearly combined to blow it in the 9th. Baez got the first out but then allowed the next 2 batters to reach base, leading Charlie to replace him with Romero. Romero retired the first batter he faced also but then plunked Adrian Beltre to load the bases for pinch hitter, who fortunately flied out to end it. Ultimately it was positive night for the Phils, well except for one play. After singling with one out in the bottom of the 6th, Jimmy Rollings pulled up lame again, apparently re-injuring his calf, and had to be replaced by pinch runner Raul Castro. He is now day to day with a mild calf strain. Hopefully he won't too much more time but who knows. Anway at this point the Phils are 26-15 overall, 4.5 games up in the NL East.
SIXERS NEWS
It's official former Sixer's all star, Doug Collins, has been named the team's new head coach. He has had mixed results in his coaching career thus far which spans from being Micheal Jordan's first coach with the Bulls to being the Washington Wizards last coach before Eddie Jordan. One thing is clear though. He is a disciplinarian who preaches defense, which is the perfect persona for a team trying to bring along some young players. The Sixers appeared undisciplined and disinterested for much of last season. That should happen again this year under Collins. He's really the guy the Sixer's wanted last season before they settled with Eddie Jordan for one year. They actually gave Collins a 4 year contract so clearly they intend to use him more as a driving force to turn around the franchise than they ever did with Jordan. Personally I like Doug Collins and I always thought he got a raw deal in Washington. After all it wasn't until his last season that they finally gave him some talent to work with. For my money it was Collins who turned that team around not Jordan. Eddie just managed not to screw up too much what Collins had built in taking the team to the playoffs 3 of the next 4 years or so.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils met the Cubs this afternoon to finish off their brief series as the Phils looked to end their recent losing skid. Joe Blanton got the start and pitched well allowing just 3 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings. His one mistake came in the 7th inning when Derek Lee took him deep. Other than that he was solid around. The Phils meanwhile finally managed to scratch together some runs. Chase Utley slammed a solo shot in the 1st inning, and Jimmy Rollins lined out a 3 run homer, his first homer since returning from the DL, in the 6th inning. Together they had the Phils up 4-1 early on. Then Blanton gave a couple back in the 7th to cut the lead to 4-3.
Then in the 8th Kosuke Fukudome drove a game tying solo homer into the seats off Antonio Bastardo and suddenly the Phils were in danger of a 3rd straight loss. Enter Raul Ibanez. After the homer Danys Baez bailed out Bastardo and got out of the inning with the score still tied at 4. Then in the bottom of the 8th with 2 on and 2 out Ibanez doubled to score Chase Utley for a 5-4 lead. Finally in the 9th, after allowing 2 on and nobody out, Jose Contreras retired the side to preserve the 5-4 Phils win. It wasn't a perfect night for the Phils by any stretch but they'll take it. As of now they are 25-15 overall and back to 4 games up in the NL East. Not too shabby if you ask me.
Then in the 8th Kosuke Fukudome drove a game tying solo homer into the seats off Antonio Bastardo and suddenly the Phils were in danger of a 3rd straight loss. Enter Raul Ibanez. After the homer Danys Baez bailed out Bastardo and got out of the inning with the score still tied at 4. Then in the bottom of the 8th with 2 on and 2 out Ibanez doubled to score Chase Utley for a 5-4 lead. Finally in the 9th, after allowing 2 on and nobody out, Jose Contreras retired the side to preserve the 5-4 Phils win. It wasn't a perfect night for the Phils by any stretch but they'll take it. As of now they are 25-15 overall and back to 4 games up in the NL East. Not too shabby if you ask me.
FLYERS NEWS
Coming into tonight the Flyers were looking for their 7th straight win of this postseason and Micheal Leighton's 3rd straight shutout. Unfortunately they seemed to run out of gas in this one as they compiled their worst effort of the postseason thus far. It was just total domination by the Habs. They were more desperate of the two teams and they acted like it. They had the normally rock solid Flyer's defense on its heels all night, racking up 38 shots on goal and 5 scores. The Orange and Black also helped out Montreal's cause by committing 6 penalties while Montreal committed just 3 penalties but probably should have been called for more.
Whatever the reason for their poor play the Flyers were never really in this one. Just 10 minutes into the contest Montreal was already leading 2-0 and they never looked back. It was 4-0 by the time the Orange and Black finally got on the board mid 3rd period with Simon Gagne scoring again. It was too little too late as Montreal later added a power play goal en route to a 5-1 win. Still the Flyers continue to lead the series 2 games to 1 and there's no need to panic just now. If they lose game 4 then you can panic.
Whatever the reason for their poor play the Flyers were never really in this one. Just 10 minutes into the contest Montreal was already leading 2-0 and they never looked back. It was 4-0 by the time the Orange and Black finally got on the board mid 3rd period with Simon Gagne scoring again. It was too little too late as Montreal later added a power play goal en route to a 5-1 win. Still the Flyers continue to lead the series 2 games to 1 and there's no need to panic just now. If they lose game 4 then you can panic.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
After managing just 1 run on 6 hits last night, the Phils were looking to turn things around tonight against the Chicago Cubs. Unfortunately, it was just more of the same futility as they managed just 1 run on 5 hits. Once again they could have had more but after Placido Polanco scored their 1st run on a fielder's choice in the 8th inning, Jayson Werth was robbed of a game tying single by Chicago's rookie sensation SS Starlin Castro. The Phils then put 2 on with 1 out in the 9th, but Ross Gload and Shane Victorino each struck out to finish a disappointing 4-1 loss.
Like last night the loss came at the expense of another great performance by a Phils' starter. This time it was Jamie Moyer allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings only to take the loss. To add insult to injury both runs Moyer allowed came on balls that deflected off the glove of Polanco. An inch or to the left he would have had them and perhaps the Phils win this one 1-0. It just wasn't the Phils night tonight but now that it is warm out again they should be able to turn it on again tomorrow. For now they drop to 24-15 overall but remain 3 games up in the NL East.
Like last night the loss came at the expense of another great performance by a Phils' starter. This time it was Jamie Moyer allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings only to take the loss. To add insult to injury both runs Moyer allowed came on balls that deflected off the glove of Polanco. An inch or to the left he would have had them and perhaps the Phils win this one 1-0. It just wasn't the Phils night tonight but now that it is warm out again they should be able to turn it on again tomorrow. For now they drop to 24-15 overall but remain 3 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Coming into the Eastern conference finals Montreal's Jaroslav Halak was statistically the best goalie in the playoffs. That's probably not the case anymore. No, after Micheal Leighton recorded his 2nd straight shutout tonight you could probably call him the best goalie in the playoffs at this point. Montreal put two more shots on goal tonight than they had in game 1 but the results were no different. Leighton saved them all again and appeared unfazed in doing so. It's always nice to have a goalie at this point in the playoffs who feels at home on the ice.
While Leighton shut down the Habs the Orange and Black continued to treat Halak rudely. They got traffic in front of him over and over again as in game 1 and it worked for another 3 goals. Four minutes into the 1st period Danny Briere scored on the power play for a 1-0 lead. With about 5 minutes to play in the 2nd period Simon Gagne lit the lamp, again on the power play, for a 2-0 lead. Finally, about midway through the 3rd period Ville Leino scored through traffic for a 3-0 lead. Thanks to Leighton as mentioned that's how it ended. So the Flyers now lead the Eastern conference finals 2-0 as the series shifts to Montreal for the next 2 games. Hopefully they'll keep it up.
While Leighton shut down the Habs the Orange and Black continued to treat Halak rudely. They got traffic in front of him over and over again as in game 1 and it worked for another 3 goals. Four minutes into the 1st period Danny Briere scored on the power play for a 1-0 lead. With about 5 minutes to play in the 2nd period Simon Gagne lit the lamp, again on the power play, for a 2-0 lead. Finally, about midway through the 3rd period Ville Leino scored through traffic for a 3-0 lead. Thanks to Leighton as mentioned that's how it ended. So the Flyers now lead the Eastern conference finals 2-0 as the series shifts to Montreal for the next 2 games. Hopefully they'll keep it up.
PHILLIES NEWS
Cold, wet, and dreary, that's a perfect description of the condition at the Bank last night. That's also good description of the Phils lineup last night. Just one day after racking up 12 runs on 13 hits, the Phils were reduced just 1 run on 6 hits in this one. They could have had more but Jayson Werth was thrown out trying to score from 2nd in the 5th inning, when he probably should have been held up, and Ben Francisco grounded out with the bases loaded in the 6th inning. The Phils lone run came just before Werth was thrown out, as Ryan Howard scored on Raul Castro's single.
Perhaps if Werth had been held up the Phils would have put up a few more runs in that 5th inning and we would talking about a win right now instead of a loss. At any rate thank's to the Phils futility a brilliant effort by Roy Halladay ,on his own bobblehead night, was wasted. He pitched a complete game while allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 6. It is just too bad the Phils couldn't give him any support as they drop to 24-14 overall but remain 4 games up in the NL East. Tomorrow is another day and there was nothing in this loss to suggest that reign a top the division will end at any time soon so Let's go Phils!
Perhaps if Werth had been held up the Phils would have put up a few more runs in that 5th inning and we would talking about a win right now instead of a loss. At any rate thank's to the Phils futility a brilliant effort by Roy Halladay ,on his own bobblehead night, was wasted. He pitched a complete game while allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 6. It is just too bad the Phils couldn't give him any support as they drop to 24-14 overall but remain 4 games up in the NL East. Tomorrow is another day and there was nothing in this loss to suggest that reign a top the division will end at any time soon so Let's go Phils!
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers got a huge break tonight at the NBA draft lottery when they were given the 2nd pick in the draft. That means they can take Ohio State star Evan Turner who is a possible future NBA superstar in the making. He is exactly what the Sixers need at shooting guard, someone who can score and play defense, and with him in the fold the Sixers would be just a big man away from turning themselves into contenders in the Eastern conference again. I just hope they don't something stupid and trade their pick.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles signed undrafted rookie defensive tackle Boo Robinson to a three-year contract today. He played his college ball at Wake Forest where he amassed 12.5 sacks and 145 tackles over 4 seasons. I am not sure how he'll help the Eagles though.
Monday, May 17, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a short series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz each returned to the lineup tonight while Chase Utley got the day off. With Shane Victorino still red hot and in the leadoff spot that made for an interesting night as JRoll jumped down to the #3 hole in place of Utley. It didn't faze him or the team at all though. Kyle Kendrick tossed 8 superb innings, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits. Meanwhile the Phils racked up another 12 runs on 13 hits to blast past the Pirates. In the 1st JRoll plated a run with a fielder's choice. In the 3rd Ryan Howard slapped a 2 run single and Werth crushed a 3 run homer. In the 6th, Raul Ibanez singled and scored on an error. In the 7th JRoll doubled and scored on a Werth double. Finally in the 8th Ryan Howard tatooed a grand slam to cement a 12-2 Phils lead.
From there Antonio Bastardo put Pittsburgh out of its misery with a 1-2-3 9th to secur the 12-2 Phils win. All in all it as a great night for Kyle Kendrick with his 8 strong innings. It was also a successful return for JRoll with 2 hits and 2 runs scored and Ruiz with a hit and a run scored. It's great to have them both back ad it seems almost as if they never left. With Florida losing tonight, the Phils at 24-13 overall, now claim a 5 game lead in the NL East and show no signs of looking back any time soon. They don't need to because it is all straight ahead for the Phils right now and I am just enjoying it
From there Antonio Bastardo put Pittsburgh out of its misery with a 1-2-3 9th to secur the 12-2 Phils win. All in all it as a great night for Kyle Kendrick with his 8 strong innings. It was also a successful return for JRoll with 2 hits and 2 runs scored and Ruiz with a hit and a run scored. It's great to have them both back ad it seems almost as if they never left. With Florida losing tonight, the Phils at 24-13 overall, now claim a 5 game lead in the NL East and show no signs of looking back any time soon. They don't need to because it is all straight ahead for the Phils right now and I am just enjoying it
Sunday, May 16, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Canadiens met at the Wachovia center tonight to begin arguably the most improbable Eastern conference final series in history. On this night it would be the Orange and Black making history with a shockingly lopsided game 1 victory. 3:35 into the contest Braydon Coburn gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead off the power play, for his first ever playoff goal. The two teams tightened up defensively after that and it stayed 1-0 heading into the 2nd period. Have owned the 2nd period so far this postseason and tonight was no exception. Just 30 seconds into the period James Van Reimsdyk jammed one in to make 2-0. 4 minutes later and just after the Orange and Black's 2nd power play came to an end, Danny Briere wired one through traffic and into the back of net for a 3-0 lead. Five minutes later on their 3rd power play of the night, Simon Gagne drove to the net and slapped one in through traffic for a 4-0 lead.
That spelled the end of the night for Jaroslav Halak who came into the night as the best goaltender in the playoffs thus far. Instead, Carey Price took his place for the rest of the night but he had no better luck against the surging Flyers. Halfway through the 3rd Scott Hartnell wired another one in through traffic for a 5-0 lead. A minute later Claude Giroux authored a beautiful give and go off an odd man rush and put away a 6th score for the Orange and Black. That finally halted the Flyer's assault as they were content to coast the rest of the way and watch Micheal Leighton finish off his first playoff shutout with 28 saves. It really was a perfect night for the Orange and Black. They really couldn't have played any better. On other hand Montreal couldn't have played any worse and you can't expect them to play that poorly again in game 2, especially not Halak. So the Flyers will have to continue to bring the intensity to the ice that they brought tonight if they are to win this series and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. That's a long way off though. Right now they just need to focus on game 2.
That spelled the end of the night for Jaroslav Halak who came into the night as the best goaltender in the playoffs thus far. Instead, Carey Price took his place for the rest of the night but he had no better luck against the surging Flyers. Halfway through the 3rd Scott Hartnell wired another one in through traffic for a 5-0 lead. A minute later Claude Giroux authored a beautiful give and go off an odd man rush and put away a 6th score for the Orange and Black. That finally halted the Flyer's assault as they were content to coast the rest of the way and watch Micheal Leighton finish off his first playoff shutout with 28 saves. It really was a perfect night for the Orange and Black. They really couldn't have played any better. On other hand Montreal couldn't have played any worse and you can't expect them to play that poorly again in game 2, especially not Halak. So the Flyers will have to continue to bring the intensity to the ice that they brought tonight if they are to win this series and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. That's a long way off though. Right now they just need to focus on game 2.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished up their series with the Brewers tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and was solid allowing just 2 runs, both on solo homers, and 6 hits over 6 and 2/3rd innings of work. Milwaukee probably should have had more than those 2 runs but for whatever reason they just can't hit at home this season. The Phils took advantage of the Brew Crew's futility to jump out to an early 3-0 lead scoring a run in each of the 1st 3 innings. In the 1st Shane Victorino singled, stole second, moved to 3rd on an error, and finally scored on a double by Placido Polanco. In the 2nd Hamels himself slapped a 1 out RBI double. Finally in the 3rd, Wilson Valdez smacked a ground rule double to score Jayson Werth from 2nd.
So the Phils took a 3-2 lead into the 7th inning. Cole and Chad Durbin combined to get through that inning with the lead intact. Then a 2 out strikeout and wild pitch allowed the Phils to steal a run and a 4-2 lead in the 8th. Danys Baez came into pitch the 8th and promptly allowed back to back singles to start the inning. Just when it looked like the Phils were in trouble their defense stepped up big time. First Chase Utley and Wilson Valdez teamed up for a spectacular double play. Then Valdez back handed from deep short and gunned down Corey Hart to finish the inning. From there J.C Romero was solid in a scoreless 9th to finish the night and the series sweep of the Brewers. The Phils are now 10 games over .500 at 23-13 overall and 4 games up in the NL East, and this all while they still await the return of J.A Happ to the rotation and Jimmy Rollins to the lineup. Imagine how good they could be when those two are back and healthy
So the Phils took a 3-2 lead into the 7th inning. Cole and Chad Durbin combined to get through that inning with the lead intact. Then a 2 out strikeout and wild pitch allowed the Phils to steal a run and a 4-2 lead in the 8th. Danys Baez came into pitch the 8th and promptly allowed back to back singles to start the inning. Just when it looked like the Phils were in trouble their defense stepped up big time. First Chase Utley and Wilson Valdez teamed up for a spectacular double play. Then Valdez back handed from deep short and gunned down Corey Hart to finish the inning. From there J.C Romero was solid in a scoreless 9th to finish the night and the series sweep of the Brewers. The Phils are now 10 games over .500 at 23-13 overall and 4 games up in the NL East, and this all while they still await the return of J.A Happ to the rotation and Jimmy Rollins to the lineup. Imagine how good they could be when those two are back and healthy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)