It's been a great year for Cole Hamels but tonight just wasn't his night. He didn't have his usual control and wasn't able to consistently hit his spots. As a result he was touched up for 3 home runs while allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in just 4 innings. The bullpen did bail him out nicely, as Nelson Figueroa, Danys Baez, and Mike Zagurski combined for 4 scoreless innings to finish the night. Unfortunately the damage had already been done. Shaun Marcum was just too good for the Phils tonight as he allowed just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 6. Only a solo blast by Ryan Howard in the 6th averted a shutout.
After that the Toronto shut the Phils down and closed out the 5-1 Toronto win. The loss snaps a 4 game winning streak for the Phils. However, just like last weekend it would seem with Jamie Moyer on the mound for tomorrow they should still be able to win the series. Aside from Howard's titanic blast, Ross Gload and Jimmy Rollins who had each had 1 hit and Chase Utley who racked up 2 hits, provided the Phils only other offense. Of the Phils big bats only Jayson failed to produce anything, but that makes sense since he and Marcum are both righthanded and righties are supposed to struggle against righties. So anyway it was tough loss tonight but I think they'll get them tomorrow.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers 2010 draft got started today as they used the 3rd round pick from the Pens to select 18 year old Center Micheal Chaput. Chaput is no star in the making but in the future he could provide the Orange and Black with a solid #3 center. From there they continued to select guys who'll probably be effective only off the bench. In the 4th round they selected Left Wing Tye Mcginn. In the 5th they selected Right Wing Micheal Parks. In the 6th round they selected defense man Nicholas Luuko who is the son of Flyer's president Peter Luukko. Finally in the 7th round they acquired the 206th pick from the Carolina Hurricanes and selected defenseman Ricard Blidstrand. Later with their actual 7th round pick they selected Left Wing Brandon Ranford to finish their day. So it was a bit of a boring draft day today for the Orange and Black, but they got it through it.
Friday, June 25, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Well, it finally happened tonight, just not where everyone though it would. Roy Halladay met up with his old team as the Blue Jays came town for the weekend for a series that was originally supposed to be in Toronto but is now in Philadelphia. Since the series was supposed to be in Toronto it still counts as a home series for Blue Jays. So for this series at the Bank they're the home team and the Phils are on the road, which really just means the DH rule is in effect for the series and Phils have to bat in the top of each inning instead of the bottom. Anyway back to the game it was just another dominating performance for the Phils, just like last night. Halladay was superb tossing 7 scoreless innings while allowing just 6 hits and striking out 4. Just like Joe Blanton last night though, he didn't need to be so good, as the Phils racked up 9 runs on 11 hits.
Jayson Werth tripled and scored in the 2nd for a 1-0 lead. Werth then singled and scored on a fielder's choice in the 4th for a 2-0 lead. In the 6th Ryan Howard and Chase Utley each slapped RBI singles and Ross Gload, who started at 1B while Howard DHed, crushed a 3 run double of Vernon Wells glove as the Phils batted around and scored 6 runs for an 8-0 lead. Finally, Shane Victorino led off the 8th with a solo shot for a 9-0 lead and that was about all she wrote. Jose Contreras and Dave Herndon finished it off from there with scoreless frames in the 8th and 9th and the Phils had their 4th win in a row to move to 39-32 overall. Unfortunately the Braves won tonight so the Phils remain 2.5 games out in the NL East, but they seem to be on fire now, and as long as Jimmy Rollins stays healthy they shouldn't cool off anytime soon.
Jayson Werth tripled and scored in the 2nd for a 1-0 lead. Werth then singled and scored on a fielder's choice in the 4th for a 2-0 lead. In the 6th Ryan Howard and Chase Utley each slapped RBI singles and Ross Gload, who started at 1B while Howard DHed, crushed a 3 run double of Vernon Wells glove as the Phils batted around and scored 6 runs for an 8-0 lead. Finally, Shane Victorino led off the 8th with a solo shot for a 9-0 lead and that was about all she wrote. Jose Contreras and Dave Herndon finished it off from there with scoreless frames in the 8th and 9th and the Phils had their 4th win in a row to move to 39-32 overall. Unfortunately the Braves won tonight so the Phils remain 2.5 games out in the NL East, but they seem to be on fire now, and as long as Jimmy Rollins stays healthy they shouldn't cool off anytime soon.
FLYERS NEWS
As it turned out the Flyers were unable to come to terms with defenseman Daniel Hamhuis after all. It's not that they wouldn't offer him enough money, he just simply didn't want to come here and get stuck as the Flyer's #5 defenseman. There's not whole lot you can do to sign a guy who just doesn't want to play for you. So the Flyers traded his rights to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 3rd round pick in the NHL draft which is started tonight for everyone except the Flyers who had no 1st round picks. There's no guarantee Pittsburgh will sign him either. He's still slated to become a free agent July 1 and the Pens have less time to negotiate with him than the Flyers did so he could very well slip away from them also. It's just unfortunate he didn't realize what an opportunity playing for the Orange and Black would have been next season.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils took the field early this afternoon as they looked to finish a sweep of the Indians. Thanks to Joe Blanton's best start of the season thus far, and an offensive explosion they were able to do so quite easily. Blanton went 7 and 2/3rd's strong, while allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits and striking out 8. It wasn't necessarily that Blanton pitched all that well, though he did, but perhaps even more so than that Cleveland just had an awful night at the plate. Irregardless of why he was so successful in this one though, it was just nice to see Blanton still be able to cook up a good one for a change. Hopefully he'll keep it up. Though they didn't need to thanks to Blanton the Phils meanwhile crushed Cleveland's pitching staff. In the 2nd inning alone 3 straight singles to lead off the inning by error on the catcher produced 2 runs, a fielder's choice produced a 3rd run, a single by Placido Polanco plated a 4th run and finally a sac fly by Chase Utley pushed across a 5th run.
In the 5th back to back singles, a fielder's choice and a single by Jayson Werth produced 2 more runs and a 7-0 lead. Finally in the 6th, Dane Sardinha, the Phils 4th catcher behind the injured Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider, and the injured Paul Hoover, led off with a solo shot, the first of his career for an 8-0 lead. From there a Polanco single, a Werth sac fly, and Wilson Valdez single brought in another 4 runs for a laughable 12-2 lead. After that Nelson Figueroa, who recently came back up from AAA Lehigh to replace the injured Chad Durbin, tossed a scoreless final inning and a 3rd to close out a commanding 12-3 win. That coupled with a Braves loss, puts the 38-32 Phils back to within 2.5 games of 1st in the NL East. So they're definitely back on track now.
In the 5th back to back singles, a fielder's choice and a single by Jayson Werth produced 2 more runs and a 7-0 lead. Finally in the 6th, Dane Sardinha, the Phils 4th catcher behind the injured Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider, and the injured Paul Hoover, led off with a solo shot, the first of his career for an 8-0 lead. From there a Polanco single, a Werth sac fly, and Wilson Valdez single brought in another 4 runs for a laughable 12-2 lead. After that Nelson Figueroa, who recently came back up from AAA Lehigh to replace the injured Chad Durbin, tossed a scoreless final inning and a 3rd to close out a commanding 12-3 win. That coupled with a Braves loss, puts the 38-32 Phils back to within 2.5 games of 1st in the NL East. So they're definitely back on track now.
SIXERS NEWS
The NBA draft was tonight at last and shockingly with 2nd overall pick the Sixers stayed true and selected Ohio State star Evan Turner. Considering the Sixers were only team Turner worked out for this probably should come as that much of a surprise but you never with the Sixers. At any rate taking was without a doubt the right move. He's already ready to be a legit scoring threat and is somebody who can be a superstar and leader for the Sixers. He was the college player of the year last year averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. He was also the Big Ten's leading scorer the last 2 years. So he can score, he can dish, he can create his own shots and he can even d up. Basically everything the Sixer's haven't had since AI, that's Allen not Andre, was in his prime. Together with Jrue Holiday he should help to form the Sixer's back court for years to come. It may take them season to mature together, but just having those two together instantly improves the Sixers from last season, maybe not into a playoff team but at least close. The only real question left with the team at this point is who will replace Samuel Dalembert as the defensive stopper at the basket. It will be interesting to see if the Sixers have any more moves up their sleeves to answer that question.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
What a difference a Rollins makes. It wasn't the Phils best performance as a team tonight but thanks to Jimmy Rollins it was a memorable one. Kyle Kendrick got the start but lasted only 4 innings while allowing 5 runs on 6 hits. Thus the Phils were left chasing Cleveland for much of the early going. First they trailed 2-0 after one, but a fielder's choice in the 1st and a solo homer by Jayson Werth in the 2nd knotted it up at 2. Then it was 3-2 Cleveland after 3 but a 2 run double by Raul Ibanez rallied the Phils to a 4-3 lead in the 4th. 2 run bomb by Shin Soo Choo quickly put Cleveland back ahead though in the 5th 5-4. It wasn't until the 7th that Brian Schneider finally evened up the score again with a leadoff solo shot.
From there the Phils looked to the bullpen to keep things evened up until they could come up with the winning run. In the 8th the bullpen did just fine as Chad Durbin shutdown the indians for the 4 successive inning. Unfortunately Durbin got hurt during and is now on the DL. Then J.C Romero replaced Durbin for the 9th and couldn't quite hold off Cleveland for a 6th straight innings as Jimmy Rollins just missed maked a spectacular play at the plate on a fielder's choice, allowing the Indians to nudge ahead again 6-5. JRoll made up for it in the 9th. With one on and one out he tatooed Kerry Wood's 1-1 offering down the line in right for a stunning walkoff 2 run homer. So just like that the Phils went from a depressing 6-5 loss to an exhilerating 7-6 win. Moreover, the Braves dropped their 2nd in a row today so the Phils are suddenly back within 3.5 games of 1st in the NL East. You can only JRoll carries them even closer because he seems to be the only one who can at this point.
From there the Phils looked to the bullpen to keep things evened up until they could come up with the winning run. In the 8th the bullpen did just fine as Chad Durbin shutdown the indians for the 4 successive inning. Unfortunately Durbin got hurt during and is now on the DL. Then J.C Romero replaced Durbin for the 9th and couldn't quite hold off Cleveland for a 6th straight innings as Jimmy Rollins just missed maked a spectacular play at the plate on a fielder's choice, allowing the Indians to nudge ahead again 6-5. JRoll made up for it in the 9th. With one on and one out he tatooed Kerry Wood's 1-1 offering down the line in right for a stunning walkoff 2 run homer. So just like that the Phils went from a depressing 6-5 loss to an exhilerating 7-6 win. Moreover, the Braves dropped their 2nd in a row today so the Phils are suddenly back within 3.5 games of 1st in the NL East. You can only JRoll carries them even closer because he seems to be the only one who can at this point.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Looking to get back on track after a tough end to their weekend the Phils turned to their ageless wonder turned stopped Jamie Moyer to shut down the visiting Cleveland Indians. He did that and then some. He was simply brilliant for the 2nd time in as many starts, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 5. Just like the Yankees, Cleveland never figured him out. Well, except for Russell Brunyan who crushed a solo homer in the top of the 2nd. Other than that Jamie was in control throughout. Meanwhile the Phils could only muster 2 runs of their own. Both came in the 1st inning on a single by Ryan Howard and a sac fly by Jayson Werth.
After that it was all Jamie through the 8th. Then J.C Romero came in to pitch the 9th. He got the 1st out but after that he got a little unlucky. First Shin Soo Choo beat out an infield single. Then Romero walked the next batter on a full count. So once again Brad Lidge had come in and clean up the mess. This time he did with back to back strikeouts of Austin Kearns, and Jhonny Peralta to seal the 2-1 win. After what the Phils went through on Saturday and Sunday it is nice to get back in the win column so quickly. It was also nice to see Jimmy Rollins back in lineup again at last. He was hitless but his defense and leadership were flawless. Really just having him around makes all the difference. With him the Phils are 11-3 but without him they're just 25-29. It really is that simple. Hopefully now that he is back they can begin to turn things around.
After that it was all Jamie through the 8th. Then J.C Romero came in to pitch the 9th. He got the 1st out but after that he got a little unlucky. First Shin Soo Choo beat out an infield single. Then Romero walked the next batter on a full count. So once again Brad Lidge had come in and clean up the mess. This time he did with back to back strikeouts of Austin Kearns, and Jhonny Peralta to seal the 2-1 win. After what the Phils went through on Saturday and Sunday it is nice to get back in the win column so quickly. It was also nice to see Jimmy Rollins back in lineup again at last. He was hitless but his defense and leadership were flawless. Really just having him around makes all the difference. With him the Phils are 11-3 but without him they're just 25-29. It really is that simple. Hopefully now that he is back they can begin to turn things around.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
When you lose a game like the Phils did yesterday it is very hard to get over it and come back and win the next day. A loss like that just hangs with you and makes it difficult for you to perform at your best the next day. For the Phils today the loss really did hang with them and they were not at their best. Carl Pavano wasn't too shabby either as he quieted the Phils bats to the the tune of just 1 run on 4 hits in a complete game victory, just the 9th of his long injury riddled career. Wilson Valdez gave the Phils their only run and their only brief hope of victory with a stunning solo homer in the 5th inning. It was his 2nd in as many games to mark the shortest time span between homers in his career. Unfortunately it was also all the dejected Phils could muster.
Meanwhile Roy Halladay provided another quality start allowing just 4 runs on 11 hits while striking out 8 in 8 strong innings. On 2 of the 4 runs he was victimized by Citizens Bank homeruns which simply got caught in the right field wind and carried out. Other than that he was pretty stellar but it didn't really matter in the end. He could have avoided those homers and allowed just 2 runs over 8 and he still would have lost. At one point this season he was 6-1 and if not for the Phils run scoring troubles at the end of May and early June he would be having a career year by now. Hopefully will start scoring runs for him from here on out or could be a long season.
Meanwhile Roy Halladay provided another quality start allowing just 4 runs on 11 hits while striking out 8 in 8 strong innings. On 2 of the 4 runs he was victimized by Citizens Bank homeruns which simply got caught in the right field wind and carried out. Other than that he was pretty stellar but it didn't really matter in the end. He could have avoided those homers and allowed just 2 runs over 8 and he still would have lost. At one point this season he was 6-1 and if not for the Phils run scoring troubles at the end of May and early June he would be having a career year by now. Hopefully will start scoring runs for him from here on out or could be a long season.
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