Sometimes one new face is enough to lift a team out of a struggle. That was the case for the Phils tonight. Not more than 2 hours before the game tonight Brian Bocock was sent packing back to minors while Cody Ransom was recalled from AAA and immediately inserted as the Phils starting 3B. He would've have already been called up by now if his defensive skills weren't so suspect. That he was called up at all shows how desperate the Phils were for something, anything to spark their sagging lineup. For tonight at least Ransom was just that. He collected 2 hits and an RBI and sparked the Phils to a 12 run and 15 hit night, that saw the Pirates thoroughly embarrassed in front of their biggest crowd of the season.
Jimmy Rollins with 3 hits ,including a solo homer in the 4th, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs scored and Ryan Howard with 2 hits and 3 RBIs were the big bombers for the Phils on the night but they weren't alone. Shane Victorino had 3 hits, 3 runs scored, and an RBI, Jayson Werth had a hit and an RBI, Ben Francisco had a solo homer and 2 RBIs, Dane Sardinha had a hit and an RBI, Wilson Valdez had a hit and a run scored and heck even Kyle Kendrick doubled and scored in the 7th. Yes, the 'Everybody gets a hit' guy from the Vet would have been a proud man tonight.
By the bottom of the 5th it was already a laughable 10-1 Phils, not that that Kyle Kendrick needed the help. He had to throw just 114 pitches to go the distance in this one, while limiting Pittsburgh to just 4 runs on 10 hits and striking out 4. No that isn't a great line, but when you have a 9 run lead by the 5th inning, particularly against a team like the Pirates, you don't have to be great and Kendrick knew that. He simply did a good job of taking advantage of the lead given to him by going after the hitters and retiring most of them quickly. In the end it was good enough for his 5th win of the season, and the Phils 42 win of the season against 37 losses. That keeps them 5 games back in the NL East which is at least within striking distance. So if that 5 games is down to say 1 or 0 by the all- star break then you can remember this game as turning point in the Phils run toward a 4th straight NL East title. I wouldn't put it past them.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Phils lineup tonight. While they could only muster 2 runs last night, they came up completely empty in this one. In fact they managed just 5 hits all night long and all of them came off starter, Ross Ohlendorf. With guys like Octavio Dotel and Joel Hanrahan the back of Pirates bullpen is actually very good. Believe it or not with the win tonight they're now 22-0 when leading after 8. So there's no shame in going hitless against them. Ohlendorf is a different story. He came into tonight an imperfect 0-6 with an ERA near 5, yet the Phils had nary a hard hit ball against him and really threatened him only a few times.
In the 3rd inning Dane Sardinha beat out an infield single and Jimmy Rollins was hit in the helmet with a pitch to put 2 on with 2 out for Raul Ibanez but popped out to end the inning. Later Ibanez crushed a 1 out double in the 6th but Jayson Werth followed with a strikeout and after an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco was robbed of a game tying hit on a lucky diving grab by Lastings Milledge. Finally in the 7th, Wilson Valdez singled and stole second but he too was stranded as Sardhina struck out and Shane Victorino, pinch hitting, grounded out to end the inning. They never had another base runner after that.
The Phils now have just 5 runs in their last 3 games which just goes to show how many holes there are in the Phils lineup when Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Ruiz are all missing from it. The victim of those holes on this evening, was the ageless Jamie Moyer who took the loss, despite allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 8 over 6 innings. It was really a hard luck night all around for him as Pittsburgh got their runs in 4th on back to back swinging bunts that were so slow no one could field them. Otherwise the Phils and Pirates might still be playing right now in extra innings. Instead they lost 2-0 and fall to just 41-37 on the season. It just makes you wonder how much longer they can hang in there until the injuries are too much overcome.
Speaking of injuries the Phils finally got some good news on the injury front today as it was revealed that Brian Schneider and his jammed thumb won't have to go on DL. He's not a great catcher but compared to Sardhina he would be an improvement in lineup. So if nothing else the Phils have his return to look forward to. Who knows maybe their luck is finally turning this season.
In the 3rd inning Dane Sardinha beat out an infield single and Jimmy Rollins was hit in the helmet with a pitch to put 2 on with 2 out for Raul Ibanez but popped out to end the inning. Later Ibanez crushed a 1 out double in the 6th but Jayson Werth followed with a strikeout and after an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco was robbed of a game tying hit on a lucky diving grab by Lastings Milledge. Finally in the 7th, Wilson Valdez singled and stole second but he too was stranded as Sardhina struck out and Shane Victorino, pinch hitting, grounded out to end the inning. They never had another base runner after that.
The Phils now have just 5 runs in their last 3 games which just goes to show how many holes there are in the Phils lineup when Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Ruiz are all missing from it. The victim of those holes on this evening, was the ageless Jamie Moyer who took the loss, despite allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 8 over 6 innings. It was really a hard luck night all around for him as Pittsburgh got their runs in 4th on back to back swinging bunts that were so slow no one could field them. Otherwise the Phils and Pirates might still be playing right now in extra innings. Instead they lost 2-0 and fall to just 41-37 on the season. It just makes you wonder how much longer they can hang in there until the injuries are too much overcome.
Speaking of injuries the Phils finally got some good news on the injury front today as it was revealed that Brian Schneider and his jammed thumb won't have to go on DL. He's not a great catcher but compared to Sardhina he would be an improvement in lineup. So if nothing else the Phils have his return to look forward to. Who knows maybe their luck is finally turning this season.
FLYERS NEWS
A source has said that the Flyers talks with someone about trading Simon Gagne. It has been said by the Flyers front office that Jeff Carter and Mike Richards are untouchable to their skill level and young age. Gagne on other hand will turn 31 next season and seems to have a propensity in recent years for sustaining injuries. So despite how important he was in the playoffs he is expendable to the Flyers. Still, if they do trade him they better get something good in return.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Ever since the Pirates opened beautiful PNC park the Phillies have struggled to play their best baseball in Pittsburgh. Those struggles continued tonight. Even against Dane McCutchen, a pitcher who came in with an ERA over 11.00, the Phils could muster 2 runs on 6 hits through 5 and a 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile Cole Hamels went 7 strong, allowing just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 8. Yet, he found himself uncharacteristically trailing 3-2 when he left for the night.
From there the Phils had a couple golden opportunities against the Pittsburgh bullpen to pull even. In the 6th inning Raul Ibanez reached base on a fielder's choice and stole second to get himself in scoring position for Dane Sardhina, but Sardinha flied out to end the inning. In the 8th inning Jimmy Rollins blooped a one out double just in front of a diving Andrew McCutchen. Ryan Howard and Ibanez, after Werth worked a walk, each had a chance to knock in Rollins and failed with a strike out on a questionable pitch, and fly out respectively. Finally in the 9th inning Sardhina led off with a single, and moved to second on a successful bunt by Wilson Valdez. Ross Gload followed with a ground out to move Sardhina 3rd. So that left it up to Shane Victorino to collect the tying hit but he was called out on another questionable strike three to end it.
So the Phils fall again in Pittsburgh but they should be able to rebound tomorrow at least with Jamie Moyer on the mound. They've got to figure out how to piece together a decent lineup without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco. If Greg Dobbs could just find his swing again they would be okay but that's a big if. At this point Polanco is slated to be out 3-4 weeks while Utley will need surgery for his thumb and will likely miss 8 weeks. Considering he's only out for precautionary reasons, you would think Carlos Ruiz will be back before either them. So if they just hang in there for next couple weeks they should be okay after that with Carlos and Placido back in the fold. They may want to think out bringing in another infielder though. At any rate even with all the injuries they're still 41-36 overall and within 4 games of the top of the NL East. That's something to be proud of at least.
From there the Phils had a couple golden opportunities against the Pittsburgh bullpen to pull even. In the 6th inning Raul Ibanez reached base on a fielder's choice and stole second to get himself in scoring position for Dane Sardhina, but Sardinha flied out to end the inning. In the 8th inning Jimmy Rollins blooped a one out double just in front of a diving Andrew McCutchen. Ryan Howard and Ibanez, after Werth worked a walk, each had a chance to knock in Rollins and failed with a strike out on a questionable pitch, and fly out respectively. Finally in the 9th inning Sardhina led off with a single, and moved to second on a successful bunt by Wilson Valdez. Ross Gload followed with a ground out to move Sardhina 3rd. So that left it up to Shane Victorino to collect the tying hit but he was called out on another questionable strike three to end it.
So the Phils fall again in Pittsburgh but they should be able to rebound tomorrow at least with Jamie Moyer on the mound. They've got to figure out how to piece together a decent lineup without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco. If Greg Dobbs could just find his swing again they would be okay but that's a big if. At this point Polanco is slated to be out 3-4 weeks while Utley will need surgery for his thumb and will likely miss 8 weeks. Considering he's only out for precautionary reasons, you would think Carlos Ruiz will be back before either them. So if they just hang in there for next couple weeks they should be okay after that with Carlos and Placido back in the fold. They may want to think out bringing in another infielder though. At any rate even with all the injuries they're still 41-36 overall and within 4 games of the top of the NL East. That's something to be proud of at least.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued to make moves today as they traded a 2nd round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for young defenseman Andrej Meszaros. Later they resigned Braydon Coburn for 2 years and $6.4 million. After that they signed 39 year old defenseman Sean O'Donnell, Chris Pronger's former Anaheim Duck's teammate for 1 year and $1 million. Finally the finished their activity for the day by signing ex Ranger fighting defenseman Jody Shelley to a 3 year 3.3 million deal. So the Orange and Back now have arguably the deepest defense in the league and now a little over 1 million in cap space to play with. That means Aaron Asham probably won't be resigned and either Darrol Powe or Dan Carcillo will have to be let go as well. Furthermore, if the Flyers still want to make a move for a goalie and perhaps another winger someone will have to be traded away to for cap space. I for one like the improvements on defense and am interested to see what moves the Flyers and Paul Holmgren still have up their sleeves.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their stay in Cincinnati this afternoon as they looked to steal another win and the series win. They almost did. Dane Sardinha clubbed a 3 run homer to give the Phils their only runs in the 4th inning. Thanks to 7 great innings from Roy Halladay the Phils were able to ride those 3 runs all the way to the 8th inning. There with the score 3-2, Halladay, forced to try to go the distance to save the Phils bullpen, finally seemed to run out gas. Jhonny Gomes led off the inning with a single and Jay Bruce followed with a 2 run homer on a cut fastball that got just enough of the plate for Bruce to handle.
So the Phils went into the 9th behind 4-3 and hoping to force extra innings at least. They came close to doing so. Ross Gload slapped a 1 out single and stole second to get himself in scoring position with 2 out for Shane Victorino. Unfortunately Victorino was not able to come through on this night as he grounded out to end it and the Phils fell 4-3. Thus, once again Halladay was hit with the complete game loss which just unfathomable. Yes, the Phils are missing Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, and Carlos Ruiz, but Roy still deserves better than this. Better luck next time I guess.
So the Phils went into the 9th behind 4-3 and hoping to force extra innings at least. They came close to doing so. Ross Gload slapped a 1 out single and stole second to get himself in scoring position with 2 out for Shane Victorino. Unfortunately Victorino was not able to come through on this night as he grounded out to end it and the Phils fell 4-3. Thus, once again Halladay was hit with the complete game loss which just unfathomable. Yes, the Phils are missing Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, and Carlos Ruiz, but Roy still deserves better than this. Better luck next time I guess.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their busy offseason by signing Micheal Leighton to a 2 year 3.1 million. Reportedly this does not guarantee he will be the Flyer's starting goalie but rather that he'll be given every opportunity to be the starter. The Flyers could still sign another goalie in free agency and obviously they would still like to sign another defenseman and they still have to re-sign Braydon Coburn.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
It was a wild night in Cincinnati for the Phils tonight. For 8 and 2/3rd innings it looked like it would be a pretty normal night. Joe Blanton provided his best start of the season thus far, going 7 and 2/3rd innings strong while allowing just 3 runs on 8 hits. Meanwhile Wilson Valdez and and Brian Schneider each smacked 3 run homers, in the 4th inning and the 2nd inning respectively. After Jose Contreras finished off the 8th for Blanton the Phils rode a 6-3 lead into the 9th. There Brad Lidge was this close to closing it out after retiring the first 2 batters he faced, but then all heck broke loose. C.B Buckner just wouldn't give him strike 3 and a walk and a singe later Joey Votto was at the plate with a chance to tie the game with one swing. Lidge made one mistake to Votto, with a slider down the middle and he paid for it dearly as the Reds slugger crushed a game tying 3 run homer.
Fortunately he got out of the inning after that but the damage seemed to have been done. The Phils could easily have laid down at that point and tipped their cap to the Reds. To their credit they did not. Ryan Howard doubled and scored on a double by Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth walked and scored on a single by Ben Francisco and finally Ibanez himself scored on a rare safety squeeze by Valdez to cap a 3 run top of the 10th. So just like that the Phils regained their 3 run lead and this time J.C Romero did not let it get away as retired the side in the bottom of the 10th for the win. It's huge win and confidence booster as they were dealt a huge blow before game with both Placido Polanco and his sore elbow and Chase Utley with a sprained thumb landing on the DL. It's not known how long Placido and Chase will be out but as long they are other Phils like Valdez and Schneider will have to step up and lead the Phils to some wins. Otherwise it could be a long season by the time they get back.
Fortunately he got out of the inning after that but the damage seemed to have been done. The Phils could easily have laid down at that point and tipped their cap to the Reds. To their credit they did not. Ryan Howard doubled and scored on a double by Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth walked and scored on a single by Ben Francisco and finally Ibanez himself scored on a rare safety squeeze by Valdez to cap a 3 run top of the 10th. So just like that the Phils regained their 3 run lead and this time J.C Romero did not let it get away as retired the side in the bottom of the 10th for the win. It's huge win and confidence booster as they were dealt a huge blow before game with both Placido Polanco and his sore elbow and Chase Utley with a sprained thumb landing on the DL. It's not known how long Placido and Chase will be out but as long they are other Phils like Valdez and Schneider will have to step up and lead the Phils to some wins. Otherwise it could be a long season by the time they get back.
Monday, June 28, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Back on the road, for real this time, the Phils ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the NL Central leading Cincinnati Reds. Johnny Cueto turns the lights out on the Phils lineup with 8 brilliant innings. All told the Phils managed just 1 run on 6 hits in that span despite not registering a single strikeout. Meanwhile the Reds tagged Kyle Kendrick for 6 runs on 8 hits in 6 and a 1/3rd innings. Scott Rolen alone beat up on his former team for 3 RBIs and a run scored as he smacked his 300th career homerun. Kendrick actually hung in there for 6 innings while holding Cincinnati to just 4 runs. Then Charlie tried to get him through the 7th but he it didn't work out and the Cincinnati had 2 more runs before the inning was finally over and that just after Ryan Howard tripled and scored on an infield single by Raul Ibanez to cut the lead to 4-1.
Thanks to the 2 run 7th the Phils suddenly trailed 6-1 heading into the 8th. Thanks to a sac fly it was 7-1 by the 9th. There the Phils finally mounted a rally with Ibanez crushing a 2 out 2 run homer to cut the lead to 7-3. That left it up to Dane Sardinha to keep the game live but he struck out to end it. So the Phils drop to 40-33 overall and back to 3.5 games out in the NL East. Far worrisome than that is the injury Chase Utley suffered to his thumb during the game while trying to stretch a single and double with a head first slide into 2nd. Hopefully it's nothing serious and he won't miss any time. If it is serious though, it will be a huge blow to the Phils who had finally been moving forward again with JRoll back in the lineup. Here's hoping Chase is okay.
Thanks to the 2 run 7th the Phils suddenly trailed 6-1 heading into the 8th. Thanks to a sac fly it was 7-1 by the 9th. There the Phils finally mounted a rally with Ibanez crushing a 2 out 2 run homer to cut the lead to 7-3. That left it up to Dane Sardinha to keep the game live but he struck out to end it. So the Phils drop to 40-33 overall and back to 3.5 games out in the NL East. Far worrisome than that is the injury Chase Utley suffered to his thumb during the game while trying to stretch a single and double with a head first slide into 2nd. Hopefully it's nothing serious and he won't miss any time. If it is serious though, it will be a huge blow to the Phils who had finally been moving forward again with JRoll back in the lineup. Here's hoping Chase is okay.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
A 47 year old can't be this good right? No one that old can hold one of the most potent lineups in baseball to only 2 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings right? No one whose fastball tops out in the low 80s can strikeout 7 batters right? Well apparently no limits apply, be it age or speed, to Jamie Moyer because that's exactly what he did today to the Toronto Blue Jays. He just kept the free swinging Jays off balance all afternoon long by mixing his pitches and hitting his spots. Even when they knew what was coming the Jays couldn't hit it. Ultimately it was just very frustrating afternoon for them.
On other the hand the Phils bats were on fire as they racked up 11 runs on 13 hits plus 4 sloppy Toronto throwing errors. Pretty much everything went wrong for the Jays in this one and the Phils took advantage.
In the top of the 2nd Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco each had RBI singles and Dane Sardinha slapped an RBI double for 4 runs. Following a Toronto error in the 4th Rollins and Utley collected back to back singles for 2 more runs. In the 5th Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino led off the inning with back to back doubles for another run and 7-2 lead. In the 7th, Howard was wrongly called safe on a close play at first but hey we'll take it. Francisco followed 2 batters later with an RBI double and Toronto committed throwing errors on back to back plays to allow another 3 runs to score for a massive 11-2 lead. From there David Herndon and Danys Baez combined to close out the Phils 5th win in their last 6, 2nd straight series win and interleague play for the season with a 10-8 record. That's Phils first winning record in interleague play since they moved into the Bank and significant step in the right direction this season. Overall it's their 40th win of the season against 33 losses which puts them just 2.5 games back in the NL East, not a bad place to be in late June.
On other the hand the Phils bats were on fire as they racked up 11 runs on 13 hits plus 4 sloppy Toronto throwing errors. Pretty much everything went wrong for the Jays in this one and the Phils took advantage.
In the top of the 2nd Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco each had RBI singles and Dane Sardinha slapped an RBI double for 4 runs. Following a Toronto error in the 4th Rollins and Utley collected back to back singles for 2 more runs. In the 5th Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino led off the inning with back to back doubles for another run and 7-2 lead. In the 7th, Howard was wrongly called safe on a close play at first but hey we'll take it. Francisco followed 2 batters later with an RBI double and Toronto committed throwing errors on back to back plays to allow another 3 runs to score for a massive 11-2 lead. From there David Herndon and Danys Baez combined to close out the Phils 5th win in their last 6, 2nd straight series win and interleague play for the season with a 10-8 record. That's Phils first winning record in interleague play since they moved into the Bank and significant step in the right direction this season. Overall it's their 40th win of the season against 33 losses which puts them just 2.5 games back in the NL East, not a bad place to be in late June.
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