Phillies pitching came into this afternoon with a combined 20 consecutive scoreless innings. Still, with Ubaldo Jimenez on the mound for the Rockies, that and the Phils win streak figured to go by the way side. Kyle Kendrick almost made sure neither happened. He tossed 4 scoreless frames to open the contest and extend the scoreless streak to 24 innings. Meanwhile the Phils touched up Ubaldo for 6 of their 7 runs in the 3rd inning. First, with the bases loaded and nobody out Ryan Howard smacked a bases clearing triple. A few pitches later Ubaldo uncorked a wild one, allowing Howard to score. He then walked Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino before being yanked from the game in favor of Matt Belisle. Belisle wasn't much better allowing an RBI single to Greg Dobbs and a 2 run triple to Jimmy Rollins before finally getting out of the inning with the score 7-0.
In the 5th, Kendrick finally allowed a run on a solo shot by Ian Stewart, but that would be the only run he would allow all afternoon on just 6 hits in 7 strong innings of work. Meanwhile the Phils weren't done scoring yet. Raul Ibanez crunched a 2 run homer in the 6th inning to make it 9-1. Then Ben Francisco doubled and scored on a single by JRoll to make it 10-1 and that finally satisfied the guys in red pinstripes. Jose Contreras pitched the 8th and allowed a run on back to back doubles but got out of the inning without any other trouble. Finally, Vance Worley made his major league debut in the 9th and retired Colorado in order before being sent back down to make room for J.A Happ. At any rate the Phils have now won 3 in a row and appear to be well on their way to a second half surge. They just have to keep doing what they've been doing these last few nights and they should be able to keep it going.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
You can't keep a good guy down. In his last start against the Cubs Roy Halladay was down and out but tonight it was a different story. In 8 great innings he blanked the Colorado Rockies on just 5 hits while striking out 9. He just changed speeds and locations effectively enough throughout the night that Colorado, like many teams this season, just couldn't get a beat on him. For once his 8 shutout innings actually put him in position to win as the Phils racked up 6 runs on 12 hits in support of his effort.
It did take them until the 5th inning to get going but once the Phils started scoring they didn't stop. First with runners on the corners and nobody out, Raul Ibanez ripped a 2 run double to center. Ryan Howard followed with a single to put runners on the corners again for Jayson Werth. Werth slapped a sac fly to score Ibanez for a 3-0 lead. Next Howard stole second after Jonathan Herrera dropped the ball while trying to tag him. Finally, Ross Gload, who started in right field(Werth started in center and Victorino got the night off), crushed a 2 run homer to cap the scoring in the 5th and push it to a 5-0 lead. The Phils still weren't done yet though. In the 8th Jimmy Rollins doubled and scored on a single by Ibanez for a 6-0 lead and that was finally it for the Phils lineup.
In the 9th, J.C Romero hit Jason Giambi with a pitch to start the inning but retired the side from there to close out the 6-0 win, the 5oth of the season for the Phils. So for the first time following the all-star break the Phils have strung together back to back wins and thanks to a Braves loss, they're now within 6 games of 1st in the NL East. Might this be the start of something bigger? One can only hope.
It did take them until the 5th inning to get going but once the Phils started scoring they didn't stop. First with runners on the corners and nobody out, Raul Ibanez ripped a 2 run double to center. Ryan Howard followed with a single to put runners on the corners again for Jayson Werth. Werth slapped a sac fly to score Ibanez for a 3-0 lead. Next Howard stole second after Jonathan Herrera dropped the ball while trying to tag him. Finally, Ross Gload, who started in right field(Werth started in center and Victorino got the night off), crushed a 2 run homer to cap the scoring in the 5th and push it to a 5-0 lead. The Phils still weren't done yet though. In the 8th Jimmy Rollins doubled and scored on a single by Ibanez for a 6-0 lead and that was finally it for the Phils lineup.
In the 9th, J.C Romero hit Jason Giambi with a pitch to start the inning but retired the side from there to close out the 6-0 win, the 5oth of the season for the Phils. So for the first time following the all-star break the Phils have strung together back to back wins and thanks to a Braves loss, they're now within 6 games of 1st in the NL East. Might this be the start of something bigger? One can only hope.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
It's been a rough start to the 2nd half for the Phils but this afternoon made it a little easier take. Cole Hamels took the mound for the Phils and provided yet another brilliant effort with 8 scoreless innings, while allowing just 1 hit and striking out 7. Unfortunately like the rest of the Phils starters lately, he received no support from his teammates. Through 8 innings they had 8 hits to the Cardinals 1, and put runners in scoring position, in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th innings but try as they might they just couldn't get that last hit they needed to cash in. Ultimately the Cardinals couldn't either. After Hamels finished his night, Ryan Madson looked pretty good in tossing a scoreless 9th inning. Then Chad Durbin was brilliant in the 10th inning, retiring Albert Pujols and Matt Holiday in succession to push the game to an 11th.
There the Phils finally got off the canvas. Placido Polanco slammed a leadoff homer. Then with one out Raul Ibanez walked, Ryan Howard singled, and Jayson Werth followed with a double to score Ibanez for a 2-0 lead. The Phils should have extended their lead from there, but Brian Schneider grounded out with the bases loaded and Cody Ransom flied out with runners on 2nd and 3rd. So that left Brad Lidge to protect a 2-0 lead in the home half of the 11th. After starting the inning with a walk he managed to retired the next 3 batters without too much difficulty and the Phils finally had a win St. Louis. It's nice to avoid the sweep but simply avoiding sweeps won't keep them afloat the rest of the season. Changes will need to be made it is just a question of which. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
There the Phils finally got off the canvas. Placido Polanco slammed a leadoff homer. Then with one out Raul Ibanez walked, Ryan Howard singled, and Jayson Werth followed with a double to score Ibanez for a 2-0 lead. The Phils should have extended their lead from there, but Brian Schneider grounded out with the bases loaded and Cody Ransom flied out with runners on 2nd and 3rd. So that left Brad Lidge to protect a 2-0 lead in the home half of the 11th. After starting the inning with a walk he managed to retired the next 3 batters without too much difficulty and the Phils finally had a win St. Louis. It's nice to avoid the sweep but simply avoiding sweeps won't keep them afloat the rest of the season. Changes will need to be made it is just a question of which. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils played much better tonight than they had been but it still wasn't good enough. They tightened up defensively and Joe Blanton was pretty good, holding the Cards to just 2 runs through 7 innings. Then Charlie tried to get him through the 8th inning but it wasn't to be as he allowed 3 runs in the 8th before being replaced by J.C Romero who combined with Jose Contreras to finish the inning. The three runs made it 5-1 St. Louis and all but sealed the Phils fate on this night.
Ryan Howard crushed a solo shot back in the 5th to tie things up at 1, at the time. Unfortunately that homer turned out to be the Phils only score in this one. The Phils had base runners in the 6th and 7th innings but came up empty each time. Most notably with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 7th Charlie Manuel elected to have Blanton bat so he could stay in the game, and he promptly grounded out to end the inning. The Phils never really had another chance to score after that before collecting their 4th straight loss, 5-1 to the Cardinals. Luckily for the Phils Atlanta and New York both lost again tonight so the Phils did not lose any ground in the division or wild card playoff races. Still, they've got to pick it up again and soon or it won't be worth it to look at either of the NL playoff races, because they'll be completely out of it.
Ryan Howard crushed a solo shot back in the 5th to tie things up at 1, at the time. Unfortunately that homer turned out to be the Phils only score in this one. The Phils had base runners in the 6th and 7th innings but came up empty each time. Most notably with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 7th Charlie Manuel elected to have Blanton bat so he could stay in the game, and he promptly grounded out to end the inning. The Phils never really had another chance to score after that before collecting their 4th straight loss, 5-1 to the Cardinals. Luckily for the Phils Atlanta and New York both lost again tonight so the Phils did not lose any ground in the division or wild card playoff races. Still, they've got to pick it up again and soon or it won't be worth it to look at either of the NL playoff races, because they'll be completely out of it.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have signed Darroll Powe to a one year $750,000 deal. Aside from bringing immense depth to the Orange and Black, Powe will likely fill in for Blair Betts in the beginning of the season as Betts continues to rehab his shoulder again.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have signed C Tony Battie to a contract. Battie was previously the starting center for the Boston Celtics and a backup for the Orlando Magic when they were Eastern conference champions a couple seasons ago. As a Celtic he was the rare two way center, who could score and defend well. These days his defense remains top notch but his scoring has dropped off. So for the most part he has been relegated to the bench as a veteran defensive replacement. For the Phils he'll provide the defense and leadership off the bench the Sixers have missed since they let Theo Ratliff walk after the 2008 season.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The bad times kept rolling on for the Phils tonight. It took just 1 inning for another Phil to go on the DL as Jamie Moyer strained his elbow after just an inning of work. That left recent call up Andrew Carpenter to replace Moyer and he was no match for the mighty Cardinal lineup. He did hang in there for at least 4 innings and he kept it close, limiting St. Louis to just 3 runs through those 4 innings, but it was a fruitless effort. Despite having runners in scoring position multiple times, the Phils did not score for Carpenter at all. Of course they had pretty decent excuse for not scoring tonight at least, with former CY Young award winner Chris Carpenter on the mound for St. Louis. Still, they should have been able to capitalize on at least one of there early scoring chances.
Anyway, Andrew was replaced by Danys Baez in the 5th and it was here that the game got away from the Phils. Baez served up a 3 run homer to Matt Holiday for a 6-0 Cardinal lead and the Phils never recovered from there. They finally got on the board in the 7th with Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino slapping back to back doubles, but Ryan Madson gave that run back in the 8th and the Phils eventually fell 7-1. It is their 3rd straight loss and 5th in their last 6 games so obviously change is needed and apparently the Phils are close to a series of trades to land a starting pitcher and trade Jayson Werth for prospects and the room to bring up Dominic Brown. We'll find out about it soon enough. As for Moyer he was placed on the DL indefinitely, but considering his injured was described as similar to the one that put J.A Happ on the DL, he'll probably be out for a while.
Anyway, Andrew was replaced by Danys Baez in the 5th and it was here that the game got away from the Phils. Baez served up a 3 run homer to Matt Holiday for a 6-0 Cardinal lead and the Phils never recovered from there. They finally got on the board in the 7th with Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino slapping back to back doubles, but Ryan Madson gave that run back in the 8th and the Phils eventually fell 7-1. It is their 3rd straight loss and 5th in their last 6 games so obviously change is needed and apparently the Phils are close to a series of trades to land a starting pitcher and trade Jayson Werth for prospects and the room to bring up Dominic Brown. We'll find out about it soon enough. As for Moyer he was placed on the DL indefinitely, but considering his injured was described as similar to the one that put J.A Happ on the DL, he'll probably be out for a while.
Monday, July 19, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Phils tonight. Early on the Phils actually jumped to a 3-0 lead with a 2 run double by Ryan Howard and an RBI single by Shane Victorino in the 1st. Later Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out RBI single in the 4th and miracle of miracles the Phils had 4 runs through 4 innings. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick pretty much cruised into the 5th, holding the St.Louis Cardinals to just 2 runs on 3 hits up to that time. Then after getting Brendan Ryan to start the 5th, he walked Felipe Lopez and the rookie John Jay crunched an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-3. From there the bottom just fell out for Kendrick. He just started laying pitches out over the plate and by the end of the inning St.Louis had taken advantage to the tune of homers by Albert Pujols, Allen Craig, and Skip Schumacher to move ahead 7-4.
Not long after that Randy Wynn crushed a solo shot to leadoff the 6th inning and push the lead to 8-4. That gave the Cards 4 homers in just 6 at bats from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 6th. Basically the Phils never really recovered from that onslaught. The Phils did have baserunners in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, but nothing ever came of it as they fell again 8-4. Sooner or later if the Phils are to do anything this season losses like these will have to become wins. At this point with their struggles in multiple facets of the game, I am not sure how the will be able to pull that off but they'll have to at one point or another.
Not long after that Randy Wynn crushed a solo shot to leadoff the 6th inning and push the lead to 8-4. That gave the Cards 4 homers in just 6 at bats from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 6th. Basically the Phils never really recovered from that onslaught. The Phils did have baserunners in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, but nothing ever came of it as they fell again 8-4. Sooner or later if the Phils are to do anything this season losses like these will have to become wins. At this point with their struggles in multiple facets of the game, I am not sure how the will be able to pull that off but they'll have to at one point or another.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers ended an era today as they traded Simon Gagne, the longest tenured Flyer, to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Walker and a 4th round draft pick in 2011. Gagne will be missed both for what he gave the Orange and Black on and off the ice. However he is in his 30s and was error prone that last few seasons. So in the end the Flyers must have felt it was too risky keeping him over Jeff Carter and I am not sure I blame them. At any rate since everyone knew the Flyers were going to be trading Gagne, they didn't rfhally much control over where to send him. They just had to the take the best available. For being the best they could do it wasn't a half bad traded. You can never have too many draft picks and Walker is a solid young defenseman with size and strength and with a righthanded shot he's a good fit for the Orange and Black. With him in tow the Flyers now have 8 defenseman which in NHL terms is considered a surplus. So there's a good chance there are still more deals to come for the Flyers this offseason.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Coming into tonight Roy Halladay was winless against the Cubs in two starts and he was really shellacked in both starts. It happened again tonight. For whatever reason Chicago just has his number and they took advantage in this one. In just 6 innings, a short outing for Roy, Chicago touched him up for 6 runs on 7 hits, including a pair of 2 run homers and couple of bad throws with 2 out in the 2nd. So the Phils found themselves in an early hole from which they were never able to dig out. They did put up a fight early on, manufacturing runs in the 5th and 7th innings to cut the lead to 4-2 and then 6 -3.
Unfortunately everything fell apart after Halladay left the game following 6th. Neither J.C Romero nor David Herndon could hold off the Cubs in the home half of the 7th as they tacked on another 5 runs on 5 hits to roll to an 11-3 lead. From there Greg Dobbs crushed a solo shot in the 8th and Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco each slammed solo homers in the 9th to pull the Phils back to within 11-6 but that was it. Brian Schneider flyed out and Dobbs struck out to end another disappointing loss to the Cubs. So after finishing the 1st half with a 4 game sweep of the NL Central leading Reds, the Phils drop 3 of 4 to the Cubs, 3rd in the central. That pretty much sums up the Phils(48-43) season up to this point. Better luck next series I guess.
Unfortunately everything fell apart after Halladay left the game following 6th. Neither J.C Romero nor David Herndon could hold off the Cubs in the home half of the 7th as they tacked on another 5 runs on 5 hits to roll to an 11-3 lead. From there Greg Dobbs crushed a solo shot in the 8th and Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco each slammed solo homers in the 9th to pull the Phils back to within 11-6 but that was it. Brian Schneider flyed out and Dobbs struck out to end another disappointing loss to the Cubs. So after finishing the 1st half with a 4 game sweep of the NL Central leading Reds, the Phils drop 3 of 4 to the Cubs, 3rd in the central. That pretty much sums up the Phils(48-43) season up to this point. Better luck next series I guess.
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