The Phils continued their series with the Blue Jays tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and pitched okay through the first 6 innings, holding the Jays to just 4 runs and keeping the Phils in it. Then in the 7th inning he got a little roughed up and wound up ending his night having allowed 6 runs on 10 hits. Meanwhile, Scott Richmond was Brilliant for Toronto allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, while striking out 11 in 8 innings. In other words the Phils never really had a chance in this one. They fell behind early as Toronto scored 3 runs right off the bat in the 1st inning, on a double by Marco Scutaro, a single by Aaron Hill and a fielder's choice, and Richmond was just too tough the rest of way. The only bright spot for the Phils was a solo homer by Jayson Werth in the 4th inning, which brought the Phils to within 3 at 4-1, but they never got closer. In the end after the Jays added homers by Rod Barajas, Hill, and Scott Rolen, the Phils fell 7-1 on this literally dark and dreary night(it rained lightly through half the game, but not enough to force a delay). So the Phils drop now to 13-18 at home and there's nowhere to go but up from there, hopefully. Moyer has games like these from time to time, so hopefully this was just a slight glich and he'll be fine his next time out. As for the rest of the Phils they just can't seem to get up for games at the Bank anymore for some reason and I don't understand it. Maybe Charlie Manuel should get himself thrown out of the game tomorrow or something, surely if nothing else that will light a fire under these guys. Oh well, so anyway the Phils drop to 36-27 now but remain 3 games up in the NL East.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays to the Bank tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and was steady as usual, surviving a bases loaded jam in the 6th inning to hold the Jays to just 2 runs on 7 hits in 6 solid innings. Meanwhile, the Phils were able to scratch out enough runs to take a lead into the 9th inning. Unfortunately, it was simply not to be for the Phils on this night. The Phils jumped out early as Jimmy Rollins leadoff the 1st inning with a double and scored on a single by Chase Utley for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Toronto finally got to Hamels as Adam Lind slugged a solo homer and Kevin Millar doubled in a run for a 2-1 Jay's lead. After as mentioned Hamels got out of a jam in the top of the 6th, the Phils rallied ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the 6th, as Jayson Werth slammed a 2 run homer. Both teams put on the pressure on again in the 8th inning, but came up empty, as the Jays left bases loaded again and the Phils stranded 2. In the 9th Ryan Madson came in for the save and you guessed it, loaded the bases with nobody out no less. He too nearly got out of it, before offering up a game-tying walk to Lyle Overbay. Madson then retired the side from there and the Phils failed to score in the bottom of the inning. So once again the Phils would need to win in extra innings. At this point after loading bases 3 times without registering a single hit with the bases loaded, Toronto had stranded 15 runners on base and yet somehow they still managed to tie the game at 3 and force extra innings. So you knew something weird was going on. It only got weirder in the 10th inning as Clay Condrey came in and you guessed it, loaded the bases, but only after allowing Scott Rolen to bloop an RBI single to put Toronto ahead 4-3. Condrey then walked in a run and his night was over. Rookie Tyler Walker, recently called up from AAA, was then left to cleanup Condrey's mess. Unfortunately, Walker wasn't quite up to the task, allowing a sac fly and a bases clearing double by Rod Barajas of all people, for an 8-3 lead. The dejected Phils then went down quietly in the bottom of the inning to finish the 8-3 loss. So the Phils drop to just 13-17 at home now, and with their next 5 games at home(2 more with the Jays, and 3 with the Orioles) they're going to have figure out how to turn that around in a hurry. Seriously, where's the Nationals when you need them? Anyway one thing that does appear to have turned around is JRoll's swing. After crushing a homerun sunday, he went 2 for 5 tonight with a run scored and most importantly no strikeouts. So he's making contact in every at bat and making progress. Anyway so the Phils drop to 36-26 overall and back to 3 games up in the NL East.
Monday, June 15, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils return to action tomorrow night against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Bank. In the meantime I thought it would be fun to do another countdown. Last time we did the top emotionally charged moments involving Philly sports figures. This time we'll do the top 25 most dramatic Phillies victories. Starting today we'll go through numbers 25-21 and reveal another 5 on each Phillies off day until we hit number 1. So let's get started.
25. Dude-riffic July 7, 1993 Phillies 7 - Dodgers 6
In a season full of crazy, wild and unbelievable finishes this was one of the most memorable. It started just like any normal game. Terry Mulholland tossed 7 strong innings and John Kruk and the dude, Lenny Dykstra each homered to give the Phils a 5-3 lead heading into the top of the 9th. Then well, let's just say they didn't call Mitch Williams the wild thing for nothing because wild is exactly what he was on this night. He walked 3 batters, allowed a single and before you knew it the lead was gone, leaving Larry Anderson to get out of a bases loaded jam. First Kevin Stocker bailed out Andersen with a perfect throw off a ground ball to get Mike Piazza at home and preserve a 5-5 tie. Then Anderson found his way out of the inning after that. From there it just kept dragging on through the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and on until the 20th inning where then rookie Mike Williams finally allowed a run on an error no less, after having pitched 5 brilliant scoreless innings. So the Phils found themselves down 6-5 in the bottom of the 20th inning and ordinarily that might have been too much for them to overcome, but not this year and not with this team. With 2 on and 2 out Dysktra, who had leadoff this whole mess 6 hours earlier, delivered a game winning 2 run double and at last after one of the longest games in Vet history the fans could go home happy.
24. Miami Miracle #1 Sept 17, 2005 Phillies 10 - Marlins 2
Things haven't always gone the Phillies way at pro player stadium. The Florida Marlins are always a scrappy bunch and there was a time when the Phillies just couldn't buy a win there, that is until this game. The psychologically challenged Vicente Padilla put together a rare good outing allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings, but then all-star Dontrelle Willis was downright nasty tossing 8 scoreless innings. So good was Willis that although he had already thrown over 100 pitches in the game manager Jack Mckeon decided to leave him in for the 9th. The move backfires badly, when the obviously exhausted Willis loses the strikezone and his infield suddenly forgets how to field a ball. First a Jimmy Rollins leadoff single squirts through the infield. Then after getting ahead 0-2 Willis walks Jason Micheals. Next Bobby Abreu hits what should be a double play ball, but Luis Castillo boots it and a run scores to cut it to 2-1. Then Todd Jones replaces Willis, and precedes to give up 4 straight RBI singles, followed by another error, this time Carlos Delgado misplays a ground ball, and now its 6-2 Phils. Now Ron Villone replaces Jones and gives up two more singles and at this point it is now 8-2, 10 Phillies have come to plate, and not one has been retired. Finally Villone strikes out Micheals for the first out, but the Phils aren't done yet. Two more hits and yet another error and another pitching change later the Phils are up 10-2 and inning is finally over. The Final tallies are 4 errors, 8 hits, 10 runs, and 1 shellshocked Marlins team.
23. Johnny On the Spot September 23, 2001 Phillies 5 - Marlins 4
Thanks to games like these the young 2001 Phillies came within a couple games of a surpise playoff berth. The Phils came into this game just a half a game behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East and desperately needed a win to stay there. Early on it looked like they would get it as Brandon Duckworth pitched into the 6th inning, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits. Thanks to Duckworth and a 4th inning homer by Travis Lee the Phils took a 3-2 lead into the 8th inning. After retiring the first two batters in the inning Ricky Bottalico served up back to back homers to Preston Wilson and Mike Lowell for a stunning 4-3 Marlins lead. For the most part after that the Phils gave no indication they had any fight left in them. Then with 2 out in bottom of the 9th Lee saved the day with a game tying solo homer. It was his 3rd game saving 9th inning homerun of the season(the first won a game against Montreal and the 2nd tied a game which the Phils went on to win in extra innings). After Jose Mesa rolled through a rare 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 10th, Johnny Estrada leadoff the bottom of the inning with a pinch solo homerun, just his 8th homer of the season, to complete the huge 5-4 win.
22. Del-lightful July 10, 1979 Phillies 6 - Padres 5
The 1979 season was probably one of the Phillies most dissapointing as after 3 straight trips to the postseason they came up completely empty. They had added Pete Rose to the roster in the offseason and everyone thought they would finally get to and win the world series. Instead they were ravaged by injuries ,and got off to a slow start, costing Manager Danny Ozark his job in mid-season. Of course he was replaced by Dallas Green and rest as they say is history. Anyway one of Ozark last bright moments came on this night. Nino Espinosa started the game for the Phils terribly, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits and failing to get out of the 5th inning. Somehow the Phils bullpen, always stellar in those years with the likes of Rolly Eastwick and Warren Brustar, managed to keep the game from getting any further out of hand with 5 and 1/3rd scoreless innings the rest of the way. Still, through 8 innings the Phils could only muster a solo homer by Mike Schmidt and trailed 5-1 heading into the 9th. After 2 runners reached base with just one out, future hall of famer, Rollie Fingers came in to clean things up, but he instead he allowed Bob Boone to slap a 2 run single to cut it to 5-3. A few batters later with 2 out and 2 on Del Unser came into pinch hit and crushed a game winning 3 run homer, his record tying 3rd consecutive pinch hit homerun, an impossible feat no one saw coming.
21. Schmidt Tames Wrigley April 17, 1976 Phillies 18 - Cubs 16
Wrigley Field has a history of wild high scoring games, especially when the Phillies are in town. Few Phillies-Cubs matchups at the old ballpark were wilder than this one. By the 3rd inning the Cubs are ahead 12-1 and seemingly in control. Then Mike Schmidt goes to work. In the 5th inning he hits his first homerun of the day to cut it 13-2. In his next at bat in the 7th, he homers again and the lead is down to 13-7. In his next bat in the 8th he goes deep again, this time a 3 run homer and its down to 13-12. By the end of the 9th the game is tied at 15. Finally, in the 10th Schmidt bats again and crushes his 4th straight homerun this time a 2 run homer and now at last after Dave Cash adds a sac fly the Phils are ahead for good 18-15. The Cubs score again in the bottom of the inning before Tug Mcgraw finally ends this wild affair. All told the two teams combine for an incredible 43 hits and 34 runs. As for Schmidt, he is still the last Phillies player to hit 4 homeruns in a game, and the only one to do it consecutively. Not bad for a day's work and you were wondering why people frequently call him the greatest 3rd baseman ever.
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25. Dude-riffic July 7, 1993 Phillies 7 - Dodgers 6
In a season full of crazy, wild and unbelievable finishes this was one of the most memorable. It started just like any normal game. Terry Mulholland tossed 7 strong innings and John Kruk and the dude, Lenny Dykstra each homered to give the Phils a 5-3 lead heading into the top of the 9th. Then well, let's just say they didn't call Mitch Williams the wild thing for nothing because wild is exactly what he was on this night. He walked 3 batters, allowed a single and before you knew it the lead was gone, leaving Larry Anderson to get out of a bases loaded jam. First Kevin Stocker bailed out Andersen with a perfect throw off a ground ball to get Mike Piazza at home and preserve a 5-5 tie. Then Anderson found his way out of the inning after that. From there it just kept dragging on through the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and on until the 20th inning where then rookie Mike Williams finally allowed a run on an error no less, after having pitched 5 brilliant scoreless innings. So the Phils found themselves down 6-5 in the bottom of the 20th inning and ordinarily that might have been too much for them to overcome, but not this year and not with this team. With 2 on and 2 out Dysktra, who had leadoff this whole mess 6 hours earlier, delivered a game winning 2 run double and at last after one of the longest games in Vet history the fans could go home happy.
24. Miami Miracle #1 Sept 17, 2005 Phillies 10 - Marlins 2
Things haven't always gone the Phillies way at pro player stadium. The Florida Marlins are always a scrappy bunch and there was a time when the Phillies just couldn't buy a win there, that is until this game. The psychologically challenged Vicente Padilla put together a rare good outing allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings, but then all-star Dontrelle Willis was downright nasty tossing 8 scoreless innings. So good was Willis that although he had already thrown over 100 pitches in the game manager Jack Mckeon decided to leave him in for the 9th. The move backfires badly, when the obviously exhausted Willis loses the strikezone and his infield suddenly forgets how to field a ball. First a Jimmy Rollins leadoff single squirts through the infield. Then after getting ahead 0-2 Willis walks Jason Micheals. Next Bobby Abreu hits what should be a double play ball, but Luis Castillo boots it and a run scores to cut it to 2-1. Then Todd Jones replaces Willis, and precedes to give up 4 straight RBI singles, followed by another error, this time Carlos Delgado misplays a ground ball, and now its 6-2 Phils. Now Ron Villone replaces Jones and gives up two more singles and at this point it is now 8-2, 10 Phillies have come to plate, and not one has been retired. Finally Villone strikes out Micheals for the first out, but the Phils aren't done yet. Two more hits and yet another error and another pitching change later the Phils are up 10-2 and inning is finally over. The Final tallies are 4 errors, 8 hits, 10 runs, and 1 shellshocked Marlins team.
23. Johnny On the Spot September 23, 2001 Phillies 5 - Marlins 4
Thanks to games like these the young 2001 Phillies came within a couple games of a surpise playoff berth. The Phils came into this game just a half a game behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East and desperately needed a win to stay there. Early on it looked like they would get it as Brandon Duckworth pitched into the 6th inning, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits. Thanks to Duckworth and a 4th inning homer by Travis Lee the Phils took a 3-2 lead into the 8th inning. After retiring the first two batters in the inning Ricky Bottalico served up back to back homers to Preston Wilson and Mike Lowell for a stunning 4-3 Marlins lead. For the most part after that the Phils gave no indication they had any fight left in them. Then with 2 out in bottom of the 9th Lee saved the day with a game tying solo homer. It was his 3rd game saving 9th inning homerun of the season(the first won a game against Montreal and the 2nd tied a game which the Phils went on to win in extra innings). After Jose Mesa rolled through a rare 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 10th, Johnny Estrada leadoff the bottom of the inning with a pinch solo homerun, just his 8th homer of the season, to complete the huge 5-4 win.
22. Del-lightful July 10, 1979 Phillies 6 - Padres 5
The 1979 season was probably one of the Phillies most dissapointing as after 3 straight trips to the postseason they came up completely empty. They had added Pete Rose to the roster in the offseason and everyone thought they would finally get to and win the world series. Instead they were ravaged by injuries ,and got off to a slow start, costing Manager Danny Ozark his job in mid-season. Of course he was replaced by Dallas Green and rest as they say is history. Anyway one of Ozark last bright moments came on this night. Nino Espinosa started the game for the Phils terribly, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits and failing to get out of the 5th inning. Somehow the Phils bullpen, always stellar in those years with the likes of Rolly Eastwick and Warren Brustar, managed to keep the game from getting any further out of hand with 5 and 1/3rd scoreless innings the rest of the way. Still, through 8 innings the Phils could only muster a solo homer by Mike Schmidt and trailed 5-1 heading into the 9th. After 2 runners reached base with just one out, future hall of famer, Rollie Fingers came in to clean things up, but he instead he allowed Bob Boone to slap a 2 run single to cut it to 5-3. A few batters later with 2 out and 2 on Del Unser came into pinch hit and crushed a game winning 3 run homer, his record tying 3rd consecutive pinch hit homerun, an impossible feat no one saw coming.
21. Schmidt Tames Wrigley April 17, 1976 Phillies 18 - Cubs 16
Wrigley Field has a history of wild high scoring games, especially when the Phillies are in town. Few Phillies-Cubs matchups at the old ballpark were wilder than this one. By the 3rd inning the Cubs are ahead 12-1 and seemingly in control. Then Mike Schmidt goes to work. In the 5th inning he hits his first homerun of the day to cut it 13-2. In his next at bat in the 7th, he homers again and the lead is down to 13-7. In his next bat in the 8th he goes deep again, this time a 3 run homer and its down to 13-12. By the end of the 9th the game is tied at 15. Finally, in the 10th Schmidt bats again and crushes his 4th straight homerun this time a 2 run homer and now at last after Dave Cash adds a sac fly the Phils are ahead for good 18-15. The Cubs score again in the bottom of the inning before Tug Mcgraw finally ends this wild affair. All told the two teams combine for an incredible 43 hits and 34 runs. As for Schmidt, he is still the last Phillies player to hit 4 homeruns in a game, and the only one to do it consecutively. Not bad for a day's work and you were wondering why people frequently call him the greatest 3rd baseman ever.
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Sunday, June 14, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Red Sox this afternoon in a wild game. J.A Happ got the start and did just enough to keep the Phils in it, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in a decent 5 and 2/3rd's innings. Meanwhile, after he had pretty much shut them down for4 innings the Phils recovered to touch up Josh Beckett for 7 runs on 11 hits. In the end those 7 runs would be all they needed to claim victory, but it wasn't easy. In the bottom of the the 1st, Jayson Werth actually gave the Phils the early 1-0 lead with an RBI single. That lead lasted all of about 5 minutes until the top of the 2nd, as Rocco Baldelli and Nick Green each slammed solo homers, Jacoby Ellsbury smacked a sac fly, and Jason Bay singled in a run for a 4-1 lead. From there Beckett seemed to be rolling and the Phils looked finished. Then in the bottom of the 5th they finally got to Beckett, scoring one run on a fielder's choice, another on a single by the "Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino and finally 2 more on a clutch RBI double by Ryan Howard, for a 5-4 lead. After venting his frustrations in the dugout, Beckett used them to his advantage as he leadoff the top of the 6th with a solo homer to knot it up at 5. After rolling through the bottom of the 6th, Beckett ran out of bullets in the bottom of the 7th and the normally reliable Red Sox bullpen imploded allowing, 6 runs on 4 hits. First Jimmy Rollins crushed a solo homer. Then Shane Victorino singled, stole second and scored on errror. Next Pedro Feliz slapped a 2 out 2 run double. Then Chris Coste was walked intentionally, Chan Ho Park was walked unintentionally to load the bases and JRoll was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Finally Victorino came up again and worked a bases loaded walk to force in another run and just like that the Phils were stunningly ahead 11-5. George Kottaras(that's the Red Sox backup catcher in case you're wondering) later doubled and scored a meaningless run in the 8th inning which only delayed an inevitable 11-6 Phils win. So the Phils do salvagea game in the series and move to 36-25 overall and back to 4 games up in the NL East. I am not sure but I think after that homer, JRoll might finally have his swing and confidence back. Hopefully it will stay with him now for the rest of the season. It was a little tough to see Happ get a bit roughed up today, especially after what happened to Bastardo last night. He did keep his cool though and he kept the Phils in it long enough for their bats to get going. Essentially that is exactly what the Phils shorthanded staff will have to do for the rest season, just keep it close and let the offense do the rest.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Red Sox tonight on a rain soaked evening. Antonio Bastardo got the start and finally got roughed up for the 1st time allowing 5 runs on 3 hits in just 1 inning of work. Then the rain wiped out any chance for him to pitch longer. Although Chad Durbin pitched 3 brilliant innings following the rain, the Phils just didn't have enough bullets to hang with the Red Sox in this one. They did make it close for a while though. Thanks to two errors, a 2 run homer by Jason Bay and a single by Julio Lugo the Red Sox took a 5-0 lead in the top of the 1st. In the bottom of the 3rd Chase Utley doubled in a run to cut it to 5-1. In the bottom of the 4th Raul Ibanez slammed a solo homer and Pedro Feliz lined a 2 run homer to cut it to 5-4. The Phils would never get closer though as in the 5th a double by Jason Varitek, a single by Lugo, and a single by Dustin Pedroia produced 3 runs and an 8-4 lead. Jayson Werth singled in a run in the bottom of the 5th to cut it to 8-5 but it was of no use. The Red Sox then all but put it away in the 7th, scoring 2 more runs on a single by Jacoby Ellsbury and a sac fly by Bay for a 10-5 lead. From there homers by Werth in the bottom of 7th and Ellsbury in the 9th only served to make the final score 11-6 Red Sox. So the Phils struggles continue at home as they drop to 12-16 overall. Hopefully that will turn around soon. Bastardo got a little roughed up here, but so does everyone against the Red Sox and he only went one inning, so we'll never know how things would have gone if he had been able to stay in the game longer. Thus, I think it would be too early to give up on him and call someone else up in his place. Nevertheless I am sure the Phils will consider doing so and who could blame them. So anyway the Phils drop to 35-25 overall and back to 3 games up in the NL East.
Friday, June 12, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
After essentially stealing 2 of 3 games from the Mets, the Phils returned to the Bank at last tonight to begin a series with the Boston Red Sox, currently the AL's best team record wise. Joe Blanton got the start and pitched well allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 very good innings. Unfortunately the Phils scored just 1 run on 2 hits off Jon Lester through those 7 innings and thus would again need some late game heroics to pull out the win. The Phils actually had the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd as Raul Ibanez singled and scored on a fielder's choice. In the top of the 4th Kevin Youkillis struck back with a solo homer to knot it up at 1. In the top of the 5th J.D Drew got booed as always, and apparently it didn't affect him as he slammed a solo homer for a 2-1 lead. From there Chan Ho Park and J.C Romero combined to get the Phillies to the 9th with score still 2-1. The Phils then caught a break as regular Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon was not available to pitch tonight, leaving Ramon Ramirez to close the game. With one out and nobody on Ramirez fired a fast ball right down the middle to Ryan Howard who crushed it for a game tying solo homer. From there the Phils bullpen rolled through 2 more scoreless innings to run their streak to 14 in a row. Then after Greg Dobbs narrowly missed a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 12th, the bullpen finally ran out of magic in the top of 13th. There Kyle Kendrick, forced into duty in place of the now injured Scott Eyre(apparently he strained his calf muscle last night while throwing exactly 2 pitches), allowed 3 runs on a single by Jacoby Ellsbury, a sac fly by Nick Green, and a single by Mike Lowell. The Phils had no answer in the bottom of the inning and so the Sox got the win 5-2. It's a tough loss for the Phils but they gave it there all once again and you can't fault them for that. What has happened to Kyle Kendrick? He was so good when the Phils first brought him up late in 2007, and for most of last season as a member of the rotation. How has he gone from that to being this bad? I hope for his sake he figures out where it all went wrong before too long. In the meantime you have to hope Scott Eyre get's well quickly because the Phils won't win much with Kendrick opening the floodgates every other night. Just when it seemed he was back on track Jimmy Rollins went 0 for 6 tonight. Hopefully that's just because Jon Lester was that good tonight. Anyway so the Phils drop to 35-24 overall but thanks to the Met's losing via a walkoff error if you will, the Phils remain 4 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Mets tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and like Hamels last night he too was hit around a bit, but he with stood the beating and allowed just 3 runs over 6 solid innings. Meanwhile the Phils again found themselves behind early despite Moyer's solid outing, and again they rallied back to force extra innings. In the bottom of the 1st Luis Castillo doubled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd Jimmy Rollins sac flyed in a run to tie it at 1. In the bottom of the inning Carlos Beltran answered with an RBI double for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 5th Luis Castillo doubled and scored on a sac fly for a 3-1 lead. In the top of the 6th Chase Utley answered with a run scoring double to cut it to 3-2. In the top of the 7th Pedro Feliz singled, moved to 3rd on a double by Chris Coste, and scored on a fielder's choice to tie it at 3. From there the Phils bullpen strung together another 3 straight consecutive scoreless innings, until with 2 out and 2 on in top of the 10th Raul Ibanez crushed his 21st homer of the season for a stunning 6-3 Phils lead. Ryan Madson then rolled through a 4th consecutive scoreless inning and 10th overall for the Phils bullpen, to close out the win. So the Phils move to 35-23 overall and 4 games up in the NL East. It is hard to imagine a more exciting series between these two rivals, and it is only June. It should be one heck of a pennant race. You have to be impressed with the resiliency of the Phillies though. Even last year's team didn't win as many games in the late innings as this team has. I guess that just goes to show you what winning a world series can do for you.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Mets tonight, looking to rebound from a loss in the series opener. Cole Hamels got the start and was tagged for 11 hits, but he with stood the onslaught to allow just 4 runs and keep the Phils in it long enough to pull a late rally. In the bottom of the 3rd Mike Pelfrey, the pitcher, doubled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Chase Utley slugged a solo homer to tie it at 1. In the bottom of the 4th 3 consecutive singles, by Pelfrey, Luis Castillo, and Alex Cora produced 3 runs for a 4-1 lead. In the top of the 7th the Phils came back with 3 straight singles, by Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, and Jayson Werth to load the bases. Then Pedro Feliz singled in one run, an error by David Wright allowed a 2nd run to score, and finally Werth scored on a fielder's choice to tie it up at 4. From there the Phils bullpen strung together 5 straight scoreless innings, thanks to the spectacular defensive play of Werth, whose diving catching preserved the 4-4 tie in the 10th inning. Finally in the top of the 11th Chase Utley slammed his 2nd homer of the night for a 5-4 lead. Ryan Madson(Lidge is now on the DL again as he's been playing through an injury all season) then retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the inning, for the 6th straight scoreless inning out of the bullpen and the 5-4 win. This was without a doubt one of the best games of the season thus far. It just doesn't get much more dramatic than a diving catch followed by an 11th inning homer. These two teams really do bring the best out of each other and it is always fun to watch. It would have been nice if Hamels could have just gone the distance again, but obviously you just can't expect than from him every night, well at least not in the regular season anyway. So the Phils move to 34-23 overall and back to 3 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to New York tonight to begin a key series with the Mets. J.A Happ got the start and provided less than his best effort, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. Against anyone other than Johan Santana that might have been enough to help the Phils win, but tonight it wasn't and this despite the fact that the Phils homered off Santana 4 times. On a night when the two teams combined for 7 homers, David Wright got it all started with a solo shot in the bottom of the 2nd for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd Carlos Beltran belted a 2 run homer for a 3-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez combined for back to back solo homers to cut the lead to 3-2. In the top of the 6th Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 run homer to put the Phils ahead 4-3. In the bottom of the 6th Santana himself doubled in one run and Alex Cora singled in another for a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the 7th Ryan Church lined a solo homer for a 6-4 lead. In the top of the 8th Chase Utley slugged the last homer of the night to cut it to 6-5. Finally in the top of the 9th, JRoll leadoff with a single, but Matt Stairs followed by grounding into a fielder's choice leaving him safe at first and JRoll out at 2nd. Both Pedro Feliz, and Greg Dobbs then failed to get Stairs home to tie it up as Frankie "K-Rod" Rodriguez notched his 16th save of the season. So again the Phils had the lead late and again they could not hold it. This time, the culprit was probably just jet lag and frankly a rare good hitting night by the shorthanded Mets. It was uplifting though to see JRoll rack up 3 hits, a run scored, 2 RBIs, and 6 total bases. Hopefully this means he is coming out of the slump finally, but he'll have keep consistently playing like this. In the end the pitching just wasn't quite good enough for the Phils tonight, but with Cole Hamels on the mound, it should be tomorrow night. So the Phils drop to 33-23 overall and back to just 2 games up on the Mets in the NL East.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers are expected to announce tomorrow that they have acquired goalie Ray Emery. Emery was the top goalie for the Ottawa Senators until last season and one of the top goalies in the NHL. Personality issues off the ice got in the way for Emery though and he ended up spending last season playing in Russia. This signing is a gamble then for the Flyers but it could payoff big time. If Emery can control himself and display the same talent he did before flaming out a couple years ago he's steal for the Flyers. This is because he is a much cheaper signing than either Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki who probably won't be back with the Flyers next season. Signing Emery and letting those two go, thus gives the Flyers the cap room to go after their biggest need which is a top defenseman or two. If they can add a few top defenseman and Emery performs up to his peak, the Flyers could be cup contenders next season, if not though it could get very messy in a hurry. Hopefully the latter will occur.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers sent Reggie Evans to the Toronto Raptors today for forward Jason Kapono, the NBA's top three point shooter. Three point shooting is the one lacking ingredient the Sixer's needed to succeed under new coach Eddie Jordan. Kapono fills that need, but historically he's been a liability on the defensive end, which explains why he played so few minutes for the Raptors last season, despite shooting over 45% from beyond the arc. For the Sixers he instantly upgrades their shooting, but they'll to have figure out a way to consistently play him, without too often sacrificing their defensive intensity. As for Evans, he probably wouldn't have fit into the Sixer's rotation next season anyway,considering Jason Smith and Elton Brand will both be back healthy, and Maurice Speights figures to get more minutes in his 2nd full season. Still, Evans' energy and hard work on the defensive end will be missed.
Monday, June 08, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
There was no game tonight as the Phils head to New York to start a series with Mets. With the Mets injury depleted, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and J.J Putz are all on the DL, the Phils should be able to and need to use this series to bury NY and build a nice size lead in the NL East.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Dodgers tonight, as they looked to earn a series split. Antonio Bastardo got his 2nd career start and pitched well again allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits in 5 strong innings of work. Meanwhile the Phils blasted 3 homers to carry Bastardo to his 2nd win in as many starts. In the top of the 2nd Pedro Feliz sac flyed in a run for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Matt Kemp singled in a run to knot it up at 1. In the top of the 5th Carlos Ruiz and "the Flyin Hawaiian"each colleted an RBI single for a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the 6th Casey Blake doubled and scored on a fielder's choice to cut it to 3-2. In the top of the 7th Ruiz and Victorino struck again, as Ruiz slugged a 2 run homer and Victorino lined out a solo shot for a 6-2 lead. In the top of the 8th Ryan Howard further added the Dodger misery, crushing a solo homer for a 7-2 lead. From there Chan Ho Park retired the side in the 8th and Ryan Madson did likewise in the 9th to close out the 7-2 win. So the Phils got their split and still have not lost a series on the road thus far this season. That's pretty impressive when you consider how much Jimmy Rollins has struggled so far this season, but tonight however Rollins finally seemed to find himself, going 2 for 4, with a run scored. That's good news for the Phils already potent lineup which has much more success when JRoll gets on base and scores then we he doesn't. Anyway so the Phils move to 33-22 overall and remain 3 games up in the NL East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Dodgers this afternoon looking rebound from a heartbreaking loss last night. Joe Blanton got the start and provided another solid outing from a Phils starter, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits in 6 strong innings. However, the Phils again could not get much going offensivvely, and actually failed to score a run while Blanton was still in the game. So heading into the top of the 7th, the Dodgers were still leading 1-0, courtesy of a solo shot by Andre Ethier in the bottom of the 1st. The Phils finally got on the board in the 7th though as Matt Stairs slapped a 2 out 2 run double to rally the Phils ahead 2-1. From there it once again came down to Brad Lidge in the 9th. This time he got one out, and then two strikes on Rafeal Furcal, before Furcal suprised everyone by golfing out a solo homer to knot it up at 2 and send the game into extra innings. While, the Phils never had any baserunners in the extra frames the Dodgers had an opportunity with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 out, but Chad Durbin struck out Matt Kemp to keep the game alive. After retiring the next 5 batters, Durbin ran out of luck with 2 out in the top of the 12th as Andre Ethier slammed a game winning solo homer for the 3-2 Dodger win. So once again it was a heartbreaking day for the Phils, and they will need to rebound tomorrow to avoid losing their first series on the road this season. I don't know what it is about the Dodgers but the Phils just can't hit off them this season. Also I don't know what is wrong with Brad Lidge but he is running out of time to figure it out, with this his 7th blown save today. It may soon be time to move Ryan Madson into the closer's role, now that J.C Romero is available as the setup guy. Anyway so the Phils drop to 32-22 overall but remain 3 games up in the NL East as the Mets lost today as well.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Friday, June 05, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Dodgers tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and went 7 strong innings allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits. Unfortunately, the Phils wasted Moyer's best outing of the season, by supplying him with just 3 runs of support. Thus, the door was open for the Dodgers to rally late. In the top of the 3rd Jayson Werth singled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Chase Utley slapped a 2 run double for a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Juan Pierre was hit by a pitch, stole second and later scored on a fielder's choice to cut it to 3-1. In the bottom of the 7th James Loney singled in a run to cut it to 3-2. In the bottom of the 8th the Dodgers then had the tying run in scoring position with 2 outs, but J.C Romero managed strike out Pierre to get out of the jam. Finally it came down to Brad Lidge in the 9th and after he retired the first 2 batters it looked like the Phils were headed to victory. Three times at that point he got within a strike of closing out the win, 3 times the Dodgers denied him. First Casey Blake blooped a single. Then Loney worked a walk and Russell Martin hit into what appeared to be a game ending groundout, but normally shorthanded Pedro Feliz booted the ball and then threw wildly to first pulling Ryan Howard off the bag. That loaded the bases for Andre Eithier, hitless on the night, but of course he promptly slapped a game winning double and the Phils had lost 4-3. Chalk this one up to bad luck, the absence of Shane Victorino(the game winning double wizzed by, short and slow footed Eric Bruntlett playing in right, had the taller, faster Jayson Werth, still in center in place of Victorino, been there instead, he might have been able to catch it) , and just another night in which the Phils couldn't consistently get runners home, stranding 10 on base. Jimmy Rollins is in fact 0 for his last 10 now, and will to have wake up before long and start hitting again if the Phils are to keep up this hot streak they're on right now. Anyway so the Phils drop to 32-21 overall and just 3 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to L.A tonight to begin a series with the Dodgers. Hollywood himself, Cole Hamels got the start and was brilliant tossing a complete game shutout on just 5 hits. Incredibly and thanks in large part to the defense behind him, Hamels needed just 97 pitches to complete the game. Meanwhile, the Phils eked out a few runs for the win. In the top of the 4th Ryan Howard sac flyed in a run for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 6th Raul Ibanez slapped an RBI double for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 7th Jayson Werth slapped an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. From there Hamels closed out the 3-0 win. So once again the Phils did little wrong tonight, and there's not much to talk about. It was great to see Hamels go deep into a game again, as it was questionable he would still be able to do so after all the innings he threw last season. Clearly he is up for the task. Anyway so the Phils move to 32-20 overall and 4 games up in the NL East. In others not so good news, Shane Victorino strained his left hip in yesterday's game and could miss some time. He will be examined by a doctor, and hopefully they'll figure out it is not too serious. Until Jayson Werth will start in center and there will probably be rotating starters in right field. It would seem though after tonight that the Phils can win without him.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Padres tonight. J.A Happ got the start and produced a brilliant outing with 7 shutout innings on just 4 hits. Meanwhile, the Phils touched up Chris Young for 3 runs on 5 hits in just 6 innings of work, to help Happ earn the win. In other words it was another easy night for the Phils. In the top of the 1st, Ryan Howard crushed a 2 run homer to dead center for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Pedro Feliz sac flyed in a run for a 3-0 lead. In the top of the 7th Jayson Werth singled in a run and then scored on a fielder's choice for a 5-0 lead. From there J.C Romero, finally done serving his 50 game suspension, made his first appearance of the season allowing a run on a single by David Eckstein before retiring the side in the 8th. He then got the first out in the 9th before Ryan Madson came in to close out the 5-1 win. So the Phils just keep on rolling. Romero looked fairly decent tonight, for a guy who missed the first 50 games of the season. Also Happ is looking much better than I thought he would and I'm thinking he'll keep it up. Here's hoping the Phils keep up this win streak as well because this has been fun to watch. Anyway so the Phils move to 31-20 overall, 2nd best record in the Majors, behind the next team on the schedule, the L.A Dodgers, and good enough for a 3 game lead in the NL East.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Padres tonight. Antonio Bastardo, making his major league debut, got the start and shined, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits in 6 impressive innings. Meanwhile the Phils tagged Jake Peavy with 4 runs on 3 hits in just 1 inning of work, on their way to racking up 10 runs on 11 hits, unbelievable totals at cavernous Petco Park. Needless to say it was a pretty easy night for the Phils. In the top of the 1st, Ryan Howard doubled in 2 runs and scored on a double by Raul Ibanez, who then scored on a sac fly by Greg Dobbs for a 4-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd, Ibanez slammed a 2 run homer for a 6-0 lead. In the top of the 4th the "Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino tripled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 7-0 lead. In the top of the 5th Dobbs slugged a solo homer for an 8-0 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 6th Adrian Gonzalez put the Padres on the board with a solo shot to cut it to 8-1. In the top of the 7th Ibanez crushed another 2 run homer for a 10-1 lead. Chan Ho Park relieved Bastardo in the bottom of the inning and ran into some trouble, allowing 4 runs on a single by Edgar Gonzalez, a bases loaded walk to Adrian Gonzalez, and a single by Chase Headley to cut it to 10-5. Fortunately, Chad Durbin took over from there and got within one out of closing out the 10-5 win, before Ryan Madson was forced to come in and get the final out with the bases loaded. All I can say about the Phils at this point is wow. They are 18-6 on the road and I just can't figure it out. How do they keep playing so well on the road? I keep waiting for them to start to cool off on the road, and it just hasn't happened yet. Hopefully it will never happen this season. Anyway so the Phils are now 30-20 overall and lead the NL East by 2.5 games.
Monday, June 01, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled out to San Diego tonight to begin a series with the Padres. Joe Blanton got the start and delivered another solid outing allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 strong innings of work. Meanwhile, the Phils collected 5 runs on 2 hits, just enough run support to boost Blanton to the win. In the bottom of the 2nd Jerry Hairston singled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd back to back singles by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino and Chase Utley, produced 2 runs for a 2-1 lead. In the top of the 5th Chase Utley golfed out a solo homer down the line and Ryan Howard made it back to back homers, crushing a solo homer to dead center field, for a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the 6th the Padres answered with back to back homers of their own, by Adrian Gonzalez and Haurston, cutting the lead to 4-3. In the top of the 8th Greg Dobbs slapped a pinch double and scored on a double by Victorino for a 5-3 lead. From there Scott Eyre retired the Padres in the 8th inning and Brad Lidge came in to get the save in the 9th to close out the 5-3 Phils win. So overall it was just another solid, "get the job done" night for the Phils which leaves me nothing else to talk about regarding the game. There also isn't any other news to talk about either. All I can say is that it has been impressive the way the Phils have been playing lately. Anyway so the Phils move to 29-20 overall with the win and now reside 1.5 games clear in the NL East.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Nationals this afternoon. Jamie Moyer got the start once again going for career win No. 250. This time at last thanks to improved control and a good bullpen behind him he got it. Of course the fact that the Phils were playing the Nationals also probably had something to do it. Anyway Moyer allowed just 1 run on 3 hits in 6 strong innings in getting the win. The Phils meanwhile, didn't offer him much run support but it was enough to give him a lead he would not relinquish. In the bottom of the 1st Chase Utley doubled in a run for a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd Chris Coste launched a solo homer for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Josh Willingham slammed a solo homer to cut it to 2-1. In the bottom of the 4th Raul Ibanez tripled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 3-1 lead. In the top of the 7th Willingham slugged another homer to cut it to 3-2. In the bottom of the 7th Ryan Howard tripled to knock in a run for a 4-2 lead. From there Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge got through the 8th and 9th innings as usual to close out the 4-2 win. On the whole it was a good night for Phils in all areas the so there's really nothing extra about the game to talk about. However, it seems the Phils have made a decision on the Brett Myers situation, calling up Antonio Bastardo, who's been tearing up AAA, to replace him for now. Beyond a few starts from Bastardo, if he does not pitch well the Phils may have to consider acquiring an established pitcher through free agency or a trade. It would probably take a lot of prospects for them to do so, but Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, and others are there for the taking if the Phils are interested. Personally I think they need to give Bastardo a chance to show his stuff first. If he pitches well enough, then there's no reason make a trade or sign a free agent. If he falters however I am afraid they'll have no choice but to acquire a better pitcher. Hopefully he'll pitch well. Anyway so the Phils move to 28-20 overall with the win today and remain 1st in the NL East by half a game over the Mets.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles hired former Cowboys defensive coordinator coach Brian Stewart today, presumably to replace Jim Johnson if his current health issues cause him to miss the season. At this point Stewart has no role for the Birds. He is however a good coach and it is a smart move for the Eagles to hire him.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Nationals tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and he wasn't quite Hollywood on this night, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits while striking out 7 in 6 innings. However, thanks to 3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and a 2 homer 5 RBI night by Ryan Howard, Hamels' outing was just good enough to earn him the win. The Phils actually fell behind early as Will Nieves lined a 2 run double and Anderson Hernandez added an RBI single in the top of the 2nd for a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd Howard crushed a solo homer to cut it to 3-1. Then in the bottom of the 3rd Jimmy Rollins singled in one run and Howard annihilated a grand slam to the 3rd deck in right field, only about the 3rd homer that has ever been hit there, for a 6-3 lead. In the top of the 4th Aberto Gonzalez tripled in a run to cut it to 6-4. In the bottom of the 4th Hamels himself slapped an RBI double for a 7-4 lead. In the top of the 6th Ronnie Belliard lined a 2 run homer off Hamels just before he could finish his last inning, cutting the lead to 7-6. In the bottom of the 6th with the bases loaded, Howard hit what appeared to be an inning ending groundout, but Gonzalez booted it allowing 2 runs to score for a 9-6 lead. From there Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey combined for a scoreless 7th, Ryan Madson rolled through the 8th, and Brad Lidge got another easy save in the 9th, thanks to a spectacular double play in which a diving Rollins flipped the ball to Chase Utley who barehanded it, tagged 2nd ,and fired to Howard at first for the 2nd out. With 9 runs on 10 hits, the Phils did a much better job with runners on base tonight just as I thought they would. As for Hamels, while it wasn't his best effort, it appeared that just he got a little fatigued. In fact he threw 106 pitches overall, mostly because his location was just a little off tonight. That is really a rare occasion for Hamels to be missing his locations and he knows how to adjust to ensure it won't happen again so I wouldn't worry to much. The important thing is that he got the 9-6 win, which moves the Phils to 27-20 overall and back into 1st place in the NL East by a half a game over the Mets
Friday, May 29, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Washington Nationals to the Bank tonight to begin a weekend series. J.A Happ got his second start of the season and looked sharp again, allowing just 3 runs on 3 hits in 5 and 1/3rd innings. Unfortunately, he didn't get much run support as the Phils left more than 13 runners on base, collecting 16 hits and 24 total bases, but only 5 runs. Fortunately, 5 was just enough to hold off the Nationals, currently the team with the worst record in the majors. In the top of the 2nd Josh Willingham slugged a solo homer for a 1-0 Nats lead. In the bottom of the inning, Carlos Ruiz doubled in a run tie it at 1. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Nats misplayed, not one, not two, but 3 balls in the outfield, resulting in a 2 run single by Raul Ibanez, and an RBI triple by Pedro Feliz for a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the 4th, Jimmy Rollins doubled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 5-1 lead. In the top of the 6th the Nats rallied back with 3 runs on a double by Josh Bard, a single by Anderson Hernandez and a throwing error by Jayson Werth to cut the lead to 5-4. The Phils then had several chances from there to blow the game open, but just couldn't get that one hit they needed to knock in a few runs. Fortunately the phils bullpen from the 7th on shut down the Nats the rest of the way as Brad Lidge collected the save in the 9th with a rare, this season anyway, 1-2-3 inning. Basically the Phils took care of business tonight against an inferior Nationals team. Still, I would like to have seen them score a few more runs. You really can't leave so many people on base all the time. Truthfully though this is the first time I can recall them leaving that many people on base this season. Therefore I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet. They'll just have to make sure it doesn't continue. Anyway so the Phils improve to 26-20 overall but remain a half a game behind the Mets in the NL East.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers made it official today at last, announcing Eddie Jordan as the team's new head coach. Frankly he was the best coach available and fits their current system fairly well. Also he had a prior relationship with GM Ed Stefanski in as an assitant coach in New Jersey, while Stefanksi was the Nets GM So it's no suprise he got the job. As a disciple of the princetion offense where motion and passing in the half court is key and at least in Jordan's scheme the fast break is still a weapon , he would seem to be a good candidate to figure out a way to incorporate Elton Brand into the Sixer's offense when he returns next season. Overall Jordan has a 230-288 record as head coach mostly with the Wizards, whom he guided to playoffs 4 times in 5 seasons, grooming Antawn Jamison, Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas, and Caron Butler, into all-stars along the way. Thus, Jordan could very well help the Sixers improve greatly next season, but of course only time will tell if he is the right choice. I think he is though.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The MRI on Brett Myer's hip today revealed a fraying and a possible tearing in the labrum of his hip. That is bad news, because that is the same injury for which Chase Utley and A-Rod needed surgery. If Myers needs surgery he like the other two could have miss up to 3 months to recover. That would be a huge blow to a Phils rotation that was just finally beginning to come together. Myers will be seeking a second opinion tomorrow and perhaps it will turn out that the injury isn't quite that serious and that he can play through it. If he does have to miss 3 months the Phils will have a decision to make about replacing him. Either Chan Ho Park can move from the bullpen back to the rotation or the Phils can call someone up from AAA, say perhaps Kyle Kendrick who was in the rotation the last two seasons or some other prospect.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Marlins tonight. Brett Myers got the start and pitched well for 5 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits. Then in the 6th he was touched up for a further 3 runs on 3 hits before leaving with just 2 outs in the inning with soreness in his hip(He'll have an MRI tomorrow). That 6th inning was basically the difference, as the phils again put up little offense, with just 2 runs on 8 hits. In the top of the 4th Dan Uggla slammed a solo homer for a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 5th Wes Helms sac flyed in a run for a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the 5th Carlos Ruiz got the Phils on the board with a solo shot to cut the lead to 2-1. In the top of the 6th Uggla doubled in a run and Cody Ross slugged a 2 run homer for a 5-1 lead. In the top of the 8th Matt Stairs uncorked a pinch solo homer to cut the lead to 5-2. The Phils then put two on with one out for Chase Utley but he flyed out, and then with two out Ryan Howard struck out chasing a high fastball. In the top of the 9th Ronny Paulino singled in a run for a 6-2 lead. Finally in the bottom of the inning the Phils had another opportunity loading the bases with 2 out for Jimmy Rollins, but he flyed out as well for the 6-2 Marlin's win. So the Phils lose yet another series at the Bank and drop to 9-14 at the Bank thus far this season. Meanwhile they are an incredible 16-6 overall on the road. What gives? How can you go to new Yankee stadium and win 2 of 3 then come home and lose 2 of 3. In fact so far this season the Phils have just one series at home, against the lowly Nationals. I just don't understand why they can't win at home, but whatever it is that's causing them to stink at home, they better figure it out because you can only go 10 games over .500 on road for so long. Anyway so the phils drop to 25-20 overall and now down to 2nd in the NL East a half a game behind the Mets.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Marlins tonight. Joe Blanton got the start and was brilliant tossing 7 shutout innings while allowing just 5 hits and striking out a career best 11. Meanwhile, the Phils managed to collect 5 runs on 10 hits, with a bases loaded walk, a sac fly by Raul Ibanez and a single by Pedro Feliz in the bottom of the 1st, a double by Shane Victorino in the bottom of the 6th and a double by Feliz in the bottom of the 7th for a 5-0 lead. From there Ryan Madson pitched a perfect 8th and then Chad Durbin came in to pitch the 9th. There things got a little interesting. Durbin managed to retire just one batter before loading the bases. Next Scott Eyre induced a groundball but Ryan Howard fielded the ball and committed his first error of the season thus far, allowing 2 runs to score to cut the lead to 5-2. That Forced Brad Lidge to come in for the save, and he too loaded the bases, walking the first batter he faced. Fortunately, he settled in from there, inducing a groundout and then striking out Wes Helms to at last close out the 5-3 win. After tonight I would say that Joe Blanton is back. With Brett Meyers, Cole Hamels, and Jamie Moyer pitching well, and J.A Happ looking like a good fit as the 5th starter I think the Phils rotation is back in business. As for the bullpen it was a bit shaky tonight but there's nothing to worry about. J.C Romero will be back from his suspension next week and other than tonight they've been pretty good without him. So the Phils move to 25-19 overall and remain a half a game up on the Mets for 1st in the NL East.
Monday, May 25, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a series with the Marlins. Jamie Moyer got the start once again looking for win No. 250. He pitched fairly well, allowing just 4 runs on 7 hits in 6 solid innings. Once again it wasn't good enough as ex-Phil Wes Helms collected 3 hits and knocked in 4 runs to thwart Moyer. All in all it was just another one of those off nights for the Phils lineup resulting in a loss. In fact so far this season in games like this when the Phils score 3 runs or less they are 0-14 which obviously points to the fact that the starting pitching just hasn't been that great just yet, although it does seem to be getting better. On this night Ryan Howard was responsible for all 3 runs. In the bottom of the 1st he crushed a 2 run homer for a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 4th Helms answered with a 3 run homer to put the Fish up 3-2 and then Ronnie Paulino, whom the Phils cut in spring training, slapped an RBI single in the top of the 6th to make it 4-2. In the bottom of the 6th Howard answered with a solo homer to cut it to 4-3. From there Chan Ho Park pitched the final 3 innings in relief allowing just one run on a single by Helms for a 5-3 lead. Despite Park's performance the Phils just couldn't get anything going in those final innings and eventually lost 5-3. So the Phils drop to to 24-19 overall, but remain a half a game up in the NL East. Now just to go back to that 0-14 thing, that can't continue for the rest of the season. You just can't expect to score a boatload of runs every night. On other the hand the Phils rotation does seem to be on the upswing at this point so I don't think that will continue for the rest of the season. Eventually the Phils will win some close low scoring games.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Yankees this afternoon. Cole Hamels got the start and out dueled Yankee ace C.C Sabathia, allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits in 6 strong innings of work, while Sabathia allowed 3 runs on 9 hits in 8 innings. Thus, it came down to Brad Lidge in the 9th once again and again he blew the save, but this time it didn't cost the Phils the game. That was thanks in large part to Carlos Ruiz who had the game of his life, racking up 3 hits, an RBI, a stolen base, and 2 putouts of runners trying to steal 2nd. In the top of the 3rd Ruiz collected his first hit and scored on a double by Jimmy Rollins who then scored on a singly by "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino, for a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning Johny Damon doubled in a run to cut it to 2-1. In the top of the 6th Victorino singled and scored on a double by Raul Ibanez. In the bottom of the inning Mark Teixeira slugged a solo homer to cut it to 3-2. It stayed that way until Brad Lidge allowed back to back singles to leadoff the bottom of the 9th, allowing Melky Cabrera to single in the tying run and send the game into extras. From there Clay Condrey toughed out two scoreless innings in the 10th and 11th innings and then Ruiz struck again in the 11th. With 2 out and Chase Utley on second, Ruiz ripped a double just inside the line to score Utley for a 4-3 lead. As mentioned Clay Condrey struck out the side in the bottom of the inning and the Phils had the 4-3 win and series. Okay so Lidge blew another save, but at least this time he kept the game tied and that is progress in my book. Also it is great to see Ruiz hitting like this, not just today but the entire series. It is quite a luxury to get 3 hits a night from the guy batting 8th in the lineup, and if that continues then no one will be able to slow down this lineup for the rest of the season. Anyway so with the win today the Phils move to 24-18 overall and back to 1.5 games up in the NL East.
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