There is good news and bad news for the Phils tonight. The good news is that the Phils pulled off a huge deal for a top starting pitcher early this afternoon. No not Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee the reigning AL cy young award winner and outfielder Ben Francisco from the Indians in exchange for 2B Jason Donald, Catcher Lou Marson, pitcher Carlos Carrasco, all from AAA, and pitcher Jason Knapp from A. So in other words the Phils got the starting pitcher they wanted, plus the righthanded bat they needed off the bench in Francisco(the rookie John Mayberry Jr just isn't ready yet), without losing any of their top prospects(Dom Brown, Kyle Drabek, and Micheal Taylor). Plus they of course were able to hold onto J.A Happ as well. In short the Phils couldn't have a made better deal than this one and are now in position to win now and in the future. Now Happ is where the bad news comes in. He started the Phils last game of their series with the Diamondbacks tonight and despite allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits over 6 innings he took the loss. The emotional strain of all the trade rumors swirling around all week and the fatigue of having played non stop for nearly 2 weeks finally caught up to the Phils tonight, as they could muster just 7 hits and no runs. The Dbacks meanwhile hit a couple homers and just barely held off a couple late charges by the Phils for a 4-0 win. You can't win every game and they had already won the series, so it winning tonight wasn't all that important for the Phils. The trade for Lee really overshadowed the whole game anyway. I can't wait to see Lee in a Phils uniform. Although he is only 7-9 this season, that is more the fault of his team, close to last in the AL central and not very good at giving him run support. He also has a sparkling 3.14 ERA, leads the AL in innings, has been lights out so far in the 2nd half the season. Although only time will tell, he should ultimately fit well in the Phils rotation and they should be infinitely better with him than they were without him. Anyway so the Phils are now 58-41 overall and down to 6 games up in the NL East.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Diamondbacks in what was billed to be a pitcher's duel between Dan Haren and "Hollywood" Cole Hamels. Ultimately it lived up to the hype score wise, but Cole Hamels really got the better of Haren allowing just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 9 in 8 innings while Haren allowed just 3 runs on 4 hits but had to leave after 5 innings because the Phils had already ratcheted up his pitch count to 117. Like last night though it was Diamondback errors that really did in Haren and opened the door to victory for the Phils. Arizona actually had the lead after the 1st inning thanks a solo shot by Ryan Roberts. In the top of the 3rd the "Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino brought the Phils back with a solo shot of his own. In the top of the 5th Hamels himself doubled with one out and a 2 errors and Victorino double later the Phils were up 3-1. Later in the top of the 7th when the Stephen Drew couldn't get the ball out of his glove to start a sure inning ending double play, Victorino scampered safely home again for a 4-1 lead. It stayed that way until Brad Lidge allowed Mark Reynolds to slug a 2 run homer in the 9th, but he cooly retired the side from there for the 4-3 win. Even against the lowly Diamondbacks it was encouraging to see Hamels go deep into a game for the 1st time in a while. If Brad Lidge keeps giving up runs like he did tonight the Phils are going to need Hamels to do that more often down the stretch to save the pen and allow Lidge some time to find himself. The Phils are now 31-15 on the road this season as they wrapped up another series win tonight, and that is just remarkable. Anyway So the Phils are now 58-40 overall and still 7 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
It is a sad day today for the Eagles fans, players, and coaches for, we have lost one of our own. He was the Eagles defensive coordinator from 1999-2008 and one of the game's all-time masterminds, but sadly he was not invincible. In 2001 he was first diagnosed with skin cancer but he beat it then and stood firmly on the sidelines as a calming influence over a defense that routinely skirted routine and convention in favor of invention and imagination to stay at the top of the NFC defensive ratings season after season. That is until late last season when there was suddenly an empty space on the sidelines that hadn't been there before. Where was he? relegated to talking through a microphone in a small booth not visible to the naked eye of most, where he suffered in a silence from back pain that wouldn't go away. A trip to the doctor after the season finally revealed the worst news of all. The painful back was in reality the cancer announcing its return. He fought bravely from then on, even pushed himself through one more rookie mini camp despite not being able stand, but this time the fight ended in defeat, for the cancer had spread to his spine where no treatment could alleviate it. And so earlier today we lost him but perhaps the one consolation through all the grief is that we ever had him at all. We had him through five trips to the NFC championship game, mostly painful but rewarding nonetheless. We had him on that one glorious trip to the pinnacle of the sport, that so tantalizingly almost was. We had him through a decade of greatness at a level neither seen nor even dreamed of before in this town. And it is only now that he is gone that we finally realize we had him at all. So long old friend. You'll be missed but never forgotten.
RIP Jim Johnson 1941-2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled out to Arizona to begin a series with the Diamondbacks tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and had a roller coaster of night, walking 4 batters and allowing 6 hits. He just got himself into 1 jam after another, 2 on and 2 out in the 1st, bases loaded and nobody out in the 2nd, 2 on and noboody out in the bottom of the 3rd and a man on 2nd and 2 out in the 5th. Somehow though ,he got out of each jam unscathed and wound up tossing 6 and 2/3d's scoreless innings for the win. Arizona didn't even score until they a couple of runs in the 8th inning and by then the Phils were already ahead 6-0, thanks a 2 run jack by Ryan Howard in the 4th inning, an RBI double by Jimmy Rollins in the 5th, and an RBI single by Raul Ibanez and 2 fielder's choices resulting from poor Diamondback's defense. Brad Lidge then came in the 9th and put the Dbacks away in order. This game just goes to show you the difference between a division leader and a team at the bottom of its division. Simply put, the Phils took advantage of their opportunities and didn't make mistakes, while Arizona did the opposite. Anyway so the Phils move to 57-40 overall and now 7 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles began training camp today and big news out of camp at this point is that 1st round pick WR Jeremy Maclin remains unsigned and apparently he and Eagles are struggling to come to terms at this point. Fortunately, the rest of the Eagles including 2nd round pick Lesean MCcoy, who only signed about a month ago. All I can say is that Maclin better hurry up and sign, because he's not going to be able the Eagles too much this season even if he misses only half of the training camp.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Cardinals this afternoon. Joe Blanton got the start and was brilliant allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 6 in 8 innings. Meanwhile, Chase Utley in the 3rd inning, Ryan Howard in the 5th inning, Raul Ibanez in the 7th inning, and Jimmy Rollins in the 6th inning, each slammed 2 run homers and Howard slapped a sac fly back in the first inning to help power the Phils to a 9-2 win. St. Louis really never woke up from the coma that 14-5 loss put them in yesterday. It was a thoroughly dominant performance for the Phils and fun to watch. So ultimately the Phils bats won out over the Cardinals supposedly top notch pitching in this series. I mean really who needs pitching when you can hit like this. Still the Phils would probably do well to add another starter before the trading deadline on July 31. At this point two Phils offers for Roy Halladay have been rejected so it looks the asking price may just be too for him at this point. On the other hand reigning AL cy young award winner Cliff Lee could be available for the Phils and he would probably cost them less. So I would say he's the better bet at this point. However, the Phils clearly have shown they want Halladay at this point and there's still time for them to work out a deal, but I just don't see it happening. Brad Lidge came in to pitch the 9th for the Phils today and actually got out of the inning without allowing a run. That's good news for the Phils who will undoubtedly need him to close games down the stretch. Anyway so the Phils are 56-40 overall and still 6.5 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Cardinals this afternoon and what a difference a day makes. After scoring just 1 run last night the Phils racked up 14 runs today on 14 hits, and if not for a couple of spectacular catches by Rick Ankiel they might have had even more. The Cardinals on the other hand racked up 15 hits, but Rodrigo Lopez withstood the barage to hold St. Louis to only 4 runs through 6 innings and pick up yet another win. Still, although the Phils scored 14 runs, in this game it was actually close for a few innings. The Phils got going right off the bat with 3 runs in the first inning on singles by Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz. By the bottom of the 6th inning though, the Cardinals were ahead 4-3, but it was at that point that the Phils broke it open with a grand slam by Jimmy Rollins and a solo homer by "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino, for an 8-4 lead. Obviously they weren't finished yet and they put it away for good in the bottom of the 7th with another 6 runs on a single by Carlos Ruiz, a double by JRoll, a 2 run single by Victorino and a 2 run double by Ryan Howard for a 14-5 lead. That of course was all she wrote as the rookie Stephen Register(Apparently the Phils weren't happy Andrew Carpenter's performance the last 2 nights, as he was sent back down AAA) closed out the final 2 innings. So score one for the bats on this day and that leaves tomorrow to decide if it is better to have good hitting or good pitching. As for today it was good to see Lopez fight through all those innings and perhaps that maybe the Phils rotation is okay after all, with or without any marquis additions. Perhaps more encouraging is that the Phils have kept Albert Pujols pretty much in check in this series, except for one bloop hit back on Friday, and anytime you can keep him in the ballpark for a couple days it's quite an accomplishment. So anyway the Phils are now 55-40 overall and back to 6.5 games up in the NL East.
Friday, July 24, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
Well all good things come to an end eventually. Tuesday it was the Phils' win streak that came to an end, tonight against the Cardinals and newly acquired outfielder Matt Holliday, it was J.A Happ's win streak that came to an abrupt halt. Happ pitched well as usual ,allowing just 1 run through the first 5 innings, but got unlucky in the 6th inning as St.Louis used 4 bloop hits to bleed out 4 runs and a 5-0 advantage. Most of the damage was done by Holliday with 4 hits, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored. The Phils, meanwhile did very little damage. In fact they didn't even score a run until the bottom of the 7th inning when Jayson Werth singled and scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead at the time to 7-1, after Tyler Walker allowed a couple runs in the top of the inning. Later Andrew Carpenter allowed another run in the 8th inning for an 8-1 lead. The Phils on the other hand never managed to score another run. Thus, it's hard to put this loss on Happ, becuase it's not his fault he got no run support. The Phils had plenty of opportunities to score runs with 8 hits and 10 baserunners, but for first time in a long time they weren't able to take advantage of those opportunities at all. So thus far it's 1 game for the pitching, 0 for the hitting. I woudn't expect the Phils bats to be dormant like this for the rest of the series though so no worries. Anyway so the Phils are now 54-40 overall and down to 5.5 games up in the NL East.
SIXERS NEWS
Well it's official, Andre Miller won't be back with the Sixers next season as he signed a 3 year $21 million deal with Trail Blazers. That leaves the Sixers with 3 options at point guard next season, Lou Williams, the rookie Jrue Holiday, or a free agent signee. Unless Holiday dramatically increases his stock between now and november, he probably won't be the guy. Most likely Lou Williams will start the season at point guard unless the Sixers can sign a free agent.
EAGLES NEWS
Well it's official, Sean Mcdermott has been named the Eagles new defensive coordinator in place of Jim Johnson whom remains on indefinite leave while he battles cancer. An assistant under Johnson since 2001, Mcdermott should be well equiped to take over for Johnson and there is every reason to believe he can the same success as other Johnson disciples, such as revered Giants Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuola. It is just question of whether or not the players will trust him as much as they trusted Johnson.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils played a makeup game with the San Diego Padres tonight, which was originally the 4th game of the team's series back in April. While, that series went mostly the way of San Diego it was a different story tonight. Cole Hamels was solid allowing just 3 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings. Meanwhile, the Phils roughed up Padre's starter Kevin Correia for 8 runs on 9 hits in just 3 and 1/3rd innings. So it really wasn't much of a contest. Jayson Werth got it all started in the bottom of the 2nd with a leadoff double and run scored on a single by Pedro Feliz. Later a double by Jimmy Rollins and a single by Chase Utley produced 2 more runs and a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd Werth doubled again and scored on an error for a 4-0 lead. The wheels came loose ever so slightly for Hamels in the top of the 4th as Chase Headley doubled in one run and Kyle Banks slammed a 2 run homer to suddenly cut the lead to 4-3. The Phils came right back in the bottom of the inning though, with an RBI single by Ryan Howard, a 2 run double by Raul Ibanez, and RBI single by Werth for a quick 8-3 lead. Safely ahead again, Hamels really bared down from there and cruised through the 7th inning where Carlos Ruiz added a solo shot in the bottom half for a 9-3 lead. Later in the 8th inning the Padres added a run off the rookie Andrew Carpenter(J.C Romero and Chad Durbin are now on the DL for a couple weeks and hopefully no longer, so Carpenter and Tyler Walker were called up to replace them) to cut it to 9-4 but from there Chan Ho Park came in and put the Padres away. Considering this game wasn't even supposed to be tonight, it was nice to see the Phils take care of business against an inferior team. Albert Pujols and the St.Louis Cardinals are coming to town for a weekend series starting tomorrrow and it should be pretty entertaining to watch as it pits arguably the best lineup in the NL against the one of the top 5 pitching staffs in the NL. So it will be interesting to see what wins the day, good pitching or good hitting. Anyway so the Phils move to 54-39 overall now and back to 6.5 games up in the NL East.
FLYERS NEWS
Apparently the Flyers have signed 5 free agents to technically minor league contracts, with wingers/centerman Lukas Kaspar, Krys Kolanos, Mika Pyorala and Jason Ward, and defenseman Joey Mormina. Apparently Pyrala is a Elite European league vet capable playing at every forward position so he could be pickup. Also the defenseman Mormina is supposed to be very skilled as well and capable of contributing to the Flyers this upcoming season. As for the rest apparently they have all spent some time in the NHL at one point or another but never long enough for anyway significant success. Hopefully they'll just provide some good organizational depth.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Cubs this afternoon looking to win their 11th in a row. Unfortunately all good things must eventually come to an end and so the Phils finally lost a game today and boy did they lose. I mean everything went wrong today. Jamie Moyer was touched for 5 runs, the bullpen which had tossed 12 consecutive scoreless innings was touched up for 5 runs, the Phils defense, arguably the best in the NL up to this point, committed 2 errors, and out of 16 base runners only 5 managed to cross the plate. Even against the currently gutless Cubs that's good enough to win. Still on the bright side the Phils did at least win the series and with Cole Hamels on the mound tomorrow they can quickly begin a new winning streak. Getting back to today for a bit, Things looked fin for the Phils early on as Moyer matched Zambrano with 3 scoreless innings to open the game. Then like lightning in the top of the 4th, Chicago raced out to a 4-0 lead on a single by Alphonso Soriano, a double by Baker, and an error by Chase Utley. In the top of the 5th Chicago made it 5-0 on a single by Milton Bradley. The Phils made a decent comeback attempt, with 1 run in the bottom of the inning on a fielder's choice, 2 runs in the 6th on a 2 run single by Pedro Feliz to cut it to 5-3. Then Chad Durbin allowed 3 runs in the 7th on a double by Aramis Ramirez and a sac fly by Fox. Still the Phils fought back again with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th on a 2 run single by Greg Dobbs to cut it to 8-5. All hopes of a Phils rally went out the window though a couple innings later as Brad Lidge allowed 2 runs in the top of the 9th on a single by Reed Johnson and bases loaded walk to Derek Lee to increase the lead to an insurmountable 10-5. I guess when you lose so a little, every loss has to be a bit of a doozy. Anyway so the Phils drop to 53-39 overall and now 5.5 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phillies continued their series with Cubs tonight. This time there was no blowout as ex A's teammates Joe Blanton and Rich Harden squared off in a rare pitcher's duel at the Bank. Jimmy Rollins slammed a solo homer in the bottom of the 3rd and Kosuke Fukudome slapped an RBI double in the bottom of the 4th but that was it for 9 innings, as Blanton went 7 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits and Harden matched him with 7 innings while allowing 1 run on 4 hits. So it came down to a battle of the bullpens and the Phils bullpen was thankfully just a little bit better, thanks to some luck and a sterling performance by Chan Ho Park. In the top of the 9th Brad Lidge got the luck perfectly blocking a ball off the bottom of his foot and right to Jimmy Rollins just as he tagged the bag at second and gunned to first for an inning an ending double play. Park on the other hand simply pitched lights out with scoreless frames in the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings. Of course Park also got a little luck in the 10th inning as Raul Ibanez made an incredible diving catch to end the inning. Anyway in the bottom of the 13th inning Jayson Werth finally ended the marathon, crushing a walkoff 3 run homer for a 4-1 win. All told the Phils bullpen tossed 6 scoreless innings, and I don't think I have ever seen them look better, particularly Park. It was huge for him to go 3 innings like that, because other than him the Phils didn't really have to use up their bullpen and everyone except Park can probably still pitch tomorrow. The Cubs on the other hand literally used up everyone in their bullpen except the closer Kevin Gregg. So if tomorrow's game is close like this one which it could be with Carlos Zambrano and Jamie Moyer on the mound the Cubbies will be screwed. With the win tonight the Phils have now won 10 in a row, which makes them the first defending world champion to post a 10 game winning streak in over 30 years. That doesn't mean they're a lock to repeat, but it does say something about their talent level and commitment. Anyway so the Phils are now 53-38 overall and still 6.5 games up in the NL East.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers signed 1st round pick Jrue Holiday to a contract today. In 5 games in the Sixers Orlando summer league a little over a week ago Holiday averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and a team high 3 assists. So maybe he will contribute this year after all.
Monday, July 20, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned home tonight to begin a series with the Chicago Cubs. The Phils had won 8 in a row coming in and Cubs had 4 in a row, allbeit against the Nationals, so something had to give. That something turned out to be the left arm of Ted Lilly whom the Phils knocked around for 9 runs on 8 hits in just 4 innings. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Lopez turned in another solid outing for the Phils, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits in 6 innings for his 2nd win in 3 starts. As for the how the Phils scored all of those runs, lets run them down shall we? With 2 out in the bottom of the 1st Raul Ibanez slammed a 3 run homer to dead center for a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd Carlos Ruiz crushed a 2 run homer for a 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the 4th Ruiz slapped an RBI double, Jimmy Rollins hit a sac fly, Alphonso Soriano blew an easy catch to allow Ruiz to score and finally Chase Utley slapped an RBI single for a 9-0 lead. Last but not least in the bottom of the 8th Ryan Howard destroyed a solo homer to left field for a 10-1 lead. Oh and lest we forget Chad Durbin pitched the last 3 innings in relief, keeping Chicago scoreless in all 3. So it was total team effort for the Phils tonight, but really Chicago beat themselves in this one and here's hoping they continue to do so for the rest of the series. I am impressed with the way Lopez has performed for the Phils so far. Years ago he was twice a 15 game winner for the Orioles and it sure seems like he has rediscovered that form. All of which begs the question, what will the Phils do with him once Pedro is ready. I would think they have to at least keep him in the bullpen for the time being, which just means the Phils would have send Tyler Walker back down to AAA where he probably belongs for now anyway. Pedro will definitely have to come out with his best stuff right off the bat or he'll be quickly replaced by Lopez. So anyway the Phils are now 52-38 overall and still 6.5 games up in the NL East.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Marlins this afternoon. J.A Happ got the start and was unfathomably good yet again, tossing 7 scoreless innings, while allowing just 5 hits. From there Ryan Madson, J.C Romero, Scott Eyre, and Brad Lidge ultimately combined to complete the Phils 2nd shutout of the Marlins in 3 games, pretty impressive if I may say so myself. Meanwhile, the Phils continued their theme in this series of scoring run in the first 3 innings or so and hoping they would stand up the rest of the night. This time of course, thanks to Happ they did stand up. It all got started in the top of the 2nd. With 2 out and nobody on in the inning, Happ himself beat out an infield single. Then Jimmy Rollins singled, the Flyin Hawaiian, Shane Victorino beat out another infield single, Chase Utley was hit by a pitch to force in a run and finally Raul Ibanez doubled for 2 more runs and a 3-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd JRoll collected his 2nd hit of the day, doubling in Carlos Ruiz for a 4-0 lead. Finally in the top of the 9th, Chase Utley scored on a wild pitch to cap off the 5-0 Phils win. It's interesting the way the Phils are using their bullpen right now. Essentially they're going by committee, and bringing in relievers to face a batter or two based on the matchup. That's very similar to what the Tampa Rays did with their pen last year and it worked for them. So far it's working for the Phils too, and with all the games they have to play for the rest of the season, it's a good way to limit the workload for their key relievers. There have been round rumors going around for weeks now that Phils are considering trading Happ and some prospects to the Toronto Blue Jays for all-star pitcher Roy "Doc" Halladay. At this point I don't see anyway they can possibly let Happ go. Anyway so the Phils are now 51-38 overall and 6.5 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils attempted to continue their series with the Marlins tonight but mother nature intervened. Joe Blanton allowed the Marlins to jump out to a 2 -0 lead on an RBI double by Jeremy Hermida in the bottom of the 1st. From there the teams played only another inning and half before play was halted by rain in the bottom of the 2nd. A little over an hour later the game was cancelled thanks to an impending massive line of storms. So the Phils have yet another game to make up down the stretch of the season. That means they're going to be playing an inordinate number of games between now and the end of season with very little rest. In fact their next off day is not until August 3rd, over 2 weeks away. Hopefully they're far enough ahead in the division now that they won't have to run out of gas trying to clinch a playoff spot between now and the end of the season.
Friday, July 17, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Marlins tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and was effective allowing just 1 run in 5 innings, before mother nature ended his night with a 1 hour rain delay. Meanwhile the Phils were able to jump out to a quick 4 - 1 lead before the rain delay. However, after the delay the Phils bullpen couldn't hold the lead and the game ended up going into extra innings. Fortunately, the Phils have been exceptional in extra inning games on the road this season and tonight was no exception. Chase Utley got things going in the top of the 1st with a 2 run homer. Adam Coghlan answered in the bottom of the 1st for the fish with a solo shot to leadoff. In the top of the 4th a single by Jayson Werth and a double by Pedro Feliz made it 4-1 Phils. Then the rains came and washed away an almost assured 7 or 8 inning outing for Hamels. Instead Chan Ho Park came in for the 6th inning. He got out of that inning easily, but he allowed a run in the 7th to pull Florida to within 2. Then Ryan Madson and J.C Romero both faltered in the 8th inning, before giving way to Chad Durbin who allowed the tying run on a single by ex-Phil Wes Helms. The bullpen recovered from there on out though as Durbin, Scott Eyre, and a fresh off the DL Clay Condrey combined to blank the fish in the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings. Then in the top of the 12th the Phils finally broke the tie with RBI singles by Utley and Werth for a 6-4 lead. Finally in the bottom of the 12th, despite allowing a run, Brad Lidge came in and got the save for the 6-5 win. The Phils propensity to win games on the road like this is just remarkable. It shows that they clearly believe they can win every night they go out there. You could just see during the game tonight, even after it was tied at 4 that still believed they were going to win, while the Marlins were just hoping they would. They say that if you truly believe in yourself you can do anything, and right now that old adage applies to the Phils better than ever. Anyway so the Phils are now 50-38 overall and 6 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to action today as they traveled to Florida to begin a 4 game series with the 2nd place Marlins. With the Mets and Braves also playing each other in a series right now, the Phils have a golden opportunity to put some real distance between themselves and the rest of NL East if they can take care of the Marlins in this series. To make that happen though, they first needed to start the series with a win tonight. Thanks to Jamie Moyer who tossed 7 scoreless innings in a combined 1 hitter, they were able to do just that. While Moyer tamed the fish, Raul Ibanez crushed 2 homers in the 1st 4 innings to stake the Phils to a 3-0 lead. Then Ryan Howard slammed a solo shot in the top of the 6th inning, his 200th career homerun(making him in just 658 games, the fastet in history to 200 homers, well ahead of the old record holder Ralph Kiner the Pittsburgh Pirates' Hall of famer who did it in 706 games), for a 4-0 lead. From there thanks to Ryan Madson in the 8th inning and J.C Romero in the 9th, that's how it ended. Moyer is now 7-0 in Miami and 16-2 all-time against the Marlins. He's just always in full command of his pitches against these guys and he gets them to swing at bad pitches and get way out ahead of hittable pitches. In a nutshell that's Moyer when he is at his best and I'd like to see him pitch like that against everyone, not just Marlins. Ibanez is beyond amazing at this point, I mean this is the stuff of legends we're seeing from him right now. It's incredible that he can play at this level right now considering that he's not apparently all the way back from his injury yet. So anyway the Phils move to 49-38 overall and now 5 games up in the NL East.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The rumors have been swirling for weeks now that the Phils were going to acquire pitcher Pedro Martinez, who's been a free agent since the Mets dumped him following a rough season last year. Today they made it official signing him to a one year deal worth 1 million. So far he's looked mutch better in workouts with the Phillies than he did last season, with his fastball back up into the 90s, allbeit the low 90s, and his physical health relatively good for the first time in a while. Since he hasn't started a game since last season the Phils have placed him on the DL and at least for now he'll throw some rehab starts with AAA Lehigh and should be ready to pitch for the Phils by early August or late July. Either way he is a low risk investment. If he doesn't pan out the Phils can simply release him with no harm to the cap. On the other hand if he does pan out he could become their number 3 starter and a capable leader down the stretch. Plus just think how great it would be if Pedro comes back an Ace and throws it in the Mets faces that they gave up on him too soon. So the Phils have nothing to lose by signing him. Okay all that said, since the Phils are off tonight it's time for the next 5 of our top 25 most dramatic Phils wins, No.s 10-6.
10. September 23, 2005 Red Alert Phillies 11 - Reds 10.
This is the last of those 2005 miracle games, just 1 of 16 wins during a 16-7 stretch run by the Phils that comes up just short. On the this night the Phils are looking for their 3rd win in a row to pull within a game of the wildcard leading Houston Astros. Early on it appears all will go as planned. Doubles by Chase Utley, Kenny Lofton, and "the Bat" Pat Burrell in the top of the 1st, gives the Phils an early 3-0 cushion. Later in the 5th Utley adds a solo homer followed by a 2 run blast by Ryan Howard for a 6-1 advantage. Then the always volatile Vicente Padilla loses the strike zone and nearly the lead in the bottom of the 5th, as Cincinnati cuts the lead to 6-5. Over the next 2 innings the Reds bash 4 homers, 3 solo shots and a 2 run homer by Jason Larue to run out to a 10-6 lead and the suddenly its gone from the night the Phils got back in the race to perhaps the night they fell out of it. Still the Phils aren't ready to quit yet as Rheal Cormier gets out of a jam in the 8th inning to keep it to 10-6 heading into 9th. So there's a fleeting chance the Phils can still pull this thing out and sometimes that's all you need. With 2 on and nobody out Utley jacks a 3 run homer, his 3rd hit and 3rd, 4th and 5th RBIs on the night, to cut it to 10-9. After Bobby Abreu and Burrell both strike out its up to Ryan Howard to keep the game alive and he does with a walk. Next up David Bell. Not exactly the quintessential power hitter, and so far a disappointment in 3 years as the Phils 3rd baseman, Bell is the last guy you'd expect to deliver here. Thus logically, he slugs a 2 run homer to put the Phils up 11-10 and Billy Wagner finishes off the stunned Reds in the bottom of the inning.
9. June 16, 1998 Comeback Kids Phillies 8- Pirates 7.
The 1998 Phillies were an exciting young bunch to watch which probably should have gone further than they did. Unfortunately, then idiot GM Ed Wade simply refused to give his team the pieces they needed to make a playoff push. Nevertheless the team was not without some shining moments, particularly this night. For the most part this game looked like it would be a forgettable blowout win for Pittsburgh. Thanks to 3 run homers by Al Martin in the 2nd inning and Aramis Ramirez in the 5th inning Pittsburgh takes a 7-1 lead into the 9th inning. There is no reason to believe the young Phils can mount a comeback. Young players aren't supposed to have the resolve to still believe they can win from 6 runs down in the 9th inning. The young guys however, show surprising fight and poise on this night. First Bobby Abreu triples to cut it to 7-2. Then an error allows 2 more runs to score and cuts it to 7-4. Next Doug Glanville slaps a sac fly to cut it to 7-5. Then Kevin Sefcik nearly hits into a game ending double play, but Tony Womack can't get off a throw to first for the final out. Kevin Jordan follows with a walk to bring Mike Lieberthal, pinch hitting on what is supposed to be his night off, to the plate representing the winning run. Minutes later Lieberthal sends Rich Loiselle's 2-2 offering just over the fence in left-field for a shocking 8-7 victory. To this day 11 years later it remains the greatest 9th inning comeback in Phils history.
8. May 15, 1989 I Can't Believe It Phillies 3 - Giants 2.
This was a truly unique game in a season that was unique for the Phils for all the wrong reasons. Mike Schmidt retired early in the season, and the Phils never recovered posting just 67 wins against 95 losses. Schmidt actually started in this game but went 0 for 5 and then played just 7 more games before announcing his retirement. If nothing else he'll always have this night to take away from his final days in the majors. How crazy was this game? Both starting pitchers, Don Carman for the Phils, and Scott Garrelts for San Francisco, tossed 9 scoreless innings and neither got the win. There was still no score as the game dragged into the 10th, 11th and finally the 12th inning. There in the top of the 12th, "the Thrill" Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell slugged back to back homers and at last the Giants seemed to have secured a 2-0 win. Not so fast. Accordingly Von Hayes led off the bottom of the 12th with a strikeout, but Dickie Thon and Steve Lake collected back to back singles to bring the tying run to the plate with only one out. Steve Jeltz got the first crack at perhaps extending the Phils night but he popped up weakly for out number 2. So it was up to Bob Dernier to hopefully keep the game alive. After all with 0 homeruns on the season there was no way he could possibly win it was there? After Dernier worked the count to 1-1 the impossible happened. Take it away Harry. "Here's the 1-1 pitch to Dernier, line drive base hit left field, going all the way back to the corner, it bounces through Mitchell! Thon scores! Lake scores! And here comes Dernier! The throw to the plate is not in time! I can't believe it!
7. October 11, 1980 NLCS Game 4 Charlie Hustlin' Phillies 5 - Astros 3
In the playoffs for the 4th time in 5 years the Phils are still looking to win their first playoff series in their pathetic 98 year history. Coming in they've lost 3 straight NLCS but this time its going to be different. No this time it has to be different because Phils fans just can't withstand more heartbreak. Steve Carlton rolls to victory in game 1 but the Phils drop the next 2 in extra innings. So on this night they have to win to keep their season alive . Fortunately, Carlton is back on the mound again and surely if anyone cany deny Houston the pennant at least for one night it's Lefty. However, Carlton is touched up for 2 runs on 4 hits in just 5 innings. Meanwhile Vern Ruhle throws 7 scoreless innings and comes out for the 8th with a 2-0 lead. So the dream looks dead again for the Phils but they're not ready to give up. Greg Gross leads off the top of the 8th with a pinch single. Then Lonnie Smith singles and "Charlie Hustle", Pete Rose singles to score Gross. Next Mike Schmidt singles to score Smith, tying the game at 2. Bake Mcbride then strikes out so its up to Manny Trillo to get the Phils the lead. He cracks a flyball to right field but it's caught for out number 2 and Schmidt is caught well off first for an easy double play. Somehow Rose is still able to streak home with the go ahead run just ahead of the final out and the Phils have their 3-2 lead. As usual Houston does not go away in the 9th as Terry Puhl slaps an RBI single off Warren Brusstar to force extra innings again. The Phils come right back in the top of the 10th. Pete Rose slaps another single and "the Bull" Greg Luzinski hits a 2 out double, but Rose, trying to score from 1st looks like he'll be out by a mile. Of course he's not going to slide. Instead he runs headlong into catcher Bruce Bochy and Bochy drops the ball as Rose crosses the plate safely. Trillo follows with another double to score Luzinski and the Phils have a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th. There Tug Mcgraw has a rare 1-2-3 inning to put away Houston and the dream lives on for another day.
6. August 30, 2007 Met Misery Phillies 11 - Mets 10.
They haven't been to the playoffs in 15 years and just 3 days ago there were no signs this 2007 team would be able to end the drought. Now however, after winning the first 3 games of this 4 game series with the Mets they've pulled within 2 games of first in the NL East. If they can win tonight and finish the 4 game sweep they'll pull within 1 game. Early on it looks like they'll do so easily with 3 homers in the first 3 innings(2 run shots by Ryan Howard, and "the Bat", Pat Burrell, and a solo shot by Aaron Rowand) giving them a 5-0 cushion. Kyle Lohse can't get through the 4 inning though, as NY cuts the lead to 5-3 and then ties it with 2 out in the 5th on a sac fly by Shawn Green. The Phils come right back in the bottom of the inning with 3 straight RBI singles by Carlos Ruiz, "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino, and Jimmy Rollins to push ahead 8-5. The lead stands up until the Phils bullpen implodes in the 8th inning ,allowing 5 runs for a 10-8 Met lead. Billy Wagner who was the Phils closer just 2 years ago, before leaving for NY and saying the Phils didn't have it what takes to be a playoff team, oops. His words come back to haunt him on this night. First "the Met killer", Burrell slams a solo homer with one out in the 8th to cut the lead to 10-9. Then in the 9th Jayson Werth leads off with a single, steals 2nd and 3rd and scores on a single by Tad Iguchi. Now Iguchi steals 2nd prompting Wagner to intentionally walk JRoll. So it's up to Chase Utley to get the winning hit. After a long at bat Utley sends Wagner's 3-2 offering up the line in right field and Iguchi scampers home with the winning run just ahead of Green's throw from right, setting off a wild celebration. Initially the stunned Mets seem unfazed as they run back up to a 7 game lead by Sep 12, but then the Phils go into New York and sweep them again and it's all down hill from there. By Sept 28 the Phils are in 1st and 2 days later in the final game of the season Jamie Moyer completes "the miracle on broad street" allowing just 1 run in 5 strong innings to lead the Phils to a 6-1 division clinching win over the Nationals.
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10. September 23, 2005 Red Alert Phillies 11 - Reds 10.
This is the last of those 2005 miracle games, just 1 of 16 wins during a 16-7 stretch run by the Phils that comes up just short. On the this night the Phils are looking for their 3rd win in a row to pull within a game of the wildcard leading Houston Astros. Early on it appears all will go as planned. Doubles by Chase Utley, Kenny Lofton, and "the Bat" Pat Burrell in the top of the 1st, gives the Phils an early 3-0 cushion. Later in the 5th Utley adds a solo homer followed by a 2 run blast by Ryan Howard for a 6-1 advantage. Then the always volatile Vicente Padilla loses the strike zone and nearly the lead in the bottom of the 5th, as Cincinnati cuts the lead to 6-5. Over the next 2 innings the Reds bash 4 homers, 3 solo shots and a 2 run homer by Jason Larue to run out to a 10-6 lead and the suddenly its gone from the night the Phils got back in the race to perhaps the night they fell out of it. Still the Phils aren't ready to quit yet as Rheal Cormier gets out of a jam in the 8th inning to keep it to 10-6 heading into 9th. So there's a fleeting chance the Phils can still pull this thing out and sometimes that's all you need. With 2 on and nobody out Utley jacks a 3 run homer, his 3rd hit and 3rd, 4th and 5th RBIs on the night, to cut it to 10-9. After Bobby Abreu and Burrell both strike out its up to Ryan Howard to keep the game alive and he does with a walk. Next up David Bell. Not exactly the quintessential power hitter, and so far a disappointment in 3 years as the Phils 3rd baseman, Bell is the last guy you'd expect to deliver here. Thus logically, he slugs a 2 run homer to put the Phils up 11-10 and Billy Wagner finishes off the stunned Reds in the bottom of the inning.
9. June 16, 1998 Comeback Kids Phillies 8- Pirates 7.
The 1998 Phillies were an exciting young bunch to watch which probably should have gone further than they did. Unfortunately, then idiot GM Ed Wade simply refused to give his team the pieces they needed to make a playoff push. Nevertheless the team was not without some shining moments, particularly this night. For the most part this game looked like it would be a forgettable blowout win for Pittsburgh. Thanks to 3 run homers by Al Martin in the 2nd inning and Aramis Ramirez in the 5th inning Pittsburgh takes a 7-1 lead into the 9th inning. There is no reason to believe the young Phils can mount a comeback. Young players aren't supposed to have the resolve to still believe they can win from 6 runs down in the 9th inning. The young guys however, show surprising fight and poise on this night. First Bobby Abreu triples to cut it to 7-2. Then an error allows 2 more runs to score and cuts it to 7-4. Next Doug Glanville slaps a sac fly to cut it to 7-5. Then Kevin Sefcik nearly hits into a game ending double play, but Tony Womack can't get off a throw to first for the final out. Kevin Jordan follows with a walk to bring Mike Lieberthal, pinch hitting on what is supposed to be his night off, to the plate representing the winning run. Minutes later Lieberthal sends Rich Loiselle's 2-2 offering just over the fence in left-field for a shocking 8-7 victory. To this day 11 years later it remains the greatest 9th inning comeback in Phils history.
8. May 15, 1989 I Can't Believe It Phillies 3 - Giants 2.
This was a truly unique game in a season that was unique for the Phils for all the wrong reasons. Mike Schmidt retired early in the season, and the Phils never recovered posting just 67 wins against 95 losses. Schmidt actually started in this game but went 0 for 5 and then played just 7 more games before announcing his retirement. If nothing else he'll always have this night to take away from his final days in the majors. How crazy was this game? Both starting pitchers, Don Carman for the Phils, and Scott Garrelts for San Francisco, tossed 9 scoreless innings and neither got the win. There was still no score as the game dragged into the 10th, 11th and finally the 12th inning. There in the top of the 12th, "the Thrill" Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell slugged back to back homers and at last the Giants seemed to have secured a 2-0 win. Not so fast. Accordingly Von Hayes led off the bottom of the 12th with a strikeout, but Dickie Thon and Steve Lake collected back to back singles to bring the tying run to the plate with only one out. Steve Jeltz got the first crack at perhaps extending the Phils night but he popped up weakly for out number 2. So it was up to Bob Dernier to hopefully keep the game alive. After all with 0 homeruns on the season there was no way he could possibly win it was there? After Dernier worked the count to 1-1 the impossible happened. Take it away Harry. "Here's the 1-1 pitch to Dernier, line drive base hit left field, going all the way back to the corner, it bounces through Mitchell! Thon scores! Lake scores! And here comes Dernier! The throw to the plate is not in time! I can't believe it!
7. October 11, 1980 NLCS Game 4 Charlie Hustlin' Phillies 5 - Astros 3
In the playoffs for the 4th time in 5 years the Phils are still looking to win their first playoff series in their pathetic 98 year history. Coming in they've lost 3 straight NLCS but this time its going to be different. No this time it has to be different because Phils fans just can't withstand more heartbreak. Steve Carlton rolls to victory in game 1 but the Phils drop the next 2 in extra innings. So on this night they have to win to keep their season alive . Fortunately, Carlton is back on the mound again and surely if anyone cany deny Houston the pennant at least for one night it's Lefty. However, Carlton is touched up for 2 runs on 4 hits in just 5 innings. Meanwhile Vern Ruhle throws 7 scoreless innings and comes out for the 8th with a 2-0 lead. So the dream looks dead again for the Phils but they're not ready to give up. Greg Gross leads off the top of the 8th with a pinch single. Then Lonnie Smith singles and "Charlie Hustle", Pete Rose singles to score Gross. Next Mike Schmidt singles to score Smith, tying the game at 2. Bake Mcbride then strikes out so its up to Manny Trillo to get the Phils the lead. He cracks a flyball to right field but it's caught for out number 2 and Schmidt is caught well off first for an easy double play. Somehow Rose is still able to streak home with the go ahead run just ahead of the final out and the Phils have their 3-2 lead. As usual Houston does not go away in the 9th as Terry Puhl slaps an RBI single off Warren Brusstar to force extra innings again. The Phils come right back in the top of the 10th. Pete Rose slaps another single and "the Bull" Greg Luzinski hits a 2 out double, but Rose, trying to score from 1st looks like he'll be out by a mile. Of course he's not going to slide. Instead he runs headlong into catcher Bruce Bochy and Bochy drops the ball as Rose crosses the plate safely. Trillo follows with another double to score Luzinski and the Phils have a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th. There Tug Mcgraw has a rare 1-2-3 inning to put away Houston and the dream lives on for another day.
6. August 30, 2007 Met Misery Phillies 11 - Mets 10.
They haven't been to the playoffs in 15 years and just 3 days ago there were no signs this 2007 team would be able to end the drought. Now however, after winning the first 3 games of this 4 game series with the Mets they've pulled within 2 games of first in the NL East. If they can win tonight and finish the 4 game sweep they'll pull within 1 game. Early on it looks like they'll do so easily with 3 homers in the first 3 innings(2 run shots by Ryan Howard, and "the Bat", Pat Burrell, and a solo shot by Aaron Rowand) giving them a 5-0 cushion. Kyle Lohse can't get through the 4 inning though, as NY cuts the lead to 5-3 and then ties it with 2 out in the 5th on a sac fly by Shawn Green. The Phils come right back in the bottom of the inning with 3 straight RBI singles by Carlos Ruiz, "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino, and Jimmy Rollins to push ahead 8-5. The lead stands up until the Phils bullpen implodes in the 8th inning ,allowing 5 runs for a 10-8 Met lead. Billy Wagner who was the Phils closer just 2 years ago, before leaving for NY and saying the Phils didn't have it what takes to be a playoff team, oops. His words come back to haunt him on this night. First "the Met killer", Burrell slams a solo homer with one out in the 8th to cut the lead to 10-9. Then in the 9th Jayson Werth leads off with a single, steals 2nd and 3rd and scores on a single by Tad Iguchi. Now Iguchi steals 2nd prompting Wagner to intentionally walk JRoll. So it's up to Chase Utley to get the winning hit. After a long at bat Utley sends Wagner's 3-2 offering up the line in right field and Iguchi scampers home with the winning run just ahead of Green's throw from right, setting off a wild celebration. Initially the stunned Mets seem unfazed as they run back up to a 7 game lead by Sep 12, but then the Phils go into New York and sweep them again and it's all down hill from there. By Sept 28 the Phils are in 1st and 2 days later in the final game of the season Jamie Moyer completes "the miracle on broad street" allowing just 1 run in 5 strong innings to lead the Phils to a 6-1 division clinching win over the Nationals.
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FLYERS NEWS
It's official the Flyers will play in this upcoming season's New Year's classic, the NHL's annual outdoor game since 2006. This time the Flyers will go take on the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park. It should be a fun game to watch.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The MLB All-Star game was tonight and the American league won yet again for the 12th year in a row to claim home field advantage in the world series for the 6th straight time. Early things looked good for the NL. The "Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino singled and scored 1 of 3 runs for the NL in the bottom of the 3rd for a 3-2 lead. Later the Minnesota Twin's Joe Mauer tied it up at 3 with a double in the 5th inning. The game was still tied at 3 heading into the 8th inning and appeared destined for another extra inning affair, before Curtis Granderson tripled and scored in the 8th inning for a 4-3 lead. Ryan Howard had a chance in the bottom of the inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 out to be a hero in front of his hometown but he struck out to end the NL's last threat. Other Phils participating in the game were Raul Ibanez, who started in the left field and went 0 for 2, Chase Utley who started at 2nd, and played solid defense, but also went 0 for 2, and finally Jayson Werth who replaced Victorino in center and went 0 for 1, but great running catch late in the game to keep the AL from extending their lead.
Monday, July 13, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The all-star game home run derby was tonight in St.Louis and the Phils own Ryan Howard, a former derby champ and St Louis native participated. He represented the Phils well reaching the 2nd round, but there he came up a couple dingers short of reaching the final, eventually won by Brewer's 1st baseman Prince Fielder with an impressive display. Tomorrow night the all-star game will take place and yes this time it counts again. So the NL will be looking to end a long winless draught and reclaim the home field advantage in the world series for the for the first time in a while.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Pirates this afternoon. J.A Happ got the start and tossed a gem allowing just 1 run on 4 hits through 7 innings. Meanwhile, the Phils ripped off 5 runs right off the bat in the 1st inning and thanks to Happ they stood up for the rest of the day. The Phils got things started off with a bang in the bottom of the 1st as Ryan Howard sac flyed in a run and Pedro Feliz slammed a 2 out grand slam for a quick 5-0 lead. Pittsburgh didn't get on the board until the 6th inning on a double by Freddy Sanchez. Later in the top of the 9th Garret Jones tomahawked yet another homer to cut the lead to 5-2 but that would be as close as the Pirates would get as J.C Romero retired the side from there for the win and the sweep of the Pirates. So at the end of the first half of the season the Phils are 48-38 overall, 2nd best record in the NL, and 4 games up on the Marlins in the NL East, not too shabby if I may say so myself. I just can't get over how well J.A Happ has pitched so far this season after assuming Chan Ho Park's spot in the rotation. He's now 6-0 with a 2.90 ERA and 61 strikeouts. You just have to wonder though how much longer he can keep this up, but he shown no signs of distress on the mound at all, and as long as he stays healthy there is no reason he can't keep this up the rest of the season and beyond. Well that's it for now, see you in the 2nd half folks.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Pirates tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and although
he' s been struggling lately, there was still the feeling coming into this game that it would be easy pickings for Hollywood against the lowly Pirates. Instead, with some new, possibly ill-conceived mechanics on display, Hamels struggled yet again allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in just 6 innings. Meanwhile Ross Ohlendorf had the Phils looking confused through 5 scoreless innings and despite a 6th inning rally they trailed by 4 heading into the 9th inning. Fortunately at this point order was restored to the universe as the two teams showed why one is last in the NL Central and other is first in the NL East during a 9th inning rally for the ages. Early on everything went the way of the Pirates. In the top of the 1st Garret Jones slugged a solo homer and Delywn Young slammed a 2 run homer. Later in the top of the 2nd Andrew Mcutchen sent another 2 run homer to the seats and just like that in the blink of an eye Pittsburgh was ahead 5-0. From there Hamels settled down and finished his night with a few scoreless innings while the Phils finally got on the board in the bottom of the 6th, on a double by Raul Ibanez, a sac fly Greg Dobbs, and single by Paul Bako to cut the lead 5-3. Chad Durbin couldn't follow the scoring with a clean 7th inning though, and after a bases loaded walk and a fielder's choice the Phils found themselves down 7-3. Thanks to solid relief pitching from Scott Eyre and Tyler Walker the score stayed that way heading into the bottom of the 9th. With the team and the crowd flat, hope was not high for a comeback until Matt Stairs leadoff the inning with a thunderous solo homer that woke everyone up. Seemingly back from the dead the Phils suddenly shifted into high gear. Jimmy Rollins worked a walk and then stole second, Chase Utley singled a couple batters later to put runners on the corners and finally Ryan Howard clubbed a game tying 3 run homer. The crowd erupted in joy and after Raul Ibanez doubled off the wall in dead center just short of homer, Pittsburgh's doom was all but sealed. From there the Pirates decided to load the bases in hopes of an inning ending double play, but the move backfired when Bako dribbled a single to rightfield to score Ibanez for the 8-7 win. Speaking of Raul he actually returned to the Phils yesterday but was only available to pinch hit. To make room on the roster for him, the Phils designated Chris Coste for assignment and he was quickly snatched off waivers by the Houston Astros. While it is sad to see Coste go, it is not all that surprising, considering the Phils already had 2 other catchers in Bako and Carlos Ruiz. Also Charlie Manuel always seems to prefer catchers who are good defensively over those who are better with the bat and of the three catchers the Phils had until yesterday, Coste was probably the worst defensively. He may be gone but Coste will always be remembered as a key member of the 2007 miracle team and the 2008 world champs. One other thing with Coste gone, is that there is room now for John Mayberry Jr to stick with the Phils for rest of the season, unless they decide to call up top catcher prospect Lou Marson and go with three catchers again. After a slow start today Ibanez really came back right where he left off, with 2 doubles an RBI and 2 runs scored. Seriously, is he really that good or is the National league just that much weaker than the American league. I don't know what happened to Cole in the first couple of innings but he made the necessary adjustments and looked like himself again the rest of the way. I guess all pitchers eventually go through times like these where their stuff just stops working for a while, but I see no reason why he can't pitch the rest of the season like he did from the 3rd inning on. Anyway so the Phils move to 47-38 overall and now 4 games up in the NL East.
he' s been struggling lately, there was still the feeling coming into this game that it would be easy pickings for Hollywood against the lowly Pirates. Instead, with some new, possibly ill-conceived mechanics on display, Hamels struggled yet again allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in just 6 innings. Meanwhile Ross Ohlendorf had the Phils looking confused through 5 scoreless innings and despite a 6th inning rally they trailed by 4 heading into the 9th inning. Fortunately at this point order was restored to the universe as the two teams showed why one is last in the NL Central and other is first in the NL East during a 9th inning rally for the ages. Early on everything went the way of the Pirates. In the top of the 1st Garret Jones slugged a solo homer and Delywn Young slammed a 2 run homer. Later in the top of the 2nd Andrew Mcutchen sent another 2 run homer to the seats and just like that in the blink of an eye Pittsburgh was ahead 5-0. From there Hamels settled down and finished his night with a few scoreless innings while the Phils finally got on the board in the bottom of the 6th, on a double by Raul Ibanez, a sac fly Greg Dobbs, and single by Paul Bako to cut the lead 5-3. Chad Durbin couldn't follow the scoring with a clean 7th inning though, and after a bases loaded walk and a fielder's choice the Phils found themselves down 7-3. Thanks to solid relief pitching from Scott Eyre and Tyler Walker the score stayed that way heading into the bottom of the 9th. With the team and the crowd flat, hope was not high for a comeback until Matt Stairs leadoff the inning with a thunderous solo homer that woke everyone up. Seemingly back from the dead the Phils suddenly shifted into high gear. Jimmy Rollins worked a walk and then stole second, Chase Utley singled a couple batters later to put runners on the corners and finally Ryan Howard clubbed a game tying 3 run homer. The crowd erupted in joy and after Raul Ibanez doubled off the wall in dead center just short of homer, Pittsburgh's doom was all but sealed. From there the Pirates decided to load the bases in hopes of an inning ending double play, but the move backfired when Bako dribbled a single to rightfield to score Ibanez for the 8-7 win. Speaking of Raul he actually returned to the Phils yesterday but was only available to pinch hit. To make room on the roster for him, the Phils designated Chris Coste for assignment and he was quickly snatched off waivers by the Houston Astros. While it is sad to see Coste go, it is not all that surprising, considering the Phils already had 2 other catchers in Bako and Carlos Ruiz. Also Charlie Manuel always seems to prefer catchers who are good defensively over those who are better with the bat and of the three catchers the Phils had until yesterday, Coste was probably the worst defensively. He may be gone but Coste will always be remembered as a key member of the 2007 miracle team and the 2008 world champs. One other thing with Coste gone, is that there is room now for John Mayberry Jr to stick with the Phils for rest of the season, unless they decide to call up top catcher prospect Lou Marson and go with three catchers again. After a slow start today Ibanez really came back right where he left off, with 2 doubles an RBI and 2 runs scored. Seriously, is he really that good or is the National league just that much weaker than the American league. I don't know what happened to Cole in the first couple of innings but he made the necessary adjustments and looked like himself again the rest of the way. I guess all pitchers eventually go through times like these where their stuff just stops working for a while, but I see no reason why he can't pitch the rest of the season like he did from the 3rd inning on. Anyway so the Phils move to 47-38 overall and now 4 games up in the NL East.
Friday, July 10, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Bank tonight to start a weekend series. Joe Blanton got the start tonight and was brilliant again, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits in 7 and 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile, the Phils only managed to score in the 3rd inning, but thanks to Blanton that was enough to win. The Pirates got things started with a bang as Garrett Jones absolutely destroyed a solo homer over the brick wall in center field with 2 outs in the top of the 1st. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Phils countered with their only runs on an error and a 2 run double by Jayson Werth, all with 2 outs. From there after Blanton cruised into the 8th inning, J.C Romero came in to finish off the 8th and Brad Lidge got the save in the 9th after allowing a 2 out solo homer. So the Phils hung on to win 3-2, their 3rd win in a row. Blanton can't possibly pitch any better than he is right now. This his 2nd start in a row in which he has gone into the 8th inning and he's now 6-4 overall. If there is a definite number 2 guy in the Phils rotation right now its Blanton. As it happens Werth was named to NL All Star team after all to replace Carlos Beltran. The addition of Werth thus gives the Phils 5 All-Stars, their first time with 5 All-Stars since 1995(Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton, Mickey Morandini, Tyler Green, and Heathcliff Slocumb). Also with Werth all 3 Phils starting outfielders are now on the All-Star team, making them the first team to send all 3 of their outfielders to the All-Star game since the 1995 Indians(Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Kenny Lofton). By the way, the hitting coach on that 1995 Indians team was some guy named Charlie Manuel. Anyway so the Phils improve to 46-38 overall and now 3 games up in the NL East.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Reds tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and was okay allowing 6 runs on 8 hits in just 5 innings. So he needed the Phils bats to pick him up a little with some late runs and for the bullpen to be lights out the rest of way, in order to get the win in this one. Fortunately his teammates were up to the task on this night. It didn't look so good early as the Cincinnati wet up 3-0 in the top of the 2nd on a triple by Edwin Encarnacion and a sac fly by the pitcher Micah Owings. In the bottom of the 3rd Chase Utley reenergized the stadium and his teammates with a inside the park homerun, after hitting a line drive that took a crazy bounce off the wall in right field. Jayson Werth followed a couple batters later with an RBI double to cut it to 3-2 and the Phils were right back in it. In the top of 4th, Encarnacion quieted the crowd again with a solo shot to make it 4-2. In the bottom of the inning "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino knotted it up at 4, with a single off the glove of Brandon Philips at short. Philips redeemed himself in the top of the 5th, crushing a 2 run homer to push the Reds ahead one last time, 6-4. In the bottom of the 5th, the wheels came loose for Cincinnati. Pedro Feliz blooped a 2 run single, Paul Bako beat out a double play with the bases loaded to allow a run to score, Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out RBI single, and finally Bako scored on a wild pitch to put the Phils ahead for good 8-6. Later in the bottom of the 6th, Jayson Werth obliterated a solo homer(his 7th homer in the last 12 games) to dead center to push the lead to an insurmountable 9-6. From there Chan Ho Park completed an impressive 3 scoreless and hitless innings(6th-8th), before Brad Lidge got the save in the 9th to clinch another home series win for the Phils, and their 6th win in their last 7 games. With his homer today Werth becomes 4th member of the Phils this season to reach 20 homers and 50 RBIs before the All-star break(Utley who also hit is 20th tonight, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez are the other 3). This makes the Phils just the 2nd team in MLB history to produce four players with 20 homers and 50 RBIs before the all-star break after the 2000 Toronto Blue Jays(Carlos Delgado, Tony Batista, Raul Mondesi, and Jose Cruz Jr). Park is really turning into an important asset for the Phils. He just fits into any spot in the game to come in for 3 innings or more, one inning, or even one batter. The MLB All Star game is next week, and 3 Phils were named to the NL team last weekend actually,(Utley and Ibanez were voted in as starters by the fans, while Howard was selected as a reserve by NL manager Charlie Manuel). Joining those 3 will be Victorino who was announced the winner of the final chance fan vote today with a record 15 million votes to his name. Werth also has an outside chance of being added to the team to replace the injured Carlos Beltran who was voted in as the starting centerfielder. Anyway so the Phils improve to 45-38 overall and remain 2 games up in the NL East.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Reds tonight. Rodrigo Lopez made his 2nd start for the Phils and was pretty sharp again allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits, before being forced to leave after the 5th inning with a muscle strain, which hopefully was only a minor tweak and nothing serious. Anyhow, while Lopez pitched well, the Phils could only get him one run and seemed destined to lose again, before tying it up in the 6th. So it would come down to some late heroics to decide this one, something the Phils haven't really displayed at home thus far this season. Cincinnati got it all started in the top of the 4th, as Lance Nix slapped a 2 run single. The Flyin Hawaiian, Shane Victorino, answered in the bottom of the inning, singling, stealing 2nd and scoring on a single by Ryan Howard. Later in the bottom of the 6th, Jayson Werth slammed a 2 out solo homer to knot it up at 2. From there after Ryan Madson pitched perfect 8th and 9th innings, the Phils finally put together another rally in the bottom of the 9th. Pedro Feliz led off with a single, Jimmy Rollins worked a walk to move Feliz to 2nd, and Victorino blooped a single to right field to score Feliz with the winning run to cap off the 3-2 Phils win. Madson looked to be back to his old unhittable self again in those two innings today which is a great sign for the Phils bullpen. Werth is tearing the cover off the ball right now, with now 6 homers in his last 11 games, which somewhat makes up for Raul Ibanez not being in the lineup. It was nice to see Victorino come through in the 9th. He was probably the Phils most clutch hitter late last season, so to see him get another clutch hit today, could be a sign of the good things to come for the Phils. Anyway so the Phils move to 44-38 now and still 2 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Reds tonight and all I can say is what a difference a day makes. While the Phils racked up another 10 hits, they could only come up with 3 runs this time around, good enough for a 3-0 lead. However, J.A Happ couldn't make it hold up, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings. So it came down to a battle of the bullpens, and unfortunately the Phils came out on the wrong side of it. The Phils started fast, as Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth smashed back to back homers in the bottom of the 2nd and Chase Utley slapped an RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd. The Reds rallied back with 2 in the 4th on a 2 run homer by Brandon Phillips and 1 in the 6th on a solo homer by Philips. Then in the 9th with the score tied at 3, Joey Votto slapped a leadoff double off Brad Lidge and then scored the eventual winning run on a single by Ramon Hernandez. The Phils, totally flat since the 3rd inning, then failed to score in their half of the 9th and the Reds got the win 4-3. I am not sure what happened to Brad Lidge today, but he always seems to struggle a bit when he pitches with the score tied or the Phils behind, so I wouldn't worry too much. I don't understand how you can score 22 runs one night and then just 3 the next night. I mean they did have 10 hits, so perhaps it was just bad luck. You have to think though that they'll get on track tomorrow night. You can't really score 22 runs in the first game of a series and then lose it can you? Anyway the Phils actually got lucky as the Marlins also lost tonight, thus allowing the 43-38 Phils to remain 2 games up in the NL East.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have successfully signed newly acquired defenseman Chris Pronger to a 7 year contract extension worth 34.45 million, that will keep him in Orange and Black through 2017, assuming he doesn't retire before then. Also after this season even though he'll be making 7 million per year, Pronger's contract will only count as 5 million towards the Flyers salary cap, leaving them ample room to sign other players when needed. So ultimately, this extension at least vindicates the deal Paul Holmgren made to get Pronger in the first place since having Pronger for 7 seasons is worth about as much as all the Players the Flyers traded for him.
Monday, July 06, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Cincinnati Reds to the Bank tonight in the first of a 3 game set. Looking to get back on track after some recent struggles, Cole Hamels got the start and went 7 strong innings while allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. However, his was not the impressive performance on the night, that goes to the Phils offense which racked up an unbelievable 22 runs and 21 hits. Johnny Cueto alone, who came into tonight top 5 among starters in the NL in ERA. and opponent's batting average, was beat up for 9 runs on 5 hits, all in the first inning, which he failed to get out of. Honestly Cincinnati never really had a chance. The Phils went up 10-0 in the first inning and the Reds never recovered. All told in the that inning, Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs each slammed a 2 run homer, Hamels himself slapped a 2 run double, Jimmy Rollins doubled in Hamels, and finally Chase Utley crunched a 3 run homer. The Phils weren't even closed to finished though. After Johnny Gomes tomahawked a solo homer in the top of the 2nd to give the Reds their only run, a single by Carlos Ruiz in the bottom of the 2nd and a sac fly by Jason Werth in the bottom of the 3rd upped the lead to 12-1. In the 4th inning, a double by Victorino, singles by Utley and Ryan Howard, and an error produced 4 more runs and a 16-1 advantage. Finally in the 8th inning the Phils added 6 more runs, on a single by Victorino, a double by Eric Bruntlett and a grand slam by Werth for a 22-1 lead. Scott Eyre then retired the side in the 9th to end the 22-1 massacre, er victory. It was nice to see Cole Hamels pitch like Cole Hamels for a change. Of course it helps when you have a 10-0 lead just an inning into the game, but Hamels pitched well regardless, throwing 61 strikes to just 31 balls. Atfer the way played at home earlier this season it is hard to believe that they have now won 4 in a row at the Bank. Here's hoping they keep it going. Anyway so the Phils move to 43-37 overall and now back to 2 games up in the NL East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Mets this afternoon looking for the sweep. Joe Blanton got the start and was brilliant allowing just 4 hits over 7 and 1/3rd scoreless innings, just good enough to best Johan Santana who allowed 2 runs on 3 hits over 7 innings. Both runs came on solo homers, the first by Jimmy Rollins to leadoff the bottom of the 1st inning and the 2nd by Chase Utley with 2 out in the bottom of the 6th. The Phils didn't score again, but wouldn't have to. Chan Ho Park and J.C Romero combined to get the game to the 9th and there Brad Lidge struck out side impressively, to complete the shutout and series sweep of the Mets. Jimmy Rollins continues to be hot, after apparently tweaking his batting stance, as he compiled another 2 hits and an RBI. If it is possible Brad Lidge actually looked better today then he did yesterday. The Phils defense had as much to do with the shutout today as did their pitching. The Phils turned 3 double plays in crucial situations to get out jams. Ryan Howard turned an unassisted double play in the 4th inning with 1 on and 1 out, David Wright was doubled up with 1 out and the bases loaded in the 6th inning and Fernando Tatis bounced into a double play in the 8th inning with 2 on and 1 out. In other good news Raul Ibanez will start making rehab starts tomorrow and hopefully he'll be ready to go in a week or so. So anyway the Phils move to 42-37 overall, but remain just 1 game up in the NL East.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
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