The Phils continued their series with the Cubs tonight as Pedro Martinez made his long awaited Phils debut. Ultimately for Pedro the night was only a partial success. He did get the win, but mostly because his teammates gave him a lot of run support. In fact his numbers on the night weren't all that great, but they were good enough, as he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits in just 5 innings. So in essence the jury is still out on whether or not he'll stay in the rotation, and we'll probably know more after his next start. As for the lineup it returned to its explosive form tonight in a big way. Right off the bat in the top of the 1st inning, "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino slammed a 1 out triple, Chase Utley followed with an RBI double and then Ryan Howard surprisingly legged out an RBI triple for a quick 2-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd Victorino crushed a 2 run homer for a 4-1 lead. In the top of the 4th Jayson Werth, Pedro Feliz, and Carlos Ruiz collected 3 straight singles to start the inning and push the lead to 5-1. Jimmy Rollins followed a couple batters with a 3 run jack to up the lead to 8-1. Utley followed with a single, Howard worked a walk, and Raul Ibanez stepped up and golfed out his 1st homer of August for an 11-1 lead. Werth followed with a double and Pedro Feliz slapped a single back up the middle for yet another run and a 12-1 lead. Finally Martinez struck out to end the inning and the massacre. From there the Phils pretty much cruised and eventually put away an easy 12-5 win. I am impressed with how quickly the Phils lineup was able to turn things around. I guess sometimes all it takes is an extra inning win that never should have been, to get a team going again. Only time will tell whether or not the Phils are really totally out of their slump now, but there were just so many positives tonight, that it is hard to not believe that at least some of tonight's positives will carry over into tomorrow and the next few games. Sure part of it was getting a chance to face Jeff Samardzija in his first major league start on a night when he couldn't get anything across the plate except a fastball, but the Phils racked up 14 hits on the night, 11 more than last night, so some of it had to be their own doing. Anyway so the Phils are 63-48 overall now and back to 4.5 games up in the NL East.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Chicago tonight to begin a series with the Cubs. J.A Happ got the start and wasn't quite as sharp as he had been, but he did enough holding Chicago to just 2 runs on 7 hits through 6 innings, while stranding a myriad of runners a long the way. Despite Happ's performance the Phils were still down 2-0 heading into the 6th inning. That is, until Jimmy Rollins slugged a 2 run homer to knot it up. Then in the top of the 8th Ryan Howard worked a bases loaded walk for a 3-2 Phils lead. Thanks to Ryan Madson that lead held up into the bottom of the 9th inning. Unfortunately Brad Lidge blew another save as Milton Bradley slapped a 1 out game tying single. So it came down to an extra inning battle of the bullpens and as has happened so many times on the road this season the Phils bullpen came through. Tyler Walker and Scott Eyre got through the 10th and 11th innings. Then in the top of the 12th Ben Francisco slugged a solo homer to put the Phils ahead 4-3. From there Chad Durbin closed it out in the bottom of the inning for the win, snapping the mini 3 game losing streak the Phils had been on. I can't figure out what is wrong with Brad Lidge this season. He was money in these situations last year and I don't understand what has changed since then. He looked fine in his last few save opportunities, but those came with the Phils leading by a few runs. He just seems to have this mental block now every time he comes into a game with the Phils only ahead by 1. It is incredible the Phils even won this game, considering they had just 3 hits all night, as Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, and Pedro Feliz all went hitless. The only bright spot in the middle of the order was Ryan Howard who worked that walk and collected one of the 3 hits. I am not sure why the Phils lineup did so poorly tonight, but I would say for the most part it was good pitching by the Cubs, particularly Rich Harden who allowed just 2 runs on 2 hits in 7 innings, that did in the Phils lineup. Tomorrow should be an interesting night as Pedro Martinez makes his first start for the Phils. We'll what he has left in the tank soon enough. To make room for Pedro, Jamie Moyer was moved to the bullpen at least for now. You can bet though that if Pedro doesn't perform Moyer will be back in the rotation. Anyway so the Phils move to 62-48 overall and remain 3.5 games up in the NL East.
Monday, August 10, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils are off today so it is time to start a new top 25 list. This time we'll do the top 25 most memorable individual player nicknames. No other sport boasts as many guys with nicknames as Baseball. Some are funny, some invoke the greatest degree of respect for a player, and some are just plain stupid. There are also those monikers that fit a player so perfectly, or become so indelibly attached to a player that you never forget them. Here now are those phillies nicknames that best fit that mold, No's 25-21.
25. "The Phillie" aka 1B Willie Montanez.
Hey it's easy to give a guy a nickname when his name rhymes with the team's name. Mostly overshadowed in Phils history by the guy he replaced at 1B, Dick Allen, Montanez slugged 30 homers and 99 RBIs in his first full season as the Phils 1B in 1971 and was an instant fan favorite. Unfortunately the comparisons to Allen stopped there, as he never duplicated that 71 season. Like any good Phillie though, after leaving the team in 1975, he came back in 1982 and fittingly "the Phillie"retired as well a Phillie.
24. "Mitchy Poo" aka P Mitch Williams
Just one of many Harry Kalas creations over the years, forever immortalized on that late summer night, er early morning as Williams slapped the game winning single againt the Padres. Make no mistake though, Williams was no cuddly poo bear, with a 90+ mph fastball that Williams admittedly threw as hard as he could without knowing where it was going. It worked for one glorious year in 1993 as Williams saved 43 games, 2nd best in Phils history, and the pennant in game 6 of the NLCS.
23. "Shake and Bake" aka OF Bake Mcbride.
Okay so Bake isn't even his real name. In fact he was born Arnold Ray Mcbride, but Bake sounds better, because that's what opposing teams were when he got on base, Baked. In 246 career attempts he was thrown out stealing just 63 times, for a career stolen base percentage just a shade under 75 . All told for the Phils in the late 70s and early 80s he stole 25 or more bases three times and legged out 10 triples or more twice. Simply put, when he got on base he was going to score it was just a question of how. By the way no one ever called him Shake and Bake, that was just my father's idea of a clever nickname. It's too bad it never caught on though, because that would have been one heck of a TV ad.
22."The Krucker" aka 1B John Kruk.
Yet another Harry Kalas creation. Okay so really it is just his last name with an er at the end, but it's so simple it's perfect. There were no ifs, ands or buts about Kruk, he just played the game the way he thought it should be played. There was nothing flashy about it. Even his career stats are the picture of simplicity, exactly 100 career homers, and a career batting average at exactly .300. Pretty cut and dry just like the Krucker. Of course Philly fans also remember this nickname because it rhymes with a much more vulgar word, but that's another story.
21."Head" aka 3B/1B Dave Hollins
So named because well, it, his talent, heart, desire, was all in his head. He was a great player for the Phils only because the desire in his head urged him onto to be. Plus he also had the biggest head on the team. Seriously you have never seen a guy with a bigger forehead. Anyway the nickname really stemmed from the fact that he was always not quite right up there. In fact "Head" was just one of his alter egos, along with "Mikey" and well Dave of course. Also he had an extraordinary propensity for getting into the head of other players, even his own teammates. It's been said that if he thought you weren't playing the game right he would intimidate you into doing so. In fact you can thank him for game 6 of the 1993 NLCS, for throwing off Greg Maddox's rythm late in the game. Apparently Maddox had thrown at him during a game in 1992 and the two met up at some point before the series, with Hollins threatening to literally charge the mound and kill Maddox if he ever threw at him again. Maddox didn't and Hollins wound up slamming a solo homer off him in the game 6 victory.
20-16
25. "The Phillie" aka 1B Willie Montanez.
Hey it's easy to give a guy a nickname when his name rhymes with the team's name. Mostly overshadowed in Phils history by the guy he replaced at 1B, Dick Allen, Montanez slugged 30 homers and 99 RBIs in his first full season as the Phils 1B in 1971 and was an instant fan favorite. Unfortunately the comparisons to Allen stopped there, as he never duplicated that 71 season. Like any good Phillie though, after leaving the team in 1975, he came back in 1982 and fittingly "the Phillie"retired as well a Phillie.
24. "Mitchy Poo" aka P Mitch Williams
Just one of many Harry Kalas creations over the years, forever immortalized on that late summer night, er early morning as Williams slapped the game winning single againt the Padres. Make no mistake though, Williams was no cuddly poo bear, with a 90+ mph fastball that Williams admittedly threw as hard as he could without knowing where it was going. It worked for one glorious year in 1993 as Williams saved 43 games, 2nd best in Phils history, and the pennant in game 6 of the NLCS.
23. "Shake and Bake" aka OF Bake Mcbride.
Okay so Bake isn't even his real name. In fact he was born Arnold Ray Mcbride, but Bake sounds better, because that's what opposing teams were when he got on base, Baked. In 246 career attempts he was thrown out stealing just 63 times, for a career stolen base percentage just a shade under 75 . All told for the Phils in the late 70s and early 80s he stole 25 or more bases three times and legged out 10 triples or more twice. Simply put, when he got on base he was going to score it was just a question of how. By the way no one ever called him Shake and Bake, that was just my father's idea of a clever nickname. It's too bad it never caught on though, because that would have been one heck of a TV ad.
22."The Krucker" aka 1B John Kruk.
Yet another Harry Kalas creation. Okay so really it is just his last name with an er at the end, but it's so simple it's perfect. There were no ifs, ands or buts about Kruk, he just played the game the way he thought it should be played. There was nothing flashy about it. Even his career stats are the picture of simplicity, exactly 100 career homers, and a career batting average at exactly .300. Pretty cut and dry just like the Krucker. Of course Philly fans also remember this nickname because it rhymes with a much more vulgar word, but that's another story.
21."Head" aka 3B/1B Dave Hollins
So named because well, it, his talent, heart, desire, was all in his head. He was a great player for the Phils only because the desire in his head urged him onto to be. Plus he also had the biggest head on the team. Seriously you have never seen a guy with a bigger forehead. Anyway the nickname really stemmed from the fact that he was always not quite right up there. In fact "Head" was just one of his alter egos, along with "Mikey" and well Dave of course. Also he had an extraordinary propensity for getting into the head of other players, even his own teammates. It's been said that if he thought you weren't playing the game right he would intimidate you into doing so. In fact you can thank him for game 6 of the 1993 NLCS, for throwing off Greg Maddox's rythm late in the game. Apparently Maddox had thrown at him during a game in 1992 and the two met up at some point before the series, with Hollins threatening to literally charge the mound and kill Maddox if he ever threw at him again. Maddox didn't and Hollins wound up slamming a solo homer off him in the game 6 victory.
20-16
Sunday, August 09, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Marlins with still more frustration. Jamie Moyer got the start and was actually fairly good pitching 4 scoreless innings before allowing a rash of bloop singles in the 5th inning that Florida used to take a 3-1 lead. Moyer did get out of the 5th inning, but opened the 6th inning with a couple of walks on close pitches and his day was over. Still Moyer ultimately did his job pitching into the 6th inning, and keeping the Phils in it up to then. The Phils just couldn't score runs once again and played poorly defensively, for about the first time all season. In fact it was an error by Paul Bako that opened the door to the Marlins 3 run 5th. With 1 out and nobody on Emil Bonifacio bunted just in front of the of plate, but Bako rushed too much and failed to field the ball, allowing Bonifacio to reach base safely. So instead of their being 2 out with nobody on , there was 1 on with 1 out, effectively ruining Moyer's chances to go 5 scoreless. Instead the Marlins followed with 4 straight blooped and looping singles and 3 runs. Things only got worse from there. Still down 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th the Phils put 2 on with 2 out for Ryan Howard. Howard worked the count to 3-2 but got rung up on a slider that appeared to be clearly out of the strike zone to end the scoring threat. Next in the top of the 7th, Shane Victorino was ejected by the homeplate umpire for reacting 300 feet a way in centerfield to a pitch thrown by Rodrigo Lopez which was called a ball, that he thought was a strike, to which Chris Wheeler scoffed "I don't think I have ever seen anything like that happen before". Apparently neither had the fans who loudly booed the ump, Ed Rapuano, for the remainder of the game, each time he made call that didn't favor the home team. Amidst the chorus of boos Lopez and Phils lost focus and 4 hits , 6 runs ,and a lazy error by Jayson Werth( who didn't start the game,but replaced Victorino in center) later, and the Marlins were laughing all the way to the bank with a 9-1 lead. Pedro Feliz finally gave the fans something to cheer about with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the inning, but it made little difference. Florida later added another 3 runs in the top of the 9th and walked away with a laughable 12-3 win to complete a sweep and pull within 4 games of the Phils who are now 61-47 overall. It's hard to know what to say after a loss like this. It was just so eerily similar to what happened between the Phils and the Mets at about this time of the season in 2007, when the Mets came into the Bank leading the Phils by 7 games, and were swept by the Phils in a 4 game series. It turned out to be a peek into the future as the Phils eventually chased down the Mets to win the NL East. I just hope this isn't a carbon copy of that, but just the thought of that happening to Phils leaves me speechless. All I can say is that the middle of the Phils lineup, Howard, Utley, Ibanez, and Werth, has got to get going again and fast or we're going to be in trouble.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Marlins tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and delivered yet another subpar performance, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits in just 5 and 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard's bat finally woke up again with 4 hits and a run scored on the night, but unfortunately his teammates didn't give him much help. Chase Utley and Jayson Werth both went hitless and Howard had 3 of Phils only 5 hits after the 3rd inning. Still early on after allowing a leadoff homerun to Chris Coghlan it looked like Cole was going to cruise the rest of the way. At the same time the Phils came up with a couple of runs in the 2nd inning on an infield single and a fielder's choice for a 2-1 lead. Even after Cole got into a jam in the top of 3rd inning and allowed Florida to tie it at 2, it stilled seemed that he would be okay, as an error by Nick Johnson allowed the Phils to go back ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the inning. Then Cody Ross slammed a 2 run homer in the 6th to put the fish ahead 4-3 and that was it for Hamels and the Phils who couldn't take advantage of their opportunities the rest of the way. Both in the 7th and 8th innings the Phils had a runner on 2nd with less than 2 outs, and both times they failed to get him in. Finally in the 9th inning after Florida had pushed it to 6-3, Shane Victorino tripled and scored on a fielder's choice. It was too little too late though for the Phils. Ryan Howard did get aboard with an infield single to bring the tying run to the plate, but both Werth and Raul Ibanez flied out to end it. Utley is now just 6 for his last 32, Jayson Werth is now hitless in his last 3 games and the whole team is struggling right now to hit with runners in scoring position. I just can't understand it. There just seems to be some sort of mental block for the guys right now when they step up to the plate with a chance to knock in runs, kind of like last year in the world series. Hopefully they're just getting that out of the way now so they'll be hot if they make it into the world series this time around. Seriously though this can't go on too much longer and or they're going to make it very difficult for themselves to clinch the division. Anyway so the Phils drop to 61-47 now and just 5 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
There's more bad news from Eagles training camp today. 5th round pick Cornelius Ingram, who had missed most of his senior season at Florida last year with a torn ACL, has apparently torn the ACL again and could be done for the season. So the Eagles are now pretty thin at tight end behind starter Brent Celek. The veteran Matt Schobel, although not used much last season, should be an able backup, but after Schobel there's nothing but questions with undrafted rookies Eugene Bright and Rob Myers battling it out for 3rd string tight end. On the other hand the Eagles still have a wealth of depth at WR, with Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Brandon Gibson, and yes even Reggie Brown is still on the Birds roster. So perhaps that depth will compensate for the lack there of at tight end.
Friday, August 07, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Florida Marlins to the bank tonight to begin a weekend series on an especially emotionally night as Harry Kalas was inducted into the Phillies wall of fame. It was really a fitting ceremony for the now silenced voice of the Phillies, complete with speeches by Micheal Jack himself, Todd Kalas, and a video tribute with some of Harry's most memorable calls. You can still see it I think on Phillies.com(Just click on the link to left that says Phillies and you'll go right to Phillies.com). Anyway it seems the emotion got to the Phils or rather took it out of them. They just came out flat in the beginning of the game and weren't quite able to pick it up in time for the win. Joe Blanton got the start and pitched well, but a made a few mistakes early in the game and as a result wound up allowing 3 runs on 8 hits in 6 and 2/3rd's innings, with 2 of the runs coming on solo homers by Nick Johnson and Cody Ross. It looked like Florida would make it 4-0 in the top of the 7th but Ben Francisco(playing because Shane Victorino sat out with a sore hip), gunned down Chris Coghlan at the plate off a single by Hanley Ramirez to keep it at 3-0. Then in the bottom of the 7th Francisco lined a 2 run homer just over the fence in left to cut it to 3-2. Next the Phils put 2 on with one out in the bottom of the 8th but both Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez failed to get the runs in. Finally in the bottom of the 9th the Phils went down in order with Matt Stairs grounding out to end it. If the Phils hadn't started out their last series just like this I might be concerned right now, but there is just no reason to be. I am still confident the Phils can fry some fish the rest of the weekend and bury Florida in the standings. The lineup just has to refocus again like it did against Colorado.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Rockies this afternoon. Cliff Lee got the start, his first in front of the home crowd, and once again he was electric. He wasn't quite as sharp allowing a run in the 1st inning and allowing the lead off man to get on base 4 times, but ultimately he got the job done allowing just 1 run on 6 hits through 7 innings. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins stayed hot with a single, double, and triple and 2 runs scored to spark the Phils lineup. Chase Utley got him in the 1st time around with a sac fly in the bottom of the 1st. "The Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino knocked in him the 2nd time around in the bottom of the 5th on a failed fielder's choice, as Troy Tulowitzki couldn't throw Victorino out on a slow rolling groundball. Last but certainly not least, Paul Bako, yes Bako, hit a solo homer earlier in that 5th inning. Put it all together with a shaky 8th inning by Ryan Madson, and a solid save by Brad Lidge in the 9th and you've got a 3-1 win for the Phils. Considering that it's usually pretty rare that a team loses the 1st game of a series as badly as the Phils did and then goes on to win that series against a pretty good team, I have to say I am pretty impressed with their resiliency at this point. I am also very impressed with Lee so far. He's just rock solid and very motivated at this point to help the Phils win, considering he doesn't have a ring like most of his teammates. Honestly I would be surprised at this point he loses at all between now and the end of the season. Anyway so the Phils move to 61-45 overall now and 7 games up in the NL East over the floundering Marlins, who will come to town tomorrow for the weekend.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Rockies tonight and the results were much better. J.A Happ got the start and tossed a gem, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 10 in a complete game win. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins hit a 2 run homer, Pedro Feliz hit a solo shot, Ryan Howard slapped an RBI single, and Jayson Werth slammed a 3 run homer to power the Phils to a 7-0 win. All 7 runs came off Rockie's starter Jorge De La Rosa on 10 hits, as the Phils clobbered Colorado with a true team effort. In fact each member of the starting lineup had at least one hit on the night, including Happ himself who doubled in the top of the 9th, to the delight of the crowd. Considering the entire team struggled last night and all last weekend, although it was likely just fatigue then, it was good to see everyone get a hit tonight. It is always a good indicator when a team can break right out of slump like this. The Phils literally went from laughingstocks to Titans all in the space of one night, proof that no matter how grim things get, the belief they have in themselves always remains. The truth is that in baseball the greatness of a team cannot truly be measured by what it does during a winning streak, but rather must be measured by what it does when times are most grim. For the Phillies it seems for every lull they fall into and ever loss they suffer, there is always greatness waiting just around corner. With the win the Phils move to 60-45 overall and are now back to 6 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a 3 game series with the Colorado Rockies. Coming in the Rockies were red hot, while the Phils were struggling to find energy so it should come as no surprise that the Rockies handed the Phils their 3rd straight loss tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and was decent but he got no run support and allowed a few too many walks, in giving up 6 runs on 6 hits while pitching into the 6th inning. In reality he only gave up the 1st 4 runs, while the other 2 were charged to him becuase he let the guys who scored them get on base. Ultimately, when Moyer left the game it was only 4-2 Rockies, after a 2 run homers by Jimmy Rollins and Garret Atkins and a single by Ryan SpillBorghs and a bases loaded walk to Chris Iannetta. Rodrigo Lopez is really to blame for the loss I think, as he came out of the bullpen in place of Moyer in the 6th inning and allowed Colorado to score 4 more runs on a plethora of doubles and single by the pitcher Jason Hammell, pretty much putting the game out of reach at 8-2. The Phils tried to mount a comeback scoring a run in the bottom of the 6th on a sac fly, but that would be the only run they would get the rest of the way in an 8-3 loss. I am not sure what happened to Phils bats tonight. They didn't look as tired tonight, they just really had bad at bats. Even Chase Utley went 0 for 3. All I can think is that the pitcher Hammell really has their number and in fact the only other time he faced the Phils he went 6 scoreless, which is actually better than tonight. Oh well better luck next time I guess. So anyway the Phils drop to 59-45 overall and now 5 games up in the NL East.
EAGLES NEWS
There is bad news from Eagles training camp. Although Andy Reid wouldn't confirm it, Stewart Bradley, the Eagles starting middle linebacker tore the ACL in one of his knees a couple days ago and could be done for this season. This is a huge blow for the Birds in that he was really the brains of the defense and perhaps it's heart and soul. Admittedly though he did struggle a bit in pass coverage at times, but he did just about everything else right. On other hand the Eagles do have 2 capable backups in 2nd year man Joe Mays whom the coaches love and the veteran, well veteran for this young defense, Omar Gaither who was the starting middle linebacker two seasons ago before Bradley supplanted him. For right now the job is Mays' to lose, as he is currently the one practicing with the first team defense, but in reality it's anyone's guess as to who will ultimately emerge as the starter. There is even a possibility the Eagles might just use both of them, with Mays playing in the run defense and Gaither subbing in for Nickel defenses. Hopefully one way or another they'll be able to compensate for the loss of Bradley.
Monday, August 03, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils are off today finally, so it is time at last to reveal our top 5 most dramatic Phils win. We have already traversed 20 pulse pounding, nail-biting, victories, but if you think they were dramatic you ain't seen nothing yet.
5. Shot heard round Philadelphia October 1, 1950 Phillies 4 - Brooklyn Dodgers 1
Ahead by 5 games with 6 to play the Whiz Kids seem to have wrapped up their 2nd NL Pennant and first in 35 years, but their pitching has worn thin with #2 starter Curt Simmons forced to enter military service and #s 3 and 4 nursing injuries. So thin is the pitching that closer Jim Konstanty begins starting games down the stretch. Still with the big lead they believe they can coast to the pennant. Then Leo Durocher's New York Giants defeat the Phils in back to back double headers at the Polo grounds and just like that the lead is down to 2 with a season ending trip to Ebbets Field and a 2 game encounter with the 2nd place Dodgers looming. Brooklyn takes the first game 7-3 and now it's down to the final game of the season to decide the pennant. If Brookly can win on this day they'll force a one game playoff, but if the Phils can win the Pennant is theirs at last. Although he has started 4 of the last 9 games to keep his team afloat ace Robin Roberts, wills himself to take the mound one more time. For 5 innings he holds Brooklyn scoreless. Then in the top of the 6th two out singles by Dick Sisler, Del Ennis, and Willie Jones put the Phils ahead 1-0. The lead doesn't last as Pee Wee Reese get's a cheap homer in the bottom of the inning, hitting a ball off the screen above the fence in right field which gets stuck on the frame covering the fence, instead coming back into play. From there Roberts and Dodger ace Don Newcombe duel to a 1-1 tie heading into the 9th. Roberts walks Cal Abrams to start the inning. Then Reese singles to put 2 on and nobody out for the ever dangerous Duke Snider. Surely this will be it for Roberts, as manager Eddie Sawyer comes out to talk to him, but no he leaves Roberts in and almost pays for it. Snider slams a line drive to center which should score Abrams for the win, but Richie Ashburn charges, and with his "throw of the century"(that's the 20th century not this one) guns down Abrams at the plate to preserve the tie. Now Brooklyn has runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out for Jackie Robinson. Roberts intentionally walks Jackie, then gets Carl Furillo to foul out, leaving the bases loaded and 2 out for Gil Hodges. Hodges lifts a deep fly to right but Ennis is there to make the catch and incredibly its on to a 10th inning. Roberts himself leads off the top of the 10th with an infield single, and Eddie Waitkus follows with another single to put 2 on and nobody for Ashburn. Ashburn tries to bunt the runners over, but bunts too hard and Roberts is thrown out at 3rd. So its up to Dick Sisler to get the go ahead run home with 2 on and 1 out. He does even better. With the count 1 and 2 Sisler sends a fly ball deep to left field and gone for a 4-1 lead. Roberts then finishes a gutty complete game victory, retiring the side in the 10th, and its on to a date with Yankees in the world series.
4. The Comeback June 8, 1989 Phillies 15 - Pirates 11
We have already established that the 1989 season was a stinker and depressing as Michael Jack walked away from the game not even halfway through the season. It was also good for some memorable games like this one. On this night Pittsburgh waltz's into the Vet and storms to 10-0 lead before the first inning is even over. All told in the first inning Larry Mcwilliams and Steve Ontiveros combine to allow 10 runs and 9 hits, as the even the pitcher Bob Walk hits a 2 run single and some kid named Bonds hits a 3 run homer and scores 2 runs. So the game is just about over before it has even started. There is no way the Phils can comeback in this one is there? Somehow or another they convince themselves it isn't over yet and begin the long road back in the bottom of the inning where Von Hayes slugs a 2 run homer to cut the lead to 10-2. Hayes hits another bomb in the 3rd inning and its down to 10-4. Next weak switch hitting shortstop Steve Jeltz, batting lefthanded here, surprises everyone with another 2 run homer to cut it to 10-6. After Andy Van Slyke slaps an RBI double to push the lead back up to 11-6, Jeltz switches to the right side of the plate in the 6th and shocks everyone with a 3 run homer, making him the first Phillie to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game at the Vet, and cutting the lead to 11-9. A couple batters later Ricky Jordan singles in another run and the lead is just 1, 11-10. It stays that way until Jeff Robinson throws a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning, allowing John Kruk to score the tying run. Next after Robinson intentionally walks Dickie Thon to load the bases, Darren Daulton lines a 2 run single to center field and now the Phils lead the stunned Pirates 13-11. The next batter , Curt Ford ,Triples for 2 more runs, but stupidly gets himself thrown out at home trying to stretch it into an inside the park homer. No matter, the 4 run lead proves more than enough for Steve Bedrosian to close out the win in the 9th inning, thus completing what remains the greatest comeback in Phils history.
3. The Thome game June 21, 2003 Phillies 6 - Red Sox 5
Over the course of baseball history there have been numerous times where one player has risen above and beyond the call of duty for his team with superhuman heroics to lead them to victory. There was the 4 homer game by Micheal Jack we mentioned earlier, the called shot by Babe Ruth, and the Sandberg game. This was one such performance by Jim Thome at the height of his popularity in his first season with the Phils. Thanks to two solo homers by Todd Walker in the 3rd and 6th innings and brilliant start by Pedro Martinez, Boston has the lead 2-1 through 7 and 1/2 innings. With 2 out in the bottom of the 8th, Thome stands in against Mike Timlin with one thing on his mind, hit one out and get this game tied. He does sending Timlin's 1-1 offering into the seats to tie the game at 2. Thanks to solid bullpen work the game stays tied all the way into the 12th inning. With one out in the top of the 12th Kevin Millar slaps a single right at Jason Micheals so it shouldn't amount to anything. Except Micheals totally misplays the ball as it rolls right under his glove and the all the way back to the fence, allowing Nomar Garciaparra to score from 1st for a 3-2 lead. Jose Mesa bares down from there and strikes out Jeremy Giambi and Jason Varitek to keep the score 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 12th. It doesn't look good though as Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco produce 2 quick outs to start the bottom of the 12th. Next up Jim Thome. Although with 2 out and nobody on they can simply walk him, Boston stupidly decides to try to pitch to Thome. It doesn't work. Thome works the count full, fouls off a pitch, crushes the next deep to the seats in left centerfield and fist pumps as he rounds the bases. So we're tied again at 3. Mesa can't keep it tied in the bottom of the inning as Walker doubles in one run and then Nomar scores Walker with his 6th hit of the day for a 5-3 Boston lead that seems safe at last. However, it is not to be for the Red Sox though on this day. In the bottom of the 13th with 1 on and 1 out David Bell doubles in one run to cut it to 5-4. Next the last man left on the bench for the Phils, Todd Pratt, steps up to the plate with a chance tie it up again with a single. He does better. He sends the 2nd pitch he sees from Rudy Seanez deep to center field and as Scott Graham exclaims over the radio, " Its gone! Its gone! He did it! Todd Pratt did it! Put this one in the win column for the Phightin Phils! They are going crazy here at the vet! I couldn't have said it better myself.
2. The Stairs to a title October 13, 2008 NLCS Game 4 Phillies 7 - Dodgers 5
It was 9 months ago but it still feels like it happened yesterday. In the NLCS for the first time in 15 years the Phils have the 2-1 series lead, but the Dodgers have the momentum with the win in game 3 and are looking to draw even. The game gets off to a running start with back to back singles by Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth and a double by Chase Utley to score 1 run. Ryan Howard follows with a hard groundout that allows Werth to score for a quick 2-0 lead. James Loney answers in the bottom of the inning, lining a 2 out RBI double to cut it to 2-1. Joe Blanton keeps it that way until the bottom of the 5th. There Manny Ramirez singles to score one run and Russell Martin hits a sharp ground ball to allow another run to score for a 3-2 lead. The Phils come right back to tie it at 3 in the top of the 6th on a wild pitch by Clayton Kershaw. In the bottom of the 6th Casey Blake leads off with a solo homer and a couple batters later Scott Eyre throws the ball away trying throw out Rafeal Furcal at first,allowing another run to score. With a 5-3 lead and runners on 2nd and 3rd and nobody out L.A has a golden opportunity to put the Phils away but they can not. Eyre gets Andre Ethier to line out to Ryan Howard. Then he intentionally walks Manny Ramirez to load the bases and set up for an inning ending double play. It works as Ryan Madson replaces Eyre and gets Russell Martin to line right to Chase Utley who makes an incredible dive to beat Furcal to the 2nd base bag and end the inning. Still, the situation seems hopeless as Utley strikes out to end the top of the 7th inning, leaving the Phils behind 5-3 heading into the 8th inning. This is exactly the kind of situation in which the Phils would not have succeeded in the past and would have watched their title hopes slip away. Not this time. Although Hong Chih Kuo has been dominating thus far Joe Torre stupidly takes him out after a cheap leadoff single by Ryan Howard. His replacement Cory Wade proceeds to serve a game tying 2 run homer to Shane Victorino, just over the fence in left field. A couple batters later with 2 out Carlos Ruiz singles and that's it for Wade. Now it's up to closer Jonathan Broxton to get out of the inning. Next up Matt Stairs. This is only Stairs' 2nd at bat of the postseason and he makes it count. As Joe Buck says "Stairs hits one deep into the night". "254 homeruns for Stairs in his career and that was biggest". J.C Romero and Brad Lidge combine to make the homer stand up and suddenly the Phils are a just win over the stunned Dodgers away from the world series.
1B. The Clincher October 12, 1980 NLCS game 5 Phillies 8 - Astros 7
Before last year most Phils fans would tell you this was most dramatic win in Phils history. After all the Phils and Astros had already gone through 3 straight extra inning games before this one and the Phils needed 10 innings in game 4 just to keep the series alive. Now it all comes down to this one night to decide who will represent the national league in the world series. The Phils are trying to avoid their 4th NLCS dissapointment in 5 years, but the odds are stacked against them. They're on road at the Astrodome and "the Express", Nolan Ryan will start for Houston. When Jose Cruz gives the Astros the lead right away with a double in the first inning, things look even more grim for the Phils. Then a 2 run single by Bob Boone gives the Phils the lead 2-1 in the top of the 2nd. From there Marty Bystrom hangs with Ryan and the keeps the Phils ahead into the 6th inning. There after an error by Greg Luzinski to start the inning Bystrom finally runs out of steam as a 1 out single by Alan Ashby ties the game at 2. Then in the 7th Larry Christenson falls apart, allowing an RBI single to Denny Walling, and throwing a wild pitch for another run. Finally Ron Reed replaces Christenson but he does no better allowing a triple to Art Howe and suddenly it is 5-2 Houston. With Ryan still going strong, hope for victory seems to be lost for the Phils. Luckily the pressure gets to Ryan on this night. In fact after 3 straight singles by Larry Bowa, Boone, and Greg Gross, to load the bases, and a walk to Pete Rose to force in a run, Ryan is done for the night. The Astro bullpen can't hold off the charging the Phils. Keith Moreland hits a sharp groundball off Joe Sambito to push another run across and then Ken Forsch replaces Sambito. Forsch is no better allowing a 2 out single to Del Unser and then a bases clearing triple to Manny Trillo to give the Phils a 7-5 lead. Houston doesn't go away though touching up Tug Mcgraw in the bottom of the inning for a couple of 2 out runs for a 7-7 tie. Neither team can score in the 9th and so again a 10th inning will be needed to decide an outcome. Finally in the top of the 10th a 2 out double by Garry Maddox scores Del Unser for an 8-7 lead. In the bottom of the inning Dick Ruthven who got the Phils through the 9th, comes out to finish a 2 inning save and after 2 quick outs, Enos Cabell slaps Ruthven's 3-2 offering deep to center. Maddox is there though and makes the catch for the final out. So the wait is over and at last after 30 years the Phils are back in the world series.
1A. Chooch Off October 25, 2008 World Series game 3 Phillies 5 - Rays 4
Okay so we're cheating here with 2 number 1's but really how do you decide between the two most important games in the Phils 2 championship seasons? Perhaps you can decide. Anyway getting back on track the Phils here are in the world series for the first time in 15 years and are looking to take the title for the first time in 28 years. They have split the first 2 games in the series but this is really the big one. If they lose this game they lose control of the series and now that the series is in Philly they don't want it to go back to Tampa. Thanks to rain storms the game doesn't even start until after midnight and although he's been sitting around through the rain and been beaten badly in his last 2 postseason starts Jamie Moyer gets the start. This time when it matters the most he comes through, allowing just 1 run through the 1st 6 innings. Meanwhile, Carlos Ruiz slams a solo homer in the bottom of the 2nd and Chase Utely and Ryan Howard combine for back to back homers to lead off the 6th inning. So the Phils ride a 4-1 lead into 7th inning and all signs point to victory. Then the umpire misses the call on a spectacular diving play by Moyer to get Carl Crawford at first and Tampa takes advantage. After a double by Dioner Navarro, Crawford goes on to score on a fielder's choice to cut it to 4-2. Then Navarro scores on another fielder's choice to cut it to 4-3 before Scott Eyre finally gets the Phils out of the inning. Things get worse in the top of the 8th as B.J Upton leads off with a single off Ryan Madson and then steals 2nd, steals 3rd, and scores as Carlos Ruiz throws the ball away trying to get Upton at 3rd. So just like that the game is tied up and the once assured win seems to have slipped away. Fortunately Madson gets through the rest of the 8th and J.C Romero keeps Tampa off the board in the 9th inning. Now the Phils get their chance to take the win in the bottom of the 9th. Eric Bruntlett leads off by getting hit by a pitch. Then Grant Balfour throws a wild pitch which bounces back to Navarro who throws the ball into center field, while attempting to get Bruntlett at 2nd. So Bruntlett moves to 3rd, putting the winning run 90 feet away. manager Joe Maddon now makes the decision to load the bases and deploy a 5 man infield to get some groundouts and get out of the inning. It doesn't work. The next batter is Ruiz. Nicknamed Chooch by his teammates reportedly due to his resemblance to Cheech Marin, the Cheech of the famous 70s and 80s comic duo, Cheech and Chong, he is looking to redeem himself from the error that put the Phils in this position in the first place. He hits a slow roller up the 3rd base line, just slow enough that Eva, er Evan Longoria can only throw it over Navarro's head as Bruntlett scores the winning run. Just like that the Phils have their first world series walkoff win and the now they and city believe the series will be theirs again at last.
5. Shot heard round Philadelphia October 1, 1950 Phillies 4 - Brooklyn Dodgers 1
Ahead by 5 games with 6 to play the Whiz Kids seem to have wrapped up their 2nd NL Pennant and first in 35 years, but their pitching has worn thin with #2 starter Curt Simmons forced to enter military service and #s 3 and 4 nursing injuries. So thin is the pitching that closer Jim Konstanty begins starting games down the stretch. Still with the big lead they believe they can coast to the pennant. Then Leo Durocher's New York Giants defeat the Phils in back to back double headers at the Polo grounds and just like that the lead is down to 2 with a season ending trip to Ebbets Field and a 2 game encounter with the 2nd place Dodgers looming. Brooklyn takes the first game 7-3 and now it's down to the final game of the season to decide the pennant. If Brookly can win on this day they'll force a one game playoff, but if the Phils can win the Pennant is theirs at last. Although he has started 4 of the last 9 games to keep his team afloat ace Robin Roberts, wills himself to take the mound one more time. For 5 innings he holds Brooklyn scoreless. Then in the top of the 6th two out singles by Dick Sisler, Del Ennis, and Willie Jones put the Phils ahead 1-0. The lead doesn't last as Pee Wee Reese get's a cheap homer in the bottom of the inning, hitting a ball off the screen above the fence in right field which gets stuck on the frame covering the fence, instead coming back into play. From there Roberts and Dodger ace Don Newcombe duel to a 1-1 tie heading into the 9th. Roberts walks Cal Abrams to start the inning. Then Reese singles to put 2 on and nobody out for the ever dangerous Duke Snider. Surely this will be it for Roberts, as manager Eddie Sawyer comes out to talk to him, but no he leaves Roberts in and almost pays for it. Snider slams a line drive to center which should score Abrams for the win, but Richie Ashburn charges, and with his "throw of the century"(that's the 20th century not this one) guns down Abrams at the plate to preserve the tie. Now Brooklyn has runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out for Jackie Robinson. Roberts intentionally walks Jackie, then gets Carl Furillo to foul out, leaving the bases loaded and 2 out for Gil Hodges. Hodges lifts a deep fly to right but Ennis is there to make the catch and incredibly its on to a 10th inning. Roberts himself leads off the top of the 10th with an infield single, and Eddie Waitkus follows with another single to put 2 on and nobody for Ashburn. Ashburn tries to bunt the runners over, but bunts too hard and Roberts is thrown out at 3rd. So its up to Dick Sisler to get the go ahead run home with 2 on and 1 out. He does even better. With the count 1 and 2 Sisler sends a fly ball deep to left field and gone for a 4-1 lead. Roberts then finishes a gutty complete game victory, retiring the side in the 10th, and its on to a date with Yankees in the world series.
4. The Comeback June 8, 1989 Phillies 15 - Pirates 11
We have already established that the 1989 season was a stinker and depressing as Michael Jack walked away from the game not even halfway through the season. It was also good for some memorable games like this one. On this night Pittsburgh waltz's into the Vet and storms to 10-0 lead before the first inning is even over. All told in the first inning Larry Mcwilliams and Steve Ontiveros combine to allow 10 runs and 9 hits, as the even the pitcher Bob Walk hits a 2 run single and some kid named Bonds hits a 3 run homer and scores 2 runs. So the game is just about over before it has even started. There is no way the Phils can comeback in this one is there? Somehow or another they convince themselves it isn't over yet and begin the long road back in the bottom of the inning where Von Hayes slugs a 2 run homer to cut the lead to 10-2. Hayes hits another bomb in the 3rd inning and its down to 10-4. Next weak switch hitting shortstop Steve Jeltz, batting lefthanded here, surprises everyone with another 2 run homer to cut it to 10-6. After Andy Van Slyke slaps an RBI double to push the lead back up to 11-6, Jeltz switches to the right side of the plate in the 6th and shocks everyone with a 3 run homer, making him the first Phillie to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game at the Vet, and cutting the lead to 11-9. A couple batters later Ricky Jordan singles in another run and the lead is just 1, 11-10. It stays that way until Jeff Robinson throws a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning, allowing John Kruk to score the tying run. Next after Robinson intentionally walks Dickie Thon to load the bases, Darren Daulton lines a 2 run single to center field and now the Phils lead the stunned Pirates 13-11. The next batter , Curt Ford ,Triples for 2 more runs, but stupidly gets himself thrown out at home trying to stretch it into an inside the park homer. No matter, the 4 run lead proves more than enough for Steve Bedrosian to close out the win in the 9th inning, thus completing what remains the greatest comeback in Phils history.
3. The Thome game June 21, 2003 Phillies 6 - Red Sox 5
Over the course of baseball history there have been numerous times where one player has risen above and beyond the call of duty for his team with superhuman heroics to lead them to victory. There was the 4 homer game by Micheal Jack we mentioned earlier, the called shot by Babe Ruth, and the Sandberg game. This was one such performance by Jim Thome at the height of his popularity in his first season with the Phils. Thanks to two solo homers by Todd Walker in the 3rd and 6th innings and brilliant start by Pedro Martinez, Boston has the lead 2-1 through 7 and 1/2 innings. With 2 out in the bottom of the 8th, Thome stands in against Mike Timlin with one thing on his mind, hit one out and get this game tied. He does sending Timlin's 1-1 offering into the seats to tie the game at 2. Thanks to solid bullpen work the game stays tied all the way into the 12th inning. With one out in the top of the 12th Kevin Millar slaps a single right at Jason Micheals so it shouldn't amount to anything. Except Micheals totally misplays the ball as it rolls right under his glove and the all the way back to the fence, allowing Nomar Garciaparra to score from 1st for a 3-2 lead. Jose Mesa bares down from there and strikes out Jeremy Giambi and Jason Varitek to keep the score 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 12th. It doesn't look good though as Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco produce 2 quick outs to start the bottom of the 12th. Next up Jim Thome. Although with 2 out and nobody on they can simply walk him, Boston stupidly decides to try to pitch to Thome. It doesn't work. Thome works the count full, fouls off a pitch, crushes the next deep to the seats in left centerfield and fist pumps as he rounds the bases. So we're tied again at 3. Mesa can't keep it tied in the bottom of the inning as Walker doubles in one run and then Nomar scores Walker with his 6th hit of the day for a 5-3 Boston lead that seems safe at last. However, it is not to be for the Red Sox though on this day. In the bottom of the 13th with 1 on and 1 out David Bell doubles in one run to cut it to 5-4. Next the last man left on the bench for the Phils, Todd Pratt, steps up to the plate with a chance tie it up again with a single. He does better. He sends the 2nd pitch he sees from Rudy Seanez deep to center field and as Scott Graham exclaims over the radio, " Its gone! Its gone! He did it! Todd Pratt did it! Put this one in the win column for the Phightin Phils! They are going crazy here at the vet! I couldn't have said it better myself.
2. The Stairs to a title October 13, 2008 NLCS Game 4 Phillies 7 - Dodgers 5
It was 9 months ago but it still feels like it happened yesterday. In the NLCS for the first time in 15 years the Phils have the 2-1 series lead, but the Dodgers have the momentum with the win in game 3 and are looking to draw even. The game gets off to a running start with back to back singles by Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth and a double by Chase Utley to score 1 run. Ryan Howard follows with a hard groundout that allows Werth to score for a quick 2-0 lead. James Loney answers in the bottom of the inning, lining a 2 out RBI double to cut it to 2-1. Joe Blanton keeps it that way until the bottom of the 5th. There Manny Ramirez singles to score one run and Russell Martin hits a sharp ground ball to allow another run to score for a 3-2 lead. The Phils come right back to tie it at 3 in the top of the 6th on a wild pitch by Clayton Kershaw. In the bottom of the 6th Casey Blake leads off with a solo homer and a couple batters later Scott Eyre throws the ball away trying throw out Rafeal Furcal at first,allowing another run to score. With a 5-3 lead and runners on 2nd and 3rd and nobody out L.A has a golden opportunity to put the Phils away but they can not. Eyre gets Andre Ethier to line out to Ryan Howard. Then he intentionally walks Manny Ramirez to load the bases and set up for an inning ending double play. It works as Ryan Madson replaces Eyre and gets Russell Martin to line right to Chase Utley who makes an incredible dive to beat Furcal to the 2nd base bag and end the inning. Still, the situation seems hopeless as Utley strikes out to end the top of the 7th inning, leaving the Phils behind 5-3 heading into the 8th inning. This is exactly the kind of situation in which the Phils would not have succeeded in the past and would have watched their title hopes slip away. Not this time. Although Hong Chih Kuo has been dominating thus far Joe Torre stupidly takes him out after a cheap leadoff single by Ryan Howard. His replacement Cory Wade proceeds to serve a game tying 2 run homer to Shane Victorino, just over the fence in left field. A couple batters later with 2 out Carlos Ruiz singles and that's it for Wade. Now it's up to closer Jonathan Broxton to get out of the inning. Next up Matt Stairs. This is only Stairs' 2nd at bat of the postseason and he makes it count. As Joe Buck says "Stairs hits one deep into the night". "254 homeruns for Stairs in his career and that was biggest". J.C Romero and Brad Lidge combine to make the homer stand up and suddenly the Phils are a just win over the stunned Dodgers away from the world series.
1B. The Clincher October 12, 1980 NLCS game 5 Phillies 8 - Astros 7
Before last year most Phils fans would tell you this was most dramatic win in Phils history. After all the Phils and Astros had already gone through 3 straight extra inning games before this one and the Phils needed 10 innings in game 4 just to keep the series alive. Now it all comes down to this one night to decide who will represent the national league in the world series. The Phils are trying to avoid their 4th NLCS dissapointment in 5 years, but the odds are stacked against them. They're on road at the Astrodome and "the Express", Nolan Ryan will start for Houston. When Jose Cruz gives the Astros the lead right away with a double in the first inning, things look even more grim for the Phils. Then a 2 run single by Bob Boone gives the Phils the lead 2-1 in the top of the 2nd. From there Marty Bystrom hangs with Ryan and the keeps the Phils ahead into the 6th inning. There after an error by Greg Luzinski to start the inning Bystrom finally runs out of steam as a 1 out single by Alan Ashby ties the game at 2. Then in the 7th Larry Christenson falls apart, allowing an RBI single to Denny Walling, and throwing a wild pitch for another run. Finally Ron Reed replaces Christenson but he does no better allowing a triple to Art Howe and suddenly it is 5-2 Houston. With Ryan still going strong, hope for victory seems to be lost for the Phils. Luckily the pressure gets to Ryan on this night. In fact after 3 straight singles by Larry Bowa, Boone, and Greg Gross, to load the bases, and a walk to Pete Rose to force in a run, Ryan is done for the night. The Astro bullpen can't hold off the charging the Phils. Keith Moreland hits a sharp groundball off Joe Sambito to push another run across and then Ken Forsch replaces Sambito. Forsch is no better allowing a 2 out single to Del Unser and then a bases clearing triple to Manny Trillo to give the Phils a 7-5 lead. Houston doesn't go away though touching up Tug Mcgraw in the bottom of the inning for a couple of 2 out runs for a 7-7 tie. Neither team can score in the 9th and so again a 10th inning will be needed to decide an outcome. Finally in the top of the 10th a 2 out double by Garry Maddox scores Del Unser for an 8-7 lead. In the bottom of the inning Dick Ruthven who got the Phils through the 9th, comes out to finish a 2 inning save and after 2 quick outs, Enos Cabell slaps Ruthven's 3-2 offering deep to center. Maddox is there though and makes the catch for the final out. So the wait is over and at last after 30 years the Phils are back in the world series.
1A. Chooch Off October 25, 2008 World Series game 3 Phillies 5 - Rays 4
Okay so we're cheating here with 2 number 1's but really how do you decide between the two most important games in the Phils 2 championship seasons? Perhaps you can decide. Anyway getting back on track the Phils here are in the world series for the first time in 15 years and are looking to take the title for the first time in 28 years. They have split the first 2 games in the series but this is really the big one. If they lose this game they lose control of the series and now that the series is in Philly they don't want it to go back to Tampa. Thanks to rain storms the game doesn't even start until after midnight and although he's been sitting around through the rain and been beaten badly in his last 2 postseason starts Jamie Moyer gets the start. This time when it matters the most he comes through, allowing just 1 run through the 1st 6 innings. Meanwhile, Carlos Ruiz slams a solo homer in the bottom of the 2nd and Chase Utely and Ryan Howard combine for back to back homers to lead off the 6th inning. So the Phils ride a 4-1 lead into 7th inning and all signs point to victory. Then the umpire misses the call on a spectacular diving play by Moyer to get Carl Crawford at first and Tampa takes advantage. After a double by Dioner Navarro, Crawford goes on to score on a fielder's choice to cut it to 4-2. Then Navarro scores on another fielder's choice to cut it to 4-3 before Scott Eyre finally gets the Phils out of the inning. Things get worse in the top of the 8th as B.J Upton leads off with a single off Ryan Madson and then steals 2nd, steals 3rd, and scores as Carlos Ruiz throws the ball away trying to get Upton at 3rd. So just like that the game is tied up and the once assured win seems to have slipped away. Fortunately Madson gets through the rest of the 8th and J.C Romero keeps Tampa off the board in the 9th inning. Now the Phils get their chance to take the win in the bottom of the 9th. Eric Bruntlett leads off by getting hit by a pitch. Then Grant Balfour throws a wild pitch which bounces back to Navarro who throws the ball into center field, while attempting to get Bruntlett at 2nd. So Bruntlett moves to 3rd, putting the winning run 90 feet away. manager Joe Maddon now makes the decision to load the bases and deploy a 5 man infield to get some groundouts and get out of the inning. It doesn't work. The next batter is Ruiz. Nicknamed Chooch by his teammates reportedly due to his resemblance to Cheech Marin, the Cheech of the famous 70s and 80s comic duo, Cheech and Chong, he is looking to redeem himself from the error that put the Phils in this position in the first place. He hits a slow roller up the 3rd base line, just slow enough that Eva, er Evan Longoria can only throw it over Navarro's head as Bruntlett scores the winning run. Just like that the Phils have their first world series walkoff win and the now they and city believe the series will be theirs again at last.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles and 1st round pick Jeremy Maclin have come to terms on a 5 year $14.6 million deal. Hopefully the 13 training camp practices that Maclin has missed won't affect his development too much. If nothing else he should still be able to a dangerous kick and punt returner, but the time he as missed could limit his ability to get on the field at all as a receiver, considering the Birds are already pretty deep at WR, with guys like Jason Avant, Desean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Hank Baskett, and others who didn't miss any camp.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished their series with the Giants this afternoon looking to at least earn a split in the series. Despite resting a few players they almost did, but Cole Hamels just couldn't close it out. After a triple by ex-Phil Aaron Rowand gave the Giants a 1 -0 lead in 2nd inning, Hamels seemed to bare down and the Phils rallied for 2 runs in 4th inning on a solo homer by Jimmy Rollins and an single and an error by Jayson Werth, and 1 run in the 5th inning on a single by Carlos Ruiz to take a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 5th inning. It was there that everything fell apart for Hamels. He seemed to be cruising after 2 quick outs and the pitcher Barry Zito due up but then a funny thing happened. Instead of producing an out, Zito blooped a single to keep the inning alive and perhaps Cole started to think too much or maybe he started pressing, whatever the reason, he wasn't right after that. Eugenio Velez followed with a single and then Freddy Sanchez broke the Phils hearts with a game tying double. Hamels was even worse in the 6th inning, first allowing Randy Wynn to single in a run and then loading the bases before Chan Ho Park came in to try to bail him out. Park almost did but with 1 out his payoff pitch to Velez was just a bit too high, and Velez slapped it for a game-breaking 2 run single to put the exhausted the Phils away for good 7-3. There's not much to say about this game. It was just yet another almost game for Cole this season. When the experts said he might not quite as strong this season, because last year he threw over 200 innings for the first time, I didn't believe them. I think I am starting to now, but you never know maybe Cliff Lee, who has thrown 200+ innings a few times, will know something that will get Cole back on track. Anyway so the Phils drop to 59-44 overall and now 5 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with Giants tonight and got another brilliant pitching performance from Joe Blanton who went 7 innings allowing just 2 runs(both on sac flys) on 7 hits. Unfortunately, the Phils lineup looked tired and sluggish again and never got anything going against Tim Lincecum, producing 0 runs on 7 hits. Admittedly though, I don't know if the Phils would have fared well against Lincecum even if they had been fresh. He was just too tough, exactly what you would expect from the reigning NL CY Young award winner. The Phils best opportunity to score came in the 5th inning when Blanton himself led off with a single, and the Phils loaded the bases with 2 out for Raul Ibanez. Unfortunately, Ibanez could only ground out to end the inning. Things won't get any easier for the Phils tomorrow either as the Giants other ace Matt Cain, is scheduled to pitch and he could easily give the Phils another 2-0 loss. Cole Hamels who get's the start for the Phils, is going to have to be lights out if the Phils still hope to get a split out of this series. Anyway so the Phils drop to 59-43 overall and still 6 games up in the NL East.
Friday, July 31, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Giants tonight as Cliff Lee made his first start for the Phillies. Shane Victorino was absent from the lineup again, but it didn't matter as Lee brought an unmistakable energy and aura to the park that was all his own. He really was electrifying from start to finish and took a no hitter into the 6th inning before Juan Uribe broke it up and ultimately caused Lee to finish the night with only a memorable complete game victory, while allowing just 1 run on 4 hits. Surprisingly Lee's bat was almost as impressive tonight as his arm as he collected 2 hits and actually scored a run. In short he could not have had a better Phils debut. The fact is that no one in the NL has really seen him so it's not unreasonable to expect him to be this dominant the rest of the season and let's face it just the thought of that is reason to celebrate already. I mean who needs a bullpen when you've got this guy. Anyway getting back to the game as good as Lee was the Phils lineup was sluggish again and Lee had to wait until the 7th inning before they finally gave him a nice 4-0 cushion following a bases loaded walk to Raul Ibanez and a bases loaded single by Jayson Werth. Then Lee himself doubled and scored in the 8th inning for a 5-0 lead and then closed it out from there but only after allowing his only run of the night in the bottom of the inning. In the end I think perhaps most impressive thing about Lee tonight was that he only needed 109 pitches to get through the whole game. Even Cole and Happ needed like 120-130 pitches for their complete games against the Dodgers and the Blue Jays respectively. I mean Lee didn't even look tired while talking to the media after the game. Anyway so the Phils move to 59-42 overall now and still 6 games up in the NL East.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyer's continued their busy offseason a a couple days ,coming to terms on a one year $600,000 contract with 6-2 211 defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefson. Tollefson has size, defends well, fights occasionally, and is young at just 25 years old. Still considering he's coming off 2 knee surgeries, he is a bit of a gamble and obvious move by the Flyers to free up cap space. That means that defenseman Randy Jones and his 2.75 million contract could be headed out of town, literally just because Tollefson is cheaper than him. Still Tollefson apparently is at the same skill level as Jones so perhaps he'll be a nice addition and the Flyer's use the extra space to get another scorer to round out their roster.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to San Francisco tonight to begin a 4 weekend set with the Giants. With Cliff Lee not available to start until tomorrow Rodrigo Lopez got probably his last start for the Phils this season, barring any injuries or Pedro Martinez flopping badly. Unfortunately Lopez went out on a bad note allowing 7 runs on 8 hits in just 4 innings of work. The Giants not only jumped on him early but the Phils also killed themselves with an uncharacteristic 3 errors. So it wasn't all Lopez's fault, and in fact only 3 of the 7 runs he gave up were actually earned runs. You just can't win baseball games making mistakes like that, especially not against a talented team like the Giants. The Phils lineup wasn't much better than Lopez, again appearing sluggish while scoring just 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 run on a solo homer by Chase Utley and the other run on a double by Ryan Howard. That also won't win many games for you. It's not as if the Phils didn't have opportunities either. They could easily have scored more after Howard's double and should have scored Jimmy Rollins after he leadoff the top of the 3rd with a double, but they did not. It was just an overall poor performance and a deserved 7-2 loss to the Giants. I think part of the problem is that Shane Victorino, nursing a knee contusion was not in the lineup, and he's really the guy that brings the energy to park for them. At the same time they're clearly running out of gas right now after about 2 weeks without an off day and they desperately need the one that is coming Monday. Ultimately I think they're going to have to figure out some way to at least get a split out of this series and then they can relax knowing at least that they haven't lost any ground in the NL East. Hopefully Cliff Lee's first start tomorrow will be a very good one, because I don't think he's going to get the increased run support he was hoping for just yet. Anyway so the Phils drop to 58-42 now, but still 6 games up in the NL East.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
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.
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.
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