What a ride it's been for the Orange and Black this postseason. Unfortunately all postseason runs must come to an end sometime and so the Flyer's did tonight. Fittingly they went down fighting and were oh so close to forcing a game 7 but it just wasn't meant to be. Both teams deserve credit for a great series and it's a crime that it didn't at least go 7, especially since I believe the Flyers would have won if it had gone that far. The loss not withstanding it's clear the Orange and Black gave everything they had in this series and really appeared at times tonight as if they had nothing left to give. Therefore I can live with this result, it just makes it that much toucher to swallow, knowing they put it all out there and were so close, but I digress.
Early on this one things got off on the wrong foot for the Flyers as Chicago scored the opening goal on the power play. The Flyers came right back with a power play goal by Scott Hartnell in the final seconds of the period to knot it up at 1. Then halfway through the 2nd period Danny Briere and Ville Leino teamed up a for pretty goal to give the Orange and Black they're only goal of the night. Less than 2 minutes later the ex-Flyer Patrick Sharp tied it up on a goal Micheal Leighton probably should have stopped. Late in the peiod the Flyers suddenly appeared to run out of gas and Chicago took advantage with Andrew Ladd scoring for a 3-2. Thanks to Leighton Chicago was unable to extend the lead from there. Still, it appeared Chicago would hang on for the win anyway, until the Orange and Black dug down deep one last time as Ville Leino threw a puck at the net that deflected off Hartnell and in for the 3-3 tie.
After that the Flyers had a couple chances to win in regulation but couldn't quite put it away so the game went into overtime. There they had only the momentum early on and couple golden opportunities to win off Blackhawks turnovers but they couldn't cash in. A couple minutes after those opportunities Patrick Kane rumbled into the Flyer zone but it appeared Braydon Coburn had him in check. Somehow though he managed to get off an angled shot, but Leighton appeared to be in position to stop it. I still don't how but it got through Leighton and then lodged in the far side of net where no one except Kane could see that it went in, setting off an odd celebration by the Hawks while no linesman gave a signal and the goal light and horn did not go off. It was a heartbreaking end to a great season that I'll never forget. There's always next year and I think if we can add one more defenseman to our 3rd or 4th line the cup is ours.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
It was supposed to be another classic pitching matchup tonight between Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson but unfortunately mother nature got in the way as the game was rained out. So they'll face each other tomorrow night instead.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
After yet another disappointing showing from his team last night, Charlie Manuel decided to shake things up as the Phils began a series with the Florida Marlins tonight. He gave Jayson Werth another night off and put Ben Francisco in right field and in the number 5 spot in order, in his place. The moved turned out to be serendipitous as Francisco collected 2 hits, knocked in 2 runs, scored 2 runs and proved to be a key player on the night. He was not alone in his offensive prowess though. In fact Carlos Ruiz proved to be the Phils only starter who could not hit safely in the game as they exploded for 10 runs on 13 hits. The way the Phils bats had been going lately it fell like more of a volcanci eruption than just a mere explosion and despite it all the Phils almost lost.
3 time the Phils fell behind in this and 3 times they rallied back before victory was assured. Kyle Kendrick was tagged early and often from the onset, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits in just 5 innings of work. By the end of the Marlins half of the 3rd inning it was already 4-0 and things did not look good. Then in the bottom of the 3rd, Ryan Howard crushed a 2 run homer and Francisco manufactured a run with a single and stolen base followed a Raul Ibanez RBI single to cut it to 4-3. Florida quickly pushed it back to 6-3 in the 4th inning, but Shane Victorino answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the 4th to cut it to 6-4. Then in the 5th an error, an infield single by Ibanez, and a fielder's choice allowed the Phils to bleed out 2 more runs to pull even at 6. One inning later a sac fly by Chase Utley made it 7-6 Phils, their first lead of the night. It didn't last long as Florida rallied for runs in the 7th and 8th to push back out to an 8-7 lead. Finally the Phils engineered one final rally in the bottom of the 8th. Francisco slapped a clutch 2 out 2 run single and then scored on a infield singly by Wilson Valdez to put the Phils up seemingly for good at 10-8
However, Florida also put togethet a final rally against Brad Lidge but he was up for the test. After allowing a leadoff single to Hanley Ramirez, He struck out Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla. Then pitched around Cody Ross to put 2 on with 2 out for rookie Mike Stanton. Having never seen Lidge before Stanton was as an easy mark after 3 pitches he grounded into a game ending forceout at 2nd except Wilson Valdez forgot to put his foot on the bag, allowing Cody Ross to slide in safely and load the bases for ex-Phil Ronnie Paulino. After a few more pitches Lidge got Paulino to harmlessly pop out and the Phils had their 10-8 win. Hopefully they can build off this and get back to scoring runs like we know they can. Until here's hoping for another perfecto from Roy tomorrow.
3 time the Phils fell behind in this and 3 times they rallied back before victory was assured. Kyle Kendrick was tagged early and often from the onset, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits in just 5 innings of work. By the end of the Marlins half of the 3rd inning it was already 4-0 and things did not look good. Then in the bottom of the 3rd, Ryan Howard crushed a 2 run homer and Francisco manufactured a run with a single and stolen base followed a Raul Ibanez RBI single to cut it to 4-3. Florida quickly pushed it back to 6-3 in the 4th inning, but Shane Victorino answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the 4th to cut it to 6-4. Then in the 5th an error, an infield single by Ibanez, and a fielder's choice allowed the Phils to bleed out 2 more runs to pull even at 6. One inning later a sac fly by Chase Utley made it 7-6 Phils, their first lead of the night. It didn't last long as Florida rallied for runs in the 7th and 8th to push back out to an 8-7 lead. Finally the Phils engineered one final rally in the bottom of the 8th. Francisco slapped a clutch 2 out 2 run single and then scored on a infield singly by Wilson Valdez to put the Phils up seemingly for good at 10-8
However, Florida also put togethet a final rally against Brad Lidge but he was up for the test. After allowing a leadoff single to Hanley Ramirez, He struck out Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla. Then pitched around Cody Ross to put 2 on with 2 out for rookie Mike Stanton. Having never seen Lidge before Stanton was as an easy mark after 3 pitches he grounded into a game ending forceout at 2nd except Wilson Valdez forgot to put his foot on the bag, allowing Cody Ross to slide in safely and load the bases for ex-Phil Ronnie Paulino. After a few more pitches Lidge got Paulino to harmlessly pop out and the Phils had their 10-8 win. Hopefully they can build off this and get back to scoring runs like we know they can. Until here's hoping for another perfecto from Roy tomorrow.
Monday, June 07, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
It's been less than a month since Roy Halladay's perfect night in South Florida but that didn't stop Cole Hamels from bidding to match him tonight. For 6 and 1/3rd innings he kept San Diego in check, with no runs or hits, dazzling them with his full array of pitches, cutter, fastball, curveball, and changeup. Just like Florida against Halladay San Diego' hitters often appeared in this one as if they didn't know what was coming next. That is, Until Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Hairston clipped back to back homers. Still Cole got out of the 7th without further damage and finished off the 8th so there was no reason the 2 homers would be enough to win right?
Wrong. The Phils again struggled to score, wasting most of their opportunities. They really didn't have all that many chances with just 7 hits all night long. So when the dust cleared after 9, despite 8 brilliant innings while allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits and striking out 6 Hamels ended up as the loser on the night. He really didn't everything he could though and shouldn't be blamed for this loss. Danys Baez wasn't quite so sharp coming out of the bullpen as he allowed a 1 run on 2 hits to stretch the San Diego lead to 3-0. Finally in the bottom of the 9th the Phils got on the board with a Ryan Howard RBI double but it was too little too late as one batter later Jayson Werth struck out to end the 3-1 Padre win. It seemed Like the Phils were finally coming out of it with their performances that last couple days but clearly there's still some work to do
Wrong. The Phils again struggled to score, wasting most of their opportunities. They really didn't have all that many chances with just 7 hits all night long. So when the dust cleared after 9, despite 8 brilliant innings while allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits and striking out 6 Hamels ended up as the loser on the night. He really didn't everything he could though and shouldn't be blamed for this loss. Danys Baez wasn't quite so sharp coming out of the bullpen as he allowed a 1 run on 2 hits to stretch the San Diego lead to 3-0. Finally in the bottom of the 9th the Phils got on the board with a Ryan Howard RBI double but it was too little too late as one batter later Jayson Werth struck out to end the 3-1 Padre win. It seemed Like the Phils were finally coming out of it with their performances that last couple days but clearly there's still some work to do
Sunday, June 06, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Coming into tonight the Flyers were unbeaten in game 5s in the year's NHL playoffs. Not anymore after a stirring effort by the Chicago Blackhawks this one. Chicago just came out surging right from the beginning and the Flyers couldn't stay with them. They tried their hardest, I mean it's not as if they played all that poorly, Chicago was just too good in this one. Somehow the Flyers managed to withstand the early Chicago surge for 12 minutes before the Hawks finally got on the board and floodgates opened after that. By the time the 1st period was over Chicago led 3-0 and was well on their way to victory. To their credit the Flyers didn't give up though. Scott Hartnell scored only about 30 seconds into the 2nd period to cut it to 3-1. Then after Chicago made it 4-1 the Flyers answered back to cut it to 4-2.
Unfortunately Chris Pronger took a rare penalty near the end of the period and thus was not on the ice when Dustin Byfuglien finally scored his first goal of the series to make it 5-2. Still to the annoyance of Chicago the Flyers didn't give up as James Van Reimsdyk scored his 1st goal of the series to cut it to 5-3. The Orange and Black then had a chance on the power play after that to cut it to 5-4 but they couldn' t take advantage and Patrick followed not along after with breakaway goal to make it 6-3. The Flyers put together one last surge though as Ville Leino beautifully set up Simon Gagne to cut it to 6-4. Then with 2 and a half minutes to go the Flyers pulled Brian Boucher(he replaced Micheal Leighton after the 1st period) in favor of the extra attacker. Unfortunately it seemed they were just a little too spent to stage anymore heroics as Byfuglien managed to get the puck away and fire it down the ice and into the empty net to clinch a 7-4 win.
On the whole the game was a complete reversal of the rest of the series with Chicago having and the edge on special teams and a slight edge defensively. This Chicago tonight is the Chicago that was supposed to be here all series long and you just have to tip your cap to them after this performance. Still, if you take away the 1st period the Flyers played the Hawks to a draw the rest of the way. That tells me there is a very good chance that they'll win game 6 and force the series back to Chicago one more time for game 7 and who knows what happens after that.
Unfortunately Chris Pronger took a rare penalty near the end of the period and thus was not on the ice when Dustin Byfuglien finally scored his first goal of the series to make it 5-2. Still to the annoyance of Chicago the Flyers didn't give up as James Van Reimsdyk scored his 1st goal of the series to cut it to 5-3. The Orange and Black then had a chance on the power play after that to cut it to 5-4 but they couldn' t take advantage and Patrick followed not along after with breakaway goal to make it 6-3. The Flyers put together one last surge though as Ville Leino beautifully set up Simon Gagne to cut it to 6-4. Then with 2 and a half minutes to go the Flyers pulled Brian Boucher(he replaced Micheal Leighton after the 1st period) in favor of the extra attacker. Unfortunately it seemed they were just a little too spent to stage anymore heroics as Byfuglien managed to get the puck away and fire it down the ice and into the empty net to clinch a 7-4 win.
On the whole the game was a complete reversal of the rest of the series with Chicago having and the edge on special teams and a slight edge defensively. This Chicago tonight is the Chicago that was supposed to be here all series long and you just have to tip your cap to them after this performance. Still, if you take away the 1st period the Flyers played the Hawks to a draw the rest of the way. That tells me there is a very good chance that they'll win game 6 and force the series back to Chicago one more time for game 7 and who knows what happens after that.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils took the field this afternoon looking to complete the series win over the Padres. They got off to another quick start with 5 runs in the first 2 innings. In the 1st, Shane Victorino singled to lead off, stole 2nd, and scored on back to back fielder's choices. In the 2nd, Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard each slapped 2 out 2 run singles to produce the Phils 2nd 4 run inning in as many nights. That's not bad for a team whose lineup is supposedly struggling mightily. Unfortunately Joe Blanton couldn't hold the Phils early lead and by the 5th San Diego had rallied to tie it at 5. Meanwhile the Phils squandered all their opportunities to score after the 2nd inning, leaving a total of 15 men on base.
So after Blanton exited following the 5th, all the pressure in the world shifted onto the bullpen to keep the game tied until the Phils could come up with another run. For 4 innings they did just that, with Chad Durbin, J.C Romero, Jose Contreras, and Chad Durbin combining to do the deed. After the Phils blew a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the 9th, stranding the winning run at 3rd, Danys Baez came in to pitch the 10th. He was as lucky as aforementioned allowing a 2 out run on an infield single that was just deep enough to short that Wilson Valdez couldn't do anything with it. The Phils then had another golden opportunity in the bottom of the 10th to rally back and perhaps win it, but Polanco was thrown out trying to go to 3rd on a single by Chase Utley and then with runners on the corners and 2 out, Jayson Werth struck out to end the Phils day. So they didn't get the sweep but they did win series and with 5+ runs for the 2nd game in a row they seem to be coming out of there slump. Things can only get better from here.
So after Blanton exited following the 5th, all the pressure in the world shifted onto the bullpen to keep the game tied until the Phils could come up with another run. For 4 innings they did just that, with Chad Durbin, J.C Romero, Jose Contreras, and Chad Durbin combining to do the deed. After the Phils blew a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the 9th, stranding the winning run at 3rd, Danys Baez came in to pitch the 10th. He was as lucky as aforementioned allowing a 2 out run on an infield single that was just deep enough to short that Wilson Valdez couldn't do anything with it. The Phils then had another golden opportunity in the bottom of the 10th to rally back and perhaps win it, but Polanco was thrown out trying to go to 3rd on a single by Chase Utley and then with runners on the corners and 2 out, Jayson Werth struck out to end the Phils day. So they didn't get the sweep but they did win series and with 5+ runs for the 2nd game in a row they seem to be coming out of there slump. Things can only get better from here.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
6, that's how many runs the Phils put up tonight along with 10 hits, but it fell like a lot more. After a long streak of games in which they couldn't score any more than 3 runs, to put up 6 in this one was special and a hopefully a signal that the team is headed out of there slump at last. Just like last though they didn't have to score that many runs. The 4 they scored in the 3rd inning alone would have been enough as ,the ageless one, Jamie Moyer tossed his 2nd complete game of the season on just 98 pitches. All told he allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits to lower his ERA to 3.98. It's first time his ERA has been that low in couple years, and yet thanks to the Phils struggles at the plate he's only 6-5 overall.
Fortunately the Fightins seemed to come out of their perpetual haze tonight. It started in the 4th with 4 consecutive hits to the begin the inning, singles by Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, and Chase Utley and a double by Ryan Howard, producing 3 runs. Raul Ibanez later added a sac fly for a 4th run before Carlos Ruiz lined out to end the inning. In the 5th Jayson Werth kept it going with a 2 run homer, on a ball he didn't hit very hard but that just kept carrying until it was in first row in right. Basically it was your classic cheap Citizens Bank homerun, but the Phils will take it. Moyer quickly mowed the Padres from there to close out the important 6-2 win, the Phils 30th of the season. With the Atlanta idle tonight it was enough to move the Phils back to within 2 games of 1st in the NL East. Here's hoping is only the beginning of something big.
Fortunately the Fightins seemed to come out of their perpetual haze tonight. It started in the 4th with 4 consecutive hits to the begin the inning, singles by Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, and Chase Utley and a double by Ryan Howard, producing 3 runs. Raul Ibanez later added a sac fly for a 4th run before Carlos Ruiz lined out to end the inning. In the 5th Jayson Werth kept it going with a 2 run homer, on a ball he didn't hit very hard but that just kept carrying until it was in first row in right. Basically it was your classic cheap Citizens Bank homerun, but the Phils will take it. Moyer quickly mowed the Padres from there to close out the important 6-2 win, the Phils 30th of the season. With the Atlanta idle tonight it was enough to move the Phils back to within 2 games of 1st in the NL East. Here's hoping is only the beginning of something big.
Friday, June 04, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Despite all the heroics in game 3 the Flyers still needed a win tonight to firmly establish themselves as back in the series . Just like in game 3 they got off to a quick start in this one but this time there was no surge back from Chicago, it was all Orange and Black. Just about a minute and half into the contest the Flyers found themselves on the power play and took advantage with Mike Richards scoring a brilliant backhand for a quick 1-0 lead. It was 10 minutes before the Orange and Black got another shot on goal and again as Matt Carle slipped in front of the net undetected and slapped one by Anti Niemi for a 2-0 lead. 4 minutes later Patrick Sharp briefly shifted the momentum to Chicago slapping one by Micheal Leighton off a deflection to cut the lead to 2-1.
Just a minute the Hawks completely lost sight of Claude Giroux as he moved next to the net and behind a clueless Niemi. Kimmo Timonen did keep Giroux and fired a beautiful pass to him which he deposited into the back of the net for a 3-1 and crushing finish to the period for Chicago. Both defenses tightened up in the 2nd period and neither team was able to score. the Defense remained tight early in the 3rd period before Ville Leino made a couple beautiful moves past the Chicago defense and fired a shot off Niemi and into the net for a 4-1 lead. After that the defense of the Orange and Black clamped appeared to take control and the Flyers cruised towards an inevitable victory.
Then the Flyers were quickly penalized twice within a minute of each other with Scott Hartnell called for unsportsmanlike conduct for yelling from the bench and Braydon Coburn called for a weak holding penalty give Chicago a 5 on 3. Dave Bolland scored for Chicago on the first power play and as quick as you can bat an eyelash the momentum shifted in the Hawk's favor. The Flyers killed of the 2nd penalty but only a couple minutes after that Brian Campbell pushed one by Leighton in a scrum and suddenly it was 4-3. Chicago desperately continued to surge after that in search of the tying goal but Leighton made a couple spectacular saves and Coburn, after losing his stick, batted away another scoring chance with his skate. Finally the Hawks were forced to pull Niemi in favor of the extra attacker in the final minute but before they could really get anything else going in the Flyer's zone Sharp lost the puck at the blueline, allowing Jeff Carter to glide back to the empty net and score, at last securing a 5-3 victory. So the series is now tied at 2 and best of 3. May the best team win.
Just a minute the Hawks completely lost sight of Claude Giroux as he moved next to the net and behind a clueless Niemi. Kimmo Timonen did keep Giroux and fired a beautiful pass to him which he deposited into the back of the net for a 3-1 and crushing finish to the period for Chicago. Both defenses tightened up in the 2nd period and neither team was able to score. the Defense remained tight early in the 3rd period before Ville Leino made a couple beautiful moves past the Chicago defense and fired a shot off Niemi and into the net for a 4-1 lead. After that the defense of the Orange and Black clamped appeared to take control and the Flyers cruised towards an inevitable victory.
Then the Flyers were quickly penalized twice within a minute of each other with Scott Hartnell called for unsportsmanlike conduct for yelling from the bench and Braydon Coburn called for a weak holding penalty give Chicago a 5 on 3. Dave Bolland scored for Chicago on the first power play and as quick as you can bat an eyelash the momentum shifted in the Hawk's favor. The Flyers killed of the 2nd penalty but only a couple minutes after that Brian Campbell pushed one by Leighton in a scrum and suddenly it was 4-3. Chicago desperately continued to surge after that in search of the tying goal but Leighton made a couple spectacular saves and Coburn, after losing his stick, batted away another scoring chance with his skate. Finally the Hawks were forced to pull Niemi in favor of the extra attacker in the final minute but before they could really get anything else going in the Flyer's zone Sharp lost the puck at the blueline, allowing Jeff Carter to glide back to the empty net and score, at last securing a 5-3 victory. So the series is now tied at 2 and best of 3. May the best team win.
PHILLIES NEWS
Having lost 4 in a row coming in the Phils needed something, anything to be positive about night. Fortunately it was Roy Halladay's turn to take the mound and he did not disappoint. No he wasn't perfect again but pretty close to it. In 7 strong innings he allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7. Just like Florida the Padres could never really figure Roy out. Despite Halladay's mastery he nearly took a no decision before a bases loaded walk by Jayson Werth in the 5th gave the Phils a 3-2 lead. Before that Halladay himself started the Phils only rally singling in front of a homer by Shane Victorino.
After that Halladay was almost reduced to a no decision again before J.C Romero got out of a bases loaded jam in the 8th by forcing Chris Denorfia into a double play. From there it was up to Brad Lidge to close things out in the 9th and boy did he. He got David Eckstein to ground out. Then he struck out the great Adrian Gonzalez with a well placed fastball on the outside the corner. Finally he got Chase Headley to chase a couple nasty sliders for strikeout number 2 and out number 3. Just like that the losing streak was over and perhaps now the Phils will begin to come out of the slump. If nothing else it seems like after quite a bit of rehab and a lot false starts Brad Lidge is out of his funk. He really looked like the Lidge of 2008 out there and if that's case the Phils are going to be okay. No matter how many runs they score, if they can just get leads late in games from here on out they should be able to close them out.
After that Halladay was almost reduced to a no decision again before J.C Romero got out of a bases loaded jam in the 8th by forcing Chris Denorfia into a double play. From there it was up to Brad Lidge to close things out in the 9th and boy did he. He got David Eckstein to ground out. Then he struck out the great Adrian Gonzalez with a well placed fastball on the outside the corner. Finally he got Chase Headley to chase a couple nasty sliders for strikeout number 2 and out number 3. Just like that the losing streak was over and perhaps now the Phils will begin to come out of the slump. If nothing else it seems like after quite a bit of rehab and a lot false starts Brad Lidge is out of his funk. He really looked like the Lidge of 2008 out there and if that's case the Phils are going to be okay. No matter how many runs they score, if they can just get leads late in games from here on out they should be able to close them out.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
With their backs against the wall again the Flyers took the ice at the Wachovia center for game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It turned out to be yet another classic game but again it probably didn't have to be. The Flyers seem to prefer things to be gut wrenching and dramatic though so I guess it was pretty fitting night. Anyway they came out with a lot of energy right out of the gate but Chicago withstood it. That is until Marian Hossa slashed Aaron Asham. About a minute later the Flyers capitalized on the power play with Scott Hartnell making a tremendous back pass to Danny Briere for the score. Chicago got a power play before the end of the 1st period as well but the Flyers killed it off and went into the 2nd period leading 1-0.
Thanks to a stupid roughing penalty by Dustin Byfuglien the Flyers were on the power play again to start the 2nd period but they couldn't take advantage and then Chicago surged right off the penalty kill and into the Flyer's zone where Duncan Keith took a shot that deflected off Jeff Carter and in for the 1-1 tie. 7 minutes later the Orange and Black got their 3rd power play and made the most of it with Scott Hartnell slapping one in, that required video review to be counted. The two teams played on for almost 2 minutes before a stoppage finally allowed officials to review the goal, kind of an odd circumstance but the Flyers will take it. The Flyers had a few golden opportunities after that to go up 3-1 but they couldn't take advantage. Somehow or other there ended up being a faceoff in the Flyers' zone which Chicago won for about the first time all period long and Brent Sopel slapped in right off the faceoff past a surprised Leighton. So the game went into the 3rd tied at 2.
Just 2 and a half minutes into the 3rd the Flyers turned it over in the Chicago zone leading to a breakaway for Patrick Zane who ripped a wrister past a helpless Leighton for a 3-2 Chicago lead, causing the Wachovia center to fall silent for about a minute. I'll admit I even thought it was over, but Ville Leino who helped cause the breakaway had other ideas. Less than a minute later he rumbled into the Chicago zone, fed Claude Giroux a beautiful pass and slapped in the rebound off Giroux's shot past a sprawling Anti Niemi for a 3-3 tie. Despite the best efforts of both teams it stayed that way for the remainder of regulation and into OT. There it was Chicago who got off to the quick start but the Flyer's withstood the charge and then appeared to win it as Simon Gagne scored his first goal of the series with a wicked slap shot. Instead replays showed the puck never crossed the goal line. So played but only for another few moments before Briere and Matt Carle setup Giroux for the easy game winner. So Chicago's series lead is cut to 2-1 and the Flyer's fans can breath a sigh of relief until Friday anyway.
Thanks to a stupid roughing penalty by Dustin Byfuglien the Flyers were on the power play again to start the 2nd period but they couldn't take advantage and then Chicago surged right off the penalty kill and into the Flyer's zone where Duncan Keith took a shot that deflected off Jeff Carter and in for the 1-1 tie. 7 minutes later the Orange and Black got their 3rd power play and made the most of it with Scott Hartnell slapping one in, that required video review to be counted. The two teams played on for almost 2 minutes before a stoppage finally allowed officials to review the goal, kind of an odd circumstance but the Flyers will take it. The Flyers had a few golden opportunities after that to go up 3-1 but they couldn't take advantage. Somehow or other there ended up being a faceoff in the Flyers' zone which Chicago won for about the first time all period long and Brent Sopel slapped in right off the faceoff past a surprised Leighton. So the game went into the 3rd tied at 2.
Just 2 and a half minutes into the 3rd the Flyers turned it over in the Chicago zone leading to a breakaway for Patrick Zane who ripped a wrister past a helpless Leighton for a 3-2 Chicago lead, causing the Wachovia center to fall silent for about a minute. I'll admit I even thought it was over, but Ville Leino who helped cause the breakaway had other ideas. Less than a minute later he rumbled into the Chicago zone, fed Claude Giroux a beautiful pass and slapped in the rebound off Giroux's shot past a sprawling Anti Niemi for a 3-3 tie. Despite the best efforts of both teams it stayed that way for the remainder of regulation and into OT. There it was Chicago who got off to the quick start but the Flyer's withstood the charge and then appeared to win it as Simon Gagne scored his first goal of the series with a wicked slap shot. Instead replays showed the puck never crossed the goal line. So played but only for another few moments before Briere and Matt Carle setup Giroux for the easy game winner. So Chicago's series lead is cut to 2-1 and the Flyer's fans can breath a sigh of relief until Friday anyway.
PHILLIES NEWS
When they desperately needed him to Kyle Kendrick had a superb afternoon, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 4 in 7 good innings. Unfortunately the Phils wasted his tremendous effort with another below average day at the plate. In 8 innings Derek Lowe struck them out 7 times while allowing just 1 run on 6 hits, an RBI single by Jayson Werth, pretty important considering how much he's been struggling. So Kendrick was struck with the no decision and the game went into the 8th tied at 1.
There Jose Contreras was brought in perhaps for a rare 2 innings outing but it didn't work out. With 2 out he allowed an RBI single by Omar Infante and then was removed in favor of J.C Romero. Romero finished off the 8th and kept Atlanta scoreless the rest of the way but it didn't matter. The Phils were not able to score in the 9th as the ex-Phil Billy Wagner put them away. So Brave complete a sweep of the Phils and move to 2.5 games up in the NL East. The Phils will now head home to host the NL West leading San Diego Padres for the weekend. Hopefully the home crowd will help them get out of there funk.
There Jose Contreras was brought in perhaps for a rare 2 innings outing but it didn't work out. With 2 out he allowed an RBI single by Omar Infante and then was removed in favor of J.C Romero. Romero finished off the 8th and kept Atlanta scoreless the rest of the way but it didn't matter. The Phils were not able to score in the 9th as the ex-Phil Billy Wagner put them away. So Brave complete a sweep of the Phils and move to 2.5 games up in the NL East. The Phils will now head home to host the NL West leading San Diego Padres for the weekend. Hopefully the home crowd will help them get out of there funk.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Another night another less than desirable outcome for the Phils as they fell to Atlanta 7-3. Yes the lineup the struggled again but it was more than just that. First Cole Hamels allowed 3 runs on 2 hits in just 2/3rds of an inning before a torrential down pour halted the game for an hour and 40 minutes. Hamels could maybe have continued but Charlie Manuel decided not to chance it leaving the bullpen to pitch 7 and 1/3rd innings while allowing a further 4 runs and using up everyone except Brad Lidge who obviously wasn't available after pitching on Monday. That means other than Lidge no one else is really available to come out of the pen tomorrow unless absolutely necessary. So the good Kyle Kendrick, you know the one that only allows a couple of runs and goes deep into the game, better show up tomorrow.
Second, the defense struggled again with another 2 errors, by Juan Castro, and shockingly Jayson Werth, that led to runs. Otherwise the Phils might have been within striking distance when they loaded the bases with 2 out in the 9th for Ryan Howard and he could have just slapped a game tying single or a bases clearing go ahead double. Instead the Phils were down 7-3 at the time and Ryan was forced to swing for the fences so as to forge a tie, causing him to get off balance and rollover into a game ending ground out.
Finally, the lineup did struggle again but there were some positives. They manage to score 3 runs for the 2nd night in a row which is a big step in then right direction. Ryan Howard slammed a 2 run homer in the 6th, the Phils first homer in 68 innings. Hopefully that will awaken the Phils power bats. The Phils did rack up 10 hits, their highest total in quite some time, and everyone in the lineup hit safely except Shane Victorino and Juan Castro. Werth, Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, and all had a hit each which could be a huge sign that they're beginning to come out of the slump. Wilson Valdez and Carlos Ruiz each collected 2 hits tonight and continue to be the catalysts for this offense as they work to right themselves. They are clearly headed back in the right direction finally and it can't be too much longer until they are totally out of it. It is however, going to take continued hard work and perseverance for that to happen. So let's keep at it boys. I still believe. Go Phils!
Second, the defense struggled again with another 2 errors, by Juan Castro, and shockingly Jayson Werth, that led to runs. Otherwise the Phils might have been within striking distance when they loaded the bases with 2 out in the 9th for Ryan Howard and he could have just slapped a game tying single or a bases clearing go ahead double. Instead the Phils were down 7-3 at the time and Ryan was forced to swing for the fences so as to forge a tie, causing him to get off balance and rollover into a game ending ground out.
Finally, the lineup did struggle again but there were some positives. They manage to score 3 runs for the 2nd night in a row which is a big step in then right direction. Ryan Howard slammed a 2 run homer in the 6th, the Phils first homer in 68 innings. Hopefully that will awaken the Phils power bats. The Phils did rack up 10 hits, their highest total in quite some time, and everyone in the lineup hit safely except Shane Victorino and Juan Castro. Werth, Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, and all had a hit each which could be a huge sign that they're beginning to come out of the slump. Wilson Valdez and Carlos Ruiz each collected 2 hits tonight and continue to be the catalysts for this offense as they work to right themselves. They are clearly headed back in the right direction finally and it can't be too much longer until they are totally out of it. It is however, going to take continued hard work and perseverance for that to happen. So let's keep at it boys. I still believe. Go Phils!
EAGLES NEWS
After missing most of the last 3 seasons with injuries Marlon Jackson seemed healthy this off season as the Birds signed him to a contract. Going into mini camp earlier this month he was inserted as the starter at free safety with the rookie and heir apparent Nate Allen backing him up. Unfortunately another injury has taken a season from him. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon during practice today and is likely out for the season. When the Eagles picked him up most thought he would probably end up getting hurt again and they were right. There's no way to know how much better the Birds would have been at safety this season with Jackson so losing him is not big blow. It might turn out to be pretty important though as it means that Allen, the Birds future at free safety, is now likely to be their present. Hopefully he's up for the task. If not former draft pick Quintin Demps will have another opportunity to prove himself to be something more than the injury prone bust he's been so far.
Monday, May 31, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers took the ice for game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals tonight as they looked to even the playing field and steal away the home advantage from Chicago. Unlike game 1 this was more of a defensive tilt with both teams holding their own and remiaining scoreless through much of the 1st period. One bad half hour just before the 2nd permission was all it took for another Stanley Cup final game to slip away from the Orange and Black. With about 3 minutes left in the period Chicago threw a puck on net that Leighton stopped easily and then Lukas Krajicek should have been able to clear it away but it slapped it in the wrong direction right at Marian Hossa who deposited it past Leighton for a 1-0 lead.
Less than 30 minutes later the Flyers turned the puck over just outside their zone and ex- Flyer Ben Eager rumbled back into the zone with it and fired a wicked wrister high to Leighton's glove side. Leighton was just a hare late reacting to it as it wizzed by and into the net for a 2-0 lead. All hope seemed lost for the Flyers at that point but as usual they did not give up. They came out firing in the 3rd period and pretty much took over the game the remainder of the night. Unfortunately it turned out to be a little bit too late. Simon Gagne did score a power play goal 5 minutes into the period to cut it to 2-1 but that was it. Despite all their momentum and a plethora of great chances the rest of the way the Orange and Black couldn't push across the equalizer and eventually succumbed 2-1.
So the Flyers are 2-0 down in the series and you would love to say that's it's over and they can't come back. However, after rallying from 3-0 down in the conference semis it is clear nothing is impossible for this team. So don't give up them just yet. They simply have to protect the home ice and they'll be right back in the series. As hot as a Chicago has been it would be interesting to see how they would react if they were to suddenly drop 2 in a row and find themselves in a 2-2 series. Let's do it boys!
Less than 30 minutes later the Flyers turned the puck over just outside their zone and ex- Flyer Ben Eager rumbled back into the zone with it and fired a wicked wrister high to Leighton's glove side. Leighton was just a hare late reacting to it as it wizzed by and into the net for a 2-0 lead. All hope seemed lost for the Flyers at that point but as usual they did not give up. They came out firing in the 3rd period and pretty much took over the game the remainder of the night. Unfortunately it turned out to be a little bit too late. Simon Gagne did score a power play goal 5 minutes into the period to cut it to 2-1 but that was it. Despite all their momentum and a plethora of great chances the rest of the way the Orange and Black couldn't push across the equalizer and eventually succumbed 2-1.
So the Flyers are 2-0 down in the series and you would love to say that's it's over and they can't come back. However, after rallying from 3-0 down in the conference semis it is clear nothing is impossible for this team. So don't give up them just yet. They simply have to protect the home ice and they'll be right back in the series. As hot as a Chicago has been it would be interesting to see how they would react if they were to suddenly drop 2 in a row and find themselves in a 2-2 series. Let's do it boys!
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils traveled to Atlanta this afternoon to begin a 3 game set with Braves. Coming into the afternoon the Braves trailed the Phils in the NL East by only .5 games. So with an Atlanta win the Phils would fall out of first for just the 2nd time all season. This usually the time when this team responds by playing their best and fending off the challenge, but with their recent struggles you couldn't really expect that today. Indeed, rather than playing their best the Phils actually played arguably their worst game of the season in more ways than 1.
Defensively Ross Gload and Ryan Howard each committed errors that led to runs. Pitching wise Joe Blanton was hurt by the errors and rocked for 6 runs on 8 hits in just 6 innings. Later Chad Durbin ruined the Phils last chance to comeback in this one, by serving up a 3 run homer. Brad Lidge was the lone bright spot with a scoreless 8th inning, which hopefully means he's healthy and ready to rock again. Finally the lineup struggled yet again but not as much as they had. 4 straight 2 out doubles by Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz, Wilson Valdez, Ben Francisco , at least allowed them to put up 3 runs. So if nothing the bottom of the Phils order can hit again now and maybe that will inspire the top of half the lineup to get it in gear.
Ant any rate while the Phils were struggling Atlanta racked up 9 runs and Tommy Hanson tossed 6 scoreless innings en route to an easy 9 -3 Braves win. So the Phils drop to 28-22 overall and out of the 1st place in NL East. Hopefully they won't be out of first for long.
Defensively Ross Gload and Ryan Howard each committed errors that led to runs. Pitching wise Joe Blanton was hurt by the errors and rocked for 6 runs on 8 hits in just 6 innings. Later Chad Durbin ruined the Phils last chance to comeback in this one, by serving up a 3 run homer. Brad Lidge was the lone bright spot with a scoreless 8th inning, which hopefully means he's healthy and ready to rock again. Finally the lineup struggled yet again but not as much as they had. 4 straight 2 out doubles by Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz, Wilson Valdez, Ben Francisco , at least allowed them to put up 3 runs. So if nothing the bottom of the Phils order can hit again now and maybe that will inspire the top of half the lineup to get it in gear.
Ant any rate while the Phils were struggling Atlanta racked up 9 runs and Tommy Hanson tossed 6 scoreless innings en route to an easy 9 -3 Braves win. So the Phils drop to 28-22 overall and out of the 1st place in NL East. Hopefully they won't be out of first for long.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Fresh off a perfect Saturday night the Phils looked to finish off a sweep of the Marlins this afternoon. The ageless one, Jamie Moyer did everything he could to make that happen allowing just 1 run on 4 hits in 6 strong innings. Unfortunately the Phils could give him no support. They had runners in scoring position in the 1st and 3rd innings but came up empty both times. In the 1st Jayson Werth struck out with runners on first and second, to end the threat. In the 3rd Wilson Valdez struck out, Chase Utley grounded out and Werth struck out again to strand Shane Victorino after a leadoff double. So despite his valiant effort Moyer left after the 6th with the Phils behind 1-0.
David Herndon took it from there tossing a couple scoreless innings to finish the day for the Phils pitching staff. Meanwhile the Phils had a runners at the corners in the 8th inning with 2 out for Werth and he struck out again, this time looking, to end threat. They didn't threaten in the 9th and Florida walked off having salvaged a 1-0 win. It is the 5th time in the last 8 games that the Phils have been shutout and I don't know what to say about it. At least in their last few games they were racking up hits, with about 7 per game. Today they had just 4, 3 off of starter Anibal Sanchez who on any other day might have been tagged for a few runs. I still believe the Phils will get out of this eventually. They are just too good not to. I just hope it isn't too late when they do.
David Herndon took it from there tossing a couple scoreless innings to finish the day for the Phils pitching staff. Meanwhile the Phils had a runners at the corners in the 8th inning with 2 out for Werth and he struck out again, this time looking, to end threat. They didn't threaten in the 9th and Florida walked off having salvaged a 1-0 win. It is the 5th time in the last 8 games that the Phils have been shutout and I don't know what to say about it. At least in their last few games they were racking up hits, with about 7 per game. Today they had just 4, 3 off of starter Anibal Sanchez who on any other day might have been tagged for a few runs. I still believe the Phils will get out of this eventually. They are just too good not to. I just hope it isn't too late when they do.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Perfection. That's what was on display for the Phils and Roy Halladay tonight. As the man widely considered the best pitcher in baseball it has come to be expected that Halladay will pitch a gem every time he takes the mound, but this so much than that. It was clinic in every sense of the word. Never has a pitcher in a Phillies uniform been in more command of his pitches than Halladay was tonight. You could have tied the smallest of strings into knot, placed it over the outside corner of the plate and he would have hit it. The Marlins never new what hit them and really had no chance against him. They spent pretty much the whole night guessing what he was going to throw next and failing miserably.
The Phils didn't do much better against Josh Johnson. Sure they managed 7 hits, but only a misplayed fly ball by Cameron Maybin averted another shutout, as Wilson Valdez scored from 1st and Chase Utley wound up on 3rd on the error. The Marlins weren't so lucky. 27 of them came to plate against Halladay and 27 were retired. Juan Castro, playing at 3rd in place of Placido Polanco, gloved the final out, spun, and threw to first to complete the 20th perfect game in MLB history and 2nd in Phillies history after Jim Bunning on father's day in 1964. Yep that's what went on in Miami tonight. Perfection.
The Phils didn't do much better against Josh Johnson. Sure they managed 7 hits, but only a misplayed fly ball by Cameron Maybin averted another shutout, as Wilson Valdez scored from 1st and Chase Utley wound up on 3rd on the error. The Marlins weren't so lucky. 27 of them came to plate against Halladay and 27 were retired. Juan Castro, playing at 3rd in place of Placido Polanco, gloved the final out, spun, and threw to first to complete the 20th perfect game in MLB history and 2nd in Phillies history after Jim Bunning on father's day in 1964. Yep that's what went on in Miami tonight. Perfection.
FLYERS NEWS
The night all Flyers' fans have been waiting for finally came tonight as the Puck was dropped for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and what a game it was. Thanks to a complete lack of goaltending and defense on both sides the two teams combined for a near record 11 goals. Neither team was ever really able to find their footing defensively. At the same time neither team was ever really able to string enough positive plays together to truly take control of the game. Sure it made for an exciting night with a goal seemingly every 5 minutes but it's probably not the way either team envisioned the night going and not the way either team woud like the series to continue. If nothing else though the game did prove one thing. The Flyers can play with these Chicago Blackhawks.
Anyway early on the Flyers struck first blood with Ville Leino scoring off an assist from Danny Briere 6 minutes into the contest. Just a minute later Troy Brouwer tied it at 1. 4 minutes after that Dave Bolland broke away shorthanded, after Braydon Coburn lost it at the blueline, and scored on a helpless Micheal Leighton for a 2-1 lead. 5 minutes later Scott Hartnell scored the Flyers only power play tally of the night to knot it up at 2, off another Briere assist. A few minutes later in the final seconds of the period Briere finally scored himself to put the Orange and Black up 3-2. A little over a minute into the 3rd ex-Flyer Patrick Sharp tied it up again at 3. About 6 minutes later after Chicago lost the puck in their own zone, Blair Betts rumbled in and fired one by Anti Niemi for a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately it would be the Flyer's last lead of the night. A couple minutes later Kris Versteeg tied it up at 4.
6 minutes after that Brouwer scored again for a 5-4 Hawks' lead. A few minutes later Aaron Asham grabbed another Blackhawk turnover and scored to knot it up at 5. Incredibly it was 8 minutes into the 3rd period before anyone scored again. By then Brian Boucher had replaced Leighton in net and he was totally fooled by Thomas Kopecky for a 6-5 Blackhawk lead. From there the Flyers had a couple of good chances to tie it up again but they could not as Chicago finally tightened up a bit defensively, just enough to hang on for the 6-5 win. So the Flyers trail in the finals 1-0 but it's only 1 game and now that it is clear we can score against the Hawks, we simply have to tighten up defensively and the cup is ours.
Anyway early on the Flyers struck first blood with Ville Leino scoring off an assist from Danny Briere 6 minutes into the contest. Just a minute later Troy Brouwer tied it at 1. 4 minutes after that Dave Bolland broke away shorthanded, after Braydon Coburn lost it at the blueline, and scored on a helpless Micheal Leighton for a 2-1 lead. 5 minutes later Scott Hartnell scored the Flyers only power play tally of the night to knot it up at 2, off another Briere assist. A few minutes later in the final seconds of the period Briere finally scored himself to put the Orange and Black up 3-2. A little over a minute into the 3rd ex-Flyer Patrick Sharp tied it up again at 3. About 6 minutes later after Chicago lost the puck in their own zone, Blair Betts rumbled in and fired one by Anti Niemi for a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately it would be the Flyer's last lead of the night. A couple minutes later Kris Versteeg tied it up at 4.
6 minutes after that Brouwer scored again for a 5-4 Hawks' lead. A few minutes later Aaron Asham grabbed another Blackhawk turnover and scored to knot it up at 5. Incredibly it was 8 minutes into the 3rd period before anyone scored again. By then Brian Boucher had replaced Leighton in net and he was totally fooled by Thomas Kopecky for a 6-5 Blackhawk lead. From there the Flyers had a couple of good chances to tie it up again but they could not as Chicago finally tightened up a bit defensively, just enough to hang on for the 6-5 win. So the Flyers trail in the finals 1-0 but it's only 1 game and now that it is clear we can score against the Hawks, we simply have to tighten up defensively and the cup is ours.
Friday, May 28, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Its over. It's finally over. After 3 excruciating nights in New York and another 3 innings in Florida tonight the Phils finally scored a run when Raul Ibanez ,of all people, slapped an RBI triple in the 4th inning. At the time all it did was the cut the Marlins lead to 2-1 but it fell like so much more. The Phils weren't finished either. In the 5th, Chase Utley walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Ryan Howard. In the 7th the Phils executed a double steal, with Shane Victorino stealing 3rd and Wilson Valdez stealing 2nd. Then Utley hit a sharp grounder to deep second, allowing Victorino to score for a 3-2 lead, the Phils first lead who knows how long.
It was thanks to Kyle Kendrick's 6 strong innings while allowing 0 earned runs, 2 unearned on his own throwing error in the 3rd, that Phils were able to take that lead. After 3 more scoreless innins out of the Phils bullpen that lead turned into an important 3-2 win, ending the Phils 5 game losing streak. It didn't come easily though. Chad Durbin and Danys Baez had a pretty easy of time of it in the 7th and 8th, but the Fish really gave Jose Contreras a run of it in the 9th. He managed to strike out Hanley Ramirez to start inning, but Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla followed with singles to put 2 on with one out. First Cody Ross had a chance to drive them in but Contreras froze him on a splitter for out number 2. Then ex-Phil Ronnie Paulino got his chance but Contreras got him to pop up to Victorino for the final out. So Jose got his 3rd save, the Phils got their 27th win and the City of Philadelphia got to breath a huge sigh of relief.
It was thanks to Kyle Kendrick's 6 strong innings while allowing 0 earned runs, 2 unearned on his own throwing error in the 3rd, that Phils were able to take that lead. After 3 more scoreless innins out of the Phils bullpen that lead turned into an important 3-2 win, ending the Phils 5 game losing streak. It didn't come easily though. Chad Durbin and Danys Baez had a pretty easy of time of it in the 7th and 8th, but the Fish really gave Jose Contreras a run of it in the 9th. He managed to strike out Hanley Ramirez to start inning, but Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla followed with singles to put 2 on with one out. First Cody Ross had a chance to drive them in but Contreras froze him on a splitter for out number 2. Then ex-Phil Ronnie Paulino got his chance but Contreras got him to pop up to Victorino for the final out. So Jose got his 3rd save, the Phils got their 27th win and the City of Philadelphia got to breath a huge sigh of relief.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
This was it. This is the game that will be remembered later this season if the Phils go on to more greatness. This is game that will be remembered years from now the next time it happens. Yes it happened. For the 3rd night in the row the Phils failed to score a run and thus completed their series with the Mets without having scored a single run. If he were still alive, his whiteness, Richie Ashburn, would have something like 'You've got to be kidding me', like he did the last time this happened to the Wheeze Kids back in 1983. Of course that team went on to the world series. So there's still hope for this year's group. After all it wasn't the Met's great pitching that caused this, but rather the Phils beating themselves and a plethora of bad luck. It just seems like everything they hit hard these days winds up in someone's glove instead of going for a hit.
The funny thing is that much of these offensive struggles for the Phils have come at the expense of some great pitching performances. On this it was Cole Hamels who did everything in his power to avert a sweep. He went 6 and 1/3rd innings allowing just 3 runs on 9 hits while striking out 3. His line actually should have been even better but again bad luck intervened in the 6th inning. First Placido Polanco booted a potential inning ending double play ball. Then Cole sawed off Jose Reyes but could only watch as a double, that literally stayed fair only because Reyes broke his bat, looped into right for 2 runs. That coupled with an RBI double in the 1st inning by Jason Bay was all the Mets needed to scratch out a 3-0 win.
After suffering their 4th shutout in their last 5 games the Phils are going to have to completely erase everything that has happened this past week and move on. They just can't afford to dwell on all they head down to Florida for the weekend for a meeting with Marlins. The Phils scoreless streak needs to end there or they're going to be in big trouble. For right now at 26- 20 overall they remain in 1st place, 1.5 games up on the Atlanta Braves and if nothing else they can at least feel good about that.
The funny thing is that much of these offensive struggles for the Phils have come at the expense of some great pitching performances. On this it was Cole Hamels who did everything in his power to avert a sweep. He went 6 and 1/3rd innings allowing just 3 runs on 9 hits while striking out 3. His line actually should have been even better but again bad luck intervened in the 6th inning. First Placido Polanco booted a potential inning ending double play ball. Then Cole sawed off Jose Reyes but could only watch as a double, that literally stayed fair only because Reyes broke his bat, looped into right for 2 runs. That coupled with an RBI double in the 1st inning by Jason Bay was all the Mets needed to scratch out a 3-0 win.
After suffering their 4th shutout in their last 5 games the Phils are going to have to completely erase everything that has happened this past week and move on. They just can't afford to dwell on all they head down to Florida for the weekend for a meeting with Marlins. The Phils scoreless streak needs to end there or they're going to be in big trouble. For right now at 26- 20 overall they remain in 1st place, 1.5 games up on the Atlanta Braves and if nothing else they can at least feel good about that.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils recent struggles at the plate continued for another night. They racked up 7 hits and again had runner's in scoring position a few times but were never able to cash in. Hikenori Takahashi who went 6 scoreless, combined with Jenry Meija, Ryota Igarashi, and Fernando Nieve to handle the Phils their 3rd shutout in their last 4 games. That's first time that has happened to the Phils since 1990 and for a lineup that boasts the talent they do it is a bit embarrassing. However, it is also not all that surprising. The 3 shutouts came against 2 knuckleballers, and lefthander Takahashi, both pitching types against which the current Phils lineup has been historically unsuccessful. Also the lineup hasn't quite been solidly in place since Jimmy Rollins went back on the DL. Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, and Carlos Ruiz have all been in and out the lineup lately and Carlos is apparently experiencing shoulder pain again.
The Phils starting pitching which had been rolling along as of late, as dipped a bit in these few games as well. Joe Blanton had a little trouble with is command in this one, as he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits in just 5 and 1/3rd innings, basically his worst outing of the season thus far. Fortunately, the bullpen, really the only bright spot at the moment, picked him up with 2 and 2/3rd's scoreless innings. More than good enough to keep the Phils in it, but they just couldn't figure out a way to score so it didn't matter anyway. Still that is at least something to build on and with everything this team has done over the past 3 years it is hard to believe that this isn't just another slump they can get out of with a little renewed focus and effort. Considering they haven't been swept in this series thus far this season and Mike Pelfrey, whom the Phils bludgeoned into submission the last time they faced him, will take the mound for the Mets , tomorrow could well be the day the Phils start to get out of this. Otherwise their 2.5 game lead in the NL East won't last much longer.
The Phils starting pitching which had been rolling along as of late, as dipped a bit in these few games as well. Joe Blanton had a little trouble with is command in this one, as he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits in just 5 and 1/3rd innings, basically his worst outing of the season thus far. Fortunately, the bullpen, really the only bright spot at the moment, picked him up with 2 and 2/3rd's scoreless innings. More than good enough to keep the Phils in it, but they just couldn't figure out a way to score so it didn't matter anyway. Still that is at least something to build on and with everything this team has done over the past 3 years it is hard to believe that this isn't just another slump they can get out of with a little renewed focus and effort. Considering they haven't been swept in this series thus far this season and Mike Pelfrey, whom the Phils bludgeoned into submission the last time they faced him, will take the mound for the Mets , tomorrow could well be the day the Phils start to get out of this. Otherwise their 2.5 game lead in the NL East won't last much longer.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils' lineup has really been struggling as of late. Tonight against the Mets in NY, was unfortunately no exception. Facing a knuckleballer, R.A Dickey, for the 2nd game in a row the Phils again could not get off the mat. They racked up 9 hits, 7 off Dickey, and had runner's in scoring position multiple times, but went just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and could not push across any runs. In all Dickey tossed 6 scoreless innings while striking out 7 and Raul Valdez went the final 3 innings scoreless while striking out 3, to hand the Phils their 2nd shutout in their last 3 games. Offensively things just can't any worse for the Phils.
Pitching wise things seem to be okay though. Jamie Moyer went another solid 5 innings allowing just 4 runs on 7 hits. David Herndon was solid in the next 2 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits. Finally ,Nelson Figueroa, who hadn't pitched in quite a while, got roughed up a bit allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in the 9th to make the final score 8-0. Really though it wasn't that lopsided of a game the Phils just had some bad luck and could easily have scored 7 or 8 runs themselves with a little more timely hitting. It was just another one of those nights to forget where nothing went their way. In fact I don't even want to think about it anymore so I'll stop here. Let's get them tomorrow boys.
Pitching wise things seem to be okay though. Jamie Moyer went another solid 5 innings allowing just 4 runs on 7 hits. David Herndon was solid in the next 2 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits. Finally ,Nelson Figueroa, who hadn't pitched in quite a while, got roughed up a bit allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in the 9th to make the final score 8-0. Really though it wasn't that lopsided of a game the Phils just had some bad luck and could easily have scored 7 or 8 runs themselves with a little more timely hitting. It was just another one of those nights to forget where nothing went their way. In fact I don't even want to think about it anymore so I'll stop here. Let's get them tomorrow boys.
Monday, May 24, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
It was a night to remember for the Orange and Black on this Monday. 13 years ago the Flyers made their last trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and now they're finally back. It wasn't easy though. Having already comeback from 3-1 and 3-2 down to win their two previous series and riding a 6-0 record this postseason in elimination games, the Habs weren't bothered by the 3-1 deficit they brought into tonight and they gave the Orange and Black all they could handle. In fact Montreal claimed the early 1-0 lead just 59 seconds into the 1st period. Only a few minutes later the Habs got a power play and a golden opportunity to extend their lead to 2-0. They couldn't take advantage though.
Instead Mike Richards cleared the puck down the ice, chased it over the blue line, collided with Jaroslav Halak, somehow maintained control of the puck as he fell to the ice and got himself up in time to slap it into the now empty net for the 1-1 tie. It was without doubt one of the most electrifying one man efforts you'll ever see and it ignited the Orange and Black. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period Aaron Asham scored for a 2-1 lead. A minute later Jeff Carter registered his 1st goal since returning from the DL, to push the lead to 3-1. Thanks to Micheal Leighton and the superb defense and penalty killing in front of him it looked like that would be enough. Then Scott Gomez scored early in the 3rd to cut it to 3-2 and suddenly things were interesting again
From there on out Montreal desperately threw everything they had at Leighton to get that equalizing score, but he didn't budge, saving 25 of the 27 shots he faced. Try as they might Montreal just couldn't get it by him. Finally with less than 30 seconds to play, another stellar Richard' s effort led to an empty netter by Carter for a 4-2 lead and that about sealed the deal at last as the Orange and Black skated away with the 4-2 win and the Eastern conference title. All the members of the team are to be commended for their efforts thus far in this postseason. Never have I season a Flyer's team play with more heart than this one and never has it been more satisfying to watch them win. Here's hoping there's still 4 more satisfying nights to go.
Instead Mike Richards cleared the puck down the ice, chased it over the blue line, collided with Jaroslav Halak, somehow maintained control of the puck as he fell to the ice and got himself up in time to slap it into the now empty net for the 1-1 tie. It was without doubt one of the most electrifying one man efforts you'll ever see and it ignited the Orange and Black. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period Aaron Asham scored for a 2-1 lead. A minute later Jeff Carter registered his 1st goal since returning from the DL, to push the lead to 3-1. Thanks to Micheal Leighton and the superb defense and penalty killing in front of him it looked like that would be enough. Then Scott Gomez scored early in the 3rd to cut it to 3-2 and suddenly things were interesting again
From there on out Montreal desperately threw everything they had at Leighton to get that equalizing score, but he didn't budge, saving 25 of the 27 shots he faced. Try as they might Montreal just couldn't get it by him. Finally with less than 30 seconds to play, another stellar Richard' s effort led to an empty netter by Carter for a 4-2 lead and that about sealed the deal at last as the Orange and Black skated away with the 4-2 win and the Eastern conference title. All the members of the team are to be commended for their efforts thus far in this postseason. Never have I season a Flyer's team play with more heart than this one and never has it been more satisfying to watch them win. Here's hoping there's still 4 more satisfying nights to go.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
After registering just 1 hit last night the Phils were glad to face anyone other than Dice K as they took the field today in the rubber match of their series with Red Sox. Unfortunately, the man they got to face today was knuckle baller Tim Wakefield and he like Dice K was on his game. They hit a lot of balls hard just like last night, but a hard hit 65 mph knuckle ball is like a popped up 95 mph heater. Thus, there were a lot of long loud outs for the Phils as they scuffled through another 8 scoreless innings. Meanwhile Roy Halladay got roughed for pretty much the first time this season, allowing 7 runs on 8 hits in just 5 and 2/3rd's innings. It wasn't all his fault as the Phils committed two major blunders in the field contributing to 3 of the 7 runs, but it also wasn't Hallday's best night either. He allowed a homerun and walked 2 batters while only striking out 1, giving him more walks than strikeouts in game for the first time all season.
Ultimately though, I wouldn't blame Roy as much as the defense. If not for those errors the Phils might have actually had a chance in this one. In fact they did rally for 3 runs in the 9th, on Raul Ibanez' s RBI double and Ross Gload's 2 run homer, but it was too little too late. Maybe if those errors had not occured and Gload's homer had cut the lead to 5-3 instead of 8-3 then they would have been able to continue the rally long enough to win, but instead Shane Victorino popped up to end the disappointing 8-3 loss. Now this game might have given you reason to panic but I am still not tworried. The Phils have never been great in interleague play. The past 2 seasons combined they had just 2 wins in interleague play and yet they still advanced back to the world series. Why should this season be any different. Moreover, the Red Sox have historically had Halladay's number. In his career Roy is just 14-15 with a 4,40 ERA against the Red Sox so what happened today is nothing new. That said, the Phils are currently 26-17 overall and remain 3.5 games up in the NL East.
Ultimately though, I wouldn't blame Roy as much as the defense. If not for those errors the Phils might have actually had a chance in this one. In fact they did rally for 3 runs in the 9th, on Raul Ibanez' s RBI double and Ross Gload's 2 run homer, but it was too little too late. Maybe if those errors had not occured and Gload's homer had cut the lead to 5-3 instead of 8-3 then they would have been able to continue the rally long enough to win, but instead Shane Victorino popped up to end the disappointing 8-3 loss. Now this game might have given you reason to panic but I am still not tworried. The Phils have never been great in interleague play. The past 2 seasons combined they had just 2 wins in interleague play and yet they still advanced back to the world series. Why should this season be any different. Moreover, the Red Sox have historically had Halladay's number. In his career Roy is just 14-15 with a 4,40 ERA against the Red Sox so what happened today is nothing new. That said, the Phils are currently 26-17 overall and remain 3.5 games up in the NL East.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Orange and Black got demolished in game 3 of the Eastern conference finals so aided by the returns of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere to the lineup, they came into game 4 this afternoon determined not to let that happen again. For Peter Laviolette improving from one game to the next usually means toughening up defensively. Boy did they do that today. From beginning to end they smothered the Habs, holding them to just 17 shots on goal. In the 2nd period alone Montreal had just 1 shot on goal. In the 3rd period when you would figure the Habs to be desperate and come out firing they still could only get 9 shots on goal. When they did get anything through the Flyer's defense Micheal Leighton was there to stop it every time as he recorded his 3rd shutout of the series. As defense goes it just doesn't get any better than what the Flyers did today. If they can play D like that for the remainder of playoffs they might just sip from Lord Stanley's Cup, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still another game to win in this series.
As tough as they have been this postseason it's hard to see Montreal having much will left for game 5 of this series but who knows. The Orange and Black will just have to be sure to continue this effort and sit back like Boston in the last round. Anyway back to this game in case you were wondering about the Flyers scoring in this one, it went through the defense also. First Kimmo Timonen hit Claude Giroux as he rumbled into the zone and around the Montreal defense before beating Jaroslav Halak to his left for a 1-0 lead. 10 minutes later Chris Pronger found Ville Leino in about the same position and he too beat Halak to left before crashing into the net for a 2-0 lead. Finally late in the 3rd Giroux scored again on the Habs emtpy net to finish off the 3-0 win. So the Orange and Black are totally healthy now and one game from the finals. I don't think there is a much better position to be in. Go Flyers!
As tough as they have been this postseason it's hard to see Montreal having much will left for game 5 of this series but who knows. The Orange and Black will just have to be sure to continue this effort and sit back like Boston in the last round. Anyway back to this game in case you were wondering about the Flyers scoring in this one, it went through the defense also. First Kimmo Timonen hit Claude Giroux as he rumbled into the zone and around the Montreal defense before beating Jaroslav Halak to his left for a 1-0 lead. 10 minutes later Chris Pronger found Ville Leino in about the same position and he too beat Halak to left before crashing into the net for a 2-0 lead. Finally late in the 3rd Giroux scored again on the Habs emtpy net to finish off the 3-0 win. So the Orange and Black are totally healthy now and one game from the finals. I don't think there is a much better position to be in. Go Flyers!
PHILLIES NEWS
Good pitching always beats good hitting. That was the case tonight between the Red Sox and the Phillies. Daisuke Matsuzaka cooked up a good one for the Sox taking a no hitter into the 8th inning. Then Juan Castro blooped a single, the Phils only hit of the night, to break it up. Still Matzusaka managed to finish off the 8th to complete his day with 8 scoreless innings on just that one hit, while striking out 5. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick reverted back his bad form again allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in just 4 and 2/3rd's innings. After that the Phils bullpen pitched a solid 4 and 1/3rd scoreless to finish the night but it didn't matter. Dice K matched them all the way and did not allow the Phils to mount any rallies, before Dan Bard finished things in the 9th for the 5-0 Red Sox win.
Although the Phils only had 1 hit on the night, they did draw 4 walks and runners in scoring position a couple times, so you can't say they didn't try. They hit a lot of balls hard but they just happened to find a Red Sox every time. There's really nothing the Phils could have done about that. Sometimes it just isn't your night. Regardless of the loss, the Phils are still 26-16 overall and 3.5 games up in the NL East. As long they win tomorrow they'll still win the series and that's really all that matters. Well, that and getting Jimmy Rollins healthy again as he returned to the DL today for another two weeks or perhaps less. Here's hoping for less because the more of JRoll the Phils have the less of these games there will be.
Although the Phils only had 1 hit on the night, they did draw 4 walks and runners in scoring position a couple times, so you can't say they didn't try. They hit a lot of balls hard but they just happened to find a Red Sox every time. There's really nothing the Phils could have done about that. Sometimes it just isn't your night. Regardless of the loss, the Phils are still 26-16 overall and 3.5 games up in the NL East. As long they win tomorrow they'll still win the series and that's really all that matters. Well, that and getting Jimmy Rollins healthy again as he returned to the DL today for another two weeks or perhaps less. Here's hoping for less because the more of JRoll the Phils have the less of these games there will be.
Friday, May 21, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils began inter league play today with the start of weekend set against the Boston Red Sox. Boston has had rough season thus far and tonight the Phils took advantage of all of Boston's problems. John Lackey, with his ERA over 5, has been a bust as free agent pickup for the Sox this season and the Phils rocked him for 4 runs on 6 hits in just 5 innings. The Red Sox bullpen has not been great this season either, even Jonathan Papelbon has even ERA over 3, and the Phils beat up on them for another run and 3 hits. Finally the Red Sox lineup this season has been hampered by injuries and age and tonight they struggled again thanks to Cole Hamels who went 7 innings while allowing 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 8. They nearly rallied to tie it in the 9th, as David Ortiz hit a long drive to center with the bases loaded, but where that drive would have been a game tying grand slam even 2 seasons ago, it was little more than a long loud final out that died on the warning track in this one.
So the Phils hung on for the 5-1 win. The run came on a leadoff solo shot in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th by Ryan Howard, a 2 run upper deck bomb in the 5th by Jayson Werth and an RBI single in the 4th by Shane Victorino. David Herndon pitched a gem of a scoreless 8th inning, but it was Danys Baez and J.C Romero who nearly combined to blow it in the 9th. Baez got the first out but then allowed the next 2 batters to reach base, leading Charlie to replace him with Romero. Romero retired the first batter he faced also but then plunked Adrian Beltre to load the bases for pinch hitter, who fortunately flied out to end it. Ultimately it was positive night for the Phils, well except for one play. After singling with one out in the bottom of the 6th, Jimmy Rollings pulled up lame again, apparently re-injuring his calf, and had to be replaced by pinch runner Raul Castro. He is now day to day with a mild calf strain. Hopefully he won't too much more time but who knows. Anway at this point the Phils are 26-15 overall, 4.5 games up in the NL East.
So the Phils hung on for the 5-1 win. The run came on a leadoff solo shot in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th by Ryan Howard, a 2 run upper deck bomb in the 5th by Jayson Werth and an RBI single in the 4th by Shane Victorino. David Herndon pitched a gem of a scoreless 8th inning, but it was Danys Baez and J.C Romero who nearly combined to blow it in the 9th. Baez got the first out but then allowed the next 2 batters to reach base, leading Charlie to replace him with Romero. Romero retired the first batter he faced also but then plunked Adrian Beltre to load the bases for pinch hitter, who fortunately flied out to end it. Ultimately it was positive night for the Phils, well except for one play. After singling with one out in the bottom of the 6th, Jimmy Rollings pulled up lame again, apparently re-injuring his calf, and had to be replaced by pinch runner Raul Castro. He is now day to day with a mild calf strain. Hopefully he won't too much more time but who knows. Anway at this point the Phils are 26-15 overall, 4.5 games up in the NL East.
SIXERS NEWS
It's official former Sixer's all star, Doug Collins, has been named the team's new head coach. He has had mixed results in his coaching career thus far which spans from being Micheal Jordan's first coach with the Bulls to being the Washington Wizards last coach before Eddie Jordan. One thing is clear though. He is a disciplinarian who preaches defense, which is the perfect persona for a team trying to bring along some young players. The Sixers appeared undisciplined and disinterested for much of last season. That should happen again this year under Collins. He's really the guy the Sixer's wanted last season before they settled with Eddie Jordan for one year. They actually gave Collins a 4 year contract so clearly they intend to use him more as a driving force to turn around the franchise than they ever did with Jordan. Personally I like Doug Collins and I always thought he got a raw deal in Washington. After all it wasn't until his last season that they finally gave him some talent to work with. For my money it was Collins who turned that team around not Jordan. Eddie just managed not to screw up too much what Collins had built in taking the team to the playoffs 3 of the next 4 years or so.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils met the Cubs this afternoon to finish off their brief series as the Phils looked to end their recent losing skid. Joe Blanton got the start and pitched well allowing just 3 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings. His one mistake came in the 7th inning when Derek Lee took him deep. Other than that he was solid around. The Phils meanwhile finally managed to scratch together some runs. Chase Utley slammed a solo shot in the 1st inning, and Jimmy Rollins lined out a 3 run homer, his first homer since returning from the DL, in the 6th inning. Together they had the Phils up 4-1 early on. Then Blanton gave a couple back in the 7th to cut the lead to 4-3.
Then in the 8th Kosuke Fukudome drove a game tying solo homer into the seats off Antonio Bastardo and suddenly the Phils were in danger of a 3rd straight loss. Enter Raul Ibanez. After the homer Danys Baez bailed out Bastardo and got out of the inning with the score still tied at 4. Then in the bottom of the 8th with 2 on and 2 out Ibanez doubled to score Chase Utley for a 5-4 lead. Finally in the 9th, after allowing 2 on and nobody out, Jose Contreras retired the side to preserve the 5-4 Phils win. It wasn't a perfect night for the Phils by any stretch but they'll take it. As of now they are 25-15 overall and back to 4 games up in the NL East. Not too shabby if you ask me.
Then in the 8th Kosuke Fukudome drove a game tying solo homer into the seats off Antonio Bastardo and suddenly the Phils were in danger of a 3rd straight loss. Enter Raul Ibanez. After the homer Danys Baez bailed out Bastardo and got out of the inning with the score still tied at 4. Then in the bottom of the 8th with 2 on and 2 out Ibanez doubled to score Chase Utley for a 5-4 lead. Finally in the 9th, after allowing 2 on and nobody out, Jose Contreras retired the side to preserve the 5-4 Phils win. It wasn't a perfect night for the Phils by any stretch but they'll take it. As of now they are 25-15 overall and back to 4 games up in the NL East. Not too shabby if you ask me.
FLYERS NEWS
Coming into tonight the Flyers were looking for their 7th straight win of this postseason and Micheal Leighton's 3rd straight shutout. Unfortunately they seemed to run out of gas in this one as they compiled their worst effort of the postseason thus far. It was just total domination by the Habs. They were more desperate of the two teams and they acted like it. They had the normally rock solid Flyer's defense on its heels all night, racking up 38 shots on goal and 5 scores. The Orange and Black also helped out Montreal's cause by committing 6 penalties while Montreal committed just 3 penalties but probably should have been called for more.
Whatever the reason for their poor play the Flyers were never really in this one. Just 10 minutes into the contest Montreal was already leading 2-0 and they never looked back. It was 4-0 by the time the Orange and Black finally got on the board mid 3rd period with Simon Gagne scoring again. It was too little too late as Montreal later added a power play goal en route to a 5-1 win. Still the Flyers continue to lead the series 2 games to 1 and there's no need to panic just now. If they lose game 4 then you can panic.
Whatever the reason for their poor play the Flyers were never really in this one. Just 10 minutes into the contest Montreal was already leading 2-0 and they never looked back. It was 4-0 by the time the Orange and Black finally got on the board mid 3rd period with Simon Gagne scoring again. It was too little too late as Montreal later added a power play goal en route to a 5-1 win. Still the Flyers continue to lead the series 2 games to 1 and there's no need to panic just now. If they lose game 4 then you can panic.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
After managing just 1 run on 6 hits last night, the Phils were looking to turn things around tonight against the Chicago Cubs. Unfortunately, it was just more of the same futility as they managed just 1 run on 5 hits. Once again they could have had more but after Placido Polanco scored their 1st run on a fielder's choice in the 8th inning, Jayson Werth was robbed of a game tying single by Chicago's rookie sensation SS Starlin Castro. The Phils then put 2 on with 1 out in the 9th, but Ross Gload and Shane Victorino each struck out to finish a disappointing 4-1 loss.
Like last night the loss came at the expense of another great performance by a Phils' starter. This time it was Jamie Moyer allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings only to take the loss. To add insult to injury both runs Moyer allowed came on balls that deflected off the glove of Polanco. An inch or to the left he would have had them and perhaps the Phils win this one 1-0. It just wasn't the Phils night tonight but now that it is warm out again they should be able to turn it on again tomorrow. For now they drop to 24-15 overall but remain 3 games up in the NL East.
Like last night the loss came at the expense of another great performance by a Phils' starter. This time it was Jamie Moyer allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings only to take the loss. To add insult to injury both runs Moyer allowed came on balls that deflected off the glove of Polanco. An inch or to the left he would have had them and perhaps the Phils win this one 1-0. It just wasn't the Phils night tonight but now that it is warm out again they should be able to turn it on again tomorrow. For now they drop to 24-15 overall but remain 3 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Coming into the Eastern conference finals Montreal's Jaroslav Halak was statistically the best goalie in the playoffs. That's probably not the case anymore. No, after Micheal Leighton recorded his 2nd straight shutout tonight you could probably call him the best goalie in the playoffs at this point. Montreal put two more shots on goal tonight than they had in game 1 but the results were no different. Leighton saved them all again and appeared unfazed in doing so. It's always nice to have a goalie at this point in the playoffs who feels at home on the ice.
While Leighton shut down the Habs the Orange and Black continued to treat Halak rudely. They got traffic in front of him over and over again as in game 1 and it worked for another 3 goals. Four minutes into the 1st period Danny Briere scored on the power play for a 1-0 lead. With about 5 minutes to play in the 2nd period Simon Gagne lit the lamp, again on the power play, for a 2-0 lead. Finally, about midway through the 3rd period Ville Leino scored through traffic for a 3-0 lead. Thanks to Leighton as mentioned that's how it ended. So the Flyers now lead the Eastern conference finals 2-0 as the series shifts to Montreal for the next 2 games. Hopefully they'll keep it up.
While Leighton shut down the Habs the Orange and Black continued to treat Halak rudely. They got traffic in front of him over and over again as in game 1 and it worked for another 3 goals. Four minutes into the 1st period Danny Briere scored on the power play for a 1-0 lead. With about 5 minutes to play in the 2nd period Simon Gagne lit the lamp, again on the power play, for a 2-0 lead. Finally, about midway through the 3rd period Ville Leino scored through traffic for a 3-0 lead. Thanks to Leighton as mentioned that's how it ended. So the Flyers now lead the Eastern conference finals 2-0 as the series shifts to Montreal for the next 2 games. Hopefully they'll keep it up.
PHILLIES NEWS
Cold, wet, and dreary, that's a perfect description of the condition at the Bank last night. That's also good description of the Phils lineup last night. Just one day after racking up 12 runs on 13 hits, the Phils were reduced just 1 run on 6 hits in this one. They could have had more but Jayson Werth was thrown out trying to score from 2nd in the 5th inning, when he probably should have been held up, and Ben Francisco grounded out with the bases loaded in the 6th inning. The Phils lone run came just before Werth was thrown out, as Ryan Howard scored on Raul Castro's single.
Perhaps if Werth had been held up the Phils would have put up a few more runs in that 5th inning and we would talking about a win right now instead of a loss. At any rate thank's to the Phils futility a brilliant effort by Roy Halladay ,on his own bobblehead night, was wasted. He pitched a complete game while allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 6. It is just too bad the Phils couldn't give him any support as they drop to 24-14 overall but remain 4 games up in the NL East. Tomorrow is another day and there was nothing in this loss to suggest that reign a top the division will end at any time soon so Let's go Phils!
Perhaps if Werth had been held up the Phils would have put up a few more runs in that 5th inning and we would talking about a win right now instead of a loss. At any rate thank's to the Phils futility a brilliant effort by Roy Halladay ,on his own bobblehead night, was wasted. He pitched a complete game while allowing just 2 runs on 9 hits and striking out 6. It is just too bad the Phils couldn't give him any support as they drop to 24-14 overall but remain 4 games up in the NL East. Tomorrow is another day and there was nothing in this loss to suggest that reign a top the division will end at any time soon so Let's go Phils!
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers got a huge break tonight at the NBA draft lottery when they were given the 2nd pick in the draft. That means they can take Ohio State star Evan Turner who is a possible future NBA superstar in the making. He is exactly what the Sixers need at shooting guard, someone who can score and play defense, and with him in the fold the Sixers would be just a big man away from turning themselves into contenders in the Eastern conference again. I just hope they don't something stupid and trade their pick.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles signed undrafted rookie defensive tackle Boo Robinson to a three-year contract today. He played his college ball at Wake Forest where he amassed 12.5 sacks and 145 tackles over 4 seasons. I am not sure how he'll help the Eagles though.
Monday, May 17, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a short series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz each returned to the lineup tonight while Chase Utley got the day off. With Shane Victorino still red hot and in the leadoff spot that made for an interesting night as JRoll jumped down to the #3 hole in place of Utley. It didn't faze him or the team at all though. Kyle Kendrick tossed 8 superb innings, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits. Meanwhile the Phils racked up another 12 runs on 13 hits to blast past the Pirates. In the 1st JRoll plated a run with a fielder's choice. In the 3rd Ryan Howard slapped a 2 run single and Werth crushed a 3 run homer. In the 6th, Raul Ibanez singled and scored on an error. In the 7th JRoll doubled and scored on a Werth double. Finally in the 8th Ryan Howard tatooed a grand slam to cement a 12-2 Phils lead.
From there Antonio Bastardo put Pittsburgh out of its misery with a 1-2-3 9th to secur the 12-2 Phils win. All in all it as a great night for Kyle Kendrick with his 8 strong innings. It was also a successful return for JRoll with 2 hits and 2 runs scored and Ruiz with a hit and a run scored. It's great to have them both back ad it seems almost as if they never left. With Florida losing tonight, the Phils at 24-13 overall, now claim a 5 game lead in the NL East and show no signs of looking back any time soon. They don't need to because it is all straight ahead for the Phils right now and I am just enjoying it
From there Antonio Bastardo put Pittsburgh out of its misery with a 1-2-3 9th to secur the 12-2 Phils win. All in all it as a great night for Kyle Kendrick with his 8 strong innings. It was also a successful return for JRoll with 2 hits and 2 runs scored and Ruiz with a hit and a run scored. It's great to have them both back ad it seems almost as if they never left. With Florida losing tonight, the Phils at 24-13 overall, now claim a 5 game lead in the NL East and show no signs of looking back any time soon. They don't need to because it is all straight ahead for the Phils right now and I am just enjoying it
Sunday, May 16, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Canadiens met at the Wachovia center tonight to begin arguably the most improbable Eastern conference final series in history. On this night it would be the Orange and Black making history with a shockingly lopsided game 1 victory. 3:35 into the contest Braydon Coburn gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead off the power play, for his first ever playoff goal. The two teams tightened up defensively after that and it stayed 1-0 heading into the 2nd period. Have owned the 2nd period so far this postseason and tonight was no exception. Just 30 seconds into the period James Van Reimsdyk jammed one in to make 2-0. 4 minutes later and just after the Orange and Black's 2nd power play came to an end, Danny Briere wired one through traffic and into the back of net for a 3-0 lead. Five minutes later on their 3rd power play of the night, Simon Gagne drove to the net and slapped one in through traffic for a 4-0 lead.
That spelled the end of the night for Jaroslav Halak who came into the night as the best goaltender in the playoffs thus far. Instead, Carey Price took his place for the rest of the night but he had no better luck against the surging Flyers. Halfway through the 3rd Scott Hartnell wired another one in through traffic for a 5-0 lead. A minute later Claude Giroux authored a beautiful give and go off an odd man rush and put away a 6th score for the Orange and Black. That finally halted the Flyer's assault as they were content to coast the rest of the way and watch Micheal Leighton finish off his first playoff shutout with 28 saves. It really was a perfect night for the Orange and Black. They really couldn't have played any better. On other hand Montreal couldn't have played any worse and you can't expect them to play that poorly again in game 2, especially not Halak. So the Flyers will have to continue to bring the intensity to the ice that they brought tonight if they are to win this series and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. That's a long way off though. Right now they just need to focus on game 2.
That spelled the end of the night for Jaroslav Halak who came into the night as the best goaltender in the playoffs thus far. Instead, Carey Price took his place for the rest of the night but he had no better luck against the surging Flyers. Halfway through the 3rd Scott Hartnell wired another one in through traffic for a 5-0 lead. A minute later Claude Giroux authored a beautiful give and go off an odd man rush and put away a 6th score for the Orange and Black. That finally halted the Flyer's assault as they were content to coast the rest of the way and watch Micheal Leighton finish off his first playoff shutout with 28 saves. It really was a perfect night for the Orange and Black. They really couldn't have played any better. On other hand Montreal couldn't have played any worse and you can't expect them to play that poorly again in game 2, especially not Halak. So the Flyers will have to continue to bring the intensity to the ice that they brought tonight if they are to win this series and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. That's a long way off though. Right now they just need to focus on game 2.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils finished up their series with the Brewers tonight. Cole Hamels got the start and was solid allowing just 2 runs, both on solo homers, and 6 hits over 6 and 2/3rd innings of work. Milwaukee probably should have had more than those 2 runs but for whatever reason they just can't hit at home this season. The Phils took advantage of the Brew Crew's futility to jump out to an early 3-0 lead scoring a run in each of the 1st 3 innings. In the 1st Shane Victorino singled, stole second, moved to 3rd on an error, and finally scored on a double by Placido Polanco. In the 2nd Hamels himself slapped a 1 out RBI double. Finally in the 3rd, Wilson Valdez smacked a ground rule double to score Jayson Werth from 2nd.
So the Phils took a 3-2 lead into the 7th inning. Cole and Chad Durbin combined to get through that inning with the lead intact. Then a 2 out strikeout and wild pitch allowed the Phils to steal a run and a 4-2 lead in the 8th. Danys Baez came into pitch the 8th and promptly allowed back to back singles to start the inning. Just when it looked like the Phils were in trouble their defense stepped up big time. First Chase Utley and Wilson Valdez teamed up for a spectacular double play. Then Valdez back handed from deep short and gunned down Corey Hart to finish the inning. From there J.C Romero was solid in a scoreless 9th to finish the night and the series sweep of the Brewers. The Phils are now 10 games over .500 at 23-13 overall and 4 games up in the NL East, and this all while they still await the return of J.A Happ to the rotation and Jimmy Rollins to the lineup. Imagine how good they could be when those two are back and healthy
So the Phils took a 3-2 lead into the 7th inning. Cole and Chad Durbin combined to get through that inning with the lead intact. Then a 2 out strikeout and wild pitch allowed the Phils to steal a run and a 4-2 lead in the 8th. Danys Baez came into pitch the 8th and promptly allowed back to back singles to start the inning. Just when it looked like the Phils were in trouble their defense stepped up big time. First Chase Utley and Wilson Valdez teamed up for a spectacular double play. Then Valdez back handed from deep short and gunned down Corey Hart to finish the inning. From there J.C Romero was solid in a scoreless 9th to finish the night and the series sweep of the Brewers. The Phils are now 10 games over .500 at 23-13 overall and 4 games up in the NL East, and this all while they still await the return of J.A Happ to the rotation and Jimmy Rollins to the lineup. Imagine how good they could be when those two are back and healthy
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