The Phils played much better tonight than they had been but it still wasn't good enough. They tightened up defensively and Joe Blanton was pretty good, holding the Cards to just 2 runs through 7 innings. Then Charlie tried to get him through the 8th inning but it wasn't to be as he allowed 3 runs in the 8th before being replaced by J.C Romero who combined with Jose Contreras to finish the inning. The three runs made it 5-1 St. Louis and all but sealed the Phils fate on this night.
Ryan Howard crushed a solo shot back in the 5th to tie things up at 1, at the time. Unfortunately that homer turned out to be the Phils only score in this one. The Phils had base runners in the 6th and 7th innings but came up empty each time. Most notably with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 7th Charlie Manuel elected to have Blanton bat so he could stay in the game, and he promptly grounded out to end the inning. The Phils never really had another chance to score after that before collecting their 4th straight loss, 5-1 to the Cardinals. Luckily for the Phils Atlanta and New York both lost again tonight so the Phils did not lose any ground in the division or wild card playoff races. Still, they've got to pick it up again and soon or it won't be worth it to look at either of the NL playoff races, because they'll be completely out of it.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have signed Darroll Powe to a one year $750,000 deal. Aside from bringing immense depth to the Orange and Black, Powe will likely fill in for Blair Betts in the beginning of the season as Betts continues to rehab his shoulder again.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have signed C Tony Battie to a contract. Battie was previously the starting center for the Boston Celtics and a backup for the Orlando Magic when they were Eastern conference champions a couple seasons ago. As a Celtic he was the rare two way center, who could score and defend well. These days his defense remains top notch but his scoring has dropped off. So for the most part he has been relegated to the bench as a veteran defensive replacement. For the Phils he'll provide the defense and leadership off the bench the Sixers have missed since they let Theo Ratliff walk after the 2008 season.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The bad times kept rolling on for the Phils tonight. It took just 1 inning for another Phil to go on the DL as Jamie Moyer strained his elbow after just an inning of work. That left recent call up Andrew Carpenter to replace Moyer and he was no match for the mighty Cardinal lineup. He did hang in there for at least 4 innings and he kept it close, limiting St. Louis to just 3 runs through those 4 innings, but it was a fruitless effort. Despite having runners in scoring position multiple times, the Phils did not score for Carpenter at all. Of course they had pretty decent excuse for not scoring tonight at least, with former CY Young award winner Chris Carpenter on the mound for St. Louis. Still, they should have been able to capitalize on at least one of there early scoring chances.
Anyway, Andrew was replaced by Danys Baez in the 5th and it was here that the game got away from the Phils. Baez served up a 3 run homer to Matt Holiday for a 6-0 Cardinal lead and the Phils never recovered from there. They finally got on the board in the 7th with Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino slapping back to back doubles, but Ryan Madson gave that run back in the 8th and the Phils eventually fell 7-1. It is their 3rd straight loss and 5th in their last 6 games so obviously change is needed and apparently the Phils are close to a series of trades to land a starting pitcher and trade Jayson Werth for prospects and the room to bring up Dominic Brown. We'll find out about it soon enough. As for Moyer he was placed on the DL indefinitely, but considering his injured was described as similar to the one that put J.A Happ on the DL, he'll probably be out for a while.
Anyway, Andrew was replaced by Danys Baez in the 5th and it was here that the game got away from the Phils. Baez served up a 3 run homer to Matt Holiday for a 6-0 Cardinal lead and the Phils never recovered from there. They finally got on the board in the 7th with Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino slapping back to back doubles, but Ryan Madson gave that run back in the 8th and the Phils eventually fell 7-1. It is their 3rd straight loss and 5th in their last 6 games so obviously change is needed and apparently the Phils are close to a series of trades to land a starting pitcher and trade Jayson Werth for prospects and the room to bring up Dominic Brown. We'll find out about it soon enough. As for Moyer he was placed on the DL indefinitely, but considering his injured was described as similar to the one that put J.A Happ on the DL, he'll probably be out for a while.
Monday, July 19, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Phils tonight. Early on the Phils actually jumped to a 3-0 lead with a 2 run double by Ryan Howard and an RBI single by Shane Victorino in the 1st. Later Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out RBI single in the 4th and miracle of miracles the Phils had 4 runs through 4 innings. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick pretty much cruised into the 5th, holding the St.Louis Cardinals to just 2 runs on 3 hits up to that time. Then after getting Brendan Ryan to start the 5th, he walked Felipe Lopez and the rookie John Jay crunched an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-3. From there the bottom just fell out for Kendrick. He just started laying pitches out over the plate and by the end of the inning St.Louis had taken advantage to the tune of homers by Albert Pujols, Allen Craig, and Skip Schumacher to move ahead 7-4.
Not long after that Randy Wynn crushed a solo shot to leadoff the 6th inning and push the lead to 8-4. That gave the Cards 4 homers in just 6 at bats from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 6th. Basically the Phils never really recovered from that onslaught. The Phils did have baserunners in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, but nothing ever came of it as they fell again 8-4. Sooner or later if the Phils are to do anything this season losses like these will have to become wins. At this point with their struggles in multiple facets of the game, I am not sure how the will be able to pull that off but they'll have to at one point or another.
Not long after that Randy Wynn crushed a solo shot to leadoff the 6th inning and push the lead to 8-4. That gave the Cards 4 homers in just 6 at bats from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 6th. Basically the Phils never really recovered from that onslaught. The Phils did have baserunners in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, but nothing ever came of it as they fell again 8-4. Sooner or later if the Phils are to do anything this season losses like these will have to become wins. At this point with their struggles in multiple facets of the game, I am not sure how the will be able to pull that off but they'll have to at one point or another.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers ended an era today as they traded Simon Gagne, the longest tenured Flyer, to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Walker and a 4th round draft pick in 2011. Gagne will be missed both for what he gave the Orange and Black on and off the ice. However he is in his 30s and was error prone that last few seasons. So in the end the Flyers must have felt it was too risky keeping him over Jeff Carter and I am not sure I blame them. At any rate since everyone knew the Flyers were going to be trading Gagne, they didn't rfhally much control over where to send him. They just had to the take the best available. For being the best they could do it wasn't a half bad traded. You can never have too many draft picks and Walker is a solid young defenseman with size and strength and with a righthanded shot he's a good fit for the Orange and Black. With him in tow the Flyers now have 8 defenseman which in NHL terms is considered a surplus. So there's a good chance there are still more deals to come for the Flyers this offseason.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Coming into tonight Roy Halladay was winless against the Cubs in two starts and he was really shellacked in both starts. It happened again tonight. For whatever reason Chicago just has his number and they took advantage in this one. In just 6 innings, a short outing for Roy, Chicago touched him up for 6 runs on 7 hits, including a pair of 2 run homers and couple of bad throws with 2 out in the 2nd. So the Phils found themselves in an early hole from which they were never able to dig out. They did put up a fight early on, manufacturing runs in the 5th and 7th innings to cut the lead to 4-2 and then 6 -3.
Unfortunately everything fell apart after Halladay left the game following 6th. Neither J.C Romero nor David Herndon could hold off the Cubs in the home half of the 7th as they tacked on another 5 runs on 5 hits to roll to an 11-3 lead. From there Greg Dobbs crushed a solo shot in the 8th and Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco each slammed solo homers in the 9th to pull the Phils back to within 11-6 but that was it. Brian Schneider flyed out and Dobbs struck out to end another disappointing loss to the Cubs. So after finishing the 1st half with a 4 game sweep of the NL Central leading Reds, the Phils drop 3 of 4 to the Cubs, 3rd in the central. That pretty much sums up the Phils(48-43) season up to this point. Better luck next series I guess.
Unfortunately everything fell apart after Halladay left the game following 6th. Neither J.C Romero nor David Herndon could hold off the Cubs in the home half of the 7th as they tacked on another 5 runs on 5 hits to roll to an 11-3 lead. From there Greg Dobbs crushed a solo shot in the 8th and Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco each slammed solo homers in the 9th to pull the Phils back to within 11-6 but that was it. Brian Schneider flyed out and Dobbs struck out to end another disappointing loss to the Cubs. So after finishing the 1st half with a 4 game sweep of the NL Central leading Reds, the Phils drop 3 of 4 to the Cubs, 3rd in the central. That pretty much sums up the Phils(48-43) season up to this point. Better luck next series I guess.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The good was Cole Hamels went another 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 8 hits while striking out 6. Unfortunately, the Phils didn't score for Hamels at all and he actually ended getting a no decision. Randy Wells, who came in just 4-7 on the season with an ERA over 4, somehow held the Phils scoreless through 7 despite allowing 7 hits. The Phils had runners in scoring position in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th innings and failed to cash in every time. Luckily, thanks to Hamels brilliant start and a perfect 8th inning from Chad Durbin that failure to launch if you will, did not come back to bite them.Instead, some more 9th inning magic was in order. Carlos Marmol was perfect for the Cubs yesterday, but not today. He got Greg Dobbs to fly out to start inning then walked Ross Gload and Brian Schneider before striking out Shane Victorino. He then had 2 strikes on Placido Polanco and was within reach of another, albeit imperfect, save.
In his first game back from the DL, Polanco reminded everyone of why the Phils had missed him so much, slapping a single through the hole to score Schneider with the tying run. Of course Schneider should have been out by a mile, but Geovanny Soto dropped the throw home and rally was on. An obviously rattled Marmol threw a wild pitch under Jimmy Rollin's legs to allow Gload to score for a 2-1 lead. Next he intentionally walked Ryan Howard to load the bases for Jayson Werth. Werth too was walked after a long bat and the Phils led 3-1. Finally, after a wild 5 walk outing Marmol was removed in favor of James Russell. Russell got Raul Ibanez to ground out to end the inning, except he failed to cover first to allow another run to score for a 4-1 lead. Finally Andrew Cashner replaced Russell and allowed Cody Ransom to crush a line drive up the middle that Starlin Castro made a spectacular diving play on to end the inning.
So it came down to Brad Lidge time in the bottom of the 9th. Lidge was almost made it as interesting as Marmol had before closing out win. He struck out Mike Fontenot, then made a lucky grab of a ball Castro hit right back at him and almost threw it away, but Ryan Howard managed to get down and grab it for the out. Next Kosuke Fukudome worked a walk to bring Ryan Theriot to the plate and put the tying run in the on deck circle. After another long at bat Lideg got Theriot to pop up but Ransom, not best infielder in the world, erroneously left it for Werth, who was out of position. Somehow Werth managed to stretch out and grab it at the last second, while tumbling over in front of a surprised Ransom. It wasn't a pretty inning or a pretty game for that matter but a win is a win. Speaking of luck the Mets and Braves both lost again tonight to move the Phils into 2nd in the NL East, within 4.5 games of 1st. Sometimes it's better to be luck than good.
In his first game back from the DL, Polanco reminded everyone of why the Phils had missed him so much, slapping a single through the hole to score Schneider with the tying run. Of course Schneider should have been out by a mile, but Geovanny Soto dropped the throw home and rally was on. An obviously rattled Marmol threw a wild pitch under Jimmy Rollin's legs to allow Gload to score for a 2-1 lead. Next he intentionally walked Ryan Howard to load the bases for Jayson Werth. Werth too was walked after a long bat and the Phils led 3-1. Finally, after a wild 5 walk outing Marmol was removed in favor of James Russell. Russell got Raul Ibanez to ground out to end the inning, except he failed to cover first to allow another run to score for a 4-1 lead. Finally Andrew Cashner replaced Russell and allowed Cody Ransom to crush a line drive up the middle that Starlin Castro made a spectacular diving play on to end the inning.
So it came down to Brad Lidge time in the bottom of the 9th. Lidge was almost made it as interesting as Marmol had before closing out win. He struck out Mike Fontenot, then made a lucky grab of a ball Castro hit right back at him and almost threw it away, but Ryan Howard managed to get down and grab it for the out. Next Kosuke Fukudome worked a walk to bring Ryan Theriot to the plate and put the tying run in the on deck circle. After another long at bat Lideg got Theriot to pop up but Ransom, not best infielder in the world, erroneously left it for Werth, who was out of position. Somehow Werth managed to stretch out and grab it at the last second, while tumbling over in front of a surprised Ransom. It wasn't a pretty inning or a pretty game for that matter but a win is a win. Speaking of luck the Mets and Braves both lost again tonight to move the Phils into 2nd in the NL East, within 4.5 games of 1st. Sometimes it's better to be luck than good.
Friday, July 16, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Once again the Phils had a lead this afternoon against the Cubs and once again they weren't able to make it hold up. This time Joe Blanton allowed just 1 run through 5 while Shane Victorino slammed a solo homer in the 4th and Ryan Howard launched another 2 run shot in the 6th to stake the Phils to a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th. There Blanton quickly got the 1st 2 outs and had 2 strikes on Aramis Ramirez but failed to put him away before allowing a 2 out double. That opened the door for ex-Phil Marlon Byrd to blast a 2 homer of his own and tie it up at 3. From there Blanton got out of a jam in the 7th, to finish his night having allowed just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 8 in 7 strong innings. It was probably his best outing of the season thus far and yet it went for naught thanks to the Phils lackluster offensive performance.
Anyway, Ryan Madson supplanted Blanton in the 8th and he too got the first 2 outs quickly and had 2 strikes on Ramirez before allowing a solo shot for a 4-3 Cubs' lead. That pretty much took the air out of the Phils' sails after that and in the 9th the always volatile Carlos Marmol struck them out in order to finish off another disappointing loss. If this Phils lineup can't get things figured out soon they won't be heading anywhere this season. It is just frustrating to watch the pitching perform so well all the time for nothing. Fortunately, Placido Polanco returns from the DL tomorrow and maybe he'll be able to jump start the Phils stagnant offense. God knows no one else has been able to for some time. For now anyway the Phils got a little lucky as both the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets lost tonight. So despite falling to 47-43 overall the Phils did not lose any ground in the NL East. If only they could figure out a way to start gaining ground.
Anyway, Ryan Madson supplanted Blanton in the 8th and he too got the first 2 outs quickly and had 2 strikes on Ramirez before allowing a solo shot for a 4-3 Cubs' lead. That pretty much took the air out of the Phils' sails after that and in the 9th the always volatile Carlos Marmol struck them out in order to finish off another disappointing loss. If this Phils lineup can't get things figured out soon they won't be heading anywhere this season. It is just frustrating to watch the pitching perform so well all the time for nothing. Fortunately, Placido Polanco returns from the DL tomorrow and maybe he'll be able to jump start the Phils stagnant offense. God knows no one else has been able to for some time. For now anyway the Phils got a little lucky as both the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets lost tonight. So despite falling to 47-43 overall the Phils did not lose any ground in the NL East. If only they could figure out a way to start gaining ground.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned from the All-Star break tonight as they hooked up with the Cubs in Chicago. Chad Durbin was activated from the DL yesterday so coming into tonight the Phils had their full slate of relievers all healthy for the first time all season. Unfortunately, at least for tonight it didn't really matter. Jamie Moyer got the start and looked a bit rusty, even only a couple of extra days off will do that to an old pitcher like the Moyer, and he payed for it. In just 3 innings he was touched up for 6 runs on 5 hits and the route was on. Still, the Phils already had 2 runs thanks to a 2 run blast from Ryan Howard and so only trailed by 4 following Moyer's last stand .
Initially the now healthy bullpen managed to help the Phils to hang in there for a while, down by just 4. Then in the 7th and 8th innings Jose Contreras and Danys Baez each got a bit unlucky and were hit around quite a bit. All told they combined to allow 6 runs on 6 hits and by the 9th Chicago had run up a massive 12-2 lead. To their credit the Phils did not go quietly. Back to back RBI singles by Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino and another 2 run blast from Howard cut the lead to 12-6 with 2 outs and gave the Phils fans scattered around the stadium, brief renewed hope for a win. Alas it wasn't to be as Jayson Werth popped up to end it. However, with the positive way the Phils finished this game, you have to like their chances in the rest of this series. For now though they drop to back 5.5 games out in the NL East and can only scratch their heads again .
Initially the now healthy bullpen managed to help the Phils to hang in there for a while, down by just 4. Then in the 7th and 8th innings Jose Contreras and Danys Baez each got a bit unlucky and were hit around quite a bit. All told they combined to allow 6 runs on 6 hits and by the 9th Chicago had run up a massive 12-2 lead. To their credit the Phils did not go quietly. Back to back RBI singles by Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino and another 2 run blast from Howard cut the lead to 12-6 with 2 outs and gave the Phils fans scattered around the stadium, brief renewed hope for a win. Alas it wasn't to be as Jayson Werth popped up to end it. However, with the positive way the Phils finished this game, you have to like their chances in the rest of this series. For now though they drop to back 5.5 games out in the NL East and can only scratch their heads again .
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers and Evan Turner have come to terms on a 2 year deal that will pay Turner about $8 million. He also gets an option for a 3rd year if all goes well at $4.4 million. So step in the Sixers rebuilding process is complete. Better late than never.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
At long last the NL defeated the AL 3-1 tonight to end a 13 game losing streak in the All-Star game and give themselves home field for the world series, for the first time since the 'this time it counts' thing started. Before tonight the NL last won in 1996 right here at the since imploded Vet. Funny how now that we finally have a nice new stadium we can't even sniff an All-Star game. Anyway back to the game, in the year of the pitcher, the NL won with what else, pitching. 9 NL pitchers, including Roy Halladay for 2/3rds of inning, combined to hold the AL to just 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 8. Meanwhile, Brian McCann provided the big blow with what turned out to be the game winning bases clearing double in the 7th inning, and he copped the MVP award. For his part as the starting DH, Ryan Howard went 0 for 2 with a strikeout. So the Braves who lead the NL East, now have the all-star game MVP as well. Kinda makes you think maybe it's their year. On other hand back in 1964 the Phils produced the All-Star game MVP as well and they too had the lead, not in division, it didn't exist then, but in the NL itself. Eventually as everyone knows by now they blew it all in September. Perhaps Atlanta will do the same.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers signed Dan Carcillo to a 1 year 1.075 million deal today, avoiding arbitration. This likely means both Daroll Powe and Aaron Asham won't be back next season and obviously someone is going to be traded. I just wonder who it will be. As for Dan Carcillo, he showed last season that he can be handy with his fists and provide a nice scoring touch when on the right line. There's nothing wrong with having a guy like that on your hockey team, at least for another year anyway.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles and 5th round pick, Florida WR Riley Cooper agreed to a 4 year deal today. He is the 13th of the Phils 15 draft picks to sign. Only top picks, Nate Allen and Brandon Graham, remain unsigned. Cooper figures to be nothing more than a big red zone target for the Birds this season. He's likely to be too far down the depth chart to be much of anything else but you never know.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
In their last game before the all-star break the Phils looked to complete a remarkable 4 game sweep of the Reds. Cole Hamels was brilliant in blanking Cincinnati for 7 and 2/3rds innings on just 6 hits. He did a great job mixing up his pitches and left the Red's hitters guessing all day long. Even when they did guess right and put runners on base he remained unfazed, pitching out of not 1 but 2 tough jams. First the Reds had a man on 2nd with 2 out in the 3rd for Brandon Philips but Hamels eventually outlasted him after a long at bat. Later in the 4th Cincinnati loaded the bases with nobody out but again Hamels got out of it with a fielder's choice and a double play and the Reds were left to ponder what might have been.
Meanwhile the Phils had their own scoring troubles, as Jimmy Rollins ripped an RBI single the other way with 2 out in the 3rd inning to score Carlos Ruiz with the Phils only run of the afternoon. Ultimately it would be just enough for victory. Jose Contreras replaced Hamels in the 8th and pitched into and out of a jam. Then in the 9th J.C Romero and Brad Lidge combined for a scoreless and flawless inning to finish off the 1-0 win and the sweep. With that the Reds head into the all-star break having suffered 21 consecutive innings without scoring a run, while the Phils head into break on their 1st 4 game win streak in some time and perhaps turning a big corner in an otherwise tough season. At 47-40 overall and now just 4.5 games back in the NL East they're at least in decent shape heading into the break and still very much in the running for their 4th straight division title and more.
Meanwhile the Phils had their own scoring troubles, as Jimmy Rollins ripped an RBI single the other way with 2 out in the 3rd inning to score Carlos Ruiz with the Phils only run of the afternoon. Ultimately it would be just enough for victory. Jose Contreras replaced Hamels in the 8th and pitched into and out of a jam. Then in the 9th J.C Romero and Brad Lidge combined for a scoreless and flawless inning to finish off the 1-0 win and the sweep. With that the Reds head into the all-star break having suffered 21 consecutive innings without scoring a run, while the Phils head into break on their 1st 4 game win streak in some time and perhaps turning a big corner in an otherwise tough season. At 47-40 overall and now just 4.5 games back in the NL East they're at least in decent shape heading into the break and still very much in the running for their 4th straight division title and more.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Perfection, that's what the Phils were nearly witness to twice this season. Back in May the Phils were the recipient of a perfect game as Roy Halladay overwhelmed the Florida Marlins. Tonight Travis Wood, a rookie mind you, nearly made the Phils a victim of a perfect game, retiring the first 24 Phils to step to the plate. He just kept changing speeds and locations so well and threw all 4 of his pitches for strikes and when a guy you've never seen before pitches like that it's hard to do anything against him. Unfortunately for Wood, the Reds were equally inept against Halladay or rather Halladay was equally as effective as Wood. No he wasn't perfect, allowing 5 hits, but he was in total control all night, Blanking Cincinnati for 9 brilliant innings while striking out 9.
That left Wood perhaps needing to go 10 innings to finish off his perfecto and he couldn't handle thought of that, as Carlos Ruiz ripped a double to leadoff the home half of the 9th and break up the perfect game. Unfortunately Wilson Valdez failed to execute a bunt, instead popping out, and so when Raul Ibanez followed with a long flyout Ruiz only moved to 3rd and instead of scoring and then was ultimately stranded to send the Phils and Reds into extra innings for the 3rd night in a row. If Valdez had executed the bunt and Ruiz had scored then the Phils would actually won while collecting just 1 hit, instead they had to wait a little longer. After Brad Lidge suvived a bases loaded jam in the 10th, the Phils threatened again in the bottom of the inning but again stranded a runner.
Next Jose Contreras retired the Reds in order in the 11th, setting the stage for another 11th inning finish. First Carlos ripped another double, this time with 1 out. Then Ben Francisco was walked intentionally, Ross Gload was retired on a weak fly out, and finally Jimmy Rollins, who popped to end the 9th, got another chance to end the game. A couple pitches later JRoll pulled a single just inside the line in right to score Ruiz with winning run and complete perhaps the most improbable 1-0 win in franchise history. I mean how often do you win when a guy takes a perfect game into the 9th against you? All credit goes to Halladay for this one, the Phils 3rd straight walk off win in extra innings. Not surprisingly it's first time in franchise history they have ever put together such a streak and it couldn't have come at a better time.
That left Wood perhaps needing to go 10 innings to finish off his perfecto and he couldn't handle thought of that, as Carlos Ruiz ripped a double to leadoff the home half of the 9th and break up the perfect game. Unfortunately Wilson Valdez failed to execute a bunt, instead popping out, and so when Raul Ibanez followed with a long flyout Ruiz only moved to 3rd and instead of scoring and then was ultimately stranded to send the Phils and Reds into extra innings for the 3rd night in a row. If Valdez had executed the bunt and Ruiz had scored then the Phils would actually won while collecting just 1 hit, instead they had to wait a little longer. After Brad Lidge suvived a bases loaded jam in the 10th, the Phils threatened again in the bottom of the inning but again stranded a runner.
Next Jose Contreras retired the Reds in order in the 11th, setting the stage for another 11th inning finish. First Carlos ripped another double, this time with 1 out. Then Ben Francisco was walked intentionally, Ross Gload was retired on a weak fly out, and finally Jimmy Rollins, who popped to end the 9th, got another chance to end the game. A couple pitches later JRoll pulled a single just inside the line in right to score Ruiz with winning run and complete perhaps the most improbable 1-0 win in franchise history. I mean how often do you win when a guy takes a perfect game into the 9th against you? All credit goes to Halladay for this one, the Phils 3rd straight walk off win in extra innings. Not surprisingly it's first time in franchise history they have ever put together such a streak and it couldn't have come at a better time.
Friday, July 09, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Over the last 3 years the Phillies have proven that to be the best in your division and/or league and stay there you often need a miracle or two to help you along the way. It could be a rally from 7 games back in September, or a 2 run homer on the road in the most pivotal game of the NLCS by the oldest hitter on the team, or as was the case tonight a rally from 6 runs down in the 9th, but whatever it may be if it is going to be your year that miracle will come to you eventually. Thanks to their most recent miracle, tonight might be soon be remembered forever as the day that saved the Phils 2010 season.
Early on though it looked like it would be anything but a memorable night. Joe Blanton was touched up for 6 runs on 12 hits while striking out 7 in just 5 and 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile, the Phils could not solve the Reds stalwart rookie, Mike Leake, who allowed just 1 run on a sac fly in the 4th and 6 hits, while pitching into the 9th inning. Now normally it isn't a good idea to let a rookie try to close a game, even with, as it happened, a 7-1 lead. You would think after blowing out Mark Prior's arm in Chicago, Dusty Baker would know better than to risk a 9th inning with the kid out there, but fortunately for the Phils he did not.
Right from the start of the inning Leake was in trouble. Shane Victorino lead off with a double and scored on a 1 out single by Ryan Howard to cut the lead to 7-2. Jayson Werth followed with another single to put 2 runners on with 1 out for Greg Dobbs. If ever a guy was due to pop one it was Dobbs here. After a long at bat, a weary Leake laid one over the plate that Dobbs crushed off the foul pole in right field and suddenly it was a ball game again at 7-5. Finally at that point, Baker came to his senses and pulled Leake in favor of closer Francisco Cordero. Cordero got Brian Schneider to fly out for the 2nd out of the inning and it seemed that Cincinnati would find their way out of this game after all,but it was not be for visitors. Ben Francisco followed with a walk to bring pinch hitter, Cody Ransom, to the plate as the tying run. A few pitches later Ransom stunned the Reds and sent the crowd into a frenzy, crushing a high fastball for a game tying 2 run homer.
Next Jimmy Rollins worked a walk and suddenly Shane Victorino, who started this whole thing with the double, was in position to end it but Cordero got him to pop up and it was on to extra innings for the 2nd night in a row. This time the Phils wouldn't have to wait until the 12th. Ryan Madson, in his 2nd appearance since returning from the DL, was brilliant in the top of the 10th, retiring the heart of the Reds lineup in order. That set the stage for the Phils to end it in the home half of the 10th as the Reds sent the ex-Phil, Arthur Rhodes to the mound. First Raul Ibanez leadoff the inning by ripping a double down the line. Next up Ryan Howard. Rhodes did a good job staying away from Howard , but he didn't stay away enough. Howard crushed the 3rd pitch he saw, a slider away, just over the wall in the left field to cap off an incredible 9-7 victory. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!
Early on though it looked like it would be anything but a memorable night. Joe Blanton was touched up for 6 runs on 12 hits while striking out 7 in just 5 and 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile, the Phils could not solve the Reds stalwart rookie, Mike Leake, who allowed just 1 run on a sac fly in the 4th and 6 hits, while pitching into the 9th inning. Now normally it isn't a good idea to let a rookie try to close a game, even with, as it happened, a 7-1 lead. You would think after blowing out Mark Prior's arm in Chicago, Dusty Baker would know better than to risk a 9th inning with the kid out there, but fortunately for the Phils he did not.
Right from the start of the inning Leake was in trouble. Shane Victorino lead off with a double and scored on a 1 out single by Ryan Howard to cut the lead to 7-2. Jayson Werth followed with another single to put 2 runners on with 1 out for Greg Dobbs. If ever a guy was due to pop one it was Dobbs here. After a long at bat, a weary Leake laid one over the plate that Dobbs crushed off the foul pole in right field and suddenly it was a ball game again at 7-5. Finally at that point, Baker came to his senses and pulled Leake in favor of closer Francisco Cordero. Cordero got Brian Schneider to fly out for the 2nd out of the inning and it seemed that Cincinnati would find their way out of this game after all,but it was not be for visitors. Ben Francisco followed with a walk to bring pinch hitter, Cody Ransom, to the plate as the tying run. A few pitches later Ransom stunned the Reds and sent the crowd into a frenzy, crushing a high fastball for a game tying 2 run homer.
Next Jimmy Rollins worked a walk and suddenly Shane Victorino, who started this whole thing with the double, was in position to end it but Cordero got him to pop up and it was on to extra innings for the 2nd night in a row. This time the Phils wouldn't have to wait until the 12th. Ryan Madson, in his 2nd appearance since returning from the DL, was brilliant in the top of the 10th, retiring the heart of the Reds lineup in order. That set the stage for the Phils to end it in the home half of the 10th as the Reds sent the ex-Phil, Arthur Rhodes to the mound. First Raul Ibanez leadoff the inning by ripping a double down the line. Next up Ryan Howard. Rhodes did a good job staying away from Howard , but he didn't stay away enough. Howard crushed the 3rd pitch he saw, a slider away, just over the wall in the left field to cap off an incredible 9-7 victory. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their busy offseason today by signing right wing Nikolai Zherdev to a 1 year $2 million deal. Formerly the #4 pick in the NHL draft the Ukrainian born Zherdev last played in the NHL in 2008-2009, compiling 58 pts, including 23 goals, in 82 games for the New York Rangers. Last year he played in Russia after opting out of his contract with the Rangers. Zherdev is highly skilled offensive player but also very volatile personality which is why New York was willing to let him go back to Russia in the first place. So bringing him in is a risk for the Flyers, but for only a 2 mil, it's a small one and rewards his presence can bestow on the Flyers probably out weigh the risks. Anyway his 2 mil does put the Flyers over the cap which someone will have to leave to get them back under the cap and that most likely will be the longest tenured Flyer, Simon Gagne since he is apparently expendable and removing his 5 mil cap hit alone would put the Flyers back under the cap. We'll just have to wait and see what happens though.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers concluded play in the Orlando summer league today with a 85-56 loss to the Utah Jazz. Evan Turner had probably his best game as a Sixer thus far with 13 and 6 rebounds, while Ryan Brooks hit 5 of 9 from the floor for 12 points. However, Jrue Holiday and Mo Speights both sat out which really gave the Sixers no chance of winning. So the Sixers wound up with a 2-3 record in league play and Holiday was named to the all-league team for averaging close to 25 points a game.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils haven't had too many dramatic wins this season but tonight was one they had to have and they got it. Once again the offense wasn't great managing just 4 runs on 8 hits, but for one night at least, that was enough. Kyle Kendrick was great allowing just 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 4 in 6 and 2/3rds innings. For most pitchers on most teams that would have been enough for a win, but not for Kendrick. Instead he was left with a no decision as the Phils twice blew late leads. First, the Phils took the early 2-1 lead on a solo homer by Shane Victorino in the 1st inning, and an unearned run on an infield single and an error in the 3rd.
Just back from the DL, Ryan Madson was quickly thrown into the 8th and had a bit of a shaky outing ,but was this close to getting out of it unscathed. In fact, he struck out Brandon Phillips to end the inning but Brian Schneider couldn't keep the ball in front of him and Phillip reached base safely. Ryan Madson then tossed a wild pitch, allowing a run to score to tie it at 2. The Phils came right back in the bottom of the inning with Wilson Valdez tripling and scoring to put them back on top at 3-2. It looked like that lead would finally be enough for the Phils but with 2 out in the 9th, Miguel Cairo of all people, slapped an RBI double to tie it up at 3.
After that the Phils had golden opportunities in the 9th, 10th, and 11th, to push across the winning run but they came up short each time. Thanks to 3 brilliant scoreless innings out of Nelson Figueroa at that time the Reds didn't have much more luck ending the game either. Finally in the bottom of the 12th with 1 out Brian Schneider crushed a pitch hanging in the middle of the plate, deep to the right field and it was up, up, and gone for the huge 4-3 win. This is not to say the Phils have momentum now will get back on track but rather that they simply couldn't have afforded to lose this one and risk falling anymore then 6 games back. Anyway with the win they move to 44-40 overall and back to within 5,5 games of 1st in the NL East. Here's hoping the Phils are able to build on this most dramatic victory. God knows they have nothing else from which to find motivation
Just back from the DL, Ryan Madson was quickly thrown into the 8th and had a bit of a shaky outing ,but was this close to getting out of it unscathed. In fact, he struck out Brandon Phillips to end the inning but Brian Schneider couldn't keep the ball in front of him and Phillip reached base safely. Ryan Madson then tossed a wild pitch, allowing a run to score to tie it at 2. The Phils came right back in the bottom of the inning with Wilson Valdez tripling and scoring to put them back on top at 3-2. It looked like that lead would finally be enough for the Phils but with 2 out in the 9th, Miguel Cairo of all people, slapped an RBI double to tie it up at 3.
After that the Phils had golden opportunities in the 9th, 10th, and 11th, to push across the winning run but they came up short each time. Thanks to 3 brilliant scoreless innings out of Nelson Figueroa at that time the Reds didn't have much more luck ending the game either. Finally in the bottom of the 12th with 1 out Brian Schneider crushed a pitch hanging in the middle of the plate, deep to the right field and it was up, up, and gone for the huge 4-3 win. This is not to say the Phils have momentum now will get back on track but rather that they simply couldn't have afforded to lose this one and risk falling anymore then 6 games back. Anyway with the win they move to 44-40 overall and back to within 5,5 games of 1st in the NL East. Here's hoping the Phils are able to build on this most dramatic victory. God knows they have nothing else from which to find motivation
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers fell to 2-2 in summer league play with 77-76 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on a buzzer beater by Gerald Henderson. Jrue Holiday sat out with a hamstring strain while Jodie Meeks led all Sixer's scorers with 17. Once again Evan Turner struggled with just 4 points and 3 rebounds. He'll straighten out eventually.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
It was another close call for the Phils tonight and once again they were on the wrong side of it. Jamie Moyer pitched well through 5 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits. However, the Phils could only muster 3 runs of their own in that time, on an RBI double by Jimmy Rollins and a 2 run homer by Ryan Howard. So when Jamie succumbed to hot, muggy night in the 6th and quickly allowed 6 runs the Phils found themselves in a deep 7-3 hole. Perhaps Moyer could have been pulled earlier in the inning before the Phils fell that far behind, but he wasn't and the Phils were left to deal with that. They almost did.
Danys Baez finished the 6th, and Nelson Figueroa and Jose Contreras combined to keep Atlanta scoreless the rest of the night. So the Phils had an opening to mount a rally and steal this one and series from the Braves. First Shane Victorino slammed a solo homer to cut it to 7-4 in the 7th. Then with 2 out in the 8th 3 straight singles from Greg Dobbs, Ross Gload, and Ben Francisco plated another to cut it to 7-5. Unfortunately Gload and Francisco were stranded when Juan Castro popped up to end the inning. Later JRoll just missed a solo shot to leadoff the 9th, instead producing a long loud out number one. Victorino and Ibanez followed with strikeout to leave the Phils rally 2 run short and conclude a tough 7-5 loss.
With that the Phils drop to 6 games out in the NL East for the 1st time since Sept 2007 when they were in 2nd place behind the Mets. Then they put together a miracle September rally to win their 1st of 3 straight division titles. They''ll still have ample opportunity to put together that kind of magic again before the season is over but time is a wasting.
Danys Baez finished the 6th, and Nelson Figueroa and Jose Contreras combined to keep Atlanta scoreless the rest of the night. So the Phils had an opening to mount a rally and steal this one and series from the Braves. First Shane Victorino slammed a solo homer to cut it to 7-4 in the 7th. Then with 2 out in the 8th 3 straight singles from Greg Dobbs, Ross Gload, and Ben Francisco plated another to cut it to 7-5. Unfortunately Gload and Francisco were stranded when Juan Castro popped up to end the inning. Later JRoll just missed a solo shot to leadoff the 9th, instead producing a long loud out number one. Victorino and Ibanez followed with strikeout to leave the Phils rally 2 run short and conclude a tough 7-5 loss.
With that the Phils drop to 6 games out in the NL East for the 1st time since Sept 2007 when they were in 2nd place behind the Mets. Then they put together a miracle September rally to win their 1st of 3 straight division titles. They''ll still have ample opportunity to put together that kind of magic again before the season is over but time is a wasting.
SIXERS NEWS
Despite Jrue Holiday's best effort thus far the Sixers suffered their first loss in summer league play today, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 89-80. Holiday was outstanding with 25 and 5 assists. Unfortunately Evan Turner continued to struggle, compiling just 4 points and 8 rebounds before fouling out again. He'll come around eventually but again it is better that he's having these struggles now rather than during the regular season when it really matters.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils should probably be back within 3 games of the top spot in the NL East right now, but instead thanks to their continued lack of timely hitting they're back to 5 games out in the NL East. It's okay to let opportunities like that slip away when it's still this early in this season but they can't afford to keep doing so for too much longer otherwise they won't have too many more opportunities to make up ground. It didn't feel so much like Atlanta won tonight but rather like the Phils let them win. It really was their game to lose in the late innings and they just couldn't take advantage. That's somewhat understandable given all the players their missing, but it's still not good enough for a team fighting to win its division.
Cole Hamels got off to a rough start allowing a run on 2 hits in the first inning but he straighened out, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 8 through the next 6 innings. Meanwhile Raul Ibanez slugged a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st to lift the Phils ahead 2-1. Later after Atlanta had rallied ahead 3-2 Ryan Howard crushed a game tying RBI triple with nobody out in the 7th. Unfortunately he was stranded at 3rd. Just one hit, one ground out to the other side of the diamond or one sac fly would have scored him, but neither Jayson, nor Ben Francisco, nor Wilson Valdez could come up with anything. Jose Contreras, J.C Romero, and Brad Lidge combined from there to keep Atlanta scoreless through the 8th and 9th innings, so scoring Howard in the 7th would likely have given the Phils a 4-3 win.
Alas, they didn't score Howard and after stranding Juan Castro at 2nd in the 10th inning, Atlanta finally made the Phils pay for allowing them to hang around with a 3 run 11th inning. Billy Wagner closed his old team in the bottom of the inning and the Phils had themselves a disappointing 6-3 loss and once again a 5 game deficit in the NL East. There are better ways to spend a tuesday night.
Cole Hamels got off to a rough start allowing a run on 2 hits in the first inning but he straighened out, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 8 through the next 6 innings. Meanwhile Raul Ibanez slugged a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st to lift the Phils ahead 2-1. Later after Atlanta had rallied ahead 3-2 Ryan Howard crushed a game tying RBI triple with nobody out in the 7th. Unfortunately he was stranded at 3rd. Just one hit, one ground out to the other side of the diamond or one sac fly would have scored him, but neither Jayson, nor Ben Francisco, nor Wilson Valdez could come up with anything. Jose Contreras, J.C Romero, and Brad Lidge combined from there to keep Atlanta scoreless through the 8th and 9th innings, so scoring Howard in the 7th would likely have given the Phils a 4-3 win.
Alas, they didn't score Howard and after stranding Juan Castro at 2nd in the 10th inning, Atlanta finally made the Phils pay for allowing them to hang around with a 3 run 11th inning. Billy Wagner closed his old team in the bottom of the inning and the Phils had themselves a disappointing 6-3 loss and once again a 5 game deficit in the NL East. There are better ways to spend a tuesday night.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers improved to 2-0 in summer league play tonight with an 86-69 win over the Boston Celtics. Jodie Meeks led all Sixer scorers with 18, while Evan Turner added 13, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. He also continued to have his troubles with turnovers and fouls. Obviously he still has a lot to learn but at least he's learning it in summer league play instead of during the regular season.
Monday, July 05, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Despite having tossed 6 complete games this season Roy Halladay came into tonight, inexplicably, still looking for his 10th win of the season. Yes, even Halladay can't win consistently without a little run support. The run support wasn't much better for him tonight but it didn't matter. In one of his most dominating outings of the season, Halladay tossed his 7th complete game while holding the Atlanta Braves to just 1 run - Chipper Jones' solo homer in the 1st inning, on 5 hits, and striking out 7. He did so on just 93 pitches so it really was a thoroughly dominant performance. The Braves just weren't able to figure Halladay out on this night. He was a step ahead of them the whole way and good pitching always beats good hitting.
Anyway, despite Halladay's greatness the Phils still almost lost this one. They actually trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning. Then Greg Dobbs got his biggest hit of the season, smashing a 2 out 2 run homer off Derek Lowe for a 2-1 Phils lead. Later in the 8th inning after a botched attempt at a suicide squeeze, Jayson Werth wound up scoring from 2nd on a 2 out a single by Juan Castro, that got just through Jones. That gave the Phils a 3-1 lead and for Halladay that was enough to close it out. It's a big win for the Phils as they move to 43-38 overall and now within 4 games of 1st in the NL East. This was the 81st game or halfway point of the season for the Phils and believe it or not at 43-38 overall they have the same record this year that they had at this point last year and in 2008. So perhaps there's not so much to reason to worry about them after all. We shall see as this important series rolls on at the Bank
Anyway, despite Halladay's greatness the Phils still almost lost this one. They actually trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning. Then Greg Dobbs got his biggest hit of the season, smashing a 2 out 2 run homer off Derek Lowe for a 2-1 Phils lead. Later in the 8th inning after a botched attempt at a suicide squeeze, Jayson Werth wound up scoring from 2nd on a 2 out a single by Juan Castro, that got just through Jones. That gave the Phils a 3-1 lead and for Halladay that was enough to close it out. It's a big win for the Phils as they move to 43-38 overall and now within 4 games of 1st in the NL East. This was the 81st game or halfway point of the season for the Phils and believe it or not at 43-38 overall they have the same record this year that they had at this point last year and in 2008. So perhaps there's not so much to reason to worry about them after all. We shall see as this important series rolls on at the Bank
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers began summer league play tonight with a win over the Nets,84-74. Among their notable summer league player Jrue Holiday led the way with 23 and 8 assists. Evan Turner provided a solid 12 and 8 rebounds in his pro debut but fouled out which indicates his defense still needs some work. Mo Speights was not so impressive as he went scoreless on the night. Still it was a good start for the new back court duo of Holiday and Turner and that's the important thing.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Even the best laid plans of Mice and Managers so don't go as planned. For Charlie Manuel and the Phils everything was in order for 6 innings this afternoon. In that time Joe Blanton allowed just 2 runs on 3 hits. Meanwhile, a Ben Francisco double and a fielders choice in the 2nd, an RBI single by Raul Ibanez, a sac fly by Ryan Howard, and an RBI double by Greg Dobbs in the 3rd and finally a solo shot by Dane Sardhina in the top of the 7th, allotted the Phils with 5 runs and a 5-2 lead heading into Pittsburgh's half of the 7th. That's where things went awry. The plan for today was apparently for Blanton to go 7, but thanks to all the extra heat and humidity out there today he pretty much had nothing left after 6. No matter, Charlie Manuel sent him out for the 7th anyway and he promptly allowed a solo shot to leadoff the inning and cut the lead to 5-3. Two more batters reached base to put 2 on with 1 out before Blanton was finally pulled from the game in favor of Jose Contreras.
Contreras had one of the most hard luck outings you'll ever see. First he made great pitch to Delwyn Young to jam in, but Young got just enough of it to keep it fair for a cheap RBI double. Next he got Jose Sabata to hit a sharp grounder Jimmy Rollins seemed to have a beat out but it bounced off his glove instead and into left field allowing another run to score. Next Tabata looked like he would be out trying to steal second but JRoll twice failed to get the tag down in time. He then walked the next batter before finally getting Andrew McCutchen to ground into the 2nd out of the inning. That was it for Jose after that as Mike Zagurski came in to replace him and allowed another run before finally getting out of the inning.
The Damage had been done though as the Phils found themselves down 8-5 heading into the 8th and never recovered. In fact they went down in order in the final 2 inning to fall 8-5 and successfully drop 3 of 4 to the lowly Pirates. Not exactly the 4th of July weekend they were hoping but for now, thanks to a Braves loss, they're 42-38 record keeps them in contention at just 5 games out in the NL East. In other news Chase Utley, Ryan Howard,and Roy Halladay all made the NL All-Star team. Utley was voted in as a starter but obviously won't play, and Howard and Halladay will be reserves. Here's hoping they can finally help the NL win for a change ad get home field in the world series, not that the Phils will necessarily need it this year.
Contreras had one of the most hard luck outings you'll ever see. First he made great pitch to Delwyn Young to jam in, but Young got just enough of it to keep it fair for a cheap RBI double. Next he got Jose Sabata to hit a sharp grounder Jimmy Rollins seemed to have a beat out but it bounced off his glove instead and into left field allowing another run to score. Next Tabata looked like he would be out trying to steal second but JRoll twice failed to get the tag down in time. He then walked the next batter before finally getting Andrew McCutchen to ground into the 2nd out of the inning. That was it for Jose after that as Mike Zagurski came in to replace him and allowed another run before finally getting out of the inning.
The Damage had been done though as the Phils found themselves down 8-5 heading into the 8th and never recovered. In fact they went down in order in the final 2 inning to fall 8-5 and successfully drop 3 of 4 to the lowly Pirates. Not exactly the 4th of July weekend they were hoping but for now, thanks to a Braves loss, they're 42-38 record keeps them in contention at just 5 games out in the NL East. In other news Chase Utley, Ryan Howard,and Roy Halladay all made the NL All-Star team. Utley was voted in as a starter but obviously won't play, and Howard and Halladay will be reserves. Here's hoping they can finally help the NL win for a change ad get home field in the world series, not that the Phils will necessarily need it this year.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Sometimes one new face is enough to lift a team out of a struggle. That was the case for the Phils tonight. Not more than 2 hours before the game tonight Brian Bocock was sent packing back to minors while Cody Ransom was recalled from AAA and immediately inserted as the Phils starting 3B. He would've have already been called up by now if his defensive skills weren't so suspect. That he was called up at all shows how desperate the Phils were for something, anything to spark their sagging lineup. For tonight at least Ransom was just that. He collected 2 hits and an RBI and sparked the Phils to a 12 run and 15 hit night, that saw the Pirates thoroughly embarrassed in front of their biggest crowd of the season.
Jimmy Rollins with 3 hits ,including a solo homer in the 4th, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs scored and Ryan Howard with 2 hits and 3 RBIs were the big bombers for the Phils on the night but they weren't alone. Shane Victorino had 3 hits, 3 runs scored, and an RBI, Jayson Werth had a hit and an RBI, Ben Francisco had a solo homer and 2 RBIs, Dane Sardinha had a hit and an RBI, Wilson Valdez had a hit and a run scored and heck even Kyle Kendrick doubled and scored in the 7th. Yes, the 'Everybody gets a hit' guy from the Vet would have been a proud man tonight.
By the bottom of the 5th it was already a laughable 10-1 Phils, not that that Kyle Kendrick needed the help. He had to throw just 114 pitches to go the distance in this one, while limiting Pittsburgh to just 4 runs on 10 hits and striking out 4. No that isn't a great line, but when you have a 9 run lead by the 5th inning, particularly against a team like the Pirates, you don't have to be great and Kendrick knew that. He simply did a good job of taking advantage of the lead given to him by going after the hitters and retiring most of them quickly. In the end it was good enough for his 5th win of the season, and the Phils 42 win of the season against 37 losses. That keeps them 5 games back in the NL East which is at least within striking distance. So if that 5 games is down to say 1 or 0 by the all- star break then you can remember this game as turning point in the Phils run toward a 4th straight NL East title. I wouldn't put it past them.
Jimmy Rollins with 3 hits ,including a solo homer in the 4th, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs scored and Ryan Howard with 2 hits and 3 RBIs were the big bombers for the Phils on the night but they weren't alone. Shane Victorino had 3 hits, 3 runs scored, and an RBI, Jayson Werth had a hit and an RBI, Ben Francisco had a solo homer and 2 RBIs, Dane Sardinha had a hit and an RBI, Wilson Valdez had a hit and a run scored and heck even Kyle Kendrick doubled and scored in the 7th. Yes, the 'Everybody gets a hit' guy from the Vet would have been a proud man tonight.
By the bottom of the 5th it was already a laughable 10-1 Phils, not that that Kyle Kendrick needed the help. He had to throw just 114 pitches to go the distance in this one, while limiting Pittsburgh to just 4 runs on 10 hits and striking out 4. No that isn't a great line, but when you have a 9 run lead by the 5th inning, particularly against a team like the Pirates, you don't have to be great and Kendrick knew that. He simply did a good job of taking advantage of the lead given to him by going after the hitters and retiring most of them quickly. In the end it was good enough for his 5th win of the season, and the Phils 42 win of the season against 37 losses. That keeps them 5 games back in the NL East which is at least within striking distance. So if that 5 games is down to say 1 or 0 by the all- star break then you can remember this game as turning point in the Phils run toward a 4th straight NL East title. I wouldn't put it past them.
Friday, July 02, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Phils lineup tonight. While they could only muster 2 runs last night, they came up completely empty in this one. In fact they managed just 5 hits all night long and all of them came off starter, Ross Ohlendorf. With guys like Octavio Dotel and Joel Hanrahan the back of Pirates bullpen is actually very good. Believe it or not with the win tonight they're now 22-0 when leading after 8. So there's no shame in going hitless against them. Ohlendorf is a different story. He came into tonight an imperfect 0-6 with an ERA near 5, yet the Phils had nary a hard hit ball against him and really threatened him only a few times.
In the 3rd inning Dane Sardinha beat out an infield single and Jimmy Rollins was hit in the helmet with a pitch to put 2 on with 2 out for Raul Ibanez but popped out to end the inning. Later Ibanez crushed a 1 out double in the 6th but Jayson Werth followed with a strikeout and after an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco was robbed of a game tying hit on a lucky diving grab by Lastings Milledge. Finally in the 7th, Wilson Valdez singled and stole second but he too was stranded as Sardhina struck out and Shane Victorino, pinch hitting, grounded out to end the inning. They never had another base runner after that.
The Phils now have just 5 runs in their last 3 games which just goes to show how many holes there are in the Phils lineup when Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Ruiz are all missing from it. The victim of those holes on this evening, was the ageless Jamie Moyer who took the loss, despite allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 8 over 6 innings. It was really a hard luck night all around for him as Pittsburgh got their runs in 4th on back to back swinging bunts that were so slow no one could field them. Otherwise the Phils and Pirates might still be playing right now in extra innings. Instead they lost 2-0 and fall to just 41-37 on the season. It just makes you wonder how much longer they can hang in there until the injuries are too much overcome.
Speaking of injuries the Phils finally got some good news on the injury front today as it was revealed that Brian Schneider and his jammed thumb won't have to go on DL. He's not a great catcher but compared to Sardhina he would be an improvement in lineup. So if nothing else the Phils have his return to look forward to. Who knows maybe their luck is finally turning this season.
In the 3rd inning Dane Sardinha beat out an infield single and Jimmy Rollins was hit in the helmet with a pitch to put 2 on with 2 out for Raul Ibanez but popped out to end the inning. Later Ibanez crushed a 1 out double in the 6th but Jayson Werth followed with a strikeout and after an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco was robbed of a game tying hit on a lucky diving grab by Lastings Milledge. Finally in the 7th, Wilson Valdez singled and stole second but he too was stranded as Sardhina struck out and Shane Victorino, pinch hitting, grounded out to end the inning. They never had another base runner after that.
The Phils now have just 5 runs in their last 3 games which just goes to show how many holes there are in the Phils lineup when Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, and Carlos Ruiz are all missing from it. The victim of those holes on this evening, was the ageless Jamie Moyer who took the loss, despite allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 8 over 6 innings. It was really a hard luck night all around for him as Pittsburgh got their runs in 4th on back to back swinging bunts that were so slow no one could field them. Otherwise the Phils and Pirates might still be playing right now in extra innings. Instead they lost 2-0 and fall to just 41-37 on the season. It just makes you wonder how much longer they can hang in there until the injuries are too much overcome.
Speaking of injuries the Phils finally got some good news on the injury front today as it was revealed that Brian Schneider and his jammed thumb won't have to go on DL. He's not a great catcher but compared to Sardhina he would be an improvement in lineup. So if nothing else the Phils have his return to look forward to. Who knows maybe their luck is finally turning this season.
FLYERS NEWS
A source has said that the Flyers talks with someone about trading Simon Gagne. It has been said by the Flyers front office that Jeff Carter and Mike Richards are untouchable to their skill level and young age. Gagne on other hand will turn 31 next season and seems to have a propensity in recent years for sustaining injuries. So despite how important he was in the playoffs he is expendable to the Flyers. Still, if they do trade him they better get something good in return.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Ever since the Pirates opened beautiful PNC park the Phillies have struggled to play their best baseball in Pittsburgh. Those struggles continued tonight. Even against Dane McCutchen, a pitcher who came in with an ERA over 11.00, the Phils could muster 2 runs on 6 hits through 5 and a 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile Cole Hamels went 7 strong, allowing just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 8. Yet, he found himself uncharacteristically trailing 3-2 when he left for the night.
From there the Phils had a couple golden opportunities against the Pittsburgh bullpen to pull even. In the 6th inning Raul Ibanez reached base on a fielder's choice and stole second to get himself in scoring position for Dane Sardhina, but Sardinha flied out to end the inning. In the 8th inning Jimmy Rollins blooped a one out double just in front of a diving Andrew McCutchen. Ryan Howard and Ibanez, after Werth worked a walk, each had a chance to knock in Rollins and failed with a strike out on a questionable pitch, and fly out respectively. Finally in the 9th inning Sardhina led off with a single, and moved to second on a successful bunt by Wilson Valdez. Ross Gload followed with a ground out to move Sardhina 3rd. So that left it up to Shane Victorino to collect the tying hit but he was called out on another questionable strike three to end it.
So the Phils fall again in Pittsburgh but they should be able to rebound tomorrow at least with Jamie Moyer on the mound. They've got to figure out how to piece together a decent lineup without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco. If Greg Dobbs could just find his swing again they would be okay but that's a big if. At this point Polanco is slated to be out 3-4 weeks while Utley will need surgery for his thumb and will likely miss 8 weeks. Considering he's only out for precautionary reasons, you would think Carlos Ruiz will be back before either them. So if they just hang in there for next couple weeks they should be okay after that with Carlos and Placido back in the fold. They may want to think out bringing in another infielder though. At any rate even with all the injuries they're still 41-36 overall and within 4 games of the top of the NL East. That's something to be proud of at least.
From there the Phils had a couple golden opportunities against the Pittsburgh bullpen to pull even. In the 6th inning Raul Ibanez reached base on a fielder's choice and stole second to get himself in scoring position for Dane Sardhina, but Sardinha flied out to end the inning. In the 8th inning Jimmy Rollins blooped a one out double just in front of a diving Andrew McCutchen. Ryan Howard and Ibanez, after Werth worked a walk, each had a chance to knock in Rollins and failed with a strike out on a questionable pitch, and fly out respectively. Finally in the 9th inning Sardhina led off with a single, and moved to second on a successful bunt by Wilson Valdez. Ross Gload followed with a ground out to move Sardhina 3rd. So that left it up to Shane Victorino to collect the tying hit but he was called out on another questionable strike three to end it.
So the Phils fall again in Pittsburgh but they should be able to rebound tomorrow at least with Jamie Moyer on the mound. They've got to figure out how to piece together a decent lineup without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco. If Greg Dobbs could just find his swing again they would be okay but that's a big if. At this point Polanco is slated to be out 3-4 weeks while Utley will need surgery for his thumb and will likely miss 8 weeks. Considering he's only out for precautionary reasons, you would think Carlos Ruiz will be back before either them. So if they just hang in there for next couple weeks they should be okay after that with Carlos and Placido back in the fold. They may want to think out bringing in another infielder though. At any rate even with all the injuries they're still 41-36 overall and within 4 games of the top of the NL East. That's something to be proud of at least.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued to make moves today as they traded a 2nd round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for young defenseman Andrej Meszaros. Later they resigned Braydon Coburn for 2 years and $6.4 million. After that they signed 39 year old defenseman Sean O'Donnell, Chris Pronger's former Anaheim Duck's teammate for 1 year and $1 million. Finally the finished their activity for the day by signing ex Ranger fighting defenseman Jody Shelley to a 3 year 3.3 million deal. So the Orange and Back now have arguably the deepest defense in the league and now a little over 1 million in cap space to play with. That means Aaron Asham probably won't be resigned and either Darrol Powe or Dan Carcillo will have to be let go as well. Furthermore, if the Flyers still want to make a move for a goalie and perhaps another winger someone will have to be traded away to for cap space. I for one like the improvements on defense and am interested to see what moves the Flyers and Paul Holmgren still have up their sleeves.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their stay in Cincinnati this afternoon as they looked to steal another win and the series win. They almost did. Dane Sardinha clubbed a 3 run homer to give the Phils their only runs in the 4th inning. Thanks to 7 great innings from Roy Halladay the Phils were able to ride those 3 runs all the way to the 8th inning. There with the score 3-2, Halladay, forced to try to go the distance to save the Phils bullpen, finally seemed to run out gas. Jhonny Gomes led off the inning with a single and Jay Bruce followed with a 2 run homer on a cut fastball that got just enough of the plate for Bruce to handle.
So the Phils went into the 9th behind 4-3 and hoping to force extra innings at least. They came close to doing so. Ross Gload slapped a 1 out single and stole second to get himself in scoring position with 2 out for Shane Victorino. Unfortunately Victorino was not able to come through on this night as he grounded out to end it and the Phils fell 4-3. Thus, once again Halladay was hit with the complete game loss which just unfathomable. Yes, the Phils are missing Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, and Carlos Ruiz, but Roy still deserves better than this. Better luck next time I guess.
So the Phils went into the 9th behind 4-3 and hoping to force extra innings at least. They came close to doing so. Ross Gload slapped a 1 out single and stole second to get himself in scoring position with 2 out for Shane Victorino. Unfortunately Victorino was not able to come through on this night as he grounded out to end it and the Phils fell 4-3. Thus, once again Halladay was hit with the complete game loss which just unfathomable. Yes, the Phils are missing Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, and Carlos Ruiz, but Roy still deserves better than this. Better luck next time I guess.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers continued their busy offseason by signing Micheal Leighton to a 2 year 3.1 million. Reportedly this does not guarantee he will be the Flyer's starting goalie but rather that he'll be given every opportunity to be the starter. The Flyers could still sign another goalie in free agency and obviously they would still like to sign another defenseman and they still have to re-sign Braydon Coburn.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
It was a wild night in Cincinnati for the Phils tonight. For 8 and 2/3rd innings it looked like it would be a pretty normal night. Joe Blanton provided his best start of the season thus far, going 7 and 2/3rd innings strong while allowing just 3 runs on 8 hits. Meanwhile Wilson Valdez and and Brian Schneider each smacked 3 run homers, in the 4th inning and the 2nd inning respectively. After Jose Contreras finished off the 8th for Blanton the Phils rode a 6-3 lead into the 9th. There Brad Lidge was this close to closing it out after retiring the first 2 batters he faced, but then all heck broke loose. C.B Buckner just wouldn't give him strike 3 and a walk and a singe later Joey Votto was at the plate with a chance to tie the game with one swing. Lidge made one mistake to Votto, with a slider down the middle and he paid for it dearly as the Reds slugger crushed a game tying 3 run homer.
Fortunately he got out of the inning after that but the damage seemed to have been done. The Phils could easily have laid down at that point and tipped their cap to the Reds. To their credit they did not. Ryan Howard doubled and scored on a double by Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth walked and scored on a single by Ben Francisco and finally Ibanez himself scored on a rare safety squeeze by Valdez to cap a 3 run top of the 10th. So just like that the Phils regained their 3 run lead and this time J.C Romero did not let it get away as retired the side in the bottom of the 10th for the win. It's huge win and confidence booster as they were dealt a huge blow before game with both Placido Polanco and his sore elbow and Chase Utley with a sprained thumb landing on the DL. It's not known how long Placido and Chase will be out but as long they are other Phils like Valdez and Schneider will have to step up and lead the Phils to some wins. Otherwise it could be a long season by the time they get back.
Fortunately he got out of the inning after that but the damage seemed to have been done. The Phils could easily have laid down at that point and tipped their cap to the Reds. To their credit they did not. Ryan Howard doubled and scored on a double by Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth walked and scored on a single by Ben Francisco and finally Ibanez himself scored on a rare safety squeeze by Valdez to cap a 3 run top of the 10th. So just like that the Phils regained their 3 run lead and this time J.C Romero did not let it get away as retired the side in the bottom of the 10th for the win. It's huge win and confidence booster as they were dealt a huge blow before game with both Placido Polanco and his sore elbow and Chase Utley with a sprained thumb landing on the DL. It's not known how long Placido and Chase will be out but as long they are other Phils like Valdez and Schneider will have to step up and lead the Phils to some wins. Otherwise it could be a long season by the time they get back.
Monday, June 28, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Back on the road, for real this time, the Phils ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the NL Central leading Cincinnati Reds. Johnny Cueto turns the lights out on the Phils lineup with 8 brilliant innings. All told the Phils managed just 1 run on 6 hits in that span despite not registering a single strikeout. Meanwhile the Reds tagged Kyle Kendrick for 6 runs on 8 hits in 6 and a 1/3rd innings. Scott Rolen alone beat up on his former team for 3 RBIs and a run scored as he smacked his 300th career homerun. Kendrick actually hung in there for 6 innings while holding Cincinnati to just 4 runs. Then Charlie tried to get him through the 7th but he it didn't work out and the Cincinnati had 2 more runs before the inning was finally over and that just after Ryan Howard tripled and scored on an infield single by Raul Ibanez to cut the lead to 4-1.
Thanks to the 2 run 7th the Phils suddenly trailed 6-1 heading into the 8th. Thanks to a sac fly it was 7-1 by the 9th. There the Phils finally mounted a rally with Ibanez crushing a 2 out 2 run homer to cut the lead to 7-3. That left it up to Dane Sardinha to keep the game live but he struck out to end it. So the Phils drop to 40-33 overall and back to 3.5 games out in the NL East. Far worrisome than that is the injury Chase Utley suffered to his thumb during the game while trying to stretch a single and double with a head first slide into 2nd. Hopefully it's nothing serious and he won't miss any time. If it is serious though, it will be a huge blow to the Phils who had finally been moving forward again with JRoll back in the lineup. Here's hoping Chase is okay.
Thanks to the 2 run 7th the Phils suddenly trailed 6-1 heading into the 8th. Thanks to a sac fly it was 7-1 by the 9th. There the Phils finally mounted a rally with Ibanez crushing a 2 out 2 run homer to cut the lead to 7-3. That left it up to Dane Sardinha to keep the game live but he struck out to end it. So the Phils drop to 40-33 overall and back to 3.5 games out in the NL East. Far worrisome than that is the injury Chase Utley suffered to his thumb during the game while trying to stretch a single and double with a head first slide into 2nd. Hopefully it's nothing serious and he won't miss any time. If it is serious though, it will be a huge blow to the Phils who had finally been moving forward again with JRoll back in the lineup. Here's hoping Chase is okay.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
A 47 year old can't be this good right? No one that old can hold one of the most potent lineups in baseball to only 2 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings right? No one whose fastball tops out in the low 80s can strikeout 7 batters right? Well apparently no limits apply, be it age or speed, to Jamie Moyer because that's exactly what he did today to the Toronto Blue Jays. He just kept the free swinging Jays off balance all afternoon long by mixing his pitches and hitting his spots. Even when they knew what was coming the Jays couldn't hit it. Ultimately it was just very frustrating afternoon for them.
On other the hand the Phils bats were on fire as they racked up 11 runs on 13 hits plus 4 sloppy Toronto throwing errors. Pretty much everything went wrong for the Jays in this one and the Phils took advantage.
In the top of the 2nd Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco each had RBI singles and Dane Sardinha slapped an RBI double for 4 runs. Following a Toronto error in the 4th Rollins and Utley collected back to back singles for 2 more runs. In the 5th Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino led off the inning with back to back doubles for another run and 7-2 lead. In the 7th, Howard was wrongly called safe on a close play at first but hey we'll take it. Francisco followed 2 batters later with an RBI double and Toronto committed throwing errors on back to back plays to allow another 3 runs to score for a massive 11-2 lead. From there David Herndon and Danys Baez combined to close out the Phils 5th win in their last 6, 2nd straight series win and interleague play for the season with a 10-8 record. That's Phils first winning record in interleague play since they moved into the Bank and significant step in the right direction this season. Overall it's their 40th win of the season against 33 losses which puts them just 2.5 games back in the NL East, not a bad place to be in late June.
On other the hand the Phils bats were on fire as they racked up 11 runs on 13 hits plus 4 sloppy Toronto throwing errors. Pretty much everything went wrong for the Jays in this one and the Phils took advantage.
In the top of the 2nd Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco each had RBI singles and Dane Sardinha slapped an RBI double for 4 runs. Following a Toronto error in the 4th Rollins and Utley collected back to back singles for 2 more runs. In the 5th Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino led off the inning with back to back doubles for another run and 7-2 lead. In the 7th, Howard was wrongly called safe on a close play at first but hey we'll take it. Francisco followed 2 batters later with an RBI double and Toronto committed throwing errors on back to back plays to allow another 3 runs to score for a massive 11-2 lead. From there David Herndon and Danys Baez combined to close out the Phils 5th win in their last 6, 2nd straight series win and interleague play for the season with a 10-8 record. That's Phils first winning record in interleague play since they moved into the Bank and significant step in the right direction this season. Overall it's their 40th win of the season against 33 losses which puts them just 2.5 games back in the NL East, not a bad place to be in late June.
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