In their longest game in 18 years, the Phils outlasted the Reds in 19 innings thanks 5 shutout innings in relief by Dannys Baez and 1 by Wilson Valdez, yes the utility infielder, in which he retired Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. All the told the Phils bullpen allowed just 1 run on 3 hits in 12 outstanding innings and were the real heroes on the night when all was said and done. It didn't start out that way though. Through the first 6 innings, the Story was Roy Halladay who allowed just 1 run, Ben Francisco who clubbed a 2 run homer in the 1st, and John Mayberry Jr who slapped an RBI single in the 2nd. Then Jay Bruce roped a 2 run single off Halladay in the 7th to tie things at 3 and that all went by the way side. After failed to score with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 9th and Bruce homered to start the 10th, it looked like the story might be him and his 3 RBIs. Then Ryan Howard started the bottom of the 10th by crushing a solo homer to center field and tying things up at 4. So Bruce's big night became a footnote and the real story became a war of attrition between the two team's bullpens that just kept going and going. Finally in the bottom of the 19th, Carlos Fisher, who was in his 6th inning in relief, just a run out of gas and loaded the bases for Raul Ibanez. Ibanez responded by scalding a deep sac fly to at last score Jimmy Rollins with the winning run over 6 hours and 19 innings after the night began. The 5-4 win is the Phils 30th of the year and the first in the career of Wilson Valdez, which makes him the first position player to win a game since 2000.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Chase Utley's 2nd game back was a little bit better, well for him anyway as he finally collected his first hit of the season. Unfortunately, the Phil's offense otherwise tapered off again, leaving runners on base again, and compiling just 3 runs despite collecting another 8 hits. A Raul Ibanez double and A Dom Brown sac fly in the 2nd inning, and a Carlos Ruiz double in the 4th inning accounted for all of the runs. For a while it looked like those 3 runs might be enough, Even as the Phils threw away opportunities score more. Finally in the 5th inning Vance Worley was touched up for a couple runs to tie things up at 3, but he managed to get out of the inning and a bases loaded jam with the score still tied. It stayed that way until late in the afternoon when Ryan Madson was touched up for 3 2 out runs, a hard luck outing for sure, and too much for the Phils to overcome in the bottom of the 9th as they fell 6-3.
Monday, May 23, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
What a difference an Utley makes. No Chase Utley did not tear the cover off the ball in his long awaited return to Phils lineup, in fact he went o for 5, but his presence alone was enough to propel his teammates to 10 runs on 14 hits, including 3 homers. Meanwhile, Cole Hamels allowed just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 4 en route to his 6th win of the season. Placido Polanco got things started with a 2 run blast in the 1st inning. Later, Raul Ibanez, John Mayberry Jr., and Cole Hamels each slapped 3 RBI singles, and Jimmy Rollins slugged a 3 run homer in a 7 run 3rd inning. Finally in the 4th inning Ibanez crushed a solo homer. From there Hamels cruised through the next 2 innings, and Micheal Stutes, Antonio Bastardo, and Danys Baez combined for 3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to wrap up the 10-3 win.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Roy Oswalt was great this afternoon, allowing just 1 run on 8 hits while striking out 3 in 7 innings. Unfortunately, he was highlight of the day for the Phils, as they managed just 5 hits and no runs. They had opportunities to score with runners in scoring position in 1st, 3rd, and 5th innings, but couldn't get the hit they needed to cash in. So the Rangers took the 2-0 win and avoided a sweep. Despite the loss the Phils remain 1.5 games up in the NL East, with the Marlins losing today as well.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Cliff Lee was brilliant against his former team, tossing 8 scoreless innings while striking out 10 Rangers and allowing just 5 hits. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard crushed a solo homer in the 2nd inning and John Mayberry Jr. slapped an RBI single in the 6th inning for a 2-0 lead. Thanks to Lee that would be all the Phils would need. After Lee's 8 great innings Ryan Madson came on for his 9th save and the Phils had the 2-0 win, their MLB leading 28th of the season thus far.
Friday, May 20, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils began interleague play tonight with a visit from the Texas Rangers. With Roy Halladay going for the Phils and C.J Wilson going for the Rangers it's no surprise the game turned into a pitcher's duel. Halladay ultimately out-dueled Wilson, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 7 in 8 innings. Meanwhile, Ben Francisco took care of Wilson, with a 2 run blast in the 2nd inning. Later in 4th inning, Raul Ibanez crushed a solo homer to right center for a 3-1 lead. In the end those two blasts proved to be just enough. Ryan Madson bravely stared down the heart of the Texas order(minus Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz who are rehabbing injuries) and retired Micheal Young and Adrian Beltre in succession. Then David Murphy tapped an infield single off Madson's hand only to be gunned down by Carlos Ruiz as he attempted to steal second and just like that Madson had his 8th save and the Phils their 27th win.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Joe Blanton was a late scratch tonight with elbow, leaving Kyle Kendrick to make the emergency start. Kendrick did an admirable job given the circumstances, but two mistakes to Jason Giambi which wound up in the seats proved to be his and the Phils' undoing. Colorado took an early 3-0 lead on a 3 run Giambi blast in the 1st, and then a 5-0 lead on a 2 run Giambi bomb in the 3rd. Later in the 5th, after the Phils finally got on the board with a 2 out RBI double by Ibanez in the 4th, Giambi blasted a 3rd homer, this time off Danys Baez, for a 7-1 Rockies' lead. Those happened to be the only runs the Phils bullpen allowed, as Scott Matheison, Micheal Stutes, and J.C Romero combined for 4 scoreless frames the rest of the way. Unfortunately the Phils couldn't muster anything in those 4 innings and either and eventually fell to Colorado 7-1 for their 5th loss in their last 6.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Cole Hamels provided a masterful performance, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 8 in 8 innings, and the Phils scratched out 2 runs, on Wilson Valdez's RBI single in the 5th and Jimmy Rollins sac fly in the 8th to pick up a big 2-1 win and snap a 4 game losing streak. Ryan Madson picked up his 7th save with 3 strikeouts in the 9th.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Once again the Phils got good pitching and once again they couldn't take advantage. Roy Oswalt returned from the DL and provided 5 strong innings, allowing just 1 run on 7 hits while striking out 3. Meanwhile, the Phils again mustered just 1 run themselves, this time on 5 hits. Jimmy Rollins scored their lone in the 8th inning, thanks to a Cardinals error followed by a a Micheal Martinez single, and a Placido Polanco sac fly. Antonio Bastardo then toughed out a scoreless 8th inning and it looked like the Phils might just get into extra innings but it wasn't to be. With 1 out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, Lance Berkman broke the Phils' hearts with a single just over the head of Martinez to seal a 2-1 Cardinal's victory.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have signed finnish goalie Niko Hovinen to an entry level contract. Playing for the worst team in the Finnish league last year, Hovinen put up decent numbers with a 2.59 GAA and .921 save percentage. He's worth a spot in the Flyer's minor leagues to improve their goalie depth. Who knows maybe he'll turn out to be something.
Monday, May 16, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Coming into tonight the Phils had not lost more than 2 games in a row all season. This was thanks mostly due to their great pitching. Unfortunately it's begun look right now as though the pitching can't overcome the current lack of hitting. Tonight simply reinforced that belief. Cliff Lee pitched well, allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits, while striking out 4 in 6 and 1/3rd innings. Micheal Stutes and J.C Romero then followed with a scoreless inning and 2/3rds to complete an effort that should have been enough for a win. Instead the Phils managed to just 1 run on 5 hits, Ben Francisco's RBI single in the 2nd inning, before bowing to the Cardinals 3-1.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils looked to make it back to back road series wins this afternoon as Roy Halladay opposed Tim Hudson. Just as in his last start Halladay went the distance, allowing just 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 7. Unfortunately he was once again saddled with the complete game loss. The Phils trailed most of the afternoon before a 2 run blast by John Mayberry Jr in the top of the 6th gave them a 2-1 lead. Atlanta tied things up in the bottom of the inning and then with a lucky swing to open the 8th, Dan Uggla homered for a 3-2 Brave's lead. Although Halladay avoided further after that, the damage was already done. The Phils could not answer in the 9th, as Ben Francisco was stranded on 1st. Still despite the loss the Phils remain atop the NL East by 2 games and still own baseball's best record.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Joe Blanton could not make it two in a row in Atlanta tonight as he lasted just 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 5. Meanwhile, Jair Jurrjens limited the Phils to just 3 hits, their only 3 of the night, over 7 and 1/3rd innings. Two of those three hits were RBI doubles, by Jimmy Rollins and Wilson Valdez, and later Valdez scored on a fielder's choice. This time however, the Phils bullpen did not hold up as Kyle Kendrick and J.C Romero combined to allow 3 runs in the 6th inning, which proved to be the difference in a 5-3 Braves win.
Friday, May 13, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their road trip tonight in Atlanta as Cole Hamels went to work against the Braves. He was solid, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, while striking out 7 in 6 innings. However, it was the bullpen and the bat of Ryan Howard that really carried the Phils tonight. Howard belted a 3 run homer in the 1st inning for a quick 3-0 lead. Later he doubled and scored the eventual winning run on a clutch 1 out single by Raul Ibanez in the 8th. Shane Victorino also added an RBI single in 7th as the Phils racked up a solid 5 runs on 10 hits. As for the bullpen, 3 scoreless innings in relief of Hamels only tell half the story. First J.C Romero came in and loaded the bases with 1 out in the 7th. Then young studs Micheal Stutes and Antonio Bastardo combined to strike out Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman to get out of the jam. Next another young stud, Vance Worley, came in for the 8th inning and allowed a runner on second with just 1 out, before retiring Eric Hinske and Martin Prado to preserve the 5-4 lead. Finally Ryan Madson came on for the save and a confrontation with the heart of Atlanta's order. Despite, issuing a walk to Chipper Jones, Madson ultimately prevailed retiring Nate Mclouth, Brian Mcann, and Dan Uggla to cap off an important 5-4 win.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have placed Brian Schneider on the DL due to the hamstring strain he suffered last night. Fortunately, Carlos Ruiz is slated to come off the DL tomorrow so everything will even out.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers will host the Rangers at the Bank in the 2012 winter classic on Jan 2. Should be interesting.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Cliff Lee was solid but unspectacular tonight allowing 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 4 in 6 innings. That's pretty much been his norm so far this season, but you when play for a team that's tied for the most wins in baseball, that kind of performance should be enough to get win most nights. Unfortunately Lee it went down as a no decision as he exited the game with the Phils down 3-0, only to watch them rally for 5 runs in the final 3 innings and steal another big win in Miami. Raul Ibanez got it all started with an leadoff double in the 7th inning. A few batters late Pete Orr ripped a double down the line in right to score Ibanez and cut the lead to 3-1. Then 1 out Ross Gload ground out was enough to plate another run to cut it to 3-2. Finally in the 8th inning, Shane Victorino smacked a line drive homer to tie things up at 3. From there with J.C Romero and Kyle Kendrick combining for scoreless frames in the 7th and 8th, the Phils came into the 9th inning still tied at 3 and with an opportunity to win. They took full advantage of the opportunity with Jimmy Rollins slapping a 2 out 2 run single to plate the eventual winning runs. Ryan Madson was then lights out in the bottom of the 9th, retiring the side in order to cap the 5-3 win. With the win the Phils move back to 3 games up in the NL East and at 24-12 overall are all alone with the best record in baseball. On an otherwise great day for the Phils, there was some bad news as Brian Schnieder strained his hamstring while attempting to score from the 2nd in the 5th inning. All I can say is Dane Sardinha better not pull a hammy too.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Roy Halladay was stellar allowing 2 runs, only one them earned, on 5 hits, while striking out 9 in 8 innings. Unfortunately, his teammates let him down at the plate and in the field and he wound up with the rare complete game loss. The Phils actually led early 1-0 on a solo shot by Ryan Howard in the 2nd inning. After that they twice loaded the bases on Josh Johnson and twice they came up empty. Still, thanks to Halladay they managed to get into the bottom of the 8th inning with the scored tied at 1. Then Jimmy Rollins committed his first error in over 80 games which later led to an unearned run in that inning and proved to be the difference in a 2-1 loss.
Monday, May 09, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Joe Blanton's return from the DL was a little shaky in Miami tonight, but thanks to 4 double plays he was able to tough out 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 2. Meanwhile, with the help of 2 Marlin's errors, the Phils managed to scratch out 6 runs on 12 hits to make Blanton's effort just enough for the win. Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a solo shot for a quick 1-0 lead. In the 3rd inning Blanton himself singled, then moved to second on a single by Rollins and 3rd on a single by Placido Polanco. Finally Ryan Howard followed with the 4th single of inning to score Blanton. Later with 2 out Ross Gload rolled another single to left, scoring Rollins, and Polanco after Emile Bonifacio airmailed the throw home and Javier Vazquez failed to back up the play, and then dropped the ball while trying to tag him. With that the Phils went up 4-3 and would never trail again. In the 5th, Shane Victorino tripled, as Mike Stanton bobbled a line drive just inside the foul line, and scored on a sac fly by Polanco. Then a couple batters later Gload ripped another RBI single and Phils lead 6-3. From there Vance Worley backed up Blanton, allowing just 1 run in 3 solid innings in relief. Finally with the Phils up 6-4 in the 9th, Ryan Madson came in and picked up his 4th save. The win is Blanton's first of the season and moves the Phils to 3 games up in the NL East.
SIXERS NEWS
Andre Iguodala was named to the All NBA defensive 2nd team today. He had an outstanding year defensively and probably should have been named to the first team but would have required dropping either Lebron James or Kobe Bryant to the 2nd team and obviously that wasn't going to happen.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Cole Hamels looked to seal another series win for the Phils tonight, but as happened so many times last season, he failed to get the necessary run support. He allowed just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 9 in 7 strong innings. Unfortunately despite collecting 8 hits, the Phils managed just 1 run off Jair Jurrjens on Placido Polanco's 2 out RBI single in the 3rd inning. Down 3-1 through 7, the Phils hoped the bullpen would be able to keep it that way, but Micheal Stutes ran into the first troube of his major league career, allowing a 2 run homer, and then the recently called up, Scott Mathieson pitched his way into a bases loaded jam. Somehow Danys Baez got out of that jam without further damage. Then Shane Victorino tripled and scored on another RBI single by Placido Polanco to cut it to 5-2. From there the Phils twice brought the tying run to plate. First John Mayberry Jr. came up with 2 on and 2 out in the 8th but he flied out. Then in the 9th the Phils put 2 on with 1 out for Shane Victorino who struck out looking on ball out of the strike zone. That left it up to, yes, Polanco to come through again. This time he ran out of magic popping out to end the game.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
No Roy Oswalt no problem. With Oswalt on the DL until next friday at least and Joe Blanton's return not scheduled until Monday, Kyle Kendrick stepped in for the spot start tonight against the Braves and delivered 5 shutout innings, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 3. Meanwhile, Ryan Howard launched his 260th career home run into orbit to give himself solo possession of 2nd all the Phils alltime list and put the Phils up 2-0. Later in the 5th inning Jimmy Rollins walked, stole second, and scored on a triple by Shane Victorino for a 3-0 lead. That would be all the Phils would need. J.C Romero, Micheal Stutes, Antonio Bastardo, and Ryan Madson combined for 4 shutout innings the rest of the way for the 3-0 win and the Phils 6th shutout of the season, tying them with Atlanta for the national league lead.
Friday, May 06, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Cliff Lee struck out 16 Braves tonight, tying Steve Carlton's club record for strikeouts by a lefthander in one game. Normally when something like that happens it's cause for celebration and well, you win the game. Don't tell that to the Phillies who found a way to lose this one. They were actually no hit by Derek Lowe through 6, before Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco put together back to back hits to leadoff the 7th inning, putting runners on and 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Unfortunately, it was for naught, as flamethrower Eric O'Flaherty came in out the Braves bullpen to strike out the side. The Phils would not get another hit as they fell to Atlanta 5-0.
FLYERS NEWS
Down 3-0 the Bruins again, the Flyers looked to produce a little deja vu tonight in game 4 but it wasn't to be. They fell behind early again, this time 1-0 through 1 period, but Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall otherwise, and kept them in it until Kris Versteeg could tie things up at about the 13 minute mark of the 2nd period. It stayed 1-1 into the 3rd period where a little under 3 minutes in the Flyers actually won a faceoff, but failed to get before it rolled out to Johnny Boychuck for a blast from the point that beat Bob top shelf. Really the shot was so fast there was nothing Bobrovsky could do about it. Later at about the 15 minute mark of the 3rd period Matt Carle turned the puck over at his own blue line and watched as Milan Lujic streaked in alone and beat Bobrovsky for a 3-1 lead. The desperate Flyers pulled Bob after that, but even with an extra attacker out there they didn't have the energy to fight back. 2 empty net goals later and the Flyers exited the playoffs with a whimper, falling 5-1 in game 4.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
Roy Halladay was his usual near untouchable self, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 10 in 7 innings. Meanwhile, Raul Ibanez remained red hot, going 3 for 4 again with a homer and 3 RBI. It was a quiet night until the 3rd inning, where Shane Victorino launched a solo homer, John Mayberry and Raul Ibanez both tagged RBI doubles, and Wilson Valdez slapped an RBI single, to plate 6 runs, all before Washington recorded an out. Later in the 5th inning, Ibanez crushed a solo homer to put the Phils on top 7-2. That would be all they would need to complete a sweep, as Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson combined to allow 1 run in the final 2 innings to finish off another 7-3 win.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
FLYERS NEWS
After an agonizing game 2 loss the Flyers had to recuperate quickly as they traveled to Boston for a game 3 they absolutely had to win. Unfortunately like game 1 they hit the snooze button and watched as Boston jumped out to a 2-0 lead just over a minute into the contest. Frankly they never really recovered after that. By the about the 15 minute mark of the second period it was 4-0 Bruins and Brian Boucher's night was over. Sergei Bobrovsky replaced him and looked pretty good stopping 7 of 8 shots. Meanwhile Bobrovsky's entry into the game finally seemed to spur the Orange and Black on a bit as Andrej Meszaros finally put them on board and cut the lead to 4-1 heading into 3rd period. Unfortunately, The Boston defense tightened up from there and the Flyers never threatened or scored again. Instead they watched as Boston finally scored their first power play goal of the post season to cap off a 5-1 win. Of course now that we're down 3-0 again we've got Boston right where we want them so no worries.
PHILLIES NEWS
Vance Worley was stellar again allowing just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 7 in 6 innings. Meanwhile, Raul Ibanez continued his resurgence going 3 for 4 with an RBI to lead a Phils assault that racked up 7 runs on 11 hits. Ibanez himself got things started in the 5th with a solo shot. Later in the inning Worley himself, singled and Jimmy Rollins walked to load the bases. Shane Victorino followed with a single and Placido Polanco added a sac fly for a 3-0 lead. In the 6th, they loaded the bases again as Ben Francisco walked, and Ibanez and Brian Schneider both singled. Wilson Valdez and Jimmy Rollins both collected RBI singles from there and Shane Victorino grounded into a fielder's choice that resulted in 2 more runs thanks to an error by Ian Desmond. So just like that it was 7-0 Phils and that would be more than enough for a win. J.C Romero, who just returned from the DL, and Micheal Stutes combined for scoreless efforts in the 7th and 8th innings, and Danys Baez found his way through a 3 run 9th inning as the Phils won 7-3.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
On the night Jayson Werth finally made his return to Philadelphia, Cole Hamels stole the show. He allowed just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 6 in a complete game win. He also went 2 for 4 from the plate with a single and a triple that setup the Phils first run of the game. It was Jimmy Rollins who knocked that run in with an RBI single in the 3rd inning. Later in the 5th, JRoll collected his own triple and scored on a sac fly by Placido Polanco. In the 7th, after Washington had cut the lead to 1, Ryan Howard ripped an RBI single the other way for a 3-1 lead, and Raul Ibanez, who came in to today 0 for his last 35, collected his 2nd double of the game and 1st RBI for a 4-1 lead. That was more than enough for Hamels it took from there, retiring the side in the 8th and 9th innings for the 4-1 win.
Monday, May 02, 2011
FLYERS NEWS
After a 7-3 drubbing in game 1 the Flyers desperately needed to rebound quickly and pickup the win in game 2. Fueled by an extra patriotic rendition of God Bless America to start the night, the Orange and Black came out firing and certainly looked like they would even the series at a game a piece. Just 29 seconds into the contest James Van Reimsdyk slapped in a pretty pass from Claude Giroux for a 1-0 lead. Later about halfway through the 1st period JVR scored again, this time knocking in a rebound on the power play for a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately the Flyers lost the lead as quick they built it. Just 2 minutes later Boston cut it to 2-1 and then a couple minutes after that they tied it at 2. goaltending and defense kept it that way for the remainder of regulation. For his part JVR truly dominant the rest of the way with 8 more shots on goal and numerous solo breakaways, but he couldn't get a 3rd goal past Tim Thomas. In no one in Orange and Black could get anything past Thomas after JVR's 2nd goal. Not even in overtime. The Flyers pelted Thomas with another 52 shots following JVR's 2nd goal and Thomas stopped them all. Finally with 6 minutes left in the first overtime David Krejci beat Brian Boucher high with blistering shot from point. And the Flyers were left with a heartbreaking game 2 loss, 3-2.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils went for another sweep of the Mets tonight at Bank with Cliff Lee on the mound. Lee delivered, allowing just 1 run on 8 hits while striking out 5 in 7 strong innings. Unfortunately, the Phils could only muster one of their own, on Ryan Howard's RBI single, and the game ended going into extra innings. In the 14th inning Ronnie Paulino's 2 out double gave the Mets a 2-1 and they hung on to win by that score. It's probably fitting that the night Osama Bin Laden finally came to justice coincided with a stirring Met's victory. Despite the loss the Phils remain atop the NL East by .5 games.
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