The Phils continued their series with the Reds tonight and all I can say is what a difference a day makes. While the Phils racked up another 10 hits, they could only come up with 3 runs this time around, good enough for a 3-0 lead. However, J.A Happ couldn't make it hold up, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings. So it came down to a battle of the bullpens, and unfortunately the Phils came out on the wrong side of it. The Phils started fast, as Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth smashed back to back homers in the bottom of the 2nd and Chase Utley slapped an RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd. The Reds rallied back with 2 in the 4th on a 2 run homer by Brandon Phillips and 1 in the 6th on a solo homer by Philips. Then in the 9th with the score tied at 3, Joey Votto slapped a leadoff double off Brad Lidge and then scored the eventual winning run on a single by Ramon Hernandez. The Phils, totally flat since the 3rd inning, then failed to score in their half of the 9th and the Reds got the win 4-3. I am not sure what happened to Brad Lidge today, but he always seems to struggle a bit when he pitches with the score tied or the Phils behind, so I wouldn't worry too much. I don't understand how you can score 22 runs one night and then just 3 the next night. I mean they did have 10 hits, so perhaps it was just bad luck. You have to think though that they'll get on track tomorrow night. You can't really score 22 runs in the first game of a series and then lose it can you? Anyway the Phils actually got lucky as the Marlins also lost tonight, thus allowing the 43-38 Phils to remain 2 games up in the NL East.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers have successfully signed newly acquired defenseman Chris Pronger to a 7 year contract extension worth 34.45 million, that will keep him in Orange and Black through 2017, assuming he doesn't retire before then. Also after this season even though he'll be making 7 million per year, Pronger's contract will only count as 5 million towards the Flyers salary cap, leaving them ample room to sign other players when needed. So ultimately, this extension at least vindicates the deal Paul Holmgren made to get Pronger in the first place since having Pronger for 7 seasons is worth about as much as all the Players the Flyers traded for him.
Monday, July 06, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils welcomed the Cincinnati Reds to the Bank tonight in the first of a 3 game set. Looking to get back on track after some recent struggles, Cole Hamels got the start and went 7 strong innings while allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. However, his was not the impressive performance on the night, that goes to the Phils offense which racked up an unbelievable 22 runs and 21 hits. Johnny Cueto alone, who came into tonight top 5 among starters in the NL in ERA. and opponent's batting average, was beat up for 9 runs on 5 hits, all in the first inning, which he failed to get out of. Honestly Cincinnati never really had a chance. The Phils went up 10-0 in the first inning and the Reds never recovered. All told in the that inning, Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs each slammed a 2 run homer, Hamels himself slapped a 2 run double, Jimmy Rollins doubled in Hamels, and finally Chase Utley crunched a 3 run homer. The Phils weren't even closed to finished though. After Johnny Gomes tomahawked a solo homer in the top of the 2nd to give the Reds their only run, a single by Carlos Ruiz in the bottom of the 2nd and a sac fly by Jason Werth in the bottom of the 3rd upped the lead to 12-1. In the 4th inning, a double by Victorino, singles by Utley and Ryan Howard, and an error produced 4 more runs and a 16-1 advantage. Finally in the 8th inning the Phils added 6 more runs, on a single by Victorino, a double by Eric Bruntlett and a grand slam by Werth for a 22-1 lead. Scott Eyre then retired the side in the 9th to end the 22-1 massacre, er victory. It was nice to see Cole Hamels pitch like Cole Hamels for a change. Of course it helps when you have a 10-0 lead just an inning into the game, but Hamels pitched well regardless, throwing 61 strikes to just 31 balls. Atfer the way played at home earlier this season it is hard to believe that they have now won 4 in a row at the Bank. Here's hoping they keep it going. Anyway so the Phils move to 43-37 overall and now back to 2 games up in the NL East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils completed their series with the Mets this afternoon looking for the sweep. Joe Blanton got the start and was brilliant allowing just 4 hits over 7 and 1/3rd scoreless innings, just good enough to best Johan Santana who allowed 2 runs on 3 hits over 7 innings. Both runs came on solo homers, the first by Jimmy Rollins to leadoff the bottom of the 1st inning and the 2nd by Chase Utley with 2 out in the bottom of the 6th. The Phils didn't score again, but wouldn't have to. Chan Ho Park and J.C Romero combined to get the game to the 9th and there Brad Lidge struck out side impressively, to complete the shutout and series sweep of the Mets. Jimmy Rollins continues to be hot, after apparently tweaking his batting stance, as he compiled another 2 hits and an RBI. If it is possible Brad Lidge actually looked better today then he did yesterday. The Phils defense had as much to do with the shutout today as did their pitching. The Phils turned 3 double plays in crucial situations to get out jams. Ryan Howard turned an unassisted double play in the 4th inning with 1 on and 1 out, David Wright was doubled up with 1 out and the bases loaded in the 6th inning and Fernando Tatis bounced into a double play in the 8th inning with 2 on and 1 out. In other good news Raul Ibanez will start making rehab starts tomorrow and hopefully he'll be ready to go in a week or so. So anyway the Phils move to 42-37 overall, but remain just 1 game up in the NL East.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Saturday, July 04, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils continued their series with the Mets this afternoon. Jamie Moyer got the start and tossed a gem, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits in 6 and 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile, Jimmy Rollins stayed a hot with another hit and 2 RBIs to lead the Phils to an early 3-0 which like yesterday stood up the rest of the way. Jayson Werth got the Phils started with a sac fly in the bottom of the 1st. Then JRoll slapped a 2 run double in the bottom of the 4th for the 3-0 lead. In the top of 5th, Melvin Nieves, the pitcher, gave the Mets their only run of the day with an RBI single. Finally in the bottom of the 6th "the Flyin Hawaiian", Shane Victorino slapped a 2 out RBI single to put the Phils up 4-1 and put the Mets away for good. From there, the usual suspects, J.C Romero, Ryan Madson, and Brad Lidge closed it out, for Moyer's 7th win of the season. I don't want to jump the gun again, but I think this could be it this time, this could be the end of JRoll's slump. Of course only time will tell though. Today for the first time in a while Brad Lidge looked like the guy who was perfect last season, instead of the guy who blew 5 saves earlier this season and that's really a good sign for the Phils bullpen. Even more good news for Phils bullpen, is that Scott Eyre comes off the DL tomorrow so the Phils are starting to get healthy again at the right time. Anyway so the Phils move to 41-37 overall now and still 1 game up in the NL East, but now 3 games ahead of the Mets and the Braves.
Friday, July 03, 2009
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils returned to the Bank tonight to begin a long homestand, starting with a weekend series against the NY Mets. Out of the majors since 2007 thanks to injuries, Rodrigo Lopez, recently called up from AAA to replace Antonio Bastardo who is apparently on the DL now, got the start for the Phils tonight. Lopez put forth an inspiring performance, to say the least, allowing just 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 and 1/3rd innings. Meanwhile, the Phils beat up on old nemesis, Livan Hernandez, for 7 runs on 10 hits in just 3 innings. So the Phils enjoyed a rare night in which they took an overwhelming advantage early the in game and could simply sit on it, perfect for a Met game. While the Mets were struggling to figure out Lopez, the Phils jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead. Jimmy Rollins got the Phils going right of the bat, leading off the 1st inning with a double and scoring on a single by Chase Utley. Then after Ryan Howard walked to load the bases, Greg Dobbs singled a couple batters laters for 2 more runs and 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, Utley sac flied in a run for a 4-0 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd, Jayson Werth slugged a solo homer and JRoll slapped a 2 out 2 run double for a 7-0 lead. The Mets finally got on the board in the 7th inning scoring a couple runs on back to back doubles by Nick Evans and Brian Schneider, but they were too little too late and did little but cut the final score to 7-2. What a pleasant surprise Lopez was. I really thought he was going to get lit up but he surprised me big time. If he can keep pitching like that he could be a long term option to replace Brett Myers in the rotation for the rest of the season. Ryan Madson actually had a 1-2-3 9th inning tonight and considering how he'd been kinda struggling lately, it was great to see. Also great to see was JRoll hitting and getting on base. The Phils really need him to keep that up if they want to start a winning streak on this homestand instead of another losing streak. So anyway the Phils move to 40-37 overall and now back to a game up over the Marlins in the and 2 over the Mets in the NL East.
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