World Series Phlashback: 2008—Game One

After being swept out of the 2007 playoffs by the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies were determined to not repeat their failures in 2008.

After clinching their second straight division title the Phillies dispatched of the hot Milwaukee Brewers and took out Manny Ramirez and the rejuvenated Los Angeles Dodgers. All that was left was a match-up with the Cinderella story from the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays.

For either team the 2008 Fall Classic was going to be the perfect ending to a wonderful season. Philadelphia though was looking to capture their first world championship in any sport in a quarter century.

We begin our next phlashback series with a look at game one of the 2008 World Series, which took place in Tampa.

Looking to end a quarter century of frustration in the city of brotherly love, no Phillies fan would have sent any other pitcher but Cole Hamels to the mound in game one. Hamels entered the World Series on a hot streak, going 3-0 in the first two rounds and being named NLCS MVP.

The Phillies would look to Hamels to quiet the raucous crowd jammed inside Tropicana Field, home of the up and coming American League champion Rays.

Chase Utley got the Phillies off to a good start as he smacked a two run home run to right field following a walk to Jayson Werth. Hamels did his part to keep the pesky Rays off the bases and kept them from responding.

Shane Victorino increased the lead to 3-0 when Carlos Ruiz put down a ground ball. Ruiz was out on the play but Victorino’s run would prove to be critical later on. The Rays would score a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carl Crawford smacked a home run off of Hamels.

In the bottom of the fifth inning the Rays would put together one more run when Jason Bartlett scored from second off of an Akinori Iwamura double. Iwamura was the only Rays batter who could seem to find some effectiveness against Hamels, notching three of the five hits Hamels allowed.

Hamels was fantastic. He continued to pitch like the ace that had been showing off his stuff in the previous two rounds. In the rare instances where he did get into trouble, thanks to some poor defensive play by first baseman Ryan Howard, he found a way to wiggle out of it.

Howard went 0-4 on the night with three strike outs, leaving four on base. He did walk once but his struggles continued in the field.

Though he was only credited for one error, either he or Hamels made a mistake in the first inning when Iwamura was the beneficiary of a gaffe on some one’s behalf of not covering the base in time. Hamels was beat to the bag, but he had let up as Howard appeared to be charging to take it himself.

Jimmy Rollins went 0-5. Chris Coste, inserted as the designated hitter, went 0-4. Pat Burrell was 0-3. Ruiz was 0-3 but he knocked in a run so he was forgiven. All in all the Phillies left eleven batters, including way too many men at third and lead off base runners.

The Phillies held on in the late innings. After Hamels pitched seven great innings the game was handed to Ryan Madson, who worked a perfect eighth inning. Brad Lidge then entered the game and struck out Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria for the first two outs.

Lidge then forced Crawford to pop foul for the out and the Phillies captured the critical road win in game one. Up 1-0 in the World Series Phillies fans were starting to dream about the possibilities.

I originally recapped this game on my personal blog, before this site existed. Read it here.

Phillies Home Debacle: ‘Til Death Do Us Part?

Father’s Day is always tough for me because I have to honor my husband in a way that doesn’t directly benefit me.

 

But this holiday was easy.  He made two requests:

 

No. 1 – Spend more time with family.

 

I know where he was heading. That meant he wanted me to back off my blogging fixation and acknowledge that there’s more to life than baseball and the Bleacher Report.

 

After hours of debate and a long intervention, I had to admit, he had a point.

 

“Besides,” he said, “you have a son.”

 

“A son?” I asked. “When did that happen?”

 

I’m just kidding. My child has been extremely patient, but now that school has ended and baseball is simmering, he’d like to share more of that enthusiasm with me instead of seeing me share it with my laptop.

 

And he’s pretty easy to please. He thinks I’m cool just because I can talk like Yoda and maneuver any conversation to a punch line ending with “poop.”

 

And for ten-year-olds, poop rules.

 

But my husband continued.

 

“And,” he added, “you’re starting to look like crap.”

 

“Crap?” I said. “I prefer old and haggard.”

 

Am I the only one who thinks that’s funny?

 

Obviously.

 

I started blogging as a way to give people a short and sweet version of my writing—something my sister strongly recommended.

 

And I admit, writing blogs is a blast. It’s like jumping on my kid’s dirt bike and taking it for a death-defying ride. But writing fiction is like taking the Harley out for a road trip. And if you’re in it for the long haul, you have to hop on the hog.

 

So it’s time to get back to the business at hand. I have a polished story looking for a market, a first draft waiting for a rewrite and a virgin in a new novel dying for a climax.

 

Like my family who’s been wondering where I am, it’s time to address them.

 

But for now, let’s address the Phillies.

 

On behalf of me and everyone who thought all the Phillies had lost their Phightin’ phire, I suggest you do what I did.

 

Shut up.

 

We can no longer pledge the allegiance in school but we can definitely pledge our allegiance to which it stands to Ryan Howard, our first baseman.

 

After running a 104 degree fever, Ryan went from the hospital to the ballpark on Saturday to stagger off the bench and hit one effortlessly over the fence to push his struggling team into the lead. Then it was back to the ER.

 

If that ain’t a Hallmark movie, I don’t know what is.

 

So, I pledge my allegiance to Ryan Howard of the United Phils of America.

And to the Republic to have and to hold, from this day forward, ‘til death do us part…

You may now kiss the bride.

 

I’m sorry, was I thinking out loud?

 

Seriously though, I know the only reason the Phils are first in the division is because everyone else is struggling too. I know Jimmy Rollins isn’t hitting and when he’s not producing, neither is the team. I know the disabled list has a waiting list. I know June is historically a limp-wristed month. I know we can’t win another championship playing like wimps. And I know sell-out crowds can’t continue to be lured to Citizens Bank Park simply with dollar dog nights and the promise of Jayson Werth bare on a blanket.

 

And I know the Phillies were 1-for-8 on this home stand. But getting back on the field after a losing streak like that is like posting your blog for the very first time—you feel naked in front of a crowd.

 

Careful, no giggling.

 

Except in my case, please do.

 

But I think I have the solution. I think when the plane lands in Florida, the team should take a bus and drive to a remote sand lot and engage in a good old fashion game of wiffle ball.

 

Yes, wiffle ball. They need to feel the wind blow through the ball. They need the opportunity to play the game and get smiling again.

 

And I think they should play it naked. It’ll let the wind blow through another area that needs to be fed some sunshine.

 

Last but not least, I know what you’re thinking.  My old man made two requests…

 

Like Ryan Howard said about the Phillies failure to win at home.

 

“I’m done talking about that.”

 

All this means is my blogs will be fewer and farther between, much like my old man’s second request.

 

Until next time…

The 2009 Philadelphia Phillies Midseason Report Card

The Phillies went through some tough and some good times this year. With the season at their midway point, it’s time break down the Philadelphia Phillies this year. Here is the Philadelphia Phillies mid-season report card.

Philadelphia Phillies: 36-31 (as of June 22, 2009), 13-22 at home and 23-9 on road, first in NL East, interleague play: 3-9, streak: lost six.

Strengths: The Phillies have been doing great on the road this year, being number one in the MLB with a 23-9 record. Also, you have Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard who keep flying dingers with Ibanez having 22 and Howard having 20.

Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are right behind with 15 homers and twelve homers for Werth. I think all the Phils batters are doing excellent and Jimmy Rollins is actually improving as well.

Also, Shane Victorino has been excellent as well with his .304 batting average. And Cole Hamels leads the Phils with strikeouts with 72. It’s been pretty good in strengths, and it looks to improve further as the Phillies are reaching their peak.

The Phillies bullpen has been doing pretty good lately, with their ERA being eighth in the league at the time, now at eleventh though. The bullpen has been doing well and let’s see if they can get much better after mid-season.

Weaknesses: The Phillies are right now the enemies in Citizens Bank Park as they have 13-22 at home. It hasn’t been good at all for the Phillies at home and they are also are on a six-game losing streak which may affect them to keep their title in the NL East. The Phils also haven’t done good at all in interleague play as they are 3-9, worst in the NL East.

Other weaknesses. Yes and this may happen all year after what I have seen. It’s the performance of the pitchers the Phillies have. Cole Hamels has the lowest ERA with 4.24 for the Phils, which is not good in the MLB overall.

Jamie Moyer has been struggling as well with his 6.35 ERA and a record of 4-6 this year. And also, don’t forget what happened to Brad Lidge (injury) which made him fall to minors as well as Brett Myers’ season-ending injury.

But Lidge has been struggling as well, too, and let’s hope he improves after his knee is all better.

Nothing good has been happening with the pitchers in Philly. They have some good moments but most of it is not positive.

Questions Coming In After Midseason:

Can Brad Lidge’s knee heal?

Can Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard keep hitting like they have been and continue this tandem throughout the season?

Can Philadelphia’s pitchers rebound after midseason after not doing very well?

 

That’s it. This is the Philadelphia Phillies midseason report card. Are there any questions you’d like to add, any other weaknesses and strengths you would like to include? Why don’t you share your opinion by commenting below!

Done by request from the assignment desk.

Josh Dhani is a writer for the Phanatic Phollow Up and The Batter’s Eye.

Phillies’ All-Star Voting Updates And Why Shane Victorino Will Be An All-Star

Time once again for an update on the National League all-star race.

As expected Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez have held on to the top spots for the second base and outfield positions. Utley did give up the overall lead for votes to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols however.

Jimmy Rollins has slipped behind Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez by about 150,000 votes. I would expect Rollins to make a push, although an undeserved one, with next week’s vote totals due to the recent home stand for the Phillies.

Ryan Howard is firmly in second place. Carlos Ruiz is in fifth for catchers and Pedro Feliz is fourth for third basemen. Jayson Werth is in ninth place for outfielders.

One player to keep a special eye on now is Shane Victorino. With the latest vote totals, Victorino is sitting in fifth place and, to use a college basketball term, is an at-large bid to make the all-star team. With Charlie Manuel making the final decisions, Victorino could be aided by his own manager. Today the news came out that New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran has been placed on the disabled list and could be out through the all star break. Beltran is in third in the ballot totals. Should Beltran be unavailable, Victorino’s chances of making the all-star game could take a nice leap forward.

Of course each team must be represented so Victorino could find himself on the outside looking in. We shall see.

2009 Philadelphia Phillies Trade Possibilities

The Phillies are currently leading the National League East, but you wouldn’t think they were based on their stats.

Their hitting has been good, yet it is sometimes inconsistent.

Their pitching has been nothing but inconsistent.

The worst part of it:

If the hitting is good, the pitching is bad.

If the pitching is good, the hitting is bad.

Heck, sometimes they’re both bad! Yet never both good.

Their bullpen, the prized bullpen of Philly, has struggled. With Lidge gone, the bullpen is in need of help.

On the plus side, Ruben Amaro Jr is trying to correct these problems.

Here are some possibilites that are either reasonable or wishful:

1. Kyle Kendrick and Jason Donald to Boston Red Sox for Brad Penny and Rocco Baldelli

Reasonable in my opinion. The Phillies would surrender struggling Kendrick and prospect Donald for rotation and bench help.

With John Smoltz coming back this week, the Red Sox will have six starters. Also the Red Sox have Clay Buchholz in the minors, who is getting antsy.  

2. Kyle Kendrick and Travis D’Arnaud to Seattle Mariners for Erik Bedard and Chris Woodward

Reasonable seeing as the Mariners are in rebuild mode. The Mariners need pitching and catching help—D’Arnaud is a catching prospect. If not D’Arnaud, maybe Lou Marson?

Bedard has been mentioned a lot as a possibility not just this year but in previous years as well. Woodward would give the Phillies a much need reliable right-handed bat off the bench.

The only downside is that Bedard has been known to be trouble in the clubhouse.

3. Jason Donald, Antonio Bastardo, andLou Marson to San Diego Padres for Jake Peavy 

I’m sure the Padres are looking for deals like this since they aren’t in the race, but Peavy wants to stay in San Diego. (Because everyone wants to play for last place teams.)

The Padres don’t want to pay Peavy’s contract. They are rebuilding and need help at shortstop and catcher. Kendrick would just be a bonus.

The only hurdle is Peavy’s no-trade clause. Most offers for Peavy have been reasonable, but he’s too… stubborn? Clingy? Used to losing?

4. Michael Taylor and Kyle Kendrick to Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Cueto  

Maybe not reasonable? Cuerto is young and one of the Reds’ core players. He’s having a good year so far.

The Reds aren’t in the race and need third base, outfield, and pitching help.

If the deal doesn’t sound good, maybe throw in Donald, but then they might be offering too much for too little.

5. Michael Taylor, Antonio Bastardo, and Jason Donald to Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon Webb and Doug Davis  

Wishful maybe? The Diamondbacks aren’t in the race and are rebuilding, but I don’t think they like the idea of giving away two of their best pitchers in one shot.

Macho Row Phillie of the Week

It’s been a rough week for the Phillies so picking a Phillie of the week almost seems like a chore. As bad as some of the players have been though we should point out the bright spots when we can. Center fielder Shane Victorino has been that bright spot over the last seven days.

Victorino has tied for the team lead in runs scored (only three), and by far and away leads the team in hits with ten, including a team high three doubles. Somewhat of a surprise may be Victornio’s team high six walks in the last week as well. He has struck out only three times.

This is Victorino’s second time being named the Macho Row Phillie of the Week.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight, June 21: Happy Father’s Day!

A special Happy Father’s Day goes out to all of the readers who have children, hopefully your wife/girlfriend/kids spoiled you today. 

I had a very nice day today with a nice new shirt and tie combo for work, along with a book that I have been wanting. My wife was also generous enough to take me and the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner for a nice meal of spicy fried foods and beer. 

What else can a Dad ask for?  We also had a nice meal with my parents last night, as they were going to be out of town today. 

My father has been an incredible influence in my life, as well as a fantastic father.  He is truly the reason that I am doing this today, as he instilled both a love of sports and competitiveness in me from an early age. But even more than that, the support that he has given me throughout my life can never be paid back (or the money, sorry Dad), and I am forever grateful to have such a man in my life.

If I am able to be half the father that he has been, I will be very proud of myself. I love you Dad, and I could never thank you enough!

 

C.C. Sabathia left his start with tightness in his biceps in the second inning on Sunday.  He was examined during warmups, got one guy out, but after allowing a hit he was removed from the game. The team has termed him day-to-day, and they say there are no tests planned. 

When you give a guy $20-lpus million and he comes out of the game, I’d be willing to bet that there are some tests in Sabathia’s future.

Ryan Howard was released from the hospital after spending consecutive nights there with flu symptoms. Howard was able to provide a pinch-hit homer in last night’s game, but did not play today.

The Phils have an off day on Monday, and you would think that he should be back in the lineup by Tuesday.

Casey McGehee is still playing in place of Rickie Weeks, and the kid is hitting. He hit his second homer of the year, and has 17 hits in his last nine games. I suppose as long as he keeps producing, he will keep playing.

McGehee was not a top ranking prospect, so I’m sure there is a stat correction coming in his future, but if you need some middle infield help in the short term, McGehee appears to be worth a look.

Mark Buehrle is having another one of those ho-hum Mark Buehrle kind of years. He threw seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Reds, and raised his record to 7-2.

There are two reasons, in my opinion, that Buehrle never gets fantasy love. One is he will never win 20 games. His career high is 19, but that was a long time ago. He usually wins between 12-15 games.

The second reason is that he doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts. Last season he had just 140 in 218 innings, and he is on a similar pace this year. However, while a lot of us love the lure of the rookies and the potential of the next big thing, a guy like Buehrle at the end of your rotation is likely more help. 

But hey when is Neftali Feliz coming up? I’ll pick him up!

Brandon Phillips left the game early yesterday with pain in his fractured thumb, but was able to play today. Phillips has a hairline fracture in his thumb, but never hit the disabled list. He did not get a hit today, but did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly.

I was worried that he might be out a few games again, but it appears that he is tough as nails and is safe to put back into your lineups.

Ricky Romero had his fourth straight good start after coming back from the DL, and he is looking like someone that you can count on each time out.

Romero’s minor league statistics were nothing to get excited about, so if he starts to go south, don’t be surprised and have a backup plan ready. However, the more and more he pitches, the more confidence that I gain in him.

Jeremy Guthrie was great on Sunday, allowing just one run over seven innings against the Phillies. It seems that Guthrie generally pitches well, even against good competition. Somehow though, his statistics just aren’t very good. 

Even with the win on Sunday, his record is 5-7. His ERA is 5.09, while his WHIP is 1.37.  He isn’t even getting many strikeouts, as he has just 55 in 86 innings.

He isn’t a bad option at the end of your rotation, but I just have never been a big fan of Guthrie.

Khalil Greene homered for the third straight game, and then was hit with a pitch and had to leave. He was 4-for-7 since coming back from the DL due to social anxiety, but was hit on the ankle with a pitch the at-bat after hitting the homer. 

Greene has long been a guy with plenty of power potential, but couldn’t hit for any kind of average whatsoever.  Even if he is able to play tomorrow against the Mets, I still wouldn’t be picking Greene up unless you are desperate for help at either shortstop or third base.

With his two home runs on Sunday, Albert Pujols now has 26 homers to go with 27 strikeouts! Who is the best hitter in the game right now?  Is there even a question?

Just when you started to feel good about Gil Meche, he goes out and does this. Meche got tattooed by Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. There is no shame in getting crushed by Pujols, as you can see above, most pitchers have been for years, but nine runs over 3.1 innings? 

After six straight starts of two runs or less, you had to figure that something like this was possible. The next start is the important one for Meche. Hopefully, he can get right back on track and pitch effectively again.

But Meche isn’t Johan Santana, my guess is the next one or two outings aren’t that great. I’m not saying nine runs again, but he won’t see the seventh inning.

Who in the world does Michael Cuddyer think he is? After 64 games this season, he is nearly halfway to his career high of 24 homers after connecting on number eleven Sunday. He has driven in three runs in his last four games, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him get up to 90 RBI. 

As long as he can stay healthy, Cuddyer is looking like a solid fourth outfielder, and he could move up farther from that.

Cubs’ power hitting prospect Jake Fox is back in the majors and they actually trusted him with a starting spot today. Fox played third base, and the good news is he drove in three runs with a double. The even better news is that he didn’t commit an error.

If Fox can prove that his glove is up to the task, perhaps he will see more starts.

Even though he lost, Dallas Braden has now allowed three runs or less in seven straight starts. He might not have a great record (5-6), but he generally has been good all year, with a 3.26 ERA.

The low strikeout numbers are probably what is holding him back from full fantasy ownership, but if you catch an injury or have someone you want to drop, give Braden a look to see if he fits what you need.

Kevin Kouzmanoff continues to drive in runs, even if he can’t really get his batting average to a respectable place. Kouzmanoff hit his ninth homer of the season on Sunday, and has driven in 14 runs in his last 10 games.

I am still not quite believing that he is going to keep this up, but it is possible. He was a pretty highly touted prospect, showed great power in the minors, and his batting average was always in the .300 range.

He is a guy that I had a lot of hope for three years ago, perhaps it is going to come to fruition now. I wouldn’t bet on it just yet, but keep an eye on him.

Alex Rios got my hit streak back on track in USA Today’s 56 Game Hit Streak. I am very close to paydirt as that extended my streak to two. Please join our group with the link above. The private group is called Fantasy BBall 2nite and the password is fantasy.

 

Mailing List

I’m not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don’t get a request to join it. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be.

If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the call-ups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition.

Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefited from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com.

To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight, Jun. 21: Happy Father’s Day!

A special Happy Father’s Day goes out to all of the readers who have children, hopefully your wife/girlfriend/kids spoiled you today.

I had a very nice day today with a nice new shirt/tie combo for work, along with a book that I have been wanting. My wife was also generous enough to take me and the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner for a nice meal of spicy fried foods and beer.

What else can a Dad ask for?

We also had a nice meal with my parents last night, as they were going to be out of town today. My father has been an incredible influence in my life, as well as a fantastic father.

He is truly the reason that I am doing this today, as he instilled both a love of sports and competitiveness in me from an early age. But, even more than that, the support that he has given me throughout my life can never be paid back (or the $$$$, sorry Dad), and I am forever grateful to have such a man in my life.

If I am able to be half the father that he has been, I will be very proud of myself.

I love you Dad, and I could never thank you enough!

C.C. Sabathia left his start with tightness in his biceps in the second inning on Sunday. He was examined during warmups, got one guy out, but, after allowing a hit, he was removed from the game.

The team has termed him day to day, and they say there are no tests planned. When you give a guy $20+ million and he comes out of the game, I’d be willing to bet that there are some tests in Sabathia’s future.

Ryan Howard was released from the hospital after spending consecutive nights there with flu symptoms. Howard was able to provide a pinch hit homer in last night’s game, but did not play today.

The Phils have an off day on Monday, and you would think that he should be back in the lineup by Tuesday.

Casey McGehee is still playing in place of Rickie Weeks, and the kid is hitting. He hit his second homer of the year and has 17 hits in his last nine games.

I suppose as long as he keeps producing, he will keep playing. McGehee was not a top ranking prospect, so I’m sure there is a stat correction coming in his future.

But, if you need some middle infield help in the short term, McGehee appears to be worth a look.

Mark Buehrle is having another one of those ho-hum Mark Buehrle kind of years. He threw seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Reds, and raised his record to 7-2.

Now there are two reasons, in my opinion, that Buehrle never gets fantasy love.

One is he will never win 20 games. His career high is 19, but that was a long time ago. He usually wins between 12-15 games.

The second is that he doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts. Last season, he had just 140 in 218 innings, and he is on a similar pace this year.

However, while a lot of us love the lure of the rookies and the potential of the next big thing, a guy like Buehrle at the end of your rotation is likely more help.

But hey, when is Neftali Feliz coming up?

I’ll pick him up!

Brandon Phillips left the game early yesterday with pain in his fractured thumb, but was able to play today. Phillips has a hairline fracture in his thumb, but never hit the Disabled List.

He did not get a hit today, but did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. I was worried that he might be out a few games again, but it appears that he is tough as nails and is safe to put back into your lineups.

Ricky Romero had his fourth straight good start after coming back from the DL, and he is looking like someone that you can count on each time out. Romero’s minor league statistics were nothing to get excited about, so if he starts to go south, don’t be surprised and have a backup plan ready.

However, the more and more he pitches, the more confidence that I gain in him.

Jeremy Guthrie was great on Sunday, allowing just one run over seven innings against the Phillies. It seems that Guthrie generally pitches well, even against good competition.

Somehow though, his statistics just aren’t very good. Even with the win on Sunday, his record is 5-7, his ERA is 5.09, and his WHIP is 1.37.

He isn’t even getting many strikeouts, as he has just 55 Ks in 86 innings. He isn’t a bad option at the end of your rotation, but I just have never been a big fan of Guthrie.

Khalil Greene homered for the third straight game, was hit with a pitch, and had to leave. He was 4/7 since coming back from the Disabled List due to social anxiety, but was hit on the ankle with a pitch the at bat after hitting the homer.

Greene has long been a guy with plenty of power potential, but couldn’t hit for any kind of average whatsoever. Even if he is able to play tomorrow against the Mets, I still wouldn’t be picking Greene up unless you are desperate for help at either shortstop or third base.

With his two home runs on Sunday, Albert Pujols now has 26 homers to go with 27 strikeouts!

Who is the best hitter in the game right now?

Is there even a question?

Just when you started to feel good about Gil Meche, he goes out and does this. Meche got tattooed by Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. There is no shame in getting crushed by Pujols, as you can see above, most pitchers have been for years.

But nine runs over 3.1 innings?

After six straight starts of two runs or less, you had to figure that something like this was possible. The next start is the important one for Meche. Hopefully, he can get right back on track and pitch effectively again.

But Gil Meche isn’t Johan Santana, and my guess is the next one or two outings aren’t that great. I’m not saying nine runs again, but he won’t see the seventh inning.

Who in the world does Michael Cuddyer think he is?

After 64 games of the season, he is nearly halfway to his career high of 24 homers when he connected on No. 11 on Sunday. He has driven in three runs in his last four games, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him get up to 90 RBI.

As long as he can stay healthy, Cuddyer is looking like a solid fourth outfielder, and he could move up farther from that.

Cubs’ power hitting prospect Jake Fox is back in the majors, and they actually trusted him with a starting spot today. Fox played third base, and the good news is he drove in three runs with a double.

The even better news is that he didn’t commit an error. If Fox can prove that his glove is up to the task, perhaps he will see more starts.

Even though he lost, Dallas Braden has now allowed three runs or less in seven straight starts. He might not have a great record (5-6), but he generally has been good all year, with a 3.26 ERA.

The low strikeout numbers are probably what is holding him back from full fantasy ownership, but, if you catch an injury or have someone you want to drop, give Braden a look to see if he fits what you need.

Kevin Kouzmanoff continues to drive in runs, even if he can’t really get his batting average to a respectable place. Kouzmanoff hit his ninth homer of the season on Sunday, and has driven in 14 runs in his last ten games.

I am still not quite believing that he is going to keep this up, but it is possible. He was a pretty highly touted prospect, showed great power in the minors, and his batting average was always in the .300 range. He is a guy that I had a lot of hope in for three years ago, perhaps it is going to come to fruition now.

I wouldn’t bet on it just yet, but keep an eye on him.

Alex Rios got my hit streak back on track on the USA Today’s 56 Game Hit Streak. I am very close to paydirt as that extended my streak to two.

Please join our group with the link above. The private group is called Fantasy BBall 2nite and the password is fantasy.

 

Mailing List

I’m not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don’t get a request to join it. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be.

If you were on the mailing list, you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc.

This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefited from the list.

Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com.

To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

A Perfect Father’s Day: A Tribute to Jim Bunning

Today is the 45th anniversary of Jim Bunning’s perfect game with the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the second no-hitter of his career.

He is one of five pitchers to throw a no-hitter in both leagues; he threw his first with the Detroit Tigers in 1958.

His perfect game was the the first no-hitter in the National League in 84 years, and was the seventh perfect game in baseball history and the third in National League history. (Seventeen pitchers have thrown a perfect game.)

Both of his no-hitters came in the first game of a double header.

Oh, by the way Gus Triandos, who caught Bunning’s perfect game, became the first player to catch a no-hitter in both leagues.

That’s a lot of accomplishments for only one game.

Bunning’s perfect game came on June 21, 1964 against the New York Mets. He was in his first season as a Phillie and was enjoying early season success. He had come from the Tigers, with whom he had made five All-Star teams.

On August 2, 1959, Bunning struck out three batters on nine pitches. He is one of ten players to accomplish this feat.

By the time he retired, Bunning had made seven All-Star teams and ranked second on the all-time strikeout list, behind only Walter Johnson. (He now ranks 17th.)

On June 21, 1964, the Phillies had a double header against the Mets at Shea Stadium. The Phillies were leading the division while the Mets were in tenth place.

Philadelphia quickly scored a run in the first inning and tagged on another in the second.

Meanwhile, Jim Bunning was pitching masterfully. Through five innings, he hadn’t allowed a base runner and struck out four.

In the top of the sixth, Johnny Callison led off with a home run, giving the Phillies a 3-0 lead. Then, with men on first and second and two outs, Gus Triandos knocked in a run with a single. Bunning stepped up and helped his own cause by knocking in two runs with a double.  

Bunning retired the Mets easily over the next three innings, while striking out four.

With only three outs to go in the bottom of the ninth, Bunning got Charley Smith to foul out. He then struck out George Altman for the second out.

Finally, for the perfect game, he struck out John Stevenson for his tenth strikeout of the day.

(The Phillies took the momentum of the game into the second game.)

Jim Bunning was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. He finished his career with a 224-184 record, a 3.27 ERA, and 2855 strikeouts.

Bunning is currently a Kentucky senator.

 

World Series Phlashback: 1983—Game Five

The 1983 Phillies, nicknamed the “Wheeze Kids” for their average player age of 32, were fueled by a mini reunion of The Big Red Machine with Pete Rose, Tony Perez, and Joe Morgan.

Lead by MVP Mike Schmidt the Phillies pulled away from the Pittsburgh Pirates for the NL East division championship in September and then got revenge on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

Waiting for the Phillies in the 1983 World Series was a very tough Baltimore Orioles squad. With a young Cal Ripken Jr. and players like Eddie Murray, both of whom finished one-two in the AL MVP voting (Ripken edges Murray), the Orioles had eliminated the Chicago White Sox to advance to their first World Series since 1979, where the Orioles blew a thee games to one lead on Pittsburgh to lose the championship in seven games.

We conclude our phlashback with a look at game three, played in Philadelphia.

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