Phillies’ Offense Regresses, Drops Finale to Twins

A game like the one the Phillies played in the series finale against the Twins is exactly why we can never be too quick to proclaim a funk over.

After only one run on a measly four hits, the Phillies offense looked as bad in that game as it has over the past few weeks. Carl Pavano completely shut down the entire lineup (sans Wilson Valdez) as he went the distance to give the Twins their second win in a best-of-three series.

On the mound, Roy Halladay continues to get bitten by the long ball as he allowed two home runs in eight innings. He also allowed 11 total hits, four total runs, and struck out eight.

Right now, this season is looking exactly like 2008 as far as how the offense performs based on who is on the mound that day. Back in ’08, it seemed like anytime Cole Hamels was on the mound the offense was strapping on a blindfold on their walk to the plate.

But when it was Jamie Moyer’s turn from the hill, they came out swinging and smacking anything even close to the strike zone.

This year, we’re seeing the same thing. When Halladay is pitching, they seem to take it for granted and aren’t pressing at the plate. They’re letting good pitches go by, are always watching the first pitch, and can’t seem to get themselves into favorable counts.

When you’re down 1-2, it’s incredibly difficult to guess what a pitcher is going to throw because he can really go anywhere. Because of that, they’re left either looking at a strike as they get back-doored or reaching the buffoons and popping the ball into the shallow part of the outfield.

Everyone, except Placido Polanco, is swinging for the fences and, most of the time this year, are either missing wildly or simply flying out to the warning track as they did against the Twins in the finale.

I’m continuing to look forward to the Cleveland series as it should give their bats a chance to get going, especially with Jimmy Rollins set to return to the lineup. Carlos Ruiz should be back as well, and will give a much-needed boost offensively and defensively.

Wth those guys back, Shane Victorino can go back to the seven hole where he belongs.  Brian Schneider is then available as a pinch-hitter behind Ruiz, who seems to be getting on base every game he plays.

I don’t think many in Philly are panicking yet, but we only have so much time left of the “it’s still early” mantra. The season is going to hit the mid-way point before we know it, and then it’s going to take one hell of a performance on the back nine to get things rolling.

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Why the Philadelphia Phillies Are Delighted To Lose 13-10 To Minnesota

When you are a fan of a team like the Philadelphia Phillies, sometimes you’d rather score 10 runs and lose than score one run and win, particularly when your team has been struggling to score runs.

Saturday was one of those days.

The Phillies lost to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon by a score of 13-10 in a wild game in which the Phillies led 9-4 going into the ninth inning and managed to blow a five run lead.  

The Phils tossed the game when four different relievers allowed runs to give the game away the Twins in the later innings.

The positives from Saturday’s game far outweigh the negatives. The Phillies got off to a fast start, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. The Phillies came up with some clutch hitting, with Ross Gload hitting a game-tying two-out home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to extend the game.

Most of all, the Phillies hitters have come back to life, and frankly the entire City of Philadelphia finds itself climbing back in off the ledge.

Ryan Howard hit his fourth home run in the last four games and is now batting .291, Chase Utley went 3-for-5 to get his batting average “up” to .267, and Jayson Werth is starting to salvage his contract year after a devastating drought.

Hell, even Wilson Valdez hit a home run and failed to add to his staggering 10 double plays on the season.

Cole Hamels also had an effective outing for the Phils, which is always re-assuring. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Hamels settled down and gave up only one more run while going seven innings. Hamels finished with seven strikeouts and only one walk.

In fact, the only part of the Phillies game that failed to function on Saturday was the part of the Phillies team that they expect to get trouble from—the bullpen. Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge, Chad Durbin, and Danys Baez combined to give up nine runs in less than four innings of work.

And you know what?  The Phillies will take it.

When Roy Halladay pitched his perfect game against Josh Johnson on May 29th in Florida, it was a very exciting game for everyone involved.

At the same time, though, there was something disconcerting about the win: the Phillies managed only a single unearned run against Johnson, and barely won the game despite Halladay’s dominance.

That is not how this team wins games.

At the end of the day, the Philadelphia Phillies will win games in 2010 the same way they did in 2009 and 2008: by scoring lots of runs and surviving their pitching. And when a team follows that model, there are going to be days in which that team is going to lose 13-10. But on most days, the team will come away with a victory.  

And if scoring 10 runs on Saturday is another sign that the Phillies offense is back, then they know there will be plenty of victories to come.

This is where the Phillies need to be.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com.

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Philadelphia Phillies Crush, Then Crumble in Loss to Minnesota Twins

I’m sorry folks, I think I jinxed this one. With former Phillie Jim Thome at the plate in the ninth inning with the Phillies up by five runs, I said to my dad and brother, “I wouldn’t mind if he hit a home run right here. We would still be up by three and I don’t see us losing this game.

“Plus, I kinda want Thome to have more homers than that lying steroid user Rafael Palmeiro.”

That was the first time I have ever rooted for a non-Philadelphia sports player when playing a Philly sports team, and I will NEVER do that again. Why? Well, after Thome launched his two-run bomb that I predicted, the Phillies bullpen decided to make me look like a fool.

With a 9-6 lead, the Phillies were still in a comfortable save situation, but some more poor pitching by Jose Contreras led to another run, and with the score now at 9-7 Brad Lidge was called upon. This season Brad hasn’t been used too much, but he had appeared to be over his season long slump this season, going 4/4 in save opportunities with an ERA under 2.00.

Unfortunately, 2009 Lidge showed up today. With two outs and a man on, Joe Mauer came to the plate. Lidge, who was relying on his slider, left one up over the plate and Mauer completed a dreadful top of the ninth by tying the game with a blast to right center field. It’s safe to say that I and the 45,000+ fans in Citizen’s Bank Park were stunned.

In the 10th, more trouble ensued. Chad Durbin came into the game and allowed a home run to Drew Butera, an unlikely hero considering he was the one who caught Thome’s home run ball while sitting in the Twins’ bullpen.

In the bottom of the inning the Phillies looked like all hope was lost when their first two batters got out very quickly, leaving the game in the hands of pinch-hitter Ross Gload.

Gload, a signing that I didn’t really like, has had an unremarkable season so far off the bench. I felt good about him coming to the plate though, because weirdly enough the last two times I have actually watched him bat he has hit home runs (the last time was in person when Roy Halladay got roughed up against the Red Sox).

Anyway, Gload took a low pitch and hit a scorching line drive just fair and just above the wall along the right field line to tie the game at 10.

When Danys Baez toed the mound to start the 11th inning, I turned off the television because I didn’t want to watch. Don’t ask me how the Twins scored the three runs to take a 13-10 lead because I didn’t have to watch to know what would happen.

As I have been saying since the offseason, I can’t believe we signed Baez and it is unbelievable to me that he hasn’t been designated for assignment yet. It’s only been about 30 min since the 11th inning; he should be released by now. In four of Baez’s last five outings he has let up at least one run. My friends and I have gotten used to seeing Baez come into a game and we would take bets on how many runs he would allow.

Amazingly enough, last time we did this was during another Cole Hamels start when Cole went seven strong innings and left with the Phillies down 2-0. Let’s just say when Baez came in the score wasn’t 2-0 anymore. Anyway, enough with the Baez bashing, but seriously—the guy needs to go.

Even though the Phillies blew a chance to gain a game on the Mets, who lost today, there were many positives today. Chase Utley definitely looks like he is out of his slump, going 3-5 with three RBI today and 2-5 with four RBI yesterday. In his last 24 games before these two, he was batting .174 with three total RBI, so it’s good to see him back.

The Phillies, as a whole, have been hitting great in their last four games and seem to have gotten out of the offensive funk that they’ve been in all month. Taking two of three from the Yankees and the first game in this series while scoring in bunches shows that the Phillies have that swagger back, at least on offense.

Ryan Howard had one of the best games that I’ve ever seen him play yesterday, going 4-4 with two HR and was a single short of the cycle (he also added a home run today). Jayson Werth has been batting over .300 in the last week and seems to have found his swing, hitting a home run today. Raul Ibanez even is hitting well, crushing a ball to deep right-center field today.

All in all, it seems like the 2010 Phillies have reverted back to the 2009 Phillies, but with better starting pitching. The offense is back to their run scoring ways, and even though it’s only been four games, you can tell that they are taking better swings and look more in control at the plate. 

The bullpen seems to be back to its unpredictable self, so we have to hope that Ryan Madson can come back soon and pray Danys Baez is on a plane to somewhere far from the Phillies pitcher’s mound.

The one difference with both seasons, the Braves and Mets are much improved, as is our starting pitching. Halladay has been what Cliff Lee was, but even more so. Hamels looked great today after the first, and he was solid in his last start, so he looks like he has confidence back.

Hopefully J.A. Happ can come back and contribute, but if not, Kyle Kendrick has been excellent. Moyer and Blanton have been Jekyll and Hyde on the mound, but you’re bound to see that with a 47-year-old pitcher.

Unfortunately, the ending of today’s game flat out sucked, but the team has its swagger back.Let’s hope the ninth inning didn’t put out the spark that the Phillies just lit.

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Despite Loss to Twins, Philles Headed in Right Direction

The Phillies lost one of the most up-and-down games I’ve ever seen to the Minnesota Twins by a score of 13-10, but there were a lot of positives to take from the game.

For starters, the Phils scored 10 runs — something they haven’t been doing a whole lot of recently as they fight to fully escape their offensive funk. It’s still too soon to proclaim it over, but with 14 hits and a double-digit run total, they’re certainly making strides.

They also did all that without Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz — both of whom are expected back in the lineup sometime in the middle of next week.

And to keep with the recent trend, the starting pitcher looked very good for the most part. Cole Hamels had a difficult start to the game, allowing three runs in the first inning, but he turned it around and allowed only one more run in the next six innings he pitched.

Overall, Hamels finished with seven innings pitched, five hits, four runs, three earned, walked two, struck out seven, allowed one homerun, and had one error.

Chase Utley was the star of the game on offense going 3-5 with three RBIs and a couple extra-base hits. Utley, like the rest of the offense, appears set to pull out his funk once and for all and make a push in the latter portion of the season.

Any negatives there were to find with this team came from the bullpen.

The Phillies were leading 9-4 heading into the ninth inning after seven very good innings from Hamels and a great eighth inning by J.C. Romero, but a combination of Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge gave the game away.

Contreras walked a man, allowed a base hit which turned into a run, and then gave up a pinch-hit homerun to Jim Thome to make the game 9-7. With no outs, he was replaced by Lidge who, after getting two outs, gave up a homerun to Joe Mauer with a man on base to tie the game at nine heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The wheels fell off from there as Chad Durbin and Danny Baez took their turns messing things and eventually losing the game, even after Ross Gload brought the Phillies back with a pinch-hit homerun in the 10th to tie the game at 10.

So, for once this season, it wasn’t the offense getting knocked around. But the play of the bullpen is more than alarming. If they don’t pick it up tomorrow, we could see a bit of a shake-up from Charlie Manuel in that ‘pen.

Losing a game they should have won is certainly going to hurt, but if they can rebound and beat the Twins in the finale to take the series, they should be able to get on a roll as they’ll have six more consecutive home games, three of which come against the cupcake Cleveland Indians.

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Phillies’ 2010 Not Quite Mid-Season Report

We’re far from Thanksgiving, but this time of year in the sports world has me comparing the feast to current events. We’re all now stuffed from the NHL Stanley Cup Finals and the tasty NBA Finals, relaxing while enjoying whatever is on television, such as World Cup action.

As for Phillies baseball, its course is still pre-heating in the oven. The All-Star Game is looming, and plenty of questions are barraging the defending National League Champions. Get your pot-holders ready.

Right now, the main question surrounding this hot-potato topic has been the offense. The usually tenacious hitting has been absent for stretches, costing the Phillies key victories. With a staggering scoring differential (93-43 from May 22 to June 12), tensions have been afflicting the organization, players, and fans. Doubters wondering how the club stumbled in that stretch from first place in the National League East to third have taken a toll on no one more than General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr.

He might not deserve all the blame. Injuries riddling the team have caused erratic changes to the team chemistry and consistency.

The most prevalent injury hurting the team has been that of shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Going down on April 12 with a calf injury, an absence extending to mid-May, and then a repeat of that same injury has put a damper on the offense because of the tempo Rollins sets. With a potential return to the lineup prior to the All-Star Break, there is hope for him to aid an underachieving group of hitters.

The other major injury concern has involved the young left-hander J.A. Happ. Going down on April 15 left the rotation dismantled at times when Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, or Kyle Kendrick struggled in their weakest games. At the same time, the one-two punch of Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels anchored the Phillies to their best performances. Happ’s rehab and status, much like Rollins’, gradually signals much hope if he repeats his 2009 rookie campaign.

Other injuries to closer Brad Lidge and setup men Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, and Antonio Bastardo depleted the bullpen of much of its firepower. But on the bright side, it has shown that the Jose Contreras pick-up paid dividends. As of June 18, he owns a 3-2 record, a 1.23 ERA, and 28 strikeouts in only 22 innings, which has earned him much praise as the most consistent setup man.

Although I mentioned the Phillies’ hitters as an “underachieving group,” that term may be too harsh. Still, when it comes to clutch situations, time in and time out fans have witnessed the struggles, especially from the bats of Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez.

Lately, though, they’ve fared well, after a matinee win over Boston and a hard-fought Yankees series. The fates of both outfielders, hazy as they are, depend on their performance the rest of the way. Werth’s impending free agency and Ibanez’s age have sparked trade rumors.

Struggles (aside from those of Werth and Ibanez) appeared in Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard’s game as well. Victorino’s 0-5 game against C.C. Sabathia may indicate his inefficiency from the leadoff spot, but Utley and Howard’s struggles may have turned a corner after their strong outings against the Minnesota Twins in Friday night’s series opener.

It is early to grade this team in 2010—the oven is still heating for my personal views. Let this team ‘pre-heat’ for a little longer, especially after the All-Star Break. Then, we will see if the roster is absolutely healthy and ready to compete with a resurgent Mets squad and a solid Braves team.

 

 

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MLB Rumors: Cliff Lee Coming Back to Phillies, Pedro Martinez, and More

Hey guys, and welcome to today’s rumor mill for Major League Baseball!

We’ll be discussing some pretty good rumors around the MLB, so you may want to stick around to catch the excitement.

Will Cliff Lee be traded back to his old team, the Philadelphia Phillies?

Will Pedro Martinez join him? Or will he go to a different team?

All of these rumors and a lot more on today’s MLB Rumor Mill!

So check out the rumors.

Hope you enjoy them.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: Who’s Not Enjoying This?

 

Yesterday, my son wanted to go to the Dairy Queen. Since I’m trying to eat healthy, I inquired about the selections they had that didn’t resemble candy.

The girl offered me a chocolate covered banana.

I said, “That’s it? Don’t you have a more phallic desert?”

Obviously not. So when she handed the treat my way, one thing crossed my mind:

I’ll have to hold this in a way that makes me look like I’m not enjoying it.

But there’s no way I can hide my pleasure about the series win in the Bronx.

Everyone’s thinking the bat formation in front of Chase Utley’s locker before the Thursday whooping was the series clincher, but I believe there’s only one thing that can cause a change this profound:

Charlie Manuel is on performance-enhancing drugs.

Of course I’ve alleged that before. But how else do you explain Greg Dobbs getting a hit, Raul Ibanez stealing a base, or the Phils finding a rally without Jimmy Rollins?

When’s the last time the team hit back-to-back homers? When’s the last time they even got the ball over the fence?

And when’s the last time we spelled bullpen relief like this: Jose Contreras.

I haven’t had that many questions since I spent the night with Jose Cuervo.

And what about that guy named Placido Polanco? His name doesn’t yet roll off our tongues like Rauuuuul Ibanez, but since the questions surrounding his ability to be effective in the hot corner surfaced at his signing, having a guy named Polly has been nothing less than poetic.

He’s the only guy in the starting lineup still hitting .300-plus and he has the highest fielding percentage of third basemen in the National League.

But when he saved Kyle Kendrick from ruin in the sixth by mounting the tarp, his face had this taunt appearance as if he was up to no good.

I’ve seen the same expression on my dog.

He was having a good time too.

That brings us to the most pleasant surprise of the series—Kyle Kendrick. He was welcomed to the show in 2007 and was up against some heavy hitters for Rookie of the Year like Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, and Hunter Pence.

Although he’s hardly lived up to the accomplishments of those guys, do we dare hope he’s finally on pace?

Last night he not only had his tempo down, he could lead the marching band. Maybe with the pressure of JA Happ’s return and the question of who’s moving to the bullpen, Kendrick was forced to pitch more like a guy who belongs in the rotation than someone who just got lucky.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The great irony is, three days ago Roy Halladay was considered the key to taking this Yankees series. Instead it was won with a kid that caused my ulcer and a grandpa named Jamie Moyer who’s intent on being the oldest pitcher to do everything.

Wait, that made Jamie sound like my dog.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It might be too early to sing Kyle’s praises—he still walked two and only fanned three, but the composure he showed made him look as stoic as that other strawberry blond, Roy Halladay.

There’s one thing the two hurlers didn’t have in common last night—Kyle Kendrick smiles when things go his way. I saw a big toothy smile.

And barring a great hit here or a good catch there, there’s been a drought of things to smile about lately.

So the big question remains: Have the Phillies turned things around?

That depends. Are you arranging knickknacks in your curio cabinet or talking baseball?

I will say this: There’s no doubt I’d rather be enjoying Phillie wins then munching down on a treat of extraordinary size with a guilty look on my face.

But let’s face it—every game is 27 outs. Charlie went as far as to say if they win every series, they’ll be sitting pretty.

And if they do that, there’s no way I can act like I’m not enjoying it.

Regardless of what my husband says.

See you at the ballpark.

 

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe all rights reserved. Catch life one-liner at a time at http://twitter.com/ABabesTake

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Top 10 Baseball Events You Missed During Game Seven of the NBA Finals

The NBA FInals are always fantastic. A Lakers-Celtics Finals is all-the-better. A Lakers-Celtics Game Seven is a can’t miss.

We understand that you were pre-occupied with basketball last night. That’s why we provide this primer on the top 10 things you missed in baseball yesterday.

This is a must read, because some of what you missed was nothing short of historical.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies Can Gain Momentum after Besting New York Yankees

For the same reasons I’m not going to declare a four-game stretch a slump, I’m not going to declare a pretty decent stretch of the same length as enough to bust out of a slump.

There is hope, however, now that the Phillies have taken three of their last four—the finale against the Red Sox and two out of three against the Yankees—and are finally starting to show glimpses of the back-to-back NL champions that they are.

The bats look like they’re starting to get going again, guys are coming through in clutch situations, and the starting pitching even seems to be correcting itself on the fly after two superb outings in consecutive games by Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick.

But now the hard part comes.

The Phils can’t just be satisfied with beating the Yankees and then fall into their old ways. They have to use this series to gain some momentum and some confidence in themselves.

The talent is clearly there. Unlike even the past two seasons, the Phillies have everything they need in place to make a serious run. All they have to do is quit getting in their own way and finally start making things happen.

Here is usually where I’d insert some semi-insightful analysis as to what they can do to keep the momentum going and break from the slump, but it’s too easy. All they’ve got to do is keep playing the way they know they can play, stop pressing, and do what they do best.

This season isn’t going to hinge upon a trade-deadline move for a pitcher or a big bat. If anything, the only moves the Phillies have to worry about making will come when they finally start moving guys off the DL and back into the lineup—or rotation in the case of J.A. Happ.

And that has been the most agonizing part of this slide: The talent is there from the very top to the very bottom. The pitching, from the ace to the fifth spot, is more than solid. The lineup, from leadoff to the eighth man, is more than capable of getting things done and scoring some runs.

Yes, even with Jimmy Rollins out for most of the season as well as the few times they’ve been without Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz.

The Phils can usually afford to wait until after the All-Star break to get something going, but they won’t be afforded that same opportunity this season. The NL East is far too good and if they wait until July to start getting things in place it could be too late.

Only eight games separate the team at the top (Atlanta Braves, 39-28) and the team at the bottom (Washington Nationals, 31-36). With the Nationals just barely under .500, it’s clear the baseball gods are not going to make this an easy season for anyone in the NL East.

Joe Blanton (1-5, 7.28 ERA) is set to take on Nick Blackburn (6-3, 4.96 ERA) Friday, so that could put the rally off at least one game as Blanton has been putrid all season long. After that, however, things start to look up as Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay take the mound.

I’m not saying they’re going to go undefeated the rest of the season, but the Phils are going to start a tear right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them sitting atop the NL East heading into the All-Star break.

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Game 66: Yankees vs. Phillies

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (41-24)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Ramiro Pena 3B

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettite (8-1, 2.46 ERA)

PHILLIES (33-30)
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Placido Polanco 3B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Ben Francisco DH
Carlos Ruiz C
Wilson Valdez SS

Pitching: RHP Kyle Kendrick (3-2, 4.80 ERA)

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
M. Teixeira	12	1	0	0	1	1	2	1	.083	.214	.333	.548
Totals	12	1	0	0	1	1	2	1	.083	.214	.333	.548

Phillies vs. Pettitte

	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
R. Ibanez	21	6	1	0	1	3	0	5	.286	.318	.476	.794
J. Werth	13	1	0	0	1	2	0	5	.077	.077	.308	.385
R. Howard	9	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.111	.111	.111	.222
P. Polanco	7	3	0	0	1	1	0	0	.429	.429	.857	1.286
C. Utley	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	.143	.250	.143	.393
S. Victorino	6	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.500	.500	.500	1.000
J. Castro	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000
R. Gload	5	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	.200	.167	.400	.567
B. Francisco	5	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.400	.500	.400	.900
C. Ruiz	3	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	.667	.667	1.667	2.333
B. Schneider	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	.000	.333	.000	.333
Totals	83	20	2	0	4	9	3	18	.241	.273	.410	.682

 

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