Philadelphia Phillies: Series vs. Florida Marlins Threatened by Hurricane Irene

Update: The Phillies have moved Sunday's game against Florida to Saturday. The Phillies and Marlins will attempt yo squeeze in a double header before the storm moves through.

The Phillies have an off day on Thursday before hosting the Florida Marlins for a weekend series.

Hurricane Irene, a Category 3 storm, is also heading up the east coast and is going to be in the Philadelphia area this weekend.

The weather could put at least one game on the schedule at risk of postponement. Sunday's series finale against the Marlins has the most ominous weather forecast, with an 80 percent chance of rain, according to the five-day forecast from The Weather Channel.

And when it does rain, it will be heavy.

Do not be surprised if that series finale is postponed and scheduled for a makeup for the last remaining off day on the schedule, September 15. The Marlins also have that day scheduled for an off day.

But what happens if two games are affected by Irene this weekend?

There is only a 30 percent chance of rain for Saturday, but the storm is expected to come in to the area that night. With a night game on the schedule, who knows what could happen with the game. The game could be scheduled for an earlier first pitch if approved by Major League Baseball, but the Phillies may have to give up the television rights due to MLB's contract with Fox for national game coverage.

Depending on the storm's outlook, though, it may be the only option, because Florida does not make another trip to Philadelphia this season and the idea of a mixed doubleheader on September 22 (Marlins have off, Phillies host the Nationals that night) is not the most ideal.

What could happen is the game could also be moved to September 15 as part of a potential makeup doubleheader. With that day supposed to be the Phillies' final off day of the season, there might be some objection from the players association and from the Phillies with the postseason looming.

Or, the Phillies could play a larger number of reserve players with expanded rosters, allowing everyday players to rest.

 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Hunter Pence Shows Just How Far Club Has Come

With a couple of days to spare before the Major League Baseball trade deadline expired, the Philadelphia Phillies made a move that many thought was becoming less likely to happen.

The acquisition of Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence was made in such a way that ensures outfielder Domonic Brown and pitcher Vance Worley remained in Phillies pinstripes. Instead, the Phillies have packed top prospects Jonathan Singleton and Jared Cosart with Josh Zeid and a player to be named.

It was not all that long ago the Phillies were the team selling off established players in exchange for prospects.

The 2008 World Series champions were built on a homegrown foundation. Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and World Series MVP Cole Hamels all came up through the Phillies farm system. That championship team also consisted of a couple guys the management took a chance on with Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth, and was supplemented by a couple of trade acquisitions in pitchers Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer.

The team's final piece of the puzzle came in closer Brad Lidge, who was traded from the Houston Astros in exchange for a couple of system products highlighted by center fielder Michael Bourn.

Just three years later the Phillies are led by a number of free-agent signings and traded players. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee both cost the Phillies a number of prospects over the past two years, and Roy Oswalt sent another couple of prospects and J.A. Happ out of town. This latest move to bring in Pence required giving up top pitching prospect Cosart and top hitting prospect Singleton.

In the move to acquire Halladay the Phillies had to give up former top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek and one of the top offensive prospects in Michael Taylor. When all was said and done, the Phillies got to hold on to Domonic Brown, who was sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Pence.

It is no secret to anyone who follows baseball that the Phillies are playing like a champion on and off the field. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr., since taking over the job, has made it clear that he will make the moves needed to give the Phillies the best chance to win possible. He has done his job, but it will ultimately be up to the players to follow through.

The Phillies were thought to be the World Series favorite last season with a starting rotation with Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels. Now with Lee in the rotation as well, the Phillies have put together the best record in the majors, and Amaro knows that adding Pence to the roster fills the biggest hole in the team. He certainly is not standing pat, which is what Hall of Fame general manager and Amaro's predecessor Pat Gillick was often known for doing.

Former general manager and current Houston Astros GM Ed Wade set the foundation for the Phillies by retooling the minor league system. Wade's roster decisions at the big league level were often criticized but the work he did in stocking the revamping the farm system should not go unrecognized.

Wade was in charge when the Phillies drafted a number of the players that would become a key part of the 2008 World Series championship team and he is the one who hired current manager Charlie Manuel.

It was Gillick's job to get the team over the hump and in to the playoffs. Trading fan favorite Jim Thome was a tough but necessary decision as it brought in Aaron Rowand, who is often said to be responsible for changing the attitude in the clubhouse, and allowed Howard to emerge as an everyday first baseman. Gillick initiated the move to acquire Lidge, although Amaro was said to be the one pushing the negotiations.

Now Amaro has taken the next steps needed to put a tormenting past behind the Phillies. 

Not even 10 years ago I walked up to Veterans Stadium minutes before a doubleheader against the Florida Marlins. As my friend and I walked up to the ticket sales booth to buy some tickets for the day, a fan offered us his tickets. For free. As we reached for our money to offer him the face value, he started running off so he could do whatever else he had planned for that day. He didn't want to waste his time at a doubleheader.

Today fans would pay high prices for any game in Citizens Bank Park. If that doesn't tell you how far this organization has come, what does?

Let's enjoy the ride.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Hunter Pence Worth a Gamble, but for Domonic Brown?

According to a report by Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com on Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies are keeping tabs on Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence.

“He’s the guy they want,” a baseball official said to Salisbury. "But the price is very high.”

So the question is, how high is too high?

The player Houston would be most likely to receive in return would be Domonic Brown, according to Salisbury. It is easy to understand why. Brown is an up-and-coming prospect whom the Phillies have been grooming to be an everyday outfielder. If the Astros are going to give up on Pence, an all-star outfielder, they would require a player with potential to replace him.

The Phillies and Astros have made a number of trades with each other over the years, especially since former Phillies general manager Ed Wade was hired by Houston for the same position.

For the most part, those trades have paid off well for the Phillies, including a couple of moves to acquire Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt. The Astros in turn have turned prospect Michael Bourne in to an all-star center fielder and have benefitted from acquiring Brett Myers. J.A. Happ has had his ups and downs in Houston.

Should the Phillies be willing to trade Brown if it means getting Pence?

Pence may give the Phillies a better chance to win this season than Brown will, but how many times can the Phillies trade away the future in order to increase the odds of winning now?

It is a tough debate with no certain answers. If Brown develops the way the Phillies would hope, then who is to say Brown does not give the team a better chance to win next year, the year after that and the year after that?

The Phillies' general manager is known to make a bold move. Since taking over the job from Pat GIllick, Amaro has orchestrated deals to acquire Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Oswalt, Placido Polanco and Cliff Lee (again).

Compared to some of those moves, getting Pence on the roster would seem to be a piece of cake, even if his payroll is said to be maxed out. Nothing should be thought of as impossible with Amaro at the helm.

But should he pull the trigger on Pence for Brown, and likely another prospect or two?

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MLB Trade Rumors: Philadelphia Phillies Interested in Matt Kemp

Could the Philadelphia Phillies be in on the bidding for Los Angeles Dodger outfielder Matt Kemp? Kemp is a player who could fill the void in the line-up from the right side of the plate if the right ingredients are there for the Phillies.

Phuture Phillies, a blog dedicated to covering the Phillies prospects, tweeted innocently enough that the Phillies were in on Matt Kemp, although there have been no confirmed reports from the Phillies beat reporters on the subject. It seems a bit premature to go with the idea at this stage, but there is no question that the Phillies could benefit from being able to add Kemp to the roster.

Kemp enters Tuesday batting .313, is second in the National League in home runs (24, Lance Berkman leads the league with 25) and third in the National League in runs batted in with 72 (one behind Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder). Shane Victorino, who was activated from the disabled list Tuesday, is the only Phillies batter hitting over .300 entering game two of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

Adding Kemp to the mix would certainly give the Phillies line-up a boost in the second half and likely in to the postseason.

More importantly, Kemp has been a durable player over the past few seasons. The Dodgers outfielder played all 162 games in 2010 and played in 159 games in 2009 and 155 in 2008.

If you are wondering about his postseason performances, the Phillies know just what he is capable of after facing Kemp in the 2008 and 2009 NLCS. Kemp's NLCS numbers are much better than his NLDS numbers in those seasons, jumping from a batting average of .148 in the NLDS to .286 in the NLCS between the two seasons.

Kemp is owed under $4 million for the remainder of the season (presuming he has received half of his $6.95 million for the 2011 season), and the Phillies have already said on multiple occasions that they have maxed out their current payroll. The Dodgers are not likely to offer to pay for the remainder of his contract, considering the state of the organization right now.

The Phillies do have room in payroll ready to clear up after the 2011 season, which could allow some flexibility to bring Kemp on board now rather than try to lure him in during free agency. The contracts of Raul Ibanez, Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge could all come off the books this off-season and Jimmy Rollins could be on the move as well if the team decides not to bring him back.

Kemp to the Phillies still looks to be a bit of a stretch for now, but Amaro has pulled some tricks before so nothing can really be considered out of the question with the trade deadline creeping closer.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins Looks for Record in Red Bull Event

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins will attempt to break a world record on Monday. Instead of taking a day off, Rollins will take part in Red Bull Ball Park Cranks in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record for longest batted ball, and he is heading to the Ben Franklin Parkway to do it.

The current record stands at 576 feet, which is far out of Rollins' normal range so he will be making use of advanced equipment to help him out.

"They have some pretty good technology put into it, so why don't I give it a try?" Rollins said in a report by USA Today. "They spent some money on composite bats and specialized balls. It's unrestricted. So we're trying to find out if you could use this ball and this bat, how far can a human possibly hit a ball."

Red Bull has called on Dr. Lloyd C. Smith from Washington State University's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Dr. Alan Nathan of the University of Illinois Physics Department, both of whom have experience testing bats for little leagues and college-level teams.

“I’ve hit a ball below the third deck at the Vet. I’ve gone to the second deck a number of times at [Citizens Bank Park] and I’ve gone out to center field. So 420 feet is probably about the furthest I’ve ever hit a ball. With technology, if you get another 160 feet out of it, that would be a lot of fun.”

"In all the years I've been in the sports science area, it's the first time we've had a professional player willing and able to test the limits of hitting a baseball," Dr. Smith said. "We're extremely excited to see what valuable information we can gather from this merging of science and sport."

This record attempt was supposed to take place a year ago, but an injury to Rollins within days forced Rollins and Red Bull to put the record attempt on hold. Now after a year of anticipation, Rollins will get his chance to go into the record books.

Fans should also be on the lookout for baseballs printed with a special digital code. Scanning the image in your phone will reveal if you found a winning baseball, giving fans a Rollins autograph and more.

Event Info

Date: June 27, 2011

Time: 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Location: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Intersection of 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA

Follow updates on Twitter: @redbullphilly @krmcguire

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Philadelphia Phillies: Signing Luis Castillo Is Low-Risk, Average-Reward

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Luis Castillo to a minor league deal and it makes perfect sense to do so.

Castillo, a second baseman, will either make the major league roster or will be released according to Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro. If he makes the roster, the Phillies will only be on the hook for $414,000 (major league minimum) while the New York Mets, who released Castillo on Friday, are paying him $6 million this season.

Castillo is hoping to enter his 16th season in the big leagues after spending the previous 15 seasons almost entirely in the National League East between the Florida Marlins and Mets.

Castillo spent part of 2006 and 2007 in the American League with the Minnesota Twins. Castillo hit .286 this spring with the Mets.

If Chase Utley is to miss a significant amount of playing time at the beginning of the season, having Castillo around may not be a bad option.

Castillo will have to win a roster spot against guys like Wilson Valdez and Josh Barfield. Valdez appears to be the leader for the starting job with Utley out at second base and the signing of Castillo does little to change that.

But having Castillo on the bench looks to be a better option that putting trust in an unproven player like Barfield, despite a very good spring.

In fact, every player this spring who can play second base has been performing well at the plate. Barfield (.344) and Pete Orr (.333) have done well for themselves.

So, where does Castillo fit on the major league roster? It depends on Utley’s status for 2011.

“You know what? [Utley]‘s getting a little better,” manager Charlie Manuel said.

“It’s not coming real fast, but he’s showing — according to the doctors and trainers — he’s starting to get better. It seems like it’s going to take a while, though.”

The reports coming from Phillies suggest that Utley will play in 2011 and he just recently returned to training camp to take batting practice. He has not played in a single spring training game this year and concerns about his health have grown among fans in recent weeks.

If Utley is going to miss some time, the Phillies feel confident in the players they have on board, but if the worst case scenario takes place and Utley is out for the season, having a veteran player at second base like Castillo could prove to be valuable.

Castillo is not Utley and today he may not even be Valdez. His speed has diminished in recent years and his health has been a concern, but he could be a good option for Charlie Manuel to split time with Valdez through a majority of the season.

Valdez can’t be played every day, so somebody needs to be ready to take some time in the field and at the plate.

Castillo could realistically be that guy.

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Placido Polanco and Other Philadelphia Phillies Milestones To Watch in 2011

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco is approaching two noteworthy milestones in 2011, but he is not the only one. Let's take a look at some of the milestones that some Philadelphia Phillies are closing in on this upcoming baseball season (slideshow adapted from this original post on Second String Blog).

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: Have Faith, Charlie Manuel Will Be Paid

After four straight NL East Division crowns, three trips to the National League Championship Series, two trips to the World Series and one World Series ring, the Philadelphia Phillies have yet to extend manager Charlie Manuel's contract.

If a new contract is not signed by the time the Phillies host the Houston Astros to open the 2011 baseball season, Manuel says he will not talk about it until the end of the season.

"I think, once the season starts, I don't want to talk about my contract," he said.

Manuel's self-imposed deadline for a contract has caused a bit of a stir in the Philadelphia media and by extension, parts of the fanbase, but is there really a reason to be up in arms with the fact that Manuel has not been signed to an extension?

Have faith and be patient.

Unless the Phillies go through a prolonged losing streak to open the season and hit 30 losses before they win 15 games, it is inevitable that the Phillies will sign their manager to a contract extension.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. remains hopeful that a deal can be worked out between the two. "We want him to be our manager," the GM said in a report by ESPN's Jayson Stark. "And we're hopeful we can make that happen."

By not having Manuel signed to an extension, the Phillies are inviting an unwelcome distraction into the clubhouse, as the media will continue to ask about the status of the manager. But do not expect contract talk to be a distraction for Manuel.

"My extension and my contract—I definitely don't want it to be a distraction for my team," Manuel said. "I definitely put my team first."

Amaro seems confident that there would be no distraction as well.

"I'm not worried about that," he said. "I'll let other people worry about distractions. ... It wouldn't be the first time in the world where a manager goes into the season without a contract extension. There's a lot of those, actually."

Let's recap Manuel's career with the Phillies in brief.

Only two managers in franchise history have won a World Series and Manuel is one of them. No manager in Phillies history has managed the team to four straight NL East crowns except for Manuel.

Manuel has won 594 games with the Phillies, good for fourth in franchise history and with 50 wins he will move into third on the list. Winning 92 games will tie Manuel for second with Hall of Fame manager Harry Wright. Winning 103 games would move him past Gene Mauch.

Manuel got off to a slow start as the team transitioned from pretender to contender, but few will argue that he doesn't know how to push the right buttons at the right time with this roster. He has proven it season after season in Philadelphia and the front office knows that. So why keep him waiting?

Manuel will make $3 million this season. How much more should he make per year? Nobody is thinking he will earn Joe Torre-Yankees money ($7.5 million in 2007), but would it be too much to expect the Phillies to set aside $3.5 million to $4 million per year for Manuel? Nobody thinks Manuel is going to fight with the club for an inappropriate amount of money, so why let this drag on?

If Amaro has proven anything over the past couple of seasons since taking over the general manager's role, it is that he knows what he is doing and every move is a calculated decision. Relax and have faith that he knows what he is doing here with Manuel.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Falling Back in Love with Cliff Lee on Valentine’s Day

As expected, most of the questions at Monday's press conference in Clearwater, Florida featuring the entire starting rotation for the Philadelphia Phillies were directed at Cliff Lee, the surprise free-agent signing of baseball's offseason. When not asked about his decision-making in returning to Philadelphia via free agency, Lee handled himself quite well sitting in the middle of the table and reiterating that he was just happy to be a part of the team.

"Basically, it's spring training," Lee said. "Just preparing for the season. I'm honored to be around these guys. But I'm just getting ready for the season."

Lee joins a staff featuring the 2010 National League Cy Young award-winning Roy Halladay, a player Lee was practically traded for following the 2009 offseason, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. It is a foursome of starting pitchers that has caught the baseball world by storm, but Lee made sure to point out that there are five pitchers in the rotation, including Joe Blanton.

When asked about their thoughts about nicknames that have been thrown around in the media and on the Internet referencing the four ace pitchers, Lee told the media that there were five pitchers and none of the nicknames he had been presented with in the press conference were good because the number five was not included. Clearly, Lee was voicing out the thoughts shared by his fellow starters in red pinstripe pants and red practice jerseys, but it came through as though Lee was taking the lead in speaking on the behalf of the starting rotation.

Not Halladay, the soft-spoken Cy Young award winner who tossed a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter last year. Not the veteran Oswalt, who prefers to sit back and let others do all the talking. Not Hamels, who has become the senior member of the Phillies pitching staff in terms of time with the club. And certainly not Blanton, who had to remind the media on one occasion that he won a World Series ring with the Phillies.

All eyes were focused on Lee, and it was easy to see why. He is the new guy, again. He was the top free agent in baseball this offseason and this was his first time meeting with the media in Clearwater. Lee is the guy who Phillies fans have fallen in love with all over again.

"I felt like this was the best chance to win a world championship. That's what it's all about," Lee said. "I felt that if I got an opportunity to come back, I would take advantage of it."

Few doubt that Lee will have a successful season in Philadelphia this year if he stays healthy, but the question is whether or not he will be more of a vocal leader moving forward.

"We haven't thrown a single pitch yet, so it's a little early to be compared to another rotation," Lee said when asked what rotation the Phillies aces would be compared to. "I remember the Braves' rotation [John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux] was very good."

It will not be much longer before we can truly see where this pitching rotation ranks in baseball history, once and for all.

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Philadelphia Phillies Mighty in Sweep of Arizona Diamondbacks

How else would you expect the Phillies to put the exclamation point on a series like the one they just played against the Diamondbacks? The Phillies flexed their muscle in the three game set and completed a sweep of the dismal Diamondbacks with a dominating 12-3 defeat of Arizona.

The offense wasted no time giving starting pitcher Joe Blanton a lead to work with. After Blanton put the Diamondbacks down in order to start the game Shane Victorino put the wheels in motion with a one out triple to deep center field.

After Chase Utley walked Ryan Howard hit a double to right field with no shift in play by Arizona. Victorino scored and Utley advanced to third base. Two batters later Ben Francisco brought Utley and Howrd home on a single to right center field to give the Phillies a quick 3-0 lead.

Arizona rallied against Blanton and picked up their first run in the top of the second inning and chipped away with a pair of runs in the fourth inning to tie the game.

Blanton would help his own cause in the bottom of the fourth though by picking up his first run batted in since his memorable World Series home run in game four of the 2008 World Series. Blanton grounded out but Jayson Werth scored on the play to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.

From there the rout was on.

Werth hit a two run home run in the fifth inning to extend the Phillies lead to 6-3. In the sixth inning catcher Carlos Ruiz hit a lead off home run to left field. Blanton followed with a single, his first hit of two on the night, and Jimmy Rollins followed that with a single.

Two batters later Utley singled to score Blanton and Howard connected for a three run home run that landed in the Diamondbacks' bullpen. Howard's homer put the Phillies up 11-3. The Phillies added one more run in the seventh inning to cap the scoring for the game.

Blanton had an interesting night. His two base hits aside, he pitched eight innings while striking out just four batters. He yielded 10 hits and three runs although he had some shaky defense behind him, but he threw just 97 pitches. He likely could have pitched a complete game but Charlie Manuel opted for Chad Durbin for the ninth inning, probably just to get some work in.

The starting pitching (and starting pitching like relief appearance by Jamie Moyer) was incredible in this series.

It should be expected that the Phillies would beat the Diamondbacks as the two teams are on different playing fields right now, but the Phillies did what they need to do. That is to take advantage of games against clearly inferior opponents.

While the Phillies put the finishing touches on a three game sweep the Florida Marlins lost another game in Houston. The Marlins fall into a tie for second place with the Atlanta Braves and both teams sit six and a half games behind the Phillies.

This weekend the Phillies head to New York for a weekend series with the Mets and the Marlins travel to Atlanta for a key weekend series against the Braves.

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