Philadelphia Phillies: The Numbers Tell the Story of Historic Phillies Season

Another Phillies game, another Phillies win.  Honestly, I’m not sure what to say anymore.  I’ve run out of superlatives.  This Phillies’ season is simply impossible to put into words.  So instead, I’ll let the numbers do the talking.  And let me tell you, these are some unbelievable numbers. 

42: The Phillies are 42 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history with their league-best record of  88-46.

116: The number of pitches thrown by Roy Oswalt last night while earning his seventh win against the Florida Marlins.  That is his most since coming off the DL.

.330: Hunter Pence’s team-high batting average.  He is 36-for-109 since joining the Phillies and the Phillies are 22-7 since acquiring Pence from the Astros.

27: The number of saves for Ryan Madson in 29 save opportunities after last night’s scoreless ninth in which also had two strikeouts.

13: John Mayberry’s home run total after his two-run blast last night.  He also had three more RBI, bringing his total to 44.

6: It is now six seasons in a row that Ryan Howard has hit over 30 home runs with over 100 RBI, which is a Phillies franchise record.

.110: This is the paltry batting average opponents have managed against Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo, which is the best in baseball history over the last 50 years. Bastardo has a 1.35 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched. To put it in perspective, Dodgers closer Eric Gagne held hitters to a .133 average in 2003, the year he won the Cy Young Award.

17: The number of hits for Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz in his last 11 starts, during which he has raised his batting average 20 points.  Choooooch!

37.1: Cliff Lee’s leading total in the Phillies pitchers’ informal hitting competition.  Cole Hamels is second with 33.1 and Roy Halladay third with 31.

And last but certainly not least:

19: The Phillies magic number to clinch the NL East division title!

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Philadelphia Phillies: The All-Nickname Team Position by Position

What’s in a name?  Well, when it comes to baseball, nicknames are an honored tradition that go back to the early days of America’s national pastime. There was “The Splendid Splinter,” Boston Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams  or “The Yankee Clipper,” the nickname given to Yankees center fielder Joe DiMaggio.  

Nicknames are as much a part of baseball as the suicide squeeze or the sacrifice fly. Now a good nickname is one that stands the test of time, one a player can’t shake no matter how hard they may try.

The Philadelphia Phillies have had their share of nicknames during their long and storied history.  So here is an All-Star Nickname Team, the best Phillies nicknames position by position.  And these are names you won’t find in any box score.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Will New Injury Woes Hurt Their Chances To Win It All?

Let’s start with the good news.  

Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco was activated off the disabled list yesterday and was in the Phillies starting lineup last night against the Mets for the first time since August 6.  Polanco looked like he was making up for lost time with two singles, a walk, a run scored and several slick plays at third.    

Can Phillies fans heave a sigh of relief now that Polanco is back manning the hot corner?  Not so fast. You haven’t heard the bad news yet.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was placed on the 15-day disabled list following an injury he sustained in Sunday’s game against the Nationals.  He left the game early with what was called a right groin strain and was declared “day to day” at the time.  

Unfortunately, an MRI taken Monday revealed a bit more.  He tweeted the results first to his followers on Twitter: 

“Soooo this is what we got…mild grade 2 strain.  DL.  Gone till September.”

Instead of having the left side of their infield intact for the stretch run, the Phillies must now deal with yet another injury to a key player.  How much will this parade of players to the DL impact the chances of having that other parade Phillies fans are hoping for?

That depends—on Rollins and Polanco, of course.

Specifically, when will Rollins return?  And how healthy is Polanco?

Rollins is eligible to return from the DL on September 6, but most estimate his recovery will take more like three weeks which would have him back on September 12.  That leaves him with about two weeks to get his stroke back before the playoffs begin. 

The time off might even help Rollins, who tends to wear down at the end of a long season.  But can the Phillies make it to the postseason without their charismatic shortstop, often considered the team’s spark plug? 

It seems likely that they can as long as their starting pitchers remain healthy and the rest of their lineup continues its recent strong offensive output.  With Polanco back and the capable team of Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez filling in for Rollins, as they did for Polanco, the Phillies should be able to hold their own in the division although their lead over the Braves has decreased to 6.5 games in the past couple of days.

Which brings us to Polanco.  Having a healthy Polanco back in the lineup is a huge asset for the Phillies down the stretch.  And a timely one given Rollins’ injury.  But how healthy is he? 

Polanco has actually been hampered by injury all year.  After a terrific April he went on the DL with lower back pain and was never quite the same when he returned.  He had been battling the sports hernia for a good month before he went on the DL and his offensive performance was definitely affected.

Hoping to avoid season-ending surgery, Polanco received an anti-inflammatory injection which helped much more than he expected.  He estimated that he is now at about 80 to 90 percent and ready to go. 

The next step is to see how the injury reacts to the physical rigors of hitting and playing third base. Last night was a good start for Polanco, as he said after the game, “I didn’t feel anything. So I’m pretty optimistic now.”

Filling in for Rollins now and Polanco if he can’t play every day are Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez.  Although they are capable backups, they are just that—backups.  While they are both better than average fielders, neither is of the level of a Jimmy Rollins or Placido Polanco defensively. 

At the plate, it’s not even close.  Martinez is currently batting .213 and Valdez .236.  Although they both have contributed some key hits, they can’t compare to the consistency and productivity of Rollins and Polanco. 

The bottom line?  The Phillies should still be the favorites in the division even with Polanco at 80 percent and no Rollins for a while. 

But in the postseason when the games are often close and one clutch hit or defensive gem can be the difference between a win or a loss, it will take a healthy Rollins and Polanco in the lineup to give the Phillies their best chance to win the World Series this team was built to win.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking the Craziest Brawls in Team History

The Phillies and Giants recent bench-clearing brawl which started when Shane Victorino was hit by a Ramon Ramirez fastball and ended with Victorino’s 3-game suspension (now under appeal), got me thinking.

There’s nothing quite like a brawl in baseball. Both benches empty. Pitchers and coaches come running in from the bullpen and a mob forms in the center of the field. There is a lot of pushing and shoving but usually not much damage is done. After 10 minutes or so the mob is broken up by coaches and umpires, order is restored and the action continues.

 

But every once in a while there is a brawl for the ages. Some are bench clearing all-hands-on-deck slug fests, some start as one-on-one wrestling matches. In the case of the Phillies one is even thought to have changed the course of a World Series. There is a memorable brawl that even involves their mascot!

So put up your dukes and get out your ice packs as we count down the five craziest brawls in Phillies history.

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Philadelphia Phillies: This Phillies Fan’s Biggest Fear

Okay, enough already.

The Phillies were already a staggering 36 games over .500, comfortably in first place.

They were already completing an extremely successful West Coast road trip with a record of 8-1.

They would already be returning home with the best record in baseball.

So when I saw the Phillies already down 6-0 in the third inning Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles,  I wasn’t surprised.

After all, the Phillies had already won the first two games of this series against the Dodgers, and it’s always tough to sweep a team in their own ballpark.  Plus, this was the last game of the road trip—the “let’s just go home” getaway game.

Add to that, the Phillies had already played 19 straight games without a day off; this was the 20th.  So I was okay with losing that game on Wednesday; it just wouldn’t have been a big deal.

But a funny thing happened: They didn’t lose.

The Phillies mounted an improbable comeback, beating the Dodgers 9-8, and returned home after the best 10-game road trip in franchise history.  Say what?

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking that they won the game. That’s good, right?  So why is this crazy woman acting like it’s a bad thing.  What’s up with that?

I’ll admit it.  I’m uneasy.  You might even say I’m anxious.  Okay, I’m downright worried.

All this great pitching, all this suddenly timely hitting, all these wins and Hunter Pence!  It’s just too much for a fan to take.  I mean, we’re Philadelphia fans, and even though we won it all as recently as 2008, old habits die hard.  We need something to worry about.

As much as I agonized over those down-to-the-wire pennant races the last couple of years, I  realize now that they served their purpose.  We were so exhausted by the intense pressure to win every game that we didn‘t have much energy left to worry about what might be next.

Ah, I miss those days.

Are you getting my drift?  This year, with such a huge lead so early, we’ve got nothing but time.  Time to worry about someone getting hurt.  Time to worry that they’re peaking too soon.  Time to worry that the best team in the regular season often doesn’t end up winning it all.

It can’t be this easy.  It can’t go this smoothly, can it?  We just need a little angst to get us through. 

You know the expression that it takes some clouds to make a beautiful sunset?

Well, we need a couple of those.  Not big, bad dark ones.  Just a little fluffy white one passing through now and then.

So, I can’t believe I’m really saying this to my Phillies, but hey guys, can you do your fans a favor and lose a game once in a while?

Just not in October!

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Chase Utley: Do Phillies Need the 2009 World Series Version to Win It All?

Well, do they?  Before answering this question we must take a look back at Chase Utley’s record-setting 2009 World Series performance.  First, the numbers:

In the six games (the Yankees beat the Phillies 4-2,) Utley had five home runs, eight RBI, seven runs scored, one double, four walks, one stolen base, and five strikeouts.  He had a .286 average for the Series and a 1.448 OPS.

Utley hit two home runs in Game 1, one in Game 4 and two more in Game 5.  Since the two he hit in Game 1 came off of lefty CC Sabathia, Utley joined Babe Ruth as only the second left-handed batter to hit two home runs in a World Series game against a left-handed pitcher. 

Utley’s five total home runs tied him with Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit five home runs in a single World Series.  Reggie Jackson hit five home runs for the Yankees in their 1977 World Series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It would seem very unlikely that Utley would be able to repeat his 2009 World Series performance.  In fact, Utley could have a very good World Series and still not be the “2009 World Series version.”

So assuming that the odds of Utley repeating his 2009 performance are indeed slim, what does that mean for the Phillies 2011 chances of winning it all? 

Not much.  Why not?  Let me count down the reasons why.

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Philadelphia Phillies: The First Week of Hunter Pence

It has been quite an eventful week for Hunter Pence.  It started with emotional hugs goodbye with his Astros teammates in Milwaukee and ended with a bench-clearing brawl with his new Phillies teammates in San Francisco.

And in between?  Well, there has been a little bit of everything.  So let’s take a closer look at Hunter’s first week.

 

Friday, July 29

Pence was pulled from the game in Milwaukee in the middle of the fifth inning where his Houston Astros were playing the Brewers and told he had just been traded to the Phillies.  He exchanged some hugs with teammates and said goodbye to the only team he had ever known.

 

Saturday, July 30

At 11:45 a.m., he flew from Milwaukee to Detroit where he caught a connection to Philadelphia. He hopped in a car the Phillies sent for him and went straight to the ballpark.  Batting practice was underway when he arrived so Phillies players and coaches were already on the field when Ryan Howard’s 10-year-old son ran through the dug-out at 4:39 p.m. announcing the newest Phillie’s arrival:

“He’s coming!” Darian Howard yelled excitedly. “He’s coming!”

Moments later, a wide-eyed Pence stepped onto the field with cameras capturing his every move. And when it came time for him to take the field, the new Phillie knew right away he wasn’t in Houston any more.

“The fans were giving me chills. I can’t even begin to explain it. It’s surreal.”

Pence got his first hit and RBI as a Phillie in his first game.

 

Sunday, July 31

New teammate Chase Utley picks Pence up at 9 a.m. from Philadelphia’s Westin Hotel where he had been staying, buys him coffee and gives him a tour of the city before they head to the ballpark.  According to Pence, he was just asking Utley what time he arrives at the park trying to get an idea of Utley’s game preparation:

“I was kind of like, I don’t know, pestering him really.  But he was like ‘I’ll pick you up tomorrow, 9 a.m.’

I said, ‘I can take cab,  I’ll just meet you.’

“You can take a cab, but I’m going to pick you up at nine.”

Hunter Pence hit a lead-off double in the 10th scoring the winning run on a Raul Ibanez double. When asked by the Sarge in a post-game interview how it felt to score his first winning run as a Phillie, Pence’s response is already becoming the stuff of legend:

“Great game, let’s eat.”

 

Tuesday, August 2

Pence goes 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI in a 5-0 win against the Rockies.

Though he’s still living with the few necessities he quickly packed in his maroon Houston Astros duffel bag (Cliff Lee lent him his cowboy boots to wear on the team plane), Pence seems to be adjusting well to his new surroundings.

 

Thursday, August 4

Pence goes 3-for-4 with two RBI including his first home run in a Phillies uniform in a 3-0 win over the world champion Giants.  His presence batting fifth in the lineup also seems to be giving Ryan Howard more protection.  

Coincidence or not, Howard has been on a tear since Pence’s arrival.  Howard says of his new teammate:

“He gives us energy and intensity. He’s been great for our team.”

 

Friday, August 5

Pence gets two more hits including his second home run in as many games in a 9-2 win over the Giants.  And no surprise, he can be seen smack in the middle of the bench-clearing brawl.

Seven games, seven wins for his new Phillies team.  And in those games Pence is batting .367 with 11 hits including two home runs and three doubles.  He has six RBI and five runs scored. Not to mention the effect he has had on Ryan Howard so far who has also had a banner week. Not a bad start for a guy still living out of a duffel bag.

Maybe when he returns to Philadelphia next week, his name will be on his locker and he’ll find a more permanent place to live but there is no question that he has quickly made a home in the Phillies lineup.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard, the Big Piece, Keeps on Slugging

It’s not always easy to be a slugger in the baseball-crazed town of Philadelphia. Jut ask Mike Schmidt.

But Ryan Howard has handled his days as the Phillies’ resident missile launcher with grace and style.

And 276 home runs.

In an era where many hitters who homer have become more known for the drugs they take than the moon shots they hit, Ryan Howard has been a glorious exception: a soft-spoken, self-effacing slugger who lets his bat do the talking. And lucky for Phillies fans, his bat has a lot to say.

Especially lately.

After hitting two home runs Tuesday night, Howard hit another one yesterday, his 24th, and first off a lefty this season. He added four RBI to bring his league-leading total to 87 while helping his team sweep their second straight series, this one over the Colorado Rockies.

Charlie Manuel likes to call Howard the “Big Piece” so it’s hard to believe that growing up, Howard wasn’t even the biggest ‘piece’ in his family.  At 6’4″ Howard placed a distant third to both his older brother Chris, 6’6″, and his fraternal twin brother Corey, 6’7″ (I didn’t know he had a twin brother).

All three were athletic and played many different sports but Ryan, like his dad Ron, loved baseball. Ron’s favorite player was Dick Allen and when he realized his son shared his passion, he built a makeshift batting cage in the backyard where Ryan took batting practice day after day. Perhaps that’s where his strong work ethic was born. At Phillies BP, Howard is often the first to arrive and last to leave. Thanks, Ron.

In his home town of St. Louis, they still talk about a home run a young Howard blasted in Little League. It cleared the fence, went over the parking lot beyond and smashed into a Red Lobster (they would have loved the second decker he hit Tuesday night).

But though Howard had a stellar career at Lafayette High School, no scouts came to see him. No major college baseball programs came calling. Howard amazingly went to Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State) as a walk-on for the baseball team (hard to imagine a baseball coach getting a gift walk-on like Ryan Howard).

He was later awarded a scholarship and, after his college career, was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the amateur draft. He started his pro career with the Batavia Muckdogs, a low Class-A team. His first hit in the pros? A home run of course, and the rest as they say is history. Baseball history. And Howard adds to his mark in the baseball history books with every home run he hits.

And we get to watch.

It’s easy to remember the strikeouts, the swings at those low and outside sliders or the called third strike variety with runners in scoring position.

But I choose to focus on the quiet superstar, the terrific role model, the athlete who gives back to his (and our) community with the Ryan Howard Family Foundation.

I choose to focus on the big man with the sweet swing, the slugger who brought us one parade down Broad Street and is working hard to try to bring us another.

I choose to enjoy ever at-bat of the man his manager likes to call, the Big Piece.

Thanks, Ryan. Just keep on swinging for those fences.

And we’ll keep on watching.

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Phillies Trade Grades: Analyzing Every Deadline Move and Non-Move

The 2011 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline has come and gone.  On July 31 when the clock struck 4, it was bluetooths off and blackberries down for exhausted GM’s across the league.  It was an active trade deadline period with lots of players changing uniforms.  But now that the texting has cleared and we’ve had a couple of days to clear our heads, how did GM Ruben Amaro and the Phillies really fare?  

 

In order to give Ruben an accurate grade it’s critical to look at more than just who is now wearing Phillies red.  So get out your scorecards and play along as we take a look at who they got, who they gave up, what they didn’t get and how it all stacks up with the moves made by baseball’s other top teams.

 

Are you with me?  I told you to get out your scorecards.  Here we go.

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Philadelphia Phillies Get Hunter Pence: 5 Reasons Pence Is the Final Piece

Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. and former Phillies GM and current Houston Astros GM Ed Wade have been making beautiful music together at the trade deadline for several years now—well, beautiful for the Phillies anyway.

A year ago at this time, the Fightins’ got pitching ace Roy Oswalt and now All-Star outfielder Hunter Pence is coming to the Phillies via the Amaro-Wade hotline.  And don’t forget the 2007 trade that brought Brad Lidge to the Phils. You know, the one that led to Lidge’s perfect season and the Phillies’ 2008 World Series Championship. 

While some might question whether Ed Wade is still working for his old team, no one can question that the Phillies acquisition of Hunter Pence makes them better.

But how much better?  Will Pence be the answer to the Phillies’ on-again, off-again offense? Will he provide the right-handed bat they’ve needed since Jayson Werth went to Washington?  And will Ed Wade hand over anyone else before the Sunday deadline?

Don’t know about that last one, but here are five reasons why Pence is the Phils’ Final Piece.

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