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| 7/14/2008 | | 7/14/2008 | | 7/8/2008 | | 6/30/2008 | | 6/24/2008 |
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1 | | 940 | 2 | | 875 | 3 | | 860 | 4 | | 800 | 5 | | 765 |
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1 | | 1455 | 2 | | 1440 | 3 | | 1425 | 4 | | 1265 | 5 | | 1230 |
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| Oklahoma City | | scottsdale | | New Brunswick | | philly | | philadelphia |
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Following a dreadful four-game series against the New York Mets, the Phillies had their ace, Cole Hamels, on the mound to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. But two solo home runs by the Cardinals were enough to get a 2-0 win as the Phillies bats were silenced by the mediocre arm of Joel Pineiro.
Oh boy.
All us Phillies fans were not a step away from panic mode as we saw the National League East division lead slowly slipping away. But as our hands were only inches away from the panic button, Phils first baseman Ryan Howard was there to save the day.
Rookie left-handed starting pitcher J.A. Happ was on the mound in game two of the Cardinals series. Happ threw a solid six innings of shutout ball. Then, manager Charlie Manuel waited a bit too long to take the youngster out of there, which led to two runs for the Cardinals in the 7th, tying the game at 2-2. In the 8th inning, Howard came to the rescue belting a solo home run, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Phillies went on to win the game 4-2 after an insurance solo shot by third baseman Pedro Feliz.
The next day, Howard used his home run heroics early with a two-run homer in the 1st inning, giving the Phils the lead for good going on to win 4-1.
Then the Arizona Diamondbacks came into town for the final series of the season. The first game of the series was a 12-inning thriller in which Jayson Werth knocked in reserve outfielder So Taguchi for a 6-5 victory. The second game of the series was over just as it started as Phils starting pitcher Adam Eaton surrendered 8 runs in 3 2/3 innings.
The rubber match of the series was another thriller. And who could ask for a better pitching matchup before the All-Star break than with Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb opposing Hamels. Hamels pitched another solid outing with surrendering only two runs in seven innings.
The best moment of this game came in the bottom of the 8th inning with the game tied at 2-2. Chase Utley and Howard were both on base as Pat “The Snub” Burrell (that is my new nickname for him) stepped to the plate. Showing Major League Baseball that he is an All-Star, Pat slammed a 3-run home run to push the Phillies over the top for the 6-3 victory.
With the win, the Phils assured themselves the lead in the NL East at the All-Star break for the first time since 2004. With the New York Mets on an unbelievable win streak and the Florida Marlins stringing some wins together as well, it was important for the Phils to win four out of six in the final week before the Mid-Summer Classic.
So let’s review the first half of the season. Howard, Utley and Burrell are all mashing the ball. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are starting to come around and hopefully they become more consistent at the top of the lineup. Werth has once again earned a spot on this team with his timely hitting. And Feliz has been solid at third base and also knock in a few runs here and there.
That all sounds good, so how about the bad stuff? Well we have to start with pitching. Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick have been solid for the most part. But three pitchers do not make up a starting rotation. So where will the other two pitchers come from? Well with the way Happ has pitched in his first two starts, I would be surprised not to see him back in the starting rotation. The last spot could be made up of opening-day start Brett Myers, the struggling Adam Eaton, the re-habbing Kris Benson or another pitcher not yet in this organization.
I think it is obvious at this point that the Phillies need to go out and get another starter. There are reports that the Phils are interested in acquiring Toronto right-hander A.J. Burnett. Burnett has great stuff but has basically been an underachiever his entire career. Does he need a fresh start in Philly? Burnett is still fairly young, has great stuff, throws his fastball in the mid-90’s and is looking for a way onto a playoff team.
If Charlie Manuel and Pat Gillick think that the Phillies can continue to hold the NL East division lead with Adam Eaton pitching every five days, they are sorely mistaken. Isn’t this obvious to Charlie? Eaton cannot pitch at this level! His fastball is in the high-80’s and is as flat as home plate. His curve ball is in the high-70’s and you can measure its’ movement with a baby’s index finger. This guy is not a Major League pitcher and it is about time the Phillies organization realizes it.
With Hamels, Happ, Moyer, Burnett and Kendrick, the Phillies have a legitimate starting rotation that can actually go far in the MLB Playoffs. Then, once Myers works out the kinks in the minors, move him to the bullpen to become a setup man for All-Star closer Brad Lidge.
Having the lead at the All-Star break is very important to the Phillies. Now, the front office needs to go out and get a #2 or #3 starter to give the rest of the Phillies a chance to make it to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. 
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| After talking with my friend Arlo last night, I got to thinking again about my feelings towards the MLB All-Star game. I have to say its the worst run All-Star game in all of sports, and needs major change. But its no surprise when you have a guy like Bud Selig running the league, he has to be the single worst Commissioner of all of sports. Let's not forget he is the one who decide to end one All-Star game in a tie. I feel bad for all those fans who paid top dollar to attend that game and had to see it end in a tie. I'm sorry but the All-Star game is an exhibition game, they could have easily brought back a pitcher into the game or even better brought in a position player to throw an inning. Could you imagine seeing someone like A-Rod pitching. Let's not forget the All-Star game is the fans game, they vote in the starters so let them enjoy the game and make it fun for them. But the biggest problem I have with the All-Star game in baseball is that the winner gets home field advantage in the World Series. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, I guess working hard and earning the best record doesn't mean anything anymore. Here is what I have come up with since MLB decided on this stupid rule. I know baseball made the rule to help bring in better ratings for the game, but guess what it hasn't helped much. If the All-Star game is going to have an impact on anything in the future it should be on future All-Star games. I'm not saying this should happen, but its just an opinion. I will explain it the best I can then I will map it out and illustrate it to help clarify what I am talking about.
You take two separate lists, one for the NL and one for the AL. You then rank each team on the list. Then which ever league wins that All-Star game, the team at the top of the list of the winning league gets the All-Star game the next year. That team would then move to the bottom of the list.
Here is a map out of what I am talking about:
the two lists (just an example with using just a couple teams)
NL AL
HOUSTON BOSTON
CHICAGO CLEVELAND
LOS ANGELES NEW YORK
ATLANTA TEXAS
Ok in my plan, the top teams on each list is Houston and Boston. Sorry Yankee fans but you have it this year no need to put you at the top again. But you take the two teams and which ever league wins the game this year in NY, that team would get it next year. For example if the NL somehow actually does something amazing and actually wins the game, Houston would get the game next year. Then they would drop to the bottom of the NL list. Then the game in Houston would determine if Chicago or Boston got the game the following year. Hope this makes sense.
Again this is just my opinion, not saying its the solution. This way it also generates a little more excitement but without having an impact on the World Series. Teams and cities want to host the game because of the revenue it brings in, so if you want it, WIN IT! Also, don't even get me started on how every team has a representative, such a dumb rule. Its the All-Star game, the best players should play, with the only exception being one of two things, the fans still voting in the starters (they do not always vote in the best player) and the only team who should have a rep is the team hosting the game.
Let me know what you guys think of the current system for the All-Star game, and if you don't like it what you would change about it.
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| After a bad few series against American League squads, Phillies fans could only hope for the best against National League East rivals, the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. The last time the Phils traveled to Atlanta, they got a nice three-game sweep. Wouldn’t you know it? The Phils got a sweep of the Braves once again in HOT-lanta! Three very well-played games by the Phils, both from an offensive and defensive stand point.
Then the Phillies opened up their four game home series against the New York Mets with a thrilling 3-2, capped off by Shane Victorino’s game-winning single to knock in Pedro Feliz in the 9th inning. Everything seemed to be going in the Phillies favor and it looked like they would solidify their lead in the NL East division.
The Phillies offense then struggled in Saturday’s game with their only true offense coming off a 3-run home run by Ryan Howard. That home run of course was a make up for a costly error that Howard made leading to a couple of Mets earlier in the game. With a 4-3 in the 8th inning, the bullpen could not hold onto the slim lead. J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon and Rudy Seanez gave up a total of 6 runs in two innings leading to a 9-4 Mets’ win.
Sunday’s game was another story of struggling offense. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick did a solid job only giving up a Carlos Beltran solo home run in six innings of work. Down 2-0 in the ninth inning and down to the final strike of the game, Jayson Werth came up with a big two-run home run to tie the game. But a two-run shot by the Mets’ Fernando Tatis in the 12th inning led to a 4-2 victory for New York.
Tonight’s game did not start off on the right foot. Phils starter Adam Eaton gave up 8 runs in 2 2/3 innings of work, putting the Phils in an 8-0 hole. But home runs by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Geoff Jenkins pulled the Phils to within three runs at 10-7 heading into the 9th inning. With two outs, Feliz singled to bring in Victorino and Eric Bruntlett then scored on a throwing error by Beltran. Feliz advanced to 2nd base on the play putting the tying run in scoring position. Werth, Sunday’s hero, came to the plate but flew out to right to end the game.
So what can we take out of the Mets series? Well, the offense wasn’t really there in the 2nd and 3rd games of the series. But in all four games, the Philles showed some fight. In all four games, the Phillies had to come from behind to make it a game. Even though they only got one win out of the four game set with the Mets, the Phils showed signs of life with their come-from-behind rallies. Monday’s game was impressive after being down 8-0 and only losing by one run, 10-9.
I think the Phillies need to concentrate on being more consistent. Some nights, the Phillies offense does well but the pitching is horrible and vice versa on other nights. Then sometimes the starting pitching is solid but the bullpen is terrible and vice versa. So the Phillies need to find a way to put it all together in one game on a more consistent basis. They have the ability to do it, they just need to focus and take advantage of a good pitching performance when they see it.
The Phillies are now 48-42 on the season and retain a slim lead in the NL East division over both the Florida Marlins and the Mets. Brett Myers is busy in the Phils’ Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, trying to find his stuff again. While we’re waiting for Myers, J.A. Happ takes his place in the starting rotation. In his first start, Happ gave up two runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Not bad considering against the Mets last season, Happ gave up five runs in four innings.
Relief pitcher Tom Gordon has headed to the 15-day disabled list, making J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson the new setup men in the Phils bullpen. Gordon has been struggling as of late after it looked like he made a solid recovery from his terrible start to the season.
So what’s next for the Phils? Two three game series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks, two teams that are in contention for a playoff spot and have a solid pitching staff. This is another tough task for the Phillies and they really need to buckle down, get some wins and gain some momentum heading into the All-Star break. But this is a great test for the Phillies to see if they can string some wins together against contenders like the Cardinals and D’Backs. I feel that it is essential for the Phillies to keep the NL East division lead heading into the Mid-Summer Classic and winning these next two series should make that possible.
Speaking of the All-Star game, I want to say congratulations to Chase Utley and Brad Lidge for making the NL All-Star team. And for all you Phillies fans reading this, go onto the Major League Baseball website and vote for Pat Burrell as the final All-Star player selected to the National League team.
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| Another disappointing week for the Philadelphia Phillies. After being swept by the Los Angeles Angels, the Phillies then lost two of three from the Oakland Athletics and then lost another two of three to the Texas Rangers, giving the Phillies a record of 2-7 against the American League West division this season.
The offense continues to struggle, although Chase Utley seems to be slowly getting back into the “swing” of things. First baseman Ryan Howard had a nice home run to centerfield on Saturday night off of former-Phil Vicente Padilla, which is certainly something nice to see for Phils fans.
But pitching Is a problem as well. Of course, as always, Cole Hamels gets the job done. And Kyle Kendrick is gradually getting more consistent and gave the Phils a great 8-inning shutout outing in the Phils 4-0 win over Oakland this past week.
But the biggest issue of course is Brett Myers. The supposed ace of this starting rotation has been struggling all year long in the starter’s role. Myers is currently 3-9 on the season with an extremely high ERA of 5.84. With seeing his struggles, it looks as though Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is looking to move Myers into the bullpen, where he did well last season. In fact, there is a good chance Myers may not make his next scheduled start on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves.
So with Myers in the bullpen, who takes over the starter’s role in his stead? There are a few options here and the first being Kris Benson, who just made his first start in Triple-A this year. In three minor league rehab starts, Benson, who is recovering from Tommy John Surgery, is 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA. That is certainly not satisfying numbers, but Benson says he feels confident he will be able to pitch at the Major League level soon.
If not Benson, then the answer could be young left-hander J.A. Happ, who is currently 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA in Triple-A Allentown. Happ did have one start last season with the Phillies, but did not fair that well. But Happ is one of the solid young pitching prospects the Phillies have and I am confident he will succeed with the big club.
Another option could be to bring right-hander Chad Durbin out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation. Out of the pen thus far this year, Durbin is 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA and has done a solid job in the middle relief role. So maybe Myers and Durbin can just swap spots on the Phillies pitching staff.
So there could be some interesting developments in the Phillies pitching rotation in the coming week, so stay tuned to see what Uncle Charlie does. But something definitely needs to be done since it seems Brett Myers just cannot perform as a starting pitcher anymore.
But with all the pitching discussion, the bats still need to wake up. Heading into the All-Star break, the Phillies have 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks, all of which are big series. Of course taking two of three in Atlanta and then two of three at home against the New York Mets would help the Phils get a little momentum back in the division heading into the All-Star break. Game one of the Braves series is Tuesday night with Kyle Kendrick on the mound, who is now 7-3 with a 4.59 ERA this season.
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| After what started out as a promising home stand, the Phillies dropped the remaining five games, two to the Boston Red Sox then swept by the Los Angeles Angels. This now gives the Phils only three wins in their last 12 games. Something needs to change and it needs to happen soon.
The Phillies now stand at 42-35 and are only one game in front of the 2nd place Florida Marlins in the National League East standings. Meanwhile, the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves gained some ground and took advantage of the Phillies woes over the last week and a half.
Charlie Manuel and the Phillies head out on a tough 9-game road trip going from Oakland to Texas and to Atlanta, only to come home to play the surging Mets. So it certainly does not get any easier for the Fightins’ after their rough 1-5 home stand.
So what’s wrong with the Phillies? Well it all starts with the struggling Chase Utley, who was 0-for-22 before hitting a double in yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. As Utley has struggled, so have the Phillies, which proves even further Utley’s worth to this ball club.
Starting pitching hasn’t been too great either. Brett Myers continues to struggle in his comeback to the starting rotation after being moved to the closer role in the middle of last season. Has that move last season truly ruined Myers’ career as a starter? Many seem to think so and now it may become clear that Brett is only a bullpen pitcher now. But the Phillies need him to stay in that rotation so Myers needs to “get his groove back.”
Even though he lost yesterday, Cole Hamels continues to be the one consistent start in the Phillies starting rotation. The left-hander gave up three runs in the 2nd inning yesterday, but did not surrender anymore, holding the red-hot Angels in check.
Adam Eaton is also struggling and Kyle Kendrick gave up four runs in the 1st inning to the Red Sox, putting the Phils in a hole that they couldn’t get out of.
With all that said, can Jamie Moyer pull the Phils out of their funk tomorrow night? The veteran southpaw toes the rubber against the Oakland Athletics tomorrow night and a win to start this treacherous road trip would be a great turnaround point for the Phillies. Moyer needs to have a solid outing and the Phillies bats need to get around on the struggling Joe Blanton, who will be starting on the mound for the A’s tomorrow.
Now with the National League East divisional race so close, it’s all going to come down to pitching. Can general manager Pat Gillick make a move to bring another starting arm to Philly? Can Brett Myers find himself as a starter again? Will Kris Benson join the team soon and if so, how effective will he be? All these are questions that will determine if the Phillies make the playoffs or not.
But besides the pitching, the bats need to wake up and smell the coffee because the Marlins, Mets and Braves are all breathing down the Phillies backs.
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| So the Phillies sweep the Braves, then lost two of three to the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals. Many fans seem to be content with the 5-4 road trip against three of the toughest teams in the National League, as they should be. After the Phillies steamrolled the Atlanta Braves, one can only imagine that the Phillies would cool off some time.
The offense cooled off in the Marlins series, but then a 20-2 romp over the Cardinals showed the Phils still had some pop in their bats. That monstrous game was then followed by two sub-par games, leading to two Phillies losses.
The Fightins returned home last night and started a tough home stand with taking on the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox. The stadium was filled with Phils with quite a handful of Sox fans mixed in. Phils’ ace Cole Hamels took the mound against Boston right-hander Bartolo Colon.
The 1st inning gave Phillies fans much to smile about with Jimmy Rollins’ solo home run, followed by a two-run blast by first baseman Ryan Howard, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead after one inning. Hamels threw a great game going seven-plus innings and the Phils gave him some good run support, winning by a score of 8-2.
Now awaiting the Phils this week are two more games against the Red Sox, followed by three games against the AL West division-leading Los Angeles Angels. It is very important for the Phillies to have a good home stand since they will be right back on the road through the end of June.
In addition, the Florida Marlins, who are still three games back in the NL East division standings, get to play the Seattle Mariners two more times while the Phils have to tangle with the defending champs. So in order to keep a decent lead in the division standings, the Phillies need to win at least one of the next two and win the series against the Sox.
Some good news for the Phillies this past week is the way Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins have been swinging the bat.
Last night, Howard has two home runs and a triple and Rollins of course had the home run to jump start the Phils offense and later had two singles, including a key 2-RBI single that broke open the game. Some more good news came as Hamels went 7 innings and the Phillies had a six-run lead heading into the 8th inning. Therefore, the back of the bullpen was not needed giving Brad Lidge, Tom Gordon and J.C. Romero a much needed rest. Hopefully that will pay dividends this week and allow for the “back three” to shut down the Red Sox and Angels lineup when the Phillies need it most.
Unfortunately there is some bad news for the Phillies and that is the past two performances of supposed-ace, Brett Myers.
In last week’s Phillies Report, I mentioned that I felt Myers was making his way back to top form with two consecutive quality starts. But after two giant steps forward, Myers took two giant steps back with consecutive shaky outings giving up way too many home runs early in the game. Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick have both been very solid over the last month and Adam Eaton has been doing surpisingly well.
Myers needs to find his stuff and pitch with confidence because the Phillies are going to need him come September and, hopefully, October. If Myers doesn’t clean up his act, the Phillies may do some serious shopping for another starting pitcher and move Brett back to the bullpen. Of course Kris Benson is set to come back soon, but who knows when and if he will be ready to be inserted into the starting rotation.
The goal for the Phillies this week should be to win four out of the six games against the Red Sox and Angels and they are certainly off to a good start with their satisfying 8-2 victory over Boston last night.
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| Blog this bitch!
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