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The Phillies inch closer to NL lead.
Tonight the Phillies did something they haven’t done for a while. They won a game while the Braves lost and therefore gained a whole game in the National League East race.
They did this, beating Colorado 12-11, mostly by virtue of a 9 run 7th inning where the team had a serious bataround. Polanco doubled, Ultey singled, Howard homered, Werth homered, Ibanez flied out, Victorino singled, Schneider singled, Francisco pinch hit and singled, Rollins singled, Polanco (in his second at bat) struck out, Utley (in his second at bat of the inning) crushed a grand slam and then Howard (in his second at bat) lined out. It could have gone on for a bit with slightly better luck, but 12 batters, 3 homeruns, a double and 5 singles is about the best inning we have seen out of the Phillies in quite some time.
Utley’s grand slam put the score at 12-8 as the Phillies charged back from a 4 run deficit 2 times, once after Blanton gave the Rockies 4 runs in the second, and then again when the score was 7-3 after 6.
It is a good thing the Phillies got all those runs as Durbin had a rough inning of relief and gave 3 of them right back to Colorado. Every Phillie starter had a hit and every starter except Ibanez scored a run or more.
Howard’s home run was his 25th, and his second of the week, prompting many to hope the big guy has regained his stroke. He had other nice cuts at the ball and looked like he was moving around more naturally and that may mean a lot to the Phillies who are in a division race fighting for their life with 28 games to go.
They end the night 2 games back of the Braves for the division and 2 games up on the Giants for the wild card so they have a solid shot at the postseason. It would be nice to enter the post season as the division champs rather then having the wild card underdog status throughout.
The pitching remains confusing and hard to define. Hamels at 8-10 with 17 quality starts, an ERA of 3.31, and a 3.5 K/BB ratio just puzzles the crap out of me. Oswalt is 4-1 with an ERA under 2 since joining the club mid season, but ranks 5th in the majors in losses overall when you add in his starts from Houston. Halladay should be a 20 game winner who didn’t get a single break this season as he sits at 16-10 on paper even after pitching 22 quality starts with nearly a strikeout per inning and a 2.27 ERA, and Blanton is now just a huge question mark to me after his last handful of starts.
If the starting 3 (Halladay, Hamels, Oswalt) pitch as well as their statistics for the final month, and the Phillies bats stay hot, they still have a chance to threepeat and hit the postseason strong. Even though Hamels and Oswalt have 10 and 13 losses respectively, I don’t think there is a single team in the NL that wants to try a three game series against those three back to back to back. You may win one but not two and never three especially in crunch time. The Phillies may be the sleeper team of the year as ESPN has them ranked at the bottom of the top ten for the past few months and I think they have as good a chance as anybody to go to the show and win it again.
Every game has more meaning this late in the year, and now is when Charlie Manuel should have his chance to shine as the small adjustments and timing of substitutions will make a bigger difference in the outcomes of the games, and the teams position heading into October. The games this month will show us just how potentially strong a dynasty we have built here, and for how many years we should compete at the highest level.
Numbers unjust for Oswalt, Hamels
Disagreement is a major part of sports. After all, what fun would it be to discuss sports if everyone had the same opinion about everything?
It wouldn’t be fun at all.
But every great one in a while a topic comes up that just can’t be debated — at least it shouldn’t be.
This is one of those cases.
I will state is as unquestioned fact (or something like that) that no team in baseball has two pitchers with losing records that are better than the Phillies’ Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Oswalt took a no-hitter into the seventh today in the Phillies’ 5-1 win over the Dodgers. With the win he improved to an unjustified 10-13. I guess that’s what happens when you’re stuck on the Astros for 2/3 of the season.
If Oswalt is looking for sympathy he certainly wont get any from teammate Hamels, who somehow only has eight wins this year. One of the big question marks entering the season was if Hamels could find his 208 form, or if he would be the same guy who struggled in 2009. Well, Hamels has pitched like the 2008 version, yet is stuck with 2009-like numbers.
Trust me, when teams go against Hamels and Oswalt they are not licking their lips at the chance to face two guys with a combined 18-23 record. It’s quite the opposite.
Baseball is a team game and Oswalt and Hamels will be the first guys to tell you their numbers don’t matter as long as the team gets back to the playoffs.
Yet it wouldn’t seem justified for either pitcher to end the regular season with a losing record. Hopefully the offense can get on enough of a role to not only propel the team into the playoffs, but also reward a pair of pitchers who’s win totals just don’t seem right.
Another extra inning affair.
What next for the Phillies ?
Much has been made of Ryan Howard’s performance since his return from the disabled list, and now sources are saying there may still be something wrong with the big man preventing him from playing at 100%.
Last night, the first 6 innings were relatively uneventful as the teams played to a 1-1 draw. The Phillies looked lifeless after being swept by the Astros in a 4 game series that included losses to former Phillies pitchers J A Happ and Brett Myers as well as a 16 inning heartbreaker that saw some offensive players go 0-7. Happ, two years ago the team’s ace of the future, outlasted Halladay in the third game to really rub it in. Of course, for the Astros, this series against last years NL champion and 2008 World Series champion was their post season. At 12 games below 500 and 16 games out with less than a month to go, the Astros are not playoff bound.
The Phillies probably are, which makes the 4 game sweep so confusing and upsetting. They have more to play for but seem to be manuevering into position to win the wild card, instead of pushing the Braves to take the National League East for the third year in a row. At least we aren’t trailing the Mets, that would be TOO much to bear !
Rollins had a good night, going 3-5 with a double, a walk and a run scored.
Ryan Howard did provide a single in the 7th, sandwiched by walks to Utley and Werth, that may have been the catalyst behind the Phillies go ahead score. If Howard’s single was the catalyst, Raaauuul Ibanez came through with the clutch hit, a one out single to right that scored the run. Gregerson came in in relief and got Victorino into a double play fielders choice then struck out Ruiz to end the threat.
Oswalt pitched a masterful game, with 6 strikeouts versus five hits allowed through the first 8 innings. He was pulled for a pinch hitter in the ninth as the Phillies looked to build on that scant one run lead. The Phillies however went down one, two, three, and Lidge came in for the bottom of the ninth with a one run lead.
He pitched a typically ugly half inning, with a single, sacrifice, groundout, intentional walk, hit batsman, than the piece de resistance, the balk to push the tying score across the plate.
Oswalt can’t win a game, no matter how well he pitches !
Maybe Charlie will consider letting him keep pitching next start if he has the same stuff.
Rollins doubled to lead off the 12th inning. Polanco singled to center to score Jimmy and put the Phillies up 3-2. The Phillies FINALLY took advantage of an Atlanta loss and picked up a game on the NL East lead.
Houston we have a problem
For months Phillies fans trotted a sentence that went something like this: “If we can just stay in the race while our stars are out, this team will catch fire once its healthy.”
The team played well above expectations during injuries to Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz … and so on.
Now that the gangs finally all here, things were supposed to really take off. Instead, the team has gone into another funk. The Phillies lost to the Astros 3-2 last night, marking the third straight game it has dropped to the lowly Astros. Making matter worse is that two of those losses have come in games started by Brett Myers and J.A. Happ, two former Phillies.
While fans have been stunned by the way the team has played recently, they really should not be. When players are away from the game as long as Utley and Howard were, they rarely come back tearing the cover off the ball. It takes time to get back into a rhythm and unfortunately time in in short supply when you get to mid August. Utley’s swing isn’t quite back yet, while Howard is in a 2-19 funk since returning. That combination could have the Phillies reeling right now but thankfully for them the Braves have joined them in struggling this past week. Atlanta did the Phillies a huge favor yesterday, blowing a 10-1 lead in a loss to the Rockies. Meanwhile the Phillies remain in a tie with the Giants for the Wild Card lead.
I don’t expect the Phillies recent slump to last too much longer. Howard and Utley will get their timing back and the rest of the lineup will benefit from that. This team is still in great position to make another postseason run and has the arms to go up against anyone once they get into serious October baseball. The key will be riding out this storm.
It would also help if they won today. Getting swept by the Astros in a four-game series just isn’t palatable.
Howard sits, but not because of ejection..
Just four games back from the disabled list, Ryan Howard was ejected from the game against the Astros Tuesday night in the 14th inning. Howard has struggled since his return, being 2- for-19 with 10 strikeouts. After another frustrating night of striking out, Howard was called out by a check swing he felt as if he did not make.
That’s when all hell broke loose.
Howard grabbed his helmet and threw it on the ground, and began to run over to Scott Barry, the third base umpire. As the home plate Umpire began to run over, Howard made it very clear not to talk to him by pointing directly in his face and saying a few choice words.
Polanco got in between Scott Barry and Howard, and Howard was ultimately ejected from the game.
Today, Howard sat out against the Astros, but according to Charlie Manuel, it didn’t have anything to do with Tuesdays ejection. Manuel said that Howard needed time off his feet, coming back recently from a sprained ankle, and was planning on resting him anyway.
It was a wild game indeed, I couldn’t really believe what I was watching. I do believe Scott Barry should have shown a bit more restraint as well as Ryan Howard. Some Philly fans might say the Umpires are out to get the Phillies, but that is not the case.
Let us hear what you think about the Howard incident and who deserves what.
A wasted opportunity
The Phillies blew a perfect chance to make up some ground on the division leading Atlanta Braves today.
The Braves looked awful, losing 6-2 to the basement dwelling Nationals.
Cole Hamels was shaky at best, giving up 5 runs in his first 4 innings, allowing 7 hits, striking out 5 and walking 1 while San Francisco’s Sanchez pitched a 1 hitter through the first 4.
Victorino was the only batter to get a hit early, continuing his torrid pace since returning from the DL.
With Victorino and Utley back in the lineup, Ryan Howard is the main offensive piece of the puzzle still missing in action, but expect his return any day now.
Last night’s victory put the Phillies a game up in the National League wild card race but we have gotten spoiled here in Philly, and want nothing less than another NL East title.
Herndon and Baez came in to pitch 4 innings of shutout relief and the Phillies scored a pair in the 9th off a Sweeny double but they were never in this one.
The Phillies at 68-52 remain 2 1/2 behind the Braves and can pick up a half game with a win tomorrow to finish the San Francisco series as the Braves are idle. The good news, Atlanta goes to Chicago to play the Cubs while the Phillies host the Nationals so there is a good chance they can close the gap by early next week.
New Carlos Ruiz Phillies Jersey
Seems like Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz is all ways pulling through in the clutch situation. He blew open the game last night and before that helped the Phillies with a game winning double against the dodgers. If he keeps hitting clutch situations the Phillies just might have to issue a new game jersey for Carlos Ruiz.
And here is another look at that the game winning double!
Halladay gains 15th win.
Halladay threw another strong game today pitching 8 innings, striking out 7, allowing 4 hits and no runs. Madsen mopped up the ninth and maintained the shutout, but with a 4-0 lead, did not earn a save.
Maybe he should have. As easily as the Phillies at times seem to score runs in bunches, they are equally prone to have their pitching staff do likewise. The starting pitchers have actually shone for the most part of late, with Hamels getting an undeserved loss in a 5 hit 1 run 8 inning outing Friday night and Roy Oswalt throwing 7 innings of 5 hit shutout ball in a 2-0 victory over the Dodgers. Of course, in between these pitching gems was the 10-9 come from behind unbelievable game which just goes to show how versatile these guys are when it comes to scoring runs, and in a hurry !
Offensively nearly everyone seems to contribute. The combination is enough to keep the Phillies in the NL East race as they try to inch closer to the Atlanta Braves.
Rollins, Polanco, Werth and Victorino all had hits, as well as Halladay who scored the first run in the third off a Polanco Texas Leaguer.
The Phillies, at 65-51 remain 2 games back with 46 to go.
The team is anxiously waiting for word on slugger Ryan Howard, and his status down the stretch will probably figure in the race as we hit September. Even after missing 10 games this season, he still leads the team in home runs by 7 and RBI by 21.
As intense as the competition is, he still ranks second in the league in RBI.
Victorino seems to have hit the ground running, going 2 for 4 with a run scored today in his second full game back.
It seems there is a good feeling in the dugout; this team that went 14-3 to get back in the race, in the dog days of summer, is not about to give up now, with their eyes so close to the prize. Philly fans are tough, they got a World Series, but now they want a threepeat for the NL and a return to the World Series and to fall short will be unsatisfying for everyone.
I, for one, think they are going to give it one heck of a shot.
Non-call cost Union victory
CHESTER, PA – Even after battling back from a deficit it was hard for the Philadelphia Union to leave PPL Park in anyway satisfied.
The Union saw two goals called back due to offside calls and controversial non-call when Sebastien Le Toux appeared to be taken down in the box in stoppage time and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids Saturday afternoon. The tie was Philadelphia’s second straight, but it also extended its winless streak to five games.
Two minutes into stoppage time Le Toux took a pass and beat two defenders before being contacted and going down in the box. The whistle was never blown as a chorus of boos rained down from the 17,749 fans in attendance.
“If 18,000 people see it then how come three or four officials can’t?” said Union coach Peter Nowak. “ … “Le Toux is the last guy who to dive and look for a call like that.”
Not surprisingly, Rapids coach Gary Smith saw things a bit differently.
“I thought (Le Toux) might have gone down trying to buy one given the time of the game,” said Smith.
The boos grew even louder a minute after the non-call when Union defender Michael Orozco Fiscal beat Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens, only to have the goal disallowed to an offside call.
The tie was just the latest letdown for a team that has been competitive throughout its inaugural campaign, but is yet to record its first shutout.
“I feel like it’s a broken record,” said Union captain Danny Califf. “We don’t give up much, but they get one and we battle to the end. I think we’ve shown character during the year in that we don’t give up. Things don’t always go our way, but we always fight and always work and I think we are unlucky to be denied in the end.”
The Union (4-10-5) trailed 1-0 in the 74th minute when forward Danny Mwanga found the equalizer. Mwanga took a cross from Le Toux, beat his defender and slid a shot between the legs of Pickens. The play was set up by a long feed from captain Danny Califf, who sent a pass 60 yards to Le Toux, who was streaking down the near sideline.
“(Mwanga) doesn’t have to have five or six chances a game, when he gets one he’s going to bury it,” said Nowak.
The goal was the Mwanga’s seventh.
“I’m one of the forwards so I have to come out play the best I can play and help the team get going,” said Mwanga.
The Union had the batter of the possession and the chances in the first half, but were unable to anything on the scoreboard against Colorado (7-5-7).
Union Forward Alejandro Moreno appeared to put the Philadelphia ahead 16 minutes in when he one-timed a cross into the left corner of the net, but the offside’s flag went up canceling the tally. Moments later Moreno had another chance but his shot from 18 yards out sailed over the crossbar. Moreno also struck the crossbar in the 31st minute.
After surviving the first half the Rapids came out with better tempo to start the second and got on the board when Jeff Larentowicz scored in the 59th minute. Union keeper Chris Seitz punched out a cross but the ball went directly to Larentowicz just outside the 18. Larentowicz took a touch before sending a rocket into the far right corner of the net.
Larentowicz was making a homecoming of sorts, as the midfielder went to high school at Chestnut Hill Academy, located in northern Philadelphia.
“It was great, I had a lot of friends and family that came out to see me,” said Larentowicz. “Just to play in front of them was a treat, but to score a goal was something really special.”
Feeling ever snake-bitten, Philadelphia will have a week off before returning to the pitch next Sunday in the Nation’s capital when it takes on D.C. United.
Another ninth inning comeback miracle
The Phillies beat the Dodgers tonight by a final score of 10-9.
That tells very little of the whole story.
The whole story is that the Phillies rallied from 8 runs down in the 8th inning, and managed to score 4 runs in the ninth while only collecting 1 hit. Here is how it played out. Polanco was hit by a pitch, then Sweeney walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Werth became the second walk of the inning followed by Francisco hitting in to a fielders choice, but the Dodgers Blake committed an error on the play allowing Polanco and Sweeney to score to pull the Phillies to 9-8. Then Ruiz stepped in and nailed the first hit of the inning, a double deep to left center scoring Werth and Francisco.
So, HBP, BB, BB, FC, E, double = 4 runs and another late inning Phillies win.
I seem to recall Lidge having some days like Broxton did tonight. Check out his final boxscore line. 0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 4 runs, 3 earned, 2 BB, 1 HBP and the loss.
In tonight’s game, Sweeney and Valdez produced more than expected, Polanco remains on a tear, Ibanez finally lost his hitting streak, Werth stayed on fire as he has been since the trade rumors with a 2-4 night with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI’s.
All these things combined for an exciting 10-9 bottom of the ninth victory.
Blanton pitched ok through 5 after a shaky first inning, but his 5.69 ERA is still an issue.
All in all I would say August has been a month of surprises for the Phillies. Brown is a pleasant surprise, and Oswalt is looking like he is finally remembering he was the staff ace down in Houston for the better part of a decade.
With about 6 weeks to go, the Phillies pulled back to within 2 games of the Braves but it appears the momentum may be turning their way. If Polanco continues to hit, Howard and Victorino come off the DL and resume where they left off, and the combination of starting pitching and Lidge hold up, these Phillies have a good chance to threepeat as NL champions.
I can’t wait for tomorrow.
We go back to play the Mets and the Braves get to face the Dodgers in Atlanta.
Good Day Oswalt Bad Night K-ROD
Thank you Roy Oswalt for coming to Philly. After seeing his first two starts in a Phillies uniform, Roy Oswalt delivers on what fans expected tonight. While sporting the most losses in the National League, and having the least run support of any pitcher in baseball, Roy Oswalt pitched a gem tonight. With a stat line as follows 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 0 runs, 2 walked and 5 k’s Oswalt pitched out of a couple of jams but all in all looked really good. This is what the fans were clamoring for. Oswalt is a gamer and his record in august and September is now 55 and 18 for his career. He is also 2 and 0 in October for his career. The Phils scored their first run on a Domonic Brown grounded into a fielders choice and Placido Polanco scored. There was a few times in this game where the Fightins had a runner on third with one or no outs and they couldn’t get a run in. In the sixth Ross Gload led off the inning with a double but while he was rounding first he pulled up lame, seemingly pulling his groin. Mike Sweeney was sent in to pinch run. The next batter Rauuul Ibanez doubled off the wall, extending his hitting streak to 15 games and having the longest hitting streak of someone with the letter I. Thanks for that tidbit Chris Wheeler. When will the walking wounded end. Is there help on the horizon? While good news for Chase Utley was given today, that he can begin swinging a bat, he still probably wont be back till September 1st. Also it doesn’t look like Ryan Howard wont be back on the 17, rather a week or two after that. Shane Victorino however was a double short of the cycle down in Lehigh Valley, so Shane should be back for the end of the week or the weekend.
On an unrelated side note, as further proof that the Mets flounder towards the end of the year. Closer Fransisco Rodriguez was arrested tonight on charges of assault on his father in-law. It just seems like when it rains it pours. K-ROD will be charged with Assault 3 which is a misdemeanor in New York state, but because it was a family member it is considered a domestic, so it is a domestic violence issue. His father in-law is said to have substantial visible bruising. He didnt even pitch tonight so it wasn’t about his performance. Well Lets all Go Meet the Mets!!!!!!
Catching up with Darren Daulton
Earlier this week I got the opportunity to see former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton while attending a baseball tournament down in Bridgeton, New Jersey. As a guest of the Bridgeton Invitation Daulton signed autographs for fans and took the time to speak about various topics includig the current Phillies, the 1993 Phillies and his life after baseball. I had an opportunity to listen to Daulton and put together this report, which can also be read here on nj.com.
BRIDGETON — The Bridgeton Invitational saw one of its biggest crowds in years Monday night.
That’s the type of presence former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Darren Daulton still has.
Fans flocked to get autographs from a player who was at the heart of the 1993 National League champion team and spent the better part of 14 seasons behind the plate for the Phillies. Daulton, who was put on the Phillies Wall of Fame in Citizens Bank Park on Friday was surprised by all of the fans who came out to see him.
“I looks like you guys have about the same turnout as we did (Friday),” joked Daulton.
For Daulton, who is the second high-profile former Phillies player to visit the Invitational Greg Luzinski was the other Monday was not only his first time at the Invitational, but his first time in Bridgeton.
“Out of all my worldly travels I can’t remember ever coming through Bridgeton,” said Daulton. “It reminds me a lot of the town I grew up in in Kansas. I was joking with some of the guys earlier that I used to be a groundskeeper.”
Daulton was a career .245 hitter with 137 homers and 588 RBIs. His best seasons came in 1992 and 1993 when he hit a combined 51 home runs and drove in 214.
The 1993 Philadelphia squad was know for its crazy cast of characters headlined by Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Mitch Williams. The team surprised everyone by going from perennial cellar dwellers to National League champions. Daulton said the reason the team was so embraced both in and away from Philadelphia was because of the blend of characters the team possessed.
“I like to say that we covered all the food groups,” said Daulton. “We had big buys, small guys, fat guys, skinny guys, smokers, drinkers, guys that were Jewish and guys that were Catholic and I think that’s why so many people around the country liked the team. You could pick any type of personality and we had someone that personified it.”
Though he spent almost his entire career with the Phillies, it wasn’t until Daulton was traded in 1997 that he finally won a World Series ring. As a member of the Florida Marlins, Daulton ended his career by helping the Fish defeat the Cleveland Indians in seven games.
“I started, obviously, with the Phillies organization and was able to play for 14 years,” said Daulton. “I was very fortunate to get traded down the stretch in ‘97 to the Marlins. At that time I thought I was going to go to an American League club to be a DH. Jeff Conine was having a so-so year for the Marlins so they wanted me to come down there offensively for my bat and it just happened to work out. You couldn’t have written a better script.”
Daulton currently resides in Clearwater, Fla., but still keeps a watchful eye on the Phillies and appears periodically on Phillies Postgame Live. He admitted he wasn’t always as tuned in to his former ball club.
“For 10 years from 7-8 p.m. it was ‘Seinfeld,’” said Daulton. “Now when 7:05 comes around I want the remote because I want to watch these guys.”
Daulton, who took part in the Phillies’ Alumni Golf Tournament earlier Monday, said he will be working with Comcast SportsNet through the summer and will be featured on pre- and post-game shows should the Phillies return to the postseason. He raved about the team’s play this season despite all of its obstacles.
“I tried to think back as far as I have been in the game and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team go through what they have gone through this year,” said Daulton. “It’s just amazing. If you would have told me before the season started that they would be at this juncture (of the season) with all of their stars that have been on the DL, I would say there would be no chance that they would be in the playoffs. It’s really remarkable.”
Are the Eagles suddenly booring?
Many Eagles fans have been excited about the ongoing training camp do to the fact that the team that will take the field on Sundays starting in September will be vastly different than the ones that have proceeded it for the better part of a decade. We don’t know if it will be better, but right now the word “different” also stands for “hope.”
Then there are those who are not so excited about training camp. Without McNabb shooting off his mouth or Sheldon Brown looking for a bigger check, this preseason has been more about actual football and less about drama. To me that’s a good thing, yet some people just need their taste of daily drama.
Philadalphia Inquirer writer John Gonzalez is one of those people. He misses the old Eagles already. Check out his take on the current group compared to that of years ago.
Here is an extended clip from Gonzalez’s piece, which can be read in entirety here.
The Eagles’ locker room was once stocked with oversized personalities willing to yammer in front of a television camera until the battery lost its charge. If Lito Sheppard wasn’t grumbling about his contract, there was always the possibility Sheldon Brown might pop off and say something of note. They’re gone now. So are Shawn Andrews and Terrell Owens, Freddie Mitchell and Hugh Douglas and others. And though it was time to move on as far as football goes, those of us who enjoy a solid sideshow will miss Donovan McNabb’s often ridiculous one-man Party of Five.
Compared with some of the guys who once served under Andy Reid, the current crop of Eagles is about as entertaining as Michael Strahan’s short-lived show on Fox. Who is going to hold the driveway workout/news conference? Who’s going to catch a locker room beat down courtesy of the team’s ambassador? Who’s going to get his Michael Phelps on or thank his hands for being so great or rock an air guitar at the worst possible moment?
Who’s going to give us something to talk/complain/laugh about?
Maybe most of what happened in the past was detrimental to the team, but it was also entertaining. If the Eagles have any shot of continuing the town’s best Off-Broadway production for a 12th-straight season under Reid, only one man can make it happen – and he’s not talking.
DeSean Jackson has gone into the sort of disciplined communication blackout usually reserved for covert military missions or the morning after a one-night stand. The once outspoken wide receiver hasn’t said much during training camp. On the day he arrived, Jackson said he had nothing to say (how very Meta of him). And on Monday, he told The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that he’d “talk with y’all closer to the regular season.” It didn’t seem possible, but the preseason just became even more unbearable
So how do you feel. Is this preseason an exciting one for you because of the uncertainty surrounding the changes or is it just a little too bland for your taste?
The Werth Dilemma
I’ll say right up front that when Victorino went down with his injury, I groaned. Not just because Shane was hurt, but because, as I immediately texted my kid, “Werth isn’t going anywhere.”
In some ways, Werth is the poster child for this confusing Phillies offense — on paper his stats looks pretty good, but he’s “werthless” when it counts. And Charlie doesn’t have a clue what to do with him.
I’m going to ignore Werth’s pretty stats — the OPS, the doubles, the batting average — because he’s a great hitter when no one is on base. The real issue is that he continues to bat in an RBI position when his bat appears to have ball repellent sprayed on it when there is RISP. (Does anyone in baseball have an uglier strike-out swing than Werth?) If he does hit the ball, it’s a double play or a pop up. I’ve reached the point where when Werth is up to bat with a man on second and two outs, I go to the kitchen for a snack. And why not, I haven’t missed anything but ugly strikeouts and pop ups in a long time.
I wonder when (if) Charlie will ever figure out that Werth is hurting the team when he bats 4th or 5th. I know that others are wondering the same thing, and I saw a couple of comments around the sports sites that suggested Werth bat lead off — since he tends to hit best when no one is on base and maybe the middle of the line up can get him home.
I’d like to add another idea to that. I would bat Werth 8th. There is one thing that he still does better than any other Phillie — he walks. If he’s batting 8th, he might be more willing to take a walk and get to the pitcher’s spot and turn the line up over. Or, if he’s leading off, he’d likely get a hit, and the pitcher can bunt him over (if he doesn’t get picked off — being on the base paths seems to be another issue for Werth lately). It may even take some of the pressure off of him to be an RBI producer.
And when Victorino comes back? I wouldn’t even hesitate — I’d platoon Werth with Brown in right. It’s obvious that we miss Victorino’s glove in center, and Werth is an adventure in the field. Brown has much more upside and a much better arm.
Of course, it’s tough now with all the injuries, particularly to Howard’s and Utley’s power. The team needs to focus on small ball (something I think Greg Gross gets). Werth had his career year. The team can’t afford to continue to wait for him to be the right-handed RBI guy.
Phillies win and pick up Sweeny.
The Phillies beat the Florida Marlins for their third straight game 7-2.
Rookie Domonic Brown has been excellent in his first week of work. The Phillies are 5-2 since calling him up and he is played in 6 of those games. He drove in 3 more runs in last night’s victory and is now batting .273 with 5 singles, a double, and a total of 6 RBI.
Ibanez extended his hitting streak to 12 as he drove in 2.
It all started with a 58 minute rain delay, but once the game started Kendrick pitched effectively enough for the win.
The Phillies have now won 11 of their last 13 and are only 2 games back in the NL East race.
They just acquired Mike Sweeny to fill in for Ryan Howard at first base so it appears that with 55 games to go, the Phillies plan on remaining a contender, playing through their injuries and trying for a threepeat as NL champions.
If they suffer no more injuries, and Howard and Utley return shortly from the DL to add thier talents to the stretch run, I believe this team can do it.
Tomorrow we wll find out if they made another strong mid season move as Oswalt returns to the mound, no more first game after the trade jitters, to finish off the series with the Marlins.
If he performs strong, than we have an effective 1-2-3 rotation that will get us through the first round of the playoffs.
If he looks like he did in his first outing as a Phillie, we atill have some holes to plug.
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