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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.
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.
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.
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.
9th Inning Woes
It seems like a new sport has popped up in Philadelphia: Lidge bashing. He’s the closer, so that must mean all of the bullpen problems, particularly in the 9th inning, are his fault.
It makes me wonder if people actually watch all the games, or are just intent on playing Lidge Bashing. For example, let’s take last night’s game. Chad Durbin pitches a beautiful 8th inning. But in the 9th, he started to have a little bit of trouble. He was at 40 pitches over the 2 innings. He had two runners in scoring position and he was getting a little wild. Granted, the team had a nice lead and those 2 runners weren’t really bothering anybody. But the point is, Durbin didn’t have a clean 9th inning.
Mitch Williams, who made 9th innings more interesting than almost anyone in my Phillies memory, suggested JC Romero as the closer. Okay, let’s look at Juan Carlos in the 9th recently. Didn’t he just blow a save last week against Arizona?
The more I watch the season unfold, coupled with last season, the more sure I am that Lidge is NOT the problem on the backend of the bullpen. The problem is the 9th inning. It appears that the mentality of the pitching staff changes when the inning counter flips to 9.
Because the problem seems to be universal to the bullpen staff, I am lead to believe the real problem lies in the coaching. Are pitchers not prepared enough to come into the 9th? Is the pen being used properly? Is it time for a change in pitching/bullpen coaches?
It’s easy to Lidge Bash and focus on him as the microcism of the problem. He gives the 9th inning its face — and that perfect season has put ridiculous expectations on him. Not that I’m saying there are mechanical problems at work with Lidge; there may be. But the 9th inning problems lie much deeper than a solitary closer, and I believe the wrong person is being held accountable for the problems.
Trade more than just a rumour now.
It is looking more and more like the Phillies will acquire a new pitcher.
With Victorino, Rollins and Utley on the DL, and Moyer apparently done forever, the Phillies are trying to shore up a roster that looked a lot deeper and stronger at the beginning of the year then it does now.
Roy Oswalt may be the missing piece. Oswalt has not yet waived his no trade clause but appears very unhappy with his standing as the staff ace for the Houston Astros, who, at 42-59 look to have no chance at the post season for 2010. Oswalt, a very capable pitcher has seen his numbers drop to match the team, with a 6-12 record and a 3.42 ERA so far this season.
Since breaking into the big leagues in 2001, Roy Oswalt has 143 victories — 28 more than any other NL pitcher. And his 1,593 strikeouts are the most for any NL pitcher with 100 starts since 2001. The combination of Oswalt and Halladay would give the Phillies their first authentic 1-2 punch in a generation.
Halladay held similar records in the AL prior to the trade to Philadelphia and despite a lack of run support in all his starts, he still is second in the league in ERA and 3rd in victories, and in both these categories he leads the Phillies.
The Astros, in turn, are looking to acquire Happ and Singleton as well as a prospect to be named later from the Phillies. While Happ has not yet lived into his potential, Oswalt is a proven commodity. And Singleton IS a hot prospect for the Phillies at a farm league level, but right now, if the Phillies are going to stay in it for the rest of the year and make a run at the Braves, they need pitching.
Wow. It seems like every time we evaluate this team, it needs pitching.
Fielding is covered; the hitting; comes and goes, that is the nature of the game. Pitching, has long been the area in which the Phillies have lacked world championship caliber players. Consider 2008, their World Series winning season. They had 4 pitchers with 10 or more victories.
Moyer led the team with 16, then came Hamels with 14, Kendrick with 11 and Myers with 10. The team ERA was 3.88 and the lowest ERA by a starting pitcher was Hamels at 3.09. So when the possibility exists the Phillies may end up with 2 pitchers who can record 20 wins with an ERA in the 2’s, fans can sense the excitement. If we can win the world series with the above rotation, imagine how much better we can be with a starting group including Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels, and Kendrick
Missing man is Joe Blanton who had several strong years but is posting a 4-6 record with a 5.86 ERA after 16 starts this year. If we can’t trade back for Lee, I say let Happ go and acquire the veteran that has proven he can fill the staff ace role. Let the 2 Roys, Halladay and Oswalt fight it out to determine who will be ace #1, and who will be ace #2.
The Domonic Brown era begins
For fans looking to take a glass-half-full approach there is a bit off good news that should result from the latest injury to a member of the Phillies, Shane Victorino. The Phillies’ center fielder strained his oblique Tuesday night and was placed on the 15-day DL. That has paved the way for two things:
1. Jayson Werth likely isn’t going anywhere now since they will need him to man center field for at least the next 15 days.
2. Domonic Brown is now on the big league roster and will start tonight for the Phillies.
Starting with Werth, I don’t see any way the team can trade away Werth for pitching now that Victorino is joining Utley on the DL. Even if it brought back a pitcher as mighty as Oswalt, it would be hard to imagine the Phillies trading away one of the healthiest bodies on the roster. Plus Werth has finally started hitting, highlighted by his first home run in 21 games last night.
As for Brown, this is a moment Phillies fans have been waiting to see for a year and a half. Brown has been tearing up the minor leagues, posting a .327 batting average with 20 homers, and 68 RBIs in 98 games for Double A Reading and Leihigh Valley. He is listed on the lineup card as batting sixth today — after Werth and before Ruiz.
In other Phillies news, Valdez will once again get the start at short as Jimmy Rollins is still not ready to return to action. That leaves Placido Polanco as the leadoff hitter and Greg Dobbs will hit second — not exactly the way the team drew it up in April.
Let the Brown era begin — even if it is just for a couple of weeks.
Oswalt a Phillie by the weekend?
If Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci is right, the Phillies will have the best 1-2 punch in baseball by the weekend.
The veteran baseball writer appeared on the Dan Patrick Show today and said:
You can read the full article on Dan Patrick’s web page.
Oswalt talks hit snag
News spread all around the sports scene today that the Phillies were on the verge of acquiring Houston ace Roy Oswalt, but there has been snag that could prevent the deal from happening.
That snag? About $16 million in 1012.
Bellow is a report from ESPN’s Jason Stark.
Roy Oswalt’s contract demands could be on the verge of blowing up a potential deal that would send the Houston Astros ace to Philadelphia.
Oswalt is asking for the Phillies, or any team that acquires him, to guarantee his $16 million option in 2012 before he would approve a trade, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
And the Phillies, for now at least, are balking at that request. So unless one side or both changes or softens its stance, Oswalt could be staying put, and the Phillies could be forced to take their hunt for pitching elsewhere.
Oswalt, 32, has about $7 million left on his $15 million salary for this year, plus a guaranteed $16 million next season and either a $2 million buyout or that $16 million option for 2012.
The Phillies are believed to be amenable to paying most of the $25 million he’s owed through next year, but have shown no inclination to pick up the option year.
It was unclear Wednesday how close the Phillies and Astros were to agreeing on what players would be exchanged if they could resolve Oswalt’s contract issues. But there were rumblings from multiple baseball sources that pitcher J.A. Happ would be one of the players heading to Houston in any scenario.
ESPN’s Stark speculates Phillies closing in on big move
ESPN’s Jayson start is hinting that a the Phillies could be close to making a big deal for a starting pitcher. Bellow is an exert:
On the pitching front, the Phillies have discussed deals involving a number of starters. They’ve talked about Arizona’s Dan Haren, Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie and Oakland’s Ben Sheets, among others. But there were indications they’ve spent a lot of time in recent days exploring a trade for Astros ace Roy Oswalt.
Oswalt would have to approve any trade, and there were no signs he’d been approached about waiving his no-trade clause or that he’d been told any deal was close. He is also said to prefer to go to a team in the South or Midwest, so there were no guarantees he would approve a deal to Philadelphia.
Many teams have downplayed the possibility Oswalt would get traded at all, because he is owed more than $7 million for the rest of this year and $16 million next year, in addition to either a $16-million option or $2-million buyout for 2012.
However, the Phillies are looking to trade for a starting pitcher they can control beyond this year. And if they were to move Werth’s salary (about $3.5 million for the rest of this year) and the Astros pick up several million dollars of Oswalt’s money, it would even out the dollars for the rest of this season.
You can read the whole story here.
It’s good to know that at the very least Amaro is awake. Whether or not the Phillies have the pieces or the cojones to pull of a big deal will be seen.
Down goes Moyer
Maybe Kyle Kendrick’s trip to the minors won’t be so permanent after all.
Phillies Starting pitcher Jamie Moyer strained his left elbow and was removed after one inning of Wednesday night’s game against St. Louis.
The 47-year-old Moyer threw 18 pitches in the first inning Tuesday night. When I hear the words “elbow strain” I don’t think short-term injury. Ye another trip for a Phillies player to the DL looks imminent.
Newly recalled Andrew Carpenter replaced Moyer in the second inning. He went on to pitch three unimpressive innings, allowing three runs.
So now the Phillies really need an arm. Halladay, Hamels and pray for rain just won’t cut it.
And I don’t see fans clamoring for Nelson Figueroa to be back in the rotation.
So who will the Phillies go after? I don’t think Oswalt is a realistic option and the picking after that are not great. You hear names like Jake Westbrook Kevin Millwood and Ted Lilly floated around all the time in trade speculation, but could any of these guys really change the fortunes of this team?
Likely not, which means the Phillies may have to move an asset such as Jayson Werth if they want to get any real pitching help.Of coarse, the way Werth’s stock has been declining you may not be able to get a Pirates castoff.
Or the team can sit back an let Joe Blanton, Kyle Kendrick and Andrew Carpenter lead the way. If that isn’t a blueprint to getting back to the World Series, I don’t know what is.
What I learned on my 2-week vacation: Part 1: Avoiding disaster
PSB writer Eric Schwartz spent’ the last two weeks on vacation traveling up and down the East Coast for two weddings, moving into a new house and doing a lot of sweating. Here is a five-part what he learned during that period and how it relates to the Philadelphia sports scene.
I got to experience a taste of first class over the last two weeks. Not during my flights (we’re not that big yet), but rather at the pair of weddings I attended. The first I will touch on later. The second took place on a beautiful lakeside wedding hall in Connecticut. Every detail of this wedding was elegant to a “T”.
Well everything except one, which brings us to our title: Avoiding Disaster.
Flowers and weddings go hand-in-hand. Candles and weddings often do the same. However when flowers meet candles, a not so perfect moment is the result.
Such was the case at the table I sat at during the receptions where one of the bridesmaids (thankfully) noticed that a candle was a little too close to the centerpiece flowers and as a result there was now a black section of a previously all white bouquet. The woman quickly moved the candle away from the flowers and disaster was avoided. With the amount of hairspray in that room, had that thing caught fire we were all goners.
This brings me to the Philadelphia Phillies and their series against the Cincinnati Reds. After losing 2-of-3 Braves 3-of-4 to the lowly Pirates, many fans were fearing that the season was headed for complete disaster. The Phillies were six games back of the Braves, losing players every other day and in no way looked like the confident bunch the city has grown to love the last few seasons.
Four one-run wins and three extra inning games later and disaster had been avoided. The Phillies pulled off one of the most unusual, yet satisfying sweeps in team history. The team could have easily lost each game as the offense did little during the series (including not producing a base runner for 8 innings on Saturday) but the pitching was amazing, throwing 21-scoreless frames heading into the All-Star break.
Some are saying that the series was just what the team needed and a big second half is on its way. I’m not ready to go their yet — as the Braves got even stronger today with the acquisition of shortstop Alex Gonzalez — but I do believe the team avoided disaster. Instead of falling to seven or eight games back the Phillies clawed to within 4 1/2.
It’s not where anyone wanted the team to be at the break but things sure could have been a whole lot worse.
I’m talking wedding table in flames bad.
Part 2: You have got to be kidding me!
“The Boss” Steinbrenner Passes At 80
Originally today I was going to write about the book I just finished, Bill Madden’s “Steinbrenner: The Last Lion Of Baseball”. I got the book on Father’s Day and just finished it last night, and it was indeed a great book. I was going to do that until I got in my car a few minutes ago and heard on XM Radio that Steinbrenner had passed away in Florida from a heart attack, just two days after legendary Yankees PA Announcer Bob Sheppard passed away at the age of 99. In just a span of two days the Yankees lost their voice and also their identity. Make no mistake about it George Steinbrenner was the Yankees and has been ever since the modest press conference in January, 1973 to announce the sale of the Yankees from CBS to a group of investors that included Steinbrenner.
Sure, he was abrasive. Sure, he was a pain in the ass to work for. Steinbrenner’s first GM, the late Gabe Paul used to go home every night and rant into a tape recorder about all his frustrations from working with “The Boss”. Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner refused to accept losing and as a fan of any sports team that is what you want from an owner. After buying the team, which had fallen into the bottom of the American League during the mid to late sixties, Steinbrenner and Paul went out and made the deals, including getting top free agents like Catfish Hunter and then eventually Reggie Jackson who had a World Series for the ages in 1977, setting a home run record that lasted until Chase Utley’s assault on Yankee pitching in last year’s World Series. Even after winning the World Series in 1977, George wasn’t done, going out and getting Goose Gossage as a free agent from Pittsburgh despite having the best closer in the game in Sparky Lyle. Lyle only saved 26 games and won the 1977 Cy Young Award. Steinbrenner landed the biggest free agent again after the 1980 season when he persuaded Dave Winfield to come to the Big Apple.
By the time I was really into Baseball as a kid, the Yankees had just won their first pennant while my Phillies just won their first divisional title but were dismissed by the defending World Champion Reds in a short 3 games in the NLCS. I remember watching the last game of the ALCS when Chambliss hit the deciding homer. It was so exciting as I watched the fans storm the field. How dare the Reds take that kind of joy away from me, so I decided that I’d root for the Yankees in the World Series and would adopt them as my “second” team. They were in the American League, and there was no Interleague play back then, so I figured I could get away with this. Unfortunately the Reds took out the Yankees in 4 straight in the World Series, but the Yankees made me happy the next two years as they exacted my revenge on the Dodgers and the smug Tommy LaSorda for beating my Phillies again in the NLCS in 1977-78. Those Yankees teams were good – - maybe better than the Phillies, maybe not, but they were way more exciting than the Phils. Mike Schmidt was a great player, but Reggie was Reggie. Lefty Carlton was great, but he never spoke while Sparky Lyle was nuts. The Yankees, even back then, were entertainment. Billy vs Reggie, Billy vs George, Reggie vs the rest of the team.
All Steinbrenner did was take a team purchased for $8.5 million dollars in 1973 (of which he contributed $168,000) and turned it into a Billion dollar empire. When MLB made the deal with Russell Athletic, Steinbrenner went on his own and partnered with Adidas – -eventually MLB properties would add Adidas as an approved clothier. His television deals were landmark and his YES network set the standard for Cable television and sports. The biggest thing Steinbrenner did was return the Yankees to the glory they enjoyed during the decades of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s as well as the early part of the 60’s. The Yankees again became a huge road success and their logo is the most recognizable in all the world.
Just like I think today’s players should all donate a percentage of their paychecks to the family of Curt Flood for sacraficing the rest of his career for the free agency they enjoy today, I believe that every owner of a Major League Baseball team today owes George Steinbrenner a huge “thank you” for what he has done to advance the game to where it is today.
Rest in peace, Mr. Steinbrenner. You may be gone, but you will never, ever be forgotten.
Five keys for Phillies to survive injuries
As reported yesterday, the Phillies will be without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco for at least the next 15 days, and in all likelihood a little longer. The timing of the news is not great as the team had broken out of its hitting slump and looked poised to regain the lead in the NL East. Now with these injuries that becomes a lot more difficult. I still think the Phillies can hang right with the Braves and Mets over the next few weeks, but it will take a variety of factors coming together to do so.
Bellow are five keys for the Phillies to stay in the race despite these injuries.
1. Rollins must regain form: When a player is out for as long as Rollins was it is expected that the player will need a few weeks to find his swing. The Phillies can not afford Rollins that time, however. With their No. 2 and No. 3 hitters on the bench, the importance of Rollins setting the table becomes even more important. I’m not saying he needs to hit .350 the next month, but the team will need Rollins to at least maintain his .400 an-base percentage.
2. The Big Man must get on a tear: Over the past four seasons we have seen Ryan Howard get incredibly hot in August and September and at times single handily carry the team to victories. This time Howard can not wait until August. The team needs one of those power surges right now. Howard’s .295 average has caught everyone off guard and he is having a season that should put him back in the top five of the MVP voting. There is no reason to think he can’t catch fire over the next few weeks and lift his team once more.
3. Pitching: If you lose a little offense than the pitching must do its part to keep the opposition off the board. The Phillies staff has been hot and cold this season and needs to get hot again in a hurry. Roy Halladay is the only member of the starting staff that has an ERA under 4.00 and that simply won’t cut it over the next month. This team may need to win a couple of games by 3-2, or 2-1 scores and for that to happen the starters must show more than they have so far this season. Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick have the most room to improve and one may be pushed by a returning J.A. Happ.
4. A surprise candidate must emerge: This could come from anywhere. Maybe somehow Greg Dobbs will remember to hit again? Maybe Ibanez will go on a tear like he did the first half of last year? Maybe one of the team’s backup catchers has the best two weeks of his career? Maybe the Phillies reacquire Cliff Lee and none of this will matter? No matter where it comes from the team will need unexpected productions to keep moving forward in July.
5. The Braves and Mets slump: Most believe that the Braves and Mets have overachieved the last two months. If that is indeed the case it is fair to suggest that a downward swing is coming. The Braves (5-5) and Mets (4-6) may already be in the process of doing so as their last 10 games have not gone well. Consider that the Mets are just 15-22 on the road and have an 11-game West Coast trip coming in the second part of July and its not hard to see them falling off. As for the Braves, the Phillies can help themselves from July 5-7 when they host Atlanta for a big series.
So there you have five ways that the team can keep winning despite the recent injuries. If a few of these factors take place there is no reason that the Phillies can’t be right at the top of the pack when Utley and Polanco return.
Guess Who’s Bizack
The Phillies….After seeing some much needed pep Thursdays night vs the Yankees. The Phillies D ignited their O. A couple of great plays from Jason Werth and Placido Polanco have many around town believing that it sparked the Phils offense. After several weeks of seeming that the players were just going through the motions on both sides of the diamond, it was good to see some life. That buzz carried over into tonight where the Phillies trounced the visit Minnesota Twins 9 – 5. The score doesn’t show how much the Phils were beating on the Twins. Scott Mathieson let up two runs late just for the Twins to get 5. Which is another story in itself, the guys has come off two Tommy Johns surgery and still has a chance to throw in the bigs. Throw is an understatement. He was hurling at 98 and 99 mph. On to the real story Joe Blanton. The kid had a much needed bounce back game from his last two starts where he lasted 4 and 5 innings. He earned just his second win of the season going 6 innings giving up 7 hits, 3 runs all earned, three walks, one two run shot off Nick, my first Hr of the year, Punto and only striking out one. After Punto’s two run shot Blanton was relieved of his duties by skipper Charlie Manuel. Blanton was noticeably upset, but I couldn’t tell if it was with Ruiz for pitch selection, or what. After being in the dugout for a while, Blanton was still fired up and it took Pitching coach Rich Dubee to calm him down. The star of the game definitely was Ryan Howard going 4-4 with two Hrs, a triple and a double, falling just a single short of the cycle. It sucks when you fall a single short. He also scored three runs and had 3 RBI’s Chase Utley wasn’t too bad himself going 2 for 5 with a Hr, 4 RBI’s, and scoring twice. Many players got off the slump having 11 hits in all. So was a rematch of the World Series all the Phillies needed to get their offense jump started again. Only time will tell. But don’t look now this time next week barring any set backs Jimmy Rollins, the catalyst and table setter for the Phils, will be back in the line up doing what Jimmy does best. You know what it is, he is the spark plug for everything that is the Phils. Watch out Braves, here comes the Phils……
Oh what is that I see a Sixers spotting. I would like to Welcome back the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers. After a brief 8 yeah hiatus, it’s good to see some life in that organization that I hold so near and dear to my heart. After hitting the lottery and getting the second pick, and then hiring Doug Collins. (I almost had a mental error and said Doug Mo) Could you imagine? It appears that Ed Stefanski is the greatest Wizard in all the land. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat and sending much maligned Sammy Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings. In return the Sixers received scrappy Andres Nocioni. (See Dan Carcillo, Flyers) and Spencer Hawes. So with Murphy’s law Dalembert will average 20 and 10 this year, much like Kenny Thomas and John Salmons preformed after they left. Philly will love Nocioni instantly, he will apitamize every cliche and Philly slogan around. Personally I think Hawes may be the gem of this deal. If Doug Collins, who preaches D can get a hold of this kid and teach him how to play D, something Dalembert could never learn, he may be a player. Hawes is a 7-1 viable low post presence, with a jumper from the outside. (Which I hate. Anyone of 6-11 should be down low busting bodies and rebounding. But what do I know). I wouldn’t be surprised if Andre Iguadola is gone draft night or shortly there after, having two many guys in the same position and him making too much money he should be on his way out. Mainly because he ISN’T A MAX CONTRACT PLAYER. After saying this Thaddeus Young will be traded and I will be upset. So lastly I would just like to thank my 10, 9, 8, 76ers for giving me some basketball talk back in this town.
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