How will Pedro’s time in Philadelphia be remembered

Thursday November 5, 2009 • 5 Comments 

Wherever he has gone Pedro Martinez has elicited a lot of emotions from his team’s fan base and the fan base of the opposition. Some view Pedro as a fun, wacky guy who brings energy to a team and a stadium every time he takes the mound.

Others view him as a cocky, arrogant pitcher whose history of hitting batters makes him an intimidator.

But how will his two-month stay in Philadelphia be remembered?

The Phillies signed Pedro Martinez on July 5 to a modest 1-year/$1 million contract. The former Red Six and Mets pitcher had been out of baseball to that point, as his asking price of $5 million to start the season garnered little attention.

Shortly after the signing of Pedro, the Phillies traded for Cliff Lee, reducing the expected impact of Martinez. However, with Jamie Moyer struggling, the Phils gave Pedro is first start on August 12 against the Cubs.

A little over a month later, he finished his regular season with a 5-1 record with an ERA of 3.63, good enough to earn himself a spot in the postseason rotation.

After not pitching in the NLDS, Pedro pitched a 7-inning gem against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS. The bullpen would blow an inherited 1-0 lead, leaving him without a win.

However, the World Series was not kind to Pedro. Against his nemesis, the New York Yankees, Pedro went 0-2, including the deciding Game 6 loss in which he allowed four runs in just four innings.

It is unlikely Pedro will be resigned for next season. The Phillies are set in the rotation 1-through-4 and have Jamie Moyer under contract. There is also the chance that Kyle Kendrick earns his way back to the majors or that highly-touted prospect Kyle Drabek makes the roster.

So how will the future Hall of Famer’s short stint in Philly be remembered?

My guess is that fans will look at Pedro’s time with the team fondly. He gave the team more than anyone could have expected given the way things ended for him in New York the previous season. Sure he didn’t execute well enough in the World Series, but Brad Lidge and Cole Hamels’ shortcomings will be talked about much more going forward.

Pedro wasn’t great, but his two month stint at in Philadelphia did more good, than harm.



Lights out on Philadelphia?

Monday November 2, 2009 • 3 Comments 

It wasn’t a blown save, it was something much worse.

Bard Lidge allowed three runs in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-4, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series, Sunday night.

Pedro Feliz hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th off Joba Chamberlain to tie the game at 4-4 and give the Phillies the momentum heading in to the ninth. Lidge came in and got the first two hitters out, as it appeared his postseason reconciliation was going to continue.

Then it all fell to pieces.

Johnny Damon hit the blooper of all bloopers to keep the inning alive. Damon, not the fastest runner these days, stole second and third on the same play as the Phillies were playing a shift against Mark Teixeira, as no one was covering third.

This was Lidge’s first big mistake. With Feliz accepting the throw down to second, there was no one to cover third except for Lidge who never even attempted to get over there. From there he hit Texeiria, let up a double to Alex-Rodriguez, a single to Jorge Posada and it was all over.

While Lidge will take most of the heat for this loss, there is plenty to go around.

-         The Phillies hit two home runs, again solo shots, as the team had trouble getting men on base.

-         In the fifth inning Chase Utley tried to toss the ball to Rollins with his glove in an attempt to start a double play instead of taking his time to transfer the ball and just get one out. As a result he got no outs and the Yankees would score two runs that innings.

-         Joe Blanton pitches OK, but took the crowd out of the game early by allowing two runs in the first inning.

-         What is going on with Raul Ibanez?

-         Ryan Howard had a broken-bat single, but again looked helpless against the breaking ball.

 

It is now desperation time in Philadelphia as the Phils must win three straight to defend their World Series title. It can be done, certainly, but the Phils will need to play a lot better than they have through four games. Cliff Lee takes the ball tonight against A.J. Burnett.

The Phillies have been a team that plays well when their backs are against the wall, but this is bigger than any test they have had this season.

We will see if there is any magic left, or if it is “lights out” for the Phils.



No one is laughing at Charlie Manuel now

Friday October 23, 2009 • 1 Comment 

It wasn’t so long ago that Charlie Manuel was looked at as a laughing stock in this area.

Manuel, the Phillies skipper, seemed to know nothing about National League baseball after spending his entire career in the American League as the manager of the Cleveland Indians.

Two years into his term with the Phillies it looked as though Manuel still didn’t understand how to properly execute a double switch – something Little League managers could figure out.

Manuel’s speech was Southern and slurred he had trouble putting two sentences together and hardly seemed like a motivator.

It got so bad that 610 jockey Howard Eskin nearly got in a fight with “Uncle Charlie” during a press conference halfway through the 2008 season.

People laughed at Manuel.

No one is laughing any more.

While he is still much the same coach he was when he came to Philadelphia after the 2004 season, Manuel has led the team to consecutive World Series appearances. Beginning Wednesday, Manuel and the Phils will face either the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Angels in what they hope will be the first of four necessary wins to become two-time World Champions.

Charlie has always been loved by his players, even when he wasn’t by the fans. You see the players talking and joking with Manuel in the dugout during the game, something you would never see with some of the stricter managers such as Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa, both of whom are back home watching.

It is hard to say exactly what Manuel does as a manager. In fact, baseball managers as a whole are tough to figure out. They don’t design plays like basketball or football coaches and they don’t shuffle lines like a hockey general.

Pitching coaches deal with issues that come up with the rotation and bullpen and base coaches deal with the tough decisions of when to send a runner. Sure some baseball managers call signs for pitches (most leave that to the catcher) and put on calls such as bunts and hit-and-runs.

But maybe the biggest responsibility of a baseball manager is controlling the clubhouse and making sure everyone on the team is on the same page.

In that area, Manuel excels.

You hear nothing but good things about Manuel from his players. The coach is willing to listen to his players at any time and they are willing to listen to him. Manuel doesn’t care about the spotlight; he leaves that to the players. When it is time to celebrate, Manuel shakes a few hands, gives a few hugs and goes back to his office.

Manuel is far from perfect. He makes mistakes from time to time like he did in NLCS Game 2, when he decided to take out Pedro Martinez after seven dominant innings that produced a 1-0 lead, which turned into a loss.

Manuel had a plan that game and he was going to stick to it. He didn’t want Martinez to go past 90 or so pitches and he wasn’t going to change that, no matter the circumstances.

But that’s Charlie. He’s the same guy who wouldn’t replace Brad Lidge when 99 percent of the fan base and media thought it was the right thing to do. He understands things the rest of us don’t.

Manuel may never be the best tactical manager in baseball and he certainly won’t become the greatest speaker.

Instead he will continue to be the same laidback, friendly guy that puts out a plan and stays with it.

In other words, he will continue to be the perfect manager for the Phillies.



Chan Ho Park plays role of hero for Phils

Friday October 16, 2009 • 1 Comment 

In Game One of the NLCS it was Chan Ho Park that got the big outs, not George Sherrill.

And as a result, the Phillies have a 1-0 series lead.

Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez each hit a three-run bomb to help lead the Phillies past the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-6, in a slugfest, Thursday night.

The much-maligned Phillies bullpen was good enough as it allowed two runs over four innings to hold the win for an OK Cole Hamels.

The biggest performance was turned in by Park, who entered the game with Adam Either on second an no outs in the seventh and the Phillies protecting a 5-4 lead.

Park proceeded to get Manny Ramirez to ground out, struck out Matt Kemp and finished the inning by getting a groundout off the bat of Casey Blake.

It was clutch in every sense of the word – something fans never would have called Park in the early stages of the season when he struggled as a starter.

Insert Sherrill in the top of the eighth. The star lefthander who had a 0.56 ERA in his 20 appearances with the Dodgers was expected to be a major key in this series. His ability to get lefties out is well documented, as is the Phils reliance on their left-handed hitters.

Sherrill struggled with his control, walking Howard and Jayson Werth to bring up Ibanez. Like he has so many times this season, Ibanez came up with a big hit, a home run to right field that gave the Phillies some much-needed insurance.

Ryan Madson made the game interesting in the eighth, allowing two runs on four hits, but with runners on the corners, he got Ramirez to ground out and end the threat.

Brad Lidge got around a hit and a walk to record his third postseason save in as many chances.

Games like Thursday night’s are why we love sports so much. It was as unpredictable as can be. Who would have thought that given Cole Hamels dominance over the Dodgers (4-0 in six starts) that he would be nearly squander a 5-1 lead and would be lifted in the sixth?

Who knew that while Manny came up with a two-run home run in the fifth, he would fail to come through in big spots in the late innings?

And who knew Park would be the game’s biggest reliever?

If the umpires continue to call the game the way they did Thursday, fans will be treated to some more high scoring games in this series. The strike zone was small giving the hitters an advantage. The hitters on the Phillies and Dodgers are too good to not take advantage of that.

There is little rest for the teams and fans as Game 2 is set for 4 p.m. today. This is likely the game that will determine if the Phils will waltz to the World Series or be in for a dogfight. Look for the Dodgers to come out firing as they can not afford to go in a 0-2 hole. If Pedro Martinez can weather the early storm the Phils have a great chance to come home up 2-0, with three games to be played in The Bank.

The question is who will be today’s hero?



Phillies and Dodgers set for NLCS showdown

Thursday October 15, 2009 • 2 Comments 

Tonight begins the next step in the Philadelphia Phillies quest to repeat as World Series champions. The Phils take on the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at 8:07 p.m. in the first game of a best-of-seven NLCS series. Last year the Phillies beat the Dodgers in five games in the NLCS, but how will they fair this year?

 He is a breakdown of how the match up:

 Phillies Pitching:

Game 1: Cole Hamels: The lefty has had his ups and downs this season and was less than stellar in his outing against the Rockies. Against the Dodgers, however, he has been dominant. In his two starts against them this season, Hamels posted a 1-0 mark with a 0.56 ERA. He also struck out 14 while walking just one. And who can forget last year’s NLCS where Hamels went 2-0, including winning the series clincher in Game 5 and being honored as the series MVP.

Game 2: While it has yet to be confirmed by Charlie Manuel, Phillies.com is reporting that veteran Pedro Martinez will get the nod. It is hard to predict hat Pedro will do in his first playoff outing since he was in a Red Sox uniform.

Game 3: Cliff Lee will return to the mound on his regular day of rest and look to continue what has been a marvelous postseason. Lee has allowed just two earned runs in 16-plus innings of work this postseason and is making it clear that he is indeed an ace.

Game 4: The Phillies will trot either J.A. Happ or Joe Blanton out to the mound. Manuel’s decision may come down to which of the two he needs to use out of the bullpen in the first three games of the series. Blanton has the experience of pitching against the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS, but my guess is that Happ will get the nod here.

 

Dodgers pitching:

Game 1: Clayton Kershaw: One of the top young pitchers in the game, Kershaw has the kind of stuff that can cause nightmares for hitters. Against the Phillies, that has yet to be seen though. He has a 5.23 ERA in two starts against the Phils this year.

Game 2: Vicente Padilla: The first of the two former Phillies pitchers to take the mound in the series, Padilla has done surprisingly well with the West Coast squad. Acquired in a midseason trade with Texas, Padilla has pitched eight games for L.A., going 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA.

Game 3: Hirokia Kuroda: Kuroda was the only Dodgers pitcher to record a win against the Phillies in last year’s NLCS. He was mediocre this season going just 8-7.

Game 4: Randy Wolf: It is hard to believe that Wolf has been one of the most consistent pitchers for the Dodgers, going 12-7 with a 3.23 ERA. A left-hander, Wolf could be a dangerous pitcher in this series.

Phillies lineup:

There are no surprises when Charlie Manuel brings out the lineup card during the postseason. Just as was the case in four NLDS games, the Phillies will go with Jimmie Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz. It is a lineup that as worked for the Phils for the majority of the year.

While Rollins has had a down year by his standards, the career years from Ibanez ad Werth have easily offset that. Werth has joined Utley and Howard to become one of the most feared middle-of-the-order trios in all of baseball.

Philadelphia’s lineup showed in Game 4 against the Rockies, that trailing in the ninth inning on the road is not anything its lineup can not overcome. Despite the team’s strikeout tendencies, one would be hard-pressed to find a better lineup in the National League.

Dodgers lineup: Joe Tore likes to play with the lineup from time to time, but for Game 1 the Phillies will see Rafael Furcal, Orlando Hudson, Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, James Loney, Casey Blake and Russell Martin.

Like Werth, Ethier had a breakout season, posting 31 homers and 106 RBIs. He has been the type of hitter that when paired with Ramirez can bring flashbacks to the Many-Big Pappy years. You don’t want to face that part of the order with the game on the line. Kemp has also been solid, providing great defense in centerfield, while hitting .297 with 26 home runs.

The big letdown for the Dodgers has been the downfall of Martin, who even until last year was one of the top hitting catchers in baseball. This season, Martin’s power disappeared and he hit just seven home runs and limped to a .250 average.

The rest of the Dodgers lineup is solid, although the Phillies should certainly be happy not have to see Jeff Kent anymore.

The Bullpen:

The Phillies: This has been a sore spot for most of the season and has been predicted to be the reason the Phillies don’t repeat as World Champions. The good news is that closer Brad Lidge showed signs of finding his old form, picking up two saves in the NLDS (even if one of them was of the one-out variety). Also promising is that left-hander Scott Eyre appears to be fie after his stumble in Game 4. The bullpen still leaves much to be desired, though, as Ran Madson continues to be hit and miss and it is still impossible to know what can be expected of Brett Myers.

The Dodgers: A team strength all season, the Dodgers’ bullpen really became solidified when the team acquired left-hander George Sherrill from the Orioles at the trade deadline. Sherrill has been remarkable since the trade, posting a 0.65 ERA in 20 appearances. He has also yet to allow a home run to a left-handed batter. Expect to see him in each game this season. The Dodgers have several other quality arms to go to in late innings as they look to get the ball to hard-throwing Jonathan Broxton. The Los Angeles closer had 114 strikeouts in 72 innings, but the Phillies have had success of him in the past, including last postseason.

The Bench:

The Phillies: While there has been little to celebrate about the Phils bench this year, it is impossible not to think of Matt Stairs’ eighth inning, two-out, two-run home run that beat the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2008 postseason. The Phillies know what they get when they send Stairs up to the plate and they will deal with his well-below par .194 average. The rest of the bench doesn’t offer much as Greg Dobbs, Miguel Cairo and Paul Bako leave a lot to be desired. Ben Francisco is a wildcard, as he has pop in his bat and his late-inning defense is valuable, as evidenced by his diving catch late in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The Dodgers: Like the Phillies with Stairs, the Dodgers have a long ball threat in Jim Thome. Though he is not the player he once was, the Thome can still hit the ball out of the park. Orlando Hudson may also come off the bench from in a couple games as Torre has been giving more starting time to Ronnie Belliard at second than expected. The Dodges also have veterans Juan Pierre Mark Loretta and Brad Ausmus.

Prediction: While the Dodgers have the better bullpen and better depth, the Phillies have a better rotation and a more dangerous lineup. A lot of people see this series going all seven games. The two big factors for the Phillies in this series will be the performances of Hamels and Pedro. Can Cole continue his dominance over the Dodgers and can Pedro muster up one more gem? If they can this series could be short. My guess is that one of them slips up but the Phillies have more-than enough to close out the Dodgers in six games.



Phillies beat Rockies, advance to NLCS

Tuesday October 13, 2009 • 1 Comment 

It was everything that October baseball is supposed to be.

The Philadelphia Phillies showed once again why they are “Must See TV” pulling out a dramatic victory that sent them back to the NLCS and put them one step closer to repeating as World Champions.

After giving up three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and facing the prospect of coming home for a Game 5, the Phillies staged one of the greatest ninth innings in team history, coming back to defeat the Colorado Rockies, 5-4 at a chilly Coors Field. With two outs and two on Ryan Howard sent a Houston Street offering to the right field wall, scoring Shane Victorino and Chase Utley with the tying runs. Jayson Werth followed with a bloop single to right center, which plated Howard and gave the Phillies a lead that seemed so improbable just minutes earlier.

All that was left was the save, and as is always the case, it wasn’t easy. Scott Eyre record two outs, but allowed two base runners, prompting Charlie Manuel to go to Brad Lidge for the 27th out.

Lidge got the dangerous Troy Tulowitzki swinging and yet another celebration was on.

Monday’s contest was a game that showed everything that is great about baseball and great about the Phillies. Even after Ryan Madson wasted a great performance by starter Cliff Lee by allowing three runs to score in the eighth, the Phils refused to go down.

Ryan Howard told his teammates to get him a chance to hit in the ninth because he would deliver. Then he came out and did it.

Lee again showed that h is capable of delivering in the postseason, throwing 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, though just one scored while he was on the mound. His stuff kept Rockies hitters off-balanced all game. If Lee continues to pitch this well and the Phils continue to win, Ruben Amaro Jr. may bring home an Executive of the Year award for landing Lee instead of giving up the farm for Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay.

Of course the job is not finished yet. As great as Monday night’s win was, its historical impact will only be great if the Phillies can get back to the World Series and compete for another ring.

That brings us to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies opponent starting on Thursday. The Dodgers thought they were destined to win a title last year, but the Phillies got in the way. Now they will be looking for revenge.

They won’t have to look far, though. The Phillies are a team that will not be intimidated. They provided evidence of that last night by winning on the road when trailing in the ninth inning.

This series has all the makings of a classic and Phillysportsblogs will be here to break it down for you over the next few days.

Monday marked the second time this month the Phillies got to celebrate in grand fashion.

Let’s hope for two more.



Much needed win + Braves loss = magic #1

Tuesday September 29, 2009 • 1 Comment 

The Phillies closed out a game at Citizens Bank Park for a much needed 7-4 win over the Astros on a night when the Braves finally faltered in their headlong rush toward postseason.  Braves fans saw a glimmer of hope for the first time in 5 years as the perennial NL East champions made a valiant attempt but simply had too much ground to make up and too little time. 

It is all but done now.  The Phillies have 5 games to play with a 5 game lead.  Happ continued to lay claim to a spot in the postseason rotation with 5+ strong innings .  He allowed three earned runs and ran his record to 12-4, the best rookie record for a Phillie in 50 years.   Moyer and Madsen came in with a one two punch from the bullpen, and in a rare effort from the relief staff did not allow a single run ! 

Jayson Werth hit another home run and Feliz nailed a grand slam in the 4th inning to provide the firepower, Rollins and Howard also contributed with key hits.  Rollins is near the league lead in doubles and Howard is among the leaders in RBI and homeruns.  The Phillies still may become the first team to finish with 6 players scoring 100 runs, with 5 players already over 95 runs scored. 

This team remains even and capable as they approach the post season, but they have made it look a lot harder then it needed to be considering the firepower and starting pitching present on this team.  It only makes the relief pitching all the more glaring as an area that needs improvement.  It should be perfectly clear what will consume most of the upper brasses time and energy during the off season. Many of the key players here are locked into contracts for the next several years and I believe the Phillies are one good closer, or the reemergence of the old Brad Lidge, from running the table for the next two or three years.  I also believe, without addressing this need, this will be a heartbreaker of a team for some time to come. 

Here is hoping there is a saviour hidden among the stable of pitchers who will step up in the eleventh hour and save 5 or 6 key games down the stretch when the Phitens need it the most !



A change at closer needs to Happ-en

Thursday September 24, 2009 • 6 Comments 

When I got in my car this evening following Brad Lidge’s 11th blown save of the season I knew I would hear some pretty upset Phillies fans when I flipped on 610 WIP.

The first thing I heard surprised me. It was suggestion that J.A. Happ should be the Phillies closer going forward.

With just two weeks left in the season this move seemed ridiculous. Happ has never closed and wouldn’t have much time to settle into the role.

It just didn’t seem like a reasonable option.

Forty minutes later when I got out of my car I was convinced: Happ taking over the closers role is the right move to make.

At this point it seems all but certain that the Phillies will go with a rotation of Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and Pedro Martinez in the playoffs. That means Happ will be in the bullpen. If he is going to be in there anyway the Phillies might as well use him where they need help the most.

Brad Lidge simply can’t close moving forward. Charlie Manuel has given him every chance to show he can turn the clock back to 2008, but it hasn’t happened. Lidge threw a few good sliders Wednesday night but when it counted the most his pitches were flat. Even after Lidge blew the save he had a chance to get his team into extra innings. With two outs Lidge had pinch hitter Brett Carroll in a 0-2 hole. He then put the ball on a tee and Carroll hit a line drive u the middle that scored the game-winning run and dropped Lidge to 0-8 this season.

We don’t know if Happ can close, but we don’t know he can’t either.

We do know that this season Lidge can’t. We also know that Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and Can Ho Park have all blow saves when given the opportunity.

Happ has shown an ability to get left-handers (.208 against) and right-handers (.245 against him) out and has shown the ability to handle pressure (beat the Yankees in the new Yankee Stadium in his 2009 debut).

The Phillies have the luxury of having six quality starters and this is a time to make that pay off. Let Moyer slide in to Happ’s rotation spot for the final two weeks and see if Happ can handle closing. Happ will need to get used to coming out of the pen anyway if he is out in the playoff rotation, so why not give it a try?

Others have suggested the Phils give Pedro a try, but I don’t see that as a realistic option. Pedro has a history of struggling in the first inning and likely wouldn’t be able to pitch in back-to-back games with his age.  

That brings us back to Happ.

At this point, why not?



Save committee may work in Philly

Sunday September 13, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

In the first game of a rainout makeup double header with an odd 4 hour delay between games, Kyle Kendrick got his first win of the year and Manuel did as promised and sent Brad  Lidge out to get the save, albeit a shaky, scary one.

Lidge gave up two runs, keeping his ERA above 7 but finished the game without losing it.  Barely.  Manuel is now switching back and forth between Lidge and Madsen, with neither selection appearing to be that good a choice, but no other immediate solution at hand.

The Phillies hit two more homeruns, now having 332 of their 714 runs scored via the round tripper, or 46%.  The Phillies ran their season matchup against the once worrysome Mets to 11-6 with the night cap game in hand.

Kendrick looked glad to be back in winning form, and Lidge looked grateful to record his 29th save.  With the win, the Phillies guaranteed at least a .500 season.  The Phillies have 4 players with 30 home runs, 84 or more RBI’s,  and 88 runs scored.  Chase Utley got his 100th run scored for the third straight year.

The Phitens trotted out Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez for the nightcap.   Pedro displayed command of 4 different pitches with good speed and control, pitching 130 pitches over 8 shutout innings as the Phillies clung to a 1-0 lead.  Pedro dropped his ERA under 3 and ran his record this year to 5-0.  Pedro is one of the few pitchers to play in both leagues and record 100+ wins on both American and National League teams.

Game two was a pitching dual, with Redding leaving the game in the 7th after giving up one run on three hits and carrying the loss. The only thing left to see was if the Phillies could hold on and win the game with their closing pitching.

Green hit the first batter he faced then recorded three outs on his next two pitches to get out of the 7th inning with the one run lead unchanged. The Phillies arrived at the 9th still holding a one run lead, and 6-0 record in Pedro’s starts.  Madsen came in, finished off the largely ineffective Mets and earned the save to secure Pedro’s win.  The Phillies took a largely needed doubleheader sweep with two saves on a night when the bullpen sorely needed to prove itself.

The closing issues aren’t resolved, but at least for one night at least, a closer didn’t cost the team a sure victory and we can all sleep well tonight knowing the Phillies have all but clinched the National League East.



No more blown saves in Philadelphia

Friday September 11, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

It appears as if Charlie Manuel finally heard the rest of us. I find it admirable that he stated Lidge was his guy a few months ago when the closer first started to struggle and was staying with him to the bitter end. I can appreciate his attempt at loyalty and integrity. But at a certain point, even Manuel had to recognize as manager of the defending World Series champions, his primary objective should be to win games. Lidge’s difficulties this season were dangerously close to infecting the rest of the team.

Tonight Cole Hamel’s evened his record at .500 by pitching 6+ strong innings of 1 run ball. Manuel then brought Chan Ho Park and Brett Myers in for middle relief. After that, for the second night in a row, he brought in Ryan Madsen to close. Now here is the strange thing, the last two games Madsen has earned the save, but he is also giving up hits and runs !

What is it this year about this pitching staff. If you pitch in middle relief or long relief, you are effective but the moment they place a “closer” designation on you, the balls start to fly off the bat ? Madsen gave up a double and a single and allowed a run on a fielders choice before completing the save. He came in with a three run cushion though. If he only had a one or two run cushion, tonight could have gotten interesting really quick. He still has an ERA near 3, but he hasn’t been in that many save opportunities yet.

A lot of people don’t realize just how difficult it is to close a game. You only face a couple of batters, but they are generally warmed up and in a do or die situation with a lot more on the line. The managers are manipulating the lineup for all they are worth, trying to bring about the perfect mismatch. At that point traditionally, it has always been a relatively thankless job, except for the rare times like Lidge had last year when he was perfect from start to finish and his team won it all. Those seasons come around sometimes only once in a career for a closer. It is much more common for a closer to throw one bad ball out over the plate and become the goat, frequently when he is not solely to blame for the teams loss.

That being said, getting Lidge out of that role is the right thing to do. I feel bad he is in that position, but the same thing happened to Jamie Moyer earlier this year when he was pulled from the starting lineup. Moyer has pitched as well or better since the manager made that move, so maybe Lidge will find a better role to finish out the season and help this team repeat as champions. This is a team that can do it. Tonight they won on defense, solid hitting in the clutch, and a little bit of luck. I admire Manuel more for admitting by his actions that he had backed the wrong horse. Like I said before, it is his job to manage this team so they win ballgames, not to win a popularity contest.

This team will be in the spotlight the rest of the way. The Rockies are on a tear, as are the Cardinals, with their potential triple crown contender in Albert Pujols. The Angels are better hitters statistically, the Dodgers and Giants are better pitching statistically. It is possible the Phillies are only the fourth or fifth choice to win the World Series this year. The fact they were 2008 champions actually hurts them a bit with the pundits and sportswriters. Take the Yankees out of the picture, and only one other team has won double World Series since the Phillies last title, way back in 1980. I speak of the Toronto Blue Jays. Where are they now ? Near the cellar in their division.

It is no longer an easy thing to do in a league with a lot of parity considering there is no payroll equality, and the Phillies did spend some money this year to add to their World Series defending squad to see if they could be the first to do it in the 21st century. For a team in the spotlight, it is time to settle down, play ball, and everybody do what they do best. At this particular moment, Manuel seems to be coaching, which is what he does, and Lidge is NOT closing which at this point is what he needs to do.



Lidge has definitely outstayed his welcome.

Wednesday September 9, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

Tonight’s headline is not about a Phillies closer blowing another lead. Wednesday was Clippard’s turn to come into a game in the late innings with the score tied and give up two long balls to the first two batters he faced.

The Phillies are back on track. Cliff Lee is still the man. The Phillies continue to crush the long ball just when they need it. After watching another lead vanish in the bottom of the 7th, the Phillies came up to bat in the top of the 8th inning and jumped on Washington’s relief pitcher, Tyler Clippard. The first two batters who faced him, Werth and Ruiz, both went downtown and all of the sudden, the Phillies had a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning.

Tonight it was not the typical 3-4 hitters doing the damage, tonight Ibanez, Werth and Feliz combined to go 6-10 with 4 RBI’s in support of Cliff Lee. Lee pitched 7 more strong innings en route to his 6th win with his new ball club.

The only real fly in the ointment was Alberto Gonzalez who had three doubles in three at bats. For some reason Jim Riggleman chose to pull Gonzalez with the bases loaded in the 8th and sent Orr to the plate instead. I understand wanting to have the right handed batter face the right handed pitcher, but why pull the guy with the majority of your team’s hits and runs with the bases loaded and the game on the line ? For whatever reason, we will thank Riggleman for this win. He is probably just now realizing he over thought his strategy and possibly cost his team the game.

For that matter, why did Manuel have Cliff Lee bat with one out in the top of the inning, only to pull him for Chan Ho Park in the bottom of the same inning ? Wouldn’t that have been a good spot for a pinch hitter ? Maybe Matt Stairs, woefully underutilized this year ?

This was a strange contest where it almost appeared as if neither manager wanted to win it. But at the very least, Manuel resisted trotting Lidge in for the save. I don’t know if my heart could have handled that at this point ! I have been saying Lidge needs to be replaced, just as many of my earlier predictions and comments from the spring and summer are coming true.

J A Happ is missing a start and Jamie Moyer is coming from the bullpen to start in his place.

As I said, Moyer deserves this, he earned it, and has been valuable to this team all year long.

Lidge is self destructing after his perfect season last year, after I commented on how he looked a little scared and tentative even as he helped the Phillies win the world series last year and predicted he would have a much less successful fall in 2009.

The two mid season Cy Young winning pitching acquisitions have combined to go 10-2 with a combined ERA around 3.

The Phillies became the 12th club in MLB history to have 4 30 homer players, and the first to have three left handers achieve the feat in the same season.

The Phillies are in fact the most well balanced over-all scoring machine in this generation.  Put their runs, RBI’s and home run totals up against any one and they are better than or equal to the task.

And the Phillies will be going to the World Series again in defense of their title, but I am no longer sure they will successfully defend it.  It is nice to know some things I observed have come to pass, I just hope Charlie Manuel stays with Madsen at this point.   Having a closer with a 7+ ERA who allows more baserunners than innings pitched will not enable the Phillies to get through the rest of the year and win in the post-season.



If Lidge is “the guy” who was that masked man ?

Tuesday September 8, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

The Phillies came out of their slump tonight in typical Phillies fashion.  There was a moment when it seemed every batter that stepped up to the plate hit the ball out of the park.  5 solo home runs provided just enough support to Pedro for the Cy Young winner to get his fourth win this year as a Phillie.  This team needed a wakeup call.  The series in Houston was brutal, and no offense to Washingtonians, but the Phillies really did not need to lose to the MLB worst Washington Nationals.

Several writers have commented this year that the Phitens rely too much on the long ball, citing their issues hitting with men in scoring position and calling out their pitching for not being able to close or save games.  A lot has been made of the Angels with their bevy of .300 hitters.  The truth is, there are few teams in the history of the league that have been this effective a run producing machine.

I admit, there are many more dingers than drives down the middle of the ballpark, but you know what ?  Fans love the home run, so why not give them what they want ?  And it seems to be winning games the majority of this season.  Seriously though, the Phillies need to settle down and enjoy tonight’s efforts but get ready for the final push to close out the season.  They still have a good shot at getting to the World Series, but in order to win it all for the second year in a row, they need more consistency.  They need to realize every team that meets them during the post season is going to be gunning to beat the world champions,.

The other teams and managers will know the Phillies weaknesses, and I can see a scenario where teams will issue numerous intentional walks, just to get to a situation where the Phillies need the clutch two-out single or sac fly to drive in the important run.  You can’t hit a home run if the opposing manager is smart enough to not pitch to you.  That won’t bode well for their success if this team is not ready to perform under less than optimal circumstances, and beating up on the NL basement dwelling Nationals may make them feel better, but it doesn’t make them any more qualified to win the Series.

Tonight both Utley and Ibanez hit their 30th of the year, and Werth hit his 32nd.  Now there are 4 Phillies with 30+ homers and 80+ RBI’s, putting them in the top 15 players in the league.  6 Phillies rank in the top 20 with 75 or more runs scored, when you add in Rollins and Victorino .  That means over 25% of the power and production in a 16 team league is coming from this club.  So they might not hit for average, and they may not drive in base runners, but they hit and score and outperform the rest of the National League according to these numbers.  No other team has more than 3 players ranked in the top 20 in any category, let alone all three.

So here is hoping, the Phillies continue their long ball hitting ways, the pitching stays just healthy enough and the crafty manager works the talent he has to his best advantage.  The Phillies have only had one losing streak of more than 4 games this year, another important factor when you consider the 5 or 7 game series that make up the post season.  They rebound from most losses well, and just got over a brutal road trip that may have helped them as far as the law of averages goes.  They still possess the best road record in baseball and are on track to have the best overall record in the National League, so it is hard to be over critical of them at this point.  The only true question mark remaining is Lidge, who Manuel asserts is still his “go to guy” and this is key, because any hopeful champion needs a closer they can depend on.  If Lidge is put in to close the bottom of the ninth and gives up 2 or 3 runs, the offense doesn’t get the chance to come back out and smash home runs to salvage the game.  Lidge will need to be at his best for the next month if we are going to repeat as World Series champions in 2009.  Tonight he failed to earn his three outs again, fortunately Madsen came in and picked up the save.  Makes you wonder what Manuel meant when he said earlier that Lidge was still the guy, hard to be “the guy” if you cant get the job done



Brad Lidge’s struggles continue in Houston

Saturday September 5, 2009 • 3 Comments 

On a warm night after seeing Cliff Lee treated as a mere mortal for the second consecutive start and getting shut out the first game at Houston, the Phillies beat themselves after another quality road start by Joe Blanton,  followed by another blown save.

This time Blanton pitched well into the sixth and assorted Phillie hitters contributed with their bats as they scored 4 runs on 10 hits in support.  It looked like a nice win to rebound from yesterdays ugly 7-0 defeat.  Then 2 walks and 2 hits in the ninth allowed by Lidge cost them another certain win.   For those of you who might be new to this post, I will repeat myself here.  This is a well balanced Phillies team where, on any given night, any member of the team may contribute to the success of the whole.   And any small thing NOT being done correctly can cost them the game.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal.  The little things rarely do, so let me put it in perspective for you.  Earlier tonight, I actually attended the Wilmington Blue Rocks home game.  For those of you unfamiliar with this squad, they are the double A champion team and part of the Kansas City Royals organization whose professional MLB team is absolutely horrible over in the American League this year.

The reason I bring it up is because, even on this high performing double A squad, the little things really do matter.  Tonight’s game was no exception.  In the sixth inning with the Blue Rocks leading 2 nothing, there was a play you rarely see at any level of baseball, from little league on up.  After appearing to get the final out of the inning on a fielders choice, the Blue Rocks catcher was called for catcher interference when he pushed his glove out over the plate on that pitch that was hit.  This negated the fielders choice and the batter got a free base to load them up.  This call resulted in 6 unearned runs crossing the plate.  It was  just a little thing.

In retrospect, when the game concluded as an 8-3 loss for the Blue Rocks, who are dominating their league like the Phillies have dominated the big leagues the past two and a half seasons, it occurred to me, without that interference being called, the home team would have won 3-2.  Instead it goes down as a loss, and not a close one, but if it were not for the one inch or so the catcher pushed his glove forward, there would have been an entirely different result.

Eric Schwartz is currently doing a series on the 5 things that may prevent the Phillies from being able to repeat as world champions, and I thought I would take a moment to recognize this team for all the little things they do in the course of a year to stay ahead of the pack.    Sadly though,  the most likely reason these same Phillies won’t get it done will likely come down to those small things.

The team is certainly more talented and well balanced than their competition, as are the Blue Rocks down in Delaware, but when you repeatedly lose track of the small things, the fine details of the game, the concentration and attention to getting the job done night after night, you rarely repeat championships because everyone else is gunning for you.  And those chasing are less likely to ignore the small things because they know that without doing all the small things right, they won’t stand a chance.

So the only ones that can prevent the Phillies from winning their second consecutive World Series in my opinion, is the Phillies themselves.



Phillies close another close game

Friday September 4, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

The Phillies are back at it again.  On a night dominated by the presence of a certain someone playing for another Philadelphia sports team, it is refreshing to note the World Champion Phillies won again.  Not only did they win, but they did it without any controversy, or dissent.  They did it in much the same way they have won many games of late, with good pitching, solid fielding and a persistent presence at the plate that simply refuses to allow an opposing pitcher to shut them out.

Werth hit his 30th home run, the second Phillie to do so in 2009, and Howard continued his red hot streak and drove in another run.  Pedro finally got to pitch deep into a game where the rain didn’t disrupt his rhythm and Lidge pitched the ninth, got a save, and seems to finally have gotten his ERA below 7.  This series is all about paying attention to details.  It is low scoring and well coached, not allowing for many mistakes.  Philadelphia won another series at an important time of year, where the games are magnified in importance.  They did this against a San Francisco team that is valiantly fighting for a playoff berth, and at a time when they could probably call in a couple games and not sweat the small stuff.  Because this team does indeed sweat the small stuff is precisely why I expect them to repeat as World Series champions.

The Phillies now stand at 77-54.  They are 23 games above .500, their best mark of the year, and extended their NL East lead to 8 games.  They have the fewest losses in the National League and trail only the Yankees in total losses,  The ball is in their court.  With the divisional races all but over, it is now a matter of waiting to see who will get the wild card and how the postseason is going to play out.  I believe the Phillies have as good a chance as any team in either league to take it all the way this year.

Manuel deserves quite a lot of credit for holding it all together and working with his staff of not quite superstars all season long to get the optimum performance out of them.  I mentioned before, the Phillies have no one player that is superlative this year, but 6 starters and 3 or 4 pitchers that all could be considered to be in the top ten or fifteen in the league.  I know one thing for sure, I would not want to be the team facing the squad as September rolls to October and things heat up, because it appears the Phillies are hitting their stride at exactly the right time, and they are going to be a force to contend with.



Rested Lidge Could Mean Success For Phils

Monday August 31, 2009 • 1 Comment 

I know what you’re thinking – haven’t I been on Charlie Manual’s rear about not closing with Lidge? Didn’t I in previous posts say that I didn’t belive the Phillies will repeat because of Lidge’s failings?

Yes, you would be right on both counts.   After doing a little digging, however, I found a rather interesting trend with Brad Lidge courtesy of the Philadelphia Daily News’ Rich Hoffman.   Seems that the Lidge we see rested is a completely different pitcher than the Lidge we see when forced to pitch on consecutive days.  Here are the numbers which do not take into account the two appearances Lidge made against the Braves this weekend.  Both appearances resulted in saves, and both appearances came after Lidge rested at least one day.

When Lidge pitches with rest, he as an era in the two’s and a whip (hits plus walks divided by innings pitched) around 1.05.  He also doesn’t allow a run in about 75% of those appearances.  Conversely, when Lidge pitches on consecutive days, his era is around 9.00 with a whip over 2.00.  Makes you think, doesn’t it? You can’t tell me that even if Charlie Manuel doesn’t know this that some stathead in the Phillies organization would’ve pointed it out to him and pitching coach Rich Dubee.

If Brett Myers is healthy, and he’s looked good in his minor league appearances, he would be the perfect guy to pair with Lidge if the Phillies have save opportunities in consecutive games.  It also doesn’t interfere with what Manuel likes to do, which is bring in Madson in the 8th to set it up for the closer in the 9th.  Myers has closer experience saving 21 of 24 games two years ago.  Myers also has the perfect mentality to do the job on the days when Lidge needs the day off. 

The question remains whether the Phillies dugout braintrust (Manuel and Dubee) would actually do this.  We keep hearing Charlie say he has confidence in Lidge and he believes he will get back on track.  He’s lying through his teeth every time he says it.  He has to say it because he knows that Lidge lost the closer job in Houston back in 2006 and basically was lost to the Astros as they tried getting him on track by pitching him in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.  Nothing worked, and so the Astros had to trade Lidge.  The other reason Manuel has to keep showing faith is that the Phillies locked Lidge up with a big money extension last year and there is no way they will keep cutting those checks to a guy not closing for them and there isn’t a team out there that would take Lidge and that contract off the Phillies hands. 

The Lidge/Myers combo allows the Phillies to keep trotting Lidge out there to get saves most of the time, with Myers just pitching the day after a Lidge appearance if needed.  The flow of Charlie’s bullpen stays the same until the 9th when Myers goes out instead of Lidge.  Its no different than the Phillies starting Paul Bako in a day game after a night game to give Carlos Ruiz a day off.  The numbers certainly support it – let’s see if the Phillies employ it.

I think that if they do it gives them a much better chance for October success.



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