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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.
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!
Phillies designate Greg Dobbs
The return of Jimmy Rollins meant that someone would have to go. As it turns out that someone is Greg Dobbs.
The Phillies designated Dobbs for assignment, giving them 10 days to either trade, release or place him on waivers. To sum it up: Dobbs’ time in Philadelphia is over.
Bellow is an excerpt from a philly.com story:
Dobbs, who was one of the top pinch-hitters in the National League in 2007 and 2008, was 1-for-25 as a pinch-hitter while hitting .152 with one home run and six RBI overall.
The Phillies have also placed catcher Carlos Ruiz on the disabled list while recalling leftander Mike Zagurski from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
In 2007 and 2008, Dobbs hit .284/.331/.467 (.798 OPS) with 19 home runs and 95 RBI in 598 plate appearances. During the Phillies’ run to their title in 2008, he went 7-for-14 with two runs scored and two walks. But he struggled throughout last season, hitting .247/.296/.383 (.679 OPS) with five home runs in 169 plate appearances, including a 9-for-54 performance as a pinch-hitter.
You can read the full article here:
This is a great move by the management as Dobbs has been dead weight this season. He should be remembered fondly for his contributions over the past few years, but clearly he needed a change of scenery as he has provided nothing this year.
Ruiz Walks Off in Style
The Phillies were on the winning side of a pitching duel Tuesday, when they faced St. Louis. Both starting pitchers went 8.0 innings allowing only 1 run, and sending the game into extra innings. Cole Hamels had arguably his best outing of the season striking out eight, and setting Philadelphia up for a win in walk off fashion. The lefty threw 116 pitches and brought his ERA to 4.42. Read more
Mets Take Game 1
309 pitches and 2 hours and 54 minutes later, the first of 18 meetings this season is out of the way. The top of the NL East went head to head Friday when the Mets traveled to Citizens Bank Park for a weekend series. The game featured a great deal of offense, but unfortunately, it was not on by the Phillies. New York knocked out four home run, and was able to score 9 runs on 10 hits, for a 9-1 victory. Read more
Three becoming the number for the Phillies
For the third time in a week the Phillies locked up one of their starters with a three year deal.
It is being reported that Carlos Ruiz and the team have agreed to an $8.85 million, three-year contract that avoids salary arbitration.
Ruiz joins Joe Balnton and Shane Victorino as members who have joined the three-year club last last few days.
Three has indeed been a magical number for the organization. When the team acquired ace Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays, they singed him to an extension that guaranteed to keep him in town for the next three years. The team then worked quickly to lock up Balnton, Victorino and Ruiz for what they hope will be three more years of success, including this year where they look to make their third trip to the World Series in — you guessed it — three years.
This is great news for Phillies fans as almost all of the starters will be in place until at least 2011 and most until 2012. Given the age of the core there is no reason to expect decline from the majority of the players and improvements are still possible. The one player who has yet to be locked up is Jayson Werth, who could taste the free agent market after the upcoming season. With the payroll already set to pass $140 million and not much coming off the books next season outside of Jamie Moyer’s $7 million it may be difficult to keep Werth, who appears on the verge of stardom.
Baseball is a business and it is impossible to keep all of the pieces together, but Ruben Amaro Jr. has done an excellent job of keeping the large majority of things the same.
Now all that is left is making sure the level of play remains the same.
The signing of Ruiz basically closes the book on the Phillies’ offseason. Last week the team added veteran — and I mean veteran — pitcher Jose Contreras, so the bullpen is pretty much set. I wouldn’t mind seeing another starter added to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, but with the Phils maxed out on funds, anyone they bring in would be a long-shot at best.
With that said it would be hard to grade this offseason anything lower than a B+ with the only flaw being the decision not to roll the dice on keeping Cliff Lee for one more season and giving the team the best rotation in the game.
Gold In Sight
Tomorrow the National League Gold Glove Award Winners will be announced. There is a good possibility that the trophy room will be “philled” with red and blue.
Jimmy Rollins with his Major-League best .990 fielding percentage will almost certainly win his 3rd straight Gold Glove, but he may not be alone. Shane Victorino and Chase Utley also have a good chance of joining Rollins. For Victorino, it would be his 2nd consecutive Gold Glove and for Utley his 1st. Carlos Ruiz, Pedro Feliz and Jason Werth are sure to receive some consideration. Stay Tuned….
The American League announced its Gold Glove winners earlier today:
P: Mark Buehrle
C: Joe Mauer
1B: Mark Teixera
2B: Placido Polanco
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: Evan Longoria
OF: Adam Jones
OF: Torii Hunter
OF: Ichiro Suzuki
World Series offensive breakdown
We are now just one day away fro Game 1 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. There promises to be plenty of drama as these two teams face off in the World Series for the first time in 50 years.
Bellow is a breakdown of how the teams match up position-by-position.
First Base: This would be the marquee position with two players who are not only of All-Star caliber, but MVP worthy. Ryan Howard has been a monster year after year, producing 40-plus home runs and 140 RBIs a season. His defense has improved and he defines the word clutch. Most people credit Jimmy Rollins for being the engine of the team but it became clear this season that the Phillies would go as far as Howard takes them.
On the other side, Mark Teixeira has been as good as advertised. The Yankees paid him big money in the offseason and he delivered with 39 homers and 122 RBIs. He has also delivered Gold Glove play at first base. Howard’s knack for getting the big hit gives him a slight edge on offense, but Teixeira seems to save a run a game with his glove, making this a toss up.
Verdict: draw
Second base: Robinson Cano has developed into the type of players that could be a cornerstone for the Yankees for many years. He hits for average (.320) and power (25 home runs).
Chase Utley also had a strong regular season, though his average dipped to .282. Something just doesn’t seem quite right with his swing right now and he only has two RBIs in the postseason. Utley may just be the hardest-working player in baseball and if there is something wrong there is a good chance he will fix it.
Verdict: Slight edge Yankees
Shortstop: This was nowhere near Jimmy Rollins’ best year, but his second-half was certainly acceptable. Rollins is hitting just .244 in the postseason, but it was his two-run double in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS that all-but finished off the Dodgers.
Meanwhile Derek Jeter is having a career year, which is saying something given his track record. He hit .334 during the regular season and his playoff performances in the past have been well-documented. If Rollins was having a typical year this would be a tough call. Since he has struggled, the check mark has to go to the Yankees’ captain.
Verdict: Edge Yankees
Third base: Alex Rodriguez finally learned how to hit in the postseason. Like Howard, A-Rod has been an RBI machine with 12 and is hitting .438. Clearly he is making up for lost time.
Pedro Feliz has been a great defensive presence throughout his career and even with his age creeping up continues to play the position well. Offensively Feliz is not a big cog, but had a three-run homer against the Dodgers in the NLCS and has given the lineup great depth.
He’s just not A-Rod.
Verdict: Edge Yankees.
Catcher: Carlos Ruiz or “Chooch” has been a monster this postseason, both behind the plate and as a hitter. Ruiz is hitting .346 and has driven in seven from the eight-hole. His pitchers love throwing to him and he has become one of the best in the league when it comes to throwing out base stealers.
Jorge Posada is not the player he once was. He still had good numbers with 22 homers and a .285 average, but his shortcomings defensively have led to the Yankees using Jose Molina more than anticipated. In fact, the Phillies will likely see Molina in games that A.J. Burnett pitches.
Verdict: Edge Phillies.
Left Field: The Phillies could not have asked for more than what Raul Ibanez gave them this season. He was an NL MVP candidate the first half of the year and hit a career-high 34 home runs. Even at 33, his defense is not a shortcoming. “Rauuuul” instantly became a fan favorite and remains one.
The Yankees counter with Johnny Damon who can still swing the stick, but has nothing in terms of an arm in the outfield. He is a liability out there and is usually replaced in the late innings.
Note: Ben Fransisco will star in left field on the road and Ibanez will DH. We still list Ibanez as the left fielder because he will play there during the home games.
Verdict: Edge Phillies
Center field: Shane Victorino made the first of what is likely to be many All-Star game appearances this season. He led the team in several offensive categories, including hits (181), average .292 and steals 25. He also provided Gold Glove defense. Last season he introduced himself to all of baseball. This year he announced that he isn’t going anywhere.
Melky Cabrera didn’t quite meet the expectations he ha set for himself with a big 2008 season, but still hit a respectable .274 and is an outstanding defender. Cabrera has good speed, but can not compete with Victorino in that department. In fact, there is not one part of his game that is clearly superior to Victorino’s.
Verdict: Edge Phillies
Right field: What a player Jayson Werth has become. Finally healthy, Werth had a huge season and has kept it up in the postseason. Werth is the team-leader in home runs during the playoffs, knocking five out of the park. He is making opposing pitchers pay for pitching around Howard.
Few people would have predicted that Nick Swisher would be starting for the Yankees in the playoffs when the season started. Xavier Nady was the opening day starter but an injury erased his season after seven games. Swisher stepped in and stepped up. He is not the player Werth is, but the pop in his bat still makes him a threat.
Verdict: Edge Phillies
Designated hitter: Ben Fransisco is the extra bat added during games in New York. Seen as a throw-in in the Cliff Lee trade, Fransisco has been solid in limited action. He hit .278 on the year and is 0-for-4 in the playoffs. Matt Stairs could also see a game in this role with Ibanez playing left.
Hideki Matsui is on the south-side of his career, but can still come up with the big hit. He hits lefties and righties about the same and finished with 28 home runs and 90 RBIs.
Verdict: Edge Yankees.
There you have it, a pretty even matchup on paper. The Yankees get the edge of the infield, mostly due to A-Rod at third, while the rest of the infielders are pretty similar. The Phillies get a big edge in the outfield in both fielding and hitting. There is a reason all three players were All-Stars.
Check back later for the breakdown of the pitching matchups.
Are You Kidding Me? Phillies Lead Series 3-1
Right after Carlos Ruiz scored the winning run last night to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead in the NLCS the network cameras picked up a fan holding up a sign that read “Are You Kidding Me?” – it was perfect. It not only put the exclamation point on last night but it simply explains the 2009 Phillies.
This is a team that just doesn’t know how to quit. Never. Not in their vocabulary. So what if the bottom of the order was coming up in the 9th? No problem. After Ibanez grounded out to second base for the first out and Matt Stairs pinch hit did anyone besides me have the flashback of his monster homer in Los Angeles that gave the Phillies the lead and eventual win in last year’s NLCS? Stairs might not have hit a homer last night, but his patience at the plate against Broxton, who seemed like he wanted no part of Stairs, setup the comeback. And when Broxton hit Ruiz with the next pitch I have to admit I was thinking about Black Friday 1977 except this time instead of being on the wrong end of the implosion we just might pull this one out. For the second year in a row, instead of the Dodgers doing it to us, we were going to do it to them. How do you like that, Tommy LaSorda?
After the Dodgers got the second out on Greg Dobbs soft liner to third you had to think that maybe the series would be tied and that no matter what the Phillies would have to go back to Los Angeles. Those thoughts vanished when Jimmy Rollins lined a 1-1 Broxton offering clocked at 99 mph into the right center field gap. You knew the game was tied, but then all of a sudden here comes Ruiz – I was waiting for the throw home, but it never came and Ruiz slid safely into home and the Phillies had indeed pulled it out. Are you kidding me? No way, baby – they really pulled it out and now are just one win from a second consecutive World Series appearance.
This was one of the greatest Playoff games I have ever had the pleasure of watching. If you think Baseball is boring after last night, then this is not the sport for you. The Dodgers got all four of their runs with two outs. Torre and Manuel pushed the buttons, made the moves, and for eight and two-thirds innings Joe Torre almost came out on top. Almost certainly is a big word, isn’t it? Was I dreaming, or did I really see Manny Ramirez pick a flyball off his shoetops to hold the lead? After allowing Howard’s homer, Wolf really settled down and Blanton was perfect through three and a third innings. This was just a great game all the way around.
Sure, Game 5 of the NLCS against Houston in 1980 was pretty fantastic, but that was great because those Phillies finally got over the hump they had been trying to get over for four years. That journey cost them a manager in Danny Ozark along the way. This group is different. This team plays the game as if it is fun, and they know how to win. Pete Rose would to play with these guys. Even Captain Cool, Mike Schmidt would probably have a good time playing for Uncle Charlie. I think even Steve Carlton would smile and talk to the media if he played for this bunch.
As I watched the post-game coverage, John Hayman of SI.Com used the word “Dynasty” to describe this team. Are you kidding me? Our Phillies a Dynasty? Isn’t that the term that was thrown around more for the Yankees or even at one time the Dodgers or even the Big Red Machine of the mid 1970’s? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word used to describe our ballclub. Last night Ryan Howard tied Lou Gehrig for the longest rbi streak in the post-season. Are you kidding me? Rynomite and The Iron Horse in the same sentence?
Now, after a day off today the Phillies will send Cole Hamels back out there Wednesday night with the hope of putting the Phillies into the World Series for the second straight year for the first time in the history of the franchise. Are you kidding me? Boy I certainly hope not.
Chan Ho Park plays role of hero for Phils
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 Beat Braves Take Two Of Three
Last night we found out that Cliff Lee wasn’t really Superman after all as the Braves showed up with some Kryptonite, smashing three homers off the new found Phillies ace. Lee gave up more runs in the fifth inning than he had allowed in all five of his starts since joining the Phillies. It was the first time in two years that he had allowed two homers in an inning and three homers in a game as the Braves battered the Phillies on their way to a 9-1 victory.
With Saturday nights debacle behind them, the Phillies sent Joe Blanton out to face the Braves and Jair Jurrjens in front of a national audience on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. The Braves struck first as Martin Prado took Blanton deep with one out in the first inning to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Jurrjens was tough as he put down the first seven Phillies in order before allowing a double to Carlos Ruiz with one out in the 3rd but Jurrjens worked out of the inning by retiring Blanton on a groundball and Rollins on a flyball to centerfield. The Phillies would finally get on the board in the fourth courtesy of Chase Utley’s 29th homerun which curled just inside the rightfield foul pole. It was the first homer ever allowed by Jurrjens at Citizens Bank Park. Only Esteban Loaiza, Chad Billingsly and Tim Redding had made at least four starts at CBP and not allowed a homer. Chase took Jurrjens off that list and tied the score at 1-1.
The Phillies blew a big opportunity in the fifth inning as they loaded the bases with nobody out and Joe Blanton worked the count to 2-2 before hitting a liner to first baseman Adam LaRoche who easily doubled off Ruiz. Jimmy Rollins again ended an inning, this time by grounding out to Prado as the faithful began to boo the missed opportunity.
Two innings later the Phillies were given another opportunity and this time they did not disappoint. After Ibanez walked to lead off the seventh (his second leadoff walk of the game) Manuel had Feliz try to bunt Ibanez over to second. Feliz laid down a great bunt which Braves third baseman Chipper Jones fielded and made a bad off balance throw that LaRoche couldn’t handle. The error put Ibanez at third and Feliz at second for Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz sent a flyball to deep left field that Garret Anderson got a glove on but couldn’t hold onto. Ruiz’ second double of the game gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead. Ruiz would be left stranded as pinch hitter Stairs struck out, Victorino lined out to right and Rollins flied out to left. Blanton left the game allowing just 1 run on 3 hits over 7 innings while striking out 7. Madson relieved Blanton and did not record an out and left after Matt Diaz scored on a Chipper Jones single making the score 3-2 and left Braves runners first and second with nobody out. Scott Eyre relieved Madson and got McCann to ground into an rather unconventional second to short to third double play to erase Prado and Jones. This was another great play by Jimmy Rollins , who also made a spectacular catch on a Diaz liner to start the game. Rollins took Utley’s throw and alertly cut down Prado going to third. With McCann on first, Eyre got Garret Anderson to ground out to second base. Brad Lidge, again pitching rested, came on and worked a perfect ninth for his 27th save and second in a row since recording his 9th blown save Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
Blanton got the win to improve to 9-6 on the season while Jurrjens fell to 10-9. This was the first time the Phillies have beaten the Braves righthander in his short career. The Phillies will enjoy tomorrow off before hosting the Giants, who are now tied with the Colorado Rockies for the NL Wild Card.
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