Philly Sports Blogs Ads
Philly Sports Blogs is part of the YBN Sports Blog Network
Lets Go Flyers Lets Go!
Philadelphia Flyers Eastern Conference Champions
Phillies Tickets
Much needed win + Braves loss = magic #1
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 !
No relief in sight for defending WS champions
The Phillies took another game to the wire tonight. With their magic number down to three, they tried to fight for the victory. Moyer pitched 4 in relief of Kendrick, and seems to be becoming the Phillies specialist in long relief. Now all we need is a closer.
The Phillies continue to be an offensive juggernaut. Howard hit his 43rd homerun, Baku chipped in with his 3rd and the Phillies scored 5 runs in the loss to Milwaukee. Walker came in and proved no pitcher can seem to close effectively for these Phillies by allowing 2 runs and getting nobody out in the ninth inning. If Philadelphia had a closer they could be challenging for the best record in the cities baseball history that goes back over 100 years.
This team had the potential to win 110 games this year but they have blown 18 games now with the closers allowing 8th or 9th inning runs. Lidge is responsible for 11 of these, but Madsen has had 6 blown saves and now Walker was initiated with a blown save of his own this evening. It is a shame that this team with such sound fundamentals, offense and starting pitching gets repeatedly let down by the bullpen. Charlie Manuel needs to address this, and he has about two weeks left to do it or I don’t expect the Phillies to get to the second round of the postseason.
It goes down in the books as a 7-5 loss late in a season where the Phillies have essentially secured a playoff spot, but it all but ensures they will not have best NL record for home field advantage and it strikes a blow on this team’s momentum and confidence with little time left in the season to compensate for another loss that should have been a win.
Phillies get split in Florida Magic # is 5
The Phillies traveled to Florida to play the Florida Marlins a rare double header. Joe Blanton came out and threw another quality start in the first game pitching 7 innings of shutout ball. The Phillies offense secured the win with an assortment of seeing eye hits, good fielding, baserunning and steals.
Ibanez did hit a late home run but that only accounted for 1 of the 9 runs the team scored in the first game, the rest came on singles and groundouts, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly as the Phillies scattered 11 hits overall to beat Florida 9-3 in the opener.
Blanton has had 15 quality starts in his last 16 games, allowing 4 runs or less and raising his record to 11-7. In his last two starts he has pitched 13 consecutive shut out innings and lowered his ERA to 3.82. The Phillies reduced their magic number to clinch to 5.
Howard and Werth both had RBI singles and Jimmy Rollins continued his recent offensive upsurge with a sacrifice fly that scored a run as well. Despite 16 strikeouts and going 2-11 with runners in scoring position and having a lone 1 run home run, the Phillies made the victory look easy.
As the season winds down, the Phillies have little left to prove. The Braves and Marlins who both could have challenged for a wild card spot have all but vanished in the past few weeks when facing the NL East leading Phillies who improved their season record to 88-62 which represents their best winning percentage since 1993.
Jamie Moyer returned from the bullpen to get a rare late season start, but you can be sure Manuel was aware of his numbers in Florida. Moyer had a career record of 13-3 against the Marlins and a 8-0 record with a sub 1.00 ERA at their ballpark. Moyer had a strong outing, allowing 3 runs in 7 innings with 5 strikeouts and a walk, but the Phillies bats fell uncharacteristically silent as Florida rookie Anibel Sanchez pitched a masterful 2 hit shutout through 8 innings and the Marlins dealt Moyer his first loss in their home stadium.
The Phillies evening loss was also the first team loss in Florida all season. Their magic number remains 5, but we all know it is only a matter of time.
209 Home Runs for 2009 and counting
The Phillies won again. Hit 4 homeruns. Ho hum. We Phanatics are getting spoiled. This is a really good team, with a lot of depth.
Example 1. Pitching : Happ left in the third with a mystery injury, probably reinjured his oblique muscle, and with all the talk about the bullpen, Kendrick comes in and pitches 4 innings of shut out 2 hit relief. The Phillies bullpen for all it’s late inning woes has been notorious this year for clutch long middle inning relief, between Happ early in the year, Madsen all year long, Moyer late in the year and Kendrick tonight, all 4 pitched 4 innings or longer in relief of starters for various reasons.
And these starters are pretty dang good ! Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Martinez, Happ. put those five on any other ball club and at least three would make the starting rotation. Two of the three could be staff aces just about anywhere in the league as well.
Example 2. Fielding : Jimmy Rollins is playing spectacular at shortstop, turning difficult plays into routine, fielding the short hop like the ball is on a string, throwing with incredible accuracy. But Rollins is a horrible offensive weapon right? 1st in at bats, 4th in stolen bases, 7th in doubles, 13th in hits, 13th in runs scored, Hmmmm, low average around .250 for Jimmy, but overall, not really too bad. He just appears to be worse than he is because the rest of the team is batting so well. His 3 run jack in the ninth inning to stretch a 2 run lead into a rout didn’t hurt his playing stock.
Example 3. Power : Ryan Howard hit his 40th home run for the 4th straight year. And he did it naturally. Another day at the ball park.
I mentioned before it is hard to pick out a Phillies as MVP because they are so well balanced and they all contribute. Much has been made of Albert Puhols numbers, Howard is 7 home runs behind him, 6 RBI’s behind him, and raised his average to a quite respectable .272 in tonights game. If he can eliminate 70 or 80 strikeouts he can potentially threaten for the elusive triple crown. He tied Chuck Klein for the second place spot for most multi homerun games as a Phillie in team history.
Example 4. Confidence : The Phillies actually have a better road record than home record, and in the last 7 years they have won 44 games on the road four times. Only a team with a lot of depth can manage to win away from home consistently. It takes a team dynamic, and a real focus to getting the little things done to overcome the inherent home field advantage that frequently.
Example 5. Scoring : The Phillies very well could have 4 30 home run 100 RBI guys on the squad by the end of the year. And 6 players scoring 100 runs. I don’t think that has ever been done. If it has, I couldn’t find an example of it.
Bottom line, on any given day, any given player might display his talents and assist the team to a victory. As they head to the playoffs to defend the championship, on a night when the starting pitcher and starting catcher both left the game early, no one on the Phillies bench looked especially worried, after all, they have depth, and plenty of backup and role players just waiting to come out and show what they can do.
By the way, Howard hit 2, Rollins hit 1, Fransisco hit 1, and the Phillies won going away again 9-4 over the “better luck next year Braves”
We Phillies fans are getting spoiled, and I for one, love it!
Phillies have options with playoff pitching rotation
Joe Blanton again made a case to be in the Phillies’ rotation, pitching six scoreless innings in the Phillies 6-1 win over the Nationals.
Of course that comes after Pedro strengthened his case and Cliff Lee assured his. Then there is J.A. Happ who has made a season-long case to pitch come time for the postseason.
Never before has a Phillies team had such a great problem.
At this point there are only two things assured: First, Cole Hamels will be in or near the front of that rotation. Second, Lee will be right there with him.
From there, things get cloudy. For how well he has pitched this season and the fact that he is right-handed points to the notion that Blanton will take the No. 3 or No. 4 spot, but that is not a given. The emergence of the old Pedro Martinez has given manager Charlie Manuel a new option. Pedro threw over 130 pitches on Sunday for the first time since he was a member of the Red Sox. How well he responds to it may determine his fate. If he continues to pitch the way he has (5-0 with an ERA under 4.00) Pedro will be in the postseason rotation.
That would give the Phillies two lefties, two righties and an unhappy Happ. Happ has pitched extremely well this season, to the point he may win the NL Rookie of the Year award. Happ has a 10-4 record with a team-low 2.77 ERA (Lee’s is 2.67, but that is not including his time in Cleveland). Managers like experience in the playoffs though, and Happ is likely the odd man out.
Another reason Happ may be relegated to the bullpen is the uncertainty surrounding left-handers J.C. Romero and Scott Eyre. Each has health concerns and their status for the playoffs is not certain. Jamie Moyer (who by the way has a team-high 12 wins) is not a realistic option as a left-handed specialist, so Happ may be the guy they turn to. Left-handers are hitting jus .206 against Happ making him a good choice for the spot is Eyre or Romero can’t go.
Personally, this would be my postseason rotation:
With home field advantage: Hamels, Martinez, Lee, Blanton
Without home field advantage: Hamels, Lee, Martinez, Blanton
My reasoning is simple: Pedro needs to pitch at home. He feeds off the crowd and they feed off him. Adrenalin is what fuels Pedro these days and pitching in front of a sold-out and raucous Citizens Bank Park will give him his best chance for success. Also, in case of a seven game series, Lee would be set for Game Seven. The Phillies rotation without home field advantage has the plus of having aces Hamels and Lee go back-to-back, but does not have the right-left, right-left flow that managers love to send out.
The job of figuring out the rotation over the next couple of weeks belongs to Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee. In the meantime, it sure is fun to guess.
How would you set up a Phillies rotation with so many options?
Still no closer or closure for Philadelphia
Jamie Moyer was back in a familiar role for the Phillies today. He stepped back on the mound as a starting pitcher for the first time since his demotion to the bullpen. It definitely showed that he was a little rusty, but the oldest player in baseball shook off the cobwebs after allowing hits to the first five batters he faced and got back in the starting rhythm. After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, Moyer promptly dispatched the next 14 takers with line out, ground out, foul out, pop up, over and over. While Moyer was getting his groove back, the Phitens began earning their nickname by getting the veteran those runs back.
They did it in their usual manner. Howard singled in the second, and Feliz homered him in for the first two runs. The Phillies scored on the home run again in the third with both Ibanez and Utley hitting their 31st of the year, marking the third time in the past week the Phillies have had 2 or more home runs in the same inning. All of the sudden, Moyer was pitching for the win. In the fourth they scored an insurance run the old fashioned way, with a walk, sacrifice and single to drive home the run. Yes, these Phils score a lot of the time on the home run, but they know the fundamentals of the game, and can score in any fashion they want to for the most part.
Home runs however are so much more fun ! This may be why the Phillies have sold out 165 games in a row. The average attendance at Phillies games jumped to 40,000+, good for second best in the National League, when they opened their new stadium in 2004. Last year’s World Series team averaged over 42,000 fans per home game, and this year’s club is averaging over 44,000 fans per game. Other than the drop off after year one when the new stadium novelty had worn off, they have increased their fan attendance and support for the last five years running. Incidentally, for the last three years they have also led MLB in home run production.
Moyer did not allow another hit until the top of the sixth, when Tatis legged out an infield single. The Phillies immediately returned to the offensive in their half the inning and added an additional 2 runs with a single, double, triple, and, talk about getting back to the basics, a sacrifice by none other than wily veteran Jamie Moyer ! Moyer did allow a run in the 7th on a double and some good basic baseball by the Mets, but at this point he appeared to be tiring and had a 4 run lead on the Mets.
Brett Myers came in the 8th and promptly gave up a 2 run home run to the Mets, the Phillies still can’t seem to figure out late relief or closing pitching. Manuel pulled Myers and got Chan Ho Park on the mound in time to preserve the lead at 9-8 and Park closed the 8th. Manuel continued to rely on Madsen, this time bringing him in for a 9th inning that found the Phillies clinging to a 1 run lead. Madsen got two quick outs, then surrendered a run to the pesky Tatis, who seems to always hit Phillies pitching no matter who is on the mound. Wright then came in and gave the Phillies a taste of their own medicine, belting a 2 run home run to give his Mets the lead and end any hopes Moyer had of securing a win. I mentioned yesterday that Madsen is unproven in the close game, and it appears the Phillies closing pitchers woes are far from over.
The revolving door that leads to the 8th and 9th inning pitchers mound for this team has got to be secured, and soon. This team can NOT enter the post season with this position still unresolved. Charlie Manuel has got to get busy and do what he is paid to do, figure out who on his staff is capable of coming in late under pressure and preserving a win. It is not fair to the rest of this ball club that they are unable, so far, to do this consistently. If they don’t resolve this issue and find “the guy” in the next few weeks, winning the National League East and hitting 1,000 home runs during the regular season will not help them to their ultimate objective, which is, and should be, repeating as World Series champions.
No more blown saves in Philadelphia
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.
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.
And The Phillies 5th Starter Is…….Pedro Moyer?
I know, I could’ve used Jamie Martinez as well but I think everyone gets the idea here. For the second time in four starts Pedro Martinez had a good performance interrupted by rain. On Friday night in Philadelphia Martinez survived the first 63 minute delay but after play was resumed for all of 7 minutes Pedro’s night was done as the Braves and Phillies waited through a second 45 minute delay.
Enter Jamie Moyer. Making his second relief appearance since being sent to the bullpen in favor of Pedro Martinez, Moyer relieved Martinez after another rain delay and pitched an effective 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked none. It was also the second time that Moyer earned the win coming in behind Pedro to run his mark for the year to 12-9.
After making some comments in Chicago after the demotion saying that he felt “mislead” by the Phillies, Moyer has been all business in his two relief appearances. His 12 wins leads the Phillies and more importantly his two appearances have saved the bullpen from becoming taxed. I don’t have the stats, but I’d have to say if Moyer finishes the season leading the Phillies in wins after being sent to the bullpen it would certainly be something that hasn’t happened in a long time if ever at all.
And somewhere Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee are smiling after dismissing the idea of using a six-man rotation. Could Charlie have known that we’d have some rainy nights in August? Could he have pulled out his Farmer’s Almanac and saw this coming? Even if he didn’t he probably should say he did because right now the Phillies are looking pretty smart by sending Moyer to the bullpen. Moyer has pitched some effective baseball, giving up just one run in his 10 2/3 innings of relief while going 2-0. Pedro hasn’t pitched bad and he hasn’t pitched great. The Phillies have given Pedro great run support in Pedro’s non-rain starts which certainly helps. The important thing for Pedro is for him to get stronger with every outing, and should mother nature intercede well, there is always Jamie Moyer.
Howard Powers Phillies Past Braves
After a disappointing three days in Pittsburgh that saw the Phillies drop two of three to the Pirates, the Phillies returned home Friday night and Ryan Howard blasted two homers (36 and 37) in between the rain drops to push the Phillies to a 4-2 win against the Braves.
Howards display was just another day at the office for the big man who certainly knows what its like to have big games this time of year. Howard certainly knows what its like to have success this time of year, hitting .339 with 11 homers and 29 rbi in his last 15 games. This streak could just be a preview of things to come. After August 26th the past two seasons, “Rynomite” has a combined .317 average with 25 homers and 54 runs batted in.
Howard gave the Phils an early 1-0 lead in the second inning before rain halted play for 64 minutes. Pedro Martinez, who had allowed just one hit and a walk in two innings, was set to come back after the first delay and was the on deck batter when play was stopped again after just 7 minutes. After another 45 minute delay, Pedro was finished for the night. Jamie Moyer came on and pitched effectively for 4 1/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits with no walks while striking out five. It was the second time Moyer has relieved Pedro after a rain shortened outing, the first came back on August 18th against Arizona. Both times Moyer (12-9) has gotten the win.
Howard gave the Phillies more offense in the 4th inning as his second homer of the night, this time a two-run shot, cleared the center field wall and gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead. The Braves got a run in the 5th on a Matt Diaz double, and the Phillies got their 4th run on an rbi single by Pedro Feliz in the 7th. The Braves threatened in the 8th as they loaded the bases but only got one run on a fielder’s choice ground out by Chipper Jones. Brad Lidge, sporting a new hairdo and pitching on two days rest, got the Braves in order in the 9th for his 26th save of the year.
After dropping two of three to the lowly Pirates beating the Braves had to feel good for the Phillies.
“It was definitely a good game to try and right the ship because it’s a game where, for both teams, it was a mental game,” Howard said. “You’re playing the waiting game with the rain, starting and stopping and trying to stay loose. We didn’t know it was going to be up in the air. We were able to play through some things and get it done.”
Anything can happen down the stretch, but this win combined with the Marlins loss gives the Phillies an 8 game lead on both the Braves and Marlins as we get set to enter the seasons final month. Strange things tend to happen in September, but the Marlins and Braves don’t seem as though they have the ability to put together the kind of streak that the Phillies put together in 2007 to over take the Mets down the stretch.
With Captain Ryan at the helm, its hard to imagine this ship not coming in to port on top of the National League East when its all said and done.
MVP Cole Hamels takes back seat to Cliff Lee
Phillies fans may never forget the playoff and World Series performances put together by Cole Hamels last postseason.
In five starts Hamels went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA. The Phillies won both of Hamels starts in the Fall Classic, earning the young left-hander the World Series MVP award.
However, even with that data on his resume, there is little arguing that Hamels should not get the ball if – and when – the Phillies 2009 postseason begins.
The reason is simple: Cliff Lee.
Since arriving in Philadelphia by way of trade last month, Lee has been the definition of a staff ace. He as gone 4-0 with a minuscule 0.83 ERA, with his best performance coming Wednesday night when he hurled a complete game, two hit, seven strikeout performance.
Lee as a No. 1 also has an extra bonus – he is not afraid to pitch on three days rest. Lee has done it in the past and almost certainly would do it again if the situation called for it. Hamels has been reluctant to change his pitching schedule in the past, something that has irked Phillies fans (well at least it did before he helped the city finally see a major title).
With Lee and Hamels planted as the top two pitchers in the postseason staff and Joe Blanton (a right hander) almost certain to take the No. 3 spot, the only battle that remains is the fight for No. 4.
On paper, the front-runner is J.A. Happ, who prior to the arrival of Lee, was the Phillies top pitcher. However, as it was discussed on Daily News Live on Wednesday, managers are reluctant to start young pitchers in the postseason. The other candidates to fill the final starting job are Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez. The organization has already yanked Moyer from the rotation so it seems highly unlikely they would use him there in the playoffs.
The Phillies brought in Pedro with hopes of him finding his old form and becoming a bit of an “X” factor in the playoffs.
The next month will determine how much, if any, time Pedro sees in the rotation came October.
Barring Pedro finding a gear he hasn’t shown since 2005, when he won 15 games with the Mets, the edge has to go to Happ. Young or not, Happ has five wins this season and an outstanding 2.66 ERA. He has earned his shot.
Of course, in the ever-fickle game of baseball, all of this could change over the next month. Injuries and performances could change the pecking order. For now, the Phils look to have a solid postseason rotation.
It’s a good sign when the reigning World Series MVP can’t even be considered your ace.
Mid summer revival
About two weeks ago I told you Moyer’s demotion was not justified. All he has done is lead the team in innings pitched and victories. Yet the second he had a bad day as a result of a questionable call, he is booted to the bullpen, a place he was promised by Phillies GM he would not be when he re-signed for 13 million over the break.
Good thing too, because with Pedro just back into the thick of things, Moyers special “relief” talents were exactly what the team needed today. Martinez stiffened up during a 65 minute delay, and guess who strolled in to cheers to relieve the Cy Young winner with 18 outs still needed to secure a victory ? That’s right, probably the only guy in MLB who could do it. And he threw in a couple hits as well ! Moyer dropped his ERA to 5.22 and raised his batting average to .293. Oh yeah, and the Phillies won again.
The Phillies continued their offensive onslaught against the rest of the league with 12 hits in support of the tag team pitching effort. It just goes to show you you don’t need to teach an old dog new tricks ! Sorry Jamie, but look at the facts. He holds the record for being the oldest Phillie pitcher to record a victory, and he did that three years ago ! He is the oldest Phillies pitcher to get a hit, he did that last year. Then he became the oldest Phillie period to get a hit. His wins and hits this year are just stretching out records he already owns, and no one else will ever top. He is also the oldest pitcher to pitch in the NLCS and World Series. He got his first win against Steve Carlton, remember him ? And he is currently the oldest active player in Major League baseball. With 251 wins he ranks 44th on the all time list. So how about a little respect ?
I said before, and I repeat now and hope someone tells Charlie Manuel, this guy deserves to be in the starting rotation. Sure his ERA is a little high. His fastball a little slower. But remember, he had a horrible April, his ERA peaking near 8 in early May, so a 5.22 shows remarkable improvment late in a pressure filled season. The guy knows how to win games, and he has been consistently winning for longer than Manuel has been coaching. Let him pitch !!! What is wrong with a 6 man rotation ? You are entering a brutal stretch of games, trying to hold on to a lead, with suspect middle relief pitching and a closer that is self destructing. I would think a 20 plus year veteran would be precisely who I would send to the mound every chance I get. I mean, it is not like the Phillies are unable to provide some run support, is it ?
The wait is over for Pedro Martinez
Pedro s back!
And for one night so was the Phillies offense.
On a night where every Phillies fan tuned in to see what the 2009 version of Pedro Martinez would look like, they got a taste of an old-fashioned tail-whipping, courtesy of the Phillies offense, in a 12-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Phils scored eight runs in the fourth inning, taking any stress off of the aging right-hander’s arm. And while the offense was a welcome sign, Wednesday was still all about Pedro, who was hardly spectacular, but more than serviceable.
Let’s start with the good
- Martinez’s fastball was clocked as high as 93. Now trusting a ball park’s radar gun is like trusting Bernie Madoff with your savings, but it was clear that Martinez was able to dial it up much more than last year, when he struggled at times to reach the high 80’s with the Mets. Time will tell if he can do it consistently.
- The movement is still there. Pedro’s slider still as enough bite to it to get right-hand hitters to chase. He will need that pitch as the last few seasons have provided evidence that his fastball is not his out pitch.
- Pedro didn’t get hurt. With his recent medical history, this is an accomplishment. Last year, Martinez left his first start last season with an injury and was never regained his form.
The Not-so good
- Pedro fell behind to a lot of hitters. While he was able to avoid trouble for the most part, falling behind hitters leads to a high pitch count, which then leads to relievers coming in before the seventh inning. On Wednesday, the bullpen answered the call in the sixth inning, but for different reason The Phils had put the game away and there was no need to over-extend the 37-year old.
- Pedro gave up seven hits in five innings. Not bad, not great.
Overall, a decent opening performance from a pitcher making his first start in the majors in almost a year. For the record, after one start Pedro’s ERA stands at 5.40. After 22 starts Jamie Moyer’s ERA is 5.47. Any takers on who finishes with a lower ERA?
Moyer got short end of stick
Jamie Moyer Phillies Pitcher
I can’t say I agree with what the Phillies did to Jamie Moyer after his last start. In my last blog about the veteran ace I mentioned how he was somewhat the victim of a REALLY bad call by the umpire. If you recall, the Phillies were at the plate trying to create some offense and a low inside slider by a Marlin’s pitcher was called a strike that prematurely ended the inning. In the next half inning Moyer got literally shellacked by the fish in large part, in this humble writer’s opinion, to said momentum changing call by the home plate ump. It is also noteworthy that Moyer threw several pitches that appeared closer to the strike zone and did not get the call.
Now I understand it is the pitcher’s job to get the batters out, and although Jamie is carrying a relatively high ERA, he also leads the squad in victories this year, and was a large part of their World Series run last year. I think it is wrong that he was signed to a two year contract with the promise from GM Amaro that he would not be shuffled to the bullpen, but scant weeks after the teams acquisition of Cy Young winners Lee and Martinez, and a bad call by one umpire, he is now in the bullpen.
It is probably not the highlight of Manuel’s year, having to make this decision, and I know that a manager faces some tough choices in the course of a season, but I think this is one of those he should reconsider. This team has been struggling a bit in recent weeks but is still a strong contender to win their division this year. Dissention in the ranks is about the only thing that may prevent them from taking it all the way. It would be a good show of solidarity for Charlie Manuel to go to a six man rotation for the rest of the year and show Moyer some respect.
Then on Tuesday night Manuel starts J A Happ in place of Cliff Lee. He justifies this by saying that Lee has pitched a lot of innings and his last several starts he has thrown deep into the game or completed the game and Happ starting in his place will give the new ace a breather. But this just reinforces the concept of switching to a six man rotation and giving all the Phillies staff a little less work during the stretch. With Madson and Park in middle relief and a proven closer, I don’t see how it is neccessary to have another man in the bullpen when he is a proven starter with 22 big league seasons under his belt.
It just goes to show you what promises from the head office are worth. Amaro and Manuel better be careful not to disenfranchise the players on this championship club. Championship contenders are few and far between in Philadelphia and typically get dismantled after a year or two of success. Hopefully the nucleus of this team will band together and the staff will find a way to utilize the veteran in a way that keeps everybody happy for the last two months of the season. It is not a typical problem for this club to have, 7 potential starters on a team that was criticized for being light on starting pitching at the beginning of the year. Not knowing how to best use Moyer and keep the big man happy is hardly the worst problem to deal with during another championship run.
And one last note. Who is the staff ace at this point ? Myers, Lee and Martinez all have the pedigree. Any one of the three can perform at “pitching ace” levels. And we can’t overlook Blanton, Hamels or Happ based on raw talent. This really evokes memories of the Braves “super squad” of the 90’s that kept the Phillies out of the World Series, seemingly year after year. Exciting times in Philadelphia for sure !
All calls go against our boys
Shane Victorino got ejected from center field in last night’s game by the home plate umpire for throwing up his hands at a call on a Jamie Moyer pitch after Howard got called out on low inside “strike” the inning before that looked much worse ?? How crazy is this ? I don’t think the umpire can even see center field, he obviously can’t see the strike zone and that is inches away, as opposed to 300 feet away where Shane was in position. And then commentators take Charlie Manuel’s admission that he saw the gesture to mean that he agreed with the umpire’s call !! It is a shame that both the player and the manager had to CYA by “agreeing” with the umpires decision when it is obvious this is just another case of dislike of the Philadelphia franchises grossly affecting the outcome of their games.
They had a veteran pitcher of 46 years of age with the game fairly well in hand and Howard at the plate with the potential to put the Phillies ahead in the late innings, and instead ended up falling apart and losing the game by 9 runs when all was said and done. You don’t think the momentum changing call had a large part to do with this ? Have you been watching Philadelphia sports for 30 plus years as I have ? I wish the officials in ALL leagues would finally get it through their heads that THEY are not the people that fans tune in to see ! I would much rather watch the players compete fairly against each other with no bias or referee interference than see what the game degenerated into last night. The last few innings were all but unwatchable, with the fans giving the impression that all Phillies fans are drunken louts with their chanting and cat calls. I have to admit though, when the Marlins had a batter touch his shoulder while at the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the following inning, it WAS hilarious when a fan behind home plate felt inclined to advise the umpire by saying “He touched his shoulder, you gotta throw him out of the game !!” Just goes to show you, the “drunken fans” are probably more aware of the subtle nuances of the game than the officials are.
It is a sad commentary that this is the case, but WTF, the Phillies won it all last year, and now that they have acquired two Cy Young caliber pitchers to add to their staff, they are the team to beat in the National league this year as well. The real shame is that veteran Jamie Moyer, in what may be his last season, may be bumped from the rotation if they go to five man when he has been solid as a rock with his performance in the field. I don’t blame this loss on his efforts, and if you look at his starts this year, he could very well be 14-5 with an ERA under 4 if things had gone his way, the Phillies had given him more run support and the umpires would stop affecting the outcomes of the games he is in.
Oh well, he has a World Series ring with the Phils already and hopefully one more on the way, so I guess he will survive. But I would rather see the old timer in there til the end of the year throwing his 80 mph slider and confusing the heck out of opposing batters like he has done throughout his career. You have to admire a pitcher that manages 10 wins in a league when his fast ball rarely exceeds 85 mph !! Great game, Jamie, you are STILL the man. Go Phils !!!
Polls
Loading ...Philly Sports Books
Hey Philly, check out this great little Phillies book.
The Phillies Fan's Little Book of Wisdom (Little Book of Wisdom (Taylor))
Sports Columns
Grinding My Gears is all the stuff that gets under your skin. Bad calls in a game, fans storming the court after a regular win, comments by players...
By The Numbers simply put is research comparing records and statistics from today to bygone eras.Philly Sports Blogs on Social Networks
