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Seems like the Phillies are always playing the Nationals this season!  In fact the two teams have met for four series already and 11 games, considering that the Phillies have played 47 games overall the Nationals have been the opponent for a little under one quarter of the contests!   It has been good for the Phillies thus far as they won nine of the contests!  Here is a recap of the two most recent games.

Friday, May 29th :  Phillies 5 Nationals 4

J.A. Happ had another good outing as a starter as he went five and one thirds innings to gain his third win of the season.   Happ goes right at the hitters and has above average stuff in his reportiore of fastball, changeup and curve.  Phillies post game analyst Ricky Bottalico actually stated after the game that he thinks Happ could eventually be a number one type starter!  Pretty high praise but if true that would be sweet indeed.    Shane Victorino led the Fightin’s offense with four hits while Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz each had two hit games.  The Phillies collected sixteen hits in the game but left 13 runners on base and did not score after the fourth inning.   Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson all earned holds out of the bullpen and Brad Lidge earned his 10th save of the season with a perfect ninth inning in which he struck out two hitters.  

Saturday, May 30th :  Phillies 9 Nationals 6

Ryan Howard had a big game offensively beliting two home runs including a 475 foot grand slam!  Howard was all over Nationals starter Shairon Martis as he tagged him for both blasts.  The Nationals defense was as shaky as usual as errors led to two unearned runs in the mix.  Cole Hamels was the benefactor of the offensive explosion as he went six innings to earn the win.  Clay Condrey was again excellent as he pitched out of a seventh inning jam by striking out two batters.  Condrey is super steady and is a key cog to the bullpen’s success.  Ryan Madson pitched a perfect ninth striking out two hitters.  Brad Lidge earned his 11th save by finishing the game aided by a spectacular double play pulled off the J-Roll and Chase Utley.  Lidge faced only three hitters to get it done.

Chatter

Brett Myers will have surgery on his hip this coming week to repair what could be season ending damage.  Myers is a warrior and most certainly pitched thru the pain last season as well, we always were in a quandry why he had velocity some games and not others, now we know the reason.  It is why I don’t like when fans boo ballplayers, we never truly know if their performance is hindered by injury and perception of what we see as failure is skewed due to that reason, I don’t know alot of folks who would work thru injury but these guys do, yes they make alot of money but I still admire the effort given by most.

Sergio Escalona was recalled from Lehigh Valley and added to the bullpen to temporarily take Myers roster spot, the Phillies will need a starter to take Myers spot on Tuesday so Escalona’s stint could be short.   Candidates to replace Myers at least on an interim basis include Kyle Kendrick, Andrew Carpenter, Vance Worley or Antonio Bastardo.  The safe bet would be Kendrick but I have a feeling that it could be either Bastardo or Worley who gets the call.  Both are up and coming studs and have thrown very well thus far this season.   If it is Bastardo the Phillies would have four lefties in the rotation, since I am a southpaw myself I see nothing wrong with that at all!  

Keep in mind that J.C. Romero comes off the inactive list on Thursday so another roster move is pending.   Reports are that the Phillies are in the market to trade for a starter, even before Myers got hurt that was the rumblings.   Jake Peavey of the Padres is now being bandied about as a name they would at least inquire about but my opinion is that they will target either Jason Marquies of the Rockies or Roy Oswalt of the Astros.   Erik Bedard is another name being bandied about but the Mariners might wait it out till the end of July to see if they can drive up the price to get him.   All of those guys will require a bounty of talent to be given back, don’t be shocked if teams target Kyle Drabek in any return package as the young righthander is tossing very well at Clearwater this year.   If you could get Peavey or Oswalt giving up Drabek might indeed be worth it!   I think that Jason Donald or Lou Marson would also have to be included in any deal to get that type of pitcher back.  I don’t know if they would be willing to give up Michael Taylor who is tearing it up at Reading though but young outfielder Dominick Brown from the Clearwater roster might offer some intrique.

The Phillies are also still in the market for a right handed bat off the bench, how about that Marlon Byrd returning to the FIghtin’s ?  Could happen and he might be a good fit.

The Phillies lost the most recent three game series against the Florida Marlins in what has become the not so friendly confines of Citizen’s Bank Park in 2009.   The Marlins took two of the three games and sunk the Phillies home record to 9 wins and 14 losses.   Home Cooking has to improve if the boys are gonna have any chance of repeating.

Game 1 – Monday, May 25th – Florida 5 Phillies 3

Jamie Moyer made his fifth attempt to gain career win number 250 and once again came up short.  Moyer did not pitch badly as he went six innings and limited the Marlins to four runs on seven hits.   The only problem was that Chris Volstad was better for Florida.   Ryan Howard accounted for all three of the Phillie runs as he blasted two home runs giving him 12 for the season.  Pedro Feliz also had a two hit game but the duo accounted for two thirds of the Phillies offense as they could only muster a total of six hits.  Chan Ho Park pitched well in relief for the Phillies as he tossed the final three frames but the Fightin’s came up short in this one.  Ex Phillie Wes Helms had a huge game offensively for the Marlins as he homered and knocked in four of the five runs.

Game 2 – Tuesday, May 26th – Phillies 5 Florida 3

Joe Blanton was dominant in this game as he had by far his best outing in a Phillie jersey.  Blanton threw shutout ball thru seven innings and struck out 11 batters, a new career high.  He limited the Marlins to only five hits and also only walked two batters.  Blanton attacked the strike zone in this one with little regard for the hitters as he trusted his stuff and it worked very well!   Offensively Shane Victorino had a big day as he collected four hits and Pedro Feliz stayed hot by stroking another two hits.   The game got interesting in the ninth as Chad Durbin loaded the bases with only one out and forced skipper Charlie Manuel  to go to closer Brad Lidge after the Marlins scored three runs.  Lidge was given a very warm reception by the fans as he entered the game and did the job as he recorded the final two outs to earn his ninth save.   He is the closer and Charlie has made it very clear that it will remain that way, that is the beauty of the skipper and of this team, they do not panic and stay the course even if sometimes the fans divert course!

Game 3 – Wednesday, May 27th – Florida 6 Phillies 2

Brett Myers started the game and pitched effectively thru five frames but was knocked out in the sixth.   It was later reported that Myers left the game due to soreness and discomfort in his hip, he has been pitching very well lately and an injury is not something the team can really afford at this point.   Myers was tagged for home runs by Dan Uggla and Cody Ross and gave up five runs.   Old reliable Clay Condrey took the hill after Myers and held the Marlins at bay for two and 1/3 innings.   The Phillies struggled offensively as they tallied eight hits, two of which were off the bat of Ryan Howard.  Matt Stairs blasted a solo pinch hit home run to right field in the home eighth.  Jack Taschner gave up the sixth run in the ninth and is the most likely candidate to be released at this point when J.C. Romero returns to the active roster on June 3rd.

Chatter

Rumblings are that the Phillies are very interested in acquiring another starting pitcher.  If Brett Myers is indeed injured and goes on the disabled list then that search may intensify.  Names being bandied about as potential acquisitions are Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn of the Mariners,  Jason Marquis of the Rockies, Brad Penny and perhaps Clay Bucholtz of the Red Sox and Roy Oswalt of the Astros.   Any of those trades would require the Phillies to give up a portion of the minor league talent they have accumulated, folks like Jason Donald, Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco, Sergio Escalona, Joe Savery, Kyle Drabek, Drew Carpenter, etc.  would have to be dangled so G.M. Ruben Amaro must be cognizant of not mortgaging the entire future.  It is refreshing though that the team realizes they have a great nucleaus and is willing to go for it now!  Time will tell what happens.   Keep in mind also that old standbys like Paul Byrd and Pedro Martinez are also still out there as free agents.   Oswalt would be my choice if you could get him but the others would be very good additions as well.  Reports are that the team does not plan to sign Myers this offseason so whomever they might trade for would be figured into 2010 plans as well.

As the season opener rapidly approaches the Fightin’s have made a few shuffles in the roster to finalize the opening 25 man crew.   Outfielder Geoff Jenkins was given his unconditional release, the Phillies still owe Jenkins $8 million for the second year of his contract and will eat that amount.  Jenkins was a good team man and I am sorry to see him go but do realize that with Jayson Werth established as the everyday right fielder that Matt Stairs is better suited than Jenkins as a left handed bat off the bench.  Jenkins should catch on somewhere as I believe he still has good baseball left in him.

The team also designated John Mayberry Jr. to minor league camp as well as Carlos Carrasco. Both are young players and will most likely be future big leaguers.  Chan Ho Park was told that he has won the fifth starter’s job over J.A. Happ.  I have a good feeling that Park is going to have a decent year and am glad to see him win the starting job.  I hope that Happ can adjust to a bullpen role as I don’t think another minor league assignment is in his best interest mentally.  If the team does assign him to Triple A I think they are doing so with the intent of eventually moving him in trade. 

Robert Mosebach was reclaimed by the Angels.  He was a rule 5 draft choice of the Phillies this winter and had to remain on the big league roster or be offered back to the Angels.  Reports are that the Fightin’s are attempting to work out a trade to keep him, he has very good velocity and would be a good insurance policy at Triple A.   Recently acquired Jack Taschner will most likely make the roster but if indeed Happ does as well that will give the team 3 lefties in the pen!  Last season they went almost the entire season with only one before acquiring Scott Eyre.  It would appear that Gary Majewski might be optioned to Triple A but that hinges on the team’s opinion of Happ and whether they want to play with his psyche and send him to Lehigh.

Chatter

Gary Sheffield was released by Detroit, he officially clears waivers at 1 pm tommorrow and apparently the Phillies have interest in signing him as a right handed pinch hitter and part time outfielder.  I think Sheffield is a very good player but do have concerns on his locker room impact, this is a good crew of men that gets along well, not sure we need a Kenny Lofton like influence.  I only know what I read of Sheffield and perhaps the negative reports in this regard are inaccurate.  If the team signs him then Miguel Cairo would presumably be out of a roster spot.  It has also been rumored that the Fightin’s have interest in Andruw Jones but it seems that he will indeed make the Texas Ranger’s opening day roster.   Lastly Marcus Giles was given his outright release, it would appear that his baseball days are over at the major league level but one never knows, perhaps he catches on elsewhere.   Brett Myers will start the season opener as Cole Hamels slight elbow injury will push his first start back to later in the season against Colorado.

Can’t wait for opening day!  Thanks to the folks at Nuemann College for affording me the chance to do a book signing yesterday, did very well with sales and met alot of interesting folks!

Per Todd Zolecki of mlb.com the Fightins have traded catcher Ronny Paulino to the San Francisco Giants for lefty reliever Jack Taschner.   This should fill the void of the extra lefty in the pen and also secure Chris Coste’s spot on the roster as the backup catcher.

Just a few notes as we bide the time till opening night on April 5th.  Spring Training sure seems like it is taking forever this year but today a few noteworthy roster moves took place.

Minor League Options

The Phillies sent Kyle Kendrick, Jason Donald, Lou Marson and Brad Harman to Minor League Camp today.   The significance of each is that all four are major league caliber players either presently or in the near future.  Kendrick was competing for the fifth starter’s spot and albeit his most recent outing against the Twins was decent he could not overcome earlier outings where he struggled.  Kendrick will go to Lehigh Valley and work on an offspeed pitch to compliment his sinker.  He is a capable major leaguer having already won 22 games at the top level but needs to find a secondary pitch to keep hitters off the sinker.  Donald had a great spring training but my guess is that the team wants him to play everyday at Lehigh most probably at third base to see if they have the next third sacker in tow after Pedro Feliz’s contract expires after this season.  Marson is a 22 year old catcher with a perceived bright future.  He will catch everyday at Lehigh and is potential trade material, Boston supposedly is high on him, else depending on how he hits may be in Philly later this year or in 2010.  Harman is bull strong, the organization needs to figure out whether he is a utility player or one that can be a regular, perhaps they give him a look in the outfield at Lehigh to ascertain what they have.  All four provide depth for the Fightin’s which has not always been the case in season’s past!

World Baseball Classic

It may sound like sour grapes but if the event is continually held during spring training won’t countries like Japan and Korea consistently meet in the finals ?   Teams stocked with big leaguers like the U.S.  don’t seem to be as committed to wining the tournament as our friends from the Aisa Pacific region.  The tournament is fun to watch but I think that if a fair representation of U.S. baseball is to occur then the tourney maybe belongs in November after the World Series is concluded.  That would put all countries on the same plane rather than having some in primary training mode.  That being said the battles that J.C. Romero had with teammates Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino during the U.S./Puerto Rico quarter final game were extremely energized and fun to watch.

Pitching Plans

Cole Hamels seems very unlikely to start the season as the opening day starter, elbow inflamation set him back and expectations are now that he will need at least one additional start to the twon already scheduled  before opening day occurs.  That being said the early regular season schedule is user friendly thru April 15th so the Fightin’s could in essence get away with a three man rotation till then.   The fifth starter spot seems to be between J.A. Happ and Chan Ho Park.  Park has learned a change up from teammate Jamie Moyer and has been very effective putting it in his reportoire.  Happ has been racking up K’s with his fastball in his outings, personally I think Happ starts the season in the pen as the lefty replacing J.C. Romero till he serves his 50 game suspension and Park gets the nod as the starter.  I think Mr. Park could be a very pleasant surprise as a starter this season.   

Bench Reserves

Is it me or has Ronny Paulino showed very little reason to not carry Chris Coste as the backup catcher.  Coste has established himself and I would think that Paulino would have to win the job away, I have not seen anything to indicate he has thus far.   Miguel Cairo seems like he may win the right hand bench reserve spot only because the team may want John Mayberry Jr. to start the season in Lehigh playing everyday.  Mayberry has shown he is a real prospect and his athleticism has enabled him to showcase in all three outfield spots this spring.  If the team feels that he can adjust to the reserve role of pinch hitter then he has won a  reserve job but since he is still a young player they may indeed want to get him regular at bats in Triple A.

Two weeks away till opening night so more spring games to play and iron out the roster possibilities, expect trade rumors to fly and perhaps some deals to get done before the opening day group comes north.

Kyle Kendrick had a shaky outing early in the week which opened the door for the other three competitors in the “Fifth Starter Sweepstakes” to overtake the frontrunner Kendrick.  Rich Dubee, the Phillies pitching coach had proclaimed Kendrick as the one to beat early on in spring training.  Chan Ho Park threw friday night against the Blue Jays and pitched four effective innings with four K’s allowing one run.  J.A. Happ threw saturday against the Tigers and pitched very well by tossing three shutout innings and accumulating seven strikeouts !   Happ used a good heater to mow down the Tigers.  Carlos Carrasco  goes on Sunday against the Braves in his first chance since coach Dubee announced earlier this week that the competition is now on in earnst.

The Phillies beat the Tigers 8 to 1 but lost to the Jays 4 to 3 to put the spring mark at 4 and 4.

Chatter

John Mayberry Jr. continues to impress as he belted a three run homer against the Tigers.  Mayberry is hitting close to .300 in spring games thus far and has shown good athleticism and ability to play the two corner outfield spots.  He may indeed make the squad.   Ryan Howard belted yet another homer against the Tigers, his third of the spring.  The big man is swinging the bat well thus far, hopefully it pays off in a better start to the regular season as well.

Jamie Moyer threw very well against the Tigers going four innings and tallying five k’s.   I watched some of the World Baseball Classic and saw the Netherlands team upset Team Dominican Republic.  I don’t quite understand what the qualifications are to be on the teams,  ex phil Randall Simon is on the Netherlands team and I was not aware that he was from that region ?  

Carlos Ruiz seemed to get shaken up a bit playing for Panama against Puerto Rico and left the game early, hopefully not anything of issue.

It appears the Phillies will not make any more free agent signings, they did pick up Rodrigo Lopez off waivers from the Braves but it is expected that he will be a starter in Lehigh Valley.  G.M. Ruben Amaro said the team most likely will not sign lefty Will Ohman, the way that J.A. Happ pitched against the Tigers might avail him to the second lefty in the pen spot if indeed he does not earn the fifth starter spot.

Manny finally signed a contract, woohoo!  Seriously, does anyone outside of L.A. care ?  When alot of folks in the real world are either struggling to find work, worrying about losing work or working for not enough to pay their bills do we really care about this guy “struggling” to get his $45 million over two years ?  Manny being Manny wore thin last season and even more so this offseason.

Phillies Spring week in Review

The Phillies went 3 and 1 during the last four spring games beginning 3/1 with a win over the Atlanta Braves.  They then beat WBC Team Canada and the Toronto Jays but fell to WBC Team U.S.A.   Pitching highlights of the week were the spring debuts of Brett Myers and Cole Hamels.  Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park and  Carlos Carrasco all threw during the week albeit none stood out with superior outings. 

On the offensive side Marcus Giles had a couple knocks against his old team, the Braves.  Ryan Howard belted a true bomb against the Jays while Raul Ibanez smoked a couple of doubles.  John Mayberry Jr. belted a dinger against Team Canada as did non roster invitee Jeremy Slayden.  Howard added another blast against Team U.S.A as did Jason Donald.

Injury Updates

Chris Coste continued to battle hamstring woes while Jayson Werth is taking it slow with leg issues.  Brad Lidge experienced shoulder tightness and also was taking a slow approach.  Better now than when the season starts!

Chatter

Nomar Garciappara signed a contract with the Oakland A’s ending speculation that he might become a Phillie.  That would seem to leave that right handed bat spot open to the likes of Ronny Paulino, Chris Coste, John Mayberry Jr. or perhaps Jeremy Slayden ???   Ok, maybe Slayden is a stretch but he is having a good spring at the least. 

Let me tell ya the Cal Ripken Experience baseball facilities in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina are top drawer!  Spent the week there and if the weather had cooperated it would have been great.  It was in the high 30′s for most of the week so not so great baseball weather.  I would recommend the site however to any college or high school team looking for a spring site for a great baseball experience!

The Fightins once again struggled offensively in this their second game of the spring.   They were limited to six hits by the Blue Jays, one each for Jimmy Rollins, John Mayberry Jr., Greg Dobbs, Andy Tracy, Pablo Ozuna and Jason Ellison.   On the hill  Carlos Carrasco,J.A. Happ and Gary Majewski each threw two scoreless innings but Blaine Neal got tuned up for four earned runs in two thirds of an inning. 

Chatter

According to Mlbtraderumors.com the two primary lefty relievers still on the free agent market are cognizant of the need to lower their contract demands and are willing to do so.  Will Ohman seems to be very interested in pitching for a contender and specifically the Phillies.   Nomar Garciappara evidently will be making a choice soon between the Oakland A’s and the Phillies.  Also heard scuttlebutt that the A’s might be looking to relocate out of Oakland in the near future….. what about a return to Philly ?  Could we handle two big league teams again like back in the day ?  Chicago, L.A. and New York have two clubs, why not Philly ?

Non roster invitee Jeremy Slayden led the FIghtin’s offense in their Spring Training debut as he stroked two hits, one a double, in his two game at bats.  Slayden was the mid game sub for starting left fielder Raul Ibanez who stroked a RBI single in his Phillies spring debut.   Jimmy Rollins, Geoff Jenkins, Gregg Dobbs and John Mayberry Jr. had the other Phillie hits in the contest.

Jamie Moyer started the game on the hill and threw two scoreless innings. Joe Blanton pitched one inning and gave up a run.  The Pirates scored the other seven runs off middle relievers Joe Bisenius and Scott Nestor.

Chatter

Last year’s # 1 draft pick Anthony Hewitt saw action at third base and went hitless in two at bats.  Chris Coste, Ronny Paulino and Lou Marson split duty behind the plate.   According to Todd Zolecki of mlb.com the Fightins are still in the hunt for Nomar Garciaparra but GM Ruben Amaro said there is a less than 50% chance of him signing.   They are also still open to signing an additional left handed reliever if possible.    Hearing rumors that fan favorite, Mr. Coste may be traded to the Mariners if Paulino proves worthy of a major league spot……. still think the team may carry three catchers if Nomar does not sign, guess if folks like Marcus Giles, Mayberry  or perhaps Miguel Cairo have decent springs they could serve as the right hand bat off bench….. we will see.

The Phillies open the home spring schedule in Clearwater tommorow against the Blue Jays. This first game was in Bradenton which is about an hour’s drive south of Clearwater.  Regular players are allowed to drive to the games rather than ride the bus if they so choose, apparently Jimmy Rollins was a bit late for the  pre game warmups as he got lost and his teammates gave him a  good natured razzing for it.

All players reported on time for the Fightins as they prepare for thier title defense.  There has been alot of trash talk already between the Phils and the rivals from New York, the Mets…… probably a good thing the Mets train on the other coast of Florida in Port St. Lucie ! 

Jamie Moyer offered opinion on the A-Rod steroid story stating that A-Rod’s accomplishments are now tainted and hall of fame consideration should be as well.  I agree with the wise left-hander in that regard but regardless the time frame known as “The Steroid Era” is tainted in general and I think when A-Rod is considered for the Hall of Fame it should be based on his entire career and that specific time period should not be the only consideration.  The same holds true for Barry Bonds, etc. that were noted “cheaters” during the period. 

Chase Utley took ground balls at second base this week and seems to be progressing nicely after off season hip surgery.  Pedro Feliz  does not seem as far along as does Mr. Utley in the recovery of his own surgery on his back.  The Phillies have alot of veteran infielders in camp as a safeguard that either man is unable to go north on time.

Skipper Charlie Manuel stated that if the season were to start right now he would carry three catchers on the team, this makes sense in that all three are right handed hitters and the team is in need of a right hand bat off the bench.  He did not say which two would be the backups to starter Carlos Ruiz, only that Chris Coste, Ronny Paulino and Lou Marson would all be given alot of playing time this spring.  Ruiz is set to participate in the World Baseball Classic so indeed the three other catchers will have plenty of spring opportunity.

Chatter

Rumblings are that the Phils have put out an open offer to each of the three left handed relievers still left on the market and that whomever accepts first can join the team.  Will Ohman, Joe Biemel and Dennys Reyes are the three targets.  The offer is suspected to be for one year only and around $1 million.    Single game tickets went on sale today for the regular season and the “ring ceremony” game where the team will receive the championship rings immediately sold out!  Phillies fans continue to support their team!