J.A. Happ tossed his second complete game shutout of the season on Wednesday night as he beat the Colorado Rockies 7-0.  That effort secured his spot in the starting rotation for the rest of the season and was annouced as such by General Manager Ruben Amaro on Thursday.   Pedro Martinez tossed a gem of his own on Wednesday as he struck out 11 Double A minor leaguers in Reading while walking none.  Martinez hit 93 on the radar gun consistently in the outing.   Cliff Lee tossed his first home win on Thursday afternoon as he went seven innings to beat the Colorado Rockies 3-1.   Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge closed the game with Lidge earning his 21st save of the season.

Now……. Joe Blanton has been pitching superbly this season so his spot in the rotation is also secure, Cole Hamels has struggled a bit lately but he is the reigning World Series MVP and is definitely needed in the rotation if the Fightin’s have any chance of repeating.   Veteran Jamie Moyer albeit having won 10 games this season has struggled as well and has a high E.R.A. to boot.  The decision point thus comes down to which veteran goes to the pen, Jamie or Pedro or……… a six man rotation is envoked.

Debate

1.  A six man rotation on the surface may not seem so bad, last season Hamels actually seemed to perform better when given an extra day’s rest so there could be upside there as innings could be saved for the playoffs themselves.    The downside is that the team would not be running out Lee,Hamels, Blanton and Happ on the most frequent basis and thus would be altering routine as well as deferring their best chance at winning games.     Tough call on this one but would not be shocked that this is the route they take.

2.  Moyer or Martinez in the Pen -  Moyer would probably not be effective in relief as his game is pitching to spots and using hitters aggression against them, most relief spots are short stints requiring “stuff” to get folks out and/or key pinch hitters so the agrgression angle may not be as predominantly in play as when he is used as a starter and hitters see him more than once per game.  Martinez, while having excelled before in a relievers role has been programmed to start and is expecting as much, not sure if asked to be a pen member how it might work.   He is the better of the two choices between the pitchers for the bullpen role as his stuff is more dynamic.   I think though that he is been given the word that he is a starter and thus he will be.   My guess is that Mr. Moyer will end up in the pen if the six man rotation is not deemed viable.

GM Ruben Amaro today pulled off his first major blockbuster deal as he acquired Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco from the Cleveland Indians for minor leaguers Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson and Jason Donald. 

Lee, the 2008 A.L. Cy Young Award winner gives the Phillies a true 1-2 punch when coupled with Cole Hamels that should rival any top of the rotation competion they will face.  While the team had seemed focused on acquiring Toronto ace Roy Halladay  terms could not be reached with the Canadians as they insisted on the Phillies inclusion of top prospect Kyle Drabek in any deal for Halladay. 

I think that Amaro has pulled a coup in getting Lee instead and from what I have read about Francisco is that he may indeed be the right handed bat off the bench that the team is lacking.  He has 10 home runs thus far this season and hit 15 last year.   Skipper Charlie Manuel is familiar with both Lee and Francisco from his days in the Cleveland organization and seems very pleased with the deal! 

Good going Mr. Amaro, shows this team is for real about winning now !  Good time to be a Fightin Phillies fan!

Chatter

Amaro was interviewed on Comcast Sportsnet after the trade became official and indicated that the team may indeed be more open for further moves.  The Phillies have sevenMajor League starters  in tow now with Pedro Martinez tuning up in Triple A and believed targeted as soon to join the big club.  Rodrigo Lopez is undefeated as a starter,  J.A. Happ is 7-1 and Jamie Moyer has won 10 games!  Joe Blanton has pitched distinctively well over the last two months and Cole Hamels had an excellent outing this week by outdueling Arizona’s Dan Haren. 

Could be that Happ may still be dangled as bait for another bullpen arm………. Heath Bell, Chad Qualls or George Sherrill come to mind as potential Phillies before the deadline passes! 

In any regards we are loaded for Bear, watch out ………… maybe we have another parade forthcoming!

As I write this post it is true that the Fightin’s have won eight in a row, it is true that they are clubbing the Cubbies 9 to 0 in the fourth inning of the first game of a seven game homestand, it is true that they lead the N.L. Eastern Division by 6.5 games with an additional four games in hand over the second place Atlanta Braves, it is true that they just completed a sweep against the Florida Marlins that could, I say could, turn the young Fish on a downward spiral,  it is true that J.A. Happ is undefeated with a perfect 7-0 record and is in position to become the N.L. Rookie of the Year, it is true that the regular starting eight fields 5 All Stars, it is true that Jimmy Rollins has started to hit like J-Roll and not just your regular Jimmy, it is true that big Ryan Howard hasn’t even went on a hot spell yet that usually comes in late July and August, it is true that Cole Hamels has shown signs of pitching again like the 2008 playoff and series MVP rather than being mired in the mediocrity he displayed during the first half of the season.

Yes indeed Phillie Phans all those things are true which we know reflects the success of the season thus far and hope, I say hope, leads to future success this season……. but …………  I personally do not think it is enough, we need a bit more.

Rumblings are that the Fightin’s are the frontrunners to trade for one Roy “Doc” Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays.   Those same rumors state that the price is steep which might include a package of one J.A. Happ and additional selections from a mix of  Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Michael Taylor, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, etc.    I say so be it, go get him Mr. Amaro for the following reasons.

1.  Pitching wins in the playoffs, period.  It would appear that the San Francisco Giants could be a first round opponent in the abbreviated five game series, they throw at you LInceum, Cain and Johnson.  Would you not be more comfortable matching that with Halladay, Hamels and Moyer/Blanton/Martinez or the rookie Happ in one of the top 2 spots?  Pretty easy answer in my opinion.

2.   We are fans of the Phillies, we have won 2……count ‘em 2 world series in our entire over 100 year history!  We are fans of the losingest franchise in professional sports, we have a nucleaus of a team right now that is in the prime or close to it of their collective careers……… long story short our future is now !   Times past have proven that when the Phillies plan for the future we don’t get it right!  Lets win now folks while we have a realistic chance, I would much rather bank another series title in 2009 than worry about planning for “potential” titles in the future!

3.   The quality of Mr. Halladay when compared to young Mr. Happ and others is not even close at this point, he is proven, he goes long into games, he wins.   Yes, Mr. Happ has won consistently this season and I do believe will continue to win big league games but he is not of the same ilk as Mr. Halladay.

4.   Mr. Halladay is a bulldog in approach, comparable to the approach that Chase Utley has shown us.  He wants to win, he is very attentive to detail of preparing for his opposition,  he is upper echelon talent…..perhaps the best in the game, he delivers.   If you can get him and put him on a team with folks akin to this approach I think that you cannott help but win!

Go get him Mr. Amaro, don’t get complacent in the thinking, remember it is only July and there will be a lull somewhere in the season.  The key is to have a team that can survive the marathon of the summer season and be enabled to win the mini battles of playoff series in the fall…….. Mr. Halladay positions this very good team to do that.  It is a no brainer.

Chatter

Pedro Martinez threw a good bullpen session in Miami when the team was there for the Marlins series, he will make his first rehab start for Clearwater and then either move up to Reading or Lehigh to pitch another game, if  all goes well he would be in a position to pitch against the Giants at month end.  Rodrigo Lopez will have a couple of starts during that period, he has pitched very well tonight against the Cubs so he could make it interesting as to where Pedro fits in.   Time will tell.

The Phillies pounded the Cincinatti Reds for 22 runs on Monday night as the offensive flood gates opened!  They pounded 21 hits including four home runs while setting a team record with a ten run first inning!  Reminds one of the big explosion they had in St. Louis last year.  Cole Hamels was the recipient of the great run support and got the mound win.   In the second game of the series Brad Lidge took the loss as he was tagged for the go ahead run in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss.  On Wednesday Shane Victorino knocked in the game winner in the ninth for the Phillies making a winner out of Ryan Madson in a 3-2 win.

Injury Updates

Raul Ibanez is in Triple A Lehigh Valley on his rehab assignment, he hopes to be activated this weekend for the Pittsbugh series prior to making his first All Star start in the game on Tuesday.  Clay Condrey is also close to going on a rehab assignment himself and should be activated a week or so after the all star game.  Rodrigo Lopez strained his shoulder in his start on Wednesday but reportedly was ok on Thursday, the Phillies wont need a fifth starter till 7/20.

All Stars

Shane Victorino was voted in as the fan’s reserve to the All Star game, the Fightin’s faithful did a great job of putting the flying Hawaiiin in the game… speaking of Hawaii the Governor there and our PA Governor made a friendly wager on which state would generate the most votes for Shane, not sure which one won!  Victorino joins Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley along with skipper Charlie Manuel in St. Louis for the game.   Howard will also participate in the home run derby contest.

Chatter

Pedro Martinez anyone ?  According to reports he will be signing with the Phillies and added to the starting rotation after the All Star break.  Martinez apparently threw consistently in low 90′s in a private workout for the Fightins.   Roy Halladay is apparently also on the team’s radar as Toronto has announced it is willing to listen on trade offers, will take a boat load of talent to pry him loose from the Jays but the Phillies may have it to do so, minor leagues are steep with talent for the Fightins and the Jays were scouting the big club this week, perhaps J.A. Happ and Jayson Werth may be part of the asking price.  Halladay is 32 but is perhaps the best right handed pitcher in baseball and sure would make the Phillies a tough crew to beat in a playoff series when coupled with Cole Hamels!  I know that we gotta get there first and that everyone loves offense but it has long been proven that pitching is what wins in the playoffs and world series.  Just look at what potential staffs the Fightins may face in the playoffs and series, the Sox roll out studs as do the Yanks….. if the Phillies can put up Hamels/Halladay at top of rotation I will take my chances against anyone!

In western North Carolina and am listening to games on Fox Ohio, interesting perspective hearing the Reds announcers talking about how dangerous the Phillies lineup is throughout, that being said we could pry a bat loose to get another stud pitcher!

After pounding the Rays in game one of the series in Tampa the Fightins proceeded to get smoked in the next two by counts of 7-1 and 10-4.   Tempers also started to flare a bit as reliever J.C. Romero allegedly had a physical altercation with a fan after the series finale on Thursday.  Word is that the fan was taunting Romero about his “banned substance” suspension and that Romero grabbed the 25 year old fan by the neck and shoved him.  The incident is now being investigated by the Tampa police department!   So…..not only is the team scuffling on the field but also off it as well!

The Phillies squandered a very effective pitching performance by Joe Blanton in the Tampa series as he struck out 10 Rays in seven innings on Wednesday night.  The Phillies could not solve Matt Garza of the Rays however and the bullpen got tagged for five runs in the eighth inning to make the game a blowout.   In Thursday’s game  the Fightins spotted rookie Antonio Bastardo with a four run first inning lead but the young lefty could not hold it and ended up departing after only 3 and 2/3 innings after giving up six runs.  He actually left with a shoulder strain as well and will miss at least his next start, another injured warrior to add perhaps to the D.L. list. 

On Friday night the Fightins invaded Canada to take on the Jays in hopes that a letter change in the first character of the opposition’s name would make a difference!  Cole Hamels toed the rubber for the Phillies but did not pitch very effectively,  Hamels was bounced after four and 2/3rds giving up four runs enroute to a 6-1 loss.  Hamels was also tossed by the home plate umpire as he argued called balls and strikes on his way to the dugout, he became the first Phillie player to earn ejection this season.   

After the game the skipper held a 20 minute closed door team meeting and refused to speak to the press afterwards, seems Ol’ Charlie had finally reached the break point.  No one likes to get reamed but doing it in private and not in front of those outside the team is indeed the proper way, I watched an amatuer coach at a local game  try to motivate his team in front of all in attendance on Friday night and indeed it was amatuerish in how it came off and in it’s effect………Charlie Manuel is a very good manager and knows how to get to his players, I am sure that his words were not pointed at individual failure but more at getting the collective heads out of the collective tails and playing smart and good baseball, that is how this team has succeeded the past two years.   Recent struggles have been due to poor defense, bad baserunning, swinging at pitcher’s pitches and our pitchers not making said type pitches!  Those things are correctable if heads are screwed on straight and the team has talent.  This team has talent and will move forward, I still don’t believe anyone in the division is good enough to beat them, in fact even with all the recent struggles they were still in first place by 1/2 game !

Saturday perhaps was the game that shed some light at the end of the tunnell.  Jayson Werth had a huge offensive game going four for four with two home runs.  J.A. Happ threw a complete game shutout as the Fightins rebounded to win 10-0 over the Jays in the afternoon contest.  Ryan Howard had three hits also and a couple were bloops in front of outfielders which may be a gift from the baseball gods for all the “hits” he outs on by hitting hard shots into the right side shift that most teams put on him!  In any regards when the Fightins wake up on Sunday Morning they will still be in first and perhaps the meeting has restored the proper approach, we will see.

Chatter

Jimmy Rollins has sat out three consecutive games and in fact late inning defensive moves saw third sacker Pedro Feliz play shortstop for the last two innings on Saturday.  Skipper Manual is hell bent to rest Rollins until he gets that swagger back and becomes the J-Roll we have come to love.  It will happen but it may not take place till the Atlanta series as the skipper has indicated he may sit J-Roll again tommorrow.     Outfielder Raul Ibanez is eligible to come off the D.L. this coming week as is lefty reliever Scott Eyre.  Both would be welcomed additions back to the roster albeit John Mayberry Jr. has done a nice job filling in for Raul when he has played.  Mayberry is a very athletic player who is much better defensively than one might expect in the outfield.   He could be used as a trade chip perhaps as the July 31st trade deadline looms.   The Phillies have two young very gifted outfielders in the minors behind Mayberry in Dominick Browne and Michael Taylor.   Rumblings are that Browne is considered untouchable but Taylor or Mayberry could be had for the right return. 

if Bastardo has to be disabled the call to the minors this time may go to 21 year old top prospect Carlos Carrasco.  Carrasco started the season struggling but has won four of his last five decisions and appears to be back on track.  Andrew Carpenter is also apparently throwing the ball very well and could be the choice………… fans like me are salivating over when we get to see Kyle Drabek in the red pinstripes as word is he is the next real deal, a right handed stud offset to our young ace Cole Hamels.  Drabek has been clocked in the 95 to 97 range and couples it with a nasty change and curve ball apparently of the 12 to 6 variety.  He is tearing up double A ball so hopes are he is not far away!

Apparently not many teams willing to talk trade just yet but that will change as the deadline gets nearer.  The Cardinals are rumored to be in hot pursuit of Matt Holliday again which would give them bat protection for Mr. Albert P.     The Indians are apparently unwilling to trade starter Cliff Lee but this is the same franchise that traded C.C. Sabbathia last season and most feel a good package of prospects will wedge Mr. Lee loose, the Phillies are one of the teams that are deep in minor league talent and some sort of combination offer of the likes of Jason Donald, Michael Taylor, J.A. Happ, John Mayberry, Andrew Carpenter, Sergio Escalona, etc.  may indeed get it done.  Time will indeed tell.

The Phitin Phils home woes continued as they lost a three game series earlier this week to the might Toronto Blue Jays!  Poor pitching, bad defense and inconsistent offense are the bottom lines to the losses, that coupled with a key player once again succumbing to injury are cause for concern for us Phans!   Despite all of that the team still finds itself in first place by three games as the second place Mets also lost thier most recent series, this one to the Orioles.  Here is a recap of the three Phillie-Jays games :

Tuesday, June 16th – Toronto 8 Phillies 3

Young Toronto Lefty Ricky Romero tossed seven stellar innings against the Phillies as he struck out nine.  Cole Hamels gave the Phillies a good outing going six innings and limiting the Jays to 2 runs.  This one turned into a battle of the bullpens as it became yet another extra inning contest as Ryan Madson could not hold the one run lead for Hamels in the ninth and blew his second save of the season.   Toronto exploded for five runs off of Clay Condrey in the top of the tenth to salt the game away, rumblings are that Condrey is nursing an injury of his own and is trying to pitch thru it.   The Phillies could only muster 8 hits in the game, three by Chase Utley and two by Jimmy Rollins.  Jayson Werth hit his tenth home run of the game in the sixth inning.

Wednesday, June 17th – Toronto 7 Phillies 1

Jamie Moyer was hit around a bit again as he gave up six runs on ten hits in six innings of work.  Youngster Scott Richmond tossed eight very effective innings for Toronto limiting the Phillies to only five hits while striking out eleven!   The Phillies only run was a solo home run by Jayson Werth.  Shane Victorino had two hits but the team could only muster six in total. 

Thursday, July 18th – Toronto 8 Phillies 7

Joe Blanton could only go five and one thirds innings before exiting in this one albeit he did leave with a 5-4 lead at the time.   An overused bullpen once again could not hold onto the lead as the two teams went back and forth before Toronto scored the game winner in the top of the ninth off of game loser Ryan Madson.  New Phillie hurler Tyler Walker pitched out of an inherited jam in the eighth inning to keep the game within reach at 7-5, the Phillies tied it at seven but Madson was tagged for a homer by Rod Barajas in the visitor’s ninth.    The Phillies offense was much better in this one as they collected twelve hits, three by Jimmy Rollins, and two each by Shane Victorino and John Mayberry Jr.  Mayberry was recalled from Triple A prior to the game to replace injured Raul Ibanez who was placed on the 15 day disabled list prior to the game with a strained groin.  Mayberry belted a home run in the game.

Chatter

Raul Ibanez was further evaluated with an MRI and diagnosed to have no additional groin damage, with rest it is expected that he will be able to rejoin the active roster for the next Mets series.  Brad Lidge has had two successful bullpen outing and will do a rehab start at Reading over the weekend, he is expected to be activated for next Tuesday’s game if all goes well.   Two of the Phillies hot minor league prospects are on the disabled list, Lou Marson and Jason Donald are both deactivated with injuries.   Speculation of the Phillies dangling either for potential pitching help is thus on the backburner.  Rumors are that the Phillies have scouted Red Sox hurler Brad Penny but it is unclear what it would take to get him, it was thought that Donald was the chip they wanted.   Former top draft choice Lefty Joe Savery was recently promoted to Reading where he joins super prospect Kyle Drabek in the rotation, watch both those boys, one could be in the show before the end of the 2009 season!  

The Fightins entered New York’s CIti Field with a three game lead on the second place Mets in the NL Eastern Division, a three game series ensued after which the Phillies would be four games up on the New Yorkers.  Here is how the series played out.

Game 1 – Tuesday, June 9th – Mets 6 Phillies 5

J.A. Happ had his worst start of the season on the hill for the Phillies as his pitches were up in the zone and the Mets made him pay for it.  Happ pitched five and one third innings giving up four runs on six hits and four walks.  Happ gave up home runs to David Wright and Carlos Beltran.   Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley hit home runs for the Phillies as Rollins had three hits and Jayson Werth collected two.  In the end though Johan Santana was credited with his eighth win of the season and K-Rod earned his 16th save of the season for the Mets.

Game 2 – Wednesday, June 10th – Phillies 5 Mets 4 (11 innings)

Cole Hamels got roughed up a bit in this one as the Phillies ace only pitched five innings giving up eleven hits and four runs while only striking out one batter.  The Phillies perservered however and staged yet another comeback to win!  Chase Utley blasted two home runs in the game, almost to the identical spot, in right field.   Utley had three hits in the game.   The Phillies bullpen was excellent in relief of Hamels as they pitched six scoreless innings allowing only five Met hits.   Chan Ho Park earned his second win of the season by throwing scoreless innings in the ninth and tenth and temporary closer Ryan Madson earned his third save by tossing a perfect eleventh inning.

Game Three – Thursday, June 11th – Phillies 6 Mets 3 ( Ten Innings)

Jamie Moyer had another strong outing as a starter tossing six innings allowing eight hits and three runs.  Raul Ibanez blasted the key blow, a three run home run in the top of the tenth inning to seal the victory.  Scott Eyre earned the mound win and Ryan Madson collected his fourth save of the season by finishing out the game.   Pedro Feliz had three hits in the game and Chris Coste collected two.  Jayson Werth in right field, made a game saving catch in the home ninth else the game would not have made it to extra innings.

Chatter

Brad Lidge was put on the disabled list prior to the beginning of the Mets series with a sore knee.  The knee has been bothering Lidge all season and he had hoped to pitch thru it, the team hopes a 15 day stint of pure rest will reduce the swelling and enable “Lights Out” to get back to form.  Catcher Paul Bako was recalled from Double A Reading to take Lidge’s roster spot, Bako will enable the Phillies to use Chris Coste as a right handed pinch hitter more since the team is now carrying three catchers.   Scott Eyre was also placed on the 15 day disabled list after Thursday night’s game with a strained calf,  righthander Kyle Kendrick was recalled from Triple A Lehigh Valley to take Eyre’s spot.  Kendrick will be used as a long reliever and lefty Jack Taschner will be asked to fill in Eyre’s spot as the lefty specialist out of the pen.  

The Phillies drafted a local young man I know and my son had the opportunity to play with in high school and legion ball.  David Hissey, an outfielder from Emory University was taken in the 50th round by the FIghtins,  Hiss played his high school ball at Unionville High School and Legion baseball for Kennett.  Congrats David and good luck embarking on a pro baseball career!

What perhaps could have been a series sweep turned into a series split as the Fightins won 2 of 4 in Tinseltown.  Closer Brad Lidge had his difficulties in finishing two of the games albeit hindered by an error committed by usually reliable third sacker Pedro Feliz in one of them.   The starting pitching continued to excel, both young arms and old which is a positive from early season woes.  Mr. Lidge will come around, have faith Phillie fans, not time to panic just yet!   Did I mention we are in first place in NL East ?  Here is a recap of the Dodger series.

Thursday, June 4 – Phillies 3 Dodgers 0

Cole Hamels was the story as he threw a complete game shutout limiting LA to only five hits while striking out five and issueing zero free passes!   Hamels had excellent command, great velocity and super movement……all those ingredients equate to a shutout!  Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez each had an RBI and Carlos Ruiz and Werth had two hits in the game.  Hamels was the bottom line to the win though.

Friday, June 5 – Dodgers 4 Phillies 3

The Phillies were within one out of the win when Russell Martin hit a ground ball to third basemen Pedro Feliz in what would normally be a routine out but Pedro kicked it allowing Andre Ethier to come to the plate with the bases juiced and the Dodgers trailing by one.  Ethier smoked Brad Lidge’s first offering to him for a double over right fielder Eric Bruntlett’s head to plate two mates and produce the walk off Dodger win.  What was lost in the equation was a tremendous performance by Phillies starter Jamie Moyer who went seven strong innings giving up only four hits and two runs.  J.C. Romero pitched a scoreless eighth to earn his first 2009 hold but in the end Mr. Lidge got blown save number 5 on the season.  Bruntlett, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Feliz had two hits each to lead the Phillie offense.

Saturday, June 6 – Dodgers 3 Phillies 2

Once again the FIghtins took a one run lead into the ninth with closer Brad Lidge on the hill and once again the Dodgers tagged Mr. Lidge with a blown save.  Rafael Furcal hit a solo pinch hit home run to send the game to extra innings where Andre Ethier would eventually win it with a home run off of Chad Durbin in the 12th inning.   Joe Blanton gave the Phillies another strong start by going five innings limiting the Dodgers to one run on five hits.  Clay Condrey, J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson all earned holds in setting it up for closer Brad Lidge but Mr. Lights Out was lit up instead for his sixth blown save of the year.  The Phillies only had six hits in the whole 12 innings led by Pedro Feliz with two.

Sunday, June 7th – Phillies 7 Dodgers 2

The Fightins exacted revenge in the Sunday Night nationally televised contest on Fox Sports.  Rookie Antonio Bastardo pitched five innings in his second big league start to earn win number 2.  Bastardo struck out four while giving up two runs on seven hits.   Chan Ho Park was booed by the Dodger faithful when he came onto the field in relief of Bastardo but Chan Ho pitched three scoreless innings to earn his first hold of the season, Ryan Madson finished the contest in the ninth.  Home runs were hit by Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino.   Victorino, Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins, ( hitting out of the six hole for first time since 2006), had two hits each to account for two thirds of the Phillies total of nine for the game. 

Chatter

After an off day on Monday J.A. Happ will take the mound in New York against the Mets on Tuesday to kick off a 3 game series and end the 10 game road swing.  The Phillies are 5 and 2 thus far on the trip, the three game series may mean more for the Mets than the Phillies as the New Yorkers are severely banged up but to their credit are still only 3 games out of first place behind the Philies.  A series win by the Phillies could be a demoralizer to the New Yorkers but it is far too early in the season I think.  Should at the least be an entertaining series, usually is when these two teams get it on.

The Phillies have been absolute road warriors so far in 2009 and that trend continued as the Fightins took San Diego by storm and swept a three game series from them.  The sweep extended the team winning streak to six games and positioned them with a three and 1/2 game lead in National League East.

Monday, June 1st – Phillies 5 Padres 3

Joe Blanton tossed seven strong innings allowing only six hits to earn his fourth win of the season. Scott Eyre tossed the eigth inning to earn his 10th hold of the season and closer Brad Lidge finished the game to gain save number 13.   Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hit back to back home runs to power the Philly offense.  Utley, Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino each had two hits in the contest.    Adrian Gonzalez hit his league leading 21st home run for San Diego.

Tuesday, June 2nd – Phillies 10 Padres 5

Antonio Bastardo made his major league debut a successful one as he threw six innings allowing only four hits and one run while striking out 5 batters.  Bastardo basically featured a fast ball albeit a very good as he consistently hit 94-95 on the radar gun.  It was indeed a very impressive debut for the young 22 year old lefthander!   Jake Peavey only lasted one inning on the mound for San Diego as the Phillies tuned him up for four runs, Peavey is fighting an uppper respiratory infection and it definitely effected him.  Raul Ibanez continued his hot hitting by belting 2 home runs on this, his 37th birthday.   Ibanez now has 19 bombs on the season!   Greg Dobbs, getting a start at third base, belted his second home run of the season.    Ibanez had three hits in the game while Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard each had two hits.   The Phillies were riding a comfortable nine run lead going into the home seventh but Chan Ho Park got lit up for four runs to make the score 10-5.  Chad Durbin pitched one and 2/3 innings after Park but loaded the bases in the ninth which brought the tieing run in the on deck circle and Ryan Madson into the game, Madson recorded the last out to earn his second save of the season.

Wednesday, June 3rd – Phillies 5 Padres 1

J.A. Happ threw a gem for the Fightins going seven innings allowing no runs and only four hits!  Happ earned his fourth win of the season and has pitched thus far like a second ace in the rotation!  J.C. Romero made his 2009 debut by pitching 1 and 1/3 innings, Ryan Madson finished the game.

Ryan Howard belted his 16th home run of the season in the sixth inning to plate two runs.  Greg Dobbs started in right field and collected two hits in the game.  He also made a very good defensive play in the second inning running down a ball in the gap to record the third out of the inning.  Shane Victorino left the game early with a strained hip.  No word on the severity, Jayson Werth finished the game in center field.

Chatter

The Phillies now move on to L.A. for a four game set, Cole Hamels gets the first start of the series, the Dodgers will be throwing three lefties at the Phillies in the series rotation.   Tom Glavine was released by the Braves, rumblings were the Phillies might be interested but I hope not, the young guys have stepped up thus far so I think they should ride it out for a bit to see how it goes.    Kyle Drabek was promoted to Double A Reading and threw very well in his debut there, GM Ruben Amaro was on hand in Reading to see the young right hander throw, word is that he hit 99 on the radar gun!  Stay tuned on that front,  could Drabek be in the bigs this season ?

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.