Sometimes, like Pedro Martinez, says you have to tip your cap and admit that the other team was just better.  The Yankees were indeed the better team this post season and although it was not the outcome I was hoping for the Fightin’s did give us another great season!

Now the “Hot Stove” season is slated to begin and G.M. Ruben Amaro has already begun planning for the 2010 season.  The club picked up the option on lefthander Cliff Lee and has initiated talks that a long term deal could be in the future albeit probably unlikely.   They have told righthander Brett Myers that he will not be part of the 2010 plans and Myers will be pursueing free agent employment elsewhere. 

Today the team announced that they will not pick up the option on third baseman Pedro Feliz which may indicate that exploratory talks with other free agents at the position may be fruitful but the team is keeping the door open for future discussions with Feliz as well.

So what does this team need to get back to the World Series and win it in 2010.   The evident need to me is starting pitching quality not depth……… the Yankees ran Sabbathia, Burnett and Petite at us, yes if Cole Hamels was at 2008 form then coupled with Lee we had two thirds of the matchup equaled but we need another ace………… Roy Doc Halladay fits here and can be had in my opinion.  Send the Jays a package of J.A. Happ, Michael Taylor, Joe Savery or Yoland Flande and the kid outfielder from Lakeland that stole a bunch of bases and I think he can be had.   Yes he is only signed for one more season as is Lee but have themcompete for the contract extension, in the interim running out a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton and perhaps Moyer sure sounds like a winner to me!

In regards to third base I keep reading the name Adrian Beltre as a potential fit here, also Mark DeRosa, Chone Figgins, Troy Glauss, Dan Uggla, Melvin Mora or Marco Scutaro.   Personally I like Pedro Feliz and the steady defense that he brought but if the team can keep that kind of glove and improve the offense then so be it.   I think that it will either be DeRosa, Beltre or Glauss myself.

The team also needs a steady middle infield backup and Scutaro would be a great addition there but he would have to be agreeable to limited at bats since Rollins and Utley don’t take many games off.  Backup catcher is also a need and the Colorado Rockies just released Yorvitt Torrealba.  He would be a great combo with Carlos Ruiz for next season.

Bullpen re-engineering is also a need and the Mets release of J.J. Putz provides the Phillies an opportunity to get a high reward, low risk type of guy coming off injury.  Putz has closed and if healthy could provide another option to help Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge at end of games.  Last off season the Phillies brought in Chan Ho Park and he did a very good job in the pen, look for another few of those signings this season as well.  Relievers need to be redistritbuted since they throw alot of innings and it is very difficult for teams to stay consistent with the same crews, need to bring in fresher arms from year to year, perhaps the minors might also provide some new options as I think both Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona could make strong pushes in Spring Training for roster spots.

Alas, we lost the world series but looking ahead pitchers and catchers report in a little more than 90 days!  Still a great time to be a Phillie Phan!

NLCS

The Dodgers plan to use Vincenti Padilla and Randy Wolf in the playoff starting rotation, those guys used to pitch for the Fightin’s when they stunk!  Granted both are good pitchers but do we really think they can beat our team’s lineup ?  The Phillies will start with Cole Hamels in the first game and the young lefty needs to step up like he did last fall as he is positioned to pitch more than once in the series.  Pedro Martinez is the likely starter in game two with Cliff Lee getting the ball in game three, after that it is a wait and see who goes for game four.   The key to this series as I see it is the bullpen, if the Phillies pen can come thru and it looks like both Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ are going to be in the pen at least for the first three games then I see the Fightin’s going to thier second world series in a row.  I think that Chan Ho Park is a real possibility of being added to the post season roster and if healthy can indeed be a big plus to the back end of the pen.   My prediction is that the Phillies take the series in six games but I can actually see them winning in five as well!

ALCS

Don’t have any real logical reason to state so but I have a feeling that the L.A. Angels are going to win the American League pennant.   Even though the Yankees have the best team money can buy I think the Angels are more motivated and hungry and I see a coast to coast World Series!

With 14 games left to play the Fightins have reduced the magic number to clinch their third straight N.L. Eastern Division title to six.  Any combination of Phillies wins or the second place team in the division losses adding to six will result in the championship!

The Fightins just won two of three in Atlanta to basically leave the Braves for dead in the race and now go on to Miami to attempt to do the same with the young Marlins.  Here are some thoughts regarding the remaining two weeks of the season :

Kudos

Raul Ibanez appears to have found a semblance of his batting stroke as he battles thru the tail end of a tough second half of the season for him.  Ibanez has reached the 30 home run plateau and has come up with big hits lately in games.   Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels appear poised to lead the rotation into the post season, Hamels has thrown really well in his last four outings and Lee is coming off of two strong outings himself.  Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins appear to have the playoff game face on as each has come to life offensively during the stretch drive,  both also continue to play very well defensively.  Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz have also quietly went about thier business both with the bat and the gloves to hold down the fort in the lower part of the order as well as providing defensive stability.   Tyler Walker deserves recognition for having a very good year out of the pen which has gone relatively unnoticed.

Concerns

Unlike last season the injury bug continues to bite!  Brett Myers, J.C. Romero, Scott Eyre, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park and Pedro Martinez  are all pitchers with different forms of injury that have placed doubt in regards to thier availability and roles for post season.   Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz  and Greg Dobbs all are battling “minor” injuries and probably could use some rest before the playoffs begin.   

Not liking at all when Brad Lidge pitches and the Phillies give up second base on “defensive indifference” when a runner is on, more times than not the runner has scored when if held on they would not have.   I realize that Mr. Lidge is struggling and his focus is being directed at getting the hitter out but not holding runners on make closer games than needed in my opinion, also inflates the E.R.A. !

Shane Victorino got tossed in the first inning of today’s game vs the Braves for argueing a play at second base where he thought his steal attempt resulted in a swiped bag, the umpire saw differently.  Victorino argued to a point where he got thrown out, come on Shane, gotta stay in the game in that situation whether the call was bad or not, can’t lose his head as the team needed him for defense and his bat against a tough right hander !

Yunell Escobar got benched by Braves Manager Bobby Cox in game one of the series and deservingly so, Escobar failed to run out a ground out to shortstop in his first at bat and the crusty old skipper immediately gave the young stud a seat on the bench for his “lapse in judgement”.  Cox was absolutely correct in doing so and it is why he continues to be one of the games best managers! 

Chatter

The team moves on to Miami for a three game set including a rare Tuesday night doubleheader, the DH is a result of the Miami Dolphins needing the stadium for a Monday Night Footbal game.  The last regular season road trip of the year ends with a four game set in Milwaukee.   Kyle Kendrick has pitched very well for the Fightins this September, one as a starter where he went 8 very strong innings and most recently in relief of J.A. Happ in Atlanta where he came out of the pen to throw three scoreless innings!  His sinker has been very effective and he has shown an ability to change speeds effectively, something he did not do during his last stint with the team.

Go Phillies!  Clinch that division and then on to the playoffs, great time indeed to be a Phillies Phan !

As New York Mets fans know being in first place in the National League East in September is not the most secure place in recent years.  The mighty Mets fell out of the top spot and eventually relinquished the title to our Fightins each of the last two seasons.  The FIghtins presently hold that leadership perch this season and one would think that with a 5 and 1/2 game lead and a magic number of 16 as of the time of this writing that such lead would be relatively safe………. as the New Yorker’s would tell you, don’t count on it till the fat lady sings!

The Phillies have not played well in September this season, they were swept in a four game series in Houston by the Astros and albeit came back to win two of three against the Nationals in Washington struggled to do so.   Everyone knows that the team offense is predicated on the long ball but recent times have seen that reliance to become somewhat alarming.  The Fightins run production recently has been delivered 60% of the time on home runs !  Too often they have been unable to produce runs with runners in scoring position and less than two outs.   If the team holds on and wins their third straight division title, which I expect them to by the way, the playoff run will be short if they do not figure out how to get back to offense 101 and move runners to score the small ball way also.  Home Runs usually don’t fly against the pitchers you see in the playoffs.

On top of the offensive woes the bullpen has been a real worry, Brad Lidge blew another game in Houston and struggled so mightingly in a game in Washington that skipper Charlie Manuel had to go get him in the ninth in favor of Ryan Madson who eventually closed the win.   Madson, though is not a closer just yet as he displayed against the Mets in yesterday’s game by blowing his sixth save of the season.   Brett Myers also pitched poorly against the Mets yesterday giving up a two run blast himself in the eighth inning set up roll.   Bottom line is this, anyone who does not realize that the Phillies must get Lidge right in the closer roll is blind as a baseball fan, the skipper knows it and will attempt to take the last few weeks of the season to try and get him right. 

In today’s game against the Mets Kyle Kendrick stepped up in a spot start opportunity and threw very well leaving with a 5 to 2 lead.  Matt Stairs doubled in the home eighth and was plated by Andy Tracy with a single to score that fifth run in what may become one of the more important RBI’s of the season.   The skipper brought in Mr. Lidge to attempt to get the game done and he needed every one of those three runs to do so as he converted a save for the 5-4 win.   I truly think that even though he struggled once again with hanging sliders that were hit hard by two Met hitters the fact that he was able to convert with two strike outs may indeed finally be the bridge back to where we need him to be.

I repeat, this team needs Brad Lidge to close, he is the best option we have and the success of the season will hinge on his ability to recover. 

Chatter

Kudo’s to Phillie fans who gave Lidge a very nice ovation when he came into the game today, it was a show of class for a class act, Lidge has never ducked his responsibility this season and does not deserve any boo birds wrath for that, he has not performed on the field but as we saw last season the Phillies home crowd can be a great attribute to the home team if we are behind them, this is a very good team we have, no room to be negative now fellow Phillie Phans, not if we want another title which is indeed in reach!

Pedro Martinez goes tonight against his old teammates in the night portion of the day-night twin bill.  Pedro has been excellent thus far so let’s hope that streak continues.  Has anyone noticed that Jamie Moyer could actually have 15 wins this season if not for the last two games where he left with a lead and the bullpen collapsed, not bad for a spot starter eh!   J.A. Happ is still struggling with a strained obligue and may miss another start, good thing we have Moyer ready to take the ball.   Clay Condrey threw in Reading in a rehab assignment but no word if he is ready to resume big league service, the injury to his obligue has cost the valuable right hander a big chunk of the season, J.C. Romero is still struggling with elbow woes as is fellow lefty Scott Eyre.   If those two guys can’t get back in time to finish the season don’t be suprised to see Mr. Happ in the bullpen as the team has only inexperienced Sergio Escolona and Jack Taschner in the pen presently from the left side.

Magic number is at 16 and Marlins are losing right now to Nats 7-1 in the eighth so there is a possibility that can go to 14 if they lose and the Fightins win behind Pedro tonight.   Good time to be a Phillie Phan folks!

Note :  The Fighins have four guys with 30 or more home runs this season, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley……..  those four guys have more than many entire teams including those lowly Mets, indeed a great time to be a Phillies Phan !

On Sunday I witnessed, along with many other fans, a true rarity in Major League Baseball.  Eric Bruntlett pulled off an unassisted triple play to end the game and give the FIghtin’s a 9 to 7 win over the Mets in New York !  It was only the 15th time in major league history that an unassisted triple play has occured and the second time in history that it has occured to end a ballgame!  The last and only other time in major league history that an unassisted triple play occured to end a game was May of 1927!   The feat is so extraordinary that the Baseball Hall of Fame asked Bruntlett to provide a piece of memorabilia to be added as part of the Hall of Fame collection,  Eric the Great donated his jersey to the hall as a momento.

Prior to the trip the New York the Fightins completed a three game sweep of Arizona as Joe Blanton tossed eight innings in a 12 to 3 win.  Blanton could have went nine but Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel chose to give Chad Durbin an inning of work to close the game.  Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard each homered in the game as the Fightins pounded 12 hits.

The four game series in New York began on Friday night with a loss as the Metropolitans beat the Phillies 4 to 2 behind Mike Pelfrey.  Cole Hamels continued to struggle as he was able to only go five innings giving up ten hits, Chan Ho Park and Ryan Madson pitched scoreless relief behind Hamels.  The Phillies had ten hits in the game but left 11 runners on base.  Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard had six of the hits, each with two hits apiece.

On Saturday the Phillies bounced back with a 4 to 1 win over the Mets as J.A. Happ went seven innings to earn his 10th win of the season.   Madson earned hold number 21 on the season and Brad Lidge tossed a perfect ninth to earn save number 24.  Chase Utley belted a two run home run to provide the game winner in the sixth inning.  Old nemesis Tim Redding started for the Mets and once again held the Fightins at bay by only giving up one hit thru five frames, Redding was on a pitch count and was taken out after five else this may have been a loss!

On Sunday Pedro Martinez made his Citi Field debut and was given a six run cushion before he even took the hill as Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz each belted three run home runs in the first inning to chase Mets starter Oliver Perez.  Perez was so bad that his own manager showed him up by pulling him with a 3-0 count to batter Martinez rather than let him finish out the at bat!   Martinez earned his second Phillies win of the season as he tossed six frames and was relieved by Durbin and Madson before Lidge closed to earn his 25th save on the Bruntlett triple play!  It must be noted that if Bruntlett had not committed two errors prior to the Triple play it would not have been needed!  Strange game is baseball sometimes.

In the series Finale on Monday staff ace Cliff Lee tossed seven strong innings and Ryan Howard belted two home runs to lead the Phillies to a 6 to 2 win.  Chan Ho Park earned his 8th hold in relief of Lee who is 5 and 0 as a Phillie and 12-9 overall as he won his ninth consecutive start!  Sweet!

Chatter

Greg Dobbs was put on the disabled list on monday and  Miguel Cairo was brought back up from Triple A.  Clay Condrey and J.C. Romero made rehab appearances in Clearwater and may rejoin the team in early September.  Brett Myers made a rehab start at single A Lakewood and is also on target to join the team in September.  It will be interesting to see whom the team recalls when rosters expand on September 1, e.g. will folks like Michael Taylor and Kyle Drabek be given major league service time ?  It may depend on how close or far the race is at that time.    With the win on Monday and prior to other results the team heads to Pittsburgh with a seven game lead in the division and two games in hand.  Great time to be a Phillies Fan!

With Howard’s homers on Monday he once again eclipsed 100 RBI in a season, the big guy has hit at least 30 bombs and driven in 100 or more for four consecutive seasons ! 

The Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last evening by a count of 8 to 1 as Cliff Lee tossed his second complete game for the FIghtins since joining the team.   Back in the day when “Lefty” Steve Carlton used to pitch for the Phillies whenever his turn would come in the rotation his teammates would call the day “Win Day”.   I think that Mr. Lee has earned that same regard as he is 4-0 for the Phillies, 7-0 in his last seven starts and has four complete games in that stretch !   He is a true throwback pitcher in a day when complete games are very rare, he makes the Fightins a prohibitive favorite, in my opinion, to return to the World Series!  

Lee was supported by home runs by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard  and two by Jayson Werth.  Lee had two hits himself.   The previous night Jamie Moyer showed why he has now won 257 career games as he came in relief of Pedro Martinez in the fourth frame and pitched two hit baseball in leading the Phillies to a 5 to 1 win over Arizona.  Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel brought Moyer into the game after a 56 minute rain delay rather than push Pedro back onto the mound after the delay.  Martinez, himself pitched a very effective first three frames and looked as is he was also gonna deal a good one until Mother Nature cut short his night.  Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz each hit bombs in the game.

Prior to the two games at home against Arizona the Phillies beat Atlanta two games to one in a three game set in HotLanta.   Joe Blanton threw seven strong innings against the Braves in game one but pitched to a no decision as he left the game in a tie with Braves starter Jair Jurrjens.  Jurrjens threw a gem at the Phillies but his bullpen took the loss when Ryan Howard belted a solo home run in the top of the ninth to put the Fightins ahead.  Brad Lidge saved game number 22 and Ryan Madson was credited with the win.   Lidge blew a save in game two of the series in relief of Cole Hamels who went six innings and yielded only three hits and two runs to the Braves.  Lidge’s bullpen mates Scott Eyre, Chad Durbin and Madson held the Braves at bay in relief of Hamels  but Lidge gave up two runs in the ninth to suffer the loss.

The Phillies bounced back in the series finale to claim the series with a 4 to 1 win.  Ryan Howard belted two home runs to supply all the runs rookie J.A. Happ would need as Happ went 7 and 2/3 innings to earn win number 9 on the season.  Brad Lidge notched save number 23 behind holds by Ryan Madson and Scott Eyre.

Chatter

When Pedro Martinez and Jamie Moyer pitched in the same game it marked the first time that two pitchers with over 200 career wins each both pitched in the same game for the Phillies.   The last time it happened in Major League Baseball was when Minnesota Twins teammates Bert Blyleven and Steve Carlton both appeared in a contest.  The Phillies duo fared much better as they won while the Twins duo suffered a lop sided loss!   Big Ryan Howard has once again reached the 30 home run threshold and appears to be heating up in the later part of the season as has been his pattern in his brief career thus far.  Howard tied and then surpassed my favorite all-time Phillie Dick Allen on the team all time home run list.   If Howard stays according to past pattern he can single handedly carry the team on his broad shoulders offensively. 

Brett Myers admittedly lied about how he suffered a black eye recently, at first he said he got it while playing with his son who inadvertenly hit his daddy, he later changed his story to say that he suffered it stumbling out of his truck.   As it turns out he was at a bar with his wife and buddies of his, some of his buddies got into an altercation but all accounts say Myers was not part of the scuffle and in fact left to avoid the issue.   Mind boggling to me that folks even put themselves in those positions!  Will never understand that.

The Fightins have a 5 and 1/2 game lead over second place Florida as of this writing and are only 2 games behind the Dodgers for best record in the National League.  After tonights game against Arizona the team hits the road again for three games against the Mets and then three more against Pittsburgh before concluding the month with a home series against the Braves.

For he first time since 1984 the Phillies went into Chicago and swept a series away from the hometown Cubbies.  After winning the first game in extra innings on Tuesday  the Fightins came out of their recent offensive slumber to score 12 runs Wednesday evening enroute to claiming a victory behind starter Pedro Martinez and then rode ace Cliff Lee on Thursday afternoon to the winners circle.

Martinez tossed a very effective five innings and was clocked as high as 93 on the radar to earn career win number 215.  Chan Ho Park tossed three perfect innings behind Martinez and Chad Durbin finished out the game.  Home runs were clubbed by Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino.  All tolled the Fightins pounded 14 hits in the game.  An idiot fan tossed a full cup of beer on Victorino as he made a catch in centerfield on the warning track.  Originally security ejected the wrong guy but then came back and tossed the entire row as the dumbass fan didn’t fess up to his stupidity.  Some fans actually cheered the idiot as he left which makes one wonder……… maybe there is a reason for the curse on the cubbies, stupid fans like these!  I am sure that there are plenty of good fans in Chicago also but this dumbass sure is not one of them!  Charges have been filed by both Victorino and the Chicago Cubs, let’s see how proud the dummy is going to be about that!

On Thursday afternoon Cliff Lee continued to prove he was worth trading for as he led the Phillies to a 6 to 1 victory.   Ryan Howard belted a three run home run to give Lee all the runs he would need and Pedro Feliz also belted a dinger.   Both Howard and Feliz had three hit games.   Cliff Lee tossed eight innings in the contest and is now 3 and 0 as a Phillie, he even belted a double as a hitter !

Chatter

Depending on the outcome of tonight’s games involving the Braves and Marlins the Phillies will head to Atlanta with either a 4 and 1/2 game lead in the division or one game more.   Last season the Phillies were perfect in Atlanta but this year has been a struggle.  Big Joe Blanton will take the hill in the opener followed by Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ.   

Word is that Brett Myers had another very effective simulated game session and  is on track to be back pitching at month end or early September.  Clay Condrey and J.C. Romero are not close to returning though as both have had setbacks in the injury recovery process. 

Sources tell me that my boy Ryan Freel was released by the Royals, have always liked him as a player so hope the Phillies give him a shot.   How bout that Milwaukee Brewer housecleaning of late, I think that Bill Hall is still a player and was surprised the Brew Crew designated him for assignment.  He is another guy I would like to see in Phillies red pinstripes.

The Phillies opened a three game set in Chicago with a 4 to 3 extra innings win over the Cubbies.  Phillies starter J.A. Happ went six innings giving up two runs on seven hits.  Cubs starter Rich Harden was tossing a no hitter till Jimmy Rollins tagged him for a two run bomb in the top of the sixth.   The Fightin’s took the lead in the eighth inning on a bases loaded walk issued to Ryan Howard.

Brad Lidge attempted to record his 23rd save in the ninth inning but gave up the tieing run instead for his seventh blown save of the season.   The game advanced to extra innings and was settled when Ben Francisco belted a solo home run in the top of the 12th.  Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning to record a save, lefty Scott Eyre was credited with the win as he recorded four outs in relief prior to Durbin.

Chatter

Pedro Martinez makes his Phillies debut tonight at Wrigley.  Kyle Kendrick was sent back to Triple A Lehigh Valley to make roster room for Martinez.    Jamie Moyer was pushed from the starting rotation in favor of Pedro and is not so happy about it.  Moyer feels “disheartened” and “misled” by management, particulary GM Ruben Amaro and team managing general partner Dave Montgomery.   He has incentive clauses in his contract based upon innings and wins which are virtually unachievable as a reliever.  According to Moyer during contract negotiations this winter he was given management’s word that if he hit a lull in the season he would not be removed from the rotation, the GM states that was not exactly the case.   The bottom line is that while I truly admire Mr. Moyer the profession of baseball is to win and put your team in the best position to do so, he has struggled to get past the fifth inning, no guarantee that Pedro will do that either but at this time a change is probably wise……… Martinez was signed prior to the Cliff Lee acquisition so while  I don’t think the Moyer move to the pen was planned it is now something that circumstances have led to.   Jamie will prepare for the role like the professional he is and I hope it works itself out, there are two doubleheaders on the schedule in September so at a minimum he should get at least two more starts.

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!