Let me begin with stating that what I write in this article is only my opinion, I have no facts to base it upon nor any insight into what has been discussed.   I think that most internet “opinions” should start with that statement.  That being said this is what I think will happen before the trade deadline passes this week.

Roy Halladay

I think, after reading many articles, that Toronto is in a position of “must trade” regardless of what they say.  It seems to me that management there has determined that cost reduction is key to the franchise future and that buildout of a relatively thin minor league feeder system is optimal.  I also believe that the extent of “suitors” for Mr. Halladay is somewhat limited in ability to provide the Blue Jays with what they need to accomplish such buildout.

The two statements made by the Toronto GM that stick in my mind are;  1.  He must get a “potential” all-star in return for giving up existing all-star Halladay and  2.  He must get a major league ready player in return.   That being said I think that Toronto has two options then with the Phillies as a trade partner.

A.  J.A. Happ, Dominick Brown, and the choice of two of three out of Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson.    ( Brown being the “potential” all-star and Happ being the major league ready)

B.  Kyle Drabek, Anthony Gose, Carlos Carrasco and either Jason Donald or Lou Marson.  ( Drabek or Carrasco being the major league ready and Drabek/Gose being the “potential” all-star)

My guess is that option A will be taken and that Doc Halladay will be a Phillie by week’s end wearing number 33 ( Wayne Twitchell didn’t perform well enough to have that number retired like a certain Lefty did to get # 32 on the wall!).

George Sherrill

Rumblings are the Phillies are also scouting the Oriole’s closer and that a deal may be made there as well.  I think that the bullpen is thin right now with the injury bugs that have hit and am of the opinion that our closer Brad Lidge is still dinged a bit.   I think that Baltimore may bite on some lower level prospects such as Drew Naylor, Yohan Flande or Joe Savery and that Mr. Sherill may also be a Phillie by weeks end.

Right Handed Bench Help

Don’t discount the possibility of Kevin Millar or Marco Scutaro coming the Phillies way as part of any Halladay deal as the team does need a veteran right hand bat akin to lefty Matt Stairs.   Ty Wigginton could be that guy also in any Orioles exchange.

Time will tell………. perhaps nothing gets done at all !

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.

Although the National League lost for the 13th straight time in last nights all star game one thing that the 4-3 score pointed out was the importance of pitching.  It is an old adage that good pitching beats good hitting all the time and the 18 straight outs recorded by A.L. pitching all stars against the N.L. sluggers absolutely shined that light prominently.  Phillies slugger Ryan Howard had a prime time opportunity to make a difference in the game in the home eighth with runners on second and third and two outs but Twins closer Joe Nathan threw a nasty breaking pitch  with two strikes on Howard that big Ryan could not hold up on and “struck him out” as Harry the K would say.  Good game but once again the A.L. holds home field advantage in the World Series.

Pedro

Pedro Martinez signed a one year deal with the Fightins and was immediately placed on the disabled list so that he would not take up a roster spot during his assigned “rehab” in the minors.  The future hall of famer will be ready by end of the month when the Phillies play the Giants as a target for his big league debut for the Phillies.  I think this is a low risk big reward signing as albeit Pedro is 37 he is a smart pitcher and if he can regain some of his Hall of Fame form then the Fightins have filled the fifth spot in the rotation with a big upgrade , if not no loss as he should still be better than Rodrigo Lopez or a young gun filling the spot that the team deems not ready.  I think that the competitive edge of Pedro will shine thru and that he will throw well for the Phillies.

Halladay ?

Rumblings persist that Roy “Doc” Halladay will indeed be traded by the 7/31 deadline by Toronto.  Those same rumors state that the Phillies are one of the frontrunners to acquire his services.  I think that if the price is promising minor leaguers and perhaps also J.A. Happ then the team should go for it!  A playoff rotation led by Hamels/Halladay could be nasty and I think would position the team to go a long way again in the playoffs!  Holding onto perceived future “stars” is a crapshoot, remember this is the Phillies who prior to last season had not won a world series for 28 years!  What future exactly are we planning for ?   The nucleas of this club is built to win now and acquiring a top gun like Doc Halladay can only be upside in that equation, if the prospects we give up develop into future stars so be it,  I say this team’s future is now!

Standings at the Break

The Fightin’s start the second half four games up on second place Florida in National League East.  The Phillies open the second half against the Marlins in a four game set, with four games in hand it is an opportunity to distance the field.   I think it is a bigger set for the young Marlins than for the Phillies however I don’t think it is a make or break series for anyone.

Coste

Chris Coste has been one of my favorite phillies since he joined the club a few years back, he is one that willingly corresponded with me and was very open to the public eye.  Coste was designated for assignment when Raul Ibanez came off the disabled list and the Houston Astros immediately claimed him.  The good news for Coste is that he remains in the major leagues which is nice, I for one would like to wish Chris well as he is a class act. 

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.

A matchup of the world champions of baseball vs a last place club with said champions being on the home turf would seem to equate to a series sweep correct ?   Well indeed it was a series sweep but it was the Baltimore Orioles who did the sweeping of the defending champion Phillies and not vice versa.   The Phillies closed the most recent homestand with a not so stellar record of 1 and 9 and headed off for a three city road tour with a losing streak in tow of six games.   Rather than detail the agony of the three losses to the Orioles I chose to focus on where the team is at this stage of the season.  This is inclusive of the first game of the team’s newest road journey which was a 10 to 1 clubbing of the Tampa Rays…….. road life indeed has been the key to the season thus far !

Standing

Despite a record of 13-22 at home the Fightins are still in first place in National League East leading the Mets by two and one half games.  That is due to a stellar road record of 24-9 and the fact that no one else in the division has played well enough to overtake them.  The Mets are tremendously banged up, three key position players, Reyes, Beltran and Delgado are out……. to the New Yorkers’ credit they have remained above .500 with a patchwork lineup and rebuilt and reengineered pitching staff but even the most optimistic Mets fan cannott expect that to continue.    Florida is riding a current three game winning streak and does indeed have very good young starting pitching but they cannott catch a cold in the field and I do not see them overcoming that achilles heel, they do have chips to play for trade so watch the young Fish!   Atlanta can’t hit thier way out of a paper bag so no one should really worry about them at this point, they went out and got a really good young center fielder in Nate Mclouth but there are still major holes in the lineup.  Washington just flat out sucks so nothing more to say.   

Wounded

The Phillies also have thier share of injuries, Raul Ibanez carried the team early and is presently on the disabled list,  key pitchers Brad Lidge, Brett Myers and Clay Condrey are all presently on the same DL.   Starting pitching has been erratic all season and I do believe that GM Ruben Amaro is actively looking at trades but most clubs still feel that they are still in the playoff hunt so deals are not readily available unless you are interested in Zach Duke ?

Home Woes

I cannott believe that the team will continue to struggle with winning at home.  CBP is constantly sold out and the fans have been very patient, only recently did they bring out the boo chorus!  I think the team is more focused on the road, perhaps too many personal appearances are scheduled when they are at home ?   In any regards they are too talented to not find a way to begin winning at home  consistently soon.

J-Roll

Jimmy Rollins is the catalyst for this crew,  has been for the past few years and nothing has changed, folks gripe that Charlie should move him out of the lead off hole, the same folks who said to move Lidge out of the closer role I suspect…………. just plain stupid to think that way.   J-Roll will find it, Charlie is very patient, we fans have to get behind our lead off hitter rather than get negative.  This team will go the way he does, plain and simple.   He has had spurts where he has shown evidence of getting on a roll, I think that perhaps that daggone extended spring training due to that silly little tournament has had more impact on Mr. Rollins than we know, that is my suspicion at least…..never know what nagging little injuries these guys play with.

Chatter

Rumblings were that the Fightins were actually close to a deal with Colorado that would have brought Jason Marquis here along with Ryan Spillbourgh.   The cost would have been J.A. Happ and minor league prospects, apparently Colorado backed off when they started to win games after ditching skipper Clint Hurdle.   While Marquis is not a number two starter he does win games and eat innings and Spillbourgh would have been a right hand bat off the bench so let’s see if perhaps the deal might resurface before the July 31 trade deadline.    Don’t be shocked to see Ruben make a play for a combo of Cliff Lee and Mark DeRosa out of Cleveland either, I have nothing to go on with that statement, only a fan’s view of what could help our club and who might be available.   Watch that young Kyle Drabek’s progress in Double A Reading also, the answer to starting pitching may indeed be in house!

Home cooking has not been so great for the Fightins this year and this weekend’s series against the Boston Red Sox and their nation provided yet another home series loss for the 2009 season.  The Phillies battled back to win the series finale on Sunday but lost an extra innings game in the opener and a lop sided one in game two.    Here is the recap.

Friday, June 12th – Red Sox 5 Phillies 2

Joe Blanton had yet another strong outing in this start as he pitched seven innings giving up five hits and two runs.  Blanton struck out seven in the outing, unfortunately his opponent was super lefty Jon Lester who struck out 11 Phillies in seven innings allowing only two hits and one run.   Ryan Howard belted a solo home run in the home ninth to knot the game at two and send it to extra innings.   The teams battled for 13 frames before the Sox broke thru in the top of the thirteenth to score three off of recently recalled pitcher Kyle Kendrick to put the game away.    The two teams combined to strike out 34 times in the contest !   The Phillies could only manage five hits in the game, two by Raul Ibanez.   Boston kept bringing studs out of the pen, all of whom seemed to toss in the mid to high nineties !  They are indeed loaded.

Saturday, June 13th – Red Sox 11 Phillies 6

Rookie Antonio Bastardo could only last one inning in this start, mostly due to an hour and one half rain delay at the end of inning one but also due to giving up a five spot in frame one.   The usually reliable fielding Phils made three first inning errors behind Bastardo but he also did not have good command and Jason Bay tagged him for a two run bomb in the first.  The Phillies did battle back to within one after four but Boston put the game away with three in the fifth and two more in the seventh.  Chase Utley and Jayson Werth had three hit games for the Phillies and Raul Ibanez, Werth and Pedro Feliz went yard but this was the Sox night and they won going away.

Sunday, June 14th – Phillies 11 Red Sox 6

J.A. Happ vs Josh Beckett would sure seem like a mismatch but someone forgot to tell the young Phillie lefthander as he battled thru five and two thirds innings and kept his club in the game. Meanwhile the FIghtins tagged Beckett for seven runs on eleven hits thru six innings to tag him with his third loss of the season.   Chan Ho Park earned the win in relief by tossing two and one third innings and Ryan Madson closed the game out.  Pedro Feliz had three hits for the Phillies while two hit games were turned in by Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Chase Utley.  Jimmy Rollins belted the sole home run for the home team.

Chatter

Kyle Kendrick’s stay in the big leagues this time lasted only one game as he was optioned back to Triple A after Friday’s game and Sergio Escalona was recalled.  Escalona stayed for one game as well as he was optioned by to triple A on Sunday and veteran Tyler Walker was recalled by the Phillies.  The Phillies needed fresh arms after using the bullpen alot in games one and two of the series.  Walker was 5 and 8 last season with San Francisco and has six years of big league experience.  He was in the Mariners camp this spring but failed to make the team out of spring training and signed a minor league deal with the Phillies, Walker has made 15 appearances this season at Triple A Lehigh Valley.

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 ?