Joe Blanton is a very unassuming young man. He stepped into a very assuming role however as he took the ball for game four of the 2008 World Series. Blanton stepped up big time by pitching six plus strong innings only allowing two runs and even belting a home run to earn his first world series win!

Jimmy Rollins got things started offensively for the Fightins as he usually does when they succeed with a lead off double in the first inning. Rollins advanced to third on a ground out and was actually out in a run down on a ball hit back to the mound by Ryan Howard but was called safe by the ump! Rollins scored on a bases loaded walk by Pat Burrell. The Phillies went up two to zero as Pedro Feliz stroked a two out single to plate a run. The Rays scored their first run on a Carl Crawford solo home run in the third inning.

Ryan Howard put the Phillies up by four with a three run home run in the fourth inning. The big man took a curve ball out to the left field seats! Pinch hitter Eric Hinske took a Blanton fastball out to center field in the fifth to make the score 5-2 but Joe Blanton the hitter got it back by turning a Edwin Jackson 95 mph fast ball into a left field tater in the Phillies fifth ! It was Blanton’s first ever major league home run!

The Rays threatened in the seventh putting two runners on but skipper Charlie Manuel played bullpen shuffle bringing in Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson in to get out of the inning with no damage. Madson pitched a perfect eighth striking out both Carlos Pena and Evan (Eva) Longoria in the midst.

Jimmy Rollins got his third hit of the game in the eighth as he doubled off the wall. He could have been credited with four but the official scorer gave the Rays second sacker an error on a ground ball in the hole earlier in the game. Pretty simple equation for the Fightins, J-Roll gets on they win!! Jayson Werth belted a home run to score Rollins and put the Fightins up by six! Ryan Howard belted another bomb after teammate Chase Utley reached to make it 10-2 Fightins. Howard ended up with five RBI’s in the game! J.C. Romero pitched the ninth to finish the game.

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Cole Hamels goes in game five in a rematch of game one as Scott Kazmir throws for the Rays. Jamie Moyer’s performance in game three was even more remarkable considering he was battling a three day stomach virus that had kept him up most of the prior night! The man is a real pro! One win away boys from being known as the best of 2008 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, kudos to the Phillies advance scouts in supplying the team with a great advance plan on these young Ray hitters. The game plan has been perfect thus far……….one more big one to go !

Jimmy Rollins started game three in a different way, he stroked a single to center! Rollins advanced to second on a walk to Jayson Werth, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Chase Utley to put the Fightins up by one. The Rays tied the score in the top of the second as Carl Crawford scored.

Carlos Ruiz hit a solo home run in the Phillies second to put the home team back ahead. That score held till the bottom of the sixth when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit back to back home runs to make the count 4 to 1.

The Rays scored two in the seventh to chase Phililes starter Jamie Moyer. Moyer was outstanding and gave the young Rays a schooling by hitting spots consistently. He actually made a great play on a bunt by Carl Crawford in the seventh but the first base umpire blew the call. Crawford would score one of the runs.

Ryan Madson was touched for one run in the eighth as the speed of B.J. Upton scored the tieing run. Upton beat out an infield hit, stole second and third and scored on a errant throw to third by Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz.

The Phillies won the game in the bottom of the ninth as Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Shane Victorino was attempting to bunt Bruntlett to second but a wild pitch did it for him as Bruntlett went to second and even advanced to third as the Rays catcher threw the ball into center field! Rays skipper Joe Maddon then elected to walk both Victorino and pinch hitter Greg Dobbs to load the bases. He brought his right fielder in behind second base and dared hitter Carlos Ruiz to be able to hit a fly ball! Ruiz hit a squibber down the third base line and Bruntlett scored the winning run!

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Jamie Moyer was outstanding in this game and showed how a true professional plays the game. The game did not start till after 10 pm EDT due to heavy rains in the Philadelphia area all day and early evening Saturday. The game concluded around 1:30 AM!! Philly fans stayed thru the whole thing though and showed their faith in the Fightins! Joe Blanton will go for the Fightins on the mound Sunday night. Give the Rays credit, they are a very good team and have alot of fight in them………sounds like our Phililes! All three games thus far could have went either way, these two teams are matched very well!

Tampa Bay jumped out early in game two of the series as they plated two runs in the first inning. Akinora Iwamura led off with a walk, B.J. Upton then singled to right field and Jayson Werth kicked the grounder allowing Iwamura and Upton to advance an extra base. Two consecutive ground ball outs scored the two runs for the Rays. Tampa added the third run in the second frame on an RBI single by Upton. The Phillies continued to squander chances to score in the first four frames as they put leadoff runners on in both the second and third frames and two runners on in the fourth but could not score. The Rays added another run in the fourth on a safety squeeze by shortstop Jason Bartlett.

The Phillies made some bonehead plays early in the game, twice following walks by swinging at the first pitch to make outs, getting picked off first base on a fly ball to right field and making two fielding/throwing errors! Not playing smart usually leads to getting beat. Thru seven offensive innings the Fightins had left eleven runners on base without scoring. Brett Myers didy not pitch that badly and completed seven innings but with no support offensively was in a losing spot.

The Phillies finally scored in the top of the eighth as pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett slammed a solo home run off of David Price. Carlos Ruiz scored in the ninth as he led off the inning with a double, Jayson Werth knocked him in with what was scored an error on the Rays third sacker. Jimmy Rollins was hit by a pitch in the ninth but the home plate umpire missed the call which hurt as he would eventually fly out to shortstop. The Phillies can attribute this loss to too many squandered chances, hopefully in game three things turn around.

Carlos Ruiz had a very good game offensively as he belted two doubles down the left field line and also worked two walks.

Chatter

I believe there is a major adjustment for hitters in thier first at bats in the Dome that the Rays play in regarding the hitting background, the reason I say that is Phillies contact hitters like Greg Dobbs looked feeble in early swings almost as if they did not see the ball! I know that the Rays have some great young hurlers but I don’t believe that hitters that normally make contact would look so bad on thier hacks! The series shifts to Philadelphia for game 3, rain is forecast for Saturday night when the game is scheduled that puts it in doubt of being played, if rained out the series would finish on consecutive nights without a travel date allowance. Might actually be an advantage for the Fightins as Cole Hamels could go in game four on four days rest or in game 5 with an extra day of rest. He seems to thrive on the extra day off.

B.J. Upton dogged running out a ground ball again in the seventh inning as he hit into a 6-4-3 double play, the young man has alot of talent but needs to get the cadilac image out of his head!

Chase Utley set the tone early as he belted a two run home run in his very first World Series at bat to plate Jayson Werth in front of him in the first inning. It would be a lead that young Phils ace Cole Hamels would not relinquish as the Fightins won game one of the 2008 World Series.

Carlos Ruiz plated the Phillies third run in the fourth inning as he grounded out to score Shane Victorino who had led off the inning with a single and had advanced to third base. Carl Crawford scored the Rays first run on a home run to right field off a hanging curve by Hamels, the only mistake pitch he made in the entire game! The Rays second run was scored on a double off the bat of Rays second baseman Akinora Iwamura. Iwamura had three of the five hits that Hamels allowed in his seven innings of work.

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth for the Fightins flashing a couple 97 mph fastballs! Madson has really stepped it up in the playoffs and is throwing as hard as I have ever seen him! Super closer Brad Lidge was lights out in the ninth to earn the save. Lidge struck out two of the three batters he faced in a dominating appearance. He got the Rays 3-4-5 hitters out without even a loud foul ball!

Big win for the Fightins to get the first one on the road. Back at them tommorrow with Brett Myers taking the ball. Brett is a big game guy so I expect a huge effort from the right hander! Cole Hamels is earning that “Hollywood” nickname of his as he is indeed performing like a star!

Chatter

Jimmy Rollins said this past offseason that this team would win 100 or more games this season, with this win the Philies have won 100 games! They captured 92 in the regular season and 8 thus far in the post season! Rollins struggled at the plate going 0 for 5 and looked bad in his last two at bats swinging at high pitches above his head to strike out. J-Roll just needs to calm down a bit and lead our team! Ryan Howard was punked by Rays skipper Joe Maddon as Maddon intentionally walked Chase Utley in the top of the ninth with one out after Jayson Werth had doubled to get to Howard. The big guy had a poor at bat as he struck out looking against left hander Trevor Miller on two pitches down the heart of the plate. Howard and Rollins will make the Jays pay at some point in this series, mark my word! No worries so far as the Phillies found a way to win but we need these two big guns to step up at some point in this series before we have our parade!

Was it just me or did B.J. Upton dog it a bit on the two ground ball double plays he hit into to. I think if he had ran hard on the first one he may have beaten it out! The World Series stage is not the place to show lack of hustle!

When the Tampa Bay Rays recorded the last out against the Boston Red Sox to claim the ALCS title one could argue it set up a “Home and Home” world series for the Phillies! The Phillies train in Clearwater, Florida in the spring which is only a short distance from St. Petersburg and the home of the Rays. If they want the Fightins can use thier own facilities to work out for the games hosted by the Rays.

Lets take a look at how I think this series breaks out and who has the ultimate edge. The Rays starting pitchers Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, James Shields and Andy Sonnnastine are all young as is most of their team. Kazmir is the only lefty amongst the group. I believe this plays into the strength of the Phillies from the perspective that they are heavy on left handed bats and are a very good fastball hitting team. Kazmir and Garza are primary fastball pitchers. The Rays bullpen has been worked alot in the playoffs, folks like Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, Chad Bradford, Dan Wheeler and David Price have logged many innings. I think that the Phillies offense can do damage against that crew. Look for Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard to have big series, in fact I predict one of those two will emerge as series MVP.

The Phillies starters will be Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton. I think the inexperience of the young Ray hitters will play into the hands of both Hamels and Moyer. I also think that Myers is a big game guy and on the biggest baseball stage there is will excel. The Phillies bullpen has proven itself over the stretch run and the playoffs to be this years best. Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre, J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin have all excelled in setting up premier closer Brad Lidge. Any lead the offense turns over to that crew should be safe!

Defensively I think the Phillies are much better than the Rays, in fact the Rays defense has hurt them in the playoffs thus far. Offensively I think the Phillies are much more balanced but Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino must set the table for core sluggers Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell. With the DH in play in Tampa look for Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs and perhaps Chris Coste to have impact as well.

The managers are equals in my opinion. Charlie Manuel provides the calm stablility that has enabled the Phillies to get this far while Joe Maddon has built into the young Rays the confidence they needed to excel.

This series matches two franchises that have had minimal success in thier history, the Fightins are the losingest team in history while the Rays first winning season ever was this year! Someone has to succeed in 2008!

When the Rays beat the Red Sox for the AL title I get a sense that they feel they have succeeded already and that anything beyond is gravy. I saw that in thier eyes as they celebrated thier victory. I do not think the Phillies have that same feeling, I think they are the hungrier crew and have more urgency to win it all! With that in mind I think that the Phillies will prevail in this series by winning in five games, six max. I think a parade is in the midst for Philadelphia and that the 2008 Fightins will join the ranks of the 1980 world series champs forever in Philly baseball lore! Just a feeling.

Big games require players to step up into the limelight and shine.  Joe Blanton did just that as he gave the Phillies six and 1/3 innings of great pitching limiting the Brewers to just a solo home run by Prince Fielder.  Jimmy Rollins shined by leading off the game with a solo home run to give the Phillies the early lead.  Pat Burrell shined by belting a three run home run in the third inning to put the Fightins up by four, he stepped up again in the eighth and belted another home run, this one a solo blast.  Jayson Werth shined as he also belted a solo home run.   The Phillies led the majors in home runs and displayed that skill predominantly in this one! 

On defense the big man Ryan Howard made a spectacular stop on a ground ball to record a 3-1 out in the eighth inning.  Howard did not hit the ball in this one but found another way to contribute.  Brad Lidge pitched the ninth to end the game and make the Fightins a perfect 80 and 0 when leading after eight innings.

Chatter

“Beat L.A., Beat L.A.”  will be the chant beginning thursday in the NLCS.  Cole Hamels will get the ball and will have had seven days rest so lets hope our young ace performs as well as he did in the first game of the NLDS.  The Phillies hold home field advantage for the series so Philly fans can and will have an impact on the series, positive approach on and off the field can take us to the Series……….time to shine folks, lets get it done ! 

The Milwaukee Brewers came out with the perfect approach against Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer as they were very patient and made Moyer throw strikes.  The Brewers plated two runs in the first inning as Prince Fielder hit a sacrifice fly to score Mike Cameron and J.J. Hardy singled to plate Bill Hall.  Both Cameron and Hall had reached on walks.   Those were the only runs scored thru four innings as Brewer starter Dave Bush was getting the Phillies out on “at ‘em” balls.  The Phillies hit the ball hard on many occassions but right at Brewer fielders whom to thier credit made every play.

Moyer was pulled for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth.  He threw only four innings but amassed 90 pitches as the Brewer hitters worked many 3-2 counts.   Milwaukee scored one more in the bottom of the fifth off reliever Clay Condrey.    The Phillies scored in the sixth as Jayson Werth tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a groundout by Ryan Howard.  The Brewers scored again in the seventh off of Scott Eyre as Jason Kendall plated J.J. Hardy who had led off the inning with his third hit of the game. 

The Brewer bullpen was once again dominant as they did not give up a run in four and 2/3 innings of work.  Solomon Torres closed the game out for Milwaukee to earn the save.

Chatter

The Milwaukee fans mostly stood thru the entire game, they showed alot of heart and were very loud in their support of the home team.  The Brewers threw big time leather in this game, specifically Craig Counsel at second and Bill Hall at third.     I think that game four is as much of a must win for the Phillies as it is for the Brewers, if Milwaukee can win they gotta like thier chances with C.C. Sabbathia coming back a second time, the Phillies would counter with Cole Hamels which would be a great matchup but not one I want to sit on the edge of my seat for !  Big game tommorrow with Joe Blanton scheduled to take the ball for the Fightins and Jeff Suppan for Milwaukee.

Brett Myers was the Phillies starting pitcher in game two of the NLDS but his biggest early game contribution was with his bat rather than his arm!   In the Phillies second inning Myers came to bat against Brewer ace C.C. Sabbathia  with two out and a runner on third base and battled tremendously thru a nine pitch at bat to coax a walk!  The Phillies fans cheered loudly throughout the at bat and gave Myers a standing ovation, it all seemed to unnerve Sabbathia as he then proceeded to walk Jimmy Rollins on four pitches to load the bases.  Shane Victorino  then came to the plate and drove a hanging cutter deep into the left field stands for a grand slam home run!  

Milwaukee had scored first in this one as Myers loaded the bases in the first inning on walks and actually walked a run in.  The Phillies tied the game in the second as consecutive doubles by Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz produced a run.  The FIghtins went ahead on Victorino’s slam.   The Phillies chased C.C. Sabbathia in the bottom of the fourth inning as Jimmy Rollins doubled with two outs and consecutive walks to Shane Victorino and Chase Utley ended the big man’s day.  Brett Myers had another quaity at bat in the inning extending Sabbathia to nine pitches before flying out to center field.   Sabbathia threw 98 pitches thru three and two thirds innings.  The Phillies did not score in the fourth as Ryan Howard was called out on strikes against reliever  Mitch Stetter to end the inning and leave the sacks loaded.

Milwaukee scored a run in the top of the seventh as J.J. Hardy doubled to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a ground out.  Brett Myers pitched a strong game going seven innings and only allowing four hits with two runs scored.  He did himself proud in this one, Mr. Myers likes the big stage and came thru with a fine performance! 

Ryan Madson started the eighth inning and recorded two outs but two Brewers reached base, with Prince Fielder as the hitter the Phillies skipper brought in J.C. Romero.  Romero only needed one pitch to splinter the big man’s bat and record a ground out to end the inning!

Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth to earn his second save of the series.  The Phillies remain perfect this season when leading after eight innings.

Chatter

Skipper Charlie Manuel looked like a genuis in this one by flip flopping Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth  in the lineup.  Victorino batted second and Werth sixth and both contributed big time, Victorino had three hits while Werth had two.  The second inning control meltdown by Sabbathia put me in mind of a similiar scenario back in the day when Phillie fans “noise” caused Dodger pitcher Burt Hooten to lose command of his pitches and issue consecutive walks that cost him the game.   Phillie fans can make a difference,  I know I would not want to be a visiting player coming into that environment! 

Game three switches to Milwaukee and staff older ace Jamie Moyer takes the ball for the Fightins.  On a personal note I would like to congratulate a local ballplayer Scott Grimes from Kennett Square, PA who was recently inked by the New York Mets to a contract.  Grimes is a young man I know personally and who is a great person.  He led the independent Can-Am league this past season in many offensive categories while playing for Worcester.  Scottie will succeed and I firmly believe he will become a major leaguer………… being a Phillie fan I obviously have no love lost for the Mets but they got a good one in Mr. Grimes and my allegience will be torn when he reaches the show!

The first round of the playoffs starts tommorrow so I thought it would be a good time to review the matchup and predict the outcome.   Cole Hamels will face off in the first game against a relative unknown Yovani Gallardo.  Gallardo only threw 24 big league innings this year but my son tells me that Gallardo has a live arm and is one to watch in the future.  He had knee surgery only four months ago but worked very hard to push himself back to the show.  The Phillies historically struggle against pitchers they have not seen so not sure what to expect with facing Gallardo.  Hopefully they will figure him out early and get to the Brewer Pen which I think is a weak spot.

The  regular season series went to the Phillies by a count of 5 to 1 in the six games played, included in that tally was a four game series sweep in September that set the stage for the Fightins drive to the N.L. east division title.   It is acknowledged that the Phillies have yet to face Brewer superman C.C. Sabbathia as his turn was not included in the September series and that may have indeed put a different slant on the outcome. 

The Phillies will open the playoff series with young ace Cole Hamels who battled nerves in last years playoff round against Colorado.  Hamels has outstanding stuff and when he is on is very tough to beat, the Phillies have not given him much in offensive support this season else the 14 wins he did get may have been more like 18 to 20.   Sabbathia was forced to throw on Sunday so the Brewers will not have their ace to match up with Hamels in the opener but rather will pitch him in game two on three days rest once again.  No one else in the Brewer starting rotation puts much fear in me at this point, Ben Sheets would but he is hurting physically.  The Phillies will follow Hamels with  righthander Brett Myers, his first playoff start, and then the staff’s best starter Jamie Moyer (16 wins)  in games two and three.  Philadelphia’s bullpen is amongst the best in the game anchored by Brad Lidge who had 41 saves in 41 tries, the team is perfect when leading after eight innings going 79 and 0 when that happens.   Key to the team success will continue to be the relief firm of Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson as they most assuredly will be counted on for innings 7 and 8 and potentially as early as the sixth.  The eighth inning has been the achilles heel this season so these boys gotta step up for the Fightins to have continued success.

Philadelphia’s offense is keyed by National League Home Run and RBI champion Ryan Howard who had a torrid September to carry the team on his back, in my opinion he is the National League MVP.  Other keys to the series will be the spark ignited both defensively and offensively by Jimmy Rollins, as he goes so do the Phillies.  Shane Victorino has been the most consistent Phillie offensively and will have to continue to do so and second sacker Chase Utley will need to continue his steady “best in the game” form at second base.  Jayson Werth and Pat Burrell had big hits down the stretch along with Greg Dobbs who led the National League with over 20 pinch hits this season.  The Phillies led the league in homeruns this season collectively, in short they are a very good offensive ballclub.

The Brewers counter with Ryan Braun and Prince Feilder in the power department and Mike Cameron is one of the games best defensively in the outfield as well as at the plate with 25 bombs this season. Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy are very good players as well and will be a challenge to the Phillies.  Milwaukee did struggle in September,(11-16), and are not as strong in the pen where Solomon Torres,( 7 blown saves), is the closer.  Eric Gagne imploded many times down the stretch so I feel if we can get to their bullpen early we can do some damage with our offense. 

Overall I think that the Brewers  really scuffled in September resulting in the firing of Ned Yost as the  manager and rode Sabbathia heavily to get to the playoffs. I’m hoping that they may be spent by doing so, they also come into the playoffs relatively inexperienced.  Sabbathia pitched on short rest for most of September and albeit he is a true stud should be running on a low tank.  I think that the Phillies are deeper in pitching, are overall better on offense and are at least a match as a defensive team.  It is my opinion that they will win the series in four games, hope that I am right!

Veteran Jamie Moyer took the ball for the Fightins and he started out by retiring the Nats in order in their first at bat but unlike last night the Phillies also went down in order in the first.  The game remained scoreless till the bottom of the fourth when Chase Utley scored on a sacrifice fly out by Pat Burrell.  Ryan Howard also scored in the inning on a sacrifice fly by  Carlos Ruiz.  Utley and Howard had led off the inning with consecutive singles, Shane Victorino also singled in the inning.  The Phillies scored two but left the bases loaded to end the inning.

Washington scored in the top of the fifth to make the count 2 to 1.   Jayson Werth had a play on a hard hit liner that would have been the third out of the inning but he dropped the ball when he crashed into the right field fence.  Werth made ammends in the bottom of the fifth when he blasted his 24th home run of the season to put the Phillies back up by two. 

Jamie Moyer pitched another good ball game as he went a very professional six innings.  Moyer only yielded one run on six hits.  He was pulled in the home sixth for pinch hitter Matt Stairs.  Chad Durbin was first relief in the seventh and he faced the minimum of three batters to end the inning.  Ryan Madson was called upon to pitch the eighth and although he gave up one run held the lead at 3 to 2 ! 

Shane Victorino got his third hit of the game in the bottom of the eighth, a two out single.  Pedro Feliz then delivered a clutch double to score Victorino to give the Fightins an insurance run for the closer!  

Brad Lidge came on in the ninth and needed that insurance run as the Nats scored one and loaded the bases with one out !  He then coaxed Ryan Zimmerman to hit a ground ball that Jimmy Rollins made a diving back hand stop on, flipped to second baseman Chase Utley who then completed the double play with the toss to first!   Great great great play by J-Roll!!!!!

Lidge earned his 41st save in 41 tries!  The Phillies went 78 and 0 when leading after eight!  We are the Champions of the East once again!  Tip of the cap to the Mets! Great race, hope you boys get in also!

The Celebration

Many fans stayed in the park and similiar to last year players came back out of the clubhouse to circle the field and acknowledge the fan support.  Chris Coste and Pedro Feliz borrowed bikes from Philly’s finest police officers and circled the field, Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard rode the grounds crew cart around, Pat Burrell had his dog Elvis on the field,  Jimmy Rollins danced with his mom behind the plate, the legend Harry Kalas sang “High Hopes”……………….. it was just a mass celebration and a great ending to the regular season!   Nothing brings a city and area together like a sports franchise that wins!   If these boys can rattle off a few more and somehow get to the World Series our area would explode!   Time to celebrate a division but far from done this go round!  Lets have three more champagne parties !

Chatter

SI.com reports that GM Pat Gillick may be leaning to returning next year to the Phillies rather than retiring.  Gillick is widely recognized as one of the best GM’s in the game, he has a pretty sweet deal with the Phillies as he is able to place heavy reliance on Assistant GM’s Ruben Amaro and Mike Arbuckle and serves in more of a governance role rather than having to deal with day to day operations.  I think it would be great to have him come back.