As June  has closed and July has begun the Fightins keep us fans on an up and down ride thru the 2009 season.   The team looked like it had righted the ship with two straight wins against Toronto to end interleague play for the year but then they go to Hotlanta where they did not lose at all last season and get swept in a three game series!    After the Atlanta sweep the Phillies were in a NL Eastern Division first place tie with the Florida Marlins and were staring at a three game stint with the not so Amazin 2009 version of the Mets………guess what, they sweeped the Mets and now have a one game lead over Florida.

Mets Series

The Mets are banged up, have been for awhile so it is to thier credit that they have stayed in the race.  In this series we saw Joe Blanton outduel the game’s best pitcher Johan Santana for a 2-0 win, the return of Brad Lidge to saving form and Jimmy Rollins starting to hit like J-Roll!   All good things which the optimist in me says is great but the pessimist in me says what comes next, a downward slope of the roller coaster!   Here is hoping that we are on the incline for awhile.

All Stars

Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez got voted into the All Star game as starters and Ryan Howard has been named by skipper Charlie Manuel as a reserve.  Shane Victorino is up for vote as the fan’s choice as reserve, knowing the Philly faithful I think Shane is headed to St. Lous also!

Starting Pitching

Rodrigo Lopez made his Phillies debut as he was recalled from Triple A to replace an ailing Antonio Bastardo in the rotation.  Lopez at one time was a coveted trade prospect of the Fightins when he was a member of the Orioles, I remember rumblings that Pat Burrell was dangled in exchange for Lopez a few years ago.  Lopez beat the Mets in his debut and showed a Greg Maddux like pitching savvy,  he will apparently be given every chance to prove he belongs.

Rumors

Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Kendrick, Drew Carpenter and Sergio Escalona are all names that the Phillies consider to be either big league ready or close to it.  Add folks like Kyle Drabek, Joe Savery and others and the Fightin’s have some surplus to offer up in trade, rumors are they are still looking for a big name starter and have interest in Roy Oswalt and Erik Bedard still………. as the July 31 deadline gets closer we will see what shakes loose.

Chatter

Sorry for the infrequent posts, my day job got in the way a bit!  I am on vacation now traveling the east coast of the U.S. , presently in the Outer Banks.   Still keeping up with my Fightin Phillies though and will post comments when I have them…….. Scott Eyre is back from the D.L. and perhaps Clay Condrey is soon to follow.   Looks like Chris Coste has been designated solely a pinch hitter by Charlie lately as Paul Bako has logged all the backup catcher innings, with Carlos Ruiz mired in another slump Bako has caught very often in the latest stretch of games.

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

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

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

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

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

Chatter

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, June 16th – Toronto 8 Phillies 3

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

Wednesday, June 17th – Toronto 7 Phillies 1

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

Thursday, July 18th – Toronto 8 Phillies 7

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

Chatter

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

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.

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 ?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chatter

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

Been away in Clearwater, FLA for a week celebrating my daughter’s wedding and have not updated the old blog since I left……….thanks Bernalda for the nice comment, see us Phillie and Mets fans can get along!  In any regards here is a summary of the week I missed while down in rainy florida……yes rained everday I was there!  The one week I show up happens to be the week they get a steady stream of much needed agua across the whole bloody state, oh well……. at least the Fighthin’s didn’t play soggy for the week.  Here is the recap.

Saturday, May 16th – Day/Night Double Header in Washington

Game 1 : Phillies 8 Nationals 5

Brett Myers had a really nice game going seven innings allowing only three hits and two runs to earn his third win of the season.  Ryan Madson got hit around a bit in the eighth giving up three runs which created a save situation in the ninth which Brad Lidge converted for his sixth of the year.  Raul Ibanez continued his all-star pace by blasting two home runs in the game and Jayson Werth also hit a dinger.  The Phillies pounded 14 hits in total including three from Ibanez and Werth and two each from Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chris Coste.

Game 2 : Phillies 7 Nationals 5

Rookie Drew Carpenter was recalled from Triple A Lehigh Valley and made his major league starting debut in this one which was shortened by rain.  The game was stopped in the top of the sixth inning and play never resumed.  Carpenter only pitched 4 and 1/3 innings but was credited with the win due to the shortened game.   Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez each blasted home runs in the game to lead the Phillie offense.  The Phillies accumulated nine hits in the five full innings of play,  Chase Utley was 3 for 3 and Jimmy Rollins, Ibanez and Howard each had two hit games.  No coincedence that when J-Roll gets multi hit games the Fightins’ score alot of runs!

Sunday May 17th : Phillies 8 Nationals 6 – Washington, D.C.

Chan Ho Park pitched himself out of the rotation in this one as he only lasted 1 and 1/3 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks.  Park was terrible in this one and dug the Phillies a early hole after they had even spotted him a three run lead in the first inning!  Five Phillies relievers limited the Nationals to only one run and four hits the rest of the way and rookie Sergio Escalona picked up his first major league win, he replaced Drew Carpenter on the roster who was optioned back to Lehigh Valley prior to the game.   Scott Eyre earned his sixth hold of the season and Brad Lidge pitched in the ninth to gain his 7th save.   Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz and Jayson Werth led the offense with two hits each as the Fightin’s swept the four game series from Washington.

Tuesday, May 19th : Phillies 4 Reds 3 – Cincinatti, Ohio

Cole Hamels pitched six strong innings to earn his second win of the season and Ryan Howard belted his ninth home run of the year as the Phillies defeated the Reds in the series opener.  Clay Condrey and Ryan Madson each earned holds and Brad Lidge notched his eighth save of the season.

Wednesday, May 20th :  Reds 5 Phillies 1 – Cincinatti, Ohio

Jamie Moyer pitched better in this one but still suffered his fourth loss of the year.  Moyer went six innnings giving up three runs on nine hits.  It was all Reds starter Aaron Harrang needed as he tossed seven frames striking out nine while stopping a hot Phillie offense.  Raul Ibanez did hit his major league leading 14th home run in the game to account for the Phillies lone run.  Ibanez is making Phillie faithful state “Pat who ?”

Thursday, May 21st :  Phillies 12 Reds 5 – still in Ohio!

Joe Blanton was the happy recipient of the strong Phillie offensive showing as he went only five innings to earn his second win of the season.  Blanton gave up five runs in the fifth frame as he had shut the Reds out to that point.  Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park and Sergio Escalona finished the game and held the Reds scoreless.   Chase Utley, Greg Dobbs, Ryan Howard and superman Raul Ibanez each belted home runs in the game for the Phillies.  Jimmy Rollins had a four hit game and continues to raise his average.

Friday, May 22 : Phillies 7 Yankees 3 – Yankee Stadium, NYC

Brett Myers threw his best game of the season going eight strong innings against the Bronx Bombers limiting them to three runs on eight hits.  Ryan Madson tossed a scoreless ninth to finish the game.  Jimmy Rollins belted a home run in his first at bat in the new Yankee stadium to get things started for the Phillies.  Jayson Werth also homered and Raul Ibanez hit his 16th home run of the season as well.  Carlos Ruiz had a three hit game batting out of the nine hole for the Phillies. Matt Stairs served as the DH in the first interleague game of the season for the FIghtins.

Saturday, May 23rd :  Yankees 5 Phillies 4 – NYC

J.A. Happ pitched really well in his first start of the season since replacing Chan Ho Park in the rotation but came up with a no decision as the Yankees mounted a ninth inning comeback to win.  Happ threw six innings only giving up 2 runs and 4 hits.  Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson each earned holds but Brad Lidge could not hold the Yankees in the ninth and was credited with both his second loss of the season and third blown save.   John Mayberry, Jr. belted a three run home run in his first major league at bat !  Mayberry was recalled from Triple A to add a right handed bat for interleague play, Sergio Escalona was optioned back to Lehigh.  Raul Ibanez blasted his 17th home run of the season in this one as well………… the man is on fire!

Chatter

While in Florida we took in a Rays game as they played Oakland in an afternoon game on Thursday, the 21st.   We got soaked trying to get into the stadium as it was raining like crazy, so soaked that I had to buy a Ray’s T-shirt to wear and take off my World Champion Phillies T-shirt I had worn to the game!    Only a security guard politely chided me about the Phillies shirt,   they announced 13,000 as the attendance but I think it was far more sparse than that.  The stadium is not horrible but is still a  far cry  from the newer parks like CBP in Philly.   The fans jumped on reliever Troy Percival in earnst and booed the hell out of him when he could not throw strikes, turns out he was hurt and was put on the DL the next day……… never will understand what booing does for folks!  The Rays bid for a new stadium by the waterfront in St. Pete was rejected so I am not sure what the next move is for the franchise, the core Rays fans seem loyal but I don’t know if there are enough of them!   In any regards the Rays have a good young team and should be supported, if not in Tampa then I am sure some other city will welcome them.  By the by the Rays won the game 5-4 with a ninth inning rally sparked by a Carl Crawford single, like him as a player but his buddy in center, B.J. Upton is a dawg in my opinion, doesn’t run out ground balls and half assed a fly ball to center field that he could of caught with a bit of effort,  Charlie would have eaten him alive if he were one of his players and did that!

The Phillies dropped the last two games of the three game home series against the Dodgers, it deflated the team record to 8 and 12 at home but they rebounded with a road win against the Nationals to improve the season record to 18 and 17. 

May 13, 2009 – Dodgers 9 Phillies 2 :  

Jamie Moyer got roughed up again in this one as he was able to only pitch four and one thirds innings while getting tagged for eight hits and seven runs, all earned.   Moyer was hit hard and once again had difficulty locating his pitches effectively.  If he cannott be precise in pitch location then he will not succeed, he knows that and had bouts where it happened last year but in order to stay in the rotation must turn it around.   Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez homered in the game, Carlos Ruiz led the offensive attack with two hits but it was a faint offensive attack at best as the team could only muster five hits in total.  Ex Phil Randy Wolf pitched a very effective game for the Dodgers and claimed his second win of the season by going six frames. 

May 14, 2009 – Dodgers 5 Phillies 3 :

In an afternoon game to wrap up the series Cole Hamels pitched his most effective game of the 2009 season.  Hamels went seven strong frames allowing only one earned run, two total, while striking out nine.  Hamels left the game trailing as once again the Phillie offense struggled against Dodger pitching.  Chad Billingsley went seven innings also for the Dodgers limiting the Fightin’s to only one run on three hits.   The Phillies could only muster five hits total once again and two players accounted for four of them!  Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez had two hits each in this one.   Ruiz tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a clutch two base knock but the game was eventually lost in extra innings as Chad Durbin gave up two runs in the Dodger tenth and the Phillies succumbed.  The loss dropped the Phillies record to .500 overall as the home game struggles continued.

May 15, 2009 – Phillies 10 Nationals 6 : ( in Washington)

It was far from easy as once again the team was forced to come from behind to win a game.  Joe Blanton gave up four runs in five innings of work as the starter, he could not find the strike zone as he walked six batters in addition to giving up five hits.   The Phillies offense battled back however and held a two run lead going into the National’s last at bat.  Ryan Howard blasted a three run home run in the seventh frame to put the team ahead but Brad Lidge continued his struggles in the closer role as he was tagged for two runs with two outs in the ninth  and the Nationals tied the game forcing extra innings.  Skipper Charlie Manuel’s hand was forced as he had to use expected Saturday night starter J.A. Happ in relief for the extra frames.  Happ responded with two scoreless innings and actually ended up earning the win,  Raul Ibanez knocked in the game winning run as he slapped a bases loaded single in the top of the 12th to score two.  The Phillie offense broke out in this one as they tallied 16 hits including four hit games for Ibanez and Pedro Feliz.  Carlos Ruiz continued his hot hitting as he tallied three hits in the game.  Shane Victorino had a two hit game.    The Phillies away record improved to 9 and 4 with the victory.

Chatter

The team was honored with a visit to the White House Friday afternoon to meet our 44th president, the honorable Mr. Obama.   Jimmy Rollins presented our commander in chief with a Phillie jersey with number 44 and his name on it.   President Obama, albeit a White Sox fan, acknowledged the team as just that, a team and stated that they were proof of what can happen when folks work together. 

Andrew Carpenter will be recalled today to pitch the second game of a day night doubleheader against the Nationals.   J.A. Happ was to start the game but had to be used in relief on Friday night.  Miguel Cairo will be designated for assignment to make temporary room on the roster for Carpenter. Carpenter is a 23 year old who had a spot appearance in the show with the team last season.  He is a control pitcher who relies on contact to get batters out……….. can’t do much worse than the collective starting staff has performed thus far!

My daughter gets married this coming Monday in the spring training home of the Phillies, Clearwater, FLA!   When she was a little girl I used to take her to Clearwater for baseball tournaments I would play in and also for Phillies spring training, she always said that when she got married that Clearwater was where she wanted it to be…….. so trying to be a good Dad I am accomodating!  Maybe I will run into Pat Burrell while I am down in the Tampa area!

Good pitching usually beats good hitting every time, that indeed was proven again this weekend as the Fightin’s dropped the last two games of the three game home series with the Atlanta Braves.  On Saturday Javier Vazquez threw 7 and 2/3 innings of stellar pitching against the Phillies, he only allowed four hits and two runs in that span.    With the exception of a few badly placed pitches Joe Blanton also pitched well going eight innings, the difference being that Blanton gave up two two run bombs, one to Brian McCann and the other to Yunel Escobar.   The Phillies were limited to five hits in the game, two of which were delivered by Chase Utley.  Utley homered in the game as did Raul Ibanez.    Final count :  Atlanta 6 Phillies 2

Sunday’s game was more of the same from a pitching dominance perspective, this time the Atlanta hurler was Kenshin Kawakami as he went six innings giving up five hits and two runs.  Three Braves relievers went the final three frames limiting the Phillies to one additional hit and no runs.   The Phillies were thus limited to six hits total, two each by Ryan Howard and Matt Stairs who got the start in right field.   Brett Myers pitched well for the Phils by going six innings allowing only one run on five hits.  Jack Taschner took the loss as he was tagged for two runs and three hits in only two thirds of an inning of relief work in the seventh frame.   FInal Count : Braves 4 Phillies 2

Chatter

With the two losses the Phillies record dropped to 15 and 14 and they fall to third place in the division one and 1/2 games behind the Mets.  The team has an offday on Monday before opening a three game home set with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Chan Ho Park will take the pill against his ex mates in the series opener.  The Phillies lead the majors in both sides of home run statistics !  They have hit more home runs than any team but the pitching staff has also given up more home runs that anyone…….. by far, in fact they are on pace to set a new major league record for home runs allowed!