One shouldn’t complain when your club goes out and picks up a stud pitcher like Roy Halladay but it would be dishonest to state that as a Phillies phan that I am super excited with the overall deals that have been done.  I am super excited that we acquired Mr. Halladay but am almost as equally disapointed that we traded away Cliff Lee in the process.   In my opinion the team blew a golden chance to be the dominant team in 2010 in both leagues!

I realize that money does not grow on trees and that baseball is indeed a business but still….. the acquisition of Halladay comes along with $6 million from the Jays which in essence means the Phillies pay him $9.75 million for 2010, with the trade away of Lee and his $9 million due him the trade in essence is a financial wash for 2010.   Yes I get that Halladay signs an extension which is sweet in itself as we Phillie Phans get to watch Big Roy for at least four years.   I also get that Lee would not sign an extension as he seems very wantful to test free agency after next season.   But here is my issue, the team could have had both for the extra $9 million for 2010….. that is alot of money but you are talking about a franchise that sells out every home date and has become a fan favorite accross the country which means they suck in more dollars on apparel and merchandise.  I don’t buy they can’t make money by keeping Lee for the 2010 season along with Halladay.

It is also argued that they needed to replenish the farm after giving away Drabek, Taylor and the young catcher to get Halladay.   Seattle sends the Phils two guys who throw in the mid nineties at times along with a speedster center fielder who has an above average arm.  That is all well and good but I thinkthat we were deep enough to absorb losing our three and would get a number one pick back if Lee would have walked in 2010.   Keep in mind that Joe Blanton is only 28 and could be resigned after next season to fill the gap supposedly created by trading our top pitching prospect.

So………long story short while I am super excited to have the “Doc” in Philly and I think the Phils are still the frontrunners to win another N.L. pennant it’s just that  I don’t think they match up to the Yankees, Sox or now Mariners in regards to starting pitchers in a seven game series………they definitely would have with both Halladay and Lee!

It appears the team is not done on the free agent market as John Smoltz and Fernando Rodney seem to be on the radar.   Those guys would be excellent additions but still don’t fill the Lee gap!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chatter

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chatter

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

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

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

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.

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.

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!

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

Tuesday, June 16th – Toronto 8 Phillies 3

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

Wednesday, June 17th – Toronto 7 Phillies 1

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

Thursday, July 18th – Toronto 8 Phillies 7

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

Chatter

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

The 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 ?