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!

Ok so now I am starting to get annoyed a bit.  Joe Blanton started things well enough by striking out the first two hitters in the game but then got tagged for a double followed by a two run bomb by Bryan McCann.  For the third straight game in 2009 the FIghtins trailed in a home game before ever swinging a bat !   Is it a sign that our starting staff may be an achilles heel or do we stay with the standard theme that it is early and no worries yet, a bit of both but these games do count so it is time to wake up boys else we dig a hole too deep!

Raul Ibanez tied the game in the Phillies second with his own two run dinger scoring Ryan Howard in front of him but Blanton could not hold the score as Atlanta exploded for five runs in the third.  Blanton was done after four frames being tagged for seven runs on nine hits !  J.A. Happ got tagged for two runs in his stint, one a bomb by rookie Jordan Schafer, his second of the young season already!    Chad Durbin could not find the plate in the seventh and actually walked in a run before being replaced.   Not good indeed!  Down 10 to 3 after six and one half  of play not something to brag about !

And then…… we woke up, sort of.  Bobby Cox had to use four relievers in the home seventh including his normal fifth starter as the Fightins batted around plus four to score 8 runs while only collecting four hits!  The Atltanta pen walked in four runs with the bases juiced and collectively walked five batters and hit another!   Key singles were delivered by Ibanez, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz. Phillie batters showed alot of patience in their at bats en route to gaining the team’s first lead of the season.

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth to set up his bullpen buddy Brad Lidge.   Raul Ibanez led off the home eighth with yet another walk!  Pedro Feliz was giving himself up attempting to bunt Ibanez over but Jorge Campillo (Atlanta’s fifth starter) could not throw him a strike and the count went to 3-0 and Charlie gave Pedro a green light, he promptly doubled to left to knock Campillo out of the game !  Jeff Bennett came in for Atlanta and gave up a sacrifice fly RBI to pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett before working out of the inning. 

Lidge worked the ninth to earn his first save of the season, he was tagged by Mike Diaz for a solo bomb but struck out two to close it!  FInal Count :  Phillies 12 Braves 11……. my wife said in the sixth that alot of game was left and to not count our boys out!  She is quite the prophet eh!

Javier Vazquez pitched six effective innings for the Braves and should have earned the win.  The statement of the series still was that Atltanta starters did what was expected and ours did not,  the Phillies had many poor at bats in the series which were a combination of good Atlanta starting  pitching and poor approach by the Fightin’s.   The seventh inning comeback erased some of that especially the at bat by Ibanez who showed his hitting prowess by taking an outside pitch to left for a single rather than attempting to pull it.  Now the team goes on the road and must do more of what they showed in the later stages of this game.  The Atlanta pen could be their issue this year in light of what we saw in this series in games one and three.

Chatter

Pat Gillick was clearly overcome with emotion during the pre-game ring ceremony as he greeted each player, coach and clubhouse staff member to give them their rings.  Gillick’s tears symbolized heart felt emotions in conclusion of a great feat.  It was great to watch !  GIllick and team president David Montgomery will personally deliver the rings to each coach or player who could not attend the event, a real touch of class.  Speaking of a class act, So Taguchi did not attend the ceremony out of respect for his teammates this season on the Triple A Iowa Cubs, he felt that he should honor his committment to this year’s team instead, that is a team player truly defined ! 

Philly fans showed both sides of our colors by booing Adam Eaton and roundly cheering Pat Burrell.  Sometimes I just shake my head.   Cole Hamels takes the ball on Thursday in Colorado, perhaps the young ace can find our first starter’s win!  Stay tuned, still 159 to play.

Last season the Phillies started the season 0 and 2 against a division rival.   This season has started the same as the Fightins went down for the second time this young season against the Atlanta Braves.

Jamie Moyer started on the hill for the Phillies but was tagged for four runs in five innings as he yielded eight hits including a first inning solo home run to Kelly Johnson on the game’s first pitch and a fifth inning solo blast to Chipper Jones.  Moyer was far from sharp but you can’t win if you can’t score and the Fightin’s offense is scuffling right now.  

The Phillies left 11 runners on base and were limited to six hits, two each for Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.  Raul Ibanez had the only extra base hit for the Phillies, a double.   The only bright spots on the night for the Phillies was the work of the bullpen.  Chan Ho Park, Jack Taschner and Clay Condrey combined to pitch four scoreless innings.

Jair Jurrjens threw five and two thirds innings for Atlanta and was supported by four Brave relievers to earn the combined shutout.

Chatter

Joe Blanton will take the pill tommorrow afternoon in attempting to avoid the sweep and lead the team to the first 2009 win.  Championship rings will be distributed prior to the game, Pat Burrell will be on hand as the Rays are playing in Boston and the Phillies have paid the tab to bring him here for the ceremony and then get him back in time to Fenway to play the game there.  Classy move.

On one of the saddest days in Eagle fan’s history, the day our heart and soul, Mr. Brian Dawkins…..alias Weapon X decided to take the money and signed with the Denver Broncos another now former Philly hero made his first appearance against us.  Pat Burrell and the Tampa Bay Rays played against the Fightin’s in Clearwater for the first time this spring.   Burrell had two at bats as the DH and got one hit.  The Phillies hammered the Rays, however, as the posted five runs in the first inning led by dingers from Ryan Howard, John Mayberry Jr. and Miguel Cairo.  The final count in the game was 12 to 5.

Mayberry, Cairo and Howard had two hits apiece to lead a 13 hit Phillies attack and help earn the team’s first win of the spring.  On the hill Kyle Kendrick tossed two and two thirds innings in the start followed by five relievers.  Of the relievers philly native Mike Koplove, a non roster invitee and Clay Condrey were most impressive as they each threw a scoreless inning.

The defending champions, damn I like writing that!, are now 1 and 3 on the spring as they dropped a game on Friday against Cincinatti in which starter Drew Carpenter did not make it out of the first inning.   That game’s final count was a 10 to 3 loss but most of the Phillies lineup did not contain the regulars as it was a “road game” and in the spring many of the “starters” on each club do not go to the away games, only two are required per team to be in the lineup and Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez represented on the two hour trip south of Clearwater to Sarasota.  J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson had good outings on the hill for the Fightins in that one.

Chatter

Jayson Werth has yet to make his spring debut, he was taking a bit longer to get his legs in condition and was scheduled to play against the Rays but suffered a shoulder sprain pre-game.  He is day to day at this point.  John Mayberry Jr. has gotten the early notice as a standout early in the spring, he is swinging the bat well and has demonstrated he can play the outfield…….perhaps a darkhorse to make the club as a right handed bat option off the bench ?

I am down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the week and no not for golf!  My son’s college team, Eastern University is here to play their spring schedule at Cal Ripken’s baseball facility.  Ripken built a state of the art baseball complex in Myrtle Beach that has seven fields within.   My son is a senior at Eastern, the previous three years the spring trip has been to Florida, this year is a bit different.  Only problem thus far with South Carolina is that when I arrived yesterday it was pouring rain and they are calling for snow tonite……….. not good baseball weather !   It is supposed to warm up as the week progresses though.

For those who are interested and in the area I will be doing book signings of my book “2008 Philadelphia Phillies – A Poetic Season” at the Neumann College Bookstore on March 31st from 10 to 2 and also at the Kennett Bookstore in Kennett Square, PA on 4/4/09 from 11 to 3.   I will have more book signings coming at the BC Sports stores in King of Prussia, Exton and Havertown but dates have yet to be determined.   Lastly the Lehigh Valley Iron PIgs are kicking off opening the stadium for the 2009 ticket drive this week and my book is also available for sale within their store!  Give it a read, a great recap of the championship glory game by game !   You can order online at www.authorpotter.com also.

One  more footnote :   My new buddy Jim Nelson, ex pro linebacker in the NFL is also carrying my book in his Big League Haircuts stores at Exton, Westtown and Chestnut Hill.   It is also available at Chester County Bookstore in West Goshen, Caln Pizza and Pasta in Thorndale , Giordano’s Sports Bar in Kennett Square and Brother’s Pizza in West Chester.  Please frequent these fine establishments and pick up a copy!

It is not the Mets or Yankees and their mounds of money, nor the Red Sox and their boisterous nation. It is not the Angels and their perfection of execution nor the Cubs and their abundance of talent. It is not the Dodgers and Manny-mania nor the Brewers and their C.C. Ride. It is not the Tampa Bay Rays and their worst to first very good young team. “We” are the 2008 champions of MLB Baseball, the “World” Champions of the game!! “We” are the Phillies which is not just purely defined as the core baseball team. “We” represents the players, coaches and front office, the ticket takers, concessionaires and announcers……….. the writers, sports talk hosts and security guards…….. the janitors, traffic cops and police. “We” are the fans both those who are life long die hards like myself and yes even those who have jumped onto the bandwagon with the success of a winner! “We”, baseball world, the Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 World Series Baseball Champions!!!!!

The players of this team will live forever in our area as being recognized for their championship efforts. Charlie Manuel will be forever the man who led us to our second “World” title in history, J-Roll, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Hamels, Lidge, Moyer and the other members of this team will be forever heroes in this city regardless of where they might go in their remaining careers! Pat Gillick will be forever remembered as the GM who put us over the top! By becoming champions these boys have become immortal and lodged in the memories of “Phillies” young and old forever in time!

Pedro Feliz is forever the guy who got the winning hit! Geoff Jenkins is forever the guy who led off the sixth with a double! Pat Burrell is forever the guy who got the key double to stage the winning run! Brad Lidge is forever perfect as was this team when leading after eight innings! God Bless the Phillies………all of us, we are the “Phreakin” Champions!!!!!

As a long standing Phillie fan I have seen my share of disappointment, comes with the territory when you cheer for the losingest franchise in pro sports history………..but for this year and this off-season there is no sadness in “Phillie-vile” because …………one more time baseball world……………… “We”, the Philadelphia Phillies are the 2008 “World” Champions of baseball…………..sounds so sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh by the way if you didn’t figure it out…………. Phillies won game five by a four to three count!

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.

Chatter

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 !

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.

The Philadelphia Phillies are headed back to the World Series for the first time since 1993 as they clinched the National League pennant on Wednesday night! Cole Hamels led the Phillies past the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 as the Phillies took four of the five games against the Dodgers.

Hamels picked up his second win of th series after tossing seven strong innings where he allowed just five hits and one run. The one run came in the sixth inning when Manny Ramirez hit a high fastball for a solo home run. When Hamels got into jams, he was able to get double plays turned without allowing any runs to score.

Jimmy Rollings got the game started off with a bang with a solo home run in the first inning off of Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell both added rbi singles in the third inning as the Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead. In the fourth, it was Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz both scoring on an errors by Rafael Furcal. That was enough offense for the Phillies as the pitching staff was great!

Now the Phillies will come back home to Philly and see who they will play in the World Series. The Tampa Bay Rays need one more win against the Boston Red Sox to seal their World Series bid and the two teams will be playing Thursday night.

So now the question is this. Who would you rather play? The Red Sox or the Rays?

Hey everyone, I’m filling in for Spotter as he is 12 hours ahead of us over in China for the week. Hopefully he is able to catch the games over there. He sure didn’t miss much in game three however as the Phillies were blown out 7-2.

Jamie Moyer only lasted one and a third innings as the Dodgers scored five runs in the first inning to jump out to a 5-0 lead. Old man Moyer simply didn’t have his pitches working for him and he was hit hard. He was taken out of the game in the second inning after he gave up his sixth run of the game on a Rafael Furcal solo home run.

The only offense for the Phillies was two rbi singles. Pedro Feliz scored Ryan Howard in the second inning on a single to shallow left field and then in the seventh inning, Pat Burrell singled in Chase Utley.

The Phils will now send Joe Blanton to the mound in game four of the series. If the Phillies can pull out a win, I like their chances of winning the series and moving onto the World Series. The Dodgers will be countering back with their ace as Derek Lowe will get the start.

Phillies Blog

Cole Hamels pitched like an ace in game one of the NLCS going seven strong innings and holding the Dodgers to only two runs. With the exception of Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez the Dodgers could have been blanked. Chase Utley came thru with a two run home run in the sixth off Dodger starter Derrick Lowe and Pat Burrell blasted a solo home run in the same inning to end Lowe’s day and put the Fightins ahead.

Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge closed the game out without incident and the Phillies earned a big win. Philly fans were loud and strong in this one and indeed had an impact.

Chatter

Charlie Manuel pinch hit for Hamels in the seventh frame with So Taguchi hoping that Taguchi could get a sacrifice bunt down to advance Carlos Ruiz who had reached on a single. Taguchi popped the bunt up and heard the wrath of the Philly fans! Manuel had Gregg Dobbs available but chose to go for the sacrifice. I think Charlie outfoxed himself on that move, it did not cost the game but not so sure Dobbs wasn’t the better move as Greg Maddux was on the hill for the Dodgers. The Phillies have not been a small ball team all year and I see no reason to start now.
Manuel did make a very good mound visit in the top of the eighth when he came out to see Ryan Madson and reinforce to not give Manny nothing to hit in his at bat….. Manny swung at the first pitch, an outside change up that he pulled as a soft line drive to third baseman Pedro Feliz to record the out.

Sitting in LAX right now preparing to board for trip to China, Fightins will begin game two soon with Brett Myers on the hill. Hope that Brett controls the adrenalin and he should do fine.