As I have stated many times this season it sure is a great time to be a Phillies Phan!  With the team capturing thier second consecutive National League pennant and now set to participate in the MLB “World” Series against the most storied franchise agrueably in all of sports it is time to predict the outcome.

The Yankees have won 26 “world” series titles and the Phillies have won all of two!  Facts tell us that one of the 26 titles came at the hands of the Fightins in 1950 against a team led by Richie Ashburn. However, this Phillies team is far from the 1950 version, this crew is a dominant one and in fact many think they are on the verge of a dynasty of winning prowess.  Great time to be a Phillies Phan!

I think that C.C. Sabbathia is the biggest obstacle, both figuratively and physically!, that the Fightins face in this series.  Sabbathia will throw three times if the series goes seven games and he has dominated our hottest hitter Ryan Howard in past matchups.  If the Fightins are to beat him then the right handed bats have to step up big time, we know that the can as Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Pedro Feliz, and Carlos Ruiz have been able to do so repeatedly.  I think the key to game one will be an unsung hero Ben Francisco who will start in left field with Raul Ibanez shifting to the DH role.   I think Francisco will have a big game and the Fightins will sneak a win behind Cliff Lee.

Pedro Martinez takes the hill in game two against A.J. Burnett.  Burnett has been hot and cold in his past endeavors against the Fightins but he has never faced a lineup of Phillies like the present one.  I think the Phillies smoke Burnett and surprise New York by also winning game two behind a ramped up Pedro.   Game three is Cole Hamels turn to step it up again as he goes against Andy Petite.  I am picking the Fightins to prevail in this one also and silence the New York faithful with a dominating 3 games to zero lead in the series.

Game four will force the return of Sabbathia to the hill and I think he will prevail with a win but in Game Five behind Cliff Lee again I think the Phillies bring home a second straight world series title!  It will set the stage for this team to be compared to those in history who have strung sustained success and titles……………… Great time indeed to be a Phillies Phan!

Chatter

I know it is far from time to be looking into next season but what if the Phillies somehow made another run at Doc Halladay in the offseason……….how sweet would this team be with Lee, Halladay, Hamels, Blanton and Martinez as a 2010 rotation!  Would we see a threepeat ?

With 14 games left to play the Fightins have reduced the magic number to clinch their third straight N.L. Eastern Division title to six.  Any combination of Phillies wins or the second place team in the division losses adding to six will result in the championship!

The Fightins just won two of three in Atlanta to basically leave the Braves for dead in the race and now go on to Miami to attempt to do the same with the young Marlins.  Here are some thoughts regarding the remaining two weeks of the season :

Kudos

Raul Ibanez appears to have found a semblance of his batting stroke as he battles thru the tail end of a tough second half of the season for him.  Ibanez has reached the 30 home run plateau and has come up with big hits lately in games.   Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels appear poised to lead the rotation into the post season, Hamels has thrown really well in his last four outings and Lee is coming off of two strong outings himself.  Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins appear to have the playoff game face on as each has come to life offensively during the stretch drive,  both also continue to play very well defensively.  Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz have also quietly went about thier business both with the bat and the gloves to hold down the fort in the lower part of the order as well as providing defensive stability.   Tyler Walker deserves recognition for having a very good year out of the pen which has gone relatively unnoticed.

Concerns

Unlike last season the injury bug continues to bite!  Brett Myers, J.C. Romero, Scott Eyre, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park and Pedro Martinez  are all pitchers with different forms of injury that have placed doubt in regards to thier availability and roles for post season.   Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz  and Greg Dobbs all are battling “minor” injuries and probably could use some rest before the playoffs begin.   

Not liking at all when Brad Lidge pitches and the Phillies give up second base on “defensive indifference” when a runner is on, more times than not the runner has scored when if held on they would not have.   I realize that Mr. Lidge is struggling and his focus is being directed at getting the hitter out but not holding runners on make closer games than needed in my opinion, also inflates the E.R.A. !

Shane Victorino got tossed in the first inning of today’s game vs the Braves for argueing a play at second base where he thought his steal attempt resulted in a swiped bag, the umpire saw differently.  Victorino argued to a point where he got thrown out, come on Shane, gotta stay in the game in that situation whether the call was bad or not, can’t lose his head as the team needed him for defense and his bat against a tough right hander !

Yunell Escobar got benched by Braves Manager Bobby Cox in game one of the series and deservingly so, Escobar failed to run out a ground out to shortstop in his first at bat and the crusty old skipper immediately gave the young stud a seat on the bench for his “lapse in judgement”.  Cox was absolutely correct in doing so and it is why he continues to be one of the games best managers! 

Chatter

The team moves on to Miami for a three game set including a rare Tuesday night doubleheader, the DH is a result of the Miami Dolphins needing the stadium for a Monday Night Footbal game.  The last regular season road trip of the year ends with a four game set in Milwaukee.   Kyle Kendrick has pitched very well for the Fightins this September, one as a starter where he went 8 very strong innings and most recently in relief of J.A. Happ in Atlanta where he came out of the pen to throw three scoreless innings!  His sinker has been very effective and he has shown an ability to change speeds effectively, something he did not do during his last stint with the team.

Go Phillies!  Clinch that division and then on to the playoffs, great time indeed to be a Phillies Phan !

As New York Mets fans know being in first place in the National League East in September is not the most secure place in recent years.  The mighty Mets fell out of the top spot and eventually relinquished the title to our Fightins each of the last two seasons.  The FIghtins presently hold that leadership perch this season and one would think that with a 5 and 1/2 game lead and a magic number of 16 as of the time of this writing that such lead would be relatively safe………. as the New Yorker’s would tell you, don’t count on it till the fat lady sings!

The Phillies have not played well in September this season, they were swept in a four game series in Houston by the Astros and albeit came back to win two of three against the Nationals in Washington struggled to do so.   Everyone knows that the team offense is predicated on the long ball but recent times have seen that reliance to become somewhat alarming.  The Fightins run production recently has been delivered 60% of the time on home runs !  Too often they have been unable to produce runs with runners in scoring position and less than two outs.   If the team holds on and wins their third straight division title, which I expect them to by the way, the playoff run will be short if they do not figure out how to get back to offense 101 and move runners to score the small ball way also.  Home Runs usually don’t fly against the pitchers you see in the playoffs.

On top of the offensive woes the bullpen has been a real worry, Brad Lidge blew another game in Houston and struggled so mightingly in a game in Washington that skipper Charlie Manuel had to go get him in the ninth in favor of Ryan Madson who eventually closed the win.   Madson, though is not a closer just yet as he displayed against the Mets in yesterday’s game by blowing his sixth save of the season.   Brett Myers also pitched poorly against the Mets yesterday giving up a two run blast himself in the eighth inning set up roll.   Bottom line is this, anyone who does not realize that the Phillies must get Lidge right in the closer roll is blind as a baseball fan, the skipper knows it and will attempt to take the last few weeks of the season to try and get him right. 

In today’s game against the Mets Kyle Kendrick stepped up in a spot start opportunity and threw very well leaving with a 5 to 2 lead.  Matt Stairs doubled in the home eighth and was plated by Andy Tracy with a single to score that fifth run in what may become one of the more important RBI’s of the season.   The skipper brought in Mr. Lidge to attempt to get the game done and he needed every one of those three runs to do so as he converted a save for the 5-4 win.   I truly think that even though he struggled once again with hanging sliders that were hit hard by two Met hitters the fact that he was able to convert with two strike outs may indeed finally be the bridge back to where we need him to be.

I repeat, this team needs Brad Lidge to close, he is the best option we have and the success of the season will hinge on his ability to recover. 

Chatter

Kudo’s to Phillie fans who gave Lidge a very nice ovation when he came into the game today, it was a show of class for a class act, Lidge has never ducked his responsibility this season and does not deserve any boo birds wrath for that, he has not performed on the field but as we saw last season the Phillies home crowd can be a great attribute to the home team if we are behind them, this is a very good team we have, no room to be negative now fellow Phillie Phans, not if we want another title which is indeed in reach!

Pedro Martinez goes tonight against his old teammates in the night portion of the day-night twin bill.  Pedro has been excellent thus far so let’s hope that streak continues.  Has anyone noticed that Jamie Moyer could actually have 15 wins this season if not for the last two games where he left with a lead and the bullpen collapsed, not bad for a spot starter eh!   J.A. Happ is still struggling with a strained obligue and may miss another start, good thing we have Moyer ready to take the ball.   Clay Condrey threw in Reading in a rehab assignment but no word if he is ready to resume big league service, the injury to his obligue has cost the valuable right hander a big chunk of the season, J.C. Romero is still struggling with elbow woes as is fellow lefty Scott Eyre.   If those two guys can’t get back in time to finish the season don’t be suprised to see Mr. Happ in the bullpen as the team has only inexperienced Sergio Escolona and Jack Taschner in the pen presently from the left side.

Magic number is at 16 and Marlins are losing right now to Nats 7-1 in the eighth so there is a possibility that can go to 14 if they lose and the Fightins win behind Pedro tonight.   Good time to be a Phillie Phan folks!

Note :  The Fighins have four guys with 30 or more home runs this season, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley……..  those four guys have more than many entire teams including those lowly Mets, indeed a great time to be a Phillies Phan !

September 3rd – Houston 5 Phillies 4

Charlie Manuel is perhaps the most patient and supportive manager in major league baseball but one has to truly wonder how much even he can take.  Brad Lidge was perfect last season and has, in spurts, this season shown some of that same form but tonight’s game against the Astros may indeed have broken the skipper’s patience !

The Phillies have been scuffling on offense and have been shut out twice in the last five games scoring a total of seven runs in those contests.  If not for pitching gems by Cole Hamels and Pedro Martinez against the Giants they most certainly would be riding a five game losing skid. 

That being said the  issue at hand tonight was even harder to swallow as the team had scuffled back from an early 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead into the ninth for our closer  to end it.  But problems occured when after getting Hunter Pence to strike out on some nasty sliders to start the inning Mr. Lidge could not find the plate !  He walked Geoff Blum and then Chris Coste sat on a first pitch fastball and lined it to center, he then walked Lance Berkman to load the bases !  Get the theme, no control in the zone will usually get you beat no matter what you throw!    With the bases juiced Michael Bourne helped Lidge out by first pitch swinging which resulted in a force out at the plate for out number two but a patient Kaz Matsui worked a 3-1 count and lined a fastball to center to end the game for Lidge’s 10th blown save!

It is true that the Fightin’s are in first place by nine games in the loss column at game’s start but it is also true that the constant failure of the closer is a real concern.  It had appeared that Lidge had righted the ship having saved his last three chances but once again in this once a recurring theme occurs, teams are laying off of the slider out of the zone as he has been unable to throw it for a strike, they sit on the fastball and have been able to hit it hard consistently this season, fittingly the phrase……. Houston we have a problem!

Chatter

Cliff Lee has also mightingly struggled his last two outings after appearing to be Superman in his first five starts for the Fightins,  Houston tagged him for six runs in only three innings last night and the Braves lit him up for nine in the start before, hopefully just a hiccup in a long season.  Cole Hamels has pitched exceptionally well in his last two outings so that is a great sign.  Joe Blanton has perhaps been the steadiest pitcher all season as he once again gave the team a quality start in tonight’s Houston debacle.

Not for nothing but with Raul Ibanez struggling the way he has since coming off the DL his offensive numbers bear a striking resemblence to those that Pat Burrell put up for the team year after year, not bad but for all those Burrell knockers Mr. Ibanez has not been that much distinctively better on offense when it comes down to it.

Rosters expanded on September 1 and the Fightin’s added Jack Taschner and Brett Myers to the pitching staff and Paul Hoover as a third catcher.  Expect John Mayberry Jr. to join the team as well when the Iron Pigs triple A season is over later this week.

Chase Utley did not play tonight against the Stro’s as he has a foot injury from a foul ball, the team reported x-rays were negative.  Shane Victorino left the game early tonight with a noticable limp.  Can’t afford the injuries!

Still in first place folks so no need to panic but the team must figure out the back end of the pen else we will be watching either St. Louis, L.A., the Rockies or Giants in the series this year.  Still a good time to be a Phillies fan!   Could be the Mets with no hope this year eh!

For he first time since 1984 the Phillies went into Chicago and swept a series away from the hometown Cubbies.  After winning the first game in extra innings on Tuesday  the Fightins came out of their recent offensive slumber to score 12 runs Wednesday evening enroute to claiming a victory behind starter Pedro Martinez and then rode ace Cliff Lee on Thursday afternoon to the winners circle.

Martinez tossed a very effective five innings and was clocked as high as 93 on the radar to earn career win number 215.  Chan Ho Park tossed three perfect innings behind Martinez and Chad Durbin finished out the game.  Home runs were clubbed by Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino.  All tolled the Fightins pounded 14 hits in the game.  An idiot fan tossed a full cup of beer on Victorino as he made a catch in centerfield on the warning track.  Originally security ejected the wrong guy but then came back and tossed the entire row as the dumbass fan didn’t fess up to his stupidity.  Some fans actually cheered the idiot as he left which makes one wonder……… maybe there is a reason for the curse on the cubbies, stupid fans like these!  I am sure that there are plenty of good fans in Chicago also but this dumbass sure is not one of them!  Charges have been filed by both Victorino and the Chicago Cubs, let’s see how proud the dummy is going to be about that!

On Thursday afternoon Cliff Lee continued to prove he was worth trading for as he led the Phillies to a 6 to 1 victory.   Ryan Howard belted a three run home run to give Lee all the runs he would need and Pedro Feliz also belted a dinger.   Both Howard and Feliz had three hit games.   Cliff Lee tossed eight innings in the contest and is now 3 and 0 as a Phillie, he even belted a double as a hitter !

Chatter

Depending on the outcome of tonight’s games involving the Braves and Marlins the Phillies will head to Atlanta with either a 4 and 1/2 game lead in the division or one game more.   Last season the Phillies were perfect in Atlanta but this year has been a struggle.  Big Joe Blanton will take the hill in the opener followed by Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ.   

Word is that Brett Myers had another very effective simulated game session and  is on track to be back pitching at month end or early September.  Clay Condrey and J.C. Romero are not close to returning though as both have had setbacks in the injury recovery process. 

Sources tell me that my boy Ryan Freel was released by the Royals, have always liked him as a player so hope the Phillies give him a shot.   How bout that Milwaukee Brewer housecleaning of late, I think that Bill Hall is still a player and was surprised the Brew Crew designated him for assignment.  He is another guy I would like to see in Phillies red pinstripes.

Coming into this weekend’s series with the Florida Marlins the Phillies held a seven game lead over the second place Fish and had an opportunity to perhaps bury them early this summer by sweeping and/or winning the series.   The young Marlins had other designs however as they climbed back into the race by turning the table on the Fightins and sweeping them!   As of this writing the Phillies still hold first place but the lead is now down to four games.

Friday night Florida’s Ricky Nolasco tossed a gem and beat the Phillies 3 to 2.  Joe Blanton pitched pretty well himself by going into the seventh but Florida got him for three runs in the first and second frames which turned out to be the difference.   The Phillies were limited to only four hits in the game, two by Raul Ibanez as the offense has stalled a bit lately, guess “hitting season” is in a lull right now!

Saturday’s game was a 6 to 4 loss as Cole Hamels continued to struggle.  Hamels could only go into the sixth frame before being lifted, he gave up four earned runs on five hits and also issued four walks.  The command he displays when he is going good has been sporadic at best this season as the young ace took his seventh loss of the season to go against seven wins.  Ryan Howard awoke from his offensive slumber as he went a perfect four for four at the plate and Shane Victorino got two hits before going accross the street with a few teammates to the Wachovia Center to watch Ultimate Fighting’s debut in the Philadelphia area.   Perhaps that experience was in hopes that it would stir the troops a bit for the Sunday Matinee to close the series!

Jamie Moyer took the hill sunday and battled thru five innings but left trailing the game 3 to 1 as the young Marlin hitters showed good patience with the pitch doctor and produced “soft” hits off the end of the bats to take the lead.   Rodrigo Lopez came on in relief of Moyer and all but punched his ticket back to the Minors by getting blasted for six runs in two thirds of an inning!  Victorino got thrown out of the game by the homeplate umpire  during the inning by questioning balls and strikes from his defensive perch in centerfield !   I have never seen an outfielder get tossed by the home umpire for balls and strikes!  Victorino came roaring into the plate area after being tossed and had to be restrained by teammates.   This reaction was prompted by a poor call the prior half inning where the homeplate blue rang Ryan Howard up on a 3-2 pitch which looked to be low.   Josh Johnson got the win for the Marlins in the finale.  The Phillies ended up with an old fashioned butt whippin put on them in a lopsided 12 to 3 loss.

Chatter

Florida has something special in Chris Coghlan.  The 24 year old had eight hits in the three game series and truly sparked the Marlin offense, he is no defensive wiz in left field where they have him playing, ( he came up thru minors as a second baseman), but he is not near as bad as the Mets Mr. Murphy out there either !

The Phillies hit the road next with a six game trip thru Chicago and Atlanta, they play 13 of the next 19 on the road.   Pedro Martinez is ready to go as a starter and will get a chance according to the skipper to do so on multiple occassion, my guess is that Mr. Moyer may be headed to the pen. 

How bout that Ryan Freel as a potential bench bat for the Phillies, I see that he was demoted once again to the minor leagues, I always liked him and perhaps he could be a spark for the Fightin’s off the bench.

Brad Lidge got tuned up in the ninth inning on Sunday by giving up three runs including a bomb to ex teammate Wes Helms.   In my opinion he is hurt despite what the team says, no bite on the slider and the fastball seems real straight, it is what happens when the knee can’t bend.

It is only August and the Fightin’s are still up four games so no time for us Phans to panic but rather sit back and cheer our boys on as indeed the race is still on !

The Fightin’s embark on a seven game road trip to points west, namely Phoenix and San Francisco, with a six and one half game lead in N.L. East in tow.    West coast trips for east coast teams are historically challenging as is watching the games live on TV for  us fans and now is not the time for the team or us fans to start feeling our oats in regards to being comfortable with the present lead.   The Braves have won seven of the last ten games themselves, almost matching the Phillies string of 8 of 10.  One bad string of losses coupled with an offsetting win run by either the Braves or Marlins and this is a race again!  Don’t forget those pesky Mets either.

The offense continues to excel for the team as different hitters step up when others are in slow spells.  Jimmy Rollins has gotten into a groove again and Shane Victorino is on pace to collect 200 hits this season, as long as those offensive catalysts continue to set the table this team will score runs.  Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez each have hit over 20 home runs already this season giving the team a real chance at four guys with 30 or more.  Pedro Feliz has had a very consistent season and has made the bottom of the order a tough task to face as well.

Bottom line is the pitching will make or break the team, the starters have been very good during the last month and the bullpen albeit banged up with recurring injuries, Clay Condrey, J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin are all presently on the disabled list has more than held their own thus far inclusive of being TV stars of their own  shown on MLB TV…….. “The Bullpen”.   We can use reinforcements on the pitching staff and Roy Halladay would be a sweet addition to say the least.   I think that Pedro Martinez will be a surprise as well and be more help than some may think, perhaps even out of the Pen!

Chatter

Pennants are won or lost in the last months of the season and as August and September rapidly approach we will see what this year’s version is made of, personally I would like to see a closer race for the N.L. East as I think that teams that win big have tougher times ramping up in the playoffs, witness last season and the Chicago Cubs for example.   As we go thru this week and a trade is either realized or not for another pitcher the end goal is the same, another “freakin title”!   I am a bit concerned that our second baseman may have tweaked that hip injury, our announcers noticed some doubtful movements this past weekend during his play…….. hope not but the man is tough as nails so he will play thru it one way or another it would seem.

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

Pedro

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

Halladay ?

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

Standings at the Break

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

Coste

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

The Phillies pounded the Cincinatti Reds for 22 runs on Monday night as the offensive flood gates opened!  They pounded 21 hits including four home runs while setting a team record with a ten run first inning!  Reminds one of the big explosion they had in St. Louis last year.  Cole Hamels was the recipient of the great run support and got the mound win.   In the second game of the series Brad Lidge took the loss as he was tagged for the go ahead run in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss.  On Wednesday Shane Victorino knocked in the game winner in the ninth for the Phillies making a winner out of Ryan Madson in a 3-2 win.

Injury Updates

Raul Ibanez is in Triple A Lehigh Valley on his rehab assignment, he hopes to be activated this weekend for the Pittsbugh series prior to making his first All Star start in the game on Tuesday.  Clay Condrey is also close to going on a rehab assignment himself and should be activated a week or so after the all star game.  Rodrigo Lopez strained his shoulder in his start on Wednesday but reportedly was ok on Thursday, the Phillies wont need a fifth starter till 7/20.

All Stars

Shane Victorino was voted in as the fan’s reserve to the All Star game, the Fightin’s faithful did a great job of putting the flying Hawaiiin in the game… speaking of Hawaii the Governor there and our PA Governor made a friendly wager on which state would generate the most votes for Shane, not sure which one won!  Victorino joins Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley along with skipper Charlie Manuel in St. Louis for the game.   Howard will also participate in the home run derby contest.

Chatter

Pedro Martinez anyone ?  According to reports he will be signing with the Phillies and added to the starting rotation after the All Star break.  Martinez apparently threw consistently in low 90’s in a private workout for the Fightins.   Roy Halladay is apparently also on the team’s radar as Toronto has announced it is willing to listen on trade offers, will take a boat load of talent to pry him loose from the Jays but the Phillies may have it to do so, minor leagues are steep with talent for the Fightins and the Jays were scouting the big club this week, perhaps J.A. Happ and Jayson Werth may be part of the asking price.  Halladay is 32 but is perhaps the best right handed pitcher in baseball and sure would make the Phillies a tough crew to beat in a playoff series when coupled with Cole Hamels!  I know that we gotta get there first and that everyone loves offense but it has long been proven that pitching is what wins in the playoffs and world series.  Just look at what potential staffs the Fightins may face in the playoffs and series, the Sox roll out studs as do the Yanks….. if the Phillies can put up Hamels/Halladay at top of rotation I will take my chances against anyone!

In western North Carolina and am listening to games on Fox Ohio, interesting perspective hearing the Reds announcers talking about how dangerous the Phillies lineup is throughout, that being said we could pry a bat loose to get another stud pitcher!

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.