Sometimes, like Pedro Martinez, says you have to tip your cap and admit that the other team was just better.  The Yankees were indeed the better team this post season and although it was not the outcome I was hoping for the Fightin’s did give us another great season!

Now the “Hot Stove” season is slated to begin and G.M. Ruben Amaro has already begun planning for the 2010 season.  The club picked up the option on lefthander Cliff Lee and has initiated talks that a long term deal could be in the future albeit probably unlikely.   They have told righthander Brett Myers that he will not be part of the 2010 plans and Myers will be pursueing free agent employment elsewhere. 

Today the team announced that they will not pick up the option on third baseman Pedro Feliz which may indicate that exploratory talks with other free agents at the position may be fruitful but the team is keeping the door open for future discussions with Feliz as well.

So what does this team need to get back to the World Series and win it in 2010.   The evident need to me is starting pitching quality not depth……… the Yankees ran Sabbathia, Burnett and Petite at us, yes if Cole Hamels was at 2008 form then coupled with Lee we had two thirds of the matchup equaled but we need another ace………… Roy Doc Halladay fits here and can be had in my opinion.  Send the Jays a package of J.A. Happ, Michael Taylor, Joe Savery or Yoland Flande and the kid outfielder from Lakeland that stole a bunch of bases and I think he can be had.   Yes he is only signed for one more season as is Lee but have themcompete for the contract extension, in the interim running out a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton and perhaps Moyer sure sounds like a winner to me!

In regards to third base I keep reading the name Adrian Beltre as a potential fit here, also Mark DeRosa, Chone Figgins, Troy Glauss, Dan Uggla, Melvin Mora or Marco Scutaro.   Personally I like Pedro Feliz and the steady defense that he brought but if the team can keep that kind of glove and improve the offense then so be it.   I think that it will either be DeRosa, Beltre or Glauss myself.

The team also needs a steady middle infield backup and Scutaro would be a great addition there but he would have to be agreeable to limited at bats since Rollins and Utley don’t take many games off.  Backup catcher is also a need and the Colorado Rockies just released Yorvitt Torrealba.  He would be a great combo with Carlos Ruiz for next season.

Bullpen re-engineering is also a need and the Mets release of J.J. Putz provides the Phillies an opportunity to get a high reward, low risk type of guy coming off injury.  Putz has closed and if healthy could provide another option to help Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge at end of games.  Last off season the Phillies brought in Chan Ho Park and he did a very good job in the pen, look for another few of those signings this season as well.  Relievers need to be redistritbuted since they throw alot of innings and it is very difficult for teams to stay consistent with the same crews, need to bring in fresher arms from year to year, perhaps the minors might also provide some new options as I think both Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona could make strong pushes in Spring Training for roster spots.

Alas, we lost the world series but looking ahead pitchers and catchers report in a little more than 90 days!  Still a great time to be a Phillie Phan!

The Phillies opened a three game set in Chicago with a 4 to 3 extra innings win over the Cubbies.  Phillies starter J.A. Happ went six innings giving up two runs on seven hits.  Cubs starter Rich Harden was tossing a no hitter till Jimmy Rollins tagged him for a two run bomb in the top of the sixth.   The Fightin’s took the lead in the eighth inning on a bases loaded walk issued to Ryan Howard.

Brad Lidge attempted to record his 23rd save in the ninth inning but gave up the tieing run instead for his seventh blown save of the season.   The game advanced to extra innings and was settled when Ben Francisco belted a solo home run in the top of the 12th.  Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning to record a save, lefty Scott Eyre was credited with the win as he recorded four outs in relief prior to Durbin.

Chatter

Pedro Martinez makes his Phillies debut tonight at Wrigley.  Kyle Kendrick was sent back to Triple A Lehigh Valley to make roster room for Martinez.    Jamie Moyer was pushed from the starting rotation in favor of Pedro and is not so happy about it.  Moyer feels “disheartened” and “misled” by management, particulary GM Ruben Amaro and team managing general partner Dave Montgomery.   He has incentive clauses in his contract based upon innings and wins which are virtually unachievable as a reliever.  According to Moyer during contract negotiations this winter he was given management’s word that if he hit a lull in the season he would not be removed from the rotation, the GM states that was not exactly the case.   The bottom line is that while I truly admire Mr. Moyer the profession of baseball is to win and put your team in the best position to do so, he has struggled to get past the fifth inning, no guarantee that Pedro will do that either but at this time a change is probably wise……… Martinez was signed prior to the Cliff Lee acquisition so while  I don’t think the Moyer move to the pen was planned it is now something that circumstances have led to.   Jamie will prepare for the role like the professional he is and I hope it works itself out, there are two doubleheaders on the schedule in September so at a minimum he should get at least two more starts.

J.A. Happ tossed his second complete game shutout of the season on Wednesday night as he beat the Colorado Rockies 7-0.  That effort secured his spot in the starting rotation for the rest of the season and was annouced as such by General Manager Ruben Amaro on Thursday.   Pedro Martinez tossed a gem of his own on Wednesday as he struck out 11 Double A minor leaguers in Reading while walking none.  Martinez hit 93 on the radar gun consistently in the outing.   Cliff Lee tossed his first home win on Thursday afternoon as he went seven innings to beat the Colorado Rockies 3-1.   Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge closed the game with Lidge earning his 21st save of the season.

Now……. Joe Blanton has been pitching superbly this season so his spot in the rotation is also secure, Cole Hamels has struggled a bit lately but he is the reigning World Series MVP and is definitely needed in the rotation if the Fightin’s have any chance of repeating.   Veteran Jamie Moyer albeit having won 10 games this season has struggled as well and has a high E.R.A. to boot.  The decision point thus comes down to which veteran goes to the pen, Jamie or Pedro or……… a six man rotation is envoked.

Debate

1.  A six man rotation on the surface may not seem so bad, last season Hamels actually seemed to perform better when given an extra day’s rest so there could be upside there as innings could be saved for the playoffs themselves.    The downside is that the team would not be running out Lee,Hamels, Blanton and Happ on the most frequent basis and thus would be altering routine as well as deferring their best chance at winning games.     Tough call on this one but would not be shocked that this is the route they take.

2.  Moyer or Martinez in the Pen -  Moyer would probably not be effective in relief as his game is pitching to spots and using hitters aggression against them, most relief spots are short stints requiring “stuff” to get folks out and/or key pinch hitters so the agrgression angle may not be as predominantly in play as when he is used as a starter and hitters see him more than once per game.  Martinez, while having excelled before in a relievers role has been programmed to start and is expecting as much, not sure if asked to be a pen member how it might work.   He is the better of the two choices between the pitchers for the bullpen role as his stuff is more dynamic.   I think though that he is been given the word that he is a starter and thus he will be.   My guess is that Mr. Moyer will end up in the pen if the six man rotation is not deemed viable.

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!

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 Phillies have been absolute road warriors so far in 2009 and that trend continued as the Fightins took San Diego by storm and swept a three game series from them.  The sweep extended the team winning streak to six games and positioned them with a three and 1/2 game lead in National League East.

Monday, June 1st – Phillies 5 Padres 3

Joe Blanton tossed seven strong innings allowing only six hits to earn his fourth win of the season. Scott Eyre tossed the eigth inning to earn his 10th hold of the season and closer Brad Lidge finished the game to gain save number 13.   Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hit back to back home runs to power the Philly offense.  Utley, Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino each had two hits in the contest.    Adrian Gonzalez hit his league leading 21st home run for San Diego.

Tuesday, June 2nd – Phillies 10 Padres 5

Antonio Bastardo made his major league debut a successful one as he threw six innings allowing only four hits and one run while striking out 5 batters.  Bastardo basically featured a fast ball albeit a very good as he consistently hit 94-95 on the radar gun.  It was indeed a very impressive debut for the young 22 year old lefthander!   Jake Peavey only lasted one inning on the mound for San Diego as the Phillies tuned him up for four runs, Peavey is fighting an uppper respiratory infection and it definitely effected him.  Raul Ibanez continued his hot hitting by belting 2 home runs on this, his 37th birthday.   Ibanez now has 19 bombs on the season!   Greg Dobbs, getting a start at third base, belted his second home run of the season.    Ibanez had three hits in the game while Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard each had two hits.   The Phillies were riding a comfortable nine run lead going into the home seventh but Chan Ho Park got lit up for four runs to make the score 10-5.  Chad Durbin pitched one and 2/3 innings after Park but loaded the bases in the ninth which brought the tieing run in the on deck circle and Ryan Madson into the game, Madson recorded the last out to earn his second save of the season.

Wednesday, June 3rd – Phillies 5 Padres 1

J.A. Happ threw a gem for the Fightins going seven innings allowing no runs and only four hits!  Happ earned his fourth win of the season and has pitched thus far like a second ace in the rotation!  J.C. Romero made his 2009 debut by pitching 1 and 1/3 innings, Ryan Madson finished the game.

Ryan Howard belted his 16th home run of the season in the sixth inning to plate two runs.  Greg Dobbs started in right field and collected two hits in the game.  He also made a very good defensive play in the second inning running down a ball in the gap to record the third out of the inning.  Shane Victorino left the game early with a strained hip.  No word on the severity, Jayson Werth finished the game in center field.

Chatter

The Phillies now move on to L.A. for a four game set, Cole Hamels gets the first start of the series, the Dodgers will be throwing three lefties at the Phillies in the series rotation.   Tom Glavine was released by the Braves, rumblings were the Phillies might be interested but I hope not, the young guys have stepped up thus far so I think they should ride it out for a bit to see how it goes.    Kyle Drabek was promoted to Double A Reading and threw very well in his debut there, GM Ruben Amaro was on hand in Reading to see the young right hander throw, word is that he hit 99 on the radar gun!  Stay tuned on that front,  could Drabek be in the bigs this season ?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chatter

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

Kyle Kendrick had a shaky outing early in the week which opened the door for the other three competitors in the “Fifth Starter Sweepstakes” to overtake the frontrunner Kendrick.  Rich Dubee, the Phillies pitching coach had proclaimed Kendrick as the one to beat early on in spring training.  Chan Ho Park threw friday night against the Blue Jays and pitched four effective innings with four K’s allowing one run.  J.A. Happ threw saturday against the Tigers and pitched very well by tossing three shutout innings and accumulating seven strikeouts !   Happ used a good heater to mow down the Tigers.  Carlos Carrasco  goes on Sunday against the Braves in his first chance since coach Dubee announced earlier this week that the competition is now on in earnst.

The Phillies beat the Tigers 8 to 1 but lost to the Jays 4 to 3 to put the spring mark at 4 and 4.

Chatter

John Mayberry Jr. continues to impress as he belted a three run homer against the Tigers.  Mayberry is hitting close to .300 in spring games thus far and has shown good athleticism and ability to play the two corner outfield spots.  He may indeed make the squad.   Ryan Howard belted yet another homer against the Tigers, his third of the spring.  The big man is swinging the bat well thus far, hopefully it pays off in a better start to the regular season as well.

Jamie Moyer threw very well against the Tigers going four innings and tallying five k’s.   I watched some of the World Baseball Classic and saw the Netherlands team upset Team Dominican Republic.  I don’t quite understand what the qualifications are to be on the teams,  ex phil Randall Simon is on the Netherlands team and I was not aware that he was from that region ?  

Carlos Ruiz seemed to get shaken up a bit playing for Panama against Puerto Rico and left the game early, hopefully not anything of issue.

It appears the Phillies will not make any more free agent signings, they did pick up Rodrigo Lopez off waivers from the Braves but it is expected that he will be a starter in Lehigh Valley.  G.M. Ruben Amaro said the team most likely will not sign lefty Will Ohman, the way that J.A. Happ pitched against the Tigers might avail him to the second lefty in the pen spot if indeed he does not earn the fifth starter spot.

Non roster invitee Jeremy Slayden led the FIghtin’s offense in their Spring Training debut as he stroked two hits, one a double, in his two game at bats.  Slayden was the mid game sub for starting left fielder Raul Ibanez who stroked a RBI single in his Phillies spring debut.   Jimmy Rollins, Geoff Jenkins, Gregg Dobbs and John Mayberry Jr. had the other Phillie hits in the contest.

Jamie Moyer started the game on the hill and threw two scoreless innings. Joe Blanton pitched one inning and gave up a run.  The Pirates scored the other seven runs off middle relievers Joe Bisenius and Scott Nestor.

Chatter

Last year’s # 1 draft pick Anthony Hewitt saw action at third base and went hitless in two at bats.  Chris Coste, Ronny Paulino and Lou Marson split duty behind the plate.   According to Todd Zolecki of mlb.com the Fightins are still in the hunt for Nomar Garciaparra but GM Ruben Amaro said there is a less than 50% chance of him signing.   They are also still open to signing an additional left handed reliever if possible.    Hearing rumors that fan favorite, Mr. Coste may be traded to the Mariners if Paulino proves worthy of a major league spot……. still think the team may carry three catchers if Nomar does not sign, guess if folks like Marcus Giles, Mayberry  or perhaps Miguel Cairo have decent springs they could serve as the right hand bat off bench….. we will see.

The Phillies open the home spring schedule in Clearwater tommorow against the Blue Jays. This first game was in Bradenton which is about an hour’s drive south of Clearwater.  Regular players are allowed to drive to the games rather than ride the bus if they so choose, apparently Jimmy Rollins was a bit late for the  pre game warmups as he got lost and his teammates gave him a  good natured razzing for it.

Ryan Howard agreed on sunday to a three year $54 million contract thus avoiding arbitration.  The Phillies avoided arbitration with all players who were eligible for such.  In order to do so they increased payroll by over $30 million as compared to last year!   In my humble opinion the signing of Howard is a great thing for both sides, albeit no ill effect was noticable  last season from the arbitration hearing I had doubts that an annual ritual would have not been adverse to both sides.

The $54 million dollar three year deal will be paid $15 million for this season, $19 million for next and $20 million for 2011.  If  Big Brown continues his consistent pace of home run and RBI production it is my opinion he could have claimed in the $22 to $25 million dollar area for 2011, this deal is fair for both in that it gives Ryan security of knowing what he will be paid and the Phillies do not have the uncertainity of arbitration……. it allows all to concentrate on the task at hand, defending a championship and attempting to win more!   Good job Ruben Amaro and staff!

Chatter

Rich Aurillia apparently has a minor league contract offer from the San Francisco Giants and is considering accepting it.  The Phillies seem intent on waiting out Nomar Garciaparra in hopes that he decides to play this season as a right handed bat off the bench for the Fightins.  Rumblings also are that the Florida Marlins have a sincere interest in Chris Coste and that the Phillies may be receptive to a deal pending how Ronny Paulino looks this spring.  I am a huge Coste fan so I indeed hope that he sticks with the Fightins!   Rumors also are that the Atlanta Braves have pulled  the offer they made to left handed reliever Will Ohman.  Ohman reportedly had been looking for a two year contract in the $8 million dollar range, the Phillies and Mets have both seemingly expressed interest but at a much lesser payrate.  Ohman would be a nice addition to the pen especially in light of J.C. Romero’s suspension for the first 50 games of the season.   Pitchers and Catchers at weeks end, can’t wait!