The Phillies were on a roll as they entered today's game against the Atlanta Braves. Winners of 7 of their last 10 games and hungry for a sweep, the Phillies jumped to an early 5-0 lead, and a win seemed almost in hand with Cole Hamels dealing from the hill.
Hamels even contributed with the bat, crushing a ground rule double with the bases loaded to stretch the Phillies lead to 7-1.
When Hamels gave way to Josh Lindblom in the 7th inning the Phillies still held a commanding 7-3 lead. Lindblom struck out two and then gave way to Jeremy Horst, who has been one of the few bright spots for the Phillies bullpen this year. Horst would give up two runs on two walks and hit.
Enter Jonathan Papelbon with a two run read and only two outs to record. He allows a hit and a walk before Chipper Jones unloads on a belt-high fastball to walk to off with a win.
This story is not new to the Philadelphia fans this year. They build you up and then they let you down. However, I gotta say I like what I've seen lately. They aren't the Phillies of old, but they are grinding out games. The bats seem to be back, and the issues that need to be addressed for next season are clear, and fixable. Put people in the bullpen who will hold onto a lead. It's simple.
The Phillies aren't yet mathematically out of the playoffs, but you'd be foolish to believe they have a serious shot at making it now. Better luck next year.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Falling Short
So the Phillies season hasn't really been as successful as an optimistic fan had originally envisioned. The Hunter Pence Project was a failure. In a whirlwind of a trade deadline, Ruben Amaro sent his two premier outfielders to the west coast, Victorino to the Dodgers and Pence to the Giants. The Phillies played themselves into the role of sellers this season by bleeding out games left and right before the all-star break by finding new ways to lose close games on a nightly basis. Also shipped out was starting pitcher Joe Blanton, whose salary the Phillies were happy to unload.
In return for Pence, Ruben got us a top of the line catching prospect in Tommy Joseph, who immediately took the spot of the top position playing prospect in the Phillies organization. Joseph is a 21 year-old with some serious pop, he's hit 46 homers in two and half years of minor league ball.
The Phillies also added Nate Shierholtz, a 28 year-old outfielder with a cannon for an arm who has looked effective in limited play with the Phillies. He could prove to be a cheap, helpful piece in the lineup next year, but is currently sidelined with a broken toe and could remain out for the rest of the season.
For Victorino the Phillies received right-handed reliever, Josh Lindblom. Lindblom is young and effective, something the Phillies haven't seen from their pen this year. In addition they received a minor league pitcher, Ethan Martin.
Since the trades, Domonic Brown has been called up and is looking more than capable at the plate. He's collected a hit in 9 of his last 10 games and while he hasn't shown the power stroke just yet, his approach at the plate has vastly improved. Now Brown is grinding out at-bats striking out significantly less and walking more. While we've only seen a small sample thus far, it's definitely noted improvement and a good sign for the things to come.
In return for Pence, Ruben got us a top of the line catching prospect in Tommy Joseph, who immediately took the spot of the top position playing prospect in the Phillies organization. Joseph is a 21 year-old with some serious pop, he's hit 46 homers in two and half years of minor league ball.
The Phillies also added Nate Shierholtz, a 28 year-old outfielder with a cannon for an arm who has looked effective in limited play with the Phillies. He could prove to be a cheap, helpful piece in the lineup next year, but is currently sidelined with a broken toe and could remain out for the rest of the season.
For Victorino the Phillies received right-handed reliever, Josh Lindblom. Lindblom is young and effective, something the Phillies haven't seen from their pen this year. In addition they received a minor league pitcher, Ethan Martin.
Since the trades, Domonic Brown has been called up and is looking more than capable at the plate. He's collected a hit in 9 of his last 10 games and while he hasn't shown the power stroke just yet, his approach at the plate has vastly improved. Now Brown is grinding out at-bats striking out significantly less and walking more. While we've only seen a small sample thus far, it's definitely noted improvement and a good sign for the things to come.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Still Sinking
Chase Utley homered in
his first at-bat of the season, Carlos Ruiz hit a homer immediately after, and
there was a glimmer of hope. Hope that the Phillies were back, Chase Utley’s
return would bring that old grit and winning attitude back to the Philadelphia
clubhouse. Then Raul Valdes gave up a three run homer, then the rest of the
mess that has accumulated in the Phillies’ bullpen blew the game wide open, and
the Phillies lost, again.
The Phillies have yet
to win a game since Utley has returned to the lineup. Their season is in a
nose dive and it wasn’t a long fall to the basement of the NL East, it only took
a three game sweep by the Miami Marlins to get them there. The Phillies dealt
Jim Thome, a pinch-hitting luxury at this point, for two low-level prospects.
Splashed across the
headlines and the ESPN ticker is news of GM Ruben Amaro openly shopping Cole
Hamels and Shane Victorino. Amaro would go on to denounce the rumors; he even
reached out to reporters in order to quiet the rumblings.
While most of the Philly faithful is calling for an overhaul and dubbing the season over, Amaro seems to have a very different opinion, one that may still hold credibility, but is quickly fading.
The Phillies have lost five straight games taking them to 9 games under .500, and sit 11 games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals.
They open a six game run against the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets which should be very telling of how the rest of the season goes. If the Phils continue to tank I don’t see how they could hold off a fire sale, if they start to shine then maybe we can still hold out hope, but decisions will need to be made soon.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Time to Sell?
The Phillies handed in another miserable performance two days ago to acquire their 9th loss in their last 10 outings. Before this stretch they had appeared to be making some strides, but they are now in a free fall. I'm beginning to wonder if it's time to change the direction of this season and trade in some parts before losing them for nothing in return.
The first part that comes to mind here is without a doubt, Cole Hamels. Hamels has still not reached an agreement with the Phillies and would be a free a agent at the end of the season. If the Phillies allow Hamels to reach the open market there is no doubt in my mind that there are a number of other teams willing to throw out absurd amounts of money for Cole's services, money which the Phillies will not match (Does the name Jayson Werth ring a bell?). Hamels has a lot of value right now and could get the Phillies plenty in return. A name I've heard a few times which I would love to go after is third baseman, Mark Trumbo, of the Angels. Trumbo is young, cheap, and extremely talented. I'd also try to get Peter Bourjos in the deal if I could. Bourjos is a young, speedy centerfielder with some pop who has lost playing time lately with the emergence of Mike Trout. If the Phillies can acquire these two they would gain some solid pieces to build around for the future (Trumbo especially).
Bourjos would provide a more than apt replacement for Shane Victorino, another player whose contract expires at the end of the year and will be due more money than he's worth. Victorino has been a massive disappointment for the Phillies this year, rather than lift them he has dropped the weight by hitting a timid .253 at the plate.
For Victorino I would want some young starting pitching, something to fill the hole left by Hamels.
It may be early to say, but if the Phillies continue to play this embarrassing excuse for baseball and their freefall continues, they need to make some serious decisions quickly before they are left empty handed.
Phillies current record: 29-33 (8.5 games back from the NL East Lead)
The first part that comes to mind here is without a doubt, Cole Hamels. Hamels has still not reached an agreement with the Phillies and would be a free a agent at the end of the season. If the Phillies allow Hamels to reach the open market there is no doubt in my mind that there are a number of other teams willing to throw out absurd amounts of money for Cole's services, money which the Phillies will not match (Does the name Jayson Werth ring a bell?). Hamels has a lot of value right now and could get the Phillies plenty in return. A name I've heard a few times which I would love to go after is third baseman, Mark Trumbo, of the Angels. Trumbo is young, cheap, and extremely talented. I'd also try to get Peter Bourjos in the deal if I could. Bourjos is a young, speedy centerfielder with some pop who has lost playing time lately with the emergence of Mike Trout. If the Phillies can acquire these two they would gain some solid pieces to build around for the future (Trumbo especially).
Bourjos would provide a more than apt replacement for Shane Victorino, another player whose contract expires at the end of the year and will be due more money than he's worth. Victorino has been a massive disappointment for the Phillies this year, rather than lift them he has dropped the weight by hitting a timid .253 at the plate.
For Victorino I would want some young starting pitching, something to fill the hole left by Hamels.
It may be early to say, but if the Phillies continue to play this embarrassing excuse for baseball and their freefall continues, they need to make some serious decisions quickly before they are left empty handed.
Phillies current record: 29-33 (8.5 games back from the NL East Lead)
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Joe Blanton loves allowing opposing pitchers to hit homeruns.
He does. For the second time in his last two starts, Joe Blanton allowed a pitcher to crush a ball into the seats. In addition to that good ol' Joe has allowed quite a few other guys to hit homers. Needless to say, the Phillies have not been winning games lately with Mr. Blanton toeing the rubber. The Philies dropped today's game 5-1, and lost two games in their three game set.
Blanton gave up five runs on 9 hits in 6 innings of work, an improvement from his previous two flops, but still not too impressive.
The Philadelphia offense didn't really have an answer for Miami's starter, Carlos Zambrano. They managed only six hits and scratched out just one run. Miami is becoming a very scary team, and one could definitely make a case for them being the top team in this skilled NL East. Hanley Ramirez has finally turned up the offense, jacking three homers in his last two games. The Marlins boast a very top-heavy offense with Reyes, Ramirez, and Stanton, and have plenty of speed throughout their lineup.
The silver lining for today? Chase Utley took his knees down to Florida. Maybe we'll see him in action a little sooner than later.
Phillies current record: 28-27 (3.5 games from the NL East Lead)
Blanton gave up five runs on 9 hits in 6 innings of work, an improvement from his previous two flops, but still not too impressive.
The Philadelphia offense didn't really have an answer for Miami's starter, Carlos Zambrano. They managed only six hits and scratched out just one run. Miami is becoming a very scary team, and one could definitely make a case for them being the top team in this skilled NL East. Hanley Ramirez has finally turned up the offense, jacking three homers in his last two games. The Marlins boast a very top-heavy offense with Reyes, Ramirez, and Stanton, and have plenty of speed throughout their lineup.
The silver lining for today? Chase Utley took his knees down to Florida. Maybe we'll see him in action a little sooner than later.
Phillies current record: 28-27 (3.5 games from the NL East Lead)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Good News and Bad News
The Bad (Possibly Horrible/Terrible) News:
Roy Halladay will have an MRI on his shoulder today. He experienced soreness while pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
He allowed a grand slam to Yadier Molina in the first inning and then recorded three smooth outs in the second inning before he was pulled out of the game.
Doc hasn't looked like himself at all lately, he's been very hesitant to use his fastball this year, throwing it only 8% of the time. Last year he relied significantly more on the pitch, throwing it 27% of the time. On Sunday his fastball sat around 88-89, slightly down from the usual.
The Good News:
The Phillies beat the stinkin' Mets (finally).
Cole Hamels earned his eighth win of the season, making himself the first pitcher to do so this season. Hamels pitched through the eighth inning, saving the Phillies the nightmare of watching Chad Qualls stroll to the mound with a one-run lead.
Ty Wigginton had a career day at the plate. He drove in six runs on three hits including a three-run homer in the eighth inning which stretched the Philadelphia lead to 8-4.
The homer got rid of a potential save situation for Jonathan Papelbon, but Charlie Manuel brought the closer in anyway since he had already been warming up.
All this came after a series where the Phillies took three out of four against the St. Louis Cardinals. Althought the defending World Champs lost their best player in the off-season, they've got quite a lineup with Matt Holliday, David Freese, and Carlos Beltran mashing the ball so far this season.
The Phillies now sit two games above .500 and only four games separate them from the division-leading Washington Nationals.
Roy Halladay will have an MRI on his shoulder today. He experienced soreness while pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
He allowed a grand slam to Yadier Molina in the first inning and then recorded three smooth outs in the second inning before he was pulled out of the game.
Doc hasn't looked like himself at all lately, he's been very hesitant to use his fastball this year, throwing it only 8% of the time. Last year he relied significantly more on the pitch, throwing it 27% of the time. On Sunday his fastball sat around 88-89, slightly down from the usual.
The Good News:
The Phillies beat the stinkin' Mets (finally).
Cole Hamels earned his eighth win of the season, making himself the first pitcher to do so this season. Hamels pitched through the eighth inning, saving the Phillies the nightmare of watching Chad Qualls stroll to the mound with a one-run lead.
Ty Wigginton had a career day at the plate. He drove in six runs on three hits including a three-run homer in the eighth inning which stretched the Philadelphia lead to 8-4.
The homer got rid of a potential save situation for Jonathan Papelbon, but Charlie Manuel brought the closer in anyway since he had already been warming up.
All this came after a series where the Phillies took three out of four against the St. Louis Cardinals. Althought the defending World Champs lost their best player in the off-season, they've got quite a lineup with Matt Holliday, David Freese, and Carlos Beltran mashing the ball so far this season.
The Phillies now sit two games above .500 and only four games separate them from the division-leading Washington Nationals.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Poised to Climb
The Phillies have won their last six contests and 7 of their last 10. They are coming off a pair of two-game series sweeps against the Cubs and the Astros, and a victory yesterday against the Boston Red Sox. With a Mets loss today and a victory against the Red Sox, the Phils can leave the basement of the NL East, a position they've held for a little too long now.
In yesterday's game the Phils fired on all cylinders, and after giving the efforts we fans have come to expect, they got the results we've come to expect.
Cole Hamels threw a solid 7 innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine.Two of the runs came on solo shots, one from Mike Aviles, the other from a familiar thorn in the Phillies' side, Cody Ross.
Carlos Ruiz continues to be the lifeblood of the Phils offense, going two for three with a pair of RBIs, and Pence blasted another homerun to bring his season total to ten.
Freddy Galvis, a whiz with the glove, chipped in with his bat and hit his second homer of the season in the eighth inning to give Papelbon some room to work with.Galvis continues to look better at the plate everyday, and hits well with runners on base.
Chad Qualls managed to give up the run in the eighth that the Phillies inevitably seem to allow in every game now, but Bastardo got out of the inning. Jonathan Papelbon came in to nail down the victory against his old club.
In yesterday's game the Phils fired on all cylinders, and after giving the efforts we fans have come to expect, they got the results we've come to expect.
Cole Hamels threw a solid 7 innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine.Two of the runs came on solo shots, one from Mike Aviles, the other from a familiar thorn in the Phillies' side, Cody Ross.
Carlos Ruiz continues to be the lifeblood of the Phils offense, going two for three with a pair of RBIs, and Pence blasted another homerun to bring his season total to ten.
Freddy Galvis, a whiz with the glove, chipped in with his bat and hit his second homer of the season in the eighth inning to give Papelbon some room to work with.Galvis continues to look better at the plate everyday, and hits well with runners on base.
Chad Qualls managed to give up the run in the eighth that the Phillies inevitably seem to allow in every game now, but Bastardo got out of the inning. Jonathan Papelbon came in to nail down the victory against his old club.
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